Store-operated calcium entry in vascular smooth muscle

In non-excitable cells, activation of G-protein-coupled phospholipase C (PLC)-linked receptors causes the release of Ca(2+) from intracellular stores, which is followed by transmembrane Ca(2+) entry. This Ca(2+) entry underlies a small and sustained phase of the cellular [Ca(2+)](i) increases and is important for several cellular functions including gene expression, secretion and cell proliferation. This form of transmembrane Ca(2+) entry is supported by agonist-activated Ca(2+)-permeable ion channels that are activated by store depletion and is referred to as store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE) and represents a major pathway for agonist-induced Ca(2+) entry. In excitable cells such as smooth muscle cells, Ca(2+) entry mechanisms responsible for sustained cellular activation are normally considered to be mediated via either voltage-operated or receptor-operated Ca(2+) channels. Although SOCE occurs following agonist activation of smooth muscle, this was thought to be more important in replenishing Ca(2+) stores rather than acting as a source of activator Ca(2+) for the contractile process. This review summarizes our current knowledge of SOCE as a regulator of vascular smooth muscle tone and discusses its possible role in the cardiovascular function and disease. We propose a possible hypothesis for its activation and suggest that SOCE may represent a novel target for pharmacological therapeutic intervention.

Functional characterization of TIP60 sumoylation in UV-irradiated DNA damage response

The histone acetyltransferase TIP60 regulates the DNA damage response following genotoxic stress by acetylating histone and remodeling chromatin. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the TIP60-dependent response to UV-induced DNA damage remain poorly understood. To systematically analyse proteins that regulate TIP60 activity in response to UV irradiation, we performed a proteomic analysis of proteins selectively bound to TIP60 in response to UV irradiation using mass spectrometry and identified a novel regulatory mechanism by which TIP60 orchestrates transcriptional activation of p53-dependent checkpoint response in UV-irradiated cells. The initial step of this pathway involves UV-induced association of TIP60 with SUMO-conjugation enzymes and site-specific sumoylation of TIP60 at lysines 430 and 451 via Ubc9. This sumoylation initiates the relocation of TIP60 from nucleoplasm to the promyelocytic leukemia body, which is essential for the UV-irradiated DNA damage repair response via a p53-dependent pathway. Significantly, inhibition of TIP60 sumoylation by overexpression of non-sumoylatable mutant abrogates the p53-dependent DNA damage response, demonstrating the importance of TIP60 sumoylation in response to UV irradiation. Our biochemical characterization demonstrated that the sumoylation of TIP60 augments its acetyltransferase activity in vitro and in vivo. Thus, this study shed new light on the function and regulation of TIP60 activity in UV-irradiated DNA damage response.

Effect sizes can be calculated for studies reporting ranges for outcome variables in systematic reviews

OBJECTIVE

To develop a method by which studies reporting the ranges (or maxima and minima) of observed outcomes can be included in systematic reviews, along with other studies reporting in the more usual way by using standard deviations (SDs).

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

An approach is proposed to allow a numerical conversion of a reported range from a continuous outcome into an equivalent SD.

RESULTS

The SD is estimated from the observed range times an appropriate conversion factor. Two examples (the first concerning a patient education program on adherence to drug treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, and the second investigating if cognitive behavior therapy could improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy and then lead to suppression of human immunodeficiency virus replication) demonstrate the calculations.

CONCLUSION

This note provides a simple method to allow studies that report outcome variability in terms of ranges to be included in systematic reviews by conversion to equivalent SDs. The method is entirely valid if the outcome variable is normally distributed, but for nonnormal data, some caution may be needed.

Therapeutic concentrations of raloxifene augment nitric oxide-dependent coronary artery dilatation in vitro

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Raloxifene improves cardiovascular function. This study examines the hypothesis that therapeutic concentrations of raloxifene augment endothelium-dependent relaxation via up-regulation of eNOS expression and activity in porcine coronary arteries.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Isometric tension was measured in rings from isolated arteries. Intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations ([Ca(2+)](i)) in arterial endothelial cells were detected by Ca(2+) fluorescence imaging. Phosphorylation of eNOS at Ser-1177 was assayed by Western blot analysis.

