厄贝沙坦和咪达普利对高血压大鼠心肌细胞外信号调节激酶的影响

目的　探讨血管紧张素Ⅱ受体阻滞剂厄贝沙坦和血管紧张素转换酶抑制剂 (ACEI)咪达普利对高血压大鼠心肌细胞外信号调节激酶 (ERK)和丝裂原活化蛋白激酶磷酸酶 1(MKP 1)的影响。方法　将 2 1只雄性自发性高血压大鼠 (SHR)随机分成 3组 ,每组 7只。其中 2组分别灌喂厄贝沙坦 5 0mg·kg-1·d-1和咪达普利 3mg·kg-1·d-1;对照组给正常饮水 ,并与雄性同周龄WistarKyoto大鼠 (WKY) 6只比较。共 13周 ,用Western blot方法检测大鼠心肌ERK 1和MKP 1。结果　高血压对照组心肌ERK 1明显高于其他三组 (P <0 0 1) ,厄贝沙坦组高于咪达普利组 (P <0 0 5 ) ,与WKY组接近 ;高血压对照组心肌MKP 1也明显高于其他三组 (P <0 0 1) ,厄贝沙坦组高于咪达普利组 (P <0 0 1) ;SHR对照组的心肌ERK 1/MKP 1值仍然明显高于其他三组 ,厄贝沙坦组低于咪达普利组 (P <0 0 5 ) ,两药物干预组的心肌ERK 1/MKP 1与WKY组无显著性差异。结论　血管紧张素Ⅱ受体阻滞剂和ACEI均能通过抑制MAPK途径而抑制左室肥厚 ,厄贝沙坦和咪达普利均能显著抑制心肌的ERK 1和MKP 1,但是抑制ERK 1和MKP 1的强度并不平行 ;厄贝沙坦对MKP的影响较小 ,其对MAPK的总体抑制效应优于咪达普利 ,这种现象可能与刺激血管紧张素Ⅱ受体对MKP 1具有诱导作用有关     

钙通道和Na+/H+交换在表皮生长因子促肝癌细胞生长中的作用

目的许多生长因子如表皮生长因子(EGF),与肿瘤的发生密切相关.EGF与表皮生长因子受体(EGFR)结合,通过一系列的信息传导,导致肝癌细胞的增生.但受体后的信息传导机制尚不清楚.本实验探讨酪氨酸激酶、蛋白激酶C、Na+/H+交换、钙调蛋白和电压依赖性钙通道在EGF促肝癌细胞生长中的作用.方法本研究于无血清RPMI1640中培养肝癌细胞SMMC7721,采用3H-Thymidine(3H-TdR)掺入的方法,检测肝癌细胞DNA合成速率,研究酪氨酸激酶、蛋白激酶C、Na+/H+交换、钙调蛋白和电压依赖性钙通道在EGF促肝癌细脆生长中的作用.结果EGF 10-9M对肝癌细脆的生长有极显著促进作用,与对照组比较差异有显著意义(P＜0.05),酪氮酸激酶阻滞剂Genistein对EGF的促肝癌细胞生长作用具有极显著抑制作用(P＜0.001).钙调蛋白阻滞剂W-7、蛋白激酶C阻滞剂H-7和Na+/H+交换阻滞剂amiloride对EGF的促肝癌细胞生长作用具有显著抑制作用(P＜0.001,P＜0.01,P＜0.05),而对基础状态细胞的3H-TdR掺入值无显著影响(P＞0.05).电压依赖性钙通道阻滞剂Varapamil对BGF的促肝癌细胞生长作用无显著抑制作用(P＞0.05),对基础状态细胞的3H-TdR掺入值亦无显著影响(P＞0.05).结论结果显示,酪氨酸激酶、蛋白激酶C、Na+/H+交换及依赖钙-钙调蛋白途径在BGF的作用中起关键作用.电压依赖性钙通道与EGF的作用无关.     

