Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Dennis Brown

Publications and source records attributed to Dennis Brown.

49 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Membrane localization and topology of leukotriene C4 synthase.

Leukotriene C(4) (LTC(4)) synthase conjugates LTA(4) with GSH to form LTC(4). Determining the site of LTC(4) synthesis and the topology of LTC(4) synthase may uncover unappreciated intracellular roles for LTC(4), as well as how LTC(4) is transferred to its export carrier, the multidrug resistance protein-1. We have determined the membrane localization of LTC(4) synthase by immunoelectron microscopy. In contrast to the closely related five-lipoxygenase-activating protein, LTC(4) synthase is distributed in the outer nuclear membrane and peripheral endoplasmic reticulum but is excluded from the inner nuclear membrane. We have combined immunofluorescence with differential membrane permeabilization to determine the topology of LTC(4) synthase. The active site of LTC(4) synthase is localized in the lumen of the nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum. These results indicate that the synthesis of LTB(4) and LTC(4) occurs in different subcellular locations and suggests that LTC(4) must be returned to the cytoplasmic side of the membrane for export by multidrug resistance protein-1. The differential localization of two very similar integral membrane proteins suggests that mechanisms other than size-dependent exclusion regulate their passage to the inner nuclear membrane.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Commensal-associated molecular patterns induce selective toll-like receptor-trafficking from apical membrane to cytoplasmic compartments in polarized intestinal epithelium.

Commensal-associated molecular patterns, the major products of nonpathogenic bacteria, are present at high concentrations at the apical surface of the intestinal epithelium. However, the nature of the interaction of commensal-associated molecular patterns with the lumenal surface of the epithelium has not been defined. We have recently demonstrated that intestinal epithelial cells constitutively express several Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in vitro and in vivo that seem to be the key receptors responsible for immune cell activation in response to various bacterial products. In this study we characterize the subcellular distribution of two major TLRs, TLR2 and TLR4, and their ligand-specific dynamic regulation in the model human intestinal epithelial cell line T84. Immunocytochemical studies indicate that TLR2 and TLR4 are constitutively expressed at the apical pole of differentiated T84 cells. After stimulation with lipopolysaccharide or peptidoglycan, TLRs selectively traffic to cytoplasmic compartments near the basolateral membrane. Thus, we demonstrate that TLRs are positioned at the apical pole where they are poised to monitor the sensitive balance of the lumenal microbial array. The results of this dynamic epithelial surveillance can then be conveyed to the underlying cell populations of the lamina propria via these innate immune pattern recognition receptors.

Cell Membrane↗
PubMed2002

NHE3 and NHERF are targeted to the basolateral membrane in proximal tubules of colchicine-treated rats.

BACKGROUND: Depolymerization of microtubules in proximal tubule (PT) cells of colchicine-treated rats causes disruption of vesicle recycling and redistribution of some brush-border membrane (BBM) transporters into cytoplasmic vesicles. NHE3, an isoform of the Na+/H+ exchanger in the PT cell BBM, is acutely regulated by a variety of mechanisms, including protein trafficking and interaction with the PDZ protein, NHERF. The effects of microtubule disruption by colchicine on NHE3 trafficking in PT and the potential role of NHERF in this process have not been studied. METHODS: Immunofluorescence and immunogold cytochemistry were performed on cryosections of kidney tissue, and immunoblotting of BBM isolated from the renal cortex and outer stripe of control and colchicine-treated (3.2 mg/kg, IP, a single dose 12 hours before sacrifice) rats. RESULTS: In cells of the convoluted PT (S1/S2 segments) of control rats, NHE3 was located mainly in the BBM; subapical endosomes were weakly stained. In cells of the straight PT (S3 segment), NHE3 was present in the BBM and in lysosomes. In colchicine-treated rats, there was a marked redistribution of NHE3 from the BBM into intracellular vesicles and the basolateral plasma membrane in the S1/S2 segments. In the S3 segment, the abundance of BBM NHE3 was not visibly changed, but NHE3-positive intracellular organelles largely disappeared, and the antigen was detectable in the basolateral plasma membrane. The PDZ protein NHERF followed a similar pattern: in control animals, it was strong in the BBM and negative in the basolateral membrane in cells along the PT. After colchicine treatment, expression of NHERF in the basolateral membrane strongly increased in all PT segments, where it colocalized with NHE3. CONCLUSIONS: The data indicate that: (a) microtubules are involved in the apical targeting of NHE3 and NHERF in renal PT cells, and (b) the parallel basolateral insertion of NHE3 and NHERF may represent an indirect targeting pathway that involves transient, microtubule-independent basolateral insertion of these proteins, followed by microtubule-dependent, vesicle-mediated transcytosis to the BBM.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Expression of aquaporin 9 in the adult rat epididymal epithelium is modulated by androgens.

