Survival-promoting activity of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide in the presence of phosphodiesterase inhibitors on rat motoneurons in culture: cAMP-protein kinase A-mediated survival

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) has been shown to be neurotrophic or neuroprotective in various neurons in culture. It is expressed in spinal motoneurons in vivo and its expression is increased markedly after axotomy, suggesting a neuroprotective role via an autocrine mechanism. However, neurotrophic activity of PACAP has not been reported for motoneurons. In the present study, we investigated the effects of PACAP on rat motoneurons in culture. In the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, PACAP showed significant neurotrophic activity at concentrations as low as 0.01 nM. Previously, we found that glutamate was excitotoxic to motoneurons even in the presence of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which is neurotrophic for motoneurons. PACAP with a phosphodiesterase inhibitor protected motoneurons against this excitotoxicity. The activity of PACAP was inhibited by the protein kinase A inhibitor N-[2-(p-bromocinnamylamino) ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide dihydrochloride, as was the case with the activity of forskolin, suggesting downstream involvement of a cAMP-protein kinase A signaling pathway. The present results may suggest a physiological role of PACAP in vivo, and implicate the PACAP-cAMP signaling pathway for the possible therapeutic target of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as glutamate excitotoxicity was suggested in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.     

Dependence of trans-ADP-ribosylation and nuclear glycolysis on the Arg 34-ATP complex of Zn2+ finger I of poly-ADP-ribose polymerase-1

The H-bonded complex of ATP with Arg 34 of Zn2+ finger I of poly-ADP-ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1) determines trans-oligo-ADP-ribosylation from NAD+ to proteins other than PARP-1. This mechanism was tested in lysolecithin fractions of non-malignant and cancer cells separately and after their recombination. Cellular PARP-1 activity was recovered when the centrifugal sediment was recombined with the supernatant fraction containing cellular ADP-ribose oligomer acceptor proteins. Combination of the matrix fraction (Mx) of cancer cells (lacking OXPHOS) with its supernatant had the same PARP-1 activity as the Mx alone. The supernatant of non-malignant cells was replaced by glycolytic enzymes as ADP-ribose acceptor. The hexokinase activity of the supernatant increased when OXPHOS of intact cells was uncoupled by carbonyl cyanide 4-(trifluoro methoxy) phenylhydrazone. trans-ADP-ribosylation was demonstrated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Adenylate cyclase-mediated modulation of interaction between excitatory and inhibitory synaptic influences on smooth muscles

We found that nonadrenergic inhibitory synaptic potentials (ISP) induced by intramural stimulation in atropine-treated smooth muscles of the guinea-pig large intestine demonstrated no changes upon the influence of an activator of adenylate cyclase, forskolin. This indicates that cAMP-dependent pathways are not involved in the generation of ISP. However, in these muscles with no atropine pretreatment ISP were suppressed by forskolin; intramural stimulation evoked in these smooth muscle cells M-cholinergic excitatory synaptic potentials (ESP) instead of ISP. An increase in the intracellular cAMP concentration due to application of its membrane-penetrating form, dibutyryl-cAMP, did not mimic the above-described effect of forskolin. Hence, it can be supposed that the effect of forskolin on inhibitory synaptic transmission in the atropine-untreated smooth muscles is not related to changes in the intracellular cAMP level; this effect is determined by other mechanisms. The above differences between the effects of forskolin on ISP in the atropine-treated and atropine-untreated smooth muscle strips indicate that the interaction of intracellular signal pathways (probably, through protein G_q/11), which is observed with activation of adenylate cyclase, occurs under conditions of simultaneous activation of M cholinoreceptors and purinoreceptors. The pattern of adenylate cyclase-mediated modulation of inhibitory effects of purinergic neurons on smooth muscles does not allow us to rule out the possibility of involvement of interstitial cells of Cajal as a relay link providing this synaptic effect. Transmission of excitation from cholinergic nerve terminals to smooth muscles is realized without the participation of the interstitial cells of Cajal.Neirofiziologiya/Neurophysiology, Vol. 36, Nos. 5/6, pp. 438–445, September–December, 2004.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date and copyright year.     

垂体腺苷酸环化酶激活肽基因的合成表达与活性研究

根据文献报道垂体腺苷酸环化酶激活肽(pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide, PACAP)的氨基酸序列,推导出其核苷酸序列并设计成部分互补的6条寡核苷酸片段,利用DNA合成仪人工合成、纯化这6条寡核苷酸片段,通过片段退火、连接、克隆及测序鉴定获得了PACAP基因.将PACAP基因克隆至pGEX-4T-3质粒中转化BL21进行表达分析,融合蛋白约占细胞总蛋白的30％,其中部分为可溶性,部分以包涵体形式存在.通过亲和层析纯化GST-PACAP融合蛋白,该蛋白质能促进PC12细胞轴突生长及脊髓神经元存活.     

垂体腺苷酸环化酶激活肽基因的合成表达与活性研究

根据文献报道垂体腺苷酸环化酶激活肽(pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide, PACAP)的氨基酸序列,推导出其核苷酸序列并设计成部分互补的6条寡核苷酸片段,利用DNA合成仪人工合成、纯化这6条寡核苷酸片段,通过片段退火、连接、克隆及测序鉴定获得了PACAP基因.将PACAP基因克隆至pGEX-4T-3质粒中转化BL21进行表达分析,融合蛋白约占细胞总蛋白的30％,其中部分为可溶性,部分以包涵体形式存在.通过亲和层析纯化GST-PACAP融合蛋白,该蛋白质能促进PC12细胞轴突生长及脊髓神经元存活.     

