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M S Parmacek

Publications and source records attributed to M S Parmacek.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Length dependence of Ca2+ sensitivity of tension in mouse cardiac myocytes expressing skeletal troponin C.

1. Beat-to-beat performance of myocardium is highly dependent on sarcomere length. The physiological basis for this effect is not well understood but presumably includes alterations in the extent of overlap between thick and thin filaments. Sarcomere length dependence of activation also appears to be involved since length-tension relationships in cardiac muscle are usually steeper than those in skeletal muscle. 2. An explanation recently proposed to account for the difference between length-tension relationships is that the cardiac isoform of troponin C (cTnC) has intrinsic properties that confer greater length-dependent changes in the Ca2+ sensitivity of tension than does skeletal troponin C (sTnC), presumably due to greater length-dependent changes in the Ca(2+)-binding affinity of cTnC. To test this hypothesis, transgenic mice were developed in which fast sTnC was expressed ectopically in the heart. This allowed a comparison of the length dependence of the Ca2+ sensitivity of tension between myocytes having thin filaments that contained either endogenous cTnC or primarily sTnC. 3. In myocytes from both transgenic and normal mice, the Ca2+ sensitivity of tension increased similarly when mean sarcomere length was increased from approximately 1.83 to 2.23 microns. In both cases, the mid-point (pCa50) of the tension-pCa (i.e. -log[Ca2+]) relationship shifted 0.12 +/- 0.01 pCa units (mean +/- S.E.M.) in the direction of lower Ca2+. 4. We conclude that the Ca2+ sensitivity of tension in myocytes changes as a function of sarcomere length but is independent of the isoform of troponin C present in the thin filaments.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗
PubMed1995

Cytostatic gene therapy for vascular proliferative disorders with a constitutively active form of the retinoblastoma gene product.

Vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation in response to injury is an important etiologic factor in vascular proliferative disorders such as atherosclerosis and restenosis after balloon angioplasty. The retinoblastoma gene product (Rb) is present in the unphosphorylated and active form in quiescent primary arterial SMCs, but is rapidly inactivated by phosphorylation in response to growth factor stimulation in vitro. A replication-defective adenovirus encoding a nonphosphorylatable, constitutively active form of Rb was constructed. Infection of cultured primary rat aortic SMCs with this virus inhibited growth factor-stimulated cell proliferation in vitro. Localized arterial infection with the virus at the time of balloon angioplasty significantly reduced SMC proliferation and neointima formation in both the rat carotid and porcine femoral artery models of restenosis. These results demonstrate the role of Rb in regulating vascular SMC proliferation and suggest a gene therapy approach for vascular proliferative disorders associated with arterial injury.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1995

The GATA-4 transcription factor transactivates the cardiac-specific troponin C promoter-enhancer in non-muscle cells.

The unique contractile phenotype of cardiac myocytes is determined by the expression of a set of cardiac-specific genes. By analogy to other mammalian developmental systems, it is likely that the coordinate expression of cardiac genes is controlled by lineage-specific transcription factors that interact with promoter and enhancer elements in the transcriptional regulatory regions of these genes. Here, we demonstrate that the slow/cardiac-specific troponin C (cTnC) enhancer contains a specific binding site for the lineage-restricted, zinc finger transcription factor, GATA-4 and that GATA-4 mRNA and protein is expressed in cardiac myocytes. In addition, GATA-4 binding sites were identified in several previously characterized cardiac-specific transcriptional regulatory elements. The cTnC GATA-4 binding site is required for transcriptional enhancer activity in primary cardiac myocytes. Moreover, the cTnC enhancer can be transactivated by over-expression of GATA-4 in non-cardiac muscle cells such as NIH 3T3 cells. Taken together, these results are consistent with a model in which GATA-4 functions to direct tissue-specific gene expression during mammalian cardiac development.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1994

The GATA-4 transcription factor transactivates the cardiac muscle-specific troponin C promoter-enhancer in nonmuscle cells.

