Ethanol modulates the VR-1 variant amiloride-insensitive salt taste receptor. I. Effect on TRC volume and Na+ flux

The effect of ethanol on the amiloride- and benzamil (Bz)-insensitive salt taste receptor was investigated by the measurement of intracellular Na(+) activity ([Na(+)](i)) in polarized rat fungiform taste receptor cells (TRCs) using fluorescence imaging and by chorda tympani (CT) taste nerve recordings. CT responses were monitored during lingual stimulation with ethanol solutions containing NaCl or KCl. CT responses were recorded in the presence of Bz (a specific blocker of the epithelial Na(+) channel [ENaC]) or the vanilloid receptor-1 (VR-1) antagonists capsazepine or SB-366791, which also block the Bz-insensitive salt taste receptor, a VR-1 variant. CT responses were recorded at 23 degrees C or 42 degrees C (a temperature at which the VR-1 variant salt taste receptor activity is maximally enhanced). In the absence of permeable cations, ethanol induced a transient decrease in TRC volume, and stimulating the tongue with ethanol solutions without added salt elicited only transient phasic CT responses that were insensitive to elevated temperature or SB-366791. Preshrinking TRCs in vivo with hypertonic mannitol (0.5 M) attenuated the magnitude of the phasic CT response, indicating that in the absence of mineral salts, transient phasic CT responses are related to the ethanol-induced osmotic shrinkage of TRCs. In the presence of mineral salts, ethanol increased the Bz-insensitive apical cation flux in TRCs without a change in cell volume, increased transepithelial electrical resistance across the tongue, and elicited CT responses that were similar to salt responses, consisting of both a transient phasic component and a sustained tonic component. Ethanol increased the Bz-insensitive NaCl CT response. This effect was further enhanced by elevating the temperature from 23 degrees C to 42 degrees C, and was blocked by SB-366791. We conclude that in the presence of mineral salts, ethanol modulates the Bz-insensitive VR-1 variant salt taste receptor.     

Effects of osmolarity on taste receptor cell size and function

Osmotic effects onsalt taste were studied by recording from the rat chorda tympani (CT)nerve and by measuring changes in cell volume of isolated rat fungiformtaste receptor cells (TRCs). Mannitol, cellobiose, urea, or DMSO didnot induce CT responses. However, the steady-state CT responses to 150 mM NaCl were significantly increased when the stimulus solutions alsocontained 300 mM mannitol or cellobiose, but not 600 mM urea or DMSO.The enhanced CT responses to NaCl were reversed when the saccharideswere removed and were completely blocked by addition of 100 µMamiloride to the stimulus solution. Exposure of TRCs to hyperosmoticsolutions of mannitol or cellobiose induced a rapid and sustaineddecrease in cell volume that was completely reversible, whereasexposure to hypertonic urea or DMSO did not induce sustained reductionsin cell volume. These data suggest that the osmolyte-induced increasein the CT response to NaCl involves a sustained decrease in TRC volumeand the activation of amiloride-sensitive apicalNa⁺ channels.

     

Ethanol modulates the VR-1 variant amiloride-insensitive salt taste receptor. II. Effect on chorda tympani salt responses

