Biomedical subjects

G A Coetzee

Publications and source records attributed to G A Coetzee.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1991

Low density lipoprotein receptor founder mutations in Afrikaner familial hypercholesterolaemic patients: a comparison of two geographical areas.

Afrikaners with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) were screened for the presence of three point mutations in the low density lipoprotein receptor gene that were previously described as being relatively common in this population. The prevalence and distribution of the mutations were compared in 27 unrelated homozygous and 79 unrelated heterozygous FH Afrikaner patients from two regions in South Africa, the Transvaal and Cape Provinces. The relative distribution of the three mutations was similar in the two regions, with the FH1 mutation being the most prevalent (66%), followed by the FH2 mutation (27%) and the FH3 mutation (7%). Interestingly, defects other than the three common mutations are more common in the Cape than in the Transvaal; thus the three known mutations account for 98% of FH alleles in the Transvaal and only 74% in the Cape Province. None of the patients carried the recently described familial defective apolipoprotein B100 mutation. These results establish that three "founder" mutant genes occur amongst the Afrikaner and are responsible for the overall high prevalence of FH in this population.

Alleles↗

PubMed1991

5-Methylcytosine as an endogenous mutagen in the p53 tumor suppressor gene.

Approximately 4% of cytosine residues in human DNA are modified post-synthetically into 5-methylcytosine (5mC) which is the only modified base present in vertebrate DNA. The function of 5mC is not fully understood, but methylation of promoter regions is often associated with transcriptional inactivity and may be part of a gene silencing mechanism. While undermethylation of promoter regions is correlated with expression, the same does not seem to be true for the remainder of genes since many genes are expressed while containing 5mC in their coding regions. This is significant because 5mC is known to be inherently mutagenic and it has been suggested that it is responsible for 30-40% of all human germline point mutations. We have used direct genomic sequencing to examine the methylation status of CpG sequences which serve as potential methylation sites in the human p53 gene. These sites, which are known to be hotspots for mutations in several human cancers, were found to be methylated in the target human tissues examined. The results suggest that 5mC may play a substantial role as an endogenous mutagen in the p53 gene and that the generation of these mutations does not require the direct interaction of a carcinogen with DNA. We have also compared the spectrum of p53 mutations reported in the literature for various human tumors. The patterns of mutations seen in different tumor types vary considerably and 5mC contributes to 63% of point mutations in colorectal cancer but only 13% in lung cancer. Mutations in lung cancer are therefore caused by a different mechanism than colorectal cancer and this presumably requires the direct interaction of carcinogens with DNA. Assessment of the proportion of 5mC induced mutations in the p53 gene therefore allows for an estimate of the relative importance of endogenous and exogenous mechanisms of carcinogenesis.

5-Methylcytosine↗

PubMed1991

A common Lithuanian mutation causing familial hypercholesterolemia in Ashkenazi Jews.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in the low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) receptor. Here we characterize an LDL-receptor founder mutation that is associated with a distinct LDL-receptor haplotype and is responsible for FH in 35% of 71 Jewish-Ashkenazi FH families in Israel. Sixty four percent (16/25) of the Ashkenazi patients who carry this mutant allele were of Lithuanian origin. The mutation was not found in 47 non-Ashkenazi FH families. This mutation was prevalent (8/10 FH cases) in the Jewish community in South Africa, which originated mainly from Lithuania. The mutation, a 3-bp in-frame deletion that would result in the elimination of Gly197, has been previously designated FH-Piscataway. PCR amplification of a DNA fragment that includes the mutation in heterozygous individuals results in the formation of a heteroduplex that can be demonstrated by PAGE and used for molecular diagnosis.

Alleles↗

PubMed1990

5-Methylcytosine as an endogenous mutagen in the human LDL receptor and p53 genes.

Direct genomic sequencing revealed that cytosine residues known to have undergone a germ-line mutation in the low density lipoprotein receptor gene or somatic mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene were methylated in all normal human tissues analyzed. Thus, these mutations should be scored as transitions from 5-methylcytosine to thymine rather than from cytosine to thymine. Methylated cytosines occur exclusively at CpG dinucleotides, which, although markedly underrepresented in human DNA, are sites for more than 30 percent of all known disease-related point mutations. Thus, 5-methylcytosine functions as an endogenous mutagen and carcinogen in humans, in that methylation seems to increase the potential for mutation at cytosine residues at least by a factor of 10.

