scholarly journals The Hypoxia Tolerance of the Goldfish (Carassius auratus) Heart: The NOS/NO System and Beyond

Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariacristina Filice ◽  
Rosa Mazza ◽  
Serena Leo ◽  
Alfonsina Gattuso ◽  
Maria Carmela Cerra ◽  
...  

The extraordinary capacity of the goldfish (Carassius auratus) to increase its cardiac performance under acute hypoxia is crucial in ensuring adequate oxygen supply to tissues and organs. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms are not yet completely elucidated. By employing an ex vivo working heart preparation, we observed that the time-dependent enhancement of contractility, distinctive of the hypoxic goldfish heart, is abolished by the Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) antagonist L-NMMA, the Nitric Oxide (NO) scavenger PTIO, as well as by the PI3-kinase (PI3-K) and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2a (SERCA2a) pumps’ inhibition by Wortmannin and Thapsigargin, respectively. In goldfish hearts exposed to hypoxia, an ELISA test revealed no changes in cGMP levels, while Western Blotting analysis showed an enhanced expression of the phosphorylated protein kinase B (pAkt) and of the NADPH oxidase catalytic subunit Nox2 (gp91phox). A significant decrease of protein S-nitrosylation was observed by Biotin Switch assay in hypoxic hearts. Results suggest a role for a PI3-K/Akt-mediated activation of the NOS-dependent NO production, and SERCA2a pumps in the mechanisms conferring benefits to the goldfish heart under hypoxia. They also propose protein denitrosylation, and the possibility of nitration, as parallel intracellular events.

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping-Ho Chen ◽  
Yaw-Syan Fu ◽  
Yun-Ming Wang ◽  
Kun-Han Yang ◽  
Danny Ling Wang ◽  
...  

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and nitric oxide (NO), two endogenous gaseous molecules in endothelial cells, got increased attention with respect to their protective roles in the cardiovascular system. However, the details of the signaling pathways between H2S and NO in endothelia cells remain unclear. In this study, a treatment with NaHS profoundly increased the expression and the activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Elevated gaseous NO levels were observed by a novel and specific fluorescent probe, 5-amino-2-(6-hydroxy-3-oxo-3H-xanthen-9-yl)benzoic acid methyl ester (FA-OMe), and quantified by flow cytometry. Further study indicated an increase of upstream regulator for eNOS activation, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and protein kinase B (Akt). By using a biotin switch, the level of NO-mediated protein S-nitrosylation was also enhanced. However, with the addition of the NO donor, NOC-18, the expressions of cystathionine-γ-lyase, cystathionine-β-synthase, and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase were not changed. The level of H2S was also monitored by a new designed fluorescent probe, 4-nitro-7-thiocyanatobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD-SCN) with high specificity. Therefore, NO did not reciprocally increase the expression of H2S-generating enzymes and the H2S level. The present study provides an integrated insight of cellular responses to H2S and NO from protein expression to gaseous molecule generation, which indicates the upstream role of H2S in modulating NO production and protein S-nitrosylation.


2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (5) ◽  
pp. L1071-L1081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingyao Liu ◽  
Lorraine Tremblay ◽  
Stephen D. Cassivi ◽  
Xiao-Hui Bai ◽  
Eric Mourgeon ◽  
...  

Decreased nitric oxide (NO) production has been reported during lung transplantation in patients. To study the effects of ischemia and reperfusion on endogenous NO synthase (NOS) expression, both an ex vivo and an in vivo lung injury model for transplantation were used. Donor rat lungs were flushed with cold low-potassium dextran solution and subjected to either cold (4°C for 12 h) or warm (21°C for 4 h) ischemic preservation followed by reperfusion with an ex vivo model. A significant increase in inducible NOS and a decrease in endothelial NOS mRNA was found after reperfusion. These results were confirmed in a rat single-lung transplant model after warm preservation. Interestingly, protein contents of both inducible NOS and endothelial NOS increased in the transplanted lung after 2 h of reperfusion. However, the total activity of NOS in the transplanted lungs remained at very low levels. We conclude that ischemic lung preservation and reperfusion result in altered NOS gene and protein expression with inhibited NOS activity, which may contribute to the injury of lung transplants.


2016 ◽  
Vol 310 (9) ◽  
pp. H1097-H1106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prasad V. G. Katakam ◽  
Somhrita Dutta ◽  
Venkata N. Sure ◽  
Samuel M. Grovenburg ◽  
Angellica O. Gordon ◽  
...  

