Trypsin activation of inactive renin: plasma blanks and angiotensin I radioimmunoassay.

Divergent conclusions exist as to whether inactive renin is present in nephrectomized rat plasma. A major factor contributing to this conflict may be related to significant changes in the "plasma blank" when trypsin-treated plasma is subjected to angiotensin I (AI) radioimmunoassay (RIA). In normal, but not nephrectomized rat plasma, AI-like substances are present in direct proportion to active renin. These substances are destroyed by trypsin. However, trypsin generates additional AI-like material, in both normal and nephrectomized rat plasma. This material, which is present in proportion to the renin substrate concentration, does not appear to be tetradecapeptide (TDP). In normal plasma, however, exogenous TDP is converted to AI in proportion to the active renin concentration and AI generation from TDP is increased by activation of inactive renin. However, in nephrectomized rat plasma, no AI generation from TDP was evident either before or after trypsin treatment. The coincident tryptic generation of a substance that quenches the levels of AI detected by RIA, combined with significant changes in the levels of endogenous and trypsin generated AI-like substances, may have significant bearing on the measured levels of inactive renin.     

Depletion of regulatory T cells in HIV infection is associated with immune activation

Immune activation during chronic HIV infection is a strong clinical predictor of death and may mediate CD4(+) T cell depletion. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are CD4(+)CD25(bright)CD62L(high) cells that actively down-regulate immune responses. We asked whether loss of Tregs during HIV infection mediates immune activation in a cross-sectional study of 81 HIV-positive Ugandan volunteers. We found that Treg number is strongly correlated with both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell activation. In multivariate modeling, this relationship between Treg depletion and CD4(+) T cell activation was stronger than any other clinical factor examined, including viral load and absolute CD4 count. Tregs appear to decline at different rates compared with other CD4(+) T cells, resulting in an increased regulator to helper ratio in many patients with advanced disease. We hypothesize that this skewing may contribute to T cell effector dysfunction. Our findings suggest Tregs are a major contributor to the immune activation observed during chronic HIV infection.     

Temperature Dependence of Vasopressin Action on the Toad Bladder

Toad bladders were challenged with vasopressin at one temperature, fixed on the mucosa with 1% glutaraldehyde, and then subjected to an osmotic gradient at another temperature. Thus, the temperature dependence of vasopressin action on membrane permeability was distinguished from the temperature dependence of osmotic water flux. As the temperature was raised from 20° to 38°C, there was a substantial increase in the velocity of vasopressin action, but osmotic flux was hardly affected. In this range of temperature the apparent energy of activation for net water movement across the bladder amounted to only 1.2 kcal/mole, a value well below the activation energy for bulk water viscosity. It is suggested that osmotic water flux takes place through narrow, nonpolar channels in the membrane. When the temperature was raised from 4° to 20°C, both vasopressin action as well as osmotic water flux were markedly enhanced. Activation energies for net water movement were now 8.5 kcal/mole (4°–9°C) and 4.1 kcal/mole (9°–20°C), indicating that the components of the aqueous channel undergo conformational changes as the temperature is lowered from 20°C. At 43°C bladder reactivity to vasopressin was lost, and irreversible changes in selective permeability were observed. The apparent energy of activation for net water movement across the denatured membrane was 6.6 kcal/mole. Approximately 1 µosmol of NaCl was exchanged for 1 µl of H₂O across the denatured membrane.     

1,6-alpha-aminosuberic acid, 3-(p-azidophenylalanine), 8-arginine] vasopressin: a new photoaffinity label for hydroosmotic hormone receptors. Characterization of the ligand and irreversible stimulation of hydroosmotic water flow in toad bladder by photoaffinity labeling

The photoreactive analog of vasopressin [1,6-alpha-aminosuberic acid, 3-(p-azidophenylalanine), 8-arginine] vasopressin [( Asu1,6, Phe (p-N3)3]AVP) has been synthesized. This analog retains a high binding affinity for the vasopressin receptor in plasma membranes from bovine kidney inner medulla (apparent dissociation constant, KD = 8.5 X 10(-9) M). [Asu1,6, Phe (p-N3)3] AVP was found to be biologically active in triggering the characteristic increase in toad bladder permeability to water. Photolysis of the analog in the presence of the toad bladder results in a hydroosmotic response which persists, in spite of repeated washings, for more than 18 h. The irreversible stimulation of the bladder is inhibited when photolysis is carried out in the presence of vasopressin. Our findings indicate that with photoactivation [Asu1,6, Phe(p-N3)3]AVP binds covalently to hormonal receptors and forms an active hormone-receptor complex. This analog, therefore, is a suitable tool for studies of hydroosmotic receptor function and for receptor isolation.     

A Sensitive Hydroosmotic Toad Bladder Assay : Affinity and intrinsic activity of neurohypophyseal peptides

A sensitive and precise method for assaying the water permeability response evoked by neurohypophyseal hormones and their synthetic analogues on the isolated urinary bladder of the toad (Bufo marinus L.) is described. The method permits detection of 8-arginine-vasotocin at concentrations as low as 10^-12 M. This sensitivity, not achieved heretofore with this tissue, results largely from minimizing interference of inhibitory substances by means of an "in vitro circulation assembly." The precision of the method derives from a direct comparison between the cumulative dose-response curve of an agonist of unknown potency acting on one hemibladder and that of a reference compound acting on the contralateral hemibladder. Crystalline deamino-oxytocin is used as the reference standard in this assay. The intrinsic activity of 2-(O-methyltyrosine)-oxytocin, as defined by the maximal response, is 12% lower than that of deamino-oxytocin. All other hormonal peptides investigated have the same intrinsic activity as deamino-oxytocin, even 5-valine-oxytocin, in spite of its extremely low affinity. A comparison of the potencies of 8-arginine-vasotocin vs. 8-arginine-vasopressin, 8-ornithine-vasotocin vs. 8-ornithine-vasopressin, 8-alanine-oxytocin vs. 8-alanine-oxypressin, and deamino-8-alanine-oxytocin vs. deamino-8-alanine-oxypressin suggests that an isoleucine residue in position 3 imparts a higher specificity for binding of the hormonal peptide molecule to the bladder receptor than a phenylalanine residue in this locus.