Effect of apolipoprotein E and butyrylcholinesterase genotypes on cognitive response to cholinesterase inhibitor treatment at different stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Factors that influence response to drug treatment are of increasing importance. We report an analysis of genetic factors affecting response to cholinesterase inhibitor therapy in 165 subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The presence of apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE ε4) allele was associated with early and late cognitive response to cholinesterase inhibitor treatment in mild AD (Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) ≥21) (P<0.01). In moderate-to-severe AD (MMSE ≤15), presence of the BCHE-K variant was associated with late response to cholinesterase inhibitor treatment (P=0.02). Testing for APOE and BCHE genotypes may be useful in therapeutic decision making.

A 6-month open-label study of the effectiveness and tolerability of galantamine in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and tolerability of galantamine in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) in everyday clinical practice. Patient selection was made on 36 sequential patients attending Belfast City Hospital Memory Clinic between December 2000 and June 2001. Patients were treated with galantamine for 6 months, starting from 4 mg twice daily increasing to 8 mg twice daily and then to 12 mg twice daily at 4-weekly intervals. Patients (25 females, 11 males), mean age 78 years (59-90), were diagnosed with probable AD and had a mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score of 10-26. Efficacy was assessed using the MMSE, neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI), neuropsychiatric inventory caregiver distress (NPI-D) scale and the Bristol activities of daily living (B-ADL) scale at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of treatment. Mean improvements were noted on all four measures of efficacy at 3 and 6 months; improvements were significant on the MMSE, NPI and NPI-D at 3 months and on the NPI-D at 6 months. Galantamine was overall well tolerated. The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal, particularly nausea. Four patients stopped treatment due to adverse events, and seven were stabilised on 8 mg twice daily as they were unable to tolerate the target dose. This naturalistic study confirms clinical trial data, which shows galantamine improves cognition and behavioural symptoms and is overall well tolerated.

Update on pulmonary edema: the role and regulation of endothelial barrier function.

Discovery of the pathophysiologic mechanisms leading to pulmonary edema and identification of effective strategies for prevention remain significant clinical concerns. Endothelial barrier function is a key component for maintenance of the integrity of the vascular boundary in the lung, particularly since the gas exchange surface area of the alveolar-capillary membrane is large. This review is focused on new insights in the pulmonary endothelial response to injury and recovery, reversible activation by edemagenic agents, and the biochemical/structural basis for regulation of endothelial barrier function. This information is discussed in the context of fundamental concepts of lung fluid balance and pulmonary function.

Bacterial induction of pleural mesothelial monolayer barrier dysfunction.

Pneumonia remains one of the most common infectious causes of mortality. Patients with pneumonia develop parapneumonic effusions with a high neutrophil count as well as high protein concentrations. We hypothesized that pulmonary parenchymal bacterial infection causes a permeability change in the pleural mesothelium by inducing the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Complicated parapneumonic pleural effusions (empyema) have a 19-fold higher VEGF level than pleural fluids secondary to congestive heart failure and a 4-fold higher level than pleural fluids secondary to uncomplicated parapneumonic effusions. We also analyzed the influence of live Staphylococcus aureus on mesothelial barrier function using a model of confluent mesothelial monolayers. There was a significant drop in electrical resistance across S. aureus-infected pleural mesothelial cell (PMC) monolayers. Recombinant VEGF also decreases PMC electrical resistance. Neutralizing antibodies to VEGF significantly inhibited the drop in PMC electrical resistance caused by S. aureus. S. aureus infection also caused a significant increase in protein leak across confluent mesothelial monolayers. Our results suggest that bacterial pathogens induce VEGF release in mesothelial cells and alter mesothelial permeability, leading to protein exudation in empyema.

Developmental regulation of FKBP65. An ER-localized extracellular matrix binding-protein.

FKBP65 (65-kDa FK506-binding protein) is a member of the highly conserved family of intracellular receptors called immunophilins. All have the property of peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerization, and most have been implicated in folding and trafficking events. In an earlier study, we identified that FKBP65 associates with the extracellular matrix protein tropoelastin during its transport through the cell. In the present study, we have carried out a detailed investigation of the subcellular localization of FKBP65 and its relationship to tropoelastin. Using subcellular fractionation, Triton X-114 phase separation, protease protection assays, and immunofluorescence microscopy (IF), we have identified that FKBP65 is contained within the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Subsequent IF studies colocalized FKBP65 with tropoelastin and showed that the two proteins dissociate before reaching the Golgi apparatus. Immunohistochemical localization of FKBP65 in developing lung showed strong staining of vascular and airway smooth muscle cells. Similar areas stained positive for the presence of elastic fibers in the extracellular matrix. The expression of FKBP65 was investigated during development as tropoelastin is not expressed in adult tissues. Tissue-specific expression of FKBP65 was observed in 12-d old mouse tissues; however, the pattern of expression of FKBP65 was not restricted to those tissues expressing tropoelastin. This suggests that additional ligands for FKBP65 likely exist within the ER. Remarkably, in the adult tissues examined, FKBP65 expression was absent or barely detectable. Taken together, these results support an ER-localized FKBP65-tropoelastin interaction that occurs specifically during growth and development of tissues.

