8-bromocyclic-gmp and 6-anilino-5-8-quinolinedione

Here, α-Amy2/54 gene expression was used as a molecular probe to investigate the interrelationship among nitric oxide (NO), cyclic GMP (cGMP), and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in GA-treated wheat aleurone layers. The inducible expressions of α-Amy2/54 and α-amylase activity were respectively amplified by two NO-releasing compounds, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and spermine NONOate, in a GA-dependent fashion. Similar responses were observed when an inducer of HO-1, hemin-or one of its catalytic products, carbon monoxide (CO) in aqueous solution-was respectively added. The SNP-induced responses, mimicked by 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cGMP), a cGMP derivative, were NO-dependent. This conclusion was supported by the fact that endogenous NO overproduction was rapidly induced by SNP, and thereafter induction of α-Amy2/54 gene expression and increased α-amylase activity were sensitive to the NO scavenger. We further observed that the above induction triggered by SNP and 8-Br-cGMP was partially prevented by zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPPIX), an inhibitor of HO-1. These blocking effects were clearly reversed by CO, confirming that the above response was HO-1-specific. Further analyses showed that both SNP and 8-Br-cGMP rapidly up-regulated HO-1 gene expression and increased HO activity, and SNP responses were sensitive to cPTIO and the guanylate cyclase inhibitor 6-anilino-5,8-quinolinedione (LY83583). Molecular evidence confirmed that GA-induced GAMYB and ABA-triggered PKABA1 transcripts were up-regulated or down-regulated by SNP, 8-Br-cGMP or CO cotreated with GA. Contrasting changes were observed when cPTIO, LY83583, or ZnPPIX was added. Together, our results suggested that HO-1 is involved in NO- and cGMP-induced α-Amy2/54 gene expression in GA-treated aleurone layers.

Topics: alpha-Amylases; Aminoquinolines; Benzoates; Carbon Monoxide; Cyclic GMP; Enzyme Inhibitors; Gene Expression; Genes, Plant; Gibberellins; Guanylate Cyclase; Heme Oxygenase-1; Imidazoles; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Donors; Nitroprusside; Plant Growth Regulators; Plant Proteins; Protoporphyrins; Signal Transduction; Spermine; Triticum

The regulation of sperm capacitation is important for successful fertilization. Ginsenosides, the biologically effective components of ginseng, have been found to enhance intracellular nitric oxide (NO) production and the latter has recently been indicated to play a significant role in modulation of sperm functions. We investigated the effect of Ginsenoside Re on human sperm capacitation in vitro and the mechanism by which the Ginsenosides play their roles. Spermatozoa were separated by Percoll and incubated with 0, 1, 10, or 100 microM of Ginsenoside Re. The percentages of spontaneous and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC)-induced acrosome reaction (AR), as a measure of sperm capacitation, were assayed with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated Pisum sativum agglutinin (FITC-PSA). The intracellular cGMP level was measured by [(3)H] cGMP radioimmunoassay system. The results showed that the percentages of both spontaneous and LPC-induced AR and intracellular cGMP level were significantly enhanced by Ginsenoside Re with a concentration-dependent manner. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 100 nM), a NO donor, mimicked the effects of Ginsenoside Re. And pretreatment with a NOS inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 microM) or a NO scavenger N-acetyl-l-cysteine (LNAC, 1 mM) completely blocked the effects of Ginsenoside Re. Furthermore, the AR-inducing effect of Ginsenoside Re was significantly reduced in the presence of the soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor LY83583 or cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PCK) inhibitor KT5823, whereas addition of the cGMP analogue 8-Br-cGMP significantly increased the AR of human spermatozoa. Data suggested that Ginsenoside Re is beneficial to sperm capacitation and AR, and that the effect is accomplished through NO/cGMP/PKG pathway.

Topics: Acrosome Reaction; Adult; Aminoquinolines; Carbazoles; Cyclic GMP; Ginsenosides; Humans; Indoles; Male; Nitric Oxide; Signal Transduction; Sperm Capacitation; Spermatozoa

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule in the CNS, regulating neuronal survival, proliferation and differentiation. Here, we explored the mechanism by which NO, produced from the NO donor S-nitroso-acetyl-d-l-penicillamine (SNAP), exerts its neuroprotective effect in purified cultures of chick retinal neurons. Cultures prepared from 8-day-old chick embryo retinas and incubated for 24 h (1 day in culture, C1) were treated or not with SNAP, incubated for a further 72 h (up to 4 days in culture, C4), fixed, and the number of cells estimated, or processed for cell death estimation, by measuring the reduction of the metabolic dye 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). Experimental cultures were run in parallel but were re-fed with fresh medium in the absence or presence of SNAP at culture day 3 (C3), incubated for a further 24 h up to C4, then fixed or processed for the MTT assay. Previous studies showed that the re-feeding procedure promotes extensive cell death. SNAP prevented this death in a concentration- and time-dependent manner through the activation of soluble guanylate cyclase; this protection was significantly reversed by the enzyme inhibitors 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo-[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) or LY83583, and mimicked by 8-bromo cyclic guanosine 5'-phosphate (8Br-cGMP) (GMP) or 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzyl indazole (YC-1), guanylate cyclase activators. The effect was blocked by the NO scavenger 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO). The effect of NO was also suppressed by LY294002, Wortmannin, PD98059, KN93 or H89, indicating the involvement, respectively, of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase, extracellular-regulated kinases, calmodulin-dependent kinases and protein kinase A signaling pathways. NO also induced a significant increase of neurite outgrowth, indicative of neuronal differentiation, and blocked cell death induced by hydrogen peroxide. Cyclosporin A, an inhibitor of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore considered an important mediator of apoptosis and necrosis, as well as boc-aspartyl (OMe) fluoromethylketone (BAF), a caspase inhibitor, also blocked cell death induced by re-feeding the cultures. These findings demonstrate that NO inhibits apoptosis of retinal neurons in a cGMP/protein kinase G (PKG)-dependent way, and strengthens the notion that NO plays an important role during CNS development.

Topics: Adenosine; Aminoquinolines; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Cell Survival; Cells, Cultured; Chick Embryo; Cyclic GMP; Cyclic N-Oxides; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Interactions; Enzyme Inhibitors; Free Radical Scavengers; Imidazoles; Neurons; Nitrates; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Donors; Nitrites; Penicillamine; Retina; Signal Transduction; Tetrazolium Salts; Thiazoles; Tritium

Natriuretic peptides (NPs) are a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) generation system like nitric oxide (NO) and play an inhibitory regulation in gastrointestinal motility but the effect of NPs on muscarinic activity is still unclear. This study was designed to investigate effect of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) on muscarinic control of gastric motility and its ion channel mechanism. The spontaneous contraction of gastric smooth muscle strip was recorded by using physiograph in guinea-pig. Membrane currents and potential were recorded by using whole-cell patch-clamp technique. CNP significantly inhibited muscarinic M receptor agonist carbachol (Cch)-induced contractions of gastric smooth muscle strips and dramatically hyperpolarized Cch-induced depolarization of membrane potential in gastric single smooth muscle cell. Muscarinic currents induced by both Cch and GTPgammaS, a G-protein agonist were significantly suppressed by CNP. 8-Br-cGMP mimicked the effect of CNP on Cch-induced muscarinic currents, and the peak holding current was decreased from -200.66+/-54.35 pA of control to -67.35+/-24.82 pA. LY83583, a guanylate cyclase nonspecific inhibitor, significantly weakened the inhibitory effect of CNP on muscarinic current while zaprinast, a cGMP sensitive phosphoesterase inhibitor, potentiated the inhibitory effect of CNP on muscarinic current. cGMP production was dramatically enhanced by CNP and this effect was suppressed by LY83583 in gastric smooth muscle. These results suggest that CNP modulates muscarinic activity via CNP-NPR-particulate guanylate cyclase (pGC)-cGMP pathway in guinea-pig.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Carbachol; Cholinergic Agonists; Cyclic GMP; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Gastric Mucosa; Guanosine 5'-O-(3-Thiotriphosphate); Guinea Pigs; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Membrane Potentials; Muscle, Smooth; Natriuretic Peptide, C-Type; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Stomach

Pig oocytes matured in vitro were parthenogenetically activated (78%) after treatment with 2 mM nitric oxide-donor (+/-)-S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) for 24 h. Inhibition of soluble guanylyl cyclase with the specific inhibitors 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) or 6-anilino-5,8-quinolinequinone (LY83583) suppressed the SNAP-induced activation in a dose-dependent manner (23% of activated oocytes after treatment with 400 microM ODQ; 12% of activated oocytes after treatment with 40 microM LY83583). 8-Bromo-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (8-Br-cGMP), a phosphodiesterase-resistant analogue of cGMP, enhances the effect of suboptimal doses (0.1 or 0.5 mM) of the NO donor SNAP. DT3, a specific inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG, PKG), is also able to inhibit the activation of pig oocytes after NO donor treatment. Involvement of the cGMP-dependent signalling pathway is specific for NO-induced oocyte activation, because both the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor ODQ and the PKG inhibitor DT3 are unable to inhibit activation in oocytes treated with the calcium ionophore A23187. These data indicate that the activation of pig oocytes with an NO donor is cGMP-dependent and that PKG plays an important role in this mode of oocyte activation.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cell Membrane Permeability; Cyclic GMP; Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; Digitoxin; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Enzyme Activation; Guanylate Cyclase; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Oocytes; Oxadiazoles; Penicillamine; Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Quinoxalines; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; Signal Transduction; Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase; Swine

Cyclic GMP is the second messenger that mediates most of the neuronal effects of nitric oxide (NO). Several lines of evidence suggest that NO-ergic mechanisms play an integral role in the regulation of vigilance. In the present study, we tested the effects of the activation of cGMP-receptive mechanisms and the inhibitor of guanylyl cyclase (GC), LY-83,583, on sleep in rats. Rats were injected intracerebroventricularly (icv) with 0.16, 4, 100, and 500 microg or 2.5 mg 8-Br-cGMP, a membrane-permeable analogue of cGMP, or 1 and 100 microg LY-83,583. Administration of 4 microg-2.5 mg 8-Br-cGMP increased wakefulness and suppressed rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS) and non-REMS (NREMS) in rats when given before dark onset but not when given before the light period. The GC inhibitor LY-83,583 strongly promoted NREMS and suppressed REMS during the light period of the day. Furthermore, LY-83,583 induced striking increases in the delta-wave activity of the electroencephalogram (EEG) during NREMS, whereas EEG activity above the 4.5 Hz wave range was suppressed in all vigilance states. Our finding that cGMP has an arousal-promoting activity is in line with the hypothesis that NO/cGMP signaling pathway is involved in the regulation of vigilance.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Attention; Circadian Rhythm; Cyclic GMP; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Electroencephalography; Electromyography; Enzyme Inhibitors; Guanylate Cyclase; Injections, Intraventricular; Male; Nitric Oxide; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Second Messenger Systems; Sleep Stages; Wakefulness

We established previously that nitric oxide (NO) in the hippocampal formation (HF) participates actively in negative feedback regulation of penile erection. This study further evaluated whether this process engaged soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC)/cGMP cascade or peroxynitrite in the HF. Intracavernous pressure (ICP) recorded from the penis in adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats anesthetized with chloral hydrate was employed as our experimental index for penile erection. Microinjection bilaterally of a NO-independent sGC activator, YC-1 (0.1 or 1 nmol) or a cGMP analog, 8-Bromo-cGMP (0.1 or 1 nmol), into the HF elicited a significant reduction in baseline ICP. Bilateral application into the HF of equimolar doses (0.5 or 1 nmol) of a sGC inhibitor, LY83583 or a NO-sensitive sGC inhibitor, ODQ significantly antagonized the decrease in baseline ICP induced by co-administration of the NO precursor, L-arginine (5 nmol), along with significant enhancement of the magnitude of papaverine-induced elevation in ICP. In contrast, a peroxynitrite scavenger, L-cysteine (50 or 100 pmol), or an active peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(N-methyl-4'-pyridyl)-porphyrinato iron (III) (10 or 50 pmol), was ineffective in both events. These results suggest that NO may participate in negative feedback regulation of penile erection by activating the sGC/cGMP cascade in the HF selectively.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cyclic GMP; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Interactions; Enzyme Activators; Enzyme Inhibitors; Feedback; Hippocampus; Indazoles; Male; Microinjections; Nitric Oxide; Penile Erection; Peroxynitrous Acid; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Venous Pressure

