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E Laurent

Publications and source records attributed to E Laurent.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

New benzocycloalkylpiperazines, potent and selective 5-HT1A receptor ligands.

A series of 1-(benzocycloalkyl)-4-(benzamidolkyl)piperazine derivatives was prepared in order to obtain compounds with a high affinity and selectivity for 5-HT1A receptors. The modifications of aromatic substituents, the length of the alkyl chain, and the size of the ring were explored. Most of N-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthyl)-N'-(benzamidoethyl)piperazines (32-37) were bound to 5-HT1A receptors in a nanomolar range and presented a high degree of selectivity. After resolution, levorotatory enantiomers showed affinity and selectivity higher than those of dextrorotory ones for 5-HT1A sites. The agonist type activity of selected derivatives was also confirmed in vitro on the inhibition of the activation of adenylate cyclase induced by forskolin and, in vivo, on the induction of the lower lip retraction in rats.

Adenylyl Cyclases

Role of the cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate and the phosphatidylinositol-Ca2+ cascades in mediating the effects of thyrotropin and iodide on hormone synthesis and secretion in human thyroid slices.

There are two major known regulatory pathways in human thyrocytes: the phosphatidylinositol-Ca2+ cascade (PiP2 cascade) and the cAMP cascade. We study here the regulation of the PiP2 cascade by TSH, ATP, NaF, and bradykinin. Our data show that protein iodination and, thus, the synthesis of thyroid hormones in human thyroid is under the control of both the PiP2 cascade and the cAMP cascade. Activation of the PiP2 cascade by TSH (10 mU/mL), NaF, bradykinin, ionomycin, and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate stimulates iodide organification. Conversely, activation of the cAMP cascade by forskolin, TSH (0.3 mU/mL), and dibutyryl cAMP inhibits iodide organification. These metabolic effects are correlated to activations and inhibitions of the H2O2-generating system, showing that H2O2 is a limiting factor for protein iodination in these cells. The cascades also regulate in parallel the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway. The effects of various concentrations of TSH on H2O2 generation and [1-14C]glucose oxidation were tested, showing a dual effect with an inhibition of these metabolisms for low concentrations of TSH (that stimulate the cAMP cascade) and an activation for high concentrations of TSH (that stimulate the PiP2 cascade). The control of thyroid secretion differs from that of protein iodination, in that the cAMP cascade greatly enhances secretion, whereas the PiP2 cascade has no effect on basal secretion and even an inhibitory effect on TSH-stimulated secretion (1 mU/mL). We also demonstrate here the presence of an inhibitory effect of iodide on its own organification in human thyroid (Wolff-Chaikoff effect). This effect is probably mediated through an inhibition of the inositol trisphosphate response to TSH and of the H2O2 response to Ca2+.

Adenosine Triphosphate

Control of the intracellular Ca(2+)-concentration and the inositol phosphate accumulation in dog thyrocyte primary culture: evidence for different kinetics of Ca(2+)-phosphatidylinositol cascade activation and for involvement in the regulation of H2O2 production.

Carbachol, through a muscarinic receptor, thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha), bradykinin, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) increased the apparent [Ca2+]i (intracellular free Ca2(+)-concentration) of dog thyrocytes in primary culture. The [Ca2+]i measured by the Quin-2 technique rose immediately after the addition of the agonists and reached a maximal value after less than 30 seconds. Afterwards, the [Ca2+]i declined to a plateau higher than the basal level when the cells were triggered with carbachol. By contrast, in most experiments with PGF2 alpha and in the case of bradykinin, TRH, and ATP, the [Ca2+]i returned to the basal value. If the extracellular Ca2+ was chelated by excess of EGTA, the addition of all agents caused a sharp reduced transient rise in the [Ca2+]i followed by a decline of the [Ca2+]i often below the basal level (especially in the case of carbachol). It is suggested that the first transient phase of these responses is due at least in part to the mobilisation of Ca2+ from intracellular stores whereas the second sustained phase of the response to carbachol mainly originates from an increased Ca2+ influx into the thyrocytes. Carbachol, bradykinin, TRH, PGF2 alpha, and ATP also increased generation of inositol phosphates in dog thyrocytes. This effect was sustained when the cells were triggered with carbachol and was more transient with bradykinin, TRH, PGF2 alpha, or ATP. All these agents and the phorbdester TPA as well as forskolin enhanced to various extent the thyrocyte H2O2 generation. This enhancement was severely reduced in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ and was mimicked by Ca2+ ionophores in the presence of extracellular Ca2+ especially in synergy with protein kinase C activators. These data suggest that the dog thyrocyte H2O2 generation, the limiting step of the thyroid hormone synthesis, is modulated by carbachol, TRH, PGF2 alpha, bradykinin, and ATP through their action on the Ca2(+)-phosphatidylinositol cascade.

