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

Myotubes prepared from the Japanese quail embryo at 9 days gestation were cultivated in the presence of glycyl-L-glutamine (Gly-Gln, beta-endorphin C-terminal dipeptide) or glycyl-glutamic acid (Gly-Glu), and changes in the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) molecular forms and binding of 125I-alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha BGT) to cell surface nicotinic acetylcholine receptors were measured. The A12 oligomer was the major form of AChE in the cultures. The activity of all molecular forms of the enzyme was increased in the presence of Gly-Gln, but Gly-Glu did not alter AChE activity. In cells infected with the temperature-sensitive mutant, La31C, of Rous sarcoma virus (ts-RSV) and transferred to the nonpermissive temperature, the A12 form of AChE was absent, but its activity could be induced following exposure of the cells to Gly-Gln. When cells treated in this way were incubated in the presence of collagenase, there was a small but significant loss of A12 AChE activity, indicating that Gly-Gln stimulated the activity of a pool of this oligomer which was mainly but not entirely intracellular. Neither Gly-Gln nor Gly-Glu influenced 125I-alpha BGT binding after exposure of the cells to the peptides for any duration. Neither Gly-Gln nor Gly-Glu influenced the accumulation of cyclic AMP in the cultures. beta-Endorphin is one of a family of peptides that coexist transiently with acetylcholine in lower motoneurones of vertebrates in the perinatal period. This report provides evidence for the selective trophic activity of one of its derivatives toward the postsynaptic cholinergic system in avian muscle cells.
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PMID:Glycyl-L-glutamine stimulates the accumulation of A12 acetylcholinesterase but not of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in quail embryonic myotubes by a cyclic AMP-independent mechanism. 215 12

The ability of the pancreatic beta-cell to repair itself after a cytotoxic injury and reassume its functional activities may be a key issue in affording protection from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The molecular mechanisms behind the functional responses of the beta-cell after cytotoxic damage are still largely unknown. The present study in an attempt to elucidate this issue. Mouse pancreatic islets were isolated with collagenase and, after overnight culture, exposed for 30 min at 37 C to 2.2 mM streptozotocin (SZ) or vehicle alone (controls). The islets were subsequently cultured for 6 days in medium RPMI-1640 plus 10% calf serum. After the culture they were subjected to light microscopical examinations or different functional tests during short term incubations. The SZ-treated islets showed markedly diminished insulin release after stimulation with the beta-cell nutrients glucose and leucine plus glutamine. Compounds known to increase intracellular cAMP [theophylline and (Bu)2-cAMP] were able to partially counteract the SZ-induced reduction of insulin release. Stimulation with arginine could also slightly restore the impaired insulin release. Glucose-stimulated oxygen uptake, proinsulin biosynthesis, and insulin and insulin mRNA contents were also decreased, with values at about 50% of the controls. However, the cellular contents of DNA and RNA and total protein biosynthesis rates were essentially normal. Besides mild degranulation in some islets, the morphological appearance of the SZ-treated islets did not reveal any obvious differences compared to the control islets. The present observations suggest that after a toxic injury there remains a population of partially damaged beta-cells, which are able to maintain most of their basal metabolic functions, but fail to maintain adequate insulin biosynthesis and release.
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PMID:Preferential reduction of insulin production in mouse pancreatic islets maintained in culture after streptozotocin exposure. 245 14

