Prothoracicotropic hormone induces tyrosine phosphorylation in prothoracic glands of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

In the present study, we investigated the tyrosine phosphorylation of Bombyx mori prothoracic glands using phosphotyrosine-specific antibodies and Western blot analysis. Results showed that prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) stimulates a rapid increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of at least 2 proteins in prothoracic glands, one of which was identified as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). The phosphorylation of another 120-kDa protein showed dose- and time-dependent stimulation by PTTH in vitro. In vitro activation of tyrosine phosphorylation was also verified by in vivo experiments: injection of PTTH into day-6 last-instar larvae greatly increased tyrosine phosphorylation. Treatment of prothoracic glands with the protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, sodium orthovanadate, also resulted in tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins and increased ecdysteroidogenesis. The PTTH-stimulated phosphorylation of the 120-kDa protein was markedly attenuated by genistein, a broad-spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor, but not by HNMPA-(AM)(3) , a specific inhibitor of insulin receptor tyrosine kinase. PP2, a more-selective inhibitor of the Src-family tyrosine kinases, partially inhibited PTTH-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation, but not ecdysteroidogenesis. This result implies the possibility that in addition to ERK, the phosphorylation of the 120-kDa protein, which is not Src-family tyrosine kinase, is likely also involved in PTTH-stimulated ecdysteroidogenesis in B. mori.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase prevents activation of the anti-apoptotic transcription factor STAT3 and promotes apoptosis in neoplastic B-cells and B-cell precursors exposed to oxidative stress

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) was previously demonstrated to be a mediator of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in irradiated neoplastic B-cells and B-cell precursors. Defective BTK expression in leukaemic B-cell precursors from infants with t(4;11) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia has been associated with radiation resistance. The present study examined whether BTK mediates apoptosis during oxidative stress by interfering with the anti-apoptotic function of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). BTK physically associated with and tyrosine phosphorylated STAT3; this association was promoted by pervanadate (PV)-induced oxidative stress. The BTK/STAT3 interaction appeared to prevent STAT3 response to oxidative stress, because PV-induced STAT3 activation was markedly enhanced in DT40 chicken lymphoma B-cells that were rendered BTK-deficient by targeted disruption of the btk gene as well as in BTK-deficient RAMOS-1 human lymphoma B-cells. These BTK-deficient cells were highly resistant to oxidative stress-induced apoptosis triggered by PV treatment. Reconstitution of BTK-deficient DT40 cells with wild-type human BTK gene eliminated the amplification of the STAT3 response and restored the PV-induced apoptotic signal. Similarly, while the BTK-positive NALM-6 human leukaemic B-cell precursor cell line showed no STAT3 activation after PV treatment and was exquisitely sensitive to PV-induced apoptosis, PV failed to induce apoptosis in BTK-deficient RAMOS-1 human lymphoma B-cells that showed a robust STAT3 response. These results provide unprecedented biochemical and genetic evidence for a unique mode of cross-talk that occurs between BTK and STAT3 pathways during oxidative stress, whereby BTK may trigger apoptosis via negative regulation of the anti-apoptotic STAT3 activity.

Carnosol inhibits beta-catenin tyrosine phosphorylation and prevents adenoma formation in the C57BL/6J/Min/+ (Min/+) mouse

Carnosol, a constituent of the herb, rosemary, has shown beneficial medicinal and antitumor effects. Using the C57BL/6J/Min/+ (Min/+) mouse, a model of colonic tumorigenesis, we found that dietary administration of 0.1% carnosol decreased intestinal tumor multiplicity by 46%. Previous studies showed that tumor formation in the Min/+ mouse was associated with alterations in the adherens junctions, including an increased expression of tyrosine-phosphorylated beta-catenin, dissociation of beta-catenin from E-cadherin, and strongly reduced amounts of E-cadherin located at lateral plasma membranes of histologically normal enterocytes. Here, we confirm these findings and show that treatment of Min/+ intestinal tissue with carnosol restored both E-cadherin and beta-catenin to these enterocyte membranes, yielding a phenotype similar to that of the Apc(+/+) wild-type (WT) littermate. Moreover, treatment of WT intestine with the phosphatase inhibitor, pervanadate, removed E-cadherin and beta-catenin from the lateral membranes of enterocytes, mimicking the appearance of the Min/+ tissue. Pretreatment of WT tissue with carnosol inhibited the pervanadate-inducible expression of tyrosine-phosphorylated beta-catenin. Thus, the Apc(Min) allele produces adhesion defects that involve up-regulated expression of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, including beta-catenin. Moreover, these data suggest that carnosol prevents Apc-associated intestinal tumorigenesis, potentially via its ability to enhance E-cadherin-mediated adhesion and suppress beta-catenin tyrosine phosphorylation.

The Inhibitory Effects of Isoflurane on Protein Tyrosine Phosphorylation–modulated Contraction of Rat Aortic Smooth Muscle

Background

Tyrosine kinase-catalyzed protein tyrosine phosphorylation plays an important role in initiating and modulating vascular smooth muscle contraction. The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of isoflurane on sodium orthovanadate (Na3VO4), a potent protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor-induced, tyrosine phosphorylation-mediated contraction of rat aortic smooth muscle.

