Monoamine oxidase B expression is selectively regulated by dexamethasone in cultured rat astrocytes.

The influence of dexamethasone on monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B expression and activity was investigated in primary cultures of rat type 1 astrocytes cultured under serum free, defined conditions. Dexamethasone treatment resulted in a dose- and time-dependent induction of MAO-B, but not of MAO-A, activity. The selective MAO-B increase was substantially reduced by the antagonist RU 486, thus suggesting a glucocorticoid receptor-mediated action of the hormone. Kinetic analysis showed an increase in Vmax of MAO-B with no change in apparent K(m). The dexamethasone-induced selective rise in MAO-B activity appeared to be due to enhanced enzyme synthesis, since MAO-B mRNA was markedly increased by dexamethasone treatment and the recovery of MAO-B activity after its irreversible inhibition by deprenyl was more pronounced in the presence than in the absence of the hormone. Furthermore, the dexamethasone effect was abolished by the protein synthesis inhibitors actinomycin D or cycloheximide. The present study demonstrates that dexamethasone is able to selectively induce MAO-B in type 1 astrocytes and leads to speculation of a possible role for glucocorticoids in the increase in brain MAO-B associated with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

Effect of aging on lazabemide binding, monoamine oxidase activity and monoamine metabolites in human frontal cortex.

Age-related modifications of monoamine oxidase-A and -B (MAO-A and MAO-B) and amine metabolite concentrations were studied in human frontal cortex taken postmortem from 22 subjects of various ages (21-75 years). Qualitative and quantitative analysis for MAO-B was provided by kinetic studies with a specific radioligand, [3H]lazabemide. The data demonstrated a significant (P < 0.05) positive correlation between the density of [3H]lazabemide binding sites (Bmax) and age of the subject, without showing an apparent modification in the dissociation constant (KD) of the radioligand. In parallel experiments, MAO-B but not MAO-A activity was shown to correlate with age (P < 0.05). The concentrations of the amine metabolites 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylacetic acid (HVA), 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG) were all devoid of a correlation with age. Neither did the concentrations of these metabolites relate to the respective subject's MAO-B enzymatic activity nor to [3H]lazabemide Bmax. A correlation, though rather weak, was obtained between MAO-A activity and MHPG concentration (P = 0.045). The MAO-A and -B enzyme characteristics in subjects who had committed suicide (n = 9) did not differ from those of subjects deceased for other causes (n = 13). Among the measured monoamine metabolites the concentrations of DOPAC and HVA were higher in the suicide versus control group (P < 0.05). The present data confirm in a direct manner that the increase in MAO-B activity in aging brain is due to an enhancement of the number of active sites of the enzyme and not through modifications of its kinetic characteristics. Furthermore, that neither the characteristics nor the activity of the enzyme are changed in the frontal cortex of suicide victims compared to control subjects.

Estrogen modulation of catecholamine synthesis and monoamine oxidase A activity in the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-ER3.

In order to assess the neuronal-like properties of a human neuroblastoma cell line obtained by stable transfection of the estrogen receptor (SK-ER3) a series of quantitative measurements of the activity of two neurotransmitter-related enzymes: tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and monamine oxidase (MAO), and of catecholamine concentrations were performed. When compared to the parental SK-N-BE cell line, the stably transfected SK-ER3 cells show a more pronounced dopaminergic phenotype. The immunoreactivity to a TH antibody is in fact increased and the ratio between dopamine and noradrenaline concentrations is elevated. Treatment with estradiol further enhances the expression of this phenotype. Interestingly, in the transfected cell line MAO-A activity is decreased and further reduced by estrogen treatment. This finding substantiated by previous reports indicates that our model system might represent an interesting tool for the study of the pharmacological treatments of estrogen-induced pathological responses of nervous cells.

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide facilitates tyrosine hydroxylase induction by cholinergic agonists in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells.

The possibility that vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) may facilitate the nicotine-mediated induction of adrenal medullary tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was investigated with primary cultures (5-7 days in vitro) of bovine adrenal chromaffin (BAC) cells. Exposure of BAC cells to 100 microM nicotine led to only a marginal increase in the amount of TH mRNA, TH protein, and TH activity. VIP, alone or in the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, produced a marked increase in TH mRNA, TH protein, and TH activity. Moreover, VIP together with nicotine, at concentrations that alone were devoid of effect, increased the amount of TH mRNA and TH activity. A synergistic effect of VIP and nicotine on cAMP accumulation in BAC cells was also apparent. The marginal effects of large doses of nicotine on both cAMP accumulation and TH induction were blocked completely by hexamethonium but were also partially inhibited by the VIP antagonist [p-chloro-D-Phe6,Leu17]-VIP. Nicotine may, therefore, stimulate the release of VIP from cultured BAC cells and VIP, in turn, by increasing cAMP, may synergize with nicotine to enhance TH gene expression.

