PFAS levels and exposure determinants in sensitive population groups.

BACKGROUND: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent organic pollutants. The first exposure to PFAS occurs in utero, after birth it continues via breast milk, food intake, environment, and consumer products that contain these chemicals. Our aim was to identify determinants of PFAS concentrations in sensitive population subgroups- pregnant women and newborns. METHODS: Nine European birth cohorts provided exposure data on PFAS in pregnant women (INMA-Gipuzkoa, Sabadell, Valencia, ELFE and MoBa; total N = 5897) or newborns (3xG study, FLEHS 2, FLEHS 3 and PRENATAL; total N = 940). PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS and PFNA concentrations were measured in maternal or cord blood, depending on the cohort (FLEHS 2 measured only PFOS and PFOA). PFAS concentrations were analysed according to maternal characteristics (age, BMI, parity, previous breastfeeding, smoking, and food consumption during pregnancy) and parental educational level. The association between potential determinants and PFAS concentrations was evaluated using multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: We observed significant variations in PFAS concentrations among cohorts. Higher PFAS concentrations were associated with higher maternal age, primipara birth, and educational level, both for maternal blood and cord blood. Higher PFAS concentrations in maternal blood were associated with higher consumption of fish and seafood, meat, offal and eggs. In cord blood, higher PFHxS concentrations were associated with daily meat consumption and higher PFNA with offal consumption. Daily milk and dairy consumption were associated with lower concentrations of PFAS in both, pregnant women and newborns. CONCLUSION: High detection rates of the four most abundant PFAS demonstrate ubiquitous exposure of sensitive populations, which is of concern. This study identified several determinants of PFAS exposure in pregnant women and newborns, including dietary factors, and these findings can be used for proposing measures to reduce PFAS exposure, particularly from dietary sources.

Degradation of the type I inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor by caspase-3 in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells undergoing apoptosis.

The type I inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) receptor is selectively down-regulated in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's chorea, and ischemia, all conditions in which apoptotic neuronal loss occurs. In the present study, we used a neuronal cell line, human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, to investigate whether the levels of IP(3) receptor are changed during apoptosis in these cells. Following induction of apoptosis by staurosporine, the immunoreactivity of the type I IP(3) receptor in microsome preparations from SH-SY5Y cells was reduced within 2 h, with a further reduction during subsequent hours. Immunoblot analyses, using antibodies to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and spectrin breakdown products, revealed proteolysis of these caspase-3 substrates within 3 h, confirming that IP(3) receptor cleavage is an early consequence of apoptosis. In vitro incubation of SH-SY5Y microsomes or immunopurified IP(3) receptor from rat cerebellum with recombinant caspase-3 led to generation of immunoreactive breakdown products similar to those observed in intact cells, suggesting that the type I IP(3) receptor is a potential substrate for caspase-3. Preincubation of the neuroblastoma cells with the caspase-3 inhibitor Z-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone prevented IP(3) receptor degradation. These results show that the type I IP(3) receptor is a substrate for caspase-3 in neuronal cells and indicate that apoptotic down-regulation of IP(3) receptor levels may contribute to the pathology of neurodegenerative conditions.

Phosphorylation of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor by cyclic nucleotide-dependent kinases in vitro and in rat cerebellar slices in situ.

We have examined cyclic nucleotide-regulated phosphorylation of the neuronal type I inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor immunopurified from rat cerebellar membranes in vitro and in rat cerebellar slices in situ. The isolated IP3 receptor protein was phosphorylated by both cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinases on two distinct sites as determined by thermolytic phosphopeptide mapping, phosphopeptide 1, representing Ser-1589, and phosphopeptide 2, representing Ser-1756 in the rat protein (Ferris, C. D., Cameron, A. M., Bredt, D. S., Huganir, R. L., and Snyder, S. H. (1991) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 175, 192-198). Phosphopeptide maps show that cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) labeled both sites with the same time course and same stoichiometry, whereas cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) phosphorylated Ser-1756 with a higher velocity and a higher stoichiometry than Ser-1589. Synthetic decapeptides corresponding to the two phosphorylation sites (peptide 1, AARRDSVLAA (Ser-1589), and peptide 2, SGRRESLTSF (Ser-1756)) were used to determine kinetic constants for the phosphorylation by PKG and PKA, and the catalytic efficiencies were in agreement with the results obtained by in vitro phosphorylation of the intact protein. In cerebellar slices prelabeled with [32P]orthophosphate, activation of endogenous kinases by incubation in the presence of cAMP/cGMP analogues and specific inhibitors of PKG and PKA induced in both cases a 3-fold increase in phosphorylation of the IP3 receptor. Thermolytic phosphopeptide mapping of in situ labeled IP3 receptor by PKA showed labeling on the same sites (Ser-1589 and Ser-1756) as in vitro. In contrast to the findings in vitro, PKG preferentially phosphorylated Ser-1589 in situ. Because both PKG and the IP3 receptor are specifically enriched in cerebellar Purkinje cells, PKG may be an important IP3 receptor regulator in vivo.

Intracerebroventricular administration of quinolinic acid induces a selective decrease of inositol(1,4,5)-trisphosphate receptor in rat brain.

[3H]inositol(1,4,5)-trisphosphate (IP3) binding studies have shown decreased [3H]IP3 binding to brain tissue in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases. In addition, previous results obtained from brains of Alzheimer patients indicated a reduction of IP3-receptor protein correlated to neuronal loss. The neurotoxic effect of the glutamate receptor agonist quinolinic acid (QUIN) was therefore examined with respect to the level of IP3-receptor immunoreactivity in rat brain. Neuronal lesions were estimated with antibodies to marker proteins for striatal medium-sized spiny neurons (dopamine- and cyclic AMP-regulated phosphoprotein, Mr 32,000; DARPP-32), synaptic vesicles (synaptophysin), mitochondria (phosphate-activated glutaminase; PAG) and glial cells (glial fibrillary acidic protein; GFAP). Injection of QUIN into rat neostriatum induced a massive loss of striatal medium-sized spiny neurons, and led to a comparable loss of IP3-receptor and PAG immunoreactivity, suggesting a neuronal localisation of both these proteins. In an effort to induce less pronounced excitotoxic damage, intracerebroventricular infusion of QUIN was performed. Following this lesion, the neostriatum showed a negligible loss of DARPP-32 immunoreactivity (-11+/-5%), but contained only 43+/-3% of IP3-receptor immunoreactivity levels compared to controls. In the hippocampus, cerebellum and entorhinal cortex, the IP3-receptor loss was less pronounced. The decrease in the level of IP3-receptor immunoreactivity appears to be selective with respect to the other proteins studied, and the IP3-receptor thus shows extreme sensitivity to QUIN neurotoxicity in the neostriatum.

Calcium-induced degradation of the inositol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate receptor/Ca(2+)-channel.

Ca(2+)-induced degradation of the neuronal inositol (1,4,5)-trisphosphate receptor, a protein which regulates Ca(2+)-release from intracellular stores, has been examined. The IP3-receptor, immunopurified from rat cerebellum, appeared to be an excellent substrate for purified Ca(2+)-activated neutral protease (calpain). Incubation of membranes or immunopurified IP3-receptor with Ca2+ and cerebellar cytosol also resulted in degradation of the receptor. Two main fragments with approximate molecular masses of 130 and 95 kDa were generated, both of which appeared to derive from the carboxyterminal Ca(2+)-channel-containing part of the protein. These data suggest that activation of the IP3-receptor, by causing increases in intracellular [Ca2+], might result in degradation of the N-terminal, IP3-binding part of the receptor.