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PubMed2005

The LRR and Ig domain-containing membrane protein SST273 is expressed on motoneurons.

We performed signal sequence trap cDNA cloning using a cDNA library of enriched chicken embryonic spinal motoneurons and identified a novel transmembrane molecule, SST273 (Signal Sequence Trap clone 273). SST273 has five leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) and one immunoglobulin (Ig) domain in its extracellular domain. The human (KIAA1465) and mouse (BC059068) homologues of SST273 were already cloned, but had not yet been analyzed. The amino acid homologies between chick SST273 and human or mouse homologue are 52.1 and 51.5%, respectively. SST273 mRNA and its protein product were uniquely expressed in the embryonic spinal and cranial motoneurons at early developmental stages.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1986

Mechanisms of cell association of chloroquine to leucocytes.

One approach currently being used to get more insight into the molecular mechanisms of action of drugs and their (micro)pharmacokinetic events is to perform cellular association studies. We have examined the association of the antimalarial and antirheumatic drug chloroquine (CQ) to isolated human blood cells. This study dealt with the hypothesis that inflammatory cells such as the leucocytes are the mediators of the anti-inflammatory activity of drugs, both as target cells and as potential vehicles for the transport of drugs to inflamed tissues. A suitable ligand-binding assay was developed to measure the cellular association of CQ. The polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs) accumulated CQ to a greater extent than mononuclear leucocytes and red blood cells; this can be explained by the presence of a lot of acidic cellular organelles as lysosomes in the PMS, which trap the weak base CQ. The accumulation in the PMNs was dependent on temperature, cellular intactness and the extracellular pH. The apparent temperature dependency indicates that one or more energy delivery steps are involved in the entire process of cellular association. Scatchard analysis of the association of CQ to human PMNs revealed two different sites, with KD values of 1.7 microM and 0.12 mM for the low and high affinity site, respectively. The cellular association of CQ is inhibited by supratherapeutic concentrations of some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This is possibly due to an interaction at the level of the cellular transport pathways and emphasizes the value of micropharmacokinetic studies.

Aspirin↗

PubMed1985

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulates biphasic elevation of cytoplasmic free calcium in GH3 cells. Further evidence that TRH mobilizes cellular and extracellular Ca2+.

TRH stimulation appears to be coupled to PRL secretion, at least in part, by elevation of the concentration of Ca2+ free in the cytoplasm [( Ca2+]i). We employed an intracellularly trapped fluorescent probe of Ca2+, Quin 2, to measure [Ca2+]i in GH3 cells, cloned rat pituitary tumor cells. Basal [Ca2+]i in GH3 cells incubated in medium containing 1.5 mM Ca2+ was 148 +/- 8.6 nM (mean +/- SE). TRH caused a biphasic elevation of [Ca2+]i to 517 +/- 29 nM at less than 10 sec after TRH addition, followed by a decline towards the resting level over 1.5 min (first phase) and then a sustained elevation to 261 +/- 14 nM (second phase). We attempted to determine whether mobilization of cellular calcium or enhanced influx of extracellular Ca2+, or both, were involved in the elevation of [Ca2+]i during each of the two phases. In all experiments, the elevation of [Ca2+]i stimulated by TRH was compared with that induced by depolarization of the plasma membrane with high extracellular K+, which enhances Ca2+ influx. In medium with 1.5 mM Ca2+, K+-depolarization caused an elevation of [Ca2+]i to 780 +/- 12 nM. When the concentration of Ca2+ in the medium was lowered to 0.1 mM and 0.01 mM, basal [Ca2+]i was lowered to 114 +/- 3.4 and 110 +/- 11 nM, respectively. In medium with 0.1 and 0.01 mM Ca2+, peak K+ depolarization-induced elevation of [Ca2+]i was lowered to 30 +/- 3.9% and 7.3 +/- 2.0% of control, respectively. The peak second phase increase caused by TRH was reduced to 33 +/- 2.8% and 16 +/- 5.6% of control, respectively, whereas the peak first phase elevation of [Ca2+]i was lowered only to 79 +/- 5.5% and 52 +/- 10% of control in medium with 0.1 mM and 0.01 mM Ca2+, respectively. When cells were incubated in medium with 1.5 mM Ca2+ containing the Ca2+-channel blocking agents, nifedipine and verapamil, basal [Ca2+]i was not affected. Nifedipine plus verapamil, each at a maximally effective dose, lowered K+ depolarization-induced elevation of [Ca2+]i to 6.5 +/- 1.0% of control, the peak second phase increase caused by TRH to 28 +/- 4.3% of control, but the peak first phase elevation only to 64 +/- 3.7% of control. The decrease in the first phase response to TRH caused by the channel blockers appeared to be secondary to partial depletion of an intracellular, nonmitochondrial calcium pool.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Aminoquinolines↗

