Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D L Zhu

Publications and source records attributed to D L Zhu.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Amlodipine and vascular hypertrophy.

In both atherosclerosis and arterial hypertension, structural and functional abnormalities result in vascular hypertrophy that is associated with an increased ratio of vascular media thickness to lumen diameter and hyperreactivity of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), resulting in uncontrolled cell migration and growth in vivo. In culture, VSMCs isolated from the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) also display exaggerated growth and/or proliferation compared to VSMCs isolated from normotensive control Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. In vitro studies of cultured VSMCs can therefore be used as a model to investigate the mechanisms whereby a drug such as amlodipine can exert its antihypertensive and antiatherogenic effects. The present in vitro investigations examine the mechanisms whereby amlodipine reduces VSMC growth/proliferation promoted by basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a peptide growth factor likely to participate in the vascular smooth muscle hypertrophy of the SHR. VSMCs from SHR and/or WKY rat aortae were isolated, passaged, and cultured. The influence of amlodipine on VSMC growth/proliferation was studied by measuring DNA synthesis and cell number under experimental conditions, which allowed us to determine the cell cycle phase in which amlodipine exerts its effects. Amlodipine was found to inhibit growth and bFGF-induced DNA synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner. Delayed addition of amlodipine showed that the drug exerts its effect early in the G1 phase, a result that was confirmed by the finding that amlodipine could not inhibit bFGF-induced DNA synthesis in VSMCs arrested at the G1/S boundary. In comparative experiments, the inhibitory effect of amlodipine on both cell growth and DNA synthesis was found to be of similar magnitude in SHR- and WKY-derived VSMCs. It is therefore likely that by modulating cell growth/proliferation induced by bFGF, amlodipine may reduce the vascular hypertrophy of the SHR. Since amlodipine also has been found to inhibit VSMC migration, one may reasonably envisage that these characteristics are important components of the antiatherogenic properties of the drug.

Amlodipine↗
PubMed1997

Control of vascular smooth-muscle cell growth by macrophage-colony-stimulating factor.

Since in several vascular diseases abnormal vascular smooth-muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation is often associated with the presence of macrophages, we examined whether macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) might play a role in the control of VSMC growth. VSMCs were isolated from rat aorta and maintained in culture. Using a bioassay, a macrophage-colony-stimulating activity was detected in the serum-free supernatant of VSMCs, which could be inhibited by the addition of specific anti-M-CSF antibodies. The presence of M-CSF receptor protein and of M-CSF and M-CSF receptor gene transcripts was demonstrated by immunocytochemistry, using a specific anti-c-Fms antibody and Northern blot analysis respectively. [3H]Thymidine incorporation was measured following the addition to quiescent VSMCs of various dilutions of L929 cell supernatant (as a source of M-CSF) or of recombinant M-CSF. Both exogenous M-CSF and serum-free VSMC conditioned medium promoted DNA synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner, and this effect could be abrogated by the presence of a specific anti-M-CSF antibody. Under similar experimental conditions, L929 cell supernatant modulated proto-oncogene expression, as assessed by Northern blot analysis of c-fos, c-myc, egr-1 and junB. It was further demonstrated that M-CSF could act in synergy with thrombin, platelet-derived growth factor or basic fibroblast growth factor in promoting VSMC DNA synthesis. These results support the hypothesis that M-CSF affects the growth of cultured rat VSMCs through paracrine/autocrine mechanisms. Its effects at both the macrophage and the VSMC level confer to M-CSF a central role in the development of vascular lesions that occurs during atherosclerotic progression.

