[Lanthanides induce neurotransmitter release from the vesicular pool in rat brain synaptosomes].

The influence of lanthanoids on exocytosis was investigated. It was shown that gadolinium increases the spontaneous release of the glutamate nonmetabolizing analogue [3H]D-aspartate. It was established using the fluorescent dye acridine orange that gadolinium and lanthanum induce exocytosis. The effect was dose-dependent and was maximum at 300 microM Gd3+. The exocytosis induced by gadolinium was calcium-independent. It is suggested that lanthanides induce a vesicular release of neurotransmitters by the mechanisms common for all polyvalent cations.

[The dynamics of the domains of the IP3-binding site of the inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate-sensitive calcium channel, induced by inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate and calcium].

The dynamics of the inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate-sensitive calcium channel after binding of inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate and Ca2+ was analyzed by the Monte Carlo minimization technique. It was shown that the binding of Ca2+ with the unliganded receptor (channel) leads to a turning of the beta-sheet domain relative to the alpha-helical domain with the formation of the receptor conformation that is open for the entry of ions into the cytoplasmic channel vestibule, sterically closed for their passage through the vestibule in the part adjacent to the alpha-helical domains, and unfavourable for subsequent binding of inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate with the receptor. When both co-agonists bind to the receptor, the structure rearrangements induced eliminate both these steric obstacles for the passage of ions through the IP3-binding domain: one at the entrance of the channel cytoplasmic vestibule and the other that is placed deeper in the vestibule near the alpha-domains. The role of the dynamics of the receptor binding core in the IP3-sensitive channel gating is discussed.

[Influence of calcium ionophore A23187 on neurotransmitter release in rat brain synaptosomes]. / Vliianie kal'tsevogo ionofora A23187 na osvobozhdenie neiromediatorov iz sinaptosom mozga krys.

The effect of calcium ionophore A23187 on the release of nonmetabolizable glutamate analogues [3H]D-aspartate and the exocytosis registered by fluorescent dyes in synaptosomes was investigated. It was shown that A23187 is able to induce neurotransmitter release both in calcium-containing and calcium-free medium, the effect in the latter case being more pronounced. Calcium ionophore is able to induce exocytosis registered by acridine orange and FM 2-10. The influence of A23187 on the fluorescence of acridine orange was mainly calcium-independent, whereas the change in the fluorescence of FM 2-10 was calcium-dependent. It was suggested that the calcium-independent increase in acridine orange fluorescence is related to the dissipation of pH gradient in synaptic vesicles. Probably, the calcium-independent release of D-aspartate is also associated with the dissipation of pH gradient and subsequent leakage of neurotransmitters.

[Determination of tyrosine- and tryptophan-containing peptides in plasma by absorption in UV spectral region]. / Opredelenie tirozin- i triptofansoderzhashchikh peptidov v plazme krovi po pogloshcheniiu v UF-oblasti spektra.

A method for determining the cumulative concentration of tyrosine- and tryptophan-containing peptides (TSP and TPP) in blood plasma: 0.2 ml of blood plasma is added 0.1 ml of 1.8 M chloric acid, the sample is centrifuged, the supernatant (0.2 ml) is added 1.8 ml of 0.7 M NaOH and the optic density is measured at 290 nm in the quarts or plastic flask. Equations were derived to calculate separately the concentrations of TSP and TPP, whose normal values are 1.28 +/- 0.31 and 0.25 +/- 0.06 mmol/l, respectively. The increasing total content of peptides in thyrotoxicosis was shown to be mainly conditioned by a higher TSP concentration (a 2.4-fold increase). Therefore, TSP is a more sensitive marker in case of endogenous intoxication versus the generally known index of the cumulative content of oligopeptides.

[Effect of osmolar concentration of culture media on exocytosis in isolated presynaptic nerve endings of rat brain ]. / Vliianie osmotichnosti inkubatsionnoi sredy na ékzotsitoz v izolirovannykh presinapticheskikh okonchaniiakh neironov mozga krys.

