Mastoparan, a peptide toxin from wasp venom, stimulates glycogenolysis mediated by an increase of the cytosolic free Ca concentration but not by an increase of cAMP in rat hepatocytes

A wasp venom, mastoparan, rapidly increased the cytosolic free Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) and activated phosphorylase in rat hepatocytes in a concentration-dependent manner. Mastoparan could increase [Ca²⁺]_i even in the absence of extracellular Ca²⁺, but a larger increase was observed in the presence of extracellular Ca²⁺. Thus, mastoparan mobilized Ca²⁺ from intracellular and extracellular Ca²⁺ stores. It also activated inositol triphosphate (IP₃) accumulation, but did not stimulate cAMP production. From these results, we conclude that mastoparan activates rat hepatic glycogenolysis mediated by the accumulation of IP₃, which causes an increase of [Ca²⁺]_i but not that mediated by cAMP.     

NaHCO3胁迫下星星草根中Ca2＋与Ca2＋-ATPase的超微细胞化学定位

利用焦锑酸盐和磷酸铅沉淀技术分别对NaHCO3胁迫条件下星星草（Puccinellia tenuiflora）根中Ca2＋和Ca2＋-ATPase进行超微细胞化学定位研究,旨在进一步探讨Ca2＋在NaHCO3胁迫诱导胞内信号转导过程中的作用,以及Ca2＋-ATPase活性定位变化与NaHCO3胁迫下星星草抗盐碱能力的关系。结果表明：在正常状态下,根毛区细胞质内Ca2＋较少,主要位于质膜附近和液泡中,Ca2＋-ATPase主要定位于质膜和液泡膜,有一定活性。在0.448%NaHCO3胁迫下,根毛区细胞质中Ca2＋增多,液泡中Ca2＋减少,且主要集中于液泡膜附近,质膜和液泡膜Ca2＋-ATPase活性明显升高。在1.054%NaHCO3胁迫下,细胞质中分布的Ca2＋增多,而液泡中Ca2＋极少,Ca2＋-ATPase活性也降低。以上结果表明,Ca2＋亚细胞定位和Ca2＋-ATPase活性变化在星星草响应NaHCO3胁迫的信号传递过程中具有重要作用。     

Stimulation of Ca efflux from fura-2-loaded platelets activated by thrombin or phorbol myristate acetate

We investigated the restoration of [Ca²⁺]_i in fura-2-loaded human platelets following discharge of internal Ca²⁺ stores in the absence of external Ca²⁺. After stimulation by thrombin [Ca²⁺]_i returned from a peak level of 0.6 μM to resting levels within 4 min. When ionomycin discharged the internal stores the recovery was slower with [Ca²⁺]_i still elevated at around 0.5 μM after 5 min. Thrombin added shortly after ionomycin could accelerate the recovery of [Ca²⁺]_i and restore resting levels within 5 min, an effect that was mimicked by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). Since the continued presence of ionomycin precluded reuptake into the internal stores we conclude that thrombin and PMA stimulate Ca²⁺ efflux, perhaps via protein kinase C actions on a plasma membrane Ca²⁺ pump.     

Roles of Protein Kinase C δ in the Accumulation of P53 and the Induction of Apoptosis in H 2 O 2 -treated Bovine Endothelial Cells

To clarify the signaling pathways of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC), we treated cells with 1 mM H 2 O 2 and investigated the roles of protein kinase C &#105 (PKC &#105 ) and Ca 2+ in the accumulation of p53 associated with apoptosis. The treatment of cells with H 2 O 2 caused the accumulation of p53, which was inhibited by rottlerin (a PKC &#105 inhibitor) but not by BAPTA-AM (an intracellular Ca 2+ chelator). PKC &#105 itself was activated through the phosphorylation at tyrosine residues. H 2 O 2 induced the release of cytochrome c and the activation of caspases 3 and 9, and these apoptotic signals were inhibited by rottlerin and BAPTA-AM. These results suggest that PKC &#105 contributes to the accumulation of p53 and that Ca 2+ plays a role in downstream signals of p53 leading to apoptosis in H 2 O 2 -treated BAEC.     

