bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Participation of fast-activating, voltage-dependent K currents in electrical slow waves of colonic circular muscle
Authors: Thornbury K. D. , Ward S. M. , Sanders K. M.
Published: December 2017

The plateau phase of electrical slow waves in phasic gastrointestinal muscles is critical for excitation-contraction coupling. The plateau appears to depend upon a balance between inward Ca2+ current and outward K+ currents that is sustained for several seconds. Voltage-dependent, non-Ca(2+)-dependent K currents were studied in canine colonic circular muscle cells using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. At room temperature, depolarization activated a slow outward current that showed little inactivation during 500 ms. Increasing the temperature to 37 degrees C significantly increased the rate of activation of voltage-dependent outward current. The onset of the outward current overlapped the transient inward Ca2+ current, suggesting that this K current may act as a brake on the upstroke depolarization of electrical slow waves in intact muscles. Voltage-dependent outward current was sustained for the duration of test pulses. This current balanced the sustained inward current that was also activated at physiological test potentials. The outward current evoked by test pulses positive to -20 mV inactivated by at least 50% within 500 ms. Half inactivation occurred at -36 mV. Voltage-dependent K current was reduced by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP; 1-5 mM), but difference currents obtained by subtracting currents elicited from holding potentials of -45 mV from currents obtained from holding potentials of -100 mV were not affected by 4-AP (1 mM). Studies were also performed on intact muscles to test the effects of 4-AP on electrical slow waves. 4-AP increased the amplitude and rate of rise of the upstroke potential and increased the amplitude and prolonged the plateau phase of slow waves. These data suggest that a rapidly activating, inactivating, voltage-dependent K current participates in electrical slow waves of colonic circular smooth muscles.
Diverse prostaglandin receptors activate distinct signal transduction pathways in rat myometrium
Authors: Goureau O. , Tanfin Z. , Marc S. , Harbon S.
Published: December 2017

Attempts were made to identify prostaglandin (PG) receptors in rat myometrium, according to the differential rank order of potencies displayed by the natural PGs and their analogues, both at the level of second messenger generation and contraction. In estrogen-treated rat myometrium, PGs [iloprost = PGI2 greater than PGE2 much greater than 16,16-dimethyl (DM)-PGE2; sulprostone = misoprostol = 0] induced adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate generation, indicating the contribution of a PGI2 receptor. The generation of inositol phosphates was stimulated by PGs (PGF2 alpha greater than PGD2 much greater than PGE2 = DM-PGE2 much greater than iloprost greater than sulprostone = misoprostol = 0), reflecting a PGF2 alpha-receptor-mediated process, which was insensitive to pertussis toxin (PTX). Contractions caused by PGF2 alpha were closely correlated to PGF2 alpha-receptor activation associated with the phospholipase C pathway. By contrast, contractions evoked by PGE2, equally mimicked by sulprostone and misoprostol, were abolished by PTX and were independent of phospholipase C activation. In the pregnant myometrium (day 21), the latter PGE-receptor-mediated mechanism also contributed to contractions caused by PGE2 (less than microM concn). Phospholipase C activation was coupled not only to PGF2 alpha but also to PGE receptors and could be correlated with contractions induced by PGF2 alpha and PGE2 greater than microM concn). All PGs tested were coupled to inhibitory G protein-mediated adenylate cyclase inhibition, displaying an equipotency that did not allow characterization of the inhibitory PG receptors.
Physiological fluid shear stress causes downregulation of endothelin-1 mRNA in bovine aortic endothelium
Authors: Malek A. , Izumo S.
Published: December 2017

We report here that the level of endothelin-1 (ET-1) mRNA from bovine aortic endothelial cells grown in vitro is rapidly (within 1 h of exposure) and significantly (fivefold) decreased in response to fluid shear stress of physiological magnitude. The downregulation of ET-1 mRNA occurs in a dose-dependent manner that exhibits saturation above 15 dyn/cm2. The decrease is complete prior to detectable changes in endothelial cell shape and is maintained throughout and following alignment in the direction of blood flow. Peptide levels of ET-1 secreted into the media are also reduced in response to fluid shear stress. Cyclical stretch experiments demonstrated no changes in ET-1 mRNA, while increasing media viscosity with dextran showed that the downregulation is a specific response to shear stress and not to fluid velocity. Although both pulsatile and turbulent shear stress of equal time-average magnitude elicited the same decrease in ET-1 mRNA as steady laminar shear (15 dyn/cm2), low-frequency reversing shear stress did not result in any change. These results show that the magnitude as well as the dynamic character of fluid shear stress can modulate expression of ET-1 in vascular endothelium.
Oncotic pressure regulates gene transcriptions of albumin and apolipoprotein B in cultured rat hepatoma cells
Authors: Yamauchi A. , Fukuhara Y. , Yamamoto S. , Yano F. , Takenaka M. , Imai E. , Noguchi T. , Tanaka T. , Kamada T. , Ueda N.
Published: December 2017

