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Biomedical subjects

D Park

Publications and source records attributed to D Park.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Neonatal screening for sickle cell disease in a metropolitan university hospital: efficacy and problems.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of a screening programme to identify infants with sickle cell anaemia. SETTING: A metropolitan university hospital. METHOD: 4845 (73.3%) newborn cord blood samples from 6271 infants born in the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital over a two year period were tested for the presence of haemoglobinopathies. The patient group comprised approximately 44% white Americans and 51% African Americans. Diagnoses of haemoglobinopathies were established by cellulose acetate (pH 8.6) and citrate agar (pH 6.2) electrophoresis, and thin layer isoelectric focusing. RESULTS: 17 African American infants were suspected of having sickle cell anaemia and their families were notified and called for retesting to confirm the diagnosis. Fourteen of these families responded; retesting confirmed the diagnosis of sickle cell anaemia in 12 (86%), and the remaining two (14%) had sickle cell trait. The other three families never responded and all efforts to reach them were unsuccessful so the diagnosis could not be confirmed. The infants for whom the diagnosis of sickle cell anaemia was confirmed were treated prophylactically with penicillin and enrolled in sickle cell programmes. Of 398 infants with an abnormal haemoglobin (Hb), 170 (3.5% of all infants tested) showed sickle trait, 63 (1.3%) showed Hb C trait, and 165 samples (3.4%) showed Hb Bart's. Letters of notification were sent to those families whose infants had sickle trait or Hb C trait. Thirty three (16%) families responded and asked for additional information, counselling, or testing of other family members. Three of these families (about 0.1% of all white subjects tested) were white subjects of Italian, English, and Polish ancestry, and all of their infants had sickle trait. Additional testing on other family members showed that one black parent had Hb SC disease that had not previously been diagnosed as the subject was asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: A screening programme for newborns in a metropolitan hospital (a) was effective in identifying and treating infants with sickle cell anaemia with prophylactic penicillin, (b) was associated with difficulties in tracking infants and their families in about 30% of suspected cases of sickle cell disease, (c) found that sickle trait is not uncommon in white subjects, and (d) found that "silent" sickle cell disorders to occur among American black subjects.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗

The influence of separation orientation on life satisfaction in the elderly.

Good health, involvement in social activity, and the presence of a confidant have all been found to be important factors for life satisfaction of the elderly. However, there is a significant minority of the elderly for whom these findings do not hold. The results of this study indicate that individuals' separation orientation helps explain the differential impact of important environmental factors on life satisfaction. Those who are overly dependent tend to be more adversely affected by poor self-rated health and inadequate formal activity than balanced or overly self-sufficient participants. In contrast, the presence of a confidant was associated with higher life satisfaction scores for overly dependent participants, but was associated with decreased life satisfaction for overly self-sufficient participants.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Effect of adenylate cyclase inhibitor and protein kinase C inhibitor on GnRH-induced LH release and LH beta subunit biosynthesis in rat anterior pituitary cells.

According to our previous studies together with others, GnRH, a hypothalamic decapeptide, has been known to be a major regulator for LH release and its subunit biosynthesis in anterior pituitary gonadotropes. But the precise mechanisms by which GnRH exerts stimulatory effects on LH release and its subunit biosynthesis have not been clearly understood. In the present study we examined the effect of GnRH on protein kinase C (PKC) activity and intracellular cAMP content in cultured anterior pituitary cells of rat to clarify whether PKC or cAMP are involved in GnRH action. Moreover, we examined the effects of staurosporine (ST), a PKC inhibitor and 2',3'-dideoxyadenosine (2',3'-DDA), an adenylate cyclase inhibitor, on LH release and steady state LH beta subunit mRNA levels in cultured anterior pituitary cells of rat. PKC activity was rapidly increased within 30 min after GnRH treatment whereas intracellular cAMP level was elevated 18 h after GnRH treatment. ST significantly inhibited GnRH-induced LH release and LH beta subunit mRNA levels in a dose-dependent manner, showing an half maximal response at 50 nM ST. 2',3'-DDA inhibited GnRH-induced LH release and LH beta subunit mRNA levels in a dose-dependent manner in pituitary cells. From these results, it is suggested that GnRH stimulates LH beta subunit mRNA level as well as LH release in anterior pituitary cells and this GnRH action might be mediated by PKC activation and cAMP stimulation.

Adenylyl Cyclase Inhibitors↗

Cloning, sequencing, purification, and Gq-dependent activation of phospholipase C-beta 3.

