bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electron microscopy of platelet interactions with heme-octapeptide-labeled fibrinogen
Authors: Moon D. G. , Shainoff J. R. , Gonda S. R.
Published: December 2017

Binding of fibrinogen to ADP-activated platelets was visualized by labeling the molecule with heme-octapeptide (microperoxidase) for direct cytochemical staining. Transmission electron microscopy of the platelet aggregates showed most of the fibrinogen distributed widely over the platelet surface in nonbridging rims of 7- to 9-nm thickness. Short peroxidase-positive bridges (less than 25 nm) were found in clusters in regions of close contact between the platelets, but 50-nm bridging corresponding to the length of the molecule was not seen by this method. Thus the fibrinogen appeared to be binding in a predominantly prone rather then upright orientation on the platelets. Abundant 50-nm bridging seen by nonspecific staining appeared unrelated to the length of the fibrinogen molecule because the bridging did not change when the length of the fibrinogen was more than doubled by end-to-end cross-linking with factor XIIIa. It is suggested that the observed binding and bridging of fibrinogen in a prone orientation is promoted by the existence of multiple platelet-binding domains on the molecule.
Pb2(+)-induced secretion from bovine chromaffin cells: fura-2 as a probe for Pb2+
Authors: Tomsig J. L. , Suszkiw J. B.
Published: December 2017

The effect of Pb2+ on catecholamine release was studied in isolated intact and permeabilized bovine chromaffin cells. Fura-2 was used to monitor intracellular Pb2+. A characterization of Pb2(+)-fura-2 interactions in solutions simulating intracellular ionic composition showed that Pb2+ forms a 1:1 Pb2(+)-fura-2 complex (apparent dissociation constant = 4.2 x 10(-12) M, pH 7.05) whose fluorescence resembles that of the Ca2(+)-fura-2 complex. Spectra recorded from fura-2-loaded cells indicate entry of Pb2+ into the cells. Intracellular Pb2+ concentrations were proportional to extracellular Pb2+ concentrations and were found to be 10(-11)-10(-12) M in cells exposed to micromolar Pb2+ concentrations. Pb2+ elicited the release of tritiated norepinephrine from fura-2-loaded cells, indicating the extraordinary effectiveness of Pb2+ as a releasing agent. Permeabilization of cells with digitonin showed that Pb2+ is able, in the absence of Ca2+, to produce exocytotic release at concentrations of 3.2 x 10(-10) M or higher (3 orders of magnitude lower than Ca2+). These results support the notion that Pb2+ can act as a potent Ca2+ surrogate in triggering secretion.
Xenopus oocyte K+ current. I. FSH and adenosine stimulate follicle cell-dependent currents
Authors: Greenfield L. J. , Hackett J. T. , Linden J.
Published: December 2017

Ovarian follicles of Xenopus laevis frogs consist of a single large oocyte surrounded by follicle cells attached to the oocyte by gap junctions. Adenosine has been found to activate an outward K+ current in follicles. This response is reduced by microinjection of protein kinase inhibitor (PKI), suggesting that adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) mediates the response. To investigate this further, we verified previous studies that indicate that several methods of elevating cAMP in follicles activate hyperpolarizing outward currents. The potency of two adenosine analogues to hyperpolarize follicles, 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) greater than cyclopentyladenosine, is indicative of A2 receptors that are characteristically coupled to adenylyl cyclase. We also report for the first time that another stimulator of adenylyl cyclase, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), also induces a hyperpolarizing current in follicles which is carried by K+ and attenuated by injection of PKI. We used a novel procedure to completely remove follicle cells from oocytes. Intact follicles, but not oocytes completely stripped of follicle cells, hyperpolarized in response to FSH, NECA, dibutyryl cAMP, microinjected cAMP, and forskolin, but not to dideoxyforskolin (which does not activate adenylyl cyclase). Injection of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (which is too large to traverse gap junctions) into oocytes of intact follicles failed to activate a K+ current. These data suggest that FSH and adenosine hyperpolarize follicles by stimulating adenylyl cyclase and that cAMP-dependent protein kinase must be activated on both sides of follicle cell-oocyte gap junctions to elicit a hyperpolarizing K+ current.
Xenopus oocyte K+ current. II. Adenylyl cyclase-linked receptors on follicle cells
Authors: Greenfield L. J. , Hackett J. T. , Linden J.
Published: December 2017

Xenopus ovarian follicles consist of single large oocytes surrounded by a layer of small follicle cells that are coupled to the oocyte by gap junctions. Hyperpolarizing K+ currents can be detected in the oocytes of follicles stimulated with adenosine, isoproterenol, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), or microinjected adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP). We show that cAMP accumulation can be detected in follicles incubated with the adenosine agonist 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA), isoproterenol, or FSH, but only if forskolin and a phosphodiesterase inhibitor are also added. Treatment of follicles with collagenase has been reported to reduce, but usually not to eliminate, cAMP-activated K+ currents. In this study we show that collagenase treatment alone does not completely remove follicle cells or receptor-mediated cAMP accumulation measured in follicles. cAMP accumulation and cAMP-dependent K+ currents are both eliminated when the follicle cells are completely removed by a technique involving treatment of follicles with collagenase and hypertonic saline. Oocytes completely stripped of follicle cells fail to accumulate cAMP in response to receptor agonists and forskolin. Isolated follicle cells derived from single follicles (but without the oocyte present) accumulate cAMP in response to these drugs to an extent equivalent to the response seen in single intact follicles. Adenylyl cyclase-linked receptors of Xenopus follicles thus appear to be located exclusively on follicle cells. The data suggest that cAMP-dependent K+ currents, although measured in oocytes, may be generated in follicle cells which communicate with oocytes. Another possibility is that a high resting K+ conductance in follicle cells is communicated to oocytes via cAMP-sensitive gap junctions.
Foreign anion substitution for chloride in human red blood cells: effect on ionic and osmotic equilibria
Authors: Payne J. A. , Lytle C. , McManus T. J.
Published: December 2017

