Effects of heat shock, stannous chloride, and gallium nitrate on the rat inflammatory response.

Heat and a variety of other stressors cause mammalian cells and tissues to acquire cytoprotection. This transient state of altered cellular physiology is nonproliferative and antiapoptotic. In this study, male Wistar rats were stress conditioned with either stannous chloride or gallium nitrate, which have immunosuppressive effects in vivo and in vitro, or heat shock, the most intensively studied inducer of cytoprotection.

Tissue-level cytoprotection.

In vitro and ex vivo tissue models provide a useful level of biological organization for cytoprotection studies positioned between cultured cells and intact animals. We have used 2 such models, primary tissue cultures of winter flounder renal secretory epithelium and ex vivo preparations of rat intestinal tissues, the latter to access the microcirculation of exposed mesentery tissues. Herein we discuss studies indicating that differentiated functions are altered in thermotolerant or cytoprotected tissues.

The effect of gallium nitrate on synoviocyte MMP activity.

Gallium, a group IIIa metal salt, has been demonstrated to be an effective immunosuppressive agent. Gallium has also been shown to inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1beta, produced by macrophage-like cells in vitro. To further characterize the effects of gallium on the inflammatory process, we examined the effects of gallium nitrate on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity utilizing the rabbit synoviocyte cell line HIG-82.

The mechanism of beta-glycerophosphate action in mineralizing chick limb-bud mesenchymal cell cultures.

Differentiating chick limb-bud mesenchymal cells plated in micromass culture form a cartilage matrix that can be mineralized in the presence of 4 mM inorganic phosphate (Pi), and 1 mM calcium. Previous studies showed that when beta-glycerophosphate (beta GP) is used in place of Pi, the mineral crystals formed are larger and differ in distribution. The present study shows that the difference in distribution is not associated with alterations in cell proliferation, protein synthesis, or with collagen, proteoglycan core protein, or alkaline phosphatase gene expression.

Identification of proteolytic activities in ROS 17/2.8 cell lysates which cleave peptide substrates for protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation.

We have observed two proteolytic activities in cell lysates from the rat osteoblastic osteosarcoma cell line ROS 17/2.8 which are capable of cleaving a peptide substrate for protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation, and other peptides containing similar sequences. Both activities are inhibited by Pefabloc, a serine protease inhibitor, while one of the activities is inhibited by either EDTA or aprotinin.

Peptide bond cleavage site determination of novel proteolytic enzymes found in ROS 17/2.8 cell lysates.

We have identified proteolytic activities in the rat osteoblastic osteosarcoma cell line ROS 17/2.8 which are capable of cleaving a peptide substrate for protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation (PSPKC, Pro-Leu-Ser-Arg-Thr-Leu-Ser-Val-Ala-Ala-Lys). Using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis conditions similar to those used to resolve small molecular weight proteins, the peptide bonds of PSPKC which are cleaved by the proteolytic activities present in ROS 17/2.

Gallium nitrate increases type I collagen and fibronectin mRNA and collagen protein levels in bone and fibroblast cells.

Gallium is a Group IIIa transitional element with therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of metabolic bone disorders. Previously described antiresorptive effects of gallium on osteoclasts are not sufficient to account for the full range of effects of gallium on bone structure and metabolism. We have recently shown that gallium nitrate inhibits osteocalcin gene expression and the synthesis of osteocalcin protein, an osteoblast-specific bone matrix protein that is thought to serve as a signal to trigger osteoclastic resorption.

Gallium nitrate inhibits alkaline phosphatase activity in a differentiating mesenchymal cell culture.

The effect of gallium nitrate on alkaline phosphatase activity in a differentiating chick limb-bud mesenchymal cell culture was monitored in order to gain insight into the observation that rachitic rats treated with gallium nitrate failed to show the expected increase in serum alkaline phosphatase activity. Cultures maintained in media containing 15 microM gallium nitrate showed drastically decreased alkaline phosphatase activities in the absence of significant alterations in total protein synthesis and DNA content. However, addition of 15 microM gallium nitrate to cultures 18 h before assay for alkaline phosphatase activity had little effect.

Gallium nitrate regulates rat osteoblast expression of osteocalcin protein and mRNA levels.

