Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0432222 (SEM)
 47,337 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a proinflammatory lipid that has both platelet- and phagocyte-stimulating properties. Because several known activators of calcium-, phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase c, PKC) also stimulate neutrophil responses and because neutrophil stimuli such as phorbol diesters and the chemotactic peptide f-Met-Leu-Phe are reported to increase protein kinase activity in neutrophil (PMN) particulate fractions, we investigated the effect of PAF on neutrophil protein kinase activities. In neutrophils exposed to 10(-6) mol/L PAF, cytosolic PKC activity was 521 +/- 38 pmol 32P/10(7) PMN/min (mean +/- SEM), which was not significantly lower than cystolic activity in buffer-treated controls (558 +/- 32 pmol 32P/10(7) PMN/min, n = 14). PAF-exposed cells exhibited a concomitant rise in protein kinase activity associated with the particulate fraction with 53 +/- 4 pmol 32P/10(7) PMN/min compared with 32 +/- 2 pmol in control cells (n = 14). Particulate protein kinase activity was independent of the presence of calcium and phospholipid in the assay medium. The specific PKC inhibitor H-7 inhibited particulate protein kinase activity, however, which suggested that the enzyme activity assayed in this fraction may be PKC in a constitutively activated form. The increase in particulate protein kinase activity induced by PAF required the presence of cytochalasin B, was detectable within 5 seconds of exposure to PAF, and was not reversed by washing the cells free of extracellular PAF after initial exposure. Although PAF did not have a direct effect on PKC activity from cytosolic fractions from resting cells, the increase in particulate protein kinase activity induced by PAF was inhibited when the cells were first depleted of calcium by incubation with Quin 2. These results suggest that PAF induces an increase in particulate protein kinase activity in neutrophils by a calcium-dependent mechanism and that the induction of membrane-associated protein kinase activity may be involved in neutrophil-stimulating actions such as superoxide production, which occur at higher concentrations of PAF.
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PMID:Platelet-activating factor induces protein kinase activity in the particulate fraction of human neutrophils. 282 44

beta-Endorphin (beta-EP) and methionine-enkephalin (Met-Enk) have been detected in human follicular fluid in concentrations several times higher than those in plasma. These data stimulated us to study the possible physiological role of ovarian opioids. We, therefore, determined the effects of both beta-EP and Met-Enk, alone or in combination with naloxone, on FSH-induced progesterone (P) secretion by cultured granulosa cells. Granulosa cells were collected from follicular fluid recovered at laparoscopy in seven superovulated women. The cells were preincubated with RPMI-1640 medium containing 20% fetal calf serum in 5% CO2 for 48 h, followed by the addition of 100 mU purified FSH and the various test substances for 48 more h. beta-EP (10 nM to 1 pM) had no effect on P secretion either alone or in combination with FSH and/or naloxone. Micro- to picomolar amounts of Met-Enk increased FSH-induced P secretion up to 186.9 +/- 35.1% (+/- SEM). Met-Enk had no affect in the absence of FSH, and its action was significantly blunted by the concomitant addition of 10(-5) M naloxone. These data provide evidence for a dose-dependent naloxone-reversible synergistic action of Met-Enk and FSH on P secretion by cultured granulosa cells. This finding supports the hypothesis of the existence of an ovarian opioid system.
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PMID:Met-enkephalin enhances follicle-stimulating hormone-dependent progesterone production from cultured granulosa cells. 294 12

