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K R Chien

Publications and source records attributed to K R Chien.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Reduced arachidonate metabolism in ATP-depleted myocardial cells occurs early in cell injury.

Exposure of cultured neonatal rat myocardial cells to metabolic inhibitors results in cellular ATP depletion. If prolonged, arachidonic acid is released from membrane phospholipid and irreversible cell injury may ensue. The present study was undertaken to identify the major products of arachidonic acid formed when myocardial cells are depleted of ATP by the metabolic inhibitors 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) and oligomycin (OG). Under basal conditions, myocardial cells metabolize [3H]arachidonic acid to 6-keto-[3H]prostaglandin (PG)F1 alpha, [3H]PGE2, [3H]PGF2 alpha, 12-[3H]hydroxy-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (12-[3H]HETE) and 11-[3H]HETE, indicating that these cells contain both cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways. After exposure of myocardial cells to 10 mM 2-DG and 0.1 micrograms/ml OG for 4 h, the basal release of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and PGE2 is reduced by 3.4-fold and 2-fold, respectively. Supernatants obtained from cells prelabeled with [3H]arachidonic acid and treated with 2-DG and OG for 4 or 12 h did not contain detectable [3H]prostaglandins or [3H]HETEs, but only [3H]arachidonic acid when compared with untreated cells. After 4 and 12 h of treatment with 2-DG and OG, there was a 3.4- and 4.4-fold net release of endogenous arachidonic acid from treated compared with untreated cells. When stimulated with bradykinin, melittin (a phospholipase activator), or arachidonic acid, the synthesis of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha increased to a similar extent in both 2-DG- and OG-treated and -untreated cells. Hence, ATP-depleted myocardial cells do not convert arachidonic acid to oxygenated metabolites under basal conditions. The reduced arachidonic acid metabolism during ATP depletion is not due to direct inactivation of cyclooxygenase or membrane phospholipase. This impairment in arachidonic acid metabolism may represent an early event in myocardial cell injury.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1990

Effects of calcium loading and impaired energy production on metabolic and ultrastructural features of cell injury in cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes.

We evaluated the contributions of calcium loading and impaired energy production to metabolic and ultrastructural manifestations of cell injury in a cultured neonatal rat ventriculocyte model. Direct calcium loading was produced by incubation in K(+)-free medium to inhibit the Na+,K(+)-ATPase and promote Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange, and inhibition of energy metabolism was produced by incubation with 30 microM iodoacetic acid (IAA). Measurements were made of total cell calcium, [3H] arachidonic acid (AA) release (an index of membrane phospholipid degradation), ATP, and ultrastructural features of cell damage. Inhibition of the Na(+),K(+) pump resulted in the rapid onset of cellular calcium loading, increased [3H]AA release, and moderate ATP reduction. After return to control medium for 24 hours, myocytes previously exposed to K(+)-free medium for 1 hour showed recovery of ATP level and little additional [3H]AA release. However, after 2 to 3 hours of calcium loading, the ATP level remained moderately depressed, residual [3H]AA release was greater, and a mixed population of relatively normal and severely damaged myocytes was observed by electron microscopy. IAA treatment for 1 hour resulted in moderate ATP reduction without calcium accumulation or [3H]AA release, whereas IAA treatment for 3 hours resulted in marked ATP reduction associated with calcium accumulation and [3H]AA release. Reversal experiments showed substantial recovery of ATP level after 1 hour of IAA exposure, and marked ATP depression and [3H]AA release associated with widespread irreversible injury after 3 hours. Thus, the data indicate that increased calcium accumulation itself can initiate accelerated membrane phospholipid degradation, but that progression to irreversible injury is influenced by other factors, including the magnitude of ATP depression associated with calcium loading.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1989

Structure, organization, and expression of the rat cardiac myosin light chain-2 gene. Identification of a 250-base pair fragment which confers cardiac-specific expression.

