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Diffusion-limited, but not perfusion-limited, compartmental models describe cerebral nitrous oxide kinetics at high and low cerebral blood flows.

This study aimed to evaluate the relative importance of diffusion-limited vs. perfusion-limited mechanisms in compartmental models of blood-tissue inert gas exchange in the brain. Nitrous oxide concentrations in arterial and brain efferent blood were determined using gas chromatographic analysis during and after 15 min of nitrous oxide inhalation, at separate low and high steady states of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in five sheep under halothane anesthesia. Parameters and model selection criteria of various perfusion- or diffusion-limited structural models of the brain were estimated by simultaneous fitting of the models to the mean observed brain effluent nitrous oxide concentration for both blood flow states. Perfusion-limited models returned precise, credible estimates of apparent brain volume but fit the low CBF data poorly. Diffusion-limited models provided better overall fit of the data, which was best described by exchange of nitrous oxide between a perfusion-limited brain compartment and an unperfused compartment. In individual animals, during the low CBF state, nitrous oxide kinetics displayed either fast, perfusion-limited behavior or slow, diffusion-limited behavior. This variability was exemplified in the different parameter estimates of the diffusion limited models fitted to the individual animal data sets. Results suggest that a diffusion limitation contributes to cerebral nitrous oxide kinetics.

Anesthetics, Inhalation↗

A general approach to non-Markovian compartmental models.

Stochastic compartmental models are usually based on continuous-time Markov processes. Markovian models assume that the compartments have exponential retention times, which is known not to hold in certain applications such as calcium clearance from bone. A number of semi-Markov models with restricted families of retention times have been proposed recently. This paper presents a general, tractable procedure for determining from suitable data the estimated retention time distributions for assumed non-Markovian phenomenological models. The procedure is based on using phase-type distributions. These distributions can describe the long tails observed in calcium clearance data, and they frequently lead to complex eigenvalues that are often overlooked in practice. The procedure is illustrated on several proposed models for describing a particular data set.

Markov Chains↗

From DNA structure to gene expression: mediators of nuclear compartmentalization and dynamics.

Eukaryotic genomes are functionally compartmentalized into chromatin domains by their attachment to a supporting structure that has traditionally been termed the nuclear matrix. Present evidence indicates the dynamics of this entity, which requires particular properties of the elements that mediate this kind of interaction. Above all, this is enabled by the so-called 'mass binding phenomenon' by which scaffold/matrix-attachment regions (S/MARs) reversibly associate with ubiquitous factors. Recent investigations and novel techniques have shown that these contacts can be altered by modulators as well as by specific interactions with the components of enhancers and locus control regions.

Chromatin↗

Altered IL-1 expression and compartmentalization in monocytes from patients with AIDS stimulated with Mycobacterium avium complex.

The pathophysiologic basis for the exuberant intracellular growth of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) in AIDS patients is unclear but may relate to altered expression of modulatory cytokines. Interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and TNF-alpha expression by monocytes from AIDS patients and healthy subjects (HS) stimulated with isogeneic MAC strains (SmT, smooth-transparent, virulent; SmD, smooth-domed, avirulent) was examined. Spontaneous cytokine production was not observed in patients with AIDS. MAC strains induced less IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta release in AIDS patients than HS (P < 0.05). The ratio of cell-associated to supernatant IL-1 alpha also was increased in AIDS patients (P = 0.03). IL-1 beta mRNA expression paralleled protein release in either group of subjects. In both HS and AIDS patients, stimulation with SmD induced more IL-1 and TNF-alpha release by monocytes compared to SmT. In AIDS patients, SmD also induced greater IL-6 release than SmT (P < 0.01). Alterations in monocyte expression and compartmentalization of the regulatory cytokines IL-1 and IL-6 may enhance bacterial replication and contribute to the pathogenesis of MAC infection in AIDS.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

Causes and consequences of eukaryotization through mutualistic endosymbiosis and compartmentalization.

