Search results for "Cyclase"

Mutation Analysis Identifies GUCY2D as the Major Gene Responsible for Autosomal Dominant Progressive Cone Degeneration

2008

PURPOSE. Heterozygous mutations in the GUCY2D gene, which encodes the membrane-bound retinal guanylyl cyclase-1 protein (RetGC-1), have been shown to cause autosomal dominant inherited cone degeneration and cone–rod degeneration (adCD, adCRD). The present study was a comprehensive screening of the GUCY2D gene in 27 adCD and adCRD unrelated families of these rare disorders. METHODS. Mutation analysis was performed by direct sequencing as well as PCR and subsequent restriction length polymorphism analysis (PCR/RFLP). Haplotype analysis was performed in selected patients by using microsatellite markers. RESULTS. GUCY2D gene mutations were identified in 11 (40%) of 27 patients, and all mutation…

Development of predictive retention-activity relationship models of tricyclic antidepressants by micellar liquid chromatography.

1999

The distribution of tricyclic antidepressants from plasma to brain, where these drugs exert their main clinical action, and other organs is related to transport events across the cell membranes of the different tissues. It could be expected that all the molecular features that condition the transport processes (mainly hydrophobicity and molar total charge) also control the pharmacokinetic and biochemical behavior. Micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) has been proposed to emulate in vitro the partitioning process in the biomembranes. The use of micellar solutions of Brij35 as mobile phases in reversed-phase liquid chromatography has proven to be valid to predict the biological activities of …

Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Support the Expansion of Cord Blood–derived CD34+Cells Mimicking a Hematopoietic Niche in a Direct Cell–cel…

2018

Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stromal cells (WJ-MSCs) have been recently exploited as a feeder layer in coculture systems to expand umbilical cord blood–hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (UCB-HSPCs). Here, we investigated the role of WJ-MSCs in supporting ex vivo UCB-HSPC expansion either when cultured in direct contact (DC) with WJ-MSCs or separated by a transwell system or in the presence of WJ-MSC–conditioned medium. We found, in short-term culture, a greater degree of expansion of UCB-CD34+cells in a DC system (15.7 ± 4.1-fold increase) with respect to the other conditions. Moreover, in DC, we evidenced two different CD34+cell populations (one floating and one adherent to WJ-MSCs) with …

Serine- and Threonine/Valine-Dependent Activation of PDK and Tor Orthologs Converge on Sch9 to Promote Aging

2014

Dietary restriction extends longevity in organisms ranging from bacteria to mice and protects primates from a variety of diseases, but the contribution of each dietary component to aging is poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that glucose and specific amino acids promote stress sensitization and aging through the differential activation of the Ras/cAMP/PKA, PKH1/2 and Tor/S6K pathways. Whereas glucose sensitized cells through a Ras-dependent mechanism, threonine and valine promoted cellular sensitization and aging primarily by activating the Tor/S6K pathway and serine promoted sensitization via PDK1 orthologs Pkh1/2. Serine, threonine and valine activated a signaling network in which Sch…

Functional coupling of nitric oxide synthase and soluble guanylyl cyclase in controlling catecholamine secretion from bovine chromaffin cells

1997

This study was designed to evaluate whether the enzymes of the nitric oxide/cyclic-GMP pathway, nitric oxide synthase and soluble guanylyl cyclase, are functionally coupled in controlling catecholamine secretion in primary cultures of bovine chromaffin cells. In immunocytochemical studies, 80-85% of the tyrosine hydroxylase-positive chromaffin cells also possessed phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase, f1p4cating their capability to synthesize epinephrine. Immunoreactivity for neuronal-type nitric oxide synthase was found in over 90% of all chromaffin cells. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction also demonstrated neuronal-type nitric oxide synthase messenger RNA. Immunoreactivity…

Nitric oxide increases the decay of matrix metalloproteinase 9 mRNA by inhibiting the expression of mRNA-stabilizing factor HuR.

2003

Dysregulation of extracellular matrix turnover is an important feature of many inflammatory processes. Rat renal mesangial cells express high levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in response to inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta. We demonstrate that NO does strongly destabilize MMP-9 mRNA, since different luciferase reporter gene constructs containing the MMP-9 3' untranslated region (UTR) displayed significant reduced luciferase activity in response to the presence of NO. Moreover, by use of an in vitro degradation assay we found that the cytoplasmic fractions of NO-treated cells contained a higher capacity to degrade MMP-9 transcripts than those obtained from contro…

Organic Nitrate Therapy, Nitrate Tolerance, and Nitrate-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction: Emphasis on Redox Biology and Oxidative Stress

2015

Abstract Organic nitrates, such as nitroglycerin (GTN), isosorbide-5-mononitrate and isosorbide dinitrate, and pentaerithrityl tetranitrate (PETN), when given acutely, have potent vasodilator effects improving symptoms in patients with acute and chronic congestive heart failure, stable coronary artery disease, acute coronary syndromes, or arterial hypertension. The mechanisms underlying vasodilation include the release of •NO or a related compound in response to intracellular bioactivation (for GTN, the mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase [ALDH-2]) and activation of the enzyme, soluble guanylyl cyclase. Increasing cyclic guanosine-3′,-5′-monophosphate (cGMP) levels lead to an activation of…

Biochemistry and pharmacology of novel anthranilic acid derivatives activating heme-oxidized soluble guanylyl cyclase.

2005

The heme-enzyme soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) is an ubiquitous NO receptor, which mediates NO downstream signaling by the generation of cGMP. We studied the mechanism of action of the anthranilic acid derivatives 5-chloro-2-(5-chloro-thiophene-2-sulfonylamino-N-(4-(morpholine-4-sulfonyl)-phenyl)-benzamide sodium salt (HMR1766) (proposed international nonproprietary name, ataciguat sodium) and 2-(4-chloro-phenylsulfonylamino)-4,5-dimethoxy-N-(4-(thiomorpholine-4-sulfonyl)-phenyl)-benzamide (S3448) as a new class of sGC agonists. Both compounds activated different sGC preparations (purified from bovine lung, or crude from human corpus cavernosum) in a concentration-dependent and quickly reve…

The evolution of nitric oxide signalling diverges between the animal and the green lineages

2019

AbstractNitric oxide (NO) is a ubiquitous signalling molecule with widespread distribution in prokaryotes and eukaryotes where it is involved in countless physiological processes. While the mechanisms governing nitric oxide (NO) synthesis and signalling are well established in animals, the situation is less clear in the green lineage. Recent investigations have shown that NO synthase, the major enzymatic source for NO in animals, is absent in land plants but present in a limited number of algae. The first detailed analysis highlighted that these new NO synthases are functional but display specific structural features and probably original catalytic activities. Completing this picture, analy…

2007

We have recently demonstrated that the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) shared epitope (SE) acts as a ligand that triggers nitric oxide (NO) signaling in opposite cells. Given the known pro-oxidative effect of NO and the proposed role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of RA, this study explores whether SE-triggered signaling can increase cellular oxidative stress. cAMP levels, adenylyl cyclase activity, and protein kinase A activity were measured using commercial kits. Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was quantified using the fluorochrome dichlorofluorescein diacetate. Oxidative DNA damage was quantified using the single-cell electrophoresis technique. Here, we report that cells e…