Actins↗
PubMed1995

Molecular mechanisms of vascular hypertrophy in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

1. In primary hypertension, an abnormally high vascular resistance can be explained in terms of alterations in vessel wall structure. Arterial cell hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia have been implicated as playing a central role in the vascular abnormalities noted in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Cultured arterial cells appear therefore as attractive models for studying in vitro the mechanisms whereby cells originating from hypertensives exhibit hyperproliferation and/or hyperresponsiveness. 2. This review summarized our present knowledge on growth and related biochemical events of cultured SHR-derived vascular smooth muscle cells or aortic adventitial fibroblasts, in response to various polypeptide growth factors and vasoactive agents. 3. Exaggerated growth response to various mitogens in cultured SHR-derived vascular cells has been well documented. However, the molecular mechanisms of abnormal growth in SHR remain unknown. This abnormality seems not to be a consequence of the alterations at the levels of receptors or of some key mitogenic events of early signalling pathways such as phospholipase C, protein kinase C and G-proteins. Further studies should therefore focus on the more distal events related to cell growth.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Mechanism of action of the inhibitory effect of nifedipine on the growth of cultured aortic cells from spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive rats.

1. To gain insight into the parameters which control vascular structure, we investigated the mechanisms whereby nifedipine, and other dihydropyridines, inhibit the growth of cultured fibroblasts isolated from the adventitia of the aorta of spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. 2. The effects of nifedipine on cell proliferation and on serum-induced DNA synthesis were determined by measuring the cell number and the incorporation of [3H]-thymidine, respectively. The mechanism of action of nifedipine was studied by adding the drug either to randomly growing cells or to quiescent, G0/G1 arrested and synchronized cells. The effects of varying the duration of drug treatment were also examined. 3. In randomly growing cultures nifedipine, like other dihydropyridines concentration-dependently inhibited cell proliferation; the rank order of effect (measured at a concentration of 10 microM) was nifedipine > nisoldipine > nitrendipine approximately nimodipine. 4. In G0/G1 arrested cell cultures, nifedipine concentration-dependently inhibited serum-induced [3H]-thymidine incorporation. In this respect it had similar effects in cell cultures from WKY and SHR. In both SHR and WKY cultures, nifedipine delayed the transition from G0/G1 to S phase, and inhibited serum-induced DNA synthesis possibly by acting on the early G1 phase. 5. In cell cultures from both SHR and WKY, serum-induced DNA synthesis was similarly (approximately 40%) inhibited after a 1 day treatment with 10 microM nifedipine. In contrast, after 5 days treatment with the drug, the inhibition of DNA synthesis was approximately 65% and approximately 10% in SHR and WKY cultures, respectively. The inhibitory effects of nifedipine against proliferation of fibroblasts were 25% and 60%, respectively,after 1 and 5 days of treatment, and were similar in cells derived from SHR and WKY. This indicates that 5 days treatment with nifedipine inhibited the proliferation of SHR and WKY fibro blasts by acting mostly on the early G1 phase and the M phase, respectively.6. Irrespective of the duration of treatment (1 or 5 days) with 10 microM nifedipine, the inhibition of DNA synthesis could be abolished and partially reduced by Bay K 8644 (1 microM) in WKY and SHR fibroblasts,respectively. In cell cultures from both SHR and WKY the inhibitory effects of a short term and of along term treatment with nifedipine against cell proliferation were reduced and unaffected, respectively by Bay K 8644.7. These results indicate that nifedipine inhibited cell proliferation and serum-induced DNA synthesis by altering the cell cycle through different mechanisms in SHR and WKY fibroblasts. They also suggest the existence in aortic fibroblasts of interactions between calcium channel blockers of the dihydropyridine series and the mitogenic signalling pathways of growth factors contained in serum.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗
PubMed1994

Effect of erythropoietin on DNA synthesis, proto-oncogene expression and phospholipase C activity in rat vascular smooth muscle cells.

The administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) to anemic chronic renal failure patients may be associated with an increase in blood pressure, possibly by direct effects on peripheral blood vessels. The experiments of the present study were designed to explore the hypothesis that rHuEpo might exert mitogenic effects on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and that pre-existing hypertension might be a predisposing condition. Cultured aortic VSMCs from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were studied for DNA synthesis, phospholipase C activity, and cell growth related proto-oncogene expression in the presence of rHuEpo. In cells from both rat strains, rHuEpo dose-dependently increased DNA synthesis and stimulated phospholipase C activity, as indicated by 3H-thymidine incorporation and inositol phosphate formation, respectively. Exposure of VSMCs to rHuEpo for various periods gradually increased the levels of c-myc and JunB mRNAs and transiently induced c-fos mRNA expression as determined by Northern analysis. The hormone-induced DNA synthesis was markedly enhanced in VSMCs from SHR compared to those from WKY. In contrast, rHuEpo-induced phospholipase C activity and proto-oncogene expression did not differ between the two strains. Taken together, these results suggest that rHuEpo may function as a vascular smooth muscle cell growth promoting factor through activation of the phospholipase C cascade and a modulation of proto-oncogene expression. It could thereby contribute to vascular hypertrophy and arterial hypertension.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Signaling mechanisms of basic fibroblast growth factor in arterial cells from genetically hypertensive rat.

The mechanisms of vascular structural alterations in hypertension were studied in cultured adventitial fibroblasts isolated from aortas of spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-, epidermal growth factor (EGF)-, or platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced DNA synthesis and phospholipase C activity were estimated by determining 3H-thymidine incorporation and 3H-inositol phosphate production, respectively. The role of protein tyrosine kinases was assessed by stimulating the cells in the presence of tyrphostin, a protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Both the mitogenic potency of bFGF, EGF, and PDGF and the phospholipase C activity elicited by these factors were increased markedly in SHR (v WKY) fibroblasts. SHR fibroblasts were significantly less sensitive to tyrphostin inhibition of bFGF-induced 3H-thymidine incorporation than WKY fibroblasts, whereas when the cells were stimulated with EGF, PDGF, or 5% serum, SHR and WKY fibroblasts were equally sensitive to tyrphostin inhibition. At doses that abolished bFGF-induced 3H-thymidine incorporation, tyrphostin did not affect bFGF-induced 3H-inositol phosphate production. These results indicate that in aortic fibroblasts phospholipase C activation is not sufficient for bFGF-induced DNA synthesis. They suggest that tyrosine kinase activation is a necessary step in the transduction of bFGF mitogenic signal and plays an important role in the enhanced DNA synthesis exhibited by SHR (v WKY) cells. Therefore, one may envisage that bFGF contributes, through paracrine/autocrine mechanisms, to the vascular smooth muscle hyperplasia/hypertrophy in SHR.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Involvement of calcium channels in fibroblast growth factor-induced activation of arterial cells in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

To gain insight into the mechanisms that could account for the abnormal vascular structure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and to determine whether this could be affected by calcium channel blockers, we compared the influence of dihydropyridines on basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-induced DNA synthesis in cultured adventitial fibroblasts isolated from SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rat (WKY) aorta. Our results showed that (a) bFGF was a potent mitogen for adventitial fibroblasts, much more active in SHR-derived than in WKY-derived cells, thus confirming the hyperreactivity of the SHR arterial cells; (b) the mitogenic potency of bFGF could be reduced by dihydropyridines (rank order of potency was nifedipine approximately nisoldipine > nitrendipine > nimodipine); and (c) the nifedipine inhibitory effect could be completely and partially antagonized in WKY- and SHR-derived fibroblasts, respectively, by the calcium channel agonist Bay K 8644. Moreover, the extent of nifedipine inhibitory extent increased and decreased in SHR- and WKY-derived fibroblasts, respectively, according to duration of treatment of cells with the drug, suggesting that SHR fibroblasts became progressively more sensitive whereas those of WKY became more refractory to the drug treatment. These data indicate that in aortic fibroblasts stimulated by bFGF, L-type calcium channels participate in the antimitotic effect of dihydropyridines and suggest the existence of interactions between these channels and the bFGF signaling pathways. They also suggest that nifedipine inhibits bFGF-induced DNA synthesis by different mechanisms in SHR and WKY fibroblasts.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗
PubMed1994

[Mitogenic effect of erythropoietin on cultured aortic myocytes].

