Exocytotic machinery in neuronal and endocrine tissues is sensitive to changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Endocrine cell models, that are most frequently used to study the mechanisms of regulated exocytosis, are pancreatic beta cells, adrenal chromaffin cells and pituitary cells. To reliably study the Ca2+ sensitivity in endocrine cells, accurate and fast determination of Ca2+ dependence in each tested cell is required. With slow photo-release it is possible to induce ramp-like increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) that leads to a robust exocytotic activity. Slow increases in the [Ca2+] i revealed exocytotic phases with different Ca2+ sensitivities that have been largely masked in step-like flash photo-release experiments. Strikingly, in the cells of the three described model endocrine tissues (beta, chromaffin and melanotroph cells), distinct Ca2+ sensitivity ‘classes’ of secretory vesicles have been observed: a highly Ca2+ -sensitive, a medium Ca2+ -sensitive and a low Ca2+ - sensitive kinetic phase of secretory vesicle exocytosis. We discuss that a physiological modulation of a cellular activity, e.g. by activating cAMP/PKA transduction pathway, can switch the secretory vesicles between Ca2+ sensitivity classes. This significantly alters late steps in the secretory release of hormones even without utilization of an additional Ca2+ sensor protein., J. Dolenšek, M. Skelin, M. S. Rupnik., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Experimental and epidemiological studies suggest that calcium intake is inversely related to weight gain. Calcium of dairy origin has been shown to be more effective in promoting weight loss. However, clinical studies yielded controversial results concerning the role of calcium intake in weight change. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether the addition of calcium can affect the outcome of 3-week weight management (WM) with a hypocaloric diet characterized by a decreased calcium intake. Overweight/obese women (n=67; BMI 32.2±4.1 kg/m2; age 49.1±12.1 years) underwent a 4-week comprehensive WM program. WM included a 7 MJ/day diet resulting in a stable weight during the first week and a 4.5 MJ/day diet with mean daily calcium intake 350 mg during the second to fourth week. Participants were divided into three age- and BMI-matched groups who received placebo or calcium (500 mg/day). Calcium was administered either as carbonate or calcium of dairy origin (Lactoval). There was no significant difference in weight loss in response to WM between the placebo-treated and calcium-treated groups. However, addition of calcium to the diet resulted in a lower hunger score in the Eating Inventory as well as a decrease in plasma resistin levels. Body composition measured by bioimpedance demonstrated that added calcium leads to preservation of fat-free mass. Nevertheless, a greater loss of fat-free mass in the placebo group might be partly due to a greater loss of water., K. Kabrnová-Hlavatá, V. Hainer, M. Gojová, P. Hlavatý, V. Kopský, J. Nedvídková, M. Kunešová, J. Pařízková, M. Wagenknecht, M. Hill, J. Drbohlav., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Previous data concerning the action of calcium (Ca) on gastric acid secretion (GAS) indicated that calcium ions increase GAS elicited by gastrin released through a vagal mechanism, and also by a direct effect on parietal cells. Our research showed that the stimulating effect of calcium on gastric acid secretion can be antagonized by verapamil administration, which reduces gastric acid secretion . In the present study we followed the effect induced by administration of calcium and Ca-chelating agents (disodium EDTA) on gastric acid secretion and on carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity. We selected two groups of healthy volunteers: Group I (n=21) received a single i.v. dose of CaCl2 (15 mg/kg b.w.), whereas Group II (n=22) received a single i.v. dose of disodium EDTA (5 mg/kg b.w.). We determined blood calcium before and after treatment, gastric acid secretion at 2 hours, erythrocyte CA II activity, and CA IV activity in membrane parietal cells, which were isolated from gastric mucosa obtained by endoscopic biopsy. Assessment of carbonic anhydrase activity was achieved by the stopped-flow method. In Group I calcium administration increased blood calcium, HCl output, CA II and CA IV activity as compared to initial values. In Group II, disodium EDTA reduced blood calcium, HCl output, CA II and CA IV activity as compared to initial values. The results demonstrated that increased blood calcium and GAS values after calcium administration correlated with the increase of erythrocyte CA II and parietal cell CA IV activity, while disodium EDTA induced a reversed process. Our results also show that cytosolic CA II and membrane CA IV values are sensitive to calcium changes and they directly depend on these levels. Our data suggest that intra- and extracellular pH changes induced by carbonic anhydrase might account for the modulation of the physiological and pathological secretory processes in the organism., I. Puscas, M. Coltau, M. Baican, G. Domuta, A. Hecht., and Obsahuje bibliografii