The mechanism of the accelerated syntheses of albumin and apolipoprotein B (apo B) in response to decreased oncotic pressure was investigated in cultured rat hepatoma H4-II-E cells. Addition of dextran (mol wt 6-9 x 10(4)) to the culture medium decreased the levels of albumin and apo B mRNAs in an oncotic pressure-dependent manner. The reductions of both mRNAs were attenuated with increase in the molecular weight of dextran, which resulted in a decrease in oncotic pressure. Addition of macromolecule increased the viscosity in medium; however, alteration of viscosity appeared not to correlate with albumin and apo B mRNA levels. Transcriptional run-on assays with isolated nuclei from dextran-treated vs. untreated hepatoma cells indicated that the changes in steady-state mRNA levels were mainly controlled at the transcriptional step. Treatment with cycloheximide increased albumin mRNA to the basal level, which was effectively suppressed by dextran, and resulted in superinduction of apo B mRNA. These changes occurred primarily at the transcriptional step. These results suggest that regulations of the expressions of the albumin and apo B genes for adaptive increases in the mRNAs may require the continued synthesis of a labile protein(s) or a limiting transcription factor(s). We conclude that oncotic pressure plays an important role in regulation of expression of the albumin and apo B genes at the transcriptional step.
Protective effect of the dimer of 16,16-diMePGB1 against KCN-induced mitochondrial failure in hepatocytes
Authors: Park Y. , Devlin T. M. , Jones D. P.
Published: December 2017

The dimer and trimer of 16,16-dimethyl-15-dehydroprostaglandin B1 (16,16-diMePGB1) previously have been shown to have protective effects on mitochondrial function. To examine the potential mechanisms involved in protection against mitochondrial failure, we have studied the effects of the dimer of 16,16-diMe-PGB1 (dicalciphor) on mitochondrial function in hepatocytes exposed to KCN. Addition of micromolar concentrations of dicalciphor provided substantial protection against KCN-induced toxicity in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Dicalciphor, however, had no effect on total or mitochondrial ATP losses in KCN-treated cells. The dimer prevented the marked loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psi) and delta pH that occurs as a result of KCN treatment and prevented KCN-induced loading of phosphate in mitochondria. Furthermore, the dimer of 16,16-diMePGB1 also prevented KCN-induced mitochondrial and cellular swelling. These results demonstrate that dicalciphor protects against KCN-induced damage and that this protection is associated with regulation of specific mitochondrial ion transport functions.
Low K+ increases Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase alpha- and beta-subunit mRNA and protein abundance in cultured renal proximal tubule cells
Authors: Tang M. J. , McDonough A. A.
Published: December 2017

Studies from this laboratory demonstrate that LLC-PK1/Cl4 cells, a cultured renal cell line, respond to incubation in low-K+ medium by coordinately increasing abundance of both alpha- and beta-subunits of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase but increase only beta- and not alpha-mRNA levels (Lescale-Matys et al. J. Biol. Chem. 265: 17935-17940, 1990) and that alpha-abundance is likely increased as a result of increased efficiency of alpha-mRNA translation (L. Lescale-Matys and A. A. McDonough. J. Cell Biol. 111: 311A, 1990). The aim of this report was to determine if nontransformed kidney cells would respond to low K+ in a similar manner. We incubated primary cultures of rat proximal tubule cells in low K+ (0.25 mM) for up to 24 h to address this aim. Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity, measured enzymatically, and abundance of alpha- and beta-subunits, measured by immunoblot, were increased significantly and coordinately by 8 h of low K+, and, by 24 h of low K+, these parameters were increased to 2.17 +/- 0.34 (activity), 2.03 +/- 0.21 (alpha), and 2.39 +/- 0.48 (beta)-fold over control. Pretranslationally, beta-mRNA, measured by Northern blot analysis, increased to 1.76 +/- 0.35 after 3 h of low K+ and to 3.4 +/- 0.75-fold over control after 24 h of low K+. The increase in alpha-mRNA was smaller and delayed compared with the beta-mRNA response, but it was sufficient to account for the observed increase in alpha-protein and Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity at steady state: alpha-mRNA increased to 1.27 +/- 0.09 after 6 h and to 1.91 +/- 0.41-fold over control after 24 h in low K+. We conclude that the accumulation of sodium pumps in cultured renal proximal tubule cells, unlike LLC-PK1 cells, can be accounted for by increases in both alpha- and beta-subunit mRNA levels.
Arachidonic acid and lipoxygenase metabolites uncouple neonatal rat cardiac myocyte pairs
Authors: Massey K. D. , Minnich B. N. , Burt J. M.
Published: December 2017

The effects of arachidonic acid (AA) and its metabolites on the conductance (gj) of the gap junctions between neonatal rat myocardial cells was investigated. AA reduced gj in a dose- (2, 5, and 20 microM) and time-dependent fashion. Pretreatment of the cells with an inhibitor of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway, U-70344A, shifted the dose-response curve to the right; pretreatment with indomethacin, an inhibitor of the cyclooxygenase pathway, had no effect. The mean time to uncoupling was 3.7 +/- 0.3, 3.8 +/- 0.9, and 4.6 +/- 0.6 min (means +/- SE, P less than 0.05) for 5 microM AA, 5 microM AA + indomethacin, and 5 microM AA + U-70344A, respectively. Incorporation of AA into membrane phospholipids was not affected by the inhibitor. These studies suggest that complete uncoupling of the cells occurred at membrane concentrations of 3-4 mol%. The data indicate that AA and a 5-lipoxygenase metabolite uncouple neonatal rat heart cells. The data are discussed with respect to the possible underlying mechanism of uncoupling and the potential role of gap junctions in arrhythmia formation in ischemic heart disease.
Right-angle light scattering to assay basal and regulated plasma membrane Cl- conductances
Authors: Dho S. , Chou S. , Chang X. B. , Rommens J. M. , Foskett J. K.
Published: December 2017

