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Biomedical subjects

F Matsuzaki

Publications and source records attributed to F Matsuzaki.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Prophylactic effect of mianserin on recurrent depression.

The prophylactic effect of mianserin on recurrent depression was studied in a double-blind comparison with an inactive placebo by analyzing the recurrence rate and the number of depressive episodes in 9 mianserin-treated (daily dose 20-60 mg) and 13 placebo-treated patients. The selected patients were those who had a higher incidence of recurrence (more than 2 depressive episodes during the 2 years preceding the study). During the 18-month study period, 4 of 9 mianserin-treated patients and all 13 placebo-treated patients had recurrences. The ratio between patients with recurrence and total patients (recurrence ratio) was lower in the mianserin-treated group throughout the study, and the intergroup difference from the 3rd to the 18th month was significant. In the mianserin-treated group, the frequency of episode recurrence during the study period was significantly lower and the total duration of episodes was significantly shorter than those in the placebo-treated group. The treatments did not differ significantly in safety. These results clearly indicate that mianserin is effective in the prophylaxis of recurrent depressive episodes.

Adult↗

hikaru genki, a CNS-specific gene identified by abnormal locomotion in Drosophila, encodes a novel type of protein.

We have identified a gene, hikaru genki (hig), whose mutant phenotype includes abnormal locomotor behavior. Mutant first instar larvae have uncoordinated movements, and both larvae and adults have reduced locomotion. Sequence analyses revealed that this gene encodes a novel type of protein with a signal sequence, but without transmembrane regions. One of its domains has similarities with immunoglobulin domains; three or four regions are similar to a complement-binding domain found in complement-related proteins and selectins. In situ hybridization to embryos revealed that accumulation of the hig transcripts is restricted to subsets of cells in the CNS. Our data suggest that hig has a role in the development of CNS functions involved in locomotor activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

[Mechanism of action of growth hormone--receptor binding and postreceptor signal transduction].

Recent findings concerning growth hormone-binding to its receptor and the post-receptor signal transduction mechanism of the hormone are reviewed. Growth hormone receptors have recently been included in the new cytokine receptor superfamily. The structure of the growth hormone receptor and a sequence of the chemical event leading to the expression of the effect of growth hormone, on cellular function, proliferation and differentiation, are reviewed in relation to ligands for the superfamily receptors.

Animals↗

Cloning of the Drosophila prospero gene and its expression in ganglion mother cells.

The Drosophila central nervous system comprises an enormous diversity of neurons that are originated from neuronal stem cells, neuroblasts. They generate a specific series of ganglion mother cells, each of which is once cleaved into a pair of neurons. Among genes known to control neurogenesis, prospero (pros) was recently identified as a gene required for gene expression specifying properties of some identified neurons. Here we report that pros encodes a nuclear protein containing a homeodomain-like sequence. In neuronal lineages of the central nervous system, pros protein is specifically detected in ganglion mother cells, although their parental neuroblasts have begun expressing a significant level of pros transcripts, suggesting a post-transcriptional control of pros expression. Our results provoke that in neuronal cell differentiation ganglion mother cells might play a pivotal role associating with the pros function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Differential effects of the cytoplasmic domains of cell adhesion molecules on cell aggregation and sorting-out.

Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are cell surface glycoproteins that play important roles in morphogenesis and histogenesis, particularly in defining discrete borders between cell populations. Previous studies have suggested that the cytoplasmic domains of CAMs play a significant role in their adhesion properties. These domains may also be involved in regulating other cellular interactions, such as those involved in the sorting-out of cells to form tissues. In the present studies, we have compared the effects of replacing the cytoplasmic domain of one CAM with that of another CAM of different homophilic binding specificity on cell adhesion and cell sorting-out. The molecules studied were liver CAM (L-CAM) and the neural CAM (N-CAM) sd polypeptide. One cDNA was constructed that encodes a chimeric molecule composed of the extracellular domain of L-CAM and the cytoplasmic plus transmembrane domains of the sd polypeptide of chicken N-CAM (called L/N-CAM). Another was constructed encoding a truncated L-CAM missing the last 50 residues of the cytoplasmic domain. Permanently transfected lines of mouse L cells were obtained expressing the truncated L-CAM ("L-L-50 cells") or the chimeric L/N-CAM ("L-L/N cells") and were compared with cells expressing intact L-CAM ("L-L cells"). Immunoblotting and ELISA analyses demonstrated that these various cell lines expressed similar amounts of CAMs at the cell surface. Aggregation of L-L and L-L/N cells occurred at similar rates in short-term aggregation assays and was inhibited by antibodies to the extracellular L-CAM binding domain. In contrast, L-L-50 cells did not aggregate. Incubation of transfected cells with cytochalasin D, which disrupts microfilaments, markedly inhibited aggregation of L-L cells but had no effect on L-L/N cell aggregation. Mixed L-L and L-L/N cells co-aggregated in short-term assays; in the longer-term sorting-out assays, however, they behaved differently: L-L cells sorted out from both L-L/N and untransfected cells, whereas L-L/N cells did not sort out from untransfected cells. These studies not only suggest that interactions of cytoplasmic domains of different CAMs with the cytoskeleton can modulate cell adhesion but also suggest that specific interactions with certain cytoskeletal components are required for events such as cell sorting and cell patterning.

