Diseases such as epilepsy, pain, and neurodegenerative disorders are associated with changes in neuronal dysfunction due to an imbalance of excitation and inhibition. This work details a novel electroconvulsive seizure assay for C. elegans using the well characterized cholinergic and GABAergic excitation and inhibition of the body wall muscles and the resulting locomotion patterns to better understand neuronal excitability. The time to recover normal locomotion from an electroconvulsive seizure could be modulated by increasing and decreasing inhibition. GABAergic deficits and a chemical proconvulsant resulted in an increased recovery time while anti-epileptic drugs decreased seizure duration. Successful modulation of excitation and inhibition in the new assay led to the investigation of a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) which modulates potassium (K+) channels, affecting neuronal excitability, and determined that increasing PKG activity decreases the time to recovery from an electroconvulsive seizure. The new assay was used as a forward genetic screening tool using C. elegans and several potential genes that affect seizure susceptibility were found to take longer to recover from a seizure. A naturally occurring polymorphism for PKG in D. melanogaster confirmed that both genetic and pharmacological manipulation of PKG influences seizure duration. PKG has been implicated in stress tolerance, which can be affected by changes in neuronal excitability associated with aging, so stress tolerance and locomotor behavior in senescent flies was investigated. For the first time, PKG has been implicated in aging phenotypes with high levels of PKG resulting in reduced locomotion and lifespan in senescent flies. The results suggest a potential new role for PKG in seizure susceptibility and aging. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) act as second messengers in intracellular signaling cascades to influence neuronal responses. Hippocampal cAMP signaling is thought to underlie the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) and antidepressant action; however, little is known about the possible role of cGMP signaling. Furthermore, circadian rhythm disturbances can occur as part of the clinical symptoms of MDD and resolve with antidepressant therapy. The pineal gland is relevant to circadian rhythms as it secretes the hormone melatonin following activation of cAMP signaling and the rate-limiting enzyme for its synthesis, arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT). Little is known about the contribution of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) system to antidepressant-induced alterations in pineal cAMP signaling and melatonin synthesis. There is a need to clarify the trajectory of cAMP and cGMP concentrations, their synthesis by cyclases, and degradation by PDEs to understand the role of cyclic mononucleotide signaling in the effect of chronic antidepressant therapy. Using quantitative real-time PCR and enzyme immunoassay, we systematically studied elements of intracellular signaling in the hippocampus of rats chronically treated with imipramine, fluoxetine, and amitriptyline and in the pineal gland of rats treated chronically with fluoxetine. In the hippocampus, we found chronic imipramine downregulated cAMP signaling with decreased cAMP, increased PDEs and decreased adenylate cyclase mRNA. In contrast, repeated fluoxetine and amitriptyline increased hippocampal cGMP signaling, with increased cGMP and decreased PDE mRNA. We conclude that in contrast to the assumption of antidepressant-mediated increases in cAMP levels, increased hippocampal cGMP signaling might underlie the efficacy of chronic antidepressant treatment. A follow up study using cultured embryonic rat hippocampal cells in vitro treated with the PDE type 5 inhibitor, sildenafil, demonstrated increased cAMP content following acute and chronic treatment, indicating either crosstalk between cAMP and cGMP pathways or a non-specific inhibitory effect of sildenafil on other PDEs. In the pineal gland, we found elevated melatonin synthesis with increased pineal AA-NAT mRNA and daytime plasma melatonin and downregulated cAMP signaling with increased PDE and unchanged AC pineal mRNA, and decreased pineal cAMP. We conclude that chronic fluoxetine increases daytime plasma melatonin and pineal AA-NAT mRNA despite downregulated pineal cAMP signaling.

