Estradiol and testosterone have opposite effects on microtubule polymerization

We have reported earlier the purification of tubulin from a plasmalemmal-microsomal fraction derived from rat hippocampus using an estradiol (E(2)) affinity column and the specific binding of tubulin to both E(2) and testosterone (T). To further investigate the effect of E(2) and T on the function of this protein, changes in microtubule polymerization as a result of exposure to the steroids were examined in this study, using both pure tubulin and rat hippocampal primary cell cultures. First, pure tubulin was incubated with or without steroids for 30 min on ice followed by polymerization at 37 degrees C. The numbers of microtubules formed were counted from electron microscopic pictures. The results showed that at 30 min of polymerization, 10 nM, 30 nM and 30 microM of E(2) inhibited microtubule assembly by -70%, -94%, and -92%, respectively (p < 0.01), while T at the same three concentrations stimulated it by +83%, +66%, and +121%, respectively (p < 0.05). The inhibitory effect of E(2) and the stimulatory effect of T were observed at 15, 30 and 60 min of the polymerization process. Next, primary cell cultures from 17-day rat fetus hippocampal tissues were treated with the steroids and polymerized microtubules (Triton X-100 resistant) were examined by immunocytochemistry. The results demonstrated that 60 min of E(2) treatment (10 nM) decreased the intensity of the immunolabeling of polymerized microtubules. The effect of T at nM concentration was not significant though it increased the immunolabeling at microM concentration. Of great significance was a remarkable inhibition by T of the well-established depolymerization effect of colchicine in both the pure tubulin assay and the cell culture model, while E(2) was not effective. In an effort to pursue the possible mechanism(s) of the effect of E(2) and T on microtubule formation, we found that T only inhibited the microtubule depolymerization process without affecting the rate of polymerization. In contrast, E(2) modifies only the polymerization process without altering the depolymerization. Overall, these data indicate that E(2) and T may be considered as novel regulators of microtubule dynamics and thereby controlling cytoskeleton function in cells.     

The melanocortin-1 receptor gene mediates female-specific mechanisms of analgesia in mice and humans

Sex specificity of neural mechanisms modulating nociceptive information has been demonstrated in rodents, and these qualitative sex differences appear to be relevant to analgesia from kappa-opioid receptor agonists, a drug class reported to be clinically effective only in women. Via quantitative trait locus mapping followed by a candidate gene strategy using both mutant mice and pharmacological tools, we now demonstrate that the melanocortin-1 receptor (Mc1r) gene mediates kappa-opioid analgesia in female mice only. This finding suggested that individuals with variants of the human MC1R gene, associated in our species with red hair and fair skin, might also display altered kappa-opioid analgesia. We found that women with two variant MC1R alleles displayed significantly greater analgesia from the kappa-opioid, pentazocine, than all other groups. This study demonstrates an unexpected role for the MC1R gene, verifies that pain modulation in the two sexes involves neurochemically distinct substrates, and represents an example of a direct translation of a pharmacogenetic finding from mouse to human.     

Skeletal muscle and jejunal protein synthesis in normal and ethanol-treated rats: the effect of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitors,L-omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester and N(G)-nitro-L-arginine in vivo

The nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors, L-omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 25 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg) and N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA; 100 mg/kg) were used to investigate the role of NO on in vivo skeletal muscle and jejunal (mucosa and seromuscular layer) protein synthesis rates in normal (ie, untreated) and ethanol-dosed (75 mmol/kg body weight) rats. Fractional rates of protein synthesis, ie, percentage of protein pool renewed each day, k(s), %/d) were measured with a flooding dose of L-[(3)H-4]phenylalanine. In response to both doses of L-NAME and L-NNA, k(s) in skeletal muscle of normal rats decreased by 9% to 31% (P between <.05 and <.001). In the mucosa, k(s) was significantly reduced only by the higher dose of L-NAME (-49%, P <.001). In the seromuscular layer, k(s) was reduced by 15% to 57% (P between <.05 and <.001) in response to both doses of L-NAME and L-NNA. Ethanol dosage reduced k(s) in skeletal muscle (-35%, P <.001), and small reductions also occurred in the jejunal mucosal and seromuscular layers (-14% P <.05 and -12% P <.05, respectively). However, in the presence of L-NAME, ethanol reduced k(s) in jejunal mucosal and seromuscular layers by -35% (P <.01) and -30% (P <.01), respectively, compared with controls. This exacerbating effect of L-NAME predosage in ethanol-treated rats was not demonstrable in skeletal muscle. The data thus suggest that (1) endogenous NO facilitates constitutive skeletal muscle and jejunal protein synthesis in control animals in vivo; (2) the sensitivity of jejunal (but not skeletal muscle) protein synthesis to acute ethanol is increased when inhibitors of NOS are used. This tentatively implies that, in response to ethanol, overproduction of NO is not involved in the ethanol-induced reduction of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle or the jejunum.     

