ROK-induced cross-link formation stiffens passive muscle: reversible strain-induced stress softening in rabbit detrusor

2005 ◽  
Vol 289 (1) ◽  
pp. C12-C21 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Speich ◽  
Lindsey Borgsmiller ◽  
Chris Call ◽  
Ryan Mohr ◽  
Paul H. Ratz

Passive mechanical properties of strips of rabbit detrusor smooth muscle were examined and found by cyclic loading in a calcium-free solution to display viscoelastic softening and strain-induced stress softening (strain softening). Strain softening, or the Mullins effect, is a loss of stiffness attributed to the breakage of cross-links, and appeared irreversible in detrusor even after the return of spontaneous rhythmic tone during 120 min of incubation in a calcium-containing solution. However, 3 min of KCl or carbachol (CCh)-induced contraction permitted rapid regeneration of the passive stiffness lost to strain softening, and 3 μM of the RhoA kinase (ROK) inhibitor Y-27632 prevented this regeneration. The degree of ROK-induced passive stiffness was inversely dependent on muscle length over a length range where peak CCh-induced force was length independent. Thus rabbit detrusor displayed variable passive stiffness both strain- and activation-history dependent. In conclusion, activation of ROK by KCl or CCh increased passive stiffness softened by muscle strain and thereby attributed to cross-links that remained stable during tissue incubation in a calcium-free solution. Degradation of this signaling system could potentially contribute to urinary incontinence.

2007 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 1746-1755 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Speich ◽  
Christopher Dosier ◽  
Lindsey Borgsmiller ◽  
Kevin Quintero ◽  
Harry P. Koo ◽  
...  

Until the 1990s, the passive and active length-tension ( L-T) relationships of smooth muscle were believed to be static, with a single passive force value and a single maximum active force value for each muscle length. However, recent studies have demonstrated that the active L-T relationship in airway smooth muscle is dynamic and adapts to length changes over a period of time. Furthermore, our prior work showed that the passive L-T relationship in rabbit detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) is also dynamic and that in addition to viscoelastic behavior, DSM displays strain-softening behavior characterized by a loss of passive stiffness at shorter lengths following a stretch to a new longer length. This loss of passive stiffness appears to be irreversible when the muscle is not producing active force and during submaximal activation but is reversible on full muscle activation, which indicates that the stiffness component of passive force lost to strain softening is adjustable in DSM. The present study demonstrates that the passive L-T curve for DSM is not static and can shift along the length axis as a function of strain history and activation history. This study also demonstrates that adjustable passive stiffness (APS) can modulate total force (35% increase) for a given muscle length, while active force remains relatively unchanged (4% increase). This finding suggests that the structures responsible for APS act in parallel with the contractile apparatus, and the results are used to further justify the configuration of modeling elements within our previously proposed mechanical model for APS.


1985 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 653-665
Author(s):  
J. S. Mshana ◽  
A. S. Krausz

Constitutive equations of cyclic strain and stress softening for materials with low internal stress levels are derived from the rate theory. The study shows that over the high stress and low temperature range where the description of plastic flow in cyclic softening can be approximated with activation over a single energy barrier, cyclic strain softening is well related to stress relaxation process while cyclic stress softening is related to creep process. The material structural characteristics for cyclic strain softening, cyclic stress softening and stress relaxation are identical. Subsequently, it is shown that cyclic stress and strain softening within the high stress and low temperature range can be evaluated from the constitutive equations using the material structural characteristics measured from a simple stress relaxation test.