In human red blood cells, when chloride was replaced isosmotically with a permeant chaotropic anion of the lyotropic series (NO3, I, or SCN), an immediate and significant loss of cell water was observed. In contrast, replacement of chloride by a substituted monovalent sulfonate, such as methanesulfonate or sulfamate, had no significant effect on cell water. Cell water loss in the presence of lyotropic anions was not the result of hemolysis or cation loss but was associated with a significant fall in the distribution ratios of protons (out/in) and chloride (in/out), suggesting an increase in nondiffusible intracellular negative charges. This hypothesis was examined using the equilibrium dialysis technique of Freedman and Hoffman (J. Gen. Physiol. 74: 157-185, 1979) in which fixed charges are titrated in cells permeabilized by nystatin. The equilibrium concentration ratios (in/out) of potassium, sodium, and chloride were determined at various external pH (pHo) values. The point at which anion and cation ratios are equal is the effective isoelectric point for the intracellular charges. In normal chloride-containing medium at 24 degrees C, this point was found at a pHo of 6.93. When chloride was replaced by a chaotropic anion, the isoelectric point at 24 degrees C shifted to a lower pHo: NO3 (6.38), I (5.98), and SCN (5.70). The substituted monovalent sulfonates had little effect on isoelectric point: methyl sulfate (6.81), sulfamate (7.00), and methanesulfonate (7.07). Calculation of the intracellular charges from titration data, as well as equilibrium distribution studies with [14C]SCN, suggests that lyotropic anion binding to intracellular sites (mainly hemoglobin) is responsible for the observed changes in cell water, cell pH, and chloride distribution.
Regulation of Cl- permeability in normal and cystic fibrosis sweat duct cells
Authors: Ram S. J. , Weaver M. L. , Kirk K. L.
Published: December 2017

Reabsorptive cells of the human sweat gland normally exhibit a high basal Cl- permeability but are markedly impermeable to Cl- in cystic fibrosis (CF). We examined the possibility that the reduced basal Cl- permeability of CF sweat duct cells in primary culture is due to a defective regulation of plasma membrane Cl- permeability by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which is endogenously produced by cultured sweat duct cells. The macroscopic Cl- permeabilities of normal and CF sweat duct cells were assessed using a halide-specific fluorescent dye, 6-methoxy-N-(3-sulfopropyl)quinolinium, in combination with fluorescence digital-imaging microscopy. The Cl- and Br- permeabilities of normal sweat duct cells were markedly reduced by inhibiting endogenous PGE2 production with indomethacin. This inhibition of Cl- permeability by indomethacin was largely reversed by the addition of PGE2 (10 nM to 1 microM), but not forskolin. Conversely, PGE2 failed to stimulate the low Cl- permeabilities of sweat duct cells cultured from CF subjects. Our results support the following conclusions: 1) a defective regulation of Cl- permeability in CF is a feature of reabsorptive as well as secretory epithelial cells, and 2) the nature of this regulatory defect extends beyond altered Cl- permeability regulation by adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-dependent protein kinase.
Plasmin-induced platelet aggregation is accompanied by cleavage of aggregin and indirectly mediated by calpain
Authors: Puri R. N. , Zhou F. X. , Colman R. F. , Colman R. W.
Published: December 2017

We recently reported that thrombin-induced platelet aggregation 1) is accompanied by cleavage of aggregin, a 100-kDa membrane protein and a putative ADP receptor, 2) is indirectly mediated by intracellularly activated calpain, and 3) requires the occupancy of high-affinity thrombin receptors. Because of the similarities between responses after platelet activation induced by thrombin and plasmin (greater than or equal to 1.0 casein unit/ml), we investigated whether or not plasmin-induced platelet aggregation proceeds by the same mechanism that underlies thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. We found that the rate of plasmin-induced aggregation of washed intact platelets and that of platelets modified by 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyladenosine (FSBA, an affinity analogue of ADP, which covalently modifies aggregin) were similar, indicating that the aggregation is independent of the ADP effect. Plasmin completely cleaved [3H]FSBA-labeled aggregin in intact platelets. A mixture of metabolic inhibitors (2-deoxy-D-glucose, gluconolactone, and antimycin A) completely inhibited plasmin-induced platelet aggregation and plasmin-induced cleavage of aggregin, demonstrating that an energy-requiring step is involved in the reaction. The synthetic hexapeptide affinity reagent Phe-Gln-Val-Val-Cys(NpyS)-Gly-NH2 (NpyS = 3-nitro-2-thiopyridine), a potent and specific inhibitor of thrombin-induced platelet aggregation and platelet calpain, completely inhibited plasmin-induced platelet aggregation and plasmin-induced cleavage of aggregin. These results suggest that, like thrombin, plasmin-induced platelet aggregation is accompanied by the cleavage of aggregin and these responses are indirectly mediated by the intracellularly activated calpain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Acute inhibition of respiratory capacity of muscle reduces peak oxygen consumption
Authors: McAllister R. M. , Terjung R. L.
Published: December 2017

