Biochemical and biological effects of KN-93, an inhibitor of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, on the initial events of mouse egg activation induced by ethanol

Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is transiently activated in mouse eggs by the increase in calcium that occurs upon activation with ethanol. This study investigated the biological and biochemical effects of KN-93, a reported selective inhibitor of CaMKII, to explore the potential role of this kinase in the initial events of egg activation. Mouse eggs were incubated for 30 min in the presence of different concentrations of KN-93 and induced to activate by 7% ethanol. KN-93 elicited a dose-dependent inhibition of polar body emission that resulted from the failure of the eggs to undergo meiosis resumption and inactivation of maturation-promoting factor (MPF). Furthermore, 15 mumol KN-93 l-1 produced a marked reduction in ethanol-induced loss of cortical granules. In vivo biochemical analysis revealed that 15 mumol KN-93 l-1 was responsible for significant inhibition of ethanol-stimulated CaMKII. The activity of the enzyme remained at a resting value, in spite of the presence of a calcium signal similar to that measured in control activated eggs. The inhibitory effects of KN-93 on the parameters tested in this study could not be mimicked by the inactive analogue KN-92. These results show that in mouse eggs, when ethanol-induced CaMKII activation was prevented, cortical granule exocytosis and meiosis resumption were inhibited. This suggests that CaMKII acts as a switch in the transduction of the calcium signal triggering mammalian egg activation.

Multivariate analysis of laminar patterns of neurodegeneration in posterior cingulate cortex in Alzheimer's disease

Posterior cingulate cortex is the site of earliest reductions in glucose metabolism and qualitatively different laminar patterns of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study used multivariate analyses of area 23 in 72 cases of definite AD to assess relationships between laminar patterns of neurodegeneration, neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) and senile plaque (SP) densities, age of disease onset and duration, and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype. No age-related changes in neurons occurred over four decades in 17 controls and regression analysis of all AD cases showed no relationships between neuron, SP, and tau-immunoreactive NFT densities. Principal components analysis of neurons in layers III-Va and eigenvector projections showed five subgroups. The subgroups were independent because each had a full range of disease durations and qualitatively different laminar patterns in degeneration suggested disease subtypes (ST). Cases with most severe neuron losses (STSevere) had an early onset, most SP, and highest proportion of ApoE epsilon4 homozygotes. Changes in the distribution of NFT were similar over disease course in two subtypes and NFT did not account for most neurodegeneration. In STII-V with moderate neuron loss in most layers, cases with no NFT had a disease duration of 3.5 +/- 0.9 years (mean +/- SEM), those with most in layers IIIc or Va had a duration of 7.3 +/- 1 years, and those with most in layers II-IIIab had a duration of 12.1 +/- 1 years. In STSevere, cases with highest NFT densities in layers II-IIIab also were late stage. Finally, epsilon4 homozygotes were most frequent in STSevere, but four statistical tests showed that this risk is not directly involved in neurodegeneration. In conclusion, multivariate pattern recognition shows that AD is composed of independent neuropathological subtypes and NFT in area 23 do not account for most neuron losses.

Calcium elevation in sheep cumulus-oocyte complexes after luteinising hormone stimulation

We investigated Ca2+ levels in intact cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) on exposure to peak levels of luteinising hormone (LH). Specific preparations were used where cumulus corona cells were loaded with a membrane-permeant Ca(2+)-sensitive dye (FLUO-3AM), whereas the oocyte was injected directly with the nonpermeant form of the dye (FLUO-3). After exposure to LH, cumulus and corona radiata cells showed distinct rises in intracellular Ca2+ in 50-200 sec. The pattern of Ca2+ response varied in the different cells both for the duration of the transients and for their persistence. Interestingly, Ca2+ elevations were recorded in all the layers of the cumulus mass, including the innermost layer of corona cells, demonstrating the wide diffusion of LH receptors. Following the Ca2+ raise in somatic cells, an intracellular Ca2+ elevation also was recorded within the oocyte with a delay of 100-300 sec. The elevation started at the cortex of the oocyte and then spread all over the ooplasm. The addition of verapamil or manganese chloride did not prevent LH-induced Ca2+ elevation in the COC, whereas mechanical uncoupling of cumulus cells from the oocyte prevented any Ca2+ response within the oocyte. The results indicate that cumulus corona cells are capable of transducing LH message by rising intracellular Ca2+ and show that this signal is rapidly transferred into the oocyte through gap junctions. This may result from the direct diffusion of Ca2+ or its putative releaser IP3 from cumulus cells to the oocyte.