The diverse signaling events following mitochondrial depolarization in neurons are not clear. We examined for the first time the effects of mitochondrial depolarization on mitochondrial function, intracellular calcium, neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) activation, and nitric oxide (NO) production in cultured neurons and perivascular nerves. Cultured rat primary cortical neurons were studied on 7–10 days in vitro, and endothelium-denuded cerebral arteries of adult Sprague-Dawley rats were studied ex vivo. Diazoxide and BMS-191095 (BMS), activators of mitochondrial KATP channels, depolarized mitochondria in cultured neurons and increased cytosolic calcium levels. However, the mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate was unaffected by mitochondrial depolarization. In addition, diazoxide and BMS not only increased the nNOS phosphorylation at positive regulatory serine 1417 but also decreased nNOS phosphorylation at negative regulatory serine 847. Furthermore, diazoxide and BMS increased NO production in cultured neurons measured with both fluorescence microscopy and electron spin resonance spectroscopy, which was sensitive to inhibition by the selective nNOS inhibitor 7-nitroindazole (7-NI). Diazoxide also protected cultured neurons against oxygen-glucose deprivation, which was blocked by NOS inhibition and rescued by NO donors. Finally, BMS induced vasodilation of endothelium denuded, freshly isolated cerebral arteries that was diminished by 7-NI and tetrodotoxin. Thus pharmacological depolarization of mitochondria promotes activation of nNOS leading to generation of NO in cultured neurons and endothelium-denuded arteries. Mitochondrial-induced NO production leads to increased cellular resistance to lethal stress by cultured neurons and to vasodilation of denuded cerebral arteries.


Author(s):  
Michael W. Country ◽  
Michael G. Jonz

Neurons of the retina require oxygen to survive. In hypoxia, neuronal ATP production is impaired, ATP-dependent ion pumping is reduced, transmembrane ion gradients are dysregulated, and [Ca2+]i increases enough to trigger excitotoxic cell death. Central neurons of the common goldfish (Carassius auratus) are hypoxia-tolerant, but little is known about how goldfish retinas withstand hypoxia. To study the cellular mechanisms of hypoxia tolerance, we isolated retinal interneurons (horizontal cells; HCs), and measured intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) with Fura-2. Goldfish HCs maintained [Ca2+]i throughout 1 h of hypoxia, whereas [Ca2+]i increased irreversibly in HCs of the hypoxia-sensitive rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with just 20 min of hypoxia. Our results suggest mitochondrial ATP-dependent K+ channels (mKATP) are necessary to stabilize [Ca2+]i throughout hypoxia. In goldfish HCs, [Ca2+]i increased when mKATP was blocked with glibenclamide or 5-HD, whereas an mKATP agonist (diazoxide) prevented [Ca2+]i from increasing in hypoxia in trout HCs. We showed that hypoxia protects goldfish HCs via mKATP channels. Glycolytic inhibition with 2-deoxyglucose increased [Ca2+]i, which was rescued by hypoxia in an mKATP-dependent manner. We found no evidence of plasmalemmal KATP channels in patch-clamp experiments. Instead, we confirmed the involvement of KATP in mitochondria with TMRE imaging, as hypoxia rapidly (<5 min) depolarized mitochondria in an mKATP-sensitive manner. We conclude that mKATP channels initiate a neuroprotective pathway in goldfish HCs to maintain [Ca2+]i and avoid excitotoxicity in hypoxia. This model provides novel insight into the cellular mechanisms of hypoxia tolerance in the retina.


2005 ◽  
Vol 391 (3) ◽  
pp. 541-547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galen M. Pieper ◽  
Vani Nilakantan ◽  
Nadine L. N. Halligan ◽  
Ashwani K. Khanna ◽  
Gail Hilton ◽  
...  

Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is a prominent component of the complex array of mediators in acute graft rejection. While NO production is determined by iNOS expression, BH4 (tetrahydrobiopterin), a cofactor of iNOS synthesized by GTP cyclohydrolase I, has been considered critical in sustaining NO production. In the present study, we examined time-dependent changes in iNOS and GTP cyclohydrolase I in rat cardiac allografts. The increase in iNOS protein and mRNA in allografts was similar at POD4 (post-operative day 4) and POD6. However, the peak increase in intragraft NO level at POD4 was not sustained at POD6. This disparity could not be explained by any decrease in iNOS enzyme activity measured ex vivo with optimal amounts of substrate and cofactors. Lower iNOS activity could be explained by changes in total biopterin levels in allografts at POD4 that was decreased to baseline at POD6. Changes in biopterin production correlated with lower GTP cyclohydrolase I protein levels but not by any change in GTP cyclohydrolase I mRNA. Functionally, allografts displayed bradycardia and distended diastolic and systolic dimensions at POD6 but not at POD4. Likewise, histological rejection scores were increased at POD4 but with a secondary increased stage at POD6. It is hypothesized that the dissimilar amounts of NO at early and later stages of rejection is due to uncoupling of iNOS arising from disproportionate synthesis of BH4. These findings provide insight into a potential pathway regulating NO bioactivity in graft rejection. Such knowledge may potentially assist in the design of newer strategies to prevent acute graft rejection.


1999 ◽  
Vol 276 (2) ◽  
pp. L263-L268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilhelm S. Cruz ◽  
John A. Corbett ◽  
William J. Longmore ◽  
Michael A. Moxley

In this study, the biochemical mechanisms by which N-nitroso- N-methylurethane (NNMU) induces acute lung injury are examined. Polymorphonuclear neutrophil infiltration into the lungs first appears in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid 24 h after NNMU injection (10.58 ± 3.00% of total cells; P < 0.05 vs. control animals). However, NNMU-induced elevation of the alveolar-arterial O2 difference requires 72 h to develop. Daily intraperitoneal injections of the inducible nitric oxide (⋅ NO) synthase (iNOS)-selective inhibitor aminoguanidine (AG) initiated 24 h after NNMU administration improve the survival of NNMU-treated animals. However, AG administration initiated 48 or 72 h after NNMU injection does not significantly improve the survival of NNMU-treated animals. These results suggest that ⋅ NO participates in events that occur early in NNMU-induced acute lung injury. BAL cells isolated from rats 24 and 48 h after NNMU injection produce elevated ⋅ NO and express iNOS during a 24-h ex vivo culture. AG attenuates ⋅ NO production but does not affect iNOS expression, whereas actinomycin D prevents iNOS expression and attenuates ⋅ NO production by BAL cells during this ex vivo culture. These results suggest that NNMU-derived BAL cells can stimulate iNOS expression and ⋅ NO production during culture. In 48-h NNMU-exposed rats, iNOS expression is elevated in homogenates of whole lavaged lungs but not in BAL cells derived from the same lung. These findings suggest that the pathogenic mechanism by which NNMU induces acute lung injury involves BAL cell stimulation of iNOS expression and ⋅ NO production in lung tissue.


2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (3) ◽  
pp. L334-L345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ru-Jeng Teng ◽  
Jianhai Du ◽  
Hao Xu ◽  
Ivane Bakhutashvili ◽  
Annie Eis ◽  
...  

Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is associated with decreased blood vessel density that contributes to increased pulmonary vascular resistance. Previous studies showed that uncoupled endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) activity and increased NADPH oxidase activity resulted in marked decreases in NO bioavailability and impaired angiogenesis in PPHN. In the present study, we hypothesize that loss of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), a critical cofactor for eNOS, induces uncoupled eNOS activity and impairs angiogenesis in PPHN. Pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAEC) isolated from fetal lambs with PPHN (HTFL-PAEC) or control lambs (NFL-PAEC) were used to investigate the cellular mechanisms impairing angiogenesis in PPHN. Cellular mechanisms were examined with respect to BH4 levels, GTP-cyclohydrolase-1 (GCH-1) expression, eNOS dimer formation, and eNOS-heat shock protein 90 (hsp90) interactions under basal conditions and after sepiapterin (Sep) supplementation. Cellular levels of BH4, GCH-1 expression, and eNOS dimer formation were decreased in HTFL-PAEC compared with NFL-PAEC. Sep supplementation decreased apoptosis and increased in vitro angiogenesis in HTFL-PAEC and ex vivo pulmonary artery sprouting angiogenesis. Sep also increased cellular BH4 content, NO production, eNOS dimer formation, and eNOS-hsp90 association and decreased the superoxide formation in HTFL-PAEC. These data demonstrate that Sep improves NO production and angiogenic potential of HTFL-PAEC by recoupling eNOS activity. Increasing BH4 levels via Sep supplementation may be an important therapy for improving eNOS function and restoring angiogenesis in PPHN.


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