Ca2+-regulatory muscle proteins in the alcohol-fed rat

Alcoholic myopathy is characterized by muscle weakness and difficulties in gait and locomotion. It is one of the most prevalent skeletal muscle disorders in the Western hemisphere, affecting between 40% and 60% of all chronic alcohol misusers. However, the pathogenic mechanisms are unknown, although recent studies have suggested that membrane defects occur as a consequence of chronic alcohol exposure. It was our hypothesis that alcohol ingestion perturbs membrane-located proteins associated with intracellular signalling and contractility, in particular those relating to calcium homeostasis. To test this, we fed male Wistar rats nutritionally complete liquid diets containing ethanol as 35% of total dietary energy. Controls were pair-fed identical amounts of the same diet in which ethanol was replaced by isocaloric glucose. At the end of 6 weeks, rats were killed and skeletal muscles dissected. These were used to determine important ion-regulatory skeletal muscle proteins including sarcalumenin (SAR), sarcoplasmic-endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) (SERCA1), the junctional face protein of 90 kd (90-JFP), alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-dihydropyridine receptor (alpha(1)-DHPR and alpha(2)-DHPR), and calsequestrin (CSQ) by immunoblotting. The relative abundance of microsomal proteins was determined by immunoblotting using the enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) technique. The data showed that alcohol-feeding significantly reduced gastrocnemius and hind limb muscle weights (P <.05 in both instances). Concomitant changes included increases in the relative amounts of SERCA1 (P <.05) and Ca(2+)-ATPase activity (P <.025). However, there were no statistically significant changes in either SAR, 90-JFP, alpha(1)-DHPR or alpha(2)-DHPR (P >.2 in all instances). Reductions in CSQ were of marginal significance (P =.0950). We conclude that upregulation of SERCA1 protein and Ca(2+)-ATPase activity may be an adaptive mechanism and/or a contributory process in the pathology of alcohol-induced muscle disease.     

Conservative restoration of proximal-cervical lesions

One of the authors has used this technique successfully for the past three years in various clinical situations that involve both difficult access anterior and posterior teeth. This is a tooth-structure conserving clinical procedure that can provide a simplified approach for restoring otherwise difficult clinical lesions.     

Optimal timing of the Ross procedure in the management of chronic aortic incompetence in the young

The appropriate timing of intervention in patients with chronic aortic incompetence allows recovery of ventricular function. We sought to determine the optimal timing of the Ross procedure for chronic aortic incompetence in young patients. We retrospectively analysed case notes, and measured pre- and postoperative echocardiographic indexes of left ventricular function, in patients who had undergone the Ross procedure for chronic aortic incompetence. METHODS AND RESULTS: We found 21 patients with preoperative and postoperative data suitable for analysis. Their age at operation ranged from 5.6 to 26 years, with a median of 13.8 years, and the duration of follow-up was from 0.5 to 6.8 years, with a median of 2.4 years. The preoperative left ventricular end-diastolic dimension was converted to a z-score, and this was used as a threshold to divide the population. Using the threshold of a preoperative left ventricular z-score of more than 3 to divide the population did not show any difference in postoperative parameters of left ventricular function. Significant differences were found postoperatively, however, in both the left ventricular z-score and the ratio of left ventricular end-diastolic radius to posterior wall thickness in diastole, with a cutoff preoperative threshold z-score greater than 4. CONCLUSION: The increase in the ratio of left ventricular end-diastolic radius to the thickness of the posterior wall in diastole would suggest that there is disruption of left ventricular short axis architecture and myocardial contractile function when intervention is postponed. The significantly larger left ventricular dimension at end-diastole, despite the reduction in volume loading post surgery, may also demonstrate irreversible structural changes. Our data would suggest that recovery of left ventricular function is less likely when the left ventricular z-score has reached the value of 4, and that, ideally, intervention should be performed when the z-score approaches or exceeds 3.