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Biomedical subjects

J Laredo

Publications and source records attributed to J Laredo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Use of the Ilizarov external fixator in the treatment of patients with Ollier's disease.

The authors present the results of treatment of 10 patients with Ollier's disease using the Ilizarov technique. The Ilizarov device was used to treat leg length discrepancy and to enhance the conversion of chondroma cartilage into normal mature bone, with no curettage and bone grafting. The mean duration of treatment was 9.4 months. This technique was highly efficient in treating the disease. It led to conversion of the abnormal cartilage into histologically mature bone in all patients. Some complications were seen, such as decreased knee mobility, which required prolonged use of the device. The Ilizarov technique is successful in treating patients with Ollier's disease despite some complications and the difficulty in using the technique.

Adult↗

Effects of angiotensin II on sodium potassium pumps, endogenous ouabain, and aldosterone in bovine zona glomerulosa cells.

Angiotensin (Ang) II stimulates secretions of aldosterone and an endogenous ouabain-like steroid (EO) from bovine adrenal zona glomerulosa (BAG) cells. The BAG cell sodium pump, a possible target of EO, affects aldosterone secretion although little is known about this pump. Here, we describe the effects of Ang II on the characteristics of this transporter and steroid secretions. Under serum-free conditions, 3H-ouabain bound to a single class of sites on BAG cells. Binding of label was time and concentration dependent, was sensitive to extracellular potassium ions, and was displaced by ouabain and digoxin with EC50 of approximately 218 and approximately 232 nmol/L, respectively. Sodium pump-mediated 86Rb uptake was inhibited by ouabain (EC50 approximately 301 nmol/L). Ang II dose dependently augmented secretions of EO and aldosterone, increased ouabain-sensitive 86Rb uptake and 3H-ouabain binding, and increased the affinity for 3H-ouabain binding (Kd, from 205 to 80 nmol/L) with no change in the maximal number of sodium pumps (5.45x10(6)) per cell. Losartan blocked all effects of Ang II except EO secretion, which was inhibited by PD123319. We conclude that BAG cells express sodium pumps in high density and bind ouabain to a single class of low-affinity sites. The characteristics of the sodium pumps protect BAG cells from EO autotoxicity but may exclude them from mediating feedback inhibition of EO secretion. The effects of Ang II on sodium pump activity, ouabain binding affinity, and aldosterone secretion are mediated via Ang II type 1 receptors, whereas Ang II type 2 receptors augment EO secretion. The role of the Ang II-mediated increase in the ouabain sensitivity of BAG cell sodium pumps in the secretions of aldosterone and EO remains to be elucidated.

Aldosterone↗

Different signaling pathways mediate stimulated secretions of endogenous ouabain and aldosterone from bovine adrenocortical cells.

Angiotensin II stimulates secretion of corticosteroids and an ouabain-like compound from adrenocortical cells. The angiotensin AT1 and AT2 receptor subtypes have been linked with stimulated secretion of aldosterone and endogenous ouabain, respectively, but the second messenger mechanisms involved in the latter secretion are not known. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of several pharmacological agents that affect signaling pathways on the basal and stimulated secretions of aldosterone and endogenous ouabain from primary cell cultures of bovine adrenocortical cells. The AT2 receptor antagonist, PD 123319, blocked the effects of angiotensin II on secretion of endogenous ouabain but not aldosterone. Treatment of the cells with either dibutyryl cAMP, a membrane permeant analog, or the phorbol ester tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate stimulated aldosterone secretion but had no effect on the secretion of endogenous ouabain. On the other hand, the membrane permeant analog, 8BcGMP, maximally activated secretion of endogenous ouabain whereas incubation of cells with sodium orthovanadate blocked angiotensin II stimulated secretion of endogenous ouabain. Neither 8BcGMP nor sodium orthovanadate affected the basal or stimulated components of aldosterone secretion. These results show that the secretions of aldosterone and endogenous ouabain from bovine adrenocortical cells are mediated by different intracellular signaling mechanisms and provide evidence that the adrenal secretions of these steroids are regulated differently.

