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Biomedical subjects

H Mukai

Publications and source records attributed to H Mukai.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Pharmacokinetics of NS-105, a novel cognition enhancer. 2nd communication: distribution and transfer into fetus and milk after single administration, and effects of repeated administration on pharmacokinetics and hepatic drug-metabolizing enzyme activities in rats.

The tissue distribution and transfer into the fetus and milk of NS-105 ((+)-5-oxo-D-prolinepiperidinamide monohydrate, CAS 110958-19-5), a novel cognition enhancer, were investigated in rats after single oral administration of 14C-NS-105. The effects of repeated oral administration on the pharmacokinetics of NS-105 and hepatic drug-metabolizing enzyme activities also were investigated in rats. The radioactivity concentration in most tissues of male rats reached a maximum of 0.5 h after the single oral administration of 14C-NS-105, indicating rapid absorption and distribution, 0.5 h after the administration, the highest concentrations were present in the kidney and stomach, and the lowest in the white fat. The concentrations in the remaining tissues were moderately lower than the plasma value. The radioactivity concentrations in all the tissues tested decreased along with the plasma concentration, and were below or near the detection limit 24 h after the administration. Most of the radioactivity in the plasma, liver, kidney and cerebrum was due to unchanged NS-105. The tissue distribution patterns of radioactivity in female (non-pregnant) and pregnant rats after the oral administration of 14C-NS-105 did not differ from the pattern in male rats, revealing neither sex- nor pregnancy-related differences in NS-105 distribution. In pregnant rats, the maximum concentration in the fetus was 66% of that in the maternal plasma. In lactating rats, the radioactivity concentration in the milk was similar to that in the plasma. During and after the repeated oral administration of 14C-NS-105, the plasma concentrations and cumulative urinary and fecal excretions of radioactivity did not change with the number of administrations and were similar to the corresponding values after the single administration. The radioactivity concentrations in most tissues 8 h after the 7th, 14th and 21st administrations were about twice the corresponding values after the single administration, indicating that there is no marked accumulation of radioactivity in the tissues and that a steady state level was reached within 1 week. Repeated oral administration of NS-105 (10 mg/kg) to male rats did not affect hepatic drug-metabolizing enzyme activities.

Animals↗

The role of PKN in the regulation of alphaB-crystallin expression via heat shock transcription factor 1.

We previously reported that PKN, a fatty acid-activated serine/threonine protein kinase, translocates from the cytosol to the nucleus by stresses such as heat shock, sodium arsenite, and serum starvation. To clarify the role of PKN under heat stress, we examined whether PKN regulates the expression of heat shock proteins. Co-expression of heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) and the catalytically active fragment of PKN induced the accumulation of alphaB-crystallin but not HSP27 and HSP70 in HeLa S3 cells. The expression of the reporter gene for alphaB-crystallin promoter was activated by co-expression of HSF1 and the catalytically active fragment of PKN, and this activation was dependent on the protein kinase activity of PKN. Deletion analysis of the alphaB-crystallin promoter region revealed that both the proximal and the distal heat shock elements were necessary for the transactivation. These results raise the possibility that there is a signal transduction pathway mediating stress signals for the accumulation of alphaB-crystallin by HSF1 and PKN.

Catalysis↗

Event-related potentials during mental imagery.

Event-related potentials(ERPs) were measured while subjects were constructing mental images of a letter of the alphabet. Following presentation of an uppercase letter, subjects were asked to form a mental image of the same letter in lower case, and determine whether or not it had an ascending or descending stroke (ascender or descender). ERPs were measured in a passive condition and then compared with the ERPs recorded while the subjects performed the discrimination task. During the discrimination task, negative potentials were observed in left frontal, central and parietal areas around 220 ms after the stimulus onset. These early negative potentials were dominant in the left hemisphere and are probably related to working memory processes in mental image formation.

Adult↗

Proteolytic activation of PKN by caspase-3 or related protease during apoptosis.