Diperoxovanadate alters endothelial cell focal contacts and barrier function: role of tyrosine phosphorylation.

Diperoxovanadate (DPV), a potent tyrosine kinase activator and protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, was utilized to explore bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cell barrier regulation. DPV produced dose-dependent decreases in transendothelial electrical resistance (TER) and increases in permeability to albumin, which were preceded by brief increases in TER (peak TER effect at 10-15 min). The significant and sustained DPV-mediated TER reductions were primarily the result of decreased intercellular resistance, rather than decreased resistance between the cell and the extracellular matrix, and were reduced by pretreatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein but not by inhibition of p42/p44 mitogen-activating protein kinases. Immunofluorescent analysis after DPV challenge revealed dramatic F-actin polymerization and stress-fiber assembly and increased colocalization of tyrosine phosphoproteins with F-actin in a circumferential pattern at the cell periphery, changes that were abolished by genistein. The phosphorylation of focal adhesion and adherens junction proteins on tyrosine residues was confirmed in immunoprecipitates of focal adhesion kinase and cadherin-associated proteins in which dramatic dose-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation was observed after DPV stimulation. We speculate that DPV enhances endothelial cell monolayer integrity via focal adhesion plaque phosphorylation and produces subsequent monolayer destabilization of adherens junctions initiated by adherens junction protein tyrosine phosphorylation catalyzed by p60(src) or Src-related tyrosine kinases.

Characterization of the protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit in endothelium: involvement in contractile responses.

We have previously demonstrated the direct involvement of a type 1 Ser/Thr phosphatase (PPase 1) in endothelial cell (EC) barrier regulation [Am. J. Physiol. 269:L99-L108, 1995]. To further extend this observation, we microinjected either the Ser/Thr PPase inhibitor, calyculin, or the PPase 1 inhibitory protein, I-2 into bovine pulmonary artery EC and demonstrated both an increase in F-actin stress fibers and a shift from a regular polygonal shape to a spindle shape with gaps apparent at the cell borders. Northern blot analysis with specific cDNA probes revealed the presence of three major PPase 1 catalytic subunit (CS1) isoforms (alpha, delta, and gamma) in human and bovine EC. To characterize the myosin-associated EC CS1 isoform, myosin-enriched bovine EC fraction was screened with anti-CS1alpha and anti-CS1delta antibodies The anti-CS1delta antiserum, but not anti-CS1alpha antiserum cross reacts with the CS1 isoform present in myosin-enriched fraction and CS1delta was found in stable association with EC myosin/myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) complex in MLCK immunoprecipitates under nondenaturing conditions. Consistent with these data, overexpression of CS1delta-GFP construct in bovine endothelium followed by immunoprecipitation of CS1 with anti-GFP antibody revealed the stable association of CS1delta with actomyosin complex. Finally, screening of a human EC oligo(dT)-primed cDNA library with a probe encoding a rat CS1delta cDNA segment yielding several positive clones that encoded the entire CS1delta open reading frame and partially noncoding regions. Sequence analysis determined a high homology ( approximately 99%) with human CS1delta derived from a teratocarcinoma cell line. Together, these data suggest that CS1delta is the major of PPase 1 isoform specifically associated with EC actomyosin complex and which participates in EC barrier regulation.

Measles virus spread between neurons requires cell contact but not CD46 expression, syncytium formation, or extracellular virus production.

In patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), which is associated with persistent measles virus (MV) infection in the brain, little infectious virus can be recovered despite the presence of viral RNA and protein. Based on studies of brain tissue from SSPE patients and our work with MV-infected NSE-CD46(+) mice, which express the measles receptor CD46 on neurons, several lines of evidence suggest that the mechanism of viral spread in the central nervous system differs from that in nonneuronal cells. To examine this alternate mechanism of viral spread, as well as the basis for the loss of normal transmission mechanisms, infection and spread of MV Edmonston was evaluated in primary CD46(+) neurons from transgenic mice and differentiated human NT2 neurons. As expected, unlike that between fibroblasts, viral spread between neurons occurred in the absence of syncytium formation and with minimal extracellular virus. Electron microscopy analysis showed that viral budding did not occur from the neuronal surface, although nucleocapsids were present in the cytoplasm and aligned at the cell membrane. We observed many examples of nucleocapsids present in the neuronal processes and aligned at presynaptic neuronal membranes. Cocultures of CD46(+) and CD46(-) neurons showed that cell contact but not CD46 expression is required for MV spread between neurons. Collectively, these results suggest that the neuronal environment prevents the normal mechanisms of MV spread between neurons at the level of viral assembly but allows an alternate, CD46-independent mechanism of viral transmission, possibly through the synapse.