KEY RESULTS

In arterial rings pre-contracted with 9,11-dideoxy-11alpha,9alpha-epoxy-methano-prostaglandin F(2alpha) (U46619), treatment with raloxifene (1-3 nM) augmented bradykinin- or substance P-induced relaxation and this effect was antagonized by ICI 182,780, an estrogen receptor antagonist. The enhanced relaxation was abolished in rings treated with inhibitors of nitric oxide/cyclic GMP-dependent dilation, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) plus 1H-[1,2,4]oxadizolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ). In contrast, effects of raloxifene were unaffected after inhibition of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factors by charybdotoxin plus apamin. Raloxifene (3 nM) did not influence endothelium-independent relaxation to sodium nitroprusside. 17beta-Estradiol (3-10 nM) also enhanced bradykinin-induced relaxation, which was inhibited by ICI 182,780. Treatment with raloxifene (3 nM) did not affect bradykinin-stimulated rise in endothelial cell [Ca(2+)](i). Raloxifene, 17beta-estradiol, and bradykinin increased eNOS phosphorylation at Ser-1177 and ICI 182,780 prevented effects of raloxifene or 17beta-estradiol but not that of bradykinin. Raloxifene had neither additive nor antagonistic effects on 17beta-estradiol-induced eNOS phosphorylation.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Raloxifene in therapeutically relevant concentrations augmented endothelial function in porcine coronary arteries in vitro through ICI 182,780-sensitive mechanisms that were associated with increased phosphorylation of eNOS but independent of changes in endothelial cell [Ca(2+)](i).

BM stem cell transplantation rescues pathophysiologic features of aged dystrophic mdx muscle

BACKGROUND

The value of transplantation of BM stem cells in aged (12-month-old) mdx was evaluated because it is thought to be a more ideal model for studying the praxiology of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The possible mechanisms of stem cell differentiation were then discussed.

METHODS

BM was isolated from 8-10-week-old male C57 BL/10 mice. After injecting BM cells into 12-month-old female mdx mice through the tail vein, the expression of dystrophin and MyoD was detected at different time points by immunofluorescence staining, RT-PCR and Western blot.

RESULTS

The C57 male mice donor-specific and Y-chromosome-specific sequence could be detected in all female aged mdx mice, implying the success of the transplantation. Expression of dystrophin and MyoD was detected and increased over time.

DISCUSSION

BM cells were recruited to the muscle and partially restored specific pathophysiologic features of the dystrophic muscle in aged mdx mice. Muscle differentiation of BM cells recapitulated embryonic myogenesis.

Identification of deregulated oncogenic pathways in renal cell carcinoma: an integrated oncogenomic approach based on gene expression profiling

In this age of targeted therapy, identification of molecular pathways that are deregulated in cancer will not only elucidate underlying tumorigenic mechanisms, but may also help to determine the classes of drugs that are used for treatment. In kidney cancer, a spectrum of histological subtypes exists that are characterized both by distinct molecular signatures and increasingly by distinct molecular pathways that are deregulated in each subtype. For example, the VHL/hypoxia pathway is well-known to be deregulated in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) whereas in papillary RCC activation of the HGF/Met pathway has been implicated. Additional molecular pathways, many not yet identified, may also be involved in the development of the different histologic subtypes. Moreover, differences in pathway activation may reflect differences in tumor progression and response to treatment. In this article, we describe an oncogenomic approach, based on integrative analysis of gene expression profiling data. In this approach, gene expression data is used to identify both cytogenetic abnormalities and molecular pathways that are deregulated in RCC. Ideally, predicted pathway abnormalities can be linked to predicted cytogenetic abnormalities to identify likely candidate genes. Although further cellular and functional studies are warranted to validate the computational models, development of such models in RCC have the potential to open up new avenues of molecular research and may have significant diagnostic and therapeutic implications.

Cyclic nucleotides and Ca2+ influx pathways in vascular endothelial cells

Ca(2+) mobilizing agonists and hemodynamic shear stress both elicit a rise in endothelial cytosolic Ca(2+) [Ca(2+)](i), which then acts to stimulate nitric oxide synthase and phospholipase A(2), leading to the production and release of nitric oxide (NO) and other vascular substances such as prostacyclin and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factors (EDHF). In this article, regulatory mechanisms of agonist-induced and mechanosensitive Ca(2+) influx pathways in vascular endothelial cells will be discussed. Special emphasis will be placed on the regulation of agonist-induced Ca(2+) influx by protein kinase G (PKG). Flow-induced Ca(2+) influx in relation to vascular dilation and the vasodilator produced will also be discussed.

