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F Schliess

Publications and source records attributed to F Schliess.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Modulation of the heme oxygenase HO-1 expression by hyperosmolarity and betaine in primary rat hepatocytes.

The influence of hyperosmotic shrinkage and the osmolyte betaine on heme oxygenase HO-1 expression was studied in cultured rat hepatocytes. Hyperosmolarity transiently suppressed HO-1 induction in response to hemin or medium addition at the levels of mRNA and protein expression. Pretreatment of the cells with betaine largely restored induction of both HO-1 mRNA and protein under hyperosmotic conditions. Exposure of HO-1-expressing hepatocytes to cycloheximide unraveled a hyperosmotic acceleration of HO-1 degradation which was counteracted by betaine and the proteolysis inhibitor MG-132. The HO-1 mRNA stability remained unaffected by hyperosmolarity and betaine as shown by application of the transcription inhibitor actinomycin D. The data suggest a modulation of HO-1 expression by hyperosmolarity and betaine at the transcriptional level and at the level of proteasomal degradation. Hyperosmotic suppression of HO-1 expression was accompanied by a moderate but significant loss of hepatocyte viability, which was prevented by betaine. The hyperosmotic impairment of hepatocyte viability was insensitive to betaine in presence of the heme oxygenase inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin IX. However, treatment of the hepatocytes with bilirubin or 8-Br-cGMP improved hepatocyte viability under hyperosmotic conditions to the control niveau. Thus, stabilizing HO-1 expression may contribute to hepatocyte protection against hyperosmotic stress by organic osmolytes.

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Cell hydration controls autophagosome formation in rat liver in a microtubule-dependent way downstream from p38MAPK activation.

Autophagic proteolysis in rat liver is under the control of the cellular hydration state. Because the morphological site of swelling-dependent proteolysis regulation has not yet been identified, the formation of autophagosomes was investigated with transmission electron microscopy in slices from perfused livers. In livers from fed rats, hypo-osmotic exposure (185 mosmol/l) led within 30 min to a decrease in fractional cytoplasmic autophagosome volume that was sensitive to colchicine and p38(MAPK) inhibition. Similarly, the decrease in autophagosome volume, but not the increase in cell volume caused by insulin or glutamine/glycine, was strongly inhibited by colchicine and SB 203580, an inhibition of p38(MAPK) activation. Immune complex assays from perfused liver showed that hypo-osmotic activation of p38(MAPK) was not inhibited by colchicine. Further, experiments using confocal laser microscopy in cultivated hepatocytes incubated with mouse-derived anti-(alpha-tubulin) showed that microtubular structures were not influenced by the inhibition of p38(MAPK) by SB 203580. It is concluded that the sequestration of autophagic vacuoles is a major site of proteolysis regulation by cell hydration. Swelling-induced activation of p38(MAPK) is required for this process and occurs upstream of the putative microtubule regulation site.

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Role of p38(MAPK) in cell volume regulation of perfused rat liver.

In perfused rat liver, hypoosmotic exposure (225 mosmol/L) leads to a volume-regulatory decrease by release of K(+), Cl(-) and HCO(3)(-) through Ba(2+)-, DIDS- and quinidine-sensitive ion channels. The underlying signal transduction mechanisms, however, are unknown. As hypoosmotic hepatocyte swelling leads to a rapid activation of extracellular signal regulated kinases (Erks) and of p38(MAPK), the role of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and PI-3-kinase in mediating the RVD in perfused rat liver was studied. The presence of the MEK inhibitor PD 098 059, which blocks the hypoosmotic activation of Erks, had no effect on the extent and time course of cell volume regulatory K(+) efflux. However, inhibitors of p38(MAPK) such as SB 203 580 and PD 169 316, but not their inactive analogue SB 202 474, significantly delayed and diminished the volume-regulatory K(+) efflux. Accordingly, in presence of these p38(MAPK) inhibitors, the hepatocytes remained in a more swollen state after completion of RVD. Inhibition of hypoosmotic Erk activation by pertussis or cholera toxin, erbstatin or genistein had no effect on RVD by hypoosmolarity. Likewise, neither inhibition of PI-3-kinase by wortmannin or LY 294 002 nor inhibition of S 6 phosphorylation by rapamycin nor protein kinase inhibition by H-7, H-89 or KT 5823 led to a significant change of RVD upon hypoosmolarity. The amount and time course of K(+) release by oxidative stress upon addition of t-BOOH or H(2)O(2) remained unaffected by inhibition of p38(MAPK) by SB 203 580, suggesting a specific inhibition of RVD-dependent K(+) release by this inhibitor. The findings suggest that swelling-induced activation of p38(MAPK), but not of Erks and PI-3-kinase, is involved in RVD in liver, whereas p38(MAPK) is apparently not involved in the net K(+) release induced by oxidative stress.

