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F Di Virgilio

Publications and source records attributed to F Di Virgilio.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Characterization of the cytotoxic effect of extracellular ATP in J774 mouse macrophages.

Extracellular ATP (ATPo) is known to be cytotoxic to many cell types through a mechanism which is largely unknown. Very recently this nucleotide has been shown to cause cell death by apoptosis, probably by interacting with specific cell-surface receptors. In the present study we have investigated the mechanism of ATPo-dependent cytotoxicity in the macrophage-like mouse cell line J774. It has been previously reported that in this cell type ATPo activates trans-membrane Ca2+ and Na+ fluxes and a drastic increase in the plasma-membrane permeability to hydrophilic solutes smaller than 900 Da. These changes are followed by cell swelling and lysis. We show in the present study that, although this nucleotide triggers a rise in the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration, neither cell swelling nor lysis is Ca(2+)-dependent. Furthermore, cell lysis is not dependent on Na+ influx, as it is not prevented by iso-osmotic replacement of extracellular Na+ with choline or N-methylglucamine. On the contrary, ATPo-dependent cytotoxicity, but not the ATPo-dependent increase in plasma-membrane permeability, is completely abrogated in sucrose medium. Under our experimental conditions ATPo does not cause DNA fragmentation in J774 cells. We conclude from these findings that ATPo does not cause apoptosis of J774 macrophages and promotes a Ca(2+)- and Na(+)-independent colloido-osmotic lysis.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1992

Role of P2z purinergic receptors in ATP-mediated killing of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-sensitive and TNF-resistant L929 fibroblasts.

Two closely related cell lines were characterized in their responses to extracellular ATP (ATPo): the fibroblast cell line L929 and a TNF-resistant variant L929/R. Both lines showed ATPo-activated increases in intracellular Ca2+, inward current, and sustained depolarization of the plasma membrane, cell responses compatible with activation of purinergic receptors of the P2y, P2x, or P2z subtype; however, only the L929/R variant was susceptible to ATPo-dependent early permeabilization of the plasma membrane to hydrophilic solutes of M(r) below 900, a response uniquely caused by the activation of P2z receptors. Both cell types were susceptible to the cytotoxic effect of ATPo, but killing of the L929/R variant required much shorter incubations in the presence of this nucleotide. Morphologic examination of ATPo-challenged L929 and L929/R cells showed that cell death occurred by two alternative mechanisms: colloido-osmotic lysis or apoptosis. Occurrence of apoptosis was confirmed by agarose gel analysis of cellular DNA. Although ATPo caused a fast mobilization of intracellular Ca2+, neither colloido-osmotic lysis nor apoptosis were Ca2+ dependent. Our results show that the L929/R variant, but not the L929 parental fibroblast cell line, expresses functional purinergic receptors of the P2z subtype. The presence of P2z receptors confers to L929/R cells enhanced susceptibility to ATPo-mediated cytotoxicity.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1992

Extracellular ATP is a trigger for the acrosome reaction in human spermatozoa.

We tested the effect of extracellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATPo) on the activation of human spermatozoa. ATPo, in a concentration range from 50 microM to 5 mM, induced the acrosome reaction, which, at the optimal concentration of 2.5 mM, was maximal (30-35% of spermatozoa activated) within 60 min of the addition of the nucleotide. At the end of this incubation in the presence of ATPo no decrease in cell motility and viability was observed. Among other purine/pyrimidine nucleotides only the ATP analogue adeny-5'-lyl imidodiphosphate was effective (70% of ATP); a weak (10% of ATP) effect was also observed with CTP and the ATP analogues adenosine 5'-(beta gamma-methylene)triphosphate and adenosine 5'-O-(thiotriphosphate). ATPo did not cause Ca2+ release from intracellular stores, nor it caused Ca2+ influx from the extracellular milieu; on the contrary, it caused a clear, albeit slow, plasma membrane depolarization. ATPo-activated spermatozoa showed a nearly 100% success rate in the standard hamster egg fertilization test. Our results describe a new effect of ATPo in human spermatozoa with relevant potential applications in fertility studies.

Acrosome↗
PubMed1992

Mitochondrial DNA is not fragmented during apoptosis.