Regulation of endothelial barrier function by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

Elevation of cAMP promotes the endothelial cell (EC) barrier and protects the lung from edema development. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that both increases and decreases in PKA modulate EC function and coordinate distribution of regulatory, adherence, and cytoskeletal proteins. Inhibition of PKA activity by RpcAMPS and activation by cholera toxin was verified by assay of kemptide phosphorylation in digitonin permeabilized EC. Inhibition of PKA by RpcAMPS or overexpression of the endogenous inhibitor, PKI, decreased monolayer electrical impedance and exacerbated the decreases produced by agonists (thrombin and PMA). RpcAMPS directly increased F-actin content and organization into stress fibers, increased co-staining of actin with both phosphatase 2B and myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), caused reorganization of focal adhesions, and decreased catenin at cell borders. These findings are similar to those evoked by thrombin. In contrast, cholera toxin prevented the agonist-induced resistance decrease and protein redistribution. Although PKA activation attenuated thrombin-induced myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, PKA inhibition per se did not cause MLC phosphorylation or affect [Ca2+]i. These studies indicate that a decrease in PKA activity alone can produce disruption of barrier function via mechanisms not involving MLCK and support a central role for cAMP/PKA in regulation of cytoskeletal and adhesive protein function in EC which correlates with altered barrier function.

Human cytomegalovirus UL36 protein is dispensable for viral replication in cultured cells.

Consistent with earlier analyses of human cytomegalovirus UL36 mRNA, we find that the UL36 protein is present throughout infection. In fact, it is delivered to the infected cell as a constituent of the virion. Curiously, much less UL36 protein accumulated in cells infected with the AD169 strain of human cytomegalovirus than in cells infected with the Towne or Toledo strain, and localization of the protein in cells infected with AD169 is strikingly different from that in cell infected with the Towne or Toledo strain. The variation in steady-state level of the proteins results from different stabilities of the proteins. The UL36 proteins from the three viral strains differ by several amino acid substitutions. However, this variability is not responsible for the different half-lives because the AD169 and Towne proteins, which exhibit very different half-lives within infected cells, exhibit the same half-life when introduced into uninfected cells by transfection with expression plasmids. We demonstrate that the UL36 protein is nonessential for growth in cultured cells, and we propose that the ability of the virus to replicate in the absence of UL36 function likely explains the striking strain-specific variation in the half-life and intracellular localization of the protein.

Derivation of extracellular polysaccharide-deficient variants from a serotype A strain of Pasteurella multocida.

The production of serotype A extracellular polysaccharide is thought to be associated with expression of an approximately 40-kDa lipoprotein (P1p-40) present on the outer surface of Pasteurella multocida strains of avian origin. The tendency of certain strains to undergo colonial dissociation concomitantly with serial passaging on laboratory growth media was exploited to derive two variant strains exhibiting the capsule-deficient phenotype from a heavily capsulated parental strain. Assessments of colonial consistency, iridescence, gentian violet binding, and hyaluronidase sensitivity were consistent with cellular observations indicating little or no capsulation of derivative strains. Fluorographic analysis of electrophoretically resolved cellular lipoproteins labeled with [3H]-palmitate revealed capsular loss occurred with a concomitant diminution of P1p-40 production in the variant strains. In contrast, a phenotypically stable strain that did not undergo colonial dissociation under identical conditions exhibited no decrease in P1p-40 content. This work provides a model system for investigating the role of extracellular polysaccharide in the cell surface physiology and pathogenicity of P. multocida. The present results strongly support the notion that P1p-40 is associated with serotype A capsular material and suggest coordinate regulation of their biosynthesis.

Regulation of endothelial cell myosin light chain kinase by Rho, cortactin, and p60(src).

