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J C Metcalfe

Publications and source records attributed to J C Metcalfe.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Approaches to the development of selective inhibitors of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.

Abnormal proliferation of VSMC is a feature of atheromatous plaques and is responsible for obstructive neointimal lesions at the sites of mechanical or immunological intimal damage. We have discussed approaches to the development of specific inhibitors of VSMC proliferation based firstly on studies of the mechanism of action of known inhibitors and secondly on the identification of genes which are unique to and necessary for VSMC proliferation. The effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, heparin and hexamethylene bisacetamide on VSMC proliferation have been discussed. Each of these types of agent has been shown to inhibit VSMC proliferation in vitro and/or in vivo. Examination of the mechanisms by which these agents inhibit VSMC proliferation reveals that transforming growth factor beta is an important mediator of their action and that the processes of de-differentiation and proliferation are independently regulated. Studies aimed at identifying genes involved in VSMC proliferation are at an early stage but have already provided strong evidence to support the hypothesis that VSMC in the vessel wall are heterogeneous and contain a subpopulation of cells with an enhanced proliferative capacity. Identification of the genes expressed by these cells may allow specific inhibitors of VSMC proliferation to be developed and may shed light on the pathogenesis of neointimal lesions.

Acetamides↗
PubMed1993

Adult human aortic smooth muscle cells in culture produce active TGF-beta.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from adult human aortas proliferated in culture in response to fetal calf serum (FCS) with a population doubling time of 70-85 h compared with 35 +/- 5 h for VSMC derived from adult rat aortas. Medium conditioned on cultures prepared from aortas from three different donors and mixed 1:1 with fresh Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium plus 20% FCS [human conditioned medium (HCM)] reduced the rate of proliferation of rat VSMC by 46 +/- 6% (n = 3) after 48 h compared with cells in fresh medium. HCM did not reduce the proportion (> 65%) of rat VSMC that entered DNA synthesis but delayed entry into mitosis by at least 18 h. This effect was similar to previous observations of the action of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) on rat VSMC (G. K. Owens, A. A. Geisterfer, Y. W. Yang, and A. Komoriya. J. Cell Biol. 107: 771-780, 1988). A TGF-beta assay using DNA synthesis in mink lung epithelial cells confirmed that human, but not rat, VSMC in culture secrete active TGF-beta. Addition of a neutralizing antibody to TGF-beta to human VSMC in the presence of 20% FCS decreased the population doubling time from 74 +/- 3 to 46 +/- 6 h (n = 3). These observations demonstrate that the long population doubling time of human VSMC is due to the production of active TGF-beta and to an inhibitory autocrine loop.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Regulation of intracellular pH in the perfused heart by external HCO3- and Na(+)-H+ exchange.

Both Na(+)-dependent HCO3- influx and the Na(+)-H+ antiport have been shown to contribute to recovery from intracellular acidosis in avian and mammalian cardiac tissue. We have investigated the participation of these mechanisms in the recovery of intracellular pH (pHi) after an acid load in the Langendorff-perfused ferret heart. pHi was measured from the phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shift of 2-deoxy-D-glucose 6-phosphate. Basal pHi was higher in HCO(3-)-buffered solution (7.05 +/- 0.01; n = 8) than in nominally HCO(3-)-free N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) solution (6.98 +/- 0.02; n = 9). Addition of 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride (EIPA) caused a significant fall in pHi in HEPES solution (6.91 +/- 0.02; n = 5) but not in HCO3- solution (7.02 +/- 0.02; n = 5). Intrinsic intracellular buffering capacity in 0 Na(+)-HEPES solution was 37 +/- 2 mmol/l (n = 4), and additional buffering due to HCO(3-)-CO2 was approximately 13 mmol/l in HCO3- solution. After an intracellular acidosis induced by an NH4Cl prepulse, the proton efflux rate (JH) at pHi 6.90 was 0.5 +/- 0.2 nmol.l-1.min-1 (n = 14) in HEPES solution and 1.2 +/- 0.4 mmol.l-1.min-1 (n = 13) in HCO3- solution. The addition of 1 microM EIPA effectively blocked proton efflux in HEPES solution (JH < 0.1 mmol.l-1.min-1; n = 8), whereas it slowed pHi recovery in HCO3- solution (JH = 0.6 +/- 0.2 mmol.l-1.min-1; n = 9). There was no recovery of pHi in Na(+)-free HCO3- solution (JH < 0.1 mmol.l-1.min-1; n = 3). The Na(+)-H+ antiport and a mechanism requiring both external Na+ and HCO3- each contribute approximately 50% to proton efflux at pHi 6.90 during the recovery from intracellular acidosis in the isolated perfused mammalian heart.

