Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.24.3 (collagenase)
 18,340 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a ubiquitous fibroblast mitogen which also stimulates the synthesis of the extracellular matrix degrading metalloproteinases, collagenase, and stromelysin. Using primary cultures of human skin fibroblast, we show that these metalloproteinase mRNAs are coordinately up-regulated by EGF; and that dexamethasone, a potent inhibitor of collagenase and stromelysin synthesis, coordinately down-regulates these EGF-induced mRNAs. Nuclear run-on assays showed that EGF increased transcription of collagenase and stromelysin approximately 2-fold over the untreated control, while repression by dexamethasone was difficult to detect. However, steady state mRNA levels were induced approximately 10-fold by EGF and co-treatment with dexamethasone decreased them to below control levels, suggesting modulation of mRNA stability. Thus, we measured the half-life of these mRNAs using "pulse-chase" methodology. Typically, the half-life of EGF-induced collagenase and stromelysin mRNAs was approximately 30 h, and co-treatment with dexamethasone decreased the half-life of these mRNAs by 30-50%. Additionally, we found that the transcription inhibitor DRB stabilized EGF-induced metalloproteinase mRNAs, suggesting an mRNA degradation pathway which requires transcription. Thus our data demonstrate that collagenase and stromelysin are coordinately regulated by EGF and by dexamethasone, primarily at the level of metalloproteinase mRNA stability.
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PMID:Post-transcriptional regulation of collagenase and stromelysin gene expression by epidermal growth factor and dexamethasone in cultured human fibroblasts. 146 71

Isolated hepatocyte suspensions prepared by collagenase perfusion released high levels of nitrite into the extracellular medium during an 8-hr incubation. The release was time dependent, with increases first occurring by 4 hr and continuing throughout the remainder of the incubation period. Nitrite production was inhibited by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors aminoguanidine and N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), indicating that the nitrite is derived from nitric oxide (NO) production from NOS activity. Nitrite production was not related to bacterial or Kupffer cell contamination. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide and the transcription inhibitor actinomycin D also prevented nitrite production by parenchymal hepatocytes. Calcium-independent NOS enzyme activity increased with incubation times, and this increase coincided with the observed increases in nitrite production. Our results suggest that NOS is induced following the isolation of hepatocytes, and this induction results in the formation of high levels of NO.
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PMID:Time-dependent production of nitric oxide by rat hepatocyte suspensions. 1023 Jul 65

Freshly isolated suspensions of rat parenchymal liver cells (hepatocytes) produce large amounts of nitrite following isolation. Nitrite production was inhibited by the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor aminoguanidine, as well as the transcription inhibitor actinomycin D. Increases in iNOS mRNA, protein, and activity levels correlated with the formation of nitrite. iNOS mRNA was first detectable 2 h after the onset of hepatocyte incubations and peaked at 4 h. These results indicate that nitrite formation is a result of the large scale production of nitric oxide (NO) by hepatocytes in response to the time-dependent induction of iNOS. NO production by hepatocytes was attenuated by pretreatment of rats with the Kupffer cell inhibitor, gadolinium chloride. Also, the addition of the endotoxin neutralizing agent, polymyxin B; the protein kinase inhibitor, staurosporine, and antioxidants to perfusion buffers and hepatocyte suspensions also decreased nitrite formation. Collectively, our results suggest that iNOS is induced in hepatocytes in response to the stresses generated during collagenase isolation procedures. The response appears to be triggered by a complex interaction between several different factors including Kupffer cell activation, reactive oxygen species generation, and endotoxin contamination of collagenase preparations.
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PMID:Characterization of nitric oxide production following isolation of rat hepatocytes. 1065 21

Tissue fibrosis results when dysregulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover favors deposition of collagen and other ECM proteins over degradation. Fibrosis may then lead to organ dysfunction and pathology as observed in systemic sclerosis (SSc). In the present study, we investigated the antifibrotic properties of proteasome blockade. A dose- and time-dependent reduction in type-I collagen and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) production was observed in normal fibroblasts exposed to proteasome inhibitors (PI). In the same culture conditions, metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) protein and the collagenolytic activity on type I collagen was increased. The steady-state mRNA levels of COL1A1, TIMP-1, and MMP-1 paralleled protein levels. These effects were dominant over the profibrotic properties of TGF-beta and were observed with fibroblasts generated from normal and SSc skin. PI decreased type I collagen mRNA levels with kinetics similar to those observed with DRB, a specific RNA polymerase II inhibitor, thus indicating transcriptional inhibition. Of interest, PI induced c-Jun phosphorylation and c-Jun nuclear accumulation. The specific N-terminal Jun-kinase inhibitor SP-600125 selectively abrogated c-Jun phosphorylation and, in a dose-dependent fashion, the up-regulated synthesis of MMP-1 induced by PI. Finally, PI did not affect fibroblast viability. Thus, the coordinated down-regulation of collagen and TIMP-1 and up-regulation of MMP-1 renders proteasome blockade an attractive strategy for treating conditions as SSc, characterized by excessive fibrosis.
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PMID:Proteasome blockade exerts an antifibrotic activity by coordinately down-regulating type I collagen and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and up-regulating metalloproteinase-1 production in human dermal fibroblasts. 1641 Mar 44

The level of cAMP in the rats uterus myocytes under the effect of active metabolites of nitrogen and oxygen (NO, NO2- and H2O2) was studied in the conditions of progesterone influence on myocytes. Suspension of cells was selected with the use of collagenase and soy-bean inhibitor of tripsine. The amount of cAMP was determined with the use of standard reagents producted by "Amersham", England. It is established that the basal level of cAMP in cells is 10.4 +/- 0.7 pmol cAMP/mg protein. Incubation of myocytes with forskoline, 0.1 mM, 10 min, resulted in its 3.4 times increase. It testifies to adenilatcyclase activity characteristic of the great majority of cell objects in the uterus myocytes. The level of cAMP in the suspension insignificantly decreases at the protracted affecting with myocytes 10 nM progesterone (1 hour). Donator of nitrogen oxide (0.1 mM sodium nitroprusside) in the presence of progesterone substantially promoted the level of cAMP in cells at the protracted action (17 +/- 3 pmol cAMP/mg protein). Nitrite-anion and hydrogen peroxide in concentration 10 nM (low physiological concentration) did not have the above effect. The results obtained prove that exactly the long-term influence of nitrogen oxide, instead of progesterone, can provide the increase of cAMP level in the uterus myometrium.
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PMID:[Active nitrogen and oxygen metabolites change cAMP level in the uterus myocytes treated by progesterone]. 1656 14