A Simple and Cost-Effective Technique to Monitor the Sublimation Flow During Primary Drying of Freeze-Drying Using Shelf Inlet/Outlet Temperature Difference or Chamber to Condenser Pressure Drop.

As lyophilization continues to be a critical step in the manufacturing of sensitive biopharmaceuticals, challenges often arise during the scale up to commercial scale or the transfer from one manufacturing site to another. While data from the small-scale development of the lyophilization cycle is abundant it is typically much more difficult to extract important information from commercial scale cycles, due to the lack of process analytical technologies available on the commercial line. There is often a reluctance to include wireless temperature or pressure probes during GMP operations due to the additional contamination risk, and retrofitting equipment such as the TDLAS can be prohibitively expensive. Further, as products become more advanced, the cost of consuming the product or even the availability of material may limit the opportunities to run commercial scale trials. This paper presents two novel methods to garner critical cycle information to allow for the evaluation of cycle performance without the need for expensive analytical equipment, costly revalidation and line downtime. Critically, this can be achieved using commonly available temperature and capacitance probes on existing commercial scale equipment. The first method is a calorimetric method, based on quantifying the differences in heat transfer liquid temperature between the shelf inlet and shelf outlet. This change in temperature results from the on-going sublimation, an endo-thermic reaction occurring during lyophilization. The second method uses the differential pressure between the chamber and condenser resulting from the vapor flow from vial to condenser during primary drying. As stated by the authors both methods align well and provide valuable cycle characterization data.

Prenatal exposure to a low dose of BPS causes sex-dependent alterations to vascular endothelial function in adult offspring.

Background: Bisphenol S (BPS) is among the most commonly used substitutes for Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disrupting chemical used as a plasticizer in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Bisphenols interfere with estrogen receptor (ER) signaling, which modulates vascular function through stimulation of nitric oxide (NO) production via endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). BPS can cross into the placenta and accumulates in the fetal compartment to a greater extent than BPA, potentially interfering with key developmental events. Little is known regarding the developmental impact of exposure to BPA substitutes, particularly with respect to the vasculature. Objective: To determine if prenatal BPS exposure influences vascular health in adulthood. Methods: At the time of mating, female C57BL/6 dams were administered BPS (250 nM) or vehicle control in the drinking water, and exposure continued during lactation. At 12-week of age, mesenteric arteries were excised from male and female offspring and assessed for responses to an endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine, ACh) and endothelium-independent (sodium nitroprusside, SNP) vasodilator. Endothelium-dependent dilation was measured in the presence or absence of L-NAME, an eNOS inhibitor. To further explore the role of NO and ER signaling, wire myography was used to assess ACh responses in aortic rings after acute exposure to BPS in the presence or absence of L-NAME or an ER antagonist. Results: Increased ACh dilation and increased sensitivity to Phe were observed in microvessels from BPS-exposed females, while no changes were observed in male offspring. Differences in ACh-induced dilation between control or BPS-exposed females were eliminated with L-NAME. Increased dilatory responses to ACh after acute BPS exposure were observed in aortic rings from female mice only, and differences were eliminated with inhibition of eNOS or inhibition of ER. Conclusion: Prenatal BPS exposure leads to persistent changes in endothelium-dependent vascular function in a sex-specific manner that appears to be modulated by interaction of BPS with ER signaling.

Accelerated developmental adipogenesis programs adipose tissue dysfunction and cardiometabolic risk in offspring born to dams with metabolic dysfunction.

This study determined if a perturbation in in utero adipogenesis leading to later life adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction underlies programming of cardiometabolic risk in offspring born to dams with metabolic dysfunction. Female mice heterozygous for the leptin receptor deficiency (Hetdb) had 2.4-fold higher prepregnancy fat mass and in late gestation had higher plasma insulin and triglycerides compared with wild-type (Wt) females (P < 0.05). To isolate the role of the intrauterine milieu, wild-type (Wt) offspring from each pregnancy were studied. Differentiation potential in isolated progenitors and cell size distribution analysis revealed accelerated adipogenesis in Wt pups born to Hetdb dams, accompanied by a higher accumulation of neonatal fat mass. In adulthood, whole body fat mass by NMR was higher in male (69%) and female (20%) Wt offspring born to Hetdb versus Wt pregnancies, along with adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperlipidemia (all P < 0.05). Lipidomic analyses by gas chromatography revealed an increased lipogenic index (16:0/18:2n6) after high-fat/fructose diet (HFFD). Postprandial insulin, ADIPO-IR, and ex vivo AT lipolytic responses to isoproterenol were all higher in Wt offspring born to Hetdb dams (P < 0.05). Intrauterine metabolic stimuli may direct a greater proportion of progenitors toward terminal differentiation, thereby predisposing to hypertrophy-induced adipocyte dysfunction.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study reveals that accelerated adipogenesis during the perinatal window of adipose tissue development predisposes to later life hypertrophic adipocyte dysfunction, thereby compromising the buffering function of the subcutaneous depot.

