ATPase Inhibitor (atpase + inhibitor)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


A Vacuolar ATPase Inhibitor, FR167356, Prevents Bone Resorption in Ovariectomized Rats With High Potency and Specificity: Potential for Clinical Application,

JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 9 2005
Kazuaki Niikura MS
Abstract FR167356, a novel inhibitor of vacuolar ATPase, has high potency against osteoclast V-ATPase and low potency against lysosomal V-ATPase. FR167356 is the first compound of this nature to be tested. It has the potential to be useful for clinical application. Introduction: It has been suggested that the key issue regarding the therapeutic usefulness of V-ATPase inhibitors is their selectivity. Materials and Methods: In in vitro and in vivo studies, we compared FR167356 with other vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) inhibitors, bafilomycin A1 and SB242784. H+ transport by various membrane vesicles was assayed by measuring uptake of acridine orange. Inhibitory activity against in vitro bone resorption was examined by measuring the Ca2+ release from cultured calvariae. In vivo, hypercalcemia was induced by retinoic acid in thyroparathyroidectomized-ovariectomized rats, and the effect on serum Ca2+ level was assessed. Ovariectomized rats were treated with FR167356 or SB242784. One week after surgery, free deoxypyridinoline levels in 24-h urine samples, which were collected from 6 h after administration of FR167356, were measured by ELISA. After 4 weeks of treatment, plasma biochemical parameters were analyzed. BMD of the distal femur metaphysis was measured with pQCT. Histomorphometric analysis of the proximal tibias was performed. Blood gases of rats treated with FR167356 were measured with a blood gas analyzer for estimating the effect of FR167356 on in vivo function of renal V-ATPase. Results: FR167356, which is distinctly different from other V-ATPase inhibitors, has a high potency against osteoclast V-ATPase and low potency against lysosomal V-ATPase. Similarly, FR167356 inhibited bone resorption in vitro when stimulated by PTH, IL-1, and IL-6. FR167356 reduced retinoic acid-induced hypercalcemia in thyroparathyroidectomized-ovariectomized rats in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, FR167356 was shown to restore BMD of ovariectomized rats caused by the inhibition of bone resorption. Ovariectomized rats treated with FR167356 did not show adverse symptoms, whereas SB242784 caused a decrease in body weight gain and significant changes in two plasma biochemical parameters. Interestingly, FR167356 treatment did not affect blood acid-base balance; however, FR167356 inhibited renal V-ATPase with a similar potency as for osteoclast V-ATPase inhibition. Conclusion: Comparison of FR167356 with SB242784 implies that the characteristics of FR167356 may be more appropriate for clinical application as a V-ATPase inhibitor. [source]


ChemInform Abstract: Furo[3,2-h]quinoline Derivatives as Gastric H+/K+ -ATPase Inhibitors.

CHEMINFORM, Issue 36 2002
Seung Kyu Kang
Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a "Full Text" option. The original article is trackable via the "References" option. [source]


Activation of a calcium entry pathway by sodium pyrithione in the bag cell neurons of Aplysia

DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2004
Ronald J. Knox
Abstract The ability of sodium pyrithione (NaP), an agent that produces delayed neuropathy in some species, to alter neuronal physiology was accessed using ratiometric imaging of cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in fura PE-filled cultured Aplysia bag cell neurons. Bath-application of NaP evoked a [Ca2+]i elevation in both somata and neurites with an EC50 of ,300 nM and a Hill coefficient of ,1. The response required the presence of external Ca2+, had an onset of 3,5 min, and generally reached a maximum within 30 min. 2-Methyl-sulfonylpyridine, a metabolite and close structural analog of NaP, did not elevate [Ca2+]i. Under whole-cell current-clamp recording, NaP produced a ,14 mV depolarization of resting membrane potential that was dependent on external Ca2+. These data suggested that NaP stimulates Ca2+ entry across the plasma membrane. To minimize the possibility that a change in cytosolic pH was the basis for NaP-induced Ca2+ entry, bag cell neuron intracellular pH was estimated with the dye 2,,7,-bis(carboxyethyl-5(6)-carboxy-fluorescein acetoxy methylester. Exposure of the neurons to NaP did not alter intracellular pH. The slow onset and sustained nature of the NaP response suggested that a cation exchange mechanism coupled either directly or indirectly to Ca2+ entry could underlie the phenomenon. However, neither ouabain, a Na+/K+ ATPase inhibitor, nor removal of extracellular Na+, which eliminates Na+/Ca2+ exchanger activity, altered the NaP-induced [Ca2+]i elevation. Finally, the possibility that NaP gates a Ca2+ -permeable ion channel in the plasma membrane was examined. NaP did not appear to activate two major forms of bag cell neuron Ca2+ -permeable ion channels, as Ca2+ entry was unaffected by inhibition of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels using nifedipine or by inhibition of a voltage-dependent, nonselective cation channel using a high concentration of tetrodotoxin. In contrast, two potential store-operated Ca2+ entry current inhibitors, SKF-96365 and Ni2+, attenuated NaP-induced Ca2+ entry. We conclude that NaP activates a slow, persistent Ca2+ influx in Aplysia bag cell neurons. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol 411,423, 2004 [source]


