Stephen Brimijoin

Rational Design of Alkylene-Linked Bis-Pyridiniumaldoximes as Improved Acetylcholinesterase Reactivators

To improve the potency of 2-pralidoxime (2-PAM) for treating organophosphate poisoning, we dimerized 2-PAM and its analogs according to Wilsons pioneering work and the 3D structure of human acetylcholinesterase (hAChE) inactivated by isoflurophate. 1,7-Heptylene-bis-N,N-syn-2-pyridiniumaldoxime, the most potent of the alkylene-linked dimeric reactivators, was readily synthesized using bistriflate and is 100 times more potent than 2-PAM in reactivating hAChE poisoned by isoflurophate. Experimental and computational studies confirm that 2-PAM in its biologically active form adopts the syn-I configuration. Further, they suggest that the improved performance of dimeric oximes is conferred by two-site binding with one oxime pointing toward the diisopropyl ester at the catalytic site of hAChE and the other anchored at the peripheral site. This type of binding may induce a conformational change in the acyl pocket loop which modulates the catalytic site via a domino effect.

Rapid retrograde transport of dopamine-β-hydroxylase as examined by the stop-flow technique

We have studied the retrograde axonal transport of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) with the aid of a new stop-flow technique. Rabbit sciatic nerves in vitro were incubated in chambers which exposed different regions to oxygenated physiological saline solution at different temperatures. These chambers contained no mechanical barriers that could generate local compression or anoxia. When the proximal halves of nerves were cooled to 2 degrees C while the distal halves were kept at 37 degrees C, a peak of DBH activity began to accumulate in the middle. Accumulation was detectable after 1.5 h of proximal cooling, and the amount of activity in the peak increased linearly with time for up to 4.5 h. The rate of this accumulation was only about 20% of the rate at which DBH activity accumulates proximal to locally cooled regions. Retrograde accumulation of DBH activity is not an artifact that depends upon the simple juxtaposition of cooled and warmed regions; it does not occur when nerves are locally warmed to 37 degrees C while being kept elsewhere at 2 degrees C. When nerves that had been proximally cooled for 3h were rewarmed, the accumulated DBH activity was asymmetrically displaced toward the proximal end. The migrating wave lacked a definite peak, but appeared as a shoulder with a well-defined front that moved steadily at about 12mm/h. We take this as direct evidence for retrograde axonal transport of DBH. The maximum velocity of this transport is very similar to the velocity of orthograde transport previously determined by stop-flow techniques.

Axonal transport of enzymes and labeled proteins in experimental axonopathy induced by p-bromophenylacetylurea.

Axonal transport was studied by several techniques in the sciatic nerves of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats with neuropathy induced by treatment with p-bromophenylacetylurea (BPAU) in dimethylsulfoxide solution. Control rats were treated with solvent alone. BPAU, 200 mg/kg, induced severe muscle weakness in the hindlimbs, beginning after a latent period of 1 week and progressing to near total paralysis by 2 weeks. Axonal transport of the endogenous transmitter enzymes, acetylcholinesterase, dopamine-beta-hydroxylase and choline acetyltransferase, was normal at both 2 and 15 days after administration of BPAU, as judged by the accumulation of enzyme activity above and below a set of double ligatures on the sciatic nerve. The velocity of fast anterograde transport of [35S] methionine labeled protein was also unaffected by BPAU. However, 4 abnormalities of transport were detected in BPAU- treated rats: (1) doubling of the time for initiation of fast anterograde transport after precursor injection in the dorsal root ganglion, (2) 25% fall in the velocity of slow axonal transport of [3H] leucine labeled protein, (3) 30% reduction in the proximal accumulation of fast transported labeled protein in ligated nerve, 8-30 h after injection of precursor, and (4) 50-60% reduction in distal accumulation of early arriving labeled protein, 8-14 h after precursor injection. The last abnormality, suggesting an impaired turnaround from anterograde to retrograde transport, was detected as soon as 2 days after BPAU administration. The turnaround abnormality was correlated with the severity of neuropathy as estimated by independent clinical scoring in the group of rats treated with 200 mg/kg of drug. However, further studies showed that turnaround was delayed even in rats treated with doses as low as 50 mg/kg, which never led to clinically evident neuropathy. Nevertheless it is proposed that the abnormalities of transport play a role, as yet undefined, in the distal axonopathy caused by BPAU.

