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S G Yang

Publications and source records attributed to S G Yang.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Actions of thrombin and thrombin receptor peptide analogues in gastric and aortic smooth muscle: development of bioassays for structure-activity studies.

We have examined the biological activities of thrombin and the thrombin-receptor-related polypeptides, S42FLLRNPNDKYEPF55(TRP42-55), S42FLLRNPND50(TRP42-50), and A42FLLRNPND50(A42-TRP42-50) as well as an arginine-containing basic peptide beginning with the SF motif (SFRGHITR), in rat aortic (RA) rings and in a gastric guinea pig longitudinal (LM) smooth muscle preparation. In the RA preparation, thrombin, as well as the three receptor-related peptides caused a relaxation in tissue that was precontracted with noradrenaline; the basic peptide, SFRGHITR, was inactive either as an agonist or as an antagonist to TRP42-55. In the LM bioassay, which unlike the RA preparation did not persistently desensitize in response to thrombin, all three receptor-related peptides, like thrombin, caused a prompt phasic reproducible contraction. The basic peptide, SFRGHITR, was inactive. In the LM assay, TRP42-55, TRP42-50 and A42-TRP42-55 all caused comparable contractile responses. We conclude that the gastric LM smooth muscle possesses a thrombin receptor and provides a convenient and reliable assay for the activities of thrombin receptor-related peptides. Our data also demonstrated that neither the C-terminal hirudin-related pentapeptide nor the N-terminal serine hydroxyl group are required for the biological activity of the thrombin receptor-derived peptide previously described (TRP42-55). Based on our findings we suggest that only a small portion of the N-terminal sequence of TRP42-55 may be required for thrombin-like biological activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors and the contractile action of epidermal growth factor-urogastrone and other agonists in gastric smooth muscle.

We examined the effects of the tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitors, genistein, and tyrphostin (RG-50864) on the contractile action of epidermal growth factor - urogastrone (EGF-URO), transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha), and other agonists in two smooth muscle bioassay systems (guinea pig gastric longitudinal muscle, LM, and circular muscle, CM). We also studied the inhibition by tyrphostin of EGF-URO stimulated protein phosphorylation in identical smooth muscle strips. The selective inhibition by genistein and tyrphostin of EGF-URO and TGF-alpha induced contraction, but not of carbachol- and bradykinin-mediated contraction, occurred at much lower concentrations (genistein, less than 7.4 microM (2 micrograms/mL); tyrphostin, less than 20 microM (4 micrograms/mL)) than those used in previously published studies with these TK inhibitors. In LM tissue, the IC50 values were for genistein 1.1 +/- 0.1 microM (0.30 micrograms/mL; mean +/- SEM) and 3.6 +/- 0.5 microM (0.74 micrograms/mL) for tyrphostin, yielding a molar potency ratio (GS: TP) of 1:3 in the longitudinal preparation. In CM tissue, the IC50 values were 3.0 +/- 0.3 microM (0.81 micrograms/mL) for genistein and 2.4 +/- 0.2 microM (0.49 micrograms/mL) for tyrphostin, yielding a molar potency ratio (GS:TP) of 1.0:0.8 in the circular strips. The inhibition by genistein and tyrphostin of EGF-URO and TGF-alpha mediated contraction was rapid (beginning within minutes) and was reversible upon washing the preparations free from the enzyme inhibitors. In intact tissue strips studied under bioassay conditions, tyrphostin (40 microM) also blocked EGF-URO triggered phosphorylation of substrates detected on Western blots using monoclonal antiphosphotyrosine antibodies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Action of thrombin receptor polypeptide in gastric smooth muscle: identification of a core pentapeptide retaining full thrombin-mimetic intrinsic activity.

We have used a guinea pig gastric longitudinal (LM) smooth muscle bioassay system to evaluate the contractile activities of a previously described thrombin receptor-derived polypeptide, S42FLLRNPNDKYEPF55 (one-letter amino acid code) (TRP42-55) and of a series of peptides derived from this sequence. The contractile activities of the polypeptides were compared with the actions of thrombin. Shortened peptides of the sequences S42FLLRNPND50, S42FLLRN47, and S42FLLR46 (TRP42-46) all exhibited contractile activities that were equivalent to or greater than those of the parent polypeptide, TRP42-55. Both TRP42-55 and TRP42-46 mimicked the action of thrombin, in terms of two different signal transduction pathways that were activated either in the LM preparation or in the related but distinct gastric circular muscle assay. In the LM preparation, the peptide FSLLR also exhibited appreciable, but much reduced, activity. Minimal activity was exhibited in the LM by the sequence SFLLA, but the lysine-containing analogue S42FLLK46 was about one fifth as potent as TRP42-46. In contrast, the receptor-derived sequences S42FLL45, S42FL44-NH2, F43LLR46, and S42ALLR46, as well as arginine-containing polypeptides beginning with the SF motif, SFRG and SFRGHITR, were inactive in the LM bioassay system, at concentrations of greater than or equal to 200 microM, as either agonists or antagonists against TRP42-55. In addition to its actions in the LM and circular muscle preparations, the active pentapeptide, TRP42-46, also exhibited thrombin-mimetic intrinsic activity in a rat aortic arterial ring relaxation bioassay, whereas the pentapeptide S42FLLA46 and the tetrapeptide S42FLL45 were inactive. We conclude that the intrinsic biological activity of the thrombin receptor-derived peptide resides in the pentapeptide TRP42-46 and that the phenylalanine and arginine residues at positions 43 and 46 play key roles in the activity of this pentapeptide in smooth muscle systems.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Diacylglycerol lipase and the contractile action of epidermal growth factor-urogastrone: evidence for distinct signal pathways in a single strip of gastric smooth muscle.