Molecular characterization of an adenylate cyclase gene of the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis

A cyaA gene, encoding an adenylate cyclase, was isolated from a filamentous cyanobacterium, Spirulina platensis, by functional complementation of a cya mutant of Escherichia coli, defective in adenylate cyclase activity. The predicted gene product of cyaA contains a signal peptide-like domain, a putative sensor domain similar to the gene product of vsrA of Pseudomonas solanacearum, a putative membrane-spanning domain and an adenylate cyclase-like catalytic domain. Two other positive clones that complemented the E. coli mutant were isolated from the same cyanobacterium, suggesting that several cya genes are functioning in S. platensis.     

2′,3′-Isopropylidene Group,A Molecular Scaffold to Study the Activity of Adenosine and Adenylate Deaminase on Adenosine Analogues Modified in the Ribose Moiety

2 ′,3 ′-Isopropylidene group can be used as a molecular scaffold for the introduction of modifications at 5 ′ and 1 ′ positions of adenosine and these modified nucleosides are used to evaluate the biocatalytic activity of adenosine and adenylate deaminase.     

Modulation by Docosahexaenoic Acid of the Epinephrine-Stimulated Adenylate Cyclase Activity of the Bovine Retina

This work shows that unsaturated fatty acids enhance the epinephrine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in bovine retina. The modulating effect on the epinephrine-stimulated formation of cyclic AMP seems to be linked to the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acid. Treatment of the intact retina with docosahexaenoic acid in the concentration range 0.5 X 10(-6)-1 X 10(-3) M does not affect the enzyme activity measured in the absence of the hormone but markedly increases the cyclase activity when the tissue is incubated in the presence of 0.1 mM epinephrine. Docosahexaenoic acid enhances the maximal response to epinephrine without affecting the apparent ED50 value for this effector. Docosahexaenoic acid at 0.5 mM also increases the hormone-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in retinal cell-free homogenate, whereas it has no effect on the epinephrine-sensitive enzyme solubilized from the membrane fraction with 1% Triton X-305. When docosahexaenoic acid-preincubated intact retina and cell-free homogenate are incubated in the presence of defatted albumin, both the observed activating effect of the fatty acid on the epinephrine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity and the enhancement of the enzyme response to the hormone significantly diminish.     

Modulation byn-alkanols of rat cardiac adenylate cyclase activity

Summary n-Alkanols (from methanol to decanol) have a biphasic effect on rat cardiac adenylate cyclase either basal or stimulated by GTP, GppNHp, NaF or hormones (isoproterenol, glucagon, secretin) in the presence of GTP. At high concentration, all the enzyme activities are inhibited. At low concentration, adenylate cyclase activity is either unchanged or potentiated depending on both the stimulus and the alkanols involved. Potentiation is due to an increase of maximum velocity with no change in the activation constant of the enzyme. Basal activity is unchanged as well as the isoproterenol-and glucagon-stimulated enzyme. The secretin-stimulated enzyme is potentiated. It is the guanyl nucleotide regulatory protein-mediated stimulation of adenylate cyclase which is mainly affected. An attempt was made to relate these effects on adenylate cyclase with physical parameters of the alkanols (partition coefficient). From the data obtained as a function of the alkanol chain-length and of temperature on the adenylate cyclase stimulated by GTP, GppNHp, NaF and permanently activated, it is concluded that the increase in efficacy observed in the presence of alkanol is due to an interaction with the protein moeity particularly with the guanyl nucleotide regulatory protein.     

Stimulation of Guanosine 5'-O-(3-[35S]Thiotriphosphate) Binding by Cholinergic Muscarinic Receptors in Membranes of Rat Olfactory Bulb

Abstract: In membranes of rat olfactory bulb, a brain region in which muscarinic agonists increase cyclic AMP formation, the muscarinic stimulation of guanosine 5'- O -(3-[³⁵S]thiotriphosphate) ([³⁵S]GTPγS) binding was used as a tool to investigate the receptor interaction with the guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins). The stimulation of the radioligand binding by carbachol (CCh) was optimal (threefold increase) in the presence of micromolar concentrations of GDP and 100 m M NaCl. Exposure to N -ethylmaleimide and pertussis toxin markedly inhibited the CCh effect, whereas it increased the relative stimulation of [³⁵S]GTPγS binding elicited by pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP). On the other hand, membrane treatment with cholera toxin curtailed the PACAP stimulation of [³⁵S]GTPγS binding but did not affect the response to CCh. Like CCh, a number of cholinergic agonists stimulated [³⁵S]GTPγS binding in a concentration-dependent and saturable manner. The antagonist profile of the muscarinic stimulation of [³⁵S]GTPγS binding was highly correlated with that displayed by the muscarinic stimulation of adenylyl cyclase. These data indicate that the olfactory bulb muscarinic receptors couple to G_i/G_o, but not to G_s, and support the possibility that activation of G_i/G_o mediates the stimulatory effect on adenylyl cyclase activity.