Krüppel-like Factor 11 Differentially Couples to Histone Acetyltransferase and Histone Methyltransferase Chromatin Remodeling Pathways to Transcriptionally Regulate Dopamine D2 Receptor in Neuronal Cells

Background: Chromatin-mediated events utilized by Krüppel-Like factors in neurons remain undefined. Results: Krüppel-Like factor 11 couples to antagonistic chromatin pathways (p300 versus heterochromatin protein 1) to regulate the dopamine D2 receptor gene. Conclusion: This is the first description of mechanisms underlying Krüppel-like factor-mediated functions in neurons. Significance: This knowledge expands our understanding of chromatin-mediated mechanisms that influence homeostasis in highly specialized cells. The importance of Krüppel-like factor (KLF)-mediated transcriptional pathways in the biochemistry of neuronal differentiation has been recognized relatively recently. Elegant studies have revealed that KLF proteins are important regulators of two major molecular and cellular processes critical for neuronal cell differentiation: neurite formation and the expression of neurotransmitter-related genes. However, whether KLF proteins mediate these key processes in a separate or coordinated fashion remains unknown. Moreover, knowledge on the contribution of chromatin dynamics to the biochemical mechanisms utilized by these proteins to perform their function is absent. Here we report the characterization of two antagonistic, chromatin-mediated mechanisms by which KLF11, also known as TIEG2 (transforming growth factor-β-inducible early gene 2) and MODY VII (maturity onset diabetes of the young VII), regulates transcription of the fopamine D2 receptor (Drd2) gene. First, KLF11 activates transcription by binding to a distinct Sp-KLF site within the Drd2 promoter (−98 to −94) and recruiting the p300 histone acetyltransferase. Second, Drd2 transcriptional activation is partially antagonized by heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1), the code reader for histone H3 lysine 9 methylation. Interestingly, KLF11 regulates neurotransmitter receptor gene expression in differentiating neuronal cell populations without affecting neurite formation. Overall, these studies highlight histone methylation and acetylation as key biochemical mechanisms modulating KLF-mediated neurotransmitter gene transcription. These data extend our knowledge of chromatin-mediated biochemical events that maintain key phenotypic features of differentiated neuronal cells.

Expression and transport of Angiotensin II AT1 receptors in spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia and sciatic nerve of the rat

To clarify the role of Angiotensin II in the regulation of peripheral sensory and motor systems, we initiated a study of the expression, localization and transport of Angiotensin II receptor types in the rat sciatic nerve pathway, including L(4)-L(5) spinal cord segments, the corresponding dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) and the sciatic nerve. We used quantitative autoradiography for AT(1) and AT(2) receptors, and in situ hybridization to detect AT(1A), AT(1B) and AT(2) mRNAs. We found substantial expression and discrete localization of Angiotensin II AT(1) receptors, with much higher numbers in the grey than in the white matter. A very high AT(1) receptor expression was detected in the superficial dorsal horns and in neuronal clusters of the DRGs. Expression of AT(1A) mRNA was significantly higher than that of AT(1B). AT(1) receptor binding and AT(1A) and AT(1B) mRNAs were especially prominent in ventral horn motor neurons, and in the DRG neuronal cells. Unilateral dorsal rhizotomy significantly reduced AT(1) receptor binding in the ipsilateral side of the superficial dorsal horn, indicating that a substantial number of dorsal horn AT(1) receptors have their origin in the DRGs. After ligation of the sciatic nerve, there was a high accumulation of AT(1) receptors proximal to the ligature, a demonstration of anterograde receptor transport. We found inconsistent levels of AT(2) receptor binding and mRNA. Our results suggest multiple roles of Angiotensin II AT(1) receptors in the regulation of sensory and motor functions.

Abnormal distribution of skeletal muscle acetylcholinesterase molecular forms in dystrophic mice.

Abstract Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities and molecular forms, as separated by density gradient centrifugation, were studied in dystrophic and clinically normal mouse muscle. Dystrophic hemidiaphragms exhibited normal AChE activity, but there was little or no 10 S enzyme, a form that constitutes 27% of control tissue AChE. The 10 S-AChE abnormality was similarly present in dystrophic extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle, but this muscle exhibited significantly reduced AChE activity. The EDL muscles also had reduced 16 S-AChE but normal 4 S enzyme activity. Chronic denervation of EDL muscles resulted in proportionally similar reductions of weight, total AChE, and 16 S enzyme in dystrophic and control muscles. We conclude that murine dystrophy involves some alterations that resemble denervation, but that there are major qualitative and quantitative differences in AChE that cannot be explained by a denervation-like effect.

Lasting Reduction of Cocaine Action in Neostriatum— A Hydrolase Gene Therapy Approach

We previously found that a quadruple mutant cocaine hydrolase derived from human butyrylcholinesterase [termed cocaine esterase (CocE)] can suppress or reverse cocaine toxicity and abolish drug-primed reinstatement in rats. Here, we examined whether gene transfer of CocE reduces cocaine actions in brain reward centers. Early experiments used a standard, early region 1-deleted adenoviral vector, which, after intravenous delivery of 1010 plaque-forming units, caused plasma cocaine hydrolase activity to rise 25,000-fold between day 4 and day 7. During this period, under a protocol that typically induces FosB expression in the caudate nucleus, these rats and unprotected controls given only empty vector or saline were subjected to repeated twice-daily injections of cocaine (30 mg/kg i.p.). Immunohistochemistry of the neostriatum on day 7 showed many FosB-reactive nuclei in unprotected rats but few if any in rats pretreated with active vector, which resembled rats never exposed to cocaine. Western blots confirmed this result. In contrast there was a more localized protection against cocaine-elicited FosB induction when hydrolase vector was injected directly into the ventral striatum, which generated high transgene expression in many neurons of the target area. Similar results were obtained with systemic and local injection of a more efficient helper-dependent adenoviral vector, which transduced high levels of hydrolase for at least 2 months, with lesser expression continued up to 1 year. Behavioral tests are now warranted to determine whether such effects can reduce drug-seeking behavior and lower the probability of relapse.