Acids↗
PubMed1993

Mechanisms of pHi recovery after global ischemia in the perfused heart.

A Na(+)-HCO3- coinflux carrier and the Na(+)-H+ antiport have both been shown to contribute to recovery from intracellular acidosis in cardiac tissue. We have investigated the participation of these mechanisms as well as metabolite (lactate and CO2) washout in the recovery of pHi after myocardial ischemia. Isovolumic ferret hearts were Langendorff-perfused with either HCO3(-)-buffered or nominally HCO3(-)-free (HEPES-buffered) medium at 30 degrees C. pHi was estimated from the chemical shift of the 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance signal of intracellular PO4-, and net H+ efflux rates were calculated at pHi 6.80. The H+ efflux rate during reperfusion, after 10 minutes of global ischemia, was 15.5 +/- 1.9 mmol.l-1 x min-1 (n = 10) in hearts perfused with HCO3(-)-buffered medium and 8.2 +/- 1.5 mmol.l-1 x min-1 (n = 9, p < 0.01) in hearts perfused with HEPES-buffered medium. HCO3- influx, assessed either by inhibition by 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (20 microM) or by initially perfusing hearts with HEPES-buffered medium but reperfusing with HCO3(-)-buffered medium, accounted for 3.5-4.9 mmol.l-1 x min-1, and CO2 efflux accounted for 3.8-6.2 mmol.l-1 x min-1 of the additional H+ efflux in HCO3(-)-buffered medium. H(+)-coupled lactate efflux, measured by NAD(+)-linked spectrophotometric assay and inhibited by the sarcolemmal monocarboxylate transport inhibitor 4,4'-dibenzamidostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (0.25 mM), contributed 3.7-6.2 mmol.l-1 x min-1. H+ efflux via the 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride-sensitive Na(+)-H+ antiport was 1.0-2.9 mmol.l-1 x min-1. pHi recovery after ischemia is therefore principally mediated by metabolite (lactate and CO2) washout. Na(+)-coupled acid extrusion contributed approximately 35% of total H+ efflux in this system. However, the associated Na+ entry (approximately 5 mmol.l-1 x min-1) may contribute to Ca2+ overload after reperfusion.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Isolation of gene markers of differentiated and proliferating vascular smooth muscle cells.

To isolate specific markers of both differentiated and proliferating vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), we used the technique of differential cDNA screening using RNA from cultured rat aortic VSMCs. The tissue specificity of expression of all of the cDNAs isolated was determined by Northern analysis. We isolated seven distinct cDNAs that were more strongly expressed in freshly dispersed, differentiated, aortic VSMCs compared with dedifferentiated late-passage cells. These were the cDNAs for tropoelastin, a matrix protein; alpha-smooth muscle (SM) actin, gamma-SM actin, calponin, and phospholamban, which are all proteins associated with the contractile function of differentiated VSMCs; SM22 alpha, a smooth muscle-specific protein of unknown function, and CHIP28, a putative membrane channel protein that is not highly expressed in other SM tissues and may therefore be a new VSMC marker. Two cDNAs that were expressed preferentially in late-passage dedifferentiated VSMCs were also isolated. These were the cDNAs for osteopontin and matrix Gla protein (MGP). Like CHIP28, MGP was strongly expressed in aortic VSMCs but not in other types of tissues containing SM cells, suggesting that both have specific functions in vascular tissue. Osteopontin and MGP have both previously been isolated from developing bone. Their expression in proliferating VSMCs suggests that they may be involved in regulating the calcification that commonly occurs in vascular lesions. The set of cDNAs obtained extends the range of DNA probes that are available for identifying VSMCs and characterizing their phenotype in vivo by in situ hybridization. Therefore, they should aid in the analysis of gene expression during the development of vessel lesions.

Actins↗
PubMed1993

A common requirement for p21c-ras function in the mitogenic signaling pathways of Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts.