Neuronal death is a prominent neuropathological component of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Identification of molecular agents and pathways that can ameliorate alcohol-induced cell loss offers possible therapeutic strategies for FAS and potential insight into its pathogenesis. This study investigated the effects of growth factors on cellular survival in alcohol-exposed cerebellar granule cell (CGC) cultures and examined the role of the nitric oxide (NO)-cGMP-PKG (cGMP-dependent protein kinase) pathway in the cell survival-promoting effects of these growth factors. Primary CGC cultures were exposed to 0 or 400 mg/dl ethanol, accompanied by either no growth factor or 30 ng/ml fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), nerve growth factor (NGF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) or epidermal growth factor (EGF). Viable neurons were quantified after 1 day of exposure. Two distinct types of cell survival-promoting effects of growth factors were detectable: (1) a neurotrophic effect, in which the growth factors diminished the background death of neurons that occurred in alcohol-free cultures; and (2) a neuroprotective effect, in which the growth factors diminished alcohol-induced cell death. The various growth factors differed markedly in their patterns of cell survival promotion. While BDNF and FGF-2 exerted both a neurotrophic and a neuroprotective effect, IGF-1 had only a neurotrophic effect and did not protect against alcohol toxicity, and NGF had only a neuroprotective effect and did not diminish background cell death. EGF had neither a neurotrophic nor a neuroprotective effect. In order to determine the role of the NO-cGMP-PKG pathway in the cell survival-promoting effects mediated by growth factors, cultures were exposed to one of several pharmacological inhibitors of the pathway, including NAME, LY83583 and PKG inhibitor. The cell survival-promoting effects of FGF-2, NGF and IGF-1 were all substantially reduced by each of the pathway inhibitors. In contrast, neither the neurotrophic nor the neuroprotective effects of BDNF were altered by any of the pathway inhibitors. Thus, growth factors differ in their patterns of neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects, and they differ in their reliance on the NO-cGMP-PKG pathway. While FGF-2, NGF and IGF-1 all signal their survival-promoting effects through the NO-cGMP-PKG pathway, BDNF does not rely upon this pathway for signal transduction in CGC cultures.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Cells, Cultured; Cerebellum; Cyclic GMP; Ethanol; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; Hydrazines; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; Neurons; Neuroprotective Agents; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Nitroso Compounds; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Embryos of Helisoma trivolvis exhibit cilia-driven rotation within the egg capsule during development. In this study we examined whether nitric oxide (NO) is a physiological regulator of ciliary beating in cultured ciliary cells. The NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP; 1-1,000 microM) produced a dose-dependent increase in ciliary beat frequency (CBF). In contrast, the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor 7-nitroindazole (10 and 100 microM) inhibited the basal CBF and blocked the stimulatory effects of serotonin (100 microM). NO production in response to serotonin was investigated with 4,5-diaminofluorescein diacetate imaging. Although SNAP (100 microM) produced a rise in NO levels in all cells, only 22% of cells responded to serotonin with a moderate increase. The cGMP analog 8-bromo-cGMP (8-Br-cGMP; 0.2 and 2 mM) increased CBF, and the soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor LY-83583 (10 microM) blocked the cilioexcitatory effects of SNAP and serotonin. These data suggest that NO has a constitutive cilioexcitatory effect in Helisoma embryos and that the stimulatory effects of serotonin and NO work through a cGMP pathway. It appears that in Helisoma cilia, NO activity is necessary, but not sufficient, to fully mediate the cilioexcitatory action of serotonin.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cells, Cultured; Cilia; Cyclic GMP; Guanylate Cyclase; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Donors; Penicillamine; Serotonin; Snails

Dysregulation of extracellular matrix turnover is an important feature of many inflammatory processes. Rat renal mesangial cells express high levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in response to inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta. We demonstrate that NO does strongly destabilize MMP-9 mRNA, since different luciferase reporter gene constructs containing the MMP-9 3' untranslated region (UTR) displayed significant reduced luciferase activity in response to the presence of NO. Moreover, by use of an in vitro degradation assay we found that the cytoplasmic fractions of NO-treated cells contained a higher capacity to degrade MMP-9 transcripts than those obtained from control cells. An RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that three of four putative AU-rich elements present in the 3' UTR of MMP-9 were constitutively occupied by the mRNA-stabilizing factor HuR and that the RNA binding was strongly attenuated by the presence of NO. The addition of recombinant glutathione transferase-HuR prevented the rapid decay of MMP-9 mRNA, whereas the addition of a neutralizing anti-HuR antibody caused an acceleration of MMP-9 mRNA degradation. Furthermore, the expression of HuR mRNA and protein was significantly reduced by exogenously and endogenously produced NO. These inhibitory effects were mimicked by the cGMP analog 8-bromo-cGMP and reversed by LY-83583, an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase. These results demonstrate that NO acts in a cGMP-dependent mechanism to inhibit the expression level of HuR, thereby reducing the stability of MMP-9 mRNA.

Topics: 3' Untranslated Regions; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Antigens, Surface; Base Sequence; Cells, Cultured; Cyclic GMP; Cytoplasm; Dactinomycin; ELAV Proteins; ELAV-Like Protein 1; Enzyme Inhibitors; Gene Expression; Guanylate Cyclase; Interleukin-1; Kidney; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Molecular Mimicry; Molecular Sequence Data; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Donors; Nitroso Compounds; Rats; Recombinant Proteins; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; Ribonucleoproteins; RNA Stability; RNA-Binding Proteins; RNA, Messenger

Our previous studies have shown that the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis with drugs administered either by systemic or ICV routes blocks the development of tolerance to some of the effects of ethanol.. The aim of this study was to further investigate the role of NO-dependent pathways in tolerance to the incoordinating effect of ethanol through ICV administration of drugs that activate or interfere with NO-dependent pathways.. Male Wistar rats were pretreated with IP ethanol (2.7 g/ kg) or saline before receiving ICV injections of the soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) inhibitors methylene blue (30 nmol), 6(phenylamino)-5,8-quinolinedione (LY83583, 10 nmol), 1H-(1,2,4)-oxodiazolo (4,3-a)quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ, 1 nmol), and 4H-8-bromo-1,2,4-oxadiazolo (3,4-d)benz(b)(1,4)oxazin-1-one (NS2028, 10 nmol), or the respective control solutions. The animals were tested on the tilt plane apparatus. Tolerance was assessed 24 h after the first ethanol injection, by administering ethanol to all animals and re-testing them on the tilt plane. The effects of the cyclic guanylate 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) analogue, 8-bromo-cGMP (40 nmol or 80 nmol) and of the NO donors S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP, 40 or 80 nmol) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 40 or 80 nmol) were also studied.. All sGC inhibitors significantly blocked rapid tolerance, whereas SNP (40 nmol) and 8-bromo-cGMP (80 nmol) increased the magnitude of ethanol tolerance (ANOVA+Tukey's test).. The present results suggest that activation or inhibition of NO-dependent pathways increases or blocks rapid tolerance, respectively. These results give additional support to the hypothesis that brain NO plays a role in the development of tolerance to ethanol, but it remains to be confirmed if the same basic cellular mechanisms are also applicable to tolerance to other behavioural and/or physiological effects of this drug.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cyclic GMP; Drug Tolerance; Enzyme Inhibitors; Ethanol; Guanylate Cyclase; Male; Motor Activity; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Oxadiazoles; Quinoxalines; Rats; Rats, Wistar

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cyclic GMP; Enzyme Inhibitors; Guanylate Cyclase; Isometric Contraction; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Nitric Oxide; Oculomotor Muscles; Rats; Rats, Inbred Lew

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of nitric oxide in the vasorelaxant effect of magnesium sulfate during pregnancy.. Segments of 3 mm of the aorta, with or without intact endothelium, from 16- or 22-day-pregnant rats were mounted in organ chambers with standard Krebs solution or low-magnesium Krebs solution for measurement of isometric tension. The rings were contracted with phenylephrine, and cumulative concentration-response curves for magnesium were determined after incubation with various inhibitors.. Magnesium relaxed the aortic rings from pregnant rats in a concentration-dependent manner. The relaxation was significantly lower on day 22 of gestation than on day 16 of gestation. Removal of the endothelium or incubation with 10(-4)-mol/L N omega-nitro-L -arginine methyl ester (a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor), 10(-5)-mol/L 6-anilino-5,8-quinolinedione (a guanylate cyclase inhibitor), or 10(-5)-mol/L indomethacin (a cyclooxygenase inhibitor) significantly decreased the relaxant effect of magnesium on aortic rings from 16-day-pregnant but not 22-day-pregnant rats. Treatment with minimally effective concentrations of a nitric oxide donor (3 x 10(-10)-mol/L sodium nitroprusside) or a cyclic guanosine monophosphate analog (10(-6)-mol/L 8-bromo-cyclic guanosine monophosphate) restored the response to magnesium.. The relaxant effect of magnesium on rat aortic rings was dependent on both endothelium and gestational age and was lower at term than during late pregnancy. The endothelium appears to potentiate the vasorelaxant effects of magnesium through the nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate and cyclooxygenase systems.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Aorta, Thoracic; Calcium Channel Blockers; Cyclic GMP; Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; Endothelium, Vascular; Enzyme Inhibitors; Female; Gestational Age; In Vitro Techniques; Indomethacin; Isometric Contraction; Magnesium Sulfate; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Nitric Oxide; Nitroprusside; Pregnancy; Pregnancy, Animal; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Vasodilation; Vasodilator Agents

Nitric oxide (NO) has been recently shown to modulate in vitro motility, viability, the acrosome reaction (AR), and metabolism of spermatozoa in various mammalian species, but the mechanism or mechanisms through which it influences sperm functions has not been clarified. In human capacitated spermatozoa, both the intracellular cGMP level and the percentage of AR-positive cells were significantly increased after 4 h of incubation with the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP). SNP-induced AR was significantly reduced in the presence of the soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) inhibitors, LY83583 and ODQ; this block was bypassed by adding 8-bromo-cGMP, a cell-permeating cGMP analogue, to the incubation medium. Finally, Rp-8-Br-cGMPS and Rp-8-pCPT-cGMPS, two inhibitors of the cGMP-dependent protein kinases (PKGs), inhibited the SNP-induced AR. Furthermore, SNP-induced AR did not occur in Ca2+ -free medium or in the presence of the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, calphostin C. This study suggests that the AR-inducing effect of exogenous NO on capacitated human spermatozoa is accomplished via stimulation of an NO-sensitive sGC, cGMP synthesis, and PKG activation. In this effect the activation of PKC is also involved, and the presence of extracellular Ca2+ is required.

Topics: Acrosome Reaction; Aminoquinolines; Calcium; Cyclic GMP; Enzyme Inhibitors; Guanylate Cyclase; Humans; Male; Naphthalenes; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Donors; Nitroprusside; Oxadiazoles; Protein Kinase C; Quinoxalines; Signal Transduction; Sperm Capacitation; Spermatozoa

Rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) express at least two mRNAs for K-Cl cotransporters (KCC): KCC1 and KCC3. cGMP-dependent protein kinase I regulates KCC3 mRNA expression in these cells. Here, we show evidence implicating the nitric oxide (NO)/cGMP signaling pathway in the expression of KCC1 mRNA, considered to be the major cell volume regulator. VSMCs, expressing soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) and PKG-I isoforms showed a time- and concentration-dependent increase in KCC1 mRNA levels after treatment with sodium nitroprusside as demonstrated by semiquantitative RT-PCR. sGC-dependent regulation of KCC1 mRNA expression was confirmed using YC-1, a NO-independent sGC stimulator. The sGC inhibitor LY83583 blocked the effects of sodium nitroprusside and YC-1. Moreover, 8-Br-cGMP increased KCC1 mRNA expression in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion. The 8-Br-cGMP effect was partially blocked by KT5823 but not by actinomycin D. However, actinomycin D and cycloheximide increased basal KCC1 mRNA in an additive manner, suggesting different mechanisms of action for both drugs. These findings suggest that in VSMCs, the NO/cGMP-signaling pathway participates in KCC1 mRNA regulation at the post-transcriptional level.

Topics: Alkaloids; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Biological Transport; Carbazoles; Cells, Cultured; Cyclic GMP; Cycloheximide; Dactinomycin; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Enzyme Inhibitors; Indoles; K Cl- Cotransporters; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Nitric Oxide; Nitroprusside; Rats; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction; Symporters; Time Factors

The intracellular signaling pathways mediating the nuclear exclusion of the androgen receptor (AR) by melatonin were evaluated in PC3 cells stably transfected with the AR. The melatonin-induced nuclear exclusion of the AR by melatonin (100 nM, 3 h) was blocked by LY 83583 (an inhibitor of guanylyl cyclases). 8-Bromo-cGMP (a cell-permeable cGMP analog), mimicked the effect of melatonin, as did ionomycin (a calcium ionophore) and PMA [an activator of protein kinase C (PKC)], and their effects were blocked by GF- 109203X (a selective PKC inhibitor). BAPTA (an intracellular calcium chelator) blocked the effects of melatonin and 8-bromo-cGMP but not of PMA. Inhibition or activation of the protein kinase A pathway did not affect basal or melatonin-mediated AR localization. We conclude that the melatonin-mediated rise in cGMP elicits AR nuclear exclusion via a pathway involving increased intracellular calcium and PKC activation. These results define a novel signaling pathway that regulates AR localization and androgen responses in target cells.