PKN, a fatty acid- and Rho-activated serine/threonine kinase having a catalytic domain highly homologous to protein kinase C (PKC), was cleaved at specific sites in apoptotic Jurkat and U937 cells on Fas ligation and treatment with staurosporin or etoposide, respectively. The cleavage of PKN occurred with a time course similar to that of PKCdelta, a known caspase substrate. This proteolysis was inhibited by a caspase inhibitor, acetyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-aldehyde. The cleavage fragments were generated in vitro from PKN by treatment with recombinant caspase-3. Site-directed mutagenesis of specific aspartate residues prevented the appearance of these fragments. These results indicate that PKN is cleaved by caspase-3 or related protease during apoptosis. The major proteolysis took place between the amino-terminal regulatory domain and the carboxyl-terminal catalytic domain, and it generated a constitutively active kinase fragment. The cleavage of PKN may contribute to signal transduction, eventually leading to apoptosis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A protein kinase, PKN, accumulates in Alzheimer neurofibrillary tangles and associated endoplasmic reticulum-derived vesicles and phosphorylates tau protein.

A possible role for a protein kinase, PKN, a fatty acid-activated serine/threonine kinase with a catalytic domain homologous to the protein kinase C family and a direct target for Rho, was investigated in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) using a sensitive immunocytochemistry on postmortem human brain tissues and a kinase assay for human tau protein. The present study provides evidences by light, electron, and confocal laser microscopy that in control human brains, PKN is enriched in neurons, where the kinase is concentrated in a subset of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and ER-derived vesicles localized to the apical compartment of juxtanuclear cytoplasm, as well as late endosomes, multivesicular bodies, Golgi bodies, secretary vesicles, and nuclei. In AD-affected neurons, PKN was redistributed to the cortical cytoplasm and neurites and was closely associated with neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and their major constituent, abnormally modified tau. PKN was also found in degenerative neurites within senile plaques. In addition, we report that human tau protein is directly phosphorylated by PKN both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, our results suggest a specific role for PKN in NFT formation and neurodegeneration in AD damaged neurons.

Aged↗

Localization of PKN mRNA in the rat brain.

Distribution of mRNA encoding PKN, a fatty acid and RhoA-activated serine/threonine protein kinase with a catalytic domain highly homologous to that of protein kinase C, was investigated in the rat brain using in situ hybridization histochemistry. PKN mRNA proved to be heterogenously distributed. The highest signals were observed in the cerebellum, in limbic systems such as olfactory bulb, hippocampal formation and limbic cortex, and in regions involved in central autonomic and neuroendocrine functions, such as hypothalamic ventromedial, dorsomedial, lateroanterior and arcuate nuclei, paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus and locus coeruleus. PKN mRNA was also highly expressed in dopaminergic neurons such as the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra pars compacta, in serotonergic raphe neurons, and in cholinergic neurons such as nucleus diagonal band, nucleus basalis, and lateral dorsal tegmental nucleus. The distribution of PKN mRNA differed from that for PKC isoforms. As the localization of PKN mRNA is heterogeneous, PKN may have a specific role in distinct populations of nerve cells.

Animals↗

PKN interacts with a paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration-associated antigen, which is a potential transcription factor.

PKN is a fatty acid-activated serine/threonine protein kinase, having a catalytic domain homologous to protein kinase C family. PKN has been recently reported to interact with a small GTP-binding protein Rho and cytoskeletal proteins such as neurofilament and alpha-actinin. To identify the new components of the PKN-signaling pathway, the yeast two-hybrid system was employed. Using the amino-terminal regulatory domain of PKN as a bait, cDNA encoding a neural antigen PCD17, which is recognized by characteristic antibodies of patients with paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, was isolated from a human brain cDNA library. The interaction between PKN and PCD17 was also determined by the in vitro binding analysis. PCD17 was coimmunoprecipitated with PKN from the lysate of COS7 cells transfected with both expression constructs for PKN and the amino-terminal region of PCD17. PCD17 was phosphorylated by PKN, and the extent of this phosphorylation was enhanced by addition of 40 microM arachidonic acid. The amino-terminal region of PCD17 could form a homodimer in vitro, and PCD17 fused to the Gal4 DNA binding domain showed the transcriptional transactivation of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene linked to 5 Gal4 binding sites and minimal promoter in rat C6 glioma cells. These results suggest the participation of PCD17 in gene expression and lead to a clue for elucidating the PKN signaling pathway from the cytosol to the nucleus.

