Sulfhydryl alkylating agents induce calcium current in skeletal muscle fibers of a crustacean (Atya lanipes)

Antibiofilm and Antivirulence Activities of Gold and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized from Kimchi-Isolated Leuconostoc sp. Strain C2

The rapid emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among bacterial pathogens results in antimicrobial treatment failure and the high mortality rate associated with AMR. The application of nanoparticles synthesized from probiotics will be widely accepted due to their efficacy and biocompatibility in treating microbial infections in humans. The current work sought to isolate and identify lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from Kimchi. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the LAB isolate C2 was identified as a member of the genus Leuconostoc. The obtained supernatant from Leuconostoc sp. strain C2 was employed for the green synthesis of metal (AuNPs) and metal oxide (ZnONPs) nanoparticles. UV–vis absorption spectra, FTIR analysis, XRD, DLS, FE-TEM, and EDS mapping were used to fully characterize these C2-AuNPs and C2-ZnONPs. The C2-AuNPs were found to be spherical in shape, with a size of 47.77 ± 5.7 nm and zeta potential of −19.35 ± 0.67 mV. The C2-ZnONPs were observed to be rod-shaped and 173.77 ± 14.53 nm in size. The C2-ZnONPs zeta potential was determined to be 26.62 ± 0.35 mV. The C2-AuNPs and C2-ZnONPs were shown to have antimicrobial activity against different pathogens. Furthermore, these nanoparticles inhibited the growth of Candida albicans. The antibiofilm and antivirulence properties of these NPs against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were thoroughly investigated. C2-AuNPs were reported to be antibiofilm and antivirulence against P. aeruginosa, whereas C2-ZnONPs were antibiofilm and antivirulence against both P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. Furthermore, these nanoparticles disrupted the preformed mature biofilm of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. The inhibitory impact was discovered to be concentration-dependent. The current research demonstrated that C2-AuNPs and C2-ZnONPs exhibited potential inhibitory effects on the biofilm and virulence features of bacterial pathogens. Further studies are needed to unravel the molecular mechanism behind biofilm inhibition and virulence attenuation.

Tubular localization of silent calcium channels in crustacean skeletal muscle fibers

Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release (CICR) in the superficial abdominal flexor muscle of the crustacean Atya lanipes appears to be mediated by a local control mechanism similar to that of vertebrate cardiac muscle, but with an unusually high gain. Thus, Ca2+ influx increases sufficiently the local concentration of Ca2+ in the immediate vicinity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release channels to trigger the highly amplified release of Ca2+ required for contraction, but is too low to generate a macroscopic inward current (i.e., the Ca2+ channels are silent). To determine the localization of the silent Ca2+ Channels, the mechanical, electrophysiological and ultrastructural properties of the muscle were examined before and after formamide treatment, a procedure that produces the disruption of transverse tubules of striated muscle. We found that tubular disruption decreased tension generation by about 90%; reduced inward current (measured as Vmax, the maximum rate of rise of Sr2+ action potentials) by about 80%; and decreased membrane capacitance by about 77%. The results suggest that ca. 80% of the silent Ca2+ channels are located in the tubular system. Thus, these studies provide further evidence to support the local control mechanism of CICR in crustacean skeletal muscle.

Voltage-clamp analysis of membrane currents and excitation-contraction coupling in a crustacean muscle

A single fibre preparation from the extensor muscle of a marine isopod crustacean is described which allows the analysis of membrane currents and simultaneously recorded contractions under two-electrode voltage-clamp conditions. We show that there are three main depolarisation-gated currents, two are outward and carried by K+, the third is an inward Ca2+ current, I(Ca). Normally, the K+ currents which can be isolated by using K+ channel blockers, mask I(Ca). I(Ca) activates at potentials more positive than -40 mV, is maximal around 0 mV, and shows strong inactivation at higher depolarisation. Inactivation depends on current rather than voltage. Ba2+, Sr2+ and Mg2+ can substitute for Ca2+. Ba2+ currents are about 80% larger than Ca2+ currents and inactivate little. The properties of I(Ca) characterise it as a high threshold L-type current. The outward current consists primarily of a fast, transient A current, I(K(A)) and a maintained, delayed rectifier current, I(K(V)). In some fibres, a small Ca2+-dependent K+ current is also present. I(K(A)) activates fast at depolarisation above -45 mV, shows pronounced inactivation and is almost completely inactivated at holding potentials more positive than -40 mV. I(K(A)) is half-maximally blocked by 70 microM 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), and 70 mM tetraethylammonium (TEA). I(K(V)) activates more slowly, at about -30 mV, and shows no inactivation. It is half-maximally blocked by 2 mM TEA but rather insensitive to 4-AP. Physiologically, the two K+ currents prevent all-or-nothing action potentials and determine the graded amplitude of active electrical responses and associated contractions. Tension development depends on and is correlated with depolarisation-induced Ca2+ influx mediated by I(Ca). The voltage dependence of peak tension corresponds directly to the voltage dependence of the integrated I(Ca). The threshold potential for contraction is at about -38 mV. Peak tension increases with increasing voltage steps, reaches maximum at around 0 mV, and declines with further depolarisation.