PCR-based apolipoprotein E genotype analysis from archival fixed brain

A technique is described for determining the apolipoprotein E genotype (apo E; alleles epsilon2, epsilon3, or epsilon4) from tissues which have been fixed with 4-10% formaldehyde and archived. The procedure requires efficient extraction and exhaustive purification of DNA from the fixed tissue. Because the fixation process renders the DNA largely crosslinked and/or sheared (therefore unsuitable for traditional analysis), a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is employed (using two apo E gene specific primer pairs) to specifically amplify the polymorphic region of the gene. The genotype was then determined using previously reported HhaI polymorphisms that occur as a direct result of the variant codons responsible for the three alleles. This protocol permitted the successful genotyping of 90% (34 out of 38) of the archived brain samples from Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. These samples included such extremes as a sample that had been stored for 12 years in formalin. This procedure permits the retrospective analysis of samples that had been processed and stored well before the original characterization of apo E alleles as risk factors in AD. Finally, this approach is readily adapted to the analysis of any gene of interest, whether by restriction fragment length polymorphism or direct amplicon DNA sequencing. It is also a very robust assay for less stringent conditions such as DNA isolated from whole blood or frozen tissue.

Control of ovarian innervation

The presence of intra-ovarian nerves was reported more than a century ago and successive investigations have demonstrated that the mammalian ovary is innervated by both sympathetic and sensory fibres distributed to the different compartments of the gland, such as blood vessels, ovarian stroma and follicle wall. Despite the extensive ovarian innervation and the experimental evidence indicating that neuromediators can influence sex steroid production, the role of the nervous system in the control of ovarian activity is still largely unknown.

Activation of protein kinase A and protein kinase C mediates the depolarising effect of LH in ovine cumulus-corona cells

We have studied the changes in membrane potential induced by LH in cumulus and granulosa cells isolated from sheep antral follicles. The investigation was carried out by using a non-invasive technique based on the use of a membrane potential sensitive probe, bis-oxonol. The membrane potential of mural granulosa cells was totally unaffected by LH, while that of cumulus or corona cells showed a marked depolarisation, starting 2-3 min after the addition of the hormone and plateauing after 5-10 min. None of the cells tested reacted to FSH. In the second part of the experiment the role of protein kinase A (PKA) and protein kinase C (PKC) in mediating the effect of LH was studied. The selective activation of PKA or PKC induced in cumulus-corona cells a rapid hyperpolarisation due to increased Cl and K conductance respectively. By contrast, the simultaneous activation of the two kinases induced a rapid membrane depolarisation due to the progressive decrease in K conductance. The activation of each kinase or their combined stimulation did not induce any change in the membrane potential of mural granulosa cells. These data demonstrated that LH has a depolarising effect regionally circumscribed to cumulus-corona cells and that this depolarisation depends on a reduction of K conductance caused by the activation of PKA and PKC.

Impairment of in vitro generation of cytotoxic or T suppressor lymphocytes by Friend leukemia virus infection in mice

Spleen cells collected from DBA/2 (H-2d) mice inoculated with the polycythemic variant of Friend-Leukemia Virus Complex (FLV-P) were tested for T-dependent immune functions, such as the in vitro generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and of non-specific T suppressor lymphocytes (STL). CTL were generated against H-2b splenocytes, and STL were obtained following a 5-day lymphocyte culture without stimulator cells. A progressive and severe impairment of the generation of both CLT and STL was found from 2 weeks onward after infection, being almost totally abolished 3-4 weeks after virus challenge. Suppressor cells (SC) capable of inhibiting CTL generation was detected in FLV-P bearing mice. Suppressor activity was unaffected by anti-Thy 1.2 serum and complement but was removed following iron-magnet depletion or passage through nylon-wool column. Moreover complete recovery of the competence of CTL generation was attained when FLV-P infected splenocytes were passed through nylon-wool column. It is concluded that FLV-P infection depresses T-dependent cytotoxic and suppressor responses in mice, by the appearance of non-T adherent phagocytic cells, capable of impairing CTL generation in vitro.