Six mammalian phospholipase C isozymes (PLC-beta 1, PLC-beta 2, PLC-gamma 1, PLC-gamma 2, PLC-delta 1, and PLC-delta 2) have been identified at both protein and DNA levels. Here, cDNAs corresponding to a previously unidentified PLC isozyme were isolated from a rat thyroid cell FRTL cDNA library. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequence of this new PLC with other known PLC isozymes revealed a high degree of overall similarity with PLC-beta 1 and PLC-beta 2. Thus, the new PLC was named PLC-beta 3. Comparison with PLC-beta 1 and PLC-beta 2 also revealed that the deduced amino-terminal sequence of PLC-beta 3 was incomplete by 10-20 amino acids. With the use of antibodies raised against synthetic peptides corresponding to PLC-beta 3-specific amino acid sequences, we purified PLC-beta 3 from a rat brain particulate fraction. The purified enzyme exhibited an apparent molecular mass of 152 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide gels, as compared with 150 and 140 kDa for PLC-beta 1 and PLC-beta 2, respectively. Studies of the activation of PLC-beta isozymes by three alpha subunits of Gq class G proteins, alpha q, alpha 11, and alpha 16 in the presence of guanosine 5-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S) revealed that the extent of activation decreased in the order of PLC-beta 1 > or = PLC-beta 3 >> PLC-beta 2 for all three alpha subunits, suggesting a certain degree of specificity in the interaction of Gq alpha subunits with different PLC-beta isozymes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Activation of phospholipase C isozymes by G protein beta gamma subunits.

The beta gamma subunits of guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) have been shown to activate unidentified phospholipase C (PLC) isozymes (Camps, M., Hou, C., Sidiropoulos, D., Stock, J. B., Jakobs, K. H., and Gierschik, P. (1992) Eur. J. Biochem. 206, 821-831; Blank, J. L., Brattain, K. A., and Exton, J. H. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 23069-23075). To identify these target PLC isozymes, we measured the effect of bovine brain G protein beta gamma subunits on PLC-beta 1, PLC-beta 2, PLC-beta 3, PLC-gamma 1, and PLC-delta 1 activity by reconstituting purified protein components with lipid vesicles containing [3H]phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns 4,5-P2). A nearly saturating concentration of beta gamma produced 2.5-, 4-, 8.5-, and 2-fold increases in PLC-beta 1, PLC-beta 2, PLC-beta 3, and PLC-delta 1 activity, respectively, and no activation of PLC-gamma 1, in the presence of 0.2 microM free Ca2+. The beta gamma-dependent activation of the PLC-beta isozymes does not appear to be the result of increased affinity of the enzymes for Ca2+. The beta gamma-dependent PLC activation could be reversed by addition of the GDP-bound form of the alpha subunit of G(o). The alpha subunits of Gq class G proteins have been shown to activate PLC-beta isozymes in the order of PLC-beta 1 > or = PLC-beta 3 >> PLC-beta 2, which differs from the order of PLC-beta 3 > PLC-beta 2 > PLC-beta 1 for beta gamma-dependent activation. Furthermore, the half-maximal concentration of beta gamma (25 nM) required to activate PLC-beta 3 is much higher than that of Gq alpha subunits (0.6 nM) required to activate PLC-beta 1. These results suggest that the extracellular signals that induce the dissociation of G(o) or Gi, the heterotrimeric G proteins abundant in brain, should enhance the hydrolysis of PtdIns 4,5-P2 in brain primarily through activation of PLC-beta 3 (PLC-beta 2 is not detectable in brain). However, signals that activate the less abundant Gq class heterotrimers should result in the activation primarily of PLC-beta 1 and PLC-beta 3 by the corresponding alpha subunits.

Animals↗

Removal of the carboxyl-terminal region of phospholipase C-beta 1 by calpain abolishes activation by G alpha q.

The 150-kDa phospholipase C (PLC)-beta 1 and three immunologically related proteins with molecular sizes of 140, 100, and 45 kDa were purified from bovine brain extracts. Determination of the amino-terminal amino acid sequence of the 45-kDa protein and immunoblots of the purified proteins with sequence-specific antibodies to peptides corresponding to three different regions of PLC-beta 1 suggest that a single cleavage at the linkage between amino acid residues 880 and 881 of PLC-beta 1 generates the 100- and 45-kDa proteins, which correspond to the amino-terminal and carboxyl-terminal portions, respectively, of PLC-beta 1. The Ca(2+)-dependent protease calpain appears to be responsible for the cleavage of PLC-beta 1; the PLC-beta 1 amino acid sequence contains PEST sequences which are common to proteins susceptible to calpain, and limited proteolysis of purified PLC-beta 1 by calpain generated a 100-kDa protein and a 40-kDa protein that contains the same amino-terminal sequence as the 45-kDa protein. The 140-kDa protein lacks the carboxyl-terminal-most region of PLC-beta 1, but there is no evidence it is derived from PLC-beta 1 by proteolysis. Cleavage of PLC-beta 1 by calpain had no significant effect on catalytic activity measured in the absence of the alpha subunit of the G alpha q but completely abrogated the stimulatory effect of G alpha q. On the other hand, G alpha q activated the 140-kDa enzyme. These results suggest that the region between residue 881 and the most carboxyl-terminal 10 kDa of PLC-beta 1 contains the G alpha q interaction site.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Members of the Gq alpha subunit gene family activate phospholipase C beta isozymes.