Specific receptors for insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) on cultured human choriocarcinoma cells (JEG-3 and BeWo) were characterized. The binding of 125I-labeled recombinant (Thr59)IGF-I to the cells was reversible and time, temperature, and pH dependent. Steady state of binding occurred after 16 h at 4 C, pH 7.4. Natural human IGF-I (hIGF-I), hIGF-II, recombinant (N-Met)IGF-I, rat multiplication-stimulating activity, and insulin were 200%, 37%, 37%, 1.6%, and 0.1% as potent as (Thr59)IGF-I in inhibiting the binding of [125I]iodo-(Thr59)IGF-I to JEG-3 cells, respectively. Epidermal growth factor was ineffective. The half-maximal displacement of [125I]iodo-(Thr59)IGF-I by unlabeled (Thr59)IGF-I occurred at 11 +/- 2 ng/ml (mean +/- SEM) in both JEG-3 and BeWo cells. Scatchard analysis of the competitive binding data revealed linear plots indicating a single species of binding sites with an association constant of 0.8 X 10(9) M-1 for the binding of [125I]iodo-(Thr59)IGF-I to both cell lines. The binding capacity was 30,000 and 20,000 sites/cell for JEG-3 and BeWo cells, respectively. Chemical cross-linking of [125I]iodo-(Thr59)IGF-I to JEG-3 cells revealed two receptor complexes of 130K and 260K. Their formation was completely inhibited by an excess of unlabeled (Thr59)IGF-I or hIGF-II. Increasing amounts of insulin affected both labeled bands equally, suggesting that the 130K and 260K bands represent the monomer and dimer forms, respectively, of the ligand-binding alpha-subunit of type I IGF receptor. (Thr59)IGF-I, in a dose-dependent manner, stimulated uptake of nonmetabolizable alpha-[3H]aminoisobutyric acid by JEG-3 cells, showing that the receptor is biologically active. Our results demonstrate that choriocarcinoma cells possess functional high affinity type I IGF receptors and suggest that IGF-I is involved in the growth-regulating processes of JEG-3 and BeWo cells. These cells may provide a useful model to study the role of IGFs in trophoblast physiology.
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PMID:Characterization of functional type I insulin-like growth factor receptors from human choriocarcinoma cells. 296 49

Tyr-Gly-Gly (YGG) was recently shown to be an extraneuronal metabolite of opioid peptides derived from proenkephalin A, formed in brain by the action of "enkephalinase" (membrane metalloendopeptidase, EC 3.4.24.11) and degraded by aminopeptidases. The dynamic state of YGG in mouse striatum was studied by evaluating the changes in its level elicited by inhibitors of these peptidases. Inhibition of YGG synthesis by Thiorphan or acetorphan reduced YGG levels with a t1/2 (mean +/- SEM) of 12 +/- 2 min, indicating an apparent turnover rate (mean +/- SEM) of 18 +/- 2 pmol/mg of protein per hr. An apparent turnover rate of 18 +/- 2 pmol/mg of protein per hr was derived from the rate of YGG accumulation elicited by the aminopeptidase inhibitor bestatin. In addition, accumulation of Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met (YGGFM) in an extrasynaptosomal fraction after blockade of its degradation by Thiorphan and bestatin occurred at a rate of 18 +/- 3 pmol/mg of protein per hr, which is likely to reflect the rate of enkephalin release in vivo. Hence, the three series of data suggest that striatal enkephalins rapidly turn over--e.g., with a t1/2 in the 1-hr range. Pentobarbital anesthesia reduced by about 60% the rate of YGG accumulation elicited by bestatin and the extrasynaptosomal YGGFM accumulation elicited by Thiorphan and bestatin. This suggests that the activity of striatal enkephalin neurons is depressed during anesthesia. Pentobarbital (and chloral hydrate) did not affect the steady-state level of YGGFM but rapidly reduced that of YGG. Hence, the steady-state levels of YGG seem a reliable index of changes in enkephalin release, and measuring levels of characteristic fragments might therefore provide a general means of evaluating neuropeptide release in vivo.
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PMID:Steady-state level and turnover rate of the tripeptide Tyr-Gly-Gly as indexes of striatal enkephalin release in vivo and their reduction during pentobarbital anesthesia. 352 54

Optimal function of transfused granulocytes (PMNs) requires adequate glycogen metabolism. Previous studies in our laboratory suggested that stored PMNs had decreased glycogen. We report here the glycogen content and chemotaxis of stored PMNs, and the ability of fresh and stored PMNs to use glycogen as the fuel source for chemotaxis. PMNs were prepared from 8 fresh units of blood drawn into citrate-phosphate-dextrose-adenine, suspended at 2 or 8 X 10(7) PMN per ml in autologous plasma with or without 15 mM sodium bicarbonate, and stored at 22 to 24 degrees C in transfer packs for 48 hours. Glycogen was measured on resting PMNs, and after challenge with opsonized zymosan and F-Met-Leu-Phe (FMLP). The chemotaxis of fresh and stored PMNs was measured in the presence or absence of extracellular glucose. Fresh PMNs contained 10.3 +/- 0.5 (mean +/- SEM) micrograms of glycogen per 10(6) PMN. Glycogen decreased by 4.2 +/- 0.9 micrograms per 10(6) PMN after challenge with opsonized zymosan and by 1.1 +/- 0.6 micrograms per 10(6) PMN after FMLP. After 48 hours of storage, neutrophil glycogen increased by 18 percent, except in units stored at a concentration of PMN of 8 X 10(7) per ml without sodium bicarbonate. In PMNs from these units stored without bicarbonate, glycogen decreased by 9 percent (p less than .05), and there was a 19 and 55 percent decrease in the ability of PMN from these units to metabolize glycogen after exposure to opsonized zymosan and FMLP, respectively (p less than 0.05). In addition, in PMNs from units stored at a concentration of PMN of 8 X 10(7) per ml without bicarbonate, there was a 47 and 70 percent decrease in chemotaxis at 24 and 48 hours, respectively (p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Glycogen metabolism in stored granulocytes. 400 9

