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W T Mason

Publications and source records attributed to W T Mason.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Spiking in cytosolic calcium concentration in single fibrinogen-bound fura-2-loaded human platelets.

Fura-2-loaded human platelets were immobilized on a fibrinogen-coated surface and the cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) was measured in single platelets by low-light-level video-ratio image-processing of the optical probe signal. Some fibrinogen-bound platelets showed repetitive spiking in [Ca2+]i with a mean frequency of about 2/min, which increased to 5/min in the presence of ADP. Other cells showed no activity until the addition of agonist. When immobilized in the presence of prostaglandin I2 and the fibrinogen antagonist Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser, the platelets adhered less firmly to fibrinogen, and in many [Ca2+]i remained low and constant. Subsequent activation of such platelets with ADP evoked oscillations in [Ca2+]i with a peak frequency of about 5/min and which persisted for at least 5 min. These results indicate that human platelets, like many other non-excitable cells, have an elaborate system of calcium signalling involving spiking.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMed1992

Characterisation of the L- and N-type calcium channels in differentiated SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells: calcium imaging and single channel recording.

We have used single cell imaging of [Ca2+]i and single channel cell-attached patch clamp recording to characterise the Ca2+ channels present on the plasma membrane of retinoic acid-differentiated human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells. Exposure to raised K+ (45 or 60 mM) for 1 min resulted in a transient rise in [Ca2+]i which was abolished by cadmium (100 microM). The amplitude of the evoked rise varied from cell to cell. Both omega-Conus toxin (500 nM) and nifedipine (10 microM) reduced, but did not abolish, the rise in [Ca2+]i whereas Bay K 8644 (3 microM) potentiated it. In single channel records both L- and N-type Ca2+ channel openings were observed during membrane depolarisations from a holding potential of -90 mV. L-type channel openings (unitary conductance 22.5 pS) were prolonged by S(+)-PN 202-791 (500 nM) and could still be evoked from a depolarised holding potential (-40 mV). N-type channel openings (unitary conductance 12.5 pS) were unaffected by the dihydropyridine agonist but were inactivated at a holding potential of -40 mV. These results indicate that, in contrast to previous observations using whole cell recording, retinoic acid-differentiated SH-SY5Y cells express both L- and N-type Ca2+ channels.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗
PubMed1992

Characterization of the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone calcium response in single alpha T3-1 pituitary gonadotroph cells.

Intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) was measured in single immortalized gonadotroph alpha T3-1 cells using dual wavelength fluorescence microscopy combined with dynamic video imaging. Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH, 10(-8) M) produced a biphasic rise in [Ca2+]i which could be abolished by a GnRH antagonist. The initial calcium transient was complete within seconds while the smaller secondary plateau phase lasted several minutes. The calcium spike was reduced by nifedipine (10(-6) M), a calcium channel blocker, and thapsigargin (10(-6) M) which inhibits inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) mediated release of [Ca2+]i but abolished by the intracellular calcium antagonist TMB-8 (10(-6) M). The secondary phase was reduced following pretreatment with either nifedipine or the protein kinase C (PKC) antagonist, H-7 (10(-6) M). The PKC agonist PMA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, 10(-6) M) produced a small rise in basal [Ca2+]i and abolished the GnRH calcium response. The initial calcium response to GnRH therefore involves both an IP3-mediated rise in cytosolic calcium due to the release from intracellular stores and an influx of extracellular calcium through second messenger-operated calcium channels. In contrast the secondary calcium response mainly involves the influx of extracellular calcium through PKC-activated calcium channels.

1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine↗
PubMed1992

Stable transfection of calbindin-D28k into the GH3 cell line alters calcium currents and intracellular calcium homeostasis.

