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Background: The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) contributes to the pathogenesis of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tempol in (1) an in vivo rat model of renal ischemia/reperfusion injury and on (2) cellular injury and death of rat renal proximal tubular (PT) cells exposed to oxidant stress in the form of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)., Methods: Male Wistar rats underwent bilateral renal pedicle clamping for 45 minutes followed by reperfusion for six hours. Tempol (30 mg/kg/h), desferrioxamine (DEF; 40 mg/kg/h), or a combination of tempol (30 mg/kg/h) and DEF (40 mg/kg/h) were administered prior to and throughout reperfusion. Plasma concentrations of urea, creatinine, Na+, gamma-glutamyl transferase (gammaGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and urinary Na+ and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) were measured for the assessment of renal function and reperfusion injury. Kidney myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured for assessment of polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell infiltration and lipid peroxidation, respectively. Renal sections were used for histologic grading of renal injury and for immunohistochemical localization of nitrotyrosine and poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase (PARS). Primary cultures of rat PT cells were incubated with H2O2 (1 mmol/L for 4 h) either in the absence or presence of increasing concentrations of tempol (0.03 to 10 mmol/L), DEF (0.03 to 10 mmol/L), or a combination of tempol (3 mmol/L) or DEF (3 mmol/L). PT cell injury and death were determined by evaluating mitochondrial respiration and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, respectively., Results: In vivo, tempol significantly reduced the increase in urea, creatinine, gammaGT, AST, NAG, and FENa produced by renal ischemia/reperfusion, suggesting an improvement in both renal function and injury. Tempol also significantly reduced kidney MPO activity and MDA levels, indicating a reduction in PMN infiltration and lipid peroxidation, respectively. Tempol reduced the histologic evidence of renal damage associated with ischemia/reperfusion and caused a substantial reduction in the staining for nitrotyrosine and PARS, suggesting reduced nitrosative and oxidative stress. In vitro, tempol significantly attenuated H2O2-mediated decrease in mitochondrial respiration and increase in LDH release from rat PT cells, indicating a reduction in cell injury and death. Both in vivo and in vitro, the beneficial actions of tempol were similar to those obtained using the Fe2+ chelator DEF. However, coadministration of DEF and tempol did not produce any additional beneficial actions against renal ischemia/reperfusion injury or against oxidative stress-mediated PT cell injury/death., Conclusion: Our results suggest that the membrane-permeable radical scavenger, tempol, reduces the renal dysfunction and injury associated with ischemia/reperfusion of the kidney.

Classic ischemic preconditioning transiently (30 to 120 minutes) protects the myocardium against subsequent lethal ischemia/reperfusion injury. After dissipation of this acute protection, a second window of protection (SWOP) appears 12 to 24 hours later; this SWOP lasts up to 3 days. Several triggers induce a SWOP, including brief repetitive cycles of coronary artery occlusion, rapid ventricular pacing, stimulation of adenosine A(1) receptors, and administration of wall fragments of Gram-negative bacteria, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The aim of this study was to investigate whether lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a cell wall fragment of Gram-positive bacteria, can induce a SWOP in a rat model of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion (25 minutes) and reperfusion (2 hours). Thus, 166 male Wistar rats were pretreated (2 to 24 hours) with saline, LTA (1 mg/kg IP), or LPS (1 mg/kg IP) and subjected to LAD occlusion/reperfusion. Pretreatment with LTA or LPS for 16 hours led to a substantial, approximately 65%, reduction in infarct size and a reduction in the release of cardiac troponin T into the plasma. The dose of LTA used had no toxic effect (on any of the parameters studied), whereas the same dose of LPS caused a time-dependent activation of the coagulation system and liver injury. By use of RNase protection assays, it was determined that LPS caused a time-dependent induction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, and manganese superoxide dismutase mRNA content in the heart, whereas LTA failed to induce manganese superoxide dismutase. LPS also caused an upregulation of the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and P-selectin, whereas LTA downregulated these molecules and attenuated the accumulation of polymorphonuclear granulocytes caused by myocardial ischemia/reperfusion. This study demonstrates for the first time that pretreatment with LTA at 8 to 24 hours before myocardial ischemia significantly reduces (1) infarct size, (2) cardiac troponin T, and (3) the histological signs of tissue injury in rats subjected to LAD occlusion and reperfusion. The mechanism(s) underlying the observed cardioprotective effects of LTA warrants further investigation but is likely to be related to its ability to inhibit the interactions between the coronary vascular endothelium and polymorphonuclear granulocytes. Therefore, LTA represents a novel and promising agent capable of enhancing myocardial tolerance to ischemia/reperfusion injury.

The activation of poly (ADP-ribose) synthetase (PARS) subsequent to DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen or nitrogen species has been implicated in several pathophysiological conditions, including ischemia-reperfusion injury and shock. The aim of this study was to investigate whether PARS inhibitors could provide protection against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury in the rat in vivo. Male Wistar rats were subjected to 45 min bilateral clamping of the renal pedicles, followed by 6 h reperfusion (control animals). Animals were administered the PARS inhibitors 3-aminobenzamide, 1, 5-dihydroxyisoquinoline, or nicotinamide during the reperfusion period. Ischemia, followed by reperfusion, produced significant increases in plasma concentrations of urea, creatinine, and fractional excretion of Na(+) (FE(Na)) and produced a significant reduction in glomerular filtration rate (GFR). However, administration of the PARS inhibitors significantly reduced urea and creatinine concentrations, suggesting improved renal function. The PARS inhibitors also significantly increased GFR and reduced FE(Na), suggesting the recovery of both glomerular and tubular function, respectively, with a more pronounced recovery of tubular function. In kidneys from control animals, histological examination revealed severe renal damage and immunohistochemical localization demonstrated PARS activation in the proximal tubule. Both renal damage and PARS activation were attenuated by administration of PARS inhibitors during reperfusion. Therefore, we propose that PARS activation contributes to renal reperfusion injury and that PARS inhibitors may be beneficial in renal disorders associated with oxidative stress-mediated injury.

Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in several forms of glomerulonephritis. In this study, a low stringency reversed transcription/PCR protocol was used to evaluate the action of NO on the mRNA expression pattern in rat mesangial cells (MC). To mimic the state of glomerular inflammation, MC were stimulated by exposure to the cytokines interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha into producing high levels of NO via expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS). To detect NO-mediated effects, the resulting expression pattern was compared to that of MC stimulated by the cytokines in the presence of the NOS inhibitor N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). Computer analysis of a differentially expressed cDNA fragment resulted in a 100% homology to the recently characterized mRNA of SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine). Further characterization of SPARC regulation revealed a cytokine- and cAMP-dependent decrease in SPARC mRNA and protein levels. Blocking NO formation by L-NMMA reversed the effects of cytokines and cAMP on SPARC expression, suggesting an NO-mediated mechanism. The NO donors S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine and diethylenetriamine/NO further reduced SPARC expression in cytokine-treated MC as well as in controls. Moreover, downregulation of SPARC mRNA and protein expression in whole kidneys obtained from rats treated with endotoxin was observed. This downregulation of SPARC was reversed by treatment with L-N6-l (iminoethyl) lysine dihydrochloride, a potent and highly selective inhibitor of inducible NOS. These data characterize SPARC as an NO-regulated gene. This observation may be important in the context of tissue remodeling in chronic inflammatory kidney diseases.

The enveloped alphavirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) infects cells via a low-pH-triggered membrane fusion reaction that requires cholesterol and sphingolipid in the target membrane. Cholesterol-depleted insect cells are highly resistant to alphavirus infection and were used to select srf-3, an SFV mutant that is approximately 100-fold less cholesterol dependent for infection due to a single amino acid change in the E1 spike subunit, proline 226 to serine. Sensitive lipid-mixing assays here demonstrated that the in vitro fusion of srf-3 and wild-type (wt) virus with cholesterol-containing liposomes had comparable kinetics, activation energies, and sphingolipid dependence. In contrast, srf-3 fusion with sterol-free liposomes was significantly more efficient than that of wt virus. Thus, the srf-3 mutation does not affect its general fusion properties with purified lipid bilayers but causes a marked and specific reduction in cholesterol dependence. Upon exposure to low pH, the E1 spike subunit undergoes distinct conformational changes, resulting in the exposure of an acid conformation-specific epitope and formation of an E1 homotrimer. These conformational changes were strongly cholesterol and sphingolipid dependent for wt SFV and strikingly less cholesterol dependent for srf-3. Our results thus demonstrate the functional importance of fusogenic E1 conformational changes in the control of SFV cholesterol dependence.

Semliki Forest virus (SFV) is an enveloped alphavirus that infects cells via a membrane fusion reaction triggered by acidic pH in the endocytic pathway. Fusion is mediated by the spike protein E1 subunit, an integral membrane protein that contains the viral fusion peptide and forms a stable homotrimer during fusion. We have characterized four monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for the acid conformation of E1. These MAbs did not inhibit fusion, suggesting that they bind to an E1 region different from the fusion peptide. Competition analyses demonstrated that all four MAbs bound to spatially related sites on acid-treated virions or isolated spike proteins. To map the binding site, we selected for virus mutants resistant to one of the MAbs, E1a-1. One virus isolate, SFV 4-2, showed reduced binding of three acid-specific MAbs including E1a-1, while its binding of one acid-specific MAb as well as non-acid-specific MAbs to E1 and E2 was unchanged. The SFV 4-2 mutant was fully infectious, formed the E1 homotrimer, and had the wild-type pH dependence of infection. Sequence analysis demonstrated that the relevant mutation in SFV 4-2 was a change of E1 glycine 157 to arginine (G157R). Decreased binding of MAb E1a-1 was observed under a wide range of assay conditions, strongly suggesting that the E1 G157R mutation directly affects the MAb binding site. These data thus localize an E1 region that is normally hidden in the neutral pH structure and becomes exposed as part of the reorganization of the spike protein to its fusion-active conformation.

A loxP-transposon retrofitting strategy for generating large nested deletions from one end of the insert DNA in bacterial artificial chromosomes and P1 artificial chromosomes was described recently [Chatterjee, P. K. & Coren, J. S. (1997) Nucleic Acids Res. 25, 2205-2212]. In this report, we combine this procedure with direct sequencing of nested-deletion templates by using primers located in the transposon end to illustrate its value for position-specific single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery from chosen regions of large insert clones. A simple ampicillin sensitivity screen was developed to facilitate identification and recovery of deletion clones free of transduced transposon plasmid. This directed approach requires minimal DNA sequencing, and no in vitro subclone library generation; positionally oriented SNPs are a consequence of the method. The procedure is used to discover new SNPs as well as physically map those identified from random subcloned libraries or sequence databases. The deletion templates, positioned SNPs, and markers are also used to orient large insert clones into a contig. The deletion clone can serve as a ready resource for future functional genomic studies because each carries a mammalian cell-specific antibiotic resistance gene from the transposon. Furthermore, the technique should be especially applicable to the analysis of genomes for which a full genome sequence or radiation hybrid cell lines are unavailable.

