PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Wegener

Publications and source records attributed to G Wegener.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Hypertrehalosaemic neuropeptides decrease levels of the glycolytic signal fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in cockroach fat body

In cockroach fat body, trehalogenesis and glycolysis compete for glucose phosphates as common substrates. During trehalogenesis, glycolysis is inhibited, although the mechanism responsible for this is not known. Incubation of the isolated fat body from the Argentine cockroach Blaptica dubia with an extract of the corpora cardiaca containing as little as 0.005 gland equivalents ml-1 of incubation medium increased the release of trehalose (anthrone-positive material) from the tissue by more than 100 %. The content of the glycolytic activator fructose 2,6-bisphosphate was decreased by up to 50 %. A decapeptide was isolated from the corpora cardiaca of B. dubia and shown to be identical to the naturally occurring Blaberus discoidalis hypertrehalosaemic peptide (Bld HrTH), which was also found in the corpora cardiaca. Synthetic Bld HrTH at 2 nmol l-1 and above increased trehalose production and decreased the content of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate to the same extent as did corpus cardiacum extract. The octapeptides Periplaneta americana cardioacceleratory hormones I and II (Pea CAH-I and Pea CAH-II) also had a significant effect on both parameters. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is a potent activator of phosphofructokinase from cockroach fat body if the enzyme is assayed at near-physiological concentrations of substrates and effectors. It is suggested that, because of the decrease in fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels in the fat body, the activity of the key glycolytic enzyme phosphofructokinase is diminished. This can explain the inhibition of glycolytic flux by hypertrehalosaemic peptides which alters the balance of glucose metabolism in favour of trehalose formation.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Effects of glucocorticoid excess on the sensitivity of glucose transport and metabolism to insulin in rat skeletal muscle.

GENBANK/dy examines the mechanisms of glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance in rat soleus muscle. Glucocorticoid excess was induced by administration of dexamethasone to rats for 5 days. Dexamethasone decreased the sensitivity of 3-O-methylglucose transport, 2-deoxyglucose phosphorylation, glycogen synthesis and glucose oxidation to insulin. The total content of GLUT4 glucose transporters was not decreased by dexamethasone; however, the increase in these transporters in the plasma membrane in response to insulin (100 m-units/litre) was lessened. In contrast, the sensitivity of lactate formation to insulin was normal. The content of 2-deoxyglucose in the dexamethasone-treated muscle was decreased at 100 m-units/litre insulin, while the contents of glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate were normal at all concentrations of insulin studied. The maximal activity of hexokinase in the soleus muscle was not affected by dexamethasone; however, inhibition of this enzyme by glucose 6-phosphate was decreased. These results suggest the following. (1) Glucocorticoid excess causes insulin resistance in skeletal muscle by directly inhibiting the translocation of the GLUT4 glucose transporters to the plasma membrane in response to insulin; since the activity of hexokinase is not affected, the changes in the sensitivity of glucose phosphorylation to insulin seen under these conditions are secondary to those in glucose transport. (2) The sensitivity of glycogen synthesis and glucose oxidation to insulin is decreased, but that of glycolysis is not affected: a redistribution of glucose away from the pathway of glycogen synthesis and glucose oxidation could maintain a normal rate of lactate formation although the rate of glucose transport is decreased.

3-O-Methylglucose↗
PubMed1997

5-HT1A receptors in lithium-induced conditioned taste aversion.

Experiments were carried out using rats to investigate whether 5-HT1A neural mechanisms are involved in lithium-induced conditioned taste aversion (CTA). We found that the 5-HT1A antagonists p-MPPI and pindolol caused CTA similar to that produced by LiCl. The 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH-DPAT counteracted lithium-induced CTA. Pindolol dose-dependently abolished effects of 8-OH-DPAT on LiCl-induced CTA. These findings support the notion that lithium has antagonistic actions on 5-HT1A receptors. Inhibition of 5-HT synthesis by PCPA failed, however, to prevent lithium-induced CTA. Evidently, mechanisms other than those governed solely by 5-HT are also involved in lithium-induced CTA.

