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Biomedical subjects

H Uchimura

Publications and source records attributed to H Uchimura.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

n-Butyrate increases the level of thyroid hormone nuclear receptor in non-pituitary cultured cells.

The thyroid hormone nuclear receptor is a chromatin-associated protein regulating expression of specific genes. Acetylation of nucleosomal core histones is thought to be one of the factors regulating transcriptional activity of chromatin, and it is suggested that this reaction negatively regulates thyroid hormone receptor levels in GH1 cells (Samuels, H.H., Stanley, F., Casanova, J., and Shao, T. C. J. Biol. Chem. 255, 2499-2508). In the present study, we found that n-butyrate, a potent inhibitor of histone deacetylase, increases thyroid hormone receptor levels in three distinct non-pituitary cells without changing binding affinity. This effect appeared within 30 min and reached a plateau (240% of control) after a 6-h treatment, before important cellular functions were affected. This effect was time-dependent, dose-dependent, reversible, and paralleled the changes in the electrophoretic mobilities of histones H3 and H4. n-Butyrate prolonged the receptor half-life, and this prolongation corresponded to the increase of receptor levels. Thyroid hormone did not reduce its own receptor levels or influence the effect of n-butyrate. Considering the difference between GH1 cells and non-pituitary cells in the regulation of thyroid hormone receptor levels, our observations, together with those of Samuels et al., suggest the possibility that the acetylation of chromatin-associated proteins has a physiological significance in the regulation of thyroid hormone nuclear receptor levels.

Acetylation↗

Mass fragmentographic determination of gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamic acid in discrete amygdaloid nuclei of rat brain.

A mass fragmentographic method for the simultaneous quantification of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamic acid is described. In a convenient one-step reaction, the two amino acids were derivatized with pentafluoropropionic anhydride and pentafluoropropanol. The derivatization products were stable for several days. The technique has been applied to the assay of GABA and Glu in five amygdaloid nuclei of the rat brain. The GABA level was high in the central and medial nuclei, whereas the Glu level was high in the lateral and basal nuclei. The regional distribution of GABA was different from that of Glu within the amygdaloid nuclei.

Amygdala↗

Thyroglobulin release-stimulating activity in immunoglobulin G from patients with Graves' disease studied by human thyroid cells in vitro.

The ability of TSH or immunoglobulin G (G-IgG) from untreated patients with hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease to stimulate thyroglobulin (Tg) release from human thyroid cells was studied. Thyroid tissue obtained from antithyroid drug-treated Graves' hyperthyroid patients was dispersed enzymatically and cultured in monolayers; medium was changed every 3 days. The cultured cells initially released large but declining amounts of Tg, independent of the presence of TSH (approximately 5 micrograms/dish on day 3 and approximately 1.5 micrograms/dish on day 6). After 6 days, TSH had a dose-dependent stimulatory effect on Tg release, and the peak response occurred on day 15. G-IgG-induced Tg release was found on the 12th day of culture and was maximal on day 18. Thyroid cells cultured for 12 days in the absence of TSH responded to TSH and G-IgG in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. Using 12-day cultures, Tg release-stimulating activity (Tg-RSA) was tested using 5 mg/ml (7.5 mg/dish) G-IgGs from 20 patients and 72-h incubation. The Tg-RSA of individual patients varied. However, significant correlations were found between Tg-RSA values and serum Tg concentrations or Tg-RSA and thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin activities. No correlation was found between Tg-RSA and TSH binding inhibitor immunoglobulin activities. These results suggest that Tg-RSA can be an indicator of abnormal IgG of hyperthyroid Graves' patients. Whether the activity is identical with thyroid-stimulating activity remains to be clarified.

Adolescent↗

Changes in thyrotropin binding inhibiting immunoglobulins (TBII) in sera of patients with Graves' disease at the time of relapse or exacerbation.

Thyrotropin Binding Inhibiting Immunoglobulins (TBII) were measured in sera of 240 patients with Graves' disease who were followed 0-25 yr as a cross-sectioned study (21 untreated, 189 under therapy and 30 T3-suppressible and drug-discontinued patients) by using solubilized porcine thyroid TSH receptor. Assays were performed by using 50 microliter of serum. All untreated 21 patients showed positive TBII. Frequency of positive patients decreased yearly with treatment although 36% of patients remained positive after 6 yr of therapy. After that time TBII were positive in 61% of follow-up patients and in 16 positive patients who have been treated for more than 10 yr, drug therapy could not be stopped because of recurrence. TBII were positive in 6 of 30 T3-suppressible patients. As a longitudinal study changes in TBII were studied in 10 patients at the time of relapse or exacerbation. TBII increased in parallel with increases in thyroid hormone concentrations in 3 of 10 patients. Six of the others showed earlier or later TBII increases than those in thyroid hormones. One patient did not show any change in TBII, albeit thyroid hormone concentrations were found to be increased. Our observations suggest that abnormal IgGs detected as TBII in sera of patients with Graves' disease by the present method do not explain the occurrence of hyperthyroidism.

