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PubMed1975

Functional role of cholesterol in infection and autoimmunity.

Cholesterol binds to streptolysin O and related bacterial toxins. In normal serum, only a fraction of the cholesterol attached to lipoprotein is available for binding, probably as a cholesterol-peptide complex formed during catabolic breakdown of the lipoprotein. Cholesterol esterase produced by certain organisms--e.g., Staphylococcus pyogenes and Pseudomonas oeruginosa--augments this fraction both in vitro and in vivo. Endogenous esterase similarly increases the amount of cholesterol-peptide complex, a mechanism which may be activated as a feedback process following binding of toxin to the cholesterol component of the complex. These complexes will thus supply a readily available means of binding bacterial toxins before antibody formation begins; Cholesterol-peptide complexes, either alone or modified by binding to toxin, may function as autoantigens. It is postulated that immune complexes so formed may be involved in atherosclerosis either by directly damaging vessels walls or by cross-reaction of antibody with cell-membrane-bound lipoproteins which equilibrate with plasma-lipoproteins.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

PubMed2001

[Heart failure and central respiratory dysregulation. Cheyne-Stokes respiration during sleep in advanced left heart failure].

Central sleep apnoea, especially Cheyne-Stokes respiration, is found in 45 to 66% of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) in functional classes NYHA II to IV. Cheyne-Stokes breathing cycles are characterised by central apnoeas, followed by a crescendo--like increase of tidal volume into hyperventilation and a subsequent decline of tidal volume, ending in another central apnoea. Cheyne-Stokes respiration has been shown to be a poor prognostic factor for patients with CHF. Apnoeas and hypopnoeas cause marked oxygen desaturation and rises of carbon dioxide concentrations in the blood. The resumption of breathing is frequently associated with arousals, which might cause daytime symptoms like fatigue and sleepiness as well as persistent activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Elevated concentrations of catecholamines increase cardiac work, adversely affecting cardiac function. Serum catecholamines are known to augment the chemoreceptor susceptibility for carbon dioxide. This might be one reason for the permanent mild hyperventilation found in these patients during wakefulness. Increased chemoreceptor responsiveness destabilises the feedback control of breathing, and hyperventilation below the apnoeic threshold grows more likely. Other contributing factors for the development of Cheyne-Stokes respiration include alterations in the control of breathing during sleep and the increased circulation time between the lung and chemoreceptors in CHF patients. The feedback regulation of breathing might be less dampened since carbon dioxide levels are reduced in these patients. Treatment includes nCPAP, but in many cases this is poorly tolerated in patients with central sleep apnoea. Future approaches to Cheyne-Stokes respiration might focus on improving ventilatory pattern and pharmacological manipulation of carbon dioxide receptor susceptibility.

Arousal↗

PubMed1989

Hemopoietic stem cells: stochastic differentiation and humoral control of proliferation.

The central feature of hemopoiesis is life-long, stable cell renewal. This process is supported by hemopoietic stem cells which, in the steady state, appear to be dormant in cell cycling. The entry into cell cycle of the dormant stem cells may be promoted by such factors as interleukin-1, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). Once the stem cells leave G0 and begin proliferation, the subsequent process is characterized by continued proliferation and differentiation. While several models of stem cell differentiation have been proposed, micromanipulation studies of individual progenitors suggest that the commitment of multipotential progenitors to single lineages is a random (stochastic) process. The proliferation of early hemopoietic progenitors requires the presence of interleukin-3 (IL-3), and the intermediate process appears to be supported by granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Once the progenitors are committed to individual lineages, the subsequent maturation process appears to be supported by late-acting, lineage-specific factors such as erythropoietin and G-CSF. Synthesis of a hemopoietic factor may take place in different cell types and is regulated by multiple factors. The physiological regulator of erythropoiesis is erythropoietin, which, by a feedback mechanism, provides fine control of erythrocyte production. Feedback mechanisms for leukocyte production have not been identified. It is possible that there is no feedback regulator of leukopoiesis. In this model, leukocyte production in the steady state is maintained at a genetically determined level. When an infection occurs, the bacterial lipopolysaccharides may augment the production of interleukin 1 alpha and beta, tumor necrosis factor, macrophage colony-stimulating factor, etc.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1981

[The change of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian function during peripubertal period in female baboons (author's transl)].

