Niels Aarsaether

Mural cell associated VEGF is required for organotypic vessel formation.

Background Blood vessels comprise endothelial cells, mural cells (pericytes/vascular smooth muscle cells) and basement membrane. During angiogenesis, mural cells are recruited to sprouting endothelial cells and define a stabilizing context, comprising cell-cell contacts, secreted growth factors and extracellular matrix components, that drives vessel maturation and resistance to anti-angiogenic therapeutics. Methods and Findings To better understand the basis for mural cell regulation of angiogenesis, we conducted high content imaging analysis on a microtiter plate format in vitro organotypic blood vessel system comprising primary human endothelial cells co-cultured with primary human mural cells. We show that endothelial cells co-cultured with mural cells undergo an extensive series of phenotypic changes reflective of several facets of blood vessel formation and maturation: Loss of cell proliferation, pathfinding-like cell migration, branching morphogenesis, basement membrane extracellular matrix protein deposition, lumen formation, anastamosis and development of a stabilized capillary-like network. This phenotypic sequence required endothelial-mural cell-cell contact, mural cell-derived VEGF and endothelial VEGFR2 signaling. Inhibiting formation of adherens junctions or basement membrane structures abrogated network formation. Notably, inhibition of mural cell VEGF expression could not be rescued by exogenous VEGF. Conclusions These results suggest a unique role for mural cell-associated VEGF in driving vessel formation and maturation.

Alkylthioacetic acid (3-thia fatty acids) ― a new group of non-β-oxidizable, peroxisome-inducing fatty acid analogues. I: A study on the structural requirements for proliferation of peroxisomes and mitochondria in rat liver

The induction of peroxisome proliferation was examined in rat liver after administration of equal concentrations (1 mmol/kg body weight) of 1,10-bis(carboxymethylthiodecane) (BCMTD), 1-mono(carboxymethylthiotetradecane) (CMTTD), 1-mono(carboxymethylthiooctane) (CMTO), 1-mono(carboxyethylthiotetradecane) (CETTD), palmitic acid and hexadecanedioic acid (HDDA). BCMTD, a non-beta-oxidizable and non-omega-oxidizable sulphur-substituted fatty acid analogue was considerably more potent than CMTTD (only non-beta-oxidizable) in inducing enlargement of the liver and increasing peroxisomal activities (monitored by peroxisomal beta-oxidation, palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase and catalase activities). Morphometric analysis of randomly selected hepatocytes revealed that BCMTD and CMTTD treatment increased the number and size of peroxisomes and the relative volume fraction of the peroxisomes. All these cellular responses were more marked with BCMTD than compared with CMTTD. CMTO, a non-beta-oxidizable fatty acid analogue containing a lower hydrophobic alkyl-end than CMTTD and CETTD (a beta-oxidizable fatty acid analogue), showed a slight increase (1.4-1.8-fold) of peroxisomal beta-oxidation and caused marginally morphological changes of peroxisomes compared with CMTTD and BCMTD. The most striking effect of the alkylthiopropionic acid (CETTD) was an enhancement of the hepatic triacylglycerol level. Palmitic acid and hexadecanedioic acid only marginally affected the peroxisomal activities, but no morphological changes of peroxisomes and fat droplets were observed. The presented data strongly suggest that a minimal structural requirement for a peroxisome proliferator may be (1) a carboxylic acid group linked to (2) a hydrophobic backbone which (3) cannot be beta-oxidized i.e., the fatty acid analogues have a sulphur atom in the beta-position. It is also conceivable that blockage for omega-oxidation may potentiate the peroxisome-proliferating activities in as much as BCMTD was more potent than CMTTD. Two mitochondrial marker enzymes, carnitine palmitoyltransferase and succinate phenazine methosulphate oxidoreductase were differently affected after administration of the investigated compounds. Furthermore, BCMTD and CMTTD as well as HDDA treatments increased the number of mitochondria, but the mitochondria tended to be smaller. The overall results presented here indicate that the structural requirements for proliferation of mitochondria are not identical to those for proliferation of peroxisomes.

