Reactive oxygen species alter contractile properties of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle

Reactive oxygen species alter pulmonary arterial vascular tone and cause changes in pulmonary vascular resistance. The objective of this investigation was to determine direct effects of oxygen radicals on the contractile properties of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle. Isolated pulmonary arterial rings from Sprague-Dawley rats were placed in tissue baths containing Earle's balanced salt solution (gassed with 95% O2 - 5% CO2, 37 degrees C, pH 7.4). Vessels were contracted with 80 mM KCl to establish maximum active force production (Po). All other responses were normalized as percentages of Po for comparative purposes. Reactive oxygen metabolites were generated enzymatically with either the xanthine oxidase (XO) reaction or the glucose oxidase (GO) reaction, or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was added directly to the muscle bath. Exposure to XO, GO, or to H2O2 resulted in a contractile response that was sustained during the 30-min exposure period. The muscle fully relaxed following removal of the reactive oxygen species. Resting tension remained unchanged throughout the experimental period, suggesting no functional change in membrane potential. The contractile response was dose dependent and was not prevented by either cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase inhibition, or by removal of the endothelium. Pretreatment of vessels with superoxide dismutase (SOD) partially blocked the XO-induced contraction, while mannitol or deferoxamine had no effect on the response to XO. However, pretreatment with catalase (CAT) completely blocked the XO-induced contraction. These data suggest that superoxide ions and hydrogen peroxide are the major causative agents. Following O2-radical exposure, vessels showed a decrease in contractile responsiveness to 80 mM KCl (recovery response), suggesting damage to the smooth muscle cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Functional reconstitution of the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2(+)-ATPase with phospholamban in phospholipid vesicles

The Ca2(+)-ATPase in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is under regulation by phospholamban, an oligomeric proteolipid. To determine the molecular mechanism by which phospholamban regulates the Ca2(+)-ATPase, a reconstitution system was developed, using a freeze-thaw sonication procedure. The best rates of Ca2+ uptake (700 nmol/min/mg reconstituted vesicles compared with 800 nmol/min/mg SR vesicles) were observed when cholate and phosphatidylcholine were used at a ratio of cholate/phosphatidylcholine/Ca2(+)-ATPase of 2:80:1. The EC50 values for Ca2+ were 0.05 microM for both Ca2+ uptake and Ca2(+)-ATPase activity in the reconstituted vesicles compared with 0.63 microM Ca2+ in native SR vesicles. Inclusion of phospholamban in the reconstituted vesicles was associated with a significant inhibition of the initial rates of Ca2+ uptake at pCa 6.0. However, phosphorylation of phospholamban by the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase reversed the inhibitory effect on the Ca2+ pump. Similar findings were observed when a peptide, corresponding to amino acids 1-25 of phospholamban, was used. These findings indicate that phospholamban is an inhibitor of the Ca2(+)-ATPase in cardiac SR and phosphorylation of phospholamban relieves this inhibition. The mechanism by which phospholamban inhibits the Ca2+ pump is unknown, but our findings with the synthetic peptide suggest that a direct interaction between the Ca2(+)-ATPase and the hydrophilic portion of phospholamban may be one of the mechanisms for regulation.     

Intracellular alkalinization leads to Ca2+ mobilization from agonist-sensitive pools in bovine aortic endothelial cells

Receptor-stimulated phosphoinositide turnover leads to activation of Na+/H+ exchange and subsequent intracellular alkalinization. To probe the effect of increased intracellular pH (pHi) on Ca2+ homeostasis in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC), we studied the effect of weak bases, ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) and methylamine (agents which increase pHi by direct passive diffusion), on resting and ATP (purinergic receptor agonist)-induced Ca2+ fluxes. Changes in cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) or pHi were monitored in BAEC monolayers using the fluorescent dyes, fura-2 or 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein, respectively. NH4Cl-induced, dose-dependent (5-20 mM) increases in [Ca2+]i (maximum change = 195 +/- 26 nM) which were temporally similar to the NH4Cl-induced pHi increases. Methylamine (20 mM) induced a more sustained pHi increase and also stimulated a prolonged [Ca2+]i increase. When BAEC were bathed in HCO3- buffer, removal of extracellular CO2/bicarbonate caused pHi to increase and also induced [Ca2+]i to increase transiently. Extracellular Ca2+ removal did not abolish the rapid NH4Cl-induced rise in [Ca2+]i, although the response was blunted and more transient. NH4Cl addition to BAEC cultures resulted in an increase in 45Ca efflux and decrease in total cell 45Ca content. BAEC treatment with ATP (100 microM) to deplete inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-sensitive Ca2+ pools completely blocked the NH4Cl (20 mM)-induced rise in [Ca2+]i. Likewise, prior NH4Cl addition partially inhibited ATP-induced increases in [Ca2+]i, as well as slowed the frequency of repetitive [Ca2+]i spikes in single endothelial cells due to agonist. NH4Cl augmented the rate of [Ca2+]i increase that occurs in response to the depletion of agonist-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ pools. However, the internal Ca2+ store remained depleted during the continued presence of NH4Cl, as indicated by a decreased [Ca2+]i response to ATP in Ca2(+)-free medium. Finally, NH4Cl exerted these actions without affecting basal or ATP-stimulated IP3 formation. These observations provide direct evidence that increased pHi leads to Ca2+ mobilization from an agonist-sensitive pool and impairs Ca2+ pool(s) refilling mechanisms without altering cellular IP3 levels.     