To clarify the relationship between the change in plasma levels of pituitary and ovarian hormones and the development of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian function in the course of sexual maturation, longitudinal studies were performed using seven peripubertal female baboons (Papio cynocephalus). Serial blood samples were collected every two weeks from 12 months before menarche to 8 months after menarche. Plasma levels of prolactin, LH, FSH and estradiol were determined by specific radioimmunoassay methods. Periodic injections of synthetic LHRH (100 microgram) + TRH (500 microgram) and conjugated estrogen (Premarin 20mg) at one month interval were also conducted throughout the period studied. Furthermore, daily blood samples were drawn from two baboons from the first day of menarche up to the subsequent onset of vaginal bleeding, and the fluctuations of the same kinds of plasma hormonal levels were analysed. The basal plasma levels of FSH showed the earliest significant increase seven months prior to menarche, while those of LH, prolactin and estradiol exhibited no apparent change. Statistically significant elevations of basal plasma LH, prolactin and estradiol levels were observed one month before menarche. Intravenous injections of LHRH which were given earlier than two months before menarche induced marked responses in FSH with limited changes in LH patterns. After this stage of puberty, the response of LH stimulated by LHRH administrations were augmented progressively, whereas those of FSH became impaired. The peak values of prolactin after TRH injections increased, obviously around the same period of sexual development. The LH positive feedback induced by Premarin was observed one month before menarche in four baboons whose LH responses were exaggerated significantly by LHRH, and the sex skin reached turgidity to a certain extent. The evaluation of the hormonal changes during the first menstrual cycles after menarche indicated that the follicular phases were prolonged due to delayed elevation of FSH during the early follicular phase, and the length of the luteal phases were shorter in comparison to those seen in the normal ovulatory cycles of adult baboons. The results from the present longitudinal studies on baboons revealed characteristic changes accompanied by the maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian function during the peripubertal period. The initial change was the increase of basal FSH levels, which was caused by the alteration of hypothalamic sensitivity to endogenous estrogen, and that FSH stimulated the ovary to secrete estrogen. The increased basal estradiol secretion influenced both hypothalamic and pituitary functions, namely, the dominant gonadotropin secretion by the pituitary shifted from FSH to LH, a positive feedback mechanism was established, and prolactin level secretions with enhanced response after TRH stimulations were increased. This sequence of events indicates that hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian interaction occurs during maturation in the peripubertal period.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Phosphodiesterase 4D and heart failure: a cautionary tale.

Stimulation of several G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) promotes intracellular production of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and subsequently activates protein kinase A (PKA). In the heart, beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) stimulation increases contractile performance and heart rate as part of the 'fight-or-flight' stress response. Molecular organisation of PKA-effector association occurs by A kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs), which target kinase action to specific intracellular sites. Some AKAPs interact directly with specific cAMP-hydrolysing phosphodiesterase (PDE) isoforms allowing for the assembly of multi-protein complexes that create focal points of intracellular cAMP signalling. Certain PDE isoforms co-localise with PKA as part of negative feedback mechanisms which may protect from excess beta-AR stimulation of Ca2+ transporters during cardiac excitation-contraction coupling. Pharmacological PDE inhibition increases intracellular cAMP concentrations and augments excitation-contraction coupling in heart failure. However, chronic PDE inhibitor treatment causes severe cardiac side effects and increases mortality. Moreover, cAMP hydrolysing PDE activity was found decreased in heart failure which may contribute to disease progression via chronic PKA-dependent dysregulation of Ca2+ transport proteins. The authors review the contribution of PDE activity in the heart to contractile stress adaptation, the significance of altered cAMP signalling in heart failure, and the effects of PDE inhibition in heart disease.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗

PubMed1984

[Induction of ovulation with pulsatile LHRH in anovulatory women].