The role of p21c-ras in the activation of DNA synthesis in quiescent Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts was examined by scrape loading or microinjecting the neutralizing monoclonal antibody Y13-259 into the cells. Y13-259 delayed but did not block both the serum-stimulated entry of the cells into S phase and the accumulation of cdc2 mRNA and protein at the G1-S boundary. Introduction of Y13-259 also stimulated expression of sufficient p21c-ras to neutralize the loaded antibody; this finding suggests that the delay of S phase is attributable to the time taken to synthesize an excess of p21c-ras over the antibody and implies autoregulation of c-ras expression. Y13-259 had no effect upon phosphoinositide-mediated responses ([Ca2+]i increase and activation of protein kinase C) to platelet-derived growth factor or bombesin, demonstrating that p21c-ras is not required for mitogen activation of protein kinase C. Y13-259 inhibited 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation in response to all of the combinations of mitogens used to stimulate quiescent cells (fetal calf serum, platelet-derived growth factor, and the combination of insulin with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, bombesin, epidermal growth factor, or prostaglandin E1), indicating that p21c-ras functions on pathways common to all of the effective combinations of mitogens examined.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1992

Hexamethylenebisacetamide selectively inhibits the proliferation of human and rat vascular smooth-muscle cells.

Hexamethylenebisacetamide (HMBA) selectively and reversibly inhibited proliferation of human and rat vascular smooth-muscle cells (VSMCs) compared with endothelial cells, fibroblasts or lymphocytes. Half-maximal inhibition of VSMC proliferation occurred at 2-5 mM-HMBA, and at 30- greater than 50 mM for other cell types. HMBA also prevented de-differentiation, defined by the loss of smooth-muscle-specific myosin heavy chain, of primary rat VSMCs and caused partial re-differentiation of subcultured cells. Other inhibitors of ADP-ribosyltransferase were also selective inhibitors of VSMC proliferation.

Acetamides↗
PubMed1991

A large accumulation of non-muscle myosin occurs at first entry into M phase in rat vascular smooth-muscle cells.

Vascular smooth-muscle cells (VSMCs) from rat aortae contained very little non-muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC) immediately after dispersal, and the protein did not accumulate if the cells were held in G0/G1 phase by withholding serum or were held in first S phase by the addition of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU). However, non-muscle MHC accumulated by greater than 20-fold per cell during first M phase, when over 80% of the cells divided between 48 h and 72 h after addition of serum. Delaying the addition of serum caused a delay in the accumulation of the non-muscle MHC until the cells subsequently entered M phase. If the cells were held in M phase at the metaphase/anaphase boundary by nocadazole, the accumulation of non-muscle myosin still occurred, although division was blocked. When the cells were pulse-labelled with [35S]methionine, it was found that non-muscle MHC was one of the major proteins being made and that its synthesis occurred at similar rates throughout the cell cycle. This implied that the rate of degradation of the protein before first M phase was much faster than in M phase, when the protein accumulated rapidly. This was confirmed by direct measurements of the rate at which [35S]methionine-labelled non-muscle MHC disappeared from the cells, which gave a half-life for the protein of about 8 h before M phase but about 5 days in post-mitotic cells, i.e. an increase of approx. 15-fold. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that there is a mechanism in VSMCs which shortens the half-life of the protein before first M phase and that the accumulation of non-muscle MHC which results from the increase in half-life at first M phase may be necessary for division of these cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Control of growth of juvenile leaves of Eucalyptus globulus: effects of leaf age.

Biophysical variables influencing the expansion of plant cells (yield threshold, cell wall extensibility and turgor) were measured in individual Eucalyptus globulus leaves from the time of emergence until cessation of growth. Leaf water relations variables and growth rates were determined as relative humidity was changed on an hourly basis. Yield threshold and cell wall extensibility were estimated from plots of leaf growth rate versus turgor. Cell wall extensibility was also measured by the Instron technique, and yield threshold was determined experimentally both by stress relaxation in a psychrometer chamber and by incubation in a range of polyethylene glycol solutions. Once emerging leaves reached approximately 5 cm(2) in size, increases in leaf area were rapid throughout the expansive phase and varied little between light and dark periods. Both leaf growth rate and turgor were sensitive to changes in humidity, and in the longer term, both yield threshold and cell wall extensibility changed as the leaf aged. Rapidly expanding leaves had a very low yield threshold and high cell wall extensibility, whereas mature leaves had low cell wall extensibility. Yield threshold increased with leaf age.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1990

GTP gamma S inhibits early c-myc protein accumulation but not DNA synthesis in Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts.