Novel nootropic drug sunifiram enhances hippocampal synaptic efficacy via glycine‐binding site of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor

Sunifiram is a novel pyrrolidone nootropic drug structurally related to piracetam, which was developed for neurodegenerative disorder like Alzheimer's disease. Sunifiram is known to enhance cognitive function in some behavioral experiments such as Morris water maze task. To address question whether sunifiram affects N‐methyl‐D ‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR)‐dependent synaptic function in the hippocampal CA1 region, we assessed the effects of sunifiram on NMDAR‐dependent long‐term potentiation (LTP) by electrophysiology and on phosphorylation of synaptic proteins by immunoblotting analysis. In mouse hippocampal slices, sunifiram at 10–100 nM significantly enhanced LTP in a bell‐shaped dose‐response relationship which peaked at 10 nM. The enhancement of LTP by sunifiram treatment was inhibited by 7‐chloro‐kynurenic acid (7‐ClKN), an antagonist for glycine‐binding site of NMDAR, but not by ifenprodil, an inhibitor for polyamine site of NMDAR. The enhancement of LTP by sunifilam was associated with an increase in phosphorylation of α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methylisozazole‐4‐propionate receptor (AMPAR) through activation of calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and an increase in phosphorylation of NMDAR through activation of protein kinase Cα (PKCα). Sunifiram treatments at 1–1000 nM increased the slope of field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in a dose‐dependent manner. The enhancement was associated with an increase in phosphorylation of AMPAR receptor through activation of CaMKII. Interestingly, under the basal condition, sunifiram treatments increased PKCα (Ser‐657) and Src family (Tyr‐416) activities with the same bell‐shaped dose‐response curve as that of LTP peaking at 10 nM. The increase in phosphorylation of PKCα (Ser‐657) and Src (Tyr‐416) induced by sunifiram was inhibited by 7‐ClKN treatment. The LTP enhancement by sunifiram was significantly inhibited by PP2, a Src family inhibitor. Finally, when pretreated with a high concentration of glycine (300 μM), sunifiram treatments failed to potentiate LTP in the CA1 region. Taken together, sunifiram stimulates the glycine‐binding site of NMDAR with concomitant PKCα activation through Src kinase. Enhancement of PKCα activity triggers to potentiate hippocampal LTP through CaMKII activation. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

两种肌萎缩侧索硬化基因表达谱差异性比较

 目的 比较肌萎缩侧索硬化的两种不同基因突变型(C9orf72与CHMP2B)表达谱差异来探讨该类疾病可能的发病机制及治疗靶点。方法 从GEO数据库中下载C9orf72基因突变肌萎缩侧索硬化数据集(GSE68605)及CHMP2B基因突变肌萎缩侧索硬化数据集(GSE19332)。使用R软件(3.5.0版本)、Cytoscape 3.6.1软件及在线工具(DAVID及STRING)进行数据分析。结果 从两个数据集中,获得了11个样本,其中8个为C9orf72基因突变,3个为CHMP2B基因。发现了13个差异表达基因,在GO及KEGG功能富集分析中发现仅有CALM1-3及RYR2富集在钙离子检测、通过钙离子释放的调节影响心肌的收缩功能等。其中钙调蛋白是引起C9orf72基因突变肌萎缩侧索硬化及CHMP2B基因突变肌萎缩侧索硬化差异的关键蛋白。结论 CALM基因在C9orf72基因突变肌萎缩侧索硬化患者中高表达,钙调蛋白可能是诊断及治疗C9orf72基因突变肌萎缩侧索硬化患者的重要靶点。     

Lead alters intracellular protein signaling and suppresses pro-inflammatory activation in TLR4 and IFNR-stimulated murine RAW 264.7 cells,in vitro

Lead (Pb) is a persistent environmental pollutant that has a structure and charge similar to many ions, such as calcium, that are essential for normal cellular function. Pb may compete with calcium for protein binding sites and inhibit signaling pathways within the cell affecting many organ systems including the immune system. The aim of the current study was to assess whether the calcium/calmodulin pathway is a principal target of environmentally relevant Pb during pro-inflammatory activation in a RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line. RAW 264.7 cells were cultured with 5 μM Pb(NO₃)₂, LPS, rIFNγ, or LPS+rIFNγ for 12, 24, or 48 hr. Intracellular protein signaling and multiple functional endpoints were investigated to determine Pb-mediated effects on macrophage function. Western blot analysis revealed that Pb initially modulated nuclear localization of NFκB p65 and cytoplasmic phosphorylation of CaMKIV accompanied by increased phosphorylation of STAT1β at 24 hr. Macrophage proliferation was significantly decreased at 12 hr in the presence of Pb, while nitric oxide (NO) was significantly reduced at 12 and 24 hr. Cells cultured with Pb for 12, 24, or 48 hr exhibited altered cytokine levels after specific stimuli activation. Our findings are in agreement with previous reports suggesting that macrophage pro-inflammatory responses are significantly modulated by Pb. Further, Pb-induced phosphorylation of CaMKIV (pCaMKIV), observed in the present study, may be a contributing factor in metal-induced autophagy noted in our previous study with this same cell line.     