Inflammatory diseases of the lung are characterized by increases in vascular permeability and enhanced leukocyte infiltration, reflecting compromise of the endothelial cell (EC) barrier. We examined potential molecular mechanisms that underlie these alterations and assessed the effects of diperoxovanadate (DPV), a potent tyrosine kinase activator and phosphatase inhibitor, on EC contractile events. Confocal immunofluorescent microscopy confirmed dramatic increases in stress-fiber formation and colocalization of EC myosin light chain (MLC) kinase (MLCK) with the actin cytoskeleton, findings consistent with activation of the endothelial contractile apparatus. DPV produced significant time-dependent increases in MLC phosphorylation that were significantly attenuated but not abolished by EC MLCK inhibition with KT-5926. Pretreatment with the Rho GTPase-inhibitory C3 exotoxin completely abolished DPV-induced MLC phosphorylation, consistent with Rho-mediated MLC phosphatase inhibition and novel regulation of EC MLCK activity. Immunoprecipitation of EC MLCK after DPV challenge revealed dramatic time-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of the kinase in association with increased MLCK activity and a stable association of MLCK with the p85 actin-binding protein cortactin and p60(src). Translocation of immunoreactive cortactin from the cytosol to the cytoskeleton was noted after DPV in concert with cortactin tyrosine phosphorylation. These studies indicate that DPV activates the endothelial contractile apparatus in a Rho GTPase-dependent fashion and suggests that p60(src)-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of MLCK and cortactin may be important features of contractile complex assembly.

Evidence for early signaling events in stomatin-induced differentiation of Tetrahymena vorax.

The mechanism of stomatin-induced differentiation of Tetrahymena vorax was investigated by in vivo protease degradation of cell surface proteins, the direct measurement of products formed from the activation of phospholipase C, and the use of an array of signal transduction inhibitors/activators. The data indicate that a surface-exposed protein is required for stomatin to signal the cells to differentiate and that the cells are committed to the differentiation pathway within two hours after exposure to stomatin. Analysis of radiolabeled polyphosphoinositols and inositol lipids from control and stomatin-treated populations in the presence of 10 mM LiCl were consistent with a rapid activation of phospholipase C. Within five min following addition of stomatin, this resulted in an increase in polyphosphoinositols and a concomitant decrease in the relative amounts of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol trisphosphate.

Regulation of interleukin-1-stimulated GMCSF mRNA levels in human endothelium.

The regulation of interleukin-1 (IL-1)-mediated increases in GMCSF mRNA levels in human endothelium was examined and determined to occur in a time- and protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent manner. IL-1beta induced the early activation and translocation of PKC isotypes alpha and beta2 to the nucleus and PKC inhibition attenuated the IL-1-mediated increase in GMCSF mRNA levels. PKC activation by PMA alone, in the absence of IL-1beta activation, however, was insufficient to allow GMCSF mRNA detection. Increasing cyclic adenosine nucleotide (cAMP) levels suppressed IL-1beta-induced increases in GMCSF mRNA levels. In contrast, botulinum toxin C, which mediates the ADP ribosylation of a 21 kD ras-related G protein, augmented IL-1beta-induced GMCSF mRNA expression. Inhibition of protein synthesis (with cycloheximide) raised basal GMCSF mRNA transcripts to detectable levels, augmented IL-1-induced increases in GMCSF mRNA levels, and exhibited negative regulation by cAMP. Finally, disruption of either microtubules (with colchicine) or microfilaments (with cytochalasin B) resulted in reduced GMCSF mRNA expression in response to IL-1beta. These results are compatible with a model wherein IL-1-mediated increases in human endothelial cell GMCSF mRNA may be linked to both nuclear protein kinase C activation and activation of a low molecular weight G-protein, although neither activity alone is sufficient to increase the levels of GMCSF mRNA.

Expression of a novel high molecular-weight myosin light chain kinase in endothelium.

Myosin light chain phosphorylation results in cellular contraction and is a critical component of agonist-mediated endothelial cell (EC) junctional gap formation and permeability. We have shown that this reaction is catalyzed by a novel high molecular-weight Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent nonmuscle myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) isoform recently cloned in human endothelium (Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., 1997;16:489-494). To characterize EC MLCK expression further in cultured and adult tissues, we employed immunoblotting techniques and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to demonstrate that freshly isolated and cultured human macro- and microvascular EC express only the EC MLCK isoform (214 kD), which is distinct from smooth-muscle MLCK isoforms (130 to 150 kD). Immunocytochemical studies demonstrated the presence of the high molecular-weight MLCK isoform in adult human cardiac endothelium using anti-MLCK antibodies, which preferentially recognize the high molecular-weight EC MLCK isoform. Monitoring of MLCK expression in different cell types with antibodies generated against a unique human EC MLCK N-terminal sequence revealed a high level of expression of the 214-kD enzyme in endothelium, minimal level of expression in smooth muscle, and no expression in skeletal muscle. These data suggest that the novel 214-kD kinase, the only MLCK isoform found in endothelium, may be preferentially expressed in this nonmuscle tissue.

