Voltage-dependent inhibition of the sodium pump by external sodium: Species differences and possible role of the N-terminus of the ?-subunit

1993 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
LarisaA. Vasilets ◽  
Toshiko Ohta ◽  
Shunsuke Noguchi ◽  
Masaru Kawamura ◽  
Wolfgang Schwarz
Author(s):  
Edna S. Kaneshiro

It is currently believed that ciliary beating results from microtubule sliding which is restricted in regions to cause bending. Cilia beat can be modified to bring about changes in beat frequency, cessation of beat and reversal in beat direction. In ciliated protozoans these modifications which determine swimming behavior have been shown to be related to intracellular (intraciliary) Ca2+ concentrations. The Ca2+ levels are in turn governed by the surface ciliary membrane which exhibits increased Ca2+ conductance (permeability) in response to depolarization. Mutants with altered behaviors have been isolated. Pawn mutants fail to exhibit reversal of the effective stroke of ciliary beat and therefore cannot swim backward. They lack the increased inward Ca2+ current in response to depolarizing stimuli. Both normal and pawn Paramecium made leaky to Ca2+ by Triton extrac¬tion of the surface membrane exhibit backward swimming only in reactivating solutions containing greater than IO-6 M Ca2+ Thus in pawns the ciliary reversal mechanism itself is left operational and only the control mechanism at the membrane is affected. The topographic location of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels has been identified as a component of the ciliary mem¬brane since the inward Ca2+ conductance response is eliminated by deciliation and the return of the response occurs during cilia regeneration. Since the ciliary membrane has been impli¬cated in the control of Ca2+ levels in the cilium and therefore is the site of at least one kind of control of microtubule sliding, we have focused our attention on understanding the structure and function of the membrane.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (Suppl. 3) ◽  
pp. A4.17
Author(s):  
Fatma Aslı Erdem
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Virginia Fuochi ◽  
Massimo Caruso ◽  
Rosalia Emma ◽  
Aldo Stivala ◽  
Riccardo Polosa ◽  
...  

Background: The key ingredients of e-cigarettes liquid are commonly propane-1,2-diol (also called propylene glycol) and propane-1,2,3-triol (vegetal glycerol) and their antimicrobial effects are already established. The nicotine and flavors which are often present in e-liquids can interfere with the growth of some microorganisms. Objective: The effect of the combining these elements in e-liquids is unknown. The aim of the study was to investigate the possible effects of these liquids on bacterial growth in the presence or absence of nicotine and flavors. Methods: Susceptibilities of pathogenic strains (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Sarcina lutea) were studied by means of a multidisciplinary approach. Cell viability and antioxidant assays were also evaluated. Results: All e-liquids investigated showed antibacterial activity against at least one pathogenic strain. A higher activity was correlated to the presence of flavors and nicotine. Discussion: In most cases the value of minimal bactericidal concentration is equal to the value of minimal inhibitory concentration showing that these substances have a bactericidal effect. This effect was observed in concentrations up to 6.25% v/v. Antioxidant activity was also correlated to presence of flavors. Over time, the viability assay in human epithelial lung A549 cells showed a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth. Conclusion: Our results have shown that flavors considerably enhance the antibacterial activity of propane-1,2-diol and propane-1,2,3-triol. This study provides important evidence that should be taken into consideration in further investigative approaches, to clarify the different sensitivity of the various bacterial species to e-liquids, including the respiratory microbiota, to highlight the possible role of flavors and nicotine.


1988 ◽  
Vol 255 (4) ◽  
pp. E469-E474
Author(s):  
J. P. Kile ◽  
M. S. Amoss

It has been proposed that gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulates Ca2+ entry by activation of voltage-independent, receptor-mediated Ca2+ channels in the rat gonadotroph. Little work has been done on the role of calcium in GnRH-induced luteinizing hormone (LH) release in species other than the rat. Therefore, this study was done to compare the effects of agents that alter Ca2+ or Na+ entry on LH release from calf anterior pituitary primary cells in culture. GnRH (100 ng/ml), Ca2+ ionophore A23187 (2.5 microM), and the depolarizing agent ouabain (0.1-10 microM) all produced significant increases (P less than 0.05) in LH release; these effects were significantly reduced when the cells were preincubated with the organic Ca2+ channel blockers nifedipine (1-10 microM) and verapamil (1-10 microM) and with Co2+ (0.01-1 mM). The effect of ouabain was inhibited by tetrodotoxin (TTX; 1-10 nM) as well as by nifedipine at 0.1-10 microM. In contrast to its effect on rat pituitary LH release, TTX significantly inhibited GnRH-stimulated LH release at 1-100 nM. These results suggest that GnRH-induced LH release may employ Ca2+ as a second messenger in bovine gonadotrophs and support recent speculation that GnRH-induced Ca2+ mobilization may in part be voltage dependent.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 361
Author(s):  
Rui-Zhu Shi ◽  
Yuan-Qing Pan ◽  
Li Xing

The RNA helicase A (RHA) is a member of DExH-box helicases and characterized by two double-stranded RNA binding domains at the N-terminus. RHA unwinds double-stranded RNA in vitro and is involved in RNA metabolisms in the cell. RHA is also hijacked by a variety of RNA viruses to facilitate virus replication. Herein, this review will provide an overview of the role of RHA in the replication of RNA viruses.


