Oxygen: a master regulator of pancreatic development?

Beyond its role as an electron acceptor in aerobic respiration, oxygen is also a key effector of many developmental events. The oxygen‐sensing machinery and the very fabric of cell identity and function have been shown to be deeply intertwined. Here we take a first look at how oxygen might lie at the crossroads of at least two of the major molecular pathways that shape pancreatic development. Based on recent evidence and a thorough review of the literature, we present a theoretical model whereby evolving oxygen tensions might choreograph to a large extent the sequence of molecular events resulting in the development of the organ. In particular, we propose that lower oxygenation prior to the expansion of the vasculature may favour HIF (hypoxia inducible factor)‐mediated activation of Notch and repression of Wnt/β‐catenin signalling, limiting endocrine cell differentiation. With the development of vasculature and improved oxygen delivery to the developing organ, HIF‐mediated support for Notch signalling may decline while the β‐catenin‐directed Wnt signalling is favoured, which would support endocrine cell differentiation and perhaps exocrine cell proliferation/differentiation.     

Phorbol esters enhance attachment of NIH/3T3 cells to laminin and type IV collagen substrates

The effect of phorbol esters on the adhesive properties of NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblasts was investigated using plastic substrates precoated with the extracellular matrix proteins fibronectin, collagen, and laminin. Treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) enhanced NIH/3T3 cell attachment to laminin and type IV collagen substrates but had little or no effect on attachment to fibronectin and type I collagen substrates. The effect of PMA in enhancing cell attachment to laminin and type IV collagen substrates was dose dependent between 10(-9) and 10(-7) M. PMA was effective as early as 30 min; the effect reached a maximum at 2 h and decreased gradually. Phorbol 12, 13-dibenzoate and phorbol 12, 13-diacetate were effective but to a lesser extent and phorbol 12-myristate and phorbol 13-acetate showed little or no effect. These results suggest that PMA may enhance NIH/3T3 cell adhesion through effects on laminin and type IV collagen receptors. Retinoic acid, which itself requires at least 6 h to show an effect on attachment, did not have any effect on cell attachment in 2 h and, if anything, slightly inhibited PMA-enhanced cell attachment to laminin and type IV collagen substrates.     

Proteoglycan modifications in cultured osteogenesis imperfecta skin fibroblasts

The PGs produced in the growth medium by skin fibroblast cultures from two O.I. affected patients were investigated. After density gradient centrifugation, in the most dense fraction two main families of molecules appeared. The patient with the more severe clinical picture showed a lower content of the PGs with the highest molecular weight. The GAG composition of PGs was different in the two patients. The more severely affected one showed an increase of HS and a decrease of ChS content, in agreement with the lower value of galactosamine to glucosamine ratio in urinary GAGs.     

Interactions between retinyl phosphate and bivalent cations.

In the presence of Mn(II) ions, the u.v. absorption spectrum of retinyl phosphate (Ret-P) solubilized in Triton X-100 micelles, phosphatidylcholine liposomes or rat liver microsomes exhibited a shift from the maximum of 330 nm to 287 nm. The effect of Mn(II) was reversed by adding EDTA or phosphate buffer. The same spectral change was found in the presence of poly-L-lysine in place of Mn(II) ions. The e.s.r. spectrum of Mn(II) in the presence or in the absence of Ret-P clearly showed that approx. 75% of the initial concentration of Mn(II) ions is bound to Ret-P when the molar ratio of Ret-P to Mn(II) ions is 4:1; no such binding occurred in the presence of retinol or retinoic acid. The appearance of two isosbestic points at 303 and 368 nm, in the presence of Mn(II) ions, suggests the existence of an equilibrium between an Mn(II)-bound monomer and an Mn(II)-bound dimer of Ret-P in Triton X-100 micelles. The same effect on the u.v.-absorption spectrum of Ret-P was also induced by Co(II), Cr(II), Zn(II) and Fe(II), but not by Mg2+ or Cu(II). The formation of the 'metachromatic complex' between Ret-P and Mn(II) or Co(II) inhibited the synthesis of retinyl phosphate mannose (Ret-P-Man) from exogenous and endogenous Ret-P and guanosine diphosphate [14C]mannose when bovine serum albumin was added after the metal ion. However, the order of addition did not influence Ret-P-Man synthesis in incubations containing MgCl2, which does not form the metachromatic complex with Ret-P. These results suggest that the bioavailability of proteins, polyamines and metal ions may control the extent to which Ret-P can be mannosylated in the intact membrane.