Critical Size Bone Defect Healing Using Collagen-Calcium Phosphate Bone Graft Materials.

The need for bone graft materials to fill bony voids or gaps that are not related to the intrinsic stability of the bone that arise due to trauma, tumors or osteolysis remains a clinically relevant and significant issue. The in vivo response of collagen-tricalcium phosphate bone graft substitutes was evaluated in a critical size cancellous defect model in skeletally mature rabbits. While the materials were chemically virtually identical, new bone formation, implant resorption and local in vivo responses were significantly different. Differences in the in vivo response may be due, in part, collagen source and processing which influences resorption profiles. Continued improvements in processing and manufacturing techniques of collagen-tricalcium phosphate bone graft substitutes can result in osteoconductive materials that support healing of critical size bone defects even in challenging pre-clinical models.

Abnormal myosin phosphatase targeting subunit 1 phosphorylation and actin polymerization contribute to impaired myogenic regulation of cerebral arterial diameter in the type 2 diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rat.

The myogenic response of cerebral resistance arterial smooth muscle to intraluminal pressure elevation is a key physiological mechanism regulating blood flow to the brain. Rho-associated kinase plays a critical role in the myogenic response by activating Ca2+ sensitization mechanisms: (i) Rho-associated kinase inhibits myosin light chain phosphatase by phosphorylating its targeting subunit myosin phosphatase targeting subunit 1 (at T855), augmenting 20 kDa myosin regulatory light chain (LC20) phosphorylation and force generation; and (ii) Rho-associated kinase stimulates cytoskeletal actin polymerization, enhancing force transmission to the cell membrane. Here, we tested the hypothesis that abnormal Rho-associated kinase-mediated myosin light chain phosphatase regulation underlies the dysfunctional cerebral myogenic response of the Goto-Kakizaki rat model of type 2 diabetes. Basal levels of myogenic tone, LC20, and MYPT1-T855 phosphorylation were elevated and G-actin content was reduced in arteries of pre-diabetic 8-10 weeks Goto-Kakizaki rats with normal serum insulin and glucose levels. Pressure-dependent myogenic constriction, LC20, and myosin phosphatase targeting subunit 1 phosphorylation and actin polymerization were suppressed in both pre-diabetic Goto-Kakizaki and diabetic (18-20 weeks) Goto-Kakizaki rats, whereas RhoA, ROK2, and MYPT1 expression were unaffected. We conclude that abnormal Rho-associated kinase-mediated Ca2+ sensitization contributes to the dysfunctional cerebral myogenic response in the Goto-Kakizaki model of type 2 diabetes.

α5-Integrin-mediated cellular signaling contributes to the myogenic response of cerebral resistance arteries.

The myogenic response of resistance arterioles and small arteries involving constriction in response to intraluminal pressure elevation and dilation on pressure reduction is fundamental to local blood flow regulation in the microcirculation. Integrins have garnered considerable attention in the context of initiating the myogenic response, but evidence indicative of mechanotransduction by integrin adhesions, for example established changes in tyrosine phosphorylation of key adhesion proteins, has not been obtained to substantiate this interpretation. Here, we evaluated the role of integrin adhesions and associated cellular signaling in the rat cerebral arterial myogenic response using function-blocking antibodies against α5ß1-integrins, pharmacological inhibitors of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Src family kinase (SFK), an ultra-high-sensitivity western blotting technique, site-specific phosphoprotein antibodies to quantify adhesion and contractile filament protein phosphorylation, and differential centrifugation to determine G-actin levels in rat cerebral arteries at varied intraluminal pressures. Pressure-dependent increases in the levels of phosphorylation of FAK (FAK-Y397, Y576/Y577), SFK (SFK-Y416; Y527 phosphorylation was reduced), vinculin-Y1065, paxillin-Y118 and phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C-γ1 (PLCγ1)-Y783 were detected. Treatment with α5-integrin function-blocking antibodies, FAK inhibitor FI-14 or SFK inhibitor SU6656 suppressed the changes in adhesion protein phosphorylation, and prevented pressure-dependent phosphorylation of the myosin targeting subunit of myosin light chain phosphatase (MYPT1) at T855 and 20kDa myosin regulatory light chains (LC20) at S19, as well as actin polymerization that are necessary for myogenic constriction. We conclude that mechanotransduction by integrin adhesions and subsequent cellular signaling play a fundamental role in the cerebral arterial myogenic response.