Adrenal Cortex↗

Angiotensin II stimulates secretion of endogenous ouabain from bovine adrenocortical cells via angiotensin type 2 receptors.

Angiotensin II stimulates secretion of corticosteroids and ouabain-like activity from adrenocortical cells. Distinct adrenocortical angiotensin II receptor subtypes (AT1, AT2) have been described, and the present studies investigated their roles in steroid secretion. Using primary bovine adrenocortical cell cultures under serum free conditions, angiotensin II stimulated the secretions of aldosterone, cortisol, and endogenous ouabain as verified by high-performance chromatography. The dose-response curves for stimulated steroid secretion were parallel with unitary slopes while the half-maximally effective concentrations of angiotensin II were 0.31 to 0.38 nmol/L for secretions of aldosterone and cortisol and 2.3 nmol/L for endogenous ouabain. The nonselective mammalian antagonist (Sar1-Ile8) angiotensin II blocked stimulated secretion of all three steroids without affecting basal output. In the presence of the AT1 antagonist DuP753, angiotensin II-stimulated secretions of aldosterone and cortisol were blocked while secretion of endogenous ouabain was unaffected. In the presence of the AT2 antagonist PD123319, both basal and angiotensin II-stimulated secretions of aldosterone and cortisol were normal while stimulated secretion of endogenous ouabain was inhibited. The secretion of endogenous ouabain was activated maximally by the AT2 agonist CGP42112 under conditions in which aldosterone secretion was unaffected. These results demonstrate that AT2 receptors stimulate secretion of endogenous ouabain from bovine adrenocortical cells. The specificity of AT1 and AT2 receptor stimulation indicates that separate signaling mechanisms having minimal cross talk control the adrenocortical secretions of corticosteroids and cardiac-active steroids. Adrenocortical AT2 receptors may be important in the adaptation to low salt diets and other conditions in which angiotensin II is increased.

Adrenal Cortex↗

Secretion of endogenous ouabain from bovine adrenocortical cells: role of the zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata.

Recent experiments have demonstrated the secretion of a ouabain-like compound from primary cultures of bovine adrenocortical cells (1). To determine the relative contribution of the outer zones of the adrenal cortex to the secretion of endogenous ouabain, we measured the content of this steroid in zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata tissue freshly excised from bovine adrenals and in the secretion media of primary cell cultures derived from these zones. The tissue content of endogenous ouabain was 5.7-fold higher in the zona glomerulosa than in the zona fasciculata. The concentration of endogenous ouabain was 4.1-fold higher in 24-hour conditioned media from zona glomerulosa than in zona fasciculata cultures. Angiotensin II and ACTH stimulated the secretion of endogenous ouabain from zona glomerulosa cultures, but had no effect on zona fasciculata cultures. These findings suggest that endogenous ouabain is primarily synthesized and secreted from the adrenal zona glomerulosa.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

Effect of the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine on chemosensitivity to daunorubicin of normal and leukemic fresh myeloid cells.

The effect of the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor staurosporine (ST) on the chemosensitivity of normal (colony-forming unit granulocyte-macrophage [CFU-GM]) and leukemic (acute myeloid leukemia-CFU [AML-CFU]) myeloid progenitors to daunorubicin (DNR) was evaluated. Primary colony inhibition assays allowed us to characterize two distinct groups of AML, a DNR-resistant group (patients no. 1 through 6), which displayed significantly lower DNR sensitivity than normal CFU-GM (D50 = 11.3 +/- 1.4 ng/mL v 1.8 +/- 0.5 ng/mL, after 7 days of exposure, respectively; P < 0.01) and a DNR-sensitive group (patients no. 7 through 12) with D50 = 2.7 +/- 0.4 ng/mL. This classification remained unaltered when assessed by secondary colony inhibition assay (evaluating the self-renewal fraction of AML-CFU) or by viability assay (evaluating the ultimately differentiated blast cell population), suggesting that the DNR sensitivity profile in maintained throughout AML-CFU differentiation. DNR resistance of the differentiated blast cell population was not correlated with the level of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression but rather with the ability to extrude rhodamine 123 (Rh123). ST used at subtoxic concentrations induced a twofold to threefold enhancement of DNR cytotoxicity, increased Rh123 accumulation, and decreased Rh123 efflux kinetics in resistant AML cells. These effects were observed for ST concentrations much lower than those required to displace the P-gp-binding probe azidoprazosin, suggesting that ST might act through its PKC inhibitory effect and not through P-gp binding. Finally, this study provides evidence that DNR resistance in AML cells is, at least in part, related to the multidrug-resistance (MDR) phenotype. Because P-gp function can be downregulated by ST, it seems likely that the MDR pheno-type can be functionally regulated by cellular signalization in AML cells.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

