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Biomedical subjects

A Nishi

Publications and source records attributed to A Nishi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Change in growth kinetics of hybridoma cells entrapped in collagen gel affected by alkaline supply.

The growth yields for glucose and glutamine of murine hybridoma cells entrapped in collagen gel particles were examined during the growth phase. The immobilized hybridoma cells were cultivated in a fluidized bed fermenter where the medium was circulating to supply oxygen separately. Procedures to supply an alkaline solution for adjusting the pH level strongly affected the growth yields. A direct supply of the alkaline solution to the cultivation system reduced both the growth yields for glucose and glutamine, probably due to a local increase in pH level. On the other hand, when fresh medium in which the pH was adjusted to around 8.5 was added to the cultivation system, the growth yields were unchanged even at the same pH level as when direct alkaline supply was used. These results suggest that an indirect alkaline supply could be recommended to adjust the pH level when using medium-circulating-fermenters.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Electrophoretic free mobility and viability of microbial cells: a preliminary study in preparation for space experiments.

Electrophoretic free mobilities (EFM) of four fungal spores and five bacterial cells were determined in 7 mM triethanolamine/acetate (TEA) buffer by means of microscopic electrophoresis (ME) and free flow electrophoresis (FFE). Spores of Aspergillus terreus, Penicillium citrinum, Gliocladium virens, and Rhizopus oryzae had similar EFM from 2.2 to 3.1 microns sec-1/V cm-1. The resolution of the spore mixture by FFE was therefore determined to be poor. Bacterial cells of Salmonella typhimurium LT2 mutants showed a distinctive EFM from 0 to 4.2 microns sec-1/V cm-1, which is a large enough difference to produce a clear separation of each mutant type from the mixture in FFE. The differences in the EFM of bacteria result from defective structures in the lipopolysaccharide of their outer membranes. The viability of bacteria in TEA buffer at 4 degrees C was investigated, and it was found to be stable for 14 days. This period is long enough to allow the performance of space experiments.

Aspergillus↗
PubMed1993

Partial purification and characterization of a polyketide biosynthetic enzyme, 6-hydroxymellein synthase, in elicitor-treated carrot cell extracts.

6-Hydroxymellein synthase, an induced polyketide biosynthetic enzyme in carrot cell extracts, was purified about 240-fold and its properties were compared with those of fatty acid synthetases. Synthetic activity of 6-hydroxymellein was inhibited in the presence of sulfhydryl reagents; however, cerulenin, a well-known inhibitor of fatty acid synthetases, showed no inhibitory activity to the enzyme. Biosynthesis of 6-hydroxymellein includes an NADPH-dependent ketoreduction, and, in this reaction, the 4-pro-S-hydrogen of NADPH was specifically transferred to the compound. On the basis of stereochemical analyses of the biosynthetic process, it was concluded that the product of the ketoreduction is an optically active alcohol of R configuration. These stereo-specificities of the reduction process are identical to those of beta-ketoacyl reductase in fatty acid biosynthesis which are considered to be conserved in all organisms. The synthetic rate of 6-hydroxymellein was markedly reduced when the assay was carried out with deuterium-labeled NADPH. The observed isotope effect on the catalytic rate (kH/kD) was 5.20, suggesting that this ketoreduction is one of the rate-limiting processes in 6-hydroxymellein synthesis. More than 85% of the synthetic activity was found in the soluble fraction of carrot cells, and, unlike in fatty acid synthetases in higher plants, organelle-localizing activity was not observed.

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed1993

Stimulation of calcium influx and calcium cascade by cyclic AMP in cultured carrot cells.

Treatment of cultured carrot (Daucus carota L.) cells with activators of adenylate cyclase, forskolin, and cholera toxin induced the biosynthesis of an antifungal isocoumarin, 6-methoxymellein, in the cells. Addition of dibutyryl cyclic AMP to carrot cell culture also stimulated the accumulation of the compound. The cyclic AMP-evoked 6-methoxymellein production was significantly depressed in the presence of certain inhibitors of calcium cascade such as Ca2+ channel blockers and inhibitors of calmodulin-dependent processes. In dibutyryl cyclic AMP- and forskolin-treated carrot cells, increase in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration was observed as monitored by the fluorescent calcium indicator fluo-3. Cyclic AMP-dependent Ca2+ influx into carrot cells was also confirmed with Ca(2+)-loaded vesicles prepared from the plasma membrane-rich fraction of the cells. Transient increase in Ca(2+)- and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity but not cyclic AMP-dependent protein phosphorylation was detected in the cells of high cyclic AMP concentration. Results obtained in the present work suggest that the increase in cyclic AMP content in carrot cells induces Ca2+ influx across plasma membrane without activating cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase which, then, stimulates calcium cascade in the cells.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMed1993

Renal Na+,K(+)-ATPase in Dahl salt-sensitive rats: K+ dependence, effect of cell environment and protein kinases.