PubMed2002

MEGF1/fat2 proteins containing extraordinarily large extracellular domains are localized to thin parallel fibers of cerebellar granule cells.

The MEGF1 (protein 1 with multiple EGF-like domains) gene, which was identified using motif-trap screening, encodes an extraordinarily large protein containing two EGF-like and 34 cadherin motifs. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that the MEGF1 gene was specifically expressed in granule cells of the cerebellum. Interestingly, in the developing cerebellum, granule cells in the inner external germinal layer and migrating granule cells expressed MEGF1 mRNA, whereas proliferating cells in the outer external germinal layer did not express MEGF1 mRNA. Expression levels in the internal granule cell layer peaked during the third postnatal week and remained considerably high in the adult cerebellum. MEGF1 protein was detected in only the cerebellum as a single 480-kDa band by immunoblot analyses using polyclonal antibodies against either the N-terminal or the C-terminal region of MEGF1 protein. Using light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry, specific immunostaining of the MEGF1 protein was observed in the molecular layer of the cerebellum, suggesting that MEGF1 protein was localized in the parallel fibers of cerebellar granule cells. This was corroborated by results from experiments using primary dispersed cultures of cerebellar granule cells and cerebellar microexplant cultures. The homophilic interaction of MEGF1 proteins was confirmed with both a cell aggregation assay and an in vitro copurification assay. Based on these results, a novel function of the enormous protocadherins in cerebellar development, namely, the modulation of the extracellular space surrounding parallel fibers during development, was proposed.

Aging↗

PubMed2002

Apolipoprotein E mediates the retention of high-density lipoproteins by mouse carotid arteries and cultured arterial smooth muscle cell extracellular matrices.

Lipoprotein retention in the vascular extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a critical role in atherogenesis. Previous studies demonstrated the presence of apo A-I and E in atherosclerotic lesions, suggesting that HDL may be trapped by the artery wall. We sought to determine mechanisms by which HDL could be bound and retained by the arterial wall, and whether apo E was a principal determinant of this binding. We evaluated in situ accumulation of fluorescently labeled DiI-human HDL+/-apo E in perfused carotid arteries from apo E-null mice. Apo E was important in mediating HDL binding to the vascular wall, with a 48+/-16% increase in accumulation of DiI-labeled apo E-containing HDL (HDL3+E) compared with DiI-apo E-free HDL (HDL3-E) (P=0.003). To investigate possible mechanisms responsible for retention, we assessed binding of unlabeled HDL3-E and HDL3+E to ECM generated by cultured arterial smooth muscle cells. Similar to the in situ carotid artery data, HDL3+E bound better to the ECM than did HDL3-E (3-fold lower K(a) and 3.5-fold higher B(max) for HDL3+E versus HDL3-E). These differences were eliminated after either neutralization of arginine residues on apo E or digestion of matrix with chondroitin ABC lyase, suggesting that chondroitin and/or dermatan sulfate proteoglycans were responsible for apo E-mediated increased binding. These findings demonstrate that HDL can bind to both intact murine carotid arteries and smooth muscle cell-derived ECM, and that apo E is a principal determinant in mediating the ability of HDL to be trapped and retained via its interaction with ECM proteoglycans.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

The platelet surface expression of glycoprotein V is regulated by two independent mechanisms: proteolysis and a reversible cytoskeletal-mediated redistribution to the surface-connected canalicular system.