5-Methylcytosine↗

PubMed1990

Ammonium chloride causes reversible inhibition of low density lipoprotein receptor recycling and accelerates receptor degradation.

The effects of the acidotropic agent, NH4Cl, on the recycling and turnover of low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors were analyzed in human skin fibroblasts using ligand binding assays, [35S]methionine pulse-chase experiments, and electron microscopy. NH4Cl did not prevent receptor internalization but caused a marked redistribution of LDL receptors to intracellular sites (endosomes) that was completely dependent on the presence of apolipoprotein-B- or -E-containing ligands. Maximal inhibition of recycling was observed at LDL concentrations that only partially saturated receptors, suggesting that the receptors function as oligomers. In contrast, full receptor occupancy by the multivalent, apolipoprotein-E-containing beta-very low density lipoprotein was required for the same effect. The intracellular accumulation was reversible and the majority of receptors returned to the cell surface when NH4Cl was removed after short treatments. The rate of degradation of LDL receptors was greatly accelerated in the presence of NH4Cl and ligand, with a t1/2 of about 2 h (approximately 6 times faster than receptor degradation in the absence of NH4Cl). Neither the redistribution nor the accelerated loss of immunoprecipitable LDL receptors was observed in an LDL receptor internalization-defective mutant cell line. We conclude that NH4Cl inhibited the recycling specifically of occupied receptors, thereby accelerating their degradation, probably in endosomes.

Ammonium Chloride↗

PubMed1990

De novo methylation of the MyoD1 CpG island during the establishment of immortal cell lines.

CpG dinucleotides are unevenly distributed in the vertebrate genome. Bulk DNA is depleted of CpGs and most of the cytosines in the dinucleotide in this fraction are methylated. On the other hand, CpG islands, which are often associated with genes, are unmethylated at testable sites in all normal tissues with the exception of genes on the inactive X chromosome. We used Hpa II/Msp I analysis and ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction to examine the methylation of the MyoD1 CpG island in adult mouse tissues, early cultures of mouse embryo cells, and immortal fibroblastic cell lines. The island was almost devoid of methylation at CCGG sites in adult mouse tissues and in low-passage mouse embryo fibroblasts. In marked contrast, the island was methylated in 10T 1/2 cells and in six other immortal cell lines showing that methylation of this CpG island had occurred during escape from senescence. The island became even more methylated in chemically transformed derivatives of 10T 1/2 cells. Thus, CpG islands not methylated in normal tissues may become modified to an abnormally high degree during immortalization and transformation.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Chylomicron remnant clearance from the plasma is normal in familial hypercholesterolemic homozygotes with defined receptor defects.

The retinyl palmitate fat tolerance test was used to measure chylomicron remnant clearance in 10 normal subjects (apolipoprotein E [apo E] isotypes 3 or 4 only), 6 normolipidemic apo E2/2 homozygotes and 5 familial hypercholesterolemic homozygotes. Skin fibroblasts with fully upregulated LDL receptors from the latter subjects degraded rabbit 125I-beta VLDL in vitro at rates ranging from less than 10-48% of normal. Experiments in vivo revealed no significant differences between the normal and homozygous familial hypercholesterolemic (FHH) subjects in chylomicron remnant clearance assessed on the basis of "areas under the curves" for retinyl palmitate levels present in post-prandial serum, chylomicron remnants (Sf. less than 1,000), or chylomicrons (Sf. greater than 1,000). Remnant clearance was greatly decreased at all times in the apo E2/2 homozygotes, indicative of an important degree of flux control exerted by a receptor-mediated step involving apo E as ligand. The absence of any excess remnant accumulation in FHH subjects with varying "impairment" of LDL receptor-mediated degradation of apo E-containing lipoproteins, permits the conclusion that chylomicron remnants are initially cleared from the plasma by apo E-recognizing receptors which are genetically distinct from LDL receptors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Human serum amyloid A protein. The assignment of the six major isoforms to three published gene sequences and evidence for two genetic loci.

