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Biomedical subjects

A Rothstein

Publications and source records attributed to A Rothstein.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Characterization of Na+/H+ exchange in platelets.

Acidification of the cytoplasm of human blood platelets leads to activation of Na+/H+ exchange. As a result, alkalinization occurs that is detectable by an intracellular fluorescent pH indicator. The activity of the exchanger can also be measured by the swelling of platelets suspended in Na-propionate medium using a Coulter Counter: the rapid entry of propionic acid leads to acidification and activation of Na+/H+ exchange with the parallel entry of Na+ and propionic acid leading to osmotic swelling. The Na+/H+ exchanger is sensitive to amiloride and to derivatives that are reported to be more specific inhibitors; it is specific for Na+ and Li+ with no measurable transfer of K+, Rb+ or Cs+; its Km for Na+ is 75 to 90 mM; it displays competitive behavior between Na+ and amiloride; its activity is decreased in cells loaded with Na+ by prolonged ouabain treatment; and it has a high temperature coefficient. These properties are in general similar to those of the exchanger in other cells. It is suggested that the Na+/H+ exchanger plays a role in platelet pH regulation.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Increased platelet Na+-H+ exchange rates in essential hypertension: application of a novel test.

Enhanced sodium-proton exchange may play a role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Na+-H+ exchange was measured indirectly in platelets as the rate of amiloride-sensitive and sodium-dependent volume gain of cells suspended in sodium-propionate; the cytoplasmic acidification induced by the permeant propionic acid activated the exchanger and the volume changes coupled to Na+ uptake were measured by cell sizing with a Coulter counter and 'Channelyzer'. The test was rapid, simple, and reproducible. 20 normotensives; 8 normotensives with a family history of hypertension; 15 patients with essential hypertension receiving medication; and 7 hypertensives who had not received any antihypertensive drugs were studied. The exchange rate constants of these groups were (mean [SE] in s-1 X 10(-3)) 13.1 (0.6); 15.5 (0.7); 18.4 (0.9); and 25.6 (2.8), respectively. The differences between hypertensives and normotensives were significant. Measurement of sodium-proton exchange in platelets may help to clarify the pathogenesis of hypertension.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed1987

Enhancement of conductive anion permeability in cultured cells by cetiedil.

Cetiedil, a drug that is reported to block K+-channels, substantially increases the conductive C1- permeability of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The permeability was monitored by volume changes in cells treated with gramicidin to increase the cation permeability. Under this circumstance, increases in Cl- conductances result in volume changes detectable by electronic sizing, with the direction determined by the gradients of the permeating ions. In NaCl or KCl media, swelling occurs, but in N-methylglucamine chloride, shrinking. The increases in Cl- conductance could also be measured as an increased 36Cl- flux or by changes in membrane potential (measured by fluorescence of a potential-sensitive dye) toward the Cl- equilibrium potential. The effect of cetiedil was concentration dependent, with maximal effect at 50 microM. The anion specificity for the conductance was NO3- greater than Cl- = Br- much greater than SO4-2 or isethionate. A number of other drugs that influence transport activities had no effect on Cl- conductance. The cetiedil effect on Cl- conductance was observed in one other cell line, but was absent in several other cell types. The cetiedil-induced Cl- conductance in CHO cells appears to involve a different pathway than that induced by exposure to hypotonic medium.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Volume-regulating behavior of human platelets.