Mechanisms of substrate transport-induced clustering of a glial glutamate transporter GLT-1 in astroglial,neuronal cultures

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 9 2008
Takayuki Nakagawa
Abstract Glutamate uptake by the Na+ -dependent glutamate transporter GLT-1, which is predominantly expressed in astrocytes, is crucial for regulating glutamate concentration at the synaptic cleft and achieving proper excitatory neurotransmission. A body of evidence suggests that GLT-1 constitutively traffics between the plasma membrane and endosomes via an endocytosis/recycling pathway, and forms a cluster. Here, we report substrate transport via GLT-1-induced formation of GLT-1 cluster accompanied by intracellular trafficking in rat astroglial,neuronal cultures. We constructed a recombinant adenovirus expressing enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP)-tagged GLT-1. Adenoviral infection resulted in the expression of functional GLT-1,EGFP preferentially in astrocytes, partly as clusters. Treatment with glutamate, but not N -methyl-D-aspartate, dramatically increased the number of GLT-1 clusters within 1 h. The estimated EC50 value of glutamate was 240 ,m. In addition, glutamate decreased the cell surface expression and increased the intracellular expression of GLT-1. The GLT-1 clusters were found in early and recycling endosomes and partly in lysosomes, and were inhibited by blockade of endocytotic pathways. Ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists had no effect on glutamate-induced GLT-1 clustering. The non-transportable glutamate uptake inhibitors (2S,3S)-3-[3-[4-(trifluoromethyl)benzoylamino]benzyloxy]aspartate and dihydrokainate, as well as Na+ -free conditions, prevented the glutamate-induced GLT-1 clustering, whereas the competitive substrates, aspartate and L- trans -pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylate, induced GLT-1 clustering. Furthermore, the Na+/K+ -ATPase inhibitor, ouabain, and the Na+ ionophores, gramicidin and monensin, produced GLT-1 clustering. Modulators of intracellular Ca2+signaling or membrane depolarization had no effect on GLT-1 clustering. Taken together, these results suggest that Na+ influx associated with GLT-1 substrate transport triggers the formation of GLT-1 clusters accompanied by intracellular trafficking via endocytotic pathways in astrocytes. [source]


Characterization of the myo -inositol transport system in Trypanosoma cruzi

FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 9 2000
Marcelo Einicker-Lamas
myo -Inositol is a growth factor for mammalian cells as well as for the pathogenic protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi. Most of the cell surface molecules in this organism rely on myo -inositol as the biosynthetic precursor for phosphoinositides and glycosylated phosphatidylinositols. The aim of this work was to investigate the process of myo -inositol translocation across the parasite cell membrane. myo -Inositol uptake was concentration-dependent in the concentration range 0.1,10 µm with maximal transport obtained at 8 µm. Using sodium-free buffers, where Na+ was replaced by choline or K+, myo -inositol uptake was inhibited by 50%. Furosemide, an inhibitor of the ouabain-insensitive Na+ -ATPase, inhibited the Na+ -dependent and Na+ -independent myo -inositol uptake by 68 and 33%, respectively. In contrast, ouabain, an (Na++/K+) ATPase inhibitor, did not affect transport. Part of the myo -inositol uptake is mediated by active transport as it was inhibited when energy metabolism inhibitors such as carbonyl cyanide p -(trifluoromethoxy)-phenylhydrazone (34%), 2,4-dinitrophenol (50%), KCN (71%) and NaN3 (69%) were added to the medium, or the temperature of the medium was lowered to 4 °C. The addition of glucose (5,50 mm) or mannose (10 mm) did not change the myo -inositol uptake, whereas the addition of 10 mm nonlabeled myo -inositol totally inhibited this transport, indicating that the transporter is specific for myo -inositol. Phloretin (0.3 mm) and phoridzin (5 mm), but not cytochalasin B, were efficient inhibitors of myo -inositol uptake. A portion of the accumulated myo -inositol is converted to inositol phosphates and phosphoinositides. These data show that myo -inositol transport in T. cruzi epimastigotes is mediated by at least two specific transporters , one Na+ -dependent and the other Na+ -independent. [source]


