Biomedical subjects

W Paschen

Publications and source records attributed to W Paschen.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Polyamine metabolism in gliomas.

Biosynthesis of the polyamines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine has been found to be activated in tissues with cellular proliferation. In the present study we have investigated polyamine levels and the activity of the first rate-limiting enzyme ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in tumour samples obtained during operation of 202 patients with gliomas. Biochemical data were closely related to the grading of malignancy and to the morphological characteristics of each sample. Mean ODC activity was significantly higher in all gliomas as compared to peritumoural non-neoplastic brain. Furthermore, it was significantly higher (p < or = 0.001) in anaplastic gliomas who grade III and IV (9.0 +/- 9.6 nmol/g/h) than in gliomas WHO grade I and II (3.3 +/- 4.2 nmol/g/h). Highest enzyme activity (58.5 nmol/g/h) was found in solid and vital parts of malignant tumours, whereas predominantly necrotic areas exhibited low ODC activity (< 1 nmol/g/h). Thus, intra- and interindividual variability of ODC activity corresponded well to histomorphological heterogeneity in high-grade gliomas. Putrescine levels also increased with rising grade of malignancy, whereas spermidine and spermine levels did not correlate with the histological grading. In conclusion, high ODC activity represents a biochemical marker of malignancy in gliomas, but low values do not prove benignity. The present study reinforces the need of further and more extensive tumour sampling closely related to follow-up investigations in the heterogeneous group of gliomas.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Disturbances of calcium homeostasis within the endoplasmic reticulum may contribute to the development of ischemic-cell damage.

It is widely accepted that disturbances of calcium homeostasis play a key role in the development of cell damage produced by transient cerebral ischemia. It is believed that the sharp increase in cytosolic calcium activity during ischemia activates a cascade of calcium-dependent metabolic processes which ultimately destroy the integrity of the cell. However, it has never been taken into account that ischemic cell damage may, at least in part, be caused by a disturbance of calcium homeostasis within the endoplasmic reticulum after transient cerebral ischemia. In fact, depletion of the endoplasmic reticulum from calcium induces metabolic changes resembling, in many respects, those produced by transient cerebral ischemia: it causes an inhibition of the activity of the eucaryotic initiation factor elF-2 alpha (by phosphorylation), a disaggregation of polyribosomes and thus an inhibition of global protein synthesis, and an increased expression of certain genes such as transcription factors (c-fos and c-jun) and the glucose-related protein grp78. Finally, a depletion of calcium in the endoplasmic reticulum induces tissue damage within the brain and triggers apoptosis in neuronal and non-neuronal cells. It is therefore concluded that cell damage induced by transient ischemia may, at least in part, be caused by a disturbance of calcium homeostasis within the endoplasmic reticulum.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Susceptibility of hippocampal and cortical neurons to argon-mediated in vitro ischemia.

Neurons from cerebral cortex and hippocampal CA1 sector exhibit a striking difference in vulnerability to transient ischemia. To establish whether this difference is due to the inherent (pathoclitic) properties of these neurons, the ischemic susceptibility was studied in primary cortical and hippocampal cultures by using a new model of argon-induced in vitro ischemia. Neuronal cultures were exposed at 37 degrees C for 10-30 min to argon-equilibrated glucose-free medium. During argon equilibration, Po2 declined to < 2.5 torr within 1 min and stabilized shortly later at approximately 1.3 torr. After 30 min of in vitro ischemia, total adenylate was < 45% and ATP content < 15% of control in both types of culture. Cytosolic calcium activity increased from 15 to 50 nM. Reoxygenation of cultures after in vitro ischemia led to delayed neuronal death, the severity of which depended on the duration of in vitro ischemia but not on the type of neuronal cultures. Energy charge of adenylate transiently returned to approximately 90% of control after 3 h, but ATP content recovered only to 40% and protein synthesis to < 35%. Cytosolic calcium activity continued to rise after ischemia and reached values of approximately 500 nM after 3 h. The new argon-induced in vitro ischemia model offers major advantages over previous methods, but despite this improvement it was not possible to replicate the differences in cortical and hippocampal vulnerability observed in vivo. Our study does not support the hypothesis that selective vulnerability is due to an inherent pathoclitic hypersensitivity.

