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1. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of murine recombinant IL-1beta (mrIL-1beta) produced a dose-dependent (0.5-50 ng) and time-related (0.5-2 h) secretion of murine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (mMCP-1; 3-4 ng per cavity) in the lavage fluids. MCP-1 mRNA could also be detected in the cell pellets by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). 2. MCP-1 levels were reduced by more than 90% by co-administration of IL-1 receptor antagonist (10 microg) (n=6, P<0.05). In contrast, an IL-1 mutant with low affinity for IL-1 receptor type I, termed yIL-1betadelta4 (50 ng), produced only a modest release of the chemokine. Treatment of mice with dexamethasone (DEX) (approximately 1 mg kg(-1) s.c.) reduced mrIL-1beta-induced mMCP-1 gene expression (apparent total inhibition) and protein release in the lavage fluids (approximately 40% reduction; n=10; P<0.05). Drastic reductions in the numbers of residential macrophages or mast cells did not modify the levels of mMCP-1 recovered in the lavage fluids. 3. Injection of mrIL-1beta produced neutrophil accumulation into the peritoneal cavities (maximal at 4 h with 1.42+/-0.15 x 10(6) cells per mouse). Co-injection of a specific polyclonal antibody against mMCP-1 reduced this process by more than 50% (n=6; P<0.05). In conclusion, we studied the mechanisms leading to the specific release of the CC chemokine mMCP-1 after in vivo administration of mrIL-1beta.
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1. Biochemical mechanisms of ischaemia were investigated in rabbit skin flaps subjected to 2 h of primary ischaemia then, 24 h later, to 4 h of secondary ischaemia. During secondary ischaemia, flaps underwent either total ischaemia (arterial and venous blood supply occluded) or partial ischaemia (vein only occluded). Some of these flaps were treated at the time of reperfusion with the free-radical scavenger superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) and/or the thromboxane synthetase inhibitor UK-38,485. 2. After 30 min of reperfusion, superoxide dismutase treatment significantly reduced blood thromboxane levels, elevated during ischaemia. Superoxide dismutase also reduced tissue levels of malonyldialdehyde and xanthine oxidase, indicators of free-radical damage, and restored the depleted tissue levels of superoxide dismutase. 3. UK-38,485 treatment failed to significantly alter any of these tissue free-radical parameters, although this agent significantly reduced blood thromboxane levels. 4. Combined superoxide dismutase plus UK-38,485 treatment was not significantly better than either treatment alone with respect to any parameter. 5. Partial ischaemia led to consistently higher levels of tissue free radicals and blood thromboxane than did total ischaemia. Thus partial ischaemia appears to result in greater free-radical damage than total ischaemia. 6. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that thromboxane acts as a mediator for free-radical damage in the ischaemic changes within the flap.
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NC2 (Dr1/DRAP1) and Mot1p are global repressors of transcription that have been isolated in both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and humans. NC2 is a dimeric histone-fold complex that represses RNA polymerase II transcription through binding to TBP and inhibition of TFIIA and TFIIB. Mot1p is an ATPase that removes DNA-bound TBP upon ATP hydrolysis. In this work, we studied the core promoter specificity of NC2 in vivo using a strain that carries mutated NC2beta activity. We show that NC2, like Mot1p, is required for transcription of the HIS3 and HIS4 TATA-less core promoters. Furthermore, whereas neither Mot1p nor NC2 appear to function as repressors of the HIS3 gene in cells growing exponentially in glucose, we find that both are required for repression of the HIS3 TATA promoter when cells go through the diauxic shift. Thus, the activity of these factors is similarly regulated depending upon the physiological conditions, and it appears that core promoters activated or repressed by them in vivo might be distinguishable by whether or not they contain a canonical TATA sequence. Finally, although NC2 is an essential factor for yeast viability, we isolated a mutation in a non-essential component of the holoenzyme, Sin4p, that bypasses the requirement for NC2.
Group A streptococci (GAS) specifically attach to and internalize into human epithelial host cells. In some GAS isolates, fibronectin-binding proteins were identified as being responsible for these virulence traits. In the present study, the previously identified global negative regulator Nra was shown to control the binding of soluble fibronectin probably via regulation of protein F2 and/or SfbII expression in the serotype M49 strain 591. According to results from a conventional invasion assay based on the recovery of viable intracellular bacteria, the increased fibronectin binding did not affect bacterial adherence to HEp-2 epithelial cells, but was associated with a reduction in the internalization rates. However, when examined by confocal and electron microscopy techniques, the nra-mutant bacteria were shown to exhibit higher adherence and internalization rates than the corresponding wild type. The mutant bacteria escaped from the phagocytic vacuoles much faster, promoting consistent morphological changes which resulted in severe host cell damage. The apoptotic and lytic processes observed in nra-mutant infected host cells were correlated with an increased expression of the genes encoding superantigen SpeA, the cysteine protease SpeB, and streptolysin S in the nra-mutant bacteria. Adherence and internalization rates of a nra/speB-double mutant at wild-type levels indicated that the altered speB expression in the nra mutant contributed to the observed changes in both processes. The Nra-dependent effects on bacterial virulence were confined to infections carried out with stationary growth phase bacteria. In conclusion, the obtained results demonstrated that the global GAS regulator Nra modulates virulence genes, which are involved in host cell damage. Thus, by helping to achieve a critical balance of virulence factor expression that avoids the injury of target cells, Nra may facilitate GAS persistence in a safe intracellular niche.