Models of hepatic intraacinar zonation have been proposed previously; in most models, direct visualization of the acinar destruction is not possible while intact hepatocyte recovery-viability often presents a problem for subsequent metabolic studies. In the present studies, the liver is isolated in situ and perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer, pH 7.4. A 1.5-mL intrahepatic volume of a 7 mM digitonin solution is then injected at a flow rate of 6 mL/min for 15 s via the portal vein or via the vena cava for selective destruction of the periportal (PP) or perivenous (PV) region of the acinus. To avoid diffusion of the detergent throughout the acinus, the liver is then immediately perfused with oxygenated Hanks buffer in the direction opposite to that of digitonin injection. The preparation can then be used for histological evaluation, for studies on isolated-perfused liver, or for isolation of hepatocytes. Direct visualization of the acinar destruction can be achieved by coloring the permeabilized cells with 0.2 mM trypan blue; the liver is then fixed in situ by a 10-min perfusion with paraformaldehyde and histological evaluation is achieved by eosine staining of liver slices. Following isolation of hepatocytes by collagenase perfusion, a highly significant PV localization was found for the synthesis of glutamine, the N-demethylation of aminopyrine, and the glucuronidation of p-nitrophenol, whereas a highly significant PP zonation was found for alanine aminotransferase. By contrast, no specific acinar zonation was found for the enzymes 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase and aniline p-hydroxylase. Total cytochrome P-450 was 0.42 +/- 0.006 and 0.4 +/- 0.03 nmol/10(6) hepatocytes in PV and PP, respectively (nonsignificant).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Hepatic zonation of drug metabolizing enzymes. Studies on hepatocytes isolated from the periportal or perivenous region of the liver acinus. 251 8

To clarify the characteristics of cellular ATP synthesis in individual nephron segments for assessing nephrotoxicity of chemicals, cellular ATP content was measured by the luciferin/luciferase system under various conditions using intact nephron segments isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats. Increasing the duration of collagenase treatment of kidney slices significantly lowered the cellular levels of ATP newly synthesized from 2 mM glutamine in PST at 37 degrees C over 30 min (p less than 0.01). The tubular incubation time significantly affected the cellular ATP content in the early and middle portions (S2) of the proximal tubule (p less than 0.05 and p less than 0.01, respectively) over 20 min and in the late proximal tubule over 10 min. Among numerous substrates tested, such as D-glucose, glutamine, pyruvate, DL-lactate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate, the substrate utilization for maintaining cellular ATP content was entirely variable according to each nephron segment. Pyruvate and glutamine were the best substrates in the proximal tubule. On the other hand, ATP production from glutamine was less than that from the other substrates in the distally located nephron segments: medullary and cortical thick ascending limbs of Henle's loop (MAL and CAL, respectively), distal tubule, cortical and medullary collecting tubules (CCT and MCT, respectively). In general, glucose, pyruvate, and lactate appear to be equivalent in maintaining ATP content in the distal segments of renal tubules. A monovalent cation ionophore, monensin, at 10 micrograms/ml decreased the cellular ATP content in MAL, CAL, and MCT significantly. Mercuric chloride (HgCl2) was used as a model compound to study nephrotoxicity by investigating its effects on cellular ATP metabolism in microdissected nephron segments. HgCl2 at 1 x 10(-6) M significantly decreased ATP content only in S2 (p less than 0.05), clearly demonstrating S2 to be the most sensitive segment within the nephron. These results indicate that measurement of cellular ATP content would be a useful method forecasting the intrarenal toxic site and potency of possible nephrotoxic chemical compounds.
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PMID:Nephrotoxicity assessment by measuring cellular ATP content. I. Substrate specificities in the maintenance of ATP content in isolated rat nephron segments. 255 Oct 74

Periportal and perivenous hepatocytes were isolated from rat liver by digitonin/collagenase perfusion for investigating the acinar heterogeneity of amino acid transport activities related to glutamine and ammonia metabolism. Immunocytochemical staining of the respective subpopulations for glutamine synthetase demonstrated that periportal subpopulations were essentially free of glutamine synthetase-positive cells, whereas perivenous subpopulations showed a 2- to 3-fold enrichment of glutamine synthetase-positive hepatocytes. The high perivenous/periportal ratio of 59 found for glutamine synthetase activity as well as the perivenous/periportal ratios of other marker enzymes further indicated the good separation of periportal and perivenous cells. alpha-Aminoisobutyric acid, histidine and glutamate were used to determine the distribution pattern of amino acid transport systems A, N and G-, as well as of the sodium-independent uptake of these compounds 1 hr after isolation and after maximal hormonal stimulation during primary culture. The strong heterogeneity of the sodium-independent transport of histidine, characterized by higher perivenous transport rates [perivenous/periportal ratio: 1.5 (1 hr) to 3.5 (48 hr)], suggests a significant role of facilitated diffusion, presumably in glutamine export. Conversely, the strong heterogeneity of the sodium-dependent glutamate transport (System G-) characterized by higher uptake rates in nonstimulated [perivenous/periportal ratio: 6.6 (1 hr)] and in hormonally treated perivenous hepatocytes (perivenous/periportal ratio: 2.2) reflects its possible significance with respect to the substrate availability for glutamine synthesis. The observed heterogeneities provide a basis for understanding how substrate fluxes related to glutamine metabolism might be established and regulated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Different capacities for amino acid transport in periportal and perivenous hepatocytes isolated by digitonin/collagenase perfusion. 256 97