TRPC, cGMP-dependent protein kinases and cytosolic Ca2+

Ca2+, nitric oxide (NO), and protein kinase G (PKG) are important signaling molecules that play pivotal roles in many physiological processes such as vascular tone control, platelet activation, and synaptic plasticity. TRPC channels allow Ca2+ influx, thus contributing to the production of NO, which subsequently stimulates PKG. It has been demonstrated that PKG can phosphorylate human TRPC3 at Thr-11 and Ser-263 and that this phosphorylation inactivates TRPC3. These two PKG phosphorylation sites, Thr-11 and Ser-263 in human TRPC3, are conserved in other members of the TRPC3/6/7 subfamily, suggesting that PKG may also phosphorylate TRPC6 and TRPC7. In addition, protein kinase C (PKC) also inactivates TRPC3, partly through activating PKG. The PKG-mediated inhibition of TRPC channels may provide a feedback control for the fine tuning of [Ca2+]i levels and protect the cells from the detrimental effects of excessive [Ca2+]i and/or NO.

The effect of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury on expression of RAE-1 and H60 in mice kidney

INTRODUCTION

NKG2D, an activating receptor, may trigger NK and CD8+ T cells. Ligands for NKG2D and major histocompability complex class I chain-related antigen (MIC) have been reported to be expressed in rejected human renal allografts. MIC-NKG2D engagement may induce natural killer (NK) cell activation providing T-cell costimulation. We hypothesized that this interaction between innate and adaptive immunity may occur during kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI).

METHODS

Male C57BL/6 mice after right renal resection were subjected to 35 minutes of left renal ischemia: the ischemic group. Sham-operated mice underwent the same protocol without vascular occlusion. The sham and ischemic kidneys were removed at 2 to 7, 10, 14, or 28 days postoperatively. The normal, sham, and ischemic kidney tissues were collected for reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry analysis of MIC homologues in mice (Rae-1 and H60).

RESULTS

Compared with no expression in sham control and normal kidneys, IRI caused mRNA expression of Rae-1 from 2 to 10 days postoperatively and protein expression of Rae-1 from 2 to 14 days postoperatively in ischemic kidneys. We observed no expression of H60 mRNA or protein in any kidney.

CONCLUSION

H60 transcripts have been reported to be present in the BALB/c background but not in C57BL/6. We found IRI did not cause H60 mRNA on protein expression in C57BL/6 kidneys. Rae-1 was absent in normal C57BL/6 kidneys. The IRI-induced expression of the NKG2D ligand, Rae-1, might activate NK and CD8+ T cells. Our results suggested that MIC may be an important link between innate and adaptive immunity in kidney IRI.

Tamoxifen dilates porcine coronary arteries: roles for nitric oxide and ouabain-sensitive mechanisms

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Experiments were designed to determine the mechanism of the relaxation induced by tamoxifen in porcine coronary arteries at the tissue, cellular and molecular levels.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Porcine left circumflex coronary arteries were isolated and isometric tension was measured. [Ca2+]i in native endothelial cells of intact arteries was determined by a calcium fluorescence imaging technique and eNOS ser1177 phosphorylation was assayed by Western blotting.

KEY RESULTS

Tamoxifen induced an endothelium-dependent relaxation that was antagonized by ICI 182,780 and abolished by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or 1H-[1,2,4]oxadizolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ). L-Arginine reversed the effect of L-NAME while indomethacin was without effect. Tamoxifen-induced relaxation was attenuated by charybdotoxin (CTX) plus apamin, ouabain or by incubation in a K+ -free solution. Moreover, tamoxifen triggered extracellular Ca2+ -dependent increases in endothelial [Ca2+]i and this effect was abolished by ICI 182,780. Endothelium-independent relaxation to sodium nitroprusside was also inhibited by ouabain or in a K+ -free solution. Furthermore, tamoxifen increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation at Ser-1177 and ICI 182,780 prevented this effect.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The present results suggest that tamoxifen mainly induces endothelium-dependent relaxation and that endothelial nitric oxide (NO) is the primary mediator of this effect. NO-dependent responses may result from elevated [Ca2+]i in endothelial cells; an effect abolished by ICI 182,780. NO activates Na+/K+ -ATPase in vascular smooth muscle, leading to relaxation. These results suggest that tamoxifen is able to modulate eNOS phosphorylation directly.

