Effects of Hypothermia and Self-Warming on Activity of Ca(2+)-Dependent Neutral Proteases in Tissues of Ground Squirrels and Rats.

Effects of hypothermia and subsequent self-warming on activity of Ca(2+)-dependent neutral proteases were studied in tissues of ground squirrels and rats. Moderate hypothermia did not significantly change activity of Ca(2+)-dependent neutral proteases in the analyzed tissues of ground squirrels, but reduced protease activity in rat heart. Severe hypothermia reduced enzyme activity in the analyzed tissues of rats and ground squirrels.

Activity of Ca2+-dependent neutral proteases in tissues of ground squirrel during hibernation and during self-warming after induced awakening.

Cyclic changes in activity of Ca2+-dependent neutral protease occur during preparation for hibernation, with an increase in September and November and decrease in October and December. During hibernation proteolytic enzyme activity decreased, while during self-warming after induced awakening, the role of Ca2+-dependent processes in the tissues of ground squirrels increased according to the body temperature.

Changes in activity of neutral proteases in tissues of ground squirrels in the dynamics of hibernation.

Total activities of neutral proteases in the cerebral, hepatic, and myocardial tissues of ground squirrel vary during hibernation: in autumn (before hibernation) activities of the enzymes in the brain and myocardium start increasing, while in the liver they do not change. A common feature for all tissues is minimum activity of active neutral proteases in the middle of hibernation month 1 bout, while the maximum activity is recorded before awakening.

[Peptide hydrolase activity in brain tissues during the early stages of post-hypothermia period].

The acid peptidohydrolase activity in the homogenate, dissoluble and mitochondrial-lysosomal fractions of brain tissues of rats who have endured deep hypothermia was determined after their "active" warming for an hour and on the 1st, 2nd, 3d and 7th days after their self-warming. The "active" warming of rats who have endured deep hypothermia (19-20 degrees C) brings about the restoration of the acid peptidohydrolase activity in the subcellular brain tissue fractions. After self-warming the examined enzyme activity restores 7 days later.

[Effect of hypothermia on subcellular distribution and various physico-chemical properties of cathepsin D in rat brain].

The total cooling ef rats down to the rectal temperature 30 degrees and 20 degrees C does not change significantly the ratio of the relative specific activity of cathepsin D in subcellular fractions of the rat brain. The gel chromatographic analysis of heterogeneity of cathepsin D molecular forms in subcellular fractions established the presence of a high-molecular (in the fractions of lysosome and microsome mitochondria) and a low-molecular (in the fractions of lysosome and cytosol mitochondria) enzyme forms. Under hypothermia (20 degrees C) in the brain cytosol fraction there arises a minor zone of the cathepsin D activity corresponding to the high-molecular enzyme form.