Lutropin is processed much more rapidly than human choriogonadotropin by porcine Leydig cells in primary culture

Lutropin (LH) and human choriogonadotropin (hCG) share the same receptor and stimulate testosterone production in porcine Leydig cells in primary culture. Cells were pulsed with [125I]LH or [125I]hCG. During the chase, more than 80% of cell-bound LH consisted in internalized material which was degraded and excreted (half-time: 25 min) NH4Cl largely inhibited this degradation. On the contrary, hCG remained essentially bound to the cell surface and was not degraded by the cells with or without NH4Cl up to 160 min.     

Synergistic effects of cAMP-dependent signalling pathways and IL-1 on IL-6 production by H19-7/IGF-IR neuronal cells

cAMP-dependent signalling cascades regulate a number of CNS functions including brain inflammation processes. In this study, we characterized IL-1-induced IL-6 production in hippocampal cells using H19-7/IGF-IR cells and investigated the effect of changes in intracellular cAMP levels on IL-1 activity. IL-1 potently induced IL-6 mRNA expression with a corresponding increase in IL-6 release, in a time- and dose-dependent manner with a maximal at 24 h and with an EC50 value of 0.11 ng/ml. Cell pre-treatment with the IL-1sR antagonist produced a rightward shift of IL-1 dose-response effect with a corresponding decrease in IL-1 potency. IL-1-induced IL 6 release was attenuated in the presence of the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 but was not significantly affected by the PKA inhibitor KT 5720. Western blotting analysis of phospho-CREB cell content showed a marked increase in CREB activation. Similar results were obtained by pharmacologically increasing cAMP using dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (dbcAMP) or the cAMP-specific type-4 phosphodiesterase inhibitor rolipram. Both dbcAMP and rolipram increased IL-6 production to about 50% of IL-1 effect. However, in the presence of IL-1, IL-6 production was further potentiated by either dbcAMP and rolipram, reaching 300% and 500% IL-1-induced levels. These data implicate the role of cAMP-dependent pathways on IL-6 production in neuronal cells and suggest novel synergistic mechanisms of regulation of cytokine production in brain.     

PERMANENT GENETIC RESOURCES: Polymorphic microsatellite loci and interspecific cross-amplification in the parasitoid wasps Megastigmus stigmatizans and Megastigmus dorsalis

We isolated and characterized 19 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the congeneric parasitoid wasps Megastigmus stigmatizans and Megastigmus dorsalis associated with cynipid oak galls. Loci isolated from species-specific libraries showed extensive cross-amplification, resulting in a total of 15 polymorphic loci for M. stigmatizans and 13 for M. dorsalis.     

Crucial role of intracellular effectors on glycogenolysis in the isolated rat heart: Potential consequences on the myocardial tolerance to ischemia

The role played by glycogenolysis in the ischemic heart has been recently put into question because it is suspected that a slowing down of this process could be beneficial for the tolerance of the myocardium to ischemia. The role of the intracellular effectors that control the rate of glycogenolysis has therefore regained interest. We aimed to understand the role played by those intracellular effectors which are directly related to the energy balance of the heart. To this end, we review some of the previously published data on this subject and we present new data obtained from P-31 and C-13 NMR spectroscopic measurement on isolated rat heart. Two conditions of ischemia were studied: 15 min global no-flow and 25 min low-flow ischemia. The hearts were isolated either from control animals or from rats pre-treated with isoproterenol (5 mg.kg^–1 b.w. i.p.) 1 h before the perfusion in order to C-13 label glycogen stores. Our main results are as follows: (1) the biochemically determined glycogenolysis rate during the early phase of ischemia (up to 10–15 min) was larger in no-flow ischemia than in low-flow conditions for both groups, (2) direct measurement of the glycogenolysis rate, as determined by C-13 NMR, after labelling of the glycogen pool in the hearts from isoproterenol-treated rats, confirms the estimations from the biochemical data, (3) glycogenolysis was slower in the hearts from pre-treated animals than in control hearts for both conditions of ischemia, (4) the total activity of glycogen phosphorylase (a + b) increased, by 50%, after 5 min no-flow ischemia, whereas it decreased by 42% after the same time of low-flow ischemia. However, the ratio phosphorylase a/a + b was not altered, whatever the conditions, (5) the concentration of inorganic phosphate (Pi) increased sharply during the first minutes of ischemia, to values above 8–10 mM, under all conditions studied. The rate of increase was larger during no-flow ischemia than during low-flow ischemia. The concentration of Pi was thereafter higher in controls than in the hearts from isoproterenol-treated animals.The calculated cytosolic concentration of free 5 AMP increased sharply at the onset of ischemia, reaching in a few minutes values above 30 M in controls and significantly lower values, around 15 M, in the hearts from isoproterenol-treated rats. (6) The hearts from isoproterenol-treated rats displayed a reduced intracellular acidosis, when compared to controls, under both conditions of ischemia.We conclude that the intracellular effectors, mainly free AMP, play an essential role in the control of glycogenolysis via allosteric control of phosphorylase b activity. The alteration in the concentration of free Pi, the substrate of both forms of phosphorylase, can also be considered as determinant in the control of the rate of glycogenolysis.The attenuation of ischemia-induced intracellular acidosis in the hearts from isoproterenol-treated rats could be a consequence of a reduced glycogenolytic rate and is likely to be related to a better resumption of the mechanical function on reperfusion.     

Relationship between the intra-erythrocyte sodium composition and the membrane lipoprotein composition among different mammal species

Internal sodium and lipoprotein composition of RBCs of nine mammalian species are measured. A significant correlation can be demonstrated between the erythrocyte mean sodium value of studied species and the membrane protein/lipid ratio (r = 0.80, alpha less than 0.01). Erythrocyte internal sodium can be correlated with membrane-free cholesterol but not with the phospholipid fractions.     

Cu(II)—(lAsp)n system. Spectroscopic evidence of hexatomic chelate ring formation

The study of the Cu(II)-(L Asp)_n system using circular dichroism and potentiometric data has provided evidence indicating the formation of two complexes in a two step process. In the first (I) of these complexes, obtained at pH 4.5, two carboxyl residues are bound to the metal. This complex partially inhibits the transition from α helix to nonperiodic conformation. In the second complex (II) two peptide nitrogens and two carboxylate oxygens are bound to each Cu(II) ion forming two hexatomic chelate rings. The CD spectral pattern is then the opposite of what is obtained when a five-membered chelate ring is formed.