Pyridine Nucleotide Changes In Hepatocytes Exposed To Quinones

Quinones may be toxic by a number of mechanisms. including arylation and oxidative stress caused by redox cycling. Using isolated hepatocytes, we have studied the cytotoxicity of four quinones. with differing abilities to arylate cellular nucleophiles and redox cycle. in relation to their effects on cellular pyridine nucleotides. High concentrations of menadione (redox cycles and arylates). 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (neither arylates nor redox cycles via a one electron reduction) 2.3-dimethoxy-1.4-naphthoquinone (a pure redox cycler) and p-benzoquinone (a pure arylator) caused an initial decrease in NAD⁺ and loss of viability, which was not prevented by 3-aminobenzamide. an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase. In contrast. 3-aminobenzamide inhibited the loss of NAD' and viability caused by dimethyl sulphate so implicating poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase in its toxicity but not that of the quinones. Non-toxic concentrations of menadione. 2.3-dimethoxy-1.4-naphthoquinone and 2-hydroxy-1.4-naphthoquinone all caused markedly similar changes in cellular pyridine nucleotides. An initial decrease in NAD⁺ was accompanied by a small. transient increase in NADP⁺ and followed by a larger. prolonged increase in NADPH and total NADP⁺ + NADPH. Nucleotide changes were not observed with non-toxic concentrations of p-benzoquinone. Our findings suggest that a primary event in the response of the cell to redox cycling quinones is to bring about an interconversion of pyridine nucleotides. in an attempt to combat the effects of oxidative stress     

Cellular Stress Causes Accumulation of the Glucose Transporter at the Surface of Cells Independently of their Insulin Sensitivity

The stimulation of glucose transport in response to various types of stress has been studied. There is no relationship between effects of stress-inducing agents on glucose transport and their effects on cellular protein synthesis. Although the effect of stress on glucose transport appears analogous to its stimulation by insulin, cells that are slightly insulin-sensitive in terms of glucose transport (BHK cells) show a similar degree of stimulation as highly insulin-sensitive cells (differentiated 3T3-L1 cells). External labeling of the transporter protein with a photoactivatable derivative of mannose, 2-N-4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) benzoyl-1, 3-bis-(D-mannos-4-yloxy)-propylamine, shows that most of the increased glucose transport activity correlates with an increase in the amount of the transporter on the cell surface. Cells subjected to K⁺-depletion, which inhibits endocytosis and results in an accumulation of receptors at the cell surface, show the same increase in glucose transport as cells exposed to stress; stressed cells show no further increase in glucose transport when subjected to K⁺ depletion. These results support the view (Widnell, C.C., Baldwin, S.A., Davies, A., Martin, S., Pasternak, C.A. 1990. FASEB J 4:1634–1637) that cellular stress increases glucose transport by promoting the accumulation of glucose transporter molecules at the cell surface. Received: 20 June 1995/Revised: 29 September 1995     

Production of hybrids, amphiploids and backcross progenies between a cold-tolerant wild species, Erucastrum abyssinicum and crop brassicas

Three intergeneric hybrids were produced between a cold-tolerant wild species, Erucastrum abyssinicum and three cultivated species of Brassica, B. juncea, B. carinata and B. oleracea, through ovary culture. The hybrids were characterized by morphology, cytology and DNA analysis. Amphiploidy was induced in all the F₁ hybrids through colchicine treatment. Stable amphiploids and backcross progenies were obtained from two of the crosses, E. abyssinicum x B. juncea and E. abyssinicum x B. carinata. The amphiploid, E. abyssinicum x B. juncea was successfully used as a bridge species to produce hybrids with B. napus, B. campestris and B. nigra. These hybrids and backcross progenies provide useful genetic variability for the improvement of crop brassicas.     

Differential effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone on central dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) has been shown to be a central mediator for most, if not all, stress-induced responses. Since stressful stimuli may decrease hypothalamic tuberoinfundibular and tuberohypophysial dopaminergic neuronal activities, we aimed to determine whether CRH is involved. Using central administration of various doses of ovine CRH (oCRH; 1, 3 and 10 µg/rat) into the lateral cerebroventricle of either male or female rats, the neurochemical changes in various parts of the central nervous system, including the hypothalamus, were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography at various times after the injection (30, 60, 120 and 240 min). The concentrations of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylethyleneglycol (MHPG), two major metabolites of dopamine and norepinephrine, respectively, in discrete brain regions were used as indices for catecholaminergic neuron activity. Plasma corticosterone levels increased significantly after all doses of oCRH and at all time points studied. oCRH also exerted significant stimulatory effects on noradrenergic neuron terminals in the frontal cortex, and on dopaminergic neuron terminals in the nucleus accumbens, hypothalamic paraventricular and periventricular nuclei, and intermediate pituitary lobe. Dopaminergic neuron terminals in the median eminence and the neural lobe of the pituitary, however, were not affected. There was no major difference in the responses between male and female rats. We conclude that CRH has a differential effect on central catecholaminergic neurons.     

