Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Cerami

Publications and source records attributed to A Cerami.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Immunochemical detection of advanced glycosylation end products in vivo.

Reducing sugars react with protein amino groups to form a diverse group of protein-bound moieties with fluorescent and cross-linking properties. These compounds, called advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs), have been implicated in the structural and functional alterations of proteins that occur during aging and long-term diabetes. Although several AGEs have been identified on the basis of de novo synthesis and tissue isolation procedures, the measurement of AGE compounds in vivo has remained difficult. As an approach to the study of AGE formation in vivo, we prepared polyclonal antiserum to an AGE epitope(s) which forms in vitro after incubation of glucose with ribonuclease (RNase). This antiserum proved suitable for the detection of AGEs which form in vivo. Both diabetic tissue and serum known to contain elevated levels of AGEs readily competed for antibody binding. Cross-reactivity studies revealed the presence of a common AGE epitope(s) which forms after the incubation of diverse proteins with glucose. Cross-reactive epitopes also formed with glucose 6-phosphate or fructose. These data suggest that tissue AGEs which form in vivo appear to contain a common immunological epitope which cross-reacts with AGEs prepared in vitro, supporting the concept that immunologically similar AGE structures form from the incubation of sugars with different proteins (Horiuchi, S., Araki, N., and Morino, Y. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 7329-7332). None of the known AGEs, such as 4-furanyl-2-furoyl-1H-imidazole, 1-alkyl-2-formyl-3,4-diglycosylpyrrole, pyrraline, carboxymethyllysine, or pentosidine, were found to compete for binding to anti-AGE antibody. These data further suggest that the dominant AGE epitope which forms from the reaction of glucose with proteins under native conditions is immunologically distinct from the structurally defined AGEs described to date.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Inhibition by chloroquine of a novel haem polymerase enzyme activity in malaria trophozoites.

The incidence of human malaria has increased during the past 20 years; 270 million people are now estimated to be infected with the parasite. An important contribution to this increase has been the appearance of malaria organisms resistant to quinoline-containing antimalarials such as chloroquine and quinine. These drugs accumulate in the acid food vacuoles of the intraerythrocytic-stage malaria parasite, although the mechanism of their specific toxicity in this organelle is uncertain. The primary function of the food vacuole is the proteolysis of ingested red cell haemoglobin to provide the growing parasite with essential amino acids. Haemoglobin breakdown in the food vacuole releases haem, which if soluble can damage biological membranes and inhibit a variety of enzymes. Rather than degrading or excreting the haem, the parasite has evolved a novel pathway for its detoxification by incorporating it into an insoluble crystalline material called haemozoin or malaria pigment. These crystals form in the food vacuole of the parasite concomitant with haemoglobin degradation, where they remain until the infected red cell bursts. The structure of haemozoin comprises a polymer of haems linked between the central ferric ion of one haem and a carboxylate side-group oxygen of another. This structure does not form spontaneously from either free haem or haemoglobin under physiological conditions, and the biochemistry of its formation is unclear. Here we report the identification and characterization of a haem polymerase enzyme activity from extracts of Plasmodium falciparum trophozoites, and show that this enzyme is inhibited by quinoline-containing drugs such as chloroquine and quinine. This provides a possible explanation for the highly stage-specific antimalarial properties of these drugs.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Inflammatory cytokines.

The immune system produces cytokines and other humoral factors to protect the host when threatened by inflammatory agents, microbial invasion, or injury. In some cases this complex defense network successfully restores normal homeostasis, but at other times the overproduction of immunoregulatory mediators may actually prove deleterious to the host. Some examples of immune system-mediated injury have been extensively investigated including anaphylactic shock, autoimmune disease, and immune complex disorders. More recently it has become clear that the cytokine cachectin/tumor necrosis factor (TNF) occupies a key role in the pathophysiology associated with diverse inflammatory states and other serious illnesses including septic shock and cachexia. For example, when cachectin/TNF is produced by resident macrophages during early microbial infection, it mediates an inflammatory response that may alienate and repel the attacking organisms. If the infection spreads, however, the subsequent release of large quantities of cachectin/TNF into the circulation may be catastrophic and trigger a state of lethal shock. These toxic effects occur by direct action of TNF on host cells and by the interaction with a cascade of other endogenous mediators including interleukin-1 and interferon-gamma. The biology of cachectin/TNF will be reviewed, along with the potential for modulating the effects of this pluripotent molecule in a variety of pathologic states.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Cloning, sequencing, and demonstration of polymorphism in trypanothione reductase from Crithidia fasciculata.