2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
pp. 1355-1368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiong Zhang ◽  
Katherine Shim ◽  
Kevin Wright ◽  
Alexander Jurkevich ◽  
Sharad Khare

2005 ◽  
Vol 103 (6) ◽  
pp. 1156-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Gingrich ◽  
Son Tran ◽  
Igor M. Nikonorov ◽  
Thomas J. Blanck

Background Volatile anesthetics depress cardiac contractility, which involves inhibition of cardiac L-type calcium channels. To explore the role of voltage-dependent inactivation, the authors analyzed halothane effects on recombinant cardiac L-type calcium channels (alpha1Cbeta2a and alpha1Cbeta2aalpha2/delta1), which differ by the alpha2/delta1 subunit and consequently voltage-dependent inactivation. Methods HEK-293 cells were transiently cotransfected with complementary DNAs encoding alpha1C tagged with green fluorescent protein and beta2a, with and without alpha2/delta1. Halothane effects on macroscopic barium currents were recorded using patch clamp methodology from cells expressing alpha1Cbeta2a and alpha1Cbeta2aalpha2/delta1 as identified by fluorescence microscopy. Results Halothane inhibited peak current (I(peak)) and enhanced apparent inactivation (reported by end pulse current amplitude of 300-ms depolarizations [I300]) in a concentration-dependent manner in both channel types. alpha2/delta1 coexpression shifted relations leftward as reported by the 50% inhibitory concentration of I(peak) and I300/I(peak)for alpha1Cbeta2a (1.8 and 14.5 mm, respectively) and alpha1Cbeta2aalpha2/delta1 (0.74 and 1.36 mm, respectively). Halothane reduced transmembrane charge transfer primarily through I(peak) depression and not by enhancement of macroscopic inactivation for both channels. Conclusions The results indicate that phenotypic features arising from alpha2/delta1 coexpression play a key role in halothane inhibition of cardiac L-type calcium channels. These features included marked effects on I(peak) inhibition, which is the principal determinant of charge transfer reductions. I(peak) depression arises primarily from transitions to nonactivatable states at resting membrane potentials. The findings point to the importance of halothane interactions with states present at resting membrane potential and discount the role of inactivation apparent in current time courses in determining transmembrane charge transfer.


2013 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 443-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gültekin Tamgüney ◽  
Kurt Giles ◽  
Abby Oehler ◽  
Natrina L. Johnson ◽  
Stephen J. DeArmond ◽  
...  

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) of deer and elk is a highly communicable neurodegenerative disorder caused by prions. Investigations of CWD are hampered by slow bioassays in transgenic (Tg) mice. Towards the development of Tg mice that will be more susceptible to CWD prions, we created a series of chimeric elk/mouse transgenes that encode the N terminus of elk PrP (ElkPrP) up to residue Y168 and the C terminus of mouse PrP (MoPrP) beyond residue 169 (mouse numbering), designated Elk3M(SNIVVK). Between codons 169 and 219, six residues distinguish ElkPrP from MoPrP: N169S, T173N, V183I, I202V, I214V and R219K. Using chimeric elk/mouse PrP constructs, we generated 12 Tg mouse lines and determined incubation times after intracerebral inoculation with the mouse-passaged RML scrapie or Elk1P CWD prions. Unexpectedly, one Tg mouse line expressing Elk3M(SNIVVK) exhibited incubation times of <70 days when inoculated with RML prions; a second line had incubation times of <90 days. In contrast, mice expressing full-length ElkPrP had incubation periods of >250 days for RML prions. Tg(Elk3M,SNIVVK) mice were less susceptible to CWD prions than Tg(ElkPrP) mice. Changing three C-terminal mouse residues (202, 214 and 219) to those of elk doubled the incubation time for mouse RML prions and rendered the mice resistant to Elk1P CWD prions. Mutating an additional two residues from mouse to elk at codons 169 and 173 increased the incubation times for mouse prions to >300 days, but made the mice susceptible to CWD prions. Our findings highlight the role of C-terminal residues in PrP that control the susceptibility and replication of prions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 118 (6) ◽  
pp. 408-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuji Mukai ◽  
Asuna Senda ◽  
Takaki Toda ◽  
Erik Eliasson ◽  
Anders Rane ◽  
...  

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