Reduced glutathione esters—antidotes to toxicity. Cytotoxicity induced by hydrogen peroxide, 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene,and menadione in murine P388D1 macrophages in vitro

Repletion of depleted cellular reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in oxidative stress and exposure to arylating agents is a strategy for the development of antidotes to chemical toxicity. The effect of GSH, reduced glutathione ethyl monoester (GSHEt), and reduced glutathione ethyl diester (GSHEt₂) on the cytotoxicity of hydrogen peroxide, 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), and menadione to P388D₁ macrophages in vitro was investigated. The median toxic concentration TC₅₀ values of the toxicants were hydrogen peroxide 24 ± 2 mM (N = 19), CDNB 63 ± 6 μM (N = 18), and menadione 30 ± 4 μM (N = 22). Reduced glutathione, GSHEt, and GSHEt₂ were poor antidotes to hydrogen peroxide toxicity. Indeed, the observed antidote effects were attributed to the nonenzymatic reaction of the GSH derivatives with hydrogen peroxide in the extracellular medium. Reduced glutathione ethyl diester was a more potent antidote of CDNB- and menadione-mediated toxicity than GSHEt and GSH. For cell incubations with the approximate median toxic concentration TC₅₀ values of hydrogen peroxide, CDNB, and menadione, the respective median effective antidote concentration EC₅₀ values were GSHEt 23.8 ± 4.1 mM (N = 9), 3.6 ± 0.6 mM (N = 11), and 226 ± 93 μM (N = 12); and GSHEt₂ 20.4 ± 1.9 mM (N = 6), 603 ± 2 μM (N = 9), and 7.6 ± 2.3 μM (N = 12). Reduced glutathione ethyl diester was a potent antidote to CDNB- and menadione-induced toxicities but not to hydrogen peroxide-induced toxicity under acute intoxication conditions. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Stress-elicited changes in amino acid levels of hemolymph of Aplysia californica

The effects of stress produced by noxious cutaneous stimulation on the concentration of 18 amino acids in the hemolymph of Aplysia californica were examined. The concentration of alanine and glutamate increased in response to stress and remained elevated for at least 6 h. The total amino acid concentration in the hemolymph did not change significantly in response to stress. It is concluded that stress evokes an increase in circulating alanine and glutamate levels. These factors may then act in a paracrine, endocrine, or neuroendocrine manner to modify stress-associated behaviors.Abbreviations AA amino acids(s) - bw body weight - SEM standard error of the mean - SW sea water     

Physiological Elevations of Glucocorticoids Potentiate Glutamate Accumulation in the Hippocampus

Abstract: Glucocorticoids (GCs) are secreted during stress and can damage the hippocampus over the course of aging and impair the capacity of hippocampal neurons to survive excitotoxic insults. Using microdialysis, we have previously observed that GCs augment the extracellular accumulation of glutamate and aspartate in the hippocampus following kainic acid-induced seizures. In that study, adrenalectomized rats maintained on minimal GC concentrations were compared with those exposed to GCs elevated to near-pharmacological levels. We wished to gain insight into the physiological relevance of these observations. Thus, we have examined the effects of GCs over the normal physiological range on glutamate and aspartate profiles; this was done by implanting adrenalectomized rats with GC-secreting pellets, which produce stable and controllable circulating GC concentrations. We observe that incremental increases in GC concentrations cause incremental increases in glutamate accumulation before the kainic acid insult, as well as in the magnitude of the glutamate response to kainic acid. Elevating GC concentrations from the circadian trough to peak doubled cumulative glutamate accumulation, whereas a rise into the stress range caused a fourfold increase in accumulation. Similar, although smaller, effects also occurred with aspartate accumulation (as well as with taurine but not glutamine accumulation). These data show that the highly elevated GC concentrations that accompany neurological insults such as seizure or hypoxia-ischemia will greatly exacerbate the glutamate accumulation at that time. Furthermore, stress levels of GCs augmented glutamate accumulation even in the absence of an excitotoxic insult, perhaps explaining how sustained stress itself damages the hippocampus. Finally, even the moderately ?levated basal GC concentrations that typically occur in aged rats augmented glutamate accumulation, perhaps explaining how GCs damage the hippocampus over the course of normal aging.     

Genetic,phenotypic, and environmental correlations in black medic,Medicago lupulina L., grown in three different environments

We have investigated the relationship between phenotypic and genetic correlations among a large number of quantitative traits (36) in three different environments in order to determine their degree of disparity and whether phenotypic correlations could be substituted for their genetic counterparts whatever the environment. We also studied the influence of the environment on genetic and phenotypic correlations. Twenty accessions (full-sib families) ofMedicago luPulina were grown in three environments. In two of these two levels of environmental stress were generated by harvesting plants at flowering and by growing plants in competition with barley, respectively. A third environment, with no treatment, was used as a control with no stress. Average values of pod and shoot weight indicate that competition induces the highest level of stress. The genetic and phenotypic correlations among the 36 traits were compared. Significant phenotypic correlations were obtained easily, while there was no genetic variation for 1 or the 2 characters being correlated. The large positive correlation between the genetic and phenotypic correlation matrices indicated a good proportionality between genetic and phenotypic correlations matrices but not their similarity. In a given environment, when only those traits with a significant genetic variance were taken into account, there were still differences between genetic and phenotypic correlations, even when levels of significance for phenotypic correlations were lowered. Consequently, it is dangerous to substitute phenotypic correlations for genetic correlations. The number of traits that showed genetic variability increased with increasing environmental stress, consequently the number of significant genetic correlations also increased with increasing environmental stress. In contrast, the number of significant phenotypic correlations was not influnced by the environment. The structures of both phenotypic and genetic matrices, however, depended on the environment, and not in the same way for both matrices.     

A putative catabolite-repressed cell wall protein from the mycoparasitic fungus Trichoderma harzianum

A cDNA clone encoding a putative cell wall protein (Qid3) was isolated from a library prepared from chitin-induced mRNA in cultures of the mycoparasitic fungus Trichoderma harzianum. The predicted 14 kDa protein shows a potential signal peptide, several hydrophobic domains and certain motifs that are structurally similar to proline-rich and glycine-rich plant cell wall proteins. Expression of the qid3 gene is derepressed in the absence of glucose. When introduced in yeast, qid3 expression causes cell division arrest into cytokinesis and cell separation, probably due to its cell wall localization.