Serum amyloid A protein (apo-SAA) is an acute-phase reactant and an apolipoprotein of high density lipoproteins (HDL). Six major isoforms of apo-SAA occur in humans (pI 6.0, 6.4, 7.0, 7.4, 7.5, 8.0). In this report we have rationalized the phenotypic expression of apo-SAA isoforms with published apo-SAA structures predicted from apo-SAA cDNA's pA1 and pSAA82 and the genomic DNA SAAg9. The six apo-SAA isoforms fall into three pairs, pI 6.0/6.4, 7.0/7.5, and 7.4/8.0, which are products of cDNA pA1, cDNA pSAA82, and genomic DNA SAAg9, respectively. The second of each isoform pair (i.e. pI 6.4, 7.5, and 8.0) is the "primary" product: a 104-residue peptide with the NH2-terminal sequence Arg-Ser-Phe-Phe. Each primary product is processed either to a major 103-residue peptide with the NH2-terminal sequence Ser-Phe-Phe or processed to a minor 102-residue product which results from the loss of both an Arg and a Ser residue from the NH2 termini. These "secondary" products have the lower pI values of 6.0, 7.0, and 7.4, respectively. The isoelectric points of the SAAg9 products were confirmed by expression of SAAg9 in transfected mouse L-cells. Both the pI 8.0 and 7.4 isoforms were present in cellular extracts, suggesting that post-translational modification of apo-SAA may occur intracellularly. However, the greater relative abundance of the pI 7.4 isoform extracellularly suggests that the major conversion may occur after secretion. Whereas the gene corresponding to the pA1 cDNA sequence does not show allelic variation, the segregation characteristics of the pI 7.0/7.5 and 7.4/8.0 isoform pairs amongst individuals suggests that these isoforms are the products of genes (with sequences corresponding to pSAA82 and SAAg9, respectively) which are allelic variants at a single locus distinct from that for the pI 6.0/6.4 isoform pair.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1989

Human serum amyloid A protein. Behaviour in aqueous and urea-containing solutions and antibody production.

Human serum amyloid A protein (apo-SAA) can be prepared by gel filtration of delipidated acute-phase high-density lipoprotein in the presence of urea. The resultant apo-SAA is soluble (greater than 90% solubility) in a wide range of buffer solutions, with all of the six major isoforms of apo-SAA being equally soluble. In urea-containing solutions the isoforms behave qualitatively differently in various urea concentrations, probably reflecting subtle primary-structure variations. The higher-pI isoforms are only completely unfolded at greater than 7 M-urea. By immunizing with apo-SAA adsorbed to acid-treated bacteria (Salmonella minnesota R595), high-titre antibodies can easily be elicited in rabbits.

Adsorption↗

PubMed1989

Low-density-lipoprotein receptors in human fibroblasts are not degraded in lysosomes.

The rate of degradation of low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) receptors was measured in cultured human skin fibroblasts by [35S]methionine pulse-chase experiments. The half-life of LDL receptors was unaltered by inclusion of LDL in the medium (t1/2 11 h). Neither lysosomotropic inhibitors (chloroquine or NH4Cl) nor leupeptin inhibited the rate of receptor degradation in the absence of ligand. In cells incubated at 18 degrees C to inhibit the delivery of internalized ligands from endocytic vesicles to lysosomes, receptor degradation continued, but at the expected rate of about six times lower than that at 37 degrees C. Mutant LDL receptors defective in internalization were degraded at the same rate as normal receptors, suggesting that receptor internalization and recycling are not required for basal turnover. We conclude that the rate-limiting steps for, and probably the whole pathway of, degradation of normal LDL receptors does not take place in lysosomes.

Cells, Cultured↗

PubMed1989

Two common low density lipoprotein receptor gene mutations cause familial hypercholesterolemia in Afrikaners.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), an autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in the LDL receptor gene, is five times more frequent in the Afrikaner population of South Africa than it is in the population of the United States and Europe. It has been proposed that the high frequency is due to a founder effect. In this paper, we characterized 24 mutant LDL receptor alleles from 12 Afrikaner individuals homozygous for FH. We identified two mutations that together makeup greater than 95% of the mutant LDL receptor genes represented in our sample. Both mutations were basepair substitutions that result in single-amino acid changes. Each mutation can be detected readily with the polymerase chain reaction and restriction analysis. The finding of two common LDL receptor mutations in the Afrikaner FH homozygotes predicts that these mutations will predominate in the Afrikaner population and that the high frequency of FH is due to a founder effect. The increased incidence of ischemic heart disease in the Afrikaner population may in part be due to the high frequency of these two mutations in the LDL receptor gene.