The present study characterized the structure, organization, and expression of the rat cardiac myosin light chain (MLC) -2 gene. The rat cardiac MLC-2 gene has seven exons which display complete conservation with the exon structure of the rat fast twitch skeletal MLC-2 gene. A 250-base pair (bp) sequence of the 5'-flanking region contains CArG motifs and additional cis elements, each greater than 10 bp in length, which were conserved in sequence and relative position with the chick cardiac MLC-2 gene. A series of MLC-2/luciferase fusion genes consisting of nested 5' deletions of the MLC-2 5'-flanking region were constructed and transfected into primary neonatal rat myocardial cells and a non-myocardial cell line (CV-1), demonstrating that this 250 bp of the MLC-2 5'-flanking region was sufficient to confer cardiac specific expression on a luciferase reporter gene. This study suggests the presence of important proximal regulatory sequences in the MLC-2 5'-flanking region which are capable of directing the cardiac specific expression of the rat cardiac myosin light chain-2 gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Expression of diverse Na+ channel messenger RNAs in rat myocardium. Evidence for a cardiac-specific Na+ channel.

This study examined the diversity of Na+ channel gene expression in intact cardiac tissue and purified myocardial cells. The screening of neonatal rat myocardial cell cDNA libraries with a conserved rat brain Na+ channel cDNA probe, resulted in the isolation and characterization of a putative rat cardiac Na+ channel cDNA probe (pCSC-1). The deduced amino acid sequence of pCSC-1 displayed a striking degree of homology with the eel, rat brain-1, and rat brain-2 Na+ channel, thereby identifying pCSC-1 as a related member of the family of Na+ channel genes. Northern blot analysis revealed the expression of a 7-kb CSC-1 transcript in rat cardiac tissue and purified myocardial cells, but little or no detectable expression of CSC-1 in rat brain, skeletal muscle, denervated skeletal muscle, or liver. Using RNase protection and Northern blot hybridization with specific rat brain Na+ channel gene probes, expression of the rat brain-1 Na+ channel was observed in rat myocardium, but no detectable expression of the rat brain-2 gene was found. This study provides evidence for the expression of diverse Na+ channel mRNAs in rat myocardium and presents the initial characterization of a new, related member of the family of Na+ channel genes, which appears to be expressed in a cardiac-specific manner.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Association between inhibition of arachidonic acid release and prevention of calcium loading during ATP depletion in cultured rat cardiac myocytes.

The development of irreversible myocardial ischemic injury is associated with progressive degradation of membrane phospholipids, accumulation of arachidonate and other free fatty acids, and electrolyte derangements, including calcium accumulation. To study the relationship between arachidonate release and calcium loading during adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion in cardiac myocytes, the effects of two purported phospholipase inhibitors, mepacrine and U26,384, were evaluated. Cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes were pretreated for 90 minutes with 5 to 10 microM U26,384 (a steroidal diamine) or 10 to 50 microM mepacrine (an alkyl acridine) and then treated for 3 hours with 30 microM of the metabolic inhibitor, iodoacetic acid (IAA), with or without an additional dose of drug. IAA treatment resulted in a marked reduction in ATP level and a several-fold increase in free fatty acid radioactivity released from myocytes prelabeled with tritiated arachidonic acid (3H-AA). U26,384 produced substantial inhibition of the increased 3H-AA release, and was effective when given as a single pretreatment dose before IAA exposure or as continuous treatment before and during IAA exposure (for example, with 5 microM U26,384, the percentage of 3H-AA release versus IAA alone was 8% +/- 2% [SEM] [N = 15] for pretreatment only and 13% +/- 4% [N = 10] for continuous treatment). Mepacrine also resulted in significant reduction in 3H-AA release, but was more effective when given as continuous treatment (for example, with 50 microM mepacrine, the percentage of 3H-AA release versus IAA alone was 43% +/- 9% [N = 6] for pretreatment only and 22% +/- 7% [N = 9] for continuous treatment). More detailed analysis showed that U26,384 and mepacrine blocked the IAA-induced redistribution of 3H-AA into free fatty acids from other lipid species. Electron probe x-ray microanalysis of freeze-dried cryosections revealed marked electrolyte derangements in myocytes exposed to IAA, including a 24-fold increase in cellular Ca, a four fold increase in cellular Na, and a seven fold decrease in cellular K, and associated changes in cytoplasm and mitochondria. U26,384 treatment markedly reduced these electrolyte abnormalities, and maintained normal Ca levels in some protocols. Mepacrine treatment was less effective, but did produce normal Ca levels in 50% of myocytes. Prevention of IAA-induced cellular hypercontraction and blebbing also was observed. These data support the hypothesis that reduction of free fatty acid accumulation by inhibition of accelerated phospholipid degradation is associated with protection of myocytes from calcium loading and morphologic damage during inhibition of ene

