Gestational stress induces the unfolded protein response, resulting in heart defects.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is an enigma. It is the most common human birth defect and yet, even with the application of modern genetic and genomic technologies, only a minority of cases can be explained genetically. This is because environmental stressors also cause CHD.

The interaction of sterically stabilized magnetic nanoparticles with fresh human red blood cells.

Sterically stabilized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) were incubated with fresh human erythrocytes (red blood cells [RBCs]) to explore their potential application as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents. The chemical shift and linewidth of (133)Cs(+) resonances from inside and outside the RBCs in (133)Cs nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were monitored as a function of time. Thus, we investigated whether SPIONs of two different core sizes and with three different types of polymeric stabilizers entered metabolically active RBCs, consuming glucose at 37°C.

NMR of (133)Cs(+) in stretched hydrogels: One-dimensional, z- and NOESY spectra, and probing the ion's environment in erythrocytes.

(133)Cs nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was conducted on (133)Cs(+) in gelatin hydrogels that were either relaxed or stretched. Stretching generated a septet from this spin-7/2 nucleus, and its nuclear magnetic relaxation was studied via z-spectra, and two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser (NOESY) spectroscopy. Various spectral features were well simulated by using Mathematica and the software package SpinDynamica.

Morphology and water permeability of red blood cells from green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).

The morphology and diffusional water permeability (P d) of red blood cells (RBCs) from green sea turtle (GST) (Chelonia mydas) are presented for the first time. The RBCs had an ellipsoidal shape with full-axis lengths (diameters): D = 14.4 μm; d = 10.

(1)H NMR z-spectra of acetate methyl in stretched hydrogels: quantum-mechanical description and Markov chain Monte Carlo relaxation-parameter estimation.

The (1)H NMR signal of the methyl group of sodium acetate is shown to be a triplet in the anisotropic environment of stretched gelatin gel. The multiplet structure of the signal is due to the intra-methyl residual dipolar couplings. The relaxation properties of the spin system were probed by recording steady-state irradiation envelopes ('z-spectra').

NMR resonance splitting of urea in stretched hydrogels: proton exchange and (1)H/(2)H isotopologues.

Urea at ∼12 M in concentrated gelatin gel, that was stretched, gave (1)H and (2)H NMR spectral splitting patterns that varied in a predictable way with changes in the relative proportions of (1)H2O and (2)H2O in the medium. This required consideration of the combinatorics of the two amide groups in urea that have a total of four protonation/deuteration sites giving rise to 16 different isotopologues, if all the atoms were separately identifiable. The rate constant that characterized the exchange of the protons with water was estimated by back-transformation analysis of 2D-EXSY spectra.

Membrane flickering of the human erythrocyte: physical and chemical effectors.

Recent studies suggest a link between adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration and the amplitude of cell membrane flickering (CMF) in the human erythrocyte (red blood cell; RBC). Potentially, the origin of this phenomenon and the unique discocyte shape could be active processes that account for some of the ATP turnover in the RBC. Active flickering could depend on several factors, including pH, osmolality, enzymatic rates and metabolic fluxes.

Gene-environment interaction demonstrates the vulnerability of the embryonic heart.

Mammalian embryos develop in a low oxygen environment. The transcription factor hypoxia inducible factor 1a (HIF1α) is a key element in the cellular response to hypoxia. Complete deletion of Hif1α from the mouse conceptus causes extensive placental, vascular and heart defects, resulting in embryonic lethality.

Stoichiometric relationship between Na(+) ions transported and glucose consumed in human erythrocytes: Bayesian analysis of (23)Na and (13)C NMR time course data.

We examined the response of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase (NKA) to monensin, a Na(+) ionophore, with and without ouabain, an NKA inhibitor, in suspensions of human erythrocytes (red blood cells). A combination of (13)C and (23)Na NMR methods allowed the recording of intra- and extracellular Na(+), and (13)C-labeled glucose time courses. The net influx of Na(+) and the consumption of glucose were measured with and without NKA inhibited by ouabain.

7Li+ NMR quadrupolar splitting in stretched hydrogels: developments in relaxation time estimation from z-spectra.