Detection of endogenous lithium in neuropsychiatric disorders,a model for biological transmutation

HUMAN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY: CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL, Issue 1 2002
Ravi Kumar Kurup
Abstract The human hypothalmus produces an endogenous membrane Na+ -K+ ATPase inhibitor, digoxin. A digoxin induced model of cellular/neuronal quantal state and perception has been described by the authors. Biological transmutation has been described in microbial systems in the quantal state. The study focuses on the plasma levels of digoxin, RBC membrane Na+ -K+ ATPase activity, plasma levels of magnesium and lithium in neuropsychiatric and systemic disorders. Inhibition of RBC membrane Na+ -K+ ATPase activity was observed in most cases along with an increase in the levels of serum digoxin and lithium and a decrease in the level of serum Mg++. The generation of endogenous lithium would obviously occur due to biological transmutation from magnesium. Digoxin and lithium together can produce added membrane Na+ -K+ ATPase inhibition. The role of membrane Na+ -K+ ATPase inhibition in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric and systemic disorders is discussed. The inhibition of membrane Na+ -K+ ATPase can contribute to an increase in intracellular calcium and a decrease in magnesium, which can result in a defective neurotransmitter transport mechanism, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis, defective golgi body function and protein processing dysfunction, immune dysfunction and oncogenesis. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Actin and myosin regulate cytoplasm stiffness in plant cells: a study using optical tweezers

NEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 1 2010
Hannie S. Van Der Honing
Summary ,,Here, we produced cytoplasmic protrusions with optical tweezers in mature BY-2 suspension cultured cells to study the parameters involved in the movement of actin filaments during changes in cytoplasmic organization and to determine whether stiffness is an actin-related property of plant cytoplasm. ,,Optical tweezers were used to create cytoplasmic protrusions resembling cytoplasmic strands. Simultaneously, the behavior of the actin cytoskeleton was imaged. ,,After actin filament depolymerization, less force was needed to create cytoplasmic protrusions. During treatment with the myosin ATPase inhibitor 2,3-butanedione monoxime, more trapping force was needed to create and maintain cytoplasmic protrusions. Thus, the presence of actin filaments and, even more so, the deactivation of a 2,3-butanedione monoxime-sensitive factor, probably myosin, stiffens the cytoplasm. During 2,3-butanedione monoxime treatment, none of the tweezer-formed protrusions contained filamentous actin, showing that a 2,3-butanedione monoxime-sensitive factor, probably myosin, is responsible for the movement of actin filaments, and implying that myosin serves as a static cross-linker of actin filaments when its motor function is inhibited. The presence of actin filaments does not delay the collapse of cytoplasmic protrusions after tweezer release. ,,Myosin-based reorganization of the existing actin cytoskeleton could be the basis for new cytoplasmic strand formation, and thus the production of an organized cytoarchitecture. [source]


Actin-Based Motility in the Net Slime Mould Labyrinthula: Evidence for the Role of Myosin in Gliding Movement