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1988

Terminally differentiated neonatal rat myocardial cells proliferate and maintain specific differentiated functions following expression of SV40 large T antigen.

Early in neonatal development, differentiated myocardial cells lose their ability to proliferate, and further enlargement of the heart occurs through hypertrophy of existing cardiac muscle cells. To study the process of myocardial growth and hypertrophy we have recently utilized a neonatal rat myocardial cell model (Lee, H. R., Henderson, S. A., Reynolds, R., Dunnmon, P., Yuan, D., and Chien, K. R. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 7352-7538). The present study was designed to determine if the expression of SV40 large T antigen would be capable of restoring the proliferative capacity of terminally differentiated neonatal rat myocardial cells. Utilizing a replication-defective recombinant human adenovirus which contains an SV40 early T antigen insert, maximal expression of T antigen was achieved at 24-48 h postinfection, with over 85-90% of the cells displaying positive T antigen staining. Furthermore, the expression of the T antigen-induced proliferation of the myocardial cells without the loss of expression of certain differentiated properties, including myosin light chain expression and assembly into organized myofibrils, spontaneous contractile activity, and a chronotropic response to adrenergic agonists. These results demonstrate the utility of recombinant human adenoviruses to achieve high efficiency transient expression of foreign genes in differentiated myocardial cells and suggest that the expression of T antigen may provide a suitable model to study the biochemical events which are required to maintain the proliferative capacity of myocardial cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation of cardiac gene transcription in neonatal rat myocardial cells. Effects on myosin light chain-2 gene expression.

Previous studies have demonstrated that alpha-adrenergic stimulation of cultured, neonatal rat myocardial cells results in an increase in intracellular volume and protein content of cultured neonatal rat myocardial cells. Utilizing this model of cardiac hypertrophy, we have examined the effects of alpha-adrenergic stimulation on the accumulation of sarcomeres and the expression of a rat cardiac myofibrillar gene, myosin light chain-2 (MLC-2). Following alpha-adrenergic stimulation, cultured myocardial cells displayed a severalfold increase in the number of sarcomeric units, as assessed by electron microscopy, an increase in cellular MLC-2 content, and a 2-3 fold increase in the steady state levels of MLC-2 mRNA. This effect of alpha-adrenergic stimulation was accompanied by a 2-3-fold increase in total transcriptional activity, which was dependent on the concentration and duration of exposure to the agonist, and displayed alpha 1-adrenergic receptor specificity. The transcriptional response was not immediate, with a lag period of at least 1 h, and a maximal effect required continuous occupancy of the receptor. The increase in steady state levels of MLC-2 mRNA is regulated, in part, at the level of transcription of the cardiac MLC-2 gene. These results suggest that alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation may be important in the growth of the neonatal heart through the activation of total transcriptional activity. In addition, increases in the levels of myofibrillar proteins during myocardial cell growth and hypertrophy, may be mediated in part by the stimulation of transcription of myofibrillar genes.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Inhibition of the release of arachidonic acid prevents the development of sarcolemmal membrane defects in cultured rat myocardial cells during adenosine triphosphate depletion.

