Telomerase Activity and Microgravity-Dependent Apoptosis in Human Leukemia HL-60 Cells

Mammalian cells subjected to conditions of spaceflight and the microgravity environment ofspace; manifest a number of alterations in structure and function. Among the most notable changes incells flown on the Space Shuttle are reduced growth activation and decline in growth rate in the totalpopulation. Other changes include chromosomal aberrations, inhibited locomotion, alteredcytokine production, changes in PKC distribution, and increased apoptos.

蛋白激酶C在HIV复制中的作用与药物发现

蛋白激酶C ( PKC)是一类磷脂依赖的丝氨酸/苏氨酸 蛋白激酶, PKC在中枢神经系统疾病及心血管紊乱等多种人 类疾病中都发挥了重要作用。研究发现, PKC可以通过多种 途径刺激H IV病毒的活化,并磷酸化病毒复制周期中的多 种蛋白,如P17gag、Nef、Rev和Vif等,这些蛋白的磷酸化在 病毒复制周期中起到了不可忽视的作用。了解PKC与H IV 及细胞间的复杂关系,开发抑制PKC蛋白激酶的药物从而 达到抑制H IV复制的目的,或激活PKC从而减少或消除体 内潜伏的H IV病毒库是对PKC在抗H IV研究中应用提出的 两个主要方向,对于开发新型抗H IV药物有重要意义。

Chronic Morphine Treatment Impaired Hippocampal Long-Term Potentiation and Spatial Memory via Accumulation of Extracellular Adenosine Acting on Adenosine A(1) Receptors

Chronic exposure to opiates impairs hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and spatial memory, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Given the well known effects of adenosine, an important neuromodulator, on hippocampal neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity, we investigated the potential effect of changes in adenosine concentrations on chronic morphine treatment-induced impairment of hippocampal CA1 LTP and spatial memory. We found that chronic treatment in mice with either increasing doses (20-100 mg/kg) of morphine for 7 d or equal daily dose (20 mg/kg) of morphine for 12 d led to a significant increase of hippocampal extracellular adenosine concentrations. Importantly, we found that accumulated adenosine contributed to the inhibition of the hippocampal CA1 LTP and impairment of spatial memory retrieval measured in the Morris water maze. Adenosine A(1) receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine significantly reversed chronic morphine-induced impairment of hippocampal CA1 LTP and spatial memory. Likewise, adenosine deaminase, which converts adenosine into the inactive metabolite inosine, restored impaired hippocampal CA1 LTP. We further found that adenosine accumulation was attributable to the alteration of adenosine uptake but not adenosine metabolisms. Bidirectional nucleoside transporters (ENT2) appeared to play a key role in the reduction of adenosine uptake. Changes in PKC-alpha/beta activity were correlated with the attenuation of the ENT2 function in the short-term (2 h) but not in the long-term (7 d) period after the termination of morphine treatment. This study reveals a potential mechanism by which chronic exposure to morphine leads to impairment of both hippocampal LTP and spatial memory.

HORMONAL-REGULATION OF TISSUE-TYPE PLASMINOGEN-ACTIVATOR AND PLASMINOGEN-ACTIVATOR INHIBITOR TYPE-1 IN CULTURED MONKEY SERTOLI CELLS

Sertoli cells play a central role in the control and maintenance of spermatogenesis. Isolated Sertoli cells of mouse and rat testes have been shown to secrete plasminogen activator (PA) and a plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) in culture. In this study, we have investigated the hormonal regulation of PA and PAI-1 activities in cultured monkey Sertoli cells. Sertoli cells (5x10(5) cells/well) isolated from infant rhesus monkey testes were preincubated at 35 degrees C for 16 h in 24-well plates precoated with poly(D-lysine) (5 mu g/cm(2)) in 0.5 mi McCoy's 5a medium containing 5% of fetal calf serum and further incubated for 48 h in 0.5 mi serum-free medium with or without various hormones or other compounds, PA as well as PAI-1 activities in the conditioned media were assayed by fibrin overlay and reverse fibrin autography techniques respectively. The Sertoli cells in vitro secreted only tissue-type PA (tPA), no detectable amount of urokinase-type PA (uPA) could be observed, Monkey Sertoli cells were also capable of secreting PAI-1, Immunocytochemical studies indicated that both tPA and PAI-1 positive staining localized in the Sertoli cells, spermatids and residual bodies of the seminiferous epithelium; Northern blot analysis further confirmed the presence of both tPA and PAI-1 mRNA in monkey Sertoli cells. Addition of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) or cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) derivatives or cAMP-generating agents and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist or phorbol ester (PMA) to the cell culture significantly increased tPA activity. PAI-1 activity in the culture was also enhanced by these reagents except 8-bromo-dibutyryl-cAMP, forskolin and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthin (MIX) which greatly stimulated tPA activity, whereas decreased PAI-1 activity, implying that neutralization of PAI-1 activity by tile high level of tPA in the conditioned media may occur. These data suggest that increased intracellular signals which activate protein kinase A (PKA), or protein kinase C (PKC) can modulate Sertoli cell tPA and PAI-1 activities, The concomitant induction of PA and PAI-1 by the same reagents in the Sertoli cells may reflect a finely tuned regulatory mechanism in which PAI-1 could limit the excession of the proteolysis.