2018 ◽  
Vol 200 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Satya Deo Pandey ◽  
Shilpa Pal ◽  
Ganesh Kumar N ◽  
Ankita Bansal ◽  
Sathi Mallick ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTDuring the peptidoglycan (PG) maturation of mycobacteria, the glycan strands are interlinked by both 3-3 (between twomeso-diaminopimelic acids [meso-DAPs]) and 4-3 cross-links (betweend-Ala andmeso-DAP), though there is a predominance (60 to 80%) of 3-3 cross-links. Thedd-carboxypeptidases (dd-CPases) act on pentapeptides to generate tetrapeptides that are used byld-transpeptidases as substrates to form 3-3 cross-links. Therefore,dd-CPases play a crucial role in mycobacterial PG cross-link formation. However, the physiology ofdd-CPases in mycobacteria is relatively unexplored. In this study, we deleted twodd-CPase genes,msmeg_2433andmsmeg_2432, both individually and in combination, fromMycobacterium smegmatismc2155. Though the singledd-CPase gene deletions had no significant impact on the mycobacterial physiology, many interesting functional alterations were observed in the double-deletion mutant,viz., a predominance in PG cross-link formation was shifted from 3-3 cross-links to 4-3, cell surface glycopeptidolipid (GPL) expression was reduced, and susceptibility to β-lactams and antitubercular agents was enhanced. Moreover, the survival rate of the double mutant within murine macrophages was higher than that of the parent. Interestingly, the complementation with any one of thedd-CPase genes could restore the wild-type phenotype. In a nutshell, we infer that the altered ratio of 4-3 to 3-3 PG cross-links might have influenced the expression of surface GPLs, colony morphology, biofilm formation, drug susceptibility, and subsistence of the cells within macrophages.IMPORTANCEThe glycan strands in mycobacterial peptidoglycan (PG) are interlinked by both 3-3 and 4-3 cross-links. Thedd-CPases generate tetrapeptides by acting on the pentapeptides, andld-transpeptidases use tetrapeptides as substrates to form 3-3 cross-links. In this study, we showed that simultaneous deletions of twodd-CPases alter the nature of PG cross-linking from 3-3 cross-links to 4-3 cross-links. The deletions subsequently decrease the expression of glycopeptidolipids (significant surface lipid present in many nontuberculous mycobacteria, includingMycobacterium smegmatis) and affect other physiological parameters, like cell morphology, growth rate, biofilm formation, antibiotic susceptibility, and survival within murine macrophages. Thus, unraveling the physiology ofdd-CPases might help us design antimycobacterial therapeutics in the future.


Circulation ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana P Fontes-Sousa ◽  
Ana L Pires ◽  
Vera Monteiro-Cardoso ◽  
Adelino F Leite-Moreira

Objective: Urotensin II (U-II) is a vasoactive peptide with important actions in the cardiovascular system. It was recently shown that it acutely decreases myocardial stiffness. Although angiotensin II (AngII) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) also modulate myocardial diastolic properties, their interaction with U-II at this level has not yet been investigated. Methods: Effects of increasing concentrations of U-II (10 – 8–10 – 6M) were studied in rabbit papillary muscles immersed in a modified Krebs solution (0.6Hz;1.8mM Ca2+;35°C) in the absence (n=12) and in presence of losartan, a selective competitive antagonist of AngII receptor type 1 (10 – 6M;n=8) or PD-145065, a nonselective endothelin receptor antagonist (10 – 6M;n=6). Calculated parameters: passive tension (PT), active tension (AT), maximum velocity of tension rise and decline (dT/dtmax and dT/dtmin, respectively) and muscle length. Results presented as mean±SEM (p<0.05). Results: U-II induced a concentration dependent negative inotropic and lusitropic effects, decreasing at 10 – 6M 15.8±5.6%AT, 13.5±5.4%dT/dtmax and 18.1±4.5%%dT/dtmin. This effect was inhibited by losartan or PD-145065. Additionally, U-II induced a concentration dependent increase in passive muscle length of 1.0081±0.002L/ Lmax. Restoring muscle length to Lmax decreased 19.5±3.5%PT, indicating increased myocardial distensibility. In the presence of PD-145065, the maximal concentration of U-II only increased muscle length to 1.004±0.002%L/Lmax, which corresponded to a decrease of PT of just 11.6±2.7%. With losartan these effects of U-II were abolished. Conclusion: The acute increase in myocardial distensibility induced by U-II is attenuated by ET-1 receptor blockade and completely abolished in the presence of an AT1 antagonist. This interaction between U-II, AngII and ET-1 is a novel finding with potential pathophysiologic and therapeutic implications in heart failure that deserves further investigation.


