Effects of muscarinic receptor agonists and antagonists on response of non-extensor rats to maximal electroshock

Rats which do not respond consistently to maximal electroshock by exhibiting the classical hindlimb extensor response, are designated as 'flexors', and can serve as a useful experimental model for investigating seizure mechanisms. 20-25% Charles Foster rats exhibit the flexor status and were used in this study. The flexor rats were converted to extensors by acetylcholine (icv), physostigmine (ip) and the selective muscarinic M1 receptor agonists, arecholine (ip) and McN-A-343 (icv). This conversion of flexors to extensors was significantly attenuated by M1 receptor antagonists scopolamine (ip) and pirenzepine (icv). The M2 receptor agonist, carbachol (icv), had no effect in lower doses but induced conversion of flexor rats to the extensor status only in very high doses which may be due to loss of receptor specificity on dose increment. The M2 receptor antagonists, gallamine (icv) and AF-DX 116 (ip), also induced significant conversion of flexors to extensors, which was dependent upon the availability of neuronal acetylcholine since the effects were attenuated following pretreatment with hemicholinium, an inhibitor of acetylcholine synthesis. The results suggest that the central cholinergic system has a facilitatory pro-convulsant effect, mediated through the muscarinic M1 receptors, an action modulated by the M2 receptors.     

Effects of Hypoxia on the Activity of the Dopaminergic Neuron System in the Rat Striatum as Studied by In Vivo Brain Microdialysis

The purpose of the present study is to clarify the effects of hypoxia on the activity of the dopaminergic neurons in the brain and its mechanism of action. For this purpose, the effects of hypoxia on the extracellular levels of 3,4-dihy-droxyphenylethylamine (dopamine) were examined in the rat Striatum using in vivo brain microdialysis in the presence or absence of pretreatment with either tetrodotoxin (a blocker of voltage-dependent sodium channels) or nomifensine (a blocker of dopamine reuptake). Exposure to various degrees of hypoxia (15, 10, and 8% O₂ in N₂) increased dopamine levels in striatal dialysates to 200, 400, and 1,100%, respectively, of the control value. On reoxygenation, dopamine levels in the dialysates rapidly returned to the control level. Reexposure to hypoxia increased the dopamine levels to the same extent as during the first exposure. After addition of tetrodotoxin (40 mUM) to the perfusion fluid or pretreatment with nomifensine (100 mg/kg, i.p.), exposure to hypoxia no longer increased the dopamine levels. These results suggest that although hypoxia induces an increase in the extracellular dopamine levels (hence, an apparent increase in the activity of the dopaminergic neurons), this increase is not the result of an increase in dopamine release itself, but rather the result of inhibition of the dopamine reuptake mechanism.     

Receptor-operated calcium-channels in isolated rabbit jejunum.

Calcium channels were studied in isolated spontaneously rhythmic rabbit jejunum using the muscarinic agonist carbachol as stimulant. Carbachol failed to produce the characteristic phasic and tonic components of smooth muscle contractions. A variety of chemically distinct calcium antagonists, viz. bepridil, diltiazem, isradipine (PN 200-110), nifedipine, and verapamil, non-competitively inhibited the contractions. Diltiazem was most potent (-logIC50 = 8.30) and bepridil least potent (-logIC50 = 6.19) in inhibiting the contractions. The findings conclude with the presence of pharmacologically distinct receptor-operated calcium-channels, besides the potential-dependent calcium-channels, in the rabbit jejunum.     

Apoptosis. Biochemical events and relevance to cancer chemotherapy.

Two distinct pathways for cell death exist. Compared to necrotic death, physiological or apoptotic cell death is an active suicidal process that consists of a cascade of well-regulated synthetic events. Participation of specific genes in apoptosis, and its possible molecular regulation, are considered in order to investigate the mechanism of cell death induced by some cancer chemotherapeutic agents.     

A T cell nuclear factor resembling NF-AT binds to an NF-kappa B site and to the conserved lymphokine promoter sequence "cytokine-1".