8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin↗
PubMed1997

The effects of insulin on transport and metabolism of glucose in skeletal muscle from hyperthyroid and hypothyroid rats.

The effects of insulin on the rates of glucose disposal were studied in soleus muscles isolated from hyper- or hypothyroid rats. Treatment with triiodothyronine for 5 or 10 days decreased the sensitivity of glycogen synthesis but increased the sensitivity of lactate formation to insulin. The sensitivity of 3-O methylglucose to insulin was increased only after 10 days of treatment and was accompanied by an increase in the sensitivity of 2-deoxyglucose phosphorylation; however, 2-deoxyglucose and glucose 6-phosphate in response to insulin remained unaltered. In hypothyroidism, insulin-stimulated rates of 3-O-methylglucose transport and 2-deoxyglucose phosphorylation were decreased; however, at basal levels of insulin, 3-O-methylglucose transport was increased, while 2-deoxyglucose phosphorylation was normal. In these muscles, the sensitivity of lactate formation to insulin was decreased; this defect was improved after incubation of the muscles with prostaglandin E2. The results suggest: (a) in hyperthyroidism, insulin-stimulated rates of glucose utilization in muscle to form lactate are increased mainly because of a decrease in glycogen synthesis; when hyperthyroidism progresses in severity, increases in the sensitivity of glucose transport to insulin and in the activity of hexokinase may also be involved; (b) in hypothyroidism, the decrease in insulin-stimulated rates of glucose utilization is caused by decreased rates of glycolysis; (c) prostaglandins may be involved in the changes in sensitivity of glucose utilization to insulin observed in muscle in altered thyroid states.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Control of adenine nucleotide metabolism and glycolysis in vertebrate skeletal muscle during exercise.

The turnover of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in vertebrate skeletal muscle can increase more than a hundredfold during high-intensity exercise, while the content of ATP in muscle may remain virtually unchanged. This requires that the rates of ATP hydrolysis and ATP synthesis are exactly balanced despite large fluctuations in reaction rates. ATP is regenerated initially at the expense of phosphocreatine (PCr) and then mainly through glycolysis from muscle glycogen. The increased ATP turnover in contracting muscle will cause an increase in the contents of adenosine diphosphate (ADP), adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and inorganic phosphate (P(i)), metabolites that are substrates and activators of regulatory enzymes such as glycogen phosphorylase and phosphofructokinase. An intracellular metabolic feedback mechanism is thus activated by muscle contraction. How muscle metabolism is integrated in the intact body under physiological conditions is not fully understood. Common frogs are suitable experimental animals for the study of this problem because they can readily be induced to change from rest to high-intensity exercise, in the form of swimming. The changes in metabolites and effectors in gastrocnemius muscle were followed during exercise, post-exercise recovery and repeated exercise. The results suggest that glycolytic flux in muscle is modulated by signals from outside the muscle and that fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is a key signal in this process.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1996

Flying insects: model systems in exercise physiology.

Insect flight is the most energy-demanding exercise known. It requires very effective coupling of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis and regeneration in the working flight muscles. 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of locust flight muscle in vivo has shown that flight causes only a small decrease in the content of ATP, whereas the free concentrations of inorganic phosphate (Pi), adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) were estimated to increase by about 3-, 5- and 27-fold, respectively. These metabolites are potent activators of glycogen phosphorylase and phosphofructokinase (PFK). Activation of glycolysis by AMP and Pi is reinforced synergistically by fructose 2,6-biphosphate (F2,6P2), a very potent activator of PFK. During prolonged flight locusts gradually change from using carbohydrate to lipids as their main fuel. This requires a decrease in glycolytic flux which is brought about, at least in part, by a marked decrease in the content of F2,6P2 in flight muscle (by 80% within 15 min of flight). The synthesis of F2,6P2 in flight muscle can be stimulated by the nervous system via the biogenic amine octopamine. Octopamine and F2,6P2 seem to be part of a mechanism to control the rate of carbohydrate oxidation in flight muscle and thus function in the metabolic integration of insect flight.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1996

The regulation of trehalose metabolism in insects.

Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide comprising two glucose molecules. It is present in high concentration as the main haemolymph (blood) sugar in insects. The synthesis of trehalose in the fat body (an organ analogous in function to a combination of liver and adipose tissue in vertebrates) is stimulated by neuropeptides (hypertrehalosaemic hormones), released from the corpora cardiaca, a neurohaemal organ associated with the brain. The peptides cause a decrease in the content of fructose 2,6-biphosphate in fat body cells. Fructose 2,6-biphosphate, acting synergistically with AMP, is a potent activator of the glycolytic enzyme 6-phosphofructokinase-1 and a strong inhibitor of the gluconeogenic enzyme fructose 1,6-biphosphatase. This indicates that fructose 2,6-biphosphate is a key metabolic signal in the regulation of trehalose synthesis in insects. Trehalose is hydrolysed by trehalase (E.C. 3.2.1.28). The activity of this enzyme is regulated in flight muscle, but the mechanism by which this is achieved is unknown. Trehalase from locust flight muscle is a glycoprotein bound to membranes of the microsomal fraction. The enzyme can be activated by detergents in vitro and by short flight intervals in vivo, which indicates that changes in the membrane environment modulate trehalase activity under physiological conditions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Exercise and recovery in frog muscle: metabolism of PCr, adenine nucleotides, and related compounds.

The effects of exercise (swimming), fatigue, and recovery on the intracellular pH (pHi), energy-rich phosphates, and related metabolites were studied in the gastrocnemius muscle of common frogs (Rana temporaria) at 20 degrees C. Exercise caused a rapid decrease in the content of phosphocreatine (PCr) and a corresponding increase in that of Pi. The ATP level remained virtually constant for 1 min; its precipitous decrease during the following minute was associated with a rise in the contents of inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP) and NH4+, indicating a marked activation of AMP deaminase. Five minutes of swimming caused severe fatigue, which was correlated with decreases in muscle PCr (-85%), ATP (-42%), and pHi (-0.8 units). Recovery appeared almost complete within 2 h, and the frogs were then induced to swim again. During the initial 10 s of this second exercise, ATP synthesis was as high as in the first exercise, but the rate decreased more rapidly between 10 and 60 s, thus indicating that repeated exercise caused increased metabolic stress. IMP formation in working muscle was not strictly correlated with the pHi or the tissue contents of Pi, AMP and ADP, although from studies in vitro AMP deaminase is known to be modulated by these parameters.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1996

Control of glycolysis in vertebrate skeletal muscle during exercise.

The gastrocnemius muscle of the frog (Rana temporaria) has a high capacity for anaerobic glycolysis from glycogen. Glycolytic metabolites and effectors of phosphofructokinase, particularly the hexose bisphosphates, were followed in muscle during exercise (swimming between 5 s and 5 min), recovery (rest for up to 2 h after 5 min of swimming), and repeated exercise (swimming for up to 60 s after 2 h of recovery). Glycogen phosphorylase and phosphofructokinase were swiftly activated with exercise. The hexose bisphosphates followed markedly different time courses. Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate was transiently increased in both exercise and repeated exercise. This appears to be an effect rather than a cause of phosphofructokinase activation. Glucose 1,6-biphosphate was accumulated only while phosphofructokinase was active and was unchanged at other times. Fructose 2,6-biphosphate showed a 10-fold transient increase on exercise in rested frogs, almost disappeared from the muscle during recovery, and did not change during repeated exercise. Fructose 2,6-biphosphate is a potent activator of phosphofructokinase in vitro under near physiological assay conditions, and it may serve this function also in vivo during exercise. Glucose 1,6-biphosphate could be an activator of phosphofructokinase in repeated exercise when fructose 2,6-biphosphate is not available.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

[Evaluation of anamnestic data of cancer patients (comprehensiveness of the "Oldenburg Anamnesis Questionnaire")].

