bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Central CGRP inhibits pancreatic enzyme secretion by modulation of vagal parasympathetic outflow
Authors: Li Ying , Jiang Yi Cheng , Owyang Chung
Published: December 2017

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a potent inhibitor of pancreatic enzyme secretion in vivo. Recent studies have shown that CGRP exerts its inhibitory action at a central vagal site. The present study investigates the mechanism responsible for the central action of CGRP. Rats were fitted with lateral cerebroventricular cannulas, using stereotaxic instruments, 4 days before pancreatic secretion studies. In anesthetized rats, administration of 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG) (75 mg/kg iv) or CCK-8 (40 pmol ⋅ kg−1 ⋅ h−1) produced a 100 and 75% increase in protein secretion, respectively, which was completely blocked by atropine. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of CGRP (0.03–0.6 nmol/h) resulted in a dose-related inhibition of pancreatic protein secretion evoked by 2-DG or CCK-8. CGRP administered by the ICV route was 10–40 times more potent than CGRP given by the intravenous route. In contrast, ICV administration of CGRP had no significant effect on pancreatic protein secretion evoked by electrical vagal stimulation or bethanechol, which directly activates the pancreatic muscarinic receptor. Chemical sympathectomy induced by pretreatment with guanethedine (20 mg/kg ip, 2 days) or α-adrenergic receptor blockade with phentolamine did not alter the inhibitory effects of CGRP. We recently demonstrated that CCK stimulated the enteropancreatic neural pathways to mediate pancreatic secretion in rats with a chronic vagotomy. ICV-administered CGRP did not affect CCK-stimulated pancreatic secretion in rats with a chronic vagotomy. In conclusion, CGRP in the central nervous system inhibits pancreatic enzyme secretion stimulated by 2-DG and CCK-8, which act through vagal pathways. The inhibitory action of CGRP is not mediated by the sympathetic nervous system but appears to depend on intact vagus nerves.
5-HT4 receptor agonists and δ-opioid receptor antagonists act synergistically to stimulate colonic propulsion
Authors: Foxx-Orenstein A. E. , Jin J.-G. , Grider J. R.
Published: December 2017

Opioid neurons exert a tonic restraint on inhibitory VIP/PACAP/NOS motoneurons of the enteric nervous system. A decrease in opioid peptide release during the descending phase of the peristaltic reflex, which underlies propulsive activity, leads to an increase in vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), and nitric oxide (NO) release and circular muscle relaxation. These effects are accentuated by opioid receptor antagonists. Endogenous opioid peptides and selective opioid δ-, κ- and μ-receptor agonists decreased the velocity of pellet propulsion in isolated segments of guinea pig colon, whereas selective antagonists increased velocity in a concentration-dependent fashion with an order of potency indicating preferential involvement of δ-receptors. 5-HT4 agonists (HTF-919 and R-093877), which also increase the velocity of propulsion, acted synergistically with the δ-receptor antagonist naltrindole; a threshold concentration of naltrindole (10 nM) shifted the concentration-response curve to HTF-919 to the left by 70-fold. A combination of 10 nM naltrindole with threshold concentrations of the 5-HT4 agonists caused significant increases in the velocity of propulsion (50 ± 7 to 77 ± 8%). We conclude that 5-HT4 agonists and opioid δ-receptor antagonists act synergistically to facilitate propulsive activity in isolated colonic segments.
Codistribution of TAP and the granule membrane protein GRAMP-92 in rat caerulein-induced pancreatitis
Authors: Otani Taiichi , Chepilko Sergei M. , Grendell James H. , Gorelick Fred S.
Published: December 2017

The pathological activation of zymogens within the pancreatic acinar cell plays a role in acute pancreatitis. To identify the processing site where activation occurs, antibodies to the trypsinogen activation peptide (TAP) were used in immunofluorescence studies using frozen sections from rat pancreas. Saline controls or animals receiving caerulein in amounts producing physiological levels of pancreatic stimulation demonstrated little or no TAP immunoreactivity. However, after caerulein hyperstimulation (5 μg ⋅ kg−1⋅ h−1) for 30 min and the induction of pancreatitis, TAP immunoreactivity appeared in a vesicular, supranuclear compartment that demonstrated no overlap with zymogen granules. The number of vesicles and their size increased with time. After 60 min of hyperstimulation with caerulein, most of the TAP reactivity was localized within vacuoles ≥1 μm that demonstrated immunoreactivity for the granule membrane protein GRAMP-92, a marker for lysosomes and recycling endosomes. Pretreatment with the protease inhibitor FUT-175 blocked the appearance of TAP after hyperstimulation. These studies provide evidence that caerulein hyperstimulation stimulates trypsinogen processing to trypsin in distinct acinar cell compartments in a time-dependent manner.
Immunolocalization of CRHSP28 in exocrine digestive glands and gastrointestinal tissues of the rat
Authors: Groblewski Guy E. , Yoshida Mutsumi , Yao Hongren , Williams John A. , Ernst Stephen A.
Published: December 2017