This paper reviews and extends ideas of eukaryotization by endosymbiosis. These ideas are put within an historical context of processes that may have led up to eukaryotization and those that seem to have resulted from this process. Our starting point for considering the emergence and development of life as an organized system of chemical reactions should in the first place be in accordance with thermodynamic principles and hence should, as far as possible, be derived from these principles. One trend to be observed is the ever-increasing complexity resulting in several layers of compartmentalization of the reaction system, either spatial (of which the eukaryotic cell is an example), or functional (as in the gradually deepening distinction between metabolic, enzymatic and information-storing functions within the cell). One of the causes of this complexification of living systems will have been the changes in environmental conditions, particularly the geochemical impoverishment of the biosphere during geological history, partly brought about by living systems themselves, and partly by the trend towards increasing efficiency and specificity of the reactions that occur.

Eukaryotic Cells↗

Two structurally distinct and spatially compartmentalized adenylate kinases are expressed from the AK1 gene in mouse brain.

Adenylate kinases (AK, EC 2.7.4.3) have been considered important enzymes for energy homeostasis and metabolic signaling. To gain a better understanding of their cell-specific significance we studied the structural and functional aspects of products of one adenylate kinase gene, AK1, in mouse tissues. By combined computer database comparison and Northern analysis of mRNAs, we identified transcripts of 0.7 and 2.0 kilobases with different 5' and 3' non-coding regions which result from alternative use of promoters and polyadenylation sites. These mRNAs specify two distinct proteins, AK1 and a membrane-bound AK1 isoform (AK1beta), which differ in their N-terminal end and are co-expressed in several tissues with high-energy demand, including the brain. Immunohistochemical analysis of brain tissue and primary neurons and astrocytes in culture demonstrated that AK1 isoforms are expressed predominantly in neurons. AK1beta, when tested in transfected COS-1 and N2a neuroblastoma cells, located at the cellular membrane and was able to catalyze phosphorylation of ADP in vitro. In addition, AK1beta mediated AMP-induced activation of recombinant ATP-sensitive potassium channels in the presence of ATP. Thus, two structurally distinct AK1 isoforms co-exist in the mouse brain within distinct cellular locations. These enzymes may function in promoting energy homeostasis in the compartmentalized cytosol and in translating cellular energetic signals to membrane metabolic sensors.

Adenylate Kinase↗

Nucleotide-gated KATP channels integrated with creatine and adenylate kinases: amplification, tuning and sensing of energetic signals in the compartmentalized cellular environment.

Transmission of energetic signals to membrane sensors, such as the ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel, is vital for cellular adaptation to stress. Yet, cell compartmentation implies diffusional hindrances that hamper direct reception of cytosolic energetic signals. With high intracellular ATP levels, KATP channels may sense not bulk cytosolic, but rather local submembrane nucleotide concentrations set by membrane ATPases and phosphotransfer enzymes. Here, we analyzed the role of adenylate kinase and creatine kinase phosphotransfer reactions in energetic signal transmission over the strong diffusional barrier in the submembrane compartment, and translation of such signals into a nucleotide response detectable by KATP channels. Facilitated diffusion provided by creatine kinase and adenylate kinase phosphotransfer dissipated nucleotide gradients imposed by membrane ATPases, and shunted diffusional restrictions. Energetic signals, simulated as deviation of bulk ATP from its basal level, were amplified into an augmented nucleotide response in the submembrane space due to failure under stress of creatine kinase to facilitate nucleotide diffusion. Tuning of creatine kinase-dependent amplification of the nucleotide response was provided by adenylate kinase capable of adjusting the ATP/ADP ratio in the submembrane compartment securing adequate KATP channel response in accord with cellular metabolic demand. Thus, complementation between creatine kinase and adenylate kinase systems, here predicted by modeling and further supported experimentally, provides a mechanistic basis for metabolic sensor function governed by alterations in intracellular phosphotransfer fluxes.

Adenylate Kinase↗

Boron compartmentation in roots of sunflower plants of different boron status: A study using the stable isotopes 10B and 11B adopting two independent approaches.