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Insulin resistance induced by loop diuretics and hyperosmolarity in perfused rat liver.

Insulin-induced cell swelling was recently suggested to reflect an independent signal for metabolic insulin effects such as inhibition of hepatic proteolysis, which is transmitted at the level of autophagosome formation via p38MAPK activation [Häussinger et al., Gastroenterology 116 (1999), 921-935]. Here, the role of insulin-induced cell swelling in the overall context of insulin signalling towards proteolysis inhibition was studied in perfused rat liver. Loop diuretics and hyperosmolarity, which impair insulin-stimulated cell swelling, strongly blunt Erk-2 and p38MAPK activation as well as proteolysis inhibition by insulin, but are without effect on insulin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of IR-beta and IRS-1. Inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3-kinase) also block insulin-induced cell swelling, MAP kinase activation and proteolysis inhibition, but the antiproteolytic response to hypoosmolarity remains unaffected. We suggest that PI3-kinase-mediated cell swelling induced by insulin is required to amplify the insulin signal to MAP kinases and thus proteolysis regulation. The perturbation of insulin-induced cell swelling may be of pathophysiological relevance for the development of insulin resistance in clinical situations associated with hyperosmotic dehydration and loop diuretic treatment.

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Phosphoinositide 3-kinase-dependent Ras activation by tauroursodesoxycholate in rat liver.

Ursodesoxycholic acid, widely used for the treatment of cholestatic liver disease, causes choleretic, anti-apoptotic and immunomodulatory effects. Here the effects on choleresis of its taurine conjugate tauroursodesoxycholate (TUDC), which is present in the enterohepatic circulation, were correlated with the activation of important elements of intracellular signal transduction in cultured rat hepatocytes and perfused rat liver. TUDC induced a time- and concentration-dependent activation of the small GTP-binding protein Ras and of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) in cultured hepatocytes. Ras activation was dependent on PI 3-kinase activity, without the involvement of protein kinase C- and genistein-sensitive tyrosine kinases. Ras activation by TUDC was followed by an activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases extracellular-signal-regulated kinase-1 (Erk-1) and Erk-2. In perfused rat liver, PI 3-kinase inhibitors largely abolished the stimulatory effect of TUDC on taurocholate excretion, suggesting an important role for a PI 3-kinase/Ras/Erk pathway in the choleretic effect of TUDC.

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Hypoosmolarity influences the activity of transcription factor NF-kappaB in rat H4IIE hepatoma cells.

The influence of anisoosmolarity on NF-kappaB binding activity was studied in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells. Hypoosmolarity induced a sustained NF-kappaB binding activity whereas the hyperosmotic NF-kappaB response was only minor. Hypoosmotic NF-kappaB activation was accompanied by degradation of the inhibitory IkappaB-alpha. Protein kinase C, PI(3)-kinase, reactive oxygen intermediates and the proteasome apparently participate in mediating the hypoosmotic effect on NF-kappaB. Hypoosmolarity plus PMA induced, amplified and prolonged IkappaB-alpha degradation and NF-kappaB binding activity. Transforming growth factor beta-induced apoptosis was diminished by hypoosmolarity. However, this anti-apoptotic effect was probably not related to NF-kappaB activation.

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Glucagon-induced expression of the MAP kinase phosphatase MKP-1 in rat hepatocytes.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Glucagon exerts pleiotropic effects on liver function, but the underlying signal transduction is incompletely understood. We investigated the effect of glucagon on the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase phosphatase MKP-1 expression. METHODS: The effect of glucagon on MKP-1 expression was studied in cultured rat hepatocytes. RESULTS: Glucagon (10-100 nmol/L) and 8-CPT-cAMP (10 or 50 micromol/L) stimulated in rat hepatocytes the expression of MKP-1 messenger RNA and protein, which became maximal within 30 minutes and declined to nearly basal levels after 60 minutes. MKP-1 induction by glucagon was sensitive to inhibition of adenylate cyclase and protein kinase A. The protein kinases G and C, Ca(2+), MAP kinases, reactive oxygen intermediates, and cellular dehydration were not involved in the glucagon-induced signaling to MKP-1. MKP-1 expression correlated with glucagon-induced antagonization of MAP kinase phosphorylation by epidermal growth factor in hepatocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The MKP-1 response to glucagon produces an additional level of interaction with MAP kinase-dependent processes, which may contribute to the regulation of liver function by glucagon or other cAMP-elevating agents.

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Cell hydration and insulin signalling.

