Effect of cocaine on the contractile response to noradrenaline in the epididymal and prostatic regions of the vas deferens

In the prostatic half of the rat vas deferens, the response to noradrenaline under the cocaine effect revealed a phasic and a tonic components, whereas in the epididymal portion of the vas deferens there only occurred the tonic component. Cocaine increased the maximal tonic contractile response to noradrenaline in the epididymal portion and the maximal phasic response--in the prostatic one. Mechanisms of direct postsynaptic action of cocaine are discussed.     

Influence of carbachol on the kinetic parameters of the contractile response to noradrenaline in the rat vas deferens

Graphic and mathematical analysis of kinetics of the rat vas deferens contractile response to noradrenaline showed that alpha1-adrenoceptors mediating the contraction were in different functional states. In some organs, these receptors were homogeneous with the Hill coefficient n = 1 (the linear mode of the Scatchard plot), in the others--not homogeneous, with n > 1 (not linear mode of the Scatchard plot). Carbachol increased the contractile response to noradrenaline. As in the control, two types of response were revealed: 1. The Hill coefficient n < 1 (biphasic mode of the Scatchard plot) with two pools (high and low affinity) of alpha1-adrenoceptors, and 2. The Hill coefficient n = 1 (the linear mode of the Scatchard plot). These results suggest that the influence of carbachol is caused by the local interaction of M-cholinergic and alpha1-adrenergic systems.     

The limits of the cellular capacity to mediate an estrogen response.

While steroid response is generally restricted by the availability of steroid receptors, the theoretical limits of the response are not known. We have constructed a series of cell lines that stably express the estrogen receptor (ER) at levels up to 5,000,000 ERs per cell and employed these cells to explore the limits of the estrogen response. Several reporter genes with estrogen response elements upstream of the herpes thymidine kinase promoter showed hyperbolic saturation kinetics with increasing ER. Maximum response was 10 times that seen in cell lines with receptor titers comparable to physiological levels. Half-maximal responses required 500,000 receptors per cell, and cells with 5,000,000 ERs showed greater than 90% maximum induction. Estradiol dose-response studies indicated that the receptors are limiting below 500,000 ERs per cell, but at higher ER titers there are spare receptors. In contrast to most reporters, the widely used reporter pA2-CAT, which has 200 base pairs of Xenopus vitellogenin DNA between the response element and the promoter, showed squelching at ER levels beyond 500,000 per cell. Cell lines that expressed ER above this level activated pA2-CAT with a distorted hormone dependence, where saturating ligand concentrations were inhibitory. All reporters displayed squelching when the ER was provided by transient transfection at a level that we judge is 20,000,000 per cell by extrapolation from the behavior of stable cell lines. These findings suggest that saturation of the cellular capacity to mediate an estrogen response and ER-dependent squelching occur at receptor titers well above those encountered in nature. If current models of steroid hormone action are correct, the findings also imply that estrogen response elements are occupied to very small extents under normal conditions.     

In vitro studies on the cell-mediated immune response to human brain tumors. II. Leukocyte-induced coats of glycosaminoglycan increase the resistance of glioma cells to cellular immune attack

We have examined the ability of cultured human glioma cells to elicit allogeneic cytolytic lymphocyte responses in vitro in order to delineate properties of glioma cells that may contribute to their ability to escape cellular immune attack. When glioma cells were cultured together with allogeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in mixed lymphocyte-tumor cultures (MLTC), it was observed that cells from eight of 12 glioma lines were surrounded by clear pericellular "halos," which appeared to impede contact between PBMC and the glioma cells. Enzymatic, histochemical, and immunochemical studies indicated that these halos represented glycosaminoglycan (GAG) coats that contained hyaluronic acid (HA) as a major constituent. Electron microscopic studies demonstrated the presence of many thin microvillous processes spanning the width of the halos. The presence of GAG coats around glioma cells in MLTC reduced the generation of cytolytic T lymphocytes specific for antigens on the glioma cells. Likewise, these cell coats decreased the lysis of glioma cells by cytolytic lymphocytes, once generated. The production of thick coats of GAG by glioma cells was induced by interaction of glioma cells with a nondialyzable factor produced by PBMC in culture. This factor did not cause glioma cells to release increased amounts of HA into the medium, but rather increased the production of HA that remained associated with the glioma cell surface. The formation of thick, protective GAG coats by glioma cells as a result of their interaction with the PBMC-derived factor constitutes a nonspecific suppressor mechanism that may contribute to the ability of this class of human solid tumors to evade cellular immune attack.     

Release of purine and pyrimidine nucleosides and their catabolites from the perfused rat hindlimb in response to noradrenaline, vasopressin, angiotensin II and sciatic-nerve stimulation.