We have exposed mouse thymocytes and P-815 mastocytoma cells to four different conditions reported to cause apoptosis: 1) incubation in the absence of mitogenic factors; 2) incubation in the presence of dexamethasone; 3) stimulation with external ATP; 4) treatment with high concentrations of the K+ ionophore valinomycin. These treatments caused DNA fragmentation to a varying extent in the two cell types. High stringency hybridization with a cDNA probe specific to a mitochondrial DNA sequence revealed that during apoptosis induced by lack of mitogenic factors, dexamethasone, or extracellular ATP, mitochondrial DNA was not fragmented. On the contrary, valinomycin caused extensive degradation of mitochondrial DNA. These results support the notion that DNA fragmentation during apoptosis is a specific nuclear event and suggest that other agents, such as valinomycin, may act less selectively.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1991

Identification, kinetic properties and intracellular localization of the (Ca(2+)-Mg2+)-ATPase from the intracellular stores of chicken cerebellum.

The microsomal fraction of chicken cerebellum expresses a large amount of Ca(2+)-ATPase (105 kDa), which is phosphorylated by ATP in the presence of Ca2+. The Ca(2+)-ATPase activity is highly sensitive to temperature and to the presence of detergents. This ATPase has kinetic properties similar to those of chicken skeletal-muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum, as (i) it is activated by low (microM) and inhibited by high (mM) Ca2+ concentrations, (ii) it shows biphasic activation with ATP and (iii) it is inhibited by vanadate. However, the vanadate-sensitivity is at least 10 times greater than that observed in chicken skeletal or cardiac sarcoplasmic-reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPases. Thus, despite cross-reacting with antibodies against the cardiac and skeletal isoforms, the cerebellar microsomal Ca(2+)-ATPase appears to be distinct from both muscle enzymes. The Ca(2+)-ATPase is concentrated in, but not exclusive to, Purkinje neurons. In Purkinje neurons the Ca(2+)-ATPase appears to be expressed throughout the cell body, the dendritic tree (and the spines) and the axons. At the electron-microscope level the Ca(2+)-ATPase is found in smooth and rough endoplasmic-reticulum cisternae as well as in other, yet unidentified, smooth-surfaced structures.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1991

Extracellular ATP causes lysis of mouse thymocytes and activates a plasma membrane ion channel.

Extracellular ATP (ATPo) caused a concentration-dependent lysis of mouse thymocytes. Lysis, as judged by release of the cytosolic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase, was preceded by depolarization of the plasma membrane and by Ca2+ influx. Both Na+ uptake (which sustained plasma membrane depolarization) and Ca2+ influx showed (1) the same dependence on the ATPo concentration; (2) the same nucleotide specificity; and (3) the same Hill coefficient. However, whereas the rise in the cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was fully inhibited by the known Ca2+ blocker verapamil, plasma membrane depolarization was enhanced under these conditions. Plasma membrane depolarization was greater and was shifted to lower ATPo concentrations in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+o), whereas the rise in [Ca2+]i was greater in Na(+)-free media. Plasma membrane depolarization also occurred in Na(+)-free choline- or methylglucamine-containing media, and was potentiated by chelation of free divalent ions with EDTA, supporting previous reports pointing to ATP4-as the active species. Among a number of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, only adenosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate and ADP were partially effective. Furthermore, ethidium bromide (Mr 380), Lucifer Yellow (Mr 463) and Eosin Yellowish (Mr 692) did not permeate through the ATPo-activated channel. These findings suggest that lytic effects of ATPo in mouse thymocytes depend on the activation of a membrane channel with low selectivity for cations and an Mr cut-off of 200.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1990

Structural and functional aspects of calcium homeostasis in eukaryotic cells.

The maintenance of a low cytosolic free-Ca2+ concentration, ([Ca2+]i) is a common feature of all eukaryotic cells. For this purpose a variety of mechanisms have developed during evolution to ensure the buffering of Ca2+ in the cytoplasm, its extrusion from the cell and/or its accumulation within organelles. Opening of plasma membrane channels or release of Ca2+ from intracellular pools leads to elevation of [Ca2+]i; as a result, Ca2+ binds to cytosolic proteins which translate the changes in [Ca2+]i into activation of a number of key cellular functions. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive description of the structural and functional characteristics of the various components of [Ca2+]i homeostasis in eukaryotes.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Responses of mouse lymphocytes to extracellular ATP. II. Extracellular ATP causes cell type-dependent lysis and DNA fragmentation.