The effect of ethanol on the amiloride- and benzamil (Bz)-insensitive salt taste receptor was investigated by direct measurement of intracellular Na(+) activity ([Na(+)](i)) using fluorescence imaging in polarized fungiform taste receptor cells (TRCs) and by chorda tympani (CT) taste nerve recordings. CT responses to KCl and NaCl were recorded in Sprague-Dawley rats, and in wild-type (WT) and vanilloid receptor-1 (VR-1) knockout mice (KO). CT responses were monitored in the presence of Bz, a specific blocker of the epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC). CT responses were also recorded in the presence of agonists (resiniferatoxin and elevated temperature) and antagonists (capsazepine and SB-366791) of VR-1 that similarly modulate the Bz-insensitive VR-1 variant salt taste receptor. In the absence of mineral salts, ethanol induced a transient decrease in TRC volume and elicited only transient phasic CT responses. In the presence of mineral salts, ethanol increased the apical cation flux in TRCs without a change in volume, increased transepithelial electrical resistance across the tongue, and elicited CT responses that were similar to salt responses, consisting of both a phasic component and a sustained tonic component. At concentrations <50%, ethanol enhanced responses to KCl and NaCl, while at ethanol concentrations >50%, those CT responses were inhibited. Resiniferatoxin and elevated temperature increased the sensitivity of the CT response to ethanol in salt-containing media, and SB-366791 inhibited the effect of ethanol, resiniferatoxin, and elevated temperature on the CT responses to mineral salts. VR-1 KO mice demonstrated no Bz-insensitive CT response to NaCl and no sensitivity to ethanol. We conclude that ethanol increases salt taste sensitivity by its direct action on the Bz-insensitive VR-1 variant salt taste receptor.     

Decrease in rat taste receptor cell intracellular pH is the proximate stimulus in sour taste transduction

Taste receptor cells (TRCs)respond to acid stimulation, initiating perception of sour taste.Paradoxically, the pH of weak acidic stimuli correlates poorly with theperception of their sourness. A fundamental issue surrounding sourtaste reception is the identity of the sour stimulus. We tested thehypothesis that acids induce sour taste perception by penetratingplasma membranes as H⁺ ions or as undissociated moleculesand decreasing the intracellular pH (pH_i) of TRCs. Our datasuggest that taste nerve responses to weak acids (acetic acid andCO₂) are independent of stimulus pH but strongly correlatewith the intracellular acidification of polarized TRCs. Taste nerveresponses to CO₂ were voltage sensitive and were blockedwith MK-417, a specific blocker of carbonic anhydrase. Strong acids(HCl) decrease pH_i in a subset of TRCs that contain apathway for H⁺ entry. Both the apical membrane and theparacellular shunt pathway restrict H⁺ entry such that alarge decrease in apical pH is translated into a relatively smallchange in TRC pH_i within the physiological range. Weconclude that a decrease in TRC pH_i is the proximate stimulus in rat sour taste transduction.

     

Modulation of rat chorda tympani NaCl responses and intracellular Na+ activity in polarized taste receptor cells by pH

Mixture interactions between sour and salt taste modalities were investigated in rats by direct measurement of intracellular pH (pH(i)) and Na(+) activity ([Na(+)](i)) in polarized fungiform taste receptor cells (TRCs) and by chorda tympani (CT) nerve recordings. Stimulating the lingual surface with NaCl solutions adjusted to pHs ranging between 2.0 and 10.3 increased the magnitude of NaCl CT responses linearly with increasing external pH (pH(o)). At pH 7.0, the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) blocker, benzamil, decreased NaCl CT responses and inhibited further changes in CT responses induced by varying pH(o) to 2.0 or 10.3. At constant pH(o), buffering NaCl solutions with potassium acetate/acetic acid (KA/AA) or HCO(3)(-)/CO(2) inhibited NaCl CT responses relative to CT responses obtained with NaCl solutions buffered with HEPES. The carbonic anhydrase blockers, MK-507 and MK-417, attenuated the inhibition of NaCl CT responses in HCO(3)(-)/CO(2) buffer, suggesting a regulatory role for pH(i). In polarized TRCs step changes in apical pH(o) from 10.3 to 2.0 induced a linear decrease in pH(i) that remained within the physiological range (slope = 0.035; r(2) = 0.98). At constant pH(o), perfusing the apical membrane with Ringer's solutions buffered with KA/AA or HCO(3)(-)/CO(2) decreased resting TRC pH(i), and MK-507 or MK-417 attenuated the decrease in pH(i) in TRCs perfused with HCO(3)(-)/CO(2) buffer. In parallel experiments, TRC [Na(+)](i) decreased with (a) a decrease in apical pH, (b) exposing the apical membrane to amiloride or benzamil, (c) removal of apical Na(+), and (d) acid loading the cells with NH(4)Cl or sodium acetate at constant pH(o). Diethylpyrocarbonate and Zn(2+), modification reagents for histidine residues in proteins, attenuated the CO(2)-induced inhibition of NaCl CT responses and the pH(i)-induced inhibition of apical Na(+) influx in TRCs. We conclude that TRC pH(i) regulates Na(+)-influx through amiloride-sensitive apical ENaCs and hence modulates NaCl CT responses in acid/salt mixtures.     