Previous work demonstrating the presence and differential distribution of Ca(2+)-binding proteins in the CNS has led to the proposal that cytosolic proteins, such as calbindin-D28k (CB), may play a pivotal role in neurons. We have used a retrovirus containing the full-length cDNA for CB to transfect the pituitary tumor cell line GH3, to generate CB-expressing GH3 cells and to investigate whether ionic channel activities as well as the concentration of intracellular free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) homeostasis could be altered by the presence of this Ca(2+)-binding protein. We show that CB-transfected GH3 cells exhibited lower Ca2+ entry through voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels and were better able to reduce [Ca2+]i transients evoked by voltage depolarizations than the wild-type parent cell line. These observations provide a mechanism by which CB may protect tissues against Ca(2+)-mediated excitotoxicity.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Imaging of intracellular calcium in rat anterior pituitary cells in response to growth hormone releasing factor.

1. Changes in intracellular ionized calcium [Ca2+]i induced by human growth hormone releasing factor (hGRF) were analysed by quantitative fluorescent microscopy using a dual-wavelength, ratiometric video imaging system and low light level charge-coupled device (CCD) camera visualizing Fura-2 in dispersed male rat anterior pituitary cells. 2. In cells responding to hGRF, spontaneous basal oscillations in [Ca2+]i were frequently observed, and these were usually characterized by a gradient of [Ca2+]i localized in the subplasmalemmal region of the cell. 3. Of the cells which responded to hGRF, the peptide evoked a rise in [Ca2+]i, especially in the region of the subplasmalemma. Continuous application of 10 nM-hGRF produced several different temporal patterns of the [Ca2+]i response which were not attributable to spatial response profiles. A sustained rise in [Ca2+]i was the most common type of response to hGRF (44% of the cells examined). 4. One-third of the cells responding to 10 nM-hGRF showed spontaneous basal [Ca2+]i oscillations ranging from 100 to 500 nM. Mean values of basal and 10 nM-hGRF-induced [Ca2+]i of these cells were 81 +/- 11 nM (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 27) and 560 +/- 47 nM (n = 27) respectively. There was no significant correlation between basal [Ca2+]i and the hGRF-induced [Ca2+]i increase, nor was there any consistent correlation with regard to the spatial response profile. 5. Application of 2 mM-Co2+ abolished the hGRF-induced rise in [Ca2+]i. Quantitative analysis of this effect, performed by comparing the mean [Ca2+]i evoked during the application of hGRF with and without Co2+, respectively, also showed significant inhibition of the hGRF-induced rise in [Ca2+]i by the application of Co2+ (P less than 0.001). 6. The hGRF-induced rise in [Ca2+]i was completely suppressed by replacing extracellular Na+ with impermeant molecules such as mannitol. The onset and offset of suppression was as rapid as that induced by Co2+. Quantitative analysis showed significant inhibition of the hGRF-induced rise in [Ca2+]i by Na+ replacement (P less than 0.01). 7. Tetrodotoxin, a potent blocker of voltage-sensitive Na+ channels (5 and 20 microM), did not affect the hGRF-induced rise in [Ca2+]i. 8. Extracellular application of the membrane permeable dibutyryl cyclic AMP (DBcAMP) to elevate intracellular levels of cyclic AMP caused a large rise in [Ca2+]i, which was dependent on extracellular Na+ and was abolished by 2 mM-Co2+ applied in the bath.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Glucocorticoid inhibition of stimulus-evoked adrenocorticotrophin release caused by suppression of intracellular calcium signals.

Stress provokes a cohort of homeostatic reflexes by the central nervous, the immune as well as the metabolic control systems of the body. These powerful adaptive responses, which can cause a collapse of body homeostasis in the absence of feedback inhibition, are suppressed by adrenal glucocorticoid hormones. A prominent and physiologically significant early action of glucocorticoids that requires the induction of newly synthesized messenger RNA and protein is the suppression of ACTH release by anterior pituitary corticotroph cells. It is demonstrated here that glucocorticoids inhibit stimulated ACTH secretion in pituitary corticotroph tumour (AtT-20) cells by reducing stimulus-evoked intracellular free calcium transients. Thus, the data show for the first time that intracellular calcium signals may be modified by rapidly induced proteins. It is proposed that this is a general mechanism that underlies the early inhibitory effects of glucocorticoids during stress in various types of cell.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1991

Calcium signals in single T cells on activation by lectin.

