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Biomedical subjects

D Jones

Publications and source records attributed to D Jones.

At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources

The gene coding for the yeast oligomycin sensitivity-conferring protein.

The gene coding for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial oligomycin sensitivity-conferring protein (OSCP) has been sequenced, and the gene products have been characterized. The OSCP is subunit 5 of the mitochondrial ATP synthase, a multimeric protein complex. As such, the gene coding for the yeast OSCP is referred to here as the ATP5 gene. From the predicted primary sequence, the calculated molecular weight of the immature yeast OSCP is 22,813 and the amino acid sequence is 35% identical and 65% homologous to bovine OSCP. A null mutant has been constructed. This mutant strain is unable to grow on glycerol medium, has no detectable oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity, and has no detectable immune reactive proteins with the corresponding molecular weight of the OSCP (using antibodies reactive to the yeast OSCP). The transcription products of the yeast gene have been characterized. There is a single major transcript from the ATP5 gene of 1.05 kilobases. The level of the transcription product is increased from 3-5-fold after growth in galactose medium as compared to cells grown in glucose medium. The transcriptional initiation sites were determined to occur at +68(G) and +69(T) at comparable frequency and were not dependent on the growth medium. These results suggest that transcription of the ATP5 gene is catabolite-repressed.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Ability of the Ca2+ ionophores A23187 and ionomycin to mimic some of the effects of the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate on hydroperoxide production, ornithine decarboxylase activity, and DNA synthesis in mouse epidermis in vivo.

When applied topically to the skin twice at a 48-h interval or thrice at 24-h intervals, 17 nmol of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and 0.2 mumol of A23187 or ionomycin induce the same 3-fold increases of hydroperoxide (HPx) production in mouse epidermis. In contrast, these doses of Ca2+ ionophores applied once or twice at a 48-h interval produce only 3-8% of the 16- or 34-fold inductions of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activities caused by similar TPA treatments. However, these various Ca2+ ionophore treatments mimic entirely the stimulatory effects of TPA on epidermal DNA synthesis at 16 h and produce from 30 to 70% of the DNA responses to TPA at 32 h. Interestingly, the Ca2+ ionophore and TPA treatments applied thrice at 24-h intervals still produce above maximal or submaximal DNA responses, in spite of their very weak ODC-inducing activities or refractoriness against ODC induction. Treatment with alpha-difluoromethylornithine plus methylglyoxal bis-(guanylhydrazone) (1.25 mumol each), which inhibits the activity of the polyamine-synthesizing enzymes, does not block the HPx and DNA responses to TPA. Conversely, 1.6-25-nmol doses of fluocinolone acetonide inhibit both TPA-induced HPx production and DNA synthesis, without affecting ODC induction. The results suggest that the magnitudes of Ca2+ ionophore- and TPA-induced DNA synthesis may be linked to HPx production rather than ODC induction. Each of these three responses appears to be essential but not sufficient for tumor promotion. A23187 may be a poor or incomplete skin tumor promoter because it lacks sufficient ODC-inducing activity and cannot fully maintain the prolonged stimulation of DNA synthesis required for hyperproliferation.

Animals↗

Isolation and characterization of the 32.5 kDa protein from the venom of an endoparasitic wasp.

The major venom proteins from the endoparasitic wasp were analyzed for distribution in the venom gland. A 32.5 kDa protein was purified from the venom gland of the Chelonus near curvimaculatus wasp. The protein accounts for about 25% of the total protein content of the venom and each gland contains 3-6 pmol of this component. The protein is acidic in nature and anion-exchange chromatography facilitated the purification of the protein to apparent homogeneity. On testing the purified protein by in vivo bioassay, it was found to elicit an effect comparable with the complete venom. The protein does not appear to have any disulfide bonds of major structural importance exposed under SDS-denaturing conditions. Products of chemical partial digest of the purified protein at the methionyl residues by cyanogen bromide were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. The 27.6 kDa fragment retained an epitope to an antibody raised against total Chelonus venom proteins, whereas no epitopes were detected for 4.9 and 0.6 kDa fragments.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Disseminated or localized growth of a human B-cell tumor (Daudi) in SCID mice.