Animals↗

Distribution of glycoproteins with beta-N-acetylgalactosaminylated N-linked sugar chains among bovine tissues.

Only a small number of glycoproteins has been reported to contain N-linked sugar chains with GalNAcbeta1-->4GlcNAc structure. Our previous studies showed that most glycoproteins from bovine milk fat globule membranes contain beta-N-acetylgalactosaminylated N-linked sugar chains [Sato et al., J. Biochem. 114 (1993) 890-900]. In order to study how widely this glycosylation occurs, lectin blot analysis of membrane glycoproteins from 12 bovine tissues was performed using Wistaria floribunda agglutinin (WFA), which interacts with oligosaccharides terminating with N-acetylgalactosamine. The WFA-positive bands were detected in samples from most tissues except for intestine although the number and reactivity of bands to lectin varied among the tissues. Upon pretreatment of blotted filters with Bacillus beta-N-acetylgalactosaminidase or N-glycanase, no lectin binding was observed. WFA-agarose column chromatography of oligosaccharides released by hydrazinolysis from membrane glycoproteins of bovine tissues except for intestine revealed that a few to 18% of the released oligosaccharides bind and are eluted from the column with 100 mM N-acetylgalactosamine. These results indicate that many glycoproteins from a variety of bovine tissues contain N-linked sugar chains with GalNAcbeta1-->4GlcNAc structure, suggesting a wider occurrence of this glycosylation in bovine tissues.

Acetylgalactosamine↗

The protein kinase N (PKN) gene PRKCL1/Prkcl1 maps to human chromosome 19p12-p13.1 and mouse chromosome 8 with close linkage to the myodystrophy (myd) mutation.

Protein kinase N (PKN) is a fatty acid- and Rho-activated serine/threonine protein kinase involved in the regulation of cell motility by association with cytoskeletal components such as neurofilament and alpha-actinin. We determined the chromosomal location of the human PKN gene PRKCL1 by fluorescence in situ hybridization and by radiation hybrid mapping. The corresponding mouse gene Prkcl1 was mapped by segregation analysis. We found by FISH that PRKCL1 is localized to chromosome 19p12-p13.1 and, more precisely, by radiation hybrid mapping, about 11 cR from EST WI-6344 in subband 19p12. Prkcl1 maps to mouse chromosome 8 between D8Mit6 and junb. This region of mouse Chr 8 shows a scrambled syntenic conservation to human chromosomes 4q, 8p, and 19p. As the mouse mutation myodystrophy myd has been mapped to the same region, Prkcl1 is a candidate gene for myd.

Animals↗

Comparative effects of GTPgammaS and insulin on the activation of Rho, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and protein kinase N in rat adipocytes. Relationship to glucose transport.