We describe a simple and rapid technique for assaying both constitutive and regulated plasma membrane Cl- conductances. The method uses right-angle light scattering to measure the rate of swelling of cells in suspension, in which the anion conductance is rate limiting for swelling, due to introduction of high plasma membrane cation conductance using gramicidin. The technique was verified using Chinese hamster ovary cells and mouse L cells, both stably transfected with the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), to confer a specific cAMP-activated Cl- conductance not normally present in these cell types. In agreement with results obtained using other methods for assaying Cl- permeability in these cells, forskolin stimulated a significant increase in plasma membrane Cl- conductance in CFTR-expressing cells, as indicated by an increase in light scattering. That the enhanced light scattering by the cells was the result of cell swelling due to NaCl influx was shown by ion substitution experiments, in which no forskolin-induced increase in light scatter occurred in N-methyl-D-glucamine Cl- or Na+ gluconate medium. Enhanced light scattering was also observed in both CFTR-expressing and control cells stimulated with the Ca2+ ionophore, ionomycin. Extracellular anion substitution, to exploit the inwardly directed halide gradient utilized in this protocol, enabled determination of the anion selectivities of both the cAMP- and Ca(2+)-activated Cl- channels. Thus this technique provides a simple optical method for rapidly assaying not only constitutive and regulated Cl- conductance pathways but also their anion selectivities.
A novel remote-sensing isometric force transducer for micromechanics studies
Authors: Guilford W. H. , Gore R. W.
Published: December 2017

We have developed an innovative transducer for measuring force with femtonewton-to-micronewton resolution in biological systems. A magnetic microsphere is attached to the specimen being studied and is positioned between two electromagnets. Video microscopy and edge detection are used to monitor small movements of the microsphere that occur when the specimen generates force. An automatic control system adjusts the current through the electromagnets to keep the microsphere stationary. Measured force is a linear function of this current. This transducer is unique in its combination of sensitivity and isometric properties and its ability to measure force without direct connections to the specimen. That is, the transducer is “remote sensing” and can measure force through intervening membrane or tissue. The transducer is isometric at steady state to the limit at which displacement of the microsphere can be resolved, which can be as low as 19 nm. The completed system is being used to study the mechanics of interstitial connective tissue but may also be used to study molecular generation of force.
Ca(2+)-independent isoforms of protein kinase C differentially translocate in smooth muscle
Authors: Khalil R. A. , Lajoie C. , Resnick M. S. , Morgan K. G.
Published: December 2017

It is generally assumed that smooth muscle contraction is dependent on changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i); however, we have previously reported that alpha-agonist-induced contraction of aorta smooth muscle cells can occur in the absence of changes in [Ca2+]i [Collins, E. M., M. P. Walsh, and K. G. Morgan. Am. J. Physiol. 262 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 31): H754-H762, 1992]. The mechanism of this [Ca2+]i-independent contraction is controversial. We have now identified the Ca(2+)-independent protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms epsilon and zeta in ferret aorta and have used digital imaging microscopy to determine their subcellular distribution. At rest, epsilon-PKC is diffusely distributed in the cytosol, whereas zeta-PKC is concentrated in the perinuclear region; both isoforms are excluded from the nuclear space. Agonist stimulation causes a [Ca2+]i-independent translocation of epsilon-PKC to the surface membrane and of zeta-PKC to the intranuclear compartment. In comparison, ferret portal vein cells, which display a totally Ca(2+)-dependent agonist contraction, are lacking in epsilon-PKC but display perinuclear zeta-PKC, which translocates intranuclearly on activation. Thus the Ca(2+)-independent vascular contraction appears to be associated with plasmalemmal translocation of epsilon-PKC; in contrast, the intranuclear translocation of zeta-PKC may function in control of gene expression.
Effects of angiotensin II and nonpeptide receptor antagonists on transduction pathways in rat proximal tubule
Authors: Poggioli J. , Lazar G. , Houillier P. , Gardin J. P. , Achard J. M. , Paillard M.
Published: December 2017

Because the presence of the angiotensin II (ANG II)-dependent phosphoinositide hydrolysis has been questioned from studies in proximal cells in culture, we looked for this transduction pathway in suspension of freshly isolated rat proximal tubule fragments. ANG II-receptor activation induced a prompt (within 15 s) and sustained increase in [3H]inositol phosphates (IPs; inositol trisphosphate, inositol bisphosphate, and inositol monophosphate). In fura-2-loaded tubules, it elicited a rapid and biphasic rise in cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2+]i) with an early peak (within 15 s) followed by a plateau. The peak was maintained in the absence of extracellular calcium. ANG II-induced inositol trisphosphate and [Ca2+]i rises showed a similar dose dependency, with a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 2.9 and 5.5 nM, respectively. We checked that ANG II inhibited basal (EC50 4.4 nM) and parathyroid hormone- and forskolin-stimulated cAMP production, the latter effect being inhibited by pertussis toxin pretreatment. The effects of ANG II on IPs and [Ca2+]i were inhibited by the ANG II receptor subtype 1 (AT1) antagonist losartan and not by the ANG II receptor subtype 2 (AT2) antagonists PD 123177 and PD 123319. The effect of ANG II on forskolin-stimulated cAMP was inhibited by losartan and not by PD 123319. In agreement with these results, specific binding of 125I-[Sar1,Ile8]ANG II was markedly inhibited by losartan, whereas PD 123319 had no effect. These results demonstrate that AT1 receptor subtypes are present in intact rat proximal tubule cells and are coupled to both IPs-Ca2+ and cAMP signaling pathways. No evidence for AT2 receptor subtype is found.
Carbachol induces K+, Cl-, and nonselective cation conductances in T84 cells: a perforated patch-clamp study
Authors: Devor D. C. , Duffey M. E.
Published: December 2017