Background: The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury. ROS produce DNA strand breaks that lead to the activation of the DNA-repair enzyme poly (ADP-ribose) synthetase (PARS). Excessive PARS activation results in the depletion of its substrate, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and subsequently of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), leading to cellular dysfunction and eventual cell death. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of various PARS inhibitors on the cellular injury and death of rat renal proximal tubular (PT) cells exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)., Methods: Rat PT cell cultures were incubated with H2O2 (1 mM) either in the presence or absence of the PARS inhibitors 3-aminobenzamide (3-AB, 3 mM), 1,5-dihydroxyisoquinoline (0.3 mM) or nicotinamide (Nic, 3 mM), or increasing concentrations of desferrioxamine (0.03 to 3 mM) or catalase (0.03 to 3 U/ml). Cellular injury and death were determined using the MTT and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays, respectively. H2O2-mediated PARS activation in rat PT cells and the effects of PARS inhibitors on PARS activity were determined by measurement of the incorporation of [3H]NAD into nuclear proteins., Results: Incubation of rat PT cells with H2O2 significantly inhibited mitochondrial respiration and increased LDH release, respectively. Both desferrioxamine and catalase reduced H2O2-mediated cellular injury and death. All three PARS inhibitors significantly attenuated the H2O2-mediated decrease in mitochondrial respiration and the increase in LDH release. Incubation with H2O2 produced a significant increase in PARS activity that was significantly reduced by all PARS inhibitors. 3-Aminobenzoic acid (3 mM) and nicotinic acid (3 mM), structural analogs of 3-AB and Nic, respectively, which did not inhibit PARS activity, did not reduce the H2O2-mediated injury and necrosis in cultures of rat PT cells., Conclusion: We propose that PARS activation contributes to ROS-mediated injury of rat PT cells and, therefore, to the cellular injury and cell death associated with conditions of oxidant stress in the kidney.

Although the importance of the human kidney in a variety of disease states is well recognised, the exact mechanisms involved remain unclear. Animal disease models suggest that while high local concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) may play a key role in the initiation and progression of renal disease, low levels may also be essential for normal renal function and cell protection, possibly explaining the variable reports of both beneficial and detrimental responses of renal disease models following NO inhibition. NO has both physiological and pathological roles and clearly a balance between these two primary roles is likely to prevail leading to the conclusion that partial rather than total inhibition of NO production may be beneficial. Despite increasing evidence for the role of NO from animal disease models, little is known of the role of NO and potential modulators within the human kidney. In this review we describe three series of studies during which we examined the ability of primary cultures of human proximal tubular cells to produce NO in response to inflammatory cytokines and the possible role of potential modulators such as the natriuretic peptides. Following challenge with the combination of inflammatory cytokines IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma, such cultures exhibit a time-dependent increase in inducible NO synthetase induction and corresponding NO production, an effect which was inhibited by L-NMMA. In the second series of studies we demonstrated that increasing concentrations of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) or C((4-23))ANF could stimulate a time- and concentration-dependent increase in nitric oxide production which was again abolished by L-NMMA. These results suggested that ANF acting at the natriuretic peptide receptor C could stimulate nitric oxide production in human proximal tubular cells. In the final series of studies we demonstrated that pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced nitric oxide production could be inhibited by ANF, brain natriuretic peptide, C-type natriuretic peptide or C((4-23))ANF. The actions of the natriuretic peptides and C((4-23))ANF was to return pro-inflammatory nitric oxide production to those observed when human proximal tubular cells were incubated with ANF alone indicating that this inhibition was mediated via the natriuretic peptide receptor C. The function of NO in the kidney is unclear but undoubtedly it has both beneficial and detrimental actions which in health remain in balance. However, when the kidney is subjected to an immune challenge, high cytotoxic levels of NO are produced locally and appear to be responsible for local damage, unfortunately total inhibition of NO production during such disease states does not always result in benefit. Clearly total abolition of an NO response removes important integral protective actions such as vasodilation. In the ideal situation, treatment of disease processes related to NO excess would involve the inhibition of these high local levels while still protecting vital dependent mechanisms. We believe that the NO natriuretic peptide interaction, which we have reported in this review, places ANF in a unique position of being able to maintain the essential or protective actions of NO while inhibiting potentially cytotoxic or detrimental effects., (Copyright 1999 S. Karger AG, Basel)

Pretreatment of rats with small doses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), eg, for 24 hours, attenuates the cardiac dysfunction caused by subsequent period of myocardial ischemia. This phenomenon of enhanced tolerance to an ischemic insult has been termed "second window of protection." Although the cardioprotective effects of LPS were first reported in 1989, it is still unclear whether the observed attenuation by LPS of the ischemia-induced cardiac dysfunction is indeed secondary to the protection of cardiac myocytes against ischemic cell injury and death. This study was designed to investigate the effects of "preconditioning" with LPS on cell injury caused by regional myocardial ischemia and reperfusion in the anesthetized rat. Thirty-five Wistar rats were subjected to 25 minutes occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery followed by 2 hours of reperfusion. Hemodynamic parameters were continuously recorded, and at the end of the experiments, infarct size (using p-nitro-blue tetrazolium staining), cardiac troponin T release, and histological markers of cell injury and death were determined. In rats pretreated with a bolus of saline (vehicle for LPS) 2 or 24 hours before left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion, the infarct size was 59+/-4% (2 hours saline-control, n=6) and 61+/-3% (24 hours saline-control, n=6), respectively. Pretreatment of animals with a bolus of LPS (1 mg/kg IP) 24 hours before the onset of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion reduced both infarct size (to 18+/-7%; P<0.05, n=6) as well as histological signs of cell injury. Pretreatment (24 hours, as above) of rats with LPS also reduced the release of cardiac troponin T from 58+/-13 ng/mL (saline-control) to 16+/-9 ng/mL. In contrast, pretreatment of rats with LPS (2 hours, as above) did not affect infarct size (56+/-8%, n=6), cardiac troponin T release, or the histological parameters of cell injury. These data provide the first conclusive evidence that pretreatment of rats with a bolus of LPS 24 hours before intervention reduces the cell injury and death caused by a subsequent period of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion.