Endothelial cells were obtained from the aortas of Wistar rats by collagenase digestion. Cells were grown to confluence in medium 199 enriched with L-glutamine but without specific growth factors. Cells were subcultured into 35 mm dishes or 25 cm2 flasks coated with fibronectin. For cell growth studies, cells were seeded onto multiwell plates or 35 mm dishes. In two experiments the cells were grown in an hypoxic atmosphere of 5.3% O2 and in a third the level of oxygen was 2.5%. Control cultures for each experiment were grown in 5% CO2 and air. Cell populations were counted at 2-day intervals and at the termination of each experiment the cells were fixed and the area of each plate or flask occupied by sprouting cells was assessed by point counting. Endothelial cells grown in 5.3% O2 grew more rapidly and attained confluence earlier than in the controls. An atmosphere of 2.5% O2 did not accelerate growth but neither did it inhibit it, so after 9 days there were as many hypoxic cells as there were controls. Hypoxia also stimulated sprouting activity to occur earlier and to become much more extensive than in control cultures. Under the influence of hypoxia, sprouting consisted of complex anastomotic or arborizing patterns forming syncytium-like masses beneath the monolayer of oval cells. This process appeared to originate from foci of altered endothelial cells that had become retracted, smaller, elongated and migratory, and which displayed increased immunoreactivity for factor VIII antigen. It was concluded that a level of hypoxia, similar to that in systemic veins, stimulates growth of arterial endothelium and provokes enhanced sprouting activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Effect of hypoxia upon the growth and sprouting activity of cultured aortic endothelium from the rat. 259 52

On treatment with collagenase, brain microvessels, together with several protein components, lose some enzymatic activities such as alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase, whereas no change occurs in the activities of 5'-nucleotidase and glutamine synthetase. The energy-requiring "A-system" of polar neutral amino acid transport is also severely inactivated, whereas the L-system for the facilitated exchange of branched chain and aromatic amino acids is preserved. In the collagenase-digested microvessels, this leads to loss of the transtimulation effect of glutamine on the transport of large neutral amino acids, because such transtimulation is due to a cooperation between the A- and L-systems. By contrast, NH4+ maintains (and even enhances) its ability to stimulate the L-system of amino acid transport, presumably through glutamine synthesis within the endothelial cells.
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PMID:Isolated brain microvessels as in vitro equivalents of the blood-brain barrier: selective removal by collagenase of the A-system of neutral amino acid transport. 289 Jul 11

The zonal distribution of GSH metabolism was investigated by comparing hepatocytes obtained from the periportal (zone 1) or perivenous (zone 3) region by digitonin/collagenase perfusion. Freshly isolated periportal and perivenous cells had similar viability (dye exclusion, lactate dehydrogenase leakage and ATP content) and GSH content (2.4 and 2.7 mumol/g respectively). During incubation, periportal cells slowly accumulated GSH (0.35 mumol/h per g), whereas in perivenous cells a decrease occurred (-0.14 mumol/h per g). Also, in the presence of either L-methionine or L-cysteine (0.5 mM) periportal hepatocytes accumulated GSH much faster (3.5 mumol/h per g) than did perivenous cells (1.9 mumol/h per g). These periportal-perivenous differences were also found in cells from fasted rats. Efflux of GSH was faster from perivenous cells than from periportal cells, but this difference only explained 10-20% of the periportal-perivenous difference in accumulation. Furthermore, periportal cells accumulated GSH to a plateau 26-40% higher than in perivenous cells. There was no significant difference in gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase or glutathione synthetase activity between the periportal and perivenous cell preparations. The periportal-perivenous difference in GSH accumulation was unaffected by inhibition of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase or by 5 mM-glutamate or -glutamine, but was slightly diminished by 2 mM-L-methionine. This suggests differences between periportal and perivenous cells in their metabolism and/or transport of (sulphur) amino acids. Our results suggest that a lower GSH replenishment capacity of the hepatocytes from the perivenous region may contribute to the greater vulnerability of this region to xenobiotic damage.
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PMID:Glutathione replenishment capacity is lower in isolated perivenous than in periportal hepatocytes. 290 50