Trypanothione reductase (TR) is a target for drug design since it is unique to trypanosomatids, substituting for the otherwise ubiquitous enzyme, glutathione reductase. We report the cloning and sequencing of several cDNAs and genes encoding Crithidia fasciculata TR, the structure of which has recently been solved by crystallography. Single base polymorphisms are detected in cDNAs (containing 80% of the coding sequence) and two different genomic clones, including a glutamine to glutamate change in the C-terminal region of the TR coding region; other nucleotide changes are silent. Homology (from genomic clones, both of which contained signals appropriate for expression) to the Trypanosoma congolense gene was 63% at the nucleic acid level, with 68% amino acid identity; the significance of homologies to human and Escherichia coli glutathione reductase sequences is discussed. Polymorphic sites in the genomic clones included sites found in the cDNAs, indicating that differences existing in the genomic sequence are real, and propagated to RNA.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Interleukin-1 alpha expression is inducible by cholinergic stimulation in the rat adrenal gland.

Interleukin-1-like immunoreactivity has earlier been demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in the noradrenaline-containing chromaffin cells of the rat adrenal gland [Schultzberg et al. (1989) Neuroscience 30, 805-810; Schultzberg et al. (1987) J. Neurosci. Res. 18, 184-189]. In this study, we examine the regulation, upon cholinergic stimulation, of the expression of the cytokine interleukin-1 alpha in the rat adrenal gland. Interleukin-1 alpha and interleukin-1 alpha mRNA levels in the adrenal gland are affected by systemic administration of the cholinergic agonists nicotine (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) and carbachol (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.). Both drugs cause an increase in interleukin-1 alpha mRNA levels. In contrast to the increased mRNA levels, nicotine and carbachol reduce the interleukin-1 alpha protein level measured in the rat adrenal gland: nicotine by approximately 30%, 60 min after injection, and carbachol by approximately 55%, 30 min after injection. The interleukin-1 alpha protein level returns to control level 90 min after nicotine injection, and 120 min after carbachol injection. We thus found a large, constitutively expressed and inducible pool of interleukin-1 alpha in the rat adrenal gland, which appears to be sensitive to cholinergic stimulation and which may be responsible for some of the local and systemic effects of interleukin-1 alpha. Experiments with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide show that this substance, which induces interleukin-1 expression and secretion in macrophages, is also able to induce the expression of interleukin-1 alpha mRNA and interleukin-1 alpha in the adrenal gland when injected at the dose of 2 mg/kg, i.p.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1992

Effects of trypanothione on the biological activity of irradiated transforming DNA.

Held et al. (1984a,b) demonstrated previously that glutathione (GSH), a negatively charged thiol, is significantly less efficient in the hydrogen atom donation repair reaction with radicals induced by radiation in transforming DNA (t-DNA) than are other thiol compounds. Fahey et al. (1991a,b) postulated that the charge on thiols can influence their ability to radioprotect DNA. GSH, which is excluded from the vicinity of DNA due to its negative charge, is less protective than neutral or positively charged thiols. We have investigated this phenomenon further with trypanothione, the conjugate of glutathione and spermidine, N1,N8-bis (L-gamma-glutamyl-L-hemicystinyl-glycyl)-spermidine. Trypanothione exists in aerobic solution largely as the disulphide (T(S)2) but is maintained in the cell in the reduced form (T(SH)2) by means of an NADPH-dependent flavo-enzyme, trypanothione reductase (TR). Experimental data show that T(S)2 in the presence of TR radioprotects t-DNA in the absence of oxygen much better than GSH or spermidine alone or in combination. Little radioprotection by T(S)2 is seen when TR is not present. The results obtained with reduced trypanothione at low concentrations suggest that radioprotection of t-DNA in hypoxia occurs predominantly by H atom donation and slightly by .OH radical scavenging, and the protection is greater than that by GSH or spermidine because the polyamine moiety in trypanothione allows a greater concentration of GSH near the DNA molecule.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed1992

Correlation between tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced cytoskeletal changes and human collagenase gene induction.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) has been shown not only to induce the biosynthesis and secretion of collagenase but also to change the organization of cytoskeletal components. In the present study we explore the correlation between the biosynthesis of collagenase (by mRNA hybridization, indirect immunofluorescence and collagenolytic activity), and cytoskeletal reorganization (by rhodamine-phalloidin staining of F-actin) induced in fibroblasts by recombinant TNF (rTNF). In the concentration range of 1-100 ng/ml, rTNF increased extracellular collagenase activity 8-fold and collagenase mRNA 4-fold. In addition, whereas the collagenase mRNA was detected as early as 24 h posttreatment, the appearance of extracellular collagenase activity required 48 h. Using phalloidin to follow the organization of the cytoskeleton we observed that rTNF disrupted the parallel array of stress fibers normally observed in the perinuclear region. In contrast to the time required to affect collagenase synthesis, the effect of rTNF on stress fiber organization occurred as early as 6 h post-treatment. Finally, while the number of cells exhibiting this change increased with increasing concentrations of rTNF, a maximum of about 30% of the cells showed this effect. Interestingly, double staining studies demonstrated that both stress fiber changes and procollagenase production occurred in the same cells. This finding, together with the observation that the cytoskeletal disorganization preceded collagenase gene induction by at least 18 h is consistent with the conclusion that the organizational status of the microfilaments may have a role as a regulator of procollagenase gene expression.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗
PubMed1992

Metabolism and functions of trypanothione in the Kinetoplastida.