Animals

Serum triiodothyronine, bone turnover, and bone mass changes in euthyroid pre- and postmenopausal women.

Hyperthyroidism and thyroid hormone substitutive therapy with serum iT3 in the normal range of values are known to lead to increased bone remodeling and loss of bone mass. We looked for a relationship between serum iT3 and bone metabolic or bone mass parameters in 402 euthyroid women aged 44-60. In a group of 93 premenopausal women, a group of 309 postmenopausal women, and a group of 118 untreated postmenopausal women, serum iT3 was higher in the women classified as having "high" bone turnover according to both alkaline phosphatases and hydroxyprolinuria values. In postmenopausal women, serum iT3 corrected for thyroid binding globulin (TBG) (T3c) was higher in those receiving no estrogen replacement therapy. In a longitudinal study (n = 131), the rate of changes in lumbar bone mineral content was associated with changes in T3c. A less favorable bone mass evolution was associated with an increase in serum T3c, and inversely. Data suggest that the relationship of iT3/bone metabolism is direct and not merely the consequence of estrogen induced changes in both iT3 and bone metabolism. iT3 should be explored at the bone cellular level as a possible mediator in bone metabolic changes occurring in menopause and many other clinical situations.

Adult

Thyrotropin does not activate the phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate hydrolyzing phospholipase C in the dog thyroid.

The effects of thyrotropin (TSH) and carbamylcholine (Cchol) on labeling by [3H]inositol of inositol lipids (i.e. total phosphoinositides (PI)) and inositol phosphates (IP) and on diacylglycerol (DAG) generation was studied in dog thyroid slices. Both agents (TSH 1-250 mU/ml, Cchol 10(-6) to 10(-4) M) increased the incorporation of [3H]inositol into PI and IP during 4 h labeling experiments; but the [3H]IP/[3H]PI ratio as compared to the control one was not modified by TSH (10 mU/ml: 1.03 +/- 0.24) while it was increased by Cchol (10(-5) M: 6.14 +/- 1.81). Slices prelabeled in the absence of agonists were then incubated in the presence or absence of 10 mM LiCl +/- 10(-4) M inositol. With LiCl alone, Cchol increased [3H]IP generation, while no such effect of TSH could be detected. However, in the absence of LiCl or in the presence of both LiCl and 10(-4) M inositol, TSH and Cchol both increased [3H]PI and [3H]IP, but IP and PI labeling remained strictly proportional with TSH (10 mU/ml: [3H]IP/[3H]PI ratio = 1.03 +/- 0.06 vs. control), while Cchol increased this ratio (10(-5) M = 2.44 +/- 0.24) with a preferential accumulation of IP. Both agonists stimulated DAG formation with similar kinetics and maximal effects (400% of control at 60 min).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

ATP, bradykinin, TRH and TSH activate the Ca(2+)-phosphatidylinositol cascade of human thyrocytes in primary culture.

We have recently shown that adenosine triphosphate (ATP), bradykinin and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (THR) increase the ([Ca2+]i) of human thyrocytes in primary culture. We show here that these agents also stimulate the generation of [3H]-inositol monophosphate (IP1), inositol bisphosphate (IP2) and inositol trisphosphate (IP3). The stimulation of IP3 generation followed two distinct kinetics: it was sustained when the cells were triggered with ATP and transient when the response was elicited by TRH or bradykinin. In addition, we have shown that under the appropriate experimental conditions, high thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations were also able to stimulate human thyrocyte IP1, IP2 and IP3 accumulation and to increase their [Ca2+]i. These data suggest that ATP, bradykinin, TRH and high TSH concentrations activate the Ca(2+)-phosphatidylinositol cascade of human thyrocytes. Since this cascade plays a crucial role in the control of protein iodination, ATP, TRH and bradykinin could be important regulators of thyroid hormone synthesis in human thyrocytes.

Adenosine Triphosphate

Neuroendocrine rhythms and sleep in aging men.

