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Biomedical subjects

G A Thompson

Publications and source records attributed to G A Thompson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored phosphatase from Spirodela oligorrhiza is a purple acid phosphatase.

We recently presented clear evidence that the major low-phosphate-inducible phosphatase of the duckweed Spirodela oligorrhiza is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein, and, to our knowledge, is the first described from higher plants (N. Morita, H. Nakazato, H. Okuyama, Y. Kim, G.A. Thompson, Jr. [1996] Biochim Biophys Acta 1290: 53-62). In this report the purified 57-kD phosphatase is shown to be a purple metalloenzyme containing Fe and Mn atoms and having an absorption maximum at 556 nm. The phosphatase activity was only slightly inhibited by tartrate, as expected for a purple acid phosphatase (PAP). Furthermore, the protein cross-reacted with an anti-Arabidopsis PAP antibody on immunoblots. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the phosphatase was very similar to those of Arabidopsis, red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), and soybean (Glycine max) PAP. Extracts of S. oligorrhiza plants incubated with the GPI-specific precursor [3H]ethanolamine were treated with antibodies raised against the purified S. oligorrhiza phosphatase. Radioactivity from the resulting immunoprecipitates was specifically associated with a 57-kD band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. These results, together with previous findings, strongly indicate that the GPI-anchored phosphatase of S. oligorrhiza is a PAP.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Phloem sap proteins from Cucurbita maxima and Ricinus communis have the capacity to traffic cell to cell through plasmodesmata.

In angiosperms, the functional enucleate sieve tube system of the phloem appears to be maintained by the surrounding companion cells. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that polypeptides present within the phloem sap traffic cell to cell from the companion cells, where they are synthesized, into the sieve tube via plasmodesmata. Coinjection of fluorescently labeled dextrans along with size-fractionated Cucurbita maxima phloem proteins, ranging in size from 10 to 200 kDa, as well as injection of individual fluorescently labeled phloem proteins, provided unambiguous evidence that these proteins have the capacity to interact with mesophyll plasmodesmata in cucurbit cotyledons to induce an increase in size exclusion limit and traffic cell to cell. Plasmodesmal size exclusion limit increased to greater than 20 kDa, but less than 40 kDa, irrespective of the size of the injected protein, indicating that partial protein unfolding may be a requirement for transport. A threshold concentration in the 20-100 nM range was required for cell-to-cell transport indicating that phloem proteins have a high affinity for the mesophyll plasmodesmal binding site(s). Parallel experiments with glutaredoxin and cystatin, phloem sap proteins from Ricinus communis, established that these proteins can also traffic through cucurbit mesophyll plasmodesmata. These results are discussed in terms of the requirements for regulated protein trafficking between companion cells and the sieve tube system. As the threshold value for plasmodesmal transport of phloem sap proteins falls within the same range as many plant hormones, the possibility is discussed that some of these proteins may act as long-distance signaling molecules.

Journal Article↗

Regioselective and stereoselective metabolism of ibuprofen by human cytochrome P450 2C.

