Heightened α<inf>IA</inf>-adrenergic receptor activity suppresses ischaemia/reperfusion-induced Ins(1,4,5)P<inf>3</inf> generation in the mouse heart: A comparison with ischaemic preconditioning

Reperfusion of ischaemic rat or mouse hearts causes NE [noradrenaline ('norepinephrine')] release, stimulation of α1-ARs (α1-adrenergic receptors), PLC (phospholipase C) activation, Ins(1,4,5)P3 generation and the development of arrhythmias. In the present study, we examined the effect of increased α1A-AR drive on these responses. In hearts from non-transgenic mice (α1A- WT), Ins(1,4,5)P3 generation was observed after 2 min of reperfusion following 30 min of zero-flow ischaemia. No Ins(1,4,5)P3 response was observed in hearts from transgenic mice with 66-fold overexpression of α1A-AR (α1A-TG). This was despite the fact that α1A-TG hearts had 8-10-fold higher PLC responses to NE than α1A-WT under normoxic conditions. The immediate phospholipid precursor of Ins(1,4,5)P3, PtdIns(4,5)P2, responded to ischaemia and reperfusion similarly in α1A-WT and α1A-TG mice. Thus the lack of Ins(1,4,5)P3 generation in α1A-TG mice is not caused by limited availability of PtdIns(4,5)P2. Overall, α1-AR-mediated PLC activity was markedly enhanced in α1A-WT mice under reperfusion conditions, but responses in α1A-TG mice were not significantly different in normoxia and post-ischaemic reperfusion. Ischaemic preconditioning prevented Ins(1,4,5)P3 generation after 30 min of ischaemic insult in α1A-WT mice. However, the precursor lipid PtdIns(4,5)P2 was also reduced by preconditioning, whereas heightened α1A-AR activity did not influence PtdIns(4,5)P2 responses in reperfusion. Thus preconditioning and α1A-AR overexpression have different effects on early signalling responses, even though both prevented Ins(1,4,5)P3 generation. These studies demonstrate a selective inhibitory action of heightened α1A-AR activity on immediate post-receptor signalling responses in early post-ischaemic reperfusion. © The Authors

Design of fractional order PID controller for boost converter based on Multi-Objective optimization

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Arthritogenic anti-type II collagen antibodies are pathogenic for cartilage-derived chondrocytes independent of inflammatory cells

Objective. Some monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to type II collagen (CII) are arthritogenic upon passive transfer to mice. We undertook this study to investigate whether such mAb are pathogenic in the absence of mediators of inflammation. Methods. The arthritogenic mAb CIIC1 and M2139, and the nonarthritogenic mAb CIIF4, each reactive with a distinct and well-defined conformational epitope on CII, were compared with control mAb GAD6. Bovine chondrocytes were cultured with one of the mAb, and on days 3, 6, and 9, antibody binding by chondrocytes and newly synthesized extracellular matrix (ECM) was examined by immunofluorescence, morphologic effects were studied by electron microscopy, and synthesis of matrix components was determined by metabolic labeling with 3 H-proline for collagen and S-35-sulfate for proteoglycans. Results. All 3 mAb to CII bound to the matrix. CIIC1 and M2139 adversely affected the cultures, whereas CIIF4 did not. CIIC1 caused disorganization of CII fibrils in the ECM without affecting chondrocyte morphology, and increased matrix synthesis. M2139 caused thickening and aggregation of CII fibrils in the ECM and abnormal chondrocyte morphology but matrix synthesis was unaffected. Conclusion. The unique arthritogenic capacity of particular anti-CII mAb upon passive transfer could be explained by their adverse, albeit differing, effects in primary cultures of chondrocytes. Such effects occur independent of inflammation mediators and are related to the epitope specificity of the mAb. Interference with the structural integrity of CII could precede, and even initiate, the inflammatory expression of disease

Protective effects of exercise and phosphoinositide 3-kinase(p110α) signaling in dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Physical activity protects against cardiovascular disease, and physiological cardiac hypertrophy associated with regular exercise is usually beneficial, in marked contrast to pathological hypertrophy associated with disease. The p110α isoform of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) plays a critical role in the induction of exercise-induced hypertrophy. Whether it or other genes activated in the athlete's heart might have an impact on cardiac function and survival in a setting of heart failure is unknown. To examine whether progressive exercise training and PI3K(p110α) activity affect survival and/or cardiac function in two models of heart disease, we subjected a transgenic mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) to swim training, genetically crossed cardiac-specific transgenic mice with increased or decreased PI3K(p110α) activity to the DCM model, and subjected PI3K(p110α) transgenics to acute pressure overload (ascending aortic constriction). Life-span, cardiac function, and molecular markers of pathological hypertrophy were examined. Exercise training and increased cardiac PI3K(p110α) activity prolonged survival in the DCM model by 15–20%. In contrast, reduced PI3K(p110α) activity drastically shortened lifespan by ≈50%. Increased PI3K(p110α) activity had a favorable effect on cardiac function and fibrosis in the pressure-overload model and attenuated pathological growth. PI3K(p110α) signaling negatively regulated G protein-coupled receptor stimulated extracellular responsive kinase and Akt (via PI3K, p110γ) activation in isolated cardiomyocytes. These findings suggest that exercise and enhanced PI3K(p110α) activity delay or prevent progression of heart disease, and that supraphysiologic activity can be beneficial. Identification of genes important for hypertrophy in the athlete's heart could offer new strategies for treating heart failure