The intracellular compartmentation of boron (B) in roots of sunflower plants precultured with 100 &mgr;M B (high B) or 1 &mgr;M B (low B) was studied using two independent approaches. In the first approach, short-term efflux studies using the stable isotopes 11B and 10B were carried out. In roots of high B plants, the calculated concentrations of B (nmol gFW -1) were 52.6 in the cell wall, 7.5 in the vacuole, 27.1 in the cytosol and 48.0 in the free space. In roots of low B plants, the concentrations of B (nmol gFW -1) were 43.4 in the cell wall, 2.8 in the vacuole, 17.9 in the cytosol and almost zero in the free space. Although the B supply differed by a factor 100, the B concentrations in the cytosol and the vacuole of low B plants were 66 and 37% of the respective concentrations in high B plants. This suggests an additional role for B in plant metabolism, besides its function in the cell wall. In the second approach, root B pools (cell sap and water-insoluble residue) were determined for comparison, and found to be in good agreement with the results from the efflux study.

Journal Article↗

Compartmentalization of a haematopoietic growth factor (GM-CSF) by glycosaminoglycans in the bone marrow microenvironment.

Haematopoietic progenitor cells proliferate and mature in semisolid media when stimulated by exogenous haematopoietic cell growth factors (HCGFs) such as granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). They also proliferate in association with marrow-derived stromal cells although biologically active amounts of HCGFs cannot be detected in stromal culture supernatants. It is possible that HCGFs are synthesized in small amounts by stromal cells but remain bound to the stromal cells and/or their extracellular matrix (ECM). This interpretation accords with haematopoietic progenitor cell proliferation in close association with stromal layers in long-term cultures. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are found in the ECM produced by stromal cells. They are prime candidates for selectively retaining HCGFs in the stromal layer; they influence embryonic morphogenesis and cyto-differentiation and they may regulate haematopoiesis. We now report that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating activity can be eluted from cultured stromal layers and that exogenous GM-CSF binds to GAGs from bone marrow stromal ECM. Selective compartmentalization of HCGFs in this manner may be an important function of the marrow microenvironment and may be involved in haematopoietic cell regulation.

Animals↗

Amplification by compartmentalization.

Autocatalysis and chemical amplification are properties of living systems that can lead to increased responsiveness and to self-replication. Here we describe a synthetic system in which a unique form of reagent compartmentalization gives rise to nonlinear kinetics that are subject to the precise size- and shape-selectivity of the host. The reactivity is reminiscent of autocatalytic behaviour, in which there is no direct contact between reagents and products, and our approach offers a general way to impose complex chemical behaviour onto synthetic systems.

Journal Article↗

From form to function: calcium compartmentalization in dendritic spines.

Dendritic spines compartmentalize calcium, and this could be their main function. We review experimental work on spine calcium dynamics. Calcium influx into spines is mediated by calcium channels and by NMDA and AMPA receptors and is followed by fast diffusional equilibration within the spine head. Calcium decay kinetics are controlled by slower diffusion through the spine neck and by spine calcium pumps. Calcium release occurs in spines, although its role is controversial. Finally, the endogenous calcium buffers in spines remain unknown. Thus, spines are calcium compartments because of their morphologies and local influx and extrusion mechanisms. These studies highlight the richness and heterogeneity of pathways that regulate calcium accumulations in spines and the close relationship between the morphology and function of the spine.

Animals↗

Calcium channel gating and modulation by transmitters depend on cellular compartmentalization.

Voltage-gated Ca2+ channels participate in dendritic integration, yet functional properties of Ca2+ channels and mechanisms of their modulation by neurotransmitters in dendrites are unknown. Here we report how pharmacologically identified Ca2+ channels behave in different neural compartments. Whole-cell and cell-attached patch-clamp recordings were made on both cell bodies and electrically isolated dendrites of sympathetic neurons. We found not only that Ca2+ channel populations differentially contribute to somatic and dendritic currents but also that families of Ca2+ channels display gating properties and neurotransmitter modulation that depend on channel compartmentalization. By comparison with their somatic counterparts, dendritic N-type Ca2+ currents were hypersensitive to neurotransmitters and G proteins. Single-channel analysis showed that dendrites express a unique N-type channel that has enhanced interaction with Gbetagamma. Thus Ca2+ channels in dendrites seem to be specialized elements with unique regulatory mechanisms.