Changes in cell hydration are critically important for the signalling towards metabolic responses to hormones, substrates and reactive oxygen intermediates. In liver insulin-induced cell swelling is due to a net K(+)-uptake resulting from the concerted activation of Na(+)/K(+)/2Cl(-) cotransport, Na(+)/H(+) exchange and the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase. Insulin-induced swelling is essential for generating the antiproteolytic response to the hormone, which depends on activation of the MAP-kinase p38. Recent investigations show, that cell swelling induced by either hypoosmolarity or insulin triggers the activation of signalling cascades. Cell swelling by insulin is Ptdins-3-kinase mediated and contributes to the activation of Erk- and p38-type MAP-kinases. Conditions dehydrating insulin target tissues such as hyperosmolarity or amino acid deprivation are frequently associated with insulin resistance. In liver, hyperosmolarity impairs the Ptdins-3-kinase-dependent K(+) uptake and cell swelling in response to insulin, leading to resistance of MAP-kinases and proteolysis to regulation by insulin. Likewise, a reduction of insulin-induced swelling by the loop diuretics furosemide and bumetanide cause insulin resistance shown by the levels of cell swelling, MAP-kinase activation and proteolysis control. Blockage of the cell volume response to insulin may be the common denominator in dehydration-induced insulin resistance found in clinical settings such as sepsis, burn injury and diabetes mellitus.

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Involvement of p38MAPK in the regulation of proteolysis by liver cell hydration.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Liver cell hydration is a major determinant of proteolysis control; however, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. METHODS: The role of mitogen-activated protein kinases for proteolysis control was studied in perfused rat liver. RESULTS: Hyposmolarity led to a rapid activation of Erk-2 and p38(MAPK), but not of c-Jun-N-terminal kinase 1. Likewise, isosmotic cell swelling induced by insulin, ethanol, or glutamine/glycine activated p38(MAPK). Inhibition of hyposmotic Erk activation by pertussis or cholera toxin, erbstatin, or genistein had no effect on the swelling-induced inhibition of proteolysis. Likewise, wortmannin, rapamycin, and okadaic acid were ineffective, but proteolysis recovery from hyposmotic inhibition was okadaic acid sensitive. SB203580, an inhibitor of p38(MAPK), abolished both the antiproteolytic effect of hyposmotic cell swelling and the hyposmolarity-induced inhibition of autophagic vacuole formation. Also, the antiproteolytic effect of isotonic cell swelling induced by ethanol, glutamine/glycine, or insulin was abolished by SB203580, but not the swelling potency of these agents. SB203580 had no effect on the cell hydration-independent control of proteolysis exerted by NH4Cl, asparagine, or phenylalanine. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest an important role of p38(MAPK) in the regulation of autophagic proteolysis by cell volume in liver.

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Osmotic regulation of the heat shock response in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells.

The influence of cell hydration on the heat shock response was investigated in H4IIE hepatoma cells at the levels of HSP70 expression, MAP kinase activation, induction of c-jun and the MAP kinase phosphatase MKP-1, heat resistance, and development of tolerance/sensitization to arsenite after a priming heat treatment. Induction of HSP70, MKP-1, and c-jun by heat was delayed, but more pronounced or sustained, under hyperosmotic conditions compared with normo- and hypo-osmotically exposed cells. Anisosmolarity per se was ineffective to induce HSP70; some expression of the mRNAs for MKP-1 and c-jun in response to hyperosmolarity was found, but was small compared with the response to heat. Heat-induced activation of JNK-1 was increased under hyperosmotic conditions and more sustained than the JNK-activity induced by hyperosmolarity at 37 degrees C. A prominent Erk-2 activation was found immediately after heat shock under hypo- and normo-osmotic conditions, but Erk-2 activation was weak in hyperosmolarity-exposed cells. Despite anisosmotic alterations of the heat shock response at the molecular level, the heat resistance of H4IIE cells toward heat shock was not affected by ambient osmolarity. However, an osmolarity-dependent sensitization to arsenite was induced by a priming heat shock. The osmodependence of the H4IIE cell response to heat differs from that recently found in primary rat hepatocytes. The data are discussed in terms of cellular adaption mechanisms and their physiological relevance.

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Activation of JNK and p38 but not ERK MAP kinases in human skin cells by 5-aminolevulinate-photodynamic therapy.

