We reported previously that ATP depletion induced by glycolytic inhibition or cellular hypoxia increases the permeability of intestinal epithelial monolayers [N. Unno, M. J. Menconi, A. L. Salzman, M. Smith, S. Hagen, Y. Ge, R. M. Ezzell, and M. P. Fink. Am. J. Physiol. 270 ( Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 33): G1010-G1021, 1996]. In the present study, we examined the effects of the Ca2+ ionophor...

Prior heat stress (HS) or the selective overexpression of hsp72 prevents apoptosis caused by exposure to metabolic inhibitors by protecting the mitochondrial membrane and partially reducing caspase-3 activation. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a tyrosine kinase, exhibits anti-apoptotic properties and is a potential target for degradation by caspase-3. This study tested the hypothesis that hsp72 in...

The cytotoxicity of the antifolate inhibitors of de novo purine biosynthesis, lometrexol (LTX) and LY309887, can be abolished by hypoxanthine (HPX) salvage. The nucleoside transport inhibitor, dipyridamole (DP) can prevent HPX rescue from LTX growth inhibition in a cell line-specific manner. The studies described here have shown that, excluding colon and hematological malignancies, DP prevents ...

Micromolar concentrations of ATP stimulate biphasic change in transepithelial conductance across CaSki cultures on filters, an acute transient increase (phase I response; triggered by P2Y(2) receptor and mediated by calcium mobilization-dependent cell volume decrease) followed by a slower decrease in permeability (phase II response). Phase II response is mediated by augmented calcium influx and...

Measurements were made of the rigor stiffness of impaled bull sperm flagella. Vanadate-free ATP was found to have a stronger plasticizing action than vanadate-contaminated ATP. Trace amounts of Mg2+ were found to be necessary to relieve the rigor condition by ATP. During the injection of negative electric current into the sperm head, the flagella stiffened, presumably by depletion of Mg2+ from ...

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa secretory product pyocyanin damages lung epithelium, likely due to redox cycling of pyocyanin and resultant superoxide and H(2)O(2) generation. Subcellular site(s) of pyocyanin redox cycling and toxicity have not been well studied. Therefore, pyocyanin's effects on subcellular parameters in the A549 human type II alveolar epithelial cell line were examined. Confocal a...