Extracellular ATP (ATPo) caused dose-dependent lysis of YAC-1 and P-815 mouse tumor cells. This event, assessed by 51Cr release, was accompanied by sustained depolarization of the plasma membrane potential and Ca2+ influx. Plasma membrane depolarization and Ca2+ influx occurred within a few seconds of ATPo addition to both cell types, whereas 51Cr was released without apparent lag in YAC-1 cells and after 2 h in P-815 cells. Furthermore, a rise in [Ca2+]i was required for ATPo-dependent lysis of YAC-1 but not P-815 cells. In P-815 cells, ATPo caused an early and [Ca2+]i-independent DNA fragmentation that occurred at lower nucleotide concentrations than those required to trigger 51Cr release. Instead in YAC-1 cells very low concentrations of ATPo caused early lysis (ED50 for lysis about 200 microM) accompanied by only barely detectable DNA fragmentation. Previous studies disclosed that lymphokine-activated killer cells are fully resistant to the membrane-perturbing effects of ATPo. We show that lymphokine-activated killer cells also do not undergo DNA fragmentation even in the presence of high ATPo concentrations. This study complements previous observations on the lytic effects of ATPo and shows that this nucleotide can also cause DNA fragmentation, one of the earliest target cell alterations observed during CTL-mediated lysis.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1990

Correlation between plasma membrane potential and second messenger generation in the promyelocytic cell line HL-60.

The effects of plasma membrane depolarization on cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2+]i) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins(1,4,5)P3) generation were investigated in the human promyelocytic cell line HL-60 differentiated with either dimethyl sulfoxide or retinoic acid into neutrophil-like cells. Increases in [Ca2+]i and accumulation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 were triggered by two chemoattractants fMet-Leu-Phe and leukotriene B4. Plasma membrane potential was depolarized by isoosmotic substitution of NaCl with KCl, by the pore-forming ionophore gramicidin D, or by long term treatment with ouabain. Both Ca2+ mobilization from intracellular stores and Ca2+ influx across the plasma membrane were reduced by prior depolarization of plasma membrane potential regardless of the procedure employed to collapse it. Agonist-induced generation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 was also reduced in parallel in pre-depolarized HL-60 cells. The present findings provide further evidence suggesting that plasma membrane potential can be an important modulator of agonist-activated second messenger generation in myelocytic cells.

Calcium↗
PubMed1990

Chelation of cytoplasmic Ca2+ increases plasma membrane permeability in murine macrophages.

Cytoplasmic free Ca2+ (Ca2+i) was chelated to 10-20 nM in the macrophage cell line J774 either by incubation with quin2 acetoxymethyl ester in the absence of external Ca2+ (Di Virgilio, F., Lew, P.D., and Pozzan, T. (1984) Nature 310, 691-693) or by loading [ethyl-enebis(oxyethylenenitrilo)]tetraacetic acid (EGTA) into the cytoplasm via reversible permeabilization of the plasma membrane with extracellular ATP (Steinberg, T.H., Newman, A.S., Swanson, J.A., and Silverstein, SS.C. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 8884-8888; Di Virgilio, F., Meyer, B.C., Greenberg, S., and Silverstein, S.C. (1988) J. Cell Biol. 106, 657-666). After removal of ATP from the incubation medium, ATP-permeabilized Ca2+i-depleted macrophages recovered a near-normal plasma membrane potential which slowly depolarized over a 2-4 h incubation at low [Ca2+]i. In both ATP-treated and quin2-loaded cells, depolarization of plasma membrane potential was paralleled by an increase in plasma membrane permeability to low molecular weight aqueous solutes such as eosin yellowish (Mr 692), ethidium bromide (Mr 394), and lucifer yellow (Mr 463). This increased plasma membrane permeability was not accompanied by release of the cytoplasmic marker lactic dehydrogenase for incubations up to 4 h and was likely a specific effect of Ca2+i depletion since it was not caused by: (i) the mere incubation of macrophages with extracellular EGTA, i.e. at near-normal [Ca2+]i; and (ii) loading into the cytoplasm of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, a specific chelator of heavy metals with low affinity for Ca2+. Treatment of Ca2+i-depleted cells with direct (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) or indirect (platelet-activating factor) activators of protein kinase C prevented the increase in plasma membrane permeability. Down-regulation of protein kinase C rendered Ca2+i-depleted macrophages refractory to the protective effect of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. This report suggests a role for Ca2+i and possibly protein kinase C in the regulation of plasma membrane permeability to low molecular weight aqueous solutes.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1990

Extracellular ATP as a possible mediator of cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and natural killer (NK) cells lyse target cells by a specialized mechanism that involves the release of soluble 'killer' mediators. While several possible mediators have been demonstrated, it is likely that others have yet to be identified. For more than two decades it has been known that exogenous ATP is lytic to many cell types. In this article Francesco Di Virgilio and colleagues propose that extracellular ATP may be a mediator of cytotoxic cell-dependent lysis.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1989

Responses of mouse lymphocytes to extracellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP). Lymphocytes with cytotoxic activity are resistant to the permeabilizing effects of ATP.