Adult↗

Preparation of tyrosine-O-[35S]sulfated cholecystokinin octapeptide from a nonsulfated precursor peptide.

A rapid and simple one-pot method for O-sulfation of nonsulfated cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) was developed using sulfuric acid and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) without protection of the amino acid side chains. The extent of sulfation was increased with increasing the amount of reactants, sulfuric acid, and DCC, and reached maximum (40%) with fourfold molar excess of sulfuric acid and 40-fold molar excess of DCC. The excess of nonsulfated peptide inhibited the sulfation. The sulfation product was purified by HPLC or TLC to give a pure sulfated substance which showed exactly the same behavior as that of an authentic O-sulfated CCK-8 on HPLC or TLC. The purified sulfated peptide was active in stimulating amylase secretion from rat pancreatic fragments, and amino acid analysis showed that the tyrosine residue in the peptide existed in O-sulfated form. Sulfation with [35S]sulfuric acid-DCC produced a radioactive substance, from which O-[35S]sulfated CCK-8 could be easily purified by two-dimensional TLC.

Cholecystokinin↗

A bioassay for thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins of patients with Graves' disease using porcine thyroid monolayer cells.

A bioassay for thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins (TSI) of patients with Graves' disease was developed by porcine thyroid monolayer cells. Thyroid cells were prepared by dispersion using collagenase and trypsin. Aliquots of the cell suspension (2 X 10(6) cells/1.5 ml/dish) in Ham's F-12 medium (pH 7.2) containing 10% calf serum and 1.5 mM Hepes were seeded and cultured in air at 36 C. On day 6 of culture, cells were incubated with test samples (IgG or bTSH) in 1 ml of serum-free, 0.5 mM IMX-included fresh medium for an additional time, and cAMP in the cells was measured by radioimmunoassay. Intracellular cAMP was increased within 5 minutes after the addition of bTSH and the maximal increase was observed after 30 min. Responses of cAMP were in a dose-related manner up to 10 mU/ml of bTSH. With the addition of IgG from untreated Graves' patients, dose-related increases in cAMP were also observed up to 10 mg/ml IgG and the maximal response was seen at 2 hours incubation. Thyroid stimulating activity in IgG's from normal subjects and patients with Graves' disease was tested with a dose of 10 mg/ml and 2 hours incubation and the activity was expressed as a percent of the control (incubated in the same experiment without IgG). One hundred forty one of 145 untreated patients showed higher activity (228 +/- 51.8%, mean +/- SD; 127-393%, range) than normal subjects (103 +/- 13.3%, mean +/- SD, n = 24; 80-129%, range). Sequential changes in TSI activity in 27 patients after initiating thionamide drugs were studied for 24 months. Initially all 27 patients showed positive TSI and 6 months later 15 remained positive. At 6 months after that, 10 of 23, 4 of 16, and 2 of 6 followed patients showed positive TSI. These results indicate that this bioassay is clinically useful for detecting TSI.

Animals↗

A case of Takayasu's disease with ruptured carotid aneurysm.

Recently, a number of cases of Takayasu's disease having dilatative or aneurysmal lesions have been reported. Such lesions have come to be considered important manifestations of Takayasu's disease. A case, whose right common carotid artery perforated spontaneously and became a pseudoaneurysm, without any other stenotic lesion is presented with a review of the literature. Surgical treatment was performed successfully.

Adult↗

Peroxidatic degradation and ether link cleavage of thyroxine in a particulate fraction of human thyroid.

The present study was undertaken to investigate degradation of thyroxine (T4) mediated by thyroid peroxidase in man. A particulate fraction (1,000-100,000 x g) of normal human thyroid tissue was prepared and used as crude enzyme. 125I-T4 and unlabeled T4 were incubated with the particulate fraction in buffer containing glucose and glucose oxidase for generation of H2O2. After incubation, iodoamino acids were extracted with ethanol and the products of T4 degradation were analyzed by thin layer chromatography. In this system, T4 was degraded in time-, temperature- and pH-dependent manners, but not in the absence of the H2O2-generating system. The rate of degradation was related to concentration of the particulate fraction. The reaction was inhibited by methimazole, propylthiouracil and catalase. When [3',5'-125I] T4 was used as a tracer, major labeled products of T4 degradation were inorganic iodide and ethanol-unextracted fraction and no detectable labeled 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) or 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (rT3) was generated. From a kinetic study by adding various doses of unlabeled T4, the apparent Km value for T4 was 30 microM and the Vmax value was 230 pmol/mg protein/min. When [3,5-125I] T4 was incubated with enzyme preparation, one third of degraded T4 was recovered as diiodotyrosine (DIT) and half of 125I-DIT was degraded in parallel incubation. No formation of radiolabeled DIT was observed in incubation with Na- 125I done in tandem. These findings suggest that thyroid hormones can be metabolized by peroxidase in human thyroid by pathways that include cleavage of ether linkage.