Methods

The Na3VO4-induced contraction of rat aortic smooth muscle and tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins including phospholipase Cgamma-1 (PLCgamma-1) and p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were assessed in the presence of different concentrations of isoflurane, using isometric force measurement and Western blotting methods, respectively.

Results

Na3VO4 (10(-4) m) induced a gradually sustained contraction and significant increase in protein tyrosine phosphorylation of a set of substrates including PLCgamma-1 and p42MAPK, all of which were markedly inhibited by genistein (5 x 10(-5) m), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Isoflurane (1.2-3.5%) dose-dependently depressed the Na3VO4-induced contraction (P < 0.05-0.005; n = 8). Isoflurane also attenuated the total density of the Na3VO4-induced, tyrosine-phosphorylated substrate bands and the density of tyrosine-phosphorylated PLCgamma-1 band and p42MAPK band (P < 0.05-0.005; n = 4) in a concentration-dependent manner.

Conclusion

The findings of the current study, that isoflurane dose-dependently inhibits both the Na3VO4-stimulated contraction and tyrosine phosphorylation of a set of proteins including PLCgamma-1 and p42MAPK in rat aortic smooth muscle, suggest that isoflurane depresses protein tyrosine phosphorylation-modulated contraction of vascular smooth muscle, especially that mediated by the tyrosine-phosphorylated PLCgamma-1 and MAPK signaling pathways.

Melatonin inhibits the contractile effect of vanadate in the isolated pulmonary arterial rings of rats: possible role of hydrogen peroxide

The effect and possible mechanism of action of vanadate on the isolated pulmonary arterial rings of normal rats were studied. Pulmonary arterial rings contracted in response to vanadate (0.1-1 mM) in a concentration-dependent manner. Preincubation of the pulmonary arterial rings with 1 mM melatonin significantly reduced the contractile effect of vanadate by more than 60%. Furthermore, addition of hydrogen peroxide (50 microM) or enzymatic generation of hydrogen peroxide by the addition of glucose oxidase (10 U/mL) to the medium containing glucose produced remarkable increases in the pulmonary arterial tension, 46.2 +/- 7.3 and 78.7 +/- 9.7 g tension/g tissue, respectively. Similarly, incubation of the pulmonary arterial rings with 1 mM melatonin significantly reduced the contractile responses of the arterial rings to hydrogen peroxide and glucose/glucose oxidase to 25.7 +/- 2.9 and 24.7 +/- 4.4 g tension/g tissue, respectively. Vanadate, in vitro, significantly stimulated the oxidation of NADH by xanthine oxidase, and the rate of oxidation was increased by increasing either time or vanadate concentration. Similarly, addition of melatonin to a reaction mixture containing xanthine oxidase and vanadate significantly inhibited the rate of NADH oxidation in a concentration-dependent fashion. The results of the present study indicated that vanadate induced contraction in the isolated pulmonary arterial rings, which was significantly reduced by melatonin. Furthermore, the contractile effect of vanadate on the pulmonary arterial rings may be attributed to the intracellular generation of hydrogen peroxide.

Sodium orthovanadate potentiates EGCG-induced apoptosis that is dependent on the ERK pathway

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a potent chemopreventive agent in many test systems and has been shown to inhibit tumor promotion and induce apoptosis. In the present study, we determined the effect of vanadate, a potent inhibitor of tyrosine phosphatase, on EGCG-induced apoptosis. Investigation of the mechanism of EGCG or vanadate-induced apoptosis revealed induction of caspase 3 activity and cleavage of phospholipase-gamma1 (PLC-gamma1). Furthermore, vanadate potentiated EGCG-induced apoptosis by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Treatment with EGCG plus vanadate for 24h produced morphological features of apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in U937 cells. This was associated with cytochrome c release, caspase 3 activation, and PLC-gamma1 degradation. EGCG plus vanadate activates multiple signal transduction pathways involved in coordinating cellular responses to stress. We demonstrate a requirement for extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family in EGCG plus vanadate-induced apoptosis in U937 cells. Elevated ERK activity that contributed to apoptosis by EGCG plus vanadate was supported by PD98059 and U0126, chemical inhibitor of MEK/ERK signaling pathway, prevented apoptosis. Taken together, our finding suggests that ERK activation plays an active role in mediating EGCG plus vanadate-induced apoptosis of U937 cells and functions upstream of caspase activation to initiate the apoptotic signal.

