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Biomedical subjects

M I Guarda

Publications and source records attributed to M I Guarda.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Ultraviolet exposure of thymocytes: selective inhibition of apoptosis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate selective effects of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on spontaneous and induced apoptosis in freshly extracted mice thymocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells were exposed to UV radiation with emission peaks of 365 nm (UVA) exposures of 1620-10200 J m(-2), of 312 nm (UVB) exposures of 34-1620 J m(-2) or of 254 nm (UVC) exposures of 1.5-1620 J m(-2), and incubated for 5.5 h with or without hydrocortisone, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate or anti-Fas antibody. Additionally, cells were irradiated with gamma-rays (5 Gy) before UVB exposure (408 J m(-2)) at different times. Apoptosis was quantified by DNA fragmentation. RESULTS: Up to an irradiation of 5000 J m(-2), UVA exposure did not show any effect on thymocyte apoptosis, while at 10200 J m(-2) irradiation, considerable DNA fragmentation was observed. In contrast, UVB and UVC irradiation clearly inhibited natural and cortisone-induced apoptosis. Moreover, UVB inhibited apoptosis triggered by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate and gamma-irradiation, but not by anti-Fas antibody. CONCLUSIONS: The response of mouse thymocytes in culture to UV irradiation strongly depends on the wavelength used. It is suggested that either a survival or an apoptotic pathway occurs depending on the physiological state of the cell, spectral composition of the UV light and cell type. The possible involvement of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase in the apoptotic pathway is discussed.

Animals↗

Induction of apoptosis in thymocytes: new evidence for an interaction of PKC and PKA pathways.

The second messenger cascades connected to PKC and PKA are involved in the induction of apoptosis. Here we study the interaction of those two second messenger pathways with respect to the induction of apoptosis by stimulation or inhibition. The stimulators used were phorbol dibutyrate for PKC and one of the cAMP agonists Sp-5,6 DCl-cBIMPS or Sp-cAMP for PKA. The inhibitors used were staurosporin for PKC and the cAMP antagonist Rp-cAMPS for PKA. We found a synergism between both second messenger systems with regard to the induction of apoptosis in thymus lymphocytes.

Animals↗

A flow-cytometric method to study DNA fragmentation in lymphocytes.

A method to measure DNA fragmentation cell by cell in a cell population was implemented based on acridine orange procedure to determine DNA content of single cells by flow cytometry. Using this method it can be observed that the fragmentation process induced by irradiation in thymic cells occurs in a fraction of the population, thus indicating that this process is not evenly distributed over the total population, and that it corresponds to a fast phenomenon in which the cells suddenly lose DNA material.

Acridine Orange↗

Role of protein kinase-C in thymocyte apoptosis induced by irradiation.

The role of protein kinase C in radiation-induced death of thymocytes was studied. For this purpose murine thymocytes were irradiated and incubated for 6 h at 37 degrees C and afterwards the fraction of fragmented DNA was measured. Results indicate that radiation-induced DNA fragmentation can be prevented by adding the protein kinase C inhibitor H-7 or staurosporine to the thymocytes during incubation time. Incubation of irradiated cells with HA-1004, an inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, with a minor effect on protein kinase C did not affect the DNA fragmentation induced by irradiation. Incubation of cells with phorboldibutyrate gave a dose-dependent induction of DNA fragmentation. This effect can be inhibited by staurosporine. These results suggest that radiation-induced DNA fragmentation is an active cellular process in which protein kinase C plays an important role.

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

Radiation-induced surface IgG modulation: protein kinase C involvement.

Although radiation-induced loss of surface IgG (s-IgG) expression on murine B cells is known to be dependent on intact energy metabolism and integrity of the cytoskeleton, the exact mechanism of this radiation effect is not known. Evidence reported here shows that inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) by H-7 impairs the radiation-induced s-IgG modulation, whereas addition of HA-1004, which preferently inhibits c-AMP-dependent protein kinase, shows only minor effects. On the other hand PMA, a PKC activator, mimics the radiation effect, and H-7 but not HA-1004 inhibits the PMA-induced loss of s-IgG expression. Therefore it is suggested that PKC is involved in the modulation of s-IgG induced by irradiation on B cells. The possibility of membrane participation in this event is discussed.