Nuclear extracts from a nontransformed murine T lymphocyte clone contained two inducible factors that bound to a nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) site. One factor was NF-kappa B, and the other was differentiated from NF-kappa B by its mobility in the electrophoretic mobility shift assay and its lack of sensitivity to protein kinase C depletion. Competition and methylation interference assays showed that the binding site for the novel factor was limited to nucleotides in the 3' half of the kappa B site. This part of the kappa B site resembled sequences in the binding site for a second inducible nuclear factor of T cells, NF-AT, as well as a conserved sequence found in several lymphokine genes, termed "cytokine-1" (CK-1). Competition and methylation interference analysis showed that both NF-AT and CK-1 sequences bound a factor similar to the novel kappa B-binding factor and that binding involved a four-nucleotide sequence (TTCC) that the kappa B, CK-1, and NF-AT sites have in common. The complexes that form with each site have characteristics of NF-AT: they are induced upon T cell receptor stimulation, are sensitive to protein synthesis inhibitors and cyclosporin A, and are not sensitive to protein kinase C depletion. Thus, a factor or factors similar to NF-AT can bind to three distinct promoter sequences which occur commonly in several T cell activation genes. These results raise the possibility that related factors binding to kappa B, CK-1, and NF-AT sequences could play a role in the coordinate induction of T cell activation genes. In addition, our results suggest that kappa B and CK-1 sites represent potential cyclosporin-sensitive promoter elements by virtue of their ability to bind an NF-AT-like factor.     

Role of protein phosphorylation in activation of interferon-stimulated gene factors.

Possible involvement of protein phosphorylation in interferon (IFN)-mediated activation of IFN-stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3) was investigated. For this purpose, in vivo experiments with specific inhibitors of protein kinases and in vitro experiments with protein phosphatases were carried out. In HeLaM cells, 2-aminopurine, an inhibitor of double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase, blocked the induction of ISGF3 gamma subunit but not the activation of ISGF3 alpha subunit. A series of experiments using combinations of protein and RNA synthesis inhibitors and 2-aminopurine indicated that the block elicited by 2-aminopurine was at the level of ISGF3 gamma mRNA synthesis. Activation of ISGF3 alpha, although insensitive to 2-aminopurine, was completely blocked by 10 nM staurosporine, an inhibitor of protein kinase C. On the other hand, even 500 nM staurosporine did not block the induction of ISGF3 gamma. Incubation of cytoplasmic or nuclear extracts of IFN-treated HeLaM cells in vitro with alkaline phosphatase completely eliminated their ability to form the ISGF3 complex but not the ISGF1 complex. Treatment with acid phosphatase, on the other hand, changed the electrophoretic mobility of the ISGF3 complex but did not obliterate it. Complementation experiments revealed that ISGF3 alpha was the alkaline phosphatase-sensitive component of the complex. These results suggest that a protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation step is involved in ISGF3 alpha activation and a 2-aminopurine-sensitive component is involved in ISGF3 gamma mRNA induction.     

Nitrobenzylthioinosine binding cooperativity in chromaffin tissue membranes.

The nucleoside transporter present in chromaffin tissue membranes has been studied by [3H]nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBTI) binding. This ligand presents a high affinity, with a Kd value of 2.1 +/- 0.2 nM and a Bmax of 1.7 +/- 0.2 pmol/mg protein. From the Scatchard and the semilogarithmic graphical representations a positive cooperativity was deduced, with a Hill coefficient of 1.7 +/- 0.4. In displacement studies of NBTI by the non labelled compound, the Hill coefficient was also higher than 1 (1.44 +/- 0.11) in the presence of ATP. This nucleotide seems necessary to maintain the number of high affinity binding sites.     

Glucose oxidase immobilized electrode for potentiometric estimation of glucose

Glucose oxidase has been immobilized onto a thin platinum strip, by co-crosslinking with bovine serum albumin and glutaraldehyde. The retention of redox characteristics of glucose oxidase has been verified by cyclic voltammetry. The activity of the immobilized enzyme reduces to a quarter of its value when the enzyme is in solution but improves when coimmobilized with 1 urea. The potentiometric response builds up and remains stable after 100 s. It is sensitive to the thickness of the immobilizing matrix, pH and temperature. An improvement in the performance of the electrode has been achieved by coimmobilizing 2 urea and metal ions such as Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺. The presence of Cu has been proved to be detrimental. The electrode has been calibrated in the 0.1–5.0 mM glucose concentration range. It gives a stable response for more than 50 independent assays and can be stored for 60 days without significant loss of function.     

Differential accessibility of the tail domain of nuclear lamin A in interphase and mitotic cells

Human autoantibodies reactive against the tail domain exclusive to lamin A and absent from lamin C have been used for immunofluorescence studies on human fibroblast and epithelial cells. These autoantibodies were seen to react on mitotic cells where lamin A is present in a soluble depolymerized form and to react against lamin A in assembled interphase nuclear lamina after in situ extraction of chromatin. Taken together, these results support the suggestion that the tail domain of lamin A may be involved in the putative interaction of lamin A with chromatin.