Human platelets exposed to hypotonic media undergo an initial swelling followed by shrinking (regulatory volume decrease [RVD]). If the RVD is blocked, the degree of swelling is in accord with osmotic behavior. The cells could swell at least threefold without significant lysis. Two methods were used to follow the volume changes, electronic sizing and turbidimetry. Changes in shape produced only limited contribution to the measurements. The RVD was very rapid, essentially complete in 2 to 8 minutes, with a rate proportional to the degree of initial cell swelling. RVD involved a loss of KCl via volume-activated conductive permeability pathways for K+ and anions, presumably Cl-. In media containing greater than 50 mM KCl, the shrinking was inhibited and with higher concentrations was reversed (secondary swelling), suggesting that it is driven by the net gradient of K+ plus Cl-. The K+ pathway was specific for Rb+ and K+ compared to Li+ and Na+. The Cl- pathway accepted NO-3 and SCN- but not citrate or SO4(2-). In isotonic medium, the permeability of platelets to Cl- appeared to be low compared to that of K+. After hypotonic swelling both permeabilities were increased, but the Cl- permeability exceeded that of K+. The Cl- conductive pathway remained open as long as the cells were swollen. RVD was incomplete unless amiloride, an inhibitor of Na+/H+ exchange, was present or unless Na+ was replaced by an impermeant cation. In addition, acidification of the cytoplasm occurred upon cell swelling. This reduction in pHi appeared to activate Na+/H+ exchange, with a resultant uptake of Na+ and reduction in the rate and amount of shrinking. Like other cells, platelets responded to hypertonic shrinking with activation of Na+/H+ exchange, but regulatory volume increase was not detectable.

Amiloride↗
PubMed1987

Determination of urinary homovanillic acid using the nitrosonaphthol reaction.

Determination of urinary homovanillic acid (HVA) is an important analysis to establish the diagnosis and prognosis of neuroblastoma. A method is presented for the determination of this metabolite of dopamine using its reaction with 1-nitroso-2-naphthol and nitrous acid. The method has shown a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and efficiency of 100%, 97.4%, 92.3%, 100%, and 98%, respectively. In the last two years, four new cases of neuroblastoma have been diagnosed, with the use of this method, one of which has no increase in the concentration of urinary vanillylmandelic acid.

Calibration↗
PubMed1986

Nonlogical factors in research: chance and serendipity.

Although successful biological research appears to be based on logical inference, on systematic accumulation of information, and on evaluation and hypothesis testing, many nonlogical, unpredictable factors may play an important role or even open new avenues of research. These may include emotional decisions, laboratory accidents, the impact of unanticipated external events, unplanned interactions with other scientists, and relationships with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Based on personal experiences, the impact of such nonlogical factors, if exploited fully, can be considerable.

Decision Making↗
PubMed1985

The topology of the major band 4.5 protein component of the human erythrocyte membrane: characterization of reactive cysteine residues.

A preparation of band 4.5 protein of the red cell membrane, containing largely the sugar transporter, was labelled with the sulfhydryl reagent N-ethyl [14C]maleimide. In preparations denatured with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), all five sulfhydryl groups present in the peptide, Mr 45 000 to 60 000, react with the alkylating agent within 20 min at 37 degrees C. If the peptide is reconstituted in lipid vesicles and cleaved with trypsin before extraction and denaturation with SDS, three sulfhydryl groups are found in a 30 kDa fragment and two in a 19 kDa fragment. In 'native' reconstituted protein only three groups react, even after two hours of exposure, two in the 30 kDa fragment and one in the 19 kDa fragment. Thus, one sulfhydryl group is cryptic, inaccessible to N-ethylmaleimide in each fragment. In intact cells, the single reactive group of the 19 kDa fragment can be protected against reaction with N-ethylmaleimide by the impermeant sulfhydryl reagent, p-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate (PCMBS). It is, therefore, considered to be exposed on the outer face of the membrane. The two reactive groups of the 30 kDa fragment are not protected by PCMBS and are, therefore, not considered to be exposed to the outside medium. Cytochalasin B, a competitive inhibitor of sugar transport affords temporary protection of the exofacial group of the 19 kDa against reaction with N-ethylmaleimide, and affords longer term protection of one of the reactive groups of the 30 kDa fragment. These findings allow conclusions about the topology of the sugar transport protein in the bilayer. Both proteolytic fragments must cross the bilayer. One of three reactive sulfhydryl groups is exofacial and two may be cytoplasmic. The two cryptic groups may be located within the bilayer.

Blood Proteins↗
PubMed1985

Chemical modification of the Na+/H+ exchanger of thymic lymphocytes. Inhibition by N-ethylmaleimide.