In previous experiments, a causal relationship between sodium influx and secretion of nerve growth factor (NGF) was deduced from the observation that the sodium substitute N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG) abolished any activity-mediated NGF secretion that depends on intact internal calcium stores. However, all available experimental evidence speaks against sodium-mediated calcium mobilization from these stores under physiological conditions. We now report that rapid sodium influx initiated by monensin or ouabain did not induce brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) secretion from either native hippocampal slices or BDNF-transduced hippocampal neuronal cultures. Additionally, we found marked differences between the replacement of sodium by NMDG and sucrose on the one hand, and choline and lithium on the other. Replacement of 100% (and as little as 10%) sodium by NMDG or sucrose not only blocked the activity-mediated neurotrophin secretion, but itself led to a rapid and substantial increase of neurotrophin secretion. In contrast, the replacement of sodium (10% and 100%) by lithium and choline did not result in a release of neurotrophins, and only 100% replacement blocked the activity-mediated neurotrophin secretion. We conclude that the blocking effects of NMDG and sucrose on neurotrophin secretion do not reflect the sodium replacement, but instead represent an independent blocking effect. These differences were also reflected in part by electrophysiological investigations in individually patched hippocampal neurons. The importance of the present observations lies not only in the reevaluation of the involvement of sodium in activity-dependent neurotrophin secretion, but also in the demonstration that sodium replacement may initiate 'side effects' that are unrelated to sodium replacement.
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The effect of pargyline on 5 HT concentration in a combined forebrain and midbrain section ( FMB ) have been investigated in female rats which were temporarily deprived from their dams in postnatal life and daily injected with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor. Two hours after the last pargyline injection a marked increase in 5 HT concentration could be observed both in 12 and 30 days-old rats. The question is raised whether 5 HT may be involved in neuroendocrine mechanisms which are responsible for controlling the onset of puberty, since a significant advance of puberty could be achieved by this pargyline treatment in normal and deprived female rats.
Several Escherichia coli proteins participate in protein disulfide bond formation. Among them, DsbA is the primary factor that oxidizes target cysteines. Biochemical evidence indicates that DsbC has disulfide isomerization activity. To study intracellular functions of DsbA and DsbC, we used an alkaline phosphatase mutant, PhoA[SCCC], with the most amino-terminal cysteine replaced by serine. It was found that the remaining 3 cysteines in PhoA[SCCC] form a disulfide bond of incorrect as well as correct combinations. An aberrant disulfide bond was preferentially formed in wild-type cells, which was converted slowly to the normal disulfide bond. This conversion did not occur in the dsbC-disrupted cells. Overproduction of DsbC stimulated the formation of the correct disulfide bond. In contrast, the inefficiently formed disulfide bonds in the dsbA-disrupted cells, and the more efficiently formed disulfide bonds in the same strain in the presence of oxidized glutathione were mostly in the correct form. These results suggest that the DsbA-catalyzed reaction can be too rapid for some proteins. DsbA may simply oxidize available pairs of cysteines, which happen to be in an incorrect combination in the case of PhoA[SCCC]. In contrast, DsbC stimulates the formation of correct disulfide bonds and corrects previously introduced aberrant ones. Thus, DsbC acts to isomerize disulfide bonds in vivo.
Site-specific variants of rat intestinal fatty acid-binding protein were constructed to identify the molecular interactions that are important for binding to fatty acids (FAs). Several variants displayed affinities that appeared incompatible with the crystal structure of the protein-FA complex. Thermodynamic measurements provided an explanation for these apparent inconsistencies and revealed that binding affinities often inaccurately reported changes in protein-FA interactions because changes in the binding entropy and enthalpy were usually compensatory. These results demonstrate that understanding the effects of amino acid replacements on ligand binding requires measurements of enthalpy and entropy, in addition to affinity.
Interleukin (IL)-18 induces T cells and natural killer cells to produce not only interferon-gamma but also other cytokines by binding to the IL-18 receptor (IL-18R) alpha and beta subunits. However, little is known about how IL-18, IL-18Ralpha, and IL-18Rbeta form a high-affinity complex on the cell surface and transduce the signal. We found that IL-18 and IL-18Ralpha bind to glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) glycan via the third mannose 6-phosphate diester and the second beta-GlcNAc-deleted mannose 6-phosphate of GPI glycan, respectively. To determine which GPI-anchored glycoprotein is involved in the complex of IL-18 and IL-18Ralpha, IL-18Ralpha of IL-18-stimulated KG-1 cells was immunoprecipitated together with CD48 by anti-IL-18Ralpha antibody. More than 90% of CD48 was detected as beta-GlcNAc-deleted GPI-anchored glycoprotein, and soluble recombinant human CD48 without GPI glycan bound to IL-18Ralpha, indicating that CD48 is associated with IL-18Ralpha via both the peptide portion and the GPI glycan. To investigate whether the carbohydrate recognition of IL-18 is involved in physiological activities, KG-1 cells were digested with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C before IL-18 stimulation. Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C treatment inhibited the phosphorylation of tyrosine kinases and the following IL-18-dependent interferon-gamma production. These observations suggest that the complex formation of IL-18.IL-18Ralpha. CD48 via both the peptide portion and GPI glycan triggers the binding to IL-18Rbeta, and the IL-18.IL-18Ralpha.CD48.IL-18Rbeta complex induces cellular signaling.