Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Wada

Publications and source records attributed to E Wada.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

16-kilodalton rice protein is one of the major allergens in rice grain extract and responsible for cross-allergenicity between cereal grains in the Poaceae family.

Cross-allergenicity between five cereal grains including rice, wheat, corn, Japanese millet (Panicum crus-galli L. var. frumentaceum Trin.) and Italian millet (Setaria italica Beauv. var. germanica schrad.) was examined by radioallergosorbent test (RAST) and RAST inhibition assay. There were significant close correlations between every combinations of RAST values for the five cereal grain extracts. RAST inhibition assay of each extract against RAST discs coupled with other cereal grain extracts indicated marked cross-reactivity of IgE binding between these cereal grain extracts. Rice protein 16KD (RP16KD) was shown to be one of major allergens in rice grain extracts by immunoblotting analysis, histamine release assay from human leukocytes and RAST inhibition. Next, the involvement of RP16KD in the cross-allergenicity between these cereals was investigated. RAST values for RP16KD significantly correlated with that for Italian millet as well as rice but not with those for corn and wheat. There was a trend of positive correlation between RAST values for RP16KD and Japanese millet. In the RAST inhibition assay using sera with positive RAST for these five cereal grain extracts and RP16KD, RP16KD inhibited IgE binding to these all cereal discs in a dose-dependent manner. Similarly, all of the five cereal grain extracts showed an effective decrease in IgE binding to the RP16KD disc. These results indicated possible participation of IgE binding structure on RP16KD in cross-allergenicity between these cereal grain extracts in the Poaceae family.

Allergens↗
PubMed1991

Localization of interleukin-1 receptor messenger RNA in murine hippocampus.

The cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) has numerous actions in brain, including pronounced neuroendocrine effects. Recent radioligand binding studies have identified high-affinity binding sites for 125I-recombinant human IL-1 alpha in the hippocampus with characteristics similar to those of IL-1 receptors in immune cells. The present study employed in situ hybridization histochemistry with 35S-labeled anti-sense cRNA probes derived from a full-length murine T-cell IL-1 receptor cDNA to identify cells producing IL-1 receptor mRNA in the murine hippocampus. An intense signal was observed over granule cells in the dentate gyrus. A weak to moderate signal was observed over the pyramidal cell layer of the hilus and CA3 region. Other aspects of the hippocampal formation, including the CA2 and CA1 regions, the subiculum, and the entorhinal area, displayed no signal above background. This distribution of IL-1 receptor mRNA was similar to that of 125I-IL-1 alpha binding sites and supports the growing body of evidence implicating IL-1 as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator in brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Rice protein 16KD--a major allergen in rice grain extract.

The allergenic activity of Rice protein 16 KD (RP16KD) isolated from water soluble rice proteins was examined by radioallergosorbent test (RAST), RAST inhibition and histamine release assay. All of the 31 sera which showed positive RAST values for rice grain extract were positive for RP16KD RAST. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation (r = 0.56, p less than 0.01) between these RAST values. PR16KD effectively inhibited IgE binding to the rice grain extract disc in RAST inhibition assays using 4 sera with positive RAST values for both antigens. In 17 subjects with positive RAST values for rice grain extract, a significant positive correlation (r = 0.53, p less than 0.05) was found between the maximum percent histamine releases from their leukocytes by rice grain extract and RP16KD. These data strongly suggest that RP16KD is one of the major allergens of rice grain.

Allergens↗
PubMed1991

[Relationship between immediate hypersensitive reactions by buckwheat ingestion and specific IgE for rice in subject with positive IgE-RAST for buckwheat].

IgE-mediated mechanisms are important in immediate hypersensitive reactions (IHR) to buckwheat. However, a part of subjects with high IgE for buckwheat show no IHR to buckwheat ingestion. Inspite of cross-allergenicity between buckwheat and rice, rice ingestion rarely induces IHR even in subjects with high IgE for rice unlike buckwheat-induced IHR. We speculated that there were some relationships between the presence of IHR to buckwheat and recognition of cross-allergenic determinants on buckwheat components with rice components. We examined IgE-RAST for rice in 58 subjects with positive IgE-RAST for buckwheat. IgE-RAST for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp), egg white and cow's milk as unrelated antigens with rice were also assessed for a comparison. Subjects (n = 33) without IHR to buckwheat showed higher IgE-RAST values for rice than those (n = 25) with IHR, whereas there were no differences in IgE-RAST values for Dp, egg white and cow's milk between two groups with and without IHR. IgE-RAST values for buckwheat showed significant close correlations to those for rice in subjects without IHR to buckwheat but not in those with IHR. There were no significant correlations between IgE-RAST values for buckwheat and for Dp, egg white or cow's milk in both groups with and without IHR. These results suggested that the IgE from subjects without IHR to buckwheat recognized cross-allergenic determinants with rice on the buckwheat components.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The distribution of mRNA encoded by a new member of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene family (alpha 5) in the rat central nervous system.

