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Biomedical subjects

G F Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to G F Murphy.

204 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed1969

The effect of tropolone on the formation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylacetic acid in the brain of the mouse.

1. The development of a very sensitive and specific fluorimetric assay for 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid has made it possible to measure how inhibitors of the enzyme catechol-O-methyl transferase affect the relative concentrations of this acid and its O-methylated derivative 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylacetic acid (homovanillic acid) in the brains of mice treated with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine or probenecid.2. It was found that tropolone and tropolone-4-acetamide reduce the concentration of homovanillic acid in the brains of the treated mice to an extent dependent on the dose.3. The concentration of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid in the brain was increased by the administration of tropolone or tropolone-4-acetamide but the dose and response were not simply related to one another.4. The results suggest that, in vivo, the formation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid is not always a simple alternative to the formation of homovanillic acid when the enzyme catechol-O-methyl transferase is inhibited.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cyclosporin treatment alters protein phosphorylation in kidney membranes.

Phosphorylation, protein carboxyl methylation, and ADP-ribosylation were assayed in renal basolateral membranes and brush border membranes isolated from rats treated by subcutaneous administration of 5 or 10 mg/(kg.day) of cyclosporin A (CsA) for 10 days to investigate potential alterations in signal transduction in kidney cortex. Protein carboxyl methylation of class II measured in membranes and in cytosolic fraction was not affected by CsA treatment. ADP-ribosylation performed in the presence of pertussis or cholera toxin was also similar in control and treated rats. However, changes in phosphorylation of endogenous substrates were observed in membranes and cytosol isolated from rats treated with 10 mg/(kg.day) of CsA. Phosphorylation was increased for two brush border membrane proteins (56 and 77 kilodaltons (kDa)) by 47 and 24% and for two basolateral membrane proteins (51 and 80 kDa) by 28 and 29%, respectively. In the cytosolic fraction, phosphorylation of two proteins (31 and 65 kDa) was increased by 37% and that of 25- and 43-kDa proteins was reduced by 29%. Protein kinase A, protein kinase C, and tyrosine protein kinase activities were also determined in membranes. Increases in protein kinase C and tyrosine protein kinase activities were observed in basolateral membranes, but not in brush border membranes after cyclosporin A administration. Endogenous substrates for tyrosine kinase were also detected with an antiphosphotyrosine (PY20) monoclonal antibody. Densitometric analysis indicated that the phosphorylation of three proteins of high molecular masses (61, 132, and 183 kDa) was stimulated by CsA in basolateral membranes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose↗
PubMedDate not supplied

cis-urocanic acid induces mast cell degranulation and release of preformed TNF-alpha: A possible mechanism linking UVB and cis-urocanic acid to immunosuppression of contact hypersensitivity.

The search for effective inhibitors of transdermal drug-induced contact sensitization was directed to dermal mast-cell-degranulating agents (MCDA). Human skin organ cultures were employed to test whether cis-urocanic acid (C-UA) and other potential MCDAs cause mast cell degranulation. These were then tested for their ability to inhibit the induction phase of the contact hypersensitivity reaction (CHR). C-UA at 1 microg/ml significantly depleted mast cell chymase, whereas trans-urocanic acid (T-UA) was relatively ineffective. C-UA, but not T-UA, induced local effects of liberated mast cell TNF-alpha, as detected by E-selectin expression on the microvascular dermal endothelium. C-UA significantly reduced (>70%) the ear swelling response in Balb/c mice, when applied 24 h prior to application of a sensitizing amount of dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), and induced a prolonged (>3 weeks) state of immune tolerance (>40%). Similar effects on local immunosuppression of CHR were observed with topical chloroquine and capsaicin, while cromolyn, a mast cell membrane stabilizer, was unable to inhibit DNCB-induced CHR. It is suggested that MCDAs may interfere with downstream events associated with accessory cell function.

Animals↗