Electroporation of rat adipocytes with guanosine 5'-3-O-(thio)triphosphate (GTPgammaS) elicited sizable insulin-like increases in glucose transport and GLUT4 translocation. Like insulin, GTPgammaS activated membrane phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase in rat adipocytes, but, unlike insulin, this activation was blocked by Clostridium botulinum C3 transferase, suggesting a requirement for the small G-protein, RhoA. Also suggesting that Rho may operate upstream of PI 3-kinase during GTPgammaS action, the stable overexpression of Rho in 3T3/L1 adipocytes provoked increases in membrane PI 3-kinase activity. As with insulin treatment, GTPgammaS stimulation of glucose transport in rat adipocytes was blocked by C3 transferase, wortmannin, LY294002, and RO 31-8220; accordingly, the activation of glucose transport by GTPgammaS, as well as insulin, appeared to require Rho, PI 3-kinase, and another downstream kinase, e.g. protein kinase C-zeta (PKC-zeta) and/or protein kinase N (PKN). Whereas insulin activated both PKN and PKC-zeta, GTPgammaS activated PKN but not PKC-zeta. In transfection studies in 3T3/L1 cells, stable expression of wild-type Rho and PKN activated glucose transport, and dominant-negative forms of Rho and PKN inhibited insulin-stimulated glucose transport. In transfection studies in rat adipocytes, transient expression of wild-type and constitutive Rho and wild-type PKN provoked increases in the translocation of hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged GLUT4 to the plasma membrane; in contrast, transient expression of dominant-negative forms of Rho and PKN inhibited the effects of both insulin and GTPgammaS on HA-GLUT4 translocation. Our findings suggest that (a) GTPgammaS and insulin activate Rho, PI 3-kinase, and PKN, albeit by different mechanisms; (b) each of these signaling substances appears to be required for, and may contribute to, increases in glucose transport; and (c) PKC-zeta may contribute to increases in glucose transport during insulin, but not GTPgammaS, action.

ADP Ribose Transferases↗

Alpha helix content of G protein alpha subunit is decreased upon activation by receptor mimetics.

To elucidate the mechanism whereby liganded receptor molecules enhance nucleotide exchange of GTP-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins), changes in the secondary structure of the recombinant Gi1 alpha subunit (Gi1alpha) upon binding with receptor mimetics, compound 48/80 and mastoparan, were analyzed by circular dichroism spectroscopy. Compound 48/80 enhanced the initial rate of GTPgammaS binding to soluble Gi1alpha 2.6-fold with an EC50 of 30 microg/ml. With the same EC50, the mimetic decreased the magnitude of ellipticity, which is ascribed to a reduction in alpha helix content of the Gi1alpha by 7%. Likewise, mastoparan also enhanced the rate of GTPgammaS binding by 3.0-fold and decreased the magnitude of ellipticity of Gi1alpha similar to compound 48/80. In corresponding experiments using a K349P-Gi1alpha, a Gi1alpha counterpart of the unc mutant in Gsalpha in which Pro was substituted for Lys349, enhancement of the GTPgammaS binding rate by both activators was quite small. In addition, compound 48/80 showed a negligible effect on the circular dichroism spectrum of the mutant. On the other hand, a proteolytic fragment of Gi1alpha lacking the N-terminal 29 residues was activated and showed decreased ellipticity upon interaction with the compound, as did the wild-type Gi1alpha. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that the activator-induced unwinding of the alpha helix of the G protein alpha subunit is mechanically coupled to the enhanced release of bound GDP from the alpha subunit.

Circular Dichroism↗

Differential display with carboxy-X-rhodamine-labeled primers and the selection of differentially amplified cDNA fragments without cloning.

Differential display (DD) has been used extensively to detect differentially expressed genes. However, the low reproducibility of displayed bands makes verification by Northern blot difficult and the technique is labor-intensive. This report describes a fluorescent DD with a ROX (carboxy-X-rhodamine)-labeled anchor primer and a revised RT-PCR, utilizing AMV reverse transcriptase, a more thermostable reverse transcriptase than Mu-MLV, and optimized concentrations of dNTPs and of MgCl2. Our technique yielded clear fingerprints with high reproducibility. Further, we have developed a method of rapid screening to select the cDNA fragments of interest in excised bands from a polyacrylamide gel without cloning. This method consists of electrophoresis with an agarose gel containing a base-specific DNA ligand to separate the equally sized fragments differing in base composition, and side-by-side comparison of the reamplified products from the experimental and control lane. Most of the cDNA fragments selected by this protocol provided readable sequences by direct sequencing and were confirmed to exhibit differential expression by Northern blot analysis or semiquantitative RT-PCR.