Animals↗

cDNAs of cell adhesion molecules of different specificity induce changes in cell shape and border formation in cultured S180 cells.

The liver cell adhesion molecule (L-CAM) and N-cadherin or adherens junction-specific CAM (A-CAM) are structurally related cell surface glycoproteins that mediate calcium-dependent adhesion in different tissues. We have isolated and characterized a full-length cDNA clone for chicken N-cadherin and used this clone to transfect S180 mouse sarcoma cells that do not normally express N-cadherin. The transfected cells (S180cadN cells) expressed N-cadherin on their surfaces and resembled S180 cells transfected with L-CAM (S180L cells) in that at confluence they formed an epithelioid sheet and displayed a large increase in the number of adherens and gap junctions. In addition, N-cadherin in S180cadN cells, like L-CAM in S180L cells, accumulated at cellular boundaries where it was colocalized with cortical actin. In S180L cells and S180cadN cells, L-CAM and N-cadherin were seen at sites of adherens junctions but were not restricted to these areas. Adhesion mediated by either CAM was inhibited by treatment with cytochalasin D that disrupted the actin network of the transfected cells. Despite their known structural similarities, there was no evidence of interaction between L-CAM and N-cadherin. Doubly transfected cells (S180L/cadN) also formed epithelioid sheets. In these cells, both N-cadherin and L-CAM colocalized at areas of cell contact and the presence of antibodies to both CAMs was required to disrupt the sheets of cells. Studies using divalent antibodies to localize each CAM at the cell surface or to perturb their distributions indicated that in the same cell there were no interactions between L-CAM and N-cadherin molecules. These data suggest that the Ca(++)-dependent CAMs are likely to play a critical role in the maintenance of epithelial structures and support a model for the segregation of CAM mediated binding. They also provide further support for the so-called precedence hypothesis that proposes that expression and homophilic binding of CAMs are necessary for formation of junctional structures in epithelia.

Animals↗

Purification and characterization of the 90-kDa heat-shock protein from mammalian tissues.

The 90-kDa heat-shock protein (HSP90) has been purified from mammalian tissues, mouse liver and porcine brain, with a good yield by a new method involving hydrophobic chromatography. Mouse liver HSP90 and porcine brain HSP90 were compared with mouse lymphoma HSP90 which was purified from T lymphoma cell line, L5178Y, by a modification of the previously reported method. These three HSP90s were indistinguishable from one another in amino acid composition, one-dimensional peptide mapping, elution pattern of proteolytic fragments (trypsin- or V8-protease-cleaved) in reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, reactivity with the antibody against mouse T lymphoma HSP90 and the ability to bind to F-actin. The amino acid sequences of three portions (total 47 amino acid residues) of lymphoma HSP90 were determined and they were homologous to those of the corresponding portions of Drosophila HSP83A and yeast HSP90. These results suggest that HSP90 is a highly conserved protein during evolution.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cloning and characterization of porcine brain cofilin cDNA. Cofilin contains the nuclear transport signal sequence.

Cofilin is a widely distributed, pH-sensitive, actin-modulating protein with an apparent molecular mass of 21 kDa, which forms intranuclear and/or cytoplasmic actin/cofilin rods in cultured fibroblastic cells under specific conditions. In this study, a cDNA library from porcine brain mRNA was constructed, and full-length brain cofilin cDNA clones were isolated by screening with oligonucleotide probes. The deduced amino acid sequence of cofilin is 166 residues long and contains a sequence of Lys-Lys-Arg-Lys-Lys which is very similar to the nuclear transport signal sequence (Pro-Lys-Lys-Lys-Arg-Lys-Val) of SV40 large T antigen. The sequence may act as a signal capable of inducing nuclear accumulation of cofilin in cells exposed to heat shock or dimethyl sulfoxide. The cofilin sequence contains a hexapeptide (Asp-Ala-Ile-Lys-Lys-Lys) identical to the amino-terminal sequence (residues 2-7) of muscle and nonmuscle tropomyosin. Cofilin also has in the carboxyl-terminal portion a region homologous to the sequence shared by gelsolin, fragmin, and Acanthamoeba profilin. Furthermore, the overall amino acid sequence of cofilin shows weak homology with the rod portion of myosin and suggests a high alpha-helical content.

