AM Dye Research Articles

Connexin-43 upregulation in micrometastases and tumor vasculature and its role in tumor cell attachment to pulmonary endothelium

BackgroundThe modulation of gap junctional communication between tumor cells and between tumor and vascular endothelial cells during tumorigenesis and metastasis is complex. The notion of a role for loss of gap junctional intercellular communication in tumorigenesis and metastasis has been controversial. While some of the stages of tumorigenesis and metastasis, such as uncontrolled cell division and cellular detachment, would necessitate the loss of intercellular junctions, other stages, such as intravasation, endothelial attachment, and vascularization, likely require increased cell-cell contact. We hypothesized that, in this multi-stage scheme, connexin-43 is centrally involved as a cell adhesion molecule mediating metastatic tumor attachment to the pulmonary endothelium.MethodsTumor cell attachment to pulmonary vasculature, tumor growth, and connexin-43 expression was studied in metastatic lung tumor sections obtained after tail-vein injection into nude mice of syngeneic breast cancer cell lines, overexpressing wild type connexin-43 or dominant-negatively mutated connexin-43 proteins. High-resolution immunofluorescence microscopy and Western blot analysis was performed using a connexin-43 monoclonal antibody. Calcein Orange Red AM dye transfer by fluorescence imaging was used to evaluate the gap junction function.ResultsAdhesion of breast cancer cells to the pulmonary endothelium increased with cancer cells overexpressing connexin-43 and markedly decreased with cells expressing dominant-negative connexin-43. Upregulation of connexin-43 was observed in tumor cell-endothelial cell contact areas in vitro and in vivo, and in areas of intratumor blood vessels and in micrometastatic foci.ConclusionConnexin-43 facilitates metastatic 'homing' by increasing adhesion of cancer cells to the lung endothelial cells. The marked upregulation of connexin-43 in tumor cell-endothelial cell contact areas, whether in preexisting 'homing' vessels or in newly formed tumor vessels, suggests that connexin-43 can serve as a potential marker of micrometastases and tumor vasculature and that it may play a role in the early incorporation of endothelial cells into small tumors as seeds for vasculogenesis.

Protease-activated Receptor-2 Increases Exocytosis via Multiple Signal Transduction Pathways in Pancreatic Duct Epithelial Cells

Protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) is activated when trypsin cleaves its NH(2) terminus to expose a tethered ligand. We previously demonstrated that PAR-2 activates ion channels in pancreatic duct epithelial cells (PDEC). Using real-time optical fluorescent probes, cyan fluorescence protein-Epac1-yellow fluorescence protein for cAMP, PH(PLC-delta1)-enhanced green fluorescent protein for phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, and protein kinase Cgamma (PKCgamma)-C1-yellow fluorescence protein for diacylglycerol, we now define the signaling pathways mediating PAR-2 effect in dog PDEC. Although PAR-2 activation does not stimulate a cAMP increase, it induces phospholipase C to hydrolyze phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate into inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and diacylglycerol. Intracellular Ca(2+) mobilization from inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive Ca(2+) stores and a subsequent Ca(2+) influx through store-operated Ca(2+) channels cause a biphasic increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)), measured with Indo-1 dye. Single-cell amperometry demonstrated that this increase in [Ca(2+)](i) in turn causes a biphasic increase in exocytosis. A protein kinase assay revealed that trypsin also activates PKC isozymes to stimulate additional exocytosis. Paralleling the increased exocytosis, mucin secretion from PDEC was also induced by trypsin or the PAR-2 activating peptide. Consistent with the serosal localization of PAR-2, 1 microm luminal trypsin did not induce exocytosis in polarized PDEC monolayers; on the other hand, 10 microm trypsin at 37 degrees C damaged the epithelial barrier sufficiently so that it could reach and activate the serosal PAR-2 to stimulate exocytosis. Thus, in PDEC, PAR-2 activation increases [Ca(2+)](i) and activates PKC to stimulate exocytosis and mucin secretion. These functions may mediate the reported protective role of PAR-2 in different models of pancreatitis.