The effect of hypotonic and hypertonic shock on exocytosis in rat brain synaptosomes was studied using the fluorescent dye acridine orange. It was shown that an increase in medium osmolarity leads to calcium-independent exocytosis. The response of the probe was directly proportional to the amount of osmolithes added. A decrease in medium osmolarity to 230 mOsm led to an increase of acridine orange fluorescence, which is comparable with exocytosis occurring by the action of 15 mM KCl. This effect was independent of calcium concentration. It is assumed that, under hypotonic shock, part of neurotransmitters are released from the vesicular pool.

Fluorescent probing of the ligand-binding ability of blood plasma in the acute-phase response.

The acute-phase response alters the composition of carrier proteins in plasma, which may affect the blood deposition and transport of biomediators and drugs. The effect of the acute-phase response on the ligand binding ability of plasma was studied in leukemic children with and without systemic inflammation (sepsis and septic shock). To target different transport proteins, differentially charged fluorescent dyes were used: anionic ANS (8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonate), uncharged Nile red, and cationic Quinaldine red. Human serum albumin was a principal carrier for ANS and competed for Nile red binding with lipoproteins. The synchro-scan fluorescence spectra of Nile red in plasma distinguished two species of the dye bound to serum albumin and to low-density and/or very low-density lipoproteins. The binding of Quinaldine red did not correlate with albumin and lipoprotein levels, and was probably determined by alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein. Compared with the control group, leukemia increased Quinaldine red binding by 65% and did not significantly affect the binding of other probes. Sepsis and septic shock did not change the binding of Quinaldine red, but progressively decreased ANS binding, finally by about 33%, and shifted Nile red distribution from serum albumin toward lipoproteins. These changes reflected a modified composition of the three principal transport proteins in plasma in the acute-phase response. Simple and rapid fluorescent tests developed in this study can be used to evaluate the acute-phase response and to optimize drug administration protocols in clinical practice.

Effects of nitric oxide donors on Ca2+-dependent [14C]GABA release from brain synaptosomes: the role of SH-groups.

Nitric oxide (NO) modulates processes of synaptic transmission at pre- and postsynaptic levels. In the present work we studied the mechanisms of action of NO on [gamma-14C]amino-n-butyric acid ([14C]GABA) release in rat cortical synaptosomes. NO donors--S-nitroso-L-cysteine and hydroxylamine (but not sodium nitroprusside)--inhibited the neurotransmitter efflux in a concentration range from 10 microM to 1 mM. Nitrosocysteine completely and selectively suppressed the Ca2+-dependent (vesicular) [14C]GABA release, while not affecting the Ca2+-independent component of the [14C]GABA transport. The influence of NO donors was not related to activation of guanylyl cyclase, since the membrane-permeable cGMP analog dibutyryl-cGMP did not mimic and the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor methylene blue did not change the NO effects. In contrast, the membrane-permeable SH-reagent N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) resembled the effects of NO donors on the Ca2+-dependent [14C]GABA release. The degree of inhibition of the release by nitrosocysteine, hydroxylamine, and NEM correlated with their ability to oxidize intra-synaptosomal SH-groups. These data suggest that synaptosomal sulfhydryl groups are the target for NO action at the presynaptic level. The NO-induced oxidation of thiols may be involved in physiological and, especially, pathological effects of nitric oxide in the central nervous system.

Bioenergetic response of isolated nerve terminals of rat brain to osmotic swelling.

The swelling of nerve terminals of rat brain in a hypotonic medium (230 mOsm) induced the potential-independent entrance of 45Ca2+ into synaptosomes and intrasynaptosomal mitochondria that changed the energy status of synaptosomes, the rate of O2 consumption and the content of ATP being decreased. The ratio ATP/ADP decreased from 6.5 +/- 0.26 (310 mOsm medium) to 3.1 +/- 0.18 (the medium 230 mOsm). Studies on the equilibrium distribution of K+ (86Rb+) and [3H]TPP+ showed that contents of these cations in the nerve terminals were virtually the same on incubation in both iso- and hypotonic media. This indicated that the swelling did not damage intrasynaptosomal mitochondria and plasma membranes of the synaptosomes. The inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation increased twofold the rate of glycolysis. The incubation of synaptosomes in calcium-free medium (230 mOsm) in the presence of EGTA (1 mM) prevented the inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation and synthesis of ATP by the osmotic swelling. Ruthenium Red (10 microM) in the medium 230 mOsm inhibited the entrance of 45Ca2+ into the intrasynaptosomal mitochondria and normalized the oxidative phosphorylation to the control level (310 mOsm medium). The decrease in the energy potential of synaptosomes induced by the hypoosmotic shock is suggested to be associated with the increase in Ca2+ content in the cytoplasm, its transport into the mitochondria, and the inhibitory effect on oxidative phosphorylation.

