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Biomedical subjects

E Schmid

Publications and source records attributed to E Schmid.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

1,6-Dinitropyrene causes spindle disturbances and chromosomal damage in V79 Chinese hamster cells.

We have investigated the cytogenetic effect of 1,6-dinitropyrene (1,6-DNP) in Chinese hamster V79 cells. The chemical caused a dose-dependent increase in the incidence of initial and full C-mitoses, polyploid mitoses, ana-telophases with lagging chromosomes, non-disjunction and multipolar configurations, in a range of 0.05-5 microM. These findings indicate that 1,6-DNP interferes with the functioning of the spindle apparatus in V79 cells. Early signs of spindle disturbances were seen at 1,6-DNP concentrations which only moderately reduced cell growth and division. Analysis of structural chromosomal aberrations revealed the appearance of chromatid-type aberrations with open breaks and exchanges accompanied by gaps. The results indicate that 1,6-DNP is both a spindle-disturbing and a clastogenic agent in V79 cells.

Animals↗

Genotoxicity of 2-nitropropane and 1-nitropropane in Salmonella typhimurium and human lymphocytes.

A 10- and 12-fold increase of revertant numbers could be demonstrated for 2-nitropropane (2-NP of greater than 99% purity) tested in the preincubation assay with Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 100 and TA 98 in the presence and absence of S9 mix. In the nitroreductase-deficient strains TA 100NR and TA 98NR, 2-NP was less mutagenic than in the parent strains. In human lymphocytes the induction of a weak clastogenic effect and of sister chromatid exchanges required exogenous metabolic activation. No significant mutagenic or cytogenetic response was found with 1-nitropropane of 97% purity in S. typhimurium or human lymphocytes.

Alkanes↗

Transcription activation of the tyrosine aminotransferase gene by glucocorticoids and cAMP in primary hepatocytes.

The expression of the tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) gene of the rat was analyzed in primary hepatocytes. The TAT gene remains active in primary cultured cells at a level similar to that in liver cells. Expression can be induced by glucocorticoids and cAMP, glucocorticoids lead to a 8-10-fold increase in TAT mRNA level, cAMP to a 20-30-fold increase. The elevation of the TAT mRNA is preceeded by a rise in the relative rate of transcription of the gene. Surprisingly transcription of the albumin gene, which steadily declines with the age of the culture, can also strongly be stimulated by glucocorticoids in primary hepatocytes. cAMP antagonists, which act as competitive inhibitors of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, prevent induction of transcription of the tyrosine aminotransferase gene by cAMP suggesting that the effect of cAMP on expression of the tyrosine aminotransferase gene is mediated by a cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The cAMP antagonist does not interfere with induction by glucocorticoids which suggests that phosphorylation of the glucocorticoid receptor by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase is not required for its function. We thus conclude that the two inducers affect transcription by independent mechanisms.

Animals↗

Monoclonal cytokeratin antibody recognizing a heterotypic complex: immunological probing of conformational states of cytoskeletal proteins in filaments and in solution.

A novel type of monoclonal murine antibody (Ks18.18) directed against an epitope depending on human cytokeratin (CK) 18, a member of the acidic (type I) CK subfamily, is described. We show by SDS-PAGE immunoblots and dot-blot assays that this antibody is unreactive with both the denatured and the renatured individual polypeptides but binds strongly to heterotypic coiled-coil complexes of CK 18 with several members of the complementary basic (type II) CK subfamily, notably with CK 8; i.e., its most frequent natural partner. We also show that specific interactions between complementary CK polypeptides take place during the incubation steps of immunoblotting procedures as polypeptides, or fragments thereof, that detach from the substrate can bind to complementary polypeptides attached to the substratum, which may result in false assignments of antibody reactivities. The conformation-specific, CK 18-dependent epitope of Ks18.18 was detected in intermediate filaments (IFs) of cultured cells, simple epithelia, and many carcinomas and, surprisingly, also in the basal cells of some stratified epithelia. Ks18.18 also reacts with altered CK configurations as present in the spheroidal bodies of mitotic cells and in the Mallory bodies of hepatocytes intoxicated with certain drugs, thus indicating that the heterotypic CK complexes are maintained in these structures. We have also used antibody Ks18.18 to demonstrate the existence of heterotypic CK 8 and 18 complexes in a distinct soluble form among supernatant proteins from cell homogenates which is indistinguishable from the heterotypic tetramer obtained after experimental disintegration of IFs. The potential value of such IF conformation-specific antibodies in cell biological research and pathology is discussed.

Animals↗

The effectiveness of S9 and microsomal mix on activation of cyclophosphamide to induce genotoxicity in human lymphocytes.

Comparative results are presented on the effectiveness of rat-liver S9 or microsomal mix (M mix) in activating cyclophosphamide (CP) and its ability to induce a clastogenic effect in human lymphocytes in vitro. Structural chromosome changes were analysed exclusively in 1st division (M1) metaphases post-exposure. A high genotoxic response was observed for both metabolizing systems used. With an exposure of 2 h to different concentrations of S9 or M mix, the highest aberration yields were always found for the highest protein content. For CP treatment times of 1, 2 or 4 h together with S9 mix (protein content 10 mg/ml) or M mix (4 mg/ml), the latter was more efficient. With both systems, a lower clastogenic effect of CP was found at 4 h exposure than at 1 h or 2 h. Only a weak cytotoxic effect, reflected mainly by the reduction in the percentage of 3rd cycle cells (M3), and measured in terms of the proportion of M1, M2 and M3 cells, was induced by both systems.

Animals↗

Analysis of cytogenetic effect in human lymphocytes induced by metabolically activated 2-nitropropane.