The relative specificities of members of the G alpha q family of GTP-binding proteins were tested for their ability to activate different phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) beta isozymes. Cos-7 cells were transfected with cDNA corresponding to G alpha q, G alpha 11, G alpha 14, and G alpha 16. Most of the recombinant protein was bound to the cell membrane and these membranes were washed to elute endogenous PI-PLC activity. The membrane preparation was reconstituted with purified preparations of the PI-PLC beta isozymes and guanosine 5'-O-thiotriphosphate (GTP gamma S)-stimulated enzyme activity was measured. All four proteins of the G alpha q family were found to stimulate PI-PLC beta 1, with G alpha q and G alpha 11 being most efficient. On the other hand, G alpha 16 was found to most effectively activate PI-PLC beta 2, while G alpha q, G alpha 11, and G alpha 14 showed less stimulation. Specific anti- G alpha 16 antibody blocked the stimulation of both PI-PLC beta 1 and PI-PLC beta 2 in the enriched membrane fraction. We conclude that there is specificity in the interaction of different members of the Gq family with different PI-PLC beta effectors. This specificity may be important in generating tissue- or receptor-specific responses in vivo.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cloning, sequencing, expression, and Gq-independent activation of phospholipase C-beta 2.

cDNAs corresponding to a previously uncharacterized phospholipase C were isolated from an HL-60 cell cDNA library. The cDNAs encodes a putative polypeptide of 1181 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 133,700 daltons. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of the predicted protein with those of five mammalian phospholipase C isoforms (PLC-beta 1, PLC-gamma 1, PLC-gamma 2, PLC-delta 1, and PLC-delta 2) revealed that the new enzyme is most closely related to PLC-beta 1 with an overall amino acid sequence identity of 48%. Thus, the new phospholipase C was named PLC-beta 2. The least similarity between PLC-beta 1 and PLC-beta 2 is apparent in the carboxyl-terminal 450 amino acids. Both PLC-beta 1 and PLC-beta 2 were purified from extracts of HeLa cells that had been transfected with vaccinia virus containing the corresponding cDNAs. Like other mammalian PLC isoforms, including PLC-beta 1, the catalytic activity of PLC-beta 2 was entirely dependent on Ca2+, and PLC-beta 2 preferred phosphatidyl-inositol 4,5-bisphosphate to phosphatidylinositol as substrate. Recently, the alpha subunit of the pertussis toxin-insensitive G-protein alpha q has been shown to activate PLC-beta 1 but not PLC-gamma 1 and PLC-delta 1. When alpha q purified from bovine brain was reconstituted with PLC-beta 1 or PLC-beta 2, no stimulation of PLC-beta 2 was observed in the presence of either AlF4- or guanosine 5-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S), whereas PLC-beta 1 activity was enhanced markedly in the presence of AlF4- and less markedly but significantly in the presence of GTP gamma S. These results suggest that the receptor-dependent stimulation of PLC-beta 1 and that of PLC-beta 2 may require different G-protein alpha subunits. (see also accompanying article (Lee, C. H., Park, D., Wu, D., Rhee, S. G., and Simon, M. I. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 16044-16047).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

DMC1: a meiosis-specific yeast homolog of E. coli recA required for recombination, synaptonemal complex formation, and cell cycle progression.

DMC1 is a new meiosis-specific yeast gene. Dmc1 protein is structurally similar to bacterial RecA proteins. dmc1 mutants are defective in reciprocal recombination, accumulate double-strand break (DSB) recombination intermediates, fail to form normal synaptonemal complex (SC), and arrest late in meiotic prophase. dmc1 phenotypes are consistent with a functional relationship between Dmc1 and RecA, and thus eukaryotic and prokaryotic mechanisms for homology recognition and strand exchange may be related. dmc1 phenotypes provide further evidence that recombination and SC formation are interrelated processes and are consistent with a requirement for DNA-DNA interactions during SC formation. dmc1 mutations confer prophase arrest. Additional evidence suggests that arrest occurs at a meiosis-specific cell cycle "checkpoint" in response to a primary defect in prophase chromosome metabolism. DMC1 is homologous to yeast's RAD51 gene, supporting the view that mitotic DSB repair has been recruited for use in meiotic chromosome metabolism.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Definition of linear antigenic regions of the HPV16 L1 capsid protein using synthetic virion-like particles.