Topics: Active Transport, Cell Nucleus; Aminoquinolines; Antineoplastic Agents; Cell Nucleus; Chelating Agents; Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; Cyclic GMP; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Enzyme Activators; Enzyme Inhibitors; Humans; Ionophores; Male; Melatonin; Prostatic Neoplasms; Protein Kinase C; Receptors, Androgen; Signal Transduction; Transfection; Tumor Cells, Cultured

We have shown that leukocytes retract their pseudopods and detach from substrates after exposure to physiological fluid shear stresses ( approximately 1.5 dyn/cm(2)). In inflammation, however, pseudopod projection during spreading and firm adhesion on endothelium is observed even in microvessels with normal blood flow and fluid shear stresses. Thus, we examined mechanisms that may serve to regulate the shear stress response of circulating leukocytes. In the presence of inflammatory mediators (platelet-activating factor [PAF] f-met-leu-phe), a subgroup of cells ceases to respond to shear stress. cGMP analogs and nitric oxide (NO) donors enhance the shear stress response and reverse the inhibitory effect of inflammatory mediators on the shear stress response, whereas depletion of cGMP leads to cessation of the shear stress response even in unstimulated leukocytes. The ability of cGMP to enhance the shear stress response is not associated with CD18 expression, because cGMP has no effect on CD18 expression in response to shear stress. The shear stress response of leukocytes in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (-/-) mice, in which NO level in blood is decreased, is attenuated compared with that in wild-type mice. In rat mesentery venules stimulated by PAF under normal blood flow, a cGMP analog diminishes pseudopod projection of leukocytes, whereas inhibition of NO leads to enhanced pseudopod projection and spreading. The evidence suggests that inflammatory mediators suppress the shear stress response of leukocytes leading to spreading even under normal physiological shear stress, whereas cGMP may serve to maintain shear stress response even in inflammation.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cell Adhesion; Cyclic GMP; Humans; In Vitro Techniques; Leukocytes; Methylene Blue; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine; Nitric Oxide Donors; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; Platelet Activating Factor; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Stress, Physiological

Treatment of cultured human cervical epithelia on filters with 17beta-estradiol increases paracellular permeability in a time- and dose-related manner (EC50, 1.1 nM). The objective of the present study was to understand the molecular mechanisms of estrogen action. In cultured human cervical epithelial cells the nitric oxide (NO) donors sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and N-[ethoxycarbonyl]-3-[4-morpholinyl]sydnoneimine (SIN-I) and the cell-permeable cGMP analog 8-bromo-cGMP (8-Br-cGMP) increased paracellular permeability. In estrogen-treated cells SNP and 8-Br-cGMP increased permeability to a lesser degree than in estrogen-deprived cells, suggesting that NO and cGMP mediate the effect of estrogen on permeability. Tamoxifen blocked the estrogen-induced increase in permeability, but it had no effect on increases in permeability that were induced by SNP or by 8-Br-cGMP. LY-83583 (blocker of guanylate cyclase) attenuated the effect of SNP, whereas KT-5823 (blocker of cGMP-dependent protein kinase) abrogated the effects of both SNP and 8-Br-cGMP. Treatment with 17beta-estradiol increased NO release and cellular cGMP in a dose-related manner (EC50, approximately 1 nM), and the effects were inhibited by tamoxifen. Treatment with SNP increased cGMP maximally, even in estrogen-deficient cells. LY-83583 blocked the estrogen-induced increase in cGMP, but neither LY-83583 nor KT-5823 had a significant effect on the estrogen-induced increases in NO release and cellular cGMP. The NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester decreased NO release, and pretreatment of cells with L-arginine reversed the effect. Cultured human cervical epithelial cells express messenger RNA for the NOS isoforms endothelial NOS (ecNOS), brain NOS, and inducible NOS. 17beta-Estradiol up-regulated ecNOS messenger RNA, and tamoxifen blocked the effect. Based on these results we suggest that the effect of estradiol on permeability involves four signaling steps: 1) activation of estrogen receptors, 2) increase in ecNOS transcription and up-regulation of NO activity, 3) NO activation of guanylate cyclase and increase in cGMP, and 4) cGMP activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase.

Topics: Alkaloids; Aminoquinolines; Carbazoles; Cell Membrane Permeability; Cells, Cultured; Cervix Uteri; Cyclic GMP; Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; Densitometry; Enzyme Inhibitors; Epithelial Cells; Estradiol; Estrogens; Female; Humans; Indoles; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; Nitroprusside; Up-Regulation

Nitric oxide (NO) is believed to play an important, but as yet undefined, role in regulating hypoxia inducible gene expression. Recently, we have reported evidence suggesting that the human insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) gene is directly regulated by hypoxia through the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 pathway. The goal of the current study was to investigate NO regulation of hypoxic induction of IGFBP-1 gene expression using HepG2 cells, a model system of hepatic gene expression. We report that a NO generator, sodium nitroprusside, significantly diminishes hypoxic activation of IGFBP-1 protein and messenger ribonucleic acid expression. Furthermore, these effects are independent of guanylate cyclase/ cGMP signaling, as two different inhibitors, LY 83583, a specific inhibitor of guanylate cyclase, and KT 5823, a protein kinase G inhibitor, had no effect on IGFBP-1 induction by hypoxia. Hypoxic induction of a reporter gene containing four tandemly ligated hypoxia response elements was completely blocked by sodium nitroprusside, but not by 8-bromo-cGMP, an analog ofcGMP. These results suggest that NO blocks hypoxic induction of IGFBP-1 by a guanylate cyclase/ cGMP-independent pathway, possibly at the level of oxygen sensing. The impaired hypoxia regulation of IGFBP-1 by nitric oxide may play a key role in the hyperinduction of IGFBP-1 observed in pathophysiological conditions such as fetal hypoxia and preeclampsia where dysregulation of NO has been observed.

Topics: Alkaloids; Aminoquinolines; Base Sequence; Binding Sites; Carbazoles; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Cell Hypoxia; Conserved Sequence; Cyclic GMP; DNA-Binding Proteins; Enzyme Inhibitors; Gene Expression Regulation; Guanylate Cyclase; Humans; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; Indoles; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1; Kinetics; Liver; Liver Neoplasms; Luciferases; Molecular Sequence Data; Nitric Oxide; Nitroprusside; Nuclear Proteins; Protein Biosynthesis; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Signal Transduction; Transcription Factors; Transcription, Genetic; Transfection; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Exposure of Clone 9 cells, a nontransformed rat liver cell line expressing only the Glutl glucose transporter isoform, to the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor LY-83583 was found to stimulate the rate of glucose transport (approximately 7- to 8-fold in 1 h). A similar response to LY-83583 was found in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, 3T3-L1 pre-adipocytes, and C2C12 myoblasts. Neither the rate of glucose transport in cells under control conditions nor the effect of LY-83583 on glucose transport was altered by 10, 50, or 100 microM 8-bromo-cGMP or by addition of cGMP phosphodiesterase inhibitors, zaprinast, or dipyridamole suggesting that glucose transport and the response to LY-83583 is independent of cGMP levels. In addition, the effect of LY-83583 on glucose transport was not mediated by inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation, since exposure to the agent resulted in no increase in lactate production. Incubation of Clone 9 cells in the presence of the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122, however, attenuated the glucose transport response to LY-83583. Moreover, exposure to LY-83583 resulted in a rise in cell diacylglycerol content, and preincubation with U73122 significantly diminished this rise as well as the glucose transport response to LY-83583. The stimulatory effect of LY-83583 on glucose transport was significantly blocked by thapsigargin. Down-regulation of protein kinase C activity, resulting from 24 h pre-incubation in the presence of 160 nM phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate, did not attenuate the glucose transport response to LY-83583. It is concluded that the stimulation of glucose transport in response to LY-83583 is independent of changes in cGMP levels, is not mediated by inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation, and is mediated, at least in part, through stimulation of the phospholipase C pathway.

Topics: 3-O-Methylglucose; 3T3 Cells; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Biological Transport; Cell Line; Cyclic GMP; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Enzyme Activation; Enzyme Inhibitors; Eukaryotic Cells; Glucose; Guanylate Cyclase; Lactic Acid; Mice; Monosaccharide Transport Proteins; Type C Phospholipases

Previous studies have shown that nitric oxide (NO) inhibits carotid body sensory activity. To begin to understand the cellular mechanisms associated with the actions of NO in the carotid body, we monitored the effects of NO donors on the macroscopic Ca2+ current in glomus cells isolated from rabbit carotid bodies. Experiments were performed on freshly dissociated glomus cells from adult rabbit carotid bodies using the whole cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. The NO donors sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 600 microM, n = 7) and spermine nitric oxide (SNO; 100 microM, n = 7) inhibited the Ca2+ current in glomus cells in a voltage-independent manner. These effects of NO donors were rapid in onset and peaked within 1 or 2 min. In contrast, the outward K+ current was unaffected by SNP (600 microM, n = 6), indicating that the inhibition by SNP was not a nonspecific membrane effect. 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5, 5-tetramethyl-imidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (carboxy-PTIO; 500 microM), an NO scavenger, prevented inhibition of the Ca2+ current by SNP (n = 7), whereas neither superoxide dismutase (SOD; 2,000 U/ml, n = 4), a superoxide scavenger, nor sodium hydrosulfite (SHS; 1 mM, n = 7), a reducing agent, prevented inhibition of the Ca2+ current by SNP. However, SNP inhibition of the Ca2+ current was reversible in the presence of either SOD or SHS. These results suggest that NO itself inhibits Ca2+ current in a reversible manner and that subsequent formation of peroxynitrites results in irreversible inhibition. SNP inhibition of the Ca2+ current was not affected by 30 microM LY 83, 583 (n = 7) nor was it mimicked by 600 microM 8-bromoguanosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cGMP; n = 6), suggesting that the effects of NO on the Ca2+ current are mediated, in part, via a cGMP-independent mechanism. N-ethylmaleimide (NEM; 2.5 mM, n = 6) prevented the inhibition of the Ca2+ current by SNP, indicating that SNP is acting via a modification of sulfhydryl groups on Ca2+ channel proteins. Norepinephrine (NE; 10 microM) further inhibited the Ca2+ current in the presence of NEM (n = 7), implying that NEM did not nonspecifically eliminate Ca2+ current modulation. Nisoldipine, an L-type Ca2+ channel blocker (2 microM, n = 6), prevented the inhibition of Ca2+ current by SNP, whereas omega-conotoxin GVIA, an N-type Ca2+ channel blocker (1 microM, n = 9), did not prevent the inhibition of Ca2+ current by SNP. These results demonstrate that NO inhibits L-type Ca2+ channels in ad

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Calcium; Calcium Channels; Calcium Channels, L-Type; Carotid Body; Cells, Cultured; Cyanides; Cyclic GMP; Dithionite; Electrophysiology; Enzyme Inhibitors; Ethylmaleimide; Ion Channel Gating; Membrane Potentials; Nitric Oxide; Nitrites; Nitroprusside; Potassium; Potassium Channels; Rabbits; Superoxide Dismutase; Vasodilator Agents

We have previously shown that reoxygenation of hypoxic human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) leads to the activation and deposition of complement. In the present study, we investigated whether the terminal complement complex (C5b-9) influences HUVEC nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) translocation and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) protein expression after hypoxia/reoxygenation by decreasing endothelial cGMP. Additionally, we investigated the action of anti-human C5 therapy on endothelial cGMP, NF-kappaB translocation, and VCAM-1 protein expression. Reoxygenation (0.5 to 3 hours, 21% O(2)) of hypoxic (12 hours, 1% O(2)) HUVECs in human serum (HS) significantly increased C5b-9 deposition, VCAM-1 expression, and NF-kappaB translocation compared with hypoxic/reoxygenated HUVECs treated with the recombinant human C5 inhibitor h5G1.1-scFv. Acetylcholine (ACh)-induced cGMP synthesis was significantly higher in normoxic HUVECs compared with hypoxic HUVECs reoxygenated in HS but did not differ from hypoxic HUVECs reoxygenated in buffer or HS treated with h5G1.1-scFv. Treatment of hypoxic/reoxygenated HUVECs with h5G1.1-scFv or cGMP analogues significantly attenuated NF-kappaB translocation and VCAM-1 protein expression. Treatment with NO analogues, but not a cAMP analogue, cGMP antagonists, or an NO antagonist, also significantly attenuated VCAM-1 expression. We conclude that (1) C5b-9 deposition, NF-kappaB translocation, and VCAM-1 protein expression are increased in hypoxic HUVECs reoxygenated in HS; (2) reoxygenation of hypoxic HUVECs in HS, but not buffer alone, attenuates ACh-induced cGMP synthesis; and (3) treatment of hypoxic/reoxygenated HUVECs with h5G1.1-scFv attenuates C5b-9 deposition, NF-kappaB translocation, and VCAM-1 expression while preserving ACh-induced cGMP synthesis. C5b-9-induced VCAM-1 expression may thus involve an NO/cGMP-regulated NF-kappaB translocation mechanism.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Blotting, Western; Bucladesine; Cell Hypoxia; Cells, Cultured; Complement Membrane Attack Complex; Cyclic GMP; Dibutyryl Cyclic GMP; Endothelium, Vascular; Enzyme Inhibitors; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Glutathione; Humans; Immunotherapy; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; NF-kappa B; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Nitric Oxide Donors; Nitroso Compounds; Oxygen; Penicillamine; S-Nitrosoglutathione; Umbilical Veins; Vasculitis; Vasodilation