A novel triple purge strategy for eliminating chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells from autografts

Imatinib-refractory chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients can experience long-term disease-free survival with myeloablative therapy and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation; however, associated complications carry a significant risk of mortality. Transplantation of autologous hematopoietic cells has a reduced risk of complications, but residual tumor cells in the autograft may contribute to relapse. Development of methods for purging tumor cells that do not compromise the engraftment potential of the normal hematopoietic cells in the autograft has been a long-standing goal. Since primitive CML cells differentiate more rapidly in vitro than their normal counterparts and are also preferentially killed by mafosfamide and imatinib, we examined the purging effectiveness on CD34(+) CML cells using a strategy that combines a brief exposure to imatinib (0.5-1.0 microM for 72 h) and then mafosfamide (30-90 microg/ml for 30 min) followed by 2 weeks in culture with cytokines (100 ng/ml each of stem cell factor, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and thrombopoietin). Treatment with 1.0 microM imatinib, 60 microg/ml mafosfamide and 14 days of culture with cytokines eliminated BCR-ABL(+) cells from chronic phase CML patient aphereses, while preserving normal progenitors. This novel purging strategy may offer a new approach to improving the effectiveness of autologous transplantation in imatinib-refractory CML patients.

Effects of carbon nanotubes and metal catalysts on hydrogen storage in magnesium nanocomposites

This paper reports a study on nanostructured magnesium composites with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and catalytic transition metals with high H2 adsorption capacity and fast adsorption kinetics at reduced hydrogenation temperatures. Nanostructures in such a composite are shown to be responsible for improvements in both adsorption capacity and kinetics. It is found that the carbon nanotubes significantly increase the hydrogen storage capacity, and the catalytic transition metals (Fe and Ti) greatly improve the kinetics. This could be understood from the enhancement of diffusion by CNTs and decrease in energy barrier of hydrogen dissociation at the magnesium surface.

Increased seizure duration in mice lacking aquaporin-4 water channels

Aquaporins are intrinsic membrane proteins involved in water transport in fluid-transporting tissues. In the brain, aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is expressed widely by glial cells, but its function is unclear. Extensive basic and clinical studies indicate that osmolarity affects seizure susceptibility, and in our previous studies we found that AQP4 -/- mice have an elevated seizure threshold in response to the chemoconvulsant pentylenetetrazol. In this study, we examined the seizure phenotype of AQP4 -/- mice in greater detail using in vivo electroencephalographic recording. AQP4 -/- mice were found to have dramatically longer stimulation-evoked seizures following hippocampal stimulation as well as a higher seizure threshold. These results implicate AQP4 in water and potassium regulation associated with neuronal activity and seizures.

AML-loaded DC generate Th1-type cellular immune responses in vitro

BACKGROUND

The generation of AML-specific T-lymphocyte responses by leukemia-derived DC has been documented by multiple investigators and is being pursued clinically. An obstacle to widespread use of this strategy is that it has not been possible to generate leukemic DC from all patients, and an alternative approach is needed if the majority of leukemia patients are to receive therapeutic vaccination in conjunction with other treatment protocols.

METHODS

In the present study, we generated DC from CD14-selected monocytes isolated from healthy donor PBPC and loaded them with a total cell lysate from AML patient blasts.

RESULTS

Immature in vitro-derived DC exhibited robust phagocytic activity, and mature DC demonstrated high expression of CD80, CD83, CD86 and the chemokine receptor CCR7, important for DC migration to local lymph nodes. Mature, Ag-loaded DC were used as APC for leukemia-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) induction and demonstrated cytotoxic activity against leukemic targets. CTL lysis was Ag-specific, with killing of both allogeneic leukemic blasts and autologous DC loaded with allogeneic AML lysate. HLA-matched controls were not lysed in our system.