Secophalloidin as a novel activator of skinned cardiac muscle

Secophalloidin (SPH) is known to activate skinned cardiac muscle in the absence of Ca(2+). We hypothesized that SPH-induced changes in cross-bridge properties underlie muscle activation. We found that force responsiveness to orthovanadate was drastically reduced in SPH activated muscles compared to Ca(2+)-activated contraction. Moreover, SPH caused approximately 30% increase in Ca(2+)-independent force in muscles where Ca(2+) sensitivity was totally destroyed by troponin I extraction with 10mM vanadate. Thus, SPH and Ca(2+) activation differ in both properties of the cross-bridge cycle and protein requirements for thin filament regulation. In addition, we tested the relationship between the activating effects SPH and EMD 57033, a Ca(2+) sensitizer that increases resting force in cardiac muscle. After maximal activation by either SPH or EMD 57033, the other compound was found to further increase force, indicating that SPH activates muscle via a novel mechanism.

Glucose transport by osmotic shock and vanadate is impaired by glucosamine

In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, we previously reported that glucosamine impairs insulin stimulation of glucose transport, which is accompanied by impaired insulin stimulation of serine/threonine kinase Akt. To examine the role of Akt in glucosamine-induced insulin resistance, we investigated time course for insulin stimulation of Akt activity and glucose transport during recovery from glucosamine-induced insulin resistance. After induction of insulin resistance by glucosamine, we washed cells to remove glucosamine and incubated them for various times. After one hour, insulin stimulated-glucose transport was significantly increased and continued to increase up to 6-24 h. Insulin stimulation of Akt, however, did not increase after 1-3 h and began to slightly increase after 6 h. Next, we investigated effects of osmotic shock and vanadate on glucose transport in glucosamine-treated cells and found that glucosamine completely inhibited their actions in these cells. These data suggest that an Akt-independent mechanism is operative in glucosamine-induced insulin resistance and glucosamine impairs glucose transport stimulated by various stimuli involving and not involving Akt activation.

A structural model for the catalytic cycle of Ca(2+)-ATPase

Ca(2+)-ATPase is responsible for active transport of calcium ions across the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane. This coupling involves an ordered sequence of reversible reactions occurring alternately at the ATP site within the cytoplasmic domains, or at the calcium transport sites within the transmembrane domain. These two sites are separated by a large distance and conformational changes have long been postulated to play an important role in their coordination. To characterize the nature of these conformational changes, we have built atomic models for two reaction intermediates and postulated the mechanisms governing the large structural changes. One model is based on fitting the X-ray crystallographic structure of Ca(2+)-ATPase in the E1 state to a new 6 A structure by cryoelectron microscopy in the E2 state. This fit indicates that calcium binding induces enormous movements of all three cytoplasmic domains as well as significant changes in several transmembrane helices. We found that fluorescein isothiocyanate displaced a decavanadate molecule normally located at the intersection of the three cytoplasmic domains, but did not affect their juxtaposition; this result indicates that our model likely reflects a native E2 conformation and not an artifact of decavanadate binding. To explain the dramatic structural effect of calcium binding, we propose that M4 and M5 transmembrane helices are responsive to calcium binding and directly induce rotation of the phosphorylation domain. Furthermore, we hypothesize that both the nucleotide-binding and beta-sheet domains are highly mobile and driven by Brownian motion to elicit phosphoenzyme formation and calcium transport, respectively. If so, the reaction cycle of Ca(2+)-ATPase would have elements of a Brownian ratchet, where the chemical reactions of ATP hydrolysis are used to direct the random thermal oscillations of an innately flexible molecule.

Combined treatment with benzylamine and low dosages of vanadate enhances glucose tolerance and reduces hyperglycemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) is highly expressed in adipose cells, and substrates of SSAO, such as benzylamine, in combination with low concentrations of vanadate strongly stimulate glucose transport and GLUT4 recruitment in 3T3-L1 and rat adipocytes. Here we examined whether acute and chronic administration of benzylamine and vanadate in vivo enhances glucose tolerance and reduces hyperglycemia in diabetic rats. Acute intravenous administration of these drugs enhanced glucose tolerance in nondiabetic rats and in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. This occurred in the absence of changes in plasma insulin concentrations. However, the administration of benzylamine or vanadate alone did not improve glucose tolerance. The improvement caused by benzylamine plus vanadate was abolished when rats were pretreated with the SSAO-inhibitor semicarbazide. Chronic administration of benzylamine and vanadate exerted potent antidiabetic effects in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Although daily administration of vanadate alone (50 and 25 micromol x kg(-1) x day(-1) i.p.) for 2 weeks had little or no effect on glycemia, vanadate plus benzylamine reduced hyperglycemia in diabetic rats, enhanced basal and insulin-stimulated glucose transport, and upregulated GLUT4 expression in isolated adipocytes. In all, our results substantiated that acute and chronic administration of benzylamine with low dosages of vanadate have potent antidiabetic effects in rats.