Uric acid and uracil were released at constant rates (0.95 and 0.4 nmol/min per g respectively) by the perfused rat hindlimb. Noradrenaline, vasopressin or angiotensin II further increased the release of these substances 2-5-fold, coinciding with increases in both perfusion pressure (vasoconstriction) and O2 uptake. The hindlimb also released, but in lesser amounts, uridine, hypoxanthine, xanthine, inosine and guanosine, and all but hypoxanthine and guanosine were increased during intense vasoconstriction. Uric acid and uracil releases were increased by noradrenaline in a dose-dependent manner. However, the release of these substances did not fully correspond with the dose-dependent increase in O2 uptake and perfusion pressure, where changes in the latter occurred at lower doses of noradrenaline. Sciatic-nerve stimulation (skeletal-muscle contraction) did not increase the release of uracil, uric acid or uridine, but instead increased the release of inosine (7-fold) and hypoxanthine (2-fold). Since the UTP content as well as the UTP/ATP ratio are higher in smooth muscle than in skeletal muscle, it is proposed that release of uric acid and uracil arises from increased metabolism of the respective adenosine and uridine nucleotides during intense constriction of smooth muscle.     

The response of bacterial spores to vacuum treatments. II. Germination and viability studies.

The viability of Bacillus megaterium spores has been determined after exposure to vacuum dehydration at temperatures between 0 and 65 °C, for periods up to 24 hr. A curvilinear relationship has been demonstrated between viability and drying temperature, with minimum viability occuring around 15 °C and increases in viability being shown above 35 °C. In contrast to vegetative bacteria, reequilibration of the dried spores to 2 × 10^?3 or 10 Torr aqueous vapor pressure, and/or subsequent exposure to oxygen had no effect on viability. Dehydration, rehydration and oxygen treatments had no effect on the time for outgrowth of the spores or on the growth rate of the resultant vegetative cells. Physical loss of spores from samples was not demonstrated during any of these treatments. Evidence has been presented for a novel type of spore activation, which occurs during vacuum dehydration at high temperatures, to an extent that is dependent upon drying time. The mechanism of this activation is unlike that of conventional heat or chemical activation but is oxygen independent and unaffected by reequilibration to 2 × 10^?3 or 10 Torr.     

Comparison of contractile function of diaphragm and cardiac muscle in response to paired electrical stimulation

Paired pacing has been shown to potentiate contractile function of cardiac muscle, and it has been suggested that this may enhance contractile function of diaphragmatic muscle. The primary goal of this study was to study the effect of paired pacing on potentiation of contractile function of diaphragmatic muscle compared to atrial and ventricular myocardium. Diaphragmatic muscle was isolated from mouse and rat, and atrial and ventricular myocardium from dogs. Potentiation was induced by isolated extrastimuli (equal in duration and intensity to the pacing stimulus) and by repetitive extrastimuli (i.e. paired pacing) at a paced rate of 12, 30 and 60 beats/min. Baseline studies were performed while preparations were isometrically contracting at L(max) in oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit solution at 28 degrees C. Maximal force generation in response to a premature stimulus was determined at each rate by scanning the coupling interval between paced beats. Under baseline conditions, diaphragmatic muscle contracted faster than atrial and ventricular muscle. In all tissues, maximum potentiation (increase in force above baseline) was approximately 100% of baseline force, and peak potentiation occurred at shorter coupling intervals with increasing rates of stimulation. Single and paired pacing of diaphragm potentiated the contraction during which the extrastimuli were introduced, while in cardiac muscle, extrastimuli potentiated the contraction following the extrastimulus. The maximum potentiated response occurred when the extrastimulus was introduced prior to the development of peak force in diaphragmatic muscle. In contrast, in atrial and ventricular muscle, a single or paired premature stimulus potentiated the subsequent beat when delivered late during relaxation. In cardiac muscle, maximal potentiation gradually occurred following several repetitive stimuli. Following cessation of single and paired pacing, the beat following the potentiated response immediately returned to baseline in diaphragmatic muscle, while a gradual decline was evident over several subsequent beats in cardiac muscle. Increasing the bath temperature from 28 to 37 degrees C resulted in a leftward shift in the peak potentiated force vs. coupling interval curve without a decline in the magnitude of potentiated force in diaphragmatic muscle. In diaphragm muscle, exposure to ryanodine markedly decreased baseline force and maximal potentiation. We conclude that closely timed extrastimuli applied to diaphragmatic muscle can potentiate developed force in a given contraction, while in cardiac tissue a delayed stimulus potentiates the subsequent beat. These differences in contractile responsiveness are not due to differences in loading conditions, but appear to reflect intrinsic differences in calcium handling.     

Effect of emotional-pain stress on the contractile function and sensitivity to noradrenaline of cardiac muscle

The effect of variations in the Ca concentration in the perfusate on the function of isolated hearts of control rats and of those who sustained the emotional-pain stress (EPS) was studied. It was found that the EPS sharply increased the cardiac response in the animals to shifts in the Ca concentration. A rise in the main parameters of the cardiac contractile function in response to an increased Ca concentration was more pronounced in rats after the EPS than in the controls. The sensitivity to noradrenaline decreased 2-fold as compared to the control animals. It is suggested that the growth of the relationship between the cardiac function and the Ca concentration in the animals after the EPS is caused by the damaged membranous mechanisms of Ca transport in the myocardial cells.