We used the perforated patch-clamp technique to examine cell membrane ionic conductances in isolated cells of the human colonic secretory cell line, T84, during exposure to the muscarinic agonist carbachol. Carbachol (100 microM) induced both outward and inward currents when the patch pipette contained a normal intracellular-like solution, the bath contained a normal extracellular-like solution, and the cells were intermittently voltage clamped between K+ and Cl- equilibrium potentials. The outward current was identified as a K+ current that averaged 483 +/- 95 pA, while the inward current averaged 152 +/- 29 pA (n = 15). The outward and inward currents oscillated with a synchronous frequency of 0.036 +/- 0.006 Hz; however, the onset of the K+ current occurred an average of 457 +/- 72 ms before the onset of the inward current. When the pipette contained a high-NaCl solution, the bath contained a Na(+)-gluconate solution, and the cells were intermittently voltage clamped between Cl- and Na+ equilibrium potentials, carbachol induced both Cl- and nonselective cation currents. The Cl- current averaged 455 +/- 73 pA, while the nonselective cation current, averaged 336 +/- 54 pA (n = 14). No difference was observed in the onset of these two currents. These results indicate that carbachol induces three separate ionic conductances in T84 cells. We used the whole cell patch-clamp technique in a previous study of these cells [D. C. Devor, S. M. Simasko, and M. E. Duffey. Am. J. Physiol. 258 (Cell Physiol. 27): C318-C326, 1990] and found that carbachol induced only an oscillating membrane K+ conductance. Thus some unidentified component of the carbachol-sensitive signal transduction pathway is diffusible and may be lost during whole cell patch clamping.
Association of phospholipase C-delta with a highly enriched preparation of canine sarcolemma
Authors: Wolf R. A.
Published: December 2017

Myocardial synthesis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is highly compartmentalized in the sarcolemmal membrane. Sarcolemmal vesicles contain endogenous phospholipase C (PLC), but the identity of sarcolemmal PLC and its relationship to soluble PLC have not been determined previously. Sarcolemmal and cytosolic PLC were prepared from canine myocardium and characterized by DEAE-cellulose chromatography and by immunoblotting with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to isoenzymes of PLC (PLC beta, PLC gamma, and PLC delta). DEAE-cellulose chromatography resolved two forms of cytosolic PLC that were identified as an 85-kDa form of PLC delta and a 145-kDa form of PLC gamma. In contrast, DEAE-cellulose chromatography resolved a single form of sarcolemmal PLC that was identified as an 85-kDa form of PLC delta. These data demonstrate that PLC gamma and PLC delta are expressed in canine myocardium and that an 85-kDa form of PLC delta is selectively associated with sites of PIP2 synthesis in a highly enriched preparation of sarcolemma. These data do not exclude the existence of additional isoenzymes of sarcolemmal PLC that may have been removed during isolation of sarcolemmal membranes.
Oxygenation-activated K fluxes in trout red blood cells
Authors: Nielsen O. B. , Lykkeboe G. , Cossins A. R.
Published: December 2017

The effect of oxygenation on the dissipative fluxes of K in trout red blood cells has been determined. Unidirectional influx under low oxygen tension (PO2 = 1 kPa) was 0.56 +/- 0.07 mmol.l-1 packed cells.h-1. Within a few minutes of equilibration with high oxygen tension (PO2 = 120 kPa), influx was increased 14-fold, and this was associated with a progressive loss of KCl and a cell shrinkage. K influx progressively declined over the following 3 h to levels close to those characteristic of cells at low oxygen tension. Replacement of medium Cl by NO3- or methane sulfonate inhibited the stimulation due to high oxygen as did furosemide and low extracellular pH. The oxygenation-stimulated influx was highly volume sensitive, being increased by up to 100% by osmotic swelling and decreased by osmotic shrinkage. By contrast, the small influx under low oxygen tension was unaffected by either Cl replacement or by shrinkage and increased only with extreme swelling. Thus high oxygen tension activated a Cl-dependent and furosemide-sensitive K flux. Once activated, the mechanism was rapidly deactivated on transfer back to low oxygen tension but slowly deactivated when maintained at high PO2. The oxygenation-stimulated flux mechanism promotes a rapid and more complete volume regulatory decrease than in cells at low oxygen tension.
Effects of okadaic acid indicate a role for dephosphorylation in pancreatic stimulus-secretion coupling
Authors: Wagner A. C. , Wishart M. J. , Yule D. I. , Williams J. A.
Published: December 2017

Okadaic acid completely inhibits phosphatase 2A at nanomolar concentrations, while complete inhibition of type 1 phosphatases occurs at 1 microM. Phosphatase 2B is significantly inhibited only at concentrations > 1 microM. In rat pancreatic acini, 1 microM okadaic acid shifted the cholecystokinin (CCK) dose-response curve for stimulating amylase release to the right without reducing maximal secretion. At 3 microM, okadaic acid inhibited maximal CCK-induced amylase release to 78 +/- 7% of control, whereas the inactive analogue 1-Nor-okadaone had no effect. Three lines of evidence indicate that this inhibition by okadaic acid occurs at a late step in stimulus-secretion coupling: 1) intracellular Ca2+ signaling in response to agonist stimulation was not appreciably altered by okadaic acid; 2) stimulation with phorbol ester plus thapsigargin (thus by-passing receptor activation), which gave 85 +/- 4% of maximal CCK-induced amylase release, was inhibited 66 +/- 4% by 3 microM okadaic acid; and 3) Ca(2+)-induced amylase secretion in streptolysin O-permeabilized cells was also reduced by 85 +/- 7%. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of 32P-labeled acini and autoradiography demonstrated that okadaic acid dose dependently increased overall protein phosphorylation. Correspondingly, okadaic acid also led to an inhibition of CCK-induced dephosphorylation. These results show that okadaic acid inhibits pancreatic acinar secretion at a step after generation of intracellular messengers and indicate a role for protein dephosphorylation in stimulus-secretion coupling.
Dual mechanisms for Na-K-Cl cotransport regulation in airway epithelial cells
Authors: Haas M. , McBrayer D. G. , Yankaskas J. R.
Published: December 2017

