PCO(2) threshold for CNS oxygen toxicity in rats in the low range of hyperbaric PO(2).

Central nervous system (CNS) oxygen toxicity, as manifested by the first electrical discharge (FED) in the electroencephalogram, can occur as convulsions and loss of consciousness. CO(2) potentiates this risk by vasodilation and pH reduction. We suggest that CO(2) can produce CNS oxygen toxicity at a PO(2) that does not on its own ultimately cause FED. We searched for the CO(2) threshold that will result in the appearance of FED at a PO(2) between 507 and 253 kPa. Rats were exposed to a PO(2) and an inspired PCO(2) in 1-kPa steps to define the threshold for FED. The results confirmed our assumption that each rat has its own PCO(2) threshold, any PCO(2) above which will cause FED but below which no FED will occur. As PO(2) decreased from 507 to 456, 405, and 355 kPa, the percentage of rats that exhibited FED without the addition of CO(2) (F(0)) dropped from 91 to 62, to 8 and 0%, respectively. The percentage of rats (F) having FED as a function of PCO(2) was sigmoid in shape and displaced toward high PCO(2) with the reduction in PO(2). The following formula is suggested to express risk as a function of PCO(2) and PO(2) [abstract: see text] where P(50) is the PCO(2)for the half response and N is power. A small increase in PCO(2) at a PO(2) that does not cause CNS oxygen toxicity may shift an entire population into the risk zone. Closed-circuit divers who are CO(2)retainers or divers who have elevated inspired CO(2)are at increased risk of CNS oxygen toxicity.     

Margination and adhesion dynamics of tumor cells in a real microvascular network

In tumor metastasis, the margination and adhesion of tumor cells are two critical and closely related steps, which may determine the destination where the tumor cells extravasate to. We performed a direct three-dimensional simulation on the behaviors of the tumor cells in a real microvascular network, by a hybrid method of the smoothed dissipative particle dynamics and immersed boundary method (SDPD-IBM). The tumor cells are found to adhere at the microvascular bifurcations more frequently, and there is a positive correlation between the adhesion of the tumor cells and the wall-directed force from the surrounding red blood cells (RBCs). The larger the wall-directed force is, the closer the tumor cells are marginated towards the wall, and the higher the probability of adhesion behavior happen is. A relatively low or high hematocrit can help to prevent the adhesion of tumor cells, and similarly, increasing the shear rate of blood flow can serve the same purpose. These results suggest that the tumor cells may be more likely to extravasate at the microvascular bifurcations if the blood flow is slow and the hematocrit is moderate.     

Is prostaglandin E the neural mediator of the febrile response? The case against a proven obligatory role.

We have reviewed the evidence in favor of a prostaglandin mediator of the thermal responses in fever and found that PGE injected into the hypothalamus does not always cause fever, that cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of PGE are not reliable reflections of hypothalamic events, and that antipyretic drugs may act in ways other than inhibiting PGE synthesis. Fever is not blocked by prostaglandin antagonists, nor by ablation of PGE-sensitive areas of the brain. There is poor correlation between the effects of pyrogens and of PGE on cerebral neurons. There is evidence that at least one prostanoid other than prostaglandin is a mediator of fever, but the prostanoid has not been identified yet. We conclude that PGE may contribute to the neural responses in fever but is not essential.     

A [2Fe-2S] protein from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Aquifex aeolicus.

Overexpression in Escherichia coli of the fdx4 gene from Aquifex aeolicus has allowed isolation and characterization of the first hyperthermophilic [2Fe-2S](Scys)(4) protein, a homodimer of M = 2 x 12.4 kDa with one [2Fe-2S] cluster per subunit. This protein is undamaged by heating to 100 degrees C for at least three hours. The primary structure, in particular the characteristic distribution of the four cysteine ligands of the metal site, and the spectroscopic properties of the A. aeolicus protein relate it to well characterized [2Fe-2S] proteins from Clostridium pasteurianum and Azotobacter vinelandii. These proteins are also homologous to subunits or domains of hydrogenases and NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Complex I) of respiratory chains. The A. aeolicus [2Fe-2S] protein is thus representative of a presumably novel protein fold involved in a variety of functions in very diverse cellular backgrounds.     

The N terminus of the cardiac L-type Ca(2+) channel alpha(1C) subunit. The initial segment is ubiquitous and crucial for protein kinase C modulation, but is not directly phosphorylated.

The first 46 amino acids (aa) of the N terminus of the rabbit heart (RH) L-type cardiac Ca(2+) channel alpha(1C) subunit are crucial for the stimulating action of protein kinase C (PKC) and also hinder channel gating (Shistik, E., Ivanina, T., Blumenstein, Y., and Dascal, N. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 17901-17909). The mechanism of PKC action and the location of the PKC target site are not known. Moreover, uncertainties in the genomic sequence of the N-terminal region of alpha(1C) leave open the question of the presence of RH-type N terminus in L-type channels in mammalian tissues. Here, we demonstrate the presence of alpha(1C) protein containing an RH-type initial N-terminal segment in rat heart and brain by using a newly prepared polyclonal antibody. Using deletion mutants of alpha(1C) expressed in Xenopus oocytes, we further narrowed down the part of the N terminus crucial for both inhibitory gating and for PKC effect to the first 20 amino acid residues, and we identify the first 5 aa as an important determinant of PKC action and of N-terminal effect on gating. The absence of serines and threonines in the first 5 aa and the absence of phosphorylation by PKC of a glutathione S-transferase-fusion protein containing the initial segment suggest that the effect of PKC does not arise through a direct phosphorylation of this segment. We propose that PKC acts by attenuating the inhibitory action of the N terminus via phosphorylation of a remote site, in the channel or in an auxiliary protein, that interacts with the initial segment of the N terminus.     

Correction of chromosomal point mutations in human cells with bifunctional oligonucleotides.

A sequence-specific genomic delivery system for the correction of chromosomal mutations was designed by incorporating two different binding domains into a single-stranded oligonucleotide. A repair domain (RD) contained the native sequence of the target region. A third strand-forming domain (TFD) was designed to form a triplex by Hoogsteen interactions. The design was based upon the premise that the RD will rapidly form a heteroduplex that is anchored synergistically by the TFD. Deoxyoligonucleotides were designed to form triplexes in the human adenosine deaminase (ADA) and p53 genes adjacent to known point mutations. Transfection of ADA-deficient human lymphocytes corrected the mutant sequence in 1-2% of cells. Neither the RD or TFD individually corrected the mutation. Transfection of p53 mutant human glioblastoma cells corrected the mutation and induced apoptosis in 7.5% of cells.