The administration of recombinant erythropoietin (rHuEpo) to anemic chronic renal failure patients may be associated with an increase in blood pressure, possibly by direct effects on peripheral blood vessels. In the present study, experiments were designed to explore the hypothesis that rHuEpo could enhance vascular resistance through mitogenic effect on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and that preexisting hypertension might be a predisposing condition. Cultured VSMCs from the thoracic aortae of spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were studied for DNA synthesis, phospholipase C activity, and cell growth related proto-oncogene expression in the presence of rHuEpo. In cells from both strains, rHuEpo dose-dependently increased DNA synthesis and stimulated phospholipase C activity, as indicated by 3H-thymidine incorporation and 3H-inositol phosphate formation, respectively (EC50 approximately 4 U/ml). Exposure of VSMCs to rHuEpo for various times gradually increased the levels of c-myc and junB and transiently induced c-fos expression, as determined by Northern analysis. rHuEpo-induced DNA synthesis was markedly enhanced in VSMCs from SHR compared to those from WKY. In contrast, rHuEpo-induced phospholipase C activity and proto-oncogene expression did not differ between the two strains. Taken together, these results suggest that rHuEpo may function as a vascular smooth muscle cell growth promoting factor through activation of the phospholipase C cascade and modulation of proto-oncogene expression. It could thereby contribute to vascular hypertrophy and arterial hypertension.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Mitogenic events induced by vasopressin in aortic fibroblasts from spontaneously hypertensive rats.

1. To further explore the mechanisms of arterial growth, we investigated the signalling pathways through which arginine-vasopressin acts as a mitogen in cultured adventitial aortic fibroblasts of the spontaneously hypertensive rat, and we examined the mechanisms involved in the hyperresponsiveness to arginine-vasopressin of fibroblasts from spontaneously hypertensive rats compared with fibroblasts from Wistar-Kyoto rats. 2. Arginine-vasopressin-induced [3H]thymidine incorporation was used to determine the peptide mitogenicity. Arginine-vasopressin-triggered hydrolysis of phosphoinositides by phospholipase C was evaluated by measuring [3H]inositol phosphate formation. The role of protein kinase C and protein tyrosine kinases in arginine-vasopressin mitogenicity was assessed by stimulating the cells with arginine-vasopressin in the presence of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate and tyrphostin (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor), respectively. 3. Arginine-vasopressin-induced DNA synthesis was completely abolished in confluent cells, whereas [3H]inositol phosphate formation was only reduced. The presence of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate markedly decreased arginine-vasopressin-induced [3H]thymidine incorporation in fibroblasts from spontaneously hypertensive rats and was without effect in fibroblasts from Wistar-Kyoto rats. Tyrphostin abolished arginine-vasopressin-induced [3H]thymidine incorporation in a dose-dependent manner and did not affect the formation of inositol phosphates. 4. These results indicate that phospholipase C activation is not sufficient for arginine-vasopressin-induced mitogenesis. They also suggest that (i) tyrosine kinase activation is a necessary step in the transduction of the arginine-vasopressin mitogenic signal, and (ii) protein kinase C participates in the increased mitogenic potency of arginine-vasopressin in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Protein kinase C and cell proliferation in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Cultured aortic fibroblasts from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) exhibit increased proliferation rate compared with cells from normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. The present study was designed to investigate whether this growth abnormality could be accounted for by alteration in protein kinase C (PKC). The enzyme activation by 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA) promoted 3H-thymidine incorporation which was higher in SHR-derived fibroblasts compared with WKY-derived cells. Likewise, 3H-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) binding to intact cells was markedly increased in SHR-derived fibroblasts. These findings suggest a difference in PKC activity between the two cell types. In both cell types, serum-induced 3H-thymidine incorporation was enhanced by PKC down-regulation, which was obtained by prolonged treatment of cells with high dose of TPA, whereas it was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by activation of the enzyme. The changes in serum-induced 3H-thymidine incorporation elicited either by activation or desensitization of PKC, did not differ between SHR and WKY fibroblasts. Our results indicate therefore i) that in the presence of serum PKC exerts an antiproliferative effect in rat aortic fibroblasts and ii) that the increase in PKC activity and in sensitivity to TPA exhibited by SHR-derived fibroblasts, is not involved in the increased proliferation rate displayed by SHR-derived fibroblasts in serum-containing medium.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Increased proliferation of adventitial fibroblasts from spontaneously hypertensive rat aorta.