Actin Depolymerizing Factors↗

Construction of epithelioid sheets by transfection of mouse sarcoma cells with cDNAs for chicken cell adhesion molecules.

Pleiomorphic mouse sarcoma S180 cells were transfected with cDNAs for the liver cell adhesion molecule (L-CAM), the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM), or both CAMs. Transfected cells expressed the appropriate CAMs at their surface and those expressing L-CAM (S180L cells) changed from adjoining spindle or round shapes to a closely linked "epithelioid" sheet when grown to confluence. Cells transfected with cDNA for N-CAM (S180N cells) also expressed this CAM on the cell surfaces and bound brain vesicles containing N-CAM but showed no phenotypic change to an epithelioid state. In S180L cells and doubly transfected (S180L/N) cells, L-CAM was concentrated at regions of cell contact and was codistributed with cortical actin. In S180N cells, N-CAM was uniformly distributed on the cell surface. When S180L cells were cocultured with S180L/N cells, N-CAM was not concentrated at boundaries between the S180L and S180L/N cells but was concentrated at boundaries between pairs of S180L/N cells. Fab' fragments of anti-L-CAM dissociated the epithelioid sheets of S180L or S180L/N cells into cells with shapes resembling those of untransfected cells. Cells in epithelioid sheets were polygonal in shape but, unlike cells in true epithelia, had no basement membrane or polar structure; they also lacked tight junctions and desmosomes. Ultrastructural examination showed that, in contrast to the untransfected phenotype, cells in epithelioid sheets had large increases in adherens junctions and gap junctions. Dye coupling experiments indicated that the gap junctions were functional. The frequency of expression of both kinds of junctions was sharply decreased by treatment with anti-L-CAM Fab' fragments. These experiments provide support for the precedence hypothesis, which proposes that the linkage of cells by means of CAMs is a necessary event for the extensive expression of junctional structures.

Actins↗

Truncation of the carboxy-terminal domain of yeast beta-tubulin causes temperature-sensitive growth and hypersensitivity to antimitotic drugs.

beta-tubulin of budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a polypeptide of 457 amino acids encoded by the unique gene TUB2. We investigated the function of the carboxy-terminal part of yeast beta-tubulin corresponding to the carboxy-terminal variable domain of mammalian and avian beta-tubulins. The GAA codon for Glu-431 of TUB2 was altered to TAA termination codon by using in vitro site-directed mutagenesis so that the 27-amino acid residues of the carboxyl terminus was truncated when expressed. The mutagenized TUB2 gene (tub2(T430)) was introduced into a haploid strain in which the original TUB2 gene had been disrupted. The tub2(T430) haploid strain grows normally less than 30 but not at 37 degrees C. The truncation of the carboxyl terminus caused hypersensitivity to antimitotic drugs and low spore viability at the permissive temperature for vegetative growth. Immunofluorescence labeling with antitubulin antibody and DNA staining with 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole showed that in these cells at 37 degrees C, formation of spindle microtubules and nuclear division was inhibited and cytoplasmic microtubule distribution was aberrant. These results suggest that functions of the carboxy-terminal domain of yeast beta-tubulin are necessary for cells growing under suboptimal growth conditions although it is not essential for growth under the optimal growth conditions. Cells bearing tub2(411), a tub2 gene in which the GAA codon for Glu-412 was altered to TAA were no more viable at any temperature. In addition, a haploid strain carrying two functional beta-tubulin genes is not viable.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Cloning of cDNAs for two beta-tubulin isotypes expressed in murine T cell lymphoma, L5178Y and analysis of their translation products.