The unique contractile phenotype of cardiac myocytes is determined by the expression of a set of cardiac muscle-specific genes. By analogy to other mammalian developmental systems, it is likely that the coordinate expression of cardiac genes is controlled by lineage-specific transcription factors that interact with promoter and enhancer elements in the transcriptional regulatory regions of these genes. Although previous reports have identified several cardiac muscle-specific transcriptional elements, relatively little is known about the lineage-specific transcription factors that regulate these elements. In this report, we demonstrate that the slow/cardiac muscle-specific troponin C (cTnC) enhancer contains a specific binding site for the lineage-restricted zinc finger transcription factor GATA-4. This GATA-4-binding site is required for enhancer activity in primary cardiac myocytes. Moreover, the cTnC enhancer can be transactivated by overexpression of GATA-4 in non-cardiac muscle cells such as NIH 3T3 cells. In situ hybridization studies demonstrate that GATA-4 and cTnC have overlapping patterns of expression in the hearts of postimplantation mouse embryos and that GATA-4 gene expression precedes cTnC expression. Indirect immunofluorescence reveals GATA-4 expression in cultured cardiac myocytes from neonatal rats. Taken together, these results are consistent with a model in which GATA-4 functions to direct tissue-specific gene expression during mammalian cardiac development.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1994

A novel myogenic regulatory circuit controls slow/cardiac troponin C gene transcription in skeletal muscle.

The slow/cardiac troponin C (cTnC) gene is expressed in three distinct striated muscle lineages: cardiac myocytes, embryonic fast skeletal myotubes, and adult slow skeletal myocytes. We have reported previously that cTnC gene expression in cardiac muscle is regulated by a cardiac-specific promoter/enhancer located in the 5' flanking region of the gene (bp -124 to +1). In this report, we demonstrate that the cTnC gene contains a second distinct and independent transcriptional enhancer which is located in the first intron. This second enhancer is skeletal myotube specific and is developmentally up-regulated during the differentiation of myoblasts to myotubes. This enhancer contains three functionally important nuclear protein binding sites: a CACCC box, a MEF-2 binding site, and a previously undescribed nuclear protein binding site, designated MEF-3, which is also present in a large number of skeletal muscle-specific transcriptional enhancers. Unlike most skeletal muscle-specific transcriptional regulatory elements, the cTnC enhancer does not contain a consensus binding site (CANNTG) for the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family of transcription factors and does not directly bind MyoD-E12 protein complexes. Despite these findings, the cTnC enhancer can be transactivated by overexpression of the myogenic bHLH proteins, MyoD and myogenin, in C3H10T1/2 (10T1/2) cells. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated changes in the patterns of MEF-2, CACCC, and MEF-3 DNA binding activities following the conversion of 10T1/2 cells into myoblasts and myotubes by stable transfection with a MyoD expression vector. In particular, MEF-2 binding activity was up-regulated in 10T1/2 cells stably transfected with a MyoD expression vector only after these cells fused and differentiated into skeletal myotubes. Taken together, these results demonstrated that distinct lineage-specific transcriptional regulatory elements control the expression of a single myofibrillar protein gene in fast skeletal and cardiac muscle. In addition, they show that bHLH transcription factors can indirectly transactivate the expression of some muscle-specific genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Skeletal troponin C reduces contractile sensitivity to acidosis in cardiac myocytes from transgenic mice.

Depressed contractile function plays a primary role in the pathophysiology of acute myocardial ischemia. Intracellular acidification is an important factor underlying the inhibition of force production in the ischemic myocardium. The effect of acidosis to depress contractility is markedly greater in cardiac as compared to skeletal muscle; however, the molecular basis of this difference in sensitivity to acidosis is not clearly understood. In this report, we describe transgenic mice that express the fast skeletal isoform of troponin C (sTnC) in cardiac muscle. In permeabilized single cardiac myocytes the shift in the midpoint of the tension-pCa relationship (i.e., pCa50, where pCa is -log[Ca2+]) due to lowering pH from 7.00 to 6.20 was 1.27 +/- 0.03 (n = 7) pCa units in control cardiac TnC (cTnC) expressing myocytes and 0.96 +/- 0.04 (n = 11) pCa unit in transgenic cardiac myocytes (P < 0.001). The effect of pH to alter maximum Ca(2+)-activated tension was unchanged by TnC isoforms in these cardiac myocytes. In a reciprocal experiment, contractile sensitivity to acidosis was increased in fast skeletal muscle fibers following extraction of endogenous sTnC and reconstitution with purified cTnC in vitro. Our findings demonstrate that TnC plays an important role in determining the profound sensitivity of cardiac muscle to acidosis and identify cTnC as a target for therapeutic interventions designed to modify ischemia-induced myocardial contractile dysfunction.

Acidosis↗
PubMed1992

Identification and characterization of a cardiac-specific transcriptional regulatory element in the slow/cardiac troponin C gene.

