Increased cyclic guanosine monophosphate production and endothelial nitric oxide synthase level in mononuclear cells from sildenafil citrate-treated patients with erectile dysfunction.

Mononuclear cells express enzymes involved in the NO/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) generating system, as well as PDE5. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of sildenafil citrate administration on the level of proteins involved in the NO/cGMP generating system in mononuclear cells from patients with ED. Twenty-one patients with ED (International Index of Erectile Function-Erectile Function Domain (IIEF-EFD) 17.9+/-0.8) were enrolled and 100 mg sildenafil citrate on-demand was administered during 12 weeks. All patients showed cardiovascular risk factors. After sildenafil citrate administration, IIEF-EFD score was improved (26+/-1.2 P<0.05). In the mononuclear cells, the protein level of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) was higher after sildenafil citrate treatment. It was accompanied by reduction in the circulating plasma levels of both high-sensitive C-reactive protein and soluble intercellular adhesive molecule-1. The protein level of soluble guanylate cyclase and PDE5 did not change in the mononuclear cells after sildenafil citrate treatment. However, in the mononuclear cells exogenous NO induced a higher cGMP production after 12-weeks sildenafil citrate administration. In conclusion, in mononuclear cells from patients with ED sildenafil citrate administration increased the level of eNOS protein and increased cGMP production in response to NO. Moreover, sildenafil citrate administration reduced the plasma circulating levels of two biomarkers associated with inflammation.

The "El Alamo" project (1990-1997): two consecutive hospital-based studies of breast cancer outcomes in Spain.

BACKGROUND: The "Alamo" project is a retrospective analysis of 14,854 patients diagnosed of breast cancer between 1990 and 1997 in 50 Spanish hospitals. METHODS: Alamo I (AI) consisted of 4,532 patients diagnosed with breast cancer between 1990 and 1993. Data were collected in 2000. Alamo II (AII) consisted of 10,322 patients diagnosed between 1994 and 1997. Data were collected in 2003. RESULTS: At presentation, there were (AI vs. AII) 17.6% vs. 24.3% at stage I; 55.5% vs. 53.1% at stage II; 18.7% vs. 15% at stage III; 7.2% vs. 5.9 at stage IV. Median age was 57 (AI) vs. 58 years (AII) and 65.9% vs. 67.2% (AI vs. AII) were post-menopausal. Firstline treatment for disease stages I, II and III was surgery in 91% of patients in both studies. Breast conserving surgery rate increased from 20.2% (AI) to 32.7% (AII). Adjuvant systemic treatments were administered to 87.6% (AI) and 92.8% (AII) of patients. Recurrence rate diminished from 36.6% (AI) to 22.5% (AII) and the 9-year survival rate increased from 63.2% (95% CI: 61.5-64.9) to 70.1% (95% CI: 68.5-71.8). CONCLUSION: Breast cancer outcomes in Spain have improved from 1990-1993 to 1994-1997, likely because of breast cancer screening program implementation and new therapies.

Phosphorylation of C8 and C9 subunits of the multicatalytic proteinase by casein kinase II and identification of the C8 phosphorylation sites by direct mutagenesis.

Two 29 kDa subunits of the multicatalytic proteinase (proteasome) complex, the C8 and C9 components, are phosphorylated in vivo and can be phosphorylated in vitro by casein kinase II (CKII). The major phosphate acceptor is the C8 subunit being phosphorylated in serine, both in vivo and in vitro. The phosphopeptides generated by Glu-C endoprotease digestion from the in vivo 29 kDa labeled subunit and from the in vitro phosphorylation of the recombinant C8 subunit with CKII are identical, suggesting that CKII is likely responsible for the in vivo phosphorylation of the C8 subunit. The in vitro stoichiometry of phosphorylation of the proteasome complex and the recombinant C9 and C8 subunits by CKII is 2-2.5, 0.2, and 2 mol of phosphate per mole, respectively. Several C8 protein constructs allow the location of the CKII phosphorylation sites to be the COOH terminal portion of the protein, and direct mutational analyses show that Ser-243 and Ser-250 are the residues of the C8 subunit phosphorylated by CKII. The in vitro phosphorylation of the proteasome by CKII does not affect its proteolytic activity (on proteins or fluorogenic synthetic peptides), therefore suggesting its involvement in the interaction of the proteasome with other cellular proteins, i.e. in the formation of the 26S complex and/or in the interaction with the nuclear translocation machinery.

Kinetic mechanism of activation by cardiolipin (diphosphatidylglycerol) of the rat liver multicatalytic proteinase.

The effect of phospholipids on the trypsin-like, chymotrypsin-like and peptidylglutamyl-peptide-hydrolysing activities of the so-called latent form of the rat liver multicatalytic proteinase was studied, assaying them with the following substrates: N-Cbz-ARR-4MNA (N-Cbz, N-benzyloxycarbonyl; 4MNA, 4-methoxy-beta-naphthylamide), N-Suc-LLVY-MCA (N-Suc, N-succinyl; MCA, methylcoumarin) and N-Cbz-LLE-beta-NA (beta-NA, beta-naphthylamide) respectively (amino acids are shown as their one-letter symbol). For the most part neither lysophospholipids nor phospholipids at 20 micrograms/ml have any effect on the activity of the enzyme (assayed at 50 microM peptide), except for phosphatidylserine, which activates 2-fold the hydrolysis of N-Suc-LLVY-MCA, and phosphatidylinositol, which inhibits by 20% the hydrolysis of N-Cbz-LLE-beta-NA. By contrast, cardiolipin (diphosphatidylglycerol) is a strong activator of the hydrolysis of N-Suc-LLVY-MCA (60-fold) and N-Cbz-LLE-beta-NA (30-fold), with half-maximal activation at concentrations of 0.15 micrograms/ml and 1.5 micrograms/ml respectively. The activation of N-Suc-LLVY-MCA hydrolysis is due to an increase of the affinity of the enzyme for the peptide and to an increase in the Vmax. (30-fold). The activation of N-Cbz-LLE-beta-NA hydrolysis is explained by suppressing the co-operativity for this substrate, producing hyperbolic kinetics with a Km of 60 microM and a 15-fold increase in the Vmax. of the enzyme. This activation by cardiolipin was completely suppressed by micromolar concentrations of fluophenazine, a drug known to inhibit other phospholipid-regulated process. Cardiolipin activation and the known activation by SDS are additive, either at suboptimal or optimal concentrations of both activators. Cardiolipin also activates the in vitro degradation of some proteins from metabolically labelled total cellular extracts by the latent multicatalytic proteinase. These results clearly show that cardiolipin is a natural positive modulator of the peptidase and proteolytic activities of the multicatalytic proteinase, probably acting through a binding site different from that of SDS.