Electron transport capacity of skeletal muscle was inhibited in situ in an acute dose-dependent manner with myxothiazol, a tight-binding inhibitor of ubiquinone-cytochrome c reductase, complex III of the respiratory chain. Peak oxygen consumption of rat hindlimb muscle was determined via consecutive 10-min isometric contraction (100 ms at 100 Hz) periods of increasing energy demands (4, 8, 15, 30, 45, and 60 tetani/min), using an isolated hindlimb preparation perfused with a high oxygen delivery (approximately 6-8 mumol.min-1.g-1). Peak oxygen consumption decreased from 4.61 +/- 0.19 mumol.min-1.g-1 (control) in a dose-dependent manner to 0.73 +/- 0.07 mumol.min-1.g-1 at 0.50 microM myxothiazol in blood. Oxygen extraction decreased from 65 to 12% of delivered oxygen. Furthermore, the reduction in peak respiratory rate became evident at lower energy demands of the contraction sequence. Myxothiazol inhibition of respiration was not dependent on the presence of muscle contractions but was evident when mitochondria were uncoupled with carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone. A 50% effective dosage (ED50) of 0.21 microM myxothiazol for inhibition of peak oxygen consumption closely resembled the inhibition of NADH-cytochrome c reductase activity (ED50 of 0.27 microM) determined from homogenates of the same muscles. This suggests that the peak oxygen consumption of skeletal muscle is tightly coupled to the capacity for electron transport evaluated by flux through NADH-cytochrome c reductase. If the enzyme activity measured in vitro correctly represents available enzymatic capacity within contracting muscle, approximately 75% of electron transport capacity for handling reducing equivalents generated from NADH is utilized during peak oxygen consumption of rat hindlimb muscle contracting in situ.
Na-H exchange in myocardium: effects of hypoxia and acidification on Na and Ca
Authors: Anderson S. E. , Murphy E. , Steenbergen C. , London R. E. , Cala P. M.
Published: December 2017

Historically, increase in cell Na content during ischemic and hypoxic episodes were thought to result from impaired ATP production causing decreased Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity. Here we report the results of testing the alternate hypothesis that hypoxia-induced Na uptake is 1) the result of increased entry, as opposed to decreased extrusion 2) via Na-H exchange operating in a pH regulatory capacity and that cell Ca accumulation occurs via Na-Ca exchange secondary to collapse of the Na gradient. We used 23Na-, 19F-, and 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to measure intracellular Na content (Nai), Ca concentration [( Ca]i), pH (pHi), and high-energy phosphates in Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts. When the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase was inhibited by ouabain and/or K-free perfusion, hearts subjected to hypoxia gained Na at a rate greater than 10 times that of normoxic controls [during the first 12.5 min Nai increased from 7.9 +/- 5.8 to 34.9 +/- 11.0 (SD) meq/kg dry wt compared with 11.1 +/- 16.3 to 13.6 +/- 9.0 meq/kg dry wt, respectively]. When normoxic hearts were acidified using a 20 mM NH4Cl prepulse technique, pHi rapidly fell from 7.27 +/- 0.24 to 6.63 +/- 0.12 but returned to 7.07 +/- 0.10 within 20 min, while Na uptake was similar in rate and magnitude to that observed during hypoxia (24.5 +/- 13.4 to 132.1 +/- 17.7 meq/kg dry wt). During hypoxia and after NH4Cl washout, increases in [Ca]i were similar in time course to those observed for Na.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Role of calcium in tight junction formation between epithelial cells
Authors: Gonzalez-Mariscal L. , Contreras R. G. , Bolivar J. J. , Ponce A. , Chavez De Ramirez B. , Cereijido M.
Published: December 2017

Upon transferring confluent monolayers of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells from a low-Ca2+ medium (1-5 microM) to one with 1.8 mM Ca2+ (Ca switch), tight junctions (TJs) assemble and seal, and transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) develops in 4-5 h, presumably through exocytotic fusion that incorporates junctional components to the surface membrane. In the present work we test this possibility and observe 1) that the Ca switch raises the cytosolic concentration of this ion; 2) that it also increases the membrane area by 22%; 3) that chloroquine, a drug which prevents exocytosis, blocks both the increase of surface membrane and the sealing of TJs; and 4) that if monolayers are not permanently switched to 1.8 mM Ca2+, but are subject to a 15-min pulse, cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]c) transiently increases but returns to low values (14 +/- 11 nM) and TER does not develop. Comparisons of the time course of TJ sealing with levels of [Ca2+]c, as well as the relationship between these parameters and extracellular Ca2+ levels, suggest that this ion may act from the extracellular side or in a narrow intracellular domain in the close vicinity of the plasma membrane.
A Ca2(+)-activated K+ current in ras-transformed fibroblasts is absent from nontransformed cells
Authors: Rane S. G.
Published: December 2017

Biochemical similarities between ras proteins and the GTP-binding proteins and correlation of ras-induced cell transformation with altered transmembrane cation fluxes indicate that ras proteins may act to modulate ion channel activity. To test this idea, whole cell, tight-seal, patch-clamp recording was used to compare macroscopic currents of ras-transformed fibroblasts with currents of their nontransformed counterparts. A prominent calcium-activated, voltage-independent potassium current was observed in 83-100% of cells from three separate fibroblast lines transformed by two different oncogenic ras alleles, whereas the same current was present at much smaller amplitudes in only 0-15% of nontransformed cells. The calcium-activated potassium current is blocked by charybdotoxin and by concentrations of tetraethylammonium above 1 mM, but it is insensitive to apamin. Both normal and ras-transformed cells have another calcium-activated current that is not potassium selective, and, consistent with other studies, normal cells display a voltage-activated calcium conductance. These results suggest that the mechanisms by which ras triggers or maintains cell transformation may involve alterations in the number or activity of certain ion channels, in particular, a type of calcium-activated potassium channel.
Mechanisms of NE-induced reduction of Ca current in single smooth muscle cells from guinea pig vas deferens
Authors: Imaizumi Y. , Takeda M. , Muraki K. , Watanabe M.
Published: December 2017

