Search results for "Nerve Tissue Proteins"

Cognitive deficits in aged rats correlate with levels of l-arginine, not with nNOS expression or 3,4-DAP-evoked transmitter release in the frontopari…

2005

Aging is associated with altered neurotransmitter function in the brain. In this study, we measured release parameters for acetylcholine (ACh), norepinephrine and serotonin in the frontoparietal cortex of young and aged rats. We also determined cortical amino acid concentrations and nitric oxide (NO) synthase function. Prior to sacrifice, the rats had been tested for Morris water-maze performance. In aged, compared with young rats, we observed a reduction in both uptake of choline and acetylcholine release. Serotonin release and L-arginine concentrations (a precursor of NO) showed an aging-related increase; however, L-citrulline/L-arginine ratios were decreased in aged rats. Moreover, while…

Characterisation of serotonin transport mechanisms in rainbow trout peripheral blood lymphocytes: role in PHA-induced lymphoproliferation

1999

Abstract AbstractIn this study we investigated the serotonin transport mechanisms in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) peripheral blood lymphocytes We have observed that the transport of serotonin is a membrane transport process that have the properties of a secondary active transport system The binding isotherm of [3H]-paroxetine a serotonin transport blocker demonstrated a high-affinity binding site with a positive type of cooperativity Hill coefficient being higher than unity Known specific inhibitors of the mammalian serotonin transporter significantly inhibited the uptake process in fish lymphocytes In order to demonstrate the physiological relevance of the serotonin transporter in T…

Modulatory effects of the novel TrkB receptor agonist 7,8-dihydroxyflavone on synaptic transmission and intrinsic neuronal excitability in mouse visu…

2013

7,8-Dihydroxyflavone (7,8 DHF) is a new recently identified TrkB receptor agonist, which possesses a potent neurotrophic activity and shares many physiological properties with the neurotrophin "Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor" (BDNF). However, its precise mechanism of action at the cellular level has not been clarified yet. In the present study we explored the effects of this agent on synaptic and intrinsic neuronal properties by performing whole-cell patch clamp recordings from layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons. Incubation of acute cortical slices with 7,8-DHF (20 µM) for 30 min caused a selective reduction in the strength of GABAergic inhibition. The amplitude of evoked inhibitory postsynapti…

Oxygen binding properties of non-mammalian nerve globins

2006

Oxygen-binding globins occur in the nervous systems of both invertebrates and vertebrates. While the function of invertebrate nerve haemoglobins as oxygen stores that extend neural excitability under hypoxia has been convincingly demonstrated, the physiological role of vertebrate neuroglobins is less well understood. Here we provide a detailed analysis of the oxygenation characteristics of nerve haemoglobins from an annelid (Aphrodite aculeata), a nemertean (Cerebratulus lacteus) and a bivalve (Spisula solidissima) and of neuroglobin from zebrafish (Danio rerio). The functional differences have been related to haem coordination: the haem is pentacoordinate (as in human haemoglobin and myogl…

Neuroglobin and cytoglobin: fresh blood to the vertebrate globin family

2002

Neuroglobin and cytoglobin are two recently discovered members of the vertebrate globin family. Both are intracellular proteins endowed with hexacoordinated heme-Fe atoms, in their ferrous and ferric forms, and display O2 affinities comparable with that of myoglobin. Neuroglobin, which is predominantly expressed in nerve cells, is thought to protect neurons from hypoxic–ischemic injury. It is of ancient evolutionary origin, and is homologous to nerve globins of invertebrates. Cytoglobin is expressed in many different tissues, although at varying levels. It shares common ancestry with myoglobin, and can be traced to early vertebrate evolution. The physiological roles of neuroglobin and cytog…

Glutathione metabolism in primary astrocyte cultures: flow cytometric evidence of heterogeneous distribution of GSH content.

1993

The time-course of intracellular glutathione (GSH) values after incubation with L-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO), a selective inhibitor of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase, showed that glutathione turns over with a half-life of 5 h. Intracellular GSH was assayed by flow cytometry using three different methods. Astrocytes showed a narrow range of cellular size but a wide range of intracellular GSH. This heterogeneity was resolved into three distinct subpopulations which represent 20%, 35% and 45% of the total astrocyte number. The less abundant subpopulation had the lower GSH content, while the most abundant was the subpopulation with the higher content. Over 95% of astrocytes were in t…

Antioxidant Pathways in Alzheimers Disease: Possibilities of Intervention

2011

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is closely related to the occurrence of oxidative stress. It was claimed that all pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the onset and progression of AD are related to oxidative stress. Thus, it is important to evaluate if there is oxidative stress as well as the mechanism by which this happens in AD patients as well as in animal models of AD. Extracellular plaques of amyloid b peptides (Aβ), a hallmark of the disease, have been postulated to be more protective than damaging in terms of oxidative stress because they may be chemical sinks in which heavy metals are placed. More than a decade ago we reasoned that damage due to Ab might be caused not by extracellular…

Enhancer trap infidelity in Drosophila optomotor-blind

2013

Reporter gene activity in enhancer trap lines is often implicitly assumed to mirror quite faithfully the endogenous expression of the "trapped" gene, even though there are numerous examples of enhancer trap infidelity. optomotor-blind (omb) is a 160 kb gene in which 16 independent P-element enhancer trap insertions of three different types have been mapped in a range of more than 60 kb. We have determined the expression pattern of these elements in wing, eye-antennal and leg imaginal discs as well as in the pupal tergites. We noted that one pGawB insertion (omb (P4) ) selectively failed to report parts of the omb pattern even though the missing pattern elements were apparent in all other 15…

Dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy: haplotype of Asian origin in 2 Italian families.

2011

A novel function of Huntingtin in the cilium and retinal ciliopathy in Huntington's disease mice

2015

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the toxic expansion of polyglutamine in the Huntingtin (HTT) protein. The pathomechanism is complex and not fully understood. Increasing evidence indicates that the loss of normal protein function also contributes to the pathogenesis, pointing out the importance of understanding the physiological roles of HTT. We provide evidence for a novel function of HTT in the cilium. HTT localizes in diverse types of cilia — including 9 + 0 non-motile sensory cilia of neurons and 9 + 2 motile multicilia of trachea and ependymal cells — which exert various functions during tissue development and homeostasis. In the photoreceptor cilium,…