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Biomedical subjects

G Lam

Publications and source records attributed to G Lam.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Lipopolysaccharides decrease angiotensin converting enzyme activity expressed by cultured human endothelial cells.

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is present on endothelial cells and plays a role in regulating blood pressure in vivo by converting angiotensin I to angiotensin II and metabolizing bradykinin. Since ACE activity is decreased in vivo in sepsis, the ability of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to suppress endothelial cell ACE activity was tested by culturing human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) for 0-72 hr with or without LPS and then measuring ACE activity. ACE activity in intact HUVEC monolayers incubated with LPS (10 micrograms/ml) decreased markedly with time and was inhibited by 33%, 71%, and 76% after 24 hr, 48 hr, and 72 hr, respectively, when compared with control, untreated cells. The inhibitory effect of LPS was partially reversible upon removal of the LPS and further incubation in the absence of LPS. The LPS-induced decrease in ACE activity was dependent on the concentrations of LPS (IC50 = 15 ng/ml at 24 hr) and was detectable at LPS concentrations as low as 1 ng/ml. That LPS decreased the Vmax of ACE in the absence of cytotoxicity and without a change in Km suggests that LPS decreased the amount of ACE present on the HUVEC cell membrane. While some LPS serotypes (Escherichia coli 0111:B4 and 055:B5, S. minnesota) were more potent inhibitors of ACE activity than others (E. coli 026:B6 and S. marcescens), all LPS serotypes tested were inhibitory. These finding suggest that LPS decreases endothelial ACE activity in septic patients; in turn, this decrease in ACE activity may decrease angiotensin II production and bradykinin catabolism and thus play a role in the pathogenesis of septic shock.

Bacterial Toxins

The correlation between rises in intracellular calcium and PGI2 production in cultured vascular endothelial cells.

Elevation of intracellular calcium in response to trypsin, bradykinin, thrombin or histamine is associated with a proportional increase in PGI2 production in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (CPAE), and bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). The major agonists that induce increases in intracellular calcium and PGI2 production are thrombin and trypsin in HUVEC, bradykinin in CPAE, and bradykinin and trypsin in BAEC. These results suggest that endothelial cells derived from different species or sites require different agonists to induce increases in intracellular calcium and PGI2 production and that only agonists which increase intracellular calcium can stimulate PGI2 production.

Animals

IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha induce the expression and synthesis of Leu 13 antigen by cultured human endothelial cells.

Leu 13 is a 16 kDa human lymphocyte surface Ag and monoclonal anti-Leu 13 induces T cell aggregation and alters T cell proliferation. In previous studies using anti-Leu 13, Leu 13 Ag has been detected on endothelial cells (EC) of arteries, capillaries, and veins in human tissue sections. In contrast, in this study using the same antibody, Leu 13 Ag could not be detected on unstimulated cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) by indirect immunofluorescence, immunoperoxidase staining, or immunoisolation of radiolabeled Ag from labeled endothelial cells. However, when HUVEC were cultured with IFN-gamma, Leu 13 Ag was demonstrable using all three detection techniques. Leu 13 Ag was detectable after 24 h of incubation with IFN-gamma (30 U/ml) and was maximally expressed after 72 h. After removal of IFN-gamma, Leu 13 Ag progressively declined back to basal levels by 4 days. Induction of Leu 13 Ag expression by IFN-gamma was suppressed by cycloheximide. Although Leu 13 Ag expression was also induced by IFN-alpha, PMA, and IL-1 were inactive. When HUVEC were incubated with IFN-gamma, surface-labeled with 125I, and then solubilized, anti-Leu 13 immunoisolated a 16-kDa radioactive band that comigrated with Leu 13 immunoisolated from T cells. Similar results were obtained using HUVEC that were metabolically labeled with 35S-methionine. These results demonstrate that HUVEC stimulated with IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha express Leu 13 Ag on their surface and suggest that exposure of EC to IFN may induce EC to develop new functional properties at sites of inflammatory and immune reactions.

Antibodies, Monoclonal

Assignment of the gene encoding the beta-subunit of the human fibronectin receptor (beta-FNR) to chromosome 10p11.2.

A cDNA corresponding to the beta-subunit of the human fibronectin receptor (beta-FNR) was used as a probe in Southern blot analysis of mouse/human somatic cell hybrid DNAs and in in situ hybridization to metaphase chromosomes. The beta-FNR cDNA detects sequences present on human chromosome 10 as well as recognizing homologous sequences in the genome of the mouse parent of the somatic cell hybrids. In situ hybridization refined the localization of human sequences reacting with the beta-FNR cDNA to 10p11.2. The A-1A5 monoclonal antibody which recognizes the beta-subunit of the fibronectin receptor on the cell surface was used to confirm that the sequences present on chromosome 10 correspond to those required for expression of beta-FNR.

Animals

The human leucocyte-common antigen: differential expression of framework and restricted antigenic determinants on early haemopoietic progenitors.

Monoclonal antibodies have been raised against human LC determinants. One, F10.89.4, recognizes a 'framework' epitope on all LC molecules; the other, F8.11.13, recognizes a 'restricted' epitope present on only a subset of these molecules which are found mainly on B and a subpopulation of T cells. A previous study of leukaemias showed that some early lymphoid and myeloid leukaemic cells totally lack LC (35% of ALLs and AMLs are F10.89.4-, F8.11.13-). In contrast, a proportion of myeloid leukaemias carried both 'framework' and 'restricted' epitopes (30% AMLs and AMMLs are F10.89.4+, F8.11.13+). To determine whether comparable heterogeneity exists in normal bone marrow we have analysed LC expression during haemopoiesis, using FACS separated populations and in vitro progenitor assays. Our data show that the great majority of haemopoietic progenitors express the LC 'framework' epitope. These can be separated by size into myeloid (large) and lymphoid (small) progenitor populations. However, very few myeloid progenitors (11% CFU-GM, 6% CFU-GEMM) express the additional 'restricted' LC F8.11.13 epitope. Most F8.11.13+ progenitors are CFU-lymphoid; these generate both T and B lymphocytes, but show a preference for the B lineage. Thus there is some molecular heterogeneity of LC during normal haemopoiesis, but this is far less extensive than that found in leukaemias.

Adult