Effects of Ca2+ concentration on GABA(B) receptor function in rat neocortical slices

In rat neocortical slices maintained in Mg2+-free Kreb's medium, the effects of Ca2+ concentration on repetitive spontaneous discharges and on GABA(B) receptor-mediated responses were investigated. Over a concentration range of 0.3-2.4 mM Ca2+, there was a reduction of discharge amplitude, with a 50 +/- 6.5% reduction in 0.3 mM Ca2+, whilst the burst frequency remained unaffected. Baclofen, the GABA(B) receptor agonist, produced a concentration-dependent depression of discharge frequency, reversibly antagonised by the antagonist (+)-(S)-5,5-dimethylmorpholinyl-2-acetic acid (Sch 50911). The EC50 value for baclofen in 2.4 mM Ca2+ was 11 microM, while the EC50 values in 0.3, 0.6, 1.2, and 1.8 mM Ca2+ were 1.3, 2.5, 3.6, and 10 microM, respectively, resulting in 8.5, 4.4, 3.1, and 1.1-fold leftward shifts. This enhanced action of baclofen in low extracellular Ca2+ concentrations in the neocortex may be the result of a lower concentration gradient which reinforces the action of baclofen.     

Monovalent cation activation in Escherichia coli inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase

Inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) catalyzes the oxidation of inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP) to xanthosine 5'-monophosphate with the concomitant reduction of NAD to NADH. Escherichia coli IMPDH is activated by K(+), Rb(+), NH(+)(4), and Cs(+). K(+) activation is inhibited by Li(+), Na(+), Ca(2+), and Mg(2+). This inhibition is competitive versus K(+) at high K(+) concentrations, noncompetitive versus IMP, and competitive versus NAD. Thus monovalent cation activation is linked to the NAD site. K(+) increases the rate constant for the pre-steady-state burst of NADH production, possibly by increasing the affinity of NAD. Three mutant IMPDHs have been identified which increase the value of K(m) for K(+): Asp13Ala, Asp50Ala, and Glu469Ala. In contrast to wild type, both Asp13Ala and Glu469Ala are activated by all cations tested. Thus these mutations eliminate cation selectivity. Both Asp13 and Glu469 appear to interact with the K(+) binding site identified in Chinese hamster IMPDH. Like wild-type IMPDH, K(+) activation of Asp50Ala is inhibited by Li(+), Na(+), Ca(2+), and Mg(2+). However, this inhibition is noncompetitive with respect to K(+) and competitive with respect to both IMP and NAD. Asp50 interacts with residues that form a rigid wall in the IMP site; disruption of this wall would be expected to decrease IMP binding, and the defect could propagate to the proposed K(+) site. Alternatively, this mutation could uncover a second monovalent cation binding site.     

Caspase 6 activity initiates caspase 3 activation in cerebellar granule cell apoptosis

Using a well documented ex vivo system consisting of rodent cerebellar granule cells (CGCs) the activation of caspases 3 and 6 during apoptosis induced by withdrawal of trophic support was analyzed. At the time of deprivation, the addition of the irreversible, broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor zVADfmk or the cell permeable, caspase 6 inhibitor CP-VEID-cho can transiently suppress the appearance of apoptosis, including the early appearance of DNA fragmentation. Using immunoblotting and fluorogenic peptide assays we observe deprivation-induced activation of caspases 3 and 6, but not caspase 9. Furthermore, active caspase 6 is capable of processing and activating procaspase 3 in cellular extracts prepared from non-apoptotic CGCs, whereas caspase 3 failed to activate caspase 6. In consonant with this, the cell permeable caspase 6 inhibitor prevented deprivation-induced caspase 3 activation whereas a cell permeable caspase 3 inhibitor, CP-DEVD-cho, had no effect on caspase 6 activation. This would indicate that caspase 6 is a significant inducer of the early caspase 3 activity in apoptotic CGCs.     