Verapamil decreases P-glycoprotein expression in multidrug-resistant human leukemic cell lines.

We studied the effect of verapamil on Pgp expression (Pgp) in MDR human leukemia cell lines, K562/ADR and CEM VLB100. In the K562/ADR cell line, addition of verapamil to the culture medium (15 microM concentration) resulted in a 3-fold decrease in Pgp expression after 72 hr exposure. The effect of verapamil was reversible, and Pgp expression reached the level of untreated controls 24 hr after discontinuation of verapamil. Similar results were obtained with the human vinblastine-resistant cell line, CEM VLB100. On the contrary, no effect on Pgp expression was observed when the cells were treated with nifedipine or diltiazem (2 other calcium-channel blockers), even at doses that inhibited cell proliferation. The level of Pgp mRNA in the presence of verapamil was measured by Northern blot and was also decreased 2-fold (with the maximum reached within 24 hr), suggesting a transcriptional or post-transcriptional mechanism for verapamil. We further established that the effect of verapamil on Pgp expression led to an increase in DNR and VLB accumulation and cytotoxicity. These results suggest that verapamil acts specifically on Pgp expression in these drug-selected leukemic cells. The identification of a potentially novel mechanism of action may provide new insights as to how chemosensitization may be more effectively applied in vivo.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

Ouabain is secreted by bovine adrenocortical cells.

Ouabain is a specific inhibitor of the sodium pump. This steroid has been found in the mammalian circulation in significant amounts and may be of adrenal origin. Secretion of ouabain from adrenal cells has been little studied and the purpose of the present work was to determine the adrenal distribution of ouabain, aldosterone and cortisol, and to characterize the effects of ACTH and angiotensin II on the secretion of these steroids in primary cultures of bovine adrenocortical cells. In fresh bovine adrenals, the cortical to medullary ratios for aldosterone, cortisol and ouabain were 14, 4.25 and 2.5, respectively. All three steroids were detected in elevated amounts in the conditioned medium of primary cultures of adrenocortical cells. Reverse phase HPLC of the secreted ouabain immunoreactivity showed it was isopolar with commercial ouabain. In the presence of 10 nM ACTH or angiotensin II, the secretion of all three steroids increased significantly with similar time courses. The stimulated secretion of ouabain exceeded the intracellular content of this steroid in either control or activated cells by 3-5 fold. The amount of angiotensin II stimulated ouabain secretion was greater from cells incubated in larger volumes. These results show that ouabain is enriched in the bovine adrenal cortex, and is secreted by primary cultures of these cells. The secretion of ouabain is increased by ACTH and angiotensin II, is due to either de novo synthesis or transformation of an intracellular precursor that is not overtly immunoreactive, and is feedback regulated by either ouabain itself or a cosecreted factor. These cells may be useful to study stimulus-secretion coupling and the biosynthetic pathway of ouabain.

Adrenal Cortex↗

Ouabain is secreted by the adrenal gland in awake dogs.