Culture and natriuretic peptide dependent changes in the expression of the natriuretic peptides atrial natriuretic factor (ANF), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and the natriuretic peptide receptors A, B, and C in primary cultures of rat proximal tubular cells were demonstrated using polymerase chain reaction analysis and cyclic guanosine monophosphate response to ANF and CNP. Freshly isolated cells expressed mRNA coding for the natriuretic peptide receptor C only, with no expression of the natriuretic peptides or the natriuretic peptide receptors A or B. At confluence natriuretic peptide receptor C expression was lost, while mRNA transcripts for both ANF and BNP and the A and B receptors became apparent. The appearance of mRNA transcripts for the natriuretic peptide receptors A and B during cell growth correspond with a significant increase in the cyclic guanosine monophosphate response to both ANF and CNP, confirming the presence of functionally active guanylate cyclase linked A and B natriuretic peptide receptors. The observed changes in peptide receptor expression during culture were preceded by changes in natriuretic peptide mRNA expression, suggesting the possibility that natriuretic peptide receptor subtype switching may be under the control of endogenous peptide release. Incubation of freshly isolated proximal tubular cells with ANF, BNP, or CNP for 3 h induced similar changes in receptor expression. Incubation with ANF induced expression of the natriuretic peptide receptor B and CNP while inhibiting natriuretic peptide receptor C. Incubation with BNP induced expression of the natriuretic peptide receptor B and CNP. Incubation with CNP induced expression of the natriuretic peptide receptors A and B and CNP. These results suggest that primary cultures of rat proximal tubular cells may experience natriuretic peptide and natriuretic peptide receptor subtype switching as they approach confluence under the control of endogenously expressed natriuretic peptides.

The hypertrophy of renal proximal tubular cells occurs as an adaptive response to a variety of stimuli and may be involved with the progression of renal disease. Angiotensin II acting alone or in combination with other growth factors has been implicated in this process. The aims of this study were to identify the role of both angiotensin II and the angiotensin receptor subtypes in DNA synthesis and protein synthesis in human renal proximal tubular cells. Primary cultures of human renal proximal tubular cells were incubated with angiotensin II (10(-10) M, 10(-8) M, 10(-6) M) for 24 to 120 hours either alone or in combination with losartan, PD123319 or 8-bromo-cAMP. Incubation of human proximal tubular cells with angiotensin II (10(-10) M, 10(-8) M) induced a significant early increase in [3H]thymidine uptake by 19% and 56% (P < 0.01), respectively, and a later increase in total protein content by 30% (P < 0.01). The effect of angiotensin II upon DNA and protein synthesis was inhibited by 8-bromo-cAMP and losartan but not by PD 123319, indicating that the responses are mediated via the AT1 receptor and dependent upon the inhibition of adenylate cyclase.

A general approach for isolating large nested deletions in P1 artificial chromosomes (PACs) and bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) by retrofitting with a loxP site-containing Tn10 mini-transposon is described. Cre-mediated recombination between the loxP site existing in these clones and one introduced by transposition leads to deletions and inversions of the DNA between these sites. Large deletions are selectively recovered by transducing the retrofitted PAC or BAC clones with P1 phage. The requirement that both loxP sites in the cointegrate be packaged into a P1 head ensures that only large deletions are rescued. PCR analyses identified these deletions as products of legitimate recombination between loxP sites mediated by Cre protein. BACs produce deletions much more efficiently than PACs although the former cannot be induced to greater than unit copy in cells. Mammalian cell-responsive antibiotic resistance markers are introduced as part of the transposon into genomic clone deletions for subsequent functional analysis. Most importantly, the loxP site retrofitting and P1 transduction can be performed in the same bacterial host containing these clones directly isolated from PAC or BAC libraries. These procedures should facilitate physical and functional mapping of genes and regulatory elements in these large plasmids.

The proliferation and hypertrophy of renal tubular cells are primary features in the progression of both acute and chronic renal disease often indicating a poor prognosis. Angiotensin II (ANG II), acting alone or in combination with other growth factors, has been implicated in this process. The aims of this study were to identify the importance of both ANG II and serum-derived factors upon cellular DNA synthesis and protein synthesis in renal proximal tubular cells and to identify the roles of the ANG II receptor subtypes in these processes together with the underlying intracellular signalling mechanisms involved. Primary cultures of renal proximal tubular cells were prepared from freshly isolated rat kidney cortex. Cells were cultured in either serum-replete Dulbecco's modified Eagle's/Ham's F12 or serum-deplete defined medium containing insulin, hydrocortisone, sodium selenite, transferrin, and tri-iodothyronine. Cells were incubated with ANG II (10(-10), 10(-8), 10(-6) M) for 24-120 h either alone or in combination with losartan, PD123319, or pertussis toxin. Incubation of proximal tubular cells in the presence of serum and ANG II (10(-8) M) induced a significant early (24 h) increase in DNA synthesis, together with a significant late (96 h) increase in protein content. [3H]thymidine uptake increased by 56% (p < 0.001) and total protein content by 23% (p < 0.05). In defined media, ANG II (10(-8) M) stimulated protein synthesis only. [3H]uridine uptake, [3H]leucine uptake, and total protein content increased by 25, 57, and 17% (p < 0.05), respectively. In both serum-replete and serum-deplete media, the effects upon protein synthesis of ANG II were inhibited by pertussis toxin and losartan, but not by PD123319. ANG II is clearly a potent stimulator of renal tubular cell DNA and protein synthesis-a response mediated via the AT1 receptor coupled to a pertussis toxin sensitive Gi protein.

