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E B McGowan

Publications and source records attributed to E B McGowan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Ester and amide derivatives of E64c as inhibitors of platelet calpains.

Ester and amide derivatives of E64c, (+)-(2S,3S)-3-[[(S)-3-methyl-1- [(3-methylbutyl)carbamoyl]butyl]carbamoyl]-2-oxiranecarboxylic acid, an inhibitor of calpains, were synthesized and tested for ability to inhibit calpain in lysed cells, ability to enter intact cells, and ability to inhibit calpain in intact cells. The esters were from halogen-substituted alcohols and alcohols with increasing size. There were no appreciable differences in the inhibitory potency of any of the halogen-substituted esters from ethyl to trifluoroethyl, indicating that ease of hydrolysis of this class of ester is not important for activity. The only ester with impaired activity was the largest, Z-leucyl-norleucyl, which was about 5% as effective as the ethyl ester, E64d. Amides of amino acid esters also had impaired activity. To explore the possibility of targeting E64c derivatives to specific cells, esters and amides of E64c with 5-hydroxytryptamine were tested on the rationale that the active 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake mechanism of platelets might selectively concentrate the drug in platelets. Both the ester and amide inhibited calpain in lysed cells, but only the ester inhibited in intact cells. The 5-hydroxytryptamine ester showed no advantage over the ethyl ester in entering platelets.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Inhibition of calpain in intact platelets by the thiol protease inhibitor E-64d.

E-64d, a membrane permeant derivative of E-64c, a thiol protease inhibitor (Tamai et al. (1986) J. Pharmacobio-Dyn. 9, 672-677), was tested for ability to inhibit calpain activity in intact platelets. Calpain activity was measured by proteolysis of actin-binding protein and talin, two known substrates of calpain. Incubation of platelets with E-64c (not permeant) or E-64d before lysis prevented proteolysis after lysis. When the platelets were incubated with E-64c or E-64d and then washed to remove the drugs before lysis, only E-64d inhibited proteolysis. When platelets were incubated with E-64c or E-64d and then activated with A23187 plus calcium, a treatment that activates intraplatelet calpain, only E-64d inhibited proteolysis. These results indicate that E-64d can enter the intact cell and inhibit calpain.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed1988

Expression of the firefly luciferase gene in vaccinia virus: a highly sensitive gene marker to follow virus dissemination in tissues of infected animals.

We have introduced the firefly luciferase gene of Photinus pyralis into the vaccinia virus genome. This gene is expressed in a coordinate fashion during virus infection. Luminescence produced by the action of luciferase [Photinus-luciferin:oxygen 4-oxidoreductase(decarboxylating, ATP-hydrolyzing), EC 1.13.12.7] was easily detectable in infected cells in culture as well as in cells of tissues of infected mice. The limits of detection were about one infected cell in a background of a million noninfected cells. The luciferase assay was about 1000-fold more sensitive than that of beta-galactosidase. Our findings show that the luciferase assay can be conveniently used to follow viral gene expression and virus dissemination both in cell cultures and in tissues of infected animals.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Modified platelet responses to thrombin. Evidence for two types of receptors or coupling mechanisms.

