• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.361-368
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• 1994

The nature of the muscarinic receptors in bovine adrenal medulla was investigated in this study. [$^3$H]Quinuclidinyl benzilate(QNB) specifically bound to a single class of muscarinic receptor with a $K_{D}$ value of about 70 pM in bovine adrenal medullary, cardiac ventricular and ileal homogenates. Pirenzepine inhibition curves of [$^3$H]QNB binding to cardiac ventricular and ileal homogenates were steep, indicating the presence of a single class of binding site for pirenzepine with a Ki value of 990 nM and 508 nM, respectively. However, pirenzepine/[$^3$H]QNB competition binding curves in adrenal medulla suggested the presence of two binding sites (Hill coefficient=0.59) with a high( $M_1$) and a low( $M_2$) affinity. Respective Ki values for pirenfepine were 16 nM and 633 nM, with 44% of total sites having a high affinity( $M_1$). Gallamine, which is selective to cardiac $M_2$-receptor, inhibited [$^3$H]QNB binding to adrenal medullary, cardiac ventricular and ileal homogenates with Ki values of 12 $\mu$M, 6 $\mu$M and 13 $\mu$M, respectively. Thus, the binding affinities of pirenzepine and gallamine for $M_2$-receptor in adrenal medulla were similar to those in ileum, which contains the $M_3$-receptor. These results indicate that the $M_1$- and $M_3$- muscarinic receptor subtypes coexist in the bovine adrenal medulla.a.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.156-160
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• 1998

In this study, we cultured bovine capillary endothelial cells from adrenal cortex and compared these cells with capillary endothelial cells obtained from bovine adrenal medulla on morphological and cytokinetic properties. We demonstrated that bFGF and gelatin matrix were required for the growth of adrenal cortex-derived capillary endothelial cells over middle passage, but not for the growth of adrenal medulla-derived capillary endothelial cells. Also, we showed that the growth of adrenal cortex-derived capillary endothelial cells must be stimulated by bFGF and the gelatin matrix for the measurement of in vitro angiostatin activity. These data indicate that adrenal cortex-derived capillary endothelial cells over middle passage are more suitable than adrenal medulla-derived capillary endothelial cells for in vitro angiogenesis assay.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.83.2-83.2
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• 2003

It has been demonstrated the presence of leptin receptors (Ob-Ra) on epinephrine-secreting chromaffin cells in rat adrenal medulla, suggesting that leptin may directly affect the adrenal medulla (Cao et al., 1997). Leptin is found to stimulate catecholamine (CA) synthesis in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells (Utsumomiya et al., 2001; Shibuya et al., 2002)and cultured porcine adrenal medullary cells (Takekoshi et al., 2001). Thus, the present study was designed to examine the effect of leptin on CA release from the isolated perfused rat adrenal gland, and to establish its mechanism of action. (omitted)

• Toxicological Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.187-194
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• 1993

[Met5]-Enkephalin (ME) secretion and the expression of proenkephalin A (proENK) mRNA were studied following long-term exposure of bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin (BAMC) cells to pertussis toxin. Prolonged (24 hr) stimulation of BAMC cells with pertussis toxin increased the secretion of ME as well as proENK gene expression. BAMC cells were also incubated with pertussis toxin in the presence or absence of other secretagogues such as nicotine, angiotensin II and phorbol myristate acetate.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.361-376
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• 1989

Norepoine is N-methylated by the enzyme phenly ethanolamine N-metyltransferase(PNMT)to form epinephrine.this enzyme is larhly restructed to the adrenal medulla where epinephrine in mammalian brain where epinephrine function as a neurotransmitter.It seems clear that central epinephrine is involved in the regulation of cardiovacular function and in several forms of hypertension.However,information about the struture of mammalian epinephrine forming enzyme has been limited until now.But recently we isolate bovine and human PNMT cDNA clone using gtll expression library and sequcde total nucleotide composition.To obtain information about the structrue of the human and rat PNMT proteins and gones and to further define the extent of the evolutionary relationships among the PNMT molecules of these species human and rat genomic DNA clones to PNMT were sequentially isolated and characterized.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.31 no.1 s.57
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• pp.63-74
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• 1995