The Calcium Sensing Receptor: From Understanding Parathyroid Calcium Homeostasis to Bone Metastases

The cloning of the calcium sensing receptor (CaR) confirmed that parathyroid cells monitor extracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]ext) via a receptor-type mechanism. This lead to the hypothesis that abnormalities in the expression and/or function of the CaR could explain the biochemical abnormalities in primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Cultured cells from parathyroid adenomas of patients operated for PHPT were used to monitor real-time changes in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) as measured by fluorescent microscopy using the Fura-2/AM dye. We found that CaR agonists trigger release of intracellular calcium pools and such responses are amplified by increasing the affinity of IP3 receptors. Using confocal microscopy to monitor membrane trafficking in living parathyroid cells labelled with the fluorescent dye FM1-43, we found that a decrease in [Ca2+]i rather than an absolute change in [Ca2+]ext is the main stimulus for exocytosis from human parathyroid cells. These data suggest that, in PHPT, a defective signalling mechanism from the CaR allows cells from parathyroid adenomas to maintain low [Ca2+]i with uninhibited PTH secretion in the face of hypercalcaemia. Over longer periods of time, CaR controls parathyroid proliferation via changes in tyrosine phosphorylation. We found that multiple proteins of molecular weight 20-65 kDa are phosphorylated within 10-60 min in response to CaR agonists. Further work demonstrated that high [Ca2+]i stimulates the expression of bcl-2 oncoprotein in cultured human parathyroid cells and that, in parathyroid adenomas, predominant expression of bcl-2 rather than bax oncoprotein might prevent apoptosis and explain the slow growth rate of these tumours. More recently, it became apparent that CaR stimulates cell proliferation in several cell types not involved in calcium homeostasis. Using archived histological material from 65 patients who died with metastatic breast cancer, we identified CaR expression predominantly in tumours from patients who developed bone rather than visceral metastases (35 of 49 versus 7 of 16; P < 0.01, chi-squared test). These data suggest that CaR expression has the potential to become a new biological marker predicting the risk of bone metastases in patients with breast cancer. A prospective study should investigate if patients with CaR-positive tumours are more likely to develop bone metastases and whether they could benefit more from prophylactic treatment with bisphosphonates or the newly developed CaR antagonists.

Novel Reagents for the Addition of Viability Measurements to Immunostaining Using Flow Cytometry.

With polychromatic flow cytometry becoming more prevalent, there is increasing interest in excluding dead cells from analyses without sacrificing the fluorophores already in use. We report several novel organic dyes that can identify stressed or dead cells in stained populations without compromising channels used for common fluorophores such as Alexa Fluor® 488, R-phycoerythrin (R-PE) and R-PE tandem dyes. Fixable violet and fixable aqua dead cell stains been developed that have peak emissions around 450 and 515 nm, respectively, and which can withstand aldehyde fixation, allowing their use with surface and intracellular labeling protocols. These amine reactive fluorescent dyes covalently label dead cells more brightly than live cells because the dye stains the cytoplasm of cells that have lost membrane integrity. (Figure 1A) These dyes stain equivalent dead cell populations versus ethidium monoazide bromide (EMA), but they do not require the additional photolysis step to cross-link EMA to the DNA of dead cells. SYTOX® red dead cell stain is a high-affinity nucleic acid stain that penetrates cells with damaged cell membranes, but will not cross uncompromised cell membranes. Cells stained with SYTOX red dye fluoresce bright red when excited with a red diode laser (Figure 1B), and can be used with fluorophores such as Alexa Fluor 488 dye and R-PE with little need for spectral correction. These properties, combined with a greater than 500-fold increase in fluorescence upon nucleic acid binding, make SYTOX red an optimal dead cell stain for use in flow cytometers equipped with red lasers. For measures of vitality, CellTrace™ calcein violet,AM dye is a metabolic probe that indicates intracellular esterase activity through the enzymatic conversion of the nonfluorescent, cell-permeant acetoxymethyl ester (AM) to a fluorescent violet-excited dye that is retained in the cell and emits fluorescence around 440 nm. Calcein violet,AM shows similar performance to calcein, AM, a common vitality reagent in flow cytometry and microscopy, and can be used in combination with impermeant DNA dyes such as SYTOX red dye or propidium iodide to identify live, injured and dead cells. (Figure 1C) For a violet-excited live/dead assay, the fixable aqua dead cell stain, with peak emission around 515 nm, can be combined with calcein violet,AM. Calcein violet,AM also can be used with Alexa Fluor 488 annexin V and propidium iodide to add a measure of enzymatic activity to the study of apoptosis. Together, these reagents provide multiple methods to add viability and vitality discrimination into standard immunostaining panels. [Display omitted]

μ Opioid Receptor Stimulates a Growth Promoting and Pro-Angiogenic Tumor Microenvironment by Transactivating VEGF Receptor-2/Flk-1.

