Families, Metaphysical Dreams, and Villages

Neither Sen. Dole nor President Clinton were speaking of either families or villages

Identification of a uridine nucleotide-selective G-protein-linked receptor that activates phospholipase C

Incubation of C6-2B rat glioma cells with UDP or UTP resulted in a time- and concentration-dependent increase in the accumulation of inositol phosphates. In contrast, ATP, ADP, and analogs of these nucleotides known to be effective agonists at P2U-, P2X-, P2Y-, P2T-, and P2Z-purinergic receptors all had no effect on inositol phosphate levels in C6-2B cells. Pyrimidine nucleotides stimulated inositol phosphate accumulation with an order of potency of UDP > 5-BrUTP > UTP > dTDP > UDP glucose. K0.5 values for UDP, 5-BrUTP, and UTP were 2.3 +/- 0.5, 9 +/- 3, and 57 +/- 10 microM, respectively. A similar uridine nucleotide selectivity was observed for arachidonic acid release presumably occurring as a consequence of activation of phospholipase A2. Cross-desensitization and additivity experiments indicated that UDP and UTP interact with the same population of receptors. The effect of uridine nucleotides on inositol phosphate accumulation was inhibited markedly by pretreatment of cells with pertussis toxin. UDP also caused a guanine nucleotide-dependent increase in inositol lipid hydrolysis in streptolysin-O-permeabilized cells. Taken together these results describe the existence of a novel uridine nucleotide receptor that is not activated by adenine nucleotides. This receptor is pharmacologically distinct from the previously described P2U- and other P2-purinergic receptors, and likely is a member of a new class of receptors for extracellular nucleotides

UDP-Sugars as Extracellular Signaling Molecules: Cellular and Physiologic Consequences of P2Y14 Receptor Activation

UDP-sugars, which are indispensable for protein glycosylation reactions in cellular secretory pathways, also act as important extracellular signaling molecules. We discuss here the broadly expressed P2Y14 receptor, a G-protein–coupled receptor targeted by UDP sugars, and the increasingly diverse set of physiologic responses discovered recently functioning downstream of this receptor in many epithelia as well as in immune, inflammatory, and other cells

A phase II study of capecitabine and oxalplatin combination chemotherapy in patients with inoperable adenocarcinoma of the gall bladder or biliary tract

Background: Advanced biliary tract carcinomas are associated with a poor prognosis, and palliative chemotherapy has only modest benefit. This multi-centre phase II study was conducted to determine the efficacy of capecitabine in combination with oxaliplatin in patients with inoperable gall bladder or biliary tract cancer. Methods: This was a Phase II, non-randomised, two-stage Simon design, multi-centre study. Ethics approval was sought and obtained by the North West MREC, and then locally by the West Glasgow Hospitals Research Ethics Com mittee. Eligible patients with inoperable locally advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma of the gall bladder or biliary tract and with adequate performance status, haematologic, renal, and hepatic function were treated with capecit abine (1000 mg/m2 po, twice daily, days 1–14) and oxaliplatin (130 mg/m2 i.v., day 1) every 3 weeks for up to six cycles. The primary objective of the study was to determine the objective tumour response rates (complete and partial). The secondary objectives included assessment of toxicity, progression-free survival, and overall survival. Results: Forty-three patients were recruited between July 2003 and December 2005. The regimen was well tolerated with no grade 3/4 neutropenia or thrombocytopenia. Grade 3/4 sensory neuropathy was observed in six patients. Two-thirds of patients received their chemotherapy without any dose delays. Overall response rate was 23.8 % (95 % CI 12.05–39.5 %). Stable disease was observed in a further 13 patients (31 %) and progressive disease observed in 12 (28.6 %) of patients. The median progression-free survival was 4.6 months (95 % CI 2.8–6.4 months; Fig. 1) and the median overall survival 7.9 months (95 % CI 5.3–10.4 months; Fig. 2). Conclusion: Capecitabine combined with oxaliplatin has a lower disease control and shorter overall survival than the combination of cisplatin with gemcitabine which has subsequently become the standard of care in this disease. How ever, capecitabine in combination with oxaliplatin does have modest activity in this disease, and can be considered as an alternative treatment option for patients in whom cisplatin and/or gemcitabine are contra-indicated

Is GPR17 a P2Y/Leukotriene Receptor? Examination of Uracil Nucleotides, Nucleotide Sugars, and Cysteinyl Leukotrienes as Agonists of GPR17

The orphan receptor GPR17 has been reported to be activated by UDP, UDP-sugars, and cysteinyl leukotrienes, and coupled to intracellular Ca2+ mobilization and inhibition of cAMP accumulation, but other studies have reported either a different agonist profile or lack of agonist activity altogether. To determine if GPR17 is activated by uracil nucleotides and leukotrienes, the hemagglutinin-tagged receptor was expressed in five different cell lines and the signaling properties of the receptor were investigated. In C6, 1321N1, or Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells stably expressing GPR17, UDP, UDP-glucose, UDP-galactose, and cysteinyl leukotriene C4 (LTC4) all failed to promote inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation, whereas both UDP and UDP-glucose promoted marked inhibition (>80%) of forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation in C6 and CHO cells expressing the P2Y14 receptor. Likewise, none of these compounds promoted accumulation of inositol phosphates in COS-7 or human embryonic kidney 293 cells transiently transfected with GPR17 alone or cotransfected with Gαq/i5, which links Gi-coupled receptors to the Gq-regulated phospholipase C (PLC) signaling pathway, or PLCε, which is activated by the Gα12/13 signaling pathway. Moreover, none of these compounds promoted internalization of GPR17 in 1321N1-GPR17 cells. Consistent with previous reports, coexpression experiments of GPR17 with cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CysLTR1) suggested that GPR17 acts as a negative regulator of CysLTR1. Taken together, these data suggest that UDP, UDP-glucose, UDP-galactose, and LTC4 are not the cognate ligands of GPR17

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel beta-adrenergic receptor.