Is calmodulin involved in the regulation of gap junction permeability?

The cell-to-cell channels of gap junctions mediate the direct exchange of ions and small metabolites between neighboring cells. A number of studies have shown that these channels close when the intracellular free calcium or hydrogen concentration increases, the result being cell-to-cell uncoupling. Since most of the calcium-activated biological phenomena are mediated by calmodulin (CaM), an obvious question is whether or not CaM is involved in the mechanism of cell coupling regulation. Data from the present study, showing the inhibitory effects of a calmodulin blocker on electrical uncoupling in Xenopus embryo cells, suggest a possible CaM participation in the uncoupling mechanism.     

Elementary mechanisms of calmodulin regulation of NaV1.5 producing divergent arrhythmogenic phenotypes

In cardiomyocytes, Na_V1.5 channels mediate initiation and fast propagation of action potentials. The Ca²⁺-binding protein calmodulin (CaM) serves as a de facto subunit of Na_V1.5. Genetic studies and atomic structures suggest that this interaction is pathophysiologically critical, as human mutations within the Na_V1.5 carboxy-terminus that disrupt CaM binding are linked to distinct forms of life-threatening arrhythmias, including long QT syndrome 3, a “gain-of-function” defect, and Brugada syndrome, a “loss-of-function” phenotype. Yet, how a common disruption in CaM binding engenders divergent effects on Na_V1.5 gating is not fully understood, though vital for elucidating arrhythmogenic mechanisms and for developing new therapies. Here, using extensive single-channel analysis, we find that the disruption of Ca²⁺-free CaM preassociation with Na_V1.5 exerts two disparate effects: 1) a decrease in the peak open probability and 2) an increase in persistent Na_V openings. Mechanistically, these effects arise from a CaM-dependent switch in the Na_V inactivation mechanism. Specifically, CaM-bound channels preferentially inactivate from the open state, while those devoid of CaM exhibit enhanced closed-state inactivation. Further enriching this scheme, for certain mutant Na_V1.5, local Ca²⁺ fluctuations elicit a rapid recruitment of CaM that reverses the increase in persistent Na current, a factor that may promote beat-to-beat variability in late Na current. In all, these findings identify the elementary mechanism of CaM regulation of Na_V1.5 and, in so doing, unravel a noncanonical role for CaM in tuning ion channel gating. Furthermore, our results furnish an in-depth molecular framework for understanding complex arrhythmogenic phenotypes of Na_V1.5 channelopathies.

