bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chronic hypoxia impairs soluble guanylyl cyclase-mediated pulmonary arterial relaxation in the rat
Authors: Crawley D. E. , Zhao L. , Giembycz M. A. , Liu S. , Barnes P. J. , Winter R. J. , Evans T. W.
Published: December 2017

We have examined the effects of exposing rats to hypoxia (10% fractional inspired O2 concentration) for 2 and 7 days on endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation and also on the ability of guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) to activate cGMP-dependent protein kinase (G-kinase) in rat conduit pulmonary arteries (PA). The ability of acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) to both relax PA rings and elevate tissue cGMP levels was significantly attenuated in PA from hypoxic animals. The ability of atrial natriuretic peptide to relax and generate cGMP in PA rings was unchanged by hypoxia. Relaxation and elevation of cGMP levels induced by SNP in aortic rings was unaltered by hypoxia. Similarly, hypoxia did not alter the concentration-dependent activation by exogenous cGMP of G-kinase. We conclude that chronic exposure of rats to hypoxia results in a selective impairment of soluble guanylyl cyclase in rat PA, leading to an attenuation of ACh- and SNP-induced cGMP accumulation and relaxation.
Alveolar type II cells synthesize hydrophobic cell-associated proteoglycans with multiple core proteins
Authors: Maniscalco W. M. , Campbell M. H.
Published: December 2017

Type II alveolar epithelial cells interact with the extracellular matrix via cell surface receptors for matrix ligands. Cell surface proteoglycans, which are hydrophobic due to their membrane insertion domains, are one of several classes of molecules that may be receptors for matrix ligands. To analyze the hydrophobic proteoglycans synthesized by adult alveolar type II cells, we labeled these cells with 35SO4 and [3H]leucine in short-term primary cultures. Cell-associated hydrophobic proteoglycans and culture medium-derived proteoglycans were purified and characterized. Both the hydrophobic proteoglycans and medium-derived proteoglycans, which were not hydrophobic, had mainly heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans. Analysis of core proteins of the hydrophobic proteoglycans showed three proteins, 47, 65, and 90 kDa. The 47- and 65-kDa core proteins were substituted only with heparan sulfate chains. The 90-kDa core protein was seen only after digestion with both heparitinase and chondroitin ABC lyase, suggesting it was a hybrid having both heparan sulfate and chondroitin-dermatan sulfate chains. These findings were confirmed by iodination of the core proteins. The hydrophobic cell-associated proteoglycans inserted into artificial liposomes, whereas the medium-derived molecules did not. These data document heterogeneity in core protein and glycosaminoglycan chains among hydrophobic proteoglycans synthesized in vitro by adult alveolar type II cells. These molecules may have diverse functions in regulating type II cell interaction with the extracellular matrix.
Atriopeptin-induced increases in endothelial cell permeability are associated with elevated cGMP levels
Authors: Yonemaru M. , Ishii K. , Murad F. , Raffin T. A.
Published: December 2017

To investigate the mechanism of nonrenal capillary hyperfiltration, we studied the effect of atriopeptin (AP) III and AP I on permeability and intracellular cyclic nucleotide levels in cultured bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cell monolayers. Permeability to albumin was assessed by the albumin transfer rate across endothelial cell monolayers, following a 4-h incubation with atriopeptins. AP III (0.01, 0.1, and 1 microM) caused a concentration-dependent increase in the albumin transfer rate. AP III induced a threefold increase in intracellular guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) levels during the incubation period. A phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), enhanced the AP III-induced increase in permeability and cGMP accumulation by 16-fold at maximum. 8-Bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, a hydrolysis-resistant cGMP analogue, caused a slight but significant increase in permeability. In contrast, AP I, a weak agonist of the cGMP-coupled ANP receptor, did not elicit an increase in permeability at concentrations of 0.1 and 1 microM. Although AP I (1 microM) caused a significant increase in cGMP by 33 and 60% in the absence and presence of IBMX, the increase was markedly less compared with AP III. AP III did not cause a change in intracellular cAMP levels during the incubation period. These observations suggest that in our system AP III increases the permeability of endothelial cell monolayers in association with an elevated cGMP level. Thus an increase in permeability might be involved in the mechanism of ANP-induced capillary hyperfiltration.
Time course of thrombin-induced increase in endothelial permeability: relationship to Cai2+ and inositol polyphosphates
Authors: Lum Hazel , Aschner Judy L. , Phillips Patricia G. , Fletcher Paul W. , Malik Asrar B.
Published: December 2017

Pages L219–L225: Hazel Lum, Judy L. Aschner, Patricia G. Phillips, Paul W. Fletcher, and Asrar B. Malik. “Time course of thrombin-induced increase in endothelial permeability: relationship to Cai2+ and inositol polyphosphates. ” Page L222: the first duration after control should be 0.5 min. The corrected table appears below.