Mice of three haplotypes (H-2d, H-2b, and H-2d/b) were immunized with synthetic HPV16 virus-like particles (VLPs), produced using a vaccinia virus doubly recombinant for the L1 and L2 proteins of HPV16. The resultant anti-VLP antisera recognized HPV16 capsids by ELISA assay and baculovirus recombinant HPV16 L1 and L2 protein on immunoblot. Overlapping peptides corresponding to the HPV16 L1 amino acid sequence were used to define the immunoreactive regions of the L1 protein. The majority of the L1 peptides were reactive with IgG from the mice immunized with the synthetic HPV16 capsids. A computer algorithm predicted seven B epitopes in HPV16 L1, five of which lay within peptides strongly reactive with the murine antisera. The murine anti-VLP antisera failed to react with the two peptides recognized by anti-HPV16L1 monoclonal antibodies raised by others against recombinant L1 fusion protein. We conclude that the immunoreactive epitopes of HPV16 defined using virus-like particles differ significantly from those defined using recombinant HPV16 L1 fusion proteins, which implies that such fusion proteins may not be the antigens to look for HPV16L1 specific immune responses in HPV-infected patients.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Phosphorylation of Nck in response to a variety of receptors, phorbol myristate acetate, and cyclic AMP.

The 47-kDa protein coimmunoprecipitated with phospholipase C (PLC)-gamma 1 by anti-PLC-gamma 1 monoclonal antibodies is proved to be Nck, a protein composed almost exclusively of one SH2 and three SH3 domains. Nck and PLC-gamma 1 are recognized by certain anti-PLC-gamma 1 monoclonal antibodies because Nck and PLC-gamma 1 share an epitope that likely is located in their SH3 domains. Nck is widely distributed in rat tissues, with an especially high level of expression in testes. The expression levels of Nck remains unchanged during the development of rat brain, whereas PLC-gamma 1 decreases during the same developmental period. Stimulation of A431 cells with epidermal growth factor elicits the tight association of Nck with the epidermal growth factor receptor and phosphorylation of Nck on both serine and tyrosine residues. The phosphorylation of Nck is also enhanced in response to stimulation of the nerve growth factor receptor in PC12 cells, the T-cell receptor complex in Jurkat cells, the membrane immunoglobulin M in Daudi cells, and the low-affinity immunoglobulin G receptor (Fc gamma RII) in U937 cells. The phosphorylation of Nck was also enhanced following treatment of A431 cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or forskolin. These results suggest that Nck is a target for a variety of protein kinases that might modulate the postulated role of Nck as an adaptor for the physical and functional coordination of signalling proteins.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Peptide heterogeneity of GABAA/benzodiazepine receptors in bovine cerebral cortex and cerebellum.

The GABAA/benzodiazepine receptor complex has been purified from both bovine cerebral cortex and cerebellum by immunoaffinity chromatography on immobilized monoclonal antibody 62-3G1. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified receptor from either cerebral cortex or cerebellum revealed 3 main bands corresponding to 51,000, 55,000 and 57,000 Mr silver-stained peptides. In addition, a minor band corresponding to a 53,000 Mr peptide was also found. The differences between the two receptor preparations were: (1) that the main silver-stained 55,000 Mr subunit was present in a relative smaller quantity in cerebellum than in cerebral cortex, and (2) when the membrane-bound receptor was photoaffinity-labeled with [3H]flunitrazepam and subsequently immunoaffinity-purified, two photolabeled peptide bands of 51,000 and 57,000 Mr were found in cerebral cortex while only the 51,000 Mr photolabeled peptide was detected in cerebellum following one-dimension sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Peptide maps of the 57,000 Mr [3H]flunitrazepam photoaffinity-labeled peptide indicated that it was composed of two closely migrating photolabeled peptides of 55,000 Mr and 57,000 Mr. Peptide mapping and deglycosylation experiments using the [3H]flunitrazepam photolabeled receptor suggested that the photolabeled peptides commonly present in cerebellum and cerebral cortex are qualitatively similar if not identical. The results suggest that there are subunits of some type(s) of GABAA R/BZDR complex(es) which are more abundant in cerebral cortex than in cerebellum. Photoaffinity labeling with [3H]muscimol showed similar photolabeled peptides in both cerebral cortex and cerebellum: two main peptides of 54,000 and 57,000 Mr were photolabeled with [3H]muscimol to a similar extent in both receptor preparations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Purification of the gamma-aminobutyric acidA/benzodiazepine receptor complex by immunoaffinity chromatography.