The cytochrome P450s responsible for the regio- and stereoselectivity in the 2- and 3-hydroxylation of the chiral non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug ibuprofen were characterized in human liver microsomes. The rates of formation of both the 2- and 3-hydroxy metabolites exhibited monophasic (N = 2; N is the number of microsomal preparations) and biphasic (N = 2) substrate concentration dependence for both enantiomers of ibuprofen. The high affinity enzyme class parameters for S-ibuprofen (N = 4) were: 2-hydroxylation, Vmax = 566 +/- 213 pmol/min/mg, Km = 38 +/- 13 microM; 3-hydroxylation, Vmax = 892 +/- 630 pmol/min/mg, Km = 21 +/- 6 microM. For R-ibuprofen, the corresponding parameters were: 2-hydroxylation, Vmax = 510 +/- 117 pmol/min/mg, Km = 47 +/- 20 microM; 3-hydroxylation, Vmax = 593 +/- 113 pmol/min/mg, Km = 29 +/- 8 microM. cDNA-expressed CYP2C9 (Arg 144 and Cys 144) favored S-2- and S-3-hydroxyibuprofen formation, but CYP2C8 favored R-2-hydroxyibuprofen formation. Sulfaphenazole, retinol, and arachidonic acid competitively inhibited the rate of formation of all hydroxyibuprofens; Ki values (N = 3) for sulfaphenazole on the 2- and 3-hydroxylations of S-ibuprofen were 0.12 +/- 0.05 and 0.07 +/- 0.04 and of R-ibuprofen were 0.11 +/- 0.07 and 0.06 +/- 0.03 microM, respectively. Sulfaphenazole also competitively inhibited ibuprofen hydroxylation by cDNA-expressed CYP2C9 (Arg 144 and Cys 144) with Ki values in the range of 0.05 to 0.18 microM and CYP2C8 in the range of 0.36 to 0.55 microM. In a bank of 14 human liver microsome samples, significant correlations (r = 0.72 to 0.90; P < 0.01) were observed between the rates of formation of all four hydroxyibuprofens, and for each hydroxyibuprofen and prototypical CYP2C8/9 biotransformations. The regio- and stereoselectivities observed in vitro were consistent with those noted in vivo. The relative levels of both CYP2C8 and CYP2C9 and the expression of the corresponding variants may influence the disposition of ibuprofen in vivo.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗

An apparent association between glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins and a sphingolipid in Tetrahymena mimbres.

Sphingolipids are thought to stabilize glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein-rich membrane domains of yeast and polarized higher animal cells during the processing and targeting of these proteins to the plasma membrane. A widely used criterion for identifying the stable sphingolipid- and GPI-anchored protein-enriched membrane domains is the resistance of these lipid-modified proteins to solubilization by the detergent Triton X-100 (TX-100) at low temperature. Surprisingly, there have been no reports of sphingolipid/GPI-anchored protein association in protozoans, despite the fact that these cells contain considerably higher levels of GPI-anchored proteins than does any other organism. We report here the presence in Tetrahymena mimbres of a significant pool of GPI-anchored proteins which resisted extraction by 1% TX-100 at 4 degrees C but not at 37 degrees C. Of the total cellular complement of GPI-anchored proteins, which together accounted for more than 2% of whole-cell protein and were especially enriched in surface membranes, 10% of the major 63kDa component (gpi63) and 23% of a somewhat less abundant component (gpi23) were insoluble in TX-100 at 4 degrees C. A substantial proportion of the cell's only abundant sphingolipid, ceramideaminoethylphosphonate (CAEP), was also insoluble in 1% TX-100 at 4 degrees C. Radiolabelling studies involving [3H]leucine incorporation into proteins and [3H]palmitic acid incorporation into lipids revealed that the TX-100-resistant gpi63, gpi23 and CAEP molecules were all metabolically distinct from their TX-100-soluble counterparts in other compartments of the cell. The presence of detergent-resistant sphingolipid/GPI-anchored protein domains in non-polarized ciliate and trypanosomatid cells was probably obscured in previous studies by the profusion of accompanying detergent-soluble molecules.

Animals↗

Percutaneous absorption of salicylic acid after repeated (14-day) in vivo administration to normal, acnegenic or aged human skin.

The objective of the present work was to determine the relative bioavailability of salicylic acid (SA) after repeated (14-day) topical application to subjects who presented normal, acnegenic, or photodamaged facial skin. To emulate exposure characteristics likely to be encountered by subjects in these two subpopulations, individuals presenting facial acne were treated with 2% SA in a hydroalcoholic vehicle, and volunteers with aged or photodamaged skin received a comparable topical dose of SA in a cream (moisturizer-like) vehicle. Plasma concentration-time profiles and cumulative urinary excretion of SA were measured after the last dose in subjects who had received 15 consecutive daily topical applications of 27 mg of SA or oral doses of 81 mg of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). The rate and extent of percutaneous absorption of SA were not affected by facial skin condition. Faster rates of absorption (Cmax) were obtained with a hydroalcoholic compared with a cream vehicle. Systemic SA exposures were at least five-fold higher with oral ASA than topical SA. Based on systemic salicylate concentrations resulting from ingestion of 81 mg of ASA, these results support that patients without gross skin disorders are at minimal risk of adverse systemic effects from routine use of topical products containing 2% SA.