In this study, we show that the platelet surface expression of glycoprotein (GP) V is regulated by two independent mechanisms. While confirming that both thrombin and neutrophil elastase proteolyse GPV, we show that neutrophil cathepsin G, thrombin receptor activating peptide (TRAP), and a combination of ADP and epinephrine can each result in a decrease in the platelet surface expression of GPV by a nonproteolytic mechanism: a cytoskeletal-mediated redistribution of platelet surface GPV to the surface-connected canalicular system (SCCS). Four independent lines of evidence documented the nonproteolytic nature of this decrease in the platelet surface expression of GPV. First, flow cytometric studies showed that cathepsin G, TRAP, and ADP/epinephrine decreased the platelet surface expression of GPV without changing the total platelet content of GPV. Second, immunoelectron microscopy directly demonstrated translocation of GPV from the platelet surface to the SCCS. Third, the cathepsin G-, TRAP-, and ADP/epinephrine-induced decreases in platelet surface GPV were fully reversible. Fourth, cytochalasin B, an inhibitor of actin polymerization, completely inhibited the cathepsin G-, TRAP-, and ADP/epinephrine-induced decreases in platelet surface GPV. The cytoskeletal-mediated redistribution of GPV occurred in a whole blood milieu and at physiologic temperatures (37 degrees C) and extracellular calcium concentrations (2 mmol/L). This study also defines the diverse effects on GPV, GPIb, and GPIX of multiple important platelet agonists. Cathepsin G proteolysed platelet surface GPIb alpha, but redistributed platelet surface GPIX and GPV to the SCCS. Thrombin proteolysed platelet surface GPV, but redistributed platelet surface GPIb and GPIX to the SCCS. Both TRAP and ADP/epinephrine redistributed platelet surface GPIb, GPIX, and GPV to the SCCS. Elastase proteolysed platelet surface GPIb alpha and GPV, but, unlike the other agonists tested, neither proteolysed nor redistributed platelet surface GPIX. The experiments with TRAP showed that activation of the seven-transmembrane domain thrombin receptor can result in translocation of GPIb, GPIX, and GPV to the SCCS independently of the GPIb-mediated pathway of thrombin-induced platelet activation. This study also provides two additional lines of support for the recent report that GPV is noncovalently complexed with GPIb and GPIX in the platelet surface membrane. First, although only the GPIb alpha subunit of this putative complex is known to be directly linked to the platelet cytoskeleton via actin-binding protein, cytochalasin B inhibited the ADP/epinephrine-, cathepsin G-, and TRAP-induced decrease in platelet surface GPV. Second, triple labeling flow cytometric experiments showed that, on each individual platelet, the ADP/epinephrine-induced decrease and subsequent return of the platelet surface expression of GPV occurred simultaneously with the decrease and subsequent return of the platelet surface expression of GPIb. In summary, the platelet surface expression of GPV is regulated by two independent mechanisms: proteolysis and a reversible, cytoskeletal-mediated redistribution to the SCCS.

Actins↗

PubMed2000

Detection of superoxide anion released extracellularly by endothelial cells using cytochrome c reduction, ESR, fluorescence and lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence techniques.

Endothelium produces oxygen-derived free radicals (nitric oxide, NO&z.rad;; superoxide anion, O(2)(*-)) which play a major role in physiology and pathology of the vessel wall. However, little is known about endothelium-derived O(2)(*-) production, particularly due to the difficulty in assessing O(2)(*-) when its production is low and to controversies recently raised about the use of lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence. We compared four techniques of O(2)(*-) assessment when its production is low. In the present study, we have compared ferricytochrome c reduction, electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy using DMPO as spin trap, hydroethidine fluorescence, and lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence to assess O(2)(*-) production in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). We focused our study on extracellular O(2)(*-) production because the specificity of the signal is provided by the use of superoxide dismutase, and this control cannot be obtained intracellularly. We found that the calcium ionophore A23187 dose-dependently stimulated O(2)(*-) production, with a good correlation between all four techniques. The signals evoked by postconfluent BAEC were increased 2- to 7-fold in comparison to just-confluent BAEC, according to the technique used. Ferricytochrome c 20 microm rather than at 100 microm appears more suitable to detect O(2)(*-). However, in the presence of electron donors such as NADH or NADPH, lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence generated high amounts of O(2)(*-). Thus, ferricytochrome c reduction, electron spin resonance (ESR), and hydroethidine fluorescence appear as adequate tools for the detection of extracellular endothelium-derived O(2)(*-) production, whereas lucigenin may be artifactual, even when a low concentration of lucigenin is employed.