Nine anovulatory patients were treated by administering pulsatile LHRH (2-20 micrograms, i.v. at 90 min intervals) for 15-58 days. These patients consisted of 4 women with hypothalamic amenorrhea, one women with oligomenorrhea, 2 women with polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) and 2 women with hyperprolactinemic amenorrhea. Four of them were involuntarily infertile. The pulsatile LHRH therapy induced follicular maturation and ovulation, as evidenced by increased plasma estradiol levels followed by a midcycle LH surge and subsequent rise in plasma progesterone (P) levels, in 8 of the 9 patients. One patient with PCOD failed to ovulate. All of 11 treatment cycles were ovulatory in the 8 patients. A maximal P level of below 10 ng/ml was seen in 3 of the 11 induced ovulatory cycles, indicating corpus luteum insufficiency. Luteolysis occurred soon after discontinuing the pulsatile LHRH administration at the mid to late luteal phase in 3 ovulatory cycles. One of the 4 infertile women became pregnant. The results indicate that chronic pulsatile administration of LHRH is useful in inducing ovulation not only in hypothalamic amenorrhea, but also in PCOD and hyperprolactinemic amenorrhea. They also suggest that although a possible augmentation of the hypothalamic LHRH release at the preovulatory phase cannot be denied, a series of endocrine events during the human menstrual cycle may be regulated by the feedback action of the ovarian signals on the pituitary under a fixed input of the hypothalamic LHRH.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Circadian clock-regulated expression of an RNA-binding protein in Arabidopsis: characterisation of a minimal promoter element.

The Atgrp7 transcript encodes a clock-regulated, glycine-rich, RNA-binding protein in Arabidopsis thaliana and shows a circadian variation in steady-state abundance. Constitutive overexpression of its product, AtGRP7, in transgenic Arabidopsis plants depresses the oscillations of the endogenous Atgrp7 transcript, indicating that both the transcript and the protein are part of a clock-regulated negative feedback circuit. Here we characterise the upstream region of the Atgrp7 gene in order to begin to dissect the molecular basis of this oscillating autoregulatory feedback loop. Fusion of a 1.5-kb promoter fragment to the beta-glucuronidase (gus) reporter gene leads to circadian oscillations in the level of the gus transcript in transgenic Arabidopsis plants, with highest levels in the evening, indicating that transcription of the Atgrp7 gene is rhythmically activated by the endogenous circadian clock. A 265-bp fragment upstream of the transcription start site is necessary for high-amplitude Atgrp7 cycling. Within this region, a 56-bp clock-responsive element that confers a low-amplitude circadian oscillation (approximately threefold) with peak abundance in the early evening maps between positions -112 and -57. Another element necessary for augmenting the amplitude of the oscillation lies between -178 and -264. Genetic crosses between a line bearing a promoter-gus fusion and plants that overexpress AtGRP7 show that the promoter by itself does not mediate the negative feedback of AtGRP7 on the oscillations of its own transcript.

Arabidopsis↗

PubMed1996

Regulation of inositol trisphosphate-induced membrane currents in Xenopus oocytes by a Jurkat cell calcium influx factor.

