1,721,003 research outputs found

    Modulation of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release by adenosine: a protein kinase C-dependent pathway

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    We have already reported that A(3) adenosine receptor stimulation reduces [(3)H]-ryanodine binding and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release in rat heart. In the present work we have investigated the transduction pathway responsible for this effect. Isolated rat hearts were perfused for 20 min in the presence of the following substances: 100 nM N(6)-(iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5'-N-methyluronamide (IB-MECA), an A(3) adenosine agonist; 10 muM U-73122, a phospholipase C inhibitor; 2 muM chelerythrine, a protein kinase C inhibitor. At the end of perfusion, the hearts were homogenized and [(3)H]-ryanodine binding was assayed. IB-MECA produced a significant decrease in ryanodine binding, which was abolished in the presence of chelerythrine but not in the presence of U-73122. RT-PCR experiments showed that ryanodine receptor gene expression was not affected by IB-MECA. In Western blot experiments, ryanodine receptor phosphorylation on serine 2809 was not modified after perfusion with IB-MECA. We conclude that modulation of SR Ca(2+) release channel by IB-MECA is dependent on protein kinase C activation. However, in this model protein kinase C activation is not due to phospholipase C activation. In addition, changes in ryanodine receptor gene expression or direct phosphorylation of the ryanodine receptor on serine 2809 residue do not appear to occur

    Short-term effects of pressure overload on the expression of genes involved in calcium homeostasis

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    We investigated whether in the isolated perfused rat heart acute pressure overload may affect the expression of genes involved in calcium homeostasis, namely sarcolemmal L-type Ca2+ channel, Na+/Ca2+ exchanger, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase, phospholamban, and ryanodine receptor. Hearts were subjected to 210 min of perfusion under the following conditions: (i) standard working heart perfusion with preload and afterload set at 20 and 100 cm, respectively; (ii) working heart perfusion at high afterload (180 cm); (iii) retrograde infusion of St. Thomas' Hospital cardioplegic solution. In all models gene expression was determined by RT-PCR. Significant decrease in the expression of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase gene was observed in the high afterload group. No significant change in the expression of any other gene was observed in any group. The reported effect was not detected after 60 min of perfusion, and it was blunted in the presence of the protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine, while the calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporin A was ineffective. In conclusion, the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase gene is downregulated after short-term (210 min) perfusion at high afterload, possibly through a protein kinase C-dependent pathway. This mechanism might play a relevant pathophysiological role in the response to pressure overload and in the development of hypertrophy

    Ghrelin tissue distribution: comparison between gene and protein expression

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    Ghrelin, the natural ligand of the GH secretagogue (GHS) receptor, was originally isolated from the stomach and detected in several tissues, but a systematic study of its tissue distribution has not been performed. In the present investigation, we evaluated ghrelin gene expression (by RT-PCR technique) and ghrelin protein concentration (by enzyme immunoassay technique) in tissues obtained from control rats as well as in rats subjected to 48-h fasting. The ghrelin gene was expressed in stomach, small intestine, brain, cerebellum, pituitary, heart, pancreas, salivary gland, adrenal, ovary and testis, with maximum expression occurring in the stomach, while no significant expression was detected by standard RT-PCR in liver, lung, kidney and skeletal muscle. Ghrelin protein was detected in stomach, small intestine, brain, cerebellum, pituitary, lung, skeletal muscle pancreas, salivary gland, adrenal, ovary and testis, at concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 1.43 ng/mg of homogenate protein (the highest concentration occurred in the lung, followed by the brain). Ghrelin was not detectable in the heart, liver and kidney. Therefore, gene and protein expression were dissociated. Fasting did not produce significant changes in ghrelin gene expression, while the distribution of ghrelin between different tissues was significantly modified: protein concentration increased in the brain, cerebellum, lung and salivary gland, while it decreased in the stomach
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