A possible effect of sulfhydryl reagents on the contractile activity of the rat detrusor muscle

We aimed to investigate the effect of sulfhydryl (SH) inactivating agents, ethacrynic acid and N-ethylmaleimide, on the contractile activity of rat detrusor muscle. Wistar Kyoto rats weighing 150-250 g were anaesthetized with ketamine and bled to death. The urinary bladders were surgically removed and detrusor strips were mounted under 0.5 g tension in organ baths. The responses were recorded with isotonic transducers on polygraph paper. After an equilibrium period, the tissues were contracted by electrical field stimulation, acetylcholine, ethacrynic acid or N-ethylmaleimide and the effects of L-cysteine, glutathione, verapamil, Ca(2+)-free solution, sodium nitroprusside or atropine were then examined on these contractions. Verapamil, Ca(2+)-free solution or atropine significantly reduced the contractions elicited by electrical field stimulation and acetylcholine whereas L-cysteine, glutathione or sodium nitroprusside had no effect on the contractions in response to these stimuli. L-Cysteine, glutathione, verapamil or Ca(2+)-free solution significantly inhibited the contractions induced by ethacrynic acid or N-ethylmaleimide. Sodium nitroprusside slightly inhibited only the contraction induced by ethacrynic acid but not that with N-ethylmaleimide. Atropine has no action on the contractions in response to these SH reagents. These findings suggest that SH reagents may play a role in the contractile activity of rat detrusor muscle and this action seems to be related to the gating of Ca(2+) channels. Further experiments are needed to determine the cellular mechanism(s) of action by which these SH reagents act on the detrusor smooth muscle.

Effect of reactive oxygen species on K+ contractures in the rat diaphragm

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are postulated to alter low-frequency contractility of the unfatigued and fatigued diaphragm. It has been proposed that ROS affect contractility through changes in membrane excitability and excitation-contraction coupling. If this hypothesis is true, then ROS should alter depolarization-dependent K+ contractures. Xanthine oxidase (0.01 U/ml) + hypoxanthine (1 mM) were used as a source of superoxide anion eliciting oxidative stress on diaphragm fiber bundles in vitro. Diaphragm fiber bundles from 4-mo-old Fischer 344 rats were extracted and immediately placed in Krebs solution bubbled with 95% O2-5% CO2. After 10 min of equilibration, a K+ contracture (Pre; 135 mM KCl) was induced. Fiber bundles were assigned to the following treatment groups: normal Krebs-Ringer (KR; Con) and the xanthine oxidase system (XO) in KR solution. After 15 min of treatment exposure, a second (Post) K+ contracture was elicited. Mean time-to-peak tension for contractures was significantly decreased in Post vs. Pre (16.0 +/- 0.7 vs. 19.8 +/- 1.0 s) with XO; no change was noted with Con. Furthermore, peak contracture tension was significantly higher (31.5%) in the XO group Post compared with Pre; again, no significant change was found with KR. The relaxation phase was also altered with XO but not with KR. Additional experiments were conducted with application of 1 mM hypoxanthine, with results similar to the Con group. We conclude that the application of ROS altered the dynamics of K+ contractures in the rat diaphragm, indicating changes in voltage-dependent excitation-contraction coupling.

Ultrastructural and mechanical properties of electrically inexcitable skeletal muscle fibers of the crustacean Atya lanipes

Examination of the ultrastructure and mechanical activation of the ventro-abdominal flexor muscle of the freshwater crustacean Atya lanipes shows that the fibers are of the long sarcomere, tonic type. The fibers possess an ample and well-organized internal membrane system, with extensive regions of T/SR dyad contacts near the ends of the A bands. An orbit of 10-12 thin filaments surrounds each thick filament. The lanthanum tracer method reveals a highly regular organization of the T-system, Z-tubules, and multiple internal clefts. Tension generation responds to extracellular potassium in a concentration dependent manner and is very slow. Mechanical activation is strictly dependent on extracellular Ca2+, even though these muscle fibers do not generate Ca2+ currents when depolarized. Tension development responds to caffeine and is also dependent on extracellular Na+, suggesting that Ca2+ release from the SR and Ca2+ influx via the Na/Ca exchanger intervene in mechanical activation.