This thesis is mainly concerned with the study of the role of cGMP in regulating contractility in the heart and blood vessels. A novel cGMP lowering agent, LY83583 (6-anilino-5,8-quinolinedione), was employed as a tool to determine the involvement of cGMP in mediating pharmacological and biological responses in the tissues being examined. In the first study, the role of cGMP in atriopeptin II-induced vascular relaxation was investigated. Atriopeptin II is believed to produce its vasorelaxant effect by virtue of its ability to elevate cGMP. However, the ability of the guanylate cyclase inhibitor, methylene blue, to inhibit the atriopeptin II-induced vasorelaxation has not been conclusively demonstrated. In the present study, LY83583 was found to partially prevent the rise in cGMP level caused by atriopeptin II but was without effect on the extent of the relaxation. This lack of correlation between cGMP elevation and relaxation may indicate either functional compartmentalization of the cyclic nucleotide or the existence of a cGMP-independent pathway for relaxation. Alternatively, the attenuated cGMP level may still be sufficient to elicit full relaxation. The inability of atriopeptin II to relax KC1-contracted bovine coronary arteries agrees with other reports in the literature and may indicate that the drug is less effective in antagonizing vascular responses associated with a marked degree of cell membrane depolarization. In the second study, the role of cGMP in mediating the endothelium-dependent inhibition of contractile responses of vascular tissue to alpha adrenoceptor stimulation was examined. There are reports in the literature that EDRF released from the endothelium elevates cGMP and depresses the response of the vessels to vasoconstrictors such as clonidine and norepinephrine. In the present study, LY83583 was used to examine the role of cGMP in mediating this effect. The treatment with LY83583 significantly lowered basal levels of cGMP and markedly enhanced the contractile response of endothelium-containing rat arteries to clonidine and norepinephrine. cGMP measurements indicate that clonidine did not elevate cGMP levels; hence the drug is unlikely to stimulate EDRF release. On the other hand, the depressant action of LY83583 on basal cGMP levels supports the hypothesis that inhibition of contractile responses may be a result of spontaneous release of EDRF, which results in tonic elevation of cGMP. The ability of 8-bromo-cGMP to reverse LY83583-induced enhancement of contractile responses to clonidine and norepinephrine further supports the involvement of cGMP in EDRF-induced vascular relaxation. In the final study, the role of cGMP in regulating cardiac contractility of amphibian ventricles was examined. The importance of cGMP in controlling mammalian cardiac function is controversial. However, a remarkable correlation between cGMP and contractile force has been reported in hypodynamic frog ventricles, and cAMP and cGMP were reported to act in a reciprocal fashion to regulate contractility. The present investigation attempted to verify whether such a relationship actually exists in the frog ventricles. Carbachol elicited a dose-dependent reduction in contractility without altering cGMP levels. On the contrary, sodium nitroprusside (100µM) did not reduce cardiac contractility despite a significant elevation of cGMP. At 1mM sodium nitroprusside, a huge elevation of cGMP and a small reduction in contractile tension were observed. Qualitatively similar results were obtained with a degraded sample of sodium nitroprusside. cAMP/cGMP ratios were not correlated with contractility. Hence, these findings were inconsistent with those found in earlier studies on hypodynamic frog hearts and do not support the proposed role of cGMP as a second messenger. The disparate findings may be caused by differences in experimental design. Alternatively, functional compartmentalization of cGMP (in the case of sodium nitroprusside) and the involvement of other cGMP-independent pathways (in the case of carbachol) cannot be ruled out. All these findings suggest that cGMP may play a more crucial role in regulating vascular than cardiac contractility. / Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of / Graduate

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Virginia, 2008. / Title from title page. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online through Digital Dissertations.