(7)Li NMR z-spectra were recorded from the cation constituted in gelatin gels that were held stretched. The system has been studied previously, but we revisited the disparity that was noted between estimates of some of the relaxation times of spin-states of various ranks and orders made using a global data-fitting strategy and estimates made from data acquired by using multiple-quantum-filter pulse sequences. The global data fitting was performed with a probability approach along with the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method applied to z-spectra from (7)Li(+) dissolved in (1)H(2)O using more refined experimental methods than hitherto.

NMR q-space analysis of canonical shapes of human erythrocytes: stomatocytes, discocytes, spherocytes and echinocytes.

q-Space plots obtained experimentally using pulsed field-gradient stimulated echo (PGSTE) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy from water diffusing in red blood cells (RBCs) of different canonical (distinct variant) morphologies have "signature" features. The experimental q-space plots from suspensions of stomatocytes, echinocytes and spherocytes generated chemically had no diffraction features; in contrast a sample of blood from a patient with hereditary spherocytosis showed diffraction minima. To understand the forms of q-space plots, mathematical/geometrical models of discocytes, stomatocytes, echinocytes and spherocytes were used as restricting boundaries in simulations of water diffusion with Monte Carlo random walks.

Glutamine and α-ketoglutarate as glutamate sources for glutathione synthesis in human erythrocytes.

Glutathione (GSH) is an intracellular antioxidant synthesized from glutamate, cysteine and glycine. The human erythrocyte (red blood cell, RBC) requires a continuous supply of glutamate to prevent the limitation of GSH synthesis in the presence of sufficient cysteine, but the RBC membrane is almost impermeable to glutamate. As optimal GSH synthesis is important in diseases associated with oxidative stress, we compared the rate of synthesis using two potential glutamate substrates, α-ketoglutarate and glutamine.

Relaxation times of spin states of all ranks and orders of quadrupolar nuclei estimated from NMR z-spectra: Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis applied to 7Li+ and 23Na+ in stretched hydrogels.

The NMR z-spectra of 7Li+ and 23Na+ in stretched hydrogels contain five minima, or critical values, with a sharp "dagger" on the central dip. The mathematical representation of such z-spectra from spin-3/2 nuclei contains nine distinct (the total is 15 but there is redundancy of the ±order-numbers) relaxation rate constants that are unique for each of the spin states, up to rank 3, order 3. We present an approach to multiple-parameter-value estimation that exploits the high level of separability of the effects of each of the relaxation rate constants on the features of the z-spectrum.

z-Spectra of 23Na+ in stretched gels: quantitative multiple quantum analysis.

The (23)Na NMR spectrum of NaCl in various stretched hydrogels displays a well-resolved triplet with the theoretically predicted relative intensities of the components of 3:4:3. Families of such spectra were obtained using partially-saturating radio-frequency (RF) radiation over a range of off-set frequencies; the resulting steady-state irradiation envelopes, or 'z-spectra', have the notable feature that marked suppression of the three peaks occurs when the irradiation is applied on any of them or exactly in the middle between the central peak and either of the two satellites. We present a quantum mechanical analysis that describes this phenomenon and show that it depends on double and triple quantum transitions.

Comparative NMR studies of diffusional water permeability of red blood cells from different species: XVIII platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) and saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus).

As part of a programme of comparative measurements of Pd (diffusional water permeability) the RBCs (red blood cells) from an aquatic monotreme, platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), and an aquatic reptile, saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) were studied. The mean diameter of platypus RBCs was estimated by light microscopy and found to be approximately 6.3 microm.

Comparative NMR studies of diffusional water permeability of red blood cells from different species: XVI Dingo (Canis familiaris dingo) and dog (Canis familiaris).

As part of a programme of comparative measurements of Pd (diffusional water permeability) the RBCs (red blood cells) from dingo (Canis familiaris dingo) and greyhound dog (Canis familiaris) were studied. The morphologies of the dingo and greyhound RBCs [examined by light and SEM (scanning electron microscopy)] were found to be very similar, with regard to aspect ratio and size; the mean diameters were estimated to be the same (approximately 7.2 microm) for both dingo and greyhound RBCs.