Gallium nitrate, a group IIIa metal salt, has been found to be clinically effective for the treatment of accelerated bone resorption in cancer-related hypercalcemia and Paget's disease. Here we report the effects of gallium nitrate on osteocalcin mRNA and protein levels on the rat osteoblast-like cell line ROS 17/2.8.

Prostaglandin E1 inhibits collagenase gene expression in rabbit synoviocytes and human fibroblasts.

Cartilage breakdown, as seen in inflammatory and degenerative joint diseases, can be mediated by proteolytic enzymes, such as the metalloproteinase collagenase, the only enzyme able to digest collagen at neutral pH. In vitro collagenase gene expression can be stimulated by the phorbol ester tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate. We have investigated the effect of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) on 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate-stimulated collagenase mRNA levels in the rabbit synoviocyte cell line HIG-82.

Tumor necrosis factor induces phosphorylation of a 28-kDa mRNA cap-binding protein in human cervical carcinoma cells.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) stimulated the phosphorylation of a 28-kDa protein (p28) in the ME-180 line of human cervical carcinoma cells. The effect of TNF-alpha on the phosphorylation state of p28 was rapid (4-fold increase within 15 min) and persistent, remaining above the basal level for at least 2 hr. The specific binding of 125I-labeled TNF-alpha to cell-surface binding sites, the stimulation of p28 phosphorylation by TNF-alpha, and the inhibition of cell proliferation by TNF-alpha occurred with nearly identical dose-response relationships.

Selective release from cultured mammalian cells of heat-shock (stress) proteins that resemble glia-axon transfer proteins.

Cultured rat embryo cells were stimulated to rapidly release a small group of proteins that included several heat-shock proteins (hsp110, hsp71, hscp73) and nonmuscle actin. The extracellular proteins were analyzed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Heat-shocked cells released the same set of proteins as control cells with the addition of the stress-inducible hsp110 and hsp71.

The human thyrotropin beta-subunit gene differs in 5' structure from murine TSH-beta genes.

The gene encoding the beta-subunit of human thyrotropin (hTSH-beta) was isolated, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The gene is 4.3 kb in length, consists of three exons and two introns, and is present as a single copy as determined by Southern blot analysis of total genomic DNA.

Two thyroid hormone regulated genes, the beta-subunits of nerve growth factor (NGFB) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSHB), are located less than 310 kb apart in both human and mouse genomes.

Two thyroid hormone regulated genes, the beta-subunits of nerve growth factor (NGFB) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSHB), have been assigned to mouse chromosome 3 and human chromosome 1p22. We have used the techniques of linkage analysis and pulsed field gel electrophoresis to determine the proximity of these two antithetically regulated genes in this conserved linkage group. Four novel restriction fragment length polymorphisms were identified at the human TSHB gene.

The 73 kilodalton heat shock cognate protein purified from rat brain contains nonesterified palmitic and stearic acids.

A protein related to the 71 kilodalton inducible rat heat shock protein was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity in milligram amounts from brain tissue of nonheat-stressed rats. The protein has been designated as a stress cognate protein based on previous studies and data presented herein that this protein cross-reacted with a monoclonal antibody originally raised against the Drosophila 70 kilodalton heat shock protein. The purified protein had an apparent molecular mass of 73 kilodaltons when analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and an apparent mass of 150 kilodaltons as determined by nondissociative gel chromatography, suggesting that the purified protein is a homodimer.

Purification and initial characterization of the 71-kilodalton rat heat-shock protein and its cognate as fatty acid binding proteins.

The major rat heat-shock (stress) protein and its cognate were purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from livers of heat-shocked rats. Both proteins exhibited similar behavior on a variety of column chromatography matrices but were separable by preparative isoelectric focusing under nondenaturing conditions by virtue of a 0.2 pH unit difference in isoelectric point.

[Systematization of the musculo-tendinous architecture of the human biceps (musculus biceps brachii)].

The structure of the brachial biceps is studied based upon the bilateral dissections of six subjects. The object of this work consists of determining the distribution of the group and muscular fibers in relation to the two proximal insertions and the two distal insertions. It is possible to describe the subgroups within each structure.

Development of five-hour radiometric serum antibacterial assay for gram-positive cocci.

A preliminary report on a 5-hr radiometric serum antibacterial assay (ABA) for Gram-positive cocci is presented. The method agreed within +/- one twofold dilution with static ABA endpoints in 24/26 (92%) of the assays and with cidal ABA endpoints in 23/26 (88%) of the assays performed.