Effect of vanadate and insulin on glucose transport in isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes

It is now widely accepted that insulin stimulation of glucose uptake by muscle cells is due to the activation of protein kinase B, leading to the recruitment of glucose transporter proteins from an intracellular compartment to the plasma membrane. Vanadate is a protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibitor and a known insulin mimetic agent. Vanadate causes an increase of glucose transport in various tissues, but the mechanism of stimulation is not clearly understood. Hence in the present study, we have compared the mechanism of 2-deoxy-D-glucose transport induced by vanadate and insulin in isolated rat cardiomyocytes. Vanadate stimulated deoxyglucose transport in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Insulin (100 nM) and vanadate (5 mM) stimulated 2-deoxy-D-glucose transport on an average by 3- and 2-fold respectively over basal values. The stimulation of glucose transport was accompanied by an activation of protein kinase B (PKB). This study also revealed that the activation of PKB and stimulation of 2-deoxyglucose uptake by vanadate and insulin are inhibited by treatment with wortmannin, a specific inhibitor of phoshatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase). Hence, we conclude that both insulin and vanadate follow the same signalling pathway downstream of PI 3-kinase to stimulate 2-deoxy-D-glucose transport.

Mode of regulation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases in the pancreatic beta-cell line MIN6 and their implication in the regulation of insulin gene transcription

Physiological concentrations of glucose that lead to Ca2+ entry and insulin secretion activate extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERK1 and ERK2) in the MIN6 pancreatic beta-cell line. Here we show that this activation is inhibited by the down-regulation of protein kinase C (PKC) and by genistein, an inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinases. In contrast with results obtained in other cell types, neither the epidermal growth factor activity nor the Src family protein tyrosine kinases seem to be involved in the Ca2+-dependent activation of ERKs. inhibition of tyrosine phosphatases by vanadate leads to the activation of ERKs. As observed in the response to glucose, this activation is dependent on Ca2+ entry through L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. Thus the activation of ERKs in response to glucose depends on PKC and possibly on a tyrosine kinase/tyrosine phosphatase couple. To define the role of ERK activation by glucose we studied the regulation of transcription of the insulin gene. We found that this transcription is regulated in the MIN6 cells in the same range of glucose concentration as in primary islets, and that specific inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase, the direct activator of ERK, impaired the response of the insulin gene to glucose. This was observed by analysis of the transfected rat insulin I gene promoter activity and a Northern blot of endogenous insulin mRNA.

Serine/threonine phosphatase activity of calcineurin is inhibited by sodium orthovanadate and dithiothreitol reverses the inhibitory effect

Orthovanadate is known to be an inhibitor of protein tyrosine phosphatases. However, we found that it inhibited calcineurin which has the activity of a serine/threonine protein phosphatase, using casein phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase as a substrate. Orthovanadate inhibits the Mn2+-activated activity of purified calcineurin to 20%; this is not the case without Mn2+. Furthermore, 10 mM dithiothreitol (DTT) reversed the inhibitory effects of orthovanadate. Orthovanadate showed the same inhibitory effect for calcineurin activity in homogenates as for the purified enzyme; the inhibitory effect was reversed by DTT. These results indicate that orthovanadate inhibits not only protein tyrosine phosphatases as reported, but also serine/threonine phosphatase activity of calcineurin.

Non-equivalent cooperation between the two nucleotide-binding folds of P-glycoprotein

To identify the roles of the two nucleotide-binding folds (NBFs) in the function of human P-glycoprotein, a multidrug transporter, we mutated the key lysine residues to methionines and the cysteine residues to alanines in the Walker A (WA) motifs (the core consensus sequence) in the NBFs. We examined the effects of these mutations on N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and ATP binding, as well as on the vanadate-induced nucleotide trapping with 8-azido-[alpha-32P]ATP. Mutation of the WA lysine or NEM binding cysteine in either of the NBFs blocked vanadate-induced nucleotide trapping of P-glycoprotein. These results suggest that if one NBF is non-functional, there is no ATP hydrolysis even if the other functional NBF contains a bound nucleotide, further indicating the strong cooperation between the two NBFs of P-glycoprotein. However, we found that the effect of NEM modification at one NBF on ATP binding at the other NBF was not equivalent, suggesting a non-equivalency of the role of the two NBFs in P-glycoprotein function.

The mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway contributes to vanadate toxicity in vascular smooth muscle cells

Vanadate has been considered in the treatment of diabetes because of its insulin-like effects. However, it has severe toxic effects in both animal and man. In cultured cells, vanadate can either cause death or be growth stimulatory, depending on the cell type and growth conditions. Here, we report that in baboon aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs), vanadate induced p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity. This effect was abolished in the presence of the specific MAPK kinase (MAPKK) inhibitor PD098059. Although activation of p42/p44MAPK/MAPKK is generally thought to be necessary for proliferation, in SMCs, vanadate did not promote DNA synthesis and inhibited thymidine incorporation stimulated by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB in a dose dependent fashion (IC50: 30 microM). Prolonged exposure to vanadate exerted cytotoxic effects. Cells retracted, rounded up and detached from the substratum. These vanadate-induced morphological changes were blocked in the presence of PD098059. The addition of PDGF-BB further activated p42/p44MAPK/MAPKK in the presence of vanadate and substantially increased vanadate toxicity. We conclude from these observations that activation of the p42/p44MAPK/MAPKK signalling module contributes to the cytotoxic effects induced by vanadate.