It has been known that, during hypoxia, the adrenal medulla is activated to release catecholamines (CA) while hypoxia also inhibits high $K^+$ -induced CA secretion in the cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. The present study was attempted to examine the effect of hypoxia on CA secretion evoked by chlinergic stimulation and membrane-depolarization from the isolated perfused rat adrenal glands and also to clarify its mechanism of action. For this purpose, using the isolated rat adrenal glands, the effects of hypoxia on CA release evoked by nicotinic ($N_1$) and muscarinic ($M_1$) receptor agonists, membrane-depolarizing agent, $Ca^{++}$-channel activator, intracellular $Ca^{++}$-releaser and ACh were determined. Experiments were carried out, perfusing Krebs solution pre-equilibrated with a gas mixture of 95% N_2$ and 5% $CO_2$. Hypoxia was maintained for $3{\sim}4$ hours through the experiments. Hypoxia gradually caused a time-dependent seduction in CA secretion evoked by DMPP ($100{\mu}M$), McN-A-343 ($100{\mu}M$), ACh (5.32 mM), Bay-K-8644 ($10{\mu}M$) and high $K^+$ (56 mM) respectively. How-ever, it did not affect CA secretion evoked by cyclopiazonic acid ($10{\mu}M$). Hypoxia itself also did fail to produce any influence on spontaneous secretory response of CA. These experimental results suggest that hypoxia depresses CA release evoked by both cholinergic stimulation and membrane-depolarization from the isolated rat adrenal medulla, and that this inhibitory activity may be due to the result of the direct inhibition of $Ca^{++}$ influx into the chromaffin cells without any effect on the calcium mobilization from the intracellular store.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 1995

The only compounds with antagonistic activity via AT$_1$receptor, one of two subtypes of angiotensin II (AII) receptor, have been demonstrated to block the vasoconstriction effects of AII and thereby provide therapeutic potential. This initiated the search for compounds with high specific affinity to AT$_1$receptor and their effective screening methods. The radioligand binding assay for the AII receptor is regarded as the primary method for the evaluation of AT$_1$receptor antagonists for their activity. In this paper, we characterized the liver AT$_1$receptor and describe the efficient method of the radioligand binding assay using rat liver as a source of AT$_1$receptor. Equilibrium binding studies with rat adrenal cortex, adrenal medulla, liver and bovine adrenal showed that the specific bindings of [$^3$H] AII were saturable in all tissues and the Scatchard plots of those data were linear, suggesting a single population of binding sites. Hill slopes were very near to the unity in all tissues. Kinetic studies of [$^3$H) AII binding in rat liver homogenates yielded two association rate constants, 4.10$\times$10$^{7}$ M$^{-1}$ min$^{-1}$ and 4.02$\times$10$^{9}$ M$^{-1}$ min$^{-1}$ , with a single dissociation rate constant, 7.07$\times$10$^{-3}$ min-$^{-1}$ , possibly due to the partial dissociation phenomenon. The rank order of inhibition potencies of [$^3$H] AII binding in rat liver was AII>Sarile>Losartan>PD 123177. Rat liver homogenates revealed to have very high density of homogeneous population of the AT$_1$receptor subtype, as the specifically bound [$^3$H] AII was not inhibited by PD 123177, the nonpeptide antagonist of AT$_2$. The results of this study demonstrated that the liver homogenates from rats could be the best receptor preparation for the AT$_1$receptor binding assay and provide an efficient system for the screening of newly synthesized candidate compounds of AT$_1$receptor antagonist.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.113-122
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• 1992

It is well known that chromaffin cells of adrenal medulla secrete catecholamine in response to sympathetic nerve activation and the influx of $Ca^{2+}$ through the voltage dependent $Ca^{2+}$ channels (VDCC) in the cell membrane do a major role in this secretory process. In this study, we explored the effect of divalent cations on VDCC of rat chromaffin cells. Rat (Sprague-Dawley rat, 150-250 gm) chromaffin cells were isolated and cultured. Standard giga seal, whole cell recording techniques were employed to study $Ca^{2+}$ current with external and internal solutions that could effectively isolate VDCC currents $(NMG\;in\;external\;and\;TEA\;and\;Cs^{2+}\;in\;internal\;solution)$. The voltage dependence and the inactivation time course of VDCC in our cells were identical to those of bovine chromaffin cells. A persistent inward current was first activated by depolarizing step pulse from the holding potential (H.P.) of -80 mV to -40 mV, increased to maximum amplitude at around +10 mV, and became smaller with progressively higher depolarizing pulses to reverse at around +60 mV. The inactivation time constant $(\tau)$, fitted from the long duration test potential (2 sec) was $1295.2{\pm}126.8$ msec $(n=20,\;1\;day\;of\;culture,\;mean\;{\pm}S.E.M.)$ and the kinetic parameters were not altered along the culture duration. Nicardipine $(10\;{\mu}M)$ blocked the current almost completely. Among treated divalent cations such as $Cd^{2+},\;Co^{2+},\;Ni^{2+},\;Zn^{2+}\;and\;,Mn^{2+},\;Cd^{2+}$ was the most potent blocker on VDCC. When the depolarizing step pulse from -80 mV to 10 mV was applied, the equilibrium dissociation constant $(K_d)$ of $Cd^{2+}\;was\;39\;{\mu}M,\;K_d\;of\;Co^{2+}\;was\;100\;{\mu}M\;and\;K_d\;of\;Ni^{2+}];was];780{\mu}M.$ The principal findings of this study are as follows. First, the majority of $Ca^{2+}$ channels in rat chromaffin cells are well classified to L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel in the view of kinetics and pharmacology. Second, all divalent cations tested could block the $Ca^{2+}$ current and the most potent blocker among the tested was $Cd^{2+}$.