THE JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 6 2005
TERENCE M. PRESTON
Abstract. In contrast to crawling movement (e.g. in amoebae and tissue cells) the other major class of substratum-associated motility in eukaryotes, gliding, has received relatively little attention. The net slime mold Labyrinthula provides a useful laboratory model for studying this process since it exhibits a particular kind of gliding in its plasmodial stage. Here nucleated spindle cells glide along self-established cytoplasmic trackways in a predominantly unidirectional manner, at 1,2 ,m/s. These trackways, upon which gliding is dependent, are held by filopodial tethers some distance off the well-developed reticulopodial mesh anchoring the plasmodium onto the substratum. Reflection interference microscopy resolves this matrix in live plasmodia. The axially disposed cytoskeletal elements of the trackways are revealed by rhodamine-labelled phalloidin to be rich in F-actin. A weft of peripheral, rapidly extending filopodia (50 ,m/min) typifies the expanding regions of the plasmodium. Here spindle cells are recruited before emigrating into newly differentiated trackways. Immunoblotting whole plasmodia or a sucrose-soluble cytoplasmic extract reveals a single actin-positive band of Mr 48 kDa. Polyclonal antibodies to two distinct myosin peptide sequences identify a single myosin HC (Mr 96 kDa) in immunoblots. Gliding was reversibly blocked by 10 mM 2,3-butanedione-2-monoxime, a myosin ATPase inhibitor, but it was insensitive to the actin-binding drugs cytochalasin D and phalloidin. We suggest that the force (>50 pN) for gliding motility results from interaction of myosin molecules, associated with the spindle cells, with trackway F-actin via the bothrosomes. [source]


Visualization of localized store-operated calcium entry in mouse astrocytes.

THE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 3 2005
Close proximity to the endoplasmic reticulum
Unloading of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ stores activates influx of extracellular Ca2+ through ,store-operated' Ca2+ channels (SOCs) in the plasma membrane (PM) of most cells, including astrocytes. A key unresolved issue concerning SOC function is their spatial relationship to ER Ca2+ stores. Here, using high resolution imaging with the membrane-associated Ca2+ indicator, FFP-18, it is shown that store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) in primary cultured mouse cortical astrocytes occurs at plasma membrane,ER junctions. In the absence of extracellular Ca2+, depletion of ER Ca2+ stores using cyclopiazonic acid, an ER Ca2+ -ATPase inhibitor, and caffeine transiently increases the sub-plasma-membrane Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]SPM) within a restricted space between the plasma membrane and adjacent ER. Restoration of extracellular Ca2+ causes localized Ca2+ influx that first increases [Ca2+]SPM in the same restricted regions and then, with a delay, in ER-free regions. Antisense knockdown of the TRPC1 gene, proposed to encode endogenous SOCs, markedly reduces SOCE measured with Fura-2. High resolution immunocytochemistry with anti-TRPC1 antibody reveals that these TRPC-encoded SOCs are confined to the PM microdomains adjacent to the underlying ,junctional' ER. Thus, Ca2+ entry through TRPC-encoded SOCs is closely linked, not only functionally, but also structurally, to the ER Ca2+ stores. [source]


Intracellular Na+ and Ca2+ modulation increases the tensile properties of developing engineered articular cartilage

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 4 2010
Roman M. Natoli
Objective Significant collagen content and tensile properties are difficult to achieve in tissue-engineered articular cartilage. The aim of this study was to investigate whether treating developing tissue-engineered cartilage constructs with modulators of intracellular Na+ or Ca2+ could increase collagen concentration and construct tensile properties. Methods Inhibitors of Na+ ion transporters and stimulators of intracellular Ca2+ were investigated for their ability to affect articular cartilage development in a scaffoldless, 3-dimensional chondrocyte culture. Using a systematic approach, we applied ouabain (Na+/K+ -ATPase inhibitor), bumetanide (Na+/K+/2Cl, tritransporter inhibitor), histamine (cAMP activator), and ionomycin (a Ca2+ ionophore) to tissue-engineered constructs for 1 hour daily on days 10,14 of culture and examined the constructs at 2 weeks or 4 weeks. The gross morphology, biochemical content, and compressive and tensile mechanical properties of the constructs were assayed. Results The results of these experiments showed that 20 ,M ouabain, 0.3 ,M ionomycin, or their combination increased the tensile modulus by 40,95% compared with untreated controls and resulted in an increased amount of collagen normalized to construct wet weight. In constructs exposed to ouabain, the increased percentage of collagen per construct wet weight was secondary to decreased glycosaminoglycan production on a per-cell basis. Treatment with 20 ,M ouabain also increased the ultimate tensile strength of neo-tissue by 56,86% at 4 weeks. Other construct properties, such as construct growth and type I collagen production, were affected differently by Na+ modulation with ouabain versus Ca2+ modulation with ionomycin. Conclusion These data are the first to show that treatments known to alter intracellular ion concentrations are a viable method for increasing the mechanical properties of engineered articular cartilage and identifying potentially important relationships to hydrostatic pressure mechanotransduction. Ouabain and ionomycin may be useful pharmacologic agents for increasing tensile integrity and directing construct maturation. [source]


