Guanine nucleotide binding proteins in the dual regulation of lacrimal function.

The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize functional G proteins that couple regulatory peptides with lacrimal secretory functions. Membranes were prepared from isolated rat exorbital lacrimal gland acini, and guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP)-dependence of adenylyl cyclase activity, known to be coupled with regulation of secretion, was measured. The guanine nucleotide GTP produced a biphasic response in the activity of membrane-bound adenylyl cyclase during a 10 min incubation with a maximum stimulation at 10(-5) mol/l GTP. Significant inhibition occurred at a dose of 10(-3) mol/l GTP, with cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production reduced to less than basal levels. The effect of ADP-ribosylation of membrane proteins by the toxins produced by Vibrio cholera or Bordetella pertussis on lacrimal adenylyl cyclase was assessed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, autoradiography, and laser densitometry. Cholera toxin treatment of membranes resulted in dose-(0.5-100 micrograms/ml) and time-dependent (0-45 min) adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribosylation of two membrane proteins with M(r) values of 42,000 and 45,000. Pertussis toxin treatment resulted in the specific ADP-ribosylation of a single protein that migrates with an M(r) value of 41,000. This also was dose (0.5-25 micrograms/ml) and time dependent (0-30 min). Incorporation of 32P into the 45,000 M(r) and 42,000 M(r) proteins in the presence of 50 micrograms/ml cholera toxin was guanine nucleotide dependent, with a two- to threefold increase in labeling when the membranes were incubated with 1 or 0.5 mmol/l GTP. This effect was enhanced in the presence of the nonhydrolyzable GTP analog GTP gamma S.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Proenkephalin A derivatives in lacrimal gland: occurrence and regulation of lacrimal function.

The derivatives of proenkephalin A were measured in acid extracts of rat lacrimal glands by specific radioimmunoassay. Glands from adult male rats contained all four derivatives of the opiate precursor. The content in the gland of proenkephalin A-derived peptides Met5-enkephalin, Leu5-enkephalin, Met5-enkephalin Arg6-Phe7 and Met5-enkephalin Arg6-Gly7-Leu8 indicates tissue specific processing with an enhancement of the heptapeptide. The effect of enkephalins on the activity of adenylate cyclase in lacrimal membranes was measured and compared with the effect of the synthetic enkephalin analogue D-ala2-methionine enkephalinamide (DALA) that inhibits both lacrimal protein secretion and lacrimal adenylate cyclase. In the presence of the peptidase inhibitors thiorphan and bestatin, the inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity by Met5-enk, Leu5-enk, Met5-enk Arg6-Phe7 and DALA were identical. Maximum inhibition was approximately 35% at a dose of 50 microM enkephalin. Addition of the octapeptide, Met5-enk Arg6-Gly7-Leu8 resulted in decreased adenylate cyclase activity; however, the effect was not statistically significant. Activation of delta opioid receptors by the endogenous enkephalins is indicated by the reversal of adenylate cyclase inhibition in the presence of the delta-receptor antagonist ICI 174864. The data support the physiological significance of in vitro inhibition of lacrimal secretion by DALA and indicate a possible role for endogenous enkephalins in lacrimal function.

Pertussis-toxin insensitive enkephalin inhibition of adenylyl cyclase in lacrimal acinar cells.

The mechanism by which the inhibitory effect of d-ala2-met-enkephalinamide (DALA) on lacrimal acinar adenylyl cyclase is exerted was assessed in membrane preparations by a cAMP protein binding assay. Inhibition by the analogue was GTP-dependent with a significant enhancement of the inhibitory effect by GTP. While pretreatment of membranes with either cholera or pertussis toxin resulted in stimulation of adenylyl cyclase activity, modification of the Gi alpha subunit by pertussis-toxin catalyzed ADP-ribosylation did not effect the hormonal inhibition of adenylyl cyclase. Incubation of membranes with manganese, however, prevented the inhibitory action of DALA in addition to enhancing basal and forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity. The results suggest that the inhibitory effect of DALA in lacrimal acinar cells is exerted via a mechanism other than pertussis-toxin sensitive coupling of the receptor to adenylyl cyclase through Gi. The mechanism may be effected through a pertussis-toxin insensitive G protein, through an interaction with Gi that is pertussis-toxin insensitive, or through an interaction with the catalytic subunit of adenylyl cyclase.