Base Sequence↗

The surgical treatment of lung lacerations and major bronchial disruptions caused by blunt thoracic trauma.

The records of 16 patients who suffered blunt thoracic trauma, causing lung lacerations in 13, bronchial disruptions in 2, and lung laceration with bronchial disruption in 1, were reviewed to investigate the correlations between clinical factors and prognosis. The causes of these injuries included 14 traffic accidents and 2 construction-related accidents, and the indications for surgery were massive bleeding in 12 patients, massive air leakage in 2, both in 1, and lung abscess in 1. Of the 16 patients, 11 (68.8%) underwent thoracotomy less than 4 h after admission, 3 (18.8%) underwent thoracotomy 4 to 24 h after admission, and 2 (12.5%) underwent thoracotomy 24 h or later after admission. The operative techniques included 1 pneumonectomy, 5 lobectomies, 2 bronchoplasties, and 8 minor repairs. The mortality rate was 43.7%, which included six early deaths occurring within 72 h of the trauma, and one late death. While major bronchial disruption is usually associated with a good prognosis, univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that intrapleural bleeding of 300 ml/h or more from time of trauma to chest tube drainage was significantly correlated with a poor prognosis. Moreover, an injury severity score (ISS) of 36 or more showed a trend toward a correlation with poor prognosis in patients with lung lacerations. Prompt thoracotomy will decrease mortality rate of patients suffering lung lacerations resulting in intrapleural bleeding of more than 300 ml/h.

Adolescent↗

Signaling pathways via NK1 receptors and their desensitization in an AR42J cell line.

Substance P (SP) has been shown to induce phosphatidylinositol (PI) hydrolysis and Ca2+ mobilization in AR42J cells. In this study, we confirmed the expression of NK1 but not NK2 or NK3 receptors in this cell line, and further investigated signaling pathways via NK1 receptors and their desensitization. The activation of NK1 receptors by SP affected neither basal cyclic AMP level nor cyclic AMP accumulation induced by secretin and forskolin, although it stimulated PI hydrolysis. Furthermore, SP induced Ca2+ mobilization even in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, though maximal response was reduced. U73122, a phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor, nearly abolished Ca2+ response to SP. In addition, SP-induced Ca2+ signaling and PI hydrolysis rapidly desensitized following short exposure to SP, which did not affect the Ca2+ amount in intracellular Ca2+ stores or Ca2+ responses to carbachol and gastrin releasing peptide-10. These findings suggested that NK1 receptors do not couple to adenylate cyclase, although they induce PI response, and that NK1 receptors induce both intracellular Ca2+ release and Ca2+ influx through PLC activation. Ca2+ signaling and PI hydrolysis through NK1 receptors desensitized rapidly after the stimulation, maybe dependent on the modification of NK1 receptors.

Animals↗

Effect of chronic bradykinin B2 receptor blockade on blood pressure of conscious Dahl salt-resistant rats.