The cyclic guanosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) analogue, 8-bromo-cGMP (1 mM), increased glucose oxidation in isolated soleus muscle. The nitric oxide (NO) donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) (15 mM), increased glucose, pyruvate, palmitate and leucine oxidation. Removal of extracellular Ca2+ did not affect SNP-stimulated glucose oxidation (or other glucose utilization parameters), thus eliminating the influx of Ca2+ as a mechanism for the increases. The guanylate cyclase inhibitor, LY-83583 (10 microM), inhibited SNP-stimulated palmitate oxidation and activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG). Activation of PKG might supersede any inhibitory effects of NO on respiration to stimulate metabolic fuel oxidation in skeletal muscle.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cyclic GMP; Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; Enzyme Inhibitors; Glucose; Leucine; Male; Muscle Contraction; Muscle, Skeletal; Nitric Oxide; Nitroprusside; Oxidation-Reduction; Palmitates; Pyruvic Acid; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Vasodilator Agents

Endothelial cells play an important role in the regulation of vascular activity through the release of endothelium derived relaxing factor (EDRF) now believed to be nitric oxide (NO). NO and the NO donor drug nitroglycerin relax vascular smooth muscle by stimulating soluble guanylyl cyclase leading to elevation of intracellular levels of cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP). Halothane has been shown to inhibit the action of NO on blood vessels. This study was designed to further investigate the mechanisms by which halothane attenuates NO-induced vascular relaxations. This was done by examining the effects of halothane on nitroglycerin and NO-induced relaxations in the presence and absence of the inhibitors of soluble guanylyl cyclase, methylene blue and 6-anilino-5,8-quinolinedione (LY 83583). Thoracic aortas from anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats were excised and cut into rings and the endothelium was removed. The aortic rings were suspended in organ baths containing Krebs solution and equilibrated at their optimal passive tension. When a stable plateau of contraction was produced by EC60 concentrations of norepinephrine, increasing concentrations of nitroglycerin or NO were added to the baths to relax the rings. This contraction-relaxation procedure was repeated three or four times. In some baths halothane was administered by a calibrated vaporizer 10 min before beginning the second procedure. Either methylene blue or LY 83583 was added to the baths 20 min before the third procedure. The combination of halothane, methylene blue or LY 83583 was added before the fourth procedure. Halothane, methylene blue or LY 83583 significantly inhibited nitroglycerin-induced relaxation individually. Halothane and LY 83583 also significantly inhibited NO-induced relaxations (5 x 10(-9)-3 x 10(-8) M and 5 x 10(-9)-3 x 10(-5) M, respectively) individually. The combination of halothane and methylene blue or halothane and LY 83583 significantly inhibited nitroglycerin-induced relaxation, also, the combination of halothane and LY 83583 significantly inhibited NO-induced relaxations. Halothane, methylene blue and LY 83583 treatment led to rightward shift in the concentration-effect curves. Halothane, in combination with methylene blue or LY 83583, produced inhibition equivalent to the sum of their individual effects. The present study demonstrates that the halothane, methylene blue and LY 83583 attenuate nitroglycerin and NO-induced relaxations of endothelium-denu

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Anesthetics, Inhalation; Animals; Aorta, Thoracic; Binding, Competitive; Cyclic GMP; Enzyme Inhibitors; Guanylate Cyclase; Halothane; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Methylene Blue; Muscle Relaxation; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Nitric Oxide; Nitroglycerin; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Vasodilator Agents

Maximum velocity of shortening, Vo, was measured by the method of Edman [J Physiol (Lond) 291:143-159, 1979] on extensor digitorum longus muscles of a mouse in vitro at 20 degreesC. Blockers of nitric oxide synthase, 10 mM nitro-l-arginine or 1 mM 7-nitroindazole, reduced Vo by 18% and 22%, respectively. On removal of the inhibitor, Vo returned to the control value. It was found that 10 mM nitro-d-arginine, an enantiomer of nitro-l-arginine inactive against nitric oxide synthase, did not affect Vo. A donor of nitric oxide, 0.1 mM nitroprusside, increased Vo by 15%. It removed the inhibition caused by nitro-l-arginine. Another donor of nitric oxide, 1 microM (+/-)-S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), increased Vo by 8%. An inhibitor of cGMP synthase, 0.01 mM Ly-83583, decreased Vo by 18%. An analogue of cGMP, 0.1 mM 8-bromo-cGMP, increased Vo by 17%. A general inhibitor of phosphodiesterases, 0.02 mM 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), increased Vo by 17%. An inhibitor specific of cGMP phosphodiesterase, 0.01 mM dipyridamole, increased Vo by 8%. The maximal isometric force (F0) was not modified by the drugs, except by 7-nitroindazole and Ly-83583, which depressed F0 by 12%. The cGMP level in tetanized muscles decreased by 12-27% in the presence of blockers of nitric oxide synthase. We conclude that the level of intracellular nitric oxide modulates Vo through the cGMP pathway.

Topics: 1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Biomechanical Phenomena; Cyclic GMP; Enzyme Inhibitors; Guanylate Cyclase; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Muscle Contraction; Muscle, Skeletal; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Donors; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Nitroarginine; Nitroprusside; Penicillamine; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; Stereoisomerism

To investigate the mechanisms whereby guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) modulates microvessel permeability in vivo, we measured changes in microvessel hydraulic conductivity (Lp) and endothelial cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in response to the cGMP analogs 8-bromo-cGMP (8-BrcGMP) and 8-(p-chlorophenylthio)cGMP (8-pCPT-cGMP) in the presence and absence of inflammatory stimuli in intact individually perfused microvessels in frog and rat mesenteries. The cGMP analog caused a transient increase in Lp and potentiated ATP or bradykinin-induced increases in Lp in frog and rat mesenteric microvessels, respectively. The mean peak value of the test Lp/control Lp after exposure to 8-BrcGMP was 5.3 +/- 0.5 in frog microvessels and 2.8 +/- 0.4 in rat microvessels. The ATP-induced increase in Lp in frog microvessels was further raised by 8-BrcGMP from 7.0 +/- 0.9 to 12.4 +/- 1.9 times the control. In rat mesenteric microvessels, the bradykinin-induced increase in Lp was potentiated by 8-BrcGMP from 4.8 +/- 0.4 to 8.3 +/- 1.3 times the control and was suppressed by the guanylate cyclase inhibitor LY-83583 to 2.6 +/- 0.5 times the control. A similar but larger effect was found when using 8-pCPT-cGMP. In contrast to the actions of increased cGMP on microvessel permeability, cGMP analogs had no effect on basal endothelial [Ca2+]i and did not alter the magnitude and time course of ATP or bradykinin-induced increases in endothelial [Ca2+]i. These results suggested that an elevation of cGMP levels in endothelial cells is a necessary step to increase microvessel permeability in intact microvessels, and this regulatory process occurs downstream from Ca2+ influx, which differs from that reported in large-vessel endothelium in culture and in vascular smooth muscle cells. Experiments carried on microvessels in both frog and rat mesenteries provided a direct comparison of the endothelial cell regulatory mechanisms between species.

Topics: Adenosine Triphosphate; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Bradykinin; Calcium; Cell Membrane Permeability; Cyclic GMP; Endothelium, Vascular; Female; Isotonic Solutions; Male; Mesentery; Rana pipiens; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Ringer's Solution; Time Factors; Venules

Saccharomyces cerevisiae was inoculated into a dilute synthetic minimal medium with glycerol as the carbon source. The number of live cells in the cultures was determined by colony counts on agar plates. Untreated control cells had doubled in number about once at the end of the first week and had gone through eight doublings by the end of the second week. Addition of either 8-bromo-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (8-bromo-cGMP) or human recombinant insulin, made the cells go through 12 and 10 doublings, respectively, by the end of the first week. In contrast, 8-bromo-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (8-bromo-cAMP) had only slight stimulating effects on cell multiplication, but if it was combined with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) the cells went through about 12 doublings during the first week. Addition of LY 83583, an inhibitor of soluble guanylate cyclase, prevented cell proliferation. Further addition of 8-bromo-cGMP bypassed this inhibition. Singly, bradykinin or PMA did not affect cell multiplication. However, when these two compounds were combined, the cells went through about 10 doublings during the first week. Neither bradykinin, nor PMA had any releasing effect on the inhibition of LY 83583. These results indicate the existence of several routes leading to cell proliferation in wildtype S. cerevisiae cells.

Topics: 8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate; Aminoquinolines; Bradykinin; Cell Division; Culture Media; Cyclic GMP; Drug Interactions; Enzyme Inhibitors; Guanylate Cyclase; Humans; Insulin; Recombinant Proteins; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Signal Transduction; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate

We have shown that endogenous nitrogen oxides (NOx) modulate excitation-contraction coupling in diaphragm. Because cyclic GMP (cGMP) is a second messenger for nitric oxide (NO) inhibition of smooth muscle contraction, we rested the hypothesis that NO acts via cGMP in diaphragm. Fiber bundles from rat diaphragm were studied in vitro. Immunohistochemical analysis using a cGMP-specific monoclonal antibody confirmed the presence of cGMP in the subsarcolemmal region, near nitric oxide synthase (NOS). cGMP measured by ELISA in control muscle (0.27 pmol/mg +/- 0.01 SE) was significantly increased by the NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetylcysteine 1 mM (0.55+/-0.05; N = 6; P < 0.001). Contractile studies showed that the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) 10 mM increased submaximal (40 Hz) tetanic force (P < 0.0001). L-NNA effects were exaggerated by the guanylate cyclase inhibitor LY83583 5-10 microM; force at 40 Hz was increased (P < 0.001). L-NNA effects were partially reversed by 8-bromo-cGMP 1 mM (8-Br-GMP; a cell-permeable cGMP analogue; P < 0.0001) or dipyridamole 10 microM (DPM; a phosphodiesterase inhibitor; P < 0.0001). 8-Br-GMP and DPM produced more-complete L-NNA reversal in combination (P < 0.0001). We conclude that cGMP functions as a second messenger by which NO inhibits diaphragm contraction.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cyclic GMP; Diaphragm; Dipyridamole; Enzyme Inhibitors; Guanylate Cyclase; Male; Muscle Contraction; Nitric Oxide; Nitroarginine; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Second Messenger Systems

The diffusible messenger carbon monoxide (CO) has been proposed to mediate endogenous cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) formation and sensory adaptation in vertebrate olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs). We have identified and characterized a long-lasting form of odor response adaptation (LLA) that operates at the level of isolated salamander ORNs and does not require any interactions from other cells. Manifestations of LLA are seen in reduced amplitude and prolonged kinetics of the cAMP-mediated excitatory odor response and the generation of a persistent current component that lasts for several minutes and is attributable to cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel activation by cGMP. Because these effects can be mimicked by micromolar amounts of exogenous cGMP or CO, we applied various inhibitors of cGMP formation. LLA is abolished selectively by heme oxygenase inhibitors known to prevent CO release and cGMP formation in ORNs, whereas odor excitation remains unaffected. In contrast, blockers of nitric oxide synthase are unable to eliminate LLA. Several controls rule out a contribution of nonspecific actions to the effects of CO inhibitors. The results indicate that endogenous CO/cGMP signals contribute to olfactory adaptation and underlie the control of gain and sensitivity of odor transduction. The findings offer a mechanism by which a single, brief odor stimulus can be translated into long-lasting intracellular changes that could play an important role in the perceptual adaptation to odors, and explain the longstanding puzzle that the olfactory CNG channels can be gated by both cAMP and cGMP.