DISCUSSION

These data support further research into the use of this strategy as an alternative approach to leukemia-derived DC vaccination.

Interventions to enhance medication adherence

BACKGROUND

People who are prescribed self-administered medications typically take less than half the prescribed doses. Efforts to assist patients with adherence to medications might improve the benefits of prescribed medications, but also might increase their adverse effects.

OBJECTIVES

To update a review summarizing the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions to help patients follow prescriptions for medications for medical problems, including mental disorders but not addictions.

SEARCH STRATEGY

Computerized searches were updated to September 2004 without language restriction in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA), PsycINFO and SOCIOFILE. We also reviewed bibliographies in articles on patient adherence and articles in our personal collections, and contacted authors of original and review articles on the topic.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Articles were selected if they reported an unconfounded RCT of an intervention to improve adherence with prescribed medications, measuring both medication adherence and treatment outcome, with at least 80% follow-up of each group studied and, for long-term treatments, at least six months follow-up for studies with positive initial findings.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Study design features, interventions and controls, and results were extracted by one reviewer and confirmed by at least one other reviewer. We extracted adherence rates and their measures of variance for all methods of measuring adherence in each study, and all outcome rates and their measures of variance for each study group, as well as levels of statistical significance for differences between study groups, consulting authors and verifying or correcting analyses as needed.

MAIN RESULTS

For short-term treatments, four of nine interventions reported in eight RCTs showed an effect on both adherence and at least one clinical outcome, while one intervention reported in one RCT significantly improved patient compliance, but did not enhance the clinical outcome. For long-term treatments, 26 of 58 interventions reported in 49 RCTs were associated with improvements in adherence, but only 18 interventions led to improvement in at least one treatment outcome. Almost all of the interventions that were effective for long-term care were complex, including combinations of more convenient care, information, reminders, self-monitoring, reinforcement, counseling, family therapy, psychological therapy, crisis intervention, manual telephone follow-up, and supportive care. Even the most effective interventions did not lead to large improvements in adherence and treatment outcomes. Six studies showed that telling patients about adverse effects of treatment did not affect their adherence.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Improving short-term adherence is relatively successful with a variety of simple interventions. Current methods of improving adherence for chronic health problems are mostly complex and not very effective, so that the full benefits of treatment cannot be realized. High priority should be given to fundamental and applied research concerning innovations to assist patients to follow medication prescriptions for long-term medical disorders.

Fractal spectral analysis of pre-epileptic seizures in terms of criticality

The analysis of pre-epileptic seizure through EEG (electroencephalography) is an important issue for epilepsy diagnosis. Currently, there exist some methods derived from the dynamics to analyse the pre-epileptic EEG data. It is still necessary to create a novel method to better fit and explain the EEG data for making sense of the seizures' predictability. In this paper, a fractal wavelet-based spectral method is proposed and applied to analyse EEG recordings from rat experiments. Three types of patterns are found from the 12 experiments; moreover three typical cases corresponding to the three types of seizures are sorted out and analysed in detail by using the new method. The results indicate that this method can reveal the characteristic signs of an approaching seizure, which includes the emergence of long-range correlation, the decrease of anti-persistence behaviour with time and the decrease of the fractal dimension. The pre-seizure features and their implications are further discussed in the framework of the theory of criticality. We suggest that an epileptic seizure could be considered as a generalized kind of "critical phenomenon", culminating in a large event that is analogous to a kind of "critical point". We also emphasize that epileptic event emergence is a non-repetitive process, so the critical interpretation meets a certain number of cases.

The membrane-recruitment-and-recycling hypothesis of gastric HCl secretion

In the unstimulated oxyntic (or parietal) cell, the primary pump for gastric HCl secretion, the H+/K+-ATPase, is retained within the cytoplasm in a membranous compartment of tubulovesicles. Neural or hormonal stimulation of acid secretion induces extensive membrane transformations consistent with a fusion and recruitment of tubulovesicles to the apical plasma membrane. The consequent placement of H+/K+-ATPase in parallel with K(+) and Cl(-) channels provides the necessary ionic flow and ATP-driven exchange for net HCl secretion. Current evidence is consistent with a recruitment and recycling of membrane transporters, such as H+/K+-ATPase, through docking/fusion machinery analogous to that in many other systems.