The bacteriophage P.1. cloning system is proving to be quite useful for the cloning and analysis of genomic DNA inserts of up to 95 kb in size. In an effort to use that DNA directly in biological experiments we have embarked on a scheme to retrofit the P.1. DNA using a mini-Tn10 transposon system. This transposon system is used in two ways: (i) to introduce a variety of sequence signals that are recognizable in mammalian cells, such as mammalian cell-responsive resistance markers and reporter genes, and (ii) to generate a nested set of deletions in a P.1. clone by using a ioxP site located within the transposon. In this report we show that such transpositions into P.1. DNA are efficient, distributed throughout the entire length of the genomic fragment and do not disrupt the DNA in any location other than the site of insertion of the transposon. The Tn10-based P.1. transduction system described here provides a general scheme for retrofitting any large genomic DNA cloned in a P.1. vector, thus facilitating the use of clones from the current P.1. recombinant libraries in cellular transformation studies.

1. It has been recently reported that angiotensin II can enhance atrial natriuretic factor-stimulated cyclic GMP release from brain capillary endothelial cells and stimulate directly the release of cyclic GMP by Neuro 2a cells. A possible mechanism mediating such cyclic GMP release could be via the production of nitric oxide and the resultant stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase. 2. The ability of angiotensin II, atrial natriuretic factor and c(4-23) atrial natriuretic factor to stimulate nitric oxide production was investigated in primary cultures of human proximal tubular cells. 3. Freshly prepared human proximal tubular cells were seeded onto 6-well plates and allowed to reach confluence. Cells were then incubated with incremental concentrations of either angiotensin II, atrial natriuretic factor or c(4-23) atrial natriuretic factor alone for 1, 4, 12 or 24h or in the presence of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-monomethyl-L-arginine. Angiotensin II was also incubated with human proximal tubular cells in the presence of the AT1 and AT2 receptor antagonists DuP 753 and PD 123319. 4. Incubation of human proximal tubular cells with angiotensin II, atrial natriuretic factor or c(4-23) atrial natriuretic factor produced a dose- and time-dependent increase in nitric oxide production, which was inhibited in the presence of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine. A similar increase in nitric oxide production was observed after incubation with atrial natriuretic factor or c(4-23) atrial natriuretic factor. 5. The angiotensin-induced increase in nitric oxide production was not inhibited in the presence of either the angiotensin AT1 or AT2 receptor antagonists DuP 753 or PD 123319. 6. This study demonstrates that primary cultures of human proximal tubular cells can be stimulated to produce nitric oxide by both atrial natriuretic factor and angiotensin II. Furthermore, the atrial natriuretic factor-induced response appears to be mediated via the atrial natriuretic factor-C receptor, while the angiotensin II-induced response appears to be mediated by a novel, as yet unidentified, angiotensin II receptor.

We describe here a simple and easily manipulatable Escherichia coli-based genetic system that permits us to identify bacterial gene products that modulate the sensitivity of bacteria to tumoricidal agents, such as DMP 840, a bisnaphthalimide drug. To the extent that the action of these agents is conserved, these studies may expand our understanding agents is conserved, these studies may expand our understanding of how the agents work in mammalian cells. The approach briefly is to use a library of E. coli genes that are overexpressed in a high copy number vector to select bacterial clones that are resistant to the cytotoxic effects of drugs. AtolC bacterial mutant is used to maximize permeability of cells to hydrophobic organic molecules. By using DMP 840 to model the system, we have identified two genes, designated mdaA and mdaB, that impart resistance to DMP 840 when they are expressed at elevated levels. mdaB maps to E. coli map coordinate 66, is located between the parE and parC genes, and encodes a protein of 22 kDa. mdaA maps to E. coli map coordinate 18, is located adjacent to the glutaredoxin (grx) gene, and encodes a protein of 24 kDa. Specific and regulatable overproduction of both of these proteins correlates with DMP 840 resistance. Overproduction of the MdaB protein also imparts resistance to two mammalian topoisomerase inhibitors, Adriamycin and etoposide. In contrast, overproduction of the MdaA protein produces resistance only to Adriamycin. Based on its drug-resistance properties and its location between genes that encode the two subunits of the bacterial topoisomerase IV, we suggest that mdaB acts by modulating topoisomerase IV activity. The location of the mdaA gene adjacent to grx suggests it acts by a drug detoxification mechanism.

Employing a simple one-step sucrose gradient fractionation method, gastric mucosal membrane of Syrian hamster was prepared and demonstrated to be specifically enriched in H+,K+-ATPase activity. The preparation is practically devoid of other ATP hydrolyzing activity and contains high K+-stimulated ATPase activity of at least 4-5 fold compared to basal ATPase activity. The H+,K+-ATPase showed hydroxylamine-sensitive phosphorylation and K+-dependent dephosphorylation of the phosphoenzyme, characteristic inhibition by vanadate, omeprazole and SCH 28080, and nigericin-reversible K+-dependent H+-transport--properties characteristic of gastric proton pump. One notable difference with H+,K+-ATPase of other species has been the observation of valinomycin-independent H+ transport in such membrane vesicles. It is proposed that such H+,K+-ATPase-rich hamster gastric mucosal membrane preparation might provide a unique model to study physiological aspects of H+,K+-ATPase function in relation to HCl secretion.

Objectives: To investigate the possible immunomodulatory and regulatory functions of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and the natriuretic peptide C (NPR-C) receptor in the control of cytokine-stimulated nitric oxide production in primary cultures of human proximal tubular cells., Methods: Freshly prepared human proximal tubular cells were seeded on plastic plates and allowed to reach confluence. The confluent cells were then incubated with ANF or cyclic(4-23)ANF (c(4-23)ANF) alone, or preincubated with ANF or c(4-23)ANF before incubation with the nitric oxide-stimulating combination of cytokines interleukin-1 beta (10 u/ml), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (10 ng/ml) and interferon-gamma (100 u/ml)., Results: In the present series of experiments we have found that incubation of primary cultures of human proximal tubular cells with ANF or c(4-23)ANF stimulates nitric oxide production dose-dependently. Paradoxically, ANF acting via the NPR-C receptor also inhibits cytokine activation of the enzyme-inducible nitric oxide synthase via a cyclic GMP-independent mechanism. Both of these effects were reproduced by the NPR-C receptor-specific ligand c(4-23)ANF., Conclusions: These findings represent novel actions of ANF mediated via the NPR-C receptor. The results also provide a simple model system in which to study the subcellular mechanisms of NPR-C receptor activation.