Cytoskeletal reorganization evoked by Rho-associated kinase- and protein kinase C-catalyzed phosphorylation of cofilin and heat shock protein 27, respectively, contributes to myogenic constriction of rat cerebral arteries.

Our understanding of the molecular events contributing to myogenic control of diameter in cerebral resistance arteries in response to changes in intravascular pressure, a fundamental mechanism regulating blood flow to the brain, is incomplete. Myosin light chain kinase and phosphatase activities are known to be increased and decreased, respectively, to augment phosphorylation of the 20-kDa regulatory light chain subunits (LC20) of myosin II, which permits cross-bridge cycling and force development. Here, we assessed the contribution of dynamic reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton and thin filament regulation to the myogenic response and serotonin-evoked constriction of pressurized rat middle cerebral arteries. Arterial diameter and the levels of phosphorylated LC(20), calponin, caldesmon, cofilin, and HSP27, as well as G-actin content, were determined. A decline in G-actin content was observed following pressurization from 10 mm Hg to between 40 and 120 mm Hg and in three conditions in which myogenic or agonist-evoked constriction occurred in the absence of a detectable change in LC20 phosphorylation. No changes in thin filament protein phosphorylation were evident. Pressurization reduced G-actin content and elevated the levels of cofilin and HSP27 phosphorylation. Inhibitors of Rho-associated kinase and PKC prevented the decline in G-actin; reduced cofilin and HSP27 phosphoprotein content, respectively; and blocked the myogenic response. Furthermore, phosphorylation modulators of HSP27 and cofilin induced significant changes in arterial diameter and G-actin content of myogenically active arteries. Taken together, our findings suggest that dynamic reorganization of the cytoskeleton involving increased actin polymerization in response to Rho-associated kinase and PKC signaling contributes significantly to force generation in myogenic constriction of cerebral resistance arteries.

Ca2+ sensitization due to myosin light chain phosphatase inhibition and cytoskeletal reorganization in the myogenic response of skeletal muscle resistance arteries.

Abstract The myogenic response of resistance arteries to intravascular pressure elevation is a fundamental physiological mechanism of crucial importance for blood pressure regulation and organ-specific control of blood flow. The importance of Ca(2+) entry via voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels leading to phosphorylation of the 20 kDa myosin regulatory light chains (LC20) in the myogenic response is well established. Recent studies, however, have suggested a role for Ca(2+) sensitization via activation of the RhoA/Rho-associated kinase (ROK) pathway in the myogenic response. The possibility that enhanced actin polymerization is also involved in myogenic vasoconstriction has been suggested. Here, we have used pressurized resistance arteries from rat gracilis and cremaster skeletal muscles to assess the contribution to myogenic constriction of Ca(2+) sensitization due to: (1) phosphorylation of the myosin targeting subunit of myosin light chain phosphatase (MYPT1) by ROK; (2) phosphorylation of the 17 kDa protein kinase C (PKC)-potentiated protein phosphatase 1 inhibitor protein (CPI-17) by PKC; and (3) dynamic reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton evoked by ROK and PKC. Arterial diameter, MYPT1, CPI-17 and LC20 phosphorylation, and G-actin content were determined at varied intraluminal pressures ± H1152, GF109203X or latrunculin B to suppress ROK, PKC and actin polymerization, respectively. The myogenic response was associated with an increase in MYPT1 and LC20 phosphorylation that was blocked by H1152. No change in phospho-CPI-17 content was detected although the PKC inhibitor, GF109203X, suppressed myogenic constriction. Basal LC20 phosphorylation at 10 mmHg was high at ∼40%, increased to a maximal level of ∼55% at 80 mmHg, and exhibited no additional change on further pressurization to 120 and 140 mmHg. Myogenic constriction at 80 mmHg was associated with a decline in G-actin content by ∼65% that was blocked by inhibition of ROK or PKC. Taken together, our findings indicate that two mechanisms of Ca(2+) sensitization (ROK-mediated phosphorylation of MYPT1-T855 with augmentation of LC20 phosphorylation, and a ROK- and PKC-evoked increase in actin polymerization) contribute to force generation in the myogenic response of skeletal muscle arterioles.