Adenine Nucleotides↗

PubMed1996

Depletion of neuronal endoplasmic reticulum calcium stores by thapsigargin: effect on protein synthesis.

We have used thapsigargin (TG), a specific, irreversible inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+)-ATPases, and caffeine, an agonist of the ryanodine receptor, to study the effect of emptying of ER calcium stores on protein synthesis in neuronal cells. TG at 1 microM caused a permanent inhibition of protein synthesis in hippocampal slices from 3-week-old rats but no inhibition in slices prepared from 2-month-old animals. Caffeine at 10 mM caused a reduction of protein synthesis in both 3-week- and 2-month-old rats immediately after exposure, but complete recovery of protein synthesis occurred within 30 min after treatment. In neuronal cells, TG produced an almost complete inhibition of protein synthesis that was only partially reversed over a 24-h recovery period. TG did not significantly affect neuronal ATP levels or energy charge. Fifty percent inhibition of protein synthesis was achieved with approximately 5 nM TG. Recovery of protein synthesis after TG treatment was significantly hindered when serum was omitted from the medium after TG exposure, suggesting that serum promotes recovery of ER calcium homeostasis. It is concluded that TG is a suitable tool for the study of the mechanisms of protein synthesis inhibition after transient cerebral ischemia. The possibility that disturbances in ER calcium homeostasis may contribute to the pathological process of ischemic cell death is discussed.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

RNA editing of glutamate receptor subunits GluR2, GluR5 and GluR6 in transient cerebral ischemia in the rat.

The mechanisms of ischemic cell damage are still not fully understood. It has been shown that alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionate (AMPA)/kainate receptor antagonists, such as 6-nitro-7- sulphamoyl-benzo-(f)-quinoxaline-2, 3-dione (NBQX), are neuroprotective in models of transient forebrain ischemia, even when applied during recovery, indicating that nonNMDA receptors may play a pivotal role in ischemic cell damage. In the present series of experiments, we studied whether transient cerebral ischemia causes changes in the extent of mRNA editing of AMPA/kainate receptor subunits, a reaction critical for the control of calcium flux through nonNMDA receptor ion channels. Transient cerebral ischemia was produced in rats using the four-vessel occlusion (4-VO) model. After 30 min of ischemia, brains were recirculated for 4, 8, or 24 h. Total RNA was extracted from the cortex, striatum, and hippocampus in order to analyze the extent of mRNA editing of the glutamate receptor subunits GluR2, GluR5, and GluR6. RNA was converted by reverse transcription into cDNA, which was used as a template for subunit-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify a product across the edited base A (A edited to I in the second transmembrane-spanning regions of GluR2, GluR5, and GluR6). PCR products were analyzed with the restriction enzyme Bbv 1, which recognizes the cDNA sequence GCAGC originating from unedited but not that originating from edited GluR2, GluR5, or GluR6 mRNA (GCGGC, the base I is read as G). Restriction digests were electrophoresed, and the bands visualized with ethidium bromide and then photographed. The extent of mRNA editing of the different subunits was quantified using image analysis and appropriate standards. In all control brains studied, GluR2 mRNA was completely edited and remained so after reversible cerebral ischemia. The extent of GluR5 mRNA editing was significantly upregulated in the striatum (from 39 +/- 6% in controls to 57 +/- 9 and 56 +/- 7 after 4 and 8 h of recovery, respectively, p < 0.05 versus control) but not in the cortex and hippocampus. The extent of GluR6 mRNA editing was significantly reduced after 24 h of recovery: in the cortex, from 92 +/- 1 to 78 +/- 6% (p < 0.01); in the striatum, from 91 +/- 2 to 79 +/- 1% (p < 0.001); and in the hippocampus, from 90 +/- 3 to 80 +/- 2% (p < 0.05). A significant reduction was already apparent in the striatum after 4 h of recovery (p < 0.05). Results indicate that mRNA editing is regulated differently in each of the glutamate receptor subunits GluR2, GluR5, and GluR6 after transient cerebral ischemia. The ischemia-induced upregulation of GluR5 mRNA editing observed in the striatum may be indicative of a higher sensitivity to transient ischemia of neurons that exhibit a large fraction of unedited GluR5 mRNA. This assumption is corroborated by the observation (Mackler and Eberwine, 1993) that GluR5 mRNA is completely unedited in neurons of the hippocampal CA1-subfield, a region most vulnerable to transient cerebral ischemia. Whether the decrease in GluR6 mRNA editing observed in all brain structures after ischemia results from a disturbance of the editing reaction or from glial proliferation will have to be established in further experiments. Studying ischemia-induced changes in mRNA editing of glutamate receptor subunits GluR5 and GluR6 may help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of ischemic cell damage.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Glutamate excitotoxicity in transient global cerebral ischemia.