Acne Vulgaris↗

Molecular characterization of a phloem-specific gene encoding the filament protein, phloem protein 1 (PP1), from Cucurbita maxima.

Sieve elements in the phloem of most angiosperms contain proteinaceous filaments and aggregates called P-protein. In the genus Cucurbita, these filaments are composed of two major proteins: PP1, the phloem filament protein, and PP2, the phloem lactin. The gene encoding the phloem filament protein in pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima Duch.) has been isolated and characterized. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the reconstructed gene gPP1 revealed a continuous 2430 bp protein coding sequence, with no introns, encoding an 809 amino acid polypeptide. The deduced polypeptide had characteristics of PP1 and contained a 15 amino acid sequence determined by N-terminal peptide sequence analysis of PP1. The sequence of PP1 was highly repetitive with four 200 amino acid sequence domains containing structural motifs in common with cysteine proteinase inhibitors. Expression of the PP1 gene was detected in roots, hypocotyls, cotyledons, stems, and leaves of pumpkin plants. PP1 and its mRNA accumulated in pumpkin hypocotyls during the period of rapid hypocotyl elongation after which mRNA levels declined, while protein levels remained elevated. PP1 was immunolocalized in slime plugs and P-protein bodies in sieve elements of the phloem. Occasionally, PP1 was detected in companion cells. PP1 mRNA was localized by in situ hybridization in companion cells at early stages of vascular differentiation. The developmental accumulation and localization of PP1 and its mRNA paralleled the phloem lactin, further suggesting an interaction between these phloem-specific proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Oral rehabilitation of a patient with amelogenesis imperfecta.

A patient with Type I hypoplastic patterned amelogenesis imperfecta, subtype D, presented for prosthodontic evaluation. This article describes the developmental and pathophysiological background of this disease. A clinical report describing the diagnosis, treatment planning, and dental rehabilitation of the patient is reviewed.

Adult↗

Diastereoselective synthesis of all four isomers of 3-(4-chlorophenyl) glutamic acid: identification of the isomers responsible for the potentiation of L-homocysteic acid-evoked depolarizations in neonatal rat motoneurons.

All four isomers of 3-(4-chlorophenyl)glutamic acid (5-8) were prepared by diastereoselective synthesis. Addition of (6S)-(+)-bis-lactim ether 15 to cis-4-chlorocinnamate 12 gave a mixture comprising mainly the (2R,3S)- and (2R,3R)-isomers 5 and 6, respectively (in a ratio of 56:40), while addition of (6R)-(-)-bis-lactim ether 16 to 4-chlorocinnamate 12 gave a mixture comprising mainly the (2S,3R)- and (2S,3S)-isomers 8 and 7, respectively (in a ratio of 56:42). The four stereoisomers (5-8) were therefore conveniently prepared by addition of either 3-lithio-(6S)- or -(6R)-bis-lactim ether (15 or 16, respectively) to 4-chlorocinnamate 12 and separation of the resultant mixtures of diastereoisomers (23-26) by flash silica gel chromatography. The absolute configurations of 6 and 7 were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Both the (2S,3S)- and (2S,3R)-isomers (7 and 8, respectively) at a concentration of 100 microM significantly potentiated depolarizations induced by 10 microM L-homocysteic acid (L-HCA) (% control +/- sem: 130.4 +/- 3.6, n = 20 and 114.5 +/- 2.4, n = 11, respectively) while the (2R,3S)-isomer 5 significantly reduced L-HCA response amplitude (94.2 +/- 1.4, n = 9) and the (2R,3R)-isomer 6 was inactive. Experiments designed to compare the agonist-potentiating actions of 7 and 8 in the neonatal rat spinal cord with L-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid, the well-known L-Glu uptake inhibitor, provided additional evidence for the selective enhancement of depolarizations due to L-HCA and not those due to L-Glu. This selective action supports the existence of multiple excitatory amino acid uptake sites.

