The recent demonstration of K+ channel dysfunction in fibroblasts from Alzheimer disease (AD) patients and past observations of Ca2+-mediated K+ channel modulation during memory storage suggested that AD, which is characterized by memory loss and other cognitive deficits, might also involve dysfunction of intracellular Ca2+ mobilization. Bombesin-induced Ca2+ release, which is inositol trisphosphate-mediated, is shown here to be greatly enhanced in AD fibroblasts compared with fibroblasts from control groups. Bradykinin, another activator of phospholipase C, elicits similar enhancement of Ca2+ signaling in AD fibroblasts. By contrast, thapsigargin, an agent that releases Ca2+ by direct action on the endoplasmic reticulum, produced no differences in Ca2+ increase between AD and control fibroblasts. Depolarization-induced Ca2+ influx data previously demonstrated the absence of between-group differences of Ca2+ pumping and/or buffering. There was no correlation between the number of passages in tissue culture and the observed Ca2+ responses. Furthermore, cells of all groups were seeded and analyzed at the same densities. Radioligand binding experiments indicated that the number and affinity of bombesin receptors cannot explain the observed differences. These and previous observations suggest that the differences in bombesin and bradykinin responses in fibroblasts and perhaps other cell types are likely to be due to alteration of inositol trisphosphatemediated release of intracellular Ca2+.A number of cellular changes have been observed in fibroblasts from patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). These include abnormality of glucose and energy-related metabolism (1), defective release of a cholinergic factor (2), abnormal f8-amyloid expression and processing (3), changes in Ca2+ metabolism (30-34), and altered p-adrenergic-induced cAMP formation (4). The recent demonstration of K+ channel dysfunction in AD fibroblasts (5, 6) and past observations of Ca2+-mediated K+ channel modulation during memory storage (7) suggested that AD, which is characterized by memory loss and other cognitive deficits (8, 9), might also involve dysfunction of intracellular Ca2+ mobilization. Bombesin (10-12), an agent that activates phospholipase C (PLC) to generate inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (1P3) (13)(14)(15) different for AD and control fibroblasts. f-Amyloid protein (23-25) itself, while causing the previously observed inactivation of K+ channels in AD fibroblasts, had no effect on the bombesin-elicited Ca2+ signals. These and other findings, together with measurements of bombesin receptor number, suggest that PLC/G-protein coupling and/or IP3 receptors are responsible for differences in Ca2+ responses between AD and non-AD fibroblasts. METHODSCell Lines. Human skin fibroblasts (Table 1) were purchased from the Coriell Cell Repositories (Camden, NJ). Cells were seeded and maintained as described (5). The number of passages was not significantly different between groups [AD, 10.9 ± 1.3 (mean ± SEM), n = 10; AC, 11.5 + 0.8, n = 8;...

Classical novae are the most common astrophysical thermonuclear explosions, occurring on the surfaces of white dwarf stars accreting gas from companions in binary star systems. Novae typically expel about 10(-4) solar masses of material at velocities exceeding 1,000 kilometres per second. However, the mechanism of mass ejection in novae is poorly understood, and could be dominated by the impulsive flash of thermonuclear energy, prolonged optically thick winds or binary interaction with the nova envelope. Classical novae are now routinely detected at gigaelectronvolt γ-ray wavelengths, suggesting that relativistic particles are accelerated by strong shocks in the ejecta. Here we report high-resolution radio imaging of the γ-ray-emitting nova V959 Mon. We find that its ejecta were shaped by the motion of the binary system: some gas was expelled rapidly along the poles as a wind from the white dwarf, while denser material drifted out along the equatorial plane, propelled by orbital motion. At the interface between the equatorial and polar regions, we observe synchrotron emission indicative of shocks and relativistic particle acceleration, thereby pinpointing the location of γ-ray production. Binary shaping of the nova ejecta and associated internal shocks are expected to be widespread among novae, explaining why many novae are γ-ray emitters.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) characteristically presents with early memory loss. Regulation of K ؉ channels, calcium homeostasis, and protein kinase C (PKC) activation are molecular events that have been implicated during associative memory which are also altered or defective in AD. PKC is also involved in the processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), a central element in AD pathophysiology. In previous studies, we demonstrated that benzolactam (BL), a novel PKC activator, reversed K ؉ channels defects and enhanced secretion of APP␣ in AD cells. In this study we present data showing that another PKC activator, bryostatin 1, at subnanomolar concentrations dramatically enhances the secretion of the ␣-secretase product sAPP␣ in fibroblasts from AD patients. We also show that BL significantly increased the amount of sAPP␣ and reduced A␤40 in the brains of APP[V717I] transgenic mice. In a more recently developed AD double-transgenic mouse, bryostatin was effective in reducing both brain A␤40 and A␤42. In addition, bryostatin ameliorated the rate of premature death and improved behavioral outcomes. Collectively, these data corroborate PKC and its activation as a potentially important means of ameliorating AD pathophysiology and perhaps cognitive impairment, thus offering a promising target for drug development. Because bryostatin 1 is devoid of tumor-promoting activity and is undergoing numerous clinical studies for cancer treatment in humans, it might be readily tested in patients as a potential therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease.