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Biomedical subjects

C V Dang

Publications and source records attributed to C V Dang.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Higher eukaryotic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in physiologic and pathologic states.

The aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases play a dual role in cell metabolism by synthesizing aminoacyl-tRNAs and an odd dinucleotide diadenosine-5', 5''-P1, P4-tetraphosphate which appears to be involved in DNA replication and the control of cell proliferation. This review is a synthesis of recent results on the structure, genetics, cell biology, physiology, role in neoplasia, and role in autoimmune myositis of the higher eukaryotic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases.

Aging↗

Histidyl-tRNA synthetase, the myositis Jo-1 antigen, is cytoplasmic and unassociated with the cytoskeletal framework.

The myositis-specific anti-Jo-1 autoantibody, which is directed against histidyl-tRNA-synthetase, is found in 30% of polymyositis patients. The Jo-1 antigen has been reported to be a nuclear antigen by some authors. On the contrary we show that less than 2% of the total histidyl-tRNA and lysyl-tRNA synthetase activities are associated with purified rat liver nuclei or the hepatocyte intermediate filament-nuclear fraction. In the presence of polyethylene glycol, in which the high Mr multi-enzyme complex containing lysyl-tRNA synthetase is insoluble, 65% of the lysyl-tRNA synthetase and only 15% of histidyl-tRNA synthetase activities remained associated with the cytoskeletal framework. The Jo-1 antigen exhibited a diffuse granular cytoplasmic distribution in cultured rat hepatocytes as determined by indirect immunofluorescent microscopy. Hence, the Jo-1 antigen is cytoplasmic and unassociated with the cytoskeletal framework or high Mr synthetase complex in situ.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗

Inversion of aerotactic response in Escherichia coli deficient in cheB protein methylesterase.

Mutants of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium that were deficient in protein methylesterase activity encoded by cheB had an inverted response to oxygen; they were repelled by concentrations of oxygen that attract wild-type bacteria. Normal responses to oxygen and phosphotransferase substrates were observed in mutants that were deficient in protein methyltransferase (CheR) and the methyl-accepting transducing proteins (Tsr, Tar, Trg). However, the methylation-independent response to oxygen was modified by the loss of esterase activity. The inversion was apparently effected by the amidated Tsr protein present in cheB tsr+ mutants because aerotaxis was normal in cheB tsr strains. Chemotaxis to phosphotransferase sugars was normal in cheB mutants provided the extreme clockwise bias of the flagellar motors was modified to increase the probability of counterclockwise rotation.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Acute pancreatitis: a complication of Foley catheter gastrostomy.

Acute pancreatitis can be caused by inadvertent migration into the duodenum of the inflated balloon of a Foley gastrostomy catheter. The clinical picture is that of an acute abdomen. The diagnosis is made with a high index of suspicion and confirmed by marked elevation of serum and urine amylase levels. The treatment consists of repositioning of the gastrostomy tube and supportive therapy. Careful external fixation of the tube to the abdominal wall can prevent this complication.

Acute Disease↗

Localization of a fibrinogen calcium binding site between gamma-subunit positions 311 and 336 by terbium fluorescence.