Association of deoxyribonuclease I with the pointed ends of actin filaments in human red blood cell membrane skeletons

We have characterized the interaction of bovine pancreatic deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) with the filamentous (F-)actin of red cell membrane skeletons stabilized with phalloidin. The hydrolysis of [3H]DNA was used to assay DNase I. We found that DNase I bound to a homogenous class of approximately equal to 2.4 X 10(4) sites/skeleton with an association rate constant of approximately 1 X 10(6) M-1 S-1 and a KD of 1.9 X 10(-9) M at 20 degrees C. Phalloidin lowered the dissociation constant by approximately 1 order of magnitude. The DNase I which sedimented with the skeletons was catalytically inactive but could be reactivated by dissociation from the actin. Actin and DNA bound to DNase I in a mutually exclusive fashion without formation of a ternary complex. Phalloidin-treated red cell F-actin resembled rabbit muscle G-actin in all respects tested. Since the DNase I binding capacity of the skeletons corresponded to the number of actin protofilaments previously estimated by other methods, it seemed likely that the enzyme binding site was confined to one end of the filament. We confirmed this premise by showing that elongating the red cell filaments with rabbit muscle actin monomers did not appreciably add to their capacity to bind or inhibit DNase I. Saturation of skeletons with cytochalasin D or gelsolin, avid ligands for the barbed end of actin filaments, did not reduce their binding of DNase I. Furthermore, neither cytochalasin D nor DNase I alone blocked all of the sites for addition of monomeric pyrene-labeled rabbit muscle G-actin to phalloidin-treated skeletons; however, a combination of the two agents did so. In the presence of phalloidin, the polymerization of 300 nM pyrenyl actin on nuclei constructed from 5 nM gelsolin and 25 nM rabbit muscle G-actin was completely inhibited by 35 nM DNase I but not by 35 nM cytochalasin D. We conclude that DNase I associates uniquely with and caps the pointed (slow-growing or negative) end of F-actin. These results imply that the amino-terminal, DNase I-binding domain of the actin protomer is oriented toward the pointed end and is buried along the length of the actin filament.     

Amphidinolide H, a novel type of actin-stabilizing agent isolated from dinoflagellate

The effect of novel cytotoxic marine macrolide, amphidinolide H (Amp-H), on actin dynamics was investigated in vitro. Amp-H attenuated actin depolymerization induced by diluting F-actin. This effect remained after washing out of unbound Amp-H by filtration. In the presence of either Amp-H or phalloidin, lag phase, which is the rate-limiting step of actin polymerization, was shortened. Phalloidin decreased the polymerization-rate whereas Amp-H did not. Meanwhile, the effects of both compounds were the same when barbed end of actin was capped by cytochalasin D. Quartz crystal microbalance system revealed interaction of Amp-H with G-actin and F-actin. Amp-H also enhanced the binding of phalloidin to F-actin. We concluded that Amp-H stabilizes actin in a different manner from that of phalloidin and serves as a novel pharmacological tool for analyzing actin-mediated cell function.     