Blood ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 126 (23) ◽  
pp. 1559-1559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Flynn ◽  
Patrick H. van Berkel ◽  
Francesca Zammarchi ◽  
Peter C. Tyrer ◽  
Ayse U. Akarca ◽  
...  

Abstract ADCT-301, currently in Phase I clinical trial, is an ADC composed of a recombinant human IgG1, HuMax®-TAC against human IL-2R-α (CD25) conjugated through a cleavable linker to a PBD dimer warhead with a drug-antibody ratio of 2.3. In vitro and ex vivo, ADCT-301 binds human CD25 with picomolar affinity. ADCT-301 has highly potent and targeted cytotoxicity against a panel of human lymphoma cell lines. On release, PBD dimers bind in the DNA minor groove and exert their cytotoxic action via the formation of DNA interstrand cross-links. In vivo, ADCT-301 demonstrates dose-dependent antitumor activity against subcutaneous and disseminated lymphoma models. For example, in the Karpas 299 xenograft model, 10/10 tumor-free survivors are observed following a single dose of 0.5 mg/kg, whereas Adcetris® gives only a modest delay in mean tumor growth at 0.5 mg/kg, despite this tumor expressing three-fold higher target antigen levels for this drug. The current study aimed to further define the mechanism of action of ADCT-301 and validate pharmacodynamic assays for clinical development. In Karpas 299 cells, evidence for internalization of ADCT-301 was shown by a reduction of CD25 molecules on the cell surface over the first three hours post-treatment followed by a return to pre-treatment levels by 16 hours. This is consistent with the documented rapid recycling of CD25 to the membrane after exposure to IL-2 (Hemar et al Journal of Cell Biology 1995). Furthermore, ADCT-301 on the cell surface declined by >70% over four hours. Following a two-hour exposure to ADCT-301, DNA interstrand cross-linking, measured using a modification of the single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay, reached a peak between 4 and 8 hours after which cross-links persisted up to 36 hours. In contrast, the peak of cross-link formation for an equimolar concentration of warhead was immediately following drug exposure and a non-targeted PBD-containing ADC did not produce crosslinks in these cells. A strong correlation (r = 0.97) between loss of viability and DNA cross-link formation provides support for this DNA damage being the critical initiating mechanism of cytotoxicity of ADCT-301. We have previously shown that PBD-induced DNA interstrand cross-links elicit a robust, but delayed γ-H2AX response (Wu et al Clinical Cancer Research 2013). In Karpas 299 cells phosphorylation of H2AX was observed 24 hours after a two-hour exposure to sub-GI50 concentrations of ADCT-301. In these cells continuous exposure to ADCT-301 resulted in a dose-dependent G2/M arrest, peaking at 48 hours, later than for the naked warhead. The peak of the early apoptosis marker annexin-V on the cell surface of Karpas 299 cells was observed between 60 and 72 hours and maximal loss of viability was at 96 hours. Significant bystander killing of CD25-negative human Burkitt's lymphoma-derived Ramos cells was demonstrated for ADCT-301 both by co-culture experiments with CD25-positive Karpas 299 cells, and by media transfer from Karpas 299 cells treated with ADCT-301. This is important as many lymphomas are heterogeneous in their CD25 expression profile (Strauchen et al American Journal of Pathology 1987). In SCID mice with Karpas 299 subcutaneous tumors a single dose of ADCT-301 was administered at 0.2 or 0.6 mg/kg. 24 hours after treatment, excised tumors showed a dose proportional increase in intensity of membrane and cytoplasmic staining by an anti-PBD payload antibody. Cross-linking was determined as 23% (0.2 mg/kg) vs 49% (0.6 mg/kg) (p ≤ 0.01) reduction in Tail Moment using the comet assay and dose-dependent γ-H2AX formation measured by immunohistochemistry was observed. No cross-linking was observed in matched lymphocyte samples. These data confirm the mechanism of cell killing of ADCT-301 and provide relevant pharmacodynamic assays for use in the clinical development of PBD-based ADCs. Disclosures Flynn: Spirogen/Medimmune: Employment. van Berkel:ADC Therapeutics: Employment, Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties. Zammarchi:ADC Therapeutics: Employment. Tyrer:Spirogen/Medimmune: Employment. Williams:Spirogen/Medimmune: Employment. Howard:ADCT Spirogen/Medimmune: Employment, Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties. Hartley:ADCT Spirogen/Medimmune: Employment, Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.