The cellular localization of transcripts for a new putative agonist-binding subunit of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), alpha 5, was examined using in situ hybridization in the rat central nervous system (CNS), alpha 5 subunit mRNA was localized to a small number of regions when compared with two of the other known agonist-binding subunits, alpha 3 and alpha 4, alpha 5 mRNA is expressed at relatively high levels in neurons of the subiculum (pyramidal layer), presubiculum and parasubiculum (layers IV and VI), which are components of the hippocampal formation, in the substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral tegmental area, in the interpeduncular nucleus, and in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve. Moderate hybridization signals were detected in neurons of the isocortex (layer VIb), anterior olfactory nucleus, trigeminal ganglion, superior olivary complex, nucleus of the solitary tract, and area postrema. No hybridization above background levels was seen in the amygdala, septum, thalamus, hypothalamus, or cerebellum. These results suggest that the alpha 5 subunit differs from other known agonist-binding subunits in its distribution.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Alpha 3, alpha 5, and beta 4: three members of the rat neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-related gene family form a gene cluster.

We have identified two additional members of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR)-related gene family. cDNA clones for one new gene, designated alpha 5, were isolated from rat hippocampus and rat PC12 cell line cDNA libraries. The alpha 5 gene encodes a protein of 48,800 daltons (424 amino acids) which exhibits significant overall amino acid sequence identity with the previously cloned rat nAChR subunits alpha 1 (49%), alpha 2 (55%), alpha 3 (52%), and alpha 4 (49%). Features characteristic of other nAChR alpha-subunits are present such as conserved cysteine residues at positions 127, 141, 191, and 192, and four strongly hydrophobic domains. A second addition to the nAChR-related gene family, designated beta 4, is encoded in overlapping rat genomic clones lambda DD15 and lambda RG518A. The beta 4 gene, encoding a mature protein of 53,300 daltons (475 amino acids), consists of 6 exons and has a transcription unit length of approximately 18 kilobase pairs. The beta 4 gene encoded protein shows considerable amino acid sequence identity with nAChR beta 1 (43%), beta 2 (64%), and beta 3 (44%) subunits. Northern blots showed that, along with alpha 3 and beta 2, transcripts for both the alpha 5 and beta 4 genes are present in the PC12 cell line, while in situ hybridization experiments demonstrated expression of the alpha 5 and beta 4 genes in a small number of nuclei in the central nervous system. Finally, the genes that encode the beta 4, alpha 3, and alpha 5 proteins are transcribed with convergent polarities and form a tightly linked gene cluster spanning approximately 60 kilobase pairs.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

c-myb gene analysis in T-cell malignancies with del(6q).

Three T-cell malignancies with del(6q) were analyzed for karyotypes and alteration of the oncogene c-myb that is assigned to 6q22-q24. Patients were diagnosed as having non-Hodgkin T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, adult T-cell leukemia, and acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia, and the deletions of chromosome 6 were del(6)(q21q25), del(6)(q21q23), and del(6)(q21) or del(6)(q21q27), respectively. Tumor cell DNAs were obtained from cultured pleural fluid or from fresh peripheral blood and marrow samples and were analyzed by Southern blot hybridization, using c-myb oncogene probes. Rearrangements, deletions, or amplifications were absent in these tumor DNAs, thereby indicating that the del(6q) breakpoint in these T-cell malignancies was located outside of the c-myb gene. Northern blot analysis revealed the elevated expression of c-myb in the non-Hodgkin lymphoma patient, in accord with lineage characteristics.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

RNA levels of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits are differentially regulated in axotomized facial motoneurons: an in situ hybridization study.

In situ hybridization histochemistry using complementary RNA probes revealed that alpha 3 and beta 2 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit mRNAs were expressed in 12% and 40% of facial motoneurons of the rat, respectively. The alpha 3 subunit mRNA signals disappeared in response to axotomy, whereas the beta 2 subunit mRNA signal was remarkably enhanced, suggesting that mRNA levels of receptor subunits are differentially regulated in axotomized motoneurons.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Neuromedin B and gastrin-releasing peptide mRNAs are differentially distributed in the rat nervous system.