Stromatoxin-sensitive, heteromultimeric Kv2.1/Kv9.3 channels contribute to myogenic control of cerebral arterial diameter.

Cerebral vascular smooth muscle contractility plays a crucial role in controlling arterial diameter and, thereby, blood flow regulation in the brain. A number of K(+) channels have been suggested to contribute to the regulation of diameter by controlling smooth muscle membrane potential (E(m)) and Ca(2+) influx. Previous studies indicate that stromatoxin (ScTx1)-sensitive, Kv2-containing channels contribute to the control of cerebral arterial diameter at 80 mmHg, but their precise role and molecular composition were not determined. Here, we tested if Kv2 subunits associate with 'silent' subunits from the Kv5, Kv6, Kv8 or Kv9 subfamilies to form heterotetrameric channels that contribute to control of diameter of rat middle cerebral arteries (RMCAs) over a range of intraluminal pressure from 10 to 100 mmHg. The predominant mRNAs expressed by RMCAs encode Kv2.1 and Kv9.3 subunits. Co-localization of Kv2.1 and Kv9.3 proteins at the plasma membrane of dissociated single RMCA myocytes was detected by proximity ligation assay. ScTx1-sensitive native current of RMCA myocytes and Kv2.1/Kv9.3 currents exhibited functional identity based on the similarity of their deactivation kinetics and voltage dependence of activation that were distinct from those of homomultimeric Kv2.1 channels. ScTx1 treatment enhanced the myogenic response of pressurized RMCAs between 40 and 100 mmHg, but this toxin also caused constriction between 10 and 40 mmHg that was not previously observed following inhibition of large conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK(Ca)) and Kv1 channels. Taken together, this study defines the molecular basis of Kv2-containing channels and contributes to our understanding of the functional significance of their expression in cerebral vasculature. Specifically, our findings provide the first evidence of heteromultimeric Kv2.1/Kv9.3 channel expression in RMCA myocytes and their distinct contribution to control of cerebral arterial diameter over a wider range of E(m) and transmural pressure than Kv1 or BK(Ca) channels owing to their negative range of voltage-dependent activation.

Pressure-dependent contribution of Rho kinase-mediated calcium sensitization in serotonin-evoked vasoconstriction of rat cerebral arteries.

Our understanding of the cellular signalling mechanisms contributing to agonist-induced constriction is almost exclusively based on the study of conduit arteries. Resistance arteries/arterioles have received less attention as standard biochemical approaches lack the necessary sensitivity to permit quantification of phosphoprotein levels in these small vessels. Here, we have employed a novel, highly sensitive Western blotting method to assess: (1) the contribution of Ca(2+) sensitization mediated by phosphorylation of myosin light chain phosphatase targeting subunit 1 (MYPT1) and the 17 kDa PKC-potentiated protein phosphatase 1 inhibitor protein (CPI-17) to serotonin (5-HT)-induced constriction of rat middle cerebral arteries, and (2) whether there is any interplay between pressure-induced myogenic and agonist-induced mechanisms of vasoconstriction. Arterial diameter and levels of MYPT1 (T697 and T855), CPI-17 and 20 kDa myosin light chain subunit (LC(20)) phosphorylation were determined following treatment with 5-HT (1 micromol l(1)) at 10 or 60 mmHg in the absence and presence of H1152 or GF109203X to suppress the activity of Rho-associated kinase (ROK) and protein kinase C (PKC), respectively. Although H1152 and GF109203X suppressed 5-HT-induced constriction and reduced phospho-LC(20) content at 10 mmHg, we failed to detect any increase in MYPT1 or CPI-17 phosphorylation. In contrast, an increase in MYPT1-T697 and MYPT1-T855 phosphorylation, but not phospho-CPI-17 content, was apparent at 60 mmHg following exposure to 5-HT, and the phosphorylation of both MYPT1 sites was sensitive to H1152 inhibition of ROK. The involvement of MYPT1 phosphorylation in the response to 5-HT at 60 mmHg was not dependent on force generation per se, as inhibition of cross-bridge cycling with blebbistatin (10 micromol l(1)) did not affect phosphoprotein content. Taken together, the data indicate that Ca(2+) sensitization owing to ROK-mediated phosphorylation of MYPT1 contributes to 5-HT-evoked vasoconstriction only in the presence of pressure-induced myogenic activation. These findings provide novel evidence of an interplay between myogenic- and agonist-induced vasoconstriction in cerebral resistance arteries.