The glutamate excitotoxicity hypothesis of ischemic cell damage holds that cell damage caused by transient cerebral ischemia is triggered by glutamate, released during ischemia from the intracellular compartment into the synaptic cleft: high extracellular glutamate levels activate ionotropic glutamate receptors, thus inducing an overflow of calcium ions into the neurones and a calcium-induced activation of catabolic processes. However, several arguments (and much of the evidence) in favour of this hypothesis do not bear closer examination. On the other hand, evidence is accumulating that, after transient ischemia, calcium fluxes through ionotropic glutamate receptors of the non-NMDA type may play a major role in the manifestation of ischemic cell damage. Calcium fluxes through non-NMDA receptors are determined by mRNA editing of non-NMDA receptor subunits: calcium fluxes are blocked in the presence of an edited subunit. A possible role of mRNA editing in the development of ischemic cell damage is discussed.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Comparison of biochemical disturbances in hippocampal slices of gerbil and rat during and after in vitro ischemia.

To elucidate the mechanisms of ischemic cell damage, biochemical disturbances developing during and following in vitro ischemia of 5, 10 or 15 min duration were compared in hippocampal slices prepared from gerbil and rat brains. During ischemia the release of glutamate from slices into the medium was determined, and after ischaemia and 10 min of recovery slices were analyzed for ATP levels, adenylate energy charge and cGMP content. The release of glutamate into the medium during in vitro ischemia and the recovery of energy metabolism determined after 10 min of recovery was almost identical in slices prepared from gerbil and rat hippocampi. In contrast, cGMP levels measured 10 min following in vitro ischemia were significantly higher in gerbil as compared to rat slices. Since after 10 min of recovery following in vitro ischemia, cGMP levels reflect nitric oxide (NO) synthesis (inhibition by NO synthase blocker), it is concluded that increased NO synthesis may contribute to the higher sensitivity of the gerbil as compared to the rat hippocampus towards transient ischemia.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed1995

Temporal analysis of the upregulation of GluR5 mRNA editing with age: regional evaluation.

The extent of mRNA editing of the kainate receptor subunit GluR5 was evaluated in tissue samples taken from the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum of rat brain and in cortical neurons held in tissue culture, by PCR amplification of GluR5 cDNA across the edited base and restriction analysis of the amplification product with Bbv 1. Samples were taken from embryonic brains of rats at day 21 of gestation and from brains 4 days, 25 days and 3 month after birth. Cortical neurons were isolated from the tissue at day 19 of gestation and kept for 2 or 8 days in culture. The extent of editing was sharply upregulated during development in all brain structures studied. In the cortex and hippocampus the extent of editing exhibited already the adult state 4 days after birth. In the cerebellum, in contrast, the extent of editing was still 42 +/- 11.4% 25 days after birth but 82 +/- 6.2% in the adult state. In neurons held in tissue culture for up to 8 days, upregulation of editing did not take place. It is concluded that GluR5 editing is differently regulated in different brain structures and that the developmental changes observed in vivo are blocked when cells are kept in vitro.

Aging↗

PubMed1995

Calcium activity and post-ischemic suppression of protein synthesis.