The 28-kDa (on SDS-PAGE) Ca2+-regulated heat stable protein (CRHSP28) was recently purified as novel phosphoprotein in exocrine pancreas, since it undergoes an immediate increase in serine phosphorylation when acini are stimulated with Ca2+-mobilizing agonists. Examination of CRHSP28 protein expression in rat revealed that most was highly expressed in pancreas and other morphologically related exocrine tissues, including the parotid, lacrimal, and submandibular glands. Immunofluorescence staining in pancreas indicated that CRHSP28 was specifically concentrated in zymogen granule-rich areas in the apical cytoplasm of acinar cells. Lack of colocalization with pancreatic lipase in dual immunofluorescence studies confirmed localization of CRHSP28 to the area immediately surrounding the granules. Western analysis of pancreatic zymogen granule membrane proteins indicated CRHSP28 was not associated with the granules following their purification. A similar pattern of apical cytoplasmic secretory granule staining was noted in lacrimal and submandibular glands. CRHSP28 protein was also expressed at relatively high levels in mucosal epithelial cells of the stomach and small intestine. CRHSP28 was found in the supranuclear apical cytoplasm of cells lining the small intestinal crypts, including Paneth cells, and was abundant in the cytoplasm of goblet cells. In the stomach, strong CRHSP28 staining was seen in mucus-secreting cells in the upper portion of the gastric glands and in the apical, granule-rich cytoplasm of chief cells located in the lower portions of the glands. Dual labeling with anti-H+-K+-ATPase demonstrated a comparatively lower expression of CRHSP28 in parietal cells. Collectively, the high relative expression of CRHSP28 in various secretory cell types within the digestive system, together with its intracellular localization surrounding the acinar cell secretory granules, strongly supports a role for CRHSP28 in Ca2+-mediated exocrine secretion.
Bombesin-evoked gastrin release and calcium signaling in human antral G cells in culture
Authors: Squires Paul E. , Meloche R. Mark , Buchan Alison M. J.
Published: December 2017

Amplification of mRNA from a human antral cell culture preparation demonstrated the presence of two receptors of the bombesin and gastrin-releasing peptide family, GRPR-1 and BRS-3. Single cell microfluorometry demonstrated that most cells that exhibited bombesin-evoked changes in intracellular Ca2+concentration were gastrin immunoreactive, indicating that antral G cells express the GRPR subtype. There were two components to the intracellular Ca2+response: an initial nitrendipine-insensitive mobilization followed by a sustained phase that was inhibited by removal of extracellular Ca2+and 20 mM caffeine and was partially inhibited by 10 μM nitrendipine. Preexposure of cells to thapsigargin and caffeine prevented the response to bombesin, indicating activation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-sensitive stores. Gastrin release could be partially reversed by removal of extracellular Ca2+and blockade of L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+channels, indicating that a component of the secretory response to bombesin was dependent on Ca2+influx. These data demonstrated that bombesin-stimulated gastrin release from human antral G cells resulted from activation of GRPRs and involved both release of intracellular Ca2+and influx of extracellular Ca2+through a combination of L-type voltage-gated and IP3-gated Ca2+channels.
Bile duct cells: a novel in vitro model for the study of lipid metabolism and bile acid production
Authors: Zoltowska Monika , Delvin Edgard E. , Paradis Khazal , Seidman Ernest , Levy Emile
Published: December 2017

Immortalized bile duct cells (BDC), derived from transgenic mice harboring the SV40 thermosensitive immortalizing mutant gene ts458, were utilized to investigate the role of the biliary epithelium in lipid and sterol metabolism. This cell model closely resembles the in vivo situation because it expresses the specific phenotypic marker cytokeratin 19 (CK-19), exhibits the formation of bile duct-like structures, and displays well-formed microvilli projected from the apical side to central lumen. The BDC were found to incorporate [14C]oleic acid (in nmol/mg protein) into triglycerides (121 ± 6), phospholipids (PL; 59 ± 3), and cholesteryl ester (16 ± 1). The medium lipid content represented 5.90 ± 0.16% ( P < 0.005) of the total intracellular production, indicating a limited lipid export capacity. Analysis of PL composition demonstrated the synthesis of all classes of polar lipids, with phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine accounting for 60 ± 1 and 24 ± 1%, respectively, of the total. Differences in PL distribution were apparent between cells and media. Substantial cholesterol synthesis was observed in BDC, as determined by the incorporation of [14C]acetate suggesting the presence of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. With the use of [14C]acetate and [14C]cholesterol as precursors, both tauro- and glycoconjugates of bile acids were synthesized, indicating the presence of cholesterol 7α- and 26R-hydroxylases, the key enzymes involved in bile acid formation. The transport of bile acids was not limited, as shown by their marked accumulation in the medium (>6-fold of cell content). HMG-CoA reductase (53.0 ± 6.7), cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (15.5 ± 0.5), and acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT; 201.7 ± 10.2) activities (in pmol ⋅ min−1⋅ mg protein−1) were present in the microsomal fractions. Our data show that biliary epithelial cells actively synthesize lipids and may directly contribute bile acids to the biliary fluid in vivo. This BDC line thus represents an efficient experimental tool to evaluate biliary epithelium sterol metabolism and to study biliary physiology.
Intestinal fat-induced inhibition of meal-stimulated gastric acid secretion depends on CCK but not peptide YY
Authors: Zhao Xiao-Tuan , Walsh John H. , Wong Helen , Wang Lijie , Lin Henry C.
Published: December 2017