In an attempt to isolate new G protein-coupled receptors from turkey erythrocytes, reverse transcribed polymerase chain reaction was performed on fetal turkey blood RNA using degenerate primers based on conserved sequences present in seven transmembrane receptors. An open reading frame in one of the clones, designated 4C (497 base pairs), displayed approximately 50-60% identity to all of the previously cloned beta-adrenergic receptors (beta-ARs). A lambda-DASH turkey genomic library was screened with a probe generated from the partial 4C cDNA, and the gene encoding this receptor was localized to a 3.5-kilobase pair HindIII fragment. Ribonuclease protection analysis of turkey lung mRNA indicated that the 3' end of the coding sequence of the 4C gene, like beta 3-AR, was interrupted by an intron. To obtain the cDNA sequence of 4C, RNA-polymerase chain reaction was performed using primers complementary to regions identified by ribonuclease protection analysis to be present in 4C mRNA. Comparison of the genomic and cDNA sequences of 4C indicated that the first exon encodes 414 amino acids of the protein, the second exon (68 base pairs) encodes an additional 12 residues followed by a stop codon, and the third exon is composed of 3'-untranslated sequence. The 4C receptor was transiently expressed in COS-1 cells, and the apparent affinities of a series of beta-AR agonists and antagonists were determined using [125I]iodocyanopindolol. As implicated by its amino acid sequence, 4C displayed a pharmacological selectivity that was consistent with that of a beta-AR but distinct from other cloned beta-ARs. Isoproterenol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner in mouse L cells stably expressing the 4C receptor. No effect on phospholipase C activity was observed. Ribonuclease protection assays indicated that 4C mRNA exhibits a broad tissue distribution, which suggests that it may play an important role in avian physiology

Recovery of beta-adrenergic receptors following long term exposure of astrocytoma cells to catecholamine. Role of protein synthesis.

As a part of the process of agonist-induced desensitization, 1321N1 human astrocytoma cells lose up to 95% of their beta-adrenergic receptors, as detected by 125I-hydroxybenzylpindolol (125IHYP) binding, after 12-24 h of exposure to isoproterenol. In preconfluent cultures the loss of beta-receptors is completely reversible upon removal of isoproterenol, with receptor levels reaching 100% of control levels within 48-72 h. Addition of cycloheximide (5 micrograms/ml) upon removal of agonist does not prevent the recovery of receptors. After an initial 4-h lag, receptors accumulate in the presence of cycloheximide until the same receptor level is reached that was present at the onset of desensitization. Confluent cultures, which have a reduced number of receptors per cell, recover beta-receptors to only 60 to 70% of control levels following removal of isoproterenol. In addition, cycloheximide blocks the recovery of receptors in these cultures. The effects of cycloheximide on the accumulation of receptors during cell growth suggest that receptors are stable in preconfluent cultures and that turnover only occurs later when cultures are confluent. The data also indicate that long term exposure of cells to catecholamine results in a form of the beta-adrenergic receptor that is undetectable by 125IHYP binding but, nonetheless, retains its primary amino acid structure. The undetectable receptors appear to be retained until agonist is removed, whereupon they become detectable by 125IHYP binding with a t1/2 of about 36 h in the presence of cycloheximide

Phenotype-specific association of the TGFBR3 locus with nonsyndromic cryptorchidism

PURPOSE: Based on a genome-wide association study of testicular dysgenesis syndrome showing a possible association with TGFBR3, we analyzed data from a larger, phenotypically restricted cryptorchidism population for potential replication of this signal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We excluded samples based on strict quality control criteria, leaving 844 cases and 2,718 controls of European ancestry that were analyzed in 2 separate groups based on genotyping platform (ie Illumina® HumanHap550, version 1 or 3, or Human610-Quad, version 1 BeadChip in group 1 and Human OmniExpress 12, version 1 BeadChip platform in group 2). Analyses included genotype imputation at the TGFBR3 locus, association analysis of imputed data with correction for population substructure, subsequent meta-analysis of data for groups 1 and 2, and selective genotyping of independent cases (330) and controls (324) for replication. We also measured Tgfbr3 mRNA levels and performed TGFBR3/betaglycan immunostaining in rat fetal gubernaculum. RESULTS: We identified suggestive (p ≤ 1× 10(-4)) association of markers in/near TGFBR3, including rs9661103 (OR 1.40; 95% CI 1.20, 1.64; p = 2.71 × 10(-5)) and rs10782968 (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.26, 1.98; p = 9.36 × 10(-5)) in groups 1 and 2, respectively. In subgroup analyses we observed strongest association of rs17576372 (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.24, 1.60; p = 1.67 × 10(-4)) with proximal and rs11165059 (OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.15, 1.38; p = 9.42 × 10(-4)) with distal testis position, signals in strong linkage disequilibrium with rs9661103 and rs10782968, respectively. Association of the prior genome-wide association study signal (rs12082710) was marginal (OR 1.13; 95% CI 0.99, 1.28; p = 0.09 for group 1), and we were unable to replicate signals in our independent cohort. Tgfbr3/betaglycan was differentially expressed in wild-type and cryptorchid rat fetal gubernaculum. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest complex or phenotype specific association of cryptorchidism with TGFBR3 and the gubernaculum as a potential target of TGFβ signaling