ANTARES: the first undersea neutrino telescope

The ANTARES Neutrino Telescope was completed in May 2008 and is the first operational Neutrino Telescope in the Mediterranean Sea. The main purpose of the detector is to perform neutrino astronomy and the apparatus also offers facilities for marine and Earth sciences. This paper describes the design, the construction and the installation of the telescope in the deep sea, offshore from Toulon in France. An illustration of the detector performance is given

Inhibition of the T-Type Ca2+ Current by the Dopamine D1 Receptor in Rat Adrenal Glomerulosa Cells: Requirement of the Combined Action of the Gβγ Protein Subunit and Cyclic Adenosine 3′,5′-Monophosphate

AbstractModulation of ionic Ca2+ currents by dopamine (DA) could play a pivotal role in the control of steroid secretion by the rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. In the present study, we report that DA decreases the T-type Ca2+ current amplitude in these cells. The use of pharmacological agonists and antagonists reveals that this effect is mediated by activation of the D1-like receptors. Modulation by cAMP is complex inasmuch as preincubation of the cells with 8-Br-cAMP or the specific adenylyl cyclase inhibitor, 2′,3′-dideoxyadenosine, have no effect per se, but prevent the DA-induced inhibition. The inhibitory effect of DA was abolished by addition of GDPβS to the pipette medium but not by pertussis toxin. If a cell is dialyzed with medium containing Gαs-GDP, the inhibitory effect is reduced and cannot be recovered by the addition of GTPγS, indicating that the αs is not involved, but rather the βγ-subunit. Indeed, DA-induced inhibition was mimicked by Gβγ in the pipette and 8-Br-cAMP in the bath. Similarly, Gβγ release from the activation of the AT1 receptor of angiotensin II did affect the current amplitude only in the presence of 8-Br-cAMP in the bath. The mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade, which can be activated by receptors coupled to Gs, was not involved as shown by the lack of activation of p42mapk by DA and the absence of effect of the mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor, PD 098059, on the DA-induced inhibition. Because the binding of Gβγ-subunits to various effectors involves the motif QXXER, we therefore tested the effect of the QEHA peptide on the inhibition of the T-type Ca2+ current induced by DA. The peptide, added to the medium pipette (200 μm), abolished the effect of DA. We conclude that the presence of the Gβγ and an increase in cAMP concentration are both required to inhibit the T-type Ca2+ current in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells.</jats:p

The angiotensin AT2 receptor modulates T-type calcium current in non-differentiated NG108-15 cells

AbstractWe report here that angiotensin II (AII) and the AT2 receptor-selective ligand, CGP 42112, modulate the T-type calcium current in non-differentiated NG108-15 cells, which express only AT2 receptors. Both peptides decrease the T-type calcium current at membrane potentials above −40 mV and shift the current—voltage curve at lower potentials with maximal effect between 5 and 10 min after application. These data describe a new cellular response to AII and suggest that the AT2 receptor mediates certain neurophysiological actions of this hormone

Signals from the AT2 (Angiotensin Type 2) Receptor of Angiotensin II Inhibit p21ras and Activate MAPK (Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase) to Induce Morphological Neuronal Differentiation in NG108–15 Cells

AbstractIn a previous study, we had shown that activation of the AT2 (angiotensin type 2) receptor of angiotensin II (Ang II) induced morphological differentiation of the neuronal cell line NG108–15. In the present study, we investigated the nature of the possible intracellular mediators involved in the AT2 effect. We found that stimulation of AT2 receptors in NG108–15 cells resulted in time-dependent modulation of tyrosine phosphorylation of a number of cytoplasmic proteins. Stimulation of NG108–15 cells with Ang II induced a decrease in GTP-bound p21ras but a sustained increase in the activity of p42mapk and p44mapk as well as neurite outgrowth. Similarly, neurite elongation, increased polymerized tubulin levels, and increased mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity were also observed in a stably transfected NG108–15 cell line expressing the dominant-negative mutant of p21ras, RasN17. These results support the observation that inhibition of p21ras did not impair the effect of Ang II on its ability to stimulate MAPK activity. While 10 μm of the MEK inhibitor, PD98059, only moderately affected elongation, 50 μm PD98059 completely blocked the Ang II- and the RasN17-mediated induction of neurite outgrowth. These results demonstrate that some of the events associated with the AT2 receptor-induced neuronal morphological differentiation of NG108–15 cells not only include inhibition of p21ras but an increase in MAPK activity as well, which is essential for neurite outgrowth.</jats:p