Intracellular signal transduction and the control of endothelial permeability.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J B Hoek.
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The effect of long-term ethanol intake on the structural and functional characteristics of rat skeletal-muscle mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum was investigated. Functionally, skeletal-muscle mitochondria were characterized by a high respiratory control index and ADP/O ratio and a high State-3 respiration rate with different substrates. These parameters were not significantly different in preparations from control and ethanol-fed rats, except for a small increase in the rate of oxidation of alpha-oxoglutarate/malate in the latter. In submitochondrial particles from the two groups of animals there was no significant difference in cytochrome content, ATPase activity or the activity of respiratory-chain complexes. Mitochondrial membranes from untreated and ethanol-fed rats showed no difference in the baseline e.s.r. order parameter, and both preparations were equally sensitive to disordering by ethanol in vitro. Similarly, sarcoplasmic-reticulum preparations were not significantly affected by long-term ethanol feeding with respect to Ca2(+)-ATPase activity or in baseline order parameter and susceptibility to membrane disordering by ethanol in vitro. These membranes were also equally sensitive to degradation by exogenous phospholipase A2. Ethanol feeding did not alter the class composition of mitochondrial or sarcoplasmic-reticulum membrane phospholipids, nor the acyl composition of individual phospholipid classes. Specifically, the changes in acyl composition that characteristically occur in liver microsomal phosphatidylinositol and liver mitochondrial cardiolipin were not observed in the corresponding phospholipids from skeletal-muscle membranes. In experiments where membrane preparations from liver and skeletal muscle from the same ethanol-fed animals were compared, the liver membranes developed membrane tolerance, with the muscle membranes retaining normal sensitivity to disordering effects by ethanol. It is concluded that: (a) different tissues from the same animals differ in their susceptibility to ethanol; (b) the tissue-specific lack of development of membrane tolerance correlates with a lack of chemical changes in the phospholipids and with a retention of normal function of mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum; (c) effects of chronic ethanol intake on muscle function are not due to a defect in the mitochondrial energy supply.
The effect of ethanol on receptor-mediated phospholipase C-linked signal transduction processes was investigated in isolated rat hepatocytes. Pretreatment of the cells with ethanol (6-300 mM) markedly inhibited a subsequent stimulation of phospholipase C by vasopressin, angiotensin II, or epidermal growth factor. By contrast, the effects of the alpha 1-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine and of glucagon were not affected by ethanol pretreatment. Ethanol inhibited the agonist-induced decrease in polyphosphoinositides, the formation of inositol phosphates, and the increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ levels, as detected with the intracellular Ca2+ indicator indo-1. The effects of ethanol were concentration dependent and were pronounced at low concentrations of agonists but were not significant at saturating levels. Pretreatment of the cells with the protein kinase C inhibitor H7 partly prevented the inhibition by ethanol of vasopressin-induced phospholipase C activation. By contrast, pretreatment of the cells with (Rp)-adenosine cyclic 3':5'-phosphorothioate [Rp)-cAMP-S), a competitive inhibitor of protein kinase A, potentiated the inhibitory effect of ethanol on the Ca2+ mobilization by vasopressin. (Rp)-cAMP-S similarly potentiated the inhibition of phospholipase C by the protein kinase C-activating phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). The kinase A inhibitor also made the Ca2+ mobilization by phenylephrine sensitive to ethanol, indicating that the formation of cAMP in the cells played a role in suppressing the sensitivity to ethanol. Pretreatment of the cells with ethanol enhanced the inhibitory effects of TPA on the vasopressin-induced phospholipase C activation at all concentrations of the hormone; however, these synergistic effects were prevented when TPA was added prior to ethanol, a condition that prevents the activation of phospholipase C by ethanol. The data indicate that ethanol causes desensitization of the receptor-mediated phospholipase C secondary to the ethanol-induced activation of phospholipase C and activation of protein kinase C. Ethanol treatment also affects the sensitivity of the phospholipase C system to control by protein kinases A and C. The data indicate that ethanol can affect the control of intracellular signal transduction processes in liver cells under physiologically relevant conditions.
