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E Costa

Publications and source records attributed to E Costa.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Modulation of neuronal serotonin uptake by a putative endogenous ligand of imipramine recognition sites.

Imipramine inhibits the serotonin uptake by binding with high affinity to regulatory sites of this uptake located on axons that release serotonin. The number of imipramine recognition sites located on crude synaptic membrane preparations is reduced by two daily injections of imipramine or desmethylimipramine for 3 weeks. When the binding sites for [3H]imipramine are down-regulated the Vmax of the neuronal uptake of serotonin is increased. Moreover, in minces prepared from the brain hippocampus of rats receiving imipramine in a dose regimen that reduces the number of [3H]imipramine recognition sites, the efficiency of imipramine as a blocker of the serotonin uptake is diminished. Hence the high-affinity binding sites for [3H]imipramine may have a physiological role in modulation of serotonin reuptake. Probably this is mediated by an endogenous effector of these regulatory sites. A nonpeptidic constituent of rat brain capable of displacing [3H]imipramine from its high-affinity binding site and of inhibiting the serotonin uptake in a dose-related manner has been extracted and its partial purification is described.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Phosphorylation induces a decrease in the biological activity of the protein inhibitor (GABA-modulin) of gamma-aminobutyric acid binding sites.

gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA)-modulin is a brain protein of Mr 16,500 that down-regulates the high-affinity binding site for GABA which is located in crude synaptic membranes. This protein can be phosphorylated in vitro by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and by a partially purified preparation of calmodulin-sensitive Ca2+-dependent protein kinase. The GABA-modulin sites that are phosphorylated by the two enzymes are different, as revealed by HPLC analysis of tryptic digests. The capacity of GABA-modulin to decrease the number of sites that bind [3H]muscimol was completely abolished by phosphorylation of this protein with the cAMP-dependent protein kinase but not with the Ca2+-dependent enzyme. GABA-modulin present in crude synaptic membranes prepared from rat cortex also was shown to be phosphorylated by endogenous protein kinases activated by cAMP, Ca2+ and calmodulin, and Ca2+ and phosphatidylserine. These results suggest a potentially important role for protein kinase and GABA-modulin in the regulation of the number of GABA recognition sites.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

beta-Carbolines enhance shock-induced suppression of drinking in rats.

By using Vogel's method to test the anxiolytic action of benzodiazepines and reducing the intensity of the current delivered to the drinking tube, it is possible to distinguish the pharmacological activity of three types of ligands for the benzodiazepine recognition site. An anticonflict action typical of anxiolytic benzodiazepines, a proconflict action typical of many beta-carbolines, including FG 7142 (beta-carboline-3-carboxylic acid ethyl ester methyl amide), and an antagonistic action of the proconflict and anticonflict actions typical of RO 15-1788 (ethyl-8-fluoro-5, 6-dihydro-5-methyl-6-oxo-4H-imidazol[1,5-alpha]-[1, 4]-benzodiazepine-3-carboxylate) and CGS 8216 (2-phenylpyrazolo[4,3-c]quinolin-3-(5H)-one). Pentylenetetrazole, which causes convulsions by interacting with a subunit of the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor that is different from the benzodiazepine recognition site, also induces a proconflict action that is antagonized by anxiolytic benzodiazepines but not by RO 15-1788.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Muscarinic receptors modulate dopamine-activated adenylate cyclase of rat striatum.