烟草悬浮细胞在凋亡过程中Ca2+分布的共聚焦显微成像研究

以Fluo-3AM为游离Ca²⁺荧光探针,利用激光扫描共聚焦显微镜（Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope,LSCM）对烟草悬浮细胞在热激诱导的凋亡过程中Ca²⁺时空分布进行了研究。结果显示,在正常细胞中,Ca²⁺集中分布在细胞壁和细胞核中,细胞质中分布较少;在凋亡早期细胞中,细胞质中Ca²⁺的浓度增加;在凋亡晚期的细胞中,细胞核中的Ca²⁺浓度增加较为明显。结果提示,在凋亡过程中,Ca²⁺的定位分布存在一定的规律。     

Intracellular Ca2+ stores regulate muscarinic receptor stimulation of phospholipase C in cerebellar granule cells

Muscarinic receptor activation of phosphoinositide phospholipase C (PLC) has been examined in rat cerebellar granule cells under conditions that modify intracellular Ca2+ stores. Exposure of cells to medium devoid of Ca2+ for various times reduced carbachol stimulation of PLC with a substantial loss (88%) seen at 30 min. A progressive recovery of responses was observed following the reexposure of cells to Ca2+-containing medium (1.3 mM). However, these changes did not appear to result exclusively from changes in the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), which decreased to a lower steady level (approximately 25 nM decrease in 1-3 min after extracellular omission) and rapidly returned (within 1 min) to control values when extracellular Ca2+ was restored. Only after loading of the intracellular Ca2+ stores through a transient 1-min depolarization of cerebellar granule cells with 40 mM KCl, followed by washing in nondepolarizing buffer, was carbachol able to mobilize intracellular Ca2+. However, the same treatment resulted in an 80% enhancement of carbachol activation of PLC. In other experiments, partial depletion of the Ca2+ stores by pretreatment of cells with thapsigargin and caffeine resulted in an inhibition (18 and 52%, respectively) of the PLC response. Furthermore, chelation of cytosolic Ca2+ with BAPTA/AM did not influence muscarinic activation of PLC in either the control or predepolarized cells. These conditions, however, inhibited both the increase in [Ca2+]i and the PLC activation elicited by 40 mM KCl and abolished carbachol-induced intracellular Ca2+ release in predepolarized cells. Overall, these results suggest that muscarinic receptor activation of PLC in cerebellar granule cells can be modulated by changes in the loading state of the Ca2+ stores.     

钙与植物乙烯反应的关系研究

研究了Ca2+ 对番茄(Lycopersicon esculentum Mill cv. Lichun)黄化幼苗乙烯反应的影响.通过测定不同Ca2+ 浓度条件下番茄黄化幼苗的\"三重反应\"、内源乙烯释放量、乙烯受体基因NEVER-RIPE(NR)表达量及胞内CaM含量的变化,结果发现,随着培养基中Ca2+ 浓度从0 mmol/L增加到3.8 mmol/L,番茄黄化幼苗的\"三重反应\"表型明显增强,内源乙烯释放量、NR基因的表达量及胞内CaM的含量都有不同程度的增加;当Ca2+ 浓度由3.8 mmol/L进一步增加到10 mmol/L时,番茄黄化幼苗\"三重反应\"表型受到抑制,内源乙烯释放量、 NR基因的表达量及胞内CaM的含量都有所下降.因此,Ca2+ 对番茄黄化幼苗\"三重反应\"的影响与Ca2+ 调节内源乙烯合成和乙烯受体基因的表达有关,而且Ca2+ 可能是通过CaM含量的变化来调节乙烯作用的.     

Strontium supports capacitation and the acrosome reaction in mouse sperm and rapidly activates mouse eggs

Extracellular Ca²⁺ is required for capacitation and fertilization in the mouse, but very little is known about the ability of other divalent cations to substitute for Ca²⁺. In this study, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, and Mg²⁺ were evaluated for their ability to support capacitation, the acrosome reaction, hyperactivated motility, and fertilization. Ba²⁺ proved to be ineffective, but Mg²⁺-containing medium was able to support capacitation to a greater extent than unsupplemented Ca²⁺-deficient media; despite this, Ca²⁺ was required for fertilization. In contrast, Sr²⁺ proved capable of substituting for Ca²⁺ in all events. Furthermore, Sr²⁺-induced responses were indistinguishable from the corresponding Ca²⁺-induced ones: Sperm capacitated at the same rate and underwent the acrosome reaction to the same extent. However, demonstration of sperm:egg fusion in Sr²⁺ required the use of zona-free eggs. This was due not to the inability of the sperm to penetrate the zona but to the very rapid activation and cortical granule release by eggs in response to Sr²⁺. When zona-intact eggs were used, the block to polyspermy had been mounted by the time sperm had penetrated the zona. A 15 min exposure to Sr²⁺ was sufficient to block sperm fusion, but a longer exposure was required to ensure the resumption of meiosis in eggs; such a response was surprising in that the eggs were freshly ovulated and not susceptible to activation by many different treatments. Thus Sr²⁺ can profoundly affect both gametes in the mouse: It substitutes completely for Ca²⁺ in sperm responses and rapidly activates eggs, possibly by displacing Ca²⁺ from intracellular stores into the cytoplasm, where the Ca²⁺ can then trigger the various events of activation.     