Acridines↗

PubMed1989

Mechanistic aspects of paraquat toxicity in E. coli. A spin trapping study.

Mechanistic aspects of paraquat monocation radical (PQ.+) and copper involvement in paraquat toxicity have been examined using E. coli B cells. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry combined with cell survival studies were used to explore the correlation between radical production and biological damage. The line broadening agent oxalato-chromiate (CrOx) was used to characterize the anoxic partition of PQ.+ inside and outside the cell. In the presence of CrOx the ESR signal was totally eliminated, indicating that intracellular species were undetectable and that, contrary to previous reports, PQ.+ exclusively accumulates outside the cell. The PQ.+ radical does not react with H2O2 but disappears in the presence of H2O2 when catalytic traces of Cu(II) are present. Spin-trapping studies using DMPO showed that in aerobic environment paraquat-induced O2 radicals are detectable exclusively in the extracellular compartment. The correlation between PQ.+ appearance and the biological damage is not simple. PQ.+ non-toxically accumulates, in the absence of oxygen and either Cu(II) or H2O2. By contrast, with both H2O2 and Cu(II) the cells are rapidly killed but PQ.+ was undetectable. These results reconfirm the key catalytic mediatory function of transition metals in paraquat toxicity.

Aerobiosis↗

PubMed2005

Senile plaques in Alzheimer's diseased brains: possible association of beta-amyloid with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) L-particles.

The characteristic insoluble, senile (neuritic) plaques found extracellularly in brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) contain the fibrillar form of beta-amyloid (Abeta42). A substantial proportion of autopsied elderly brains have demonstrated DNA evidence of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infiltration. HSV-1-infected cells produce significant quantities of non-infectious, non-DNA-containing light particles (L-particles) comprised of viral envelope and tegument proteins. HSV-induced L-particles can be exocytosed out of their host cells. This report advances the hypothesis that (1) Abeta binds to L-particles; (2) Abeta permeabilizes L-particles, destroying the integrity of the envelope and allowing the contained tegument proteins to spill into the extracellular space; and (3) these events are followed by a conformational shift of Abeta into its fibrillar form, physically trapping the L-particle-derived substances and resulting in the plaques characteristic of AD. These hypotheses are supported by reports of biomolecular changes and pathophysiologies which have been simultaneously observed in both AD- and HSV-infected brains.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed2001

Inhibition of oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced apoptosis in endothelial cells by nitric oxide. Peroxyl radical scavenging as an antiapoptotic mechanism.

Proatherogenic oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) induces endothelial apoptosis. We investigated the anti-apoptotic effects of intracellular and extracellular nitric oxide (*NO) donors, iron chelators, cell-permeable superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase mimetics, and nitrone spin traps. Peroxynitrite (ONOO-)-modified oxLDL induced endothelial apoptosis was measured by DNA fragmentation, TUNEL assay, and caspase-3 activation. Results indicated the following: (i) the lipid fraction of oxLDL was primarily responsible for endothelial apoptosis. (ii) Endothelial apoptosis was potently inhibited by *NO donors and lipophilic phenolic antioxidants. OxLDL severely depleted Bcl-2 levels in endothelial cells and *NO donors restored Bcl-2 protein in oxLDL-treated cells. (iii) The pretreatment of a lipid fraction derived from oxLDL with sodium borohydride or potassium iodide completely abrogated apoptosis in endothelial cells, suggesting that lipid hydroperoxides induce apoptosis. (iv) Metalloporphyrins dramatically inhibited oxLDL-induced apoptosis in endothelial cells. Neither S-nitrosation of caspase-3 nor induction of Hsp70 appeared to play a significant role in the antiapoptotic mechanism of *NO in oxLDL-induced endothelial apoptosis. We propose that cellular lipid peroxyl radicals or lipid hydroperoxides induce an apoptotic signaling cascade in endothelial cells exposed to oxLDL, and that *NO inhibits apoptosis by scavenging cellular lipid peroxyl radicals.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Origin of ADH-induced vacuoles in rabbit cortical collecting tubule.