Acid-induced responses in hamster chorda tympani and intracellular pH tracking by taste receptor cells

HCl- and NaCl-induced hamster chorda tympani nerve responseswere recorded during voltage clamp of the lingual receptive field. Voltage perturbations did not influence responses to HCl. In contrast, responses to NaCl were decreased by submucosal-positive and increased by submucosal-negative voltage clamp. Responses to HCl were insensitive to the Na⁺ channel blockers,amiloride and benzamil, and to methylisobutylamiloride (MIA), anNa⁺/H⁺exchange blocker. Responses to NaCl were unaffected by MIA but weresuppressed by benzamil. Microfluorometric and imaging techniques wereused to monitor the relationship between external pH(pH_o) and the intracellular pH(pH_i) of fungiform papilla tastereceptor cells (TRCs) following2',7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein loading.TRC pH_i responded rapidly andmonotonically to changes in pH_o.This response was unaffected byNa⁺ removal or the presence ofamiloride, benzamil, or MIA. The neural records and the data fromisolated TRCs suggest that the principal transduction pathway for acidtaste in hamster is similar to that in rat. This may involve themonitoring of changes in TRC pH_i mediated through amiloride-insensitiveH⁺ transport across TRC membranes.This is an example of cell monitoring of environmental pH through pHtracking, i.e., a linear change inpH_i in response to a change inpH_o, as has been proposed for carotid bodies. In taste, the H⁺transport sites may be concentrated on the basolateral membranes ofTRCs and, therefore, are responsive to an attenuatedH⁺ concentration from diffusion ofacids across the tight junctions.

     

State of actin in gastric parietal cells

Remodeling of theapical membrane-cytoskeleton has been suggested to occur when gastricparietal cells are stimulated to secrete HCl. The present experimentsassayed the relative amounts of F-actin and G-actin in gastric glandsand parietal cells, as well as the changes in the state of actin onstimulation. Glands and cells were treated with a Nonidet P-40extraction buffer for separation into detergent-soluble (supernatant)and detergent-insoluble (pellet) pools. Two actin assays were used toquantitate actin: the deoxyribonuclease I binding assay to measureG-actin and F-actin content in the two pools and a simple Western blotassay to quantitate the relative amounts of actin in the pools.Functional secretory responsiveness was assayed by aminopyrineaccumulation. About 5% of the total parietal cell protein is actin,with about 90% of the actin present as F-actin. Stimulation of acidsecretion resulted in no measurable change in the relative amounts ofG-actin and cytoskeletal F-actin. Treatment of gastric glands withcytochalasin D inhibited acid secretion and resulted in a decrease inF-actin and an increase in G-actin. No inhibition of parietal cellsecretion was observed when phalloidin was used to stabilize actinfilaments. These data are consistent with the hypothesis thatmicrofilamentous actin is essential for membrane recruitment underlyingparietal cell secretion. Although the experiments do not eliminate theimportance of rapid exchange between G- and F-actin for the secretoryprocess, the parietal cell maintains actin in a highly polymerizedstate, and no measurable changes in the steady-state ratio of G-actin to F-actin are associated with stimulation to secrete acid.

     

Comparisons of Endothelial Cell G- and F-Actin Distribution in Situ and in Vitro

Numerous studies have described the F-actin cytoskeleton; however, little information relevant to C-actin is available. The actin pools of bovine aortic endothelial cells were examined using in situ and in vitro conditions and fluorescent probes for G-(deoxyribonuclease I.0.3 μM) or F-actin (phalloidin, 0.2 μM). Cells in situ displayed a diffuse G-actin distribution, while F-actin was concentrated in the cell periphery and in fine stress fibers that traversed some cells. Cells of subconfluent or just confluent cultures demonstrated intense fluorescence, with many F-actin stress fibers. Postconfluent cultures resembled the condition in situ; peripheral F-actin was prominent, traversing actin stress fibers were greatly reduced and fluorescent intensity was diminished. Postconfluency had little influence on G-actin. with only an enhancement in the intensity of G-actin punctate fluorescence. When post-confluent cultures were incubated with cytochalasin D (15 min; 10^--⁴ M), F-actin networks were disrupted and actin punctate and diffuse fluorescence increased. G-actin fluorescence was not altered by the incubation. Although its unstructured nature may account for the minor changes observed, the stability of the G-actin pool in the presence of notable F-actin modulations suggested that filamentous actin was the key constituent involved in these actin cytoskeletal alterations. A separate finding illustrated that the concomitant use of actin probes with image enhancement and fluorescent microscopy could reveal simultaneously the G- and F-actin pools within the same cell.     