Animals↗

Evidence for a glycosylinositolphospholipid-anchored alkaline phosphatase in the aquatic plant Spirodela oligorrhiza.

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins occur widely, perhaps universally, on the surface of animal cells, where they perform a variety of important functions. However, the existence of GPI-anchored proteins on plant cells has never been established. Evidence is presented in this communication for the occurrence of a 50 kDa GPI-anchored alkaline phosphatase (AP) induced in the duckweed Spirodela oligorrhiza by phosphate deprivation. Triton X-114 partitioning of the Spirodela proteins yielded two forms of AP activity. The detergent-associated form was labeled prominently by [3H]ethanolamine, [3H]myristic acid and [3H]palmitic acid. This amphiphilic form of AP, like authentic GPI-anchored AP from mammals, was clearly resolved from the remaining, water-soluble AP activity by two types of incompletely-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Lipid covalently bound to the solvent-delipidated amphiphilic AP was resistant to cleavage by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. Strong acid or alkaline hydrolysis of the 3H-fatty acid-labeled amphiphilic AP yielded radioactive fatty acids and a radioactive lipid tentatively identified as a long chain base. The more abundant water-soluble AP was also radioactive in plants incubated with [3H]ethanolamine and was labeled to a lesser extent by 3H-fatty acids. The water-soluble AP, unlike its amphiphilic counterpart, could be freed of all fatty acid radioactivity by mild alkaline hydrolysis, indicating the continued presence of an ester-linked fatty acid. All evidence supports the conclusion that Spirodela AP is synthesized as an amphiphilic protein with a ceramide-containing GPI anchor.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

The neurotransmitter candidature of sulphur-containing excitatory amino acids in the mammalian central nervous system.

While L-glutamate (L-Glu) is considered to be the predominant excitatory amino acid transmitter in the mammalian CNS, other amino acids have come under scrutiny as possible rivals for such a role. These include four sulphur-containing analogues of L-Glu and L-aspartate known as the SAAs. The L-Glu analogues are L-homocysteic acid and L-homocysteine sulphinic acid, while the L-aspartate analogues are L-cysteic acid and L-cysteine sulphinic acid. They are mixed agonists of excitatory amino acid receptors on a variety of neurones and are reported to be present in and released from mammalian CNS tissue. This review serves to summarize the current state of research into the possibility that one or more of these compounds is indeed a transmitter within the mammalian CNS.

Animals↗

Assessment of doxylamine influence on mixed function oxidase activity upon multiple dose oral administration to normal volunteers.

The primary purpose of this study was to assess the influence of doxylamine and phenobarbital on antipyrine/metabolites pharmacokinetics and 6 beta-hydroxycortisol urinary excretion. This study was conducted in 48 healthy male human volunteers (16 per treatment group) using a parallel study design. Treatment groups consisted of 12.5 mg of doxylamine succinate, placebo, or 30 mg of phenobarbital administered orally every 6 h for 17 days. Results indicate that no statistically significant differences were observed between the doxylamine and placebo groups that are indicative of enzyme induction. For the phenobarbital group, a significant increase for antipyrine total (36 versus 45 mL/h/kg) and nonrenal (35 versus 44 mL/h/kg) clearances and 6 beta-hydroxycortisol excretion (338 versus 529 micrograms) and a significant decrease in the terminal exponential half-life (11 versus 9 h) of antipyrine were observed.

Administration, Oral↗

Colorectal resection in Victoria:a comparison of hospital based and individual audit.

BACKGROUND: The results of personal audit have not been tested against a hospital-based audit previously and the results of two such audits of colorectal resection in the State of Victoria have provided this opportunity. In addition, data reflecting the results of colorectal resection across a range of hospitals and surgeons in the Victorian community have been obtained. METHODS: A total of 535 patients undergoing a colorectal resection, with an anastomosis performed, were studied in two serially conducted prospective audits arranged by the Standards Sub-Committee of the Victorian State Committee. One study was public hospital-based and the second was based on voluntary reporting by individual surgeons. RESULTS: Similar results were obtained in each study, demonstrating the accuracy of individual reporting. The combined results (wound infection rate 12.3%, anastomotic leak rate 3.7% and mortality 4.5%) are compared to previously published data. CONCLUSIONS: In the State of Victoria the results of audit by individual surgeons performing colorectal resection were similar to the hospital-based audit. The results obtained compare favourably with previously published data.

