Browsing by Author "Shivakumar, K."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Genistein abolishes nucleoside uptake by cardiac fibroblasts
    (MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, 2009)
    Genistein, a soy isoflavone, is reported to exert significant beneficial action in several human disorders, which has generated immense interest in the mechanisms underlying its effects on diverse cellular processes. It has anti-proliferative action on many cell types, an effect generally attributed to tyrosine kinase inhibition. In this study, genistein was found to cause total inhibition of [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation into DNA and a modest reduction in [(3)H]-proline incorporation into protein in primary cultures of cardiac fibroblasts. The decrease in [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation was not associated with a decrease in cell proliferation but correlated exactly with low intracellular levels of [(3)H]-thymidine. Genistein dramatically reduced [(3)H]-thymidine but not [(3)H]-proline uptake by these cells in which the equilibrative nucleoside transporter may be the major route of nucleoside uptake. The effect was irreversible and was demonstrable in pulmonary fibroblasts as well. The findings suggest that nucleoside uptake mechanisms may be a novel target of genistein action in cardiac fibroblasts and point to serious limitations in using genistein to assess the role of tyrosine kinase in cell proliferation by the standard technique of [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation.
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    Hypoxia and antioxidants enhance soluble ICAM-1 release from cardiac fibroblasts
    (MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, 2007)
    Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 plays a key role in mediating inflammatory and immune responses. There is also increasing appreciation of the role of its soluble form, sICAM-1, in regulating inflammation. This study evaluated the effects of hypoxia and N-acetyl-L-cysteine on sICAM-1 production by adult rat cardiac fibroblasts. By ELISA, hypoxia was found to cause a 61% increase in sICAM-1 in cardiac fibroblast culture supernates. However, RT-PCR did not reveal a concomitant increase in cell surface ICAM-1 transcript levels, suggesting that the increase in sICAM-1 may involve post-transcriptional and/or post-translational mechanisms. Using pharmacological inhibitors, it was observed that p42/44 MAPK and PKC mediate the stimulatory effect of hypoxia on sICAM-1 production. Remarkably, N-acetyl-L-cysteine caused a 3-fold increase in sICAM-1 by p42/44 MAPK-, p38 MAPK- and PKC-independent mechanisms. Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, another potent antioxidant, also augmented sICAM-1. The findings presented in this communication underscore the link between redox status and sICAM-1 release from cardiac fibroblasts. Further, because hypoxia is a major component of myocardial ischemia and is pro-inflammatory, and both N-acetylcysteine and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate are clinically used antioxidants, the observations may have clinical significance.
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    NF-kappa B inhibition compromises cardiac fibroblast viability under hypoxia
    (EXPERIMENTAL CELL RESEARCH, 2011)
    Cardiac fibroblasts are reported to be relatively resistant to stress stimuli compared to cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts of non-cardiac origin. However, the mechanisms that facilitate their survival under conditions of stress remain unclear. We explored the possibility that NF-kappa B protects cardiac fibroblasts from hypoxia-induced cell death. Further, we examined the expression of the antiapoptotic clAP-2 and Bcl-2 in hypoxic cardiac fibroblasts, and their possible regulation by NF-kappa B. Phase contrast microscopy and propidium iodide staining revealed that cardiac fibroblasts are more resistant than pulmonary fibroblasts to hypoxia. Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay showed that hypoxia activates NF-kappa B in cardiac fibroblasts. Supershift assay indicated that the active NF-kappa B complex is a p65/p50 heterodimer. An I-kappa B-super-repressor was constructed that prevented NF-kappa B activation and compromised cell viability under hypoxic but not normoxic conditions. Similar results were obtained with Bay 11-7085, an inhibitor of NF-kappa B. Western blot analysis showed constitutive levels of Bcl-2 and hypoxic induction of clAP-2 in these cells. NF-kappa B inhibition reduced clAP-2 but not Bcl-2 levels in hypoxic cardiac fibroblasts. The results show for the first time that NF-kappa B is an important effector of survival in cardiac fibroblasts under hypoxic stress and that regulation of clAP-2 expression may contribute to its pro-survival role. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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    p38 MAPK regulates G1-S transition in hypoxic cardiac fibroblasts
    (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY & CELL BIOLOGY, 2011)