Voltage-gated sodium channels (Na_V) are responsible for the initiation and spatial propagation of action potentials (AP) in excitable cells (1, 2). Na_V channels undergo rapid activation that underlie the AP upstroke while ensuing inactivation permits AP repolarization. The Na_V1.5 channel constitutes the predominant isoform in cardiomyocytes, whose pore-forming α-subunit is encoded by the SCN5A gene. Na_V1.5 dysfunction underlies diverse forms of cardiac disease including cardiomyopathies, arrhythmias, and sudden death (3–6). Human mutations in Na_V1.5 are associated with two forms of inherited arrhythmias–congenital long QT syndrome 3 (LQTS3) and Brugada syndrome (BrS) (7). LQTS3 stems from delayed or incomplete inactivation of Na_V1.5 that causes persistent Na influx that prolongs AP repolarization—a “gain-of-function” phenotype (7–9). BrS predisposes patients to sudden death and is associated with a reduction in the peak Na current that may slow cardiac conduction or cause region-specific repolarization differences—a “loss-of-function” phenotype (10, 11). Genetic studies have identified an expanding array of mutations in multiple Na_V1.5 domains, including the channel carboxy-terminus (CT) that is a hotspot for mutations linked to both LQTS3 and BrS (12, 13). This domain interacts with the Ca²⁺-binding protein calmodulin (CaM), suggesting that altered CaM regulation of Na_V1.5 may be a common pathophysiological mechanism (12, 14–16). More broadly, human mutations in the homologous regions of neuronal Na_V1.1 (17, 18), Na_V1.2 (19, 20), and Na_V1.6 (21) as well as skeletal muscle Na_V1.4 (22) are linked to varied clinical phenotypes including epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, neurodevelopmental delay, and myotonia (23). Taken together, a common Na_V mechanistic deficit—defective CaM regulation—may underlie these diverse diseases.CaM regulation of Na_V channels is complex, isoform specific, and mediated by multiple interfaces within the channel (14–16). The Na_V CT consists of a dual vestigial EF hand segment and a canonical CaM-binding “IQ” (isoleucine–glutamine) domain (24, 25) (Fig. 1A). The IQ domain of nearly all Na_V channels binds to both Ca²⁺-free CaM (apoCaM) and Ca²⁺/CaM, similar to Ca_V channels (26–31). As CaM is typically a Ca²⁺-dependent regulator, much attention has been focused on elucidating Ca²⁺-dependent changes in Na_V gating. For skeletal muscle Na_V1.4, transient elevation in cytosolic Ca²⁺ causes a dynamic reduction in the peak current, a process reminiscent of Ca²⁺/CaM-dependent inactivation of Ca_V channels (32). Cardiac Na_V1.5 by comparison exhibits no dynamic effect of Ca²⁺ on the peak current (32–34). Instead, sustained Ca²⁺ elevation has been shown to elicit a depolarizing shift in Na_V1.5 steady-state inactivation (SSI or h_∞), although the magnitude and the presence of a shift have been debated (32, 35). Additional CaM-binding sites have been identified in the channel amino terminus domain (36) and the III-IV linker near the isoleucine, phenylalanine, and methionine (IFM) motif that is well recognized for its role in fast inactivation (35, 37). However, recent cryogenic electron microscopy structures, biochemical, and functional analyses suggest that both the III-IV linker and the Domain IV voltage-sensing domain might instead interact with the channel CT in a state-dependent manner (38–43).Open in a separate windowFig. 1.Absence of dynamic Ca²⁺/CaM effects on WT Na_V1.5 SSI. (A, Left) Structure of Na_V1.5 transmembrane domain (6UZ3) (70) juxtaposed with that of Na_V1.5 CT–apoCaM complex (4OVN) (28). (Right) Arrhythmia-linked CT mutations highlighted in Na_V1.5 CT–apoCaM structure (LQTS3, blue; BrS, magenta; mixed syndrome, purple). (B) Dynamic Ca²⁺-dependent changes in Na_V1.5 SSI probed using Ca²⁺ photouncaging. Na currents specifying h_∞ at ∼100 nM (Left) and ∼4 μM Ca²⁺ step (Right). (C) Population data for Na_V1.5 SSI under low (black, Left) versus high (red, Right) intracellular Ca²⁺ reveal no differences (P = 0.55, paired t test). Dots and bars are mean ± SEM (n = 8 cells). (D) FRET two-hybrid analysis of Cerulean-tagged apoCaM interaction with various Venus-tagged Na_V1.5 CT (WT, black; IQ/AA, red; S[1904]L, blue). Each dot is FRET efficiency measured from a single cell. Solid line fits show 1:1 binding isotherm.Beyond Ca²⁺-dependent effects, the loss of apoCaM binding to the Na_V1.5 IQ domain increases persistent current (34, 44), suggesting that apoCaM itself may be pathophysiologically relevant. Indeed, Na_V1.5 mutations in the apoCaM-binding interface are associated with LQTS3 and atrial fibrillation (7), as well as a loss-of-function BrS phenotype and a mixed-syndrome phenotype whereby some patients present with BrS while others with LQTS3 (Fig. 1A) (13, 45). How alterations in CaM binding paradoxically elicits both gain-of-function and loss-of-function effects is not fully understood, though important to delineate pathophysiological mechanisms and for personalized therapies.Here, using single- and multichannel recordings, we show that apoCaM binding elicits two distinct effects on Na_V1.5 gating: 1) an increase in the peak channel open probability (P_O/peak) and 2) a reduction in the normalized persistent channel open probability (R_persist), consistent with previous studies (34, 44). The two effects may explain how mixed-syndrome mutations in the Na_V1.5 CT produce either BrS or LQTS3 phenotypes. On one hand, the loss of apoCaM association may diminish P_O/peak and induce BrS by shunting cardiac AP. On the other hand, increased R_persist may prevent normal AP repolarization, resulting in LQTS3. Analysis of elementary mechanisms suggests that these changes relate to a switch in the state dependence of channel inactivation. Furthermore, dynamic changes in Ca²⁺ can inhibit persistent current for certain mutant Na_V1.5 owing to enhanced Ca²⁺/CaM binding that occurs over the timescale of a cardiac AP. This effect may result in beat-to-beat variability in persistent Na current for some mutations. In all, these findings explain how a common deficit in CaM binding can contribute to distinct arrhythmogenic mechanisms.