Influence of plasma membrane depolarization on cAMP level in rat brain synaptosomes.

We studied the influence of plasma membrane depolarization on cAMP content in presynaptic nerve endings (synaptosomes) isolated from brain hemispheres (HS) and cerebellum (CS). Depolarization by elevated [K+]o decreased basal cAMP level in both types of synaptosomes; reduced cAMP content in HS and increased cAMP in CS in the presence of IBMX; and lowered forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation in both the HS and the CS. Similar results were obtained when depolarization was induced by veratrine or when [Ca2+]i was elevated by treatment of the synaptosomes with the ionophore A23187. In Ca2+-free media, depolarization was not able to affect the synaptosomal cAMP levels. These data suggest that in brain synaptosomes intracellular cAMP pathway is modulated by alterations in [Ca2+]i.

[Use of excimerization of pyrene for assessing lipid microviscosity in biological membranes]. / Ispol'zovanie éksimerizatsii pirena dlia otsenko mikroviazkkosti lipidov v biologicheskikh membranakh.

A method for estimating the fluidity of natural membranes from the pyrene excimer/monomer fluorescence ratio (Ie/Im) is proposed. The method makes it possible to exclude artefacts such as fluorescence quenching, aggregation, and redistribution of the probe in lipid mains with different microviscosity. It is shown that, upon variation of intramembrane pyrene concentration [pyr], the occurrence of a common crossover point in pyrene fluorescence spectra normalized to the corresponding probe concentration (isoemission or isobestic point) or, as a consequence, the linear dependence of Ie/[pyr] on Im/[pyr] can serve as a criterion of diffusion (fluidity)-controlled excimerization of pyrene. The isobestic point can be used for determining the range of working concentrations of the probe in membrane suspension. It was found from the intensity of pyrene fluorescence in the isobestic point and quenching with potassium iodide that at t < 30 degrees C, the probe is uniformly distributed throughout the membrane, and its excimerization is mainly controlled by the microviscosity of environment.

[Assessment of body intoxication as a balance between accumulation and binding of toxin in plasma]. / Otsenka intoksikatsii organizma po narusheniiu balansa mezhdu nakopleniem i sviazyvaniem toksinov v plazme krovi.

A novel approach to assessing endogenic intoxication (EI) as an imbalance between toxin accumulation and binding by albumin in blood plasma is proposed. The intoxication criterion (IC) is determined by the ratio of the content of medium-weight molecules (MWM) and effective albumin concentration (EAC): IC = MWN/EAC. In children with oncohematological diseases the development of EI is associated with a 4-fold drop of MWM content and a twofold decrease of EAC, and hence, the imbalance between these two values increases 9-10 times. The proposed approach notably improves the sensitivity of diagnosis of the early stages of EI. Application of a new fluorescent marker pirrone red for measuring albumin binding capacity is validated and an algorithm of EAC determination using calibration curve of probe binding to standard albumin solution is described.

[Accumulation of methylene blue by erythrocytes and determination of its maximum sensitivity to cell damage]. / Nakoplenie metilenovogo sinego éritrotsitami i opredelenie ego maksimal'noi chuvstvitel'nosti k povrezhdeniiu kletok.