Aged↗

Clinical indicators in colorectal surgery.

Two studies conducted in the state of Victoria have tested potential clinical indicators and the suggested thresholds for resection of colorectal carcinoma where an anastomosis has been performed. These studies involving 535 patients were independent of one another: one hospital based and one surgeon based. Threshold figures for these draft indicators have been compared with the study figures and found to be similar. It is suggested that wound infection (elective operation without formation of a stoma), anastomotic leak (clinically recognized) and mortality (elective operations in patients under the age of 80 years) are the most appropriate clinical indicators of colorectal resection for carcinoma.

Cholecystectomy↗

Temperature-induced alteration of inositolphosphorylceramides in the putative glycosylated lipid precursors of Tetrahymena mimbres glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins.

Tetrahymena species contain relatively prominent glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins as well as their putative precursor phosphatidylinositol (PI) glycans. We have characterized the lipid components of the two principal T. mimbres PI glycans. Following their purification by preparative TLC, the PI glycans were hydrolysed in methanolic HCl or NaOH, and resulting lipids were analysed by chromatography and mass spectrometry. The two PI glycans contained nearly identical lipid moieties having long-chain bases with N-linked fatty acids. The predominant long-chain base, 3-O-methylsphinganine, was first assumed to be O-methylated as an artifact of hydrolysis, but subsequently, on the basis of control experiments, it was shown to be naturally occurring. PI glycans from cells grown at 28 degrees C contained primarily palmitic acid (79%) and some stearic acid (11%), whereas the principal PI glycan from 38 degrees C-grown T. mimbres contained 65% stearic acid. In 15 degrees C-grown cells stearic acid accounted for only 2% of ceramide-bound fatty acids and was almost totally replaced by palmitic acid (95%). The distributions of fatty acids bound to T. mimbres GPI-anchored proteins [Ko, Hung and Thompson (1995) Biochem. J. 307, 115-121] were similar but not identical to those of the PI glycans described here. Temperature-induced specification of the lipid components of mature T. mimbres GPI-anchored proteins appears to be established both at the level of PI-glycan synthesis and the level of PI-glycan utilization for protein attachment.

Animals↗

Temperature regulation of the Tetrahymena mimbres glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein lipid composition.

By incubating Tetrahymena mimbres cells with [3H]myristic acid, [3H]ethanolamine, [3H]inositol, and [3H]mannose, proteins having apparent molecular masses of 23 and 63 kDa were identified as the cells' principal glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins. These proteins accounted for as much as 2-5% of the whole cell proteins, with the higher levels being recovered from non-growing cells. The two proteins, gpi 23 and gpi 63, were purified to near homogeneity through Triton X-114/water partitioning followed by preparative SDS/PAGE. The lipid components of the GPI anchors were determined by chemical and enzymic hydrolysis. Both proteins were anchored by ceramides, with the principal long-chain base being C18 sphinganine containing an O-methyl group at the 3 position. O-Methylation was shown not to be an artifact of hydrolysis. When T. mimbres was cultured at 15 degrees C, the ceramide fatty acid component of the GPI anchors was principally palmitic acid (75% in gpi 23 and 76% in gpi 63). GPI anchors from 28 degrees C-grown cells contained mainly stearic acid (79% in gpi 23 and 70% in gpi 63). Temperature change had little effect on the long-chain-base composition. The direction of temperature-induced lipid change in the protein-bound anchors was the same as found in the inositolphosphorylceramide putative precursors of the protein anchors described in the accompanying paper [Hung, Ko and Thompson (1995) Biochem. J. 307, 107-113], but the detailed fatty acid compositions of the precursors and the protein-bound lipids were quite different. The precise metabolic regulation of anchor lipid chain length supports the concept that composition of the lipid anchor is important in the function and/or metabolism of the anchored protein.

Animals↗