Like VEGF, morphine stimulates MAPK/ERK and Akt, leading to the promotion of angiogenesis via NO dependent signaling (Cancer Res 62: 4491, 2002). Morphine acts via pertussis toxin (PT)-dependent G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRS), while VEGF acts via receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). We showed that PT-dependent GPCRs transactivate VEGF receptor-2/Flk1 via small GTPase RhoA (JBC 277: 4679, 2002; JBC 278:20738, 2003). Therefore, we hypothesized that morphine via the mu opioid receptor (MOR) transactivates Flk1 and promotes a pro-angiogenic microenvironment. Morphine-induced proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was completely abrogated by Y-27632 (100 μM), a highly selective and potent inhibitor of Rho-associated protein kinases, suggesting the activation of Rho signaling by morphine. Addition of 1 μM morphine potentiated VEGF-induced (10 ng/ml) proliferation of HUVEC by 25%. We observed a 30% increase in intracellular calcium release after VEGF stimulation of HUVEC pre-incubated with morphine as compared to HUVEC pre-incubated with PBS, detected by a change in the fluorescence ratio of the Fura-2 AM dye. These findings show that morphine, via MOR and Rho signaling, transactivates Flk1 leading to the stimulation of calcium signaling and endothelial cell proliferation. To functionally corroborate our hypothesis, we used MOR knockout (MOR-KO) mice and injected them with MOR-replete T241 fibrosarcoma cells. T241 fibrosarcoma tumor growth in vivo showed appearance of palpable and measurable tumors 2 days earlier in wild type (wt) as compared to MOR-KO mice. Tumor growth and angiogenesis were decreased by 20–35% in MOR-KO mice as compared to wt littermates during 3 weeks of tumor growth. None of the MOR-KO showed signs of lung metastasis versus 40% wt mice with metastasis. Morphine (1.42 for the first 2 wks and 2.14 mg/Kg/day later, respectively) stimulated 20–35% tumor growth in wt, but not in MOR-KO mice. Western immunoblotting showed a 10-fold increase in the expression of phospho-Flk1 in morphine treated wt tumors as compared to PBS-treated wt mice. Morphine did not stimulate phospho-Flk1 expression in MOR-KO mice. Western analysis of immunoprecipitates obtained with α-MOR antibody showed the expression of Flk1 and phospho-Flk1 in wt, but were not expressed in MOR-KO tumors. Thus, MOR stimulates the transactivation of Flk1 in wt mice but not in MOR-KO. These in vitro and in vivo data using MOR-KO mice and the MOR agonist, morphine, show that MOR stimulates endothelial proliferation, angiogenesis and promotes tumor growth and metastasis directly as well as by transactivating Flk1 phosphorylation. We speculate that MOR is a critical component of the ‘angiogenic switch', which regulates the pro-angiogenic and growth promoting tumor microenvironment. Thus, MOR provides a novel target for developing anti-angiogenic therapies.

Dual Roles of P2 Purinergic Receptors in Insulin-stimulated Leptin Production and Lipolysis in Differentiated Rat White Adipocytes

ATP is co-localized with norepinephrine at the sympathetic nerve terminals and may be released simultaneously upon neuronal stimulation, which results in activation of purinergic receptors. To examine whether leptin synthesis and lipolysis are influenced by P2 purinergic receptor activation, the effects of ATP and other nucleotides on leptin secretion and glycerol release have been investigated in differentiated rat white adipocytes. Firstly, insulin-induced leptin secretion was inhibited by nucleotide treatment with the following efficacy order: 3'-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyl ATP (BzATP) > ATP >> UTP. Secondly, treatment of adipocytes with ATP increased both intracellular Ca(2+) concentration and cAMP content. Intracellular calcium concentration was increased by ATP and UTP, but not BzATP, an effect attributed to phospholipase C-coupled P2Y(2). On the other hand, cAMP was generated by treatment with BzATP and ATPgammaS, but not UTP, indicating functional expression of adenylyl cyclase-coupled P2Y(11) receptors in white adipocytes. Thirdly, lipolysis was significantly activated by BzATP and ATP, which correlated with the characteristics of the P2Y(11) subtype. Taken together, the data presented here suggest that white adipocytes express at least two different types of P2Y receptors and that activation of P2Y(11) receptor might be involved in inhibition of leptin production and stimulation of lipolysis, suggesting that purinergic transmission can play an important role in white adipocyte physiology.