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H2O2 injury causes Ca(2+)-dependent and -independent hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine in alveolar epithelial cells
Authors: Rice K. L. , Duane P. G. , Archer S. L. , Gilboe D. P. , Niewoehner D. E.
Published: December 2017

Oxidants may play a central role in the pathogenesis of adult respiratory distress syndrome, and phospholipase activation is a potential mechanism of oxidant-induced injury of alveolar epithelial cells. Studies were performed in rat alveolar type II epithelial cells (RAEC) after 3 days in culture. As measured by 51Cr and lactate dehydrogenase release, H2O2 caused time- and dose-dependent cytotoxicity to RAEC. RAEC phospholipids labeled with [14C]-stearic acid ([14C]SA) and [3H]arachidonic acid ([3H]AA) released free fatty acids in response to H2O2 in a manner that closely paralleled the cytotoxicity indexes. Analysis of phospholipid subclasses indicated that phosphatidylcholine was preferentially affected. Analysis for putative products of phospholipase activity revealed significant increases in diacylglycerol and phosphorylcholine, expected products of phospholipase C, as well as significant increases in L-alpha-lysophosphatidylcholine and L-alpha-glycerophosphocholine, expected products of phospholipase A2. Increases in phospholipase D activity were not detected. To determine whether H2O2-stimulated phospholipase activity might be Ca2+ stimulated, RAEC were loaded with fura-2/AM, and changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) were monitored by epifluorescent microscopy. Exposure to H2O2 caused elevations in [Ca2+]i, and the time and dose relationships were consistent with the hypothesis that the release of [14C]SA and [3H]AA is related to changes in cellular Ca2+ concentrations. Additionally, pretreatment with MAPTAM, an intracellular chelator of calcium, partially blocked H2O2-mediated [3H]AA liberation. However, experiments in saponin-permeabilized RAEC, in which [Ca2+]i was strongly buffered by ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid, indicate that H2O2-induced phospholipase activity also has a Ca(2+)-independent component.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Respiratory activity of lung mitochondria isolated from oxygen-exposed rats
Authors: Bassett D. J. , Elbon C. L. , Reichenbaugh S. S.
Published: December 2017

The effects of in vivo oxygen exposure on mitochondrial energy metabolism were assessed by measurements of ADP-stimulated rates of oxygen utilization in lung homogenates and mitochondria isolated from rats after 24 h of exposure to 100% oxygen. Oxygen utilizations supported by FAD-linked metabolism of succinate and alpha-glycerophosphate were unaffected by oxygen exposure. On the other hand, mitochondrial respiratory activities supported by the NAD-linked substrates, isocitrate and alpha-ketoglutarate, were significantly reduced by 32 and 25%, respectively. These results could not be explained by changes in mitochondrial pyridine nucleotide or calcium contents. The activity of mitochondrial isocitrate dehydrogenase, measured in the absence of respiratory chain activity, was shown to be unaltered by oxygen exposure, suggesting that a potential site of oxygen-induced impairment is located within the respiratory chain rather than at the enzyme site of reducing equivalent transfer from NAD to components of the respiratory chain. Because lung mitochondrial alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity was unaffected by oxygen exposure, it may maintain the oxidation of cytosolic reducing equivalents and subsequent energy generation under conditions when NAD-linked proton-shuttle mechanisms are impaired.
Influence of growth oxygen level on eicosanoid release from lung endothelial cells during hypoxia
Authors: Holden W. E. , Burnham E. M. , Lee M. A. , Bagby S. P.
Published: December 2017

Eicosanoid products of arachidonic acid are suspected modulators of hypoxic vasoconstriction in the pulmonary vasculature. Vascular endothelial cells (EC) release several eicosanoids, but there is disagreement regarding the effect of hypoxia on EC eicosanoid release. We postulated that the oxygen level of growth in culture might influence the release of eicosanoids during acute hypoxia. We studied EC cultured from the main pulmonary arteries of pigs and grown at either 5% or near 20% oxygen, representing the normal limits of oxygen exposure to endothelium in normal lungs. Although cultures grown in 5% oxygen grew slightly faster by 4 days, the confluent cell number, protein content, and baseline eicosanoid release were no different compared with paired cultures grown in 20% oxygen. However, with an acute decrease in oxygen level, cultures grown in 5% oxygen released less prostaglandin E2, F2 alpha, and 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha compared with amounts released at the growth oxygen level. In contrast, cultures grown in 20% oxygen released increased amounts of these eicosanoids compared with release at the growth oxygen level. Release of thromboxane B2 was not significantly different during hypoxia between cultures grown at 5% vs. 20% oxygen. In other experiments, cyclooxygenase activity, stimulated arachidonic acid release by calcium ionophore A23187, and uptake of arachidonic acid were no different in cultures grown at 5% vs. 20% oxygen. However, arachidonic acid release during hypoxia was reduced in 5% cultures and increased in 20% cultures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Rat lung antioxidant enzymes: differences in perinatal gene expression and regulation
Authors: Clerch L. B. , Massaro D.
Published: December 2017

The lung activity of the antioxidant enzymes (AOEs) copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GP), but not manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD), increases in rats during late gestation; the concentrations of Cu,Zn SOD mRNA and CAT mRNA also rise. During early postnatal exposure to > 95% O2, the lung activity of Cu,Zn SOD, CAT, and GP increases. We now show 1) the lung concentration of Mn SOD mRNA and GP mRNA does not increase in late gestation; 2) Mn SOD activity and the concentration of its mRNA and of GP mRNA increase during exposure of neonatal rats to > 95% O2; and 3) as previously shown for CAT mRNA, the increase in lung concentration of the mRNAs for Cu,Zn SOD, Mn SOD, and GP during early postnatal hyperoxia occurs with a 70–80% prolongation of the half-life of these mRNAs. We conclude that 1) in late gestation the level at which lung AOE gene expression is regulated differs among the enzymes, 2) the level at which lung AOE gene expression is regulated shortly after birth in response to > 95% O2 is uniform among the enzymes, and 3) the lung's AOE response to neonatal hyperoxia is not merely a step-up of its prenatal regulation but involves different regulatory mechanisms based on increased stability of AOE mRNAs
Expression and regulation of human pulmonary fibroblast-derived monocyte chemotactic peptide-1
Authors: Rolfe M. W. , Kunkel S. L. , Standiford T. J. , Orringer M. B. , Phan S. H. , Evanoff H. L. , Burdick M. D. , Strieter R. M.
Published: December 2017

