Juan C. Monge

The adipsin-acylation stimulating protein system and regulation of intracellular triglyceride synthesis.

We have previously characterized an activity from human plasma that markedly stimulates triglyceride synthesis in cultured human skin fibroblasts and human adipocytes. Based on its in vitro activity we named the active component acylation stimulating protein (ASP). The molecular identity of the active serum component has now been determined. NH2-terminal sequence analysis, ion spray ionization mass spectroscopy, and amino acid composition analysis all indicate that the active purified protein is a fragment of the third component of plasma complement, C3a-desArg. As well, reconstitution experiments with complement factors B, D, and complement C3, the components necessary to generate C3a, have confirmed the identity of ASP as C3a. ASP appears to be the final effector molecule generated by a novel regulatory system that modulates the rate of triglyceride synthesis in adipocytes.

Lack of Role for Nitric Oxide (NO) in the Selective Destabilization of Endothelial NO Synthase mRNA by Tumor Necrosis Factor–α

The constitutive expression of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (cNOS) is essential for the physiological regulation of vascular tone and structure. The mechanism of downregulation of steady state cNOS mRNA in human umbilical vein endothelial cells exposed to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was investigated by using Northern blot analysis of total cellular RNA. TNF-alpha produced a dose- and time-dependent decrease in cNOS mRNA expression that was near maximal at 10 U/mL and 6 hours of exposure, respectively. In contrast, steady state expression of endothelin-1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) mRNA was upregulated by TNF-alpha. The pharmacological generation of NO using sodium nitroprusside (10 mumol/L) and S-nitroso-acetylpenicillamine (100 to 400 mumol/L) had no effect on cNOS mRNA levels, and TNF-alpha-induced downregulation of cNOS was not prevented by coincubation with the inhibitors of NO synthesis N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (1 mmol/L) and NG-monomethyl L-arginine (10 mmol/L). Under control conditions, cNOS and PAI-1 mRNA were stable after treatment with actinomycin D for periods greater than 24 hours, whereas endothelin-1 message was rapidly degraded (half-life, < 1 hour). Pretreatment with TNF-alpha (30 U/mL) selectively reduced that half-life of cNOS mRNA to less than 12 hours without altering the stability of PAI-1 message. TNF-alpha-induced destabilization of cNOS mRNA could be partially prevented by coincubation with cycloheximide (1 mumol/L) but was not reproduced by addition of sodium nitroprusside.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Pathogenesis of carbohydrate-induced hypertriglyceridemia using HepG2 cells as a model system.

This study compares the effects of glucose and fatty acid on hepatic lipid synthesis and apolipoprotein (apo) B secretion. To do so, varying concentrations of either glucose or oleic acid were added to the medium in which HepG2 cells were being incubated. Intracellular triacylglycerol and cholesteryl ester synthesis and secretion were measured by addition of radioisotopic tracers and by determination of mass, whereas apo B concentration in the medium was measured by a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The data indicate that increasing concentrations of glucose in the medium resulted in increased synthesis of triacylglycerol within the cell and increased secretion of triacylglycerol into the medium. Apo B secretion into the medium, however, did not change, and intracellular synthesis and secretion of cholesteryl ester did not change as well. By contrast, addition of oleic acid to the medium resulted in increased synthesis and secretion of both cholesteryl ester and triacylglycerol, and this was associated with increased secretion of apo B into the medium. Thus, a carbohydrate load resulted in secretion of normal numbers of triacylglycerol-enriched apo B particles by this hepatocyte cell line, whereas a fatty acid load led to the secretion of increased numbers of apo B particles, which were essentially normal in composition.

Coordinated upregulation of the cardiac endothelin system in a rat model of heart failure

The potent vascular, cardiac, and renal actions of endothelin-1 (ET-1) suggest a role for this vasoconstrictor peptide in the pathophysiology of heart failure (HF). Recent studies have shown increased levels of ET-1 peptide accompanied by increased ETB receptor binding in the left ventricle during experimental HF. However, much less is known about the regulation of mRNA expression of these genes in HF. We compared the levels of mRNA expression for ET-1 and ET receptors (ETA and ETB) in the left ventricle of rats with HF induced by coronary artery ligation (n = 6) vs. sham-operated animals (n = 6). Levels of mRNA for ET-1 were determined by ribonuclease protection assay (RPA) using beta-actin as the internal control, whereas ET receptors were quantified by quantitative-competitive RT-PCR. Compared with sham animals, ET-1, ETA, and ETB receptor mRNA levels were markedly upregulated in the left ventricle by 6.6 +/- 1.8-fold (p < 0.01), 3.2 +/- 0.6-fold (p < 0.05), and 3.5 +/- 1.0-fold (p < 0.05), respectively. ET-1 mRNA levels were measured in two additional groups of rats (HF and sham; n = 6 each) treated for 4 weeks with the selective ETA receptor antagonist LU135252. This treatment had no significant effect on ET-1 mRNA expression in sham animals but reduced the upregulation of ET-1 expression in the HF group by 41 +/- 19% (p < 0.05). This study confirms the potential importance of ET-1 in HF and suggests that increased expression of ET-1 and ET receptors in the failing ventricle may contribute to alteration in basal cardiac contractility and myocardial remodeling.