Trypanosomatids differ from all other organisms in their ability to conjugate the sulfur-containing tripeptide, glutathione, and the polyamine, spermidine, to form trypanothione [N1,N8-bis(glutathionyl)spermidine]. Together with the NADPH-dependent flavoprotein, trypanothione reductase, the dithiol form of trypanothione provides an intracellular reducing environment in these parasites, substituting for glutathione and glutathione reductase found in the mammalian host. Trypanothione and its related enzymes are involved in defense against damage by oxidants, certain heavy metals, and possibly xenobiotics. Trypanothione and its metabolic precursor, glutathionylspermidine, are also implicated in the modulation of spermidine levels during growth. Several existing trypanocidal drugs interact with the trypanothione system, suggesting that trypanothione metabolism may be a good target for the development of new drugs. The purification and properties of three key enzymes (glutathionylspermidine synthetase, trypanothione synthetase, and trypanothione reductase) are discussed, and the catalytic mechanism, substrate-specificity, and the three-dimensional structure of trypanothione reductase are compared to that of glutathione reductase.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Advanced glycosylation endproducts block the antiproliferative effect of nitric oxide. Role in the vascular and renal complications of diabetes mellitus.

Advanced glycosylation endproducts (AGEs) accumulate on long-lived tissue proteins such as basement membrane collagen and have been implicated in many of the long-term complications of diabetes mellitus. These products originate from glucose-derived Schiff base and Amadori products but undergo a series of complex rearrangement reactions to form ultimately protein-bound, fluorescent heterocycles. AGEs can react with and chemically inactivate nitric oxide (NO), a potent endothelial cell-derived vasodilator and antiproliferative factor. Since mesenchymal cell proliferation is an early and characteristic lesion of diabetic vasculopathy and glomerulopathy, we investigated the possibility that collagen-bound AGEs functionally inactivate the antiproliferative effect of NO. In model cell culture systems, AGEs were found to block the cytostatic effect of NO on aortic smooth muscle and renal mesangial cells. The inactivation of endothelial cell-derived NO by basement membrane AGEs may represent a common pathway in the development of the accelerated vascular and renal disease that accompany long-term diabetes mellitus.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Tumor necrosis factor and regulation of metabolism in infection: role of systemic versus tissue levels.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a pleiotropic cytokine, is produced by macrophages and other cells in a variety of infectious and noninfectious diseases. Ultimately, the net biological effects of TNF may be either beneficial or injurious to the host. For instance, during overwhelming bacterial infection, the acute overproduction of TNF causes septic shock syndrome characterized by hypotension, organ failure, and death. Antibodies against TNF prevent and reverse these sequelae in animal models of septic shock, and their use in humans is currently under investigation in clinical trials. In another instance, TNF has been implicated as an injurious mediator in the state of malnutrition that complicates the course of chronic infection and cancer. Termed cachexia, this chronic syndrome inevitably causes the afflicted host to succumb from weight loss, anorexia, and catabolism of protein and lipid. Experimental studies of animals exposed to TNF for protracted periods indicate that this cytokine is capable of causing cachexia, and the biochemical basis for these catabolic changes has been identified. More recent data indicate that the detrimental metabolic effects of TNF are not dependent upon its circulating levels in the bloodstream, but rather are dependent upon its actions locally in vital organs (e.g., brain). Thus, the metabolic basis for cachexia in infection may be largely dependent upon the amount of cytokine produced in metabolically important tissues. As a result, circulating TNF levels in cachectic patients may not accurately reflect the metabolic state of the host, and do not correlate to weight loss.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Tumor necrosis factor in metabolism of disease: hormonal actions versus local tissue effects.