Monocyte recruitment is essential for maintenance of normal pulmonary macrophage populations. In addition, acute and chronic inflammatory pulmonary diseases are associated with sequestration of mononuclear phagocytes in the lung. Although alveolar macrophages (AM phi) can secrete a number of potent inflammatory and chemoattractment mediators, these immune cells do not produce monocyte chemotactic peptide (MCP-1) in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), or interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta). The pulmonary fibroblast (PF) may play a pivotal role in monocyte recruitment. In these studies, we demonstrate a time- and dose-dependent production of PF-derived steady-state MCP-1 mRNA, MCP-1 antigen, and monocyte chemotactic bioactivity attributable to MCP-1. In cellular models examining cytokine networks between AM phi and PF, LSP-stimulated AM phi (conditioned media) induced PF-derived steady-state MCP-1 mRNA expression that was markedly attenuated by the presence of neutralizing TNF and IL-1 beta antibodies. Furthermore, we showed the dose- and time-dependent suppression of IL-1 beta-stimulated PF-derived MCP-1 by dexamethasone and prostaglandin E2. These findings demonstrated that PF are an important cellular source of MCP-1 and this production of MCP-1 may be influenced by immunomodulators.
Role and mechanism of thromboxane-induced proliferation of cultured airway smooth muscle cells
Authors: Noveral J. P. , Grunstein M. M.
Published: December 2017

Thromboxane (Tx)A2 has been reported to play an important role in modulating airway contractility under various conditions associated with airways inflammation. To identify its potential role in contributing to airway smooth muscle (ASM) hyperplasia, a characteristic feature of asthmatic airways, the mitogenic effect and mechanism of action of TxA2 were investigated in cultured rabbit ASM cells. The stable TxA2 mimetics, carbocyclic TxA2 (CTA2) and U-46619, elicited dose-dependent (10(-12) to 10(-6) M) increases in ASM cell number and induced acute augmentation of intracellular inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate accumulation. The latter action was blocked by neomycin, a phospholipase C inhibitor; however, neomycin had no effect on the promitogenic action of the TxA2 mimetics. In contrast, TxA2-induced ASM cell proliferation was inhibited by inhibitors of phospholipase A2 and 5-lipoxygenase, as well as blockade of the leukotriene (LT)D4 receptor. Moreover, in complementary studies, we found that exogenous administration of LTD4 (10(-14) to 10(-6) M) potently induced ASM cell proliferation and that the TxA2 mimetics evoked the enhanced release of endogenous leukotrienes from the cultured ASM cells. Taken together, these observations provide new evidence that 1) TxA2 stimulates ASM cell proliferation; 2) the promitogenic effect of TxA2 is associated with activation of phospholipase A2; and 3) the latter mediates ASM cell proliferation via the release and autocrine mitogenic action of leukotrienes. The findings support a potential role for TxA2 in contributing to the characteristic increase in ASM cell mass obtained in asthma and other chronic airway diseases.
Thrombin receptor 14-amino acid peptide binds to endothelial cells and stimulates calcium transients
Authors: Tiruppathi C. , Lum H. , Andersen T. T. , Fenton J. W. , Malik A. B.
Published: December 2017

We examined the binding characteristics of the recently described thrombin receptor amino-terminal peptide, SFLLRNPNDKYEPF (T. K. H. Vu, D. T. Hung, V. I. Wheaton, and S. R. Coughlin. Cell 64: 1057-1068, 1991), termed TRP-14, and its effect in activating intracellular calcium transients in pulmonary vascular endothelial cells. Binding of 125I-labeled TRP-14 was found to be saturable with a affinity constant of 2 microM and maximum binding of 41 pmol/mg of cell protein. The 125I-labeled TRP-14 also interacted with bovine pulmonary microvessel endothelial cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and porcine pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Binding of 125I-labeled diisopropylphosphoryl (DIP)-alpha-thrombin, which is catalytically inactive but binds to thrombin receptors, was not inhibited by TRP-14 or vice versa, indicating that TRP-14 did not compete for the alpha-thrombin binding site(s) on the endothelial cell surface. TRP-14 (> 1 microM) increased the concentration of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) in endothelial cells with kinetics similar to the increase in [Ca2+]i triggered by alpha-thrombin. In contrast, DIP-alpha-thrombin did not increase [Ca2+]i and also did not prevent the rise in [Ca2+]i induced by the subsequent challenge with either TRP-14 or alpha-thrombin. Because the generation of TRP-14 by the proteolytically active forms of thrombin stimulated a rise in endothelial [Ca2+]i, TRP-14 may be the agonist responsible for the activation of the alpha-thrombin receptor in pulmonary vascular endothelial cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Time course of thrombin-induced increase in endothelial permeability: relationship to Cai2+ and inositol polyphosphates
Authors: Lum Hazel , Aschner Judy L. , Phillips Patricia G. , Fletcher Paul W. , Malik Asrar B.
Published: December 2017

Pages L219–L225: Hazel Lum, Judy L. Aschner, Patricia G. Phillips, Paul W. Fletcher, and Asrar B. Malik. “Time course of thrombin-induced increase in endothelial permeability: relationship to Cai2+ and inositol polyphosphates.” Page L222: the first duration after control should be 0.5 min. The corrected table appears below.