The role of ATP-sensitive potassium channels (KATP) in the mechanism of ischemic preconditioning (PC) is controversial, partly because descriptions of inhibition of PC by KATP blockers in the literature are inconsistent. We sought a reason for the discrepant findings regarding the effects of glibenclamide (Glib), a specific blocker of KATP, in preventing the reduction of infarct size (IS) induced by PC. The effect of Glib pretreatment (0.3 mg/kg i.v.) on PC was examined in three conditions: (a) when PC was performed with 3- and 5-min ischemia (i.e., potency of PC differs), (b) when rabbits were pretreated with prazosin and metoprolol (0.15 mg/kg i.v. each) to reduce myocardial O2 consumption, and (c) when xylazine was added to pentobarbital anesthesia. In rabbits under pentobarbital anesthesia, the left coronary artery was occluded for 30 min and then reperfused. The area at risk (AAR) and IS were determined 72 h after reperfusion in the first series of experiments and 3 h after reperfusion in the second and third series. IS as a percentage of AAR (%IS/AR) were 31.7 +/- 2.8 and 19.6 +/- 2.5% (SEM) after PC with 3- and 5-min ischemia, respectively, values significantly smaller than %IS/AR in the untreated control group (49.2 +/- 3.3%). The limitation of IS observed with 3- or 5-min PC was not prevented by Glib. Glib also failed to block %IS/AR reduction by PC, even when rate-pressure product (RPP) was reduced to approximately 65% by prazosin/metoprolol (Praz/Met) pretreatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Glibenclamide, a blocker of ATP-sensitive potassium channels, abolishes infarct size limitation by preconditioning in rabbits anesthetized with xylazine/pentobarbital but not with pentobarbital alone. 759 19

When polymorphonuclear neutrophil-platelet suspensions were stimulated by 0.5 microM N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe in the presence of 40 U/mL of superoxide dismutase, a significant reduction of platelet secretion was observed (51.4 +/- 6.3% vs 62.4 +/- 4.6% for control; mean +/- SEM; N = 6; P < 0.01). This was due to the superoxide anion scavenging property of superoxide dismutase since neutrophil degranulation, cathepsin G and elastase enzymatic activities (the two main mediators of this cell-to-cell interaction) and platelet reactivity were not affected. Involvement of superoxide anions was confirmed using leukotriene B4, a neutrophil agonist which induces degranulation with minimal superoxide anion production. Indeed, serotonin release induced by this agonist was unchanged whether superoxide dismutase was added or not.
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PMID:Modulation by superoxide anions of neutrophil-mediated platelet activation. 818 47