To investigate cellular mechanisms involved in the regulation of basolateral Na-K-Cl cotransport in airway epithelia, we determined saturable basolateral [3H]bumetanide binding, a measure of functioning cotransporters, in primary cultures of canine tracheal and human nasal epithelial cells, including cells from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). As we previously reported [M. Haas, L. G. Johnson, and R. C. Boucher. Am. J. Physiol. 259 (Cell Physiol. 28): C557-C569, 1990], isoproterenol and hypertonic cell shrinkage produce an equivalent stimulation of [3H]bumetanide binding to dog tracheal cells. We now find that apical ATP and UTP, which stimulate apical Cl channels and Cl secretion in normal and CF airway cells by an adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-independent mechanism (S. J. Mason, A. M. Paradiso, and R. C. Boucher. Br. J. Pharmacol. 103: 1649-1656, 1991), increase basolateral [3H]bumetanide binding to dog tracheal cells to the same extent as do isoproterenol and hypertonic shrinkage. The stimulatory effects of ATP and UTP on binding are inhibited by apical addition of a Cl channel blocker, the indanyloxyacetic acid derivative IAA-94 (0.2 mM), or by raising basolateral K concentration ([K]b) from 3.3 to 40 mM, suggesting these effects are secondary to apical Cl efflux via channels. Apical IAA-94 and increased [K]b also inhibit stimulation of binding by isoproterenol by approximately 50%, suggesting that part (but not all) of the effect of the beta-agonist on basolateral cotransport is secondary to apical Cl efflux, with an additional component of direct stimulation of cotransport via cAMP. In support of this interpretation, we find that isoproterenol and a membrane-permeable cAMP analogue increase [3H]bumetanide binding to primary cultures of CF nasal epithelial cells, in which significant cAMP-mediated stimulation of apical Cl efflux does not occur. [3H]bumetanide binding to CF nasal cells is also stimulated by apical ATP, and levels of saturable [3H]bumetanide binding to CF cells are 1.3-1.5 times those in non-CF nasal cells under both basal and stimulated conditions. The results suggest that basolateral Na-K-Cl cotransport in airway cells may be upregulated in two distinct ways: 1) directly via a cAMP-dependent cascade, and 2) as a secondary response to apical Cl channel activation. Both of these mechanisms appear to be intact in CF.
Lateral diffusion of lipids in renal cells: effects of hypoxia and reoxygenation and role of cytoskeleton
Authors: Paller M. S.
Published: December 2017

The effects of hypoxia and reoxygenation on the lateral mobility of membrane lipids were studied in primary cultures of rat proximal tubule epithelial cells at a subconfluent stage. The lipid lateral diffusion coefficient (DL) of the fluorescent probe 1-acyl-2-(N-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazol)-aminocaproyl phosphatidylethanolamine was determined in membranes of attached cells by the technique of fluorescence redistribution after photobleaching, using confocal imaging to differentiate apical from basal surfaces. Fluidity was greater in basolateral membranes than in apical membranes [DL(apical) = 3.15 +/- 0.8 and DL (basolateral) = 6.56 +/- 1.2 x 10(-10) cm2/s]. In apical membranes, 60 min of hypoxia plus 30 min of reoxygenation increased DL to 10.04 +/- 2.1. When cells were pretreated with the antioxidants superoxide dismutase, catalase, or alpha-tocopherol, there was no clear-cut effect on the hypoxia-reoxygenation-induced increase in apical membrane DL, although t-butyl hydroperoxide treatment of cells did increase DL. Disruption of the cytoskeleton with cytochalasin D or exposure to Ca(2+)-free medium markedly increased DL. However, when cells were pretreated with phallacidin to stabilize cytoskeletal actin microfilaments, the hypoxia-reoxygenation-induced change in lipid lateral mobility was completely prevented. Thus the cytoskeleton is an important regulator of the translational motion of membrane phospholipids. Hypoxia-reoxygenation may have increased DL because of cytoskeletal dysfunction.
Tissue-specific expression of mRNA encoding rat kidney water channel CHIP28k by in situ hybridization
Authors: Hasegawa H. , Zhang R. , Dohrman A. , Verkman A. S.
Published: December 2017