Alleles↗

PubMed1989

Early appearance of dispersed low density lipoprotein receptors on the fibroblast surface during recycling.

We have examined the distributions of recycling low density lipoprotein receptors (LDL-Rs) as they emerge onto and cluster on the surfaces of cultured cells. Surface LDL-Rs were labeled with colloidal gold-LDL conjugates (AuLDL) and cells viewed as whole-mounts in the transmission electron microscope. The steady-state distribution of LDL-Rs on the cell surface, labeled with AuLDL at 4 degrees C, comprised ring-shaped clusters of receptors with dispersed receptors scattered amongst them. After 12 min of incubation at 37 degrees C, virtually all AuLDL probes were internalized. Electron microscopy of thin sections revealed clustered receptors in coated pits and the progressive accumulation of AuLDL in endosomes, multivesicular bodies and lysosomes. By initially blocking all surface LDL-Rs, either with unconjugated LDL or AuLDL of one size, the clustering behavior of newly emerged receptors which recycled to the cell surface was selectively visualized with an AuLDL probe of a second size over a defined time-course. Release of the blocking ligand during the time-course was found to be negligible. Newly appearing dispersed LDL-Rs were detected as early as 2 min and these were often concentrated at the cell margins. The newly labeled and preblocked LDL-Rs did not cocluster before 6 min. By 8 to 12 min, ring-shaped clusters of newly emerged receptors had formed and these were often seen associated with pre-blocked LDL-Rs. The clustering of LDL-Rs on the cell surface was independent of the presence of ligand, AuLDL. Our results indicate that LDL-Rs recycle to the cell surface where they form a dispersed population which gives rise to the ring-shaped clusters of cell surface LDL-Rs associated with coated pits.

Cell Line↗

PubMed1988

Two mutant low-density-lipoprotein receptors in Afrikaners slowly processed to surface forms exhibiting rapid degradation or functional heterogeneity.

Two distinct mutant low-density-lipoprotein receptors in South African Afrikaners exhibit retarded posttranslational processing to mature forms. One mutation gives rise to cell-surface receptors that are subject to abnormally rapid degradation, whereas the other is associated with a functionally heterogeneous surface population degraded at a normal rate.

Ethnicity↗

PubMed1988

Identification of three isoform patterns of human serum amyloid A protein.

Three patterns of human apo-SAA (serum amyloid A protein) isoforms have been identified by electrofocusing. In pattern 1, six major apo-SAA isoforms of pI 6.0, 6.4, 7.0, 7.4, 7.5 and 8.0 were found. In pattern 2, the apo-SAA isoforms of pI 7.4 and 8.0 were not detected, whereas in pattern 3 the pI-7.0 and -7.5 isoforms were lacking. Six patients displayed apo-SAA isoform pattern 1, 11 displayed pattern 2 and one displayed pattern 3.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

Deletion in the first cysteine-rich repeat of low density lipoprotein receptor impairs its transport but not lipoprotein binding in fibroblasts from a subject with familial hypercholesterolemia.

The ligand-binding domain of the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor is composed of seven cysteine-rich repeats, each approximately 40 amino acids long. Previous studies by van Driel et al. [van Driel, I. R., Goldstein, J. L., Sudhof, T. C. & Brown, M. S. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 17443-17449] showed that if the first repeat of the ligand-binding domain (encoded by exon 2) is deleted, the receptor fails to bind an anti-LDL receptor monoclonal antibody (IgG-C7) but continues to bind LDL with high affinity. Cultured fibroblasts from a Black South African Xhosa patient (TT) with the clinical syndrome of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia demonstrated high-affinity cell-surface binding of 125I-labeled LDL but not 125I-labeled IgG-C7. Previous haplotype analysis, using 10 restriction fragment length polymorphic sites, suggested that the patient inherited two identical LDL receptor alleles. The polymerase chain reaction technique was used to selectively amplify exon 2 of the LDL receptor gene from this patient. Sequence analysis of the amplified fragment disclosed a deletion of six base pairs that removes two amino acids, aspartic acid and glycine, from the first cysteine-rich ligand binding repeat. The mutation creates a new PstI restriction site that can be used to detect the deletion. The existence of this mutant allele confirms that the epitope of IgG-C7 is located in the first cysteine-rich repeat and that this repeat is not necessary for LDL binding. The mutant gene produced a normally sized 120-kilodalton LDL receptor precursor protein that matured to the 160-kilodalton form at less than one-fourth the normal rate. Thus, deletion of two amino acids within the first cysteine-rich repeat retards receptor transport from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cell surface, in contrast to deletion of the entire first repeat, which has no effect on receptor maturation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1988

Low density lipoprotein receptor degradation is influenced by a mediator protein(s) with a rapid turnover rate, but is unaffected by receptor up- or down-regulation.

