bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Isolation of the mouse cytochrome P450J (CYP2E1) cDNA and its reciprocal testosterone regulation in kidney and liver
Authors: Voliva C. F. , Paigen K. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
A hybridization probe that is homologous to the B2 short interspersed repetitive element detects an mRNA in mouse kidney and liver that is regulated by androgen. Administration of testosterone induces this mRNA in kidney and represses it in liver. The mRNA was cloned by first using the B2 probe to select 48 cDNA clones from an androgen-induced kidney library. These clones were then tested for their androgen response by hybridizing them with probes made by reverse transcription of basal and testosterone-treated kidney poly(A)+ RNA. Any homology to the B2 sequence was masked by prehybridizing the filters to an excess of non-radioactive RNA synthesized from a B2 sequence cloned into a riboprobe vector. A unique sequence was subcloned from the largest androgen-responsive cDNA clone. A radioactive riboprobe generated from the unique sequence subclone detected an androgen-responsive mRNA in Northern blots with the same electrophoretic mobility as the predominant androgen-responsive mRNA detected with the B2 homologous riboprobe. The riboprobe also detected a unique sequence in Southern blots of genomic DNA. This subclone was then used as the probe to isolate a full-length cDNA clone from a second androgen-induced kidney library.
When sequenced, this full-length cDNA of an androgen-responsive, B2-containing mRNA showed strong homology to the rat and human cytochrome P450J and the rabbit cytochrome P450 3a genes (CYP2E1). It showed only weak homology to the mouse testosterone 15 α-hydroxylase gene (CYP2A3) which is also regulated reciprocally by androgen in kidney and liver. The sequence of mouse P450J is identical to the B2 homologous mRNA previously named B2+mRNAx which is abundant in mouse liver.
Localization of the sites of synthesis and action of prolactin by immunocytochemistry and in-situ hybridization within the human utero-placental unit
Authors: Wu W.-X. , Brooks J. , Millar M. R. , Ledger W. L. , Saunders P. T. K. , Glasier A. F. , McNeilly A. S. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
While the fetal pituitary synthesizes and releases prolactin, it is also produced within the utero-placental unit during pregnancy in women and has been localized in the amnion, chorion and decidua. However, it is not clear whether prolactin is synthesized within all these non-fetal pituitary tissues. We have investigated prolactin production and its gene expression using tissue culture, immunocytochemistry and in-situ hybridization techniques. Prolactin was immunolocalized not only in the decidua but also in amnion and trophoblast cells. In contrast, the in-situ hybridization results showed that silver grains, formed by specific hybridization of a prolactin cDNA probe to prolactin mRNA, were confined to decidual cells of early and term pregnancy. The results from tissue cultures correlated well with those of in-situ hybridization, that is that only the decidua made detectable prolactin, while it was undetectable in the culture medium from trophoblast tissue, irrespective of the stage of pregnancy. This study, for the first time, establishes that only decidualized cells are involved in biosynthesis of prolactin; other prolactin-containing cells in the amnion and trophoblast appear to sequester prolactin, possibly via receptors, suggesting that prolactin may play an important paracrine role within the amnion and syncitio- and cytotrophoblast of the utero-placental unit.
H+-Dependent ATPase and K+ channel activities in the rat thyroid cell strain FRTL-5
Authors: Woods D. J. , Soden J. , Bidey S. P. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Using the fluorescent indicators 2′,7′-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5′-(6′)-carboxyfluorescein and Oxonol V to monitor intracellular pH (pHi) and cell membrane potential respectively, we have investigated the involvement of H+-dependent ATPase and H+-dependent K+ channels in the recovery of the rat thyroid cell strain FRTL-5 from experimentally induced cytosolic acidification and membrane hyperpolarization events. Following exposure of cells to the weak acid sodium butyrate (24mmol/l) under bicarbonate-free incubation conditions, cytoplasmic acidification was maximal after 3 min, attaining a pHi of 6.42. The subsequent recovery of pHi was unimpaired by the absence of extracellular K+, but was reduced in the presence of the Na+ antagonist amiloride (1 mmol/l), recovering by 0.11±0.003 units, compared with 0.27±0.02 units under amiloride-free conditions. In the presence of the H+-dependent ATPase antagonist N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), the pHi recovery observed in amiloride-containing, K+-free buffer was abolished.
