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David B Bylund

Publications and source records attributed to David B Bylund.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Analysis of brain adrenergic receptors in dopamine-beta-hydroxylase knockout mice.

The biosynthesis of norepinephrine occurs through a multi-enzymatic pathway that includes the enzyme dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH). Mice with a homozygous deletion of DBH (Dbh-/-) have a selective and complete absence of norepinephrine. The purpose of this study was to assess the expression of alpha-1, alpha-2 and beta adrenergic receptors (alpha1-AR, alpha2-AR and beta-AR) in the postnatal absence of norepinephrine by comparing noradrenergic receptors in Dbh-/- mice with those in Dbh heterozygotes (Dbh+/-), which have normal levels of norepinephrine throughout life. The densities of alpha1-AR, alpha2-AR and beta-AR were assayed with [3H]prazosin, [3H]RX21002 and [125I]-iodo-pindolol autoradiography, respectively. The alpha2-AR agonist high affinity state was examined with [125I]-para-iodoclonidine autoradiography and alpha2-AR functionality by alpha2-AR agonist-stimulated [35S]GTPgammaS autoradiography. The density of alpha1-AR in Dbh-/- mice was similar to Dbh+/- mice in most brain regions, with an up-regulation in the hippocampus. Modest decreases in alpha2-AR were found in septum, hippocampus and amygdala, but these were not reflected in alpha2-AR functionality. The density of beta-AR was up-regulated to varying degrees in many brain regions of Dbh-/- mice compared to the heterozygotes. These findings indicate that regulation of noradrenergic receptors by endogenous norepinephrine depends on receptor type and neuroanatomical region.

Analysis of Variance↗

Exploring the active site of phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase with 3-hydroxyethyl- and 3-hydroxypropyl-7-substituted-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines.

3-Hydroxyethyl- and 3-hydroxypropyl-7-substituted-tetrahydroisoquinolines (9, 10, 16, and 17) were synthesized and evaluated for their phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) inhibitory potency and affinity for the alpha(2)-adrenoceptor. Although alpha(2)-adrenoceptor affinity decreased for these compounds, selectivity was not gained over the parent 3-hydroxymethyl compounds (1, 2) due to a loss in PNMT inhibitory potency.

Animals↗

Alpha-2 adrenoceptor subtypes: are more better?

The discovery of an additional duplicated alpha-2 adrenoceptor subtype in the zebrafish raises a pesky nomenclature issue, as well as questions about the functions of the alpha-2 adrenoceptors in the zebrafish and how many alpha-2 receptors does an organism really need.

Animals↗

Pharmacologic principles for combination therapy.

This article discusses the pharmacologic basis for understanding the therapeutic actions of drugs, particularly for their use in combinations. The focus is on principles underlying combination therapy in general, including examples from diseases other than chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Pharmacodynamic aspects of drug action are covered, with an emphasis on recent advances in the understanding of drug-receptor interactions and of drug agonism. Pharmacokinetics and drug-induced adaptive changes in receptors and cell signaling pathways are summarized, emphasizing their importance for potential combination therapies aimed at prolonging drug action. An organizational framework for three different approaches to combination therapy is then proposed; the molecular rationales for each approach are described together with classic examples from other diseases, and then their application to combination therapy in COPD is discussed. Finally, terminology for the independent and interactive effects of drug combinations is discussed, and approaches to the quantitative analysis and visual display of the effects of drug combinations are introduced. The basic principles reviewed here provide the pharmacologic foundation for subsequent articles in this issue that address the combinations in current use for COPD, and they point to novel strategies for potential future approaches to combination therapy in COPD.

Drug Interactions↗

Radioligand-binding methods for membrane preparations and intact cells.

The radioligand-binding assay is a relatively simple but powerful tool for studying G-protein-coupled receptors. There are three basic types of radioligand-binding experiments: (1) saturation experiments from which the affinity of the radioligand for the receptor and the binding site density can be determined; (2) inhibition experiments from which the affinity of a competing, unlabeled compound for the receptor can be determined: and (3) kinetic experiments from which the forward and reverse rate constants for radioligand binding can be determined. Detailed methods for typical radioligand-binding assays for G-protein-coupled receptors in membranes and intact cells are presented for these types of experiments. Detailed procedures for analysis of the data obtained from these experiments are also given.

Animals↗

Down-regulation of the alpha-2C adrenergic receptor: involvement of a serine/threonine motif in the third cytoplasmic loop.

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms by which alpha-2 adrenergic receptors are down-regulated following chronic exposure to agonist are not well understood. Interestingly, the human alpha-2C receptor does not down-regulate, whereas the opossum alpha-2C receptor does down-regulate. A comparison of the amino acid sequence of the third intracellular loop of these two receptors shows that the opossum alpha-2C receptor contains a potential G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK)phosphorylation motif (EESSTSE) with four hydroxyl residues, whereas the human alpha-2C receptor motif only contains two hydroxyl residues (DESSAAAAE). Because a similar acidic serine-rich motif (EESSSSD) in the human alpha-2 adrenergic receptor has been demonstrated to be phosphorylated by GRK and all four serines are required for desensitization of the receptor, we sought to determine whether the EESSTSE sequence was involved in the down-regulation of the alpha-2C adrenergic receptor. RESULTS: Site-directed mutagenesis was used to mutate the opossum alpha-2C receptor to SSVA and AAVA in place of the SSTS wild-type sequence. Down-regulation experiments on CHO cells transfected with the receptors demonstrated that neither of the mutated receptors down-regulated following 24 h exposure to norepinephrine, whereas the wild-type receptor down-regulated to 65 +/- 10% of the control. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that a motif with four hydroxyl amino acid residues in an acidic environment is important for down-regulation of the opossum alpha-2C adrenergic receptor. Because these are potential GRK phosphorylation sites, we suggest that GRK phosphorylation may be involved in alpha-2C adrenergic receptor down-regulation.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗

Adrenergic receptor genes: cDNA and genomic library construction.

Adrenergic receptors mediate the central and peripheral actions of norepinephrine and epinephrine and are pharmacologically divided into three major types, alpha-1, alpha-2, and beta. These types are further subdivided into alpha-1A, alpha-1B, and alpha-1D; alpha-2A, alpha-2B, and alpha-2C; and beta-1, beta-2, and beta-3, respectively. Adrenergic receptor sequence information is presented in three tables with respect to species, subtype identification, GenBank accession number, source of the nucleic acid sequence, the presence of a 5' flanking region upstream of the transcription start site, and the nucleotides defined as introns, coding regions, or 3' and/or 5' untranslated but transcribed (UTR) regions. Sequences have been assigned to adrenergic subtype categories based on sequence comparison using either FASTA or denogram of Pileup from the GCG sequence analysis program rather than as described in the author definition line. Sequence information found in these tables can be important for probe development for screening libraries for isolating adrenergic receptor genes from species other than the most common species. Where commercial libraries for specific tissue or species needs are not available, we have described construction of genomic cosmid libraries or PCR-based synthesis of a cDNA library using a microgram of RNA.

Animals↗