Circulation research
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Circulation research · Feb 2004
Cerebral microvascular responses to hypercholesterolemia: roles of NADPH oxidase and P-selectin.
Although hypercholesterolemia is widely accepted as a major risk factor for coronary artery and peripheral vascular diseases, its role in the pathogenesis of stroke is controversial. The objectives of this study were to determine how hypercholesterolemia affects the cerebral microcirculation under resting conditions and after ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). Platelet- and leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions and oxidant production (using the oxidant-sensitive fluorochrome dihydrorhodamine-123) were monitored by intravital videomicroscopy in the cerebral microvasculature of mice placed on either a normal (ND) or cholesterol-enriched diet (HCD). ⋯ Mice deficient in the NADPH oxidase subunit gp91(phox) exhibited significantly blunted platelet and leukocyte recruitment responses to HCD. Focal I/R also elicited inflammatory and prothrombogenic responses in cerebral venules and these were exaggerated in mice on HCD. These results implicate an oxidant-dependent, P-selectin-mediated mechanism in the blood cell-vessel wall interactions induced by hypercholesterolemia in the brain and demonstrate that the deleterious effects of I/R on the brain are exacerbated by this cardiovascular risk factor.
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Circulation research · Feb 2004
Regulation of connexin43 protein complexes by intracellular acidification.
Ischemia-induced acidification of astrocytes or cardiac myocytes reduces intercellular communication by closing gap junction channels and subsequently internalizing gap junction proteins. To determine whether such coupling changes might be attributable to altered interactions between connexin43 (Cx43) and other proteins, we applied the nigericin/high K+ method to vary intracellular pH (pHi) in cultured cortical astrocytes. Intracellular acidification was accompanied by internalization of Cx43 with retention of Cx43 scaffolding protein Zonula Occludens-1 (ZO-1) at cell surfaces, suggesting that ZO-1 and Cx43 dissociate at low pHi. ⋯ Moreover, binding of c-Src to Cx43CT prevented and reversed ZO-1/Cx43CT binding. We hypothesize that increased affinity of c-Src for Cx43 at low pHi aids in separation of Cx43 from ZO-1 and that this may facilitate internalization of Cx43. These data suggest that protracted acidification may remodel protein-protein interactions involving Cx43 and thus provide an important protective mechanism to limit lesion spread after ischemic injury.