In guinea pig gastric longitudinal muscle preparations, wherein epidermal growth factor-urogastrone (EGF-URO) causes contraction via the generation of arachidonate-derived prostaglandins, the specific diacylglycerol lipase (DG lipase) inhibitor, U57,908 (formerly designated RHC 80267) completely blocked EGF-URO and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha)-mediated contraction, without affecting contractions caused by other agonists such as bradykinin, prostaglandin F2 alpha or arachidonic acid (AA). In contrast, the contractile actions of EGF-URO and TGF-alpha on the gastric circular muscle component, present in the same tissue strip as the longitudinal muscle preparation, were unaffected by concentrations of U57,908 that maximally inhibited contraction in the longitudinal muscle preparation. We conclude that in the longitudinal muscle preparation, EGF-URO acts not by the activation of phospholipase A2, but rather via the metabolism of diacylglycerol by DG lipase, thereby liberating arachidonic acid for the synthesis of contractile prostanoids. We also conclude that, even in the same tissue, the effects of EGF-URO on anatomically different components (longitudinal muscle versus circular muscle) can be mediated via two quite distinct signal transduction pathways.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Distinct receptors for epidermal growth factor-urogastrone in cultured gastric smooth muscle cells.

We describe a propagable cell strain from guinea pig gastric circular muscle (GCM), which we have characterized in terms of its smooth muscle phenotype and its binding and biological response (thymidine incorporation) to epidermal growth factor-urogastrone (EGF-URO) and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha). The binding of 125I-labeled EGF-URO to the GCM cells exhibited high affinity and an appropriate peptide specificity. A curvilinear Scatchard plot of the binding data indicated two classes of high-affinity binding sites (dissociation constants of 0.69 and 4.3 nM) and a maximal binding capacity of 24,000 sites/cell. Binding competition data demonstrated that the binding affinity of TGF-alpha was greater than that of EGF-URO by a factor of 2. These relative binding affinities agreed with the two- to threefold greater potency of TGF-alpha, compared with EGF-URO, for the stimulation of GCM thymidine incorporation. The relative order of binding affinity and biological potency (TGF-alpha greater than EGF-URO) was distinct from the relative order of binding affinities (EGF-URO greater than TGF-alpha) observed using guinea pig liver and human placental membrane preparations. We conclude that the cultured smooth muscle-derived GCM cells possess a receptor subtype that is in accord with contractile bioassay data obtained previously with intact gastric circular muscle strips. This receptor (TGF-alpha greater than EGF-URO) appears distinct from the one previously characterized in nonmuscle tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Contribution of the C-terminal dipeptide of transforming growth factor-alpha to its activity: biochemical and pharmacologic profiles.

We have used a matrix of biological (two distinct guinea-pig stomach contractile smooth muscle preparations) and biochemical (human placental membrane receptor binding and phosphorylation) assays to evaluate the activity profiles of epidermal growth factor-urogastrone (EGF-URO, mouse and human), transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha, human) and the TGF-alpha derivative lacking the C-terminal dipeptide, Leu49-Ala50, TGF-alpha-(1-48). In the longitudinal muscle (LM) bioassay, the relative potencies of the peptides were: EGF-URO greater than TGF-alpha greater than TGF-alpha-(1-48), with relative activity ratios (EC50S) of approximately 1:3:16. In the LM assay system, TGF-alpha-(1-48) was a partial agonist. In the circular muscle (CM) bioassay, the relative order of potencies was: TGF-alpha- greater than EGF-URO greater than TGF-alpha-(1-48), with EC50S of about 1:2:7. In the CM assay, all three peptides were full agonists, even though EGF-URO caused an intense desensitization of the tissue whereas TGF-alpha and TGF-alpha-(1-48) did not. The relative affinities of the peptides in the placenta membrane binding assay, EGF-URO greater than TGF-alpha greater than TGF-alpha-(1-48), were in good qualitative and quantitative agreement with the LM (but not the CM) bioassay, with relative KDS in the proportions of about 1:3:17. In the phosphorylation assay, using either the phosphorylated EGF-URO receptor or calpactin-II as an index of receptor kinase activation, the relative potencies of the peptides, EGF-URO greater than TGF-alpha greater than TGF-alpha-(1-48), were also qualitatively in accord with the relative potencies measured in the LM and ligand binding assays (but not in the CM preparation); however, quantitatively, the relative potency ratios (EC50S) observed in the phosphorylation assay (1:2:3) were somewhat out of keeping with the relative values observed in the LM and ligand binding assays. All three peptides were full agonists in the phosphorylation assay. Our data point to the importance of the C-terminal dipeptide, Leu49-Ala50 of TGF-alpha in terms of the binding affinity and intrinsic activity of this polypeptide; and our work provides further evidence for the distinct nature of the EGF-URO/TGF-alpha receptor system present in the CM bioassay preparation. The biological/biochemical activity profiles documented for the three polypeptides can serve as a basis for the further evaluation of other synthetic and naturally occurring members of the EGF-URO/TGF-alpha family of polypeptides.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Contractile actions of epidermal growth factor-urogastrone in isolated smooth muscle preparations from guinea pig stomach: structure-activity relationships and comparison with the effects of human transforming growth factor-alpha.