Effects of norepinephrine (NE) on voltage-dependent Ca channel current (ICa) were examined applying whole cell patch-clamp technique to single smooth muscle cells freshly isolated from vas deferens of the guinea pig. K currents and contraction of the cell were abolished by Cs and EGTA in the pipette solution, respectively. The peak ICa and Ba current (IBa) elicited by depolarization from -60 mV in a solution containing 2.2 mM Ca or Ba were reduced by 10-60% in voltage- and dose-dependent manners by the application of NE or phenylephrine. This effect was greatly attenuated in the presence of prazosin. The decrease in IBa was always smaller than that in ICa at any potential. Even after simultaneous application of 5 mM caffeine and 10 microM NE to the cells in a Ba-containing solution, the second challenge with NE again reduced IBa in a similar manner. The decrease in IBa by 10 microM NE could not be explained well by a small shift (-5 mV) of the voltage dependence of the steady-state inactivation. The effect of NE on IBa was irreversibly enhanced by 0.1 mM guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) and almost abolished by 1 mM guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) added to the pipette solution but appeared not to be affected by the treatment with pertussis toxin. It can be concluded that, under these experimental conditions, the activation of alpha 1-adrenoceptor in vas deferens smooth muscle cells reduces Ca channel activity possibly via a mechanism involving GTP-binding protein in addition to Ca-mediated Ca channel inactivation mechanism.
Water and urea permeability properties of Xenopus oocytes: expression of mRNA from toad urinary bladder
Authors: Zhang R. B. , Verkman A. S.
Published: December 2017

The Xenopus oocyte was evaluated as an mRNA expression system for water and urea transporters. Osmotic water permeability (Pf) was measured from the time course of oocyte volume in response to osmotic gradients using a real-time imaging method. Diffusional water permeability (Pd) was measured by 3H2O efflux. In mature oocytes treated with collagenase to remove the follicular cell layer, Pf was 8.6 +/- 0.6 x 10(-4) (SD) cm/s (n = 32) at 25 degrees C and independent of the time after oocyte removal (0-8 days). The activation energy (Ea) for Pf was 10.2 kcal/mol (10-32 degrees C). Pf was independent of osmotic gradient size (50-200 mosmol) in swelling experiments but decreased in an unpredictable manner in shrinking experiments. Pf was not altered by removal of the vitelline membrane but was decreased by 75% when the follicular cell layer was intact. In collagenase-treated oocytes, amphotericin (0-500 micrograms/ml) increased Pf from 8 x 10(-4) to 84 x 10(-4) cm/s in a dose-dependent manner. Pd was 3.4 +/- 0.2 x 10(-4) (SE) cm/s at 25 degrees C, 1.5 +/- 0.2 x 10(-4) cm/s at 4 degrees C, and 5.1 +/- 0.5 x 10(-4) cm/s at 25 degrees C in the presence of 500 micrograms/ml amphotericin; Ea was 6.5 kcal/mol. Thus Pd, but not Pf, is unstirred layer limited.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Abnormalities in protein synthesis and degradation induced by extracellular pH in BC3H1 myocytes
Authors: England B. K. , Chastain J. L. , Mitch W. E.
Published: December 2017

Metabolic acidosis impairs protein and amino acid metabolism in rat muscle. To examine how extracellular acidification affects cellular protein turnover, we studied the BC3H1 myocyte. At pH 7.1 vs. 7.4, intracellular pH was lower; the decrease was greater in cells incubated in N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid-tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane compared with bicarbonate buffer. We monitored degradation of proteins labeled with L-[14C]phenylalanine by measuring radioactivity released into media containing an excess of unlabeled phenylalanine. Extracellular acidification increased degradation compared with incubation at pH 7.4. Adding a physiological concentration of insulin (1 nM) decreased protein degradation at pH 7.1 and 7.4; a supraphysiological (71 nM) insulin concentration decreased degradation at pH 7.1 to the same rate as cells incubated at pH 7.4 without insulin. Compared with pH 7.4, protein synthesis decreased 29% at pH 7.2; at pH 7.6 it increased 129%. Insulin stimulated protein synthesis at all pHs, but at pH 7.4 the insulin-induced increase was less than the rate at pH 7.6 without insulin. Dexamethasone did not change protein breakdown regardless of the pH; it had variable effects on protein synthesis. Thus extracellular acidification causes marked changes in protein turnover in BC3H1 myocytes.
In vivo collagen turnover during development of thyroxine-induced left ventricular hypertrophy
Authors: Karim M. A. , Ferguson A. G. , Wakim B. T. , Samarel A. M.
Published: December 2017