My imagination versus your feelings: can personal affective forecasts be improved by knowing other peoples' emotions?

A proposed remedy for biased affective forecasts is to base judgments on the actual feelings of people (surrogates) currently experiencing the event, rather than using imagination which conjures an inaccurate vision of the future. Gilbert et al. (2009) forced people to use surrogate reports by withholding all event information, resulting in better predictions. However, in life surrogate information rarely supplants event information--can people effectively integrate both types of information into their judgments? In five studies, respondents predicted the impact of a health state on their own happiness. Respondents incorporated surrogate information into their judgments both in the presence and absence of event information. However, they inappropriately discounted other people's experiences as a valid predictor of their own--particularly in the presence of event information--and imagined their happiness would be different to surrogates' happiness. Excluding preexisting event knowledge, changing the size of the surrogate sample, or increasing the size of the response scale did not alter the adjustment. Although surrogate information improved affective forecasts, its influence was diminished by the presence of event information.

Ca2+ sensitization via phosphorylation of myosin phosphatase targeting subunit at threonine-855 by Rho kinase contributes to the arterial myogenic response.

Ca(2+) sensitization has been postulated to contribute to the myogenic contraction of resistance arteries evoked by elevation of transmural pressure. However, the biochemical evidence of pressure-induced increases in phosphorylated myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP) targeting subunit 1 (MYPT1) and/or 17 kDa protein kinase C (PKC)-potentiated protein phosphatase 1 inhibitor protein (CPI-17) required to sustain this view is not currently available. Here, we determined whether Ca(2+) sensitization pathways involving Rho kinase (ROK)- and PKC-dependent phosphorylation of MYPT1 and CPI-17, respectively, contribute to the myogenic response of rat middle cerebral arteries. ROK inhibitors (Y27632, 0.03-10 micromol l(-1); H1152, 0.001-0.3 micromol l(-1)) and PKC inhibitors (GF109203X, 3 micromol l(-1); Gö6976; 10 micromol l(-1)) suppressed myogenic vasoconstriction between 40 and 120 mmHg. An improved, highly sensitive 3-step Western blot method was developed for detection and quantification of MYPT1 and CPI-17 phosphorylation. Increasing pressure from 10 to 60 or 100 mmHg significantly increased phosphorylation of MYPT1 at threonine-855 (T855) and myosin light chain (LC(20)). Phosphorylation of MYPT1 at threonine-697 (T697) and CPI-17 were not affected by pressure. Pressure-evoked elevations in MYPT1-T855 and LC(20) phosphorylation were reduced by H1152, but MYPT1-T697 phosphorylation was unaffected. Inhibition of PKC with GF109203X did not affect MYPT1 or LC(20) phosphorylation at 100 mmHg. Our findings provide the first direct, biochemical evidence that a Ca(2+) sensitization pathway involving ROK-dependent phosphorylation of MYPT1 at T855 (but not T697) and subsequent augmentation of LC(20) phosphorylation contributes to myogenic control of arterial diameter in the cerebral vasculature. In contrast, suppression of the myogenic response by PKC inhibitors cannot be attributed to block of Ca(2+) sensitization mediated by CPI-17 or MYPT1 phosphorylation.

Identification and functional characterization of protein kinase A-catalyzed phosphorylation of potassium channel Kv1.2 at serine 449.