Effects of hypophysectomy on acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase in the rat

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activities were examined in several tissues of normal and hypophysectomized male and female rats. Significant sex differences in the mean AChE activities of normal rats were observed in the superior cervical ganglion (three times more activity in males) and in serum (50% more activity in females). Sex differences in the BuChE activity of serum and liver were even larger (ten times more activity in females), but the activity of other tissues was similar in both sexes. Hypophysectomy had little effect on the mean activity of AChE but did alter BuChE activity in certain tissues. Most of the effects of hypophysectomy on mean BuChE activity were opposite in direction in the two sexes. For example, in males hypophysectomy caused increases in the BuChE activity of serum (300%) and liver (43%), while in females it caused decreases in both tissues (25 and 30% respectively). In rats of a given group, the AChE activity of each tissue appeared to be regulated independently of the activity in other tissues. By contrast, BuChE activity showed statistically significant correlations in more than half of the tissue-pairs examined in control rats of either sex. These correlations can be considered to reflect a tendency toward body-wide regulation. In female rats, the cross-tissue correlations were largely eliminated by hypophysectomy. This finding indicates that the regulation of BuChE may be strongly affected by hormones under the control of the pituitary gland. However, in male rats, only the correlations involving atria were altered by hypophysectomy. Therefore, the effects of hormones on BuChE are probably both sex and tissue dependent.

Death of Preganglionic Sympathetic Neurons after Surgical or Immunologic Lesion of Peripheral Processes

Three months after systemic injection of antibody to acetylcholinesterase (AChE), there is a 60% decrease in the population of preganglionic sympathetic neurons expressing choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in the intermediolateral (IML) nucleus of the rat spinal cord. In principle, the disappearance of identifiable cholinergic neurons might reflect either outright cell death or severe atrophy with downregulation of cholinergic markers. To distinguish between these possibilities, preganglionic neurons were labeled with the retrograde tracer dye, Fast Blue, 1 week before antibody injection or surgical transection of the cervical sympathetic trunk. Three months after either treatment, the thoracic IML contained 40-60% fewer Fast Blue-labeled neurons than in controls. Therefore, preganglionic sympathetic neurons do degenerate after antibody injection or axotomy. To clarify the role of axonal damage in this process, the effects of three different mechanical lesions were examined. A lumbar ganglionectomy designed to interrupt most sympathetic axons emanating from L2 IML caused 92% loss of ChAT-positive cells observed 10 weeks later at that site. In comparison, transection of the cervical sympathetic trunk, which spared some distally directed axonal branches from the thoracic IML, caused only a 46% loss of ChAT-positive neurons at T1. Still smaller effects were seen after the same nerve was crushed, a lesion that is less destructive. Thus, the ability of central sympathetic neurons to survive a peripheral lesion may be related to the degree of axonal damage and to the opportunity for axonal regrowth.

Angiotensin II type 1 receptors may not influence response of spinal autonomic neurons to axonal damage

Abstract Objectives: Angiotensin II can promote cell stress, and the expression of its AT1 receptor is characteristic of neuronal populations that die off in multiple systems atrophy and Parkinsons disease. To explore the possible significance of these facts, we undertook to: (1) clarify the distribution of AT1 in rat neurons; (2) use selective antagonists as a means of determining whether AT1 activation predisposes stressed neurons to die. Methods: AT1-expression was examined by immunohistochemistry and by autoradiography for [125I]-sarcosine1-angiotensin II binding in sensory, motor and autonomic neurons. To induce cell loss in a specific neuronal population, rats were given systemic i.v. injection of anti-acetylcholinesterase antibodies, which cause a delayed death of pre-ganglionic sympathetic neurons in the intermediolateral nucleus (IML). As pharmacologic intervention, some immunolesioned rats were treated with the selective AT1 antagonist, Candesartan. Results: Immunohistochemistry and autoradiography revealed AT1 expression in dorsal root ganglia, superior cervical ganglion. In the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, AT1 immunostainining and angiotensin binding were both prominent. In ventral horn and IML, immunoreactivity for AT1 and choline acetyltransferase co-localized in pre-ganglionic sympathetic and somatic motor neurons. Immunolesion caused over 50% loss of IML perikarya within 3 months. Concurrent treatment with the AT1 antagonist, Candesartan, did not affect the outcome. Discussion: AT1 expression is surprisingly widespread in sensory, autonomic and somatic motor neurons of the rat. This expression may be important to the normal physiology of these systems. Present data, however, do not support the concept that AT1 activation contributes to the loss of autonomic neurons after axonal damage.