硬壳蛤性腺发育和卵母细胞成熟机理初步研究

采用体外药物诱导的方法，研究了5-羟色胺（5-hydroxytryptamine，5-HT）诱导的硬壳蛤卵母细胞成熟过程中cAMP信号通路的作用。结果表明，5-HT （0.01—100µM）均能够显著地诱导硬壳蛤卵母细胞的成熟。磷酸二酯酶抑制剂—咖啡因、茶碱和IBMX（3-异丁基-1-甲基黄嘌呤）可以单独抑制卵母细胞的自发成熟，但效果不显著。10mM的咖啡因和茶碱以及5mM的IBMX能够显著地抑制5-HT的诱导效果。dbcAMP（双丁酰基环腺苷一磷酸）不但能够抑制卵母细胞的自发成熟，而且还可以抑制5-HT诱导的成熟。因此，cAMP信号通路参与了5-HT诱导的硬壳蛤卵母细胞的成熟过程，并且该信号通路起着负调控的作用。 研究了PLC（磷脂酶C）和PKC（蛋白激酶C）的激活剂/抑制剂对5-羟色胺诱导的卵母细胞成熟的影响。高浓度的新霉素（PLC抑制剂）可以抑制5-HT诱导的卵母细胞的成熟，而DMBA（9,10-Dimethy-1,2-benzanthracene，9,10–二甲基胆蒽，PLC激活剂）则能够促进成熟。PMA（phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate，佛波十四烷酸乙酸酯，PKC激活剂）能够抑制5-HT诱导的成熟，而Spingosine（PKC抑制剂）则可以促进卵母细胞的成熟。从而推测，5-HT诱导的卵母细胞成熟需要磷脂酰肌醇信号通路的激活。PLC浓度的降低能够抑制5-HT诱导的卵母细胞成熟；PKC浓度的降低则会促进卵母细胞的成熟。因此，在硬壳蛤卵母细胞的成熟过程中，PLC起促进的作用，DAG（二酰肌甘油）–PKC通路则起抑制的作用。 细胞外高浓度Ca2+能够促进硬壳蛤卵母细胞的成熟，Ca2+离子载体A23187也可以促进硬壳蛤卵母细胞的成熟。1-100µM异搏定（Verapamil，钙离子通道阻断剂）能够抑制卵母细胞的成熟，而100µM的Verapamil能够完全抑制其成熟。上述结果表明细胞外Ca2+对硬壳蛤卵母细胞的成熟是必需的，而且起到促进卵母细胞成熟的作用。三氟拉嗪（TFP，Ca2+与CaM结合的拮抗剂）能够抑制卵母细胞的成熟，高浓度的三氟拉嗪（1mM）能够完全抑制卵母细胞的成熟。说明CaM起到促进卵母细胞成熟的作用。可见，Ca2+通过与CaM的相互作用，共同起到促进硬壳蛤卵母细胞成熟的作用。 5-HT诱导成熟的卵母细胞可以完成受精过程，其受精过程以及幼虫发育情况与正常受精发育过程类似，没有显著差异。高浓度的新霉素可以抑制受精过程，而茶碱和咖啡因对受精没有影响。从而推测，磷脂酰肌醇信号通路参与了硬壳蛤卵母细胞的受精过程，而cAMP信号通路可能没有参与受精过程。 发现硬壳蛤的性腺发育与我国常见的双壳类如泥蚶相似。硬壳蛤卵母细胞中卵黄粒主要由线粒体、高尔基液泡、内质网和微吞饮泡形成。

第二信使介导模拟低氧下丘脑CRF分泌

用模拟高原低氧的方法研究急性低氧条件下促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子(corticotrop in-releasing factor,CRF) 分泌的变化及第二信使参与CRF分泌的作用。低氧(海拔7 km ) 1 h 后, 正中隆起(median eminence,M E) 处CRF 含量明显下降(P < 0. 05) , 下丘脑(hypothalamus, Hy)CRF (不含M E) 含量无明显变化, 而Hy 内cAM P 含量明显增加(P < 0. 01)。脑室注射Forsklin、TPA 后低氧暴露(海拔5 km ) 1 h,M E CRF 含量下降(P < 0. 05; P < 0.05) ,Hy CRF 无明显变化。脑室注射Forsk lin 后Hy cAM P 含量升高(P < 0. 05)。脑室注射H7 和PKA 抑制剂,M ECRF 升高(P < 0. 05; P < 0. 01) ,Hy CRF 和Hy cAM P 均无显著变化。上述结果表明急性低氧应激中CRF 分泌显著增加, 第二信使通路PKA 和PKC 通路均参与CRF 分泌。