Role of N-acetylcysteine and cystine in glutathione synthesis in human erythrocytes.

Glutathione is an intracellular antioxidant that often becomes depleted in pathologies with high oxidative loads. We investigated the provision of cysteine for glutathione synthesis to the human erythrocyte (red blood cell; RBC). Almost all plasma cysteine exists as cystine, its oxidized form.

Comparative NMR studies of diffusional water permeability of red blood cells from different species: XV. Agile wallaby (Macropus agilis), red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) and Goodfellow's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi).

The water diffusional permeability (P(d)) of red blood cells (RBC) from agile wallaby (Macropus agilis), red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) and Goodfellow's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi) was monitored using an Mn(2+)-doping (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique at 400 MHz. The P(d) (cm s(-1)) values of agile wallaby RBCs were 7.5 x 10(-3) at 25 degrees C, 9 x 10(-3) at 30 degrees C, 11 x 10(-3) at 37 degrees C, and 13 x 10(-3) at 42 degrees C.

Kinetics of uptake and deacetylation of N-acetylcysteine by human erythrocytes.

Overproduction of reactive oxygen species associated with several diseases including sickle cell anaemia reduces the concentration of glutathione, a principal cellular antioxidant. Glutathione depletion in sickle erythrocytes increases their conversion to irreversible sickle cells that promote vaso-occlusion. Therapeutically, N-acetylcysteine partially restores glutathione concentrations but its mode of action is controversial.

Rapid exchange of fluoroethylamine via the Rhesus complex in human erythrocytes: 19F NMR magnetization transfer analysis showing competition by ammonia and ammonia analogues.

A remarkable recent discovery in red blood cell function is that the Rhesus antigen complex that for so long was considered to be simply a means of cell recognition is also the ammonia transporter. It catalyzes transmembrane exchange of ammonia on the subsecond time scale, and yet because of a lack of rapid-exchange methodology its kinetics had not been characterized. The flux of ammonia varies appreciably in diverse clinical states, and a convenient method for its characterization would be of basic and of clinical diagnostic value.

Apparatus for rapid adjustment of the degree of alignment of NMR samples in aqueous media: verification with residual quadrupolar splittings in (23)Na and (133)Cs spectra.

NMR spectra of (23)Na(+) and (133)Cs(+) in gelatine in a silicone rubber tube that was stretched to various extents showed remarkably reproducible resonance multiplicity. The relative intensities of the components of the split peaks had ratios, 3:4:3, and 7:12:15:16:15:12:7, respectively, that conformed with those predicted using a Mathematica program. The silicone-rubber tube was sealed at its lower end by a small rubber stopper and placed inside a thick-walled glass tube.

(39)K nuclear magnetic resonance and a mathematical model of K(+) transport in human erythrocytes.

(39)K nuclear magnetic resonance was used to measure the efflux of K(+) from suspensions of human erythrocytes [red blood cells (RBCs)], that occurred in response to the calcium ionophore, A23187 and calcium ions; the latter activate the Gárdos channel. Signals from the intra- and extracellular populations of (39)K(+) were selected on the basis of their longitudinal relaxation times, T (1), by using an inversion- recovery pulse sequence with the mixing time, tau(1), chosen to null one or other of the signals. Changes in RBC volume consequent upon efflux of the ions also changed the T (1) values so a new theory was implemented to obviate a potential artefact in the data analysis.

Acquisition of pure-phase diffusion spectra using oscillating-gradient spin echo.

Oscillating-gradient spin echo (OGSE) diffusion experiments have long been used to measure the short-time apparent diffusion coefficient, D(app)(t), in the presence of restricted diffusion, as well as the spectrum of the slow-motion velocity autocorrelation function. In this work, we focus on two previously unexplored aspects of OGSE experiments: convection compensation and acquisition of pure-phase diffusion spectra in the presence of homonuclear scalar couplings. We demonstrate that convection compensation afforded by single-echo OGSE compares well with that in double-echo convection-compensated PGSE experiments.