In order to understand its mechanism of action we have begun an effort to better define the cellular target of action of the experimental antitumor agent DMP 840 (NSC D640430; (R,R)-2,2'-(1,2-ethanediylbis(imino-(1-methyl-2,1-ethanediyl)))-bi s(5- nitro-1H-benz(de)isoquinoline-1,3-(2H)-dione) dimethanesulfonate). Using a combination of gentle cell fractionation procedures and a previously unidentified photochemical crosslinking reaction, we have shown that after the drug is added to cultured Clone A cells, more than 80% of the drug that is found associated with cells partitions to the chromatin-containing structural framework of the cell and that the primary target after crosslinking with 360 nm light is DNA. While DMP 840 photoreacts quite efficiently with purified RNA in vitro, no photoattachment of the drug to RNA was observed in cells. In vitro photochemical studies also reveal that while GC-rich DNA is a preferred target for drug interaction, AT-rich DNA is more active in the photochemical crosslinking reaction. These results suggest that DMP 840 probably kills cells by interfering with DNA-metabolic processes, and that the drug and its derivatives are likely to be useful photoactive molecular probes for investigating higher order chromatin structures in cells.

The human TATA-binding protein was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion with an N-terminal hexahistidine sequence, partially purified, and used to raise monoclonal antibodies. More than 50 hybridoma clones producing antibodies that reacted in immunoblot assays with HeLa cell TATA-binding protein and its bacterially synthesized derivative were identified. All antibodies examined recognized epitopes within the N-terminal 159 amino acids of the human TATA-binding protein. Further characterization of one monoclonal antibody, MTBP-6, established that it immunoprecipitates both native HeLa cell TATA-binding protein and TATA-binding protein extracted from cells in the presence of 0.5% SDS. Antibody MTBP-6 immunoprecipitates of native, human cell TATA-binding protein contained the TATA-binding protein and additional polypeptides. Immunoprecipitation of both the TATA-binding protein and several additional polypeptides was specifically blocked by bacterially synthesized, hexahistidine-tagged TATA-binding protein, suggesting that MTBP-6 can efficiently recognize the TATA-binding protein in TFIID and other complexes. Consistent with this conclusion, immunoaffinity chromatography on antibody MTBP-6 permitted purification, in active form, of a TATA-binding protein-containing factor required for transcription by RNA polymerase III. These properties suggest that MTBP-6 will be a useful reagent for the purification and characterization of the multiple TBP-containing complexes present in human cells.

The early E2 (E2E) promoter of adenovirus type 2 possesses a TATA-like element and binding sites for the factors E2F and ATF. This promoter is transcribed by RNA polymerase II in high salt nuclear extracts, but by RNA polymerase III in standard nuclear extracts, as judged by sensitivity to low and high, respectively, concentrations of alpha-amanitin. Transcription by the two RNA polymerases initiated at the same site and depended, in both cases, on the TATA-like sequence and upstream elements. However, RNA polymerase III transcripts, unlike those synthesized by RNA polymerase II, terminated at two runs of Ts downstream of the initiation site. Although they are not essential, sequences downstream of the initiation site increased the efficiency of E2E transcription by RNA polymerase III. Such RNA polymerase III dependent transcription required a subpopulation of the general transcription factor, TFIID: TFIID that binds weakly to phosphocellulose (0.3 M eluate) complemented a TFIID-depleted extract to restore RNAp III transcription, whereas TFIID tightly associated with phosphocellulose (1 M eluate) was unable to do so.

Duane's retraction syndrome is a well known congenital musculo-facial anomaly. Various explanations have been given for the aetiology of this syndrome. Inverse Duane's retraction syndrome is a condition with reverse clinical features. Abduction of the affected eye is possible to some extent and is accompanied by retraction of the eyeball, narrowing of the palpebral fissure and pseudoptosis. There may be some restriction of movement on adduction. The primary lesion is suspected to be in the medial rectus muscle. Frequently the muscle is found to be entrapped following trauma to the medial wall of the orbit. A case of bilateral inverse Duane's retraction syndrome and convergent squint along with left-sided perceptive deafness is reported. As is usually the case there was no structural abnormality or entrapment of the muscle from trauma.

Aspergillus terreus was isolated from a case of Keratomycosis. The patient, a 50 year old, female presented with a large corneal ulcer with hypopyon. The direct microscopic examination of the scrapings revealed hyaline, thin, septate and branched hyphae. In vitro some antimycotics (amphotericin B, 5-fluorocytosine, oxiconazole, amorolfine and ketoconazole) were tested against A. terreus by agar dilution method. Ketoconazole with MIC of 3 micrograms/ml after 7 days of incubation was most effective followed by oxiconazole (10 micrograms/ml). Experimental corneal ulcer was produced by injecting intralamellary 0.1 ml of the spore suspension containing 10 x 10(6) cfu/ml into the eyes of previously immunocompressed albino rabbits. Histopathologic examination showed infiltration and large destruction of the corneal stroma. Subconjunctival oxiconazole therapy exhibited complete cure. Based on our findings, a clinical evaluation of oxiconazole in human keratomycosis seems to be justified.

A case of multiple recurrent Rhinosporidiosis with lytic lesions in the bones of hand and foot are reported. To the best knowledge of the authors this is the first reported case of Rhinosporidiosis with lytic lesions in bones other than of the nose.