Structure and function of non-enzymatically dissociated lacrimal gland acini.

Lacrimal gland acini were isolated utilizing a non-enzymatic dissociation procedure. This method resulted in the rapid isolation of an enriched population of acini from rat lacrimal gland with a complete absence of interlobular and rare occurrence of intralobular duct epithelium. The isolated acini had high viability and retained good histological organization. Alkaline phosphatase activity was present in the myoepithelial cells and capillaries associated with the periphery of the acini, indicating a relatively undisturbed basal surface. Secretion of peroxidase by the isolated acini in response to cholinergic and alpha-adrenergic stimulation indicated that the cell surface receptors in this preparation were retained and were physiologically functional. Thus, we report a dissociation protocol that eliminates enzymatic digestion, but results in a relatively enriched acinar preparation that is appropriate for the assessment of cellular biochemistry and physiology of lacrimal exocrine function of the acini.

Peptidergic stimulation and inhibition of lacrimal gland adenylate cyclase.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and d-ala2-methionine enkephalinamide (DALA, a long-lasting enkephalin analogue) were used to investigate the peptidergic control of lacrimal gland function. To characterize the mechanism by which VIP stimulates and DALA inhibits lacrimal peroxidase secretion, the effect of these peptides on adenylate cyclase was measured. In addition, enzyme activity was measured in the presence of forskolin alone or in combination with DALA. VIP stimulated adenylate cyclase in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Negative control of adenylate cyclase was shown with the addition of DALA to membrane preparations. The enkephalin analogue inhibited basal activity approximately 65% at the maximum dose tested. The percent inhibition of VIP-stimulated activity by DALA was similar to the inhibition of basal activity. To determine if the inhibition of stimulated activity occurred at level of the VIP receptor, the effect of DALA on the response to forskolin was measured. Forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was significantly reduced to approximately 50% in the presence of DALA. We conclude that lacrimal gland adenylate cyclase is subject to peptidergic regulation involving both stimulatory and inhibitory receptor-mediated controls.

Inhibition of stimulated lacrimal secretion by [D-Ala2]Met-enkephalinamide.

The synthetic enkephalin analogue, [D-Ala2]Met-enkephalinamide (DALA) was used to investigate opioid peptide modulation of lacrimal protein secretion. By use of an in vitro perifusion system, the secretion of peroxidase by rat lacrimal gland fragments was measured during continuous stimulation for up to 60 min. DALA had no effect on unstimulated secretion of peroxidase. However, the addition of DALA to the perifusion medium resulted in a dose-dependent (10 nM-10 microM) inhibition of carbachol-stimulated peroxidase release. The maximum effect of DALA was achieved at a dose of 10 microM, which resulted in a 54% inhibition of carbachol-induced secretion. The opiate antagonist naloxone (10 nM-10 microM) did not alter basal or carbachol-stimulated peroxidase release. The effect on 10 microM carbachol-stimulated secretion by the addition of 3 microM DALA, however, was reversed in a dose-dependent manner by naloxone. The extent of inhibition of vasoactive intestinal peptidergic (VIPergic) stimulation (50 nM VIP) by DALA was similar to the inhibition of cholinergic stimulation of peroxidase release by gland fragments. Neither alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation of secretion nor a synergistic stimulation by VIP and carbachol was inhibited by the enkephalin analogue. We conclude that DALA exerts an inhibitory modulation of cholinergic and VIPergic stimulation of in vitro lacrimal protein secretion and suggest a physiological role for methionine enkephalin as an inhibitory peptide involved in the regulation of lacrimal gland function.

Peroxidase secretion by lacrimal glands from juvenile F344 rats.

