Energetic α-particle sources produced through proton-boron reactions by high-energy high-intensity laser beams.

In an experiment performed with a high-intensity and high-energy laser system, α-particle production in proton-boron reaction by using a laser-driven proton beam was measured. α particles were observed from the front and also from the rear side, even after a 2-mm-thick boron target. The data obtained in this experiment have been analyzed using a sequence of numerical simulations.

Exploring the role of galectin 3 in kidney function: a genetic approach.

Galectin 3 belongs to a family of glycoconjugate-binding proteins that participate in cellular homeostasis by modulating cell growth, adhesion, and signaling. We studied adult galectin 3 null mutant (Gal 3-/-) and wild-type (WT) mice to gain insights into the role of galectin 3 in the kidney. By immunofluorescence, galectin 3 was found in collecting duct (CD) principal and intercalated cells in some regions of the kidney, as well as in the thick ascending limbs at lower levels.

Impaired 11-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 activity in sweat gland ducts in human essential hypertension.

The enzyme 11-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 plays a major role in blood pressure regulation. It metabolizes glucocorticoid hormones into derivatives with low affinity for the mineralocorticoid receptor, preventing its permanent occupancy by circulating cortisol, which is 100- to 1000-fold more abundant than aldosterone in the plasma. Inactivating mutations of the enzyme result in severe hypertension, as seen in children with apparent mineralocorticoid excess syndrome.

Basolateral translocation by vasopressin of the aldosterone-induced pool of latent Na-K-ATPases is accompanied by alpha1 subunit dephosphorylation: study in a new aldosterone-sensitive rat cortical collecting duct cell line.

The regulation of plasma membrane Na(+)-K(+)-ATPases (NKA) expression by aldosterone and arginin vasopressin (AVP) in the cortical collecting duct (CCD) has been examined in a new rat CCD cell line, designated as RCCD(2). This cell line has maintained many characteristics of the CCD-in particular, the expression of the mineralocorticoid receptor. Mineralocorticoid receptor is expressed at the protein level and binds (3)H-aldosterone (approximately 15 to 20 fmol/mg protein).

Identification and role of aldosterone receptors in the cardiovascular system.

The cardiovascular system is now recognized as an important mineralocorticoid target. All -components required for specific and selective aldosterone effects are present in the cardiovascular system. Mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) are expressed in the heart and large blood vessels together with the 11 B-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type II, which ensures the enzymatic protection of MR against glucocorticoids.

Vasopressin stimulates long-term net chloride secretion in cortical collecting duct cells.

The classical short-term effect (within minutes) of arginine vasopressin (AVP) consists in increasing sodium, chloride and water transport in kidney cells. More recently, long-term actions (several hours) of the hormone have been evidenced on water and sodium fluxes, due to transcriptional enhancement in the expression of their transporters. The present study demonstrates that AVP is also responsible for a long-term increase in net chloride secretion.

Expression of TWIK-1, a novel weakly inward rectifying potassium channel in rat kidney.

Several K+ conductances have been identified in the kidney, with specific properties and localization in distinct cell types and membrane domains. On the other hand, several K+ channels have been characterized at the molecular level. By immunolocalization, we show that a new inward rectifying K+ channel, TWIK-1, is specifically expressed in distinct tubular segments and cell types of the rat kidney.

Regulation of sodium transport by steroid hormones.

The main mechanisms involved in the regulation of sodium transport by steroid hormones are briefly reviewed. The respective roles of the apical epithelial sodium channel, which is likely to be the limitant step of steroid-regulated transepithelial sodium transport, and Na,K-ATPase are described. Regulation of these ion transporting proteins by aldosterone and glucocorticoid hormones, probably via a two step mechanism (rapid activation of channels or pumps by unknown regulators, and modulation of the transcription/translation rate of these transporters), is discussed.

Transcriptional regulation of sodium transport by vasopressin in renal cells.

