Tunicamycin, puromycin and brefeldin A influence the subcellular distribution of neuropeptides in hypothalamic magnocellular neurones of rat

Attenuation of androgenic regulation by brefeldin A in androgen-responsive prostate cancer cells

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the effects of an antibiotic brefeldin A (BFA) on androgen-regulated cellular events in androgen-responsive prostate cancer cells, focusing on PSA (prostate-specific antigen) status, cell growth, and bioactivity of androgen receptor (AR).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Androgen-responsive human prostate cancer LNCaP cells were employed and 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) was used as an androgenic mediator to induce androgen-modulated cellular events. Effects of BFA on synthesis and secretion of PSA, cell growth, and AR activity were assessed using Tandem PSA assay, trypan blue exclusion method, and AR binding assay, respectively.

RESULTS

BFA (30 ng/ml) dramatically (90%) blocked secretion of PSA and also reduced cell growth by >75% under non-androgen-regulated condition. Under androgen-stimulated condition using DHT (1 nM), both the cellular and secreted PSA levels as well as cell growth was significantly elevated or stimulated by DHT (compared with controls); however, BFA was capable of completely inhibiting such DHT-stimulated cellular events. In addition, AR binding assay revealed that AR activity has been drastically (~90%) diminished by BFA, likely resulting in interruption of DHT-mediated events.

CONCLUSIONS

BFA is capable of attenuating androgenic regulation in LNCaP cells such as androgen-stimulated PSA synthesis/secretion and cell growth. This BFA-blocked androgen action appears to be primarily attributed to severe inactivation of AR with BFA because AR is a crucial factor for relaying androgenic messages (to DNA). Therefore, BFA could be considered a promising agent for a more effective treatment of hormone-dependent prostate cancer.

Localized infusion of tunicamycin in rat hemimandibles: alteration of the basal lamina associated with maturation stage ameloblasts

At the beginning of the maturation stage of amelogenesis, ameloblasts deposit a basal lamina (BL) at the interface between their apical surface and maturing enamel. This structure is rich in glycoconjugates and is proposed to exhibit adhesive and/or filtering functions. To clarify its role, we have applied a recently developed surgical window model to locally administer tunicamycin (TM), an antibiotic that interferes with N-glycosylation, in the rat hemimandible using an osmotic minipump. Male Wistar rats were infused with either TM or saline as a control. Lectin-gold cytochemistry was performed to reveal glycoconjugates in the BL. Immunogold labeling of enamel proteins and albumin was carried out to verify whether depletion of N-linked sugars in the BL affects the content and distribution of endogenous and exogenous proteins in the enamel layer. Under the influence of the drug, the BL became irregular and exhibited alterations in structural organization and composition. The number of Helix pomatia agglutinin binding sites was not significantly affected but their distribution was altered. The labeling density of wheat germ agglutinin over the BL was slightly reduced. Immunoreactivity for enamel proteins showed only a small decrease, but that of albumin, both between ameloblasts and within the enamel layer, increased significantly. No structural alterations were observed in the contralateral incisor and in other sampled tissues and organs. These results demonstrate that it is possible to achieve a localized administration of TM without systemic side effects and lend support to the proposal that the BL represents a specialized structure with filtering functions.(J Histochem Cytochem 49:165-176, 2001)

Developmental expression of excitatory amino acid transporter 5: a photoreceptor and bipolar cell glutamate transporter in rat retina

Excitatory amino acid transporter 5 (EAAT5) is a retina-specific glutamate transporter which has an associated chloride conductance. Thus it is comparable in its functional properties to the glutamate transport systems previously described in photoreceptors and some bipolar cells. We have raised antibodies to the carboxyl- and amino-terminal regions of EAAT5. Labeling for both of these antisera was developmentally regulated: weak labeling appeared in photoreceptors around P7; by P10 strong labeling was present in photoreceptors and by P21 a population of bipolar elements were also weakly labeled. In adult retinae both antisera heavily immunolabeled all photoreceptors as well as a heterogeneous population of bipolar cell somata and their proximal axonal processes: synaptic terminals of these cells were also labeled after partial proteolytic digestion of the tissues. The positions and morphology of these terminals suggests that they are the terminals of both rod and cone rod bipolar cells. We conclude that in rat retina, EAAT5 is a photoreceptor and bipolar cell glutamate transporter.