The recovery of pHi in Na+- and K+-containing buffer was accompanied by hyperpolarization of the cell membrane, the later stage of which was reduced after blockade of K+ channels with BaCl2, implying a major contribution of transmembrane K+ movement to such events. In contrast to its attenuating effect on pHi recovery, DCC was ineffective in reducing butyrate-dependent membrane hyperpolarization, suggesting that H+-dependent ATPase may not be a major contributory factor to this event. However, when K+ channels were blocked by addition of BaCl2, addition of DCC abolished the butyrate-induced membrane depolarization. These findings are consistent with the presence of two independent hyperpolarizing transport processes in the FRTL-5 cell membrane which appear to involve (i) a H+-dependent ATPase, activated in response to cytosolic acidification, and allowing partial recovery of pHi in the absence of extracellular Na+ and HCO3−, and (ii) H+-dependent K+ channels which, while contributing to membrane hyperpolarization, may not play a major role in the normal maintenance of pHi.
A single amino acid residue replacement in the β subunit of human chorionic gonadotrophin results in the loss of biological activity
Authors: Chen F. , Puett D. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
The heterodimer, human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), contains an a subunit that is common to the glycoprotein hormones and a hormone-specific β subunit. A comparison of all known β amino acid sequences shows that an aspartic acid at position 99 (with the numbering scheme for hCG-β) is one of the seven non-Cys invariant residues. Using site-directed mutagenesis we have replaced hCG-β Asp99 with Arg. Chinese hamster ovary cells, containing a stably integrated gene for bovine a subunit, were transiently transfected with plasmids containing wild-type and mutant hCG-β cDNAs. The Arg99 β mutant associated with the a subunit, but the resulting heterodimer failed to enhance intracellular cyclic AMP production in a gonadotrophin-responsive transformed murine Leydig cell line. Thus, a single amino acid residue replacement in this glycosylated heterodimer containing 237 amino acid residues is sufficient to abolish activity.
Evidence for two distinct hormone-sensitive [3H]phosphoinositide pools in bovine adrenocortical zona fasciculata/reticularis cells stimulated with angiotensin II
Authors: Bird I. M. , Williams B. C. , Walker S. W. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Bovine adrenocortical cells from the zona fasciculata/reticularis were isolated and their phosphoinositides labelled to a steady state with [3H]inositol in primary culture. Experiments performed on these cells in the presence of Li+ have shown that, over a period of 60min, angiotensin II (AII; 10−7m) stimulated a linear increase in [3H] inositol phosphates that was sustained through the utilization of two hormone-sensitive subpools of prelabelled lipid (30% and 45% respectively), and a rapid resynthesis of [3H]phosphoinositide into one of these pools using cytosolic [3H]inositol. The 30% pool was used immediately on stimulation, and was sustained at a steady-state size of 10–15% during the first 30 min of stimulation through rapid resynthesis using cytosolic [3H]inositol. Only after 30min, when the cytosolic [3H]inositol was depleted and resynthesis could no longer occur, did the additional 45% pool start to supply further substrate to the phospholipase C, thereby further sustaining the generation of [3H]inositol phosphates. Once this pool was depleted however (by approximately 60min), [3H]inositol phosphate generation finally ceased. These findings establish the differential use of two metabolically distinct hormone-sensitive pools of phosphoinositide following AII stimulation in bovine adrenocortical cells, events which are dependent upon the availability of cytosolic inositol for phosphoinositide resynthesis.
Atrial natriuretic peptide in the eel, Anguilla anguilla L.: its cardiac distribution, receptors and actions on isolated branchial cells
Authors: Broadhead C. L. , O'Sullivan U. T. , Deacon C. F. , Henderson I. W. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
The presence of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and the nature of its binding sites were studied in freshwater (FW)- and seawater (SW)-adapted eels using a heterologous analogue, that of the rat (rANP). Rat ANP-like immunoreactivity was demonstrated in the cardiac atria and ventricles of both FW and SW eels, and electron-dense ANP-like granules were observed. The atria and ventricles of FW eels contained significantly more granules than those of SW animals and, in both types, the atria were more granular than the ventricles.