Animals↗

Structure of the Bacillus subtilis D-aminopeptidase DppA reveals a novel self-compartmentalizing protease.

Bacillus subtilis DppA is a binuclear zinc-dependent, D-specific aminopeptidase. The X-ray structure of the enzyme has been determined at 2.4 A resolution by a three-wavelength MAD experiment. The structure reveals that DppA is a new example of a 'self-compartmentalizing protease', a family of proteolytic complexes. Proteasomes are the most extensively studied representatives of this family. The DppA enzyme is composed of identical 30 kDa subunits organized in a decamer with 52 point-group symmetry. A 20 A wide channel runs through the complex, giving access to a central chamber holding the active sites. The structure shows DppA to be a prototype of a new family of metalloaminopeptidases characterized by the SXDXEG key sequence.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The influence of tissue heterogeneity on results of fitting nonlinear model equations to regional tracer uptake curves: with an application to compartmental models used in positron emission tomography.

An analytical method based on Taylor expansions was developed to analyze errors caused by tissue heterogeneity in dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) measurements. Some general rules concerning the effect of parameter variances and covariances were derived. The method was further applied to various compartmental models currently used for measurement of blood flow, capillary permeability, glucose metabolism, and tracer binding. Blood flow and capillary permeability are shown to be generally underestimated in heterogeneous tissue, the underestimation being more severe for slowly decaying, constant or increasing input functions rather than for bolus input, and increasing with measurement time. Typical errors caused by the heterogeneity due to insufficient separation between gray and white matter by a PET scanner with full width at half-maximum (FWHM) = 5 to 10 mm resolution range between -0.9 and -6% in dynamic CBF measurements with intravenous (i.v.) bolus injection of 15O-water or inhalation of 18F-fluoromethane and total measurement times of 6 or 10 min, respectively. Binding or metabolic rates determined with tracers that are essentially trapped in tissue (e.g., FDG for measurement of cerebral glucose metabolism) are only slightly overestimated (0.5-3.0%) at typical measurement times and are essentially independent of the shape of the input function. The error increase considerably if tracer accumulation is very slow, however, or if short measurement times [less than 5/(k2 + k3)] are used. Some rate constants are also subject to larger errors.

Blood-Brain Barrier↗

Refinement of the kinetic model of the 2-[14C]deoxyglucose method to incorporate effects of intracellular compartmentation in brain.

A translocase to transport hexose phosphate formed in the cytosol into the cisterns of the endoplasmic reticulum, where the phosphatase resides, is absent in brain (Fishman and Karnovsky, 1986). 2-Deoxyglucose-6-phosphate (DG-6-P) may therefore have limited access to glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase), and transport of the DG-6-P across the endoplasmic reticular membrane may be rate limiting to its dephosphorylation. To take this compartmentation into account, a five-rate constant (5K) model was developed to describe the kinetic behavior of 2-deoxyglucose (DG) and its phosphorylated product in brain. Loss of DG-6-P was modeled as a two-step process: (a) transfer of DG-6-P from the cytosol into the cisterns of the endoplasmic reticulum; (b) hydrolysis of DG-6-P by G-6-Pase and subsequent return of the free DG to the precursor pool. Local CMRglc (LCMRglc) was calculated in the rat on the basis of this model and compared with values calculated on the basis of the three-rate constant (3K) and the four-rate constant (4K) models of the DG method. The results show that under normal physiological conditions all three models yield values of LCMRglc that are essentially equivalent for experimental periods between 25 and 45 min. Therefore, the simplest model, the 3K model, is sufficient. For experimental periods from 60 to 120 min, the 4K and 5K models do not correct completely for loss of product, but the 5K model does yield estimates of LCMRglc that are closer to the values at 45 min than those obtained with the 3K and 4K models.

Animals↗

Compartmental analysis of [11C]flumazenil kinetics for the estimation of ligand transport rate and receptor distribution using positron emission tomography.