Endogenous benzodiazepine receptor ligands in human and animal hepatic encephalopathy.

The role of endogenous benzodiazepine receptor ligands in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy was studied in humans and in rat models of hepatic encephalopathy. Endogenous benzodiazepine ligands were extracted from rat brain and human CSF by acid treatment and purification by HPLC. Detection and partial characterization of these endogenous benzodiazepine ligands were carried out using both radioreceptor binding assays and radioimmunoassays with anti-benzodiazepine antibodies. Four different benzodiazepine receptor ligands were identified in human and rat tissue, two of which may be diazepam and desmethyldiazepam, based on elution profiles and anti-benzo-diazepine antibody reactivity. Human CSF and serum from patients with hepatic encephalopathy contained approximately 10 times more endogenous benzodiazepine receptor ligand than CSF from controls or nonencephalopathic patients with liver disease. The levels of brain benzodiazepine receptor ligand compounds were also increased approximately 10-fold in rats suffering from fulminant hepatic failure, but not in rats with portacaval shunts, a model of chronic hepatic disease. The increased concentrations of these substances could be behaviorally significant and may contribute to the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy.

Endogenous GABAergic modulators in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy.

Theories on the neurochemical etiology for hepatic encephalopathy have recently focussed on activation of inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA systems. Modulators of the GABAA receptor complex, including diazepam binding inhibitor, are significantly and selectively altered in hepatic encephalopathy. In animals and humans, benzodiazepine receptor antagonists rapidly ameliorate this syndrome suggesting the possible existence of an endogenous benzodiazepine-like substance. Endogenous GABAergic modulators may contribute to the neurochemical pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy.

Prolonged exposure of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line to morphine and oxotremorine modulates signal transduction in adenylate cyclase system.

Neurotransmitter receptors coupling to the adenylate cyclase (AC) system were studied in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) caused an up to 40-fold enhancement of the AC activity, while prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) was able to increase the cAMP accumulation 2.5-fold. Stimulation either by VIP or PGE1 was attenuated with either morphine (MOR) or oxotremorine (OXO). Prolonged exposure to MOR and OXO caused a ligand-specific, i.e. homologous desensitization of the opioid and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, respectively. Preceding desensitization, a supersensitive response of the AC system to VIP was observed. Pretreatment of cells with PT overnight reduced the inhibitory effects of both MOR and OXO. Nevertheless, in cells pretreated with PT and then also with OXO, MOR and OXO inhibited the VIP-induced AC response. Apparently, there are both PT-sensitive and -insensitive pathways to AC inhibition in SH-SY5Y cells.

Coupling of receptors in brain membranes by fusion to the adenylate cyclase system of a foreign effector cell.

Receptor-effector coupling in the adenylate cyclase (AC) system was studied using fusion transfer of rat or monkey frontal cortex membranes to Friend erythroleukemia (Fc) cells. The indigenous AC activity of cortex membranes had previously been inactivated with N-ethylmaleimide. In the fusates, the AC activity could be stimulated through beta-adrenoceptors using noradrenaline (NA), or through specific receptors for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), or by fluoride which activates the effector components of the AC-system directly, bypassing receptors. There was a critical stoichiometric relationship between the receptor-stimulated cAMP output and the number of recipient cells of the fusion system, i.e. the total AC capacity as measured by fluoride stimulation. In fusates with rat brain membranes, the beta-adrenoceptor coupling increased as the availability of recipient cells increased; on the other hand, the excess of recipient cells did not change the VIP receptor coupling capacity. In fusates with monkey brain membranes, the situation was the opposite: VIP receptor coupling increased as larger amounts of recipient cells were made available, but the beta-adrenoceptor coupling capacity remained unchanged. The differences in coupling capacities were related to differences in receptor binding with higher beta-adrenoceptor density in rat than in monkey frontal cortex membranes, as opposed to higher VIP receptor density in monkey than in rat frontal cortex membranes. Neuropeptide tyrosine (NPY) attenuated both NA- and VIP-induced activation of AC in the fusates; it was equally potent against both agents. In rat brain membrane fusates, the NA-induced AC activity was attenuated in a dose-dependent and apparently non-competitive manner.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Beta-adrenoceptor, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and neuropeptide tyrosine (NPY) receptors functionally coupled to adenylate cyclase in the human neuroblastoma SK-N-MC cell line.