The slow/cardiac troponin C (cTnC) gene has been used as a model system for defining the molecular mechanisms that regulate cardiac and skeletal muscle-specific gene expression during mammalian development. cTnC is expressed continuously in both embryonic and adult cardiac myocytes but is expressed only transiently in embryonic fast skeletal myotubes. We have reported previously that cTnC gene expression in skeletal myotubes is controlled by a developmentally regulated, skeletal muscle-specific transcriptional enhancer located within the first intron of the gene (bp 997 to 1141). In this report, we show that cTnC gene expression in cardiac myocytes both in vitro and in vivo is regulated by a distinct and independent transcriptional promoter and enhancer located within the immediate 5' flanking region of the gene (bp -124 to +32). DNase I footprint and electrophoretic mobility shift assay analyses demonstrated that this cardiac-specific promoter/enhancer contains five nuclear protein binding sites (designated CEF1, CEF-2, and CPF1-3), four of which bind novel cardiac-specific nuclear protein complexes. Functional analysis of the cardiac-specific cTnC enhancer revealed that mutation of either the CEF-1 or CEF-2 nuclear protein binding site abolished the activity of the cTnC enhancer in cardiac myocytes. Taken together, these results define a novel mechanism for developmentally regulating a single gene in multiple muscle cell lineages. In addition, they identify previously undefined cardiac-specific transcriptional regulatory motifs and trans-acting factors. Finally, they demonstrate distinct transcriptional regulatory pathways in cardiac and skeletal muscle.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1990

The structure and regulation of expression of the murine fast skeletal troponin C gene. Identification of a developmentally regulated, muscle-specific transcriptional enhancer.

Fast skeletal muscle troponin C (sTnC) is the calcium-binding subunit of the myofibrillar thin filament that regulates excitation-contraction coupling. Utilizing a polymerase chain reaction cloning strategy, we have isolated cDNA clones encoding murine sTnC. The 160-amino acid sTnC protein shares 70% amino acid sequence identity with the slow/cardiac isoform of troponin C (cTnC). However, three areas of significant sequence divergence were identified. Southern blot analyses demonstrated that murine sTnC is encoded by a single copy gene that is distinct from that which encodes cTnC. Northern blot analyses showed that the sTnC gene is expressed exclusively in skeletal muscle (extensor digitorum and anterior tibialis) and not in neonatal or adult heart, brain, kidney, liver, lung, or testes. Studies of the murine C2C12 myoblast cell line demonstrated that sTnC gene expression is developmentally regulated during the differentiation of these myoblasts into myotubes. A full-length murine sTnC genomic clone was isolated and characterized by DNA sequence, primer extension, and S1 nuclease protection analyses. The sTnC gene is composed of six exons spanning 2.6 kilobase pairs of genomic DNA. Although the introns do not divide the gene into functional domains, the intron-exon borders are nearly identical to those of the other members of the troponin C multigene family. Transient transfection assays using chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter plasmids demonstrated that the sTnC promoter alone is relatively inactive in muscle cells and that high level sTnC gene expression in these cells is controlled by a potent transcriptional enhancer element located within the first intron of the gene. In additional transfection experiments, the sTnC enhancer was shown to display three important biological activities. (i) It was required for high level transcription from the sTnC promoter in muscle cells; (ii) its activity was muscle cell specific; and (iii) its activity was developmentally regulated during the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts to myotubes. Taken together, these data define the sTnC gene as an excellent model system for studies of developmentally regulated gene expression in skeletal muscle.

Aging↗
PubMed1990

Expression of recombinant genes in myocardium in vivo after direct injection of DNA.

The ability to program recombinant gene expression in cardiac myocytes in vivo holds promise for the treatment of many inherited and acquired cardiovascular diseases. In this report, we demonstrate that a recombinant beta-galactosidase gene under the control of the Rous sarcoma virus promoter can be introduced into and expressed in adult rat cardiac myocytes in vivo by the injection of purified plasmid DNA directly into the left ventricular wall. Cardiac myocytes expressing recombinant beta-galactosidase were detected histochemically in rat hearts for at least 4 weeks after injection of the beta-galactosidase gene. These results demonstrate the potential of this method of somatic gene therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Structure and expression of the murine slow/cardiac troponin C gene.