The hypolipidemic peroxisome-proliferating drug, bis(carboxymethylthio)-1.10 decane, a dicarboxylic metabolite of tiadenol, is activated to an acylcoenzyme A thioester

Bis(carboxymethylthio)-1.10 decane (BCMTD), a thiodicarboxylic acid, was shown to be a hypolipidemic peroxisome-proliferating drug as it: (a) decreased the total serum triacylglycerols and cholesterol; (b) induced hepatomegaly; (c) increased the peroxisomal beta-oxidation and catalase activity and the activities of the multiorganelle localized enzymes: palmitoyl-CoA synthetase, palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase, glycerophosphate acyltransferase; (d) decreased the carnitine palmitoyltransferase and urate oxidase activities; and (e) induced the bifunctional eonyl-CoA hydratase in peroxisomes. The present study has confirmed the effect of tiadenol administration on the activities of key enzymes involved in hepatic fatty acid metabolism in male rats. However, the hepatic pleiotropic response was more marked with the dicarboxylic acid than with its alcohol. In a separate dose-response study BCMTD was found to be a more potent inducer of peroxisomal beta-oxidation compared to tiadenol. BCMTD can be activated in vitro to its coenzyme A thioester by a dicarboxyl-CoA synthetase. In control and BCMTD-treated animals, the synthetase activity was found in all cellular fractions except the cytosolic. Whether the acyl-CoA thioesters of peroxisome-proliferating drugs may be mediators of peroxisomal proliferation should be considered.

Gene expression profile in oral squamous cell carcinomas and matching normal oral mucosal tissues from black Africans and white Caucasians: the case of the Sudan vs. Norway.

Expression profile of 588 known genes relating to tumour biology, was examined between oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) and matching normal oral mucosal tissues (NOMTs) obtained from Sudanese (n=11) and Norwegian (n=11) patients. cDNA probes were synthesised from total RNA and hybridised with the Atlas human cancer cDNA expression array membranes. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were applied to confirm the expression pattern of a subset of the 588 genes. Differences in expression of the genes examined were found between the OSCCs and the NOMTs on the Atlas membranes. Several of these genes were either up- or down-regulated 1.6-fold or higher in the OSCCs compared to the NOMTs in the cases from the two populations. We found that 181 (31%) and 195 (33%) genes were either up-regulated or down-regulated in the OSCCs from the Sudan and Norway, respectively. From the total number of genes (n=376) found expressed in the OSCCs investigated from the two countries, 53 genes (14%) showed common expression profile [35 (66%) were up-regulated and 18 (34%) were down-regulated] and 70 genes (19%) showed opposite regulation status. Results of the RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry confirmed the hybridisation data. These findings may provide an OSCCs-specific gene expression profile in patients from the two countries, suggesting that alterations of 123 genes are common in these OSCCs regardless of ethnic differences or other socio-cultural risk factors between the patients from the two countries. The findings might further suggest that specific genes are frequently involved in these OSCCs, which may provide novel clues as diagnostic, prognostic biomarkers and/or targets for therapy. The Atlas human cancer cDNA expression array technique can be useful to examine and describe the expression profile of known genes frequently involved in OSCCs from different populations.

Separation and measurement of clofibroyl coenzyme a and clofibric acid in rat liver after clofibrate administration by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection

A method to identify and quantitate clofibric acid and clofibroyl coenzyme A (CoA) products in rat liver was developed using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The system was developed with baseline separation of clofibroyl-CoA from clofibric acid using isocratic elution, with a mobile phase consisting of 52% methanol and 28 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 4.2). With this high methanol concentration, the large amount of UV-absorbing materials present in the liver extracts were eluted earlier than the investigated compounds. Clofibroyl-CoA has a characteristic absorbance spectrum with distinct peaks at 260 and 230 nm, while clofibric acid showed only a distinct peak at 230 nm. Using an on-line photodiode array detector, the spectra could be recorded during analysis without interrupting the flow of the mobile phase. This spectral analysis identification possibilities and evaluation of the purity of the chromatographic peaks. In a perchloric extract of rat liver, the recovery of clofibric acid and clofibroyl-CoA added to the liver extract ranged from 70 to 80%. A linear relationship was observed between clofibric acid and clofibroyl-CoA concentration and the area of their peaks in the chromatogram. The detection limit of the method was lower than 5 pmol for both compounds when the absorbance was recorded at 230 nm. The method could be used without modification for the estimation of clofibroyl-CoA and clofibric acid in biological extracts.

Effect of methotrexate on homocysteine and other sulfur compounds in tissues of rats fed a normal or a defined, choline-deficient diet*

SummaryMethotrexate (MTX) affects homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism in both cultured cells and patients, and this may be explained by a lack of the 5-methyltetrahy-drofolate required for salvage of Hcy to methionine. We here report the effect of MTX on Hcy in serum and Hcy, S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy), S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in tissues of rats fed either a normal or a defined, choline-deficient (CD) diet. The CD diet alone did not affect the amounts of Hcy in serum and tissues, but decreased the amount of AdoMet in most tissues and increased the GSH content in the liver. MTX increased the amount of Hcy about 2-fold in serum, liver and kidney, and decreased the amount of AdoMet in liver and kidney, whereas the AdoHcy content in these tissues was essentially unaffected. Accordingly, both choline deficiency and MTX treatment reduced the AdoMet to AdoHcy ratio. The increased GSH in the liver induced by CD diet seemed to be abolished by MTX. In the spleen MTX had only a marginal effect on the Hcy and AdoMet content and decreased the GSH content. It is concluded that the increase in serum Hcy during MTX exposure probably reflects a disturbance of the Hcy metabolism in some tissues, and especially in the liver. Altered metabolism of other sulfur-containing metabolites may only partly be related to the inhibition of Hcy salvage, and some metabolic effects of MTX may be modulated by tissue-specific metabolic pathways as well as by the diet.

Induction of cytosolic clofibroyl-CoA hydrolase activity in liver of rats treated with clofibrate.

Among subcellular fractions of liver homogenates of rats, the clofibroyl-CoA hydrolase activity is found mainly in the cytosolic fraction. It is here shown that the subcellular distribution of clofibroyl-CoA hydrolase appears to be different from the distribution of palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase activity. Thus, in contrast to the case with palmitoyl-CoA, no hydrolysis of clofibroyl-CoA was catalysed by the microsomal fraction. Furthermore, the hydrolysis of palmitoyl-CoA and clofibroyl-CoA in the cytosolic fraction seemed to be catalyzed by two different enzymes. Rats treated with clofibrate (0.3%, w/w) showed a significant increased clofibroyl-CoA hydrolase activity where the cytosolic hydrolase was increased 3.5-fold. Clofibrate administration also elevated the specific clofibroyl-CoA hydrolase activity by factors of 1.7 and 1.5 in the mitochondrial and the light-mitochondrial fractions, respectively. Thus, it is possible that clofibroyl-CoA hydrolase has also a multiorganelle localization.

Effect of methotrexate on long-chain fatty acid metabolism in liver of rats fed a standard or a defined, choline-deficient diet