The tissue distribution of mRNA encoding rat kidney water channel CHIP28k was determined by in situ hybridization. cDNA encoding rat kidney CHIP28k was isolated by homology to human erythrocyte CHIP28 (G. M. Preston and P. Agre. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88: 11110-11114, 1991) and used to construct 155-base 35S-labeled cRNA sense and antisense probes corresponding to base pair 7-162. Fixed and frozen tissues were cut in 6- to 12- microns sections, hybridized with probes at 55 degrees C for 16 h, and exposed for 5-9 days. In renal cortex, CHIP28k mRNA was detected intensely on proximal tubule epithelial cells but not in glomeruli or collecting duct. Hybridization to proximal tubule was strongest in deep renal cortex. In no study was there significant hybridization of sense cRNA probe. In renal papilla, CHIP28k mRNA was detected in only a fraction of tubules corresponding to thin limbs of Henle. Hybridization in spleen was observed in red splenic pulp containing erythroid precursors but not in white pulp. In colon, there was selective hybridization in crypt epithelial cells but not in villus epithelial cells or nonepithelial structures. In lung, hybridization was observed in alveolar epithelial cells. In eye, there was selective hybridization in corneal endothelium and ciliary body. No hybridization was observed in any cell types in liver. Northern analysis revealed a 2.8-kilobase mRNA encoding CHIP28k in kidney cortex and papilla but not in brain, skeletal muscle, and liver. These results indicate a wide and highly selective tissue distribution of mRNA encoding the CHIP28k water channel.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Human plasmin induces a receptor-mediated arachidonate release coupled with G proteins in endothelial cells
Authors: Chang W. C. , Shi G. Y. , Chow Y. H. , Chang L. C. , Hau J. S. , Lin M. T. , Jen C. J. , Wing L. Y. , Wu H. L.
Published: December 2017

Treatment of cultured bovine carotid artery endothelial cells with 10(-7) M plasmin increased arachidonate release coupled with the increase in prostacyclin production. The stimulatory effect of plasmin on arachidonate release could be divided into the early and late phases according to its calcium dependency and pertussis toxin sensitivity. The early phase of plasmin-induced arachidonate release was a calcium-dependent and pertussis toxin-sensitive response, which was observed within 20 min after plasmin treatment. The late phase was a calcium-independent and pertussis toxin-insensitive response, which was induced gradually from 20 to 60 min. Induction of the early phase of plasmin's effect required both the lysine binding and catalytic sites in plasmin molecule because it was inhibited either by the binding antagonist tranexamic acid or by the serine protease inhibitor aprotinin. Guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiotriphosphate) potentiated the effect of plasmin in permeabilized or nonpermeabilized cells, indicating that the early phase effect was mediated by a pertussis toxin-sensitive guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP)-binding protein. The late phase of plasmin's effect was due to the catalytic activity because it was inhibited by aprotinin but not by tranexamic acid. Microplasmin structurally having the catalytic sites induced a similar late phase effect. Plasmin did not elicit the metabolism of phosphatidyl polyphosphoinositides. These studies demonstrate that the activation of phospholipase A2, which results in arachidonate release, in the early phase of plasmin's effect is a receptor-mediation via GTP-binding protein that is not coupled through phospholipase C activation.
Internalization and intracellular transport of folate-binding protein in rat kidney proximal tubule
Authors: Birn H. , Selhub J. , Christensen E. I.
Published: December 2017

Folate-binding protein (FBP) is involved in folate reabsorption in the renal proximal tubule. Immunocytochemical studies have located FBP to the brush-border membrane, endocytic vacuoles, and dense apical tubules. We applied the same polyclonal antibody (anti-FBP) against FBP to investigate the dynamic relationship between FBP in the different compartments by microinjecting the antibody into rat kidney proximal tubules in situ. Specific binding of anti-FBP in vivo to the brush-border membrane was followed by fixation at various times. Protein A-gold labeling shows that anti-FBP is transported from endocytic invaginations into vacuoles followed by transport into dense apical tubules within 15 s. Thus FBP is rapidly internalized, and together with previous studies this study strongly suggests recycling of FBP back to the luminal plasma membrane through dense apical tubules. The results are consistent with reabsorption of folate through endocytosis of the FBP-folate complex followed by dissociation and recycling of FBP. When time is allowed there is a steady accumulation of FBP in dense apical tubules combined with an increase in surface density of the same compartment. A possible explanation involves partial inhibition of the fusion between dense apical tubules and plasma membrane because of the anti-FBP labeling of the receptor.
Molecular cloning and quantification of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase isoforms in rat muscles
Authors: Wu K. D. , Lytton J.
Published: December 2017

A cDNA encoding the full-length adult rat fast-twitch muscle Ca(2+)-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) was cloned. The deduced amino acid sequence of this molecule has 97 and 90% identity with those of rabbit fast-twitch muscle and chicken skeletal muscle Ca(2+)-ATPases, respectively. Specific probes from the 3'-untranslated region of each sarcoplasmic or endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) gene product and full-length cRNA transcript standards were used to determine the quantity of mRNA encoding each isoform in various rat muscles. Quantitative immunoblotting was also used to determine the protein content of each SERCA isoform. Fast-twitch fibers expressed both SERCA1 mRNA and protein at a level two- to fivefold higher than SERCA2 was expressed in slow-twitch fibers. We observed a protein-to-mRNA ratio that varied from approximately 500,000 molecules per molecule in the fast-twitch muscles to approximately 200,000 in cardiac and smooth muscles. There was no difference, however, between the ratio for different isoforms in the same muscle. The content of Ca2+ pump in a given muscle therefore depends on at least three factors: 1) the efficiency of gene transcription and message stability (fiber type dependent), 2) the efficiency of translation and protein stability (muscle identity dependent), and 3) fiber composition of the muscle.
Purification and characterization of chlorotoxin, a chloride channel ligand from the venom of the scorpion
Authors: DeBin J. A. , Maggio J. E. , Strichartz G. R.
Published: December 2017