The bombesin-like peptides are a family of structurally related amidated peptide ligands that are known to have a variety of potent pharmacological actions on various cells, including neurons in the rat brain. Two mammalian representatives of the bombesin family of peptides have been identified, gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and neuromedin B (NMB). Previously, we cloned the rat preproGRP gene and determined the locations of neurons expressing this gene using in situ hybridization. In this study, we describe the structure and sequence of the rat preproNMB gene, and the first detailed cellular localization of preproNMB mRNA in rat brain using in situ hybridization. Nucleotide sequence analysis of cDNA and genomic clones reveals a 117 amino acid precursor whose overall structure is similar to that described for human preproNMB. Sequence similarity between the rat NMB and GRP genes is observed only over a limited 10 amino acid sequence encoding the carboxy termini of the GRP and NMB peptides, the region shown to be necessary and sufficient for high-affinity receptor binding. In situ hybridization studies performed with cRNA probes specific for NMB or GRP mRNA show that the distribution of cells expressing either mRNA in brain is very distinct. NMB mRNA is found most prominently in the olfactory bulb, dentate gyrus, and dorsal root ganglion. In contrast, the highest levels of GRP mRNA are observed in the forebrain (isocortex and hippocampal formation). This heterogeneity of mRNA distribution for these peptides suggests that these 2 structurally related peptides may have very distinct functions as neuropeptides in the rat nervous system.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Distribution of alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4, and beta 2 neuronal nicotinic receptor subunit mRNAs in the central nervous system: a hybridization histochemical study in the rat.

Previous studies have revealed the existence of a gene family that encodes a group of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits. Four members of this family have been characterized thus far; three of these subunits (alpha 2, alpha 3, and alpha 4) are structurally related to the ligand binding subunit expressed in muscle and form functional nAChRs when combined with the beta 2 gene product in Xenopus oocytes. In addition, the alpha 4 gene appears to encode two different products (alpha 4-1 and alpha 4-2) that have been proposed to arise by alternative mRNA splicing. Nine different [35S]-complementary ribonucleic acid (cRNA) probes were used in the present study to map the distribution of these nAChR subunit mRNAs throughout the central nervous system (CNS) of the rat. It was found that the beta 2 gene is expressed in most regions of the CNS, as are the alpha subunit genes as a group. However, each alpha gene is expressed in a unique, although partly overlapping, set of neuronal structures. Alpha 4 is the most widely expressed alpha gene, and the evidence suggests that mRNAs for the alpha 4-1 and alpha 4-2 products are virtually always found in the same regions, in approximately the same ratios (alpha 4-2 greater than alpha 4-1). In addition, there are several examples of cell groups that express beta 2 but none of the alpha subunit mRNAs examined here (particularly in the hypothalamus), as well as all groups that express the converse, thus suggesting that additional neuronal nAChR subunits remain to be characterized. Finally, the extensive expression of multiple alpha subunits in certain regions, particularly for alpha 3 and alpha 4 in the thalamus, suggests that there is microheterogeneity in a small population of cells or that some neurons may express more than one alpha subunit. This problem needs to be examined directly with double labeling methods but raises the possibility that some neuronal nAChRs may be composed of more than one kind of alpha subunit. The wide expression of these receptor genes suggests that nAChRs constitute major excitatory systems in the CNS.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Histological evidence of natural killer cell aggregation against malignant melanoma induced by adoptive immunotherapy with lymphokine-activated killer cells.

Adoptive immunotherapy with lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells and systemic administration of recombinant Interleukin-2 (RIL-2) was carried out in a case of malignant melanoma with lung metastases. Histological specimens from the lung showed a metastatic melanoma heavily invaded by atypical lymphoid cells with convoluted nuclei of varying size. Immunohistochemistry revealed that these cells had the characteristic exclusively of natural killer cell (Leu-7+). Nodules of these cells mimicked the appearance of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of pleomorphic type. Molecular cytogenetic analysis, however, showed the absence of rearranged bands for the T-cell receptor beta-chain gene, indicating the absence of T-cell clones. At autopsy, 1 month after the LAK therapy, the heavy invasion of convoluted cells had disappeared. These findings clearly indicate that the LAK cell plus RIL-2 therapy induced Leu-7+ lymphoid cells, phenotypically suggestive of natural killer cell aggregation in the tumours.

Cell Aggregation↗
PubMed1989

Numerical evaluation of symptoms in cervical myelopathy by quantification theory III (Hayashi).

The authors applied Hayashi's quantification theory III, a mathematical approach for quantification of qualitative data to evaluate cervical myelopathy in 81 patients who had been surgically treated. More of these patients recovered from sensory disturbances than from motor disturbance. The size of the spinal canal was correlated with the severity of the preoperative symptoms of the myelopathy, but not with the surgical results. The surgical results were correlated with the duration of the disease but not with the age of the patient. The most predictable surgical result obtained by the use of multiple regression analysis was that of the leg motor symptom.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) in the central nervous system: identification of specific loci of basic FGF expression in the rat brain.