We investigated the effect of acetylcholine (ACh) on the activation of adenylate cyclase by dopamine (DA) in a lysed synaptosomal preparation from rat striatum. ACh reduced both basal and the DA-activated adenylate cyclase with an apparent IC50 of approximately 1 microM. From a kinetic analysis it appeared that ACh reduced the Vmax for activation by DA but not the activation constant for DA. For most preparations the Vmax was reduced by 30-40%. The presence of atropine did not affect the activation of the enzyme by DA but it blocked the inhibition by ACh. Following 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway, the enzyme became supersensitive to activation by DA and also more sensitive to inhibition by ACh. Inhibition of adenylate cyclase by ACh appeared to be rather specific for activation by DA, as ACh had no effect on activation of adenylate cyclase by the adenosine analogue N6-(L-2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine. These results indicate that some striatal muscarinic and dopaminergic receptors are probably coupled to the same adenylate cyclase domain. Moreover, they suggest a biochemical model for the dynamic balance of cholinergic and dopaminergic neurons that innervate the striatum.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1983

Characterization and location of Met5-enkephalin-arg6-phe7 stored in various rat brain regions.

A specific antiserum against met5-enkephalin-arg6-phe7 was raised and used to study the distribution and characterization of met5-enkephalin-arg6-phe7-like immunoreactive material in rat brains by radioimmunoassay and immunohistochemical procedures. The antiserum appears to be directed to the COOH-terminus of the peptide, as it fails to cross-react with met5-enkephalin, met5-enkephalin-arg6, met5-enkephalin-arg6-arg7, met6-enkephalin-lys6, and leu-enkephalin. However, it cross-reacts with phe-met-arg-phe by about 10% and with phe-met-arg-phe-NH2 to an insignificant degree. The highest content of met5-enkephalin-arg6-phe7 was found in the striatum, which contains a dense network of immunoreactive varicose fibers and terminals, as well as immunoreactive cell bodies. The met5-enkephalin-arg6-phe7 in striatum can be released in a Ca2+-dependent manner by a depolarizing concentration of KCl, raising the possibility of a neuroregulatory role for met5-enkephalin-arg6-phe7. Characterization of the immunoreactive material by gel filtration and high pressure liquid chromatography revealed the presence of multiple forms of immunoreactive material in some brain regions.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Serotonin-elicited amplification of adenylate cyclase activity in hippocampal membranes from adult rat.

The activity of the adenylate cyclase located in membranes prepared from hippocampus of adult rat can be stimulated by serotonin (5-HT) (Ka = 4 X 10(-7) M). The maximal effect is obtained with 10 microM 5-HT. Freezing of the tissue decreases the 5-HT stimulation; this stimulation is optimal in the presence of 82.5 mM Tris-maleate buffer (pH 7.4) and 50 microM GTP. The adenylate cyclase activity of membranes prepared from cortex, hypothalamus, and colliculi of adult rats is not significantly stimulated by 5-HT. Dopamine (DA) also stimulates adenylate cyclase located in hippocampal membranes; its effect can be blocked by haloperidol (10(-6) M), which fails to inhibit 5-HT stimulation. Moreover, p-chlorophenylalanine treatment for 2 weeks or selective lesion of 5-HT axons afferent to the hippocampus increases the Vmax of 5-HT stimulation, but fails to change that of DA stimulation. The 5-HT stimulation can be inhibited by metergoline, spiroperidol, and pizotyline (10(-6) M), but not by the same concentrations of mianserin, ketanserine, alprenolol, phenoxybenzamine, and mepyramine. The 5-HT stimulation of adenylate cyclase of hippocampal membranes can be mimicked by tryptamine, 5-methoxytryptamine, bufotenine, and to a lesser extent by LSD; N-methyltryptamine, N-methyltryptophan, and 5-hydroxytryptophan are inactive. Studies with kainic acid suggest that the 5-HT recognition site (5-HT1) linked to adenylate cyclase is located on the membrane of intrinsic hippocampal neurons.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1983

Cotransmitters: pharmacological implications.