Increase in intracellular calcium concentration is a prominent feature of ischemia and has been considered a major factor in the initiation of ischemic pathology, which involves inhibition of protein synthesis. A reduction of calcium ion activity during and immediately after in vitro ischemia did not prevent inhibition of protein synthesis in hippocampae slices. When slices were overloaded with calcium by NMDA receptor activation or by the calcium ionophore A23187, no significant inhibition of protein synthesis was observed. We conclude that calcium overload plays only a limited role in ischemic inhibition of protein synthesis.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Regional differences in the extent of RNA editing of the glutamate receptor subunits GluR2 and GluR6 in rat brain.

The extent of RNA editing of the glutamate receptor subunits GluR2 and GluR6 was studied by using a newly developed method based on the restriction analysis of the subunit-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product with the enzyme Bbv 1. Total RNA was isolated from following brain regions: cortex, striatum, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebellum, pons/medulla oblongata and white matter. RNA was transcribed into cDNA, which was used as template for PCR. PCR was run with GluR2- and GluR6-specific primers to amplify a product across the edited region. The PCR products were analysed with the restriction enzyme Bbv 1 and gel electrophoresis of the restriction digest. Bbv 1 recognizes the sequence GCAGC which is identical with the sequence of the PCR product originating from unedited GluR2 or GluR6 mRNA. Thus, this enzyme splits the non-edited PCR product into two fragments while leaving the edited PCR product intact. After electrophoresis of the restriction digest and photographing gels, optical density of bands was quantified with image analysis. For quantification calibration curves were made with PCR products from constructs originating from edited and non-edited GluR6 mRNA. GluR2 mRNA was completely edited in all brain structures studied. Editing of GluR6 mRNA, in contrast, was high in gray matter structures (above 90%) but considerably lower in the pons/medulla oblongata (66%) and white matter (55%). It is, therefore, suggested that editing of GluR2 and GluR6 mRNA is performed by different enzymatic activities. Studying RNA editing of glutamate receptor subunits will extend knowledge about the role of calcium fluxes through non-NMDA glutamate receptor ion channels.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Comparison of in vitro ischemia-induced disturbances in energy metabolism and protein synthesis in the hippocampus of rats and gerbils.

To elucidate whether the high sensitivity of gerbil compared with rat hippocampus to metabolic stress results from tissue-specific or hemodynamic factors, ischemia-induced metabolic disturbances [energy metabolism and protein synthesis rate (PSR)] were studied using the in vitro model of the hippocampal slice preparation. At the end of in vitro ischemia, ATP content was measured in individual slices with HPLC. In other groups of slices, PSR was measured after 120 min of recovery after in vitro ischemia. ATP breakdown was almost identical in rat and gerbil slices at all temperatures (37 degrees C, 34 degrees C, or 31 degrees C) and periods of ischemia (5, 10, or 15 min) studied. In contrast to the identical rate of ATP depletion during ischemia, however, postischemic disturbances in PSR were significantly increased in gerbil slices compared with rat slices and this relationship was stable after different periods of ischemia and at different incubation temperatures. The results illustrate that the pattern of ischemia-induced disturbances observed in vivo can also be reproduced using the in vitro model of hippocampal slice preparation, as evidenced by the postischemic disturbance in PSR. It is concluded that comparison of the extent of metabolic disturbances in gerbil and rat hippocampal slices after transient in vitro ischemia may help to elucidate the mechanisms of ischemic cell damage.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed1995

[Cerebral ischemia: ontogenetic differences in energy metabolism and protein biosynthesis].

OBJECTIVE: Are ontogenetic differences in the resistance of the brain towards ischemia reflected by differences in the postischemic disturbance of cerebral protein synthesis (PS) independently from energy metabolism (EM)? METHODS: We studied hippocampal slices from immature (E60) and mature (E60) fetal guinea pigs as well as from adult guinea pigs. Cerebral EM and PS were measured during and up to 24 h after ischemia. RESULTS: After in vitro ischemia there was no inhibition in cerebral PS in immature fetuses, a transient inhibition in mature fetuses, and a permanent inhibition in adults. During and after in vitro ischemia cerebral EM was hardly disturbed in immature fetuses. No differences in cerebral EM could be observed between mature fetuses and adults. CONCLUSION: Ontogenetic differences in the resistance of the brain towards ischemia are reflected by differences in the postischemic disturbance of cerebral PS. The differences between mature fetuses and adults are independent from cerebral EM.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Refinement of map position of the human GluR6 kainate receptor gene (GRIK2) and lack of association and linkage with idiopathic generalized epilepsies.