Cette thèse est consacrée à la régulation de la guanylate cyclase soluble (sGC), le récepteur endogène du monoxyde d'azote (NO) chez les mammifères qui est impliqué dans la transduction du signal. L'enzyme sGC est activée par la fixation du NO sur son hème et catalyse alors la formation du cGMP à partir du GTP. Alors que la sGC est présente dans de nombreuses cellules de mammifères, le domaine hémique bactérien homologue (H-NOX) est impliqué dans la détection du NO et la régulation du métabolisme. Un objectif important est la découverte d'inhibiteurs de la sGC pour ralentir la progression tumorale.Le criblage de composés naturels d'une chimiothèque mesurant l'activité de la sGC purifiée a révélé six inhibiteurs actifs (Ki = 0.2 – 1 µM). Avec deux autres composés actifs en photothérapie (hypericin et hypocrellin) nous avons démontré que ces inhibiteurs sont des effecteurs allostériques qui ne se fixent ni sur l'hème, ni sur le site catalytique ou de fixation des activateurs, découvrant une nouvelle classe de composés pharmacologiques ciblant la voie de signalisation NO/cGMP.La transition structurale induite par l'activateur riociguat en synergie avec le CO a été étudiée par spectroscopie d'absorption résolue en temps pour démontrer des changements de coordination de l'hème. Deux états d'activation distincts de la sGC par le CO existent simultanément avec les coordiantions 6c-hème et 5c-hème en présence de l'activateur qui induit la rupture de la liaison Fe-His de l'hème, à l'instar de l'activateur naturel NO. De plus, nous montrons que l'isoliquiritigénine, commercialisée comme activateur de la sGC, et en réalité un inhibiteur de la sGC.La dynamique ds ligands CO, NO, and O2 a été mesurée sur 12 ordres de grandeur temporelle pour le type sauvage et un mutant du transporteur bactérien du NO (AXCP). La simple mutation Leu16Ala augmente l'afinité pour le CO 108 fois, celle du NO 106 fois et rend cette protéine réactive à O2. Dans le cas de CO et NO dont les affinités pour L16A-AXCP sont les plus grandes jamais mesurées, la recombinaison bimoléculaire n'est pas détectable. Des simulations de dynamique moléculaire ont démontré que le CO dissocié est contraint de rester à 4 Å du Fe2+ par Ala16, contrairement au type sauvage Leu16.La dynamique de O2 a été mesurée dans la protéine senseur Tt H-NOX par spectroscopie d'absorption transitoire et confirme l'hypothèse que Tt H-NOX n'est sans doute pas un senseur de NO stricto sensu mais un senseur redox. Les propriétés de Tt-H-NOX ne sont pas compatibles avec le rôle d'un simple transporteur de NO. / This thesis is devoted to the regulation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), the endogenous nitric oxide (NO) receptor in mammals involved in signal transduction. The enzyme is activated by the binding of NO to its heme and catalyzes the formation of cGMP from GTP. While sGC is present in many mammalian cells, the homologous bacterial domain (H-NOX) is involved in NO detection and metabolism regulation. An important objective was to find sGC inhibitors to slow down tumor progression.The screening of natural compounds from a chemical library, tested on purified sGC activity, revealed six active inhibitors (Ki = 0.2 – 1 µM). Together with two agents for photodynamic therapy (hypericin and hypocrellin) we demonstrated that these inhibitors are allosteric modulators which bind neither to the heme nor to the catalytic and activator sites, revealing a new class of pharmacological compounds targetting the NO/cGMP signaling pathway.The structural transition induced in sGC by stimulator riociguat in synergy with CO was studied by transient absorption spectroscopy to demonstrate coordination changes of the heme. Two different activation states of sGC with CO 6c-heme and 5c-heme exist simultaneously in the presence of the stimulator which induces the breaking of the heme Fe-His bond, as does the sGC natural effector NO. In addition, the effect of isoliquiritigenin, which is sold as a sGC activator, was shown to be actually an inhibitor of sGC.The dynamics of the ligands CO, NO and O2 were measured over 12 orders of magnitude in time in wild type and mutant of a bacterial NO transporter (AXCP). The single mutation Leu16Ala increased 108-fold the CO affinity, ~106-fold the NO affinity and makes this protein reactive to O2. In the case of CO and NO, whose affinities for L16A-AXCP are the largest ever measured, the bimolecular rebinding was absolutely not detectable. Molecular dynamic simulations demonstrated that dissociated CO is constrained to stay within 4 Å from Fe2+ by Ala16, contrarily to wild-type Leu16.The dynamics of O2 in Tt-H-NOX proteins measured by transient absorption spectroscopy confirmed the hypothesis that Tt-H-NOX may not be a NO-sensor stricto sensu but a redox sensor. The properties of the Tt-H-NOX protein are not compatible with the role a mere NO-carrier.

No / Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) promotes unregulated platelet activation in dyslipidemic disorders. Although oxLDL stimulates activatory signaling, it is unclear how these events drive accelerated thrombosis. Here, we describe a mechanism for oxLDL-mediated platelet hyperactivity that requires generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Under arterial flow, oxLDL triggered sustained generation of platelet intracellular ROS, which was blocked by CD36 inhibitors, mimicked by CD36-specific oxidized phospholipids, and ablated in CD36(-/-) murine platelets. oxLDL-induced ROS generation was blocked by the reduced NAD phosphate oxidase 2 (NOX2) inhibitor, gp91ds-tat, and absent in NOX2(-/-) mice. The synthesis of ROS by oxLDL/CD36 required Src-family kinases and protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent phosphorylation and activation of NOX2. In functional assays, oxLDL abolished guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP)-mediated signaling and inhibited platelet aggregation and arrest under flow. This was prevented by either pharmacologic inhibition of NOX2 in human platelets or genetic ablation of NOX2 in murine platelets. Platelets from hyperlipidemic mice were also found to have a diminished sensitivity to cGMP when tested ex vivo, a phenotype that was corrected by infusion of gp91ds-tat into the mice. This study demonstrates that oxLDL and hyperlipidemia stimulate the generation of NOX2-derived ROS through a CD36-PKC pathway and may promote platelet hyperactivity through modulation of cGMP signaling. / the British Heart Foundation (PG/11/37/28884 and PG/13/90/30578) and Heart Research UK (RG2614)

The human brain functions within a narrow range of temperatures and variations outside of this range incur cellular damage and death and, ultimately, death of the organism. Other organisms, like the poikilotherm Drosophila melanogaster, have adapted mechanisms to maintain brain function over wide ranges in temperature and, if exposed to high temperatures where brain function is no longer supported, these animals enter a protective coma to promote survival of the organism once the acute temperature stress is alleviated. This research characterized the role of different neuronal cell types, including glia, in the protection of brain function during acute hyperthermia, specifically looking at two protective pathways: the heat shock protein (HSP) pathway and the cGMP-dependent protein kinase G (PKG) pathway. Whole animal behavioral assays were used in combination with tissue-specific genetic manipulation of protective pathways to determine the specific cell types sufficient to confer protection of neuronal function during acute hyperthermia. Using the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) preparation, calcium imaging techniques were combined with pharmacological and genetic manipulations to test the hypothesis that alterations in ion channel conductance via endogenous mechanisms regulating the cellular response to high temperature stress alter neuronal function. Expression of foraging RNAi to inhibit PKG expression in neurons or glia demonstrated protection of function during acute hyperthermia measured behaviorally through the extension of locomotor function. This extension of function with the tissue-specific inhibition of PKG was also confirmed at the cellular level using the genetically encoded calcium indicator (GECI), GCaMP3, to image calcium dynamics at the NMJ, where preparations expressing foraging RNAi could continue to elicit changes in calcium dynamics in response to stimulation. Over the course of this study, the mechanism underlying a novel glial calcium wave in the peripheral nervous system was characterized in order to elucidate glia’s role in the protection of neuronal function during acute hyperthermia. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Reproduction de : Thèse doctorat : Pharmacie.Biochimie-Biologie moléculaire : Reims : 2007. / Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr. p.186-218.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri--Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-113). Also available on the Internet.

Cyclic guanosine 3', 5'-monophosphate (cGMP) has recently emerged as an endogenous regulator for controlling or reversing cardiac hypertrophy. Increased protein accumulation is a key feature of cardiac hypertrophy; thus, our study investigates the effects of a cGMP analog on protein accumulation in primary culture of adult rat cardiomyocytes and dissects out the mechanisms involved. We confirmed that a cGMP analog, 8-bromo-cGMP, inhibits phenylephrine (PE)-increased accumulation of newly synthesized proteins in cultured adult rat ventricular cardiomyocytes. Firstly, we have obtained data showing that 8-bromo-cGMP does not inhibit phosphorylation of S6K1 by PE during short time treatment (10 min to 2 h), but blocks phosphorylation of S6K1 by PE at 6 h; moreover this blocking effect is completely abolished by phosphatase inhibitor Tautomycin. Then, we have demonstrated that PE and cGMP induce sustained and transient increased phosphorylation of ERK, respectively. Moreover, cGMP inhibits PE-induced phosphorylation of ERK during long term treatment (3 and 6h). We have also shown that 8-bromo-cGMP inhibits ROS generation induced by PE. Other effects of PE that could be related to hypertrophy (i.e. increased concentration of upstream binding factor mRNA and decreased concentration of the mRNAs of Atrogin and muscle specific RING finger) were not abolished by 8-bromo-cGMP. We conclude that cGMP analog blocks protein accumulation by inhibiting the sustained phosphorylation of S6K1 via the activation of phosphatases.