Cardiac troponin C (cTnC) is the calcium-binding subunit of the myofibrillar thin filament that regulates excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac muscle. We have utilized a novel polymerase chain reaction cloning procedure to isolate cDNA clones encoding murine cTnC. Murine cTnC is a 161-amino acid polypeptide that has been highly conserved during evolution. Southern blot analyses demonstrated that the cTnC gene is a member of a multigene family. Northern blot analyses revealed that the cTnC gene is expressed in murine cardiac tissue and slow skeletal muscle (soleus), but is not expressed in fast skeletal muscle (extensor digitorum longus and anterior tibialis) or in neonatal or adult brain, kidney, lung, liver, or testis. In addition, while the cTnC gene is not expressed in murine C2C12 myoblasts, differentiation of these cells into myotubes was shown to result in a dramatic induction of cTnC gene expression. A full length cTnC genomic clone was isolated from a murine genomic library by hybridization with a cTnC cDNA probe and structurally characterized by DNA sequence, primer extension, and S1 nuclease protection analyses. The cTnC gene is 3.4 kilobase pairs long and is composed of six exons. The introns do not appear to divide the gene into functional domains. Analysis of the 5'-flanking region of the gene revealed the presence of a consensus TATA box 24 base pairs 5' of the transcription start site. Despite the finding that the gene is expressed only in cardiac and slow skeletal muscle, it lacks the previously described CArG and M-CAT transcriptional regulatory sequence motifs that are involved in regulating the expression of a number of other myofibrillar genes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Structure, expression and regulation of the murine 4F2 heavy chain.

The murine 4F2 molecule is a 125 kilodalton disulfide-linked heterodimeric cell-surface glycoprotein which has been shown to be involved in the processes of cellular activation and proliferation (1). To elucidate the structure, expression, and regulation of the 4F2 molecule, a murine 4F2 heavy chain (4F2HC) cDNA has been isolated and structurally characterized. The murine 4F2HC is a 526 amino acid (aa) type II membrane glycoprotein which is composed of a 75 aa N-terminal intracytoplasmic region, a single hydrophobic putative transmembrane domain, and a 428 aa C-terminal extracellular domain. Comparison with the human 4F2HC cDNA reveals the highest degree of sequence identity within the transmembrane and intracytoplasmic domains. Northern blot analyses have demonstrated that the 4F2HC gene is expressed at relatively high levels in adult testis, lung, brain, kidney, and spleen, and at significantly lower levels in adult liver and cardiac and skeletal muscle. Studies designed to elucidate the pattern of regulation of the murine 4F2HC gene have demonstrated that it is induced during the process of cell activation, but is subsequently expressed at constant levels throughout the cell cycle in exponentially growing cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Protein synthesis and degradation during regression of thyroxine-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

To characterize changes in rates of protein turnover during regression of thyroxine-induced left ventricular hypertrophy, New Zealand White rabbits received intravenous thyroxine (200 micrograms/kg/d) for 9 days. Thyroxine was withheld, and in vivo protein turnover was evaluated on the 10th, 15th and 20th days. Animals not receiving thyroxine served as controls. Heart rate, blood pressure, and rate-pressure product were measured to correlate changes in cardiac work with protein turnover rates during the development and regression of hypertrophy. Thyroxine administration produced left ventricular hypertrophy by increasing the rate of protein synthesis (from 37.9 +/- 8.9 to 64.1 +/- 15.3 mg/day; P less than 0.05) to a greater degree than protein degradation (from 29.8 +/- 8.9 to 48.2 +/- 15.3 mg/day for control and thyroxine-treated animals, respectively; P less than 0.05). Cessation of thyroxine administration resulted in an eventual return of left ventricular mass to that of normally growing control animals. The major observation noted during thyroxine withdrawal was a return of protein synthetic rates to normal. Absolute rates of protein degradation remained elevated, whereas fractional protein degradative rates (i.e. the fraction of total protein degraded per day) were unchanged by the administration and withdrawal of thyroxine. These results indicate that suppression of both physiological and hormone-induced growth following cessation of thyroxine resulted from a decrease in cardiac protein synthetic rates and an increased rate of flux through the protein degradative pathway(s), while fractional rates of protein degradation (and thus average protein half-life) remained unchanged. The development and regression of thyroxine-induced hypertrophy correlated with thyroxine-mediated alterations in cardiac work.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Protein synthesis and degradation during starvation-induced cardiac atrophy in rabbits.

