Aseptic technique monitoring. A quality improvement tool in the OR.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D A Ford.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Recent studies have demonstrated the existence of a novel family of calcium-independent plasmalogen-selective phospholipases A2 in canine myocardium that have been implicated as enzymic mediators of ischemic membrane damage. We now report that human myocardium contains two functionally distinct isoforms of cytosolic calcium-independent phospholipase A2. The major cytosolic phospholipase A2 isoform preferentially hydrolyzes plasmalogen substrate, possesses a pH optimum of 7.0, and is chromatographically resolvable from a minor cytosolic calcium-independent phospholipase A2 isoform that hydrolyzes plasmenylcholine and phosphatidylcholine substrates at similar rates and possesses a pH optimum of 8.5. The major cytosolic calcium-independent phospholipase A2 isoform was identified as a 40-kD polypeptide after its 182,000-fold purification by sequential column chromatographies to a final specific activity of 67 mumol/mg.min. The purified 40-kD human myocardial phospholipase A2 preferentially hydrolyzes plasmalogens containing arachidonic acid at the sn-2 position. Both reverse-phase HPLC and fast atom bombardment mass spectroscopic analysis of human myocardial ethanolamine and choline glycerophospholipids demonstrated that plasmenylethanolamine and plasmenylcholine molecular species containing arachidonic acid at the sn-2 position are prominent constituents of human myocardium. Collectively, these results identify and characterize the major human myocardial cytosolic calcium-independent phospholipase A2 activity, demonstrate the presence of functionally distinct human myocardial cytosolic calcium-independent phospholipase A2 isoforms, and document the abundance of arachidonoylated plasmalogen molecular species in human myocardium that serve as substrates.
Plasmenylethanolamines represent the major endogenous phospholipid storage depot of arachidonic acid in many mammalian cells. To elucidate the biochemical mechanisms contributing to the high plasmalogen content and arachidonic acid enrichment present in myocardial ethanolamine glycerophospholipids, the substrate specificity of rabbit myocardial ethanolamine phosphotransferase (EPT) was quantified utilizing multiple molecular species of each subclass of diradyl glycerol substrate. Myocardial EPT demonstrated over a 16-fold selectivity for 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol (AAG) compared to 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol (DAG) substrate utilizing individual molecular species of each subclass dispersed in Tween 20. The selective utilization of AAG by EPT was substantiated utilizing two independent assay systems which employed either the presentation of substrate to enzyme as a substitutional impurity in Triton X-100 mixed micelles or the obligatory utilization of endogenously generated diradyl glycerol substrates. Although rabbit myocardial microsomes contained over a 20-fold molar excess of endogenous DAG to AAG mass, incubation of rabbit myocardial microsomes with CDP-ethanolamine resulted in the highly selective synthesis of plasmenylethanolamines which were predominantly comprised of molecular species containing arachidonic acid at the sn-2 position (greater than 75%). Endogenous AAG molecular species in rabbit myocardial microsomes were similarly enriched in arachidonic acid, and the distribution of AAG molecular species closely paralleled the distribution of plasmenylethanolamine (but not plasmenylcholine) molecular species. Thus, the subclass and molecular species distribution of the ethanolamine glycerophospholipids synthesized by rabbit myocardial EPT reflects independent contributions from the subclass selectivity of EPT for AAG substrate in conjunction with the enrichment of arachidonic acid in microsomal AAG molecular species.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Recently, the prototype of a novel class of calcium-independent plasmalogen-selective phospholipase A2 activities was identified in the cytosolic fraction of canine myocardium (Wolf, R.A., and Gross, R.W. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 7295-7303) and subsequently purified and characterized (Hazen, S.L., Stuppy, R.J., and Gross, R.W. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 10622-10630). We now demonstrate that 15 min of myocardial ischemia utilizing a rabbit Langendorf perfused heart model results in a 10-fold increase in membrane-associated calcium-independent phospholipase A2 activity whose detection is entirely dependent upon utilization of plasmalogen substrate. Ischemia-induced phospholipase activity was identified as a membrane bound member of this class of phospholipases A2 by demonstration of: 1) concomitant production of lysoplasmenylcholine and sn-2 fatty acid from plasmenylcholine substrate; 2) maximal enzymatic activity in the absence of calcium ion; and 3) a 16-fold higher maximum reaction velocity utilizing plasmenylcholine compared to phosphatidylcholine substrate at multiple surface concentrations. Ischemia-induced phospholipase A2 activity was specifically localized to the microsomal fraction and could not be solubilized by sonication, salt treatment, exposure to chelators, or utilization of submicellar concentrations of detergent. The appearance of microsomal phospholipase A2 activity did not require ischemia-induced transcription or translation since identical increases in enzymic activity were obtained in hearts previously treated with actinomycin D and cycloheximide. Collectively, these results demonstrate that a membrane-associated calcium-independent phospholipase A2 that selectively hydrolyzes plasmalogen molecular species is the likely enzymic mediator of accelerated phospholipid catabolism during early myocardial ischemia.