Quiescent Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts stimulated with epidermal growth factor and insulin showed large transient increases in c-myc mRNA and c-myc protein accumulation which were maximal at about 2 h after addition of the co-mitogens. When the cells were loaded with 0.1 mM of guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S) by transient permeabilisation immediately before mitogenic stimulation, the increase in c-myc mRNA was similar to that observed in unloaded cells but the corresponding c-myc protein peak was reduced by at least 95%. The GTP gamma S completely blocked incorporation of [35S]methionine into cell proteins for 3-4 h after addition of the mitogens, but not thereafter, and caused a delay in the subsequent onset of DNA synthesis by the same period. The data show that less than 5% of the early increase in c-myc protein normally observed after mitogenic stimulation is required for its obligatory role in the progression of cells to S phase implied by other evidence.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Analysis of the primary signals required for activation of the mitogenic pathway in murine thymocytes from protein phosphorylation patterns.

It has been proposed that phorbol esters and the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 are effective comitogens for some species of lymphocytes because together they mimic the normal secondary signals for cell activation by mitogens that cause phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdInsP2) breakdown (e.g., anti-TCR and anti-Thy-1 antibodies and Con A). To test whether activation of protein kinase C and an increase in [Ca2+]i account for the activation of the mitogenic pathway in murine thymocytes by the mitogens that cause PtdInsP2 breakdown, the two-dimensional phosphorylation patterns generated by the three classes of mitogens (protein kinase C activator, Ca2+ ionophore, and activator of PtdInsP2 breakdown) and by activators of cAMP-dependent kinases have been compared. From the phosphorylation patterns, by which each mitogen could be distinguished reproducibly, it was concluded that: 1) The phosphorylation patterns generated by the mitogens that activate PtdInsP2 breakdown are only slightly affected by the removal of extracellular Ca2+ under conditions that abolish the normal rise in [Ca2+]i and do not therefore depend on the activation of Ca2(+)-dependent protein kinases. In contrast, the phosphorylation pattern generated by A23187 is totally dependent on extracellular Ca2+. 2) Neither A23187 nor the mitogens that activate PtdInsP2 breakdown nor activators of cAMP-dependent kinases caused significant activation of protein kinase C assayed by phosphorylation of the diagnostic proteins 80b and 78a. Consistent with this conclusion, only the phorbol esters or oleoyl acyl glycerol caused translocation of protein kinase C activity from the cytosolic to the membrane fraction. 3) Neither A23187 nor the mitogens that cause PtdInsP2 breakdown activated cAMP-dependent kinases. Taken together the data imply that the mitogens that cause PtdInsP2 breakdown must generate an additional, independent primary mitogenic signal. It is suggested that this signal may be the activation of tyrosine kinases (e.g., p56lck) via the TCR and working hypotheses for effective combinations of primary mitogenic signals that will activate DNA synthesis are developed.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Mitogen-stimulated activation of the Na+/H+ antiporter does not regulate S6 phosphorylation or protein synthesis in murine thymocytes or Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts.

The activation of protein synthesis by mitogens in quiescent (G0) mammalian cells is obligatory for progression from G0 through G1 to DNA synthesis in S phase. When the activation of the Na+/H+ antiporter which occurs in mitogen-stimulated Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts or murine fibroblasts is completely blocked by dimethylamiloride, there is little or no effect on the phosphorylation of the ribosomal protein S6 or the activation of protein synthesis assayed by [35S]methionine incorporation. Furthermore, the accumulation of the protein product of the activated c-myc gene is unaffected by dimethylamiloride in 3T3 fibroblasts. The data show that there is no requirement for activation of the Na+/H+ antiporter for the activation of S6 phosphorylation or protein synthesis by mitogens but do not preclude the possibility that activation of the antiporter is necessary for some other response(s) obligatory for DNA synthesis. These data are contrasted with previous reports for Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts that the increase in intracellular pH which results from activation of the Na+/H+ antiporter in bicarbonate-free media is necessary for S6 phosphorylation, protein synthesis, and hence, for subsequent DNA synthesis (Pouyssegur, J., Chambard, J. C., Franchi, A., Paris, S., and Van Obberghen-Schilling, E. (1982) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 3935-3939; Chambard, J.C., and Pouyssegur, J. (1986) Exp. Cell Res. 164, 282-294).

Amiloride↗
PubMed1990

The endothelin peptides ET-1, ET-2, ET-3 and sarafotoxin S6b are co-mitogenic with platelet-derived growth factor for vascular smooth muscle cells.