Vascular smooth muscle Kv1 delayed rectifier K+ channels (KDR) containing Kv1.2 control membrane potential and thereby regulate contractility. Vasodilatory agonists acting via protein kinase A (PKA) enhance vascule smooth muscle Kv1 activity, but the molecular basis of this regulation is uncertain. We characterized the role of a C-terminal phosphorylation site, Ser-449, in Kv1.2 expressed in HEK 293 cells by biochemical and electrophysiological methods. We found that 1) in vitro phosphorylation of Kv1.2 occurred exclusively at serine residues, 2) one major phosphopeptide that co-migrated with 449pSASTISK was generated by proteolysis of in vitro phosphorylated Kv1.2, 3) the peptide 445KKSRSASTISK exhibited stoichiometric phosphorylation by PKA in vitro, 4) matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectroscopy (MS) and MS/MS confirmed in vitro Ser-449 phosphorylation by PKA, 5) in situ phosphorylation at Ser-449 was detected in HEK 293 cells by MALDI-TOF MS followed by MS/MS. MIDAS (multiple reaction monitoring-initiated detection and sequencing) analysis revealed additional phosphorylated residues, Ser-440 and Ser-441, 6) in vitro 32P incorporation was significantly reduced in Kv1.2-S449A, Kv1.2-S449D, and Kv1.2-S440A/S441A/S449A mutant channels, but Kv1.2-S440A/S441A was identical to wild-type Kv1.2 (Kv1.2-WT), and 7) bath applied 8-Br-cAMP or dialysis with PKA catalytic subunit (cPKA) increased Kv1.2-WT but not Kv1.2-S449A current amplitude. cPKA increased Kv1.2-WT current in inside-out patches. Rp-CPT-cAMPS reduced Kv1.2-WT current, blocked the increase due to 8-Br-cAMP, but had no effect on Kv1.2-S449A. cPKA increased current due to double mutant Kv1.2-S440A/S441A but had no effect on Kv1.2-S449D or Kv1.2-S440A/S441A/S449A. We conclude that Ser-449 in Kv1.2 is a site of PKA phosphorylation and a potential molecular mechanism for Kv1-containing KDR channel modulation by agonists via PKA activation.

ATP-sensitive K+ channels in pig urethral smooth muscle cells are heteromultimers of Kir6.1 and Kir6.2.

The inwardly rectifying properties and molecular basis of ATP-sensitive K(+) channels (K(ATP) channels) have now been established for several cell types. However, these aspects of nonvascular smooth muscle K(ATP) channels still remain to be defined. In this study, we investigated the molecular basis of the pore of K(ATP) channels of pig urethral smooth muscle cells through a comparative study of the inwardly rectifying properties, conductance, and regulation by PKC of native and homo- and heteroconcatemeric recombinant Kir6.x channels coexpressed with sulfonylurea receptor subunit SUR2B in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells by the patch-clamp technique (conventional whole-cell and cell-attached modes). In conventional whole-cell clamp recordings, levcromakalim (> or = 1 microM) caused a concentration-dependent increase in current that demonstrated strong inward rectification at positive membrane potentials. In cell-attached mode, the unitary amplitude of levcromakalim-induced native and recombinant heteroconcatemeric Kir6.1-Kir6.2 K(ATP) channels also showed strong inward rectification at positive membrane potentials. Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate, but not the inactive phorbol ester, 4alpha-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate, enhanced the activity of native and heteroconcatemeric K(ATP) channels at -50 mV. The conductance of the native channels at approximately 43 pS was consistent with that of heteroconcatemeric channels with a pore-forming subunit composition of (Kir6.1)(3)-(Kir6.2). RT-PCR analysis revealed the expression of Kir6.1 and Kir6.2 transcripts in pig urethral myocytes. Our findings provide the first evidence that the predominant K(ATP) channel expressed in pig urethral smooth muscle possesses a unique, heteromeric pore structure that differs from the homomeric Kir6.1 channels of vascular myocytes and is responsible for the differences in inward rectification, conductance, and PKC regulation exhibited by the channels in these smooth muscle cell types.

What would it be like for me and for you? Judged impact of chronic health conditions on happiness.