We have previously demonstrated that the venom of the scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus blocks small-conductance Cl- channels, derived from epithelial cells, when applied to the cytoplasmic surface. We have now purified to near homogeneity, and characterized, the component responsible for this blocking activity. It is a small basic peptide of 4,070 Da. The primary amino acid structure shows considerable homology to a class of previously described putative short insectotoxins. A brief characterization of the kinetics of Cl- channel block as well as a demonstration of toxicity to arthropods is also presented.
Glucose suppresses superoxide generation in normal neutrophils: interference in phospholipase D activation
Authors: Ortmeyer J. , Mohsenin V.
Published: December 2017

In neutrophils, N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (FMLP) stimulates a respiratory burst with subsequent generation of superoxide anion (O2-.) by NADPH oxidase. Signal transduction involved in this process includes FMLP receptor stimulation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis with formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and diacylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis with formation of phosphatidic acid. Generation of these second messengers would lead to activation of NADPH oxidase and generation of O2-.. Neutrophils from diabetic subjects and normal neutrophils exposed to glucose have diminished ability to activate the respiratory burst in response to various agonists. The mechanism of this suppression remains unknown. We report herein that treatment of neutrophils with 15 and 50 mM glucose significantly suppresses the O2-. formation in response to receptor-mediated stimulation. The decreased O2-. generation is associated with marked inhibition of phospholipase D (PLD) activity, with limited hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine and formation of phosphatidic acid. Sorbitol (50 mM), a nonmetabolizable sugar with a similar osmotic effect, has no influence on O2-. generation or PLD activation. The 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced O2-. generation as well as PLD activation are unaffected by glucose. Furthermore, the intracellular Ca2+ transient in response to FMLP is not influenced by glucose. Taken together, these data suggest that glucose differentially interferes with activation of PLD but not phospholipase C. And, the fact that PMA-induced activation of PLD is not altered by glucose further suggests that a protein kinase C independent step leading to the activation of PLD may be altered by glucose.
ETB receptors on aortic smooth muscle cells of spontaneously hypertensive rats
Authors: Batra V. K. , McNeill J. R. , Xu Y. , Wilson T. W. , Gopalakrishnan V.
Published: December 2017

The effect of the agonist sarafotoxin 6c (S6c), selective for endothelin (ET) receptor subtype B (ETB), on cytosolic free Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) was determined by fura-2 methodology using aortic smooth muscle cells (ASMC) isolated from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and two normotensive strains, Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The basal [Ca2+]i was significantly higher in the ASMC of SHR (139 +/- 8 nM) than WKY (107 +/- 7 nM) and SD (102 +/- 4 nM) rats. S6c produced concentration-dependent elevations in [Ca2+]i in the ASMC of WKY and SHR, whereas it did not evoke significant increases in the [Ca2+]i levels in the ASMC of SD rats. The peak [Ca2+]i levels observed with maximal concentrations of S6c (500 nM) was higher (P< 0.01) in the SHR (346 +/- 36 nM) than the WKY group (148 +/- 19 nM). The natural nonselective agonist, ET-1, evoked maximal [Ca2+]i in the ASMC of SHR, WKY, and SD rats of 635 +/- 43, 304 +/- 19, and 289 +/- 24 nM, respectively. Depletion of extracellular Ca2+ concentration led to the reduction of the peak [Ca2+]i response to ET-1 by 60 and 40% in the WKY and SHR cells, respectively, whereas the response to S6c remained unaffected. The ETA-selective antagonist, BQ-123 (1 microM), did not affect the [Ca2+]i response to S6c, whereas it attenuated the response to ET-1 by 90 and 70% in the WKY and SHR cells, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Voltage-gated ionic currents in smooth muscle cells of guinea pig proximal colon
Authors: Vogalis F. , Lang R. J. , Bywater R. A. , Taylor G. S.
Published: December 2017

Smooth muscle cells enzymatically dispersed from the circular muscle layer of the guinea pig colon were examined for the expression of voltage-gated ionic currents using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. Three outward currents and one inward current were identified and characterized. The inward current, at physiological potentials, was generated by a voltage-gated Ca2+ conductance that was permeable to Ba2+ but blocked by Cd2+ (0.1 mM) or nifedipine (10 microM). The three outward currents were carried by K+, abolished when cells were internally perfused with Cs+, and distinguished by their sensitivity to known K(+)-channel blockers. A K+ current dependent on Ca2+ entry was activated at potentials positive to -40 mV and abolished by low concentrations (2-5 mM) of tetraethylammonium (TEA). A delayed rectifier-type K+ current activated slowly at potentials positive to -30 mV, showed little inactivation, and was abolished by higher concentrations (> 5 mM) of TEA. A rapidly activating and inactivating transient outward K+ current (IKto), activated at potentials positive to -60 mV, was abolished by low concentrations (3-5 mM) of 4-aminopyridine and was relatively insensitive to TEA (10-126 mM) blockade. The overlapping steady-state activation and inactivation curves of IKto revealed a "window current" phenomenon between -60 and -40 mV. The rapid activation of IKto at membrane potentials more negative than those for Ca2+ current suggests that IKto will influence cell excitability by delaying the upstroke of the action potential. The present data provide an ionic basis for the regenerative excitatory activity in the circular muscle layer of the guinea pig proximal colon.
Inhibitors of the arachidonic acid cascade dissociate 48/80-induced Ca2+ influx and Ca2+ release in mast cells
Authors: Kuno M. , Kawawaki J. , Shibata T. , Gotani H.
Published: December 2017

