Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0847097 (acidity)
15,165 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

CFTR, or cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, the gene product that is defective in cystic fibrosis, is present in the apical membrane of the epithelial cells from the stomach to the colon. In the foregut, the clinical manifestations are not directly related to the primary defect of the CFTR chloride channel. The most troublesome complaints and symptoms originate from the oesophagus as peptic oesophagitis or oesophageal varices. In the small intestinal wall, the clinical expression of CF depends largely on the decreased secretion of fluid and chloride ions, the increased permeability of the paracellular space between adjacent enterocytes and the sticky mucous cover over the enterocytes. As a rule, the brush border enzyme activities are normal and there is some enhanced active transport as shown for glucose and alanine. The results of continuous enteral feeding of CF patients clearly show that the small intestinal mucosa, in the daily situation, is not functioning at maximal capacity. Although CFTR expression in the colon is lower, the large intestine may be the site of several serious complications such as rectal prolapse, meconium ileus equivalent, intussusception, volvulus and silent appendicitis. In recent years colonic strictures, after the use of high-dose pancreatic enzymes, are being increasingly reported; the condition has recently been called CF fibrosing colonopathy. The CF gastrointestinal content itself differs mainly from the normal condition by the lower acidity in the foregut and the accretion of mucins and proteins, eventually resulting in intestinal obstruction, in the ileum and colon. Better understanding of the CF gastrointestinal phenotype may contribute to improvement of the overall wellbeing of these patients.
...
PMID:Gastrointestinal manifestations in cystic fibrosis. 886 67

Uroguanylin is an intestinal peptide hormone that may regulate epithelial ion transport by activating a receptor guanylyl cyclase on the luminal surface of the intestine. In this study, we examined the action of uroguanylin on anion transport in different segments of freshly excised mouse intestine, using voltage-clamped Ussing chambers. Uroguanylin induced larger increases in short-circuit current (Isc) in proximal duodenum and cecum compared with jejunum, ileum, and distal colon. The acidification of the lumen of the proximal duodenum (pH 5.0-5.5) enhanced the stimulatory action of uroguanylin. In physiological Ringer solution, a significant fraction of the Isc stimulated by uroguanylin was insensitive to bumetanide and dependent on HCO3- in the bathing medium. Experiments using pH-stat titration revealed that uroguanylin stimulates serosal-to-luminal HCO3- secretion (Js-->lHCO3-) together with a larger increase in Isc. Both Js-->lHCO3- and Isc were significantly augmented when luminal pH was reduced to pH 5.15. Uroguanylin also stimulated the Js-->lHCO3- and Isc across the cecum, but luminal acidity caused a generalized decrease in the bioelectric responsiveness to agonist stimulation. In cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) knockout mice, the duodenal Isc response to uroguanylin was markedly reduced, but not eliminated, despite having a similar density of functional receptors. It was concluded that uroguanylin is most effective in acidic regions of the small intestine, where it stimulates both HCO3- and Cl-secretion primarily via a CFTR-dependent mechanisms.
...
PMID:Regulation of intestinal Cl- and HCO3-secretion by uroguanylin. 957 44

Work addressing whether cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) plays a role in regulating organelle pH has remained inconclusive. We engineered a pH-sensitive excitation ratiometric green fluorescent protein (pHERP) and targeted it to the Golgi with sialyltransferase (ST). As determined by ratiometric imaging of cells expressing ST-pHERP, Golgi pH (pH(G)) of HeLa cells was 6.4, while pH(G) of mutant (DeltaF508) and wild-type CFTR-expressing (WT-CFTR) respiratory epithelia were 6.7-7.0. Comparison of genetically matched DeltaF508 and WT-CFTR cells showed that the absence of CFTR statistically increased Golgi acidity by 0.2 pH units, though this small difference was unlikely to be physiologically important. Golgi pH was maintained by a H(+) vacuolar (V)-ATPase countered by a H(+) leak, which was unaffected by CFTR. To estimate Golgi proton permeability (P(H(+))), we modeled transient changes in pH(G) induced by inhibiting the V-ATPase and by acidifying the cytosol. This analysis required knowing Golgi buffer capacity, which was pH dependent. Our in vivo estimate is that Golgi P(H(+)) = 7.5 x 10(-4) cm/s when pH(G) = 6.5, and surprisingly, P(H(+)) decreased as pH(G) decreased.
...
PMID:Proton leak and CFTR in regulation of Golgi pH in respiratory epithelial cells. 1150 68