Topics: Acclimatization; Ambystoma; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cadmium; Carbon Monoxide; Cyclic GMP; Cyclohexanols; Enzyme Inhibitors; Eucalyptol; In Vitro Techniques; Menthol; Monoterpenes; Nitroarginine; Odorants; Olfactory Receptor Neurons; omega-N-Methylarginine; Reaction Time; Second Messenger Systems; Sulfonamides; Terpenes

Cyclic GMP has been shown to be in some respects an inhibitory modulator of heart function. Various studies on the modulation of cardiac L-type calcium current (ICa) by cGMP in different species show inconsistency and the role of cGMP remains unclear and controversial. The present study was focused on the differences in the modulation of basal ICa by cGMP in adult and newborn rabbit ventricular cells.. Enzymatically isolated adult and newborn (1-4-day-old) rabbit ventricular myocytes were used to measure ICa under whole-cell voltage clamp conditions with internal perfusion of isolated cells.. We have shown that in adult ventricular cells, the intracellular perfusion of 8BrcGMP did not produce any effect on basal ICa, while intracellular perfusion of 8BrcGMP or 8CPT-cGMP in newborn ventricular cells significantly and reversibly increased basal ICa without changing the voltage dependence for activation of ICa. Both methylene blue and LY-83583 (which inhibit guanylyl cyclase and thus lower cGMP levels), in adult ventricular cells, failed to produce any significant effect on basal ICa, while in newborn ventricular cells the application of methylene blue or LY-83583 produced irreversible inhibition of basal ICa. Similarly, KT-5823, an inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase, also inhibited basal ICa in newborn ventricular cells but not in adult ventricular cells. However, extracellular application of methylene blue during the intracellular perfusion of 8BrcGMP was unable to inhibit ICa. Extracellular application of nitrosoglutathione which releases nitric oxide produced a significant increase in ICa in newborn but not in adult ventricular cells. Intracellular application of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor peptide blocked the stimulatory effect of cAMP but not of 8CPT-cGMP, while the stimulatory effect of nitrosoglutathione on ICa was not blocked by the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor (isobutylmethyl-xanthine).. We propose that, for newborn rabbit ventricular cells, cGMP plays a crucial role in maintaining basal ICa by a mechanism mediated via protein-kinase-G-dependent phosphorylation of calcium channels or some associated protein.

Topics: 1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine; Alkaloids; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Calcium; Calcium Channels; Carbazoles; Cells, Cultured; Cyclic GMP; Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; Female; Glutathione; Guanylate Cyclase; Indoles; Male; Methylene Blue; Myocardium; Nitroso Compounds; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Rabbits; S-Nitrosoglutathione; Thionucleotides; Time Factors

Transient elevations of intracellular Ca2+ play an important role in regulating the sensitivity of olfactory transduction, but such elevations have not been demonstrated in the olfactory cilia, which are the site of primary odor transduction. To begin to understand Ca2+ signaling in olfactory cilia, we used high-resolution imaging techniques to study the Ca2+ transients that occur in salamander olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) as a result of cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel activation. To visualize ciliary Ca2+ signals, we loaded ORNs with the Ca2+ indicator dye Fluo-3 AM and measured fluorescence with a laser scanning confocal microscope. Application of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor IBMX increased fluorescence in the cilia and other neuronal compartments; the ciliary signal occurred first and was more transient. This signal could be abolished by lowering external Ca2+ or by applying LY83583, a potent blocker of CNG channels, indicating that Ca2+ entry through CNG channels was the primary source of fluorescence increases. Direct activation of CNG channels with low levels of 8-Br-cGMP (1 microM) led to tonic Ca2+ signals that were restricted locally to the cilia and the dendritic knob. Elevated external K+, which depolarizes cell membranes, increased fluorescence signals in the cell body and dendrite but failed to increase ciliary Ca2+ fluorescence. The results demonstrate the existence and spatiotemporal properties of Ca2+ transients in individual olfactory cilia and implicate CNG channels as a major pathway for Ca2+ entry into ORN cilia during odor transduction.

Topics: 1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine; Adaptation, Physiological; Ambystoma; Aminoquinolines; Aniline Compounds; Animals; Calcium; Cilia; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic GMP; Electric Stimulation; Electrophysiology; Enzyme Inhibitors; Epithelial Cells; Fluorescent Dyes; GTP-Binding Proteins; Ion Channel Gating; Membrane Potentials; Microscopy, Confocal; Olfactory Receptor Neurons; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; Potassium; Second Messenger Systems; Time Factors; Xanthenes

We have previously reported that the serine protease plasmin generated during contact activation of human plasma triggers biosynthesis of leukotrienes (LTs) in human peripheral monocytes (PMs), but not in polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). We now show that purified plasmin acts as a potent chemoattractant on human monocytes, but not on PMNs. Human plasmin or plasminogen activated with urokinase, but not active site-blocked plasmin or plasminogen, elicited monocyte migration across polycarbonate membranes. Similarly, stimulation of monocytes with plasmin, but not with active site-blocked plasmin or plasminogen, induced actin polymerization. As assessed by checkerboard analysis, the plasmin-mediated monocyte locomotion was a true chemotaxis. The plasmin-induced chemotactic response was inhibited by the lysine analog trans-4-(aminomethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxylic acid (t-AMCA), which prevents binding of plasmin/ogen to the appropriate membrane binding sites. In addition, active site-blocked plasmin inhibited monocyte migration triggered by active plasmin. Further, plasmin-induced monocyte chemotaxis was inhibited by pertussis toxin (PTX) and 1-O-hexadecyl-2-O-methyl-rac-glycerol (HMG) and chelerythrine, two structurally unrelated inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC). Plasmin, but not active site-blocked plasmin or plasminogen, triggered formation of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in monocytes. LY83583, an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase, inhibited both plasmin-induced cGMP formation and the chemotactic response. The latter effect could be antagonized by 8-bromo-cGMP. In addition, KT5823 and (Rp)-8-(p-chlorophenylthio)guanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate [(Rp)-8-pCPT-cGMPs], two structurally unrelated inhibitors of cGMP-dependent protein kinase, inhibited plasmin-mediated monocyte chemotaxis. Thus, beyond being a stimulus for lipid mediator release, plasmin is a potent and specific chemoattractant for human monocytes acting via a cGMP-dependent mechanism. Therefore, plasmin represents a proinflammatory activator for human monocytes.

Topics: Alkaloids; Aminoquinolines; Benzophenanthridines; Binding Sites; Carbazoles; Chemotactic Factors; Chemotaxis; Cyclic GMP; Enzyme Inhibitors; Fibrinolysin; Glyceryl Ethers; Guanylate Cyclase; Humans; Indoles; Lysine; Male; Monocytes; N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine; Neutrophils; Organ Specificity; Pertussis Toxin; Phenanthridines; Plasminogen; Protein Kinase C; Signal Transduction; Thionucleotides; Tranexamic Acid; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator; Virulence Factors, Bordetella

L2 cells, a cloned pneumocyte-derived cell line, express voltage-dependent L-type Ca2+ channels, causing transient depolarizing spikes of the membrane potential (Vm) [P. Dietl, T. Haller, B. Wirleitner, H. Völkl, F. Friedrich, and J. Striessing. Am. J. Physiol. 269 (Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 13): L873-L883, 1995]. In this study, we examined the effect of nitric oxide (NO)- and guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent cell signaling on the activity of L-type Ca2+ channels. Using conventional microelectrodes, spontaneous depolarizations (SD) of Vm by activation of these channels are regularly seen in the presence of 10 mM bath Sr2+. The NO donors sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 1 mM), 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1; 100 microM), as well as S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D,L-penicillamine (SNAP; 10 microM) caused a significant reduction of the frequency of Sr(2+)-induced SD. These effects were completely reversed by 6-anilino-5,8-quinolinequinone (10 microM), an inhibitor of the soluble guanylyl cyclase, and could be mimicked by 8-bromoguanosine 3'5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-BrcGMP; 100 microM). Perforated patch-clamp experiments revealed that 8-BrcGMP exerted a significant decrease of the depolarization-induced L-type Sr2+ current in the majority of tested cells. Consistent with the dependency of these NO-mediated effects on cGMP, incubation of L2 cells with SNP, SIN-1, and SNAP lead to a pronounced increase of cellular cGMP concentration. We conclude that the NO donors inhibit the activity of L-type Ca2+ channels in L2 cells via a cGMP-dependent pathway. In the alveoli, this might occur under conditions associated with the release of NO.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Calcium Channels; Calcium Channels, L-Type; Cell Line; Cyclic GMP; Enzyme Inhibitors; Epithelium; Guanylate Cyclase; Kinetics; Membrane Potentials; Microelectrodes; Molsidomine; Nitroprusside; Penicillamine; Pulmonary Alveoli; Rats; S-Nitroso-N-Acetylpenicillamine; Signal Transduction; Strontium; Time Factors

To investigate the effects of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) accumulation and on carbachol (CCh)-stimulated inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) production and contraction in ciliary muscle (CM) and iris sphincter (Sph) isolated from bovine and other mammalian species.. Ciliary muscle and sphincter isolated from cows, cats, dogs, rabbits, monkeys, and humans were used. Bovine specimens were used in the present work. Accumulation of cGMP and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in tissue extracts was measured by radioimmunoassay, IP3 production was measured by ion-exchange chromatography, and changes in tension were recorded isometrically.. In general, CNP and SNP exerted differential inhibitory effects on muscarinic-receptor-induced responses in CM and Sph isolated from the various species. Thus in bovine CM, SNP stimulated cGMP formation in a time- and concentration-dependent manner and dose dependently inhibited CCh-induced IP3 production and contraction. These effects were inhibited by LY 83583, a soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, and mimicked by 8-Br-cGMP, a cell-membrane permeable analogue of cGMP. The inhibitory effects of the soluble cGMP analogue are tissue and species specific. Sodium nitroprusside had no effect on the muscarinic responses in bovine Sph, but it attenuated CCh-induced contractions in Sph isolated from cats, dogs, and rabbits. In bovine Sph, CNP increased cGMP accumulation in a time- and dose-dependent manner and dose dependently inhibited CCh-induced IP3 production and contraction. LY 83583 had no effect on the muscarinic responses. C-type natriuretic peptide attenuated CCh-induced contraction in CM isolated from monkey and human, but it had no influence on this response in CM isolated from cows, cats, and dogs.. In bovine CM, SNP effects are probably mediated through soluble guanylyl cyclase, whereas in Sph the CNP effects are mediated through membrane-bound guanylyl cyclase, which is associated with the type-B natriuretic peptide receptor. Agents that strongly increase intracellular cGMP levels, including SNP and CNP, produce significant inhibition of CCh-induced IP3 production and contraction. These effects are tissue and species specific. The results indicate that the cGMP signaling system, similar to the cAMP system, has a major inhibitory influence on the muscarinic responses in smooth muscles of the iris-ciliary body. The agents CNP and SNP, which stimulate cGMP accumulation in the ocular smooth muscles, could reduce intraocular pressure, presumably by increasing uveoscleral outflow induced by relaxation of the CM. However, the relationships between the CNP- and SNP-induced inhibition of the muscarinic stimulation and the reported intraocular pressure-lowering effects of the cGMP-elevating agents remain to be determined.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Atrial Natriuretic Factor; Carbachol; Cats; Cattle; Ciliary Body; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic GMP; Dogs; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Guanylate Cyclase; Humans; Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate; Iris; Macaca mulatta; Muscarinic Agonists; Muscle Contraction; Muscle, Smooth; Natriuretic Peptide, C-Type; Nitroprusside; Proteins; Rabbits; Radioimmunoassay

In the present study, we describe a role for cyclic GMP (cGMP) in the signalling pathway that leads from alpha-adrenergic receptor activation to intracellular Ca2+ mobilization in rat lacrimal acinar cells. The alpha-adrenergic agonist, phenylephrine, stimulates intracellular Ca2+ release which is blocked by inhibitors of guanylate cyclase and cGMP-dependent protein kinase Ia. The membrane-permeable cGMP analogues, dibutyryl-cGMP and 8-bromo-cGMP, potentiate ( approximately 5-fold) the Ca2+ response to submaximal phenylephrine stimulation. In contrast, the same cGMP analogues have no effect on cyclic ADP-ribose-evoked Ca2+ release from permeabilized lacrimal acinar cells. Collectively, these findings suggest that cGMP, via cGMP-dependent protein kinase I alpha , is required for intracellular Ca2+ release following alpha-adrenergic receptor activation in lacrimal acinar cells.