Reabsorption of fluid and solutes across the epithelium lining the male excurrent duct is important for adequate sperm maturation, concentration, and storage. Water channels contribute to water movement across epithelia in many tissues. Aquaporin 9 (AQP9) is abundantly expressed in the apical membrane of principal cells that line the epididymis, and in reabsorptive and secretory epithelial cells of the male reproductive tract. In this study we show that the nonsteroidal antiandrogen flutamide, given to adult rats at a dose of 50 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1) for 2 wk via osmotic minipumps significantly decreased the amount of AQP9 in the epididymis. This down-regulation was observed by immunofluorescence of cryostat tissue sections and by Western blotting of epididymal brush border membrane preparations. In addition, castrated adult rats showed lower levels of epididymal AQP9 compared with adult controls, whereas systemic testosterone treatment of castrated adult rats induced a recovery of the expression of AQP9 to control levels. These data indicate that the expression of AQP9, a likely candidate for apical transepithelial fluid and solute transport in several regions of the male reproductive tract, is modulated by androgens in the adult rat epididymis.

Androgen Antagonists↗
PubMed2002

Physiological importance of endosomal acidification: potential role in proximal tubulopathies.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In recent years, there have been significant advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms relating proximal tubule abnormalities to the pathogenesis of renal Fanconi syndrome. This review focuses on the role of intra-endosomal acidification-machinery proteins (V-ATPase, CLC-5, NHE-3), as well as apical receptors (megalin and cubilin), in the receptor-mediated endocytosis pathway and in the pathogenesis of proximal tubulopathies. RECENT FINDINGS: Animal models, including CLC-5 and megalin knockout mice, cubilin-deficient dogs and cadmium-toxicity studies in rats, have shed light on defects leading to low-molecular-weight proteinuria. In particular, the important contribution of defective endosomal acidification and membrane-protein recycling to the pathogenesis of the Fanconi syndrome has emerged from these studies. These observations, together with recent findings in patients with Dent's disease, Lowe's syndrome, autosomal-dominant idiopathic Fanconi syndrome and Imerslund-Grasbeck disease, show that the proteinuria of the Fanconi syndrome is more generalized than previously suspected. High concentrations of polypeptides, including hormones, vitamin-binding proteins and chemokines in urine from these patients and animals may play an important role in the progressive renal failure that is associated with the syndrome. SUMMARY: The molecular mechanism of proximal tubule protein reabsorption, which is defective in renal Fanconi syndrome, includes a crucial role for endosomal acidification-machinery proteins, in particular the V-ATPase and CLC-5 chloride channels, in the trafficking and acidification-dependent recycling of apical membrane proteins, including the endocytotic receptors megalin and cubilin. An increased understanding of the roles of V-ATPase and CLC-5 in proximal tubule endosomal acidification, in the regulation of the megalin/cubilin-mediated endocytosis pathway and finally in the pathogenesis of human Fanconi syndrome will help in the devising of appropriate strategies for therapeutic intervention for this disorder.

Absorption↗
PubMed2002

Cd-MT causes endocytosis of brush-border transporters in rat renal proximal tubules.

Nephrotoxicity in humans and experimental animals due to chronic exposure to cadmium (Cd) is manifested by defects in the reabsorptive and secretory functions of proximal tubules (PT). The main symptoms of Cd nephrotoxicity, including polyuria, phosphaturia, aminoaciduria, glucosuria, and proteinuria, suggest that various brush-border membrane (BBM) transporters are the main targets of Cd. Specific transporters may be either directly inhibited by Cd or lost from the BBM after Cd treatment, or both. We have recently proposed that Cd may impair the vesicle-dependent recycling of BBM transporters by inhibiting vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) activity and endocytosis in PT cells (Herak-Kramberger CM, Sabolic I, and Brown D. Kidney Int 53: 1713-1726, 1998). The mechanism underlying the Cd effect was further explored in an in vivo model of experimental Cd nephrotoxicity induced by Cd-metallothionein (Cd-MT; 0.4 mg Cd/kg body mass; a single dose sc) in rats. The time-dependent redistribution of various BBM transporters was examined in this model by fluorescence and gold-labeling immunocytochemistry on tissue sections and by immunoblotting of isolated renal cortical BBM. In PT cells of Cd-MT-treated rats, we observed 1) shortening and loss of microvilli; 2) time-dependent loss of megalin, V-ATPase, aquaporin-1 (AQP1), and type 3 Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE3) from the BBM; 3) redistribution of these transporters into vesicles that were randomly scattered throughout the cell cytoplasm; and 4) redistribution of NHE3, but not megalin, into the basolateral plasma membrane. The internalization of BBM transporters was accompanied by fragmentation and loss of microtubules and by an increased abundance of alpha-tubulin monomers in PT cells. Transporter redistribution was detectable as early as 1 h after Cd-MT treatment and increased in magnitude over the next 12 h. We conclude that the early mechanism of Cd toxicity in PT cells may include a colchicine-like depolymerization of microtubules and impaired vesicle-dependent recycling of various BBM proteins. These processes may lead to a time-dependent loss of cell membrane components, resulting in reabsorptive and secretory defects that occur in Cd-induced nephrotoxicity.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Antigen retrieval reveals widespread basolateral expression of syntaxin 3 in renal epithelia.

Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins play a key role in docking and fusion of intracellular transport vesicles and may regulate apical and basolateral membrane protein delivery in epithelial cells. In a previous study, syntaxin 3 (a target SNARE) protein was detectable in the kidney only in intercalated cells. We now report a more widespread distribution of syntaxin 3 in a variety of renal epithelial cells after antigen retrieval. Sections of rat kidney were treated with SDS and incubated with antisyntaxin 3 antibodies. Strong basolateral membrane staining was seen in descending and ascending thin limbs of Henle, thick ascending limbs of Henle, the macula densa, distal and connecting tubules, and all cells of the collecting duct including A- and B-intercalated cells. The papillary surface epithelium and the transitional epithelium of the ureter were also stained, but proximal tubules were negative. Western blotting revealed a strong signal at 37 kDa in all regions, and the antigen was restricted to membrane fractions. SDS treatment was not necessary to reveal syntaxin 3 in intercalated cells. These data show that syntaxin 3 might be involved in basolateral trafficking pathways in most renal epithelial cell types. The exclusive basolateral location of syntaxin 3 in situ, however, contrasts with the apical location of this SNARE protein in some kidney epithelial cells in culture.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Aquaporin-2 localization in clathrin-coated pits: inhibition of endocytosis by dominant-negative dynamin.

Before the identification of aquaporin (AQP) proteins, vasopressin-regulated "water channels" were identified by freeze-fracture electron microscopy as aggregates or clusters of intramembraneous particles (IMPs) on hormonally stimulated target cell membranes. In the kidney collecting duct, these IMP clusters were subsequently identified as possible sites of clathrin-coated pit formation on the plasma membrane, and a clathrin-mediated mechanism for internalization of vasopressin-sensitive water channels was suggested. Using an antibody raised against the extracellular C loop of AQP2, we now provide direct evidence that AQP2 is concentrated in clathrin-coated pits on the apical surface of collecting duct principal cells. Furthermore, by using a fracture-label technique applied to LLC-PK(1) cells expressing an AQP2-c-myc construct, we show that AQP2 is located in IMP aggregates and is concentrated in shallow membrane invaginations on the surface of forskolin-stimulated cells. We also studied the functional role of clathrin-coated pits in AQP2 trafficking by using a GTPase-deficient dynamin mutation (K44A) to inhibit clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Immunofluorescence labeling and freeze-fracture electron microscopy showed that dominant-negative dynamin 1 and dynamin 2 mutants prevent the release of clathrin-coated pits from the plasma membrane and induce an accumulation of AQP2 on the plasma membrane of AQP2-transfected cells. These data provide the first direct evidence that AQP2 is located in clathrin-coated pits and show that AQP2 recycles between the plasma membrane and intracellular vesicles via a dynamin-dependent endocytotic pathway. We propose that the IMP clusters previously associated with vasopressin action represent sites of dynamin-dependent, clathrin-mediated endocytosis in which AQP2 is concentrated before internalization.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Renal principal cell-specific expression of green fluorescent protein in transgenic mice.

The purpose of this study is to develop transgenic mice with principal cell-specific expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP). After the cloning and sequencing of the mouse aquaporin-2 (AQP2) gene, 9.5 kb of the promoter were used to drive expression of GFP in transgenic mice. In transgenic mice, GFP was selectively expressed in principal cells of the renal collecting duct and not in intercalated cells. Expression was increased by dehydration of mice. AQP2 and GFP expression was maintained in primary cultures of renal medulla that were stimulated with cAMP or vasopressin analogs. GFP-expressing cells were then isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. RT-PCR analysis showed expression of AQP2, AQP3, AQP4, vasopressin type 2 receptor, and cAMP response element binding protein but not H+-ATPase B1 subunit or anion exchanger 1. After expansion of these cells in culture, RT-PCR analysis showed continued expression of the same genes. This pattern of gene expression is that of principal cells rather than intercalated cells. This transgenic mouse model can be used in future studies of gene expression during the development, differentiation, and maturation of renal principal cells.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed2002

Nephrin dissociates from actin, and its expression is reduced in early experimental membranous nephropathy.