    Cardiac fibroblast hyperplasia associated with augmented matrix production is central to wound healing following myocardial injury. Regulation of the cardiac fibroblast cell cycle by factors in the diseased myocardium that can potentially modify the hyperplastic response of cardiac fibroblasts has, however, not been investigated. We examined the regulation of the cardiac fibroblast cell cycle by hypoxia, a major constituent of myocardial ischemia. Significant reductions in DNA synthesis and cell number, and flow cytometry indicated decreased G1/S progression in hypoxic adult rat cardiac fibroblasts. Western blot analysis showed reduced levels of cyclin D and cyclin A, induction of p27 and hypophosphorylation of Rb under hypoxia. Skp2, which targets p27 for degradation, was significantly lower and inversely related to p27 protein levels in hypoxic cells. Marked p38 MAPK activation was observed under hypoxia and its inhibition using SB203580 reversed the effects of hypoxia on DNA synthesis, cell cycle phase distribution, p27, and cyclin D1 but not cyclin A. Interestingly, a 2-fold increase in p27 mRNA in hypoxic cells, demonstrated by real-time PCR, was unaffected by SB203580, which, however, reversed the hypoxic inhibition of Skp2. In summary, p38 MAPK is an important determinant of hypoxia-induced G0/G1 block in cardiac fibroblasts. p27 induction in hypoxic cardiac fibroblasts may involve direct transcriptional regulation, independent of p38 MAPK, and post-translational regulation via p38 MAPK-dependent suppression of its degradation by Skp2. The study identifies Skp2 as a potential downstream target of p38 MAPK, suggesting a novel mechanism of G1-S regulation in cardiac fibroblasts exposed to stress conditions. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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    Paracrine effects of hypoxic fibroblast-derived factors on the MPT-ROS threshold and viability of adult rat cardiac myocytes
    (AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-HEART AND CIRCULATORY PHYSIOLOGY, 2008)
    Cardiac fibroblasts contribute to multiple aspects of myocardial function and pathophysiology. The pathogenetic relevance of cytokine production by these cells under hypoxia, however, remains unexplored. With the use of an in vitro cell culture model, this study evaluated cytokine production by hypoxic cardiac fibroblasts and examined two distinct effects of hypoxic fibroblast-conditioned medium (HFCM) on cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts. Hypoxia caused a marked increase in the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha by cardiac fibroblasts. HFCM significantly enhanced the susceptibility of cardiac myocytes to reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), determined by high-precision confocal line-scan imaging following controlled, photoexcitation-induced ROS production within individual mitochondria. Furthermore, exposure of cardiac myocytes to HFCM for 5 h led to loss of viability, as evidenced by change in morphology and annexin staining. HFCM also decreased DNA synthesis in cardiac fibroblasts. Normoxic fibroblast-conditioned medium spiked with TNF-alpha at 200 pg/ml, a concentration comparable to that in HFCM, promoted loss of myocyte viability and decreased DNA synthesis in cardiac fibroblasts. These effects of HFCM are similar to the reported effects of hypoxia per se on these cell types, showing that hypoxic fibroblast-derived factors may amplify the distinct effects of hypoxia on cardiac cells. Importantly, because both hypoxia and oxidant stress prevail in a setting of ischemia and reperfusion, the effects of soluble factors from hypoxic fibroblasts on the MPT-ROS threshold and viability of myocytes may represent a novel paracrine mechanism that could exacerbate ischemia-reperfusion injury to cardiomyocytes.
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    Substance P enhances soluble ICAM-1 release from adult rat,cardiac fibroblasts by a p42/44 MAPK- and PKC-mediated mechanism
    (CELL BIOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, 2007)
    Substance P, a pro-inflammatory neuropeptide, is released from cardiac peptidergic nerves under conditions like ischemia but whether it modulates inflammatory processes in the heart remains unexplored. This study demonstrates for the first time that substance P augments the production of the soluble form of intercellular adhesion molecule-1, sICAM-1, by adult rat cardiac fibroblasts. However, RT-PCR showed no concomitant increase in ICAM-I transcript levels, suggesting that the increase in sICAM-1 may involve post-transcriptional/transiational mechanisms. Use of pharmacological inhibitors revealed that the stimulatory effect of substance P on sICAM-1 production is mediated by p42/44 MAPK and protein kinase C. Preliminary experiments also showed that the neuropeptide stimulates the production of prostaglandin E-2 by cardiac fibroblasts. The findings support the postulation that substance P may modulate multiple inflammatory responses within the myocardium through release of pro-inflammatory mediators from resident fibroblasts. (c) 2007 International Federation for Cell Biology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.