The functional interactions of a Jurkat cell-derived calcium influx factor (CIF) with Ins(1,4,5)P3 were examined by microinjection and voltage-clamp recording of current responses in Xenopus oocytes. CIF, which stimulates Ca2+ entry directly on microinjection, was active at dilutions at which it had no direct effect by augmenting both initial rapid Ins(1,4,5)P3-mediated Ca2+ discharge-activated currents and later sustained Ca2+ entry-activated currents. Augmented initial membrane currents were 3-5-fold greater in peak amplitude than currents evoked by injection of the same dose of Ins(1,4,5)P3 alone. The augmented initial response was not decreased by removal of extracellular Ca2+, suggesting that there is potentiation of Ins(1,4,5)P3-mediated discharge from intracellular Ca2+ stores. However, the augmentation of Ins(1,4,5)P3-mediated discharge cannot be due to an enhanced production of endogenous Ins(1,4,5)P3 because maximal Ins(1,4,5)P3-activated currents saturate (approx. 500 nA) with supramaximal levels of Ins(1,4,5)P3 (10-50 microM). Depletion of Ca2+ stores, by pretreatment with thapsigargin or by prior injection with the Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptor antagonist heparin, abolished membrane currents elicited by Ins(1,4,5)P3/CIF co-injection, further suggesting that the Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptor was the target for the initial-current potentiating actions of CIF. In this regard, CIF also induced augmented initial currents with co-injection of either Ins(2,4,5)P3 or Ins(1,3,4,5)P4. The augmentation of Ins(1,4,5)P3-mediated currents by CIF was bell-shaped with regard to Ins(1,4,5)P3 concentration, reminiscent of the regulatory influence of Ca2+ on Ins(1,4,5)P3 responses. Co-injection of Ins(1,4,5)P3 and CIF also augmented (2-3-fold) later current responses arising from sustained Ca2+ entry. The augmented late-current responses were not due to enhanced Ca2+ store depletion because supramaximal levels of Ins(1,4,5)P3 (50 microM) or injection of the poorly metabolized Ins(1,4,5)P3 analogue, Ins(2,4,5)P3, cannot activate the same magnitude of Ca(2+)-entry-dependent currents. These results suggest that CIF at low levels interacts with Ins(1,4,5)P3 to sensitize two pathways of Ca2+ signalling: initial discharge and later Ca2+ entry. Thus under physiological conditions CIF might be more potent as a co-messenger than as a direct Ca2+ entry signal and might provide a novel type of direct feedback regulation between the stores-activated influx pathway and the Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptor. Moreover these results suggest that CIF modulation of the receptor for Ins(1,4,5)P3 may underlie control of both augmentation of discharge and Ca2+ entry, as has been predicted from the conformational coupling model of Ca2+ entry.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Hexamethonium- and methyllycaconitine-induced changes in acetylcholine release from rat motor nerve terminals.

1. The neuronal nicotinic receptor antagonists hexamethonium and methyllycaconitine (MLA) have been used to study the putative prejunctional nicotinic ACh receptors (AChRs) mediating a negative-feedback control of ACh release from motor nerve terminals in voltage-clamped rat phrenic nerve/ hemidiaphragm preparations. 2. Hexamethonium (200 microM), but not MLA (0.4-2.0 microM), decreased the time constant of decay of both endplate currents (e.p.cs) and miniature endplate currents (m.e.p.cs), indicating endplate ion channel block with hexamethonium. However, driving function analysis and reconvolution of e.p.cs and m.e.p.cs indicated that this ion channel block did not compromise the analysis of e.p.c. quantal content. 3. At low frequencies of stimulation (0.5-2 Hz), hexamethonium (200 microM) and MLA (2.0 microM) increased e.p.c. quantal content by 30-40%. At high frequencies (50-150 Hz) neither compound affected e.p.c. quantal content. All effects on quantal content were paralleled by changes in the size of the pool of quanta available for release. 4. The low frequency augmentation of e.p.c. quantal content by hexamethonium was absent when extracellular [Ca2+] was lowered from 2.0 to 0.5 mM. 5. At the concentrations studied, MLA and hexamethonium produced a small (10-20%) decrease in the peak amplitude of m.e.p.cs. 6. Neither apamin (100 nM) nor charybdotoxin (80 nM) had effects on spontaneous or nerve evoked current amplitudes at any frequency of stimulation. Thus the ability of nicotinic antagonists to augment e.p.c. quantal content is not due to inhibition of Ca(2+)-activated K(+)-channels. 7. We suggest that hexamethonium and MLA increase evoked ACh release by blocking prejunctional nicotinic AChRs. These receptors exert a negative feedback control over evoked ACh release and are probably of the alpha-bungarotoxin-insensitive neuronal type.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed2000

Oral estradiol administration modulates continuous intravenous growth hormone (GH)-releasing peptide-2-driven GH secretion in postmenopausal women.