The bovine gamma-aminobutyric acidA/benzodiazepine receptor complex has been purified by a novel immunoaffinity chromatography method on immobilized monoclonal antibody 62-3G1. Immunopurification of the complex was achieved in a single step with an improved yield over affinity chromatography on the benzodiazepine Ro 7-1986/1. High-resolution sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of the immunoaffinity-purified receptor revealed three major peptide bands of 51,000, 55,000, and 57,000 Mr which were also present in the Ro 7-1986/1 affinity-purified receptor. Peptide mapping, immunoblotting with subunit specific antibodies, and photoaffinity labeling with [3H]flunitrazepam and [3H]muscimol have been used for the identification of receptor subunits, including several which comigrated in a single band in SDS-PAGE.

Affinity Labels↗

Peptide subunits of gamma-aminobutyric acidA/benzodiazepine receptors from bovine cerebral cortex.

The gamma-aminobutyric acidA/benzodiazepine receptor complexes from bovine cerebral cortex were purified by immunoaffinity chromatography, and the main component peptide subunits were characterized. The peptide band originally thought to be a single beta subunit [57,000 Mr band in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE)] is composed of at least four different peptides of 54,000-57,000 Mr. Two peptides of 55,000 and 57,000 Mr were recognized by the beta subunit-specific monoclonal antibody 62-3G1. Peptides in the range of 54,000-57,000 Mr were photoaffinity-labeled with [3H]muscimol. A different 57,000 Mr peptide was photoaffinity-labeled by [3H]flunitrazepam, but neither was recognized by the monoclonal antibody 62-3G1 nor photoaffinity-labeled with [3H]muscimol. Some peptides could be identified by their differential mobility shift in SDS-PAGE after treatment with endoglycosidase H. Two additional subunit peptides of 51,000 and 53,000 Mr were also photoaffinity-labeled by [3H]flunitrazepam and reacted with antiserum A. However, the 57,000 Mr peptide that also was photoaffinity-labeled by [3H]flunitrazepam did not react with antiserum A.

Affinity Labels↗

The GABAA/benzodiazepine receptor complex in rat brain neuronal cultures. Characterization by immunoprecipitation.

The expression of the GABAA/benzodiazepine receptor (GABAR/BZDR) complex in primary neuronal cultures from rat brain embryos has been investigated. The GABAR/BZDR complex was photoaffinity labeled with [3H]flunitrazepam [3H]FNZ and immunoprecipitated with subunit specific antibodies. These were the mAb 62-3G1 which is specific for the 57-kDa GABA binding subunit, and the rabbit antiserum A which recognizes the 51-kDa [3H]FNZ binding subunit. The results indicate that the cultured neurons express 5 different peptides of 51, 53, 54, 57 and 59 kDa that can be photoaffinity labeled with [3H]FNZ and that all of them are physically coupled to the GABAA receptor. Most of the [3H]FNZ photolabeled peptides have similar mobilities to those found in the brain of the newborn rat. Nevertheless, some of the quantitative changes in the photolabeled peptides observed during the normal development of the rat brain were not observed or occurred at much slower pace in the cultured neurons.

Affinity Labels↗

Characterization with antibodies of the gamma-aminobutyric acidA/benzodiazepine receptor complex during development of the rat brain.

The postnatal development of the gamma-aminobutyric acidA/benzodiazepine receptor (GABAR/BZDR) complex of the rat brain has been investigated using the monoclonal antibody 62-3G1 and the polyclonal rabbit antiserum A, specific for the 57,000 and 51,000 Mr receptor subunits, respectively. Both GABAR and BZDR binding activities co-precipitated during all postnatal ages. Adult rats showed a main 51,000 Mr[3H]flunitrazepam photoaffinity-labeled peptide, whereas newborn rats showed several photolabeled peptides of higher Mr. All the photolabeled peptides could be immunoprecipitated with each antibody regardless of the age of the rats. These results suggest that the physical coupling between the GABAR and the BZDR is already present in newborn animals and it is maintained afterwards during development. Glycosidase and peptidase treatments of the immunoprecipitated GABAR/BZDR complex indicated that all the [3H]flunitrazepam-photolabeled subunits are different peptides, although they seem to conserve a high degree of homology. In addition to the age-dependent heterogeneity, the results also suggest that for each age, there is heterogeneity in the subunit composition of the GABAR/BZDR complex.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