The accumulation of methylene blue in native and damaged erythrocytes treated by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide at different initial concentrations (c0) of methylene blue and different volume ratios between external solution and cells (Vs/Vc) was studied. It was shown that at low methylene blue concentrations (c0 < 200 microM), the sorption of the dye by cells made the main contribution to its accumulation. As a result, the internal concentration of methylene blue exceeded manifold its external concentration and their ratio Q was 4-6 for native and 6-9 for damaged cells. As Vs/Vc decreased and especially as c0 increased, the diffusion of methylene blue inward the cells increased concentration gradient, and Q sharply fell to 0.9-1.0. The optimal values of c0 and Vs/Vc that provide the maximum sensitivity of Q to cell damage were determined. The advantages of using Q over other parameters of methylene blue accumulation were shown.

Different modes of ozone-induced lipid oxidation in Candida utilis yeast cells and isolated membrane preparations.

Significant differences in the development of ozonolysis of lipids in membrane preparations and intact cells of the Candida utilis yeast were revealed. First, unlike isolated membranes, in which lipid modifications can be initiated by low ozone doses (< 0.5 micromol O3/mg protein) and develop proportionally to the treatment dose, in intact yeast cells, even the most ozone-sensitive sterols and nitrogen-containing phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine) did not undergo oxidative destruction at doses up to 6.0 micromol O3/mg protein. Second, the peculiarity of the ozone-initiated lipid modification in intact cells was that different classes of lipids exhibited different sensitivity to ozone. With an increase in the ozone dose, neutral lipids (sterols) and nitrogen-containing phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and sphingomyelin) were modified to a greater extent. Third, the accumulation of lipid peroxidation products upon ozone treatment of cells, in contrast to the isolated membranes, was absent at low ozone doses and was recorded only after the lethal damage. It is suggested that these differences are related to both the function of antioxidative enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, etc.) and the difference between the structural states (i.e., stability and accessibility to oxidation) of lipids in the isolated membranes and the intact cells.

Effect of calcium on the energy status of rat brain synaptosomes under acidosis.

Incubation of rat brain synaptosomes at pH 6.0 in Ca2+-containing medium is associated with a decrease in the ATP content and the rate of oxygen consumption. ATP/ADP ratio decreased from 6.6 +/- 0.24 at pH 7.4 to 3.2 +/- 0.17 at pH 6.0. The content of 86Rb+ and [3H]tetraphenylphosphonium measured at pH 7.4 did not change after preincubation at pH 6.0, indicating the absence of lesion of synaptosomal plasma membranes and intrasynaptosomal mitochondria. Incubation with 1 mM EGTA in Ca2+-free medium as well as addition of 1 mM ouabain or 10 microM ruthenium red prevents the effect of acidosis. Similar results were obtained when 5 mM pyruvate was used as a mitochondrial substrate instead of glucose. It is suggested that acidosis-induced decrease in the ATP level is associated with the increase in Ca2+ concentration in the cytoplasm and its transport into mitochondria. Ouabain reverses this process due to activation of Na+/Ca2+ exchange.

[Acidosis inhibits oxidative phosphorylation in intrasynaptosomal mitochondria by releasing calcium from cytoplasmic store]. / Kal'tsii, osvobozhdaemyi iz vnutrikletochnykh depo, ingibiruet okislitel'noe fosforilirovanie mitokhondrii v sinaptosomakh mozga krys pri atsidoze.

The origin of calcium responsible for earlier observed acidosis-induced decrease in ATP content and inhibition of respiration in rat brain synaptosomes was studied. Acidosis (pH 6.0) inhibits both basal and potassium-stimulated 45Ca2+ uptake (60 mM KCl). Calcium channel blockers verapamil (100 microM) and 45Ca2+ (100 microM) have no effect on the level of ATP and respiration rate at pH 6.0. Theophylline (10 mM) releasing calcium from intracellular stores lowered ATP and O2 consumption rate at pH 7.4 but not at pH 6.0 being effective only in calcium-containing medium. Inhibitor of calcium transport in mitochondria ruthenium red (10 microM) prevented acidosis-induced ATP decrease. It is suggested that acidosis inhibits oxidative phosphorylation by releasing calcium from cytoplasmic stores with its subsequent transport into intrasynaptosomal mitochondria.

Photoreactivation of the cytochrome oxidase complex with cyanide: the reaction of heme a3 photoreduction.