Pervanadate mediated an increased generation of inositol phosphates and tension in rat myometrium. Activation and phosphorylation of phospholipase C-gamma 1

Stimulation of [3H]inositol-labeled rat myometrial strips with pervanadate, formed by mixing orthovanadate and H2O2, induced a dose-dependent accumulation of [3H]inositol phosphates. Orthovanadate or H2O2 added alone had no effect. Pretreatment of myometrium with two tyrosine kinase inhibitors, namely genistein and tyrphostin 47 (at 100 microM), reduced pervanadate-stimulated inositol phosphate formation by 50%. Pervanadate induced a time-sequential formation of inositol phosphates in the order inositol trisphosphate, inositol bisphosphate, and inositol monophosphate. The inhibitory effect of genistein was observed at the level of the three inositol phosphates. Pervanadate induced contraction of the myometrium; the response was dose-dependent. H2O2 or orthovanadate was without effect. Pervanadate-mediated contraction was inhibited (50%) by genistein and tyrphostin 47 (100 microM). Western blot analysis, using anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies, revealed that phosphorylated proteins were present in detergent extracts from pervanadate-stimulated myometrium. Tyrosine phosphorylation was reduced by a preincubation with 100 microM genistein or tyrphostin 47. Phospholipase C-gamma1 was immunodetected in myometrial extracts and was identified as one of the substrates subject to tyrosine phosphorylation following pervanadate treatment. The results demonstrate that, in myometrium, protein tyrosine kinase/phosphatase activities controlled both phosphorylation and activation of phospholipase C-gamma1, contributing to the modulation of the generation of inositol phosphates and tension.

Pervanadate stimulation of wortmannin-sensitive and -resistant 2-deoxyglucose transport in adipocytes

Pervanadate mimics several distinct insulin effects, including stimulation of hexose uptake in the in vitro system, and reduces the blood glucose level in streptozotocin-treated diabetic rats. It has been proposed that pervanadate induces insulin-like effects mediated through autophosphorylation and activation of insulin receptor (IR) even in the absence of insulin by inhibiting protein tyrosine phosphatases. This study focused on the mechanism of pervanadate action on hexose uptake. Both insulin (100 nM) and pervanadate (100 microM), a protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, induced a marked increase in the phosphorylation at tyrosine residues of IR and insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) and in 2-deoxyglucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Wortmannin (1 microM), a specific phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) inhibitor, inhibited the increased 2-deoxyglucose uptake by insulin completely but that by pervanadate only partially. On the other hand, both insulin- and pervanadate-stimulated PI 3-kinase activities were inhibited completely by wortmannin (100 nM), suggesting that the pervanadate-induced wortmannin-resistant effect on hexose uptake may be mediated through a PI 3-kinase-independent pathway. This pervanadate-induced wortmannin-resistant effect was abolished by ST-638, a specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor. These data suggest that at least two distinct tyrosine phosphorylation pathways may be involved in the insulin-like effect of pervanadate.

Vanadate inhibition of hepatocytic autophagy. Calcium-modulated and osmolality-modulated antagonism by asparagine

The phosphate analogue vanadate, at 10 mM, strongly (approximately 90%) inhibited the autophagic sequestration of endogenous lactate dehydrogenase in isolated rat hepatocytes. The effect of vanadate was markedly (approximately 80%) antagonized by asparagine (20 mM), and to a lesser extent by glutamine, glycine, and alanine. The antagonism was only observed in the presence of Ca2+ when an isotonic standard incubation medium was used, but by increasing the medium osmolality this Ca2+ requirement could be eliminated. Asparagine induced a cell swelling (17% at 20 mM) that might account for at least part of its vanadate antagonism, since hypotonic cell swelling by itself stimulated autophagy (with a maximal effect at approximately 200 mosM). Conversely, hypertonic media inhibited autophagy and were additive to vanadate. In a strongly hypotonic medium (less than 200 mosM), both asparagine and vanadate were inhibitory. However, since vanadate alone had no effect on cell volume, the vanadate-asparagine antagonism could not be exerted exclusively at the level of cell volume regulation. An additional mechanism might be a partial deamination of asparagine, generating ammonia, which was found to oppose the vanadate inhibition of autophagy while having no effect on cell volume. Other metabolizable amino acids, like alanine and glycine, were moderately vanadate-antagonistic while failing to induce cell swelling. These results are compatible with a vanadate-antagonistic effect of asparagine mediated partly through an unknown mechanism (possibly pH change) by its deamination product, ammonia, partly through cell swelling and a secondary Ca2+ influx that could compensate for a vanadate-induced depletion of intracellular calcium stores.