A Na+/H+ exchanger is involved in the regulation of cytoplasmic pH and cellular volume in a variety of cells. Little is known about the molecular nature of this exchanger. The purpose of this study was to survey a variety of group-specific covalent reagents as potential inhibitors of the exchanger. Na+/H+ countertransport activity was assayed as the amiloride-sensitive rate of Na+-induced alkalinization in acid-loaded lymphocytes, or as the rate of swelling in cells suspended in sodium propionate medium. Activity was not affected by proteinases or by carboxyl-group and amino-group specific reagents. A significant inhibition was produced by diethylpyrocarbonate, a histidine-specific reagent and by N-ethylmaleimide, a sulfhydryl group reagent. A similarly reactive but nonpermeating sulfhydryl agent, glutathione-maleimide, failed to inhibit Na+-H+ exchange. Moreover, the reaction with N-ethylmaleimide was sensitive to changes in the cytoplasmic pH. The data suggest that the chemically reactive groups of the Na+/H+ exchanger of lymphocytes have limited exposure to the extracellular medium but that an internally located sulfhydryl group is critical for the cation-exchange activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Characterization of the activation of Na+/H+ exchange in lymphocytes by phorbol esters: change in cytoplasmic pH dependence of the antiport.

Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and other phorbol esters induce an intracellular alkalinization in rat thymic lymphocytes. An extracellular acidification can be recorded concomitantly. This transmembrane H+ (equivalent) flux is dependent on external Na+ and is amiloride sensitive. Phorbol esters also stimulate an amiloride-sensitive uptake of 22Na+, suggesting activation of Na+o/H+i exchange. Only those phorbol derivatives that are tumor promoters and activators of protein kinase C stimulate the antiport. Activation of the Na+/H+ exchange is brought about by a change in the cytoplasmic pH sensitivity of the antiport. Activation of the Na+/H+ exchanger by phorbol esters results in membrane hyperpolarization, due to indirect stimulation of the electrogenic Na+/K+ pump by the increased intracellular Na+ concentration. Increased Na+/H+ exchange also produces cell swelling, which may be one of the earliest manifestations of the growth-promoting properties of the phorbol esters.

Amiloride↗
PubMed1985

Osmotic and phorbol ester-induced activation of Na+/H+ exchange: possible role of protein phosphorylation in lymphocyte volume regulation.

The Na+/H+ antiport is stimulated by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13, acetate (TPA) and other phorbol esters in rat thymic lymphocytes. Mediation by protein kinase C is suggested by three findings: (a) 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol also activated the antiport; (b) trifluoperazine, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, blocked the stimulation of Na+/H+ exchange; and (c) activation of countertransport was accompanied by increased phosphorylation of specific membrane proteins. The Na+/H+ antiport is also activated by osmotic cell shrinking. The time course, extent, and reversibility of the osmotically induced and phorbol ester-induced responses are similar. Moreover, the responses are not additive and they are equally susceptible to inhibition by trifluoperazine, N-ethylmaleimide, and ATP depletion. The extensive analogies between the TPA and osmotically induced effects suggested a common underlying mechanism, possibly activation of a protein kinase. It is conceivable that osmotic shrinkage initiates the following sequence of events: stimulation of protein kinase(s) followed by activation of the Na+/H+ antiport, resulting in cytoplasmic alkalinization. The Na+ taken up through the antiport, together with the HCO3- and Cl- accumulated in the cells as a result of the cytoplasmic alkalinization, would be followed by osmotically obliged water. This series of events could underlie the phenomenon of regulatory volume increase.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1985

Mechanism of osmotic activation of Na+/H+ exchange in rat thymic lymphocytes.

The activity of the Na+/H+ exchange system of rat thymic lymphocytes was determined by means of intracellular (pHi) and extracellular pH (pH0) measurements. In isotonic media, the antiport is virtually quiescent at physiological pHi (7.0-7.1), but is greatly activated by cytoplasmic acidification. At normal pHi, the antiport can also be activated by osmotic shrinking. Osmotic activation occurs after a delay of 20-30 s and is reversed several minutes after iso-osmolarity is restored. The mechanism of activation was analyzed by comparing the kinetic parameters of transport in resting (isotonic) and hyperosmotically stressed cells. The affinities of the external substrate site for Na+ and H+ are not altered in shrunken cells. In contrast, the Hi+ sensitivity of the antiport (which is largely dictated by an allosteric modifier site) was increased, which accounted for the activation. The concentration of free cytoplasmic Ca2+ [( Ca2+]i) increased after osmotic shrinking. This increase was dependent on the presence of extracellular Ca2+ and Na+ and was blocked by inhibitors of Na+/H+ exchange, which suggests that it is a consequence, rather than the cause, of the activation of the antiport. It is concluded that the shift in the pHi dependence of the modifier site of the Na+/H+ antiport is the primary event underlying the regulatory volume increase that follows osmotic shrinkage.