A 19-kDa protein, present in low copy number in purified adenovirus type 2, has been characterized. Several criteria were used to establish that this protein is neither a degradation product of the known structural proteins of the virion nor a minor, unusually modified, form of protein VII. This 19-kDa protein, unlike other virion proteins, possesses alkali-resistant phosphoamino acids. Analysis by partial proteolysis indicated that it is related to a 23-kDa phosphoprotein present in H2ts-1 virions assembled in infected cells maintained at 39 degrees C. Affinity labeling with [3H]diisopropyl fluorophosphate showed that the 19-kDa protein contains the active site for a serine protease. We, therefore, conclude that the 19-kDa protein is the active form of the adenovirus-encoded endopeptidase, defined by the H2ts-1 mutation, and is synthesized as a 23-kDa precursor that appears to mature by autocatalysis.

The interactions of the major core protein of adenovirus type 2 (Ad2) protein VII, and its precursor, protein pre-VII, with viral DNA, were studied using UV light induced crosslinking of 32P-labelled oligonucleotides to the proteins. Proteolytic fragments of these two proteins that contain DNA-binding domains were identified by virtue of their covalently attached, alkali-resistant 32P-radioactivity. The overall efficiency of crosslinking of protein pre-VII to DNA, in H2ts1 virions assembled at 39 degrees C, was comparable to that of the crosslinking of protein VII to DNA in Ad2 virions. However, a protease V8 fragment comprising the N-terminal half of protein pre-VII crosslinked to DNA at least ten times more efficiently than the corresponding N-terminal fragment of protein VII, which is truncated by the removal of 23 amino acids from the N-terminus of protein pre-VII during virion maturation.

A new approach to the identification of DNA binding proteins has been developed and used to study the DNA-protein interactions within the nucleoprotein core of subgroup C adenoviruses. Virions labelled in vivo with [32P]orthophosphate were exposed to ultraviolet light and the DNA digested by chemical or enzymatic methods. Labelled phosphoamino acids of the virion phosphoproteins were selectively hydrolysed by alkali, permitting proteins crosslinked to DNA to be identified by virtue of their covalently attached, 32P-labelled nucleotides. In parallel experiments, [3H]arginine-labelled virions were crosslinked by exposure to ultraviolet light and analysed by more conventional methods. The results indicate that proteins VII and V lie in close contact with viral DNA within the core. The compact arrangement of the nucleoprotein core appears to be capable of trapping protein VII molecules that are not covalently attached to DNA after exposure to ultraviolet light, suggesting that viral DNA might be wrapped around clusters of protein VII molecules. The domains of protein VII that lie in contact with DNA were identified by partial proteolytic mapping of the sites of covalent-attachment of the 32P-labelled oligonucleotides. The implications of these data for the nature of the interactions that mediate the packaging of viral DNA within the nucleoprotein core of adenovirions are discussed.

The proteins associated with parental, adenoviral DNA in productively-infected HeLa cells have been examined both directly and indirectly. HeLa cells infected with 32P-labelled Ad2 were irradiated with u.v. light at various points in the infectious cycle. Following degradation of the DNA, nuclear proteins carrying cross-linked nucleotides, or oligonucleotides, were distinguished from virion phosphoproteins by the resistance of their 32P radioactivity to 1 M NaOH. The major core protein of the virion, protein VII, was found to be associated with viral DNA throughout infection, even when cells were infected at a multiplicity of 0.14. Micrococcal nuclease digestion of intranuclear viral DNA 4 h after infection liberated two nucleoprotein particles containing viral DNA, neither of which co-migrated with HeLa cell mononucleosomes. These results indicate that core protein VII remains associated with parental adenoviral DNA during productive infections. The observation that protein VII can be cross-linked to DNA in cells infected at very low multiplicity, together with the results of a comparison of proteins cross-linkable to viral DNA in cells infected by wild-type virus and a non-infectious mutant containing the precursor to protein VII, suggest that nucleoproteins comprising viral DNA and protein VII must be the templates for expression of pre-early and early viral genes.

Aspergillus fumigatus was isolated from a case of keratomycosis. The patient, a 12-year-old boy presented with large corneal ulcer with hypopyon. The direct microscopic examination of scrapings revealed hyaline, septate mycelium. In vitro some antimycotics (amphotericin B,5-fluorocytosine, oxiconazole, amorolfine and ketoconazole) were tested against A. fumigatus by agar dilution method. Ketoconazole with minimum inhibitory concentration of 30 micrograms/ml after 11 days of incubation was most effective against A. fumigatus. Experimental corneal ulcer was produced by injecting intralamellary spore suspension (2.5 x 10(6) c.f.u.) into the right eyes of previously immunosuppressed albino and black wild types of rabbits. The extent of ocular infection was graded up to 32 days. Histopathologic examination showed infiltration and large destruction of corneal stroma. Oral ketoconazole therapy exhibited partial response followed by relapse. The black type of rabbit appeared more suitable as an animal model for mycotic keratitis.

An adenovirus 2 289 amino acid (289R) E1A protein purified from Escherichia coli has been shown to interact with DNA by two independent methods. UV-crosslinking of complexes containing unmodified, uniformly 32P-labelled DNA and purified E1A protein induced efficient labelling of the protein with covalently attached oligonucleotides, indicating that the E1A protein itself contacts DNA. Discrete nucleoprotein species were also observed when E1A protein--DNA complexes were analysed by gel electrophoresis. Although the 289R E1A protein exhibited no significant binding to single-stranded DNA or to RNA, no evidence for its sequence-specific binding to double-stranded DNA was obtained with either assay. Identification of the sites of covalent attachment of 32P-labelled oligonucleotides by partial proteolysis of the crosslinked E1A protein indicated that the interaction of this protein with DNA is mediated via domain(s) in the C-terminal half of the protein. Such previously unrecognized DNA-binding activity is likely to contribute to the regulatory activities of this important adenoviral protein.