Na+,K(+)-ATPase in renal epithelial cells plays an important role in the regulation of Na+ balance, extracellular volume and blood pressure. The function of renal Na+,K(+)-ATPase in Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats, an animal model for salt-sensitive hypertension, and Dahl salt-resistant (DR) rats has been studied. In Na+,K(+)-ATPase partially purified from renal cortex, affinities and the Hill coefficients for Na+ and K+ activation were similar in DS and DR rats. Only one component of low ouabain affinity site was found in both strains, indicating the presence of the alpha 1 isoform. Protein kinase C and cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylated Na+,K(+)-ATPase alpha subunit in DS and DR rats, and the phosphorylation by protein kinase C was associated with an inhibition of enzyme activity. The kinetic parameters for K+ activation were also studied in a preparation of basolateral membranes and were found to be similar in DS and DR rats. In a preparation of cortical tubule cells, Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity was determined as ouabain-sensitive oxygen consumption (OS QO2). Maximal OS QO2, measured in Na+ loaded cells, was the same in DS and DR rats. The K0.5 for K+ was significantly lower in DS than DR rats (0.163 +/- 0.042 vs. 0.447 +/- 0.061 mM, P < 0.05), indicating that factors regulating Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in intact cells are altered in DS rats. Kinetic parameters for Na+ activation in cells were the same in both strains. In summary, the function of renal Na+,K(+)-ATPase molecule is not altered in DS rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1993

High-salt diet upregulates activity and mRNA of renal Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase in Dahl salt-sensitive rats.

We examined the effect of a high-salt (HS) diet on the regulation of renal cortical Na(+)-K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase (Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase) in young Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) and salt-resistant (DR) rats. The activity of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, determined in permeabilized proximal tubule segments, was similar in DS and DR rats on normal salt (NS) diet. HS diet resulted in a twofold increase in proximal tubule Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity in DS rats but not in DR rats. The mRNA abundance, which was also similar in DS and DR rats on NS diet, increased after 2 days on HS diet in both innervated and denervated kidneys from DS rats but had no effect in DR rats. The activity of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase and the content of alpha 1- and beta-protein in cortical homogenate were similar in DS and DR rats on both NS and HS diets. Treatment with benserazide, an inhibitor of dopa decarboxylase, upregulated proximal tubule Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity and increased Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase mRNA in DR rats on HS diet. Taken together, these data indicate that there is a primary defect in the dynamic hormonal regulation of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity in intact tubular cells, which might stimulate Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase transcription.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Dopamine regulation of renal Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity is lacking in Dahl salt-sensitive rats.

Dopamine is a natriuretic hormone that acts by inhibiting tubular Na+, K(+)-ATPase activity by activation of the dopamine-1 receptor (the thick ascending limb [TAL] of Henle) or by a synergistic effect of dopamine-1 and dopamine-2 receptors (the proximal tubule). The dopamine-1 receptor is coupled to adenylate cyclase. In this article we show that prehypertensive Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats have a blunted natriuretic response to dopamine determined during euvolemic conditions compared with Dahl salt-resistant (DR) rats. Furthermore, we have examined the renal tubular effects of dopamine in DS and DR rats. Basal Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity was similar in DS and DR rats. In proximal tubule, dopamine (10(-5) M) inhibited Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in DR but not in DS rats. The dopamine-2 agonist LY171555 (10(-5) M) together with dibutyryl cyclic AMP (10(-6) M) inhibited proximal tubule Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in both DS and DR rats. LY171555 alone had no effect. In TAL, the dopamine-1 agonist fenoldopam (10(-5) M) inhibited Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in DR but not in DS rats. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (10(-5) M) inhibited TAL Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in both DS and DR rats. In cell suspensions from the cortex and the medulla, activation of the dopamine-1 receptor significantly increased cyclic AMP content in DR but not in DS rats. The results indicate that DS rats lack the capacity to inhibit tubular Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity because of a defective dopamine-1 receptor adenylate cyclase coupling. This defect may contribute to the impaired natriuretic capacity in DS rats.

2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-1H-3-ben↗
PubMed1992

Isolation and partial characterization of haemagglutinins from plasmodia of Physarum polycephalum.