To determine the relative importance of protein degradation in the development of starvation-induced cardiac atrophy, in vivo fractional synthetic rates of total cardiac protein, myosin heavy chain, actin, light chain 1, and light chain 2 were measured in fed and fasted rabbits by continuous infusion of [3H] leucine. In addition, the rate of left ventricular protein accumulation and loss were assessed in weight-matched control and fasted rabbits. Rates of total cardiac protein degradation were then estimated as the difference between rates of synthesis and growth. Fasting produced left ventricular atrophy by decreasing the rate of left ventricular protein synthesis (34.8 +/- 1.4, 27.3 +/- 3.0, and 19.3 +/- 1.2 mg/day of left ventricular protein synthesized for 0-, 3-, and 7-day fasted rabbits, respectively). Inhibition of contractile protein synthesis was evident by significant reductions in the fractional synthetic rates of all myofibrillar protein subunits. Although fractional rates of protein degradation increased significantly within 7 days of fasting, actual amounts of left ventricular protein degraded per day were unaffected. Thus, prolonged fasting profoundly inhibits the synthesis of new cardiac protein, including the major protein constituents of the myofibril. Both this inhibition in new protein synthesis as well as a smaller but significant reduction in the average half-lives of cardiac proteins are responsible for atrophy of the heart in response to fasting.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Cardiac protein synthesis and degradation during thyroxine-induced left ventricular hypertrophy.

Assessment of cardiac protein metabolism in thyroxine-induced left ventricular hypertrophy requires measurements of both protein synthesis and degradation. In vivo protein degradative rates can best be measured as the difference between rates of protein synthesis and growth. Accordingly, rates of left ventricular protein accumulation were determined in growing rabbits, and in animals administered intravenous L-thyroxine (200 micrograms X kg-1 X day-1) for up to 15 days. Left ventricular protein fractional synthetic rates in euthyroid and thyroxine-treated rabbits were measured by continuous infusion of [3H]leucine (200 mu Ci/h X 6 h), and results converted to milligrams protein synthesized and degraded per day. Thyroxine administration produced left ventricular hypertrophy by increasing the rate of total protein synthesis (35.7 +/- 2.0, 71.0 +/- 7.0, and 62.6 +/- 4.0 mg of left ventricular protein synthesized per day for 0-, 3-, and 9-day, thyroxine-treated rabbits, respectively). However, the increased rate of total protein synthesis was greater than the measured rate of total protein accumulation (8.1 vs. 15.9 mg protein/day for euthyroid and thyroxine-treated animals), indicating that left ventricular protein degradative rates were increased as well. These studies indicate that accelerated proteolysis may be important in the molecular and architectural remodeling of the rapidly hypertrophying heart during thyrotoxicosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Lysosomal changes during thyroxine-induced left ventricular hypertrophy in rabbits.

By use of a combined morphologic, immunocytochemical, and biochemical approach, this study demonstrates the changes in the lysosomal vacuolar apparatus that accompany thyroxine-induced cardiac hypertrophy. During the 1st wk of thyroxine administration, immunocytochemical studies revealed a decline in cathepsin D within many myocytes, but an increase within interstitial cells. These events transpired with only a modest rise in cathepsin D activity. During the 2nd wk, cathepsin D reappeared within most myocytes and continued to increase within the interstitial population and was associated with a general rise in lysosomal enzyme activity. These data demonstrate the importance of employing both immunocytochemical and biochemical approaches to evaluate the status of the lysosomal vacuolar apparatus, and suggests that the lysosomal vacuolar apparatus may be involved in the apparent remodeling that attends rapid cardiac growth, which may represent one component of the enhanced rates of proteolysis documented in this model of cardiac hypertrophy.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Effect of aging on brain respiration and carbohydrate metabolism of CBF1 mice.

Brain slices of mice (strain CBF1) were used to study the effect of aging on cerebral cortex respiration and metabolism. Young animals (average age 6 months) were compared with old animals (average age 34 months). Metabolism was measured at a normal temperature (37 degrees C) and under hyperthermic stress (40 degrees C). The brain slices were incubated with 14C-glucose under standard conditions with the following parameters being measured: oxygen uptake, 14CO2 production, glucose utilization, and lactate and pyruvate formation. At the normal temperature, there were significant age-associated decreases in oxygen uptake and 14CO2 production but the other parameters were unchanged. At hyperthermic conditions there were significant age-associated decreases in oxygen uptake, 14CO2 production, lactate production, and glucose utilization. Also, in the hyperthermia study, all values were raised from control study values (37 degrees C) with old animals showing smaller increases in glucose utilization and lactate formation. These findings indicate the dysfunction of a number of metabolic pathways in the aged animal.

Aging↗
PubMed1975

Effect of aging on brain respiration and carbohydrate metabolism of Syrian hamsters.

Syrian hamsters were used to study the effect of aging on brain slice respiration and metabolism. Young animals (average age 8 months) and old animals (average age 18 months) were incubated under standard conditions with the following parameters being measured: oxygen uptake, 14CO2 production, glucose utilization, lactate and pyruvate formation. No differences were found in the two groups. It is still very likely that subtle differences exist but can only be documented under conditions of metabolic stress.

Aging↗