Hemoglobin and red blood cells alter the response of expired nitric oxide to mechanical forces

Expired nitric oxide (NO(e)) varies with hemodynamic or ventilatory perturbations, possibly due to shear stress- or stretch-stimulated NO production. Since hemoglobin (Hb) binds NO, NO(e) changes may reflect changes in blood volume and flow. To determine the role of blood and mechanical forces, we measured NO(e) in anesthetized rabbits, as well as rabbit lungs perfused with buffer, red blood cells (RBCs) or Hb following changes in flow, venous pressure (P(v)), and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). In buffer-perfused lungs decreases in flow and P(v) reduced NO(e), but NO(e) rose when RBCs and Hb were present. These findings are consistent with changes in vascular NO production, whose detection is obscured in blood-perfused lungs by the more dominant effect of Hb NO scavenging. PEEP decreased NO(e) in all perfused lungs but increased NO(e) in live rabbits. The NO(e) fall with PEEP in isolated lungs is consistent with flow redistribution from alveolar septal capillaries to extra-alveolar vessels and decreased surface area or a direct, stretch-mediated depression of lung epithelial NO production. In live rabbits, increased NO(e) may reflect blood flow reduction and decreased Hb NO scavenging and/or autonomic responses that increase NO production. We conclude that blood and systemic responses render it difficult to use NO(e) changes as an accurate measure of lung tissue NO production.     

Inappropriate recruitment and activity by the Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase 1 (SHP1) is responsible for receptor dominance in the SHIP-deficient NK cell

We have previously demonstrated that the NKR repertoire is profoundly disrupted by SHIP deficiency. This repertoire disruption is characterized by receptor dominance where inhibitory signals from 2B4 repress killing of complex targets expressing MHC class I and activating ligands. In this study, we examine the molecular basis of receptor dominance in SHIP-/- NK cells. In this study, we show that in SHIP-/- NK cells there is a pronounced bias toward the 2B4 long isoform. We have also characterized signaling molecules recruited to 2B4 in SHIP-/- NK cells. Interestingly, we find that approximately 10- to 16-fold more Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase 1 (SHP1) is recruited to 2B4 in SHIP-/- NK cells when compared with wild type. Consistent with SHP1 overrecruitment, treatment with sodium orthovanadate or a novel inhibitor with micromolar activity against SHP1 restores the ability of SHIP-/- NK cells to kill Rae1+ RMA and M157+ targets. These findings define the molecular basis for hyporesponsiveness by SHIP-deficient NK cells.     

Epigenetic silencing of CYP24 in tumor-derived endothelial cells contributes to selective growth inhibition by calcitriol

Calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol), the most active form of vitamin D, has selective anti-proliferative effects on tumor-derived endothelial cells (TDEC) compared with Matrigel-derived endothelial cells (MDEC). Although both cell types have an intact vitamin D receptor-signaling axis, this study demonstrates that upon treatment with calcitriol, 24-hydroxylase (CYP24) mRNA, protein and enzymatic activity were markedly induced in MDEC in a time-dependent manner but not in TDEC. Furthermore, treatment of MDEC with a CYP24 small interfering RNA restored sensitivity to calcitriol. To investigate the lack of CYP24 induction in TDEC, we examined methylation patterns in the promoter regions of the CYP24 gene in these two cell types. We identified two putative CpG island regions located at the 5' end. Using methylation-specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing, we determined that these CpG islands were hypermethylated in TDEC but not in MDEC. These data may explain the recruitment of vitamin D receptor to the promoter region in MDEC but not TDEC, as revealed by chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses. Treatment of TDEC with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine restored calcitriol-mediated induction of CYP24, which led to loss of sensitivity to calcitriol growth inhibitory effects. CYP24 promoter hypermethylation was also observed in endothelial cells isolated from other tumors but not in endothelial cells isolated from normal mouse tissues. These observations indicate that the methylation status of the CYP24 promoter differs in endothelial cells isolated from different microenvironments (tumor versus normal) and that methylation silencing of CYP24 contributes to selective calcitriol-mediated growth inhibition in endothelial cells.