1. In this study 3 protocols were utilized to determine the role of endogenous kinins in the resistance of the inbred Dahl (Rapp) salt-resistant (SR/Jr) rats to high salt diet-induced blood pressure elevation. 2. The bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist, Hoe 140 (D-Arg[Hyp3, Thi5, D-Tic7, Oic8]-bradykinin) at doses of either 10-20 or 20-40 nmol day(-1) (subcutaneously (s.c), via osmotic minipumps, for either 1 or 3 weeks during a high (8%) salt diet) effectively blocked or attenuated the hypotensive responses to 100-1000 ng of bradykinin. 3. In the first protocol, 5 week old SR/Jr rats treated with Hoe 140 (10-20 nmol day(-1), n = 9, s.c., via osmotic minipumps) for 3 weeks and concomitantly fed high (8%) NaCl diet had significantly higher conscious tail cuff blood pressures (BPc) at 1 and 3 weeks when compared with rats treated with vehicle (0.9% NaCl, n = 6). The differences in BPc between the 2 groups were 13 mmHg (P < 0.001) after 1 week and 8 mmHg (P < 0.05) after 3 weeks of treatment. 4. In the second protocol, 5 week old SR/Jr rats were treated with Hoe 140 (20-40 nmol day(-1), n = 8, s.c., via osmotic minipumps) or vehicle (n = 8) for 3 weeks. During the first week of treatment the rats were fed normal (0.8%) NaCl diet. The rats were then switched to 8% NaCl for 2 remaining weeks of the protocol. The mean BPc of Hoe 140-treated rats was not significantly different from that of the vehicle-treated rats when fed 0.8% NaCl diet. In contrast, rats treated with Hoe 140 and concomitantly fed high (8%) NaCl diet had significantly increased BPc (123+/-2 vs 111 +/- 1 mmHg, P < 0.001 for the Hoe 140- and vehicle-treated rats, respectively). 5. In the third protocol, treatment with Hoe 140 (20 40 nmol day(-1), s.c., via osmotic minipumps) during high salt diet did not increase BPc in rats that were pre-exposed to the high salt diet for 2 weeks. 6. At the end of 3 weeks of study, blood pressure was measured via an arterial catheter during pentobarbitone-induced anaesthesia. Rats treated with Hoe 140 for 1 or 3 weeks had significantly lower mean arterial blood pressures than the vehicle-treated rats. 7. Our findings suggest that in SR/Jr rats, kinin activation of bradykinin B2 receptors at least partially contributes to early regulatory mechanisms that resist an increase in blood pressure following exposure to a high salt diet. The mechanism underlying the decreased blood pressure during pentobarbitone anaesthesia of SR/Jr rats chronically treated with Hoe 140 has yet to be elucidated.

Animals↗

Serum thrombopoietin level is mainly regulated by megakaryocyte mass rather than platelet mass in human subjects.

A patient with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) developed T-cell lymphoma while undergoing steroid therapy. We examined the relationship between the patient's serum thrombopoietin (Tpo) level, platelet count, megakaryocyte number and CFU-Meg number during the second 5 d course of chemotherapy for lymphoma in which megakaryopoiesis switched from ITP phase to amegakaryocytic phase. The patient's platelet count was temporarily elevated but CFU-Meg numbers were markedly suppressed, and megakaryocyte numbers were decreased in this period, whereas serum Tpo level was not suppressed despite an increased platelet count, indicating that serum Tpo level is mainly regulated by megakaryocyte mass.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

Differential diagnosis of mucin-producing tumors of the pancreas by intraductal ultrasonography and peroral pancreatoscopy.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Although mucin producing tumors of the pancreas have been recently recognized as premalignant or malignant neoplasms, their diagnosis and management have been undetermined as yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capability of intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS) and peroral pancreatoscopy (PPS) in the differential diagnosis of mucin-producing tumors compared to that of other diagnostic tools. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1986 to 1997, 31 patients with mucin-producing tumors of the pancreas underwent surgery. RESULTS: Histologically, in patients with adenocarcinoma, papillary tumorous lesions within the pancreatic ducts were 3 mm or more in maximum height. The detection rates for such lesions were 29% with US, 21% with CT, 86% with EUS, 100% with IDUS and 83% with PPS. In patients with adenocarcinoma, PPS revealed taller papillary lesions with redness and/or capillary vessels. Biopsy and cytology during ERCP and under PPS direct vision had a sensitivity of about 60 % in the differential diagnosis between malignancy and benign diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Mucin-producing tumors of the pancreas with papillary tumorous lesions of 3 mm or more in maximum height should be considered as adenocarcinomas. The combined use of IDUS and PPS with biopsy and cytology is now considered the best for the differential diagnosis of mucin-producing tumors of the pancreas.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