The origin of the vacuoles that form in the mammalian collecting duct during antidiuretic hormone (ADH)-mediated water reabsorption was examined using two computer-assisted, light microscopic methods. First, differential interference-contrast microscopy was used in combination with a simple morphometric procedure to quantitatively characterize the time course, magnitude, and cell specificity of vacuole formation in the microperfused rabbit cortical collecting tubule. Second, video-intensified fluorescence microscopy was used to visualize the basolateral endocytosis of a fluorescent, fluid-phase marker (i.e., lucifer yellow) during vacuole formation. In the presence of a lumen-to-bath osmotic gradient, ADH addition induced the rapid (less than 10 min) formation of large (1- to 3-micron diam) vacuoles in principal cells and, to a lesser extent, in a subpopulation of intercalated cells. The vacuoles subsequently shrank and disappeared over the course of 60-90 min in the continued presence of the hormone and osmotic gradient. The vacuoles collapsed very slowly after elimination of the osmotic gradient at the peak of the vacuolation response, which implies that these structures are intracellular compartments rather than dilated extracellular spaces. During their formation the vacuoles could be loaded with peritubular (but not luminal) lucifer yellow, which remained trapped within most of these structures well after the dye was removed from the bath (greater than 30 min). These results indicate that most vacuoles that form during ADH-mediated water reabsorption are intracellular, endocytic compartments that communicate with the peritubular space via endocytosis of basolateral cell membrane.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Nitric oxide detection and visualization in biological systems. Applications of the FNOCT method.

Fluorescent Nitric Oxide Cheletropic Traps (FNOCTs) were applied to specifically trap nitric oxide (NO) with high sensitivity. The fluorescent o-quinoid pi-electron system of the FNOCTs (lambda(exc) = 460 nm, lambda(em) = 600 nm) reacts rapidly with NO to a fluorescent phenanthrene system (lambda(exc) = 380 nm, lambda(em) = 460 nm). The cyclic nitroxides thus formed react further to non-radical products which exhibit identical fluorescence properties. Using the acid form of the trap (FNOCT-4), NO release by spermine NONOate and by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated alveolar macrophages were studied. A maximum extracellular release of NO of 37.5 nmol h(-1) (10(6) cells)(-1) from the macrophages was determined at 11 h after activation. Furthermore, intracellular NO release by LPS-activated macrophages and by microvascular omentum endothelial cells stimulated by the Ca2+ ionophore A-23187, respectively, was monitored on the single cell level by means of fluorescence microscopy. After loading the cells with the membrane-permeating acetoxymethylester derivative FNOCT-5, which is hydrolyzed to a non-permeating dicarboxylate by intracellular hydrolases, NO formation by the endothelial cells started immediately upon stimulation, whereas start of NO production by the macrophages was delayed with a variation between 4 and 8 h for individual cells. These results demonstrate that the FNOCTs can be used to monitor NO release from single cells, as well as from NO-donating compounds, with high sensitivity and with temporal and spatial resolution.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Insight into the nature and site of oxygen-centered free radical generation by endothelial cell monolayers using a novel spin trapping technique.

