Cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands

Delta9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, a major psychoactive component of marijuana, has been shown to interact with specific cannabinoid receptors, thereby eliciting a variety of pharmacological responses in experimental animals and human. In 1990, the gene encoding a cannabinoid receptor (CB1) was cloned. This prompted the search for endogenous ligands. In 1992, N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide) was isolated from pig brain as an endogenous ligand, and in 1995, 2-arachidonoylglycerol was isolated from rat brain and canine gut as another endogenous ligand. Both anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol exhibit various cannabimimetic activities. The results of structure-activity relationship experiments, however, revealed that 2-arachidonoylglycerol, but not anandamide, is the intrinsic natural ligand for the cannabinoid receptor. 2-Arachidonoylglycerol is a degradation product of inositol phospholipids that links the function of cannabinoid receptors with the enhanced inositol phospholipid turnover in stimulated tissues and cells. The possible physiological roles of cannabinoid receptors and 2-arachidonoylglycerol in various mammalian tissues such as those of the nervous system are discussed.     

Dual action of isoprenols from herbal medicines on both PPARgamma and PPARalpha in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and HepG2 hepatocytes

Several herbal medicines improve hyperlipidemia, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this improvement has not yet been clarified. In this study, we found that several isoprenols, common components of herbal plants, activate human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) as determined using the novel GAL4 ligand-binding domain chimera assay system with coactivator coexpression. Farnesol and geranylgeraniol that are typical isoprenols in herbs and fruits activated not only PPARgamma but also PPARalpha as determined using the chimera assay system. These compounds also activated full-length human PPARgamma and PPARalpha in CV1 cells. Moreover, these isoprenols upregulated the expression of some lipid metabolic target genes of PPARgamma and PPARalpha in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and HepG2 hepatocytes, respectively. These results suggest that herbal medicines containing isoprenols with dual action on both PPARgamma and PPARalpha can be of interest for the amelioration of lipid metabolic disorders associated with diabetes.     

Characterization of the repetitive sequences in a 200-kb region around the rice waxy locus: diversity of transposable elements and presence of veiled repetitive sequences

Repetitive genomic sequences might have various structural features and properties distinct from those of the known transposable elements (TE). Here, the content and properties of the repetitive sequences present in a 200-kb region around the rice waxy locus were analyzed using the available rice genomic database. In our previous Southern blotting analysis, 70% of the segments in this region showed smeared patterns, but according to the present database analysis, the proportion of repetitive sequences in this region was only 15%. The repetitive segments in this 200-kb region comprised 75 repetitive sequences that we classified into 46 subfamilies: 21 subfamilies were known TEs or repetitive sequences and 25 subfamilies consisted of newly identified TEs or novel types of repetitive sequences. The region contains no long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposable elements, but miniature inverted repeat transposable elements (MITEs) constituted a major class among the elements identified. These MITEs showed remarkable structural divergence: 12 elements were found to be new members of known MITE superfamilies, while five elements had novel terminal structures, and did not belong to any known TE families. Interestingly, about 10% of the repetitive sequences, including virus-like sequences did not have any of the usual characteristics of TEs, suggesting that a certain proportion of repetitive sequences that might not share the transpositional mechanisms of known elements are dispersed in the compact rice genome.     

Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor inhibits the fracture healing

We investigated the effects of cyclooxigenase-2 (cox-2) on fracture healing. After closed non-displaced fractures were created at the middle of both femoral shafts in 12-week-old Wister rats, a cox-2 specific inhibitor, etodolac (20 mg/day; intra-peritoneal) was administered every day for three weeks (E group). Bone union and callus formation were evaluated by weekly radiographs. Three weeks after surgery, the mechanical strength of the fractured femur was evaluated by a three-point-bending test. These results were compared with those of a vehicle control group (V group). The fracture healing score on radiographs in the E group three weeks after the surgery was 3.3 +/- 0.9, and in the V group it was 5.8 +/- 1.5, indicating that fracture healing was significantly poorer in the E than the V group (p < 0.05). From the three point bending test, the ultimate strength and stiffness of etodolac-treated fractured femurs were shown to be significantly lower than those in vehicle control group (p < 0.05). Mechanically, femurs of etodolac treated rats were weaker than those of control rats. Thus, it was concluded that etodolac, a cox-2 specific inhibitor, inhibited fracture healing.     