Succinylation of concanavalin A (Con A) reduces its oligomer size while retaining its mitogenicity, and provides a probe of T cell activation. We have observed responses of cytosolic ionized calcium to succinyl Con A in suspensions of Jurkat and rat lymph node (LN) cells, using a fluorimeter, and in single cells settled on glass, using a dual wavelength video imaging system. In the fluorimeter a mitogenic level of succinyl Con A (30 micrograms/ml) produced only a 15-30 nM rise in average cell calcium in the suspended Jurkat or rat cells whereas the use of quantitative video imaging produced asynchronous 250-1000 nM pulses of free calcium in 35% of Jurkat cells and 300-850 nM pulses in 45% of rat LN cells. In Jurkat cells these pulses were sometimes repetitive, giving rise to apparent oscillations. In the fluorimeter 30 micrograms/ml of native Con A (a supra-mitogenic concentration) produced a 300 nM rise in average cell calcium in suspended Jurkat cells, and a 100 nM rise in rat LN cells; when major histocompatibility complex class II-bearing cells were removed the response rose. Mitogenic Con A (3 micrograms/ml) produced a much lower rise in calcium. With video imaging the response seen was greater. Levels greater than 30 micrograms/ml Con A caused 700-5000 nM pulses synchronously in 94% of Jurkat cells and 250-1000 nM pulses in 73% of rat LN cells. At 3 micrograms/ml Con A produced asynchronous 300-1100 nM pulses in 36% of rat LN cells. We conclude that the absence of a calcium signal in the fluorimeter can conceal asynchronous calcium responses in individual cells and that brief asynchronous cytosolic calcium pulses are sufficient for lectin to activate rat T cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Calcium homeostasis in bovine somatotrophs: calcium oscillations and calcium regulation by growth hormone-releasing hormone and somatostatin.

The free intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) was measured in single cells of a population containing 65-80% somatotrophs, using the fluorescent Ca(2+)-indicator Fura-2 and digital imaging microscopy. Spontaneous oscillations in [Ca2+]i ranging in frequency up to 1.5 oscillations per minute were observed in 30% of somatotrophs. These Ca2+ oscillations were blocked by the Ca2+ channel blocker CoCl2 and were thus proposed to be the result of influx of Ca2+ into the cell, possibly as the result of spontaneous electrical activity. GHRH (10-100 nM) increased [Ca2+]i in 61% of the cells studied, although the amplitude and dynamics of the response varied from cell to cell. Typically [Ca2+]i rose from 170 +/- 26 nM to 321 +/- 44 nM (n = 13) in response to a challenge with 66 nM GHRH. GHRH also increased the frequency of Ca2+ oscillations in a number of cells, and some previously quiescent cells showed Ca2+ oscillations following addition of GHRH. Forskolin, which raises cAMP levels in bovine anterior pituitary cells, also stimulated a sustained rise in [Ca2+]i in 10 out of 14 cells tested. Somatostatin (SS) (10-80 nM) rapidly reduced basal [Ca2+]i, blocked Ca2+ oscillations, and blocked the [Ca2+]i response to GHRH. The Ca2+ channel blocker CoCl2 (4 mM) had similar actions on [Ca2+]i to those of SS. These results suggest that GHRH and SS may regulate GH release by modulating Ca2+ entry into the cell through the cell membrane. The [Ca2+]i oscillations seen in a proportion of the somatotrophs were modulated in frequency by GHRH and SS, and are probably generated by influx of Ca2+ through channels in the cell membrane. Thus GH secretion may be regulated by changes in the mean level of [Ca2+]i, which in turn, may be influenced by the frequency of [Ca2+]i oscillations in bovine somatotrophs.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Increased cytosolic calcium stimulates exocytosis in bovine lactotrophs. Direct evidence from changes in membrane capacitance.