Specific binding sites for rANP were demonstrated by displacement and uptake experiments using labelled rANP in dispersed eel branchial cell preparations, enriched in chloride cells. The concentration of rANP required to produce a 50% inhibition of binding in FW cells was significantly lower than that in SW cells. Scatchard analyses revealed the presence of two classes of binding site in SW eel branchial cells but only a single class of receptor in FW cells. The affinity of the FW receptor was not significantly different from that of the SW high affinity site.
Rat ANP stimulated the production of cyclic GMP (cGMP) in a dose-dependent manner, and both basal and stimulated levels of cGMP were significantly greater in SW branchial cells.
These studies suggest that ANP is involved in the adaptation of the euryhaline eel to differing environmental salinities; the levels of the peptide in the heart alter with changing salinity, and the nature of the receptors in the sodium chloride-transporting epithelium of the gill changes in response to the need either to eliminate or to absorb sodium chloride.
Effect of somatostatin on prolactin in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) pituitary cells in primary culture
Authors: Goff P. Le , Weil C. , Valotaire Y. , Gonnard J. F. , Prunet P. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
To study the control of prolactin secretion in fish, an in-vitro technique using a monolayer cell culture system of rainbow trout pituitary glands was developed. Such secretion was characterized by measurement of both prolactin release and prolactin mRNA content using a trout prolactin cDNA as a probe. This cell culture technique, already used to study the regulation of gonadotrophin secretion in rainbow trout, was further validated by measuring total DNA and protein content. Both parameters appeared to be stable after 2 days of culture. Studying the effect of somatostatin (SRIF) on prolactin cells indicated that a maximal inhibitory effect (62%) was observed after 24 h of treatment. Significant inhibition of prolactin release was obtained for SRIF doses ranging from 50 nm to 1 μm. However, in the same experiment, SRIF was much more potent as an inhibitor of growth hormone release. Short-term (<12h) incubation with SRIF did not induce a significant change in prolactin release, whereas growth hormone release was reduced at as early as 1 h after SRIF exposure. SRIF did not have a significant effect on total prolactin content or prolactin mRNA levels, suggesting the absence of an effect on prolactin synthesis. No increase in the magnitude of the inhibitory effect of SRIF was observed when using pituitary cells from immature, mature male or mature female trout. When comparing effects on primary cultures containing cells from the whole pituitary with a prolactin cell-enriched population, SRIF appeared to have the same inhibitory effect on prolactin release, supporting a direct action of SRIF on prolactin cells. These results provide further support for SRIF being a prolactin-inhibiting factor in rainbow trout and acting as a modulator of a dominant stimulatory control of prolactin release.
Rat granulosa cells express the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone gene: evidence from in-situ hybridization histochemistry
Authors: Clayton R. N. , Eccleston L. , Gossard F. , Thalbard J.-C. , Morel G. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
There is still debate as to whether natural sequence gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is produced in the mammalian gonads and concerning its potential role as a paracrine modulator of gonadal function. To address this question, we have used insitu hybridization histochemistry with an oligonucleotide probe complementary to the GnRH decapeptide coding sequence, to determine the cellular site(s) of expression of the GnRH gene in rodent ovaries. GnRH mRNA was detected in granulosa and thecal cells from ovarian follicles at all stages of development (primary→Graafian), with no significant change in grain density during follicular development. The granulosa cell compartment always contained more mRNA than the thecal cell compartment. Corpora lutea expressed the GnRH gene to the same extent as thecal cells. These results indicate that preproGnRH mRNA is detectable under physiological conditions in the mammalian ovary, though whether this produces authentic GnRH decapeptide or an alternative protein product is not known. The physiological significance of these findings remains to be determined.