Fat in small intestine decreases meal-stimulated gastric acid secretion and slows gastric emptying. CCK is a mediator of this inhibitory effect (an enterogastrone). Because intravenously administered peptide YY (PYY) inhibits acid secretion, endogenous PYY released by fat may also be an enterogastrone. Four dogs were equipped with gastric, duodenal, and midgut fistulas. PYY antibody (anti-PYY) at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg or CCK-A receptor antagonist (devazepide) at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg was administered alone or in combination 10 min before the proximal half of the gut was perfused with 60 mM oleate or buffer. Acid secretion and gastric emptying were measured. We found that 1) peptone-induced gastric acid secretion was inhibited by intestinal fat ( P < 0.0001), 2) inhibition of acid secretion by intestinal fat was reversed by CCK-A receptor antagonist ( P < 0.0001) but not by anti-PYY, and 3) slowing of gastric emptying by fat was reversed by CCK-A antagonist ( P< 0.05) but not by anti-PYY. We concluded that inhibition of peptone meal-induced gastric acid secretion and slowing of gastric emptying by intestinal fat depended on CCK but not on circulating PYY.
Characterization of the mechanisms involved in the gender differences in hepatic taurocholate uptake
Authors: Simon Francis R. , Fortune John , Iwahashi Mieko , Bowman Susan , Wolkoff Allan , Sutherland Eileen
Published: December 2017

Gender differences in the hepatic transport of organic anions is well established. Although uptake of many organic anions is greater in females, sodium-dependent taurocholate uptake is greater in hepatocytes from male rats. We examined the hypothesis that endogenous estrogens alter the number of sinusoidal bile acid transporters and/or decrease membrane lipid fluidity. The initial sodium-dependent uptake of [3H]taurocholate was 75% greater in hepatocytes from males than from either intact or oophorectomized females rats. Taurocholate maximal uptake was increased twofold ( P < 0.03) without a significant change in the Michaelis-Menten constant. Sinusoidal membrane fractions were isolated from male and female rat livers with equal specific activities and enrichments of Na+-K+-ATPase. Males had a significant ( P < 0.05) increase in cholesterol esters and phosphatidylethanolamine-to-phosphatidylcholine ratio. Fluorescence polarization indicated decreased lipid fluidity in females. In females, expression of the sodium-dependent taurocholate peptide (Ntcp) and mRNA were selectively decreased to 46 ± 9 and 54 ± 4% ( P < 0.01), respectively, and the organic anion transporter peptide (Oatp) and Na+-K+-ATPase α-subunit were not significantly different. Nuclear run-on analysis indicated a 47% ( P < 0.05) decrease in Ntcp transcription, without a significant change in Oatp. In conclusion, these studies demonstrated that decreased sodium-dependent bile salt uptake in female hepatocytes was due to decreased membrane lipid fluidity and a selective decrease in Ntcp.
V. The epithelial sodium channel and its implication in human diseases
Authors: Hummler Edith , Horisberger Jean-Daniel
Published: December 2017

The epithelial Na+channel (ENaC) controls the rate-limiting step in the process of transepithelial Na+reabsorption in the distal nephron, the distal colon, and the airways. Hereditary salt-losing syndromes have been ascribed to loss of function mutations in the α-, β-, or γ-ENaC subunit genes, whereas gain of function mutations (located in the COOH terminus of the β- or γ-subunit) result in hypertension due to Na+retention (Liddle’s syndrome). In mice, gene-targeting experiments have shown that, in addition to the kidney salt-wasting phenotype, ENaC was essential for lung fluid clearance in newborn mice. Disruption of the α-subunit resulted in a complete abolition of ENaC-mediated Na+transport, whereas knockout of the β- or γ-subunit had only minor effects on fluid clearance in lung. Disruption of each of the three subunits resulted in a salt-wasting syndrome similar to that observed in humans.
Fas activates the JNK pathway in human colonic epithelial cells: lack of a direct role in apoptosis
Authors: Abreu-Martin Maria T. , Palladino Andrew A. , Faris Mary , Carramanzana Nelson M. , Nel André E. , Targan Stephan R.
Published: December 2017

Fas is expressed constitutively by colonic epithelial cells, and its ligand is expressed by intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocytes. Fas ligation induces apoptosis in colonic epithelial cells and is implicated in the epithelial damage seen in ulcerative colitis. To understand the pleiotropic effects of Fas in the intestinal mucosa, we have examined signaling pathways activated by Fas in HT-29 colonic epithelial cells. HT-29 cells were stimulated with anti-Fas in the presence or absence of interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways was assessed by kinase assay, Western blots, and promoter-reporter assays. Electromobility shift assays were used to assess activator protein-1 (AP-1) binding activity. IFN-γ increases expression of Fas on HT-29 cells. Signaling via Fas receptor, as determined by induction of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) activity and transcriptional activation of AP-1, is enhanced in IFN-γ-primed cells. Dominant-interfering mutants of the JNK pathway do not block Fas-mediated apoptosis. Signaling through Fas results in activation of JNK and AP-1 binding activity that is increased in the presence of IFN-γ. Inhibition of JNK does not block Fas-mediated apoptosis in these cells. Fas-Fas ligand interactions in the intestinal mucosa may lead to complex signal transduction cascades and gene regulation that culminate in apoptosis, cytokine secretion, or other novel functions.
Aberrant expression of gastrin-releasing peptide and its receptor by well-differentiated colon cancers in humans
Authors: Carroll Robert E. , Matkowskyj Kristina A. , Chakrabarti Subrata , McDonald Thomas J. , Benya Richard V.
Published: December 2017