The effects of extracellular ATP on plasma membrane permeability in mouse lymphocytes were studied with plasma membrane depolarization, uptake of ethidium bromide, and release of lactate dehydrogenase as indicators of increased permeability. Extracellular ATP induced sustained depolarization of plasma membrane potential as well as uptake of low m.w. fluorescent markers in mouse lymphocytes derived from thymus and spleen, and in two lymphoma lines YAC-1 and MBL-2. The fully ionized form ATP4- rather than MgATP2- mediated the increased permeability of the plasma membrane. Although prolonged exposure to exogenous ATP ultimately lysed the lymphocytes, two CTL populations (CHM-14 clone and CTLL-2 line) and IL-2-treated spleen lymphocytes with unrestricted killing activity were highly resistant to the permeabilizing action of extracellular ATP at all concentrations tested. In addition, CTL derived from primary immune peritoneal exudate and enriched by in vitro culture for 5 days in the presence of specific stimulator cells were also resistant to this permeabilizing effect. These findings show that exogenous ATP has a lytic effect on mouse lymphocytes but not on CTL, and suggest a role for ATP in cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1989

Interaction of lymphokine-activated killer cells with susceptible targets does not induce second messenger generation and cytolytic granule exocytosis.

CTL activation by specific targets leads to a rapid rise of inositol phosphates (InsPs) and of cytoplasmic-free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). While these events are considered necessary to trigger granule secretion, Ca2+-independent cytolytic mechanisms have been recently proposed in addition or as an alternative to the classical Ca2+-dependent exocytosis model. We observed that lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells, obtained after stimulation with supraoptimal concentrations of IL-2 in short- or long-term cultures, kill susceptible targets in the absence of a [Ca2+]i rise and InsP3 formation. Moreover, LAK cell-mediated lysis was not associated with an increase in cytotoxic granule exocytosis, as evaluated by BLT-esterase release into the culture supernatant. Furthermore, using an antigen-specific CTL clone, which acquires LAK-like activity when cultured in medium containing high IL-2 doses, second messenger generation and cytolytic granule content secretion were not detected during lysis of unrelated target cells, while killing of specific targets triggered both these processes. These findings suggest that two lytic pathways may coexist in the same effector cells: a second messenger-dependent pathway involving degranulation, which is activated after TCR interaction with specific targets, and another pathway, independent of any known second messenger generation, responsible for unrelated target cell lysis.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Voltage-dependent activation and inactivation of calcium channels in PC12 cells. Correlation with neurotransmitter release.

The existence and mechanisms of inactivation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels are important, but still debatable, physiological problems. By using the Ca2+ indicators quin2 and fura-2, we demonstrate that in PC12 cells voltage-gated Ca2+ channels undergo inactivation dependent on both voltage and [Ca2+]i. Inactivation, however, is never complete and a small number of channels remains open during prolonged depolarization, explaining the steady state elevation of [Ca2+]i observed in cells depolarized with high KCl. A close parallel exists between Ca2+ channel inactivation and the transient nature of neurotransmitter release: secretion is rapidly stimulated during the first 30 s of depolarization, when a transient overshoot in [Ca2+]i can be demonstrated, while it is negligible during the following period, despite the persistence of an elevated [Ca2+]i; predepolarization in Ca2+-free medium and subsequent addition of Ca2+ (a condition which allows the development of the voltage inactivation) abolishes the fast phase of secretion, while not modifying the steady state [Ca2+]i eventually attained; and increases in the intracellular Ca2+ buffering decreases the amplitude of the fast secretion phase induced by KCl without altering the steady state [Ca2+]i. We suggest that localized [Ca2+]i gradients form close to the plasma membrane shortly after depolarization and that the [Ca2+]i reached in these regions is the relevant parameter in the regulation of secretion.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