2006 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 1189-1198 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Speich ◽  
Kevin Quintero ◽  
Christopher Dosier ◽  
Lindsey Borgsmiller ◽  
Harry P. Koo ◽  
...  

Strips of rabbit detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) exhibit adjustable passive stiffness characterized by strain softening: a loss of stiffness on stretch to a new length distinct from viscoelastic behavior. At the molecular level, strain softening appears to be caused by cross-link breakage and is essentially irreversible when DSM is maintained under passive conditions (i.e., when cross bridges are not cycling to produce active force). However, on DSM activation, strain softening is reversible and likely due to cross-link reformation. Thus DSM displays adjustable passive stiffness that is dependent on the history of both muscle strain and activation. The present study provides empirical data showing that, in DSM, 1) passive isometric force relaxation includes a very slow component requiring hours to approach steady state, 2) the level of passive force maintained at steady state is less if the tissue has previously been strain softened, and 3) tissues subjected to a quick-release protocol exhibit a biphasic response consisting of passive force redevelopment followed by force relaxation. To explain these and previously identified characteristics, a mechanical model for adjustable passive stiffness is proposed based on the addition of a novel cross-linking element to a hybrid Kelvin/Voigt viscoelastic model.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yindi Jiang ◽  
Alessia Stornetta ◽  
Peter W. Villalta ◽  
Matthew R. Wilson ◽  
Paul D. Boudreau ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTCertain commensal and pathogenic bacteria produce colibactin, a small molecule genotoxin that causes interstrand cross-links in host cell DNA. Though colibactin has been found to alkylate DNA, the molecular basis for cross-link formation is unclear. Here, we report that the colibactin biosynthetic enzyme ClbL is an amide bond-forming enzyme that links aminoketone and β-keto thioester substrates in vitro and in vivo. The substrate specificity of ClbL strongly supports a role for this enzyme in terminating the colibactin NRPS-PKS assembly line. This transformation would incorporate two electrophilic cyclopropane warheads into the final natural product scaffold. Overall, this work provides a biosynthetic explanation for colibactin’s DNA crosslinking activity and paves the way for further study of its chemical structure.


2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (11) ◽  
pp. e2100137118
Author(s):  
David A. Dik ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Emily J. Sturgell ◽  
Brittany B. Sanchez ◽  
Jason S. Chen ◽  
...  

Gram-positive bacteria assemble a multilayered cell wall that provides tensile strength to the cell. The cell wall is composed of glycan strands cross-linked by nonribosomally synthesized peptide stems. Herein, we modify the peptide stems of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis with noncanonical electrophilic d-amino acids, which when in proximity to adjacent stem peptides form novel covalent 5,3-cross-links. Approximately 20% of canonical cell-wall cross-links can be replaced with synthetic cross-links. While a low level of synthetic cross-link formation does not affect B. subtilis growth and phenotype, at higher levels cell growth is perturbed and bacteria elongate. A comparison of the accumulation of synthetic cross-links over time in Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria highlights key differences between them. The ability to perturb cell-wall architecture with synthetic building blocks provides a novel approach to studying the adaptability, elasticity, and porosity of bacterial cell walls.


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