Amiloride↗
PubMed1985

Cation and anion transport pathways in volume regulatory response of human lymphocytes to hyposmotic media.

The regulatory volume decrease of osmotically swollen human peripheral blood lymphocytes can be inhibited by agents acting on volume-activated K+- or Cl--transport pathways. Quinine, cetiedil, and 3,3'-dipropylthiadicarbocyanine were found to block the volume-induced K+ transport by interaction with sites on the outside face of the membrane, perhaps by competition with external K+. Drugs known to influence calmodulin action inhibit both volume-induced K+ and Cl- transport to varying degrees. Those inhibitors, particularly of K+ transport, are correlated with their calmodulin-antagonist activity. Penetrating sulfhydryl (SH) reagents (in contrast to nonpenetrating ones) are potent inhibitors of both volume-induced K+ and Cl- movements, indicating the presence of functionally important SH groups located within the membrane or at the cytoplasmic face. A number of agents, such as dipyridamole and oligomycin C, are specific inhibitors of the volume-activated anion pathway. In all respects studied, the inhibition characteristics of the volume-activated K+ pathway of lymphocytes resemble those of the Ca2+-activated K+ channel of red cells. In contrast, the volume-induced anion permeability differs from the primary anion-transport pathway of red cells.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗
PubMed1985

Analysis of Ca2+-induced K+-transport of human erythrocytes in propionate media.

A method is described which allows studying specific cation transport pathways of the cell membranes by converting ion fluxes into volume changes. Lipophilic weak electrolytes, such as propionate, rapidly penetrate the cell membranes in their undissociated acid from but not as negatively charged ions. When human red cells are incubated in isoosmotic K-propionate media an intracellular acidification occurs with a limited propionate uptake and volume increase (corresponding to the buffering capacity of the cytoplasm). If both protons and alkali cations are rendered permeable, a rapid salt influx and volume increase is observed. The latter can be quantitatively followed by electronic sizing methods. A detailed characterization of the system is provided through studies with ionophores, inhibitors of the red cell anion exchange system and drugs which activate or inhibit the Ca2+-induced K+ transport. It is demonstrated that in K-propionate media the permeability of the Ca2+-induced K+ pathway can be directly estimated. The method is suitable to observe population (all-or-none) responses in the activation of the K+ pathway under certain experimental conditions. The application of the method in the search for cation-proton exchanger systems is discussed and its use for demonstration purposes by producing selective lysis of red cells is described.

4-Acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfo↗
PubMed1985

Na+/H+ exchange in volume regulation and cytoplasmic pH homeostasis in lymphocytes.

Osmotic shrinking activates an amiloride-sensitive Na+/H+ exchange in the membrane of blood and thymic lymphocytes. The exchange, which is virtually quiescent in isotonic conditions, can also be activated by lowering the cytoplasmic pH (pHi). Activation by pHi is largely caused by an allosteric interaction of H+ with a kinetic modifier site, different from the internal substrate site. The set point or threshold pHi for activation of the exchanger is dictated by the protonation of the modifier. Evidence is presented that indicates that cell shrinking alters the pHi sensitivity of the modifier, shifting the set point to more alkaline levels. In the presence of HCO3- and Cl- a volume increase will accompany the change in pHi. Volume changes can also be produced in isotonic solutions if the exchange is activated by acidification of the cytoplasm, e.g., by addition of propionate to the medium. The latter phenomenon provides a simple method for the detection of the Na+/H+ antiport by electronic cell sizing.

Amiloride↗