The normally quick response of platelets to alpha-thrombin is delayed under two conditions. After pretreatment of platelets with chymotrypsin or certain other proteases, aggregation and secretion induced by alpha-thrombin begins after a delay of 30 s or more compared to less than 5 s for control platelets, and control platelets are activated by gamma-thrombin with a similar delay (Tam, S. W., Fenton, J. W., II, and Detwiler, T. C. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 6626-6632). Under these conditions, thrombin-induced inhibition of adenylate cyclase was blocked. The impaired regulation of adenylate cyclase and delayed secretion had in common: (i) partial correction with high concentrations of thrombin; (ii) similar thrombin dose-response relationships; (iii) similar concentration dependence for chymotrypsin during pretreatment; and (iv) specificity for thrombin. Other parameters of thrombin-induced platelet activation were also analyzed under these conditions. Thrombin-induced hydrolysis of arachidonyl esters and synthesis of prostanoids were similar to regulation of adenylate cyclase; they were blocked, with partial correction at high concentrations of thrombin. In contrast, thrombin-induced synthesis of phosphatidic acid and phosphorylation of a 20- and a 40-kDa protein were similar to secretion; they occurred after a delay but to a normal extent. The thrombin-induced increase in cytosolic calcium ion activity was slightly slower in chymotrypsin-treated platelets or in response to gamma-thrombin, but it was complete prior to initiation of the delayed responses. It is concluded that platelets have at least two types of thrombin receptors or coupling mechanisms, one of which is sensitive to chymotrypsin, unresponsive to gamma-thrombin, and coupled to inhibition of adenylate cyclase and activation of prostanoid synthesis.

Adenylyl Cyclase Inhibitors↗
PubMed1985

Differential effect of Serratia protease on platelet surface glycoproteins Ib and V.

The effect of a zinc metalloprotease from Serratia marcescens on platelet surface glycoproteins (GP) Ib and V was analyzed. Increasing protease treatments caused progressive loss of GP Ib with appearance of the major fragment, glycocalicin, in the supernatant solution. No GP V was detected in the supernatant solution, and protease-pretreated platelets had the same capacity as control platelets to release fragment 1 of GP V in response to thrombin. The Serratia protease-pretreated platelets did show the lag before thrombin-induced dense granule secretion, characteristic of platelets modified by pretreatment with other nonstimulating proteases. Treatment with Serratia protease gives the only demonstrated selective loss of GP Ib without apparent effect on GP V. It suggests that GP V (1) does not depend on GP Ib for its association with platelets and (2) is not the substrate for protease modification of platelet function.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed1984

Succinate potentiates the action of platelet agonists.

Succinate potentiated the actions of ADP, epinephrine, and the endoperoxide analog U46619 on platelets in plasma. Potentiation was observed at concentrations as low as 400 microM. Potentiation occurred immediately and did not change during incubations as long as five min. It was also observed with maleate and malonate but not with fumarate, oxalate, glutarate or succinate analogs with one or both carboxyls blocked. Succinate was able to reverse the inhibition of platelet activation due to elevated cAMP, and succinate and maleate were comparable to ADP in their ability to inhibit PGI2-induced synthesis of cAMP.

15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5↗
PubMed1983

Correlation of thrombin-induced glycoprotein V hydrolysis and platelet activation.

To assess the possibility that hydrolysis of the platelet surface thrombin substrate, glycoprotein V, is a necessary step in thrombin-induced platelet activation, thrombin-catalyzed hydrolysis of glycoprotein V was correlated with thrombin-induced platelet activation. Hydrolysis of tritium-labeled glycoprotein V on washed human platelets was measured by the appearance of a labeled supernatant fragment, and platelet activation was measured as secretion of ATP. Hydrolysis of glycoprotein V was linear with respect to both thrombin concentration and time of incubation. The extent of platelet activation was correlated with the rate of hydrolysis but not with the amount hydrolyzed. Maximum platelet activation could be obtained with thrombin treatments resulting in hydrolysis of as little as 4% of glycoprotein V per min. Glycoprotein V was partially removed from platelets by pretreatment with either platelet calcium-dependent protease or chymotrypsin. The rate of thrombin-catalyzed hydrolysis of the remaining glycoprotein V from these pretreated platelets was as little as 1.5% the rate from control platelets, but there was no impairment of the extent of platelet activation. Thus, these protease-pretreated platelets compared with control platelets showed a different correlation of glycoprotein V hydrolysis with platelet activation. Glycoprotein V was also partially removed by pretreatment of prostacyclin-inhibited platelets with thrombin. After removal of thrombin and prostacyclin, these platelets were desensitized to subsequent activation by thrombin. Incubation of desensitized platelets with nonsaturating levels of thrombin led to less than 25% of the activation seen with control platelets but to a slightly greater hydrolysis of glycoprotein V. Thus, the desensitization to thrombin was not due to loss of ability of the activating thrombin to hydrolyze glycoprotein V. These results do not exclude a role for glycoprotein V as a component of the platelet thrombin receptor, but they indicate that there is no simple relationship between thrombin-induced hydrolysis of glycoprotein V and platelet activation.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1983

Characterization of the thrombin-induced desensitization of platelet activation by thrombin.