Transforming growth factor-β1 production in porcine thyroid follicular cells: regulation by intrathyroidal organic iodine
Authors: Cowin A. J. , Davis J. R. E. , Bidey S. P. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
The present studies have demonstrated the production of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) by porcine thyroid follicular cells (TFCs) maintained in vitro as subconfluent monolayers, and have confirmed a stimulatory effect of iodide on thyroidal TGF-β1 mRNA and peptide release. RNA extracted from TFCs maintained in the absence of iodide contained a 2·5 kb transcript which hybridized specifically with a cDNA probe for human TGF-β1, and which showed an approximate doubling in intensity in cells exposed to 10 μmol NaI/l. In the presence of the anti-thyroid thionamide drug methimazole (MMI; 1 mmol/l), the action of iodide on TGF-β1 mRNA was attenuated, although MMI alone had no effect on the control level of TGF-β1 mRNA. The TGF-β1 peptide content of TFC-conditioned media (TFC-CM) was assessed using the fetal mink lung cell line Mv1 Lu, in which activated TGF-β1 specifically suppresses trichloroacetic acid-precipitable [methyl-3H]thymidine incorporation. Newly conditioned TFC-CM stimulated [methyl-3H]thymidine incorporation into Mv1Lu cells, but after heat treatment to inactivate growth stimulators and activate the latent TGF-β1 component this medium inhibited [methyl-3H]thymidine incorporation. This inhibitory effect was prevented by immunoadsorption of TFC-CM with a TGF-β1-neutralizing antiserum, confirming the specificity of the inhibitory response. The inhibitory activity of TFC-CM was increased when the TFCs were preincubated with 10 μmol NaI/l, and lost when TFCs were exposed to MMI. In conclusion, TFCs produce TGF-β1 mRNA and TGF-β1 peptide, which are both increased by iodide treatment in vitro. The anti-thyroid effects of MMI may, at least in part, be mediated by a decrease in TFC-derived TGF-β1 production.
Intraperitoneal insulin is more potent than subcutaneous insulin at restoring hepatic insulin-like growth factor-I mRNA levels in the diabetic rat: a functional role for the portal vascular link
Authors: Russell-Jones D. L. , Rattray M. , Wilson V. J. , Jones R. H. , Sönksen P. H. , Thomas C. R. 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
There is evidence that the hormonal control of hepatic IGF-I production is mediated by GH and insulin. To elucidate the role of these hormones further we administered s.c. or i.p. insulin (at 2·5 and 5·0 IU/day) and/or GH (0·8 IU/day) to rats made diabetic with streptozotocin 16 days previously. Hepatic IGF-I production was then assessed by quantifying hepatic IGF-I mRNA levels by autoradiography of Northern blots. Diabetes resulted in a fivefold reduction in hepatic IGF-I mRNA levels (optical density (OD) of the 0·7–1·1 kb band: controls, 1·3±0·09; diabetics, 0·28±0·08; P<0·01), which was not significantly changed by treatment with s.c. insulin (OD: low dose, 0·55±0·05; high dose, 0·58±0·05) or low dose i.p. insulin (OD: 0·40±0·03). High dose i.p. insulin enhanced hepatic IGF-I mRNA levels (OD: 0·93±0·23) compared with diabetic rats (P<0·01) and those given high dose s.c. insulin (P<0·04), despite the blood glucose values being similar in the treated groups (i.p., 4·72±0·29 mmol/l; s.c., 3·32±0·03 mmol/l). Administration of GH alone partially restored the hepatic IGF-I mRNA level (OD: GH-treated, 1·00±0·05; diabetic, 0·28±0·08; P<0·01), whilst having no effect on blood glucose values (diabetic, 36·35±0·45 mmol/l; GH-treated, 38·65±2·39 mmol/l). Additional administration of s.c. insulin completely restored IGF-I mRNA levels to those of controls (OD: low dose, 1·35±0·14; high dose, 1·27 ± 0·18). These observations indicate that insulin and GH are required for full expression of hepatic IGF-I mRNA and that insulin given i.p. is more potent than that given s.c. at stimulating hepatic synthesis of IGF-I.
Use of pertussis toxin to investigate the mechanism of action of prostaglandin F2α on the corpus luteum in sheep
Authors: McCann T J , Flint A P F 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Pertussis toxin catalysed the ADP-ribosylation of a protein of Mr 40 000 in ovine luteal tissue. Ribosylation of 45% of this protein in whole cell incubations (as judged by subsequent ribosylation of cell-free preparations in the presence of [32P]NAD) attenuated the prostaglandin (PG)F2α-stimulated hydrolysis of [3H]inositol-labelled phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate into inositol trisphosphate by 60%, but did not affect the inhibition by PGF2α of LH-stimulated accumulation of cyclic AMP. It is concluded that activation of phospholipase C by PGF2α involves a pertussis toxin-sensitive protein, probably a G protein, and that the inhibitory effect of PGF2α on LH-stimulated adenylate cyclase is unlikely to be directly mediated by such a protein.