Chromosome analyses were carried out in human lymphocytes treated in vitro with 2-nitropropane (2-NP) in the presence and absence of the mammalian metabolic activation system, S9 mix. Without S9 mix, only the frequency of gaps was significantly increased at 80 mM 2-NP as compared to controls. With S9 mix, the incidences of gaps and chromatid-type aberrations were significantly increased at 60 mM and 80 mM. Sister-chromatid exchanges (SCE) have been induced at concentrations as low as 7.5 mM. The present findings demonstrate that in human lymphocytes, 2-NP requires metabolic activation to express clastogenicity and SCEs.

Alkanes↗

Increased expression in Escherichia coli of a synthetic gene encoding human somatomedin C after gene duplication and fusion.

A synthetic gene coding for human somatomedin C (SMC) was inserted into an Escherichia coli plasmid vector that contains the bacteriophage lambda pL promoter. Intracellular accumulation of the gene product after induction of the promoter was found to be low. A 200-fold greater yield was obtained with a similar plasmid containing two translationally fused copies of the SMC gene. A series of such tandem genes truncated at their 3' ends were generated with nuclease Bal 31. These gave intermediate expression levels that correlated with the expected sizes of their gene products. Comparison of RNAs extracted from cells containing either the monomer or tandem SMC gene constructions showed that there was no significant difference in expression at the transcriptional level. Pulse-chase experiments demonstrated that the tandem SMC protein was far more stable than the monomer SMC product.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cell survival and radiation induced chromosome aberrations. I. Derivation of formulae for the determination of transmission and survival parameters of aberrations.

Existing mathematical formulations to predict the frequency of radiation induced chromosome aberrations in 2nd post-irradiation division are based on the Poisson distribution [3, 4]. Meanwhile several studies have shown that intercellular distributions exist, deviating from Poisson. In the present study a modified model was developed which permits the application of empirical distributions. Transmission and survival parameters of aberrations can be iteratively computed. A general formula was derived for the calculation of cell survival from 1st to 2nd division.

Cell Survival↗

Cell survival and radiation induced chromosome aberrations. II. Experimental findings in human lymphocytes analysed in first and second post-irradiation metaphases.

Human peripheral lymphocytes were irradiated in whole blood with 0.5-4.0 Gy of 220 kVp X-rays and the frequency of chromosome aberrations was determined in 1st or 2nd division metaphases discriminated by fluorescence plus giemsa staining. Using the empirical distributions of aberrations among cells, cell survival and transmission of aberrations were investigated. Considering both daughter cells, we found that 20% of fragments and 55% of dicentrics or ring chromosomes are lost during the 1st cell division; i.e. cell survival rate from 1st to 2nd generation is mainly influenced by anaphase bridging of these two-hit aberrations. Cell survival to 2nd mitosis was calculated considering this situation and compared with the survival derived from the fraction of M 1 cells without unstable aberrations. The resulting shouldered survival curves showed significantly different slopes, indicating that cell reproductive death is overestimated in the latter approach.

Biometry↗

Formaldehyde-induced cytotoxic, genotoxic and mutagenic response in human lymphocytes and Salmonella typhimurium.

The incidences of chromatid-type aberrations and sister-chromatid exchanges were significantly increased in human lymphocytes treated with formaldehyde (FA) in vitro. In the presence of the mammalian metabolic activation system, i.e. S9 mix, the yields were reduced, although not to control levels. With S9 mix the structural chromosome damage induced by exposure to 1.0 mM FA was qualitatively and quantitatively identical to that induced by 0.05 mM cyclophosphamide (used as positive control for metabolic activation). Cell proliferation was clearly reduced with or without the presence of S9 mix. In a plate assay with Salmonella typhimurium strain TA100 in the absence and presence of S9 mix, a weak mutagenic response was observed. Using the pre-incubation method, FA induced without S9 mix a 1.6-fold and with S9 mix a 2.7-fold increase of revertant numbers over controls.

Animals↗

Morphologically different biopsy specimens of the human gastric mucosa. II. Adenylate cyclase activity in response to prostaglandin E2 and histamine.

Adenylate cyclase (AC) in response to prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and histamine was studied in morphologically different biopsy specimens from human gastric mucosa. The activities of the enzyme were log-normally distributed and did not differ between males and females. PGE2 activated AC in a concentration-dependent manner in normal gastric mucosa (n = 57), chronic superficial gastritis (GI, 18), chronic gastritis with beginning atrophy (GII, 10), chronic atrophic gastritis (GIII, 24), gastric ulcer (GU, 39), duodenal ulcer (DU, 32), and biopsies of patients operated according to Billroth II (BII, 20) and was most efficacious in GIII and BII. Histamine, which was studied in normal gastric mucosa (n = 27), DU (n = 20), GU (n = 13), and BII (n = 18), stimulated AC most efficaciously and potently in DU, was less effective in normal gastric mucosa and GU, and had no effect at all in BII. Cimetidine treatment of DU patients did not change the PGE2 action, while the degree of stimulation by histamine was reduced. The data indicate characteristic differences of the PGE2- and histamine-sensitive AC in the mucosal samples of these patients.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

[Seasonal incidence of duodenal ulcer--a myth?].

A retrospective study was performed on 1091 acute duodenal ulcers found by endoscopy from 1973-1983. The chi 2-test verified statistically a maximum of ulcers in autumn. The vectorial analysis by means of the Rayleigh-Test showed a maximum of observed ulcers in November for all of the patients as well as for subjects with a duodenal ulcer seen only once, or with one relapse found endoscopically. Patients with three or more successive duodenal ulcers showed an individual pattern with or without seasonal periodicity. In chronic duodenal ulcer disease the individual long-time follow-up might be useful in prophylactic anti-ulcer therapy.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