Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II inhibition by heparin in mesangial cells

Discovery of FO-4-15, a novel 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivative, ameliorates cognitive impairments in 3×Tg mice by activating the mGluR1/CaMKIIα pathway

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive impairments. Despite the limited efficacy of current treatments for AD, the 1,2,4-oxadiazole structure has garnered significant attention in medicinal chemistry due to its potential impact on mGluR1 and its association with AD therapy. In this study, a series of novel 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for the neuroprotective effects in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells. Among all the derivatives tested, FO-4-15 (5f) existed the lowest cytotoxicity and the highest protective effect against H2O2. Based on these in vitro results, FO-4-15 was administered to 3×Tg mice and significantly improved the cognitive impairments of the AD mice. Pathological analysis showed that FO-4-15 significantly reduced Aβ accumulation, Tau hyper-phosphorylation, and synaptic impairments in the 3×Tg mice. Dysfunction of the CaMKIIα/Fos signaling pathway in 3×Tg mice was found to be restored by FO-4-15 and the necessity of the CaMKIIα/Fos for FO-4-15 was subsequently confirmed by the use of a CaMKIIα inhibitor in vitro. Beyond that, mGluR1 was identified to be a potential target of FO-4-15, and the interaction of FO-4-15 and mGluR1 was displayed by Ca2+ flow increase, molecular docking, and interaction energy analysis. The target of FO-4-15 was further confirmed in vitro by JNJ16259685, a nonselective inhibitor of mGluR1. These findings suggest that FO-4-15 may hold promise as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

PKC regulates alpha(1)-adrenoceptor-mediated contractions and baseline Ca(2+) sensitivity in the uterine arteries of nonpregnant and pregnant sheep acclimatized to high altitude hypoxia

Chronic hypoxia has a profound effect on uterine artery adaptation to pregnancy. The present studies tested the hypothesis that pregnant kinase C (PKC) differentially regulates alpha(1)-adrenoceptor-mediated contractions and Ca(2+) sensitivity in the uterine arteries of nonpregnant and pregnant sheep acclimatized to high altitude hypoxia. Uterine arteries were isolated from nonpregnant (NPUA) and near-term pregnant (PUA) ewes maintained at high altitude (3801 m, Pao(2) approximately 60 torr) for 110 days. Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) decreased phenylephrine-induced contractions in PUA but not in NPUA, which was partly inhibited by the PKC inhibitor GF109203X. Additionally, GF109203X shifted the concentration-response curve of phenylephrine-induced contractions to the right in PUA. In beta-escin-permeabilized arteries, Ca(2+)-induced increases in 20-kDa myosin light chain phosphorylation (MLC(20)-P) were similar in NPUA and PUA. However, Ca(2+) produced a concentration-dependent increase in the ratio of tension to MLC(20)-P in PUA, as compared with NPUA. PKC inhibition decreased Ca(2+)-induced contractions in both NPUA and PUA. PDBu induced contractions of PUA in the absence of changes in MLC(20)-P, which was not affected by PD098059. There was a significant increase in the basal activity of PKCvarepsilon in PUA, but not in NPUA, in hypoxic sheep, as compared with normoxic animals. The results demonstrate that the inhibitory effect of PKC on alpha(1)-adrenoceptor-mediated contractions of uterine arteries is preserved in pregnant sheep at high altitude. However, the PKC-mediated thin-filament regulatory pathway is upregulated, resulting in increased baseline Ca(2+) sensitivity in the uterine artery during pregnancy at high altitude.

Interaction of iron regulatory protein-1 (IRP-1) with ATP/ADP maintains a non-IRE-binding state

In its aconitase-inactive form, IRP-1 (iron regulatory protein-1)/cytosolic aconitase binds to the IRE (iron-responsive element) of several mRNAs to effect post-transcriptional regulation. We have shown previously that IRP-1 has ATPase activity and that binding of ATP suppresses the IRP-1/IRE interaction. In the present study, we characterize the binding activity further. Binding is observed with both [alpha-32P]ATP and [alpha-32P]ADP, but not with [gamma-32P]ATP. Recombinant IRP-1 binds approximately two molecules of ATP, and positive co-operativity is observed with a Hill coefficient of 1.67+/-0.36 (EC50=44 microM) commencing at 1 microM ATP. Similar characteristics are observed with both apoprotein and the aconitase form. On binding, ATP is hydrolysed to ADP, and similar binding parameters and co-operativity are seen with ADP, suggesting that ATP hydrolysis is not rate limiting in product formation. The non-hydrolysable analogue AMP-PNP (adenosine 5'-[beta,gamma-imido]triphosphate) does not induce co-operativity. Upon incubation of IRP-1 with increasing concentrations of ATP or ADP, the protein migrates more slowly on agarose gel electrophoresis, and there is a shift in the CD spectrum. In this new state, adenosine nucleotide binding is competed for by other nucleotides (CTP, GTP and AMP-PNP), although ATP and ADP, but not the other nucleotides, partially stabilize the protein against spontaneous loss of aconitase activity when incubated at 37 degrees C. A mutant IRP-1(C437S) lacking aconitase activity shows only one ATP-binding site and lacks co-operativity. It has increased IRE-binding capacity and lower ATPase activity (Km=75+/-17 nmol/min per mg of protein) compared with the wild-type protein (Km=147+/-48 nmol/min per mg of protein). Under normal cellular conditions, it is predicted that ATP/ADP will maintain IRP-1 in a non-IRE-binding state.