In vitro metabolism of a new H+/K+ ATPase inhibitor DBM-819 in liver microsomes using HPLC and electrospray mass spectrometry

BIOMEDICAL CHROMATOGRAPHY, Issue 8 2001
Sung Jin Choi
The metabolism of 1-(2-methyl-4-methoxyphenyl)-4-[(3-hydroxypropyl)amino]-6-methyl-2,3-dihydropyrrolo[3,2c]quinoline (DBM-819), a new H+/K+ ATPase inhibitor, has been studied by HPLC with spectrometric detection and on-line LC-electrospray mass spectrometry. In vitro incubation of DBM-819 with rat liver microsomes in the presence of NADPH resulted in the production of four metabolites (M1-4), whereas DBM-819 was oxidized to two metabolites, M2 and M4, by human liver microsomes. M2, M3 and M4 were identified as O-demethyl-DBM-819, 8-hydroxy-DBM-819 and N-dehydroxypropyl-DBM-819, respectively, based on LC/MS/MS analysis with authentic standards. M1 was tentatively identified as 1-(hydroxy-2-methyl-4-methoxyphenyl)-4-[(3-hydroxypropyl)amino]-6-methyl-2,3-dihydropyrrolo[3,2c]quinoline. Rat liver CYP1A1/2 catalyzed the oxidation of DBM-819 to 8-hydroxy-DBM-819 and N-dehydroxypropyl-DBM-819. Human CYP3A4 was a major isozyme for the formation of O-demethyl-DBM-819 as well as N-dehydroxypropyl-DBM-819. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Role of sarcoplasmic reticulum in control of membrane potential and nitrergic response in opossum lower esophageal sphincter

BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 6 2003
Yong Zhang
We previously demonstrated that a balance of Ca2+ -activated Cl, current (ICl(Ca)) and K+ current activity sets the resting membrane potential of opossum lower esophageal sphincter (LES) circular smooth muscle at ,,41 mV, which leads to continuous spike-like action potentials and the generation of basal tone. Ionic mechanisms underlying this basal ICl(Ca) activity and its nitrergic regulation remain unclear. Recent studies suggest that spontaneous Ca2+ release from sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) play important roles. The current study investigated this possibility. Conventional intracellular recordings were performed on circular smooth muscle of opossum LES. Nerve responses were evoked by electrical square wave pulses of 0.5 ms duration at 20 Hz. In the presence of nifedipine (1 ,M), substance P (1 ,M), atropine (3 ,M) and guanethidine (3 ,M), intracellular recordings demonstrated a resting membrane potential (MP) of ,38.1±0.7 mV (n=25) with spontaneous membrane potential fluctuations (MPfs) of 1,3 mV. Four pulses of nerve stimulation induced slow inhibitory junction potentials (sIJPs) with an amplitude of 6.1±0.3 mV and a half-amplitude duration of 1926±147 ms (n=25). 1H -[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ), a specific guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, abolished sIJPs, but had no effects on MPfs. Caffeine, a ryanodine receptor agonist, hyperpolarized MP and abolished sIJPs and MPfs. Ryanodine (20 ,M) inhibited the sIJP and induced biphasic effects on MP, an initial small hyperpolarization followed by a large depolarization. sIJPs and MPfs were also inhibited by cyclopiazonic acid, an SR Ca2+ ATPase inhibitor. Specific ICl(Ca) and MLCK inhibitors hyperpolarized the MP and inhibited MPfs and sIJPs. These data suggest that (1) spontaneous release of Ca2+ from the SR activates ICl(Ca), which in turn contributes to resting membrane potential; (2) MLCK is involved in activation of ICl(Ca); (3) inhibition of ICl(Ca) is likely to underlie sIJPs induced by nitrergic innervation. British Journal of Pharmacology (2003) 140, 1097,1107. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0705537 [source]