The discovery that two or more neuroactive substances coexist in the same nerve terminal suggests that two or more neuroactive compounds can be released by nerve impulses simultaneously and probably act cooperatively at postsynaptic sites. This interaction changes the models of synaptic transmission we have used in the past and imposes a reevaluation of current understanding of synaptic pharmacology. Neuroactive substances co-existing in the same axon terminal can function as "primary transmitter" if they activate the receptor-transducer system or as "cotransmitter" if they modulate the gain of the system. Two examples of synaptic mechanisms in which two neuroactive substances coexisting in the same axon terminal appear to function as primary transmitter and cotransmitter are discussed. These examples are: 1. the modulation of the function of nicotinic receptors of chromaffin cells by endogenous opiate peptides stored in the splanchnic nerve and 2. the modulation of GABA receptor function by benzodiazepines. The understanding of the mechanisms by which primary transmitter and cotransmitter interact at the postsynaptic site may be of obvious importance in elucidating the integrative and discriminative function of the nervous system, in interpreting the action of drugs and in developing new therapeutic agents devoid of untoward side effects.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Involvement of a high-affinity GTPase in the inhibitory coupling of striatal muscarinic receptors to adenylate cyclase.

The stimulation of GTP hydrolysis has been proposed as a mechanism by which hormones inhibit receptor-coupled adenylate cyclase activity. The present study attempts to verify whether this mechanism is also operative in transmitter-mediated receptor-coupled attenuation of adenylate cyclase [ATP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.1] located in synaptic plasma membrane preparations. As a model, we used the inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity by muscarinic receptor activation in rat striatum. This striatal preparation contains high-affinity GTPase (EC 3.6.1-) activity which is stimulated when the recognition site for muscarinic agonists is occupied. Acetylcholine (ACh), but not nicotine, increases the Vmax of the high-affinity GTPase, and the stimulatory effect is antagonized by atropine but not by d-tubocurarine. The rank order of potency of various cholinergic agonists to stimulate GTPase correlates with their ability to inhibit adenylate cyclase activity of striatal membranes. Pre-exposure of striatal membranes to guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) causes a parallel decrease in the basal and ACh-stimulated GTPase activities and in the ACh-induced inhibition of adenylate cyclase. Treatment of the membranes with cholera toxin does not affect the ACh-stimulated GTPase activity but amplifies the extent of adenylate cyclase inhibition elicited by the cholinergic agonist. These results indicate that the stimulation of a high-affinity GTPase parallels the inhibitory coupling of central muscarinic receptors to adenylate cyclase.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1983

Adenylate cyclase activity of synaptic membranes from rat striatum. Inhibition by muscarinic receptor agonists.

Acetylcholine inhibits, by 30-40%, the basal adenylate cyclase activity of purified synaptic plasma membranes prepared from rat striatum (EC50 = 3 microM). Cholinergic receptor agonists inhibit this cyclase activity with the following rank order of potency: oxtremorine greater than acetylcholine greater than arecoline greater than methacholine greater than or equal to muscarine greater than or equal to carbachol greater than bethanechol. Nicotine fails to inhibit the cyclase, and d-tubocurarine fails to inhibit the action of cholinergic drugs. In contrast, atropine and scopolamine antagonize the effect of acetylcholine. The enzyme inhibition elicited by acetylcholine requires the presence of GTP, and disappears after intrastriatal injection of kainic acid. From these results, we infer that striatal adenylate cyclase can be modulated by muscarinic receptors.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed1983

Immunohistochemical localization of bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide and substance P in primary sensory neurons.

The existence of bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide-like immunoreactivity (BN-GRP-LI) in rat sensory ganglia and spinal cord was confirmed using immunocytochemistry, gel filtration chromatography, and high performance liquid chromatography combined with radioimmunoassay. Immunohistochemical studies showed that in the spinal sensory ganglia of the rat about 5% of the neurons exhibited BN-GRP-LI, whereas about 20% of the neurons exhibited substance P-like immunoreactivity (SP-LI). The two immunoreactivities were found in different cells, but both were located in small ganglion cells. In the posterior horn of the spinal cord, BN-GRP-LI and SP-LI were located in the superficial layers, and this distribution was different from that of Met5-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity. The results are in agreement with the concept that there is a primary sensory pathway from the sensory ganglia to the spinal cord which contains BN-GRP-LI and that these neurons are separate from those containing substance P. In extracts prepared from spinal ganglia, two molecular weight forms of BN-GRP-LI were found using gel filtration chromatography. The high molecular weight form coeluted with porcine GRP and the low molecular weight form was smaller than bombesin. The low molecular weight BN-GRP-LI extracted from spinal cord was more hydrophilic than bombesin or ranatensin.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

In GH3 pituitary cells, acetylcholine and vasoactive intestinal peptide antagonistically modulate adenylate cyclase, cyclic AMP content, and prolactin secretion.