To delineate the physiological effects of aging on basal levels and temporal patterns of neuroendocrine secretions, the 24-h profiles of cortisol, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), melatonin, prolactin, and growth hormone (GH) levels were simultaneously obtained at frequent intervals in eight healthy, active elderly men, age 67-84 yr and in eight young male adults, age 20-27 yr. The study was preceded by an extended period of habituation to laboratory conditions, and sleep was polygraphically recorded. Mean cortisol levels in the elderly were normal, but the amplitude of the circadian rhythm was reduced. Circulating levels of daytime and nighttime levels of both TSH and GH were greatly diminished in old age. In contrast, prolactin and melatonin concentrations were decreased during the nighttime only. The circadian rises of cortisol, TSH, and melatonin occurred 1-1.5 h earlier in elderly subjects, and the distribution of rapid-eye-movement stages during sleep was similarly advanced, suggesting that circadian timekeeping is modified during normal senescence. Despite perturbations of sleep, sleep-related release of GH and prolactin occurred in all elderly men. Age-related decreases in hormonal levels were associated with a decrease in the amplitude, but not the frequency, of secretory pulses. These findings demonstrate that the normal process of aging involves alterations in the central mechanisms controlling the temporal organization of endocrine release in addition to a reduction of secretory outputs.

Adult

Unlike thyrotropin, thyroid-stimulating antibodies do not activate phospholipase C in human thyroid slices.

The effects of thyroid-stimulating antibodies (TSAb) and of thyrotropin (TSH) were compared, on the generation of cyclic AMP and inositol phosphates (InsP), in human thyroid slices incubated in vitro, and on the Rapoport cyclic AMP bioassay. The TSAb positive sera were obtained from 19 patients with Graves' disease. In 14 experiments with the slices system, TSH significantly increased cyclic AMP accumulation (TSH, 0.03-10 mU/ml) as well as the cyclic AMP-independent inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) generation (TSH, 1-10 mU/ml). In the same 14 experiments, TSAb (0.10-28 mg/ml) enhanced cyclic AMP intracellular levels as expected while they did not induce any InsP accumulation. Even when TSAb increased cyclic AMP levels to the same or higher values as those obtained with TSH concentrations allowing InsP3 generation. TSAb were still unable to activate the phosphatidylinositol-Ca2+ cascade. The patterns of the response curves of TSAb and TSH on cyclic AMP accumulation were different, suggesting that different mechanisms may be involved. In addition, unlike TSH, TSAb were not able to stimulate H2O2 generation, which in human tissue mainly depends on the activation of the phosphatidylinositol-Ca2+ cascade. Immunoglobulins from six additional Graves' patients lacking measurable cyclic AMP-stimulating activity in both slices and cells systems did not activate phospholipase C either. In conclusion, our results show that TSAb do not share all the metabolic actions of TSH on human thyroid tissue. The data provide support for the concept that the pathogenesis of Graves' disease can be fully accounted for by the ability of TSAb to stimulate adenylate cyclase. This work also confirms that TSH activates the cyclic AMP and the phosphatidylinositol cascade by independent pathways in the human thyroid.

Adolescent

The H2O2-generating system modulates protein iodination and the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway in dog thyroid.

Iodide oxidation and binding to proteins require a thyroperoxidase and an ill defined H2O2-generating system. The NADP+ supply and, thus, NADPH oxidation are the limiting steps of the pentose phosphate pathway. The purpose of this work was to test the hypothesis that H2O2 generation is a limiting step of iodination and NADPH oxidation and, therefore, of the pentose phosphate pathway. H2O2 produced by dog thyroid slices was measured with the homovanillic fluorescence assay. Our data show that H2O2 generation is stimulated by both the cAMP cascade [as activated by TSH, forskolin and (Bu)2cAMP] and the Ca2(+)-phosphatidylinositol cascade (as activated by carbamylcholine, ionomycin, and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate). We used several physiological and pharmacological agents that modulate iodide organification. In all cases there was a strict parallelism between effects on H2O2 generation, iodide binding to proteins, and pentose phosphate pathway activity. Moreover, in TSH- or carbamylcholine-stimulated slices, glucose or Ca2+ depletion, which greatly depressed H2O2 generation, also greatly decreased iodide organification and the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway. The glutathione peroxidase-catalyzed H2O2 reduction in the cytosol, which involves NADPH oxidation and, therefore, increases the NADP supply, also enhances the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway. All of these data strongly support the hypothesis that H2O2 generation in dog thyroid controls iodination of proteins; through the NADPH oxidation resulting from H2O2 production and reduction, hydrogen peroxide also regulates the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway.

Animals

Cushing's syndrome with intermittent ectopic ACTH production.