KCHIP1蛋白的两个新功能域研究

Homo sapiens Kv channel interacting protein 1(KCHIP1)基因表达蛋白是新,发现的神经钙离子结合蛋白超家族中的一个新成员。本文利用定点突变和荧光定位等技术,证实KCHIP1蛋白具有钙离子结合域和肉豆蔻酰化位点两个显著的结构特点,同时发现了KCHIP1蛋白两个对肉豆蔻酰化有重要意义的肉豆蔻酰化位点G2A和G6A。     

Ca2+-Regulating mechanisms that modulate bull sperm capacitation and acrosomal exocytosis as determined by chlortetracycline analysis

We have used chlortetracycline (CTC) analysis to investigate mechanisms that may play important roles during bull sperm capacitation in a culture medium (containing glucose, heparin, and caffeine) known to promote capacitation and fertilization in vitro. In initial experiments employing the Ca²⁺ ionophore A23187, we identified three discrete CTC patterns so similar to those described for mouse and human sperm that we have employed the same nomenclature: “F,” characteristic of uncapacitated, acrosome-intact cells; “B,” characteristic of capacitated, acrosome-intact, cells; “AR,” characteristic of capacitated, acrosome-reacted cells. Over a 60-min period, A23187 stimulated significant increases in B and AR pattern cells, with concomitant decreases in F pattern cells, suggesting a very rapid transition from the uncapacitated to the capacitated state and then on to exocytosis. Without ionophore, significant changes in the proportions of F and B pattern cells were also observed, but the maximum responses required 4 hr; the proportion of AR cells was consistently ～ 15% throughout, indicating a low incidence of spontaneous acrosome loss. Analysis of cells in media with altered composition indicated that the inclusion of either heparin or caffeine significantly promoted capacitation to about the same extent, but together, heparin plus caffeine had an even more stimulatory effect. Despite this, none of these treatments triggered acrosome loss above the levels seen in media lacking these constituents. In the presence of caffeine, with or without heparin, the inclusion of glucose had little effect on responses, but in the presence of heparin there were fewer B cells. In the presence of either quercetin, a Ca-ATPase inhibitor used at 50–200 μM, or W-7, a calmodulin antagonist used at 5–125 μM, capacitation per se was accelerated, as evidenced by significant decreases in F and significant increases in B pattern cells; only the highest concentration of each caused significant increases in AR cells. In addition, 25 and 125 μM W-7 markedly stimulated motility, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Finally the Na⁺ ionophore monensin at 500 μM significantly accelerated both capacitation and acrosomal exocytosis. The addition of the dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker nifedipine at 10 nM, just prior to monensin, did not inhibit capacitation (F to B transition) but blocked acrosomal exocytosis (B to AR transition). We suggest that Ca²⁺ is required for functional changes in bull sperm, with a Ca²⁺-ATPase modulating intracellular Ca²⁺ during capacitation and calcium channels controlling the Ca²⁺ influx required for acrosomal exocytosis. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

脉冲电场对粒细胞内Ca2+浓度影响的动态变化

利用激光共聚焦扫描显微镜和装有CCD系统的荧光显微镜,研究在单脉冲电场作用下经fluo-3/AM标记的鸡胚小脑粒细胞内自由Ca2+浓度(i)的动态变化过程.结果表明:在单个电脉冲作用下,细胞内Ca2+浓度立刻升高并达到其最大值.Ca2+浓度升高的幅度以及升高的速率具有电场强度的依赖性.当细胞外Ca2+被过量的EGTA络合或细胞膜上的Ca2+通道被La3+堵塞后,细胞内的Ca2+浓度仍然升高.细胞内不同区域的Ca2+浓度同时升高;两极内的Ca2+浓度早于胞体的Ca2+浓度达到最大值并迅速恢复.     