Interactions of multiple signaling pathways in neuropeptide Y-mediated bimodal vascular smooth muscle cell growth

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a sympathetic cotransmitter, acts via G protein-coupled receptors to stimulate constriction and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation through interactions with its Y1 receptors. However, VSMC proliferation appears bimodal, with high- and low-affinity peaks differentially blocked by antagonists of both Y1 and Y5 receptors. Here, we sought to determine the signaling mechanisms of NPY-mediated bimodal mitogenesis. In rat aortic VSMCs, NPY's mitogenic effect at all concentrations was blocked by pertussis toxin and was associated with decreased forskolin-stimulated cAMP levels. NPY also increased intracellular calcium levels; in contrast to mitogenesis, this effect was dose dependent. The rise in intracellular Ca2+ depended on extracellular Ca2+ and was mediated via activation of Y1 receptors, but not Y5 receptors. Despite differences in calcium, the signaling pathways activated at low and high NPY concentrations were similar. The mitogenic effect of the peptide at all doses was completely blocked by inhibitors of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII), protein kinase C (PKC), and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase, MEK1/2. Thus, in VSMCs, NPY-mediated mitogenesis signals primarily via Y1 receptors activating 2 Ca2+-dependent, growth-promoting pathways -- PKC and CaMKII. At the high-affinity peak, these 2 pathways are amplified by Y5 receptor-mediated, calcium-independent inhibition of the adenylyl cyclase - protein kinase A (PKA) pathway. All 3 mechanisms converge to the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) signaling cascade and lead to VSMC proliferation.

Activation of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases as a consequence of oxidative stress

Oxygen radicals have diverse effects on cells. In many cases, exposure to reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) can induce cell death. Conversely, there is also evidence that suggests oxygen radicals can activate signaling pathways that are thought to prevent cell death. In this review, the authors discuss the finding that hydrogen peroxide and ROI-generating treatments trigger the activation of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinases (CaM-kinases), and the potential role this activation has in preventing apoptosis. Evidence is presented that CaM-kinase activation occurs by both calcium dependent- and independent-pathways in response to ROIs. In addition, the idea is discussed that ROIs have the potential to lead to the phosphorylation of calmodulin and through this mechanism potentiate the activation of the CaM-kinases. The concept that inhibition of the CaM-kinases as a mechanism to sensitize cells to the damaging effects of ROIs is also presented. Contrasting these studies, evidence is presented that exposure of the CaM-kinases directly to hydrogen peroxide also has the apparent ability to inhibit their activity.

Distinct roles of nonmuscle myosin II isoforms in the regulation of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell spreading and migration

Initial stages of tumor cell metastasis involve an epithelial-mesenchyme transition that involves activation of amoeboid migration and loss of cell-cell adhesion. The actomyosin cytoskeleton has fundamental but poorly understood roles in these events. Myosin II, an abundant force-producing protein, has roles in cell body translocation and retraction of the posterior of the cell during migration. Recent studies have suggested that this protein may also have roles in leading edge protrusive events. The metastasis-promoting protein metastasin-1, a regulator of myosin II assembly, colocalizes with myosin IIA at the leading edge of cancer cells, suggesting direct roles for myosin II in metastatic behavior. We have assessed the roles of specific myosin II isoforms during lamellar spreading of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells on extracellular matrix. We find that the two major myosin II isoforms IIA and IIB are both expressed in these cells, and both are recruited dramatically to the lamellar margin during active spreading on fibronectin. There is also a transient increase in regulatory light chain phosphorylation that correlates the recruitment of myosin IIA and myosin IIB into this spreading margin. Pharmacologic inhibition of myosin II or myosin light chain kinase dramatically reduced spreading. Depletion of myosin IIA via small interfering RNA impaired migration but enhanced lamellar spreading, whereas depletion of myosin IIB impaired not only migration but also impaired initial rates of lamellar spreading. These results indicate that both isoforms are critical for the mechanics of cell migration, with myosin IIB seeming to have a preferential role in the mechanics of lamellar protrusion.