title: In vitro effect of hydrocortisone on calcium distribution in rat thymocytes.
abstract: Chlorotetracycline (CTC) was used as a fluorescence indicator to investigate the intracellular membrane-bound Ca2+ redistribution in the hydrocortisone (HC)-treated rat thymocytes. The effect of HC (0.1-1 microM) on the thymocytes incubated in Ca2+ containing media for 60-120 min increased 1.5-fold the quantity of membrane-bound Ca2+ in the plasma membrane. When thymocytes were incubated in Ca(2+)-free media, no HC-induced changes in the Ca2+ pool of plasma membrane were revealed. In the presence of inhibitors of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation, the CTC fluorescence intensity in the HC-treated cells decreased to a greater extent than in the control, thereby indicating an increase in the mitochondrial Ca2+ pool. Using inhibitors of endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (vanadate, BHQ). HC was shown to decrease the non-mitochondrial Ca2+ pool. Calmodulin blockers (triphthasine and R24) slightly decreased the CTC fluorescence intensity in the HC-treated cells as compared to the control. HC was found to inhibit the calmodulin-mediated Ca2+ accumulation in the thymocyte membrane. Based on the experiments using AlF4, we concluded that HC stimulates the activity of G-proteins through the receptor-mediated mechanism. A possible role of the observed Ca2+ redistribution between the thymocyte intracellular compartments, specifically between mitochondria and reticulum, is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Tashkent State University, Uzbekistan.
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Sukocheva
authors.forename: Z Z
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Gizatullina
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Gagelgans
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002751:Chlortetracycline / Q000737:chemistry; D004533:Egtazic Acid; D005453:Fluorescence; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004533:Egtazic Acid; D002118:Calcium; D002751:Chlortetracycline; D006854:Hydrocortisone