Ouabain has been identified in the plasma and adrenal glands of several mammals, including humans. To investigate possible adrenal secretion of ouabain in vivo, at rest, and in response to acute blood volume changes, we prepared trained adult dogs (n = 10) with splenectomy and unilateral adrenal venous (AV) cannulation. Two days later, after an overnight fast, dogs had either 1) 20% hemorrhage (hem) or 2) 20% blood volume expansion (exp; 6% Dextran 70, 0.9% NaCl) in random order. In AV and arterial plasma (ART), ouabain was measured by a ouabain-specific immunoassay, and cortisol and aldosterone were measured by radioimmunoassay. ART and AV ouabain concentration did not change after hem or exp [P = not significant (NS)]. In 94 of 97 paired samples, the concentration of ouabain in AV was greater than that in ART (Wilcoxon, P < 0.001), and the mean ouabain concentration was greater in AV (756.4 +/- 85.7 pmol/l) than ART (235.4 +/- 18.5 pmol/l; P < 0.001). The mean AV-to-ART ouabain concentration ratio was 5.7 +/- 1.29. Adrenal secretion of ouabain was not influenced by hem or exp (analysis of variance, P = NS). Adrenal secretion of cortisol and aldosterone increased after hem (P < 0.05) and was unaltered by exp (P = NS). This study demonstrates that ouabain is secreted by the adrenal gland in the awake dog. However, adrenal ouabain secretion and arterial blood ouabain are not altered by acute hem or exp.

Adrenal Glands↗

Effects of H-7 and staurosporine on proliferation and self-renewal of acute myeloid leukemia progenitors.

In this study, we compared the impact of two protein kinase (PK) inhibitors, H-7 and staurosporine, on the normal myeloid progenitors (CFU-GM) and acute myeloid leukemia progenitors (AML-CFU) proliferation measured by in vitro clonogenic assay. H-7 and staurosporine displayed a biphasic dose-effect on both CFU-GM and AML-CFU recovery. At the lowest concentration range (0.1 microM to 20 microM for H-7 and 0.1 nM to 1 nM for staurosporine), we observed growth stimulation whereas higher concentrations induced dose-dependent growth inhibition. Moreover, AML-CFU proved to be significantly more sensitive to the inhibitory effect of both H-7 and staurosporine than CFU-GM (3.16- and 2.12-fold, respectively). These results were further confirmed with comparable murine cell line models (FDC-P1, a hematopoietic cell line generated from normal bone marrow and WEHI, a myelomonocytic leukemia cell line). Furthermore, we report that both H-7 and staurosporine present similar inhibitory effects on proliferation (PE1) as on self-renewal (PEs) of AML-CFU. In an attempt to understand more fully the mechanism of action of H-7 and staurosporine, we investigated their impact (when used at their D50) on the human myelogenous leukemia cell line, K562. H-7 and staurosporine induced a transient decrease of cell growth, between 0 and 24 hours, and produced a transient blockade of K562 cells in the S-phase, either 24 or 48 hours after the addition of staurosporine and H-7, respectively.

1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine↗

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibits follicle-stimulating hormone-induced differentiation in cultured rat granulosa cells.

We have investigated the effects of TNF-alpha on FSH-induced LH receptor expression, cAMP and progesterone production in cultured rat granulosa cells. TNF-alpha (0.5-100 ng/ml) inhibits the stimulating action of FSH on LH receptor formation in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 of 1 ng/ml and an almost complete suppression of LH receptor induction for 50-100 ng/ml TNF-alpha. The inhibitory effect of TNF-alpha is not due to variations in cell number or viability but rather to a reduction of the LH receptor content per cell with no change in binding affinity (KD = 0.8 x 10(-10)M). TNF-alpha also inhibits the FSH-induced cAMP production but at a lower extent, with a maximum reduction of 60% for 100 ng/ml TNF-alpha. Moreover, TNF-alpha impairs the LH receptor formation induced by forskolin, cholera toxin or 8-Bromo-cAMP, indicating that the cytokine also acts at a step distal to FSH receptor and to cAMP formation. Finally, TNF-alpha decreases dramatically the progesterone synthesis that is stimulated by FSH, with a reduction to undetectable levels on and after 10 ng/ml TNF-alpha. These results suggest that TNF-alpha may drastically reduce the capacity of granulosa cells to differentiate upon FSH stimulation and to respond to LH during the physiological ovarian follicular maturation. Such anti-gonadotropic action of TNF-alpha on granulosa cell differentiation may be also relevant to the alteration of ovarian function during physiopathological processes like inflammatory or infection diseases.