We have examined whether arginine vasopressin (AVP) can induce a long-term modulation of transepithelial ion transport in addition to its well known short-term effect. In the RCCD1 rat cortical collecting duct cell line, an increase in both short-circuit current and 22Na transport was observed after several hours of 10(-8) M AVP treatment (a concentration above the in vivo physiological range). This delayed effect was partially prevented by apical addition of 10(-5) M amiloride and was blocked by 10(-6) M actinomycin D and 2 x 10(-6) M cycloheximide.

Vasopressin potentiates mineralocorticoid selectivity by stimulating 11 beta hydroxysteroid deshydrogenase in rat collecting duct.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) and corticosteroid hormones are involved in sodium reabsorption regulation in the renal collecting duct. Synergy between AVP and aldosterone has been well documented, although its mechanism remains unclear. Both aldosterone and glucocorticoid hormones bind to the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), and mineralocorticoid selectivity depends on the MR-protecting enzyme 11 beta hydroxysteroid deshydrogenase (11-HSD), which metabolizes glucocorticoids into derivatives with low affinity for MR.

Noncoordinate regulation of epithelial Na channel and Na pump subunit mRNAs in kidney and colon by aldosterone.

Distal colon and renal cortical collecting ducts are major effectors of aldosterone-dependent Na homeostasis. Na is absorbed by entry through an apical amiloride-sensitive Na channel and extruded by Na-K-ATPase at the basolateral membrane. Using a ribonuclease protection assay, we studied, in vivo, aldosterone regulation of alpha-, beta-, gamma-subunits of the rat epithelial Na channel (rENaC) and alpha 1- and beta 1-subunits of Na-K-ATPase.

Tissue-specific expression of alpha and beta messenger ribonucleic acid isoforms of the human mineralocorticoid receptor in normal and pathological states.

Expression of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) is restricted to some sodium-transporting epithelia and a few nonepithelial target tissues. Determination of the genomic structure of the human MR (hMR) revealed two different untranslated exons (1alpha and 1beta), which splice alternatively into the common exon 2, giving rise to two hMR mRNA isoforms (hMR alpha and hMR beta). We have investigated expression of hMR transcripts in renal, cardiac, skin, and colonic tissue samples by in situ hybridization with exon 1alpha and 1beta specific riboprobes, using an exon 2 probe as internal control.

Noncoordinated expression of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-subunit mRNAs of epithelial Na+ channel along rat respiratory tract.

Na+ reabsorption from the epithelial surface of the respiratory tract plays a fundamental role in respiratory physiology. As in the epithelia of the renal collecting tubule and distal colon, Na+ enters across the luminal surface of respiratory epithelial cells via a recently cloned amiloride-sensitive multisubunit (alpha, beta, gamma) epithelial Na+ channel. We have examined the cellular expression at the mRNA level of the alpha-, beta-, and gamma-subunits of rat epithelial Na+ channel (rENaC) in the rat lung and upper airway epithelial cells using in situ hybridization.

Role of protein phosphatase in the regulation of Na+-K+-ATPase by vasopressin in the cortical collecting duct.

In the cortical collecting duct (CCD), arginin vasopressin (AVP) has been shown to increase the number and activity of basolateral Na+-K+-ATPase by recruiting or activating a latent pool of pumps. However, the precise mechanism of this phenomenon is still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether this AVP-induced increase in basolateral Na+-K+-ATPase could depend on a dephosphorylation process.

Cellular localization and regulation of CHIF in kidney and colon.

Channel inducing factor (CHIF) is a novel cDNA recently cloned from a rat distal colon cDNA library of dexamethasone-treated animals. While its expression in Xenopus oocytes evokes a potassium channel activity similar to that induced by Isk (minK), its cellular role is not clear. CHIF exhibits significant homologies with proteins that are putatively regulatory (phospholemman, gamma-subunit of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, Mat-8) while it differs from the small-conductance potassium channel Isk.

Characteristics of a rat cortical collecting duct cell line that maintains high transepithelial resistance.