Electron transfer activity of isolated cytochrome oxidase inhibited by low concentrations of cyanide by 93-95% was shown to rise no less than three times under exposure to visible light. Irradiation with visible light was found to increase the rate of reduction of cytochrome oxidase heme groups in the presence of sodium dithionite. Based on these results, it is suggested that the modification of the catalytic and spectral characteristic of the cytochrome oxidase-cyanide complex is due to the photostimulation of the intramolecular electron transport at the interheme (heme a heme a3) transfer stage, i.e., is caused by photoreduction of the enzyme's heme a3-CN complex.

Hypoosmotic shock activates Ca2+ channels in isolated nerve terminals.

Influence of hypotonic swelling on Ca2+ (45Ca2+) uptake in rat brain synaptosomes was studied. A decrease in medium osmolality from 310 to 260-180 mOsm led to a progressive stimulation of 45Ca2+ accumulation. The effect was blocked by verapamil (IC50 = 5 microM), CoCl2 (IC50 = 58 microM) and retained at a fixed concentration of external sodium indicating the involvement of Ca2+ channels rather than Na+/Ca2+ exchange in swelling-induced Ca2+ influx. The populations of calcium channels observed in hypoosmotic and depolarizing conditions are different in three aspects: (i) kinetics of 45Ca2+ entry; (ii) insensitivity to dihydropyridines and omega-conotoxin GVIA; (iii) insensitivity to preliminary depolarization by high potassium. The effects of swelling and depolarization on Ca2+ uptake were additive. No change in membrane potential monitored with diS-C3-(5) was recorded during synaptosome hypotonic swelling. The results suggest the existence in synaptosomal plasma membrane of volume-dependent calcium-permeable channels with properties distinct from those of the voltage-dependent calcium channels. Activation of these channels may constitute an early event in volume regulation of nerve terminals in anisoosmotic conditions.

[The regulation of cell volume: the mechanisms of intracellular signalling]. / Reguliatsiia ob''ema kletok: mekhanizmy vnutrikeltochnoi signalizatsii.

The mechanisms of intracellular [correction of intercellular] signalling responsible for cell volume regulation are elucidated in the 2nd part of the review. Data on a nature of the "volume" sensor and signals acting on it, the properties of structures and mechanisms regulating the cell volume, are discussed as well as genetic regulation of the cell volume responses.

Volume-dependent regulation of ion carriers in human and rat erythrocytes: role of cytoskeleton and protein phosphorylation.

This study examines the effect of heat-induced cytoskeleton transitions and phosphoprotein phosphatase inhibitors on the activity of shrinkage-induced Na+, K+, 2Cl- cotransport and Na+/H+ exchange in rat erythrocytes and swelling-induced K+, Cl- cotransport in human and rat blood cells. Preincubation of human and rat erythrocytes at 49 degrees C drastically activated K+, Cl- cotransport and completely (rat) or partly (human) abolished its volume-dependent regulation. The same procedure did not affect basal activity of Na+, K+, 2Cl- cotransport but completely abolished its activation by shrinkage thus suggesting the involvement of a thermosensitive element of cytoskeleton network in the volume-dependent regulation of cotransporters. Both the shrinkage- and electrochemical proton gradient-induced Na+/H+ exchange was inhibited by the heat treatment to the same extent (50-70%), thus indicating the different signaling pathways involved in the activation of Na+, K+, 2Cl- cotransport and Na+/H+ exchange by cell shrinkage. This suggestion is in accordance with data on the different kinetics of volume-dependent activation and inactivation of these carriers as well as on their sensitivity to medium osmolality. Both swelling- and heat-induced increments of K+, Cl- cotransport activity were diminished by inhibitors of phosphoprotein phosphatases (okadaic acid and calyculin). In rat erythrocytes these compounds potentiate shrinkage-induced Na+/H+ exchange. On the contrary, neither basal nor shrinkage-induced Na+, K+, 2Cl- cotransport was affected by these compounds. Our results indicate a key role of cytoskeleton network in volume-dependent activation of K+, Cl- and Na+, K+, 2Cl- cotransport and the involvement of protein phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycle in regulation of the activity of K+, Cl- cotransport and Na+/H+ exchange.