The role of estradiol receptor in the proliferative activity of vanadate on MCF-7 cells

Vanadate stimulates growth of the estradiol-responsive MCF-7 cells in the absence of estrogens through a mechanism requiring tyrosine kinase activity. The proliferative effect of vanadate is mediated by estradiol receptor, and is inhibited by three antiestrogens, hydroxytamoxifen, ICI 164,384, and ICI 182,780. Estradiol abolishes the inhibitory effect of ICI 164,384 or ICI 182,780. Before stimulating cell proliferation, vanadate induces accumulation of tyrosine phosphorylation in several proteins including estradiol receptor and epidermal growth factor receptor. In addition, vanadate increases the binding activity of the estradiol receptor for its ligand. This is the first evidence of in vivo association between estradiol receptor tyrosine phosphorylation and its hormone-binding activation. Antiestrogens abolish the vanadate effect on estradiol receptor and epidermal growth factor receptor phosphorylation and reduce it on general protein tyrosine phosphorylation. These findings show that vanadate, apparently through estradiol receptor tyrosine phosphorylation, triggers activity of this receptor, which in turn stimulates protein tyrosine phosphorylation and induces cell proliferation.

The effect of aluminum on the vanadium-mediated oxidation of NADH

Aluminum catalyzes the oxidation of NADH by vanadate both in the presence and absence of a reducing sugar. The effect of aluminum is concentration dependent and inhibitable with superoxide dismutase but not catalase. The fructose-6-phosphate-free reaction is characterized by an initial lag phase which can be eliminated by preincubating aluminum with NADH, but is not altered by preincubating aluminum with vanadate, suggesting that the effect of aluminum is not directly on vanadate. Aluminum also catalyzes vanadyl-mediated oxidation of NADH, and this effect is similarly inhibitable by superoxide dismutase as well as catalase. It is suggested that aluminum catalyzes the oxidation of NADH by vanadium though enhancing the production of superoxide radicals and that this effect may account in part of the biological toxicity associated with aluminum, particularly when associated with the accumulation of other trace elements such as vanadium.

Regulation of vascular and gastric smooth muscle contractility by pervanadate

1. The contractile actions of vanadate (VO4) and pervanadate (PV, peroxide(s) of vanadate) were studied in rat gastric longitudinal muscle strips and in aortic rings. The roles of extracellular sodium and calcium were evaluated and the potential effects of nerve-released agonists were considered. The possibility that these responses were due to the potentiation of tyrosine kinase activity, as a result of PV-mediated tyrosine phosphatase inhibition was explored with the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (genistein, tyrphostin) and by Western blot analysis of phosphotyrosyl proteins in PV-treated tissues. The ability of PV to mimic the action of the tyrosine kinase receptor-associated agonist, epidermal growth factor-urogastrone (EGF-Uro), in the gastric preparation was also studied. 2. PV caused concentration-dependent contractions in both gastric and aorta-derived tissues, with a potency that was 1 to 2 orders of magnitude greater than that of VO4. 3. Although repeated exposure of gastric and aortic tissues to a fixed concentration of VO4 caused reproducible contractions in both tissues, repeated exposure of gastric tissue to PV caused an increased contractile response plateauing after 3 exposures. In contrast, a single exposure of aortic tissue to PV (20 microM) caused a prolonged desensitization of the tissue to the subsequent contractile actions of PV or other agonists. 4. The contractile responses to PV were unaffected in both preparations by tetrodotoxin, atropine, yohimbine and phenoxybenzamine; and in the aortic preparation, the responses to VO4 and PV were the same in the presence or absence of a functional endothelium. 5. PV-induced contractions in both tissues were observed in the absence of extracellular sodium but required extracellular calcium and were attenuated by 1 micro M nifedipine.6. In the gastric preparation, the characteristics of the contractile actions of PV paralleled those of EGF-Uro in terms of (1) inhibition by genistein, (2) inhibition by indomethacin and (3) a requirement for extracellular calcium. These response characteristics differed from those of other contractile agonists such as carbachol.7. In both the gastric and aortic preparations genistein was able to inhibit PV-induced contractions selectively without causing comparable inhibition of KCI-induced contractions. Tyrphostin (AG18) also selectively blocked PV-induced contractions in the gastric, but not in the aortic preparation.8. In both the gastric and aortic tissue, in step with an increased contractile response, PV caused increases in tissue phosphotyrosyl protein content, as detected by Western blot analysis using a monoclonal antiphosphotyrosine antibody; the increases in phosphotyrosyl protein content were reduced when tissues were treated with PV at the same time as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor.9 PV, at sub-contractile concentrations, potentiated the contractile action of angiotensin II in both the gastric and aorta tissue.10 We conclude that the growth factor-mimetic agent, PV, is a much more potent contractile agonist than V04 in both vascular and gastric smooth muscle tissue. PV can cause enhanced tissue phosphotyrosyl protein content most likely via the inhibition of tissue protein tyrosine phosphatases. The contractile actions of PV, which require extracelullar calcium and are independent of extracellular sodium, would appear not to be due either to Na+/Ca2" exchange, promoted by Na+/K+-ATPase inhibition or to the inhibition of Ca2+-ATPase and might be best explained by the ability of PV, via tyrosine phosphatase inhibition, to potentiate a tyrosine kinase pathway linked to calcium entry and to the contractile process.