This study describes the establishment of a rat kidney cortical collecting duct (CCD) clonal cell line (RCCD1 cells) that maintains high transepithelial resistance and specific hormonal sensitivities. Immortalized cells were obtained by infection of primary cultured CCD cells with the wild-type simian virus 40. Grown on Petri dishes, RCCD1 cells are organized as monolayers of cuboid cells separated by tight junctions and form domes.

Corticosteroid receptor mRNA expression is unaffected by corticosteroids in rat kidney, heart, and colon.

Hormones can regulate the expression of their own receptor. We have examined whether adrenalectomy (ADX) and hormone replacement by physiological doses of aldosterone or dexamethasone could modulate the expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) or mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) at the mRNA level in the rat kidney, distal colon, and heart. Adult rats were adrenalectomized and received or did not receive an infusion of aldosterone (5 micrograms.

Differential expression of epithelial sodium channel subunit mRNAs in rat skin.

Three subunits (alpha, beta, gamma) of the amiloride-sensitive epithelial sodium channel have been recently characterized. The channel subunits have significant homologies with the Caenorhabditis elegans mec-4, mec-10 and deg-1 genes, which are involved in control of cell volume and mecanotransduction. These subunits are coexpressed at equivalent levels in the renal collecting duct and the distal colon epithelium which are high resistance sodium transporting epithelia.

Differential regulation of putative K(+)-ATPase by low-K+ diet and corticosteroids in rat distal colon and kidney.

K+ homeostasis depends on K+ absorption in digestive and renal epithelia. Recently, a cDNA encoding for a putative K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) alpha-subunit has been characterized. We studied its expression by ribonuclease protection assay and in situ hybridization in the distal colon and the kidney of rats in various physiological states.

Aldosterone: intracellular receptors in human heart.

It has been suggested that aldosterone exerts direct effects on heart functioning, in particular by inducing cardiac fibrosis. We examined human heart tissue for the expression of aldosterone receptors (mineralocorticoid receptors, MRs) and of the MR-protecting enzyme, 11 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta HSD). In situ hybridization using cRNA probes specific for human MRs revealed the presence of mRNA encoding for MRs in cardiomyocytes.

Prerequisite for cardiac aldosterone action. Mineralocorticoid receptor and 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in the human heart.

Background: It has been proposed that aldosterone exerts direct effects on heart function, most notably on the development of myocardial fibrosis during ventricular hypertrophy in rat. Initial events in aldosterone action entail its binding to mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). Because MR displays similar affinities for aldosterone and glucocorticoids, the in vivo aldosterone selectivity of MR requires the presence of an enzyme, 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11-HSD), which metabolizes glucocorticoids into inactive derivatives.

Synergistic action of vasopressin and aldosterone on basolateral Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase in the cortical collecting duct.

The respective effects of aldosterone and arginine vasopressin (AVP) were examined on the number of active Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase and their pumping activity in nonperfused microdissected mouse cortical collecting tubules (CCD) by measuring specific 3H-ouabain binding and ouabain-sensitive 86Rb uptake. In adrenalectomized (ADX) animals, incubation of CCD with AVP (10(-8) M for 5 min) had no effect on the number of pumps. In contrast, in ADX animals replete with aldosterone, AVP induced a approximately equal to 40% increase in the number of pumps.

Characteristics and regulation of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase of proximal and distal nephron.

Enzymatic properties of the enzyme 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11-HSD), which confers mineralocorticoid selectivity, have been explored in the aldosterone-sensitive collecting duct (CCD) and the aldosterone-insensitive Pars Recta (PR) of the rat kidney. After incubation of freshly isolated tubular segments with [3H]corticosterone (3H-B) or [3H]dehydrocorticosterone (3H-A), the rate of transformation of 3H-B into 3H-A (dehydrogenase activity), or the reverse reaction (reductase activity) were measured by HPLC, Vmax for dehydrogenase activity was found to be 8- to 10-fold higher in CCD than PR. The enzyme functions over a very wide range (0.