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

Protein kinase-C involvement in thymocyte apoptosis induced by hydrocortisone.

The involvement of protein kinase-C in thymocytes death induced by hydrocortisone was studied. Thymus cells were incubated 6 hr or in the presence of hydrocortisone, labeled with Acridine orange, and the DNA content of each nuclei was estimated by cytofluorimetry. The results indicate that hydrocortisone-induced DNA fragmentation can be prevented by adding the protein kinase-C inhibitor H-7 to the cell suspension. Incubation of the H-A 1004, an inhibitor of c-AMP-dependent protein kinase, with low effect on on protein kinase-C, did not interfere with the cortisone-mediated DNA fragmentation. Therefore, it can be concluded that protein kinase-C plays an important role in the process of lympholysis mediated by corticoids.

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

Cytoplasmic requirements for the radio-induced modulation of IgG receptors on B-cells.

The effect of X-ray irradiation on IgG membrane receptors of B murine lymphocytes was studied. Cells were obtained from peripheral lymph nodes of RK mice and teased in Hank's solution. The cells were irradiated or kept as control samples, incubated at 37 degrees C, with or without drugs with known biochemical action at metabolic or structural levels, and labelled with fluorescein-conjugated anti-IgG antisera. The results show that X-ray irradiation results in a modulation of IgG receptor molecules on B-cells. The disappearance phase which takes only 10 min, is temperature dependent, and is prevented with metabolic inhibitors, microtubular disruptors, db-cAMP and local anesthetics. The re-appearance phase is also temperature dependent but apparently does not have either energy or cytoskeleton participation. The phenomenon is interpreted as partial and transient internalization of IgG molecules in the membrane.

2,4-Dinitrophenol↗

Radiation-induced apoptosis in thymocytes: pH sensitization.

Thymocytes were used as a model system to study the effect of microenvironmental pH changes on the radiation-induced apoptosis. We found that the sensitivity of thymocytes toward radiation induced apoptosis is increased by increasing the pH of the incubation medium. The major sensitivity change occurs between pH 7 and 8. In a given cell suspension the results obtained where similar when the apoptosis evaluation was carried out either by counting the picnotic nuclei, or monitoring the fraction of apoptotic nuclei by flow cytometry; both methods show a radiosensitization when the pH value of incubation media rises from 7 to 8. These results may be important when "in vitro" experiments are performed with lymphoid cells, since changes in pH of the media may determine important changes in the results.

Animals↗

Dose rate dependence of radiation induced IgG membrane receptor alteration [1].

Mouse lymph node lymphocytes are irradiated at different dose rates and the B-cell receptors to anti IgG are tested. The expression of receptors is inhibited by irradiation. It is shown that the effectivity of irradiation increases with decreasing dose rate suggesting that membrane damage may be important for situations of chronic irradiation or implant radiotherapy.

Animals↗

Proliferation and apoptosis in infection with infectious bursal disease virus: a flow cytometric study.

Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is involved in the normal physiology of many immunocompetent organs, including lymphocytes of the bursa of Fabricius in chickens. Involvement of apoptosis has also been described in some viral diseases such as AIDS. The purpose of this work was to study the potential role of apoptosis in the pathogenesis of Gumboro disease in the bursa of Fabricius. Our results show that 1-3 days after infection of young chickens with infectious bursal disease virus, the number of apoptotic cells increases and cellularity and proliferation decrease. Because of the dynamic nature of bursal lymphocyte populations and the involvement of apoptosis in lymphocyte cell physiology, the increased level of cells undergoing apoptosis may be due to an impairment in the withdrawal of apoptotic cells. A concomitant increase in macrophages in infected bursae and a dramatic decrease in cellularity suggest that an increase in apoptosis may be an important cause of cell depletion.

Animals↗