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The activation of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C by ethanol was compared in hepatocytes isolated from ethanol-fed rats and from pair-fed control animals. Ethanol (100-300 mM) caused a dose-dependent transient increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ levels in indo-1-loaded hepatocytes from both groups of animals. The rate of Ca2+ increase was similar in hepatocytes from control and ethanol-fed rats, but the decay of the Ca2+ increase was somewhat slower in the latter preparation. The ethanol-induced Ca2+ increase caused activation of glycogen phosphorylase, with 50% response at 50 mM-ethanol and a maximal response at 150-200 mM-ethanol, not significantly different in hepatocytes from control and ethanol-fed animals. Ins(1,4,5)P3 formation in response to ethanol (300 mM) or vasopressin (2 nM or 40 nM) was also similar in the two preparations. It is concluded that long-term ethanol feeding does not lead to an adaptive response with respect to the ethanol-induced phospholipase C activation in rat hepatocytes. The ability of ethanol in vitro to decrease membrane molecular order in liver plasma membranes from ethanol-fed and control rats was measured by e.s.r. Membranes from ethanol-fed animals had a significantly lower baseline order parameter compared with control preparations (0.313 and 0.327 respectively), indicative of decreased membrane molecular order. Addition of 100 mM-ethanol significantly decreased the order parameter in control preparations by 2.1%, but had no effect on the order parameter of plasma membranes from ethanol-fed rats, indicating that the plasma membranes had developed tolerance to ethanol, similar to other membranes in the liver. Thus the membrane structural changes associated with this membrane tolerance do not modify the ethanol-induced activation of phospholipase C. The transient activation of phospholipase C by ethanol in hepatocytes may play a role in maintaining an adaptive phenotype in rat liver.
Recent studies from our laboratory (Ponnappa et al. (1988) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 966, 390-402), indicate that in the pancreas of rats fed ethanol chronically, an overnight withdrawal of ethanol stimulated the rate of protein synthesis in vivo, whereas, during continuous ethanol ingestion, the rate of protein synthesis was the same as in the control group which did not receive ethanol. However, a stimulation of protein synthesis was also observed when isolated acini were prepared from the pancreas of continuously ethanol-fed rats. In the present studies, preparations of pancreatic lobules were used to further characterize the stimulatory effect observed in the ethanol-fed group. The rate of protein synthesis was studied in vitro by determining the rate of incorporation of [3H]leucine into proteins. Similar to in vivo observations, chronic ethanol feeding did not alter the rate of protein synthesis, but an overnight withdrawal of ethanol stimulated the rate of protein synthesis by 84%. The stimulation of protein synthesis reflected a general enhancement in the rate of synthesis of most of the digestive enzymes ranging from 60 to 110%. The maximal stimulation of protein synthesis occurred within 24 h of ethanol withdrawal and the rates rapidly decreased to control levels within 3 days. During the overnight ethanol withdrawal there was also a 30-40% decrease in the activities of most of the pancreatic digestive enzymes. This observation indicates that ethanol withdrawal also initiated the secretion and/or degradation of pancreatic digestive enzymes in vivo. The observation that the enhanced rate of protein synthesis can be observed in isolated acini but not in vivo or in lobular preparations from the continuously ethanol-fed rats indicates that the pancreas contains factors which supress this stimulatory effect of ethanol intake. The stimulation of protein synthesis, brought about either by ethanol withdrawal or by collagenase digestion of the tissue, may reflect the removal of such factors.
Ethanol activates phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C in human platelets resulting in the mobilization of intracellular calcium and shape change (Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 260, 480-492, 1988). Preincubation of platelets with agents that increase levels of cAMP (i.e., forskolin, prostacyclin) inhibited these responses to ethanol in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect was potentiated by the phosphodiesterase inhibitor, isomethybutylxanthine. When added after ethanol, these agents also reversed platelet shape change and lowered cytosolic free calcium to basal levels. The results demonstrate a direct inhibitory effect of cAMP on the ethanol-induced activation of phospholipase C.
In recent years, ethanol has been shown to interact with membrane-associated signal transduction mechanisms which rely on the reaction of phospholipases with their phospholipid substrates in the membrane. In several cell and membrane preparations, ethanol activates the polyphosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C and triggers the complete battery of intracellular signalling responses that are characteristic for hormones acting through this pathway, including the formation of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate, the release of Ca2+ from intracellular storage sites with the consequent activation of cytosolic Ca2(+)-dependent enzymes, and the formation of diacylglycerol leading to the stimulation of protein kinase C. The activation of phospholipase C appears to be due to an interaction of ethanol with the intramembrane complex of receptor-G-protein-phospholipase C, presumably promoting the release of bound GDP and the binding of GTP to activate the G-protein which controls phospholipase C activity. In many intact cells, the phospholipase C is subject to a feedback inhibitory control by protein kinase C. In liver cells, ethanol also triggers this feedback inhibition, leading to a rapid decline in the phospholipase C activation; at the same time, ethanol also causes the desensitization of the response to vasopressin and other phospholipase C-linked agonists. At hormone concentrations in the physiological range, the heterologous desensitization by ethanol of the agonist-mediated phospholipase C activation may be a significant factor at ethanol concentrations that are readily attained in vivo. Further interaction of ethanol with the intracellular second messenger system is mediated through a hormone-sensitive phospholipase D. This enzyme uses phosphatidylcholine to generate phosphatidic acid which can be further converted to diacylglycerol. In the presence of ethanol the enzyme catalyzes the transphosphatidylation to phosphatidylethanol. It is not clear, however, under what conditions this process could affect the normal pattern of formation of second messenger molecules. After chronic ethanol intake, a tolerance can develop at the cellular level to the effects of ethanol on agonist-induced signal transduction processes. However, the mechanism by which this tolerance develops is currently a matter of conjecture. Studies on liver cells indicate that the activity of protein kinase C may play a role in the development of this type of tolerance to ethanol. A better understanding of the interaction of ethanol with these phospholipid-dependent signal transduction processes could point to mechanisms by which ethanol could interfere with physiological control mechanism in a variety of cells and tissues.