Recent studies have demonstrated the existence of two members of a novel family of calcium-independent plasmalogen-selective phospholipases A2 in mammalian myocardium (Wolf, R. A., and R. W. Gross. 1985. J. Biol. Chem. 260:7295-7303; and Hazen, S. L., D. A. Ford, and R. W. Gross. 1991. J. Biol. Chem. 266:5629-5633). To examine the potential role of these calcium-independent phospholipases A2 in mediating membrane dysfunction during early myocardial ischemia, the temporal course of alterations in phospholipase A2 activity during global ischemia in Langendorf perfused rabbit hearts was quantified and compared with traditionally accepted markers of myocytic ischemic injury and anaerobic metabolism. We now report that membrane-associated calcium-independent plasmalogen-selective phospholipase A2 activity increased over 400% during 2 min of global ischemia (P less than 0.01), was near maximally activated (greater than 10-fold) after only 5 min of ischemia, and remained activated throughout the entire ischemic interval examined (2-60 min). Activation of membrane-associated plasmalogen-selective phospholipase A2 after 5 min of myocardial ischemia was rapidly reversible during reperfusion of ischemic tissue. Both the activation of phospholipase A2 and its reversibility during reperfusion were temporally correlated to alterations in myocytic anaerobic metabolism. Furthermore, activation of membrane-associated phospholipase A2 was essentially complete before electron microscopic evidence of cellular damage. Collectively, these results identify dynamic alterations in calcium-independent plasmalogen-selective phospholipase A2 activity during myocardial ischemia which precede irreversible cellular injury and demonstrate that activation of plasmalogen-selective phospholipase A2 is amongst the earliest biochemical alterations in ischemic myocardium.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Elevations in the mass of ether-linked diglycerides (i.e. 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol (AAG) and 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol (Alkyl AG)) during cellular activation are prolonged in comparison to their 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol (DAG) counterparts. Since the metabolic removal of DAG is determined, in large part, by the rate of its phosphorylation by diglyceride kinase, we quantified differences in the activity of diglyceride kinase utilizing individual subclasses of diradyl glycerols as substrate. Rabbit brain microsomal diglyceride kinase activity was over 30-fold greater utilizing DAG as substrate (25.8 nmol.mg-1.min-1) in comparison to AAG (0.8 nmol.mg-1.min-1). No alterations in the affinity of microsomal diglyceride kinase for ATP were present (Km approximately 0.5 mM) utilizing each diradyl glycerol subclass. Similar subclass specificities for diglyceride kinase (i.e. DAG greater than Alkyl AG much greater than AAG) were present in brain and liver cytosol as well as in liver microsomes utilizing multiple assay conditions. In sharp contrast, Escherichia coli diglyceride kinase phosphorylated DAG, Alkyl AG, or AAG diradyl glycerol molecular subclasses at identical rates. Furthermore, although DAG was rapidly hydrolyzed by diglyceride lipase, catabolism of AAG or Alkyl AG by plasmalogenase, alkyl ether hydrolase, or diglyceride/monoglyceride lipase was undetectable. Collectively, these results demonstrate the importance of the differential catabolism of each diradyl glycerol molecular subclass as a primary determinant of their biologic half-lives. Since individual subclasses of diglycerides have distinct physical properties and physiologic functions, these results underscore the importance of lipid subclass specific metabolism in tailoring individual cellular responses during activation.
Recently, we have demonstrated that myocardial sarcolemma is predominantly comprised of plasmalogen molecular species and that the plasmalogen metabolite 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol (AAG) accumulates during myocardial ischemia despite substantial decreases in 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol (DAG) content. To elucidate the physiological significance of AAG accumulation during myocardial ischemia, rabbit myocardial protein kinase C was partially purified by DE-52 and high-performance hydroxylapatite chromatographies, and the potency of AAG as an activator of myocardial protein kinase C was assessed. Both AAG and 1-O-alkyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol are potent activators of myocardial protein kinase C with obligatory requirements for physiological increments in free Ca2+ concentration. In contrast, a substantial amount of myocardial protein kinase C activity elicited by DAG was calcium independent. Concentration dependence of ATP for protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation was identical utilizing either ether-linked diglycerides or DAG as activators, with maximal phosphorylation manifest at ATP concentrations two orders of magnitude less than those found in ischemic myocardium. Thus accumulation of AAG in ischemic myocardium in conjunction with increases in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration may synergistically activate protein kinase C and therefore modulate phosphorylation of proteins in specific subcellular loci.