In two distinct isolated guinea pig stomach smooth muscle preparations, we have studied the contractile effects of intact human epidermal growth factor-urogastrone (mEGF-URO) and murine epidermal growth factor-urogastrone (mEGF-URO), along with the actions of derivatives (hEGF-URO1-47; mEGF-URO1-47) lacking the C-terminal pentapeptide. The effects of these polypeptides were compared with the actions of human transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha). In the longitudinal muscle preparation, wherein the contractile actions of agonists were abolished by 1 microM indomethacin, the order of potency was: hEGF-URO = mEGF-URO greater than TGF-alpha greater than hEGF-URO1-47 greater than or equal to mEGF-URO1-47. In this longitudinal muscle preparation, reproducible contractions could be obtained by rinsing the preparation free of agonist and by maintaining intermittent dose intervals of 1 hr or more. In contrast, in the circular muscle preparation, all agonists elicited a contractile effect that was present in the presence of 1 microM indomethacin. In this indomethacin-treated preparation, when an intermittent dosing regimen was used, repeated exposure to either human or murine EGF-URO caused a persistent desensitization. However, in the indomethacin-treated circular muscle preparation, repeated exposure to TGF-alpha and hEGF-URO1-47 during an intermittent dosing schedule caused only a low degree of persistent desensitization. In the indomethacin-treated circular muscle preparation, the order of potency for the contractile effect was: TGF-alpha = hEGF-URO1-47 greater than or equal to hEGF-URO.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Electro-acupuncture markedly increases proenkephalin mRNA in rat striatum and pituitary.

Electro-acupuncture (EA) has been found to increase enkephalin content in striatum, hypothalamus and cerebrospinal fluid. Further studies on rat striatum showed that the increase is accompanied by an elevation of enkephalin precursor and processed intermediate levels. In order to characterize the nature of these changes, we have measured the proenkephalin mRNA (PE-mRNA) level in rat striatum and pituitary by recombinant DNA technique. The PE-mRNA was hybridized with human proenkephalin cDNA using a dot-blot procedure. Rats receiving EA showed a 3-5-fold increase of PE-mRNA in striatum beginning at 1 h after the cessation of 30-min EA treatment and lasting 48 h at least. A 3-fold increase of PE-mRNA in pituitary was found immediately after the cessation of EA and a 5-6-fold increase at 1 or 24 h after the termination of EA.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Enhanced hippocampal CA1 LTP but normal spatial learning in inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase(A)-deficient mice.

To define the physiological role of IP(3)3-kinase(A) in vivo, we have generated a mouse strain with a null mutation of the IP(3)3-kinase(A) locus by gene targeting. Homozygous mutant mice were fully viable, fertile, apparently normal, and did not show any morphological anomaly in brain sections. In the mutant brain, the IP4 level was significantly decreased whereas the IP3 level did not change, demonstrating a major role of IP(3)3-kinase(A) in the generation of IP4. Nevertheless, no significant difference was detected in the hippocampal neuronal cells of the wild-type and the mutant mice in the kinetics of Ca2+ regulation after glutamate stimulation. Electrophysiological analyses carried out in hippocampal slices showed that the mutation significantly enhanced the LTP in the hippocampal CA1 region, but had no effect on the LTP in dentate gyrus (DG). No difference was noted, however, between the mutant and the wild-type mice in the Morris water maze task. Our results indicate that IP(3)3-kinase(A) may play an important role in the regulation of LTP in hippocampal CA1 region through the generation of IP4, but the enhanced LTP in the hippocampal CA1 does not affect spatial learning and memory.

Animals↗