The patch-clamp technique has been used to measure changes in membrane capacitance (Cm) of bovine lactotrophs in order to monitor fluctuations in cell surface area associated with exo- and endocytosis. Cells were prepared by an enrichment procedure and cultured for up to 14 d before use. Under whole-cell recording, cell cytoplasm was dialyzed with various Ca2(+)-containing solutions. The resting Cm of 6.05 +/- 1.68 pF was found to correlate well with squared cell radius, suggesting a specific Cm of 0.8 microF/cm2. Discrete Cm steps of 2-10 fF were recorded, which most likely reflect single fusion and retrieval events of prolactin-containing granules (0.2-0.6 microns in diameter). High Ca2+ resulted in a Cm increase of 20-50% from the resting value, demonstrating a role for [Ca2+]i in stimulus-secretion coupling. Spontaneous Cm changes have also been recorded, which presumably reflect prolactin secretion supported by a tonic influx of Ca2+ through the membrane. This is supported by the following findings: addition of Co2+ diminished or reversed the spontaneous Cm changes and decreased resting [Ca2+]i; and membrane depolarization increased Cm, indicating the role of voltage-activated channels in stimulus-secretion coupling. As bovine lactotrophs have been found to be largely devoid of spontaneous electrical activity, a mechanism involving modulation of a tonic Ca2+ influx is proposed; this is shown to provide adequate control of basal and triggered secretion monitored by Cm.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Histamine-induced calcium oscillations in human vascular smooth muscle: temporal sequence and spatial organization in single cells.

1. Video imaging of single, fura2-loaded vascular smooth muscle cells was used to examine the spatial and temporal alterations in calcium, Ca2+, in response to low levels of vasoconstrictor stimuli. 2. Histamine (0.5 mumol/L) produced repetitive oscillations in Ca2+, which appeared to show some variation in amplitude and frequency between cells. 3. Individual oscillations consisted of an initial increase in Ca2+ in a localized region followed by a wave-like propagation of this region of elevated Ca2+ throughout the rest of the cell cytoplasm. 4. It is suggested that the subcellular spatial organization of Ca2+ that was observed during a Ca2+ oscillation allows a population of cells to operate in unison. Thus, oscillatory fluctuations in Ca2+ may contribute to myogenic tone.

Calcium↗
PubMed1991

Fura-2 imaging of thyrotropin-releasing hormone and dopamine effects on calcium homeostasis of bovine lactotrophs.

Dual wavelength digital imaging microscopy to detect fura-2 has been employed to characterize in normal bovine PRL-secreting cells the effects of TRH and dopamine on the intracellular ionized calcium concentration [( Ca2+]i). Concentrations of TRH greater than 10 nM caused a rapid but transient increase in [Ca2+]i, arising mainly from intracellular calcium stores, since it was unaffected by lowering extracellular calcium with EGTA or blocking calcium channels with Co2+. The threshold for TRH action was close to 0.1 nM. TRH action was dose dependent, with lower concentrations (less than 1-10 nM) slowing the time to peak [Ca2+]i response. The TRH-induced [Ca2+]i rise had a Q10 of about 2. TRH caused multiple transient increases in [Ca2+]i, but a recovery time of 10-15 min was required for full restoration of the TRH-induced response. In some cells the [Ca2+]i response to TRH was polarized to one region of the cell, suggesting the following possibilities, none of them exclusive: 1) Ca2+ release sites may be localized within the cell; or 2) an efficient local mechanism exists for lowering Ca2+ once it is liberated inside the cells; or 3) barriers may exist to diffusion of Ca2+ released within the cell. Extracellular application of Co2+, Mn2+, and EGTA under basal conditions resulted in lowering of [Ca2+]i within seconds, consistent with tonic Ca2+ influx under resting conditions which could contribute to the basal release of hormone. Dopamine, a PRL release-inhibiting factor, also lowered [Ca2+]i under basal conditions. However, the [Ca2+]i response of lactotrophs to TRH was unaffected by dopamine. This suggests that dopamine and TRH act via separate intracellular pathways to modulate hormone secretion. Applications of forskolin preceding the TRH-induced transient rise in [Ca2+]i resulted in a prolonged plateau rise in [Ca2+]i. This was mainly due to increased influx of Ca2+ since addition of Co2+ or EGTA-containing or Ca(2+)-free medium during this phase of response lowered the plateau concentration of [Ca2+]i.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