Three beta-tubulin isoforms, M beta Ib, M beta Ia and M beta II, were detected by isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis (IEF) in extracts of cultured cells of a mouse T cell lymphoma, L5178Y. To investigate the origin(s) of the isoforms, we have isolated cDNA clones encoding beta-tubulin from a cDNA library prepared from poly (A)+ RNA of L5178Y cells. Seventeen cDNA clones carrying the entire coding sequences of beta-tubulin were isolated and classified into two distinct isotypes, represented by two clones designated pMT27 and pMT49, according to the results of restriction mapping. On the basis of the nucleotide sequences of the two cDNAs, pMT27 and pMT49 were identified as mouse beta-tubulin isotypes 3 and 5, respectively. By using in vitro translation products of hybrid-selected mRNAs and of the SP6 in vitro transcripts of the cDNAs, polypeptides encoded by the two cDNA clones were analyzed by IEF. We found that pMT27 and pMT49 encode M beta Ib and M beta Ia, respectively. In addition, M beta II was detected in translation products of mRNA specifically hybridized to pMT49, but not in those of the in vitro transcript of pMT49 DNA. These results suggest that M beta II is the translation product of mRNA whose 3'-untranslated region is highly homologous to that of pMT49.

Animals↗

Changes in thyrotropin binding inhibiting immunoglobulins (TBII) in sera of patients with Graves' disease at the time of relapse or exacerbation.

Thyrotropin Binding Inhibiting Immunoglobulins (TBII) were measured in sera of 240 patients with Graves' disease who were followed 0-25 yr as a cross-sectioned study (21 untreated, 189 under therapy and 30 T3-suppressible and drug-discontinued patients) by using solubilized porcine thyroid TSH receptor. Assays were performed by using 50 microliter of serum. All untreated 21 patients showed positive TBII. Frequency of positive patients decreased yearly with treatment although 36% of patients remained positive after 6 yr of therapy. After that time TBII were positive in 61% of follow-up patients and in 16 positive patients who have been treated for more than 10 yr, drug therapy could not be stopped because of recurrence. TBII were positive in 6 of 30 T3-suppressible patients. As a longitudinal study changes in TBII were studied in 10 patients at the time of relapse or exacerbation. TBII increased in parallel with increases in thyroid hormone concentrations in 3 of 10 patients. Six of the others showed earlier or later TBII increases than those in thyroid hormones. One patient did not show any change in TBII, albeit thyroid hormone concentrations were found to be increased. Our observations suggest that abnormal IgGs detected as TBII in sera of patients with Graves' disease by the present method do not explain the occurrence of hyperthyroidism.

Adult↗

Occurrence of two beta-tubulin isoforms with different polymerizing abilities in L5178Y cells.

Mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells express at least two isoforms of beta-tubulin, designated M beta I and M beta II, as revealed by isoelectrofocusing, whereas two independently isolated normal T-cell clones, 3D10 and K23, express only M beta I. M beta II-tubulin is more acidic (pI, 5.10) than M beta I-tubulin (pI, 5.15). L5178Y cells were disrupted under the microtubule-stabilizing conditions, followed by centrifugation to separate fractions containing polymerized and unpolymerized tubulin. We found that a proportion of M beta II to total beta-tubulins is larger in the fraction containing unpolymerized tubulin than in that containing polymerized tubulin. In addition, when tubulin was purified from extracts of L5178Y cells by repeated cycles of polymerization-depolymerization, the M beta II-tubulin isoform was gradually lost during the successive purification steps. The low recovery of M beta II-tubulin was observed, irrespective of the presence or absence of MAPs, and even in the presence of an excess amount of essentially polymerizable porcine brain tubulin. These results indicate that M beta II-tubulin is less able to polymerize than is M beta I-tubulin, both in vivo and in vitro.

Animals↗

Two mammalian heat shock proteins, HSP90 and HSP100, are actin-binding proteins.

Two high molecular weight heat shock proteins, HSP90 (Mr, 90,000) and HSP100 (Mr, 100,000), were separately purified from extracts of cultured cells of a mouse lymphoma cell line, L5178Y. Both of the HSPs exist in homodimeric form under physiological conditions. Their physicochemical properties are quite similar to each other. Each of the purified HSPs was shown to coprecipitate with rabbit skeletal muscle actin under actin-polymerizing conditions. Both HSP90 and HSP100 increased the low-shear viscosity of filamentous actin solutions in a dose-dependent manner, which suggests that these HSPs cross-link actin filaments. Although some molecular properties and the effects described above on actin solution of HSP90 and HSP100 resemble those of alpha-actinin, the HSPs were distinguished from alpha-actinin by various means, including visualization of molecular shapes by electron microscopy with the aid of the low-angle rotary shadowing technique. Immunofluorescence staining by specific antisera against HSP90 revealed that HSP90 was localized in ruffling membranes in addition to the cytoplasmic space.

Actins↗