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Quantitative assessment of epithelial lining fluid in the lung
Authors: Chinard F. P.
Published: December 2017

Current techniques for the measurement lung epithelial fluid (ELF) volume depend on the dilution by a known volume of wash fluid (bronchoalveolar lavage) of a resident solute, such as urea, in the ELF or of a foreign solute introduced at known concentration in the lavage fluid. Knowledge of the ELF volume allows calculation of solute ELF concentrations. Urea concentration in ELF is assumed to be the same as in plasma. Although epithelial permeability to urea is low, entry of urea from tissues to lavage fluid occurs during the procedure and may lead to erroneous estimates of ELF volume as may loss of foreign solutes. Ideally, the extent of urea entry or of foreign solute loss should be estimated in each lavage. Other cautions are 1) equal osmolality of wash fluid and plasma, 2) minimizing residence time of wash fluid, 3) minimizing wash fluid-to-ELF volume ratio, and 4) adequate analytic procedures.
Histamine, actin-gelsolin binding, and polyphosphoinositides in human umbilical vein endothelial cells
Authors: Carson M. R. , Shasby S. S. , Lind S. E. , Shasby D. M.
Published: December 2017

Histamine activates inositol phospholipid metabolism, increases calcium, and causes a change in shape of human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVE) cells. Changes in endothelial cell shape are determined, in part, by changes in the actin cytoskeleton. Gelsolin is an actin-binding protein with the potential to alter the actin cytoskeleton in response to changes in cell calcium and/or changes in polyphosphoinositides. Therefore, we examined the interactions of actin and gelsolin in HUVE cells in which inositol phospholipid metabolism was activated with histamine. In HUVE cells exposed to histamine we estimated actin-gelsolin binding by quantitating actin and gelsolin, immunoprecipitated with anti-gelsolin Sepharose. We estimated the relative amount of filamentous actin in the histamine-exposed HUVE cells by quantitating the amount of actin that was Triton soluble. We also measured the amount of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PIP) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) in the HUVE cells before and after exposure to histamine. We found that histamine decreased the amount of actin that was immunoprecipitated with gelsolin, decreased the fraction of cell actin that was Triton soluble, and increased PIP and PIP2. These results demonstrate that histamine promotes actin filament formation in HUVE cells and that histamine-mediated changes in actin-gelsolin binding in these cells are better predicted by changes in polyphosphoinositides than by increases in cell calcium.
CFTR channels in immortalized human airway cells
Authors: Haws C. , Krouse M. E. , Xia Y. , Gruenert D. C. , Wine J. J.
Published: December 2017

The cystic fibrosis (CF) gene codes for CF transmembrane regulator (CFTR), a small-conductance linear Cl- channel, but numerous studies have identified a larger conductance, rectifying Cl- channel as the adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-regulated channel that is defective in airway cells. We examined Cl- conductance in a bronchial epithelial cell line that expresses CFTR, 16HBE14o-, (CFTR+) and in an airway cell line that does not, 9HTEo-/S, (CFTR-). Ionomycin or hypotonic Ringer increased iodide efflux from both cell lines; however, forskolin increased iodide efflux or whole cell Cl- currents only in CFTR+ cells. Forskolin-stimulated whole cell currents were linear, voltage independent, and blocked by iodide. Cell-attached and outside-out patches from confluent CFTR+ but not CFTR- cells revealed 6-pS channels having linear current-voltage relations, permselectivity Cl > I (partial block by external iodide), and little or no inhibition by 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoate. The number of active channels per patch increased from 0.6 to 3.0 after forskolin. Channels closed after excision with tau = 4 s, but activity could be prolonged with ATP or protein kinase A plus ATP. Channels were modeled with one open and four closed states and show apparent cooperativity in gating. Rectifying Cl- channels previously implicated in CF were not seen in cell-attached recordings from either cell line but were abundant in excised patches from both cell lines. Thus CFTR channels are the pathway for cAMP-mediated Cl- conductance in these human airway cells, Ca2+ and swelling-induced channels do not require CFTR, and CFTR-cells display a CF phenotype.
Susceptibility to ozone-induced inflammation. I. Genetic control of the response to subacute exposure
Authors: Kleeberger S. R. , Levitt R. C. , Zhang L. Y.
Published: December 2017

We demonstrated previously that C57BL/6J (B6) inbred mice are susceptible and C3H/HeJ (C3) mice are resistant to airway inflammation that is induced by acute (3 h) exposure to 2 parts per million (ppm) ozone (O3). In the present study we tested the hypothesis that B6 and C3 mice are also differentially susceptible to the airway inflammatory responses to subacute (72 h) exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of O3 (0.12 and 0.30 ppm). Male mice (20–25 g, 5–7 wk) were exposed continuously to 0.12 ppm O3, 0.30 ppm O3, or filtered air (control). Pulmonary inflammation was assessed after 24, 48, and 72 h by differential cell count and total protein in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) returns. Exposure to 0.12 ppm O3 caused significant influx of alveolar macrophages, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), lymphocytes, and total BAL protein in both strains, but no differences in the magnitude of the responses were found between B6 and C3 mice. In contrast to the effect of 0.12 ppm O3, exposure to 0.30 ppm O3 elicited significantly greater numbers of inflammatory cells and BAL protein concentration in B6 mice relative to C3 mice. The phenotypes of the B6 and C3 mice were termed susceptible and resistant, respectively. To further evaluate the potential genetic contribution to the inflammatory response to 0.30 ppm O3, the F1, F2, and backcross progeny from B6 and C3 progenitors were examined. The ratios of susceptible and resistant phenotypes of these progeny support the hypothesis that a single autosomal recessive gene confers susceptibility to subacute O3-induced inflammation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Susceptibility to ozone-induced inflammation. II. Separate loci control responses to acute and subacute exposures
Authors: Kleeberger S. R. , Levitt R. C. , Zhang L. Y.
Published: December 2017

