Parathyroid hormone regulation of cytosolic Ca2+ in rat proximal tubules

The effect of parathyroid hormone (PTH) on cytosolic Ca2+ was studied on suspensions of purified rat renal proximal tubules using the fluorescent indicator quin-2. Rat PTH-(1-34) produced a transient 40% increase in apparent cytosolic Ca2+ at 20 s, followed by a rapid return toward the basal level. The half-maximal dose for both the rate of rise and peak apparent Ca2+ was 3 X 10(-8) M for rat PTH-(1-34). Unlike PTH, forskolin and dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate had no immediate effect. Bovine PTH-(3-34) blocked the effect of PTH in a concentration-dependent manner. Acute reduction of medium Ca2+ to less than 10(-6) M had no effect on either PTH- or angiotensin II (ANG II)-induced transients, but prevented any sustained increases. Washing tubules in nominally Ca2(+)-free medium followed by ethylene glycol-bis (beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid reduced both transients by 50%. PTH at 2 X 10(-7) caused small (6-9%) increases in accumulation of [3H]inositol phosphates comparable with that produced by norepinephrine at 10(-7) M. At 10(-7) M, norepinephrine produced increases in Ca2+ and inositol phosphates similar to PTH; at 10(-5) M much larger increases in inositol phosphates occurred. Exposure to high levels of either norepinephrine or ANG II before PTH administration prevented any subsequent stimulation by PTH or other agonists. A submaximal dose of norepinephrine only slightly blunted the effect of PTH or ANG II.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) </jats:p

Age-related defect in signal transduction during lectin activation of murine T lymphocytes.

Abstract Interleukin 2 (IL-2) production and recognition are clearly involved in the age-associated proliferative defect of mitogen-stimulated T lymphocytes. The external signal delivered by mitogens is transmitted across the membrane via the release of two messenger molecules, diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), involved in the activation of protein kinase C (PK-C) and the elevation of cytosolic free Ca2+. In that Ca2+ mobilization and PK-C activation appear to be crucial events in the production of IL-2 and the expression of IL-2 receptors, a defect in transmembrane signaling would result in decreased synthesis and response to IL-2. We therefore examined PK-C activity and translocation, generation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, and cytosolic Ca2+ levels as a function of age in murine G0 T lymphocytes before and after exposure to mitogenic doses of concanavalin A (Con A). The basal levels and distribution of PK-C before and after direct activation of the enzyme by 2 or 20 nM phorbol myristate acetate were comparable in both age groups indicating no inherent age-associated functional defect in the enzyme. However, the Con A-induced PK-C translocation was reduced by 50% in cells from 24-mo-old animals. The Con A stimulation of G0 T lymphocytes increased free cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and the production of inositol phosphates to the same level, irrespective of the age of the donor. However, basal levels of both of these second messengers were consistently higher in lymphocytes derived from old mice. As a result, the net increase in inositol phosphates and [Ca2+]i was reduced by approximately the same extent as that observed for the translocation of PK-C. These results clearly point to an age-associated defect in the generation of phosphoinositide-derived second messengers and indicate that an alteration in signal transduction plays a primary role in the age-related impairment of the mitogen-induced, IL-2-mediated proliferative response of T lymphocytes.</jats:p