A human Burkitt lymphoma (Daudi) has been grown in the mutant mouse called C.B-17 SCID. Twenty-eight days after s.c. injection of Daudi cells, a palpable tumor grew only at the site of injection in all injected mice. In contrast, after intravenous (i.v.) or intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection, macroscopic, disseminated tumors developed. Following i.v. inoculation, tumors grew in the lungs, kidneys, ovaries and adipose tissue, and microscopic tumor infiltrates were observed in the spleen, bone marrow, spinal column and femur, whereas after i.p. injection, the tumors were localized in the abdomen, liver, spleen, ovaries and muscular tunics of the gut, but did not disseminate into the lung or bone marrow. The growth pattern and phenotype of the Daudi cells were similar whether the inoculated tumor cells were derived from the in vitro cell line or from in vivo passaged tumors. The survival time of the tumor-bearing animals was dependent on the dose of i.v.-administered Daudi cells; as few as 100 cells caused death. All mice injected i.v. showed paresis or paralysis of the hind legs just prior to death. This was associated with the presence of neoplastic nodules within the spinal canal. Two surface antigens on Daudi cells (CD19 and CD22) were stably expressed in all the neoplastic lesions. Radiolabelled anti-CD22 antibodies localized in organs infiltrated with tumor, but did not penetrate primary s.c. tumors. This model of disseminated vs. solid tumor should prove useful for evaluating the efficacy of different types and doses of therapeutic antibodies, immunoconjugates and immunotoxins prepared from anti-human B-cell antibodies.

Animals↗

Deposition of amyloid (A4) protein within the brains of persons with dementing disorders other than Alzheimer's disease and Down's syndrome.

Deposition of amyloid (A4) protein was assessed in the cerebral cortex of 26 patients dying with various neurodegenerative disorders, other than Alzheimer's disease. Amyloid deposits were (variably) present in 2/3 (66%) elderly (i.e. over 65 years of age) patients with progressive supranuclear palsy, 4/7 (57%) with Parkinson's disease, 2/5 (40%) with Huntington's chorea and in both elderly patients with frontal lobe dementia but were only rarely seen in any patient before this age. The A4 protein deposits were nearly always of a diffuse type with only an occasional 'cored' neuritic plaque being present. Amyloid deposition in elderly persons may thus relate more to certain aspects of ageing and genetics than to AD, per se. Only in this latter condition are the cerebral cortical amyloid deposits widely associated with a neuritic change and a neurofibrillary degeneration of nerve cells.

Adult↗

The prevalence of amyloid (A4) protein deposits within the cerebral and cerebellar cortex in Down's syndrome and Alzheimer's disease.

The extent of amyloid deposition within the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex was assessed and compared, using anti-amyloid protein (A4) immunostaining and a novel methenamine silver method, in 20 patients aged between 60 and 77 years with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 29 patients aged between 13 and 71 years with Down's syndrome (DS), 26 demented patients with disorders other than AD and DS and in 20 non-demented elderly individuals of age range 60-102 years. In AD, amyloid deposits were noted in the cerebellar cortex in 90% of patients and in the meningeal vessels of the cerebellum in 80% of patients. In DS, amyloid deposits were seen in the cerebellar cortex in 82% of patients over 30 years of age and was universal in patients over 50 years of age. Overall, in DS, amyloid deposits were present in the meningeal vessels of the cerebellum in 79% of patients, but were present in 94% of those patients over 50 years of age. The sites of amyloid deposition in the cerebellar cortex were (poorly) detected by lectin histochemistry (Concanavalin A binding) in only 40% of patients with AD and 43% of all patients with DS (69% of those over 50 years of age). No amyloid deposits were seen in either the cerebellar cortex or its meningeal vessels in any of the 20 non-demented elderly individuals nor in any of the non-Alzheimer demented patients. The cerebellar amyloid deposits were never associated with a neuritic change [i.e. as characterised by the presence of (tau-positive) paired helical filaments (PHF)] and neurofibrillary tangles were seen only in a few cells of the dentate nucleus in a single patient with AD and in three of the elderly DS patients. Amyloid deposits were numerous in the cerebral cortex of all patients with AD and in all, except the 13-year-old patient, with DS. In all the AD patients and in most of the DS patients over 30 years of age, many of the cerebral cortical amyloid deposits were associated with neurites and were strongly recognised by lectin histochemistry. Amyloid deposits were present within the meningeal vessels of the cerebral cortex in 75% patients with AD and 72% of patients, over 30 years of age, with DS (82% of those over 50 years of age). These data indicate that the process of amyloidosis in AD and in elderly DS patients is not restricted to the cerebral cortex and may affect other grey matter regions, particularly the cerebellum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