Exactly how estradiol (E2) regulates the human GH-insulin-like growth factor I axis is not known. Here, we explore the impact of oral E2 supplementation on the stimulatory actions of a potent and specific synthetic GH-releasing peptide (GHRP), GHRP-2. To this end, we studied 10 healthy postmenopausal women following the administration of placebo or 17beta-estradiol (1 mg twice daily orally) for 7-12 days in a prospectively randomized, double-blind, within-subject crossover design. To drive GH secretion via the GHRP-receptor/ effector pathway, we infused GHRP-2 (1 microg/kg x h) or saline continuously iv for 24 h. Deconvolution analysis was used to quantitate the separate basal and pulsatile modes of GH secretion based on 24-h serum GH concentrations profiles collected at 10-min intervals and assayed by chemiluminescence. As complementary (nonpulsatile) measures, we used the approximate entropy (ApEn) statistic and cosine regression to define feedback-dependent and circadian-related changes, respectively. E2 administration amplified the mass of GH secreted per burst by 1.9-fold over placebo, 24-h GHRP-2 infusion by 7.0-fold, and, the two agonists together by 8.8-fold (P < 10(-14)). Intravenous GHRP-2 infusion augmented the basal (nonpulsatile) rate of GH secretion by 4.4-fold (P < 10(-4)). E2 treatment had no effect alone, but doubled the stimulatory effect of GHRP-2, on basal GH secretion. Neither E2 nor GHRP-2 influenced 24-h GH pulse frequency, interburst interval, half-life or pulse duration. Combined E2 and GHRP-2 elevated the ApEn of GH secretory profiles significantly above control, thereby indicating a marked alteration of within-axis feedback control (P = 0.00033). Dual stimulation with E2 and GHRP-2 also synergistically increased the amplitude (by 11-fold, P < 10(-11)) and the mesor (by 10-fold, P < 10(-10)) of the 24-h GH rhythm. Infusion of GHRP-2 advanced the GH acrophase (time of daily maximum of GH release) by 8.75 h, whereas combined treatment with E2 and GHRP-2 normalized the acrophase. Cross-correlation analysis showed that GHRP-2 infusion (but not E2 administration) significantly synchronized paired 24-h serum GH concentration profiles (P < 10(-3)). In summary, short-term oral E2 replacement in post-menopausal women strongly modulates the actions of a synthetic hexapeptide GH secretagogue on three quantifiable modes of GH secretion [i.e. 1) basal (nonpulsatile) GH release; 2) feedback-dependent ApEn; and 3) the mesor, amplitude and timing of the 24-h GH rhythm]. Moreover, a continuous GHRP-2 stimulus also synchronizes inter diem GH secretory patterns. The present pharmacological study, thus, offers a further framework for exploring the nature of the interactions of E2 with the GHRP-receptor/effector pathway in the aging and/or gonadoprival human.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Angiotension-(1-7) and antihypertensive mechanisms.

Of the active fragments studied to-date, Ang-(l-7) is the most pleiotropic of the Ang I metabolities because it exerts effects that may be identical or opposite to those of Ang II. While much research remains to be done, accumulating evidence suggests that Ang-(1-7) stimulates the synthesis and release of vasodilator prostaglandins, augments the metabolic actions of bradykinin, and increases the release of nitric oxide. This explains why Ang-(1-7) activates antihypertensive mechanisms, particularly in situations of increased Ang II activity. In other words, Ang-(1-7) may act as a negative feedback hormone of the pressor and trophic actions of Ang II. The enzymes forming Ang-( 1-7) reinforce the idea that this peptide is a component of a vasodepressor system that regulates blood pressure. Both neprilysin and metalloendopeptidase 24.15 form Ang-(1-7) but also cleave bradykinin and atrial natriuretic peptide to smaller fragments. Our recent discovery that Ang-(1-7) is a major substrate for angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) adds a new and important dimension to the understanding of the biochemical physiology of the renin angiotensin system. Moreover, these data explain why Ang-(1-7) augmentes the hypotensive effects of bradykinin and contributes to the antihypertensive actions of ACE inhibitors. While the bulk of the research in hypertension continues to emphasize the investigation of the cellular actions of Ang II, our research has introduced new concepts and uncovered new mechanisms through which angiotensin peptides control homeostasis and influence the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.