Interactions among the three adenovirus core polypeptides V, VII, and mu were examined, using the reversible chemical cross-linker dithiobis(succinimidyl propionate) and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Cross-linked species obtained from gradient-purified adenovirus type 2 cores were well represented among the cross-linked products of pentonless virions and crude core preparations. The more efficiently formed cross-linked core species were also identified with the arginine-specific cross-linker, p-azidophenyl glyoxal. In addition to dimers of polypeptides V and VII, efficient cross-linking of V to VII, V to mu, and VII to V to mu was detected in adenovirus cores. Notably absent were cross-linked species corresponding to higher multimers of polypeptide VII. A major core-capsid interaction appeared to be via the association of polypeptide V with a dimer of polypeptide VI.

The partition of E1A proteins between soluble and structural framework fractions of human cells infected or transformed by subgroup C adenoviruses was investigated by using gentle cell fractionation conditions. A polyclonal antibody raised against a trpE-E1A fusion protein (K.R. Spindler, D.S.E. Rosser, and A. J. Berk, J. Virol. 132-141, 1984) synthesized in Escherichia coli was used to measure the steady-state levels of E1A proteins recovered in the various fractions by immunoblotting. The relative concentration of E1A proteins recovered in the soluble fraction of adenovirus type 2-infected cells was at least fivefold greater than the relative concentration in the corresponding fraction of transformed 293 cells. The observed distribution of E1A proteins was not altered by the sulfhydryl-blocking reagent N-ethylmaleimide. E1A proteins were recovered in nuclear matrix, chromatin, and cytoskeleton fractions after further fractionation of the structural framework fraction. However, the E1A protein species that could be identified by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis were not uniformly distributed among the subcellular fractions examined. The results obtained when fractionation was performed in the presence of the oxidation catalysts Cu2+ or (ortho-phenanthroline)2 Cu2+ indicate that E1A proteins can be efficiently cross-linked, via disulfide bonds, to the structural framework of both adenovirus-infected and adenovirus-transformed cells.

The pathway of vesicular stomatitis virus N protein from synthesis to assembly into capsids was studied by use of detergent extraction of infected HeLa cells together with protein cross-linking. One half of the newly synthesized N protein was extracted with the soluble cell proteins and, when cross-linked, never formed the N-N dimer characteristic of mature nucleocapsids. In contrast, the cytoskeleton-bound N protein first showed a diffuse spectrum of protein-protein cross-links but, after a lag of 40 min, assumed the cross-link pattern of N protein in nucleocapsids. The efficiency of forming N-N cross-linked dimers is the same for N protein on the skeleton as in nucleocapsids derived from mature virus, suggesting very similar configurations. However, the N protein bound on the skeletal framework formed several additional cross-links that were not found in mature virus and were apparently formed to cellular proteins estimated to be ca. approximately 46,000 and 60,000 in molecular weight.

A technique for site-selective introduction of psoralens into DNA has been developed. Irradiation of Escherichia coli 16 S rRNA with aminomethyltrimethyl psoralen (AMT) at 390 nm leads to the incorporation of AMT monoadducts in double-stranded regions of the RNA, but no cross-links. The AMT-containing RNA hybridizes efficiently to a supercoiled plasmid, pCS3, a derivative of pBR313 containing an insert of part of the E. coli rrnC cistron including the 3' 60% of the 16 S rDNA. When the resulting hybrids are re-irradiated at 360 nm, psoralen cross-links form between the rRNA and the rDNA, resulting in covalent R-loops. These were partially purified and used to transform E. coli after various nuclease treatments, employing an ampicillin selection to make cell survival dependent on successful repair of the psoralen-containing region. S1 nuclease-treated AMT-containing covalent R-looped plasmids show efficient transformation, and 9 mutants with large deletions were isolated by random screening of 100 colonies. These fell into 3 specific classes, each of which appears to start some place within the AMT-cross-linked rDNA. The structure of one mutant has been analyzed by DNA sequencing which shows a deletion which extends approximately 6800 nucleotides from nucleotide 868 of 16 S rDNA to nucleotide 315 on the tetracycline gene. Some hints of symmetry exist around the point of the deletion, but the pattern is not a striking one. This technique should be useful in making covalent D-loops as well as R-loops. It offers a number of potential applications for site-specific DNA modification and studies of DNA repair.

Irradiation of 4' -aminomethyl-4,5' ,8-trimethyl psoralen in the presence of DNA at wavelengths between 380 and 400nm leads to efficient production of monoadducts with no significant amount of crosslinking. The yield of monoadduct attainable is high (about 35 adducts per 1000 base pairs) and can be made still higher by repeated irradiation with fresh psoralen derivative. Subsequent irradiation at 350nm results in crosslinking of a almost half of the monoattached psoralen. Studies of the yield of nonoadduct and crosslink as function of irradiation wavelength show that the action spectrum for crosslink formation is blue-shifted relative to that for monoadduct formation.

Two spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the simultaneous determination of diloxanide furoate and tinidazole in combined dosage formulations without prior separation. The first method is based on the measurement of the absorbance of a methanolic solution of the sample at 259 and 311 nm and application of a simplified Vierordt equation for the determination of diloxanide furoate, whereas tinidazole is determined by direct spectrophotometry. The second method is a difference spectrophotometric procedure based on measurement of the absorbance of the sample solution in water relative to that of an acidic or alkaline solution of identical concentration at the appropriate wavelength of maximum difference absorption. The results are calculated by reference to standard absorptivity values.

Two spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the simultaneous determination of chlorzoxazone and acetaminophen in their combined dosage forms. No preliminary separation step is required in either method. The first, an absorbance ratio technique using the isoabsorptive point as one of the wavelengths, together with "Q curve" analysis gives accurate and reproducible results for both drugs. The second, a difference spectrophotometric method is based on measurement of absorbance of an alkaline solution relative to that of an acidic solution of identical concentration of the sample at two different wavelengths. The method is suitable for routine analysis of such combinations of the drugs.