We demonstrated previously that inbred strains of mice are differentially susceptible to acute (3 h) and subacute (48 h) exposures to 2 parts per million (ppm) ozone (O3) and 0.30 ppm O3, respectively. Genetic studies with O3-resistant C3H/HeJ and O3-susceptible C57BL/6J strains have indicated that susceptibility to each of these O3 exposures is under Mendelian (single gene) control. In the present study, we hypothesized that the same gene controls susceptibility to the airway inflammatory responses to 2 ppm and 0.30 ppm O3 exposures. To test this hypothesis, airway inflammation was induced in 10 BXH and 16 BXD recombinant inbred (RI) strains of mice by acute as well as subacute O3 exposures. Airway inflammation was assessed by counting the number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) returns obtained immediately after 48-h subacute exposure to 0.30 ppm O3, or 6 h after 3 h acute exposure to 2 ppm O3. Each RI strain was classified as susceptible or resistant to each exposure, based on a comparison of mean numbers of PMNs with those of the respective progenitor strains. For each RI set, a phenotypic strain distribution pattern (SDP) was thus derived for each exposure regimen, and the SDPs were then compared for concordance. Among the BXH RI strains, 4 of 10 responded discordantly to the two exposures: 3 were susceptible to acute exposure and resistant to subacute exposure, whereas 1 was conversely susceptible. Among the BXD RI strains, 4 of 16 were discordant: 1 was susceptible to acute exposure, and resistant to subacute exposure, whereas 3 were conversely susceptible.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Trafficking of surfactant protein A in fetal rabbit lung in organ culture
Authors: Alcorn J. L. , Mendelson C. R.
Published: December 2017

Surfactant protein A (SP-A), a major protein component of pulmonary surfactant, is a developmentally and hormonally regulated sialoglycoprotein expressed in type II pneumonocytes. Surfactant proteins and glycerophospholipids are transported to multilamellar structures termed lamellar bodies, which serve to store surfactant lipoprotein until secretion by exocytosis into the alveolar lumen. The cellular mechanism(s) for targeting of SP-A and other surfactant components to lamellar bodies is unknown. In the present study, we have investigated the transport of SP-A to lamellar bodies in fetal rabbit lung tissue in organ culture using pulse-chase analysis of [35S]-methionine-labeled SP-A protein. SP-A accumulated in lamellar bodies within 1–3 h of synthesis; lamellar body SP-A was found to be endoglycosidase H resistant and represented 30–40% of the radiolabeled SP-A recovered from the tissue for periods of up to 12 h postlabeling. Based on our estimates of lamellar body recovery from tissue homogenates, lamellar body-associated SP-A may account for 60–80% of the SP-A present in the fetal lung explants. Treatment of fetal rabbit lung explants with inhibitors of oligosaccharide addition (tunicamycin) and processing (castanospermine), which act within the endoplasmic reticulum, significantly reduced the rate of transport of newly synthesized SP-A to lamellar bodies. An inhibitor of oligosaccharide processing that acts on a processing step that takes place within the Golgi apparatus (swainsonine) reduced the rate of transport of radiolabeled SP-A to lamellar bodies by approximately 50%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Differences in Ca2+ mobilization by muscarinic agonists in tracheal smooth muscle
Authors: al-Hassani M. H. , Garcia J. G. , Gunst S. J.
Published: December 2017

The muscarinic agonists acetylcholine (ACh) and McN-A-343 activate a homogeneous population of M3 receptors in canine tracheal smooth muscle. However, ACh is much more efficacious than McN-A-343 both at stimulating force development and active shortening and at antagonizing relaxation induced by isoproterenol. In other tissues, the same muscarinic receptor may be coupled to multiple subcellular pathways, but activate different pathways depending on the efficacy of the agonist. The present study investigated mechanisms of excitation-contraction coupling in canine tracheal smooth muscle by muscarinic agonists of different efficacy. ACh was more effective at stimulating inositol phosphate production and elicited a large initial transient increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), whereas McN-A-343 elicited only a slow gradual rise in [Ca2+]i. Extracellular Ca2+ influx through voltage-operated channels played a minor role in contractions induced by either agonist. Results suggest that contractions by ACh and McN-A-343 may be mediated by the same subcellular pathways; however, the greater potency of ACh at stimulating those pathways results in very different kinetics of Ca2+ activation.
Protein synthesis in pulmonary arteries from rats exposed to hyperoxia
Authors: Stirewalt W. S. , Coflesky J. T. , Young L. H. , Evans J. N.
Published: December 2017