Epithelial cells lining the adult human colon do not normally express gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) or its receptor (GRPR). In contrast, approximately one-third of human colon cancers and cancer cell lines have been shown to express GRP-binding sites. Because GRPR activation causes the proliferation of many cancer cell lines, GRP has been presumed to act as a clinically significant growth factor. Yet GRP has not been shown to be expressed by colon cancers in humans nor has the effect of GRP and/or GRPR coexpression on tumor behavior been investigated. We therefore determined GRP and GRPR expression by immunohistochemistry in 50 randomly selected colon cancers resected between 1980 and 1997, all 37 associated lymph node and liver metastases, and 20 polyps. Tumor sections studied were those that contained the margin and adjacent nonmalignant epithelium. Overall, 84% of cancers aberrantly expressed GRP or GRPR, with 62% expressing both ligand and receptor, whereas expression was not observed in adjacent normal epithelium. Consistent with the previously established mitogenic capabilities of GRP, tissues coexpressing GRP and GRPR were more likely to express proliferating cell nuclear antigen than tissues not expressing both ligand and receptor. Yet GRP/GRPR coexpression was seen with equal frequency in stage A as in stage D cancers and was only detected in 1 in 37 metastases. Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier analysis did not reveal any difference in patient survival between those whose tumors did or did not express GRP/GRPR. In contrast, GRP/GRPR coexpression was found in all well-differentiated tumor regions, whereas poorly differentiated tissues never coexpressed GRP/GRPR. Overall, these data indicate that, although GRP is a mitogen, it is not a clinically significant growth factor in human colon cancers. Rather, the strong association of GRP/GRPR coexpression with tumor differentiation raises the possibility that these proteins primarily act in vivo as morphogens.
Hepatocyte nuclear factor-4 regulates intestinal expression of the guanylin/heat-stable toxin receptor
Authors: Swenson E. Scott , Mann Elizabeth A. , Jump M. Lynn , Giannella Ralph A.
Published: December 2017

We have investigated the regulation of gene transcription in the intestine using the guanylyl cyclase C (GCC) gene as a model. GCC is expressed in crypts and villi in the small intestine and in crypts and surface epithelium of the colon. DNase I footprint, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), transient transfection assays, and mutagenesis experiments demonstrated that GCC transcription is regulated by a critical hepatocyte nuclear factor-4 (HNF-4) binding site between bp −46 and −29 and that bp −38 to −36 were essential for binding. Binding of HNF-4 to the GCC promoter was confirmed by competition EMSA and by supershift EMSA. In Caco-2 and T84 cells, which express both GCC and HNF-4, the activity of GCC promoter and/or luciferase reporter plasmids containing 128 or 1973 bp of 5′-flanking sequence was dependent on the HNF-4 binding site in the proximal promoter. In COLO-DM cells, which express neither GCC nor HNF-4, cotransfection of GCC promoter/luciferase reporter plasmids with an HNF-4 expression vector resulted in 23-fold stimulation of the GCC promoter. Mutation of the HNF-4 binding site abolished this transactivation. Transfection of COLO-DM cells with the HNF-4 expression vector stimulated transcription of the endogenous GCC gene as well. These results indicate that HNF-4 is a key regulator of GCC expression in the intestine.
Cholic acid aids absorption, biliary secretion, and phase transitions of cholesterol in murine cholelithogenesis
Authors: Wang David Q.-H. , Lammert Frank , Cohen David E. , Paigen Beverly , Carey Martin C.
Published: December 2017

Cholic acid is a critical component of the lithogenic diet in mice. To determine its pathogenetic roles, we fed chow or 1% cholesterol with or without 0.5% cholic acid to C57L/J male mice, which because of lith genes have 100% gallstone prevalence rates. After 1 yr on the diets, we measured bile flow, biliary lipid secretion rates, hepatic cholesterol and bile salt synthesis, and intestinal cholesterol absorption. After hepatic conjugation with taurine, cholate replaced most tauro-β-muricholate in bile. Dietary cholic acid plus cholesterol increased bile flow and biliary lipid secretion rates and reduced cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activity significantly mostly via deoxycholic acid, cholate’s bacterial 7α-dehydroxylation product but did not downregulate cholesterol biosynthesis. Intestinal cholesterol absorption doubled, and biliary cholesterol crystallized as phase boundaries shifted. Feeding mice 1% cholesterol alone produced no lithogenic or homeostatic effects. We conclude that in mice cholic acid promotes biliary cholesterol hypersecretion and cholelithogenesis by enhancing intestinal absorption, hepatic bioavailability, and phase separation of cholesterol in bile.
NO overproduction by eNOS precedes hyperdynamic splanchnic circulation in portal hypertensive rats
Authors: Wiest Reiner , Shah Vijay , Sessa William C. , Groszmann Roberto J.
Published: December 2017

Chronic high blood flow and the hyperdynamic circulatory syndrome in portal hypertension are associated with endothelial constitutive nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) upregulation and increased NO release. In portal vein-ligated (PVL) rats the splanchnic circulation is not yet hyperdynamic on day 3 postoperatively. In vitro perfused superior mesenteric arteries (SMAs) of day 3PVL and sham rats were challenged with increasing flow rates or the α-adrenoreceptor agonist methoxamine (30 and 100 μM) before and after incubation with the NO inhibitor, N ω-nitro-l-arginine (l-NNA, 10−4 M). Perfusate NO metabolite (NO x ) concentrations were measured by chemiluminescence. PVL rats expressed a significant hyporesponsiveness to increases in flow rate or methoxamine that was overcome by incubation with l-NNA. The PVL vasculature showed significantly higher slopes of NO x production vs. flow-induced shear stress, higher increases in perfusate NO x concentration in response to methoxamine, and higher eNOS protein levels (Western blot) compared with sham rats. In conclusion, eNOS-upregulation and increased NO release by the SMA endothelium occur before the development of the hyperdynamic splanchnic circulation, suggesting a primary role of NO in the pathogenesis of arterial vasodilatation.
Vagus nerve modulates secretin binding sites in the rat forestomach
Authors: Kwon Hyeok Y. , Chang Ta-Min , Lee Kae Y. , Chey William Y.
Published: December 2017

