published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

published_or_final_version / Medicine / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Medicine / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Surgery / Master / Master of Philosophy

abstract / Biochemistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Pharmacology and Pharmacy / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Biological Sciences / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Physiology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Glucagon and insulin play important roles in controlling blood glucose and energy metabolism in vertebrate species. Recent studies have identified large cohorts of genes that could be regulated by glucagon and insulin. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) is a group of signal mediators/inducible transcription factors functionally coupled to class I cytokine receptors through JAK activation. Although the involvement of JAK/STAT pathway has been reported in the physiological actions of insulin and glucagon, the effects of these pancreatic hormones on STAT expression have not been examined. Using grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) as an animal model, we have cloned the cDNAs for STAT1, STAT3 and STAT5 and confirmed that they are single copy genes in the carp genome. Tissue expression profiling using RT-PCR revealed that the three members of STATs were ubiquitously expressed in various tissues of the grass carp including the liver. Function expression of grass carp STAT1, STAT3 and STAT5 in mammalian cell lines also demonstrated that the STAT proteins of fish origin were all effective in transactivating the target promoters with STAT-binding sites. In grass carp, hepatocyte culture, glucagon and insulin treatment were both effective in increasing STAT1, STAT3 and STAT5 mRNA expression. Using a pharmacological approach, the stimulatory effect of glucagon on transcripts expression of the three forms of STATs were shown to be mediated through activation of the cAMP/PKA, PI3K/AKT and MAPK ( Erk1/2 and JNK) pathways. In the case of insulin stimulation, the PI3K/AKT and p38 MAPK but not JNK pathways were involved in STAT1, STAT3 and STAT5 mRNA up-regulation. Furthermore, insulin-induced STAT3 and STAT5, but not STAT1 mRNA expression, could be blocked by Erk1/2 inactivation, suggesting that the MEK1/2/Erk1/2 pathway might be differentially coupled to gene expression of the individual members of STAT family. These findings provide evidence for first time that glucagon and insulin can regulate STAT1, STAT3 and STAT5 gene expression at the hepatic level in fish model via overlapping and yet distinct signaling mechanisms. / published_or_final_version / Biological Sciences / Master / Master of Philosophy

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is an important intracellular secondary messenger. The major target of cAMP was traditionally considered as protein kinase (PK) A. This belief has been challenged by the discovery of exchange protein activated by cAMP 1 (Epac1), a cAMP-dependent guanine-nucleotide-exchange factor (GEF). Epac1 is ubiquitously expressed in all tissues and plays important roles particularly in the cardiovascular system. As cAMP activates both PKA and Epac1, the development of 8-pCPT-2'-O-Me-cAMP (8-pCPT), which has 107-fold higher affinity to bind and activate Epac1 than PKA, aids the researches on Epac1-mediated responses. In the present study, the protein expressions of Epac1 in the porcine coronary arteries and rat aortas were confirmed by Western blot analysis. In organ chambers, 8-pCPT induced acute relaxations in isolated porcine coronary arteries contracted to thromboxane receptor (TP-receptor) antagonists, and the relaxation was endothelium-independent. The 8-pCPT-induced Epac1 activation selectively altered the vasoactive responses to the TP-receptor agonists. The Epac1-mediated relaxation was found not related to PKA, PKG and the opening of ATP-sensitive potassium channels. Although Epac1 was first cloned as a Rap-linked GEF, in the porcine coronary artery, small GTPase Rac1 is the downstream target of Epac1 instead of Rap1 for relaxation. Activation of TP-receptors stimulates Rho-kinase to cause contraction, and the 8-pCPT-induced relaxation was Rho-kinase dependent, probably through pathway that is distinct from Rac1. Activation of Epac1 also inhibited the contraction to PKC, which is also downstream of TP-receptor but independent to Rho-kinase activity. On the contrary, in the aorta from male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 10-12 weeks, 8-pCPT induced relaxation in rings contracted to phenylephrine (PE) and the relaxation was endothelium-dependent. The relaxation depended mainly on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and partly on cyclooxygenase (COX). Western blot analysis found that 8-pCPT did not enhance eNOS phosphorylation, which is one of the mechanisms for eNOS activation. Activation of Epac1 also did not alter the phosphorylation of Akt and ERK1/2 which play important roles in cAMP-dependent eNOS. More experiments are needed to examine whether or not Epac1 alters nitric oxide (NO) and prostanoids synthesis, which are the major endothelium-derived mediators responsible for vascular tone regulation. In summary, the selective Epac activator 8-pCPT induced significant relaxations by distinct mechanisms in porcine coronary arteries and rat aortas. It is most likely that the relaxing effects of Epac1 activator are tissue and/or species specific. Owing to the effects of 8-pCPT on vascular relaxation, Epac1 might be an alternative therapeutic target for the treatment of vasospasm and hypertension. Further studies are necessary to explore the detailed mechanisms of Epac1 and its in vivo effects and in diseased models. / published_or_final_version / Pharmacology and Pharmacy / Master / Master of Philosophy