Loperamide mobilizes intracellular Ca2+ stores in insulin-secreting HIT-T15 cells

BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 2 2003
Li-Ping He
We have investigated the effects of loperamide on intracellular Ca2+ stores and membrane K+ channels in insulin-secreting hamster insulinoma (HIT-T15) cells. In cell-attached patch-clamp mode, loperamide (3,250 ,M) activated large single-channel currents. The loperamide-activated currents were tentatively identified as Ca2+ -activated K+ channel (KCa) currents based on their single-channel conductance (145 pS), apparent reversal potential, and insensitivity to tolbutamide. Smaller single-channel currents with a conductance (32 pS) indicative of adenosine triphosphate-sensitive K+ channels (KATP channels) were also recorded, but were insensitive to loperamide. Surprisingly, the loperamide-activated currents persisted in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Yet under these conditions, we still measured loperamide-induced Ca2+ increases. These effects are dose dependent. Loperamide had no effects in the inside-out patch configuration, suggesting that loperamide does not directly activate the channels with large conductance, but does so secondarily to release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. Carbachol (100 ,M), an agonist of muscarinic receptors, which mediates IP3 -dependent intracellular Ca2+ release, enhanced the effects of loperamide on KCa channels. Both the putative KCa currents and Ca2+ signals induced by loperamide (with ,0' [Ca2+]o) were abolished when the intracellular Ca2+ stores had been emptied by pretreating the cells with either carbachol or thapsigargin, an endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ -ATPase inhibitor that blocks reuptake of calcium. These data indicate that loperamide in insulin-secreting , -cells evokes intracellular Ca2+ release from IP3 -gated stores and activates membrane currents that appear to be carried by KCa, rather than KATP channels. British Journal of Pharmacology (2003) 139, 351,361. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0705263 [source]


Characterization of DNA transport in the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB27

FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 18 2006
Cornelia Schwarzenlander
Horizontal gene transfer has been a major force for genome plasticity over evolutionary history, and is largely responsible for fitness-enhancing traits, including antibiotic resistance and virulence factors. In particular, for adaptation of prokaryotes to extreme environments, lateral gene transfer seems to have played a crucial role. Recently, by performing a genome-wide mutagenesis approach with Thermus thermophilus HB27, we identified the first genes in a thermophilic bacterium for the uptake of free DNA, a process called natural transformation. Here, we present the first data on the biochemistry and bioenergetics of the DNA transport process in this thermophile. We report that linear and circular plasmid DNA are equally well taken up with a high maximal velocity of 1.5 µg DNA·(mg protein),1·min,1, demonstrating an extremely efficient binding and uptake rate of 40 kb·s,1·cell,1. Uncouplers and ATPase inhibitors immediately inhibited DNA uptake, providing clear evidence that DNA translocation in HB27 is an energy-dependent process. DNA uptake studies with genomic DNA of Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya revealed that Thermus thermophilus HB27 takes up DNA from members of all three domains of life. We propose that the extraordinary broad substrate specificity of the highly efficient Thermus thermophilus HB27 DNA uptake system may contribute significantly to thermoadaptation of Thermus thermophilus HB27 and to interdomain DNA transfer in hot environments. [source]


Hydrogen,potassium ATPase inhibitors induce relaxation on rabbit prostatic strips in vitro

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 11 2002
Ihsan Bagcivan
Summary Background : To determine the relaxant effect of omeprazole and lansaprazole, hydrogen,potassium (H+,K+) ATPase inhibitors, on rabbit prostatic tissue in vitro. Methods : Male New Zealand white rabbits were sacrificed and their prostatic tissues were removed. The prostatic stromal strips were mounted in organ baths and relaxation responses were obtained in precontracted tissues with phenylephrine, carbachol and potassium chloride (KCl). Relaxation responses were controlled in the presence of various antagonists to explain the mechanism for relaxation exerted by omeprazole and lansaprazole. Results : Omeprazole and lansaprazole caused similar relaxation responses in the prostatic strips precontracted with phenylephrine, carbachol and KCl. The addition of prostaglandin synthase inhibitor indomethacin, nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME, potassium channel blockers, glibenclamide and tetraethylammonium into the organ baths did not change the relaxations induced by omeprazole and lansaprazole in vitro. Conclusion : Omeprazole and lansaprazole cause a relaxation in prostatic stromal tissue precontracted with phenyephrine, carbachol and KC1 in vitro. This relaxant effect is independent of H+,K+ ATPase inhibition. Additionally, cyclooxygenase and nitric oxide pathways do not contribute to this relaxant effect. Further studies are required to determine whether these drugs may have a beneficial effect in the non-operative treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. [source]