Increased Cardiac and Pulmonary Endothelin-1 mrna Expression in Canine Pacing-induced Heart Failure

The canine model of pacing-induced heart failure (HF) simulates human dilated cardiomyopathy and is characterized by severe hemodynamic perturbations. We have previously demonstrated increased plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) and left ventricular (LV) tissue peptide levels in this model. However, the gene expression of ET-1 has not been studied. Accordingly, we compared preproET-1 mRNA in the lungs and LV in control normal dogs, dogs with severe HF after 3 weeks of rapid pacing (pHF), and pHF dogs chronically treated with an ETA antagonist, LU135252 (pHF-LU). PreproET-1 mRNA expression was determined by ribonuclease protection assay and quantified by densitometry. In paced dogs, mean pulmonary artery pressure (PA) and LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) increased markedly from 16 +/- 4 and 8 +/- 3 mm Hg, respectively, at baseline to 40 +/- 11 and 34 +/- 7 mm Hg, respectively, at 3 weeks (both p < 0.001). Treatment with LU135252 attenuated the increase in PA and LVEDP by 30% and 19%, respectively (p < 0.05 for both). Compared to controls, preproET-1 mRNA expression in the LV and lungs was markedly increased in pHF. This was not changed in the LV but was reduced in the lungs by treatment with the ETA antagonist. Increased pulmonary and LV expression of preproET-1 suggests that ET-1 plays a role in mediating the pulmonary hypertension and LV dysfunction characteristic of this model.

Expression of Endothelial Factors After Arterial Injury in the Rat

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) are potent vasoactive factors known to play a role in vascular remodeling. This study assessed the temporal expression of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), preproET-1, and ETA and ETB receptor mRNAs in the rat carotid artery after balloon injury using quantitative competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qcRT-PCR) and the ribonuclease protection assay (RPA). Levels of ET-1 increased sharply after arterial injury, peaking (5.1-fold) at 2 days. This was associated with a dramatic increase in the expression of ETB (63-fold) and ETA (158-fold) receptor mRNA, peaking at days 1 and 2, respectively. Expression of eNOS was not detectable immediately after balloon injury, consistent with complete denudation, but reappeared after day 2 and increased to preinjury levels by day 14. The recovery of eNOS expression mirrored the return of ET-1 and ET receptor expression to baseline levels. The results confirm profound upregulation of the ET system in this model of arterial injury and suggest a critical role for eNOS expression and re-endothelialization in the normalization of ET-1 and ET receptor expression during the recovery phase, events that may be important in long-term arterial patency.

Regulation of endothelin-B receptor mRNA expression in human endothelial cells by cytokines and growth factors.

The regulation of endothelin-B receptor (ETB) mRNA expression in human endothelial cells (ECs) by cytokines and growth factors may play an important role in the response of the endothelium to inflammatory and angiogenic stimuli. Using quantitative RT-PCR, we studied ETB expression in human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) grown in culture on either plastic or fibrin matrix for 24 h in the presence or absence of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha, 100 U/ml) or basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF, 30 ng/ml). In addition, the effect of the nitric oxide (NO) donor S-nitrosyl-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP, 0.4 mM) was examined directly on ETB expression or on the response to bFGF. Under control conditions, ETB mRNA was detected after 35 cycles of amplification as a band of the expected size (553 bp). In the absence of fibrin matrix, ETB was downregulated by bFGF and TNF-alpha and could barely be detected by PCR. Southern analysis of the RT-PCR products after 25 cycles revealed that bFGF reduced ETB mRNA expression by 2.7 +/- 0.4-fold (p < 0.01) and TNF-alpha tended to reduce its expression by 1.8 +/- 0.9-fold of control, although this did not reach statistical significance (p < 0.20). In contrast, on fibrin matrix both bFGF and TNF-alpha increased ETB mRNA expression by 25 +/- 9-fold (p < 0.05) and 68 +/- 19-fold (p < 0.05) of control, respectively, suggesting a role for ETB in the vascular tube formation that occurs under these conditions. Pharmacologic addition of NO mimicked the effect of fibrin, converting the response to bFGF from down- to upregulation of ETB, raising the possibility that NO acts as a molecular switch modulating the response to angiogenic factors.