We recently described a preferential reduction of the secretory response to nutrient secretagogues (glucose; leucine plus glutamine) in islets maintained in culture after in vitro exposure to streptozotocin (SZ). The present study is an attempt to further clarify the biochemical mechanisms behind this defective insulin response. Mouse pancreatic islets were collagenase isolated and, after 4-5 days in culture, exposed during 30 min at 37 C to 1.8 mM SZ or vehicle alone (controls). The islets were subsequently cultured for 7 days in medium RPMI 1640 plus 10% calf serum, before the enzymatic and metabolic studies were performed. The activities of the glycolytic enzymes, hexokinase, glucokinase, and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, were similar in the control and SZ-exposed islets. The relative amount of cytosolic and mitochondria-bound hexokinase was also unaffected by SZ. However, there was a 30-40% decrease in the activity of NAD+- and NADP+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamate-aspartate transaminase in the SZ-treated islets. This coincided with a 40% decrease in L-[U-14C]glutamine oxidation in the SZ-treated islets. The D-glucose catabolism was further examined in the presence of D-[5-3H] and D-[6-14C] glucose. There was no difference between control and SZ islets in terms of glucose utilization at either 1.7 or 16.7 mM glucose. The oxidation of D-[6-14C]glucose was nevertheless decreased by more than 50% in SZ islets incubated at 16.7 mM (but not 1.7 mM) glucose. Altogether, these converging observations suggest a perturbation of distal regulatory processes, apparently at the mitochondrial level, in the D-glucose and L-glutamine catabolism of SZ-exposed islets. Whether this reflects a primary action of SZ on the islet mitochondria, or an inhibitory effect of SZ on the synthesis of mitochondrial enzymes, as a result of nuclear DNA damage, remains to be elucidated.
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PMID:Defective catabolism of D-glucose and L-glutamine in mouse pancreatic islets maintained in culture after streptozotocin exposure. 296 23

The antihyperglycemic agent, metformin (dimethylbiguanide), inhibits hepatic gluconeogenesis. To investigate the mechanism involved, glucose production from collagenase-isolated hepatocytes of starved rats was determined after 1 hr incubations with different substrates. In the absence of insulin, glucose production from 10(-2) M lactate-10(-3) M pyruvate, 10(-2)M M alanine, 10(-2) M glutamine and 5 x 10(-3) M glycerol was decreased (35-78%) by high concentrations (10(-2) and 10(-3) M) of metformin. Lower concentrations of metformin were not effective in the absence of insulin, but a therapeutic concentration (10(-5) M) of metformin acted synergistically with insulin (10(-8) M) to suppress gluconeogenesis from each of the substrates by an additional 10-14% compared with insulin (10(-8) M) alone. The synergistic antigluconeogenic effect of metformin (10(-5) M) with insulin (10(-8) M) was achieved without alteration of the contents of NADH and NAD+ in digitonin-separated cytosolic and mitochondrial-rich hepatocyte fractions. Mitochondrial ATP was also unaltered by the metformin (10(-5) M)-insulin (10(-8) M) combination. However, the antigluconeogenic effect of 10(-2) M metformin alone was associated with an increased (by 109%) mitochondrial NADH:NAD+ ratio. Thus reduced gluconeogenesis by high concentrations of metformin (e.g. 10(-2) M) may involve changes of redox state. However, therapeutic concentrations of metformin (e.g. 10(-5) M) potentiate the antigluconeogenic effect of insulin to a similar extent from a range of substrates, without altering energy status or redox state.
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PMID:Inhibition of hepatic gluconeogenesis by metformin. Synergism with insulin. 305 29


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