The expression of basic FGF mRNA, while virtually absent in peripheral tissues, appears to be constitutively expressed in the central nervous system. As such, while it is difficult to detect any mRNA encoding basic FGF in the heart, lung, kidneys, ovaries, liver, or pituitary of rats, the levels are easily detected in brain. A regional analysis of the expression of basic FGF mRNA in brain reveals that it is widely distributed in the cortex (frontal, parietal, and occipital), the hippocampus, hypothalamus, and pons. Only a few loci of basic FGF synthesis are detected by in situ hybridization and include layers 2 and 6 of the medial (cingulate) cortex, the indusium griseum, fasciola cinereum, and field CA2 of the hippocampus. The identification of specific cell populations in the brain, and particularly in the hippocampus, that synthesize basic FGF supports the notion that this potent neurotrophic factor is involved in normal CNS function and that the presence (or absence) of its expression may be linked to the pathogenesis of the neurogenerative diseases characterizing these various loci. The significance of these findings with respect to the regulation of basic FGF expression in peripheral tissue and the central nervous system is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Genes encoding neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Four genes (alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4, and beta 2), which encode proteins homologous to the Torpedo electric organ and vertebrate muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, have been identified by cloning rat brain cDNAs. Injection of transcripts derived from these cDNAs into Xenopus laevis oocytes results in the formation of three nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Two of these receptors, alpha 3/beta 2 and alpha 4/beta 2, have the characteristics of ganglionic nicotinic receptors. The third (alpha 2/beta 2) exhibits a previously undescribed pharmacology and thus represents a novel subtype that may be expressed in the brain. The wide distribution of alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4, and beta 2 transcripts in the brain indicates that neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are a major neurotransmitter receptor system.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia following treatment with human growth hormone in a boy with possible preanemic Fanconi's anemia.

The patient had a low birth weight and was born with appearance anomalies including microcephalus, microphthalmia, hypoplastic mandible, double chin due to cutaneous fold, micropenis. Ability to move and intelligence appeared to develop normally, but growth was markedly retarded. In June 1982, at the age of 2 yr 4 mo, the patient underwent tolerance tests whereby a deficiency of human growth hormone (GH) was proved by poor GH secretion response. GH was administered until April 1985 when acute lymphoblastic leukemia developed. The patient's younger brother, born in 1986, had similar birth anomalies and was diagnosed as having Fanconi's anemia. It therefore seems possible that our patient developed his acute leukemia through the stimulatory effect which GH had on a predisposition to leukemia.

Anemia, Aplastic↗
PubMed1988

Functional expression of a new pharmacological subtype of brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

A new type of agonist-binding subunit of rat neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) was identified. Rat genomic DNA and complementary DNA encoding this subunit (alpha 2) were cloned and analyzed. Complementary DNA expression studies in Xenopus oocytes revealed that the injection of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for alpha 2 and beta 2 (a neuronal nAChR subunit) led to the generation of a functional nAChR. In contrast to the other known neuronal nAChRs, the receptor produced by the injection of alpha 2 and beta 2 mRNAs was resistant to the alpha-neurotoxin Bgt3.1. In situ hybridization histochemistry showed that alpha 2 mRNA was expressed in a small number of regions, in contrast to the wide distribution of the other known agonist-binding subunits (alpha 3 and alpha 4) mRNAs. These results demonstrate that the alpha 2 subunit differs from other known agonist-binding alpha-subunits of nAChRs in its distribution in the brain and in its pharmacology.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1988

Retarded and distinct progress of lens opacification in congenic hereditary cataract mice, Balb/c-nct/nct.

The Nakano cataract gene, nct, was introduced into Balb/c mice by repeated backcrosses to elucidate the possible effects of background genes on its expression. The resulting congenic Balb/c-nct/nct mice were characterized by retarded and sporadic cataract formation with a tendency of further retardation in males and by the different disease process of cataract as compared with Nakano mice. The age of 50% cataract incidence was 60 days in females and 90 days in males compared with 22 days in Nakano mice, and lens opacification commenced in a diffuse, mild form at the cortex in congenic but in a pin-head, intense form at the core in Nakano mice. Sex hormones seemed to be involved in the difference in cateractogenesis between male and female mice. Microphthalmia was slighter in degree in Balb/c background mice. The results indicated that the nct-dependent cataractogenesis may be influenced by background genes and some non-hereditary factors. Balb/c-nct/nct mice will provide a new type of hereditary cataract model.

Aging↗