By using aortic adventitial fibroblasts in culture as a model, we first demonstrated that cells derived from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), when compared with Wistar-Kyoto (WKY)-derived cells, possessed an increased capacity to proliferate and to synthesize DNA in response to vasoactive agents. At this early stage of culture, SHR fibroblasts exhibited a higher specific growth rate. Then, to gain insight into the mechanisms which could be responsible for the difference observed, signalling pathways involved in the transduction of the mitogenic signal were analysed in cells cultured for 3 days. Results indicated that, in SHR-derived fibroblasts, an increased phospholipase C activity could account for the higher mitogenic response to thrombin or vasopressin. However, this enzymatic activity, which did not differ when fibroblasts from the two rat strains were stimulated by serum, could not be responsible for the enhanced proliferation rate of SHR-derived cells. Moreover, neither protein kinase C nor pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins appeared to contribute to the hyperresponsiveness exhibited by SHR fibroblasts. Our results indicate that the mechanism(s) responsible for such a difference vary according to the stimulus; they also suggest that adventitial fibroblasts may participate in the modified reactivity of vascular wall associated with hypertension.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[Study of mechanisms responsible for hyperproliferation of aortic cells in spontaneously hypertensive rats].

In order to determine the mechanisms which could be responsible for the hypertrophy of vascular wall associated with primary hypertension, we have investigated the mechanisms involved in the proliferation of aortic cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) controls. In this study we have examined the role of phospholipase C which is responsible for the formation of second messengers, the function of protein kinase C and that of GTP-binding proteins (G proteins) which couple membrane receptors to phospholipase C. The adventitial fibroblasts from thoracic aorta were chosen as cell model in culture. The capacity of proliferation in response to 10% serum was analyzed by cell number determination and by measuring the incorporation of 3H-thymidine into newly synthesized DNA. Our results showed that SHR-derived fibroblasts proliferated more rapidly and incorporated more 3H-thymidine than WKY-derived fibroblasts. However, the phospholipase C activity, measured by the serum-stimulated production of 3H-inositol phosphates in cells prelabeled with 3H-inositol, did not differ between SHR- and WKY-derived cells. The desensitization of protein kinase C, by long term (2 d) treatment with high dose (300 nM) of phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate (TPA), markedly augmented, but to the same extent, the 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA of SHR- and WKY-derived fibroblasts. Moreover, protein kinase C activation by TPA caused a parallel reduction (25-30%) of the incorporation of 3H-thymidine into DNA of SHR- and WKY-derived cells. Under the same experimental conditions, the growth of SHR- and WKY-derived fibroblasts was reduced by TPA in a dose-dependent manner (up to 20%) to the same extent.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[Activation mechanisms by thrombin and vasopressin of fibroblasts in spontaneously hypertensive rats].

To gain insight into the mechanisms that could account for the augmentation of cellular reactivity in primary hypertension, we have examined some of the biochemical events which are implicated in the transmission of mitogenic signal as well as in cell reactivity. This study focussed on phospholipase C, protein kinase C and GTP-binding proteins (G-proteins), in response to thrombin or arginin-vasopressin (AVP). Cultured fibroblasts prepared from the adventitia of thoracic aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) were used as cell models and were compared with fibroblasts prepared from controls Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. The mitogenicity of each agonist was estimated by measuring the incorporation of 3H-thymidine into the newly synthesized DNA. The agonist-induced phospholipase C activity was evaluated by measuring the production of 3H-inositol phosphates in cells prelabeled with 3H-inositol. The influence of protein kinase C and that of G proteins on the mitogenesis in cells stimulated by thrombin or AVP was determined by pretreating cells with phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate (TPA) and pertussis toxin, respectively. Kinetics and dose response studies have demonstrated that in response to thrombin and AVP, the phospholipase C activity and the incorporation of 3H-thymidine were significantly higher in the fibroblasts derived from SHR.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Development of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) immunoreactivity in relationship to the formation of neuromuscular junctions in Xenopus myotomal muscle.