Secretin is well known for its inhibitory action on gastric motility. It has been reported that secretin in a physiological dose inhibits gastric motility through mediation by the vagal afferent pathway. Secretin also elicited relaxation of carbachol-stimulated rat forestomach muscle strips by binding to its receptors, suggesting a direct action on this peripheral tissue. We hypothesized that vagal input may affect the action of secretin by modulating the level of secretin receptor in the forestomach. Several treatments, including vagal ligation, vagotomy, perivagal application of capsaicin or colchicine, intravenous infusion of tetrodotoxin, and intraperitoneal injection of atropine, were performed to investigate their effects on secretin receptor binding to forestomach membranes. Specific binding of125I-labeled secretin to forestomach membranes was significantly decreased (45%) by vagal ligation, vagotomy (50%), or perivagal colchicine treatment (40%). On the contrary, specific binding of125I-secretin was not affected by perivagal capsaicin treatment, intravenous infusion of tetrodotoxin, or intraperitoneal injection of atropine. By Scatchard analysis of the binding data, the capacity of the high-affinity binding sites in forestomach membranes was found to decrease significantly after vagal ligation compared with membranes from the sham-operated group. However, the affinity at the high-affinity binding sites, the binding parameters of the low-affinity binding sites, and binding specificity were not changed. Vagal ligation but not perivagal capsaicin treatment reduced the inhibitory effect of secretin on bethanechol-stimulated contraction of isolated forestomach muscle strips, causing a right shift in the dose-response curve. These results suggest that vagal input through axonal transport plays a significant role on secretin action by modulating the capacity of secretin binding sites (but not affinity or specificity), at least in rat forestomach.
Involvement of RhoA and its interaction with protein kinase C and Src in CCK-stimulated pancreatic acini
Authors: Nozu Fumihiko , Tsunoda Yasuhiro , Ibitayo Adenike I. , Bitar Khalil N. , Owyang Chung
Published: December 2017

We evaluated intracellular pathways responsible for the activation of the small GTP-binding protein Rho p21 in rat pancreatic acini. Intact acini were incubated with or without CCK and carbachol, and Triton X-100-soluble and crude microsomes were used for Western immunoblotting. When a RhoA-specific antibody was used, a single band at the location of 21 kDa was detected. CCK (10 pM–10 nM) and carbachol (0.1–100 μM) dose dependently increased the amount of immunodetectable RhoA with a peak increase occurring at 3 min. High-affinity CCK-A-receptor agonists JMV-180 and CCK-OPE (1–1,000 nM) did not increase the intensities of the RhoA band, suggesting that stimulation of RhoA is mediated by the low-affinity CCK-A receptor. Although an increase in RhoA did not require the presence of extracellular Ca2+, the intracellular Ca2+chelator 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane- N, N, N′, N′-tetraacetic acid-AM abolished the appearance of the RhoA band in response to CCK and carbachol. The Gqprotein inhibitor G protein antagonist-2A (10 μM) and the phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor U-73122 (10 μM) markedly reduced RhoA bands in response to CCK. The protein kinase C (PKC) activator phorbol ester (10–1,000 nM) dose dependently increased the intensities of the RhoA band, which were inhibited by the PKC inhibitor K-252a (1 μM). The pp60c-srcinhibitor herbimycin A (6 μM) inhibited the RhoA band in response to CCK, whereas the calmodulin inhibitor W-7 (100 μM) and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin (6 μM) had no effect. RhoA was immunoprecipitated with Src, suggesting association of RhoA with Src. Increases in mass of this complex were observed with CCK stimulation. In permeabilized acini, the Rho inhibitor Clostridium botulinum C3 exoenzyme dose dependently inhibited amylase secretion evoked by a Ca2+concentration with an IC50of C3 exoenzyme at 1 ng/ml. We concluded that the small GTP-binding protein RhoA p21 exists in pancreatic acini and appears to be involved in the mediation of pancreatic enzyme secretion evoked by CCK and carbachol. RhoA pathways are involved in the activation of PKC and Src cascades via Gqprotein and PLC.
1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3and TPA activate phospholipase D in Caco-2 cells: role of PKC-α
Authors: Khare Sharad , Bissonnette Marc , Scaglione-Sewell Beth , Wali Ramesh K. , Sitrin Michael D. , Brasitus Thomas A.
Published: December 2017

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3[1,25(OH)2D3] and 12- O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) both activated phospholipase D (PLD) in Caco-2 cells. GF-109203x, an inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms, inhibited this activation by both of these agonists. 1,25(OH)2D3activated PKC-α, but not PKC-β1, -βII,-δ, or -ζ, whereas TPA activated PKC-α, -β1, and -δ. Chronic treatment with TPA (1 μM, 24 h) significantly reduced the expression of PKC-α, -βI, and -δ and markedly reduced the ability of 1,25(OH)2D3or TPA to acutely stimulate PLD. Removal of Ca2+from the medium, as well as preincubation of cells with Gö-6976, an inhibitor of Ca2+-dependent PKC isoforms, significantly reduced the stimulation of PLD by 1,25(OH)2D3or TPA. Treatment with 12-deoxyphorbol-13-phenylacetate-20-acetate, which specifically activates PKC-βIand -βII, however, failed to stimulate PLD. In addition, the activation of PLD by 1,25(OH)2D3or TPA was markedly reduced or accentuated in stably transfected cells with inhibited or amplified PKC-α expression, respectively. Taken together, these observations indicate that PKC-α is intimately involved in the stimulation of PLD in Caco-2 cells by 1,25(OH)2D3or TPA.
Lactate inhibits citrulline and arginine synthesis from proline in pig enterocytes
Authors: Dillon E. Lichar , Knabe Darrell A. , Wu Guoyao
Published: December 2017

