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- Lundquist, Ingmar, et al.
(författare)
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Carbon monoxide stimulates insulin release and propagates Ca2+ signals between pancreatic beta-cells
- 2003
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Ingår i: American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism. - : American Physiological Society. - 1522-1555 .- 0193-1849. ; 285:5, s. 1055-1063
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A key question for understanding the mechanisms of pulsatile insulin release is how the underlying beta-cell oscillations of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+](i)) are synchronized within and among the islets in the pancreas. Nitric oxide has been proposed to coordinate the activity of the beta-cells by precipitating transients of [Ca2+](i). Comparing ob/ob mice and lean controls, we have now studied the action of carbon monoxide (CO), another neurotransmitter with stimulatory effects on cGMP production. A strong immunoreactivity for the CO-producing constitutive heme oxygenase (HO-2) was found in ganglionic cells located in the periphery of the islets and in almost all islet endocrine cells. Islets from ob/ob mice had sixfold higher generation of CO ( 1 nmol.min(-1).mg protein(-1)) than the lean controls. This is 100-fold the rate for their constitutive production of NO. Moreover, islets from ob/ob mice showed a threefold increase in HO-2 expression and expressed inducible HO (HO-1). The presence of an excessive islet production of CO in the ob/ob mouse had its counterpart in a pronounced suppression of the glucose-stimulated insulin release from islets exposed to the HO inhibitor Zn-protoporhyrin (10 muM) and in a 16 times higher frequency of [Ca2+](i) transients in their beta-cells. Hemin (0.1 and 1.0 muM), the natural substrate for HO, promoted the appearance of [Ca2+](i) transients, and 10 muM of the HO inhibitors Zn-protoporphyrin and Cr-mesoporphyrin had a suppressive action both on the firing of transients and their synchronization. It is concluded that the increased islet production of CO contributes to the hyperinsulinemia in ob/ob mice. In addition to serving as a positive modulator of glucose-stimulated insulin release, CO acts as a messenger propagating Ca2+ signals with coordinating effects on the beta-cell rhythmicity.
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| 2. |
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| 4. |
- Nordin Fredrikson, Gunilla, et al.
(författare)
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Identification of Immune Responses Against Aldehyde-Modified Peptide Sequences in ApoB Associated With Cardiovascular Disease.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. - : The Assoc.. - 1524-4636 .- 1079-5642. ; 23:5, s. 872-878
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective— Atherosclerosis is associated with an immune response against oxidized LDL, which modulates the progression of the disease process. Methods and Results— Using a library of polypeptides covering the complete sequence of apoB-100, the only major protein of LDL, we have identified over 100 different human antibodies reacting against aldehyde-modified apoB-100 sequences. IgM antibody titer levels decreased with age and were associated with the intima-media thickness of the carotid artery in subjects younger than 60 years. There were also inverse associations between IgM levels and oxidized LDL in plasma. In prospective clinical studies, antibody levels against several aldehyde-modified apoB-100 sites were associated with cardiovascular disease in this age group. Whether this immune response is adaptive (protective) or maladaptive (causal) in atherosclerosis requires further investigation. Conclusions— We have characterized a large number of epitopes within the apoB-100 component of oxidized LDL that provoke an immune response in humans. These findings will make it possible to study the role of immune responses against specific sites in oxidized LDL and to determine whether these immune responses influence the risk for future cardiac events.
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