Ca(2+)-independent arachidonic acid release by vascular endothelium requires protein synthesis de novo

We investigated the mechanism by which the G-protein activators aluminium fluoride and vanadate stimulate arachidonic acid release in pig aortic endothelial cells. Our previous study demonstrated a novel Ca(2+)-independent pathway of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activation stimulated by aluminium fluoride in this model. In the present study, we found that sodium metavanadate stimulated a rapid concentration-dependent release of [3H]arachidonic acid from prelabelled cells. A more than 3-fold enhancement of arachidonic acid release was achieved in cells treated with 1 mM vanadate for 20 min. Synthesis of prostaglandin products was similarly enhanced. The release of arachidonic acid was not dependent on the presence of extracellular Ca2+, but did require protein synthesis de novo. Both cycloheximide and actinomycin D completely blocked aluminium fluoride- and vanadate-stimulated arachidonic acid release. Because fluoride and vanadate are known protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors, it is possible that PLA2 activation occurred secondarily to changes in protein tyrosine phosphorylation. Both aluminium fluoride and vanadate stimulated the rapid phosphorylation of 58, 93 and 120 kDa tyrosine-containing protein substrates. However, in contrast with arachidonic acid release, this response was found to be sensitive to the presence of extracellular Ca2+ and insensitive to blockers of protein synthesis de novo. Furthermore H2O2 treatment resulted in rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of the same substrates without a concomitant increase in arachidonic acid release. These results suggest that the effects of aluminium fluoride and vanadate on PLA2 are not due to changes in protein tyrosine phosphorylation, but do require rapid protein synthesis de novo.

Prevention by Tiron (sodium 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonate) of vanadate-induced developmental toxicity in mice

Vanadate is embryotoxic and fetotoxic in golden hamsters, mice and rats. Tiron (sodium 4,5-dihydroxybenzene-1,3-disulfonate), a chelating agent widely used in analytical chemistry, is an effective antidote in the treatment of oral or parenteral vanadate poisoning. The present study evaluated the effect of administration of Tiron on sodium metavanadate (NaVO3)-induced developmental toxicity in mice. NaVO3 (25 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected on day 12 of gestation, whereas Tiron was injected subcutaneously at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hr after NaVO3 administration. Tiron effectiveness was assessed at dosage levels of 0, 250, 500, and 1,000 mg/kg. Cesarean sections were performed on gestation day 18. All live fetuses were examined for external, internal, and skeletal malformations and variations. Amelioration by Tiron of NaVO3 developmental toxicity was evidenced by a significant decrease in the number of resorbed fetuses, an increase in the mean fetal weight, and a reduction in the incidence of the skeletal variations caused by NaVO3. According to these results, Tiron offers encouragement with regard to its therapeutic potential for pregnant women exposed to vanadate. However, further investigations, including the effect of increasing the time interval between acute vanadate exposure and initiation of Tiron therapy, are required.

Ca(2+)-independent contraction of uterine smooth muscle induced by vanadate and its inhibition by Ca2+

Vanadate, 30 microM, contracts uterine smooth muscle of estrogen-dominated non-pregnant rats in Ca(2+)-free medium after preincubation with 3 mM EGTA. In spite of the phosphorylation of the myosin light chain during this contraction, studies with fura-2 suggested that this contraction was not accompanied by an increase in the cytosolic Ca2+ level. Inhibitors of the myosin light chain kinase and protein kinase C partly inhibited this contraction. Vanadate seems to enter the cell through anion channels to inhibit phosphatases, resulting in phosphorylation via basal activities of the myosin light chain kinase and protein kinase C. An increase in the cytosolic free Ca2+ level resulted in relaxation of the contracting muscle in the same manner as in the oxytocin-induced Ca(2+)-free contraction.

Tiron administration minimizes the toxicity of vanadate but not its insulin mimetic properties in diabetic rats

Although it has been reported that vanadate is effective in diminishing the expression of diabetes in the rat, the severe toxic side effects noted in the vanadate-treated animals suggest that chronic oral administration of vanadate argues against its use in human diabetes. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the chelator Tiron on the mobilization of vanadium after administration of sodium metavanadate in the drinking water (0.20 mg/ml) of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats for 35 days. Intraperitoneal treatment with Tiron (300 or 600 mg/kg) was initiated after three weeks of vanadate administration and continued for two weeks. The ameliorative effects of vanadium with respect to diabetes were not diminished by the administration of Tiron, but the accumulation of vanadium in kidney and bone was significantly decreased in the Tiron-treated groups and diabetes associated increases in serum GOT, GPT and cholesterol were diminished with Tiron treatment. It is concluded that the coadministration of metavanadate and Tiron may be of potential value for treatment of diabetes mellitus.