The soluble haemagglutinins produced by plasmodia of Physarum polycephalum were purified by chromatographic methods and resolved into haemagglutinins I and II. On SDS-PAGE, purified haemagglutinins I and II each gave a single band with an apparent molecular mass of 6 and 11 kDa, respectively. The results of gel-filtration chromatography suggested that both haemagglutinins were dimers of the respective subunits under non-denaturing conditions. Rabbit erythrocytes were preferentially agglutinated by both haemagglutinins. The human type A, B and O erythrocytes were agglutinated by haemagglutinin II to an equal degree but were not agglutinated by haemagglutinin I. Simple sugars failed to inhibit the activities of both haemagglutinins. The activities, however, were effectively inhibited by the addition of thyroglobulin. Other glycoproteins such as fetuin, orsomucoid and transferrin inhibited the activity of haemagglutinin I but not that of haemagglutinin II. These haemagglutinins were detected in a slime fraction obtained from the culture media of starved plasmodia, suggesting that they are released to the outside of the plasmalemma to become associated with the slime layer on the plasmodial surface.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

High salt diet down-regulates proximal tubule Na+, K(+)-ATPase activity in Dahl salt-resistant but not in Dahl salt-sensitive rats: evidence of defective dopamine regulation.

We examined the regulation of Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in proximal tubule segments during a high salt diet in prehypertensive Dahl salt-sensitive and salt-resistant rats. Rats were placed on normal salt or high salt diets (0.9% saline as drinking water). During the normal salt diet, Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity was not different between Dahl salt-sensitive and salt-resistant rats. After 2 days and 10 days on a high salt diet, Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in Dahl salt-resistant rats significantly decreased when compared to Dahl salt-resistant rats on a normal salt diet (P less than 0.01). The decreased Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in Dahl salt-resistant rats during a high salt diet was reversed by treatment with an inhibitor of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (dopamine synthesizing enzyme), benserazide. In contrast, Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity did not decrease during the high salt diet and benserazide had no effect on Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in Dahl salt-sensitive rats. These results indicate that Dahl salt-sensitive rats do not have the capacity to down-regulate the proximal tubule Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity during a high salt diet. Indirect evidence suggests that the regulation of Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity by locally produced dopamine is absent in Dahl salt-sensitive rats.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Adrenocorticoid regulation of Na+,K(+)-ATPase in adult rat kidney: effects on post-translational processing and mRNA abundance.

The mechanisms by which adreno-corticoid hormones regulate Na+,K(+)-ATPase in adult kidney were studied in adrenalectomized (Adx) rats. Five days after adrenalectomy, Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity was significantly reduced in the renal cortex homogenate (C = 13.0 +/- 0.8 vs. Adx = 7.1 +/- 0.7 mumol Pi mg-1 protein h-1) and in renal microsomes (C = 30.3 +/- 1.9 vs Adx = 14.6 +/- 1.3 mumol Pi mg-1 protein h-1). Glucocorticoid replacement treatment of adrenalectomized rats with betamethasone (20 micrograms kg-1 body wt twice daily for 5 days) effectively counteracted the observed reduction in Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity. In cortical homogenate the protein level of alpha 1 and beta 1 subunits measured in immunoblots was not significantly different in Adx and control rats, indicating that 5 days after adrenalectomy the alpha 1 and beta 1 subunits were present in renal cortical cells to almost normal extent but could not be assembled into a transmembrane functional unit. In support of this conclusion we found that the protein level of both the alpha 1 and beta 1 subunits was significantly lower (P less than 0.001 for both subunits) in microsomes from Adx than in control rats. The mRNA abundance for alpha 1 and beta 1 subunits were not lower in Adx as compared to control rats 1 and 5 days after surgery. However, if Adx rats were given a single dose of betamethasone (600 micrograms kg-1 body wt), a significant 2-fold increase in both alpha 1 and beta 1 mRNAs was observed (P less than 0.05 for both subunits).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenalectomy↗
PubMed1991

6-Hydroxymellein synthetase as a multifunctional enzyme complex in elicitor-treated carrot root extract.

Synthetic activity of a polyketide compound 6-hydroxymellein was induced in elicitor-treated carrot root tissues. The activity was significantly inhibited by an antiserum raised against the acyl carrier protein (ACP) of fatty acid synthetase, suggesting that the enzyme(s) for 6-hydroxymellein synthesis require(s) a functional unit similar to ACP. However, the synthetic activity was not stimulated by the addition of ACP purified from Escherichia coli and was not lost even after fractionation by gel-filtration chromatography. The active fraction obtained by gel-filtration (136 kDa) was subjected to immunoblot analysis, and a 128 kDa polypeptide in the fraction was found to cross-react with anti-ACP serum. These observations suggest that the biosynthesis of 6-hydroxymellein in carrot cells is catalyzed by an enzyme consisting of a single peptide chain.