cAMP directly facilitates Ca-induced exocytosis in bovine lactotrophs.

We have used the whole cell patch clamp technique on single prolactin-secreting bovine lactotrophs to measure plasma membrane capacitance (Cm), an index of membrane surface area, under voltage-clamp during cytosol dialysis with Ca and cAMP. cAMP increased the magnitude and rate of Ca-induced exocytosis (Cm increase) without affecting membrane conductance; however, cAMP had no detectable effect on Cm when intracellular Ca was low. We thus report new evidence that cAMP can facilitate Ca-induced secretion in a synergistic fashion, by acting directly on the secretory apparatus, independently of membrane conductance activation.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Cytotoxicity of equinatoxin II from the sea anemone Actinia equina involves ion channel formation and an increase in intracellular calcium activity.

Equinatoxin II is a 20-kDa basic protein isolated from the sea anemone Actinia equina. The aim of our work was to investigate the primary molecular basis for the cytotoxic effects of equinatoxin II in two model systems: single bovine lactotrophs and planar lipid bilayers. Previous work has shown that equinatoxin II produces rapid changes in cell morphology, which are dependent on external calcium. It has also been reported that addition of equinatoxin II increases membrane electrical conductance, which suggests that the cytotoxic action of equinatoxin II involves an increase in the permeability of membranes to Ca2+. Extensive changes in cytosolic Ca2+ activity are thought to invoke irreversible changes in cell physiology and morphology. In this paper, we show that morphological changes brought about by equinatoxin II in bovine lactotrophs are associated with a rapid rise in cytosolic Ca2+ activity, monitored with a fura-2 video imaging apparatus. Moreover, incorporation of equinatoxin II into planar lipid bilayers produces Ca2+ permeable ion channels. This suggests that the mode of equinatoxin II cytotoxicity involves the formation of cation (Ca2+) permeable channels in cell membranes.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Inositol phospholipid turnover and intracellular Ca2+ responses to thyrotrophin-releasing hormone, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone and arginine vasopressin in pituitary corticotroph and somatotroph adenomas.

We have studied the inositol phospholipid turnover response to thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) in five corticotroph and six somatotroph pituitary adenomas. GnRH (100 nM) increased inositol phospholipid turnover in five of five somatotroph adenomas tested by an average of 36.4 +/- 9.4% (mean +/- SE). In a fifth, which was too small to allow inositol phospholipid turnover to be assessed, GnRH produced a rapid increase in mean intracellular calcium ion concentration. Only one of five corticotroph adenomas responded to GnRH with an increase in inositol phospholipid turnover of 19%. In contrast, all the somatotroph and corticotroph adenomas tested (four of four and five of five respectively) increased inositol phospholipid turnover in response to AVP (100 nM), by an average of 61 +/- 11.8% and 415 +/- 186% respectively. The finding of an inositol phospholipid or intracellular Ca2+ response to thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) (100 nM) in three of five somatotroph adenomas (Ca2+ increasing from 50 to 175 nM in one and inositol phospholipid turnover increasing by 172 +/- 1.9% and 49 +/- 5.2% in two) and to GnRH in all five somatotroph adenomas concurs with the common clinical finding of paradoxical growth hormone responses to these releasing factors in patients with acromegaly. The lack of such a response in three of the four corticotroph adenomas suggests that the appearance of GnRH and TRH receptors on adenomatous pituitary cells is not common to all cells.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1990

Spatial dynamics of intracellular calcium in agonist-stimulated vascular smooth muscle cells.