Secretion of peroxidase by rat lacrimal glands is generally acknowledged to be greater in juvenile rats than in adults. However, this phenomenon has not been so well documented in lacrimal glands as other age-related changes have been. Therefore, we studied lacrimal protein and peroxidase secretion in response to muscarinic cholinergic and alpha-adrenergic stimulation of glands from 35- to 90-day-old male F344 rats. Lacrimal tissue fragments were incubated in perifusion chambers, and secretion of protein and peroxidase was measured in response to stimulation by carbachol or phenylephrine. There was a negative first-order correlation between total protein secretion and age. Dose-response curves showed that at the highest doses there was a small but significant change in protein secretion. Secretion of lacrimal peroxidase in response to carbachol and phenylephrine changed significantly with increasing age. The tissue content of peroxidase was diminished by about 25% during this period, but that decrease alone was not sufficient to explain the changes in secretory responsiveness. The decrease of peroxidase secretion elicited by phenylephrine had both first- and second-order components in its correlation with age between 35 and 90 days. Dose-response curves for 5-week (35-41-day)- and 12-week (84-90-day)-old tissue showed that the maximum secretion of peroxidase was reduced by about 50%, but with no apparent shift in the dose-response curve.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation of lacrimal peroxidase secretion.

The effect of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) on secretion of lacrimal gland peroxidase was studied using an in vitro perifusion technique. The peptide stimulated a dose-dependent (1 nM to 100 nM) release of peroxidase, with the maximum level of secretion induced by 20 nM ACTH. Secretion in the presence of submaximal ACTH was potentiated with either 100 microM iso-butylmethylxanthine or 0.3 microM carbachol. In contrast, the combination of ACTH and phenylephrine was additive. Time-dependence studies demonstrated that the stimulation of peroxidase release by ACTH, as with other cyclic adenosine monophosphate mediated secretagogues, showed a latency in reaching the maximum rate which was not evident with either cholinergic or alpha-adrenergic stimulation. Furthermore, where potentiation of the response to ACTH occurred, the time course was distinctly altered from that obtained with either ACTH or the potentiating agonist alone. The data suggest that lacrimal gland function is regulated by a multiple system of neurotransmitters and (or) neuromodulators that involves the activation of peptidergic as well as cholinergic and alpha-adrenergic receptors.

Sympathomimetic protein secretion by young and aged lacrimal gland.

The diminished basal tear flow in aged individuals is associated with lymphocytic infiltrations and atrophy of the lacrimal ducts and acini. We have investigated the age-related physiological changes to sympathomimetic stimulation of lacrimal tissue from F344 rats to determine if the responses are uniformly diminished as would be expected by glandular atrophy. The quantitative and temporal pattern of protein and peroxidase secretion by lacrimal gland fragments from young (4 month) and aged (24 month) F344 male rats was examined in a perifusion system. Upon stimulation of tissue from young animals with 0.01 mM phenylephrine for 40 min, secretion above baseline levels of protein was 570.8 micrograms/g tissue and of peroxidase was 45.2 delta A X min-1/g tissue. The response of the aged tissue to phenylephrine was not significantly different from that of the young tissue. beta-adrenergic stimulation by isoproterenol (0.01 mM) evoked only a modest secretion of protein and no consistently measurable peroxidase from young tissue. IBMX alone and in combination with isoproterenol (0.1 mM and 0.01 mM respectively) evoked a large secretion of protein, 1345.7 micrograms/g tissue, and a modest secretion of peroxidase, 9.5 delta A X min-1/g tissue by young tissue. The aged tissue, upon stimulation with the combination of IBMX and isoproterenol, secreted significantly less protein and peroxidase than the young tissue. In separate experiments, the production of cAMP was measured. In young tissue, isoproterenol did not cause a measurable increase of intracellular cAMP. IBMX caused a 2-3 fold increase in cellular cAMP which was not increased further by addition of isoproterenol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ontogeny and adult behavior of mice with congenital neural tube defects.

Effects of abnormal neural tube development were studied in immature and adult mice. The behavior of affected adult mice was found to resemble that of mice that exhibit the "waltzer syndrome." Behavioral ontogenetic studies indicate that effected mice are deficient in labyrinthine responses as shown by the late development or lack of negative geotaxic behaviors and the delayed loss of pivoting behavior. Retarded maturation of neural responses was indicated by a delay in the appearance of the startle response. Evidence that circling behavior in adult mice of the "waltzer syndrome" may be a result of central nervous system disorders alone, or in concert with abnormalities of the inner ear, was provided by the fact that open field activity was increased in affected mice that exhibit circling behavior as adults.