Angiotensin I↗

PubMed1996

Role of physical countermaneuvers in the management of orthostatic hypotension: efficacy and biofeedback augmentation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of various physical countermaneuvers in reducing orthostatic hypotension and its associated symptoms and to assess the efficacy of biofeedback training in enhancing the effectiveness of physical countermaneuvers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In nine study subjects with neurogenic orthostatic hypotension, four training sessions on physical countermaneuvers were performed after tilt-up, three with visual feedback on the effect of physical countermaneuvers on blood pressure and other cardiovascular variables. Blood pressure change and orthostatic symptoms during tilt-up were determined, as were the changes in total peripheral resistance, stroke index, and heart rate. RESULTS: The five female and four male patients had a mean age of 53 years and a mean duration of symptoms of 4.2 years. On an orthostatic symptom scale of 0 to 10, these patients had a mean symptom score of 7.3. The increment in systolic blood pressure was better for some maneuvers (such as leg crossing and a combination) than others (such as neck flexion and abdominal contraction). Three patterns of responses to biofeedback were found. Simple maneuvers such as squatting did not improve with training; visual feedback was needed for maneuvers such as thigh contraction, and performance declined without biofeedback; the third pattern, seen in maneuvers such as leg crossing, showed continued improvement with training, even without biofeedback. A survey at 3 to 4 months after training revealed continued use of physical maneuvers (3.8 +/- 3.1 per day), increased standing time with each episode of presyncopal symptoms (8.3 +/- 5.8 minutes), and continued global symptomatic improvement. Total peripheral resistance, but not heart rate or stroke index, showed significant regression with blood pressure improvement. CONCLUSION: Physical countermaneuvers are efficacious in reducing orthostatic hypotension, can be augmented by use of biofeedback, and may significantly improve the functional outcome. The major mechanism of improvement is an increase in total peripheral resistance, presumably by reducing the vascular capacitance.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Virtual reality-augmented rehabilitation for patients following stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent evidence indicates that intensive massed practice may be necessary to modify neural organization and effect recovery of motor skills in patients following stroke. Virtual reality (VR) technology has the capability of creating an interactive, motivating environment in which practice intensity and feedback can be manipulated to create individualized treatments to retrain movement. CASE DESCRIPTION: Three patients (ML, LE, and DK), who were in the chronic phase following stroke, participated in a 2-week training program (3 1/2 hours a day) including dexterity tasks on real objects and VR exercises. The VR simulations were targeted for range of motion, movement speed, fractionation, and force production. OUTCOMES: ML's function was the most impaired at the beginning of the intervention, but showed improvement in the thumb and fingers in range of motion and speed of movement. LE improved in fractionation and range of motion of his thumb and fingers. DK made the greatest gains, showing improvement in range of motion and strength of the thumb, velocity of the thumb and fingers, and fractionation. Two of the 3 patients improved on the Jebsen Test of Hand Function. DISCUSSION: The outcomes suggest that VR may be useful to augment rehabilitation of the upper limb in patients in the chronic phase following stroke.

Aged↗

PubMed1999

Mechanisms of recovery from experimental allergic encephalomyelitis induced with myelin basic protein peptide 68-86 in Lewis rats: a role for dendritic cells in inducing apoptosis of CD4+ T cells.