In GH3 pituitary cell homogenates, acetylcholine (ACh) (IC50 200 nM) inhibits adenylate cyclase [ATP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.1] activity in a concentration- and GTP-dependent manner. Maximal inhibition was obtained with 10 microM ACh and corresponded to approximately a 50% decrease in basal enzyme activity. ACh inhibition is antagonized by atropine and is mimicked by muscarinic receptor agonists, but not by nicotine. ACh reduces the adenylate cyclase stimulation by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), without changing its EC50. In intact GH3 cells, ACh decreases the cyclic AMP content and the rate of prolactin release in a concentration-dependent manner. When the cells are simultaneously exposed to VIP and ACh, the VIP-induced increases in cyclic AMP accumulation and prolactin release are reduced by 80% and 40%, respectively. The potency of VIP is not significantly changed by the presence of ACh, and vice versa.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1983

Simultaneous modulation of hippocampal cholinergic activity and extinction by intraseptal muscimol.

The relationship between regulation of acetylcholine metabolism in the septal-hippocampal pathway and extinction of a food reinforced lever press response was investigated by comparing the turnover rate of acetylcholine (TRACh) in the rat hippocampus with the amount of responding during extinction after intraseptal injection of the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor agonist muscimol. Doses (0.3-3.0 nmol) which decreased the TRACh in the hippocampus also increased the responding during extinction over that of saline controls. Responding during the continuous reinforcement schedule before extinction was also increased, but to a lesser extent. Higher doses (10-30 nmol) further decreased the TRACh in the hippocampus, decreased it in the cortex and were accompanied by irregular responding and sedation. The TRACh in the hippocampus was also measured in drug-free rats undergoing extinction after training on a continuous reinforcement or variable interval 60 sec reinforcement schedule. Although the variable interval 60 sec reinforcement schedule rats responded more than the continuous reinforcement rats during extinction, there were no differences between the TRACh in the hippocampus. The present results indicate that the decrease in the hippocampal TRACh which is produced by intraseptal muscimol is accompanied by an increase in the response rate during extinction, but that operantly induced differences in this behavior are not accompanied by detectable changes in hippocampal TRACh.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1983

Modulation of nicotinic receptor function by opiate recognition sites highly selective for Met5-enkephalin[Arg6Phe7].

Adrenal medullary cells contain opiate recognition sites that cannot be classified with any of the accepted conventional criteria. In primary cultures of bovine adrenal chromaffin cells, stimulation of nicotinic receptors by acetylcholine causes an increase in the release of catecholamines. When the action of acetylcholine is studied in the presence of opiate receptor agonists, the acetylcholine secretory action is curtailed. The action of the opiates is stereoselective and is blocked by naloxone and diprenorphine. The blocking activity of each opiate correlates with its Ki for the displacing of [3H]etorphine bound to specific recognition sites of adrenal medulla. Enkephalin-like opiate peptides are stored in the splanchnic nerves; they appear to act as a cotransmitter because they decrease the gain at which nicotinic receptors operate. This regulation appears to involve a down-regulation of the nicotinic receptor recognition sites because these opiate peptides elicit a decrease in the Bmax of the specific binding to adrenal medullary membranes of a radioactive fraction of alpha-bungarotoxin, a compound that inhibits the action of acetylcholine in releasing catecholamines from chromaffin cells.

Acetylcholine↗