The role of calcium on protein secretion of the albumen gland in Helisoma duryi (Gastropoda)

INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2004
Lana Kiehn
Abstract. The albumen gland of the freshwater pulmonate snail Helisoma duryi produces and secretes the perivitelline fluid, which coats fertilized eggs and provides nutrients to the developing embryos. It is known that perivitelline fluid secretion is stimulated by dopamine through the activation of a dopamine D1 -like receptor, which in turn stimulates cAMP production leading to the secretion of perivitelline fluid. This paper examines the glandular release of perivitelline fluid and provides evidence for the role of Ca2+ in the regulated secretion of perivitelline fluid based on protein secretion experiments and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate assays. Dopamine-stimulated protein secretion by the albumen gland is reduced in Ca2+ -free medium or in the presence of plasma membrane Ca2+ channel blockers, although the Ca2+ channel subtype involved is unclear. In addition, dopamine-stimulated protein secretion does not directly involve phospholipase C-generated signaling pathways and Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. Sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ -ATPase inhibitors had little effect on protein secretion when applied alone; however, they potentiated dopamine-stimulated protein secretion. Dantrolene, an inhibitor of ryanodine receptors, 8-(N,N-diethylamino)-octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate hydrochloride, a nonspecific inhibitor of intracellular Ca2+ channels, and 2-aminoethyldiphenylborate, an inhibitor of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors, did not suppress protein secretion, suggesting Ca2+ release from internal stores does not directly regulate protein secretion. Thus, the influx of Ca2+ from the extracellular space appears to be the major pathway mediating protein secretion by the albumen gland. The results are discussed with respect to the role of Ca2+ in controlling exocytosis of proteins from the albumen gland secretory cells. [source]


Interspecies differences in hepatic Ca2+ -ATPase activity and the effect of cold preservation on porcine liver Ca2+ -ATPase function

LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 2 2001
Piotr K. Janicki MD
The accumulation of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) caused by ischemia-reperfusion during liver transplantation has been implicated as a factor leading to primary graft nonfunction. Plasma membrane (PM) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ -adenosinetriphosphatases (ATPases) are the primary transporters that maintain [Ca2+]i homeostasis in the liver. We hypothesized that the porcine liver is better than the rat liver as a model for the study of human liver Ca2+ -ATPase activity. We also hypothesized that cold preservation would depress Ca2+ -ATPase activity in the porcine liver. Pig and rat livers were harvested, and human liver samples were obtained from surgical resection specimens. All were preserved with University of Wisconsin solution, and porcine livers were also preserved on ice for 2 to 18 hours. Ca2+ -ATPase activity was measured after incubation with 45Ca2+ and adenosine triphosphate in the presence of specific Ca2+ -ATPase inhibitors. Porcine PM and ER Ca2+ -ATPase activities were 0.47 ± 0.03 and 1.57 ± 0.10 nmol of Ca2+/mg of protein/min, respectively. This was not significantly different from human liver, whereas rat liver was significantly greater at 2.60 ± 0.03 and 9.2 ± 0.9 nmol of Ca2+/mg of protein/min, respectively. We conclude that the Ca2+ -ATPase activity in the pig liver is equivalent to that of human liver, and thus, the pig liver is a better model than the rat liver. Cold preservation studies showed a significant decrease in porcine hepatic PM Ca2+ -ATPase activity after 4 hours of storage and near-total inhibition after 12 hours. Porcine hepatic ER Ca2+ -ATPase activity showed a 45% decrease in activity by 12 hours and a 69% decrease by 18 hours. We conclude that cold ischemia at clinically relevant times depresses PM Ca2+ -ATPase more than ER Ca2+ -ATPase activity in pig liver homogenates. [source]