BACKGROUND: People overestimate the impact of health conditions on happiness, putatively because they focus excessively on resulting negative consequences while disregarding the impact of other unchanged aspects of life on happiness. However, typically, inferences about accuracy have been based on a confound of the viewpoint of judgments(Self/Other) with whether the respondent has the condition (Have/Not-have)--an important issue because people often judge themselves as different to others. This study measured Haves' and Not-haves' judged impact on happiness--for self and other--of several chronic health conditions, and whether "defocusing" respondents improved judgment. METHOD: 80 Haves and 80 Not-haves predicted the impact of health conditions on their own and others' happiness using a questionnaire, after some participated in a defocusing exercise. Haves also indicated their preferences for their health condition over other conditions. RESULTS: Although Haves made more accurate forecasts than Not-haves, both overestimated the impact of health conditions on others' happiness--yet defocusing respondents prior to prediction had no effect. Haves were aware that Not-haves misjudge Haves' happiness, but underestimated the bias in Not-haves' judgments. Whereas Haves judged they were more happy than other Haves, Not-haves predicted they would be less happy than others if living with a health condition. Finally, Haves' preferences for health conditions exhibited an endowment effect. CONCLUSION: The existence of an impact bias is not attributable to the confounding of self/other and Have/Not-have in other studies. People who have a condition forecasted others' happiness more accurately, suggesting that experience of one condition helps in comprehending life with another.

Key role of Kv1 channels in vasoregulation.

Small arteries play an essential role in the regulation of blood pressure and organ-specific blood flow by contracting in response to increased intraluminal pressure, ie, the myogenic response. The molecular basis of the myogenic response remains to be defined. To achieve incremental changes in arterial diameter, as well as blood pressure or organ-specific blood flow, the depolarizing influence of intravascular pressure on vascular smooth muscle membrane potential that elicits myogenic contraction must be precisely controlled by an opposing hyperpolarizing influence. Here we use a dominant-negative molecular strategy and pressure myography to determine the role of voltage-dependent Kv1 potassium channels in vasoregulation, specifically, whether they act as a negative-feedback control mechanism of the myogenic response. Functional Kv1 channel expression was altered by transfection of endothelium-denuded rat middle cerebral arteries with cDNAs encoding c-myc epitope-tagged, dominant-negative mutant or wild-type rabbit Kv1.5 subunits. Expression of mutant Kv1.5 dramatically enhanced, whereas wild-type subunit expression markedly suppressed, the myogenic response over a wide range of intraluminal pressures. These effects on arterial diameter were associated with enhanced and reduced myogenic depolarization by mutant and wild-type Kv1.5 subunit expression, respectively. Expression of myc-tagged mutant and wild-type Kv1.5 subunit message and protein in transfected but not control arteries was confirmed, and isolated myocytes of transfected but not control arteries exhibited anti-c-myc immunofluorescence. No changes in message encoding other known, non-Kv1 elements of the myogenic response were apparent. These findings provide the first molecular evidence that Kv1-containing delayed rectifier K+ (K(DR)) channels are of fundamental importance for control of arterial diameter and, thereby, peripheral vascular resistance, blood pressure, and organ-specific blood flow.

Heteromultimeric TRPC6-TRPC7 channels contribute to arginine vasopressin-induced cation current of A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells.

The molecular identity of receptor-operated, nonselective cation channels (ROCs) of vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells is not known for certain. Mammalian homologues of the Drosophila canonical transient receptor potential channels (TRPCs) are possible candidates. This study tested the hypothesis that heteromultimeric TRPC channels contribute to ROC current of A7r5 VSM cells activated by [Arg(8)]-vasopressin. A7r5 cells expressed transcripts encoding TRPC1, TRPC4beta, TRPC6, and TRPC7. TRPC4, TRPC6, and TRPC7 protein expression was confirmed by immunoblotting and association of TRPC6 with TRPC7, but not TRPC4beta, was detected by coimmunoprecipitation. The amplitude of arginine vasopressin (AVP)-induced ROC current was suppressed by dominant-negative mutant TRPC6 (TRPC6(DN)) but not TRPC5 (TRPC5(DN)) mutant subunit expression. These data indicate a role for TRPC6- and/or TRPC7-containing channels and rule a more complex subunit composition including TRPC1 and TRPC4. Increasing extracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](o)) from 0.05 to 1 mmol/L suppressed currents owing to native, TRPC7, and heteromultimeric TRPC6-TRPC7 channels, but not TRPC6 current, which was slightly enhanced. The relative changes in native and heteromultimeric TRPC6-TRPC7 current amplitudes for [Ca(2+)](o) between approximately 0.01 and 1 mmol/L were identical, but the changes in homomultimeric TRPC6 and TRPC7 currents were significantly less and greater, respectively, compared with the native channels. Taken together, the data provide biochemical and functional evidence supporting the view that heteromultimeric TRPC6-TRPC7 channels contribute to receptor-activated, nonselective cation channels of A7r5 VSM cells.