Calcium is required for effective fibrin polymerization. The high affinity Ca2+ binding capacity of fibrinogen was directly localized to the gamma-chain by autoradiography of nitrocellulose membrane blots of fibrinogen subunits incubated with 45Ca2+. Terbium (Tb3+) competitively inhibited 45Ca2+ binding to fibrinogen during equilibrium dialysis, accelerated fibrin polymerization, and limited fibrinogen fragment D digestion by plasmin. The intrinsic fluorescence of Ca2+-depleted fibrinogen was maximally enhanced by Ca2+ and Tb3+, but not by Mg2+, at about 3 mol of cation/mol of fibrinogen. Protein-bound Tb3+ fluorescence at 545 nm was maximally enhanced by resonance energy transfer from tryptophan (excitation at 290 nm) at about 2 mol of Tb3+mol of fibrinogen and about 1 mol of Tb3+/mol of plasmic fragment D94 (Mr 94,000). Fibrinogen fragments D78 (Mr 78,000) and E did not show effective enhancement of Tb3+ fluorescence, suggesting that the Ca2+ site is located within gamma 303 to gamma 411, the peptide which is absent in fragment D78 but present in D94. When CNBr fragments of the carboxyamidated gamma-subunit were assayed for enhancement of Tb3+ fluorescence, peptide CBi (gamma 311-336) bound 1 mol of Tb3+/mol of CBi. Thus, the Ca2+ site is located within this peptide. The sequence between gamma 315 and gamma 329 is homologous to the calmodulin and parvalbumin Ca2+ binding sites.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Interactions of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in high-molecular-weight multienzyme complexes from rat liver.

The functional interaction of Arg-, Ile-, Leu-, Lys- and Met-tRNA synthetases occurring within the same rat liver multienzyme complex are investigated by examining the enzymes catalytic activities and inactivation kinetics. The Michaelis constants for amino acids, ATP and tRNAs of the dissociated aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are not significantly different from those of the high-Mr multienzyme complex, except in a few cases where the Km values of the dissociated enzymes are higher than those of the high-Mr form. The maximal aminoacylation velocities of the individual aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are not affected by the presence of simultaneous aminoacylation by another synthetase occurring within the same multienzyme complex. Site-specific oxidative modification by ascorbate and nonspecific thermal inactivation of synthetases in the purified rat liver 18 S synthetase complex are examined. Lys- and Arg-tRNA synthetases show remarkably parallel time-courses in both inactivation processes. Leu- and Met-tRNA synthetases also show parallel kinetics in thermal inactivation and possibly oxidative inactivation. Ile-tRNA synthetase shows little inactivation in either process. The oxidative inactivation of Lys- and Arg-tRNA synthetases can be reversed by addition of dithiothreitol. These results suggest that synthetases within the same high-Mr complex catalyze aminoacylation reactions independently; however, the stabilities of some of the synthetases in the multienzyme complex are coupled. In particular, the stability of Arg-tRNA synthetase depends appreciably on its association with fully active Lys-tRNA synthetase.

Amino Acids↗

Protective effect of divalent cations in the plasmin degradation of fibrinogen.

Calcium limits the plasmic proteolysis of fibrinogen fragment D by binding to a specific site on the carboxy-terminal segment of the D gamma chain. Employing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to visualize plasmic fragments, Sr2+, Ba2+, and Mn2+ were found to have an equivalent capacity to limit the degradation of fibrinogen fragment D (Mr 94,000). Mg2+, Fe2+, Co2+, and Zn2+ did not comparably limit the digestion of fragment D. Equilibrium dialysis demonstrated that Ba2+ competitively inhibited Ca2+ binding to fibrinogen, suggesting that the ions occupied the Ca2+ binding site of fibrinogen and thereby limited the plasmic digestion of fragment D. The results suggest that Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, and Mn2+ limit plasmin digestion of fragment D by interacting with a Ca2+ binding site in the D domain of the fibrinogen molecule.

Binding Sites↗

Disorganization of cultured vascular endothelial cell monolayers by fibrinogen fragment D.

Fibrinogen fragment D, which is heterogeneous, has several important biological functions. Human fibrinogen fragments D94 (molecular weight, 94,000), D78 (78,000), and E (52,000) were purified. Fragments D78 and D94 but not purified fibrinogen or fragment E specifically caused disorganization of bovine aortic endothelial cells cultured as monolayers. Within 2 hours of exposure to pathophysiological concentrations of fragment D, the confluent endothelial cells retracted from each other and projected pseudopodia. These disturbed cells subsequently became rounded and detached from the substrate. The actin present in stress fibers in stationary monolayer cells was diffusely redistributed in cells with fragment D-induced alterations in morphology. This effect was not observed in monolayers of kidney epithelial cells. The results demonstrate a specific effect of fibrinogen fragment D on the disorganization of cultured vascular endothelial cell monolayers and suggest that fragment D plays a role in the pathogenesis of syndromes with vascular endothelial damage.

