Taurine (TAU) supplementation increases insulin secretion in response to high glucose concentrations in rodent islets. This effect is probably due to an increase in Ca2+ handling by the islet cells. Here, we investigated the possible involvement of the cholinergic/phospholipase C (PLC) and protein kinase (PK) A pathways in this process. Adult mice were fed with 2% TAU in drinking water for 30 d...

BACKGROUND We have previously shown major differences in beta-adrenergic and muscarinic modulation of L-type calcium currents (ICa) in newborn and adult rabbit heart. However, little is known about developmental changes in modulation of ICa by phosphodiesterases (PDEs), which also regulate intracellular cAMP concentration by its hydrolysis. METHODS AND RESULTS Enzymatically isolated adult and...

In liver cells isolated from fed female rats, glucagon (290nM) increased adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) content and decreased cyclic AMP binding 30 s after addition of hormones. Both returned to control values after 10 min. Glucagon also stimulated cyclic AMP-independent protein kinase activity at 30 s and decreased protein kinase activity assayed in the presence of 2 muM cyclic AMP...

Bipolar cells are retinal interneurons that receive synaptic input from photoreceptors. Glutamate, the photoreceptor transmitter, hyperpolarizes On bipolar cells by closing nonselective cation channels, an effect mediated by the metabotropic receptor mGluR6. Previous studies of mGluR6 transduction have suggested that the receptor couples to a phosphodiesterase (PDE) that preferentially hydrolyz...

Spectrophotometric quantification of fluid phase endocytosis in the presence of different pharmacological compounds was performed in the model unicellular eukaryote Paramecium. The kinetics of Lucifer Yellow Carbohydrazide (LY) uptake in cells exposed to forskolin and isoproterenol--known to stimulate phagocytosis in this cell--was analyzed. Reduction in both the rate of endocytosis and total a...

OBJECTIVE To examine the role of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and cyclic GMP in the regulation of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in cultured human endothelial cells. METHODS Cultured endothelial cells from human umbilical veins (HUVEC) were treated with ANP (0.3-30 nM), 8-Br-cGMP (1-100 microM), Rp-8-Br-PET-cGMPS (1 microM), or the phosphodiesterase inhibitors, zaprinast (10-100 micr...

AIMS To determine if interleukin 2 (IL-2) alters epithelial transport and barrier function in cultured human small intestinal enterocytes. METHODS Confluent monolayers of small intestinal cells derived from duodenal biopsies were treated with IL-2 0.2-50 U/ml for 24 hours prior to study. Transport measurements were performed under short circuited conditions in Ussing chambers, with and withou...

Cyclic nucleotides cAMP and cGMP are among the main molecules that control maturation of mammal oocytes. The in vitro simulated physiological oocyte (SPOM) method was used to model accumulation oocyte. In current study, we preincubated oocytes cows (not primed with FSH) modulators: N 6,2’-O-dibutyryladenosine 3’,5’-cyclomonophosphate (dbcAMP) 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX). use SPOM increas...

Transient transfection experiments in which three different estrogen response element-containing reporter genes were cotransfected into HeLa cells, together with constitutively expressed estrogen receptor (ER) constructs, demonstrate that activation of the transcription of the reporter genes by epidermal growth factor (EGF) and by cholera toxin with 3-isobutyl-1-methyl-xanthine, which elevate c...