N-bromoacetyl-D-leucylglycine. An affinity label for neutral endopeptidase 24.11

Neutral endopeptidase 24.11 is rapidly inactivated by N-bromoacetyl-D-leucylglycine in a reaction which follows first-order kinetics at pH 8 and 37 degrees C. The concentration dependence of inactivation revealed saturation kinetics with an apparent Ki of 10 mM and kappa inact of 0.4 min-1 at saturating inhibitor concentration. Enzyme can be protected from inactivation by either the substrate Leu5-enkephalin or the competitive inhibitors Phe-Gly or Phe-Ala. Inactivation of enzyme by N-bromo-[14C]acetyl-D-leucylglycine proceeds with the incorporation of a stoichiometric amount of labeled inhibitor. Tryptic digestion of the radioactively labeled enzyme followed by high performance liquid chromatography allowed the isolation of a modified peptide with the sequence T-D-V-H-S-P-G-N-F-R in which histidine (His704) is the modified residue. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to generate a mutant form of the enzyme in which histidine 704 was converted to a glutamine residue. This mutant enzyme retained less than 0.1% of the activity of the native enzyme. These results demonstrate that His704 is at the active site of neutral endopeptidase 24.11 and suggest a catalytic role for this residue.     

福氏痢疾菌膜成分与细菌抗原性和毒力的关系

应用免疫转移技术,用从感染福氏痢疾菌的病人获取的恢复期血清分析了福氏痢疾菌膜成分与细菌抗原性和毒力的关一。发现福氏痢疾菌的膜蛋白67kD和63kD均含有两种成分,一种和膜蛋白60kD都可能是保护性抗原,而另一种与膜蛋白78kD和35kD一样与福氏痢疾菌的毒力有关。采用微细胞同位素掺入示踪显示这些与病人恢复期血清反应的膜蛋白由质粒编码。     

AN OVERVIEW OF THE GENUS PYRRHOPAPPUS (ASTERACEAE: LACTUCEAE) WITH EMPHASIS ON CHLOROPLAST DNA RESTRICTION SITE DATA

The genus Pyrrhopappus in recent systematic treatments has comprised five taxa (four species, one with two varieties), which have now been studied anew using morphogeographical and chloroplast DNA restriction site data. Eight populations, representing all of the recognized taxa of Pyrrhopappus, were digested with 17 restriction enzymes. Only three restriction site differences were found from among 750 restriction sites and no length variations were observed. This contrasts with similar studies, using these same enzymes, on the closely related genus Krigia in which 173 mutation sites and 20 length variations were found among the seven species concerned. Nucleotide sequence divergence values among the species of Pyrrhopappus were extremely low (0.0012) compared to much higher values found in the closely related genus Krigia (0.1270). Three species of Pyrrhopappus are herein recognized: two diploids with 2n = 12 chromosomes, P. carolinianus and P. pauciflorus (including P. multicaulis, P. geiseri and P. rothrockii), and a tetraploid (2n = 24), P. grandiflorus. The tetraploid is partially sympatric with both diploids but is readily recognized by its perennial roots, which bear tuber-like enlargements. These three species presumably arose relatively recently, and the DNA data suggest that neither P. pauciflorus nor P. carolinianus gave rise to the tetraploid P. grandiflorus.     

Ultraviolet imaging densitometry of unstained gels for two-dimensional electrophoresis

A system suitable for ultraviolet imaging densitometry of two-dimensional electrophoretic gels that are unstained is described, together with its applications. A flying-spot densitometer linked with a personal computer was used for data acquisition, generation of mapping data, and image processing. Randomly distributed zones of proteins on two-dimensional gels were detected at 280 nm without being stained by two-dimensional scanning, and the densitometric value of each pixel (0.2 x 0.2 mm) was memorized by the computer, which generated a mapping pattern with density contours. The amount and densitometric value of cytochrome c had a linear relationship in the range of 2-200 micrograms. Zone locations of bovine liver proteins separated on two-dimensional gels were indicated on a map expressed in X-Y coordinates, and the pIs and molecular weights could be calculated from the map by use of pI and molecular weight markers on the same gel.