Treatment of cultured human skin fibroblasts with cycloheximide retarded the down-regulation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor activity caused by 25-hydroxycholesterol. The rate of LDL receptor degradation, measured directly by means of [35S]methionine pulse-chase experiments, was also markedly inhibited by cycloheximide (or puromycin), suggesting that continuous synthesis of a short-lived mediator protein(s) was necessary for normal LDL receptor turnover. In the absence of cycloheximide, both the up- and down-regulation of LDL receptor activity took place with a half-time of approximately 12 hr. Pulse-chase measurements with [35S]methionine yielded a receptor half-life (t1/2) of 11.7 +/- 2.2 hr (n = 10) in up-regulated cells; the t1/2 in the partially down-regulated state was similar. The presence of LDL or 25-hydroxycholesterol did not alter this degradation rate. Regulation of LDL receptor activity under these various culture conditions therefore probably occurred solely as a result of changes in the rate of receptor synthesis. The cycloheximide-sensitive factor(s) that influences receptor turnover apparently did not play a regulatory role in the up- or down-regulation of the LDL receptor.

Antibodies↗

PubMed1987

Neutrophil association and degradation of normal and acute-phase high-density lipoprotein 3.

The interaction of normal and acute-phase high-density lipoproteins of the subclass 3 (N-HDL3 and AP-HDL3) with human neutrophils and the accompanying degradation of HDL3 apolipoproteins have been studied in vitro. The chemical composition of normal and acute-phase HDL3 was similar except that serum amyloid A protein (apo-SAA) was a major apolipoprotein in AP-HDL3 (approx. 30% of total apolipoproteins). 125I-labelled AP-HDL3 was degraded 5-10 times faster than 125I-labelled N-HDL3 during incubation with neutrophils or neutrophil-conditioned medium. Apo-SAA, like apolipoprotein A-II (apo-A-II), was more susceptible than apolipoprotein A-I (apo-A-I) to the action of proteases released from the cells. The amounts of cell-associated AP-HDL3 apolipoproteins at saturation were up to 2.8 times greater than N-HDL3 apolipoproteins; while apo-A-I was the major cell-associated apolipoprotein when N-HDL3 was bound, apo-SAA constituted 80% of the apolipoproteins bound in the case of AP-HDL3. The associated intact apo-SAA was mostly surface-bound as it was accessible to the action of exogenous trypsin. alpha 1-Antitrypsin-resistant (alpha 1-AT-resistant) cellular degradation of AP-HDL3 apolipoproteins also occurred; experiments in which pulse-chase labelling was performed or lysosomotropic agents were used indicated that insignificant intracellular degradation occurred which points to the involvement of cell-surface proteases in this degradation.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗

PubMed1987

Familial hypercholesterolemia in South African Afrikaners. PvuII and StuI DNA polymorphisms in the LDL-receptor gene consistent with a predominating founder gene effect.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), at a prevalence of more than 1 in 100, is at least five times more common in one South African population group than in populations in North America and Europe. Fourteen homozygotic familial hypercholesterolemic subjects from this South African group were genotyped for two intragenic DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) in the LDL-receptor gene. A StuI polymorphism is located in exon 8, and a PvuII polymorphism, in intron 15. Of ten unrelated FH homozygotes genotyped for both RFLPs, nine were homozygous for an S + P- haplotype, and one was heterozygous for an S + P-/S-P + haplotype. The remaining four were genotyped for PvuII only and were homozygous for P-. Compared with a previously determined population frequency for the latter, this represents an association (P less than 0.05) between the frequency for the P- allele and FH in this population, and this finding is consistent with the "founder gene effect" previously postulated to be present on genealogical and biochemical evidence.

DNA Restriction Enzymes↗