Spin trapping, a sensitive and specific means of detecting free radicals, is optimally performed on cell suspensions. This makes it unsuitable for the study of adherent endothelial cell monolayers because disrupting the monolayer to induce a cell suspension could introduce confounding factors. This problem was eliminated through the use of endothelial cells that were grown to confluence on microcarrier beads. Using the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO), the nature of free radical species generated by suspensions of microcarrier bead adherent porcine pulmonary endothelial cells under various forms of oxidant stress was examined. Exposure of these endothelial cells to paraquat resulted in the spin trapping of superoxide (.O2-). Endothelial cell incubation in the presence of either bolus or continuous fluxes of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) yielded spin trap evidence of hydroxyl radical formation, which was preventable by pretreating the cells with deferoxamine. Chromium oxalate which eliminates extracellular electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometry (EPR) signals, prevented the detection of DMPO spin adducts generated by paraquat but not H2O2-treated endothelial cells. When endothelial cells were coincubated with PMA-stimulated monocytes evidence of both .O2- and hydroxyl radical production was detected, whereas with PMA-stimulated neutrophils only .O2- production could be confirmed. Neutrophil elastase, cathepsin G, and the combination of PMA and A23187 have previously been suggested to induce endothelial cell oxy-radical generation. However, exposure of endothelial cells to each of these agents did not yield DMPO spin adducts or cyanide-insensitive endothelial cell O2 consumption. These data indicate that endothelial cell exposure: to paraquat induces extracellular .O2- formation; to H2O2 leads to intracellular hydroxyl radical production; and to elastase, cathepsin G, or A23187/PMA does not appear to cause oxy-radical generation.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Activity of telomerase and extracellular regulated protein kinases in parental and drug resistant cells of leukemia and ovarian cancer.

In order to study the role of telomerase and extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) in drug-resistance of leukemia and ovarian cancer cells, telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay and bioluminescence analysis were used for qualitative analysis or quantitative detection of telomerase activity respectively, and Western blot was used to detect the expression level of phosphorylatedly activated ERK(1) and ERK(2) protein in the parental and drug resistant cells of leukemia and ovarian cancer. In addition, chemotherapy sensitivity to HRT or DDP was evaluated by MTT assay. The difference of cell cycle distribution between parental cell and drug-resistant cell was analyzed by flow cytometry. The results showed that the drug resistant cells were of higher percentage in G(0)/G(1) phase compared with the parental cell lines. Telomerase activity and phosphorylatedly activated ERK(1) and ERK(2) protein expression level were higher in drug-resistant cells than in parental cell. It is suggested that the increasing number of the drug resistant cells in G(0)/G(1) phase may be considered as a sign of drug resistance. The up-regulation of telomerase activity and phosphorylatedly activated ERK(1) and ERK(2) protein expression level may play an important role in drug resistance of leukemia and ovarian cancer cell lines.

Cell Cycle↗

PubMed1996

Use dependence of tetrodotoxin block of sodium channels: a revival of the trapped-ion mechanism.

The use-dependent block of sodium channels by tetrodotoxin (TTX) has been studied in cRNA-injected Xenopus oocytes expressing the alpha-subunit of rat brain IIA channels. The kinetics of stimulus-induced extra block are consistent with an underlying relaxation process involving only three states. Cumulative extra block induced by repetitive stimulations increases with hyperpolarization, with TTX concentration, and with extracellular Ca2+ concentration. We have developed a theoretical model based on the suggestion by Salgado et al. that TTX blocks the extracellular mouth of the ion pore less tightly when the latter has its external side occupied by a cation, and that channel opening favors a tighter binding by allowing the escape of the trapped ion. The model provides an excellent fit of the data, which are consistent with Ca2+ being more efficient than Na+ in weakening TTX binding and with bound Ca2+ stabilizing the closed state of the channel, as suggested by Armstrong and Cota. Reports arguing against the trapped-ion mechanism are critically discussed.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Survival and neurite outgrowth of rat cortical neurons in three-dimensional agarose and collagen gel matrices.

To better understand interactions between neurons and extracellular matrix equivalents, embryonic day-18 rat cortical neurons were immobilized and maintained in culture for up to 24 days in agarose and type I collagen gels. Using live/dead staining, neuronal cultures in low density collagen gel lasted at least 3 weeks. At 14 days, over 50% of immobilized cells in collagen gel were found viable while in low density agarose gel no cells survived. In situ cell death detection showed that most, if not all, dead cells in either of the gels underwent apoptosis. The collagen-trapped neurons exhibited normal neuronal polarity and developed long neurites, estimated at over 500 microm. The results suggest that collagen, because it is a major extracellular matrix constituent, suppresses apoptosis and provides a suitable substrate for neuronal survival and differentiation.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Detection of hydroxyl radicals upon interaction of ozone with aqueous media or extracellular surfactant: the role of trace iron.