Effects of inhibitors of the arachidonic acid cascade on Ca2+ release from intracellular stores and Ca2+ influx through the plasma membrane during stimulus-secretion coupling were examined using rat peritoneal mast cells loaded with fura-2. Compound 48/80 (48/80) was used as a secretagogue. A phospholipase inhibitor, p-bromophenacyl bromide (PBPB), or a lipoxygenase inhibitor, nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), inhibited the 48/80 (1 microgram/ml)-induced release of histamine, Ca2+, and Mn2+ influxes, but the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin (approximately 50 microM), inhibited neither Ca2+ nor Mn2+ influxes. The Ca2+ release induced by 1 microgram/ml of 48/80 was little inhibited by PBPB, NDGA, or indomethacin. The Ca2+ release was activated and saturated with lower concentrations of 48/80 than was the Ca2+ influx. The percent inhibition of the Ca2+ release by 25 microM PBPB was increased by lowering the concentration of 48/80, but NDGA (10 microM) did not inhibit the Ca2+ release induced by low concentrations of 48/80 (0.03-0.1 microgram/ml). These results suggest that activation of the Ca2+ release and the Ca2+ influx were differently regulated and that full activation of Ca2+ influx needs the arachidonic acid cascade produced by higher concentrations of 48/80 than does the Ca2+ release. Lipoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid are potential modulators of the Ca2+ influx.
Two classes of tight junctions are revealed by ZO-1 isoforms
Authors: Balda M. S. , Anderson J. M.
Published: December 2017

The tight junction forms the intercellular barrier separating tissue compartments. The characteristics of this barrier are remarkably diverse among different epithelia and endothelia and are not explained by our limited knowledge of its molecular composition. Two isoforms of the 220-kDa tight junction protein ZO-1 result from alternative RNA splicing and differ by an internal 80-amino acid domain, termed alpha (E. Willott, M. S. Balda, M. Heintzman, B. Jameson, and J. M. Anderson. Am. J. Physiol. 262 (Cell Physiol. 31): C1119-C1124, 1992). Using antibodies specific for each isoform and double-labeled immunofluorescence microscopy, we observed that the ZO-1 alpha- isoform is restricted to junctions of endothelial cells and highly specialized epithelial cells of both seminiferous tubules (Sertoli cells) and renal glomeruli (podocytes); in contrast, the ZO-1 alpha+ isoform is expressed in cells of all other epithelia examined. Both immunoblotting and ribonuclease protection analysis confirmed this pattern of expression. This distribution does not correlate with differences in junctional resistance or ultrastructural complexity. Instead, we observe a correlation with junctional plasticity; ZO-1 alpha- is expressed in structurally dynamic junctions, whereas ZO-1 alpha+ is expressed in those which are less dynamic. This is the first molecular distinction among tight junctions and reveals a fundamental dichotomy with implications for how the paracellular barriers of endothelia and epithelia are regulated.
ZO-1 maintains its spatial distribution but dissociates from junctional fibrils during tight junction regulation
Authors: Madara J. L. , Carlson S. , Anderson J. M.
Published: December 2017

Tight junctions restrict diffusion of hydrophilic solutes through the paracellular pathways of columnar epithelia. It is now apparent that the barrier function of tight junctions is physiologically regulated. Current models of the tight junction envisage junctional subunits consisting of extracellular "kisses" between plasma membranes of adjacent cells, intramembrane components represented by freeze-fracture fibrils, and cytoplasmic elements of the cytoskeleton. Insights into functional relationships between these various components of tight junctions should be provided by mapping component interrelationships in states of altered junctional permeability. Here we define the spatial distribution of ZO-1 during a state of physiological regulation of intestinal absorptive cell tight junctions. Enhanced permeation of absorptive cell junctions in response to activation of apical membrane Na(+)-solute cotransporters does not lead to redistribution of the ZO-1 pool, as judged from quantitative ultrastructural immunolocalization studies employing two different ZO-1 antibodies. Surprisingly, ZO-1, which normally localizes under junctional kisses/fibrils, focally persists at sites where junctional kisses/fibrils are cleared. These findings suggest that 1) spatial redistribution of ZO-1 does not contribute to physiological regulation of junctions elicited by activation of Na(+)-solute cotransport and 2) ZO-1 and junctional fibrils may spatially dissociate during such regulated states.
Increased PMN adherence on endothelial cells after hypoxia: involvement of PAF, CD18/CD11b, and ICAM-1
Authors: Arnould T. , Michiels C. , Remacle J.
Published: December 2017

Ischemia is a well-known situation occurring in several diseases. There is a large body of evidence for the accumulation of neutrophils in the microvascular injury and the transformation of ischemic tissue into an inflammatory territory. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are still poorly understood. The effects of hypoxia were investigated on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in culture, and a very strong activation of these cells was obtained with an induction of the platelet-activating factor (PAF) synthesis which was optimal after 90 min of hypoxia. PAF was chemically identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Along with incubation under hypoxia, a constant increase in the adherence of unstimulated human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) to endothelial cells was observed. The role of PAF and of adhesion glycoproteins in this hypoxia-induced neutrophil adherence to HUVEC was then assessed. The adherence was mediated by PAF after 90 min of hypoxia as indicated by the inhibition obtained with PAF receptor antagonists and with PAF synthesis inhibition. When tested on HUVEC incubated for 120 min under hypoxia, PAF antagonists could not inhibit the PMN adherence, whereas inhibition of PAF during hypoxia could block the process, suggesting a role of PAF acting as a second messenger. In addition, the inhibitory effects obtained using monoclonal antibodies indicate that this increased adherence was also mediated by intracellular adhesion molecule 1 on HUVEC and by CD18/CD11b on neutrophils. GMP-140 seems also to be involved after 90 min hypoxia but not after 120 min hypoxia, which correlated well with the presence of PAF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)