Biomedical subjects

P Jurgens

Publications and source records attributed to P Jurgens.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

Activation of human neutrophils by electronically transmitted phorbol-myristate acetate.

We report the transfer of the activity of 4-phorbol-12-beta-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) by electronic means. Neutrophils were placed at 37 degrees C on one coil attached to an oscillator, while PMA was placed on another coil at room temperature. The oscillator was then turned on for 15 min, after which cells were usually further incubated for up to 45 min at 37 degrees C before measurement of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) production. In 20 blind experiments, PMA thus 'transmitted' induced ROM production. ROM were not induced when: (1) PMA vehicle or 4-alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (an inactive PMA analogue) were transmitted; (2) the oscillator was switched off; (3) superoxide dismutase or protein kinase C inhibitors were added to cells before transmission. These results suggest that PMA molecules emit signals that can be transferred to neutrophils by artificial physical means in a manner that seems specific to the source molecules.

Humans↗

PubMed1993

Immunoregulatory functions of paf-acether. IX. Modulation of apoptosis in an immature T cell line.

We investigated the ability of a phospholipid cytokine, paf-acether to modulate programmed cell death in an immature human T cell line CEM-C12. Paf-acether alone did not cause cell death, but when it was added to CEM-C12 cells in the presence of calcium ionophore, a marked increase in cell mortality and DNA fragmentation was observed compared with calcium ionophore alone. This effect was dose-dependent between 2 and 10 microM paf-acether and specific in that lysophosphatidylcholine had a minimal effect. Thus, in association with another signal, paf modulates apoptotic processes in an immature human T cell line. This may be relevant to intrathymic lymphocyte maturation.

Apoptosis↗

PubMed1991

Cell adhesion by membrane-bound paf-acether.

It was recently shown that paf-acether (paf) synthesized in different cell types remains partly cell-associated. In the present work, we tested the hypothesis that cell-associated paf might in fact remain exposed on the external plasma membrane and be able to exert its biological functions. Human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN), stimulated with either opsonized zymosan or ionophore A23187 and then thoroughly washed, induced aggregation of human and rabbit platelets in a time- and dose-dependent manner, whereas no aggregation was observed in the presence of unstimulated cells. Aggregation was inhibited by the specific paf antagonists BN 52021 or WEB 2086. Treatment of stimulated PMN with specific anti-paf antibody before addition to platelets abolished the PMN--paf-mediated aggregation. Microscopic observation of human platelets revealed that aggregates formed by platelets were attached to the neutrophil surface. Paf remained associated with PMN following human PMN-human platelet interaction, in contrast to human PMN-rabbit platelet incubation, where it disappeared from both PMN and platelet surfaces. Our results strongly support the hypothesis that a fraction of cell-associated paf synthesized in neutrophils is located on and/or in the external plasma membrane, where it can act upon other cells by direct cellular contact. Such a mechanism of cell adhesion might play a role in cell physiology (neutrophils but also monocytes/macrophages, eosinophils, and lymphocytes), as well as in the onset and perpetuation of immune and inflammatory reactions.

Animals↗

PubMed1983

Hepatic microsomal metabolism of the dichloroethanes.

The binding of 1,1-dichloroethane (1,1-DCE) to the substrate binding site of hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450, and the stimulation of hepatic microsomal CO-inhibitable NADPH oxidation by 1,1-DCE and 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCE) were enhanced by induction with phenobarbital but not with beta-naphthoflavone. Incubation of the dichloroethanes with hepatic microsomes from phenobarbital-treated rats, NADPH-generating system and EDTA resulted in the conversion of 1,1-DCE to acetic acid and to a lesser extent to 2,2-dichloroethanol and probably also mono- and dichloroacetic acid and the conversion of 1,2-DCE to chloroacetaldehyde and to a lesser extent to chloroacetic acid and probably 2-chloroethanol. In addition, reaction mixtures constituted as described above resulted in slight but significant losses (ca. 13%) of hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450. The omission of dichloroethane or the NADPH-generating system from incubation mixtures eliminated the above effects, and SKF-525A or CO diminished or eliminated the effects. Pathways for the metabolism of 1,1-DCE and 1,2-DCE are proposed.

Animals↗