This paper reviews experiments from this lab that have tested the hypothesis that pH of the Golgi (pH(G)) of cystic fibrosis (CF) airway epithelial cells is alkaline compared to normal, that this altered pH affects sialyltransferase and other Golgi enzymes controlling biochemical composition of the plasma membrane and that altered surface biochemistry increases bacterial binding. We generated a plasmid encoding a modified green fluorescence protein-sialyltransferase (GFP-ST) chimera protein that was pH-sensitive and localized to the Golgi when transfected into HeLa cells and also CF and normal or cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator- (CFTR)-corrected airway epithelial cells. Digital imaging microscopy of these Golgi-localized probes showed that there was no correlation between pH(G) (6.4-7.0) and the presence of CFTR, whether cells were in HCO(3)(-)/CO(2)-containing or in HCO(3)(-)/CO(2)-free solutions. Activation of CFTR by raising cell [cAMP] had no effect on pH(G). Thus, CFTR seemed not to be involved in controlling pH(G). Experiments on HeLa cells using an avidin-sialyltransferase chimera in combination with a pH-sensitive fluorescent biotin indicated that even in cells that do not express CFTR, Cl(-) and K(+) conductances of the Golgi and other organelle membranes were large and that pH(G) was controlled solely by the H(+) v-ATPase countered by a H(+) leak. A mathematical model was applied to these and other published data to calculate passive H(+) permeability (P(H+)) of the Golgi, endoplasmic reticulum, trans-Golgi network, recycling endosomes and secrety granules from a variety of cells. An organelle's acidity was inversely correlated to its calculated P(H+). We conclude that the CFTR plays a minor role in organelle pH regulation because other (Cl(-) and K(+)) channels are present in sufficient numbers to shunt voltages generated during H(+) pumping. Acidity of the Golgi (and perhaps other organelles) appears to be determined by the activity of H(+) pumps countered by H(+) leaks.
...
PMID:Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and H+ permeability in regulation of Golgi pH. 1187 64

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common, life-threatening, multisystemic, autosomal recessive disorder. In the last few years, giant steps have been made with regard to the understanding of CF pathophysiology, allowing the scientific community to propose mechanisms that cause the myriad of CF clinical manifestations. Following the discovery of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene in 1989, the structure and function of the CFTR protein were described. Since then, more than 2,000 variants of the CFTR gene and their impact on the amount and function of the CFTR protein have been reported. The role of the CFTR protein as an ion channel transporting chloride and bicarbonate and its repercussions on different epithelial cell-lined organs and mucus are now better understood. Mechanisms behind susceptibility to infection in CF have also been proposed and include abnormalities in the composition, volume and acidity of the airway surface liquid, changes in the submucosal gland's anatomy and function, and deficiencies in the mucociliary clearance system. Numerous hypotheses explaining the excessive inflammatory response in CF are also debated and involve impaired mucociliary clearance, persistent hypoxia, lipid abnormalities, protease and antiprotease disproportion, and oxidant and antioxidant imbalance. The purpose of this review is to summarize our current knowledge of CF pathophysiology, including significant historic discoveries and most recent breakthroughs, and to improve understanding and awareness of this fatal disease.
...
PMID:Cystic Fibrosis: Pathophysiology of Lung Disease. 3165 25

Ethyl carbamate (EC) is a carcinogen toxicant, commonly found in fermented foods and beverages. The carcinogenic and toxic possibility of EC is thought to be related to its metabolite vinyl carbamate (VC). However, we found interesting mechanisms underlying VC-induced toxicity in this study, which were greatly different from EC. We first conducted a simple synthesis procedure for VC and found that VC possessed higher toxicity but failed to regulate levels of reactive oxygen species, glutathione, and autophagy. Notably, VC treatment resulted in upregulation of lysosomal pH, which was responsible for its cytotoxicity. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) pretreatment could enhance restoration of lysosomal acidity and ameliorate VC-induced damage. Inhibition of protein kinase A and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator can block cAMP-induced cytoprotection. Together, our results provided the evidence for novel mechanisms of toxicity and possible protection method under VC exposure, which might give new perspectives on the study of EC-induced toxicity.
...
PMID:Lysosomal Reacidification Ameliorates Vinyl Carbamate-Induced Toxicity and Disruption on Lysosomal pH. 3280 25