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B R Hu

Publications and source records attributed to B R Hu.

43 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Depression of neuronal protein synthesis initiation by protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Growth factors stimulate cellular protein synthesis, but the intracellular signaling mechanisms that regulate initiation of mRNA translation in neurons have not been clarified. A rate-limiting step in the initiation of protein synthesis is the formation of the ternary complex among GTP, eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF-2), and the initiator tRNA. Here we report that genistein, a specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor, decreases tyrosine kinase activity and the content of phosphotyrosine proteins in cultured primary cortical neurons. Genistein inhibits protein synthesis by > 80% in a dose-dependent manner (10-80 micrograms/ml) and concurrently decreases ternary complex formation by 60%. At the doses investigated, genistein depresses tyrosine kinase activity and concomitantly stimulates PKC activity. We propose that a protein tyrosine kinase participates in the initiation of protein synthesis in neurons, by affecting the activity of eIF-2 directly or through a protein kinase cascade.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1993

Casein kinase II activity in the postischemic rat brain increases in brain regions resistant to ischemia and decreases in vulnerable areas.

Casein kinase II (CKII) is a protein kinase acting in the intracellular cascade of reactions activated by growth factor receptors, and that has a profound influence on cell proliferation and survival. In this investigation, we studied the changes in the activity and levels of CKII in the rat brain exposed to 10, 15 and 20 min of transient forebrain ischemia followed by variable periods of reperfusion. The cytosolic CKII activity decreased during reperfusion by approximately 30 and approximately 50% in the selectively vulnerable areas, striatum and the CA1 region of the hippocampus, respectively. In the resistant CA3 region of hippocampus and neocortex, the activity increased by approximately 20 and approximately 60%, respectively. The postischemic changes in CKII activity were dependent on the duration of the ischemic insult. The levels of CKII did not change after ischemia, suggesting that the enzyme is modulated by covalent modification or is interacting with an endogenous inhibitor/activator. Treatment of the cytosolic fraction from cortex of rats exposed to ischemia and 1 h of reperfusion with agarose-bound phosphatase decreased the activity of CKII to control levels, suggesting that CKII activation after ischemia involves a phosphorylation of the enzyme. The correlation between postischemic CKII activity and neuronal survival implies that preservation or activation of CKII activity may be important for neuronal survival after cerebral ischemia.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1993

Stress-induced inhibition of protein synthesis initiation: modulation of initiation factor 2 and guanine nucleotide exchange factor activities following transient cerebral ischemia in the rat.

Neuronal protein synthesis is severely depressed following stress such as heat-shock, hypoxia, and hypoglycemia. Following reversible cerebral ischemia, protein synthesis is transiently inhibited in ischemia-resistant areas, but persistently depressed in vulnerable brain regions. Eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF-2) activity, that is, the formation of the ternary complex eIF-2.GTP.initiator 35S-Met-tRNA, a rate-limiting step in the initiation of cellular protein synthesis, was studied in the rat brain during and following 15 min of transient global cerebral ischemia. At 30 min and 1 hr of reperfusion, a general decrease of eIF-2 activity by approximately 50% was seen in the postmitochondrial supernatant (PMS). In the relatively resistant neocortex and CA3 region of the hippocampus, the eIF-2 activity returns to control levels at 6 hr of reperfusion, but remains depressed in the vulnerable striatum and the CA1 region. Similarly, the activity of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), which catalyzes the exchange of GTP for GDP bound to eIF-2, a crucial step for the continued formation of the ternary complex, is transiently reduced in neocortex but persistently depressed in striatum. The postischemic decrease in eIF-2 activity is further attenuated by agarose-bound alkaline phosphatase, and mixing experiments revealed that a vanadate-sensitive phosphatase may be responsible for the depression. Addition of partially purified GEF to PMS from postischemic neocortex restored eIF-2 activity to control levels. We conclude that ischemia alters the balance between phosphorylation and dephosphorylation reactions, leading to an inhibition of GEF and a depression of ternary complex formation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1989

[Solubilization and characterization of benzodiazepine receptors in frontal cortex of rabbit brain].

[3H]Flunitrazepam binding to benzodiazepine receptors solubilized by the detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethyl-ammonio]-l-propanesulfonate (CHAPS) was saturable and showed non-linear Scatchard plot with KD1 0.31 nmol/L and KD2 6.7 nmol/L. The affinities of soluble receptors to benzodiazepine were consistent with P2 membrane. One radioactive zone was found by SDS-PAGE after photoaffinity labelling of soluble membrane and the apparent molecular weight of 55,000 was reported. [3H]Flunitrazepam binding to soluble receptors was enhanced by GABA, NaCl or KCl and barbiturates, but inhibited by bicuculline and picrotoxinin. The enhancement of GABA on [3H]flunitrazepam binding was amplified by NaCl or KCl and antagonized by bicuculline and picrotoxinin. These results suggest that the benzodiazepine receptors solubilized by CHAPS have their pharmacological properties and are still associated with GABA receptors and chloride channel.

Animals↗