Sprouty1 and Sprouty2 provide a control mechanism for the Ras/MAPK signalling pathway

Sprouty (Spry) inhibits signalling by receptor tyrosine kinases; however, the molecular mechanism underlying this function has not been defined. Here we show that after stimulation by growth factors Spry1 and Spry2 translocate to the plasma membrane and become phosphorylated on a conserved tyrosine. Next, they bind to the adaptor protein Grb2 and inhibit the recruitment of the Grb2-Sos complex either to the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) docking adaptor protein FRS2 or to Shp2. Membrane translocation of Spry is necessary for its phosphorylation, which is essential for its inhibitor activity. A tyrosine-phosphorylated octapeptide derived from mouse Spry2 inhibits Grb2 from binding FRS2, Shp2 or mouse Spry2 in vitro and blocks activation of the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in cells stimulated by growth factor. A non-phosphorylated Spry mutant cannot bind Grb2 and acts as a dominant negative, inducing prolonged activation of ERK in response to FGF and promoting the FGF-induced outgrowth of neurites in PC12 cells. Our findings suggest that Spry functions in a negative feedback mechanism in which its inhibitor activity is controlled rapidly and reversibly by post-translational mechanisms.     

Structure-effect relationship in the mobilization of cadmium in mice by several dithiocarbamates

The structural characteristics of several dithiocarbamates (DTCs) [N-p-methylbenzyl-D-glucamine dithiocarbamate (MBGD), N-benzyl-D-glucamine dithiocarbamate (BGD), N-p-hydroxymethylbenzyl-D-glucamine dithiocarbamate (HBGD) and N-p-carboxybenzyl-D-glucamine dithiocarbamate (CBGD)] that induce in vivo mobilization of cadmium (Cd) were examined in mice. The renal and hepatic contents of Cd were lower in the treatments with Cd-DTC combinations than in that with Cd alone. Probenecid pretreatment decreased the renal content of Cd in Cd-MBGD and Cd-BGD treated mice, but it increased the renal content of Cd and decreased the urinary excretion of the metal in Cd-HBGD and Cd-CBGD treated mice. Furthermore, although ureter-ligation did not affect the renal content of Cd in Cd-MBGD and Cd-BGD treated mice, it increased the renal content of Cd in Cd-HBGD and Cd-CBGD treated mice. These findings suggest that Cd-MBGD and Cd-BGD complexes are taken up into the tubular cells by an organic anion transport system through the basolateral membrane, whereas Cd-HBGD and Cd-CBGD complexes are secreted to the tubular lumen by an organic anion transport system through the brush border membrane. The results of probenecid pretreatment also led us to assume that the hepatic transport of these four Cd-DTC complexes is regulated, at least in part, by a probenecid-sensitive organic anion transport system.     

Hypoxic Cell Death in Human NT2-N Neurons: Involvement of NMDA and Non-NMDA Glutamate Receptors

Abstract: Human NTera2 teratocarcinoma cells were differentiated into postmitotic NT2-N neurons and exposed to hypoxia for 6 h. The cultures were evaluated microscopically, and percent lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release after 24 and 48 h was used as an assay for cell death. After 48 h LDH release was 24.3 ± 5.6% versus 13.8 ± 3.7% in controls ( p < 0.001). Cell death was greatly diminished by MK-801 pretreatment (15.4 ± 5.1%, p < 0.001). If glutamate was omitted from the medium, glutamate levels after 6 h of hypoxia were reduced from 101 ± 63 to 2.3 ± 0.3 µ M , and cell death at 48 h was also markedly reduced (15.4 ± 4.5%, p < 0.001). The α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (18.7 ± 5.1%, p < 0.001) and mild hypothermia (33.5–34°C) during hypoxia (19.5 ± 2.75, p < 0.05) were moderately protective. Basic fibroblast growth factor (24.1 ± 3.2%), the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N ^G-nitro- l -arginine methyl ester (22.8 ± 8.1%), the antioxidant N-tert -butyl- o -phenylnitrone (18.9 ± 5.9%), and the 21-aminosteroid U74389G (24.0 ± 3.4%) did not protect the cells. N -Acetyl- l -cysteine even tended to increase cell death (30.1 ± 2.5%, p = 0.06). Treatment with MK-801 at the end of hypoxia did not reduce cell death (23.3 ± 2.3%). In separate experiments, a 15-min exposure to 1 m M glutamate without hypoxia did not result in significant cell death (14.7 ± 2.4 vs. 12.2 ± 2.1%, p = 0.07). We conclude that, although somewhat resistant to glutamate toxicity when normoxic, NT2-N neurons die via an ionotropic glutamate receptor-mediated mechanism when exposed to hypoxia in the presence of glutamate. As far as we know, this is the first reported analysis of the mechanism of hypoxic cell death in cultured human neuronlike cells.