Tumor necrosis factor is a cytokine that participates in the mediation of numerous diseases associated with inflammation, cachexia, shock, and tissue injury. Early studies of the biology of TNF delineated its hormonal actions as well as its systemic toxicity. More recent investigations have drawn attention to its paracrine actions that predominate when it is produced locally in the brain or vital organs. For instance, when compartmentalized production of TNF occurs in the central nervous system it directly mediates fever, anorexia, and altered whole-body metabolism. Since these changes are mediated within the neural network they occur independently of simultaneously sampled serum TNF levels. These paracrine actions of TNF have implications for diseases associated with production of TNF in tissues (e.g. HIV cerebritis, multiple sclerosis, cerebral malaria and cancer), because they may differ markedly from the hormone like-actions associated with systemic release. Since TNF may be beneficial in some diseases yet injurious in others, both the hormonal and paracrine actions must be precisely defined in order to formulate novel treatment strategies based on either enhancing its useful effects, or suppressing toxicity.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Differential regulation of transforming growth factor beta and interleukin 2 genes in human T cells: demonstration by usage of novel competitor DNA constructs in the quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

The regulation of mRNA encoding transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and interleukin 2 (IL-2) in normal human T cells was explored using novel competitor DNA constructs in the quantitative polymerase chain reaction and accessory cell-independent T cell activation models. Our experimental design revealed the following: (a) TGF-beta mRNA and IL-2 mRNA are regulated differentially in normal human T cells, quiescent or signaled with the synergistic combinations of: sn-1,2-dioctanoylglycerol and ionomycin or anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb) and anti-CD2 mAb; (b) the steady-state level of TGF-beta mRNA in the stimulated T cells, in contrast to that of IL-2 mRNA, is increased by the immunosuppressant cyclosporine (CsA); and (c) the paradoxical effect of CsA on TGF-beta mRNA levels is also appreciable at the level of production of functionally active TGF-beta protein. Our findings, in addition to demonstrating the utility of the competitor DNA constructs for the precise quantification of immunoregulatory cytokines, suggest a novel and unifying mechanistic basis for the immunosuppression and some of the complications (e.g., renal fibrosis) associated with CsA usage.

Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte↗
PubMed1991

Macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1 beta abrogates the capacity of MIP-1 alpha to suppress myeloid progenitor cell growth.

The effects of recombinant murine macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1 beta and MIP-2 on the suppressive activity of MIP-1 alpha were tested using colony formation by human and murine bone marrow burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E), colony-forming unit-granulocyte erythroid macrophage, megakaryocyte (CFU-GEMM), and colony-forming unit-granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM) progenitor cells. MIP-1 beta, but not MIP-2, when added with MIP-1 alpha to cells, blocked the suppressive effects of MIP-1 alpha on both human and murine BFU-E, CFU-GEMM, and CFU-GM colony formation. Similar results were observed regardless of the early acting cytokines used: human rGM-CSF plus human rIL-3, and two recently described potent cytokines, a genetically engineered human rGM-CSF/IL-3 fusion protein and MGF, a c-kit ligand. The more potent the stimuli, the greater the suppressive activity noted. Pulse treatment of hu bone marrow cells with MIP-1 alpha at 4 degrees C for 1 h was as effective in inhibiting colony formation as continuous exposure of cells to MIP-1 alpha, and the pulsing effect with MIP-1 alpha could not be overcome by subsequent exposure of cells to MIP-1 beta. Also, pulse exposure of cells to MIP-1 beta blocked the activity of subsequently added MIP-1 alpha. For specificity, the action of a nonrelated myelosuppressive factor H-ferritin, was compared. MIP-1 alpha and H-ferritin were shown to act on similar target populations of early BFU-E, CFU-GEMM, and CFU-GM. MIP-1 beta did not block the suppressive activity of H-ferritin. Also, hemin and an inactive recombinant human H-ferritin mutein counteracted the suppressive effects of the wildtype H-ferritin molecule, but did not block the suppressive effects of MIP-1 alpha. These results show that MIP-1 beta's ability to block the action of MIP-1 alpha is specific. In addition, the results suggest that MIP-1 alpha and MIP-beta can, through rapid action, modulate early myeloid progenitor cell proliferation.

Bone Marrow↗
PubMed1991

X-ray structure of trypanothione reductase from Crithidia fasciculata at 2.4-A resolution.

Trypanosomes and related protozoan parasites lack glutathione reductase and possess instead a closely related enzyme that serves as the reductant of a bis(glutathione)-spermidine conjugate, trypanothione. The human and parasite enzymes have mutually exclusive substrate specificities, providing a route for the design of therapeutic agents by specific inhibition of the parasite enzyme. We report here the three-dimensional structure of trypanothione reductase from Crithidia fasciculata and show that it closely resembles the structure of human glutathione reductase. In particular, the core structure surrounding the catalytic machinery is almost identical in the two enzymes. However, significant differences are found at the substrate binding sites. A cluster of basic residues in glutathione reductase is replaced by neutral, hydrophobic, or acidic residues in trypanothione reductase, consistent with the nature of the spermidine linkage and the change in overall charge of the substrate from -2 to +1, respectively. The binding site is more open in trypanothione reductase due to rotations of about 4 degrees in the domains that form the site, with relative shifts of as much as 2-3 A in residue positions. These results provide a detailed view of the residues that can interact with potential inhibitors and complement previous modeling and mutagenesis studies on the two enzymes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