The kinetics of cytochalasin D binding to monomeric actin

It has been shown previously, using G-actin labeled with N-iodoacetyl-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphthyl)ethylene-diamine, that Mg2+ induces a conformational change in monomeric G-actin as a consequence of binding to a tight divalent cation binding site (Frieden, C. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 2882-2886). Using the same fluorescent probe, we show that, subsequent to the Mg2+-induced conformational change, cytochalasin D induces a fluorescence decrease. The data are consistent with a mechanism which proposes that, after Mg2+ binding, cytochalasin D binds and induces a second conformational change which results in overall tight binding of the cytochalasin. The initial binding of cytochalasin D to monomeric actin labeled with the fluorescent probe was found to be 200 microM, and the forward and reverse rate constants for the subsequent conformational change were 350 s-1 and 8 s-1, respectively, with an overall dissociation constant to the Mg2+-induced form of 4.6 microM. The conformational change does not occur in monomeric actin in the presence of Ca2+ rather than Mg2+, but Ca2+ competes with Mg2+ for the tight binding site on the G-actin molecule. Direct binding studies show that actin which has not been labeled with the fluorophore binds cytochalasin D more tightly. The conformational change induced by Mg2+ and cytochalasin D precedes the formation of an actin dimer.     

The role of actin, actomyosin and microtubules in defining cell shape during the differentiation of Naegleria amebae into flagellates

Differentiation of Naegleria amebae into flagellates was used to examine the interaction between actin, actomyosin and microtubules in defining cell shape. Amebae, which lack microtubules except during mitosis, differentiate into flagellates with a fixed shape and a complex microtubule cytoskeleton in 120 min. Based on earlier models of ameboid motility it has been suggested that actomyosin is quiescent in flagellates. This hypothesis was tested by following changes in the cytoskeleton using three-dimensional reconstructions prepared by confocal microscopy of individual cells stained with antibodies against actin and tubulin as well as with phalloidin and DNase I. F-actin as defined by phalloidin staining was concentrated in expanding pseudopods. Most phalloidin staining was lost as cells rounded up before the onset of flagellum formation. Actin staining with a Naegleria-specific antibody that recognizes both F- and G-actin was confined to the cell cortex of both amebae and flagellates. DNase I demonstrated G-actin throughout all stages. Most of the actin in the cortex was not bound by phalloidin yet was resistant to detergent extraction suggesting that it was polymerized. The microtubule cytoskeleton of flagellates was intimately associated with this actin cortex. Treatment of flagellates with cytochalasin D produced a rapid loss of flagellate shape and the appearance of phalloidin staining while latrunculin A stabilized the flagellate shape. These results suggest that tension produced by an actomyosin network is required to maintain the flagellate shape. The rapid loss of the flagellate shape induced by drugs, which specifically block myosin light chain kinase, supports this hypothesis.     

Modulation of the expression of connective tissue growth factor by alterations of the cytoskeleton

Modulation of the cytoskeletal architecture was shown to regulate the expression of CTGF (connective tissue growth factor, CCN2). The microtubule disrupting agents nocodazole and colchicine strongly up-regulated CTGF expression, which was prevented upon stabilization of the microtubules by paclitaxel. As a consequence of microtubule disruption, RhoA was activated and the actin stress fibers were stabilized. Both effects were related to CTGF induction. Overexpression of constitutively active RhoA induced CTGF synthesis. Interference with RhoA signaling by simvastatin, toxinB, C3 toxin, and Y27632 prevented up-regulation of CTGF. Likewise, direct disintegration of the actin cytoskeleton by latrunculin B interfered with nocodazole-mediated up-regulation of CTGF expression. Disassembly of actin fibers by cytochalasin D, however, unexpectedly increased CTGF expression indicating that the content of F-actin per se was not the major determinant for CTGF gene expression. Given the fact that cytochalasin D sequesters G-actin, a decrease in G-actin increased CTGF, while increased levels of G-actin corresponded to reduced CTGF expression. These data link alterations in the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton to the expression of CTGF and provide a molecular basis for the observation that CTGF is up-regulated in cells exposed to mechanical stress.     

Polymerization of additional actin is not required for capping of surface antigens in B-lymphocytes

CH12 is a murine B-cell lymphoma whose surface immunoglobulin (sIg) and concanavalin A (Con A) receptors patch and cap readily. Actin may be involved in CH12 patching and capping, since fodrin and F-actin collect under the cap, and cytochalasin D inhibits sIg capping. We have examined the state of the actin cytoskeleton during patching and capping. A wide range of concentrations of rabbit anti-mouse antibody (RAM) and Con A were used to patch or cap CH12 cells. G-actin was quantitated by DNase I inhibition, F-actin was quantitated by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis of fluorescent phalloidin staining, and actin nucleation sites were measured by pyrene actin polymerization. None of these methods detected any significant changes in actin when compared to control cells or untreated cells, leading us to conclude that increased actin polymerization is not necessary for capping to occur. The significance of these data to the membrane flow and cytoskeletal models of capping is discussed.     

Regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase by the actin cytoskeleton

In the present study, the association ofendothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) with the actin cytoskeleton inpulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAEC) was examined. We found thatthe protein contents of eNOS, actin, and caveolin-1 were significantly higher in the caveolar fraction of plasma membranes than in the noncaveolar fraction of plasma membranes in PAEC. Immunoprecipitation of eNOS from lysates of caveolar fractions of plasma membranes in PAECresulted in the coprecipitation of actin, and immunoprecipitation ofactin from lysates of caveolar fractions resulted in thecoprecipitation of eNOS. Confocal microscopy of PAEC, in which eNOS waslabeled with fluorescein, F-actin was labeled with Texasred-phalloidin, and G-actin was labeled with deoxyribonuclease Iconjugated with Texas red, also demonstrated an association betweeneNOS and F-actin or G-actin. Incubation of purified eNOS with purifiedF-actin and G-actin resulted in an increase in eNOS activity. Theincrease in eNOS activity caused by G-actin was much higher than thatcaused by F-actin. Incubation of PAEC with swinholide A, an actinfilament disruptor, resulted in an increase in eNOS activity, eNOSprotein content, and association of eNOS with G-actin and in a decrease in the association of eNOS with F-actin. The increase in eNOS activitywas higher than that in eNOS protein content in swinholide A-treatedcells. In contrast, exposure of PAEC to phalloidin, an actin filamentstabilizer, caused decreases in eNOS activity and association of eNOSwith G-actin and increases in association of eNOS with F-actin. Theseresults suggest that eNOS is associated with actin in PAEC and thatactin and its polymerization state play an important role in theregulation of eNOS activity.

     

On the elastic properties of tetramethylrhodamine F-actin

(Iodoacetamido)tetramethylrhodamine disrupts F-actin. At the 1:1 fluorophore to actin (as monomer) ratio approximately 80% of the protein becomes non-sedimentable. The fluorescent, non-sedimentable actin copolymerizes with G-actin to yield fluorescent filaments. The tensile strength of these filaments changes with the ratio of the fluorescent non-sedimentable actin to the G-actin, being 1.6 pN, 2.9 pN and 3.6 pN at the 1/4, 2/3 and 1/1 ratios, respectively. These tensile strengths are approximately two orders of magnitude lower than those obtained by decoration of F-actin with phalloidin.     

Lectin-induced actin polymerization in human lymphocytes: A possible signal for mitogenesis

Employing the DNase I inhibition assay, a decrease in G-actin is demonstrated in human mononuclear cells following stimulation with mitogenic lectins concanavalin A (Con A) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA), as well as a nonmitogenic lectin, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). The decrease in G-actin can be prevented by pretreatment of cells with cytochalasin E, indicating that the decrease is likely due to conversion to F-actin. Thus, the receptor-mediated actin polymerization is common to both the mitogenic as well as the nonmitogenic lectins. The maximal decrease in G-actin with Con A and PHA occurs at the same concentrations of the lectins that give optimal mitogenic responses. It is a distinct possibility that actin polymerization could be one of the signals necessary for the initiation of mitogenesis. The difference between a mitogenic and a nonmitogenic lectin may lie in the fact that a second signal (or signals), derived from macrophages, may not be generated by a nonmitogenic lectin such as WGA.     