5-Aminolevulinate (ALA) photodynamic therapy (PDT) is being used clinically for the treatment of skin cancers. ALA is applied as a precursor of porphyrins serving as endogenous photosensitizers. Irradiation of HaCaT cells preincubated with 1 mM ALA for 24 h with red light of 570-750 nm at a dose of 4.5 J/cm2 leads to a 6-fold elevation of cellular c-Jun N-terminal kinase activity; phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is enhanced to a similar extent. In contrast, neither activation nor increased phosphorylation of the extracellular stimulus-regulated kinase MAPKs is detected. p38 is also phosphorylated by ALA-PDT in the human melanoma cell lines Bro and SkMel-23, applying doses that lead to 80-95% cell death after 24 h. Hence, the effects of ALA-PDT on MAPKs are similar to stresses like UV irradiation or exposure to hydrogen peroxide with respect to activation of JNK and p38 MAPKs. They are different, however, in that extracellular stimulus-regulated kinase activity is not raised by ALA-PDT. Of the 830 pmol porphyrins/mg protein that were present at 24 h in HaCaT cells, 99 pmol/mg were intracellular. When extracellular porphyrins had been removed by washing, p38 responses were retained. Thus, intracellular porphyrins synthesized from ALA are sufficient to elicit activation of p38 on photosensitization.

Aminolevulinic Acid↗

Activation of the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway by osmotic shock.

Numerous cytokines, growth, and differentiation factors elicit their intracellular responses via Janus tyrosine kinases (Jaks) and transcription factors of the STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription) family. Additionally, environmental stress (UV light, heat, aniso-osmolarity, and radicals) has recently been shown to activate intracellular signaling cascades such as the stress-activated protein kinases and nuclear factor-kappaB. In this study, we demonstrate that in different cell lines a particular stress, namely hyperosmolarity, results in tyrosine phosphorylation of the Janus kinases Jak1, Jak2, and Tyk2 and in the activation of STAT1 and/or STAT3. Both transcription factors are phosphorylated at a specific tyrosine residue and translocation to the nucleus was demonstrated by the use of a STAT3/green fluorescent protein fusion protein. A prominent role for Jak1 in the activation of STATs by hypertonicity was demonstrated by the use of Jak-deficient cell lines. Stress-activated STAT1 and STAT3 transactivate a reporter gene containing the acute-phase response element of the rat alpha2-macroglobulin promoter. Experiments using a diffusible solute suggest that not the increase in intracellular osmolarity but the resultant cell shrinkage is the trigger for Jak/STAT activation.

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Hyperosmotic induction of the mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase MKP-1 in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells.

The action of hyperosmotic stress on the MAP kinase phosphatase MKP-1 mRNA expression was studied in H4IIE rat hepatoma cells. Hyperosmotic (405 mosmol/L) challenge of the cells led to a transient expression of MKP-1 mRNA, which was maximal after 6-8 h and disappeared completely after 24 h. Hyperosmotic MKP-1 mRNA induction was preceded by a transient activation of the MAP kinases Erk-1, Erk-2, and JNK-2, which were not prerequisite for MKP-1 mRNA accumulation. However, the hyperosmolarity-induced MKP-1 mRNA expression was sensitive to antioxidants and to inhibition of p38 by SB203580. A reduced sensitivity of Erk-1/Erk-2 to other stimuli was found after prolonged hyperosmotic exposure. The data are consistent with a hyperosmolarity-induced MKP-1 expression via reactive oxygen intermediates and p38, which may participate in the termination of MAP kinase activation and contribute to desensitization of the MAP kinases after prolonged hyperosmotic exposure of the cells.

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Osmotic regulation of the heat shock response in primary rat hepatocytes.

The influence of cell hydration and taurine on the heat shock response was studied in primary rat hepatocytes. Heat-induced accumulation of inducible heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) mRNA and protein was increased under hypo-osmotic conditions. In contrast, hyper-osmotic exposure blocked the HSP70 response during an 8-hour recovery, and this was paralleled by a reduction of overall protein synthesis and an impairment of thermotolerance. Taurine counteracted the hyper-osmotic inhibition of heat-induced HSP70 expression, but increased overall protein synthesis only slightly. A rapid and transient activation of the stress-activated protein kinase, JNK-2, was triggered by hyper-osmolarity, whereas the JNK-2 response to hypo-osmolarity was delayed. JNK-2 activation in response to heat was suppressed by hypo-osmolarity, but was markedly increased under hyper-osmotic conditions. The latter effect was blocked by taurine. A pronounced induction of the mRNA for the MAP-kinase phosphatase, MKP-1, in response to heat was observed during hypo- and normo-osmolarity, but no MKP-1 induction was found under hyper-osmotic conditions, although hyper-osmolarity itself led to accumulation of small levels of MKP-1 mRNA. Also, the block of heat-induced MKP-1 mRNA expression by hyper-osmolarity was abolished in the presence of taurine. The data provide evidence for a role of cellular hydration and taurine in the protection of liver parenchymal cells against heat injury via regulation of HSP70 expression and the balance between JNK-2 and MKP-1 activity.

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