Hypocitrullinemia and hypoargininemia but hyperprolinemia are associated with elevated plasma concentration of lactate in infants. Because the small intestine may be a major organ for initiating proline catabolism via proline oxidase in the body and is the major source of circulating citrulline and arginine in neonates, we hypothesized that lactate is an inhibitor of intestinal synthesis of citrulline and arginine from proline. To test this hypothesis, jejunum was obtained from 14-day-old suckling pigs for preparation of enterocyte mitochondria and metabolic studies. Mitochondria were used for measuring proline oxidase activity in the presence of 0–10 mMl-lactate. For metabolic studies, enterocytes were incubated at 37°C for 30 min in Krebs bicarbonate buffer (pH 7.4) containing 5 mMd-glucose, 2 mMl-glutamine, 2 mMl-[U-14C]proline, and 0, 1, 5, or 10 mM l-lactate. Kinetics analysis revealed noncompetitive inhibition of intestinal proline oxidase by lactate (decreased maximal velocity and unaltered Michaelis constant). Lactate had no effect on either activities of other enzymes for arginine synthesis from proline or proline uptake by enterocytes but decreased the synthesis of ornithine, citrulline, and arginine from proline in a concentration-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that lactate decreased intestinal synthesis of citrulline and arginine from proline via an inhibition of proline oxidase and provide a biochemical basis for explaining hyperprolinemia, hypocitrullinemia, and hypoargininemia in infants with hyperlactacidemia.
Genetic differences in cholesterol absorption in 129/Sv and C57BL/6 mice: effect on cholesterol responsiveness
Authors: Jolley Christopher D. , Dietschy John M. , Turley Stephen D.
Published: December 2017

This study compared the cholesterolemic response of two strains of mice with genetically determined differences in cholesterol absorption. When fed a basal low-cholesterol diet, 129/Sv mice absorbed cholesterol twice as efficiently as did C57BL/6 mice (44% vs. 20%). Total lipid absorption, in contrast, averaged 80–82% in both strains. The higher level of cholesterol absorption in the 129/Sv animals was reflected in an adaptive reduction in hepatic and intestinal sterol synthesis. When fed lipid-enriched diets, the 129/Sv mice became significantly more hypercholesterolemic and had twofold higher hepatic cholesterol concentrations than did the C57BL/6 animals even though the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids was stimulated equally in both strains. The difference in cholesterol absorption between these mouse strains was not the result of physicochemical factors relating to the size and composition of the intestinal bile acid pool but more likely reflects an inherited difference in one or more of the biochemical steps that facilitate the translocation of sterol across the epithelial cell.
Subtypes of muscarinic receptors regulating gallbladder cholinergic contractions
Authors: Parkman Henry P. , Pagano Anthony P. , Ryan James P.
Published: December 2017

The aim of this study was to determine the functional role of muscarinic receptor subtypes regulating gallbladder cholinergic contractions. Electrical field stimulation (EFS; 16 Hz) produced contractile responses of guinea pig gallbladder muscle strips in vitro that were inhibited by 1 μM tetrodotoxin (2 ± 2% of control) and 1 μM atropine (1 ± 1% of control), indicating activation of intrinsic cholinergic nerves. Exogenous ACh (5 μM)-induced contractions were inhibited by atropine (1 ± 1% of control) but not tetrodotoxin (102 ± 1% of control), indicating a direct effect on smooth muscle. The M1 receptor antagonist pirenzepine (10 nM) had no effect on ACh-induced contractions but inhibited EFS-induced contractions by 11 ± 3%. The M2 antagonist methoctramine (10 nM) had no effect on ACh-induced contractions but augmented EFS-induced contractions by 5 ± 2%. The M3 antagonist 4-DAMP (10 nM) inhibited ACh-induced contractions by 14 ± 4% and EFS-induced contractions by 22 ± 5%. In conclusion, specific M1, M2, and M3 receptors modulate gallbladder muscle contractions by regulating ACh release from cholinergic nerves and mediating the contraction. Cholinergic contractions are mediated by M3 receptors directly on the smooth muscle. M2 receptors are on cholinergic nerves and function as prejunctional inhibitory autoreceptors. M1 receptors are on cholinergic nerves and function as prejunctional facilitatory autoreceptors.
Endogenous ATP release regulates Cl−secretion in cultured human and rat biliary epithelial cells
Authors: Roman Richard M. , Feranchak Andrew P. , Salter Kelli D. , Wang Yu , Fitz J. Gregory
Published: December 2017