Large-scale imaging of cortical network activity with calcium indicators

Bulk loading of calcium indicators has provided a unique opportunity to reconstruct the activity of cortical networks with single-cell resolution. Here we describe the detailed methods of bulk loading of AM dyes we developed and have been improving for imaging with a spinning disk confocal microscope.

Changes in the Functioning of Ca2+-ATPases of Rat Exocrine Cells in Experimental Diabetes Mellitus

It is obvious that disruption of functions of the nervous system in diabetes mellitus is to a great extent related to the changes of synthesis or exocytosis of neurotransmitters. Since the mechanisms underlying exocytosis are similar in cells of different types, it may be assumed that studying these mechanisms in secretory cells will allow experimenters to obtain information on ways to control this process in neurons. Based on the supposition that changes in the activity of Ca2+-controlling systems in exocrine cells play an important role in functional disorders in the salivary glands in diabetes mellitus, we demonstrated, using the fura-2/AM dye, that the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+] i ) in secretory cells of the above glands in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus (being in the resting state) is significantly increased (on average, by 65%). In our study, we showed that Ca2+-ATPases play an important role in the control of calcium homeostasis in secretory cells of salivary glands in diabetes mellitus. In particular, we demonstrated that the kinetic parameters of microsomal Ca2+-ATPases decreased: V0, by 50 ± 7, and Pmax, by 52 ± 6%, on average. In diabetes mellitus, Vmax of Ca2+-ATPases also dropped significantly, by 47 ± 8 and 79 ± 9%, on average, for PMCA and SERCA, respectively. The decrease in KATP was 71 ± 11% for SERCA and that in KCa was 92 ± 3% for PMCA. We concluded that the activity of Ca2+-ATPases of secretory cells in diabetes mellitus is suppressed because of a decrease in the turnover and/or in the specific number of active molecules of the enzyme.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is an early indicator of doxorubicin-induced apoptosis

Generation of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. This study examined pro-apoptotic mitochondrial cell death signals in an H9C2 myocyte rat cell line and in isolated rat heart mitochondria exposed to doxorubicin. Mitochondrial and cellular viability were assessed using an MTT viability assay (formazan product formed by functional mitochondrial dehydrogenases) and calcein AM dye (fluoresces upon cleavage by cytosolic esterases). Mitochondrial dysfunction followed by cell death was observed using nM concentrations of doxorubicin. Significant doxorubicin-induced cell death was not apparent until after 6 h following doxorubicin exposure using the calcein AM assay. The involvement of apoptosis is evidenced by an increase in TUNEL (terminal (TdT)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling)-positive nuclei following doxorubicin treatment. Furthermore, doxorubicin administered to isolated mitochondria induced a rapid increase in superoxide production, which persisted for at least 1 h and was followed by increased cytochrome c efflux. In addition, caspase-3 activity was increased with doxorubicin administration in the H9C2 myocyte cell line. An oxidant-mediated threshold of mitochondrial death may be required for doxorubicin-induced apoptosis.

Effect of chronic vitamin D infusion upon in vivo glucose disposal.