The change in the fluorescence properties of dioleoyl-N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)phosphatidylethanola mine (N-NBD-PE) as an indicator of the (liquid-crystalline) bilayer-to-non-bilayer hexagonalII (HII) phase transition has been investigated. Lipid bilayer systems which are known to undergo the bilayer-to-HII phase transition on addition of Ca2+ were compared with systems which can undergo aggregation and fusion but not HII phase formation. The former included Ca2+-triggered non-bilayer transitions in cardiolipin and in phosphatidylethanolamine mixed with phosphatidylserine. The latter type of system investigated included the addition of polylysine to cardiolipin and Ca2+ to phosphatidylserine. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy was used to confirm that under the experimental conditions used, the formation of HII phase was occurring in the first type of system, but not in the second, which was stable in the bilayer state. It was found that the fluorescence intensity of N-NBD-PE (at 1 mol% of the phospholipids) increased in both types of system, irrespective of the formation of the HII phase. A dehydration at the phospholipid head group is a common feature of the formation of the HII phase, the interaction of divalent cations with phosphatidylserine and the interaction of polylysine with lipid bilayers, suggesting that this may be the feature which affects the fluorescence properties of the NBD. The finding of a fluorescence intensity increase in systems lacking HII phase involvement clearly indicates that the effect is not unique to the formation of the HII phase. Thus, while offering high sensitivity and the opportunity to follow kinetics of lipid structural changes, changes in the N-NBD-PE fluorescence properties should be interpreted with caution in the study of the bilayer-to-HII phase transition.
Cultured rat hepatocytes were treated with potassium cyanide, an inhibitor of cytochrome oxidase; valinomycin, a K+ ionophore; carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), a protonophore; and the ATP synthetase inhibitor oligomycin. The effect of these agents on the viability of the cells was related to changes in ATP content and the deenergization of the mitochondria. The ATP content was reduced by over 90% by each inhibitor. All of the agents except oligomycin killed the cells within 4 h. With the exception of oligomycin, the mitochondrial membrane potential as measured by the distribution of [3H]triphenylmethylphosphonium collapsed with each of the agents. Monensin, a H+/Na+ ionophore, potentiated the toxicity of cyanide and CCCP, whereas the toxicity of valinomycin was reduced. The effect of cyanide and monesin on the cytoplasmic pH of cultured hepatocytes was measured with the fluorescent probe, 2',7'-biscarboxyethyl-5,6-carboxyfluorescein. Cyanide promptly acidified the cytosol, and the addition of 10 microM monensin caused a rapid alkalinization of the cytosol. A reduction of pH of the culture medium from 7.4 to 6.6 and 6.0 prevented the cell killing both by cyanide alone and by cyanide in the presence of monensin. However, neither monensin nor extracellular acidosis had any effect on the loss of mitochondrial energization in the presence of cyanide. It is concluded that ATP depletion per se is insufficient to explain the cell killing with cyanide, CCCP, and valinomycin. Rather, cell killing is better correlated with a loss of mitochondrial energization. With cyanide an intracellular acidosis interferes with the mechanism that couples collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential to lethal cell injury.
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The effect of chronic ethanol feeding on pancreatic protein synthesis was assessed by studying the rate of incorporation of [3H]leucine into proteins in isolated rat pancreatic acini in vitro. Chronic ethanol feeding increased the rate of protein synthesis (2-3-fold) compared to controls fed an isocaloric diet. The onset of the increase in protein synthesis was detectable 2 days after the beginning of ethanol feeding, reached a maximum after 7 days and remained constant for up to 4 months. The increased incorporation of [3H]leucine was not due to an increased turnover of proteins as measured in pulse-chase experiments. After separation of individual digestive enzymes by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and determination of the distribution of radioactivity in different proteins, a general increase in the rate of incorporation of the label into all of the proteins was observed. In contrast to the observations made with isolated acini, there was no significant difference between the control and ethanol-fed groups when the rate of pancreatic protein synthesis was measured in vivo. However, overnight withdrawal of ethanol led to an increase of approx. 70% in protein synthesis in the ethanol-fed group. These results suggest that chronic ethanol ingestion modifies the control of pancreatic protein synthesis; the enhanced protein synthesis is expressed in isolated acini, i.e., in the absence of physiological factors present during chronic ethanol ingestion and in vivo after ethanol withdrawal.