Spontaneous remission of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is usually associated with prominent apoptosis. The mechanisms behind apoptosis are unknown. We examined the functions of dendritic cells (DC) from Lewis rats with EAE induced by immunization with myelin basic protein peptide 68-86 (MBP68 - - 86). Recovery from EAE was associated with three major functional changes of freshly prepared DC: (1) elevated proliferation, (2) increased nitric oxide (NO) production, and (3) augmented IFN-gamma secretion. In Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA)-immunized control rats, no increase of proliferation, NO production or IFN-gamma secretion was observed on day 21 post-immunization (p.i.), i.e., recovery from EAE. In vitro effects of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta1, IL-4 and IL-10 on DC were examined. IFN-gamma enhanced proliferation and NO production by DC, while TNF-alpha and IL-4 induced only slight DC proliferation. DC from recovering EAE rats (day 21 p.i.) suppressed MBP68 - - 86-induced T cell proliferation compared to DC obtained at other time points in EAE and FCA-immunized rats. DC-derived NO induced apoptosis of CD4+ T cells, thereby inhibiting autoreactive T cell responses. Besides IFN-gamma stimulation, NO production by DC was mainly induced in an antigen-dependent manner when DC were co-cultured with T cells. The results suggest that spontaneous recovery from EAE is associated with augmented DC functions. Overproduction of NO by DC results in apoptosis of autoreactive CD4+ T cells, thereby decreasing autoreactive T cell reactivities. The existence of such a NO negative feedback loop may contribute to remission of EAE.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Tissue plasminogen activator and urokinase enhance the binding of plasminogen to thrombospondin.

Thrombospondin (TSP) is a multifunctional platelet alpha-granule and extracellular matrix glycoprotein that binds specifically to plasminogen (Plg) via that protein's lysine-binding site and modulates activation by tissue activator (TPA). In this study we report that the plasminogen activators, TPA and urokinase, greatly influence the binding of Plg to TSP. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a TSP-Sepharose affinity bead-binding assay we have found that Plg-TSP complex formation was markedly enhanced (up to 5-fold) when catalytic concentrations of Plg activators were included in the reaction mixtures. The enhancement was dependent upon the generation of small amounts of active plasmin and was duplicated by pretreatment of the immobilized TSP with plasmin prior to addition of the Plg. The enhancement effect was associated with selective proteolysis of the immobilized TSP. Purified Lys-Plg (the plasmin modified form of native Glu-Plg) bound to TSP to a greater extent than Glu-Plg, and binding of both forms was augmented by Plg activators. The apparent KD values of complex formation were unchanged in the presence of Plg activators suggesting that the enhancement effect was due to the generation of additional binding sites. The increased amount of bound Plg was demonstrated to result in a similar increase in the amount of plasmin generated from the complexes by TPA. Plg activators did not influence binding of Plg to histidine-rich glycoprotein or of histidine-rich glycoprotein to TSP, demonstrating specificity. In addition when TSP was treated with other proteases (human thrombin or human leukocyte elastase) no augmentation of Plg binding was seen. Thus, the initial production of small amounts of plasmin from Plg immobilized on TSP in fibrin-free microenvironments could generate a positive feedback loop by enzymatically modifying both TSP and Plg, resulting in an increase in TSP-Plg complex formation leading to the localized production of substantially more plasmin.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay↗

PubMed1993

Effects of noise on a delayed visual feedback system.

Experimentally it is known that some patients with Parkinson's disease are not able to use visual information in a normal manner in a simple motor tracking task involving a time delay. We considered the possibility that pathological tremor present in these individuals acts as noise and prevents them from performing normally. To test this hypothesis the effects of adding coloured noise was investigated experimentally and theoretically. Ten adult subjects with no known neurological disease were asked to track their own delayed finger position with different levels of coloured noise and delays introduced. Also, a model for the task utilizing first-order delay-differential equations was constructed and coloured noise was injected into simulations. The theoretical implications of the inclusion of a stochastic component are considered, and the prospect of the dynamics being driven by noise is discussed. Experimental and numerical results indicate that augmented noise tends to corrupt and curtail the oscillations normally induced by time delays. This augmented noise may explain why some patients with Parkinson's disease are not able to utilize visual information in a normal manner.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Potentiation of interleukin-1beta adjuvant effects on the humoral immune response to antigen in adrenalectomized mice.