These studies were undertaken to determine the relationship of early changes in the synthesis rates and contents of collagen, elastin, and soluble tissue protein of pulmonary arteries in rats exposed chronically to normobaric hyperoxia. The growth response of pulmonary arteries was characterized by proportionate increases in the contents of the three protein fractions after 7 days (130% of control) and 21 days (194% of control) of exposure. Fractional rates of protein synthesis were assessed both in vivo and in vitro with the use of several radiolabeled amino acids as tracers to minimize uncertainties of the relationships of the specific radioactivities of measured amino acid pools and the precursors for the proteins fractions. Values for fractional synthesis rates of collagen, elastin, and soluble protein in vitro in pulmonary arteries isolated from control rats were 2.2, 1.6, and 19%/day, respectively. Rates of synthesis of collagen and soluble protein in vitro were approximately 20% lower than that determined in control rats in vivo. The fractional synthesis rates of the three protein fractions in isolated arteries from experimental rats were unchanged after 1 day of hyperoxic exposure, decreased marginally after 3 days, and markedly increased after 7 days. At this time the absolute increments in the fractional synthesis rates of collagen (+4.7%/day) and elastin (+5.0%/day) were less than that of soluble tissue protein (+16%/day) and were more comparable to the accumulation rate of proteins in the tissue. The disproportionate increment in the fractional rate of soluble protein synthesis suggests that the fractional rate of degradation of soluble protein was also increased during the growth response in this model of hypertension.
Oxidant injury alters barrier function of ferret tracheal epithelium
Authors: McBride R. K. , Stone K. K. , Marin M. G.
Published: December 2017

To understand the influence of oxidant stress on the barrier function of airway epithelium, we conducted studies to determine the effects of chemically generated reactive oxygen species on permeability, permselectivity, and active ion transport of ferret trachea. We examined the consequences of oxidant injury using ferret trachea mounted in Ussing-type chambers and bathed with a modified Krebs-Henseleit solution containing mannitol and xanthine. We added xanthine oxidase to the luminal bathing solution, which reacted with the xanthine to generate reactive oxygen species. Tissue electrical conductance and short-circuit current were significantly increased after the addition of xanthine oxidase. Simultaneous measurement of mannitol flux (as a marker of paracellular conductance) and the backflux of chloride (lumen to submucosa) demonstrated a significant oxidant-induced increase in mannitol flux and backflux of chloride. Mannitol flux and the backflux of sodium (submucosa to lumen) also increased after oxidant stress. Comparison of the diffusion of sodium relative to the diffusion of chloride in relation to predicted diffusion in free solution indicated that the paracellular pathway was cation selective after oxidant stress. Active ion transport, as reflected by the short-circuit current, was significantly increased transiently after oxidant stress. Studies with furosemide, amiloride, and diphenylamine-2-carboxylate are suggestive that oxidant stress transiently stimulates the Na-K-ATPase. These studies demonstrated that exposure to reactive oxygen species significantly altered the permeability of the tracheal epithelium as well as active ion transport.
Effect of PAF receptor antagonism on cardiopulmonary alterations during coinfusion of TNF-alpha and IL-1 alpha in pigs
Authors: Kruse-Elliott K. T. , Pino M. V. , Olson N. C.
Published: December 2017

We examined the possibility that platelet-activating factor (PAF) might be a mediator of cardiopulmonary alterations induced by a 6-h coinfusion of human recombinant tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) in anesthetized pigs. Our hypothesis was tested by pretreating TNF-alpha + IL-1 alpha-infused pigs with WEB 2086 (3 mg/kg from -0.5 to 0 h + 0.75 mg.kg-1.h-1 from 0–6 h), a specific PAF receptor antagonist. Each cytokine was infused intravenously at 0.5 microgram/kg from 0-0.5 h + 5 ng.kg-1.min-1 from 0.5-6 h. WEB 2086 attenuated the early (0.25 h) cytokine-induced increases in mean pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance and blocked or markedly attenuated the later occurring (4–6 h) systemic hypertension and increased systemic vascular resistance. WEB 2086 lessened the severity of TNF-alpha + IL-1 alpha-induced hemoconcentration and airway constriction, but did not modify leukopenia, granulocytopenia, or the cytokine-induced increases in plasma concentrations of thromboxane B2, prostaglandin F2 alpha, and 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha. Microscopically, WEB 2086 did not modify the increased number of granulocytes present in lung tissue derived from pigs infused with TNF-alpha + IL-1 alpha. We conclude that PAF occupies a physiological role in modulating TNF-alpha + IL-1 alpha-induced hemoconcentration, the early changes in pulmonary hemodynamics, and the later alterations in systemic hemodynamics.
Constitutive hypersecretion and insensitivity to neurotransmitters by cystic fibrosis tracheal gland cells
Authors: Merten M. D. , Figarella C.
Published: December 2017

Submucosal glands are the major mucus-secreting cells in the tracheobronchial tree, and they appear to be affected in cystic fibrosis (CF). To study the dysregulation of pulmonary secretion in CF, human tracheal glandular (HTG) cells were isolated from tracheal mucosa of CF patients undergoing bipulmonary transplantation and compared with normal HTG cells. The cells were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's-Ham's F-12 medium supplemented with Ultroser G, on collagen type 1-coated dishes. We observed that the secretion rates for the three specific serous secretory markers: bronchial inhibitor (BrI), lysozyme, and lactoferrin were 10, 20, and 50 times higher, respectively, in CF-HTG cells than in normal HTG cells. Furthermore, the two physiological neurotransmitters: acetylcholine and norepinephrine, which have opposite actions on the secretion of BrI (suggesting that these neurotransmitters acted as regulators of secretion) did not induce the significant modification of protein secretion observed with normal HTG cells. In combination with forskolin and calcium ionophore A23187, secretion of BrI was minimally modified, indicating a lack of responsiveness of CF-HTG cells to these agonists. In conclusion, CF-HTG cells in culture show a constitutive hypersecretion and an hyporesponsiveness to agonists. They provide a useful tool to study the regulation defect of bronchial secretion observed in CF.
Activation of tracheal smooth muscle responsiveness by fMLP-treated HL-60 cells and neutrophils
Authors: Munoz N. M. , Hamann K. J. , Vita A. , Cozzi P. J. , Baranowski S. , Solway J. , Leff A. R.
Published: December 2017