Preclinical studies with the Faure high energy neutron facility: response of pig skin to fractionated doses of fast neutrons (66 MeVp----Be).

The early and late responses of pig skin to fractionated doses of both unfiltered and filtered (i.e. hardened) neutrons using the Faure neutron therapy facility (66 MeVp----Be) were determined and compared with those following fractionated doses with 60Co gamma-rays. Dose-effect curves for the quantal responses of moist desquamation (early epithelial response) and dermal necrosis (late response) were fitted by probit analysis and ED50 values obtained. For a neutron fractionation scheme comprised of 12 fractions in 26 days, and using an unfiltered beam, the ED50 values for moist desquamation and dermal necrosis were 18.67 +/- 2.22 and 22.25 +/- 0.48 Gy, respectively, whereas in the case of the filtered beam, the corresponding ED50 values were 24.78 +/- 1.44 and 23.30 +/- 0.47 Gy. In order to provide a comparison, the values for 24 fractions of 60Co gamma-rays given in 39 days (a clinical protocol used in the Groote Schuur Hospital) were 74.02 +/- 2.92 and 66.72 +/- 1.93 Gy for moist desquamation and dermal necrosis, respectively. For the unfiltered beam, values for the comparative biological effectiveness (CBE) were 3.96 and 3.00 for the early and late skin response, respectively. The corresponding CBE values were for the filtered beam 2.99 and 2.86. These results for the Faure neutron therapy facility can be extrapolated to the human situation with a high degree of confidence, so that the neutron dose which would yield acceptable skin damage in patients may be determined using the data presented here.

Animals↗

The impact of osteonectin for differential diagnosis of bone tumors. An immunohistochemical approach.

75 osteosarcoma at various grades of histologic differentiation, including chondroblastic and small cell variants, and 5 fibrosarcomas of bone, 5 Ewing's sarcomas, 5 malignant fibrous histiocytomas of bone, 8 chondrosarcomas, and 2 dedifferentiated chondrosarcomas, were investigated immunohistochemically for evidence of osteonectin. According to the results of our study, osteonectin is present in all osteosarcomas, with special topographic preponderance in the osteoblastic and chondroblastic variants. Evidence of osteonectin was also found in all other bone tumors we had analysed so far. In chondrosarcomas, positive reactions appeared only in the vicinity of trabeculae and in dedifferentiated areas. Thus, osteonectin cannot be regarded as a bone-specific protein. Although a high affinity for the osseous matrix is one of its undoubted features, it is therefore unsuitable for differential diagnostic purposes.

Bone Neoplasms↗

The differentially expressed 16-kD heat shock genes of Caenorhabditis elegans exhibit differential changes in chromatin structure during heat shock.

The 16-kD heat shock genes of Caenorhabditis elegans are encoded by four highly similar genes, arranged as divergently transcribed pairs. In spite of the high level of identity that exists between the HSP16 genes, after 2 hr of heat shock the mRNA from one locus accumulates at 7-14 times the level of that from the other locus. To determine if differential HSP16 gene transcriptional activity contributes to these differences, we examined the chromatin structure of the HSP16 genes in nonshocked embryos and in embryos undergoing both the initial phases of heat shock and after 2 hr of heat shock. To carry out these studies, we developed a nuclei isolation procedure that has allowed us to prepare large amounts of nuclei from C. elegans embryos, larvae, and adults that are essentially free of endogenous nuclease and protease activities and appear to be an excellent substrate for investigating chromatin structure in C. elegans. This procedure has enabled us to report the first observations of C. elegans basic chromatin structure, as well as characterize HSP16 chromatin structure in detail. The data suggest that differential HSP16 RNA accumulation following 2 hr of heat shock appears to be correlated with a change in the chromatin structure of one of the HSP16 loci to a preinduction, transcriptionally inactive configuration.