Previous studies have suggested that phospholipid degradation is closely associated with the development of sarcolemmal membrane injury. This study was initiated to characterize the effects of synthetic inhibitors of phospholipase activities using a cultured myocardial cell model in which arachidonic acid is liberated after treatment with the metabolic inhibitor, iodoacetate. Pretreatment with a steroidal diamine (U26,384) blocked the degradation of labeled phosphatidylcholine and the release of arachidonic acid in cultured myocardial cells during ATP depletion. Inhibition of phospholipid degradation by U26,384 prevented the development of sarcolemmal membrane defects and the release of creatine kinase from the cultured myocardial cells during ATP depletion. Pretreatment with U26,384 had no significant effect on the extent of ATP depletion after iodoacetate treatment, which indicates that the activity of this compound could not be simply ascribed to a sparing effect on ATP concentration. These results support the hypothesis that the development of sarcolemmal membrane injury and the associated loss of cell viability are causally related to progressive phospholipid degradation. In addition, these studies indicate that the release of arachidonic acid during ATP depletion is associated with the net loss of the phosphatidylcholine molecule.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1987

Membrane phospholipid metabolism during myocardial ischaemia: past, present and future.

Alterations in myocardial membrane phospholipids may play an important role in the pathogenesis of ischaemic myocardial cell injury. Studies in canine myocardium, perfused rat heart, and cultured myocardial cells have demonstrated that the accumulation of free arachidonic acid correlates with the development of irreversible cell injury. Accumulation of other phospholipid hydrolysis products, including amphiphilic compounds such as lysophosphatidylcholine, has also been reported. The biochemical mechanisms which are responsible for phospholipid hydrolysis and arachidonic acid accumulation during ischaemia are unknown. This manuscript provides a synopsis of previous work in this field and suggests new directions for the field of myocardial phospholipid metabolism.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1987

Tissue plasminogen activator: from molecular biology to myocardial infarction.

The recent development of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator as a therapeutic agent during acute myocardial infarction is one of the most lucid examples of the potential impact of recombinant DNA technology in clinical medicine. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without several key discoveries in molecular biology and clinical cardiology and exemplifies the synergistic relationship between basic and clinical research. This article chronicles this journey from molecular biology to myocardial infarction.

Fibrinolysis↗
PubMed1986

Separation and quantitation of fatty acids by high-performance liquid chromatography.

To facilitate the determination of the fatty acid composition of tissues and the investigation of fatty acid metabolism, we developed a method for the rapid separation by high-performance liquid chromatography and quantitation (by ultraviolet light absorption) of p-bromophenyl esters of fatty acids which vary in chain length from 10 to 22 carbon atoms. The utility of the method was demonstrated by evaluating the fatty acid composition of human uterine decidua vera tissue and human endometrial stromal cells that are maintained in monolayer culture.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed1986

Heart myosin light chain 2 gene. Nucleotide sequence of full length cDNA and expression in normal and hypertensive rat.

We have isolated and characterized a cDNA recombinant plasmid (pRLC429) specific for the rat heart myosin light chain 2 (MLC2). The cDNA insert consists of 446 base pairs, including a 72-base pair segment of the 3'-untranslated region. Additional 5'-sequence, not present in plasmid pRLC429, was obtained by primer extension of the cDNA. The extended cDNA sequence combined with the plasmid pRLC429 sequence provided the codon information for the entire MLC2 polypeptide and partial sequences for the 3'- and 5'-noncoding regions of MLC2 mRNA. The predicted amino acid sequence for rat heart MLC2 showed a high homology with the sequences available for the chicken (83%) and human heart (80%) MLC2s. However, the homology between rat heart MLC2 and its counterpart in rat skeletal muscle is relatively low (67%). On the basis of the nuclease S1 protection assay with uniformly labeled single-stranded pRLC429 DNA, subcloned into M13mp18 phage vector, we conclude that the rat atrial muscle also contains MLC2 of the ventricular type. In an attempt to ascertain whether structural variants of MLC2 are expressed in hypertrophic heart muscle, we examined the RNAs from spontaneously hypertensive rat where there is a natural progression of hypertrophy associated with an increase in blood pressure. The RNA isolated from 7-, 13-, and 18-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rat hearts protected the same length DNA against S1 nuclease as was observed with RNAs from the age-matched normal rat hearts, suggesting that there is a single MLC2 gene transcript expressed in both the normal and hypertrophic heart muscle cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1986

Alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation of rat myocardial cells increases protein synthesis.

The effects of adrenergic stimulation on the rates of protein synthesis, degradation, and accumulation were examined in primary cultures of neonatal rat heart cells. Treatment of myocardial cells with norepinephrine increased total cellular protein content and the rate of incorporation of radiolabeled tyrosine into trichloroacetic acid insoluble protein. alpha 1-Adrenergic, but not alpha 2- or beta-adrenergic blockade, inhibited these norepinephrine induced increases. The rate of protein synthesis estimated from the kinetics of equilibrium labeling and from combined equilibrium and pulse labeling was increased by norepinephrine stimulation, whereas protein degradation estimated by release of previously incorporated radiolabeled tyrosine or in pulse-chase experiments was unaffected. To determine whether alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation produced similar effects on the turnover of myofibrillar proteins, rates of synthesis and degradation were estimated for a myofibrillar-enriched protein fraction and for myosin heavy chain and actin. Norepinephrine treatment produced increases in the synthesis of myofibrillar protein without significantly altering degradation rates. These experiments suggest that alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation increases myocardial cell protein content by accelerating protein synthesis.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1986

Accumulation of arachidonate in triacylglycerols and unesterified fatty acids during ischemia and reflow in the isolated rat heart. Correlation with the loss of contractile function and the development of calcium overload.

Alterations in triacylglycerol and phospholipid metabolism are known to occur during the evolution of myocardial ischemic injury. The purpose of this study was to explore potential relationships between the accumulation of arachidonic acid and other fatty acids, the accumulation of triacylglycerol, and the progression of myocardial injury. Measurements of the fatty acid levels in triacylglycerol, unesterified fatty acids, and calcium content were correlated with myocardial function during ischemia and ischemia with reflow in an isolated perfused rat heart preparation. After 10 minutes of ischemia in this model, myocardial dysfunction was reversible, with recovery of left ventricular +dP/dt to 82.0% +/- 4.8% of control values upon reperfusion. Hearts did not recover with reperfusion after 30 minutes of ischemia and displayed a significant increase in tissue calcium content. A significant, nearly threefold increase in the arachidonic acid content of triacylglycerol was found after 10 minutes of ischemia and continued to increase with longer periods of ischemia and reflow. Other fatty acids also showed increased levels in triacylglycerol. The time course of accumulation of unesterified arachidonic acid paralleled the loss of myocardial function. Levels of free arachidonic acid were (in nanomoles per gram wet weight) 11.1 +/- 2.1 (SEM) for control hearts, 17.3 +/- 1.9 after 10 minutes of ischemia, and 38.4 +/- 2.5 after 30 minutes of ischemia. Increases in other free fatty acids contributed to a significant increase in total free fatty acid accumulation after 30 minutes of ischemia. Thus, the content of arachidonic and other fatty acids in triacylglycerol was found to increase early during ischemia, and a major increase in free arachidonic and other unesterified fatty acids occurred after a longer period of ischemia. These findings are consistent with an initial reincorporation of free fatty acids into triacylglycerol after release from membrane phospholipids, suggesting that membrane fatty acids may be a major source of triacylglycerol that accumulates in ischemic myocardium. In addition, these results suggest that a major increase in free fatty acids during ischemia and ischemia with reflow correlates temporally with the development of severe contractile dysfunction and accumulation of calcium in the heart.

Animals↗