Acyl Carrier Protein↗
PubMed1991

Abundance of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase mRNA is regulated by glucocorticoid hormones in infant rat kidneys.

The administration of glucocorticoid hormone (GC) accelerates the postnatal maturation of renal Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity. This study examines the role of GC for the regulation of the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase mRNA abundance in renal cortex during development. In 12- to 14-day-old rats an upsurge in serum GC concentration was accompanied by an increase in Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity and by an apparent increase in mRNA abundance. In 10-day-old rats injected with a single intraperitoneal dose of betamethasone (T) or diluent (C) the abundances of alpha 1- and beta-mRNAs were 1.8- to 2-fold higher in T than in C rats after 20 min. The mRNA abundance of both subunits was threefold higher after 1 h (P less than 0.01), and it was six- to sevenfold higher after 6 h (P less than 0.01). In any given sample there was a coordinate change in alpha 1- and beta-mRNAs relative to C rats. GC did not appear to induce the expression of any alternative catalytic subunit. The alpha 2-mRNA was not detectable in any experimental protocol. Furthermore, the ouabain inhibition of the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, partially purified from the renal cortex, was the same before and after GC. In adult rats injected with betamethasone neither the alpha 1- nor the beta-mRNA abundance was different at any time after injection from those in adult C rats. The rapid onset of the GC effect on mRNA abundance in infant rats suggests that the hormone directly activates the gene for Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase alpha 1-subunit, as well as beta-subunit in the developing kidney, and that GC thereby plays an important role for the postnatal maturation of the kidney.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Derailment product in NADPH-dependent synthesis of a dihydroisocoumarin 6-hydroxymellein by elicitor-treated carrot cell extracts.

Synthetic activity of 6-hydroxymellein, the immediate precursor of carrot phytoalexin 6-methoxymellein, from acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA was induced in carrot cell extracts when the root disks were treated with CuCl2 or oligogalacturonide elicitor. These elicitors showed specific inducing activity of phytoalexin production and did not affect fatty acid synthesis in carrot tissues which may share some common properties with 6-hydroxymellein biosynthesis. 6-Hydroxymellein production was an NADPH-dependent process and, in the absence of the reagent, triacetic acid lactone was produced as a derailment product of the reaction process. This finding suggested that the reduction of the double bond at the 3,4-position of the phytoalexin takes place during the elongation of the poly(oxomethylene) chain. This NADPH-dependent reduction seems to occur at the triacetate stage before the condensation of the third malonyl-CoA as the conversion of carbonyl to hydroxyl group.

Fatty Acids↗
PubMed1988

Carrot phytoalexin alters the membrane permeability of Candida albicans and multilamellar liposomes.

The biochemical basis for the antimicrobial effect of the carrot phytoalexin 6-methoxymellein (6-MM) was examined. At fungistatic concentrations 6-MM retarded the ability of Candida albicans to incorporate radioactive thymidine, uridine and leucine into biopolymers. When C. albicans was incubated with 6-MM, 260-nm-absorbing materials and 3H-labelled compounds leaked from the cells. The inhibitory effects of 6-MM on cell growth and membrane functions were, however, reduced as the concentration of divalent metal cations added to the medium was increased. 6-MM interacted with multilamellar liposomes constituted from phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and dicetyl phosphate, or from phosphatidylcholine only, resulting in the release of glucose trapped in these liposomes. These results suggest that 6-MM exerts its toxic effects on susceptible cells as a result of its interaction with their membranes and disturbance of membrane-associated functions.

Candida albicans↗
PubMed1987

Breakdown of Phosphatidylinositol during the Elicitation of Phytoalexin Production in Cultured Carrot Cells.

Elicitor-induced production of the phytoalexin, 6-methoxymellein, in cultured carrot cells was appreciably depressed by the calmodulin inhibitors N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide and trifluoperazine. An inhibitor of Ca(2+)-phospholipid dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C), 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine, also inhibited the phytoalexin production in carrot. Both phorbol ester and synthetic diacylglycerol, activators of protein kinase C, showed an ability to induce 6-methoxymellein production even in the absence of elicitor. Phosphatidylinositol-degrading phospholipase activity increased in elicitor-treated carrot cells without a notable lag, and a product of this reaction, inositol trisphosphate, appeared to increase in parallel with the phospholipase activity. These results suggest that breakdown of phosphatidylinositol takes place in the elicitor-treated carrot cells. The messengers liberated from the phospholipid in the plasma membrane may participate in the elicitation process by controlling the activity of protein kinase C-like enzyme(s) and Ca(2+)-mediated processes including calmodulin.

Journal Article↗