P2Y receptor stimulation increases membrane Cl−permeability in biliary epithelial cells, but the source of extracellular nucleotides and physiological relevance of purinergic signaling to biliary secretion are unknown. Our objectives were to determine whether biliary cells release ATP under physiological conditions and whether extracellular ATP contributes to cell volume regulation and transepithelial secretion. With the use of a sensitive bioluminescence assay, constitutive ATP release was detected from human Mz-ChA-1 cholangiocarcinoma cells and polarized normal rat cholangiocyte monolayers. ATP release increased rapidly during cell swelling induced by hypotonic exposure. In Mz-ChA-1 cells, removal of extracellular ATP (apyrase) and P2 receptor blockade (suramin) reversibly inhibited whole cell Cl−current activation and prevented cell volume recovery during hypotonic stress. Moreover, exposure to apyrase induced cell swelling under isotonic conditions. In intact normal rat cholangiocyte monolayers, hypotonic perfusion activated apical Cl−currents, which were inhibited by addition of apyrase and suramin to bathing media. These findings indicate that modulation of ATP release by the cellular hydration state represents a potential signal coordinating cell volume with membrane Cl−permeability and transepithelial Cl−secretion.
Transcriptional control of the murine polymeric IgA receptor promoter by glucocorticoids
Authors: Li Tony W. H. , Wang Jiafang , Lam Jason T. , Gutierrez Edgar M. , Solorzano-Vargus R. Sergio , Tsai Hugh V. , Martín Martín G.
Published: December 2017

Glucocorticoids have been implicated as an important regulator of intestinal epithelial cell ontogeny. The polymeric IgA receptor (pIgR) is expressed in the intestinal epithelial layer and is regulated by several mediators, including glucocorticoids. The mechanism of how corticosteroids alter the transcriptional regulation of pIgR expression has not been defined. In this study, we demonstrated that glucocorticoids upregulate steady-state pIgR mRNA levels in the proximal intestine of suckling rats and in the IEC-6 intestinal cell line. We performed functional analysis of the 5′-flanking region in the presence of glucocorticoids and its receptor using the intestinal cell line Caco-2. We screened 4.7 kb of the upstream region of the murine gene and identified the most potent steroid response element to reside between nt −215 and −163 relative to the start of transcription. Substitution mutation analysis of this region identified the location of the putative steroid response element to be between nt −195 and −176. In vitro DNase I footprint analysis using the recombinant glucocorticoid receptor DNA binding domain confirmed a single area of protection that spans the nt identified by mutagenesis analysis. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays of the putative element confirmed the binding of both recombinant and cell synthesized glucocorticoid receptor in a specific manner. In summary, we report the identification and characterization of the glucocorticoid-DNA response element located in the immediate 5′-upstream region of the murine pIgR gene.
Functional characteristics of basolateral peptide transporter in the human intestinal cell line Caco-2
Authors: Terada Tomohiro , Sawada Kyoko , Saito Hideyuki , Hashimoto Yukiya , Inui Ken-Ichi
Published: December 2017

The apical H+-coupled peptide transporter (PEPT1) and basolateral peptide transporter in human intestinal Caco-2 cells were functionally compared by the characterization of [14C]glycylsarcosine transport. The glycylsarcosine uptake via the basolateral peptide transporter was less sensitive to medium pH than uptake via PEPT1 and was not transported against the concentration gradient. Kinetic analysis indicated that glycylsarcosine uptake across the basolateral membranes was apparently mediated by a single peptide transporter. Small peptides and β-lactam antibiotics inhibited glycylsarcosine uptake by the basolateral peptide transporter, and these inhibitions were revealed to be competitive. Comparison of the inhibition constant values of various β-lactam antibiotics between PEPT1 and the basolateral peptide transporter suggested that the former had a higher affinity than the latter. A histidine residue modifier, diethyl pyrocarbonate, inhibited glycylsarcosine uptake by both transporters, although the inhibitory effect was greater on PEPT1. These findings suggest that a single facilitative peptide transporter is expressed at the basolateral membranes of Caco-2 cells and that PEPT1 and the basolateral peptide transporter cooperate in the efficient transepithelial transport of small peptides and peptidelike drugs.
Carbachol activates ERK2 in isolated gastric parietal cells via multiple signaling pathways
Authors: Takeuchi Yoshiaki , Pausawasdi Nonthalee , Todisco Andrea
Published: December 2017

We previously reported that both carbachol and epidermal growth factor (EGF) are potent inducers of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERKs) in isolated gastric canine parietal cells and that induction of these kinases leads to acute inhibitory and chronic stimulatory effects on gastric acid secretion. In this study we investigated the molecular mechanisms responsible for these effects. Both carbachol (100 μM) and EGF (10 nM) induced Ras activation. The role of Ras in ERK2 induction was examined by transfecting parietal cells with a vector expressing hemoagglutinin (HA)-tagged ERK2 (HA-ERK2) together with a dominantly expressed mutant (inactive) ras gene. HA-ERK2 activity was quantitated by in-gel kinase assays. Dominant negative Ras reduced carbachol induction of HA-ERK2 activity by 60% and completely inhibited the stimulatory effect of EGF. Since Ras activation requires the assembly of a multiprotein complex, we examined the effect of carbachol and EGF on tyrosyl phosphorylation of Shc and its association with Grb2 and the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Sos. Western blot analysis of anti-Shc immunoprecipitates with an anti-phosphotyrosine antibody demonstrated that both carbachol and EGF induced tyrosyl phosphorylation of a major 52-kDa shc isoform. Grb2 association with Shc was demonstrated by blotting Grb2 immunoprecipitates with an anti-Shc antibody. Probing of anti-Sos immunoprecipitates with an anti-Grb2 antibody revealed that Sos was constitutively bound to Grb2. To examine the functional role of Sos in ERK2 activation, we transfected parietal cells with the HA-ERK2 vector together with a dominantly expressed mutant (inactive) sos gene. Dominant negative Sos did not affect carbachol stimulation of HA-ERK2 but inhibited the stimulatory effect of EGF by 60%. We then investigated the role of βγ-subunits in carbachol induction of HA-ERK2. Parietal cells were transfected with the HA-ERK2 vector together with a vector expressing the carboxy terminus of the β-adrenergic receptor kinase 1, known to block signaling mediated by βγ-subunits. In the presence of this vector, carbachol induction of HA-ERK2 was inhibited by 40%. Together these data suggest that, in the gastric parietal cells, carbachol activates the ERKs through Ras- and βγ-dependent mechanisms that require guanine nucleotide exchange factors other than Sos.
Transcobalamin II synthesized in the intestinal villi facilitates transfer of cobalamin to the portal blood
Authors: Quadros Edward V. , Regec Annette L. , Khan K. M. Faisal , Quadros Elizabeth , Rothenberg Sheldon P.
Published: December 2017

