dc.contributor.advisor | Kohn, Leonard D. | |
dc.contributor.advisor | Grollman, Evelyn F. | |
dc.contributor.author | Dyer, Sherry A. | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2010-06-02T21:14:46Z | |
dc.date.available | 2010-06-02T21:14:46Z | |
dc.date.issued | 1979 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10920/15464 | |
dc.description | ix, 58 p. | en_US |
dc.description.abstract | Since ancient times, tetanus toxin has been identified as a serious
threat to mankind. Evidence has accumulated which links the neurotoxic
effects of the toxin with interference of the release of neurotransmitters
from the axon terminals of inhibitory synapses. Given the importance
of calcium in many neurosecretory processes, the effect of
tetanus toxin on calcium fluxes in synaptosomes, isolated portions of
the pre- and postsynaptic nerve terminals, was investigated.
Radiolabeled calcium is rapidly accumulated by synaptosomes; this
is not due to binding of the calcium as demonstrated by the fact that
the calcium ionophore A23l87 can deplete the accumulated calcium from
synaptosome preparations. Calcium accumulation by synaptosomes is shown
to have both plasma membrane and mitochondrial components.
Tetanus toxin decreases the accumulation of radiolabeled calcium by
synaptosomes. Treatments which have been shown to inactivate the toxin's
neurotoxic activity in vivo also prevent the tetanus toxin effect on
calcium uptake in this in vitro assay. Additional studies have shown that
tetanus toxin decreases calcium accumulation by neuroblastoma-glioma
hybrid cell preparations, but the toxin did not affect calcium accumulation
by mouse fibroblast cell preparations which are not derived from
neural tissues.
Although tetanus toxin can affect the membrane potential of synaptosomes,
there appears to be no simple relationship between this effect
on membrane potentials and the toxin's effect on transmembrane calcium
fluxes.
Another bacterial toxin, cholera toxin, glycoprotein hormones, arid
nonapeptide hormones all of which have previously been shown to have
structural and functional similarities with tetanus toxin are also seen
to decrease radiolabeled calcium accumulation by synaptosome preparations.
The implications of these results with respect to the mechanism of
tetanus toxin action and the relationship between glycoprotein hormones,
nonapeptide hormones, and certain bacterial toxins is discussed. | en_US |
dc.description.abstract | If you are not a current K College student, faculty, or staff member, email dspace@kzoo.edu to request access to this SIP. | |
dc.description.sponsorship | Section on the Biochemistry of Cell Regulation, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD | |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
dc.publisher | Kalamazoo College | en_US |
dc.relation.ispartof | Kalamazoo College Chemistry Senior Individualized Projects Collection | |
dc.relation.ispartofseries | Senior Individualized Projects. Chemistry.; | |
dc.rights | U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder. All rights reserved. | |
dc.title | The Effect of Tetanus Toxin on Calcium Accumulation By Synaptosomes Isolated From Mouse Cerebral Cortex | en_US |
dc.type | Thesis | en_US |