A case of ectopic ACTH syndrome with intermittent secretion in a 72-yr-old woman is described. Plasma and urinary cortisol levels were obtained at frequent intervals for a period of more than 10 months and varied erratically from the normal range to extremely high values. Nonsuppression by high doses of dexamethasone was documented during a period of hypersecretion. Normal circadian rhythmicity and normal responses to hypoglycemia were observed during an interval of dormance of the ectopic secretion. Hypokalemia did not develop. These findings, together with the occult nature of the primary tumor, resulted in unusual diagnostic difficulties. Liver masses were detected by echography and CT scan. Pathological examination of liver biopsies suggested a neuroendocrine tumor of foregut origin. While a multicentric primary apudoma secreting ACTH was a putative diagnosis, detailed and extensive microscopic post-mortem studies revealed a more likely primary tumor site in the pancreatic tail.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone

The biochemistry of autonomous thyroid nodules: clues on the pathogenesis.

The "in vitro" characteristics of H2O2 generation, iodide, cAMP and PI metabolism, have been compared in tissues from autonomously functioning thyroid nodules and their quiescent counterpart to test the hypothesis that autonomy may result from constitutive activation of the tissue's TSH-IP's, or TSH-cAMP regulatory pathway. The enhanced iodide uptake is entirely due to increased transport capacity, the affinity of iodide transport and the fractional binding of iodide to protein remaining unchanged. The basal IP's accumulation is slightly higher in seven cases where it was studied but the response to TSH was markedly decreased. The cAMP-protein phosphorylation regulatory axis is not constitutively activated. Under TSH and forskolin stimulation, a 20K protein is not phosphorylated in nodular tissue as it is in its quiescent counterpart. The others, possible points of deviation in the cAMP cascade, studied in these tissues, i.e. basal cyclic AMP, desensitization to TSH, iodide inhibition, responses to other hormones or neurotransmitters were not systematically different in nodular tissue. The 20K protein, not phosphorylated in response to TSH in the nodules, could represent an absent negative controlling element. The absence of a 20K protein substrate of cAMP dependent protein kinases remains the most interesting clue about the mechanism of autonomy. We are now trying to purify and clone this protein.

Adenylyl Cyclases

Stimulation of generation of inositol phosphates by carbamoylcholine and its inhibition by phorbol esters and iodide in dog thyroid cells.

The action of carbamoylcholine (Cchol), NaF and other agonists on the generation of inositol phosphates (IPs) was studied in dog thyroid slices prelabelled with myo-[2-3H]inositol. The stimulation by Cchol (0.1 microM-0.1 mM) of IPs accumulation through activation of a muscarinic receptor [Graff, Mockel, Laurent, Erneux & Dumont (1987) FEBS Lett. 210, 204-210] was pertussis- and cholera-toxin insensitive. Ins(1,4,5)P3, Ins(1,3,4)P3 and InsP4 were generated. NaF (5-20 mM) also increased IPs generation (Graff et al., 1987); this effect was potentiated by AlCl3 (10 microM) and unaffected by pertussis toxin. Although phorbol dibutyrate (5 microM) abolished the cholinergic stimulation of IPs generation (Graff et al., 1987), it did not affect the fluoride-induced response. Cchol and NaF did not require extracellular Ca2+ to exert their effect, and neither KCl-induced membrane depolarization nor ionophore A23187 (10 microM) had any influence on basal IPs levels, or on cholinergic stimulation. However, more stringent Ca2+ depletion with EGTA (0.1 or 1 mM) decreased basal IPs levels as well as the amplitude of the stimulation by Cchol without abolishing it. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP, forskolin, cholera toxin and prostaglandin E1 had no effect on basal IPs levels and did not decrease the response to Cchol. Iodide (4 or 40 microM) also strongly decreased the cholinergic action on IPs, this inhibition being relieved by methimazole (1 mM). Our data suggest that Cchol activates a phospholipase C hydrolysing PtdIns(4,5)P2 in the dog thyroid cell in a cyclic AMP-independent manner. This activation requires no extracellular Ca2+ and depends on a GTP-binding protein insensitive to both cholera toxin and requires no extracellular Ca2+ and depends on a GTP-binding protein insensitive to both cholera toxin and pertussis toxin. The data are consistent with a rapid metabolism of Ins(1,4,5)P3 to Ins(1,3,4)P3 via the Ins(1,4,5)P3 3-kinase pathway, followed by dephosphorylation by a 5-phosphomonoesterase. Indeed, a Ca2+-sensitive InsP3 3-kinase activity was demonstrated in tissue homogenate. Stimulation of protein kinase C and an organified form of iodine inhibit the Cchol-induced IPs generation. The negative feedback of activated protein kinase C could be exerted at the level of the receptor or of the receptor-G-protein interaction.

Aluminum

Decreased basal and stimulated thyrotropin secretion in healthy elderly men.