Topics: Acetylcholine; Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Arginine; Calcium; Cells, Cultured; Cyclic ADP-Ribose; Cyclic GMP; Dibutyryl Cyclic GMP; Enzyme Inhibitors; Guanylate Cyclase; Kinetics; Lacrimal Apparatus; Male; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Nitroarginine; Phenylephrine; Rats; Rats, Wistar

The ability of ANP to inhibit the hydrolysis of phosphoinositides was examined in [3H] myoinositol-labeled intact murine Leydig tumor (MA-10) cells. Arginine vasopressin (AVP) stimulated the formation of inositol monophosphate (IP1), inositol bisphosphate (IP2), and inositol trisphosphate (IP3) both in a time-and dose-dependent manner in MA-10 cells. ANP inhibited the AVP-induced formation of IP1, IP2, and IP3 in these cells. The inhibitory effect of ANP on the AVP-stimulated formation of IP1, IP2, and IP3 accounted for 30%, 38% and 42%, respectively, which was observed at the varying concentrations of AVP. ANP caused a dose-dependent attenuation in AVP-stimulated production of IP1, IP2 and IP3 with maximum inhibition at 100 nM concentration of ANP. The production of inositol phosphates was inhibited in the presence of 8-bromo cGMP in a dose-dependent manner, whereas dibutyryl-cAMP had no effect on the generation of these metabolites. The LY 83583, an inhibitor of guanylyl cyclase and cGMP production, abolished the inhibitory effect of ANP on the AVP-stimulated production of inositol phosphates. Furthermore, 10 microM LY 83583 also inhibited the ANP-stimulated guanylyl cyclase activity and the intracellular accumulation of cGMP by more than 65-70%. The inhibition of cGMP-dependent protein kinase by H-8, significantly restored the levels of AVP-stimulated inositol phosphates in the presence of either ANP or exogenous 8-bromo cGMP. The results of this study suggest that ANP exerts an inhibitory effect on the production of inositol phosphates in murine Leydig tumor (MA-10) cells by mechanisms involving cGMP and cGMP-dependent protein kinase.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Arginine Vasopressin; Atrial Natriuretic Factor; Cyclic GMP; Enzyme Inhibitors; Guanylate Cyclase; Hydrolysis; Inositol; Leydig Cell Tumor; Male; Mice; Phosphatidylinositols; Testicular Neoplasms; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Adhesion of circulating tumor cells to microvascular endothelium plays an important role in tumor metastasis to distant organs. The purpose of this study was to determine whether nitric oxide (NO) would attenuate tumor cell adhesion (TCA) to naive or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated postcapillary venules. A melanoma cell line, RPMI 1846, was shown to be much more adhesive to postcapillary venules isolated from rat mesentery than to corresponding precapillary arterioles. Although venules exposed to LPS for 4 h demonstrated an increased adhesivity for the melanoma cells, TCA to LPS-treated arterioles was not altered. Isolated venules exposed to DETA/NO (1 mM), an NO donor, for 30 min prior to tumor cell perfusion prevented the increment in adhesion induced by LPS and attenuated TCA to naive postcapillary venules. While L-arginine (100 microM), an NO precursor, failed to decrease TCA to naive postcapillary venules, this treatment abolished LPS-stimulated TCA to postcapillary venules. The effect of L-arginine was reversed by administration of N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 microM), an NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor. These observations indicate that both exogenous and endogenous NO modulate TCA to postcapillary venules. To assess the role of NO-induced activation of cGMP in the reduction in TCA produced by DETA/NO, two additional series of experiments were conducted. In the first series, LY-83583 (10 microM), a guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, was shown to completely reverse the effect of DETA/NO on TCA to both naive and LPS-activated postcapillary venules. On the other hand, administration of 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-B-cGMP) (1 mM), a cell permeant cGMP analog, mimicked the effect of DETA/NO and reduced TCA to LPS-stimulated postcapillary venules. These data suggest that (a) tumor cells are more likely to adhere to postcapillary venules than to corresponding precapillary arterioles, (b) LPS enhances TCA to postcapillary venules, (c) both exogenously applied (DETA/NO) and endogenously generated (L-arginine) NO attenuate the enhanced adhesion induced by LPS, but only DETA/NO reduced TCA to naive postcapillary venules, and (d) the NO-induced reduction in TCA to LPS-activated postcapillary venules occurs by a cGMP-dependent mechanism.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Arterioles; Cell Adhesion; Cell Adhesion Molecules; Cricetinae; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic GMP; DEET; Endothelium, Vascular; Enzyme Inhibitors; Guanylate Cyclase; Lipopolysaccharides; Male; Melanoma; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Venules

1. We studied the relation of nitric oxide-mediated relaxation of longitudinal muscle to changes in cyclic GMP content of the tissue in the proximal colon of rats. 2. Dimethylphenylpiperazinium (DMPP) and electrical field stimulation (EFS) induced nitric oxide-mediated relaxation of the segments with a concomitant increase in cyclic GMP content. 3. LY 83583 and methylene blue, soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitors, significantly inhibited the stimulatory effects of DMPP and EFS on the cyclic GMP content, but did not affect the relaxant responses of the segments to DMPP and EFS. 4. Rp-8 bromo cyclic GMPS, an inhibitor of cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase had no effect on DMPP- and EFS-induced relaxation. 5. These data strongly suggested that nitric oxide-mediated relaxation of the rat proximal colon is not associated with change in cyclic GMP content of the tissue.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Colon; Cyclic GMP; Dimethylphenylpiperazinium Iodide; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Guanylate Cyclase; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Muscle Relaxation; Muscle, Smooth; Nicotine; Nicotinic Agonists; Nitric Oxide; Rats; Rats, Wistar

Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation is the main physiological stimulus for human skin pigmentation; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are still unclear. Recently, nitric oxide (NO) and cGMP have been involved in mediation of skin erythema induced by UVB. Therefore, we investigated the role of NO and cGMP in UVB-induced melanogenesis. In this study, we demonstrated that UVB stimulation of melanogenesis was mimicked by exogenous NO donors. Additionally, we showed that NO stimulated cGMP synthesis and that cGMP was also a potent stimulator of melanogenesis. Furthermore, the inhibition of the melanogenic effect of NO by guanylate cyclase inhibitor demonstrated that NO mediated its effect through the activation of guanylyl cyclase. Interestingly, 1 min after UVB irradiation, we observed a significant increase in cGMP content in melanocytes. The effects of UVB on cGMP production and on melanogenesis were blocked by both guanylate cyclase and NO synthase inhibitors. Additionally, inhibition of cGMP-dependent kinase also prevented the stimulation of melanogenesis by UVB and NO. Therefore, we concluded that NO and cGMP production is required for UVB-induced melanogenesis and that cGMP mediated its melanogenic effects mainly through the activation of cGMP-dependent kinase.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Cyclic GMP; Enzyme Inhibitors; Humans; Melanins; Melanocytes; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Nitric Oxide; Nitroprusside; Penicillamine; S-Nitroso-N-Acetylpenicillamine; Signal Transduction; Ultraviolet Rays

The anterior pituitary gland is a site of nitric oxide (NO) production and action, suggesting a local regulatory function. We recently reported that NO inhibits in vitro prolactin release. The aim of the present study was to establish the mechanism of action of NO on prolactin release and to determine whether NO is involved in the inhibitory effect of GABA on prolactin release. Since NO exerts its action through cGMP by activating guanylate cyclase in different tissues, we examined the effect of sodium nitroprusside (NP), a NO releaser, on intrapituitary cGMP levels. Incubation of anterior pituitary glands with 0.5 mM NP 4-fold increased intrapituitary cGMP content, but decreased intrapituitary cAMP levels. In addition, we studied the effect of NP on prolactin release in the presence of LY 83583, an inhibitor of guanylate cyclase activity and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase activity. 10 microM LY 83583 and 0.5 mM IBMX blocked the inhibitory effect of NP on prolactin release. (10(-3) M) 8Br-cGMP, an analogue of cGMP, mimicked the effect of NP on prolactin release. On the other hand, NO seems to be involved in the inhibitory effect of GABA on prolactin release since hemoglobin, a scavenger of NO, and Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, an inhibitor of NO synthase (NOS), blocked the pituitary response to GABA. Moreover, GABA (10(-6) M) stimulated NOS activity by almost 50%. GABA increased intrapituitary cGMP levels and decreased cAMP. Dopamine stimulated NOS activity weakly. These observations suggest that NO, acting through the guanylate cyclase-cGMP pathway, inhibits prolactin secretion. In addition, NO may be involved in the inhibitory effect of GABA and dopamine on prolactin release.

Topics: 1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic GMP; Dopamine; Enzyme Inhibitors; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; Hemoglobins; Male; Neurotransmitter Agents; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Nitric Oxide; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; Pituitary Gland; Prolactin; Rats; Rats, Wistar

The biochemical signaling pathways involved in nitric oxide (NO)-mediated cholinergic inhibition of L-type Ca2+ current (ICa[L]) were investigated in isolated primary pacemaker cells from the rabbit sinoatrial node (SAN) using the nystatin-perforated whole-cell voltage clamp technique. Carbamylcholine (CCh; 1 microM), a stable analogue of acetylcholine, significantly inhibited ICa(L) after it had been augmented by isoproterenol (ISO; 1 microM). CCh also activated an outward K+ current, IK(ACh). Both of these effects of CCh were blocked completely by atropine. Preincubation of the SAN cells with L-nitro-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 0.2-1 mM), which inhibits NO synthase (NOS), abolished the CCh-induced attenuation of ICa(L) but had no effect on IK(ACh). Coincubation of cells with both L-NAME and the endogenous substrate of NOS, L-arginine (1 nM), restored the CCh-induced attenuation of ICa(L), indicating that L-NAME did not directly interfere with the muscarinic action of CCh on ICa(L). In the presence of ISO the CCh-induced inhibition of ICa(L) could be mimicked by the NO donor 3-morpholino-sydnonimine (SIN-1; 0.1 mM). SIN-1 had no effect on its own or after a maximal effect of CCh had developed, indicating that it does not inhibit ICa(L) directly. SIN-1 failed to activate IK(ACh), demonstrating that it did not activate muscarinic receptors. Both CCh and NO are known to activate guanylyl cyclase and elevate intracellular cGMP. External application of methylene blue (10 microM), which interferes with the ability of NO to activate guanylyl cyclase, blocked the CCh-induced attenuation of ICa(L). However, it also blocked the activation of IK(ACh), suggesting an additional effect on muscarinic receptors or G proteins. To address this, a separate series of experiments was performed using conventional whole-cell recordings with methylene blue in the pipette. Under these conditions, the CCh-induced attenuation of ICa(L) was blocked, but the activation of IK(ACh) was still observed. Methylene blue also blocked the SIN-1-induced decrease in ICa(L). 6-anilino-5,8-quinolinedione (LY83583; 30 microM), an agent known to decrease both basal and CCh-stimulated cGMP levels, prevented the inhibitory effects of both CCh and SIN-1 on ICa(L), but had no effect on the activation of IK(ACh) by CCh. In combination, these results show that CCh- and NO-induced inhibition of ICa(L) is mediated by cGMP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Topics: 1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Arginine; Carbachol; Cardiotonic Agents; Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; Cyclic GMP; Enzyme Inhibitors; GTP-Binding Proteins; Guanylate Cyclase; Heart Rate; Isoproterenol; Methylene Blue; Molsidomine; Muscarinic Agonists; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase; omega-N-Methylarginine; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Rabbits; Receptors, Cholinergic; Receptors, Muscarinic; Sinoatrial Node; Thionucleotides

A possible role of the nitric oxide (NO)/cGMP pathway in the regulation of Ca2+ entry into HT29/B6 human colonic epithelial cells was investigated using digital image processing of Fura-2 fluorescence and immunoblotting for nitric oxide synthase (NOS). We tested the hypothesis that Ca2+ store depletion causes increased NOS activity and [NO], which is stimulatory to Ca2+ entry by increasing guanylate cyclase (GC) and [cGMP]. Cells were incubated in 95 mM K(+)-containing solutions to depolarize the cell membrane potential and thereby exclude effects of NO and CGMP on K+ or Cl- channels, which might affect Ca2+ entry. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 0.5 microM and 30 microM), a NO donor, only slightly raised intracellular [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]i) in resting cells, but in 100 microM carbachol-stimulated cells the sustained, elevated Ca2+ plateau (reflecting Ca2+ entry) as well as Ba2+ entry were increased by 0.5 microM SNP, while 5, 10 or 30 microM SNP either had no effect or were inhibitory. Pretreatment of cells with the NOS inhibitor N-nitro-L-arginine (1 mM) reduced carbachol-stimulated Ca2+ entry, and simultaneous treatment with 0.5 microM (but not 30 microM) SNP restored Ca2+ influx. 8-Br-cGMP (1 mM) had little effect on [Ca2+]i or on rates of Ca2+ or Ba2+ influx into resting cells, but there were large effects on cells in which capacitative Ca2+ entry was activated by carbachol or cyclopiazonic acid (10 microM). The GC inhibitor LY83583 (10 microM) reduced carbachol-stimulated Ca2+ entry, and this entry was restored with 8-Br-cGMP. Western blotting revealed that endothelial-type NOS was present in the particulate fraction of cells. The data are consistent with the notion that Ca2+ entry into HT29/B6 cells is regulated by endothelial NOS/NO and GC/cGMP, but effects are most pronounced in store-depleted cells. Thus, NO and cGMP appear to potentiate the action of messengers released from the store during the emptying process, but NO and cGMP have only small effects of their own to open the Ca2+ channel in the plasma membrane. High [SNP] appeared to be inhibitory while low [SNP] was stimulatory, indicating that a precise range of [NO] may be required for effective stimulation of Ca2+ entry.