Actins↗

A case of agnogenic myeloid metaplasia evolving into acute myelogenous leukemia associated with the development of trisomy 11 in bone marrow cells.

An 83-year-old woman who had a 5-year history of agnogenic myeloid metaplasia and a previous normal marrow cell karyotype presented with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) associated with the development of trisomy 11 in 100% of cultured marrow cells. Isolated trisomy 11 in marrow cells has been reported previously in five cases of AML, suggesting that trisomy 11 is a nonrandom chromosomal aberration associated with AML.

Aged↗

Rat liver histidyl-tRNA synthetase. Purification and inhibition by the myositis-specific anti-Jo-1 autoantibody.

Myositis is an autoimmune inflammatory muscle disease of unknown etiology. We demonstrate directly that the antigen to the myositis-specific anti-Jo-1 antibody is histidyl-tRNA synthetase. The anti-Jo-1 antibody inhibits human HeLa and rat liver histidyl-tRNA synthetase. Using conventional and immunoaffinity chromatography with immobilized anti-Jo-1 antibody, we have purified rat liver histidyl-tRNA synthetase which has a subunit Mr 64,000 and an estimated native Mr suggesting an alpha 2 structure. The evidence indicates that the Jo-1 antigen is histidyl-tRNA synthetase, and that some of the histidyl-tRNA synthetase structure are conserved across species.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗

Structural organization of high-Mr mammalian aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. Comparison of multi-enzyme complexes from different sources.

Many mammalian aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases have been isolated as high-Mr multi-enzyme complexes. These complexes often contain variable contents of synthetase activities. The complexes may also contain molecules other than synthetases such as tRNA. The observed variations in size, polypeptide composition, and content of enzyme activities of the high-Mr synthetase complexes have been sources of confusion in the understanding of the structural organization of these complexes. A unified scheme of structural organization which encompasses most observations on high-Mr complexes reported in the literature is presented.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases↗

Identity of the ubiquitous eukaryotic ring-shaped miniparticle.

Ring-shaped miniparticles with 110A outer diameter which stack up to to form tetrameric rectangular particles (110 X 150A) are ubiquitous in eukaryotic cells. This communication reviews the properties of these miniparticles and shows that the ring-shaped miniparticles are not high-Mr aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complexes but are a recently recognized 19S RNP particle which represses cytoplasmic mRNA translation.

Animals↗

The use of gated radionuclide angiography in the diagnosis of cardiac contusion.

No currently used diagnostic test is an accurate predictor of patients who will develop morbidity or mortality from cardiac contusion. In a prospective study we used gated cardiac radionuclide angiography to assess cardiac function in 30 patients with blunt chest trauma, and we compared the results of this test with those of other diagnostic studies for cardiac contusion to determine whether gated angiography is a more accurate predictor of serious cardiac injury. Diagnostic tests included the following: serial electrocardiograms (ECG), serial creatine phosphokinase muscle-brain isoenzyme (CPK-MB) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzymes, gated cardiac radionuclide angiography, and technetium-99m (Tc-99m) pyrophosphate scintigraphy. Abnormal studies were present in 26 patients; 22 showed abnormalities in CPK-MB, 19 on ECG, and five on gated scan. No patient demonstrated an abnormal Tc-99m pyrophosphate scan or abnormal elevation of LDH isoenzyme. Although no diagnostic test was predictive of morbidity and mortality, CPK-MB isoenzyme was the only test to correlate with morbidity and mortality. Morbidity and mortality correlated most closely with the number of associated major injuries and the presence of hypotension or hypoxia.

Adolescent↗