The in vivo kinetic behavior of [11C]flumazenil ([11C]FMZ), a non-subtype-specific central benzodiazepine antagonist, is characterized using compartmental analysis with the aim of producing an optimized data acquisition protocol and tracer kinetic model configuration for the assessment of [11C]FMZ binding to benzodiazepine receptors (BZRs) in human brain. The approach presented is simple, requiring only a single radioligand injection. Dynamic positron emission tomography data were acquired on 18 normal volunteers using a 60- to 90-min sequence of scans and were analyzed with model configurations that included a three-compartment, four-parameter model, a three-compartment, three-parameter model, with a fixed value for free plus nonspecific binding; and a two-compartment, two-parameter model. Statistical analysis indicated that a four-parameter model did not yield significantly better fits than a three-parameter model. Goodness of fit was improved for three- versus two-parameter configurations in regions with low receptor density, but not in regions with moderate to high receptor density. Thus, a two-compartment, two-parameter configuration was found to adequately describe the kinetic behavior of [11C]FMZ in human brain, with stable estimates of the model parameters obtainable from as little as 20-30 min of data. Pixel-by-pixel analysis yields functional images of transport rate (K1) and ligand distribution volume (DV"), and thus provides independent estimates of ligand delivery and BZR binding.

Adult↗

Compartmental distribution of complement activation products in artificial kidneys.

The compartmental distribution of the human anaphylatoxins C3a and C5a has been defined during simulated hemodialysis performed with various types of hemodialyzers. New cuprophan hollow fiber dialyzers were found to activate human complement very readily in vitro, while re-used cuprophan dialyzers displayed only modest complement activating potential. The C3a and C5a antigens, formed as a result of complement activation in these dialyzers, accumulated predominantly in the blood path and were not adsorbed extensively on the membrane surface or transported into the dialysate compartment. Cellulose acetate membranes also produced complement activation in vitro, but to a lesser degree than new cuprophan hollow fibers. However, these membranes exhibited a significant capacity to bind the anaphylatoxins to their surface. Polyacrylonitrile membranes appeared to be unique in that they not only failed to activate complement significantly, but they rapidly adsorbed large quantities of C3a and C5a. These findings demonstrate that hemodialysis membranes may differ with regard to their complement activating potential as well as their ability to remove circulating anaphylatoxins from the blood path. Clinical measurements of anaphylatoxin production during hemodialysis reflect these dynamic events.

Complement Activation↗

Aluminum alters the compartmentalization of iron in Friend erythroleukemia cells.

Aluminum (Al) accumulation in renal failure patients can result in encephalopathy, osteomalacia, and anemia. Since the cellular mechanisms of Al toxicity are not completely understood we used cultured Friend erythroleukemia cells (FEC) as a model system of Al-induced anemia. In this system Al accumulation leads to decreased cell growth and hemoglobin synthesis despite increased iron (Fe) uptake by transferrin (Tf) endocytosis. In FEC we evaluated the effect of Al on the cellular and subcellular accumulation of Fe, ferritin concentration, the uptake of Fe by ferritin, the exit of cellular Fe, and membrane lipid peroxidation. FEC were grown in media with or without the addition of Al-Tf and studies were done at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after plating. The highest concentration of intracellular Al was found in mitochondria with lesser amounts in the nucleus, and the least was in cytosol. The rate of Fe uptake was higher in Al-loaded FEC without a proportionally increased rate of exit. This resulted in higher concentrations of Fe in Al-loaded FEC. Subcellular fractionation following the uptake of 59Fe, 125I-Tf in Al-loaded FEC showed increased uptake of 59Fe in the nuclear and mitochondrial compartments with no increase in the cytosol. Al-loaded FEC showed decreased ferritin content and decreased uptake of 59Fe by ferritin. Increased membrane lipid peroxidation occurred in Al-loaded FEC at 96 hours as assessed by cellular malonyldialdehyde accumulation. These results indicate that Al disrupts Fe metabolism in FEC by increasing cellular Fe content with increased compartmentalization of Fe in the mitochondria and nuclei, decreased ferritin content, and decreased uptake of Fe by ferritin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aluminum↗