Topics: Amino Acid Oxidoreductases; Aminoquinolines; Arginine; Barium; Biological Transport; Calcium; Carbachol; Colon; Colonic Neoplasms; Cyclic GMP; Epithelium; Guanylate Cyclase; Humans; Indoles; Intestinal Mucosa; Nitric Oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Nitroarginine; Nitroprusside; Second Messenger Systems; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampus is a type of synaptic plasticity that is thought to be involved in learning and memory. Several lines of evidence suggest that LTP involves 3',5'-cyclic GMP (cGMP), perhaps as an activity-dependent presynaptic effector of one or more retrograde messengers (refs 2-12, but see ref. 13). However, previous results are also consistent with postsynaptic effects of cGMP. This is difficult to test in hippocampal slices, but more rigorous tests are possible in dissociated cell culture. We have therefore developed a reliable method for producing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent LTP at synapses between individual hippocampal pyramidal neurons in culture. We report that inhibitors of guanylyl cyclase or of cGMP-dependent protein kinase block potentiation by either tetanic stimulation or low-frequency stimulation paired with postsynaptic depolarization. Conversely, application of 8-Br-cGMP to the bath or injection of cGMP into the presynaptic neuron produces activity-dependent long-lasting potentiation. The potentiation by cGMP involves an increase in transmitter release that is in part independent of changes in the presynaptic action potential. These results support a presynaptic role for cGMP in LTP.

Topics: Action Potentials; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cells, Cultured; Cyclic GMP; Guanylate Cyclase; Long-Term Potentiation; Magnesium; Neurons; Neurotransmitter Agents; Presynaptic Terminals; Pyramidal Cells; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; Synapses; Thionucleotides

To study the regulatory role of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) on the Cl- transport activity of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, RPE cells from rabbits were cultured and exposed to ANP and other reagents under perfusion. The changes in intracellular Cl- concentration ([Cl-]i) were continuously recorded using a Cl(-)-sensitive fluorescent dye. The cGMP content was estimated by radioimmunoassay. ANP increased the cGMP content and the [Cl-]i in RPE cells. A guanylate cyclase activator, nitric oxide, and a cell permeable cGMP precursor, 8-Br-cGMP, also increased the level of cGMP and the [Cl-]i. A guanylate cyclase inhibitor, LY83583, an inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase, KT5823, and an inhibitor of Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransporter, bumetanide, diminished or abolished the ANP-induced increase in [Cl-]i. ANP facilitates Cl- accumulation in RPE cells, which is mediated by guanylate cyclase, cGMP-dependent protein kinase, and the Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransporter.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Atrial Natriuretic Factor; Biological Transport; Carrier Proteins; Cells, Cultured; Chlorides; Cyclic GMP; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fluorescent Dyes; Guanylate Cyclase; Nitric Oxide; Nitroprusside; Pigment Epithelium of Eye; Potassium; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Protein Kinases; Rabbits; Radioimmunoassay; Sodium; Sodium-Potassium-Chloride Symporters

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is an important mediator in sepsis and septic shock. Kupffer cells (KCs) are the resident macrophages of the liver and are potent producers of TNF-alpha in response to inflammatory stimuli such as bacterial endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Although the effects of exogenous cytokines such as interferon-gamma on TNF-alpha production by macrophages have been fairly well studied, the intracellular pathways regulating KC TNF-alpha synthesis are largely unknown. We investigated the role of guanylate cyclase and cGMP in LPS-induced KC TNF-alpha synthesis. Exogenous 8-BrcGMP and dbcGMP increased LPS-stimulated TNF-alpha synthesis but had no effect on KC TNF-alpha in the absence of LPS. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a nitric oxide-releasing substance that stimulates guanylate cyclase, increased TNF-alpha synthesis in response to LPS, whereas methylene blue and LY83583, guanylate cyclase inhibitors, decreased KC TNF-alpha synthesis. The inhibitory effect of methylene blue could be overcome with exogenous dbcGMP or SNP. Our results demonstrate that guanylate cyclase and cGMP mediate LPS-induced KC TNF-alpha synthesis and suggest that agents that alter cyclic nucleotide metabolism in KCs may affect the response of these cells to inflammation and inflammatory stimuli.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cell Membrane Permeability; Cells, Cultured; Cyclic GMP; Dibutyryl Cyclic GMP; Guanylate Cyclase; Kupffer Cells; Lipopolysaccharides; Male; Methylene Blue; Nitric Oxide; Nitroprusside; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Second Messenger Systems; SRS-A; Stimulation, Chemical; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

The biochemical mechanism subserving smooth muscle relaxant effects of sodium nitroprusside was examined on U46619, 9,11-dideoxy-9 alpha,11 alpha-methanoepoxy PGF2 alpha, precontracted guinea-pig lung strips and hilar bronchial rings. Lung strips were resistant to the relaxant action of sodium nitroprusside or sodium nitrite (NaNO2), whereas they markedly relaxed to 8-bromo-cyclic GMP (8-Br-cGMP), a membrane permeable analogue of cGMP. Precontracted bronchial rings completely relaxed to sodium nitroprusside, NaNO2, or 8-Br-cGMP in a concentration-dependent manner. Sodium nitroprusside (10 microM) substantially raised tissue cGMP level in lung strips. Conversely, sodium nitroprusside had no detectable effect on cGMP levels in bronchial rings. In the presence of 10 microM dipyridamole, an agent which preferentially inhibits cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase, cGMP levels in lung strips treated with sodium nitroprusside was significantly enhanced, but sodium nitroprusside demonstrated no relaxant effect on the preparations. However, dipyridamole potentiated sodium nitroprusside-induced precontracted bronchial ring relaxation without affecting the bronchial tissue cGMP level. In the presence of 10 microM LY83583 (6-anilino-5,8-quinoline-dione), a specific cGMP concentration-lowering agent, sodium nitroprusside-mediated elevation of cGMP level in lung strips was significantly reduced with no effect on the functional response. LY83583 demonstrated no inhibitory effect on either relaxation or cGMP level in bronchial rings treated with sodium nitroprusside. Our results suggest that precontracted smooth muscle in lung strips and in hilar bronchi respond distinctly to sodium nitroprusside. Furthermore, sodium nitroprusside mediates bronchial smooth muscle relaxation by mechanisms unrelated to cGMP.

Topics: 15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5,13-dienoic Acid; Aminoquinolines; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Bronchi; Cyclic GMP; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Guanylate Cyclase; Guinea Pigs; Lung; Male; Muscle Relaxation; Muscle, Smooth; Nitroprusside; Prostaglandin Endoperoxides, Synthetic; Sodium Nitrite; Thromboxane A2; Vasoconstrictor Agents; Vasodilator Agents

The role of cGMP as a second messenger for renin secretion is contentious. This was investigated using a superfused collagenase-dispersed rat kidney cortex cell preparation devoid of indirect influences on renin secretion. Nitroprusside, atriopeptin II and 8-Br-cGMP all increased renin release but the dose-response relationships were biphasic. At low dose ranges there was a positive correlation between increasing drug concentration and renin secretion, but at high drug concentrations, a negative correlation was apparent. Methylene blue, a guanylate cyclase inhibitor, also suppressed baseline renin release at 10(-5) and 10(-6) M, but stimulated release at 10(-3) M. Using mid-range drug concentrations, the cGMP specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor MB22948 potentiated renin release in response to nitroprusside and 8-Br-cGMP. Inhibition of guanylate cyclase with either methylene blue or LY83583 attenuated renin release in response to nitroprusside, but, as expected, had no effect on 8-Br-cGMP induced release. We conclude that, under physiological conditions, cGMP is a stimulatory second messenger for renin release. This activity is mimicked at low dose ranges by 8-Br-cGMP, nitroprusside and atriopeptin II. In response to high doses of these drugs an unknown inhibitory pathway is activated and this opposes, in a dose-related manner, the stimulatory actions of cGMP for renin release.

Topics: 3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Atrial Natriuretic Factor; Cyclic GMP; Guanylate Cyclase; In Vitro Techniques; Kidney Cortex; Methylene Blue; Nitroprusside; Peptide Fragments; Purinones; Rats; Renin; Second Messenger Systems

Several lines of evidence suggest that cyclic GMP might be involved in long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus. Arachidonic acid, nitric oxide and carbon monoxide, three molecules that have been proposed to act as retrograde messengers in LTP, all activate soluble guanylyl cyclase. We report here that an inhibitor of guanylyl cyclase blocks the induction of LTP in the CA1 region of hippocampal slices. Conversely, cGMP analogues produce long-lasting enhancement of the excitatory postsynaptic potential if they are applied at the same time as weak tetanic stimulation of the presynaptic fibres. The enhancement is spatially restricted, is not blocked by valeric acid (APV), nifedipine, or picrotoxin, and partially occludes LTP. This synaptic enhancement may be mediated by the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG). Inhibitors of PKG block the induction of LTP, and activators of PKG produce activity-dependent long-lasting enhancement. These results suggest that guanylyl cyclase and PKG contribute to LTP, possibly as activity-dependent presynaptic effectors of retrograde messengers.

Topics: Action Potentials; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cyclic GMP; Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; Guanylate Cyclase; Guinea Pigs; Hippocampus; In Vitro Techniques; Long-Term Potentiation; Male

This study was designed to determine if nitric oxide (NO) has direct effects on heart rate or if it is involved in the chronotropic actions of adrenergic or cholinergic stimulation. Right atria were isolated from hearts of adult male rats, bathed in Krebs-Henseleit buffer (37 degrees C), and used to monitor spontaneous rate. For comparison, ring segments of thoracic aorta were also suspended in the Krebs-Henseleit solution and used to examine vascular actions of various agents. The dose-dependent chronotropic effects of acetylcholine (10(-7)-10(-3) M) and norepinephrine (10(-8)-3 x 10(-4) M) in right atria were not affected by pretreatment with 10(-4) M N-nitro-L-arginine or 10(-3) M N-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester, inhibitors of L-arginine-derived NO production. SIN-1 (3-morpholino-sydnonimine), an agent which releases NO in aqueous solution, elicited a dose-dependent (0.3-100 microM) vasorelaxation in aortic preparations constricted with 60 mM KCl; the ED50 value for this effect was increased by pretreatment with methylene blue (10 microM) and LY-83,583 (6-(phenylamino)-5,8- quinolinedione; 1 and 3 microM), compounds which inhibit NO-induced stimulation of guanylate cyclase. SIN-1 produced a negative chronotropic effect in right atria; however, this action was not observed at concentrations less than 300 microM and was not antagonized by methylene blue or LY-83,583. 8-Bromo cyclic GMP produced a dose-dependent (10-3000 microM) decrease in KCl-induced tension in aortic rings. In right atria, 8-bromo cyclic GMP elicited a positive chronotropic effect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Acetylcholine; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Aorta, Thoracic; Arginine; Cyclic GMP; Guanylate Cyclase; Heart Atria; Heart Rate; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Methylene Blue; Molsidomine; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Nitric Oxide; Nitroarginine; Norepinephrine; Parasympathetic Nervous System; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Sympathetic Nervous System; Vasodilator Agents

The effect of various modulators of cytoplasmic guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) level on the step-up photophobic responses in Blepharisma japonicum has been investigated to clarify the possible role of cGMP in the mechanism of photosensory signal transduction. Membrane-permeable analogs of cGMP, 8-bromo-guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate or dibutyryl cGMP, caused a marked dose-dependent prolongation of the latency for the photophobic response, resulting in inhibition of the photophobic response in Blepharisma japonicum. A similar effect was observed when cells were treated with 3'-isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, and pertussis toxin, a G-protein activity modulator. The G-protein activator, fluoroaluminate, and 6-anilino-5,8-quinolinedione (LY 83583), an agent which effectively lowers the cytoplasmic cGMP level, significantly enhanced the photoresponsiveness of these ciliates to visible light stimuli. These results suggest that cellular cGMP serves as a signal modulator in the photophobic response of Blepharisma japonicum.