Cardiac fibroblasts synthesize large amounts of procollagens, yet only a small fraction of mature collagens accumulate in the extracellular matrix. To determine the roles of intracellular degradation of newly synthesized procollagens and extracellular degradation of mature collagens during normal growth and during thyroxine-induced left ventricular hypertrophy, in vivo left ventricular procollagen synthetic rates were assessed in control rats and rats treated with L-thyroxine for 1, 2, 4, and 8 wk (1 mg.kg-1.day-1). A modification of the flooding infusion method was developed using measurements of cardiac prolyl-tRNA, and tissue-free and protein-bound hydroxyproline specific radioactivities 60 min after intravenous administration of a massive dose of [3H]proline. Degradative rates of newly synthesized procollagens and mature collagens were then derived as the difference between rates of procollagen synthesis and collagen accumulation. Left ventricular procollagen synthetic rates were markedly increased after 1 wk of hormone administration (256 +/- 16 and 166 +/- 13 micrograms/day per left ventricle for thyroxine-treated and control animals, respectively; P less than 0.01). An even greater increase in procollagen synthetic rates was observed after 8 wk (438 +/- 46 and 202 +/- 18 micrograms/day for thyroxine-treated and control animals, respectively; P less than 0.01). Despite increased procollagen synthesis, disproportionate accumulation of fibrillar collagens (assessed as the relative concentration of protein-bound hydroxyproline in left ventricular tissue) did not occur. Derived left ventricular degradative rates for newly synthesized procollagens as well as for mature collagens were increased in thyroxine-treated animals. Increased procollagen synthesis, enhanced flux of newly synthesized procollagens through intracellular degradative pathways, and extensive extracellular matrix remodeling without disproportionate collagen accumulation are characteristics of this form of "physiological" left ventricular hypertrophy.
Induction of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase subunit mRNAs by cycloheximide in a rat liver cell line
Authors: Perez C. , Bhutada A. , Ismail-Beigi F.
Published: December 2017

Exposure of confluent Clone 9 cells to 40 microM cycloheximide (CHX), a concentration sufficient to inhibit leucine incorporation by 95% within 5 min, coordinately increased the abundances of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase subunit mRNAs, mRNA alpha 1 and mRNA beta 1. The CHX-induced increases in mRNA alpha 1 and mRNA beta 1 abundances were, respectively, 1.8- and 1.9-fold at 40 min and 3.0- and 3.3-fold at 6 h. Augmented subunit mRNA contents were also observed after exposure to other protein synthesis inhibitors including 100 microM anisomycin and 100 microM emetine. Upon removal of CHX, the rate of leucine incorporation returned to control values within 1 h, but mRNA alpha 1 and mRNA beta 1 content decreased only slowly and were still elevated at 24 h at 1.7- and 1.8-fold the respective control values. Despite the persistence of increased levels of the subunit mRNAs and normalization of the rate of leucine incorporation, Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity was unchanged at 3, 6, 24, and 48 h after removal of CHX. In cells “depleted” of protein kinase C (PKC) activity after a 24-h preincubation in the presence of 160 nM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), mRNA alpha 1 and mRNA beta 1 abundances were still inducible by CHX. It is concluded that exposure of Clone 9 cells to CHX and other inhibitors of protein synthesis results in increased abundances of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase subunit mRNAs independently of PKC activation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Upregulation of inositol transport mediates inositol accumulation in hyperosmolar brain cells
Authors: Strange K. , Morrison R. , Heilig C. W. , DiPietro S. , Gullans S. R.
Published: December 2017

Attempts to understand brain volume regulation have been greatly hampered by the structural complexity of the mammalian central nervous system, indicating a need for the investigation of cultured brain cell lines whose behavior reflects that observed in situ. We demonstrate here that rat C6 glioma cells exhibit a pattern of hyperosmolar volume regulation qualitatively similar to that of the intact brain. Chronic (2-6 days) acclimation of C6 cells to high NaCl media (440 or 590 mosM) resulted in a 46-133 mM increase in cellular inositol, a known major brain osmolyte. C6 cells exposed acutely to 440 mosM medium shrank abruptly and then underwent a complete regulatory volume increase (RVI) within 4 h. Inositol levels began to increase after 10 h of hyperosmolar stress and reached maximal values by 24 h, suggesting that RVI is initially mediated by inorganic ion uptake. [3H]inositol uptake measurements revealed a sevenfold stimulation of phlorizin-inhibitable inositol transport in hyperosmotic cells. The enhancement of inositol transport paralleled the rise in cellular inositol content. Phlorizin reduced inositol accumulation in hyperosmolar cells by 44%. Our studies provide the first demonstration of RVI and organic osmolyte accumulation in a cultured brain cell line.
Regulation of the secretory response in bovine chromaffin cells
Authors: Callewaert G. , Johnson R. G. , Morad M.
Published: December 2017

The nicotine-induced current and the Ca2+ current were studied in cultured bovine chromaffin cells using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. The dose-response curve for the nicotinic current gave a dissociation constant of 53 microM and a Hill coefficient of 1.3. Desensitization of the nicotinic current was rapid, with time constants of 22 and 155 ms at 10 microM nicotine. At higher concentrations of nicotine, both time constants decreased somewhat, but the most prominent effect was on the ratio of the two components. Recovery from desensitization was fitted by a single exponential with a time constant of approximately 6 s. Ca2+ current and catecholamine secretion were highly sensitive to changes in extracellular H+ concentration ([H+]o), such that small increases in [H+]o markedly decreased both. The Ca2+ current measured in a chromaffin cell located within a cluster of cells, but not in a single isolated cell, was markedly suppressed when KCl or nicotine was used to induce secretion, suggesting possible local feedback of secretory agents. Among agents secreted by chromaffin cells, ATP, enkephalins, epinephrine, and protons, only protons significantly suppressed the Ca2+ current. Our findings suggest that the secretory response of chromaffin cells may be modulated by rapid desensitization of the nicotinic receptor and a secretion-dependent suppression of the Ca2+ current.
Histamine-induced chloride channels in apical membrane of isolated rabbit parietal cells
Authors: Saccomani G. , Psarras C. G. , Smith P. R. , Kirk K. L. , Shoemaker R. L.
Published: December 2017