To delineate the effects of aging on basal and stimulated TSH secretion, we studied the 24-h profile of plasma TSH levels and the TSH response to TRH stimulation (200 micrograms TRH, iv) in eight healthy elderly men, aged 67-84 yr, and eight normal young men, aged 20-27 yr. Subjects with thyroid antibodies against microsomal or thyroglobulin antigens were excluded. During the 24-h study, blood was sampled at 15-min intervals. TSH levels were measured by an ultrasensitive immunoradiometric assay. Sleep was polygraphically monitored, and circadian and pulsatile TSH variations were quantified using specifically designed computer algorithms. In older men, the 24-h mean TSH concentration was approximately 50% lower than that in young men (0.78 +/- 0.37 vs. 1.43 +/- 0.41 microU/mL; P less than 0.01), but basal T3 levels were only slightly lower (93 +/- 12 vs. 115 +/- 16 ng/dL; P less than 0.02), while basal T4 levels were normal. The normal diurnal variation of TSH levels, with a nocturnal acrophase and an afternoon nadir, as well as the pulsatile nature of TSH release were preserved in elderly men. When expressed in microunits per mL, the amplitude of these temporal variations was reduced in elderly men compared to that in younger subjects. However, when expressed in relation to the mean TSH levels, the amplitudes of diurnal and pulsatile variations were similar in both groups of subjects. TRH-induced TSH secretion was lower in old than in young men (area under the curve, 15.9 +/- 6.3 microU/mL.10 min in elderly men vs. 42.0 +/- 16.6 microU/mL.10 min in young men; P less than 0.002). However, the TRH-induced elevations of T3 and T4 were of similar magnitude in both groups. These results indicate that in healthy elderly men, the overall 24-h TSH secretion is decreased, and the pituitary is less responsive to stimulation by TRH. However, the chronobiological modulation is preserved. These alterations could reflect an adaptative mechanism to the reduced need for thyroid hormones in old age. The thyroid keeps an intact capacity to respond to acute increases in TSH concentrations.

Adult

Effects of inactivity and exercise on bone.

Bone mass and muscular mass show a parallel evolution during growth, and parallel involution with age. However, the bone loss related to the withdrawal of oestrogens is independent of muscular waste. The extensive study of disuse osteoporosis shows that exercise without weightbearing cannot counteract the loss of bone mass provoked by bed rest or weightlessness. Physical training, even at low frequency (30 to 60 min/day, 2 or 3 days/week), can increase bone mass or reduce bone loss associated with age. This effect is even present when exercise is practised by very old people at a seemingly low level of muscular tension on bone. It is not known whether muscular exercise could be helpful in pathological osteopenia. Experiments in animals indicate a short-lived benefit of exercise practised during a definite growth period; the long term effect of physical training in humans, after cessation of such activity, has not been studied extensively. Equal distribution of tension on all parts of the skeleton is probably not mandatory to obtain a general effect of exercise on bone mass. It is assumed that muscular exercise acts through tension exerted on bone, but the exact mechanism is unknown, as are the specifications of effective exercise in terms of site of application, intensity, frequency and duration. Moreover, little is known about the expected synergy between exercise and occupational activity.

Aging

Carbachol and sodium fluoride, but not TSH, stimulate the generation of inositol phosphates in the dog thyroid.

In dog thyroid slices prelabeled with myo-[2-3H]inositol, carbachol (10(-7)-10(-4) M) and NaF (10-20 mM) stimulated IP1, IP2 and IP3 generation. These effects did not require the presence of extracellular calcium. Atropine and PDBu inhibited the action of the cholinergic agonist. No effect of TSH (1-100 mU/ml) could be detected on PIP2 hydrolysis and IP production. These results suggest that IP3 could play a role in the metabolic actions of carbachol in the thyroid; a G-protein coupling the hormone-receptor binding to phospholipase C activation exists in the thyroid membrane; the well known TSH-induced increased PI turnover does not result in IP3 accumulation.

Animals

Dual activation by thyrotropin of the phospholipase C and cyclic AMP cascades in human thyroid.

In human thyroid slices prelabeled with myo-[2-3H]inositol, thyrotropin (TSH, 3-30 mU/ml) stimulated IP3, IP2 and IP1 generation over a prolonged time course. The cAMP response was much more sensitive to TSH, peaking between 1 and 5 mU/ml. Forskolin (10(-5) M) and isoproterenol had no effect on basal IP levels, while carbamylcholine (10(-5) M, 10(-4) M) also increased IP accumulation. These data suggest that in the human thyroid, TSH activates a phospholipase C generating IP3 and diacylglycerol independently of the well-known adenylate cyclase stimulation. They validate in the human model a dual mode of action of the hormone previously proposed on the basis of indirect observations.

Cyclic AMP