Autoradiography↗

Comparison of the ability of thyroxine and triiodothyronine to suppress TRH-induced TSH secretion by perfused rat anterior pituitary fragments.

Adenohypophyseal fragments from 8 rats were perifused in small 0.2-ml chambers with medium alone or with medium containing 0.2 or 2 micrograms/dl T3 or 20 micrograms/dl T4. The TSH secretion in response to 1-min perifusion with 3 X 10(-8) M TRH was measured before and at 20- to 40-min intervals after beginning T4 or T3 perifusions. A similar temporal course of inhibition of TRH-induced TSH secretion was produced by both iodothyronines, suggesting but not proving that T4 may inhibit the TSH secretion by a direct effect not dependent on its prior intra- or extrapituitary conversion to T3.

Animals↗

Effects of phorbol ester on GH, TSH and PRL release by superfused rat adenohypophysis.

The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of 12-0-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), one of the potent tumor promoting agents, on GH, TSH and PRL release by rat adenohypophyseal dispersed cells and fragments, using a superfusion technique. TPA (10(-6) to 10(-5) M) stimulated GH release from acutely dispersed rat adenohypophyseal cells. Neither TSH nor PRL was affected, but both were increased by TRH in a dose-dependent fashion (10(-9) to 10(-7) M). In fragments, TPA (10(-8) to 10(-6) M) elicited a dose-related release of GH. Exposure of the fragments to 10(-6) M TPA for 5 min promptly caused a 5-fold increase in GH release which continued for at least 40 min after stopping the stimulation. The addition of somatostatin (SRIF) (10(-7) M) decreased basal GH release and abolished GH release induced by 10(-6) M TPA. In contrast to GH, neither TSH nor PRL release was affected by TPA, but both were stimulated by TRH. These results indicate 1) that GH release is more sensitive to stimulation with TPA in normal rat anterior pituitaries in vitro than the release of TSH and PRL, and 2) that SRIF abolishes TPA-induced GH release.

Animals↗

Effect of systemically administered caerulein on dopamine metabolism in rat brain.

The effect of caerulein, a cholecystokinin-like peptide, on the dopamine (DA) system was examined in rat brain. Caerulein, when tested in vitro, had no significant influence on either D-1 or D-2 DA receptors. A single injection of caerulein (400 micrograms/kg, i.p.) reduced both homovanillic acid (HVA) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the striatum. No significant change in DA metabolites was found in the other 7 areas (polar and medial fields of prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, nucleus accumbens, tuberculum olfactorium, septum and amygdala). After repeated injections of caerulein (200 micrograms/kg, i.p., daily for 5 days), the decreases in striatal HVA and DOPAC had disappeared, while the amount of HVA had increased in the nucleus accumbens. These results suggest that peripherally administered caerulein modulates the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic DA neuron systems in the different modes of action.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

Serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations in individual hypothalamic nuclei and other brain areas of rat.

Serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were measured in individual nuclei of rat hypothalamus and other brain areas using HPLC with electrochemical detection. 5-HIAA levels were first demonstrated in hypothalamic and some discrete brain areas. The 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio was highest in the n. caudatus putamen, high in the n. ventromedialis and lowest in the n. suprachiasmaticus.

Animals↗

Thyroid hormone secretion is more sensitive than thyroid cyclic AMP accumulation to stimulation with LATS in mice in vitro and in vivo.

The effects of LATS-immunoglobulin G (IgG) on thyroid hormone secretion and on thyroid cAMP concentrations were investigated in mice and compared to those of TSH. In the in vitro experiments, thyroid lobes were incubated in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer with LATS-IgG or TSH for 3 h or 2 h and T3 concentrations in buffer and thyroid cAMP were measured by RIA. T3 in the buffer was increased with 1.5 mg/ml of LATS-IgG (A) or 2.5 mg/ml of LATS-IgG (B) (1000%/5 mg or 400%/5 mg in the McKenzie bioassay, respectively), whereas thyroid cAMP was elevated only after incubation with two to four times higher doses of LATS-IgG (A) or LATS-IgG (B). 0.03 mU/ml of TSH increased T3 concentrations, while a two fold higher dose of TSH was required to increase thyroid cAMP. In the in vivo study, 5 mg of LATS-IgG (A) injected intravenously increased serum T4 concentrations but not thyroid cAMP. 2 mU of TSH increased serum T4, while 10 mU was needed to elevate thyroid cAMP. These results indicate that: i) thyroid hormone secretion is more sensitive than increases of thyroid cAMP to stimulation with LATS, which is similar to stimulation with TSH and that: ii) thyroid hormone secretion rather than increases of thyroid cAMP should be employed to detect serum thyroid stimulating activities when mouse thyroids are used.