The electrical properties of the apical membrane of isolated rabbit parietal cells were studied using the patch-clamp technique. The apical membrane of the parietal cells plated on Matrigel and maintained in culture conditions was identified by lectin-binding studies. Cell-attached and excised inside-out patches from 10(-4) M cimetidine-treated parietal cells infrequently contained Cl- channels (9% of the patches). A single class of voltage-dependent outwardly rectifying Cl- channels with 24 +/- 1-pS conductance was observed in 75% of the patches from cells stimulated (acid secreting) by 10(-4) M histamine. Other anions passed through these channels with a permeability sequence of I- (1.2) greater than Br- (1.1) greater than or equal to Cl- (1.0) greater than NO3- (0.7) greater than SO4(2-) (0.1), but there was a very low permeability for Na+ or K+ (PCl-/PNa+ or PCl-/PK+ greater than 5). In inside-out patch configurations the Cl- channel was insensitive to Ba2+ and stilbene derivatives but was inhibited by diphenylamine-2-carboxylic acid in a manner characteristic of a reversible open-channel blocker. It is concluded that H2-receptor agonist stimulation of acid secretion by rabbit parietal cells activates Cl- channels in the apical cell membrane.
Humoral factors reduce gap junction sensitivity to cytoplasmic pH. I. Organ ablation studies
Authors: Moreno A. P. , Spray D. C. , Ramon F.
Published: December 2017

The sensitivity of gap junctions connecting crayfish lateral axons to uncoupling by axoplasmic acidification was studied after altering the hormonal balance of animals by 1) ablation of eyestalks or sinus glands or 2) inducing long-lasting defensive posturing behavior (stress). Internal pH (pHi) was measured with microelectrodes, and junctional resistance (Rj) was calculated from input and transfer resistances. In isolated nerve cords from intact animals, the maximal Rj (Rjmax) reached after acidification varied diurnally (Rjmax approximately 10 and 0.6 M omega at 0900 and 1800 h, respectively). Basal Rj (20-30 k omega) did not change during the 24-h period. Organ ablation (eyestalks or sinus glands) or stress rendered gap junctions less sensitive to uncoupling by low pHi within 1 h or 2 days; recovery toward control values had different time courses. The reduced pH sensitivity of crayfish junctions seen after eyestalk ablation is attributable to stress in its early phase (lasting 1-2 days) and to ablation of the endocrine organs in its late phase (2-7 days). No striking structural differences accompanied these changes, indicating that the altered properties are not due to major changes in gap junction expression.
Contractile and cytoskeletal proteins in smooth muscle during hypertrophy and its reversal
Authors: Malmqvist U. , Arner A. , Uvelius B.
Published: December 2017

Hypertrophy of rat urinary bladder smooth muscle was induced by partial urethral obstruction. Bladder weight increased from 70 to 240 mg after 10 days and to 700 mg after 7 wk. Removal of the obstruction after 10 days caused a regression of bladder weight to 130 mg. The relative volume of smooth muscle in the bladder wall increased during hypertrophy. The concentration of myosin in the smooth muscle cells decreased in 10-day hypertrophied bladders, whereas the concentration of actin was unchanged. The actin-myosin ratio was 2.3 in controls, 3.3 in 10-day obstructed bladders, and 2.9 in 7-wk obstructed bladders. After removal of obstruction, the ratio was normalized. Two isoforms of myosin heavy chains were identified (SM1 and SM2). The relative amount of SM2 decreased during hypertrophy. The relative proportion of actin isoforms (alpha, beta, and gamma) was altered toward more gamma and less alpha. These changes were reversible upon removal of the obstruction. Desmin was the dominating intermediate filament protein. The concentration of desmin and filamin increased in the hypertrophic bladders. The increased desmin-actin and filamin-actin ratios in obstructed bladders were normalized after removal of the obstruction. The results suggest that the turnover of contractile and cytoskeletal proteins is fast and can be regulated in response to changes in the functional demands in smooth muscle.
Oxygen uptake of isolated toad skin epithelium: micromeasurement and effect of ionic acclimation
Authors: Raddatz E. , Katz U. , Kucera P.
Published: December 2017

Oxidative metabolism of isolated toad skin epithelium (Bufo viridis) was investigated in vitro under open-circuit conditions using the spectrophotometric oxyhemoglobin micromethod. This highly sensitive technique has been adapted for studying several epithelia in parallel and for detecting possible regional variations of oxygen uptake in individual epithelium. Changes in the proportion of mitochondria-rich cells (MRC) by ionic acclimation affected oxidative metabolism under nontransporting condition. After acclimation of animals to either NaNO3 or NaCl solutions (100 mmol/l, for greater than 2 wk), the number of MRC per square millimeter in epithelia from nonacclimated and NaNO3- and NaCl-acclimated animals was 350 +/- 113, 460 +/- 196, and 107 +/- 52, respectively. O2 uptake of nonacclimated and NaNO3-acclimated epithelia was significantly higher than that of NaCl-acclimated epithelia (i.e., 0.89 and 0.90 vs. 0.57 nmol O2.h-1.mm-2, respectively). The correlation established between O2 uptake and number of MRC allowed evaluation of the respiration rate of one single MRC, i.e., approximately 1 pmol O2/h. The lowest mitochondrial oxidative activity was found in the epithelia from NaCl-acclimated toads where the uncoupler 2,4-dinitrophenol (50 mumols/l) had the highest relative stimulatory effect (+114%). Acetazolamide (50 mumols/l), a potent inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase mainly present in the MRC, reduced selectively by 31% O2 uptake of the MRC-rich epithelia (NaNO3 acclimated). O2 uptake increased significantly by approximately 80% when basolateral pH increased from 5.8 to 7.8, but did not depend on apical pH. These findings indicate that under nontransporting (open-circuit) conditions, aerobic metabolism of the isolated toad skin epithelium is related to the density and/or characteristics of the MRC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Altered ionic permeability in skeletal muscle from horses with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis
Authors: Pickar J. G. , Spier S. J. , Snyder J. R. , Carlsen R. C.
Published: December 2017