Topics: 1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cell Movement; Cholera Toxin; Ciliophora; Cyclic GMP; Dibutyryl Cyclic GMP; Light; Pertussis Toxin; Signal Transduction; Virulence Factors, Bordetella

In the pancreatic acinar cell, hormonal stimulation causes a rise in the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration by activating the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-mediated release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores (Berridge, M. J., and Irvine, R. F. (1989) Nature 341, 197-205). The released Ca2+ is, for the most part, extruded from the cell, necessitating a mechanism for Ca2+ entry and reloading of intracellular Ca2+ stores (Putney, J. W., Jr. (1990) Cell Calcium 11, 611-624; Rink, T. J. (1990) FEBS Lett. 268, 381-385). However, neither the mechanism of depletion-activated Ca2+ entry nor the signal that activates it is known. We report here that a sustained inward current of depletion-activated Ca2+ entry can be measured in pancreatic acinar cells using patch-clamp recording methods. Furthermore, the current can be blocked by an inhibitor of guanylyl cyclase, can be reactivated by 8-bromo-cGMP after inhibition, and can be activated in the absence of Ca2+ depletion by perfusing the cell with cGMP, but not cAMP. Intracellular perfusion with 1,3,4,5-inositol tetrakisphosphate did not activate an inward current, whereas perfusion with 2,4,5-inositol trisphosphate did activate an inward current. We conclude that cGMP may be an intracellular messenger that regulates depletion-activated Ca2+ entry.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Calcium; Calcium Channels; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic GMP; Guanylate Cyclase; In Vitro Techniques; Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate; Inositol Phosphates; Kinetics; Membrane Potentials; Models, Biological; Pancreas; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Second Messenger Systems; Time Factors

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cyclic GMP (cGMP) are two second messengers that have been proposed to act as a dualistic system in biological regulation. To determine if cGMP plays a role in the mediation of circadian rhythmicity of the adenylate cyclase (AC)-cAMP-phosphodiesterase (PDE) system in the achlorophyllous ZC mutant of the unicellular flagellate Euglena, the levels of cAMP and cGMP were monitored in synchronized cell populations, and the effects of the cGMP analog 8-bromo-cGMP (8-Br-cGMP) and the cGMP inhibitor 6-anilinoquinoline-5,8-quinone (LY 83583) on the activity of AC and PDE, as well as on the level of cAMP, were measured in vivo. A bimodal, 24-hr rhythm of cGMP content was found in both dividing and nondividing cultures in either a 12-hr:12-hr light-dark cycle or constant darkness. The peaks and troughs of the cGMP rhythm occurred 2 hr in advance of those of the cAMP rhythm that has been reported previously. The addition of 8-Br-cGMP at different circadian times increased the cAMP level in vivo by two to five times, whereas LY 83583 reduced the amplitude of the cAMP rhythm so that it disappeared. The effects of 8-Br-cGMP on the activity of AC and PDE were circadian phase-dependent and consistent with the changes in cAMP content. These findings suggest that cGMP may serve as an upstream effector that mediates the cAMP oscillation by regulation of the AC-cAMP-PDE system.

Topics: 3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases; Adenylyl Cyclases; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cell Division; Circadian Rhythm; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic GMP; Euglena; Models, Biological; SRS-A

Previously we showed that atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) decreases cardiac cell volume by inhibiting ion uptake by Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransport. Digital video microscopy was used to study the role of guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) in this process in rabbit ventricular myocytes. Each cell served as its own control, and relative cell volumes (volume(test)/volume(control)) were determined. Exposure to 10 microM 8-bromo-cGMP (8-Br-cGMP) reversibly decreased cell volume to 0.892 +/- 0.007; the ED50 was 0.77 +/- 0.33 microM. Activating guanylate cyclase with 100 microM sodium nitroprusside also decreased cell volume to 0.889 +/- 0.009. In contrast, 8-bromo-adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (8-Br-AMP; 0.01-100 microM) neither altered cell volume directly nor modified the response to 8-Br-cGMP. The idea that cGMP decreases cell volume by inhibiting Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransport was tested by blocking the cotransporter with 10 microM bumetanide (BUM) and removing the transported ions. After BUM treatment, 10 microM 8-Br-cGMP failed to decrease cell volume. Replacement of Na+ with N-methyl-D-glucamine or Cl- with methanesulfonate also prevented 8-Br-cGMP from shrinking cells. The data suggest that 8-Br-cGMP, like ANF, decreases ventricular cell volume by inhibiting Na+/K+/2Cl-cotransport. Evidence that ANF modulates cell volume via cGMP was also obtained. Pretreatment with 10 microM 8-Br-cGMP prevented the effect of 1 microM ANF on cell volume, and ANF suppressed 8-Br-cGMP-induced cell shrinkage. Inhibiting guanylate cyclase with the quinolinedione LY83583 (10 microM) diminished ANF-induced cell shrinkage, and inhibiting cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase with M&B22948 (Zaprinast; 100 microM) amplified the volume decrease caused by a low dose of ANF (0.01 microM) approximately fivefold. In contrast, neither 100 microM 8-Br-cAMP nor 50 microM forskolin affected the response to ANF. The effects of ANF, LY83583, and M&B29948 on cGMP levels in isolated ventricular myocytes were confirmed by 125I-cGMP radioimmunoassay. These data argue that ANF shrinks cardiac cells by increasing intracellular cGMP, thereby inhibiting Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransport. Basal cGMP levels also appear to modulate cell volume.

Topics: 3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Atrial Natriuretic Factor; Chlorides; Cyclic GMP; Guanylate Cyclase; In Vitro Techniques; Myocardium; Potassium; Purinones; Rabbits; Second Messenger Systems; Sodium; SRS-A

The effects of cyclic GMP on the release of calcium from intracellular stores, induced in murine peritoneal macrophages by either ATP or platelet-activating factor, were studied by microfluorimetry with fura-2. When macrophages were incubated for 10-20 min with 10 microM LY83583, an inhibitor of guanylate cyclase, the rise in intracellular calcium induced by agonist application was strongly depressed. This inhibition of the response to platelet-activating factor could be reversed by the addition of 0.1 mM cyclic 8-bromo-GMP. In the presence of cyclic 8-bromo-GMP, the decay of the calcium transient was speeded. Furthermore, when two calcium transients were evoked within 1 min by stimulating the cells with 10 microM ATP, the second calcium transient was more depressed than the first one in the presence of LY83583. These findings are compatible with the hypothesis that cyclic GMP is necessary for the activation of the calcium pump of the intracellular stores.

Topics: Adenosine Triphosphate; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Biological Transport; Biological Transport, Active; Calcium; Calcium-Transporting ATPases; Cells, Cultured; Cyclic GMP; Cytophotometry; Macrophages; Mice; Platelet Activating Factor; SRS-A

L-Arginine (L-Arg) is metabolized by nitric oxide synthase to the reactive intermediate nitric oxide. Since nitric oxide stimulates guanylyl cyclase and cGMP synthesis, L-Arg effects on cGMP accumulation in isolated pancreatic islets of the rat and RINm5F insulinoma cells were determined. Both L-Arg and glucose stimulation increased islet cGMP levels, and glucose potentiated the response to L-Arg alone. A competitive inhibitor of L-Arg metabolism to nitric oxide, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, reduced glucose- and L-Arg-stimulated insulin release and glucose-induced increases in cGMP; however, basal insulin release was slightly increased. D-Arg and L-ornithine did not affect islet cGMP levels, although insulin release was stimulated. RINm5F cell cGMP levels and insulin release increased in response to L-Arg in a concentration- and time-related manner, whereas glucose and L-histidine were without effect. 8-Bromo-cGMP also slightly increased RINm5F cell insulin release. Sodium nitroprusside as a source of nitric oxide increased RINm5F cell cGMP production. Methylene blue and LY83583, inhibitors of soluble guanylyl cyclase activation, reduced RINm5F cell cGMP levels in the presence and absence of L-Arg; LY83583 also reduced glucose-stimulated cGMP levels in islets. Insulin release by glucose and L-Arg was also inhibited by methylene blue and LY83583 in islets. We conclude that glucose and L-Arg stimulate guanylyl cyclase activity and cGMP formation in beta-cells at least in part through metabolism to the reactive intermediate nitric oxide. However, neither nitric oxide nor cGMP synthesis is obligatory for insulin secretion.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Arginine; Cyclic GMP; Glucose; Guanylate Cyclase; Insulin; Insulin Secretion; Insulinoma; Islets of Langerhans; Male; Methylene Blue; Nitroprusside; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Tumor Cells, Cultured

ANP increases cellular cGMP content in cultured hepatocytes and decreases Ca2(+)-inflow in a concentration- and time-dependent manner which explains a beneficial effect on hypoxia cell injury (25). Both observations are mimicked by SNP and 8-Br-cGMP and blocked by Ly 83583 indicating a cGMP-mediated mechanism. The protective effect was also inhibited by Pertussis Toxin (PT) without lowering the elevated cGMP-level. But PT in combination with ANP leads to a higher Ca2(+)-inflow. Stimulated Na(+)-inflows are also be lowered by ANP. Here, neither SNP can mimick nor PT can inhibit this effect. Our results now indicate that the beneficial effect by ANP at the cellular level is mediated through cGMP which decreases calcium-inflow. ANP seems to control Ca2(+)-channels direct via a PT-sensitive G-protein and indirect by a cGMP-mediated mechanism and Na(+)-channels cGMP-independent through a PT-insensitive G-protein, thus preventing cells on hypoxia and oxygen radicals.

Topics: Aminoquinolines; Animals; Atrial Natriuretic Factor; Calcium; Cells, Cultured; Cyclic GMP; Free Radicals; GTP-Binding Proteins; Hypochlorous Acid; Hypoxia; Kinetics; Liver; Nitroprusside; Pertussis Toxin; Rats; Virulence Factors, Bordetella

The influence of cyclic 3',5'-guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) on the lipolytic and antilipolytic (inhibition of glucagon-stimulated lipolysis) responses to GH (1 microgram/ml) was examined in chicken adipose tissue in vitro. Both 8-bromo-cGMP (0.1 mM) and sodium nitroprusside (1 mM) (a guanyl cyclase stimulator) completely inhibited the lipolytic effect of GH. A cGMP-lowering agent, LY83583 (10 microM), reversed the inhibitory effect of sodium nitroprusside on GH-stimulated lipolysis. Furthermore, the suppressive effects of insulin (100 ng/ml), insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) (100 ng/ml), or insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II/MSA) (100 ng/ml), but not somatostatin (1 ng/ml), on GH-stimulated lipolysis were prevented by LY83583 addition. Neither 8-bromo-cGMP, sodium nitroprusside, nor LY83583 altered GH-induced inhibition of glucagon (1 ng/ml)-stimulated lipolysis. It is proposed that cGMP may mediate inhibitory control of GH-stimulated lipolysis by insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II in chicken adipose tissue.

Topics: Adipose Tissue; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Cattle; Chickens; Cyclic GMP; Glucagon; Growth Hormone; Insulin; Lipolysis; Male; Nitroprusside; Recombinant Proteins; Somatomedins

Endothelium-derived relaxing factors (EDRFs) have been previously shown to exert an inhibitory influence on the contractile effects of alpha-adrenoceptor agonists in vascular smooth muscle. alpha 2-Adrenoceptor agonists such as clonidine have been reported to be particularly susceptible to this effect, and it has been suggested that clonidine acts on alpha 2 receptors on endothelial cells to stimulate the release of EDRF. EDRF release is known to be accompanied by increased levels of cGMP in many blood vessels, and it is suggested that cGMP exerts an inhibitory influence on the smooth muscle cells, which tends to counteract the contractile effect of the clonidine. This hypothesis was tested in isolated rings of rat aorta and mesenteric artery using the cGMP lowering agent, 6-anilino-5,8-quinolinedione (LY83583). LY83583 markedly decreased resting levels of cGMP in these vascular preparations and completely prevented both the relaxation and the cGMP elevation normally caused by acetylcholine in rat aorta with intact endothelium. These effects of LY83583 are identical to those observed after mechanical disruption of the endothelium. LY83583 also enhanced the contractile responses to norepinephrine and particularly to clonidine in both aorta and mesenteric artery. The effects of LY83583 on contractile responses to both alpha-adrenoceptor agonists were reversed by low concentrations of 8-bromo-cGMP. Clonidine did not increase cGMP levels in vascular preparations with intact endothelia, in the presence or absence of LY83583. Thus, enhanced release of EDRF by clonidine did not appear to be responsible for the inhibition of its contractile effects observed in the presence of intact endothelial cells. Our results suggest instead that this endothelium-dependent inhibition is due to spontaneous release of EDRF, which results in tonic elevation of cGMP in the vascular smooth muscle. This tonic elevation of cGMP exerts a more marked inhibitory effect against contractions induced by the partial agonist, clonidine, than it does against contractions induced by a full agonist, norepinephrine.

Topics: Acetylcholine; Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; Aminoquinolines; Animals; Aorta; Clonidine; Cyclic GMP; Endothelium; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Mesenteric Arteries; Muscle Contraction; Muscle Relaxation; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Nitric Oxide; Norepinephrine; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Vasodilator Agents