Biochemical regulation of the nonmuscle myosin light chain kinase isoform in bovine endothelium.

Specific models of vascular permeability are critically dependent on myosin light chain phosphorylation, a reaction catalyzed by a novel high molecular-weight (214 kD) Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) isoform recently cloned in human endothelium (Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., 1997;16:489-494). To evaluate mechanisms of endothelial cell (EC) barrier dysfunction evoked by the serine protease thrombin, we studied the regulation of the 214-kD EC MLCK isoform expressed in bovine endothelium. The EC MLCK isoform bound biotinylated CaM in a Ca2+-dependent manner and co-immunoprecipitated in a functional complex with myosin, actin, and CaM. Thrombin rapidly increased MLCK activity in concert with time-dependent translocation of the enzyme to the actin cytoskeleton. To evaluate whether EC MLCK activity was regulated by direct phosphorylation, amino acid sequence analysis identified multiple potential EC MLCK sites for Ser/Thr phosphorylation, including highly conserved phosphorylation sites for cyclic adenosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) adjacent to the CaM-binding region. EC MLCK activity was attenuated by either PKA-mediated MLCK phosphorylation or inhibition of Ser/Thr phosphatase activity (fluoride or calyculin), which significantly increased MLCK phosphorylation while decreasing MLCK activity (3- to 4-fold decrease). In summary, although the EC MLCK isoform exhibits multiple features intrinsic to this family of kinases, thrombin-mediated EC contraction and barrier dysfunction requires increased EC MLCK-actin interaction and MLCK translocation to the cytoskeleton. EC MLCK activity appears to be highly dependent upon the phosphorylation status of this key contractile effector.

Role of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase 2B in thrombin-induced endothelial cell contractile responses.

Thrombin-induced Ca2+ mobilization, activation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent myosin light chain (MLC) kinase (MLCK), and increased phosphorylation of MLCs precede and are critical to endothelial cell (EC) barrier dysfunction. Net MLC dephosphorylation after thrombin is nearly complete by 60 min and involves type 1 phosphatase (PPase 1) activity. We now report that thrombin does not alter total PPase 1 activity in EC homogenates but rather decreases myosin-associated PPase 1 activity. The PPase 1 inhibitor calyculin fails to prevent thrombin-induced MLC dephosphorylation. However, thrombin significantly increased the activity of Ca2+-dependent PPase 2B in EC homogenates (approximately 1.5- to 2-fold), with PPase 2B activation correlating with phosphorylation of the PPase 2B catalytic subunit. Western immunoblotting revealed PPase 2B to be present in cytoskeletal EC fractions, with specific PPase 2B inhibitors such as cyclosporin (200 nM) and deltamethrin (100 nM to 1 microM) attenuating thrombin-induced cytoskeletal protein dephosphorylation, including EC MLC dephosphorylation. These results suggest a model whereby thrombin-inducible contraction is determined by the phosphorylation status of EC MLC regulated by the balance between EC MLCK, PPase 1 (constitutive), and PPase 2B (inducible) activities.

Role of tyrosine phosphorylation in thrombin-induced endothelial cell contraction and barrier function.

Thrombin-induced endothelial cell (EC) barrier dysfunction is highly dependent upon phosphorylation of serine and threonine residues present on myosin light chains (MLC) catalyzed by a novel EC myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) isoform. In this study, we examined the participation of tyrosine protein phosphorylation in EC contraction, gap formation and barrier dysfunction. We first determined that thrombin significantly increases protein tyrosine kinase activity and protein tyrosine phosphorylation in bovine pulmonary artery EC. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, genistein and 2,5 DHC, reduced EC tyrosine kinase activities, however, only genistein significantly attenuated thrombin-mediated increases in albumin clearance and reductions in transendothelial electrical resistance. Similarly, genistein but not 2,5 DHC, decreased basal and thrombin-induced Ca2+ increases and MLC phosphorylation in the absence of alterations in Type 1 or 2A serine/threonine phosphatase activities. Immunoprecipitation of the EC MLCK isoform revealed a 214 kD immunoreactive phosphotyrosine protein and genistein pretreatment significantly reduced MLCK activity in MLCK immunoprecipitates. Although thrombin induced the translocation of p60src from the cytosol to the EC cytoskeleton, a detectable increase in the level of MLCK tyrosine phosphorylation was not noted after thrombin challenge. Taken together, our data suggest that genistein-sensitive tyrosine kinase activities are involved in thrombin-mediated EC MLCK activation, MLC phosphorylation, and barrier dysfunction.