A recently described disorder in certain registered Quarter horses bears many clinical similarities to the muscle disease identified as hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HPP) in humans. Pathological changes in membrane permeability or Na(+)-K+ pump activity have been proposed to produce the muscle depolarization and inexcitability that characterize the condition in humans. Biopsies of external intercostal muscle from normal and affected horses were used to determine whether alterations in either permeability and/or pump activity could be linked to the pathology in horses. Affected horse muscle is approximately 16 mV more depolarized than normal muscle at rest, and the muscle membrane potential of HPP horses is less responsive to changes in extracellular K+. Calculation of the relative membrane permeabilities of Na+ and K+ (PNa/PK) indicates that this ratio is significantly increased in HPP muscle. The increase is probably due to an increase in PNa rather than to a decrease in PK, since addition of 10(-6) M tetrodotoxin produces an approximately 14-mV membrane hyperpolarization in HPP fibers but is without effect in normal fibers. The clinical similarities between HPP in horses and humans suggest a common genetic defect in the two species.
Myofilament overlap in swimming carp. II. Sarcomere length changes during swimming
Authors: Rome L. C. , Sosnicki A. A.
Published: December 2017

Pages C289–C296: L. C. Rome and A. A. Sosnicki. “Myofilament overlap in swimming carp. II. Sarcomere length changes during swimming.” Page C295, left-hand column, paragraph 4, sentences beginning on line 3 should read: Dimery (3) calculated that in galloping rabbits, fibers undergo excursion of 1 μm (from 1.7 to 2.7 pm), in which there would be no less than 80% maximal tension generated. Cutts (2) using similar techniques concluded that bird muscles operate over ap0.5 μm excursion (from 1.7 to 2.2 μm). Page C295, right-hand column, paragraph 3, sentence beginning on line 2 should read: In the 20 ms it takes for the backbone to attain its greatest curvature, the red muscle (low Vmax) could only shorten ap0.2 μm down to 1.86 μm and hence must buckle.
Oxygen in mammalian tissue: methods of measurement and affinities of various reactions
Authors: Vanderkooi J. M. , Erecinska M. , Silver I. A.
Published: December 2017

Oxygen is the primary oxidant in energy-producing biological reactions and is also involved in the synthesis and degradation of many structural and regulatory molecules of physiological importance. This review discusses the advantages and limitations of the currently available methods for measuring oxygen in mammalian tissue and bodily fluids. These include 1) the effects of O2 on the relaxation time of molecules excited by electromagnetic radiation and observed by optical (fluorescence and phosphorescence) and magnetic (nuclear magnetic resonance and electron paramagnetic resonance) techniques, 2) the polarographic and galvanic reduction of oxygen at metal surfaces, 3) in vivo spectrophotometry of intrinsic redox systems, 4) manometry and tonometry, and 5) mass spectroscopy. The values of tissue oxygenation obtained with these techniques are compared with the Michaelis constant values for oxygen of almost 60 oxygen-consuming enzymes involved in mammalian tissue metabolism.
Characterization of magnesium-induced contractions in detergent-skinned swine carotid media
Authors: Moreland R. S. , Moreland S.
Published: December 2017

Ca(2+)-calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of the 20-kDa smooth muscle myosin light chain (MLC) results in high shortening velocities and rapid stress development. The stress maintained after a reduction in Ca2+ is associated with a decrease in MLC phosphorylation and velocity of shortening. This Ca(2+)-dependent stress without proportional MLC phosphorylation has been termed “latch” and has been postulated to reflect a population of dephosphorylated noncycling cross bridges or “latch bridges.” Mg2+ is necessary for contraction of smooth muscle, and in high concentrations, Mg2+ elicits contractions that are MLC phosphorylation independent. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that high concentrations of Mg2+ directly induce latch-bridge formation. This was accomplished by comparing the characteristics of Mg(2+)-induced contractions of Triton X-100-skinned swine carotid media with the known characteristics of the Ca(2+)-dependent latch state. In the absence of Ca2+, free Mg2+ (3-20 mM) caused an increase in the velocity of shortening and a concentration-dependent increase in stress, with no detectable increase in MLC phosphorylation. Mg(2+)-induced contractions could be supported by CTP, which is a substrate for the actin-activated myosin adenosinetriphosphatase but not the MLC kinase. Stress development in response to Mg2+ was abolished at long tissue lengths, which also inhibit the expression of latch bridges. The calmodulin antagonist, trifluoperazine (TFP), inhibited the MLC phosphorylation-independent contractions elicited by Mg2+. TFP also inhibited the latch state. The results of this study support the existence of a regulatory system in vascular smooth muscle that is independent of the MLC phosphorylation system and can be directly activated by pharmacological levels of Mg2+.
Localization of isoactins in isolated smooth muscle thin filaments by double gold immunolabeling
Authors: Drew J. S. , Moos C. , Murphy R. A.
Published: December 2017

