In the present study, we compared rat uterine contractility and myometrial inositol phosphate (InsP) production in response to activation of muscarinic and oxytocin receptors during pregnancy and at term. The level of myometrial phospholipase (PL) C was also determined by Western blotting at different stages of pregnancy and following administration of oestradiol, progesterone or vehicle. The r...

Mechanisms that regulate cellular metabolism are a fundamental requirement of all cells. Most eukaryotic cells rely on aerobic mitochondrial metabolism to generate ATP. Nevertheless, regulation of mitochondrial activity is incompletely understood. Here we identified an unexpected and essential role for constitutive InsP(3)R-mediated Ca(2+) release in maintaining cellular bioenergetics. Macroaut...

Active neurons communicate to intracerebral arterioles in part through an elevation of cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in astrocytes, leading to the generation of vasoactive signals involved in neurovascular coupling. In particular, [Ca(2+)](i) increases in astrocytic processes ("endfeet"), which encase cerebral arterioles, have been shown to result in vasodilation of arterioles in...

Abstract Background The degree to which storage conditions and duration affect phytase activity inositol phosphates (InsP) was evaluated in wheat. Three wheat cultivars were stored as whole or ground kernels at 20, 7, −18°C for 13, 48, 118, 188, 265, 349 days. Samples analyzed InsP 3‐6 concentration activity. Results 6 of −18 7°C did not differ from that time point 0. Storage 20°C significantly...

The accumulation of inositol phosphates in myo-[3H]inositol-labelled human neutrophils stimulated with the chemotactic peptide fMet-Leu-Phe was measured. The challenge with the chemotactic peptide caused the generation of inositol monophosphate (InsP), inositol bisphosphate (InsP2) and inositol trisphosphate (InsP3). The formation of the three inositol phosphates followed a differential time co...

band (Fig. 1). To our knowledge, this is the first human chromosomal localization of an enzyme metabolizing InsP 3. A screening of the Genome DataBank and Online Mendel ian Inheri tance in Man from April 1992 failed to reveal any candidate disease tha t might be explained in single terms by mutat ion of the gene. The data clearly establish that despite their sequence similarity (ca. 65%) indica...

BACKGROUND Within-breath reactance from forced oscillometry estimates resistance via its inspiratory component (X(rs,insp)) and flow limitation via its expiratory component (X(rs,exp)). AIM To assess whether reactance can detect recovery from an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHOD 39 subjects with a COPD exacerbation were assessed on three occasions over 6 w...

Cytosolic Ca2+ increase is a crucial and early step of plant immunity evoked by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) such as flagellin (flg). Components responsible for this increase are still not uncovered, although current models of plant immune signaling portray extracellular Ca2+ influx as paramount to flg activation of defense pathways. Work presented here provides new insights i...

Proline (Pro) accumulation occurs in various plant organisms in response to environmental stresses. To identify the signaling components involved in the regulation of Pro metabolism upon water stress in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), a pharmacological approach was developed. The role of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipases C (PLCs) in Pro accumulation was assessed by the use of the ami...