Insulin-like growth factor-I gene expression is increased in the right ventricular hypertrophy induced by chronic hypoxia in the rat
Authors: Russell-Jones D L , Leach R M , Ward J P T , Thomas C R 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Rats were maintained in chambers and breathed air (control, n=8) or an atmosphere containing 10% oxygen (hypoxic, n=10) for 35 days. On completion of the experiment the hypoxic animals weighed less than the controls (hypoxic, 290 ± 11.7g; control, 339 ± 19.2g; means ± S.E.M., p<0.05). No differences in the left ventricular weights were found between groups but the right ventricular weights were greater in the hypoxic rats (hypoxic, 0.39 ± 0.02g; control, 0.27 ± 0.08g; p<0.01). The amount of mRNA for IGF-I in the ventricles was quantified by Northern blot analysis. There was no difference between groups in IGF-I mRNA levels in the left ventricles (hypoxic, 1.07 ± 0.41 absorbance units (AU); control, 0.73 ± 0.33 AU). In the right ventricles, IGF-I mRNA was greater in hypoxic than in control rats (hypoxic, 2.37 ± 0.75 AU; control, 0.64 ± 0.11 AU; p<0.05). This study demonstrates that expression of IGF-I mRNA is increased in the hypertrophied right ventricle of hypoxic rats; IGF-I may play a central role in the initiation and maintenance of this process.
Nitric oxide stimulates cyclic GMP in human thyrocytes
Authors: Millatt L J , Jackson R , Williams B C , Whitley G StJ 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
Sodium nitroprusside spontaneously breaks down in solution to produce the vasodilator nitric oxide. In many cell types, this stimulates the cytosolic form of the enzyme guanylate cyclase, resulting in the elevation of cyclic GMP (cGMP). We have investigated the effect of sodium nitroprusside on the generation of cGMP in primary human thyrocytes and the SV40-transfected human thyroid cell line SGHTL-189. A dose-dependent increase in cGMP was obtained and the maximum response was observed with concentrations above 10 μm sodium nitroprusside in both cell types. Methylene blue (50 μm) had no significant effect on basal cGMP production but inhibited the effect of sodium nitroprusside at all concentrations tested, thus demonstrating that the effect was due to nitric oxide. Sodium nitroprusside had no effect on cyclic AMP (cAMP) production in these cells. TSH at 100 and 1000 μU/ml significantly stimulated the production of cAMP, but not that of cGMP, in primary human thyrocytes. Sodium nitroprusside had no significant effect on basal or TSH-stimulated triiodothyronine secretion in primary human thyrocytes. Forskolin (10 μm) significantly stimulated cAMP production in both primary thyrocytes and SGHTL-189 cells. Although forskolin had no significant effect on basal cGMP production, sodium nitroprusside-stimulated cGMP production was significantly reduced by forskolin. However, this inhibitory effect was not related to the production of cAMP.
Mechanisms of ACTH- and angiotensin II-stimulated 1α-hydroxycorticosterone secretion in the dogfish, Scyliorhinus canicula
Authors: Armour K J , O'Toole L B , Hazon N 
Published: December 2008

ABSTRACT
An isolated perifused interrenal gland preparation from the lesser-spotted dogfish, Scyliorhinus canicula, was used to investigate the mechanisms of action of ACTH and angiotensin II (AII) on elasmobranch adrenocortical cells. ACTH-stimulated 1α-hydroxycorticosterone secretion was unaffected by dantrolene and significantly decreased in the absence of extracellular calcium. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP produced a dose-dependent increase in 1α-hydroxycorticosterone secretion. The results suggest that the mechanism of ACTH action in elasmobranchs may be similar to that reported for mammals and amphibians, involving the synergistic action of calcium with the cyclic AMP messenger system. AII-stimulated 1α-hydroxycorticosterone secretion was significantly inhibited in the presence of dantrolene and in the absence of extracellular calcium, indicating that both extracellular and intracellular calcium are required for the full action of AII. These results are consistent with results in mammals and amphibians where AII stimulates phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate hydrolysis and changes in intracellular calcium concentration, and they suggest that AII may operate via this mechanism to stimulate 1α-hydroxycorticosterone secretion in elasmobranchs.