OBJECTIVES: Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a primary effect of interleukin-1 (IL-1), with elevated glucocorticoids considered a mechanism for negative feedback immunoregulation. However, there is little direct evidence of such a functional relationship between IL-1-mediated immunoregulation and neuroendocrine influences elicited by IL-1. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine whether the known adjuvant effects of IL-1 are altered in the absence of neuroendocrine feedback due to adrenalectomy. METHODS: Male BALB/c mice subjected to adrenalectomy (ADX) or sham surgery were administered with saline or recombinant human IL-1beta (rhIL-1beta) and at the same time immunized with 100 microg ovalbumin (OVA). In vivo and in vitro measures of antigen-specific IgG antibody production, IL-6 production and spleen cell proliferation were taken 6 and 12 days later. RESULTS: It was demonstrated that administration of rhIL-1beta at a dose that activates the HPA axis resulted in a significant augmentation of serum anti- OVA IgG antibody levels. Interestingly, this augmentation was potentiated in ADX animals. In addition, the in vitro spleen cell memory IgG antibody response to OVA was significantly augmented in rhIL-1beta-treated animals, and again, further potentiated in ADX animals. Interestingly, while hrIL-1beta treatment augmented antigen-stimulated IL-6 production - suggesting an effect of IL-1 on antigen-specific T helper 2 cell memory formation - potentiation was not evident in ADX animals. CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with the concept of HPA axis-mediated neuroendocrine feedback on excessive immune responsiveness due to IL-1. Such feedback may prevent disturbances to the self-limiting functions of the immune system, which are important to the prevention of autoimmune diseases, some of which involve elevated IL-1 production.

Adrenalectomy↗

PubMed2006

Dual stretch responses of mHCN2 pacemaker channels: accelerated activation, accelerated deactivation.

Mechanoelectric feedback in heart and smooth muscle is thought to depend on diverse channels that afford myocytes a mechanosensitive cation conductance. Voltage-gated channels (e.g., Kv1) are stretch sensitive, but the only voltage-gated channels that are cation permeant, the pacemaker or HCN (hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated) channels, have not been tested. To assess if HCN channels could contribute to a mechanosensitive cation conductance, we recorded I(HCN) in cell-attached oocyte patches before, during, and after stretch for a range of voltage protocols. I(mHCN2) has voltage-dependent and instantaneous components; only the former was stretch sensitive. Stretch reversibly accelerated hyperpolarization-induced I(mHCN2) activation (likewise for I(spHCN)) and depolarization-induced deactivation. HCN channels (like Kv1 channels) undergo mode-switch transitions that render their activation midpoints voltage history dependent. The result, as seen from sawtooth clamp, is a pronounced hysteresis. During sawtooth clamp, stretch increased current magnitudes and altered the hysteresis pattern consistent with stretch-accelerated activation and deactivation. I(mHCN2) responses to step protocols indicated that at least two transitions were mechanosensitive: an unspecified rate-limiting transition along the hyperpolarization-driven path, mode I(closed)-->mode II(open), and depolarization-induced deactivation (from mode I(open) and/or from mode II(open)). How might this affect cardiac rhythmicity? Since hysteresis patterns and "on" and "off" I(HCN) responses all changed with stretch, predictions are difficult. For an empirical overview, we therefore clamped patches to cyclic action potential waveforms. During the diastolic potential of sinoatrial node cell and Purkinje fiber waveforms, net stretch effects were frequency dependent. Stretch-inhibited (SI) I(mHCN2) dominated at low frequencies and stretch-augmented (SA) I(mHCN2) was progressively more important as frequency increased. HCN channels might therefore contribute to either SI or SA cation conductances that in turn contribute to stretch arrhythmias and other mechanoelectric feedback phenomena.

Animals↗