Frame, Mary D. S. Conducted signals within arteriolar networks initiated by bioactive amino acids. Am. J. Physiol. 276 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 45): H1012–H1021, 1999.—Our purpose was to determine the specificity of L-arginine (L-Arg)induced conducted signals for intravs. extracellular actions of L-Arg. Diameter and red blood cell velocities were measured for arterioles [18 6 1.6 (SE) μm] in the c...

Metformin, a biguanide widely used in the treatment of type II diabetes, clearly exhibits antineoplastic activity in experimental models and has been reported to reduce cancer incidence in diabetics. There are ongoing clinical trials to evaluate its antitumor properties, which may relate to its fundamental activity as an inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation. Here, we show that serine withdraw...

In 1967 Kay et al postulated that some cases of unexplained pulmonary hypertension might be due to the ingestion of drugs or other toxic substances.' This concept, later termed dietary pulmonary hypertension,23 was advanced following the observation that the oral administration to rats of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid monocrotaline produced severe pulmonary hypertension.' There are no reports of p...

We recently demonstrated that the LKB1 tumour suppressor kinase, in complex with the pseudokinase STRAD and the scaffolding protein MO25, phosphorylates and activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). A total of 12 human kinases (NUAK1, NUAK2, BRSK1, BRSK2, QIK, QSK, SIK, MARK1, MARK2, MARK3, MARK4 and MELK) are related to AMPK. Here we demonstrate that LKB1 can phosphorylate the T-loop of a...

The binding geometries, abilities and thermodynamic parameters for the intermolecular complexation of two water-soluble calixarenes, p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene (SC4A) and p-sulfonatocalix[5]arene (SC5A), with biguanidinium guests, metformin (MFM) and phenformin (PFM), were investigated by (1)H and 2D NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The obtained...

Fat-specific protein 27 (FSP27) plays a pivotal role in controlling the formation of large lipid droplet and energy metabolism. The cellular levels of FSP27 are tightly regulated through the proteasomal ubiquitin-mediated degradation. However, the upstream signals that trigger FSP27 degradation and the underlying mechanism(s) have yet to be identified. Here we show that AMP-activated protein ki...

Glucose deprivation, a cell condition that occurs in solid tumors, activates the unfolded protein response (UPR). A key feature of the UPR is the transcription program activation, which allows the cell to survive under stress conditions. Here, we show that the UPR transcription program is disrupted by the antidiabetic biguanides metformin, buformin, and phenformin depending on cellular glucose ...