We have investigated whether any of the three isoforms of endothelin (ET) ET-1, ET-2 and ET-3 or the structurally similar peptide sarafotoxin S6b is mitogenic on its own for rat vascular smooth muscle cells in culture. DNA synthesis was determined by a peroxidase-linked double antibody technique to detect bromodeoxyuridine incorporation into the nucleus and stained nuclei were counted by image analysis. None of the ET peptides or sarafotoxin S6b (up to 100 nM) was capable of initiating DNA synthesis in the absence of platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) or fetal calf serum. All the peptides potentiated the mitogenic effect of low concentrations of PDGF. ET-1 and ET-2 (10 nM) caused a 2-fold increase in the number of stained nuclei induced by 5 nM and 10 nM PDGF, whereas ET-3 and sarafotoxin S6b were less potent. These findings demonstrate that ET is a co-mitogen for rat vascular smooth muscle cells. The release of ET at sites of endothelial injury may therefore enhance the mitogenic action of locally acting PDGF on vascular smooth muscle cells and potentiate the proliferative response.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Leaf growth of Eucalyptus globulus seedlings under water deficit.

Eucalyptus globulus Labill. seedlings grown under field conditions in Portugal were watered either daily (control) or every 6 days (drought-treated). Relative to those of control plants, rates of leaf production and leaf biomass accumulation were reduced by almost half in drought-treated plants. However, whereas expansion of new leaves on control plants slowed toward the end of the 30 day experiment, expansion of leaves of the same age on drought-treated plants accelerated as a change in weather conditions resulted in midday plant water potentials above -3.0 MPa. In plants that were left unwatered until they wilted and were then watered daily, expansion of the fifth leaf pair from the apex was slower than that of the same pair of leaves of plants watered daily throughout; but it continued for about twice as long and resulted in the same final leaf area. Drought treatment also caused a substantial reduction in the rate of leaf production, which, in part, accounted for the effect of drought on leaf biomass production. In a greenhouse study, witholding water for 15 days had only a slight effect on the length or width of adaxial epidermal cells, and the effect was quickly reversed on rewatering.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1988

Ca2+ and pH responses to sequential additions of mitogens in single 3T3 fibroblasts: correlations with DNA synthesis.

The progression of Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts from the quiescent state (G0) through G1 to DNA synthesis in S phase generally requires the synergistic action of two mitogens. The main aim of this study was to compare systematically the early Ca2+ and pH responses in quiescent cells to all of the pair combinations of eight mitogens (bombesin, platelet-derived growth factor, vasopressin, prostaglandin F2 alpha, epidermal growth factor, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate, insulin, 8-bromo-cAMP) with their subsequent effects on DNA synthesis. Each of the mitogens which caused inositol phosphate accumulation (bombesin, platelet-derived growth factor, vasopressin, prostaglandin F2 alpha) also activated Ca2+- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) and generated both the Ca2+ and pH responses, although epidermal growth factor also generated the ionic responses without causing release of inositol phosphates or activation of protein kinase C. For sequential mitogen additions the ionic signals were measured in single cells as well as in cell populations to avoid ambiguities due to heterogeneity in the responses of the cells to the various mitogens. The modulating effects of the mitogens on the [Ca2+]i responses to subsequent mitogen additions varied widely, but detailed comparisons showed that the pattern of blocking effects could not be attributed solely to the effect of the first mitogen causing either maximal breakdown of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate or complete depletion of the intracellular Ca2+ pool or activation of protein kinase C. From these analyses it was concluded that the requirement for two mitogens for effective DNA synthesis could not be attributed to the summation to a critical threshold of either the ionic signals or phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate breakdown, and that these responses are insufficient by themselves to cause the cells to progress to DNA synthesis in S phase.

8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate↗
PubMed1988

C-fos gene activation in murine thymocytes by a mechanism independent of protein kinase C or a Ca2+ signal.

The accumulation of c-fos mRNA in mouse thymocytes was compared when the cells were stimulated by concanavalin A (Con A), the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 or the phorbol ester, TPA, either separately or by combinations of these mitogens. The c-fos response to mitogenic concentrations of Con A could not be attributed either to the rise in [Ca2+]i it induces or to activation of protein kinase C. Thus, although Con A causes the breakdown of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate in these cells, neither of the signals which can be generated by this response was responsible for the activation of the c-fos gene by Con A. This implies that some other unidentified signal generated by Con A activates the c-fos gene.

Animals↗