Animals↗

Chloramphenicol acetyltransferase specified by cat-86: relationship between the gene and the protein.

Gene cat-86 is chloramphenicol (Cm)-inducible and specifies Cm acetyltransferase, CAT-86. The gene was previously cloned from the DNA of a strain of Bacillus pumilus. In the present study we report the construction of a constitutively expressed version of cat-86 that permits high-level expression of the gene on a plasmid in B. subtilis. A method is described that allows very rapid purification of CAT-86 protein to homogeneity. The sequence of 13 N-terminal amino acids of purified CAT-86, as well as the 26.6-kDa size of the subunit protein, agree with predictions made based on the nucleotide sequence of the gene. The Mr of the native enzyme suggests that CAT-86 is a trimer consisting of three identical protein subunits. Our studies demonstrate that cat-86 provides a convenient system for analyzing relationships between a gene and a multimeric enzyme in the B. subtilis background.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Proteoglycans and chondroitin sulfates from human multiple chondroma (enchondromatosis).

1. This paper reports the structural analysis of proteoglycans and mucopolysaccharides extracted from a human multiple enchondroma (enchondromatosis), a benign cartilage tumor, where growth, but no calcification takes place. The tumors were located inside the phalanges of both hands of a 22-year-old patient and were obtained after surgery. 2. The proteoglycans of chondromas contain only a small amount of keratan sulfate (1.3% of total mucopolysaccharide) and the chondroitin sulfate is composed of 4- and 6-sulfated disaccharide units in approximately equivalent amounts, forming hybrid polymeric chains. Furthermore, the electrophoretic mobility of these proteoglycans in agarose-polyacrylamide large-pore gel indicates that they may occur as a single polydisperse component. This structural pattern is very similar to that of the proteoglycans present in the articular cartilage of normal human newborn and young. In contrast, the proteoglycans of adult articular cartilage contain higher amounts of keratan sulfate (25% of the total mucopolysaccharide) and very small amounts of 4-sulfated disaccharide units (7%) in the chondroitin sulfate molecules. The multiple zones observed in agarose/polyacrylamide large-pore gel electrophoresis indicate the presence of more than one polydisperse component. These findings suggest a correlation between the structural characteristics of the proteoglycans and the occurrence of growth in the cartilage tissue. 3. Although the amounts of proteoglycans extractable from chondromas and from normal young and adult articular cartilages were almost the same, the chondroma proteoglycans interacted with hyaluronic acid to a lesser extent than those from the normal cartilages. This effect may be due to structural changes in the hyaluronic acid-binding region of the proteoglycan monomers.

Adult↗

Chondroitin sulfates and proteoglycans from normal and arthrosic human cartilage.

The structure of chondroitin sulfates and proteoglycans extracted from human normal young and adult cartilages and also from human arthrosic cartilages are reported. The adult articular cartilage contains almost exclusively chondroitin 6-sulfate, whereas the normal young and the arthrosic cartilage chondroitin sulfates are hybrid polymers, containing 4-sulfated and 6-sulfated disaccharide units, distributed in a quite random way along the molecules. The young cartilage proteoglycans also differ from the adult cartilage proteoglycans by their contents of keratan sulfate, the relative proportion of nonaggregating proteoglycans and electrophoretic migration in agarose gel slabs. The proteoglycans from arthrosic cartilages are very similar to those from young normal cartilages. Such changes in composition could lead to alterations in the proportion and size of the aggregates they form in the cartilages, furnishing the conditions for the processes of growth and calcification to occur.

Arthritis↗