Vasoconstrictor agonists stimulate smooth muscle contraction by inducing a rise in intracellular free Ca2+. Digital-imaging microscopy of fura-2 fluorescence from single vascular smooth muscle cells cultured from the human internal mammary artery has allowed us to record the subcellular alterations in Ca2+ that occur immediately after stimulation by receptor agonists. The thrombin-induced rise in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ begins in a discrete region typically located close to the end of the cell. Subsequently, this region of elevated Ca2+ expands until Ca2+ is elevated throughout the cell cytoplasm. The rate of spreading in the region of elevated Ca2+ in a linear direction averaged 10.1 microns/s, enabling it to traverse the length of most cells within approximately 5 s, and involved rises in Ca2+ of between 200 and 500 nM. In some cells, the Ca2+ rise began at both ends and collided midway. Similar dynamic changes in the spatial distribution of Ca2+ were recorded in cells stimulated by acetylcholine. The novel observation that vasoconstrictor agonists induce an elevation of Ca2+ in a localized region which subsequently expands throughout the cytoplasm of single smooth muscle cells may provide new insight into the nature of Ca2+ signaling in vascular tissue.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1990

A gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist distinguishes three populations of GnRH analog-responsive cells in human and rat pituitary in vitro and produces an acute increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration without inducing gonadotropin secretion.

We have examined the actions of the potent GnRH antagonist [N-acetyl-D beta Na11-D-pCl-Phe2-D-Phe3-D-Arg6,Phe7,Arg8-D-Ala10]NH2GnRH++ + (GnRHa) on basal and GnRH-stimulated LH secretion, inositol phospholipid turnover, and intracellular Ca2+ levels in dispersed rat anterior pituitary tissue. As expected, GnRHa was found to be a pure antagonist of secretion, but was paradoxically equipotent with GnRH in stimulating inositol phospholipid turnover. Examination of intracellular Ca2+ changes at the single cell level using digital video-enhanced fluorescence imaging demonstrated that dispersed rat pituitary cells appeared to contain three GnRH analog-responsive cell populations: those that increased intracellular Ca2+ in response to both GnRH and GnRHa, and those that responded to either GnRH or GnRHa only. These observations were extended to studies of the relatively homogeneous gonadotroph cell populations of endocrinologically inactive pituitary adenomas. Of five adenomas examined, one increased inositol phospholipid turnover in response to GnRHa plus GnRH, but not GnRH alone, three responded to GnRH only, and one responded to both GnRH and GnRHa. Our findings, therefore, suggest that three GnRH analog-responsive cell types are also present in human pituitary and that clonal expansion of any of these cell types may be responsible for tumor formation.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1989

Differential modulation of Ca2+-activated K+ channels in ovine pituitary gonadotrophs by GnRH, Ca2+ and cyclic AMP.

Patch-clamp techniques were employed to examine the effects of cAMP in relation to gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) action on Ca2+-activated K+ channels in pituitary gonadotrophs derived from ovine pars tuberalis. GnRH applied extracellularly increased channel openings in cell-attached patches similar to calcium ionophore (A23187), while raising intracellular cAMP concentration with dibutyryl cAMP or forskolin decreased the number of functional channels (Nf) and the open state probability (Po). Both cAMP and the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase produced similar results when applied to the cytoplasmic membrane face of inside-out patches, and the effect of cAMP was abolished by the protein kinase inhibitor. Our results suggest that decreased permeability through these channels modulated by cAMP through a phosphorylation-dependent route can modulate luteinizing hormone release.

Animals↗