This study was designed to identify the cellular component of the intestinal villus where transcobalamin II (TCII) is synthesized, because this protein provides an essential function in the intestinal absorption of vitamin B12(cobalamin, Cbl). When a segment of proximal or distal small intestine of the guinea pig is cultured in medium containing [57Co]Cbl, TCII-[57Co]Cbl appears within 15 min. Northern blot analysis of RNA from both proximal and distal small intestine identified the TCII transcript. In situ hybridization of the distal ileum with35S-labeled TCII antisense transcript localized grains predominantly in crypts and in the lower third and central core of the villi. Grains were also evident at the base of the enterocytes in close apposition with the vascular network, whereas few grains appeared in the apical region of the columnar cells. This study provides evidence that TCII is constitutively expressed in the intestinal villi where vascular endothelium is abundant. In the distal ileum, where the intrinsic factor (IF) receptor is expressed, after uptake of IF-Cbl and the subsequent binding of free Cbl to TCII synthesized in the villi, the TCII-Cbl complex enters the microcirculation and passes into the portal blood.
Quantification and distribution of Ca2+-activated maxi K+channels in rabbit distal colon
Authors: Grunnet Morten , Knaus Hans-Günther , Solander Christina , Klaerke Dan A.
Published: December 2017

The Ca2+-activated maxi K+channel is an abundant channel type in the distal colon epithelium, but nothing is known regarding the actual number and precise localization of these channels. The aim of this study has therefore been to quantify the maxi K+channels in colon epithelium by binding of iberiotoxin (IbTX), a selective peptidyl ligand for maxi K+channels. In isotope flux measurements 75% of the total K+channel activity in plasma membranes from distal colon epithelium is inhibited by IbTX ( K0.5 = 4.5 pM), indicating that the maxi K+channel is the predominant channel type in this epithelium. Consistent with the functional studies, the radiolabeled double mutant125I-IbTX-D19Y/Y36F binds to the colon epithelium membranes with an equilibrium dissociation constant of ∼10 pM. The maximum receptor concentration values (in fmol/mg protein) for125I-IbTX-D19Y/Y36F binding to colon epithelium are 78 for surface membranes and 8 for crypt membranes, suggesting that the maxi K+channels are predominantly expressed in the Na+-absorbing surface cells, as compared with the Cl−-secreting crypt cells. However, aldosterone stimulation of this tissue induced by a low-Na+diet does not change the total number of maxi K+channels.
Arginine vasopressin inhibits fluid secretion in guinea pig pancreatic duct cells
Authors: Ko S. B. H. , Naruse S. , Kitagawa M. , Ishiguro H. , Murakami M. , Hayakawa T.
Published: December 2017

The effects of arginine vasopressin (AVP) on pancreatic ductal secretion were studied in guinea pigs. In the isolated vascularly perfused pancreas, AVP reduced secretin-stimulated fluid secretion and increased the vascular resistance when the perfusion rate was held constant. In the isolated interlobular duct segments, AVP inhibited secretin-stimulated fluid secretion, indicating the direct inhibitory action of AVP on the duct cells. AVP affected neither the basal nor the secretin-induced cAMP productions, suggesting that AVP inhibits the fluid secretion at a point distal to the production of cAMP. AVP increased intracellular Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i) in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. When [Ca2+]iwas elevated by the application of thapsigargin, AVP caused a rapid decrease in [Ca2+]i. AVP seems to activate both Ca2+release from intracellular stores and Ca2+efflux across the plasma membrane, but its relation to the inhibition of fluid secretion remains to be clarified. It is concluded that AVP directly inhibits secretin-stimulated ductal fluid secretion in the guinea pig pancreas.
II. Disorders of enteric neuronal development: insights from transgenic mice
Authors: Gershon Michael D.
Published: December 2017

Understanding the development of congenital defects of the enteric nervous system, such as Hirschsprung’s disease, was, until recently, an intractable problem. The analysis of transgenic mice, however, has now led to the discovery of a number of genetic abnormalities that give rise to aganglionic congenital megacolon or neuronal intestinal dysplasia. The identification of the responsible genes has enabled the developmental actions of their protein products to be investigated, which, in turn, has made it possible to determine the causes of aganglionoses. Two models of pathogenesis have emerged. One, associated with mutations in genes encoding endothelin-3 or its receptor, endothelin B, posits the premature differentiation of migrating neural crest-derived progenitors, causing the precursor pool to become depleted before the bowel has been fully colonized. The second, associated with mutations in genes encoding glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), its preferred receptor GFRα1, or their signaling component, Ret, appears to deprive a GDNF-dependent common progenitor of adequate support and/or mitogenic drive. In both cases, the terminal bowel becomes aganglionic when the number of colonizing neuronal precursors is inadequate.