Neurotransmitter receptor coupling to adenylate cyclase (AC) was studied in the cultured human neuroblastoma SK-N-MC cell line. Activation of beta-adrenoceptors with isoprenaline (ISO) or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) receptors, increased AC activity in a dose-dependent manner. Preincubation with ISO and VIP induced a ligand specific, i.e. homologous type of desensitization of the respective receptor. Neuropeptide tyrosine (NPY) was able to inhibit ISO as well as VIP induced AC activity. The effect of NPY was totally abolished in cells pretreated with pertussis toxin to inactivate inhibitory G-proteins. Thus, SK-N-MC cells possess functionally coupled beta-adrenoceptors, VIP and NPY receptors, and may be used to study interactions between ligands and receptors which couple to the AC system.

Further evidence that gonadal steroids do not modulate brain opiate receptors in male rats.

It is still unclear whether, in the male rat, castration and androgen replacement affect the binding characteristics of brain opiate receptors. To clarify this issue, the effects exerted by orchidectomy and testosterone (T) replacement on the subpopulation of brain mu opiate receptors were studied in male rats; testosterone was administered via subcutaneous Silastic capsules. Utilizing 3H-dihydromorphine (a mu receptor ligand) it has been shown that the affinity constant (Ka) of brain mu opiate binding sites, measured in plasma membrane preparations, is not affected by castration. When mu receptor concentrations were measured in individual brains, it was found that gonadectomy and T replacement failed to produce any change in the number of mu opiate receptors. These data suggest that, in male rats, gonadal steroids do not develop their central feedback effects by affecting brain mu opiate receptors.

Neuropeptide Y inhibits cardiac adenylate cyclase through a pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein.

Neuropeptide Y, a major neuropeptide and potent vasoconstrictor, inhibited isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in cultured rat atrial cells as well as in atrial membranes. Prior treatment of the cells with pertussis toxin blocked the inhibitory action of neuropeptide Y. Pertussis toxin is known to uncouple the receptors for other inhibitors of adenylate cyclase by ADP-ribosylation of the alpha-subunit of Gi, the inhibitory guanine nucleotide binding component of adenylate cyclase. The toxin specifically catalyzed the ADP-ribosylation of a 41-kilodalton atrial membrane protein which corresponded to the Gi subunit. These results suggest that neuropeptide Y may mediate some of its physiological effects through specific receptors linked to the inhibitory pathway of adenylate cyclase.

Desensitization of the beta-adrenergic receptor-coupled adenylate cyclase in cultured mammalian cells. Receptor sequestration versus receptor function.

Human A431 and rat glioma C6 cells exposed to isoproterenol underwent a time- and dose-dependent loss of isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. Desensitization was accompanied by sequestration of beta-adrenergic receptors, which became less accessible to the hydrophilic antagonist 3H-labeled 4-(3-tert-butylamino-2-hydroxypropoxy)benzimidazole-2-one hydrochloride ([3H]CGP-12177) and redistributed from the heavier density plasma membrane fraction to a lighter density membrane fraction. Prior treatment of the cells with concanavalin A or phenylarsine oxide blocked sequestration of the receptors but not desensitization of the agonist-stimulated adenylate cyclase. The membranes from such pretreated cells were exposed to alkali to inactivate adenylate cyclase, and the receptors were transferred to a foreign adenylate cyclase by membrane fusion with polyethylene glycol. beta receptors from desensitized cells exhibited a reduced ability to maximally stimulate the foreign adenylate cyclase, but remained accessible to [3H]CGP-12177 in the fused membranes. When isoproterenol-treated cells were washed free of agonist, there was a time-dependent recovery of agonist responsiveness and [3H]CGP-12177-binding sites. Using the fusion technique, the receptors recovered their functional activity in the resensitized cells. In concanavalin A-treated cells, desensitization and resensitization appeared to occur in the absence of receptor sequestration. Finally, membranes from desensitized cells pretreated with concanavalin A were fused with polyethylene glycol and assayed for agonist-stimulated adenylate cyclase. There was no reversal of the desensitized state. Thus, the primary, essential step in the desensitization process is a reduction in functional activity of the beta-adrenergic receptor. In contrast, sequestration of the receptors is not a prerequisite, but a secondary event during desensitization.

Fusion transfer of dopamine DA1 receptors to Friend erythroleukemia cells.

Dopamine DA1 receptors were transferred from rat striatal membranes to Friend erythroleukemia cells (Fc) by membrane fusion. The Fc cells lack DA1 receptors but have a functional adenylate cyclase system. The striatal membranes bearing DA1 receptors were treated with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) prior to fusion to inactivate their intrinsic adenylate cyclase activity. Fusion of the NEM-treated membranes and the Fc cells was induced by polyethylene glycol treatment to form a functional system de novo, which could be demonstrated by measuring the increase in cAMP production after addition of dopamine. This method provides a possibility to study the functional competence of receptors in neural tissue in more detail.