Effect of antioxidants on vanadate-induced toxicity towards isolated perfused rat livers

The effect of trolox C, a water soluble vitamin E analogue, propyl gallate and ascorbate on vanadate hepatotoxicity was investigated in vitro. In isolated perfused livers from fasted rats, sodium orthovanadate (2 mmol/l) led to toxic responses including reduction of oxygen consumption, release of cytosolic (glutamate-pyruvate-transaminase (GPT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)) and mitochondrial (glutamate-dehydrogenase (GLDH)) enzymes, intracellular accumulation of calcium, a marked depletion of glutathione (GSH) and an enhanced formation and release of thiobarbituric acid- (TBA) reactive material. Trolox C and propyl gallate inhibited the release of GPT and LDH partially and that of GLDH totally, but had no influence on vanadate-induced calcium accumulation or on the reduction of oxygen consumption. Both agents suppressed vanadate-induced lipid peroxidation (LPO) and partially prevented GSH depletion. Ascorbate failed to provide any protection probably due to the interference of its pro-oxidant potential with its antioxidant activity. The protection, mainly of mitochondria, afforded by those agents which also inhibited LPO substantiates our previous findings that the pro-oxidant activity of vanadate is mainly responsible for its direct hepatotoxic actions [2]. Besides, reduction of organ perfusion rate due to vasoconstriction also contributes to vanadate toxicity, but oxidative stress is not involved in this indirect toxic activity.

Mechanisms involved in the effects of phenidone, diclofenac and ethacrynic acid in rat uterus in vitro

1. The effects of phenidone (P, 10(-4)-10(-3) M), sodium diclofenac (D, 10(-5)-10(-4) M) and ethacrynic acid (E, 10(-5)-10(-4) M), proposed as inhibitors of eicosanoid synthesis, on the contractions of rat uterus induced by several agonists have been studied. 2. P, D and E inhibit the motility induced by oxytocin (4 mU/ml) (IC50: 4.62 x 10(-4), 2.55 x 10(-4) and 2.98 x 10(-5) M, respectively). 3. P (10(-3) M), D (10(-4) M) and E (10(-4) M) also inhibit the contraction induced by methacholine (10(-5) M), prostaglandin F2a (10(-6) M) and CaCl2 (6 mM), and relaxed, in a dose-dependent way, the tonic component of contraction to KCl (60 mM) (IC50: 5.81 x 10(-4), 6.67 x 10(-5) and 7.55 x 10(-5) M, respectively). 4. The CaCl2 (0.1-10 mM) reverted the relaxation of KCl contraction produced by P, but not by D or E. None of the inhibitions on CaCl2 (6 mM) are reverted by Bay K 8644. 5. D and E also relaxed the tonic contraction to vanadate (10(-4) M) in uterus incubated in calcium free solution P, enhances the vanadate-induced contractions.

Vanadyl causes hydroxyl radical mediated degradation of deoxyribose

Vanadyl caused a time- and dose-dependent degradation of deoxyribose to carbonyl products detectable with thiobarbituric acid. This process was inhibited by catalase, ethanol or HEPES; whereas superoxide dismutase was without effect. Vanadate did not substitute for vanadyl even in the presence of a source of O2- plus H2O2; but it did so in the presence of reductants such as thiols or NADH. It appears that hydrogen peroxide, generated by the autoxidation of vanadyl, is reduced by vanadyl to the hydroxyl radical; which, in turn, was responsible for the degradation of deoxyribose. A similar process might contribute to the toxic and pharmacological effects of vanadium salts.

Superoxide is responsible for the vanadate stimulation of NAD(P)H oxidation by biological membranes

Vandate augments the oxidation of NAD(P)H, but not of NMNH, by rat liver microsomes. Paraquat increases the vanadate effect on NADPH, but not on NADH, oxidation. Substoichiometric levels of NADPH caused the co-oxidation of NADH or NMNH and SOD inhibited in all cases. The ratio of NADH or NMNH co-oxidized per NADPH added allowed estimation of average chain length, which increased as the pH was lowered from 8.0 to 7.1. The initial rate of this co-oxidation of NMNH was a saturating function of the concentration of microsomes, reflecting a decrease in chain length with an increase in number of concomitant reaction chains, and due to increasing radical-radical termination reactions. Mitochondrial outer membranes behaved like the microsomal membranes, but mitochondrial inner membranes catalyzed a rapid oxidation of NADH which could be augmented by vanadate, whose action was enhanced by paraquat and inhibited by antimycin or rotenone. These and related observations support the view that vanadate stimulates NAD(P)H oxidation by biological membranes, not by virtue of interacting with enzymes, but rather by interacting with O-2.

Antagonistic action of reductants against vanadate-induced EP decrease

The antagonistic action of ascorbic acid or glutathione against vanadate was studied by observing changes in EP in guinea pig cochlea. After intravenous injection of ascorbic acid or glutathione, the EP decrease induced by perfusion of the perilymphatic space with vanadate solution was suppressed and the EP showed a remarkable recovery in some animals. Intravenous preadministration of either of the two compounds inhibited or prevented the vanadate-induced EP decrease. When ascorbic acid or glutathione was added to the vanadate solution, the EP decrease was also inhibited. The chemical action of both reductants against vanadate is discussed. From the results obtained, it is speculated that a chemical balance between some oxidants and reductants in the stria vascularis, must be kept constant in order to maintain the EP at a constant potential level.