A major challenge facing clinical dietitians today is justifying inpatient clinical nutrition services. To meet this challenge, a comprehensive program for the delivery and management of clinical nutrition services was developed at Yale-New Haven Hospital. It is based on seven nutritional risk factors--age, diagnosis/treatment, diet, metabolic or mechanical problems, significant lab values, pertinent medications, and weight for height. These risk factors are used to categorize patients into one of seven classifications. In essence, this classification system is the screening tool used to provide the foundation for standards of practice and nutrition assessment and intervention. The inherent advantage of such a program is that it identifies patients at high nutritional risk, regardless of wide variations in patient population or diagnosis. It also provides standardized criteria for evaluating quality of care, patient acuity, and productivity and staffing. Clinical nutrition services can then be measured for both quality and quantity. Because protein-calorie malnutrition poses a serious threat to cost containment and quality patient care, this type of program can appeal to hospital administrators, physicians, and site visitors alike. It can serve as an adaptable model for the delivery and management of inpatient clinical nutrition services in a wide variety of health care facilities.
Recent studies have demonstrated that ether-linked diglycerides are endogenous constituents of biologic tissues and accumulate during agonist stimulation (Daniel, L. W., Waite, M., and Wykle, R. L. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 9128-9132) and myocardial ischemia (Ford, D. A., and Gross, R. W. (1989) Circ. Res. 64, 173-177). Although protein kinase C previously had been thought to specifically require 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol (DAG) molecular species for activation, the present study demonstrates that purified rat brain protein kinase C is activated by naturally occurring ether-linked diglycerides (e.g. 1-O-hexadec-1'-enyl-2-octa-dec-9'-enoyl-sn-glycerol and 1-O-hexadecyl-2-octa-dec-9'-enoyl-sn-glycerol) with a similar dose response curve to that for DAG molecular species. Although in vitro assays demonstrated that DAG could partially activate protein kinase C in the absence of free calcium, activation by ether-linked diglycerides required free calcium concentrations found only in stimulated cells (greater than 1 microM [Ca2+]free). To substantiate these findings the alpha and beta isoforms of protein kinase C from rat brain cortical grey matter were resolved by hydroxylapatite chromatography. Although the beta isoform of protein kinase C was substantially activated by DAG in the absence of free calcium, activation by ether-linked diglycerides had an absolute requirement for physiologic increments in free calcium ion found in stimulated cells. Since ether lipids are localized in specific subcellular membrane compartments, accumulate during several pathophysiologic perturbations and are effective activators of protein kinase C with separate and distinct calcium requirements in comparison to DAG, these results suggest that ether-linked diglycerides are important and potentially specific biologic activators of one or more isoforms of protein kinase C.
The present study demonstrates that rabbit aortic intimal smooth muscle cells contain the majority of their endogenous arachidonic acid mass in plasmenylethanolamine molecular species. To demonstrate the potential significance of these plasmenylethanolamines as substrates for the smooth muscle cell phospholipases that are activated during agonist stimulation, aortic rings were prelabeled with [3H]arachidonic acid and stimulated with angiotensin II. Although the specific activities of the choline and inositol glycerophospholipid pools were similar after the labeling interval, ethanolamine glycerophospholipids had a specific activity of only 20% of the specific activity of choline and inositol glycerophospholipids. Despite the marked disparity in the specific activities of these three phospholipid classes, angiotensin II stimulation resulted in similar fractional losses (35-41%) of [3H]arachidonic acid from vascular smooth muscle choline, ethanolamine, and inositol glycerophospholipid classes. Reverse-phase HPLC demonstrated that greater than 60% of the [3H]arachidonic acid released from ethanolamine glycerophospholipids after angiotensin II stimulation originated from plasmenylethanolamine molecular species. Taken together, the results demonstrate that the major phospholipid storage depot for arachidonic acid in vascular smooth muscle cells are plasmenylethanolamine molecular species which are important substrates for the phospholipase(s) that are activated during agonist stimulation.