We have previously demonstrated that parathyroid hormone (PTH) infusion decreases glucose disappearance rate (Kg) in vivo. Because in the rodent model used it was not possible to determine whether the PTH itself, the induced hypercalcemia, or both contributed to the glucose intolerance, we examined the effect of vitamin D infusion on insulin-mediated glucose disposal. In this model also hypercalcemia is induced but PTH levels are suppressed. Thirty male Sprague Dawley rats were continuously infused with vit D for 5 days using an Alzet miniosmotic pump, at a rate of 9.7 pmol/hour. Thirty controls were infused with the vehicle alone. On the 5th day, glucose 700 mg/kg and insulin 0.35 U/kg were given as a bolus through the left femoral vein and blood samples were obtained from the right femoral vein just prior to and at 2, 5, 10, and 20 minutes post-glucose/insulin infusion. At the end of 5 days, plasma calcium levels were higher in the vit D-infused rats than in the control rats (12.8 +/- 0.1 versus 10.0 +/- 0.1 mg/dL, P < 0.01) and rat PTH levels were suppressed (2.1 +/- 0.1 versus 62 +/- 12 pg/ml, P < 0. 01). Glucose levels were higher in the vit D animals only at 5 minutes following glucose/insulin bolus (375 +/- 7 versus 350 +/- 6 mg/dL, P < 0.01) but at no other time. There were no differences between serum insulin levels at any time. Unlike previous findings in PTH-infused rats, Kg (measured from 2 to 20 minutes following glucose/insulin bolus) was not different between groups (4.5 +/- 0.3 versus 4.7 +/- 0.2, P = 0.92.) A positive correlation between serum calcium and serum glucose was found only at 5 minutes (r = 0.55, P < 0.01) and only in the vit D animals. The areas under the glucose curves approached statistically significant differences (vit D-infused 5258 +/- 142 mg/dL/18 minutes versus control 4947 +/- 127, P = 0.06.) Analysis of serum glucose data by two-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) suggests that the two groups differ slightly in glucose values (P = 0.03) but have parallel Kg. In order to define whether different effects of PTH (1-34) and vit D on intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i levels could partly explain the different effects of PTH and vit D infusion on glucose disposal, we investigated the effect of PTH and vit D infusions on basal and concanavalin A (con A)-stimulated changes in mononuclear [Ca+2]i levels. Following 5 days of PTH, vit D, or control infusion, peripheral mononuclear cells were incubated with 50 microgram/ml con A. Changes in [Ca+2]i over 5 minutes were calculated by flow cytometric measurement of the calcium sensitive fluo-3 AM dye. Despite achieving significant and comparable degrees of hypercalcemia in the PTH and vit D infused animals, there were no differences in basal or con A-stimulated [Ca+2]i levels from control. Consequently, we conclude that vit D-induced hypercalcemia associated with suppressed PTH levels has mild affects on glucose homeostasis but does not affect glucose disappearance rate in vivo (Kg) as does hypercalcemia induced by PTH infusion, and that neither chronic PTH infusion nor chronic vit D infusion are associated with long-standing changes in [Ca2+]i levels.

Endosomal accumulation of pH indicator dyes delivered as acetoxymethyl esters.

Intracellular distributions of the putative cytosolic pH indicator dyes BCECF [2',7'-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5(and 6)-carboxyfluorescein], C.SNARF [5(and 6)-carboxy-seminaphthorhodafluor-1], and C.SNARF-calcein have been examined in Neurospora crassa and in murine fibroblasts (NIH-3T3 cells) under conditions in which both kinds of cells produce visible microscopic vacuoles. All three dyes were administered in electroneutral forms, with the hydroxyl and carboxyl groups esterified (designated as -AM esters). As judged qualitatively from fluorescence levels, hydrolytic derivatives of the two heavily esterified dyes (BCECF-AM and C.SNARF-calcein-AM) accumulated in the vacuoles after exposures of approximately 15 min or more, while the simpler dye (C.SNARF-AM) and its derivatives were almost excluded from visible vacuoles. Fluorescence from this dye, alone among the three, also washed out of Neurospora rapidly upon removal of extracellular dye. There was no evidence for stable accumulation of any of the dyes in cytosol per se. For BCECF(-AM), comparison of the distribution of fluorescence with the size distribution of vacuoles in Neurospora strongly suggests that the dyes are also accumulated by endomembranal vesicles (EMVs) which lie below the limit of resolution in the light microscope, and the same inference can be drawn for the fibroblasts. Uptake of -AM dyes by EMVs, including frank vacuoles, probably results from the action of intravesicular esterases, following diffusional entry of lipophilic neutral molecules or partially de-esterified anions. Calculations of actual cytosolic pH values, or even changes of pH, based on intracellular fluorescence of these dyes, clearly depend upon quantitative knowledge of the subcellular dye distribution. Therefore, until the problem is reliably solved of how to visualize submicroscopic vesicles in living cells, the safest approach to the use of BCECF, C-SNARF and their congeners for cytosolic pH measurement would be to devise methods for coaxing uptake of the ionic forms of these dyes and to abandon use of the esterified forms.

A new microcellular cytotoxicity test based on calcein AM release

We present a microtest for cell-mediated immunity, based on the use of the Tarasaki tray and calcein AM vital dye. The number of target cells needed has been reduced to 500 per test with a corresponding tenfold reduction in the number of effector cells needed. Results were read at the rate of 1 second per test using a fluorimeter attached to a microscope. Each reaction was also confirmed visually with the use of ethidium bromide as a counterstain for dead cells. The calcein AM dye used to stain the living cells was shown to have a low spontaneous leakage rate—less than 15% in 4 hours at 37°C. Dilutions of targets stained by calcein AM had a linear relationship with measured fluorescence values. NK cells, LAKs, and CTLs were readily detectable by this microtest. Quantitation of killing and kinetic analysis was readily performed with this test system. A significant positive correlation to 51Cr-release results was found. We conclude that the microtest should find wide application in studies of cell-mediated immunity.