Bradykinin (BK) and its analogs (1 nM-100 microM) stimulated phosphoinositide (PI) turnover in murine fibrosarcoma (HSDM1C1) cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The relative potencies (EC50) were: BK = 48 +/- 4 nM; Lys-BK = 39 +/- 3 nM; Met-Lys-BK = 158 +/- 33 nM, Des-Arg9-BK = 2617 +/- 598 nM (means +/- SEM, n = 3-14). All these analogs were full agonists and they produced up to 5.4 +/- 0.4-fold stimulation of PI turnover at the highest concentration (10-100 microM) of the peptides. In contrast, the analogs [D-Arg0-HYP3-Thienyl5,8-D-Phe7]-BK (HYP3-antagonist), [D-Arg0-HYP3-Thienyl,5,8-D-Phe7]-BK (Thienyl antagonist) and Des-Arg9-Leu8-BK were inactive, as agonists, at 0.1 nM-1 microM in this system. These data suggested that BK-induced PI turnover in these cells was mediated via B2-type of BK receptors. This was confirmed further by the fact that both the B2-selective Hyp3- and Thienyl-antagonists inhibited BK-induced PI turnover with KBS of 369 +/- 51 nM and 368 +/- 118 nM respectively while the B1-selective antagonist, Des-Arg9-Leu8-BK, was inactive at 1 microM. [3H]BK receptor binding studies revealed two binding sites, one with high affinity (Kd = 0.24 +/- 0.06 nM; Bmax = 1.4 +/- 0.4 pmol/g tissue) and the other with low affinity (Kd = 18.5 +/- 0.95 nM; Bmax = 25.1 +/- 0.52 pmol/g tissue), on HSDM1C1 cell homogenates. The rank order of affinity of BK analogs at inhibiting specific [3H]BK binding was similar to that found for PI turnover.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:The neuropeptide bradykinin stimulates phosphoinositide turnover in HSDM1C1 cells: B2-antagonist-sensitive responses and receptor binding studies. 827 96

The tachykinins, substance P (SP) and neurokinin A (NKA), are agonists for the NK(1) and NK(2) receptors, respectively. Tachykinins have various respiratory effects, including bronchoconstriction. This study characterizes tachykinin binding sites in the rabbit lung. We hypothesize that (2-[(125)I]iodohistidyl(1))Neurokinin A ([(125)I]NKA) interacts with NK1 and NK2 binding sites in the rabbit lung. The K d determined from saturation isotherms was 0.69 times/divided by 1.14 nM (geometric mean times/divided by SEM) and the B max was 4.15 + or - 0.22 femtomole/mg protein (arithmetic mean + or - SEM). Competitive inhibition studies with NKA, SP and various selective tachykinin agonists showed the rank order of potency; [beta-Ala(8)]-Neurokinin A 4-10 = SP >> NKA >> [Sar(9),Met(02)11]-Substance P. [beta-Ala(8)]-Neurokinin A 4-10, a selective NK(2) agonist, and SP inhibition of [(125)I]NKA binding were best described using a two-site model. Competitive inhibition studies using the selective nonpeptide NK(2) antagonist (SR 48968) and the selective nonpeptide NK(1) antagonist (CP 96,345) revealed Ki's of 5.5 nM and 8.1 nM, respectively. Our data therefore suggest that [(125)I]NKA binds to both the NK(1) and NK(2) receptors in the lung.
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PMID:Heterogeneity of tachykinin receptors in the rabbit lung. 918 53

Muscle glycogen synthase (GYS1) is a key enzyme of non-oxidative pathway of glucose metabolism that has been reported to be related to insulin resistance in non-insulin-dependent diabetic (NIDDM) patients. We scanned the GYS1 gene for mutation by single strand conformational polymorphism in 244 non-obese Japanese NIDDM patients and 181 non-diabetic control subjects, and found two missense mutations; Met to Val at position 416 in the exon 10 (M416V) and Pro to Ala at position 442 in the exon 11 (P442A). The P442A mutation was found in only one NIDDM patient treated with sulfonylureas. On the other hand, the M416V mutation was widely found in the Japanese population. The mutant allele frequency in the NIDDM patients (13.7%) was slightly higher but not statistically significant compared with that in non-diabetic subjects (9.7%). However, the insulin sensitivity index [SI: x 10(-4) x min(-1) x (microU/ml)(-1)] estimated by Minimal Model analysis in the NIDDM patients carrying the M416V mutation was significantly lower than that in those without the mutation (1.18 +/- 0.27, n = 21 vs 2.20 +/- 0.20, n = 60, mean +/- SEM, p < 0.01). Glucose effectiveness, age, body mass index, and levels of glycated haemoglobin and serum lipids were not significantly different between the two groups. The same trend could be seen in non-diabetic subjects (SI: 3.70 +/- 0.46, 9 subjects with the mutation vs 5.94 +/- 0.66, 19 subjects without the mutation, p < 0.05). These findings indicate that the M416V mutation of the GYS1 gene is one of the factors contributing to the insulin resistance in the Japanese population and may play some role in the pathogenesis of NIDDM.
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PMID:A missense mutation of the muscle glycogen synthase gene (M416V) is associated with insulin resistance in the Japanese population. 926 90


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