Animals↗

Biochemical and immunological studies of proteins from polydnavirus Chelonus sp. near curvimaculatus.

Polydnavirus from Chelonus sp. curvimaculatus (CcV) was purified and 18 structural polypeptides associated with CcV were identified by silver staining. Antibodies were raised against CcV protein and used in testing for ovary and in stung eggs. It was also established that the virus does not enter during the first 5 s of oviposition. Furthermore, no degradation of the virus proteins was Detected inside the egg within 2 h after oviposition. The glycoprotein nature of virus proteins was also determined by concanavalin A/horseradish peroxidase staining. The amino acid compositions of the most highly abundant peptides (41K, 33K, 21K, 17K and 13K) were determined, as was the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 41K protein. The latter did not show similarity with any reported protein sequences.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Numerical taxonomic analysis of imperfect yeast species in Candida and Torulopsis shows no basis for generic separation.

A numerical taxonomic analysis was performed on 79 phenotypic characters of 147 imperfect yeast species currently assigned to the genus Candida. The characters used were drawn from two monographs on yeast taxonomy. The analysis revealed 10 clusters of three or more species that were similar at the level of 75% or more, and seven clusters containing only one or two species. None of the 10 major clusters contained exclusively species that were traditionally assigned to the genus Torulopsis, while the 12 Candida species of basidiomycetous affinity fell into three clusters with only one species of ascomycetous affinity included. Statistical determination of the five most important differential characters for each cluster failed to show the property of pseudomycelium/mycelium formation as significant for any cluster. The study provides no evidence to support a distinction between taxa that were formerly divided between the genera Candida and Torulopsis and supports previous proposals that these genera should be fused.

Candida↗

A morphological analysis of senile plaques in the brains of non-demented persons of different ages using silver, immunocytochemical and lectin histochemical staining techniques.

The prevalence and severity of senile plaque (SP) formation was investigated in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and amygdala of 60 non-demented individuals of age range 6-84 years, using immunocytochemical (anti-A4 amyloid, anti-PHF protein), lectin histochemical (Con A binding) and silver (Methenamine (MS) and Palmgren), staining methods. By at least one of these methods, 18 patients showed the presence of SP within one or more of these brain regions; 15 of these patients were over 60 years of age. Comparisons between each staining method showed that, in the hippocampus and amygdala all five methods detected the presence and number of SP equally well, whereas, in the cerebral cortex, MS and anti-A4 staining demonstrated more SP in a greater number of patients than did either Con A or Palmgren silver and anti-PHF staining. The additional SP detected by these former two staining methods contained diffuse deposits of amyloid (A4) protein, and sometimes also large clumps of Con A positive material, but no neurites as detected by Palmgren or anti-PHF staining. Such SP closely resemble those seen in the cerebral cortex of young patients with Down's syndrome, and which are thought to be an early form of SP. The relationship between the pathological changes in these non-demented patients and a possible diagnosis of early Alzheimer's disease is discussed.

Adolescent↗

Development of an optimized system for electroporation of Listeria species.

Electroporation was used to facilitate transformation of Listeria species with plasmid DNA. Optimal conditions for transformation of L. monocytogenes were a field strength of 8.5 kV/cm, 200 Ohms resistance, 25 microF capacitor with a time constant of 5 ms. With these conditions, 3.9 x 10(6) transformants/micrograms DNA were obtained. Under the same conditions, L. innocua and L. ivanovii exhibited a frequency of transformation similar to that of L. monocytogenes but a somewhat lower level was obtained with L. seeligeri.

Cell Membrane Permeability↗