TFP刺激裂殖酵母细胞钙离子内流的质膜效应*

ＴＦＰ（１０－１００μｍｏｌ／Ｌ）可引起裂殖酵母（Ｓｃｈｉｚｏｓａｃｃｈａｒｏｍｙｃｅｓ　ｐｏｍｂｅ）胞外Ｃａ２＋内流,ＴＦＰ浓度不同,促进Ｃａ２＋内流程度也不一样,５０μｍｏｌ／ＬＴＦＰ的促进作用最大。并且ＴＦＰ浓度越大,Ｃａ２＋内流出现峰值也越早,１０、２０、５０、１００μｍｏｌ／ＬＴＦＰ处理后,胞内总钙出现峰值时间分别为４５、４５、３０、１５分钟。胞外Ｈ＋浓度也会对ＴＦＰ引起的Ｃａ２＋内流产生不同影响,缓冲液的ｐＨ值为６．０时最有利于ＴＦＰ引起胞内Ｃａ２＋含量增加,碱性条件下ＴＦＰ的效果最不明显。由ＴＦＰ引起的Ｃａ２＋内流增加要比单一地增加外钙浓度效果好得多,ＴＦＰ在１０μｍｏｌ／Ｌ浓度的外钙条件下引起的胞内钙含量数值比１０００μｍｏｌ／Ｌ的外钙条件而无ＴＦＰＴ所引起的胞内钙含量还要高５３．９％。缓冲液中加入０．８％的钙离子通道阻断剂ＬａＣ１３或溶液中无葡萄糖的存在,ＴＦＰ的促进作用消失,说明ＴＦＰ促进Ｃａ２＋内流是通过钙离子通道来完成的并需要能量参与。     

Free calcium ion concentration in the sieve-tube sap of Ricinus communis L. seedlings

Changes in free Ca²⁺ in sieve-tube sap have been proposed to be important in the regulation of phloem transport, and Ca²⁺-activated protein kinase activity has been described in phloem exudate (S.A. Avdiushko et al. 1997 J Plant Physiol 150: 552–559). Using atomic absorption spectrometry, we have determined that the total Ca²⁺ concentration in sieve-tube sap from Ricinus seedlings containing the endosperm is about 100 μM (range 80–150 μM). We used three independent methods to determine the free calcium ion concentration in the phloem sap ([Ca²⁺]_p). The first method was to calculate [Ca²⁺]_p from the total Ca²⁺ concentration, in combination with the binding constants and concentrations of the ionic solutes in phloem sap. The resultant estimate of [Ca²⁺]_p was 63 μM. The second method used the Ca-specific fluorescent dye 2-[2-(5-carboxy)oxazole]-5-hydroxy-6-aminobenzofuran-N,N,O-triacetic-acid (FURAPTRA) on exuded sieve-tube sap. Although the sap interfered severely with the fluorescence properties of the dye, Ca²⁺ titrations enabled a value of [Ca²⁺]_p = 20 μM to be deduced. The third method used Ca²⁺-selective microelectrodes on exuded sap samples, which gave an average value for [Ca²⁺]_p = 13 μM. No significant change in this value was observed during the sap exudation period. The Ca²⁺ buffer capacity was determined and the result of about 0.6 mmol · l⁻¹ · pCa⁻¹ displayed excellent agreement with the measured values of free and total Ca²⁺ concentration in sieve-tube sap. Since the measured values for free Ca²⁺ are 20- to 100-fold higher than those usually reported for the cytosol of a range of plant cells in resting conditions, it is concluded that either regulation of [Ca²⁺]_p is of limited physiological importance, or that the Ca²⁺-dependent proteins respond only to relatively high [Ca²⁺]_p. The implications for regulation of cytosolic free Ca²⁺ in symplastically connected companion cells is discussed. Received: 15 February 1998 / Accepted: 14 March 1998     

Inhibition of Bradykinin-Induced Cytosolic Ca2+ Elevation by Muscarinic Stimulation Without Attenuation of Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Production in Human Neuroblastoma SK-N-BE(2)C Cells

Abstract: Cross talk between two phospholipase C (PLC)-linked receptor signalings was investigated in SK-N-BE(2)C human neuroblastoma cells. Sequential stimulation with two agonists at 5-min intervals was performed to examine the interaction between muscarinic and bradykinin (BK) receptors. Pretreatment of cells with a maximal effective concentration (5 µ M ) of BK did not affect the subsequent carbachol (CCh)-induced [Ca²⁺]_i rise, but CCh (1 m M ) pretreatment completely abolished the BK-induced [Ca²⁺]_i rise without inhibition of BK-induced inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP₃) generation. Thapsigargin (1 µ M ) pretreatment abolished the subsequent BK- and CCh-induced [Ca²⁺]_i rise, though it did not affect agonist-induced IP₃ generation. However, the addition of atropine at plateau phases of CCh-induced [Ca²⁺]_i rise and IP₃ production caused a rapid decline to the basal levels and then restored the [Ca²⁺]_i rise by BK. Treatment of cells with both CCh and BK at the same time showed additive effects in IP₃ production. However, the [Ca²⁺]_i rise induced by both agonists in the presence or absence of extracellular Ca²⁺ was the same as the responses triggered by CCh alone. The results suggest that each receptor or receptor-linked PLC activity is not influenced by pretreatment with the other agonist but IP₃-sensitive Ca²⁺ stores are shared by signal pathways from both receptors.