Hereditary factors play a major role in the etiology of idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGEs). The pivotal function of glutamate receptors (GluRs) in excitatory neurotransmission implicates their involvement in epileptogenesis and genetic susceptibility to IGEs. A trinucleotide repeat polymorphism detected in the 3' untranslated region of the kainate-selective GluR6 receptor gene (GRIK2) on chromosome 6 makes it possible to perform linkage and association studies with this high-ranking candidate gene. The present study tested the hypothesis that allelic variants of GRIK2 contribute to the genetic susceptibility to the common IGEs. Linkage and association analyses were conducted in 63 families ascertained through IGE patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, juvenile absence epilepsy, or childhood absence epilepsy. Our linkage and association results suggest that allelic variants of GRIK2 are not involved in the expression of the common familial IGEs, and radiation hybrid mapping assigns GRIK2 to the chromosomal region 6q16.3-q21. This localization excludes GRIK2 as a candidate for the putative IGE susceptibility locus "EJM1" on the short arm of chromosome 6.

Chromosome Mapping↗

PubMed1994

Hemeoxygenase expression after reversible ischemia of rat brain.

Heme oxygenase (HO-1) gene expression was studied in the brains of rats subjected to 30 min global cerebral ischemia followed by recirculation of up to 24 h. Total RNA was isolated from the cerebral cortex, striatum and hippocampus and reverse-transcribed into cDNA. cDNA was taken as template for PCR using HO-1-specific primers. We found that, when PCR reactions were run for 22 cycles, the amount of PCR products correlated closely with the amount of cDNA. HO-1 gene expression was sharply increased after cerebral ischemia in all three brain structures studied. In the cortex and striatum, the HO-1 mRNA content increased constantly after cerebral ischemia up to 24 h of recovery, being 8- and 9-fold over control after 24 h of recirculation in the cortex and striatum, respectively. In the hippocampus, HO-1 mRNA levels peaked at 4 h after ischemia (9-fold over control) and declined thereafter to 4.5-fold over control 24 h after ischemia. Assuming that the observed increase in mRNA levels is paralled by increased HO-1 protein synthesis, formation of the products of HO reaction, biliverdin and carbon monoxide, is activated after ischemia. These products may produce different and divergent effects on the recovery from the metabolic stress produced by cerebral ischemia.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Developmental changes in the extent of RNA editing of glutamate receptor subunit GluR5 in rat brain.

The extent of RNA editing of the glutamate receptor subunit GluR5 mRNA was evaluated in the cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum of embryonic rat brains, aged 19 days, and adult brains, aged 2-3 months. RNA was isolated and transcribed into cDNA, which was used as template for amplifying a PCR product across the edited region of the GluR5 subunit. Quantification of editing was performed by restriction digest of PCR products with BbvI and image analysis of bands obtained after electrophoresis. The extent of editing was significantly lower in the embryonic state as compared to the adult state. These differences were most pronounced in the cerebellum where the extent of editing amounted to 27 +/- 8% and 78 +/- 2% in the embryonic and adult state, respectively (P < 0.001). Since expression of GluR5 is relatively high in brain areas of neuronal differentiation and synapse formation it is concluded that un-edited GluR5 may play a role in the development of the nervous system.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Human GluR6 kainate receptor (GRIK2): molecular cloning, expression, polymorphism, and chromosomal assignment.

Glutamate receptors mediate the majority of excitatory neurotransmission in the brain, and molecular cloning studies have revealed several distinct families. Because neuropathological states and possibly human disorders may involve kainate-preferring glutamate receptors, we have isolated a cDNA clone for the human GluR6 kainate-preferring receptor. This clone shows a very high sequence similarity with that of the rat, except for a part of the 3' untranslated region in which there is a TAA triplet repeat. When the protein was overexpressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, it had a molecular weight, an antibody recognition, and a glutamate ligand-binding profile similar to those of the rat GluR6 receptor. Northern analysis showed expression in both human cerebral and cerebellar cortices. By PCR analysis of rodent-human monochromosomal cell lines, the human GluR6 could be assigned to chromosome 6. The length of the TAA triplet repeat was polymorphic in the normal population, with at least four alleles and an observed heterozygosity of about 45%. These studies should provide the basis for expression or linkage studies of the GluR6 kainate receptor in human disease or neuropathologic states.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Protein synthesis in the hippocampal slice: transient inhibition by glutamate and lasting inhibition by ischemia.

Protein synthesis was measured in hippocampal slices which were exposed to glutamate (1 mM or 10 mM) or which were deprived of glucose and oxygen ('in vitro ischemia') for 15 min. Glutamate at 1 mM, a concentration estimated to occur during in vivo ischemia did not affect protein synthesis. Ten mM glutamate inhibited protein synthesis immediately after exposure (50% of control values) and reduced ATP levels to about 30% of the control. After two hours, slices fully recovered their protein synthesis and energy metabolism. The effect of 10 mM glutamate was not receptor-mediated, as NMDA, AMPA, or metabotropic receptor antagonists failed to block the glutamate effect. Immediately after ischemia, protein synthesis was reduced to 30% of control values, and 2 hours later it was still depressed to one-half of control values. Energy charge, however, recovered completely. Ischemic inhibition of protein synthesis was not reversed by glutamate receptor antagonists. The data indicate that inhibition of protein synthesis in hippocampal slices during ischemia is not glutamate-dependent.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Extent of RNA editing of glutamate receptor subunit GluR5 in different brain regions of the rat.

1. The structure and function of glutamate receptor subunits GluR2, GluR5, and GluR6 are changed by RNA editing. This reaction produces a base transition in the second transmembrane spanning region. The triplet CAG (coding for glutamine) is changed to CGG (coding for arginine). This transition has a pronounced effect on calcium fluxes through the respective ion channels, because calcium currents decrease with the rate of editing. 2. In the present study the extent of RNA editing of the glutamate receptor subunit GluR5 was studied in different brain regions of control rats using a newly developed analysis system. This system is based on restriction analysis of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product, derived from reverse-transcribed mRNA as template, with the enzyme Bbv1. Bbv1 recognizes the sequence of the nonedited receptor subunit around the edited base (sequence GCAGC) but not that of the edited subunit (sequence GCGGC; A edited to G). 3. Total RNA was isolated from the cerebral cortex, striatum, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebellum, pons/medulla oblongata, and white matter and reverse transcribed into cDNA. The region across the edited sequence was amplified by PCR using GluR5-specific primers and the cDNA as template. PCR products were cleaned by ethanol precipitation, incubated with Bbv1, and electrophoresed on an agarose gel together with standards. Gels were photographed and the extent of GluR5 mRNA editing was quantified using an image analysis system. A calibration curve was obtained using PCR products amplified from plasmids with edited and nonedited GluR5 as inserts. 4. In the brain of control rats the extent of RNA editing of the GluR5 subunit amounted to 62 +/- 6.0% of total (cortex), 43 +/- 5.3% (striatum), 52 +/- 5.3% (hippocampus), 91 +/- 6.3% (thalamus), 85 +/- 10.2% (hypothalamus), 82 +/- 6.5% (cerebellum), 88 +/- 6.8% (pons/medulla oblongata), and 41 +/- 2.7% (white matter). 5. The extent of RNA editing varied, thus, considerably in different brain regions, being lowest in the white matter and striatum and highest in the thalamus and pons/medulla oblongate. RNA editing of glutamate receptor subunits may play an important role in the control of calcium fluxes through non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor channels in different physiological and/or pathological states of the brain.

Animals↗