An evaluation of case history data of cancer patients is presented. These data were recorded by means of a case history form in the cancer registry of Weser-Ems between 1988 and 1993 in the Weser-Ems region (Lower Saxony). Completeness and rate of errors were the quality criteria. The completeness was insufficient (23-92%), whereas the rate of errors was low (1%). In the course of years the completeness of the clinically relevant items increased, probably because the form had to be completed by the physician. About 99% of the cancer patients were of German nationality. The cause of registration was mainly the appearance of symptoms or a pathological finding while investigating for another reason. In respect of correlations between anamnestic data and carcinomas smoking or/and alcohol-abusus were significant. There was an association in men between these factors and carcinomas of the oropharynx and oesophagus, respectively of the lung; 85 resp. 75% of the men with theses carcinomas had smoked excersively and/or had abused alcohol. Data concerning the profession of the patients were irrelevant. Gynaecological ananestic data did not yield any new knowledge, which is why these and other items may be ignored. This resulted in a new anamnestic and patient questionnaire sheet were drawn up. These are now being tested in the Weser-Ems region since October 1995.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Completion thyroidectomy in 131 patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic factors that influence survival and recurrence after "completion" thyroidectomy (removal of the total thyroid remnant after diagnosis of carcinoma has been made in a specimen that was incompletely excised for a benign condition). DESIGN: Open study. SETTING: Teaching hospital, Germany. SUBJECTS: 131 Patients (65 with papillary and 66 with follicular thyroid cancer) who underwent completion thyroidectomy after primary subtotal resection. INTERVENTIONS: Indications for further operation were: tumour stage worse than pT1 ( n = 116), tumour stage pT1 and the suspicion of persistence of the tumour (n = 13), and incompletely resected tumour (n = 2). Multivariate analysis by Cox's proportional hazards model. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Recurrence, development of metastases, and length of survival. RESULTS: Patients who underwent their completion thyroidectomies within six months of the primary operation had significantly fewer recurrences, fewer lymph node metastases, fewer haematogenous metastases and survived significantly longer than those in whom the second operation was delayed for longer than six months. The age at the time of diagnosis and the stage of the tumour influenced survival, whereas sex and type of tumour did not. CONCLUSION: Completion thyroidectomy as soon as possible after incomplete resection of the tumour may improve prognosis in differentiated thyroid cancers the stage of which is worse than pT1 or in patients whose recurrent tumour is diagnosed at follow-up.

Adenocarcinoma, Follicular↗
PubMed1993

6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase from frog skeletal muscle: purification, kinetics and immunological properties.

Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is the most potent activator of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase, a key regulatory enzyme of glycolysis in animal tissues. This study was prompted by the finding that the content of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in frog skeletal muscle was dramatically increased at the initiation of exercise and was closely correlated with the glycolytic flux during exercise. 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase, the enzyme system catalyzing the synthesis and degradation of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, was purified from frog (Rana esculenta) skeletal muscle and its properties were compared with those of the rat muscle type enzyme expressed in Escherichia coli using recombinant DNA techniques. 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase from frog muscle was purified 5600-fold. 6-Phosphofructo-2-kinase and fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase activities could not be separated, indicating that the frog muscle enzyme is bifunctional. The enzyme preparation from frog muscle showed two bands on sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The minor band had a relative molecular mass of 55,800 and was identified as a liver (L-type) isoenzyme. It was recognized by an antiserum raised against a specific amino-terminal amino acid sequence of the L-type isoenzyme and was phosphorylated by the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. The major band in the preparations from frog muscle (relative molecular mass = 53,900) was slightly larger than the recombinant rat muscle (M-type) isoenzyme (relative molecular mass = 53,300). The pH profiles of the frog muscle enzyme were similar to those of the rat M-type isoenzyme, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase activity was optimal at pH 9.3, whereas fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase activity was optimal at pH 5.5. However, the 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase from frog muscle differed from other M-type isoenzymes in that, at physiological pH, the maximum activity of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase exceeded that of fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase, the activity ratio being 1.7 (at pH 7.2) compared to 0.2 in the rat M-type isoenzyme. 6-Phosphofructo-2-kinase activity from the frog and rat muscle enzymes was strongly inhibited by citrate and by phosphoenolpyruvate whereas glycerol 3-phosphate had no effect. Fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase activity from frog muscle was very sensitive to the non-competitive inhibitor fructose 6-phosphate (inhibitor concentration causing 50% decrease in activity = 2 mumol.l-1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Effects of insulin-like growth factor I on the rates of glucose transport and utilization in rat skeletal muscle in vitro.

1. The effects of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) on the rates of glucose transport and utilization and its interaction with insulin were investigated in rat soleus muscle in vitro. IGF-I increased the rates of glucose transport, lactate formation, glycogen synthesis and the flux of glucose to hexose monophosphate, but it had no effect on the rate of glucose oxidation or glycogenolysis. 2. In the absence of insulin, low levels of IGF-I (0-30 ng/ml) increased the rate of glycolysis and the content of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, but the content of glucose 6-phosphate remained unaltered; at higher levels of IGF-I (300-3000 ng/ml) the rate of glycolysis and the content of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate showed a further modest increase, but the content of glucose 6-phosphate doubled. Similar changes were seen when the level of insulin was increased from basal (0-0.4 ng/ml) to maximal (40 ng/ml). 3. Neither IGF-I nor insulin affected the contents of ATP, ADP, AMP, phosphocreatine or citrate. 4. Maximal concentrations of IGF-I increased the rate of lactate formation to a greater extent than did maximal concentrations of insulin. 5. In the presence of IGF-I, the rate of glucose utilization was less responsive to insulin. 6. The results suggest that, in rat skeletal muscle: (a) IGF-I increases the rates of glucose transport and utilization independently of insulin, and has a preferential effect on the rate of lactate formation; (b) the effects of IGF-I and insulin are not additive; (c) in addition to its effects on glucose transport, IGF-I increases the rate of glycogen synthesis and may stimulate glycolysis at the level of 6-phosphofructokinase; (d) changes in the content of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate may be part of the mechanism to regulate glycolytic flux in skeletal muscle in response to either IGF-I or insulin.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Effects of in-vivo administration of insulin-like growth factor-I on the rate of glucose utilization in the soleus muscle of the rat.

This study investigated the effects of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) administered to rats in vivo on the soleus muscle isolated from these rats. In order to study the interactions between IGF-I and insulin, the soleus muscles were incubated in the presence of various concentrations of insulin. IGF-I (190-200 micrograms) was given twice daily; the rats were killed 1 h after one injection of IGF-I (acute administration) or after treatment with IGF-I for 10 days (prolonged administration). The level of IGF-I in plasma was increased by approximately 100% after acute administration and by around 30% after 10 days of treatment with IGF-I. Acute administration of IGF-I to the rats increased the flux of glucose to hexose monophosphate and the rates of lactate formation and glycogen synthesis in the soleus muscles; however, the responsiveness of these muscles to insulin was lost: the increase in the rate of glucose utilization by IGF-I at physiological concentrations of insulin (10 or 100 mU/l) was similar to that observed at maximal concentrations of insulin (1000 mU/l). Similar results were obtained after prolonged treatment of the rats with IGF-I; however, the increase in the rate of glucose utilization was less pronounced than when IGF-I was given acutely and the muscles were still capable of responding to insulin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