Immunoreactivity (IR) to calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has recently been found in chick motoneurons. Bath application of this peptide causes an increase in surface acetylcholine receptor (AChR) density and cAMP level in cultured chick muscle cells. These results suggest a role for this peptide in the formation of synaptic specializations. In this study, we examined the development of CGRP IR in larval Xenopus myotomal muscle in relation to synaptogenesis. Using an antiserum against CGRP, a monoclonal antibody against the p65 synaptic vesicle antigen and a fluorescence conjugate of alpha-bungarotoxin, we followed the development of synaptic specializations with fluorescence microscopy in whole-mount specimens. We found that the postsynaptic specialization in the form of AChR clusters was first detected in stage 22 (24 hour) embryos. The presynaptic specializations, including the synaptic vesicle clusters as evidenced by p65 antibody staining and CGRP IR, were first detected at stage 32 (40 hours). The appearance of these two presynaptic specializations followed the same time course. Subsequently, all three structures, the AChR clusters, CGRP IR, and synaptic vesicle clusters, were colocalized at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). This shows that CGRP is unlikely to be involved in signaling the development of the postsynaptic apparatus. This premise is further examined in cultures of Xenopus myotomal muscle cells. CGRP at concentrations up to 1 microM did not affect the number of AChR clusters, nor did it interfere with the formation of clusters induced by polycation-coated beads. In contrast, an extract from the basement membrane of Torpedo electric organ promoted the formation of AChR clusters and interfered with the clustering activity of the beads. These results suggest that CGRP, an integral component of the presynaptic specialization, is not involved in signaling synaptogenesis at the NMJ.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Oligodeoxynucleotide-directed cleavage and repair of a single-stranded vector: a method of site-specific mutagenesis.

A simple and efficient site-specific mutagenesis method is described. First, a single-stranded (ss) circular vector is linearized at the site where the desired mutation will be introduced. To do this, an oligodeoxynucleotide complementary to the target region of the ss vector and containing a restriction enzyme recognition sequence is annealed to the circular ss vector, and the partial double-strand formed is subsequently cleaved with that enzyme. Then, another oligodeoxynucleotide spanning the nick and carrying the mutation is annealed to the linearized ss DNA template and the annealed mixture is used directly to transform Escherichia coli without prior enzymatic DNA synthesis in vitro. The procedure has been applied successfully to constructing insertion, deletion, and point mutations in both M13 phage vectors and plasmid vectors containing the f1 origin of replication.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Increase in intracellular calcium induced by the polycation-coated latex bead, a stimulus that causes postsynaptic-type differentiation in cultured Xenopus muscle cells.

The polycation-coated latex bead is a potent stimulus for the induction of postsynaptic-type differentiation in cultured Xenopus myotomal muscle cells. Specializations characteristic of the neuromuscular junction, such as clusters of acetylcholine receptors and other postsynaptic-specific proteins, develop at the bead-muscle contact. Previous studies have shown that a deprivation of extracellular calcium inhibits the effect of the beads in causing the development of these specializations. This suggests that an increase in intracellular Ca2+ is a necessary condition for the development of this specialization. In this study, we tested whether an increase in intracellular calcium is observable upon the bead-muscle contact. The measurement was carried out on cells loaded with the fluorescent calcium indicator fura-2 AM by digitized video microscopy. When polycation-coated beads were added to cells, an increase in intracellular calcium concentration in the range of 5 to 57% of the resting level was observed within 10 sec after bead-muscle contact. Afterward, the calcium level gradually returned to the resting level with a time course of about 3 min. Uncoated beads, which do not induce the formation of acetylcholine receptor clustering, failed to elicit this calcium transient. Removal of extracellular calcium as well as blocking calcium channels with 50 microM verapamil also suppressed this transient induced by the polycation-coated beads. Both treatments are known to suppress the formation of receptor clusters by these beads. These results suggest that the polycation-coated beads cause an influx of calcium by increasing the membrane conductance to this ion. This process may underlie the signaling of the postsynaptic differentiation.

Animals↗