Animals↗

Effects of intrathyroidal metabolism of thyroxine on thyroid hormone secretion: increased degradation of thyroxine in mouse thyroids stimulated chronically with thyrotrophin.

Mice were infused continuously with graded doses of bovine TSH (bTSH) and changes in plasma concentrations of bTSH and T4 were measured. Then mice infused with 100 mU TSH per day were sacrificed on days 0, 1, 3 and 5 and their thyroids were excised to determine in vitro secretion of T4, T3 and rT3 during 3 h of incubation. At the end of the incubation, thyroidal contents of T4, T3 and rT3 were also determined after pronase digestion. Plasma bTSH levels were increased on day 1 to a level of 110 microU/ml and remained unchanged thereafter. Plasma T4 concentrations increased approximately 2-fold on day 1, but decreased to initial levels on days 3 and 5. Changes in T4 secretion in vitro paralleled those in plasma T4 concentrations; T4 secretion increased 2-fold on day 1, and decreased to the pre-TSH levels on days 3 and 5. In contrast, T3 secretion increased throughout the experimental period. The T3/T4 ratio in thyroidal secretion in vitro was the same as that in thyroidal contents on days 0 and 1 of TSH infusion, but the former was significantly greater than the latter on days 3 and 5. PTU (5.9 X 10(-5) M), a known inhibitor of T4 deiodination, added to the incubation media did not affect T4 secretion on days 0 and 1, but increased T4 secretion on days 3 and 5 to the level of day 1, but did not affect T3 secretion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Effects of in vivo triiodothyronine and long acting thyroid stimulator (LATS) administration on the vitro thyroid cAMP response to thyrotrophin and LATS.

The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of prolonged in vivo treatment with T3 and long acting thyroid stimulator (LATS) on in vitro responsiveness of mouse thyroid cyclic AMP to thyrotrophin (TSH) and LATS-immunoglobulin G (IgG). In control mice, thyroid cAMP concentrations after incubation with normal-IgG (10 mg/ml) for 2 h, TSH (10 mU/ml) for 10 min and LATS-IgG (10 mg/ml) for 2 h were 1.25 +/- 0.11 (mean +/- SE) (n = 5), 15.87 +/- 3.47 (n = 6) and 2.17 +/- 0.25 pmoles/mg wet weight (n = 6), respectively. In mice given T3 (5 micrograms/ml) in drinking water for 5 days, thyroid cAMP concentrations after an incubation with TSH were reduced by 50%, as compared to those of the control mice. They were also decreased in mice injected ip with 5 mg of LATS-IgG (1000%/5 mg in the McKenzie bioassay) daily for 5 days. Combined treatment with T3 and LATS decreased the cAMP response to TSH only to the same extent as did T3 alone, indicating that the inhibitory effects of T3 and LATS were not additive. Similar findings were observed with the thyroid cAMP response to LATS-IgG in vitro; either T3 or LATS treatment in vivo decreased cAMP response to LATS-IgG in vitro, but combined treatment with T3 and LATS did not cause further inhibition as compared with T3 or LATS treatment alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Tonic effect of endogenous TSH on the in vitro thyroid cAMP response to TSH.

The present study was undertaken to compare the effects of 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) alone and T3 plus bovine thyrotrophin (bTSH) given chronically in vivo on the TSH-stimulated cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) production in a mouse thyroid in vitro. Mice were given T3 (5 micrograms/ml) in drinking water for 4 days. The thyroid cAMP concentrations after an incubation with 10 mU/ml of TSH for 10 min were decreased by 50% in T3-treated mice as compared to the control. In the second experiment, mice were given T3 alone or T3 plus 0.5 mU of bTSH ip daily for 4 days. The combined treatment with T3 and TSH partially restored the reduction of cAMP response to TSH that was induced by T3 alone. In the third experiment, mice were given T3 alone for 7 days, or T3 for 7 days plus TSH for the last 3 days. The reduced cAMP response to TSH induced by T3 alone was again partially restored by the concomitant treatment with TSH. These results indicate 1) that the capacity of the thyroid cAMP to respond to TSH is regulated, at least in part, by a trophic effect of endogenous TSH and 2) that the impaired capacity caused by a loss of tonic effect of endogenous TSH is reversible.

Animals↗