As part of a study on mechanisms modulating ozone-induced surfactant perturbations, we used the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin trapping technique to determine the type and origin of radicals generated following interaction of ozone with aqueous solutions and cell-free bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) fractions. All aqueous media were exposed to ozone at 25 degrees C with or without added chelator, 1 mM diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, and spintrap, 100 mM 5,5'-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxide (DMPO). Exposure of distilled water to 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 ppm ozone for 1 h yielded four-line spectra, 1:2:2:1, consistent with hydroxyl radical adduct formation (DMPO-OH), the amplitudes of which increased with the ozone concentration. No signals were obtained from air-exposed samples. Similar four-line spectra were also produced following interaction of 3 ppm ozone with Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS) alone or containing BAL fractions. Addition of the hydroxyl radical scavenger dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to the incubation medium strongly inhibited formation of DMPO-OH adduct during ozone exposure. As an alternate method of demonstrating the generation of hydroxyl radicals, aqueous solutions of 1 mM L-phenylalanine were exposed to high concentrations of ozone and shown, using ion-exchange chromatography, to contain small amounts of L-tyrosine. Production of hydroxyl radicals upon interaction of ozone and water was further substantiated using the spintrap PBN (phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone) in the presence of DMSO which reacts with the hydroxyl radical resulting in the formation of methyl radical. The methyl radical subsequently reacts with spintrap PBN, yielding PBN-methyl adduct. In the absence of DMSO there was no detectable formation of methyl radical adduct. EPR double distilled water containing DMPO showed a small amount of DMPO-OH adduct upon exposure to ozone. Addition of 10 microM ferrous sulfate to this mixture produced a 10-fold increase of the signal, which was attenuated in the presence of 1500 U catalase, strongly attenuated with 50-500 microM deferoxamine or 8000 U catalase and abolished by higher concentration of deferoxamine (1 mM). The signal was not influenced by 1000 U superoxide dismutase. These results indicate that hydroxyl radicals are produced via iron-dependent reactions during the initial interaction of ozone with aqueous media, including bronchoalveolar fluid.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Bacteria form intracellular free radicals in response to paraquat and streptonigrin. Demonstration of the potency of hydroxyl radical.

The generation of oxygen reduction products by Neisseria gonorrhoeae FA1090 upon exposure to streptonigrin (SNG) and paraquat (PQ2+) and their toxicity was examined. N. gonorrhoeae exhibited maximal cyanide-insensitive respiration, which was employed as an indicator of superoxide (O2-) formation, in the presence of 0.064 mM streptonigrin and 90 mM PQ2+, respectively. Using the concentrations of SNG and PQ2+ described above, complete lethality (greater than 10(8) cells/ml) was observed among cells exposed to SNG, whereas PQ2+ reduced viability by only 3 logs. In an attempt to determine the oxygen radical species generated by gonococci when exposed to SNG, dimethyl sulfoxide, Fe3+, KCN, and the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO), we were able to detect .OH manifested as the methyl adduct (DMPO-CH3). The production of the latter species was not inhibited by catalase, suggesting intracellular .OH generation. When PQ2+ was substituted for SNG, only low levels of DMPO-CH3 were observed, the production of which ceased within 8 min. SNG and PQ2+, added to a O2(-)- generating system in the presence of Fe3+, promoted increased .OH generation. The iron chelator diethyl-enetriaminepentaacetic acid enhanced the generation of spin-trapped .OH and O2- in the presence of PQ2+. The addition of catalase to this system, however, eliminated the DMPO-CH3 signal, showing that the .OH in this system was extracellular. PQ2+-mediated generation of extracellular .OH in the presence of Fe3+-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid EDTA did not enhance the killing of gonococci by PQ2+. These data show that the lethality of SNG relative to PQ2+ is due to the inherent ability of SNG to catalyze the formation of critical levels of intracellular .OH, detectable through the use of spin trapping techniques.

Cyanides↗