We assessed the effects of cultured human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (neutrophils) isolated from peripheral human blood on tracheal smooth muscle responsiveness in 40 male Hartley guinea pigs. Undifferentiated HL-60 cells (16-25 passages) were activated in vitro by incubation with 1 microM f-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP), and force of contraction was measured isometrically using an in situ preparation of tracheal smooth muscle. Increasing concentrations of acetylcholine (ACh; 10(-10) to 10(-6) mol/cm2 tracheal surface) were applied topically to the epithelial surface pretreated with 4 x 10(6) fMLP-activated HL-60 cells, 4 x 10(6) fMLP-activated neutrophils, 4 x 10(6) sham-activated HL-60 cells, fMLP+vehicle, or vehicle control. Topical application of fMLP-activated HL-60 cells caused a maximum active tension (AT) of 1.13 +/- 0.2 g/cm after 5 min; fMLP-activated neutrophils, sham-activated HL-60 cells, or fMLP+vehicle had no effect. The fMLP-activated HL-60 cells also caused substantial augmentation of tracheal contraction to ACh (P < 0.05 vs. sham-activated cells for all concentrations > 10(-9) mol/cm2). Although fMLP treatment caused 247 +/- 28% increase from baseline level in O2-. production, neither direct contraction nor augmentation of muscarinic stimulation was demonstrated after topical application of 4 x 10(6) neutrophils. In 12 other preparations, fMLP-activated HL-60 cells were pretreated with either 10 microM indomethacin (Indo) or 100 microM A63162, a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor. Pretreatment with Indo caused complete blockade of direct tracheal contraction and 88 +/- 13% blockade of muscarinic augmentation; there was no effect after A63162.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Phospholipase A2 in alveolar type II epithelial cells: biochemical and immunologic characterization
Authors: Neagos G. R. , Feyssa A. , Peters-Golden M.
Published: December 2017

The enzyme phospholipase A2 (PLA2) catalyzes phospholipid hydrolysis and is thought to play important roles in surfactant synthesis and in the generation of lipid mediators, including eicosanoids and platelet-activating factor. This study sought to characterize PLA2 in rat type II pneumocytes by biochemical and immunologic means. Type II cells were found to contain an alkaline-active, Ca(2+)-dependent PLA2 activity predominantly localized to cytosol fraction. This activity preferred phospholipids containing arachidonate in the sn-2 position and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) over phosphatidylcholine (PC); it was active at physiologically relevant Ca2+ concentrations and was resistant to dithiothreitol. These biochemical features were suggestive of a high-molecular-weight form of PLA2, and immunoblot analysis of type II cell extracts indeed detected a 97-kDa protein corresponding to a high-molecular-weight PLA2, but no low-molecular-weight pancreatic-type enzyme. Human A549 cells, which share certain features with type II cells, contained a similar PLA2 activity and immunoreactive protein. By contrast, whole rat lung cytosol contained both a 97-kDa PLA2 and a 14-kDa pancreatic-type PLA2, but its activity was typical of the latter in that it lacked sn-2 specificity for arachidonate and was inhibited by dithiothreitol. These results indicate that rat type II as well as human A549 epithelial cells contain a high-molecular-weight PLA2, for which mounting evidence suggests an important role in physiological and pathophysiological situations.
ACh release from horse airway cholinergic nerves: effects of stimulation intensity and muscle preload
Authors: Wang Z. , Robinson N. E. , Yu M.
Published: December 2017

This study was conducted to determine the effects of stimulation parameters and muscle preload on acetylcholine (ACh) release induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS) of horse airway cholinergic nerves. Trachealis strip bundles were prepared and suspended in 2-ml tissue baths. The tissues were stimulated three to five times for 30 min each. Increasing frequency (0.5-16 Hz) and voltage (5-20 V) increased ACh release; increasing pulse duration (0.5-3 ms) had only a minor effect. Alterations in muscle preload (2-20 g) had no effect on ACh release. ACh release was fairly constant for up to five repeated stimulation periods with the same EFS parameters. Stimulation of the tissues for 15 min released the same amount of ACh as 30 min if the amount was expressed as picomoles per gram per minute, suggesting that ACh release rate was constant during the 30-min period of stimulation. Atropine (10(-6) M) potentiated the release of ACh four- to fivefold, presumably by removing the autoinhibitory effect of ACh on the cholinergic nerves. Tetrodotoxin (10(-6) M) abolished the EFS-induced ACh release.
Asbestos exposure increases human bronchial epithelial cell fibrinolytic activity
Authors: Gross T. J. , Cobb S. M. , Gruenert D. C. , Peterson M. W.
Published: December 2017