From the foregoing considerations, the energy-linked transhydrogenase reaction emerges as a powerful and flexible element in the network of redox and energy interrelationships that integrate mitochondrial and cytosolic metabolism. Its thermodynamic features make it possible for the reaction to respond readily to challenges, either on the side of NADPH utilization or on the side of energy depletion. Yet, the kinetic features are designed to prevent a wasteful input of energy when other sources of reducing equivalents to NADP are available, or to deplete the redox potential of NADPH in other than emergency conditions. By virtue of these characteristics, the energy-linked transhydrogenase can act as an effective buffer system, guarding against an excessive depletion of NADPH, preventing uncontrolled changes in key metabolites associated with NADP-dependent enzymes and calling on the supply of reducing equivalents from NAD-linked substrates only under conditions of high demand for NADPH. At the same time, it can provide an emergency protection against a depletion of energy, especially in situations of anoxia where a supply of reducing equivalents through NADP-linked substrates can be maintained. The flexibility of this design makes it possible that the functions of the energy-linked transhydrogenase vary from one tissue to another and are readily adjustable to different metabolic conditions.
In previous studies we have demonstrated that ethanol activates hormone-sensitive phospholipase C in intact human platelets, resulting in the mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ and platelet shape change. The present study aims to localize further this effect of ethanol by examining its interaction with the regulation of phospholipase C in a permeabilized cell system. In platelets permeabilized with a minimal concentration (18 micrograms/ml) of saponin, ethanol by itself did not activate phospholipase C. However, ethanol potentiated the activation of phospholipase C in response to the non-hydrolysable GTP analogue GTP[S] (guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate), an effect similar to that observed with thrombin. Ethanol also potentiated the response to fluoride, which acts directly on G-proteins. Other short-chain alcohols also stimulated phospholipase C in a synergistic manner with GTP[S]. The ability of specific alcohols to stimulate phospholipase C was directly related to their respective lipid-solubilities, as determined by their partition coefficients. Moreover, the potencies of each alcohol correlated with their ability to elicit Ca2+ mobilization and shape change in intact platelets. These effects of ethanol were eliminated by a disruption of receptor-phospholipase C coupling induced by the addition of higher concentrations of saponin. These data indicate that the activation of phospholipase C by ethanol may occur by affecting protein-protein interactions in the signal-transduction complex involving GTP-binding regulatory proteins.
Ethanol has been shown to mobilize intracellular calcium in isolated rat hepatocytes by activation of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C. However, addition of ethanol to 32P-labeled hepatocytes resulted in a rapid increase in the level of [32P]phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate over a period of 2 min, concomitant with a small decrease in [32P]phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and an increase in [32P]phosphatidic acid levels. These results indicate that polyphosphatidylinositol metabolism was stimulated by ethanol simultaneously with the activation of phospholipase C. Ethanol also caused a transient increase in the influx of extracellular calcium into quin 2-loaded hepatocytes over a similar period of time. The results demonstrate that ethanol, in common with calcium-mobilizing hormones, directly or indirectly stimulated polyphosphoinositide regeneration and allowed for increased movement of calcium across the hepatocyte plasma membrane.
Ethanol causes a transient activation of the phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C in intact hepatocytes and mimics the action of receptor-mediated agonists [Hoek, Thomas, Rubin & Rubin (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 682-691]. Preincubation of the hepatocytes with phorbol esters which activate protein kinase C prevented this effect of ethanol: phorbol ester treatment inhibited the ethanol-induced phosphorylase activation, the increase in intracellular free Ca2+ concentrations measured in quin 2-loaded hepatocytes, and the changes in concentrations of inositol phosphates, phosphoinositides and phosphatidic acid. Several lines of evidence indicate that these effects were mediated by protein kinase C. Phorbol esters acted in a concentration range where they activate protein kinase C; phorbol esters that do not activate protein kinase C were not effective in inhibiting the effects of ethanol. The permeant diacylglycerol oleoyl-acetylglycerol also inhibited the effects of ethanol, but other diacylglycerols were not effective in the intact cells. The inhibition of ethanol-induced Ca2+ mobilization by phorbol esters was prevented by preincubating the cells with the protein kinase C inhibitors 1-(5-isoquinolinesulphonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H7) and sphingosine. H7 also enhanced the Ca2+ mobilization induced by ethanol in cells that were not pretreated with phorbol esters, indicating that the transient nature of the ethanol-induced Ca2+ mobilization may be due to an activation of protein kinase C caused by the accumulation of diacylglycerol. These data support a model whereby ethanol activates the phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C, possibly by affecting receptor-G-protein-phospholipase C interactions in the membrane.