Smooth muscle cells contain both smooth muscle-specific and cytoplasmic actin isoforms. We tested the hypothesis that these two classes of isoactins are segregated into separate “contractile” vs. “cytoskeletal” populations of thin filaments. Isolated thin filaments from adult swine stomach were double-labeled with isoactin-specific peptide antibodies with the use of two different size protein A-gold markers to localize the isoactins on individual filaments. The large and small gold beads bound to individual filaments were counted on electron micrographs, and the results were analyzed statistically. Both classes of actin isoforms were present in every filament, and the relative proportions of smooth muscle vs. cytoplasmic actin isoforms in each filament showed no significant deviation from a single random population. Furthermore, the distribution of the isoactins along each filament was also random; no significant clustering of isoforms was observed. Controls containing added skeletal muscle F-actin showed that the techniques used could have detected nonrandom isoform distributions if they had been present.
Disruption of microtubules alters polarity of basement membrane proteoglycan secretion in epithelial cells
Authors: De Almeida J. B. , Stow J. L.
Published: December 2017

Pages C691–C700: J. B. De Almeida and J. L. Stow. “Disruption of microtubules alters polarity of basement membrane proteoglycan secretion in epithelial cells.” Because of the disappointing reproduction of the halftones, this article is reprinted at the end of the July issue.
Cellular mechanisms of fatigue in skeletal muscle
Authors: Westerblad H. , Lee J. A. , Lannergren J. , Allen D. G.
Published: December 2017

Prolonged activation of skeletal muscle leads to a decline of force production known as fatigue. In this review we outline the ionic and metabolic changes that occur in muscle during prolonged activity and focus on how these changes might lead to reduced force. We discuss two distinct types of fatigue: fatigue due to continuous high-frequency stimulation and fatigue due to repeated tetanic stimulation. The causes of force decline are considered under three categories: 1) reduced Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, 2) reduced myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity, and 3) reduced maximum Ca(2+)-activated tension. Reduced Ca2+ release can be due to impaired action potential propagation in the T tubules, and this is a principal cause of the tension decline with continuous tetanic stimulation. Another type of failing Ca2+ release, which is homogeneous across the fibers, is prominent with repeated tetanic stimulation; the underlying mechanisms of this reduction are not fully understood, although several possibilities emerge. Changes in intracellular metabolites, particularly increased concentration of Pi and reduced pH, lead to reduced Ca2+ sensitivity and reduced maximum tension, which make an important contribution to the force decline, especially with repeated tetanic stimulation.
Intestinal and renal Na+/glucose cotransporters share common structures
Authors: Hirayama B. A. , Wong H. C. , Smith C. D. , Hagenbuch B. A. , Hediger M. A. , Wright E. M.
Published: December 2017

Polyclonal antibodies were raised to peptides selected from three different regions of the cloned rabbit intestinal Na+/glucose cotransporter. Western blot analysis was used to identify the fully mature protein in intestinal and renal brush borders. Two of the antibodies specifically identified a approximately 70-kDa protein band in rabbit intestinal brush borders but did not specifically immunoreact with membranes that do not have Na(+)-dependent glucose transport activity. The immunoreactive proteins had an apparent isoelectric point between pH 4.7 and 6.8. The antibodies also specifically recognized a similar-sized protein in human and seven other mammalian intestinal brush borders. Similar protein bands were identified in four mammalian renal brush-border membranes, indicating shared epitopes between intestinal and renal cotransport proteins. In some species, e.g., lamb and pig, the epitope for one antibody was missing in both intestinal and renal brush borders, suggesting that this epitope is not essential for function. These results suggest that 1) the cloned intestinal Na+/glucose cotransporter is that identified in earlier biochemical studies, 2) there is close structural similarity between intestinal and renal cotransporters, and 3) the structure of these proteins has been conserved during evolution.
Sodium transport and intracellular sodium activity in cultured human nasal epithelium
Authors: Willumsen N. J. , Boucher R. C.
Published: December 2017

Human airway epithelia are predominantly Na(+)-absorbing epithelia. To investigate the mechanisms for Na+ absorption across airway epithelia, the driving forces and paths for Na+ translocation across each membrane were examined with double-barreled Na(+)-selective microelectrodes in cultured human nasal epithelium (HNE). Under control conditions, intracellular Na+ activity (acNa) was 23 +/- 1 mM (n = 44 preparations, 393 impalements). Amiloride (10(-4) M) hyperpolarized the apical membrane and increased the fractional apical membrane resistance but did not affect acNa. Exposure to Na(+)-free luminal solution induced bioelectric responses similar to amiloride but also reduced acNa to 8 +/- 1 mM. Reduction of luminal Na+ concentration ([Na+]) in the presence of amiloride also reduced acNa without further changes in bioelectric parameters. Reduction of serosal [Na+] decreased aNac, a response blocked by bumetanide (10(-4) M). Ouabain (10(-4) M, serosal) led to a reduction in equivalent short-circuit current (Ieq) and increase in acNa. We conclude that 1) acNa is higher in HNE than in most mammalian epithelial cells, 2) the apical membrane expresses a conductive Na+ path, and 3) the basolateral membrane transports Na+ via the Na(+)-K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase and a Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl- cotransport system.