Imaging remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton in vascular smooth muscle cells after mechanosensitive arteriolar constriction

Experiments were performed to determine whether remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton contributes to arteriolar constriction. Mouse tail arterioles were mounted on cannulae in a myograph and superfused with buffer solution. The alpha1-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine (0.1-1 micromol/l) caused constriction that was unaffected by cytochalasin D (300 nmol/l) or latrunculin A (100 nmol/l), inhibitors of actin polymerization. In contrast, each compound abolished the mechanosensitive constriction (myogenic response) evoked by elevation in transmural pressure (PTM; 10-60 or 90 mmHg). Arterioles were fixed, permeabilized, and stained with Alexa-568 phalloidin and Alexa-488 DNAse I to visualize F-actin and G-actin, respectively, using a Zeiss 510 laser scanning microscope. Elevation in PTM, but not phenylephrine (1 micromol/l), significantly increased the intensity of F-actin and significantly decreased the intensity of G-actin staining in arteriolar vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The increase in F-actin staining caused by an elevation in PTM was inhibited by cytochalasin D. In VSMCs at 10 mmHg, prominent F-actin staining was restricted to the cell periphery, whereas after elevation in PTM, transcytoplasmic F-actin fibers were localized through the cell interior, running parallel to the long axis of the cells. Phenylephrine (1 micromol/l) did not alter the architecture of the actin cytoskeleton. In contrast to VSMCs, the actin cytoskeleton of endothelial or adventitial cells was not altered by an elevation in PTM. Therefore, the actin cytoskeleton of VSMCs undergoes dramatic alteration after elevation in PTM of arterioles and plays a selective and essential role in mechanosensitive myogenic constriction.     

Mechanism of action of phalloidin on the polymerization of muscle actin

Under conditions where muscle actin only partially polymerizes, or where it does not polymerize at all, a significant enhancement of polymerization was observed if equimolar phalloidin was also present. The increased extent of polymerization in the the presence of phalloidin can be explained by the reduced critical actin concentration of partially polymerized populations at equilibrium. Under such conditions, the rate of polymerization, as judged by the length of time to reach half the viscosity plateau, was found to be essentially independent of the phalloidin concentration. Moreover, the initial rate of polymerization of actin was also found to be independent of phalloidin concentration. However, phalloidin apparently causes a reduction in the magnitude of the reverse rates in the polymerization reaction, as was demonstrated by the lack of depolymerization of phalloidin-treated actin polymers. This effect of phalloidin is also supported by the identification of actin nuclei and short polymers in populations of G-actin incubated with phalloidin in the absence of added KCl. Our conclusion, then, is that phalloidin influences the polymerization of actin by stabilizing nuclei and polymers as they are formed.     

Localization of selenium-binding protein at the tips of rapidly extending protrusions

Cell protrusive motility underlies cell fundamental biological processes such as cell growth, locomotion, and migration. Here I showed that selenium-binding protein (SBP) was exclusively located at the leading edges of rapidly growing protrusions in newly plated T98G glioma cells, and at the growing tips of the neurites in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Double staining by anti-SBP antibody and deoxyribonuclease (DNase I) that labels monomeric G-actin or phalloidin that labels filamentous F-actin showed that the SBP-positive area was overstained by DNase I but, surprisingly, was not stained by phalloidin. When the cells were incubated with chemicals which block actin polymerization or activity of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, recruitment of SBP and G-actin at the cell margin was still observed, showing that their recruitment precedes actin polymerization. Taken together, I suggest that SBP may be involved in the initial sequential events in rapid cell outgrowth, such as determining direction of cell outgrowth and recruitment of actin monomer.