The recent discovery of neutral active choline and ethanolamine glycerophospholipid specific phospholipase C in myocardium (Wolf RA, Gross RW. J Biol Chem 1985;260:7295) has demonstrated a novel catabolic pathway that potentially contributes to the accumulation of amphiphilic metabolites during myocardial ischemia. To assess the potential importance of this pathway, we quantified the temporal course of alterations in myocardial 1-0-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol (AAG) and 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol (DAG) content during control and ischemic intervals in an isolated perfused Langendorf model. AAG accumulated over fivefold to 8.70 and 18.27 nmol/g dry in 20- and 60-minute ischemic rabbit hearts, respectively (p less than 0.02). The only AAG molecular species that was detected in substantial amounts in control or ischemic rabbit hearts was 1-0-hexadec-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol. Since this molecular species is enriched in plasmenylcholine these findings suggest that AAG production is likely mediated by phospholipase C-catalyzed hydrolysis of plasmenylcholine. In contrast to ischemia-induced AAG accumulation, DAG content decreased during both control and globally ischemic perfusion intervals. In summary, these findings demonstrate that AAG, in contrast to DAG, accumulates during myocardial ischemia indicating that at least some metabolites of plasmalogen and diacyl phospholipids accumulate at differential rates during myocardial ischemia.
Recently we have identified a novel choline and ethanolamine specific phospholipase C in myocardium and have hypothesized that this enzyme is responsible for the introduction of the vinyl ether linkage into plasmenylcholine by shuttling 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol fragments from plasmenylethanolamine to plasmenylcholine (Wolf, R. A., and Gross, R. W. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 7295-7303). The present study demonstrates that rabbit myocardium contains endogenous 1-O-hexadec-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol (0.46 micrograms/g) and that these moieties are selectively utilized by myocardial choline phosphotransferase to generate plasmenylcholine. The apparent Michaelis constant of CDP-choline for microsomal choline phosphotransferase was 9 microM with a corresponding Vmax of 18 pmol/mg.min utilizing endogenous 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol as substrate. The flux of CDP-choline into plasmenylcholine or phosphatidylcholine was similar despite the fact that the mass of endogenous 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol was over 20 times the mass of endogenous 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol. Augmentation of endogenous 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol content by pretreatment of myocardial microsomes with exogenous phospholipase C resulted in an 8-fold increase in plasmenylcholine synthesis. The results suggest that myocardial plasmenylcholine biosynthesis occurs by polar head group remodeling utilizing endogenous 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol as a synthetic intermediate. Flux through this pathway is likely regulated by physiologic increments in endogenous 1-O-alk-1'-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycerol content and cytosolic CDP-choline concentration.
Based on the importance of myocardial adenosine and adenine nucleotide metabolism, the adenosine salvage pathway in ventricular myocytes was studied. Accurate estimates of transport rates, separate from metabolic flux, were determined. Adenosine influx was constant between 3 and 60 s. Adenosine metabolism maintained intracellular adenosine concentrations less than 10% of the extracellular adenosine concentrations and thus unidirectional influx could be measured. Myocytes transported adenosine via saturable [Michaelis constant = 6.2 +/- 2.1 microM and maximal velocity (Vmax) = 9.58 +/- 0.98 X 10(-1) pmol X mg protein-1 X s-1] and nonsaturable (rate constant = 1.8 X 10(-3)/s) processes. A minimum estimate of the Vmax of myocytic adenosine kinase (2 pmol X mg protein-1 X s-1) indicated the saturable component of adenosine influx was independent of adenosine kinase activity. Saturable transport was inhibited by nitrobenzylthioinosine and verapamil (inhibitor constant = 17 +/- 5 microM). Extracellular adenosine taken up by myocytes was rapidly phosphorylated to adenine nucleotides. Not all extracellular adenosine, though, was phosphorylated on entering myocytes, since free, as opposed to protein-bound, intracellular adenosine was detected after digitonin extraction of cells in the presence of 1 mM ethylene-diaminetetraacetic acid.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
On the basis of observations of adenosine-Ca2+ competition, we assessed the effects on erythrocyte adenosine transport of Ca2+ channel antagonists, mono- and divalent cations, and Cl- and Cl- transport inhibitors. The Ca2+ channel antagonists, diltiazem and verapamil, competitively inhibited adenosine influx (Ki = 158 +/- 17.4 and 13.5 +/- 1.3 microM at 10 microM adenosine, respectively), despite no apparent effect on transport by Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, or K+. Verapamil also inhibited uridine efflux (Ki = 1.7 +/- 0.3 microM at 84-100 microM intracellular uridine). The absence of Cl- decreased adenosine influx rates from 0.615 +/- 0.013 to 0.386 +/- 0.008 nmol X s-1 X ml intracellular H2O-1. The Cl- transport inhibitors, diisothiocyanostilbene disulfonate (10 microM), furosemide (1 mM), and NO-3 (145 mM), decreased adenosine influx rates to 0.301 +/- 0.008, 0.325 +/- 0.013, and 0.430 +/- 0.009 nmol X s-1 X ml intracellular H2O-1, respectively. These studies indicate that the Ca2+ channel antagonists inhibit adenosine release and uptake and therefore may modulate adenosine-mediated events. Additionally, they suggest that adenosine and anion transport systems are linked or share common features.