The effect of methotrexate on lipids in serum and liver and key enzymes involved in esterification and oxidation of long-chain fatty acids were investigated in rats fed a standard diet and a defined choline-deficient diet. Hepatic metabolism of long-chain fatty acids were also studied in rats fed the defined diet with or without choline. When methotrexate was administered to the rats fed the standard diet there was a slight increase in hepatic lipids and a moderate reduction in the serum level. The palmitoyl-CoA synthetase activity and the microsomal glycerophosphate acyltransferase activity in the liver of rats were increased by methotrexate. The data are consistent with those where the liver may fail to transfer the newly formed triacylglycerols into the plasma with a resultant increase in liver triacylglycerol content and a decrease in serum lipid levels. Fatty liver of methotrexate-exposed rats can not be attributed simply to a reduction of fatty acid oxidation as the carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity was increased. The methotrexate response in the rats fed the defined choline-deficient diet was different. There was a reduction in both serum and hepatic triacylglycerol and the glycerophosphate acyltransferase and palmitoyl-CoA synthetase activities. The carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity was unchanged. Hepatomegaly and increased hepatic fat content, but decreased serum triacylglycerol, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol were found to be related to the development of choline deficiency as the pleiotropic responses were almost fully prevented by addition of choline to the choline-deficient diet. Addition of choline to the choline-deficient diet normalized the total palmitoyl-CoA synthetase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase activities. In contrast to methotrexate exposure, choline deficiency increased the mitochondrial glycerophosphate acyltransferase activity. The data are consistent with those of where fatty liver induction of choline deficiency may be related to an enhanced esterification of long-chain fatty acids concomitant with a reduction of their oxidation.

Ethionine-induced alterations of enzymes involved in lipid metabolism and their possible relationship to induction of fatty liver

Changes of enzymes involved in the hepatic metabolism of long-chain fatty acids (palmitoyl-CoA synthetase (EC 6.2.1.3), carnitine palmitoyltransferase (EC 6.2.1.3), glycerophosphate acyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.15)) in the liver of male rats were examined after ethionine exposure. Ethionine administration resulted in a dose- and time-dependent enhancement of the palmitoyl-CoA synthetase activity both in the mitochondrial, peroxisomal and microsomal fractions. The total carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity in the mitochondrial fraction was enhanced. Ethionine administration was also associated with dose- and time-dependent changes of the microsomal glycerophosphate acyltransferase activity, whereas the mitochondrial enzyme activity was marginally affected. The hepatic triacylglycerol content of the ethionine-treated animals was increased. Hepatic lipids were accumulated in large droplets. Serum triacylglycerol and cholesterol were decreased. In particular, the serum HDL-cholesterol level was lowered. The concentration of ATP in the liver decreased. Accumulation of the metabolic product S-adenosylethionine (AdoEth) was observed for the first 2 days of exposure followed by a fall in S-adenosylmethionine (Ado-Met) during the next 10 days. Linear regression analysis of ATP content versus AdoEth and AdoMet showed highly significant correlations. A significant correlation between the hepatic triacylglycerol and AdoEth content was also observed upon ethionine treatment. The data show that ethionine perturbs the hepatic lipid metabolism. Enhanced esterification of long-chain fatty acids, but not a simple reduction of their oxidation, might contribute to ethionine-induced fatty liver in addition to a block in secretion of lipoproteins and decreased protein synthesis.

Cell transformation and promoter activity of insulation oils in the Syrian Hamster Embryo cell and in the C3H/10T1/2 mouse embryo fibroblast test systems

The ability of mineral-oil-based and synthetic cable insulating fluids to transform and promote transformation of mammalian cells in vitro have been studied. In experiments with the Syrian hamster embryo cell transformation assay, it was found that C15-C18 alkylbenzenes were the most potent inducers of transformation, followed by low-viscosity and residual mineral oils. No activity and low cytotoxicity were found for a low-viscosity polyisobutylene-based oil. In the two-stage transformation assay of C3H/10T1/2 cells, promoter activity was obtained with all fluids tested. A blend of residual and low-viscosity mineral oils showed the highest activity. This oil possessed a low cytotoxicity and was tested at a relatively high concentration. The alkylbenzenes were more potent than the polyisobutylene-based fluid. The alkylbenzenes were also found to possess initiating activity in the two-stage assay, when 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) was used as promoter. All the fluids showed low potency compared to benzo[a]pyrene and the tumor promoter TPA.