Chronic exposure to asbestos fibers results in fibrotic lung disease. The distal pulmonary epithelium is an early target of asbestos-mediated injury. Local plasmin activity may be important in modulating endoluminal inflammatory responses in the lung. We studied the effects of asbestos exposure on cell-mediated plasma clot lysis as a marker of pericellular plasminogen activation. Exposing human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells to 100 micrograms/ml of asbestos fibers for 24 h resulted in increased plasma clot lysis. Fibrinolytic activity was augmented in a dose-dependent fashion, was not due to secreted protease, and occurred only when there was direct contact between the plasma clot and the epithelial monolayer. Further analysis showed that asbestos exposure increased HBE cell-associated urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) activity in a time-dependent manner. The increased cell-associated PA activity could be removed by acid washing. The increase in PA activity following asbestos exposure required new protein synthesis because it was abrogated by treatment with either cycloheximide or actinomycin D. Therefore, asbestos exposure increases epithelial-mediated fibrinolysis by augmenting expression of uPA activity at the cell surface by mechanisms that require new RNA and protein synthesis. These observations suggest a novel mechanism whereby exposure of the distal epithelium to inhaled particulates may result in a chronic inflammatory response that culminates in the development of fibrotic lung disease.
Role of Ca2+ entry in the modulation of airway tone by hypoxia
Authors: Fernandes L. B. , Stuart-Smith K. , Croxton T. L. , Hirshman C. A.
Published: December 2017

To evaluate the cellular mechanisms involved in hypoxic relaxation of airway smooth muscle, we investigated the effects of hypoxia on the behavior of third- and fourth-order porcine bronchial rings contracted with either carbachol or KCl. In one series of experiments, hypoxia (95% N2-5% CO2) was imposed and rings were then exposed to increasing concentrations of carbachol or KCl. In separate experiments, rings were first contracted with carbachol (10(-6) M) or KCl (40 mM) and were then exposed to solutions bubbled with decreasing concentrations of O2. The CO2 concentration was maintained constant at 5% in all experiments. The initial magnitude of KCl-induced but not carbachol-induced contractions was profoundly reduced by 95% N2-5% CO2. The sensitivity of the airway to carbachol was unchanged. In rings precontracted with either carbachol or KCl, hypoxia caused similar losses of airway smooth muscle tone in a reversible and concentration-dependent manner. The effects of hypoxia were independent of the presence of an intact epithelium and were not inhibited by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (5 microM), the soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor methylene blue (50 microM), or the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol (1 microM). The impairment by hypoxia of the initiation phase of KCl-induced contractions and of the maintenance phase of both KCl- and carbachol-induced contractions, but not the initiation phase of carbachol-induced contractions, suggests that changes in O2 tension modulate airway tone by altering the entry of extracellular calcium into the airway smooth muscle.
Fetal lung epithelial cells contain two populations of amiloride-sensitive Na+ channels
Authors: Matalon S. , Bauer M. L. , Benos D. J. , Kleyman T. R. , Lin C. , Cragoe E. J. , O'Brodovich H.
Published: December 2017

Active Na+ transport by the alveolar epithelium plays a major role in reabsorption of the fetal lung fluid after birth. We characterized the biochemical and physiological characteristics of Na+ conductive pathways in distal fetal lung epithelial (FLE) cells isolated from 20-day-old rat fetuses. We demonstrated that a polyclonal antibody to Na+ channel protein (NaAb) binds to the plasma membranes of FLE cells. In Western blot studies, this NaAb and an anti-idiotypic monoclonal antibody to the amiloride-binding subunit of the Na+ channel protein recognized 150- and 90-kDa polypeptides in plasma membrane vesicles of FLE. 22Na+ flux measurements across plasma membrane vesicles of FLE revealed the existence of electrogenic Na+ transport, which was twice as high as the corresponding adult value. One hundred micromolars of amiloride, benzamil, and 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)-2'-4'-amiloride inhibited 30, 40, and 70% of the electrogenic Na+ transport across plasma membrane vesicles of FLE cells, respectively. The half-maximum inhibition of electrogenic Na+ transport by these substances occurred between 0.3 and 1 microM. [3H]benzamil equilibrium binding studies in membrane vesicles of FLE cells revealed the existence of two binding sites that had dissociation constant values of 19 and 1,525 nM, respectively. These data indicate the presence of both high- and low-amiloride affinity Na+ conductive pathways (channels) in FLE cells.
Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase in vascular cells: changes during cell cycling and exposure to hyperoxia
Authors: Kong X. J. , Lee S. L. , Lanzillo J. J. , Fanburg B. L.
Published: December 2017

Conditions that generate reactive oxygen species elevate Cu,Zn superoxidase dismutase (SOD) in endothelial cells (EC) concomitant with decreased cellular proliferation. The current studies were undertaken with both vascular EC and smooth muscle cells (SMC) to compare the influences of cellular proliferation with those of hyperoxia on induction of Cu,Zn SOD. To assess cell cycling alone, EC and SMC were growth arrested, then released from arrest. Cell cycling was monitored by [3H]thymidine incorporation, counts, and flow cytometry. SOD catalytic activity was measured spectrophotometrically and SOD protein by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A digoxigenin-labeled probe was used to quantify SOD mRNA by Northern analysis. EC reached the S phase of the cell cycle in 18 h and completed one cycle in 24–30 h, whereas SMC took 24–30 h to reach the S phase and 48 h to complete one cycle. Cu,Zn SOD mRNA for both EC and SMC was very low during the Go/G1 phase, peaked during the S phase, and then reverted to lower values as cells progressed through their cycles. Cu,Zn SOD activity and immunoprotein content showed corresponding changes to those of mRNA. Exposure to hyperoxia (95% O2) delayed the entry of released cells into the S phase of the cell cycle and blocked the cells in the S or G2 phase, but induced Cu,Zn SOD mRNA before the S phase and caused persistence of elevation of Cu,Zn SOD mRNA as cells progressed through their cycles. Exposure to hyperoxia also induced Cu,Zn SOD mRNA in growth-arrested cells within 24–48 h. Thus our studies support roles for both cells cycle dependency and reactive oxygen species in the induction of Cu,Zn SOD.