Biomedical subjects

Martin Hewison

Publications and source records attributed to Martin Hewison.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

25-hydroxyvitamin D(3)-1alpha-hydroxylase expression in normal and pathological parathyroid glands.

Active vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1,25(OH)(2)D(3)], plays a pivotal role in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism. Circulating levels of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) are thought to be dependent mainly on the activity of the renal cytochrome P450 enzyme 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3)-1alpha-hydroxylase (1alpha-hydroxylase), which is potently induced by PTH. However, 1alpha-hydroxylase activity or expression has also been reported at several extrarenal sites, at which local synthesis of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) appears to fulfill autocrine or paracrine functions. This includes tissues such as placenta and brain that also express LRP-2/megalin, an endocytic receptor for multiple ligands, which is involved in the renal uptake of the substrate for 1alpha -hydroxylase, 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3). We have previously demonstrated LRP-2/megalin in parathyroid cells, and here we present results from RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analyses showing coincident expression of 1alpha-hydroxylase in normal and pathological parathyroid tissue. With real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis, the expression of 1alpha-hydroxylase mRNA was higher in the majority of parathyroid adenomas and secondary hyperplastic glands but lower in parathyroid carcinomas, compared with normal parathyroid tissue. The findings imply that in addition to feedback control by circulating 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) levels, parathyroid cells may also be influenced by local 1alpha -hydroxylase activity with possible growth regulatory and differentiating effects.

25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 1-alpha-Hydroxylase↗

PubMed2002

Osteoblastic 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity increases with age and glucocorticoid exposure.

The risk of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis increases substantially with age but there is considerable individual variation. In recent studies we have shown that the effects of glucocorticoids on bone are dependent on autocrine actions of the enzyme 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1); expression of 11beta-HSD1 in osteoblasts (OBs) facilitates local synthesis of active glucocorticoids with consequent effects on osteoblastic proliferation and differentiation. Using primary cultures of human OBs, we have now characterized the age-specific variation in osteoblastic 11beta-HSD1 and defined enzyme kinetics and regulation using natural and therapeutic glucocorticoids. 11beta-HSD1 reductase activity (cortisone to cortisol conversion) was recognized in all OB cultures and correlated positively with age (r = 0.58 with all cultures, p < 0.01, and n = 18; r = 0.87 with calcaneal-derived cultures, p < 0.001, and n = 14). Glucocorticoid treatment caused a time- and dose-dependent increase in 11beta-HSD1 activity over control (e.g., dexamethasone [DEX; 1 microM], 2.6-fold +/- 0.5 (mean +/- SE), p < 0.001, and n = 16; cortisol (100 nM), 1.7-fold +/- 0.1, p < 0.05, and n = 14). Similar increases in 11beta-HSD1 mRNA expression were indicated using real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses (3.5-fold with DEX, p < 0.01; 2.5-fold with cortisol, p < 0.05). The capacity of 11beta-HSD1 to metabolize the synthetic glucocorticoids prednisone and prednisolone was investigated in human OBs (hOBs) and fetal kidney-293 cells stably transfected with human 11beta-HSD1 cDNA. Transfected cells and hOBs were able to interconvert prednisone and prednisolone with reaction kinetics indistinguishable from those for cortisone and cortisol. To assess the in vivo availability of substrates for osteoblastic 11beta-HSD1, plasma cortisone and prednisone levels were measured in normal males before and after oral prednisolone (5 mg). The 9:00 a.m. serum cortisone levels were 110 +/- 5 nmol/liter and prednisone levels peaked at 78 +/- 23 nmol/liter 120 minutes after administration of prednisolone. Thus, therapeutic use of steroids increases substrate availability for 11beta-HSD1 in bone. These studies indicate that activation of glucocorticoids at an autocrine level within bone is likely to play an important role in the age-related decrease in bone formation and increased risk of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1↗

PubMed2002

Association studies between the HSD11B2 gene (encoding human 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2), type 1 diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy.

OBJECTIVE: Mutations in the HSD11B2 gene (encoding human 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2) explain the syndrome of apparent mineralocorticoid excess where cortisol acts as a mineralocorticoid. A microsatellite marker within the HSD11B2 gene associates with salt sensitivity and hypertension--phenotypes characterising diabetic nephropathy. Here, we evaluate the HSD11B2 gene as a susceptibility locus for diabetic nephropathy. DESIGN: 150 patients with type 1 diabetes and nephropathy (DN), 145 patients with type 1 diabetes with a long duration of non-nephropathy (LDNN) and 151 normal controls were studied. METHODS: We determined allele frequencies for the (CA)n repeat marker within intron I of the HSD11B2 gene. Duration of type 1 diabetes, diabetic status and renal function were recorded. RESULTS: 11 alleles (138-158) for the marker were observed. Allele 152 was significantly increased in controls compared with LDNN (70.5% vs 57.6%, P(c)<0.05 where P(c) is the P value corrected for multiple comparisons) but no difference was observed between DN and LDNN subjects. Allele 154 was significantly increased in the LDNN compared with the DN subjects (15.9% vs 7.0%, P(c)<0.01) but no difference was observed between DN and controls. A greater proportion of subjects carried at least 1 allele <152 in DN compared with control subjects (47.3% vs 28.5%, P(c)<0.01), but no difference was observed in LDNN compared with control and DN subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Weak associations are reported between the HSD11B2 gene, type 1 diabetes mellitus and nephropathy. The increased frequency of HSD11B2 short alleles in the diabetic groups may reflect reduced renal 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11beta-HSD2) activity and may, in part, explain the enhanced salt sensitivity observed in patients with type 1 diabetes.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2↗

PubMed2002

Synthesis of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) by human endothelial cells is regulated by inflammatory cytokines: a novel autocrine determinant of vascular cell adhesion.

In addition to its calciotropic function, the secosteroid 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)) has potent nonclassical effects. In particular, local production of 1,25D(3) catalyzed by the enzyme 1alpha-hydroxylase (1alpha-OHase) may act as an autocrine/paracrine immunomodulatory mechanism. To investigate the significance of this in vascular tissue the expression and function of 1alpha-OHase in human endothelial cells was characterized. Immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization analyses show, for the first time, the presence of 1alpha-OHase mRNA and protein in endothelial cells from human renal arteries as well as postcapillary venules from lymphoid tissue. Reverse transcription-PCR and Western blot analyses confirmed the presence of 1alpha-OHase in primary cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Enzyme activity in HUVEC (318 +/- 56 fmoles 1,25(OH)(2)D(3)/hr/mg protein) increased after treatment with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (1054 +/- 166, P < 0.01), lipopolysaccharide (1381 +/- 88, P < 0.01), or forskolin (554 +/- 56, P < 0.05). Functional studies showed that exogenously added 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) or its precursor, 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) (25(OH)D(3)), significantly decreased HUVEC proliferation after 72 h of treatment (33% and 11%, respectively). In addition, after 24 h treatment, both 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) and 25(OH)D(3) increased the adhesion of monocytic U937 cells to HUVEC (159% and 153%, respectively). These data indicate that human endothelia are able to produce active vitamin D. The rapid induction of endothelial 1alpha-OHase activity by inflammatory cytokines suggests a novel autocrine/paracrine role for the enzyme, possibly as a modulator of endothelial cell adhesion.

25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 1-alpha-Hydroxylase↗