These studies examined the expression of the podocyte slit diaphragm protein nephrin and its association with actin at the onset of proteinuria in passive Heymann nephritis (PHN), a rat model of human membranous nephropathy. Four days after immunization, 58% of PHN rats had mild proteinuria. At that time, most slit diaphragms were still visible on electron microscopy; however, in those locations where the deposits encroached on the filtration slits, the slit diaphragms were either displaced or absent. On day 7, the PHN rats were severely proteinuric, and most slit diaphragms were either absent, displaced, or replaced by occluding-type junctions. Immunofluorescence microscopy with antibodies to the external and cytoplasmic domains of nephrin showed a progressive loss of staining and a change in the distribution of nephrin from an interrupted linear pattern in normal controls to a more dispersed and clustered pattern in PHN. In contrast, the intensity of staining for ZO-1 and CD2-associated protein (CD2AP), two other proteins that are located on the cytoplasmic face of the slit diaphragm, was undiminished. Immunogold electron microscopy confirmed the progressive disappearance of nephrin from podocyte foot processes and retention of CD2AP. Glomeruli and glomerular cell membranes were extracted sequentially with Triton X-100, followed by DNase I or potassium iodide to depolymerize actin. Western blot analysis of the extracts showed a progressive decline of total nephrin on days 4 and 7 of PHN as well as a reduction in the actin-associated fraction. These findings show that nephrin partly dissociates from actin at the onset of podocyte injury in PHN. This is accompanied by a progressive loss of nephrin from the podocyte foot processes and prominent changes in the morphology of the slit diaphragms. These events may underlie the loss of podocyte barrier function in membranous nephropathy.

Actins↗
PubMed2001

Transcytosis of retinol-binding protein across renal proximal tubule cells after megalin (gp 330)-mediated endocytosis.

Plasma retinol-binding protein (RBP) combined with vitamin A (retinol) is partially filtered through the glomerulus and then absorbed by proximal tubule cells, leading to recycling of retinol to the circulation. Recently, it was shown that reabsorption of RBP-retinol complexes by proximal tubule cells is mediated by megalin (gp 330), an apical endocytic receptor. It was proposed that RBP is transported by megalin to lysosomes, where it is degraded, thus liberating retinol, which then combines with newly synthesized RBP to be secreted into the bloodstream. This study shows that passage of RBP through immortalized rat renal proximal tubule (IRPT) cells occurs by transcytosis after megalin-mediated endocytosis, which provides an alternative pathway for recycling of retinol. IRPT cells cultured as polarized monolayers with tight junctions were used on permeable filters in the upper chamber of dual-chambered devices, with megalin expression exclusively on the upper surface. After addition of RBP to the upper chamber and incubation at 37 degrees C, intact RBP was found in fluids that were collected from the lower chamber. In contrast, control substances (mannitol, lysozyme, albumin, and glutathione-S-transferase) were not appreciably transported across IRPT cells, indicating that passage of RBP was by transcytosis and not by paracellular leakage. Confocal microscopy analysis of IRPT cells after addition of RBP to the upper chamber revealed RBP-containing granules at the apical membrane, subapically, and also at basolateral membranes. When RBP was added to IRPT cells together with megalin competitors, the amount of transcytosed RBP was markedly reduced. We also found that some RBP was internalized and degraded by IRPT cells, but this process was not appreciably affected by megalin competitors, indicating that RBP endocytosed by megalin was not transported to lysosomes and degraded but rather transcytosed across IRPT cells.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Transcellular water transport and stability of expression in aquaporin 1-transfected LLC-PK1 cells in the development of a portable bioartificial renal tubule device.

We investigated a portable bioartificial renal tubule device (BRTD) consisting of renal tubule cells and hollow fibers, to improve the quality of life of patients. It is necessary for a BRTD system to be compact. A compact portable BRTB requires transfection of an appropriate water channel or electrical pump genes in tubular epithelial cells, which should be based on physiological similarities to human kidney function. LLC-PK(1) cells, into which rat kidney aquaporin 1 (AQP1) cDNA was stably transfected, were evaluated for water transport ability. The expression and localization of water AQP1 were examined by Western blotting, RT-PCR, and immunofluorescence. To measure transcellular water permeation, a simple method was applied, using phenol red as a cell-impermeant marker of concentration. In contrast to wild-type LLC-PK(1) cells, rat AQP1-transfected cells had high transcellular osmotic water permeability. The expression of rat AQP1 mRNA (ratio of AQP1 to beta-actin mRNA) and protein bands (a 28-kDa band and a broad, 35- to 45-kDa band) was confirmed to be stably maintained until a population doubling level of 24. In AQP1-transfected LLCPK(1) cells, the protein was localized mainly to the basolateral side, but also the apical side, of the plasma membrane. Wild-type LLC-PK(1) cells were not stained at the plasma membrane. It is possible that enough AQP1-transfected tubule epithelial cells were supplied for a bioartificial renal tubule device.

Animals↗