Brief exposure of platelets to thrombin makes them less sensitive to subsequent activation by thrombin, a phenomenon demonstrated by Shuman, Botney, and Fenton [J. Clin. Invest., 63, 1211-1218, 1979] by incubating prostacyclin-inhibited platelets with thrombin; after removal of thrombin and prostacyclin, the platelets were selectively desensitized to subsequent activation by thrombin. The conditions for this desensitization have been further defined. Inhibition of thrombin-induced platelet activation by prostacyclin was not absolute, it was only temporary, it could be overcome with higher thrombin concentrations, and it varied with platelet concentration and temperature. With low enough thrombin concentrations, high enough prostacyclin concentrations and short enough times of exposure, platelets could be pretreated with thrombin with no evidence of activation. After addition of hirudin to inhibit thrombin, the platelets were washed and tested for thrombin-induced secretion of ATP. Desensitization to thrombin depended on the concentration of thrombin during pretreatment and on the length of pretreatment, consistent with a catalytic modification of a receptor. A less extensive desensitization was observed when platelets without inhibitor were incubated with a sub-threshold level of thrombin before addition of an activating concentration of thrombin. This desensitization also varied with the time of pretreatment and the concentration of sub-threshold thrombin.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed1983

The action of calcium-dependent protease on platelet surface glycoproteins.

The action of exogenous calcium-dependent protease (CDP) on tritium-labeled surface glycoproteins was analyzed by incubation of labeled, washed human platelets with CDP partially purified from human platelets. Labeled glycoproteins were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by fluorography. Incubation of the labeled platelets with the protease led to a loss (calcium-dependent) from the platelets of glycoproteins Ib and V and concomitant appearance in the supernatant solution of glycocalicin (a proteolytic fragment of glycoprotein Ib), glycoprotein V, and other, unidentified glycoproteins. These changes in surface label were accompanied by alterations in three parameters of platelet function. Compared to control platelets, the CDP-treated platelets were activated by thrombin more slowly and showed less saturable and nonsaturable binding of thrombin. The CDP-treated platelets, but not the controls, aggregated on addition of fibrinogen, indicating that treatment with CDP had exposed fibrinogen receptors. The alterations in surface glycoproteins and functional parameters were compared over a 1000-fold range of CDP treatment. The decreased binding of thrombin and the exposure of fibrinogen receptors were correlated with the release of surface glycoproteins to the supernatant solution, but the slow activation by thrombin was observed under conditions where no release of labeled glycoproteins was detected (i.e., brief incubations with low concentrations of CDP). Activation of the endogenous CDP with 2.5 mM calcium chloride plus the ionophore A23187 was accompanied by hydrolysis of actin-binding protein, a known substrate, and release to the supernatant solution of labeled glycocalicin and glycoprotein V plus a faster-migrating glycoprotein not released by exogenous protease. This effect was observed in the presence of leupeptin, which completely inhibited action of exogenous protease, suggesting that platelet calcium-dependent protease may modify the platelet surface in ways that can cause alterations of platelet function.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1978

Muscular dystrophy: inhibition of degeneration in vivo with protease inhibitors.

The protease inhibitors leupeptin and pepstatin were used in vivo in genetically dystrophic chickens to determine their effects on the histological and biochemical changes observed in this disease. These compounds appear to delay the degeneration of muscle tissue which is characteristic of this disorder and thus may have potential therapeutic value in the treatment of muscular dystrophy.

Animals↗