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Biomedical subjects

Isao Kitajima

Publications and source records attributed to Isao Kitajima.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Induction of IL-8 and monoclyte chemoattractant protein-1 by doxorubicin in human small cell lung carcinoma cells.

We previously demonstrated doxorubicin-induced urokinase expression in human H69 SCLC cells by the microarray technique using Human Cancer CHIP version 2 (Takara Shuzo, Kyoto, Japan), in which 425 human cancer-related genes were spotted on glass plates (Kiguchi et al., Int J Cancer 2001;93:792-7). Microarray analysis also revealed significant induction of IL-8, a member of the CXC chemokines. We have, therefore, extended the observation by testing the effects of doxorubicin on expression of the chemokine family and provide here definitive evidence that doxorubicin induces IL-8 and MCP-1, one of the CC chemokines, at least in 2 human SCLC cells, H69 and SBC-1. IL-8 antigen levels, measured by ELISA, were markedly increased in both H69 and SBC-1 conditioned media after doxorubicin treatment, in parallel with mRNA levels; and this was dependent on the dose of doxorubicin. The ribonuclease protection assay, using a multiprobe template set for human chemokines, revealed induction of not only IL-8 but also MCP-1 in doxorubicin-treated H69 cells. MCP-1 antigen levels increased approximately 100-fold in doxorubicin-treated H69 cells. RT-PCR using specific primers for MCP-1 suggested that doxorubicin also induced MCP-1 expression in SBC-1 and SBC-3 SCLC cells. Futhermore, CAT analysis using IL-8 promoter implicated the PEA3 transcriptional factor, whose binding site was located immediately upstream of the AP-1 and NF-kappaB binding sites. Thus, it is suggested that doxorubicin induces IL-8 and MCP-1 chemokines in human SCLC cells by activating gene expression, in which at least PEA3 is involved. IL-8 and MCP-1 are major chemoattractants for neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages, respectively; therefore, extensive induction of IL-8 and MCP-1 may provoke the interaction between inflammatory/immune cells and tumor cells under doxorubicin stimulation and influence many aspects of tumor cell biology.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic↗
PubMed2003

ASK1-p38 MAPK/JNK signaling cascade mediates anandamide-induced PC12 cell death.

Anandamide is a neuroimmunoregulatory molecule that triggers apoptosis in a number of cell types including PC12 cells. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying anandamide-induced cell death in PC12 cells. Anandamide treatment resulted in the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p44/42 MAPK in apoptosing cells. A selective p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, or dn-JNK, JNK1(A-F) or SAPKbeta(K-R), blocked anandamide-induced cell death, whereas a specific inhibitor of MEK-1/2, U0126, had no effect, indicating that activation of p38 MAPK and JNK is critical in anandamide-induced cell death. An important role for apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) in this event was also demonstrated by the inhibition of p38 MAPK/JNK activation and death in cells overexpressing dn-ASK1, ASK1 (K709M). Conversely, the constitutively active ASK1, ASK1DeltaN, caused prolonged p38 MAPK/JNK activation and increased cell death. These indicate that ASK1 mediates anandamide-induced cell death via p38 MAPK and JNK activation. Here, we also found that activation of p38 MAPK/JNK is accompanied by cytochrome c release from the mitochondria and caspase activation (which can be inhibited by SB203580), suggesting that anandamide triggers a mitochondrial dependent apoptotic pathway. The caspase inhibitor, zVAD, and the mitochondrial pore opening inhibitor, cyclosporine A, blocked anandamide-induced cell death but not p38 MAPK/JNK activation, suggesting that activation of these kinases may occur upstream of mitochondrial associated events.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Development of peptide nucleic acid mediated polymerase chain reaction clamping (PMPC)--direct sequencing method for detecting lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) variants with high sensitivity and specificity.

Reduced sensitivity of HBV to lamivudine, which causes a viral breakthrough during treatment, is attributed to mutations within the tyrosine-methionine-aspartate(YMDD) locus in the reverse transcriptase(rt) domain of HBV polymerase, mainly a methionine(rtM204) substitution. The sensitive detection of such mutations before or early in treatment could assist in optimizing antiviral treatment. For this purpose, we developed peptide nucleic acid(PNA) mediated polymerase chain reaction(PCR) clamping(PMPC) with a PNA probe targeting the YMDD locus. We first tested this method for its sensitivity and specificity in detecting a mutant on HBV DNA standards consisting of serial copy number ratios of a known lamivudine-resistant, mutant clone with rtM204I(ATT) to a wild-type clone with rtM204(ATG). The sensitivity was 0.1 to 0.01% in the coexistence of wild-type clones and the specificity was guaranteed by direct sequencing of the products. We next applied this method to HBV DNA specimens extracted from serum from 4 chronic hepatitis B patients treated with lamivudine. Two of these exhibited a break-through of the HBV mutant with rtM204I(ATT), while the other 2 did not. Before treatment, all 4 patients showed HBV with rtM204I encoded by ATA. During treatment, HBV with the rtM204I(ATT) emerged in the 2 breakthrough patients more than 3 months before the breakthrough, whereas this and other known lamivudine-resistant viruses did not appear in the 2 non-breakthrough patients. Thus, our PMPC-direct sequencing method is highly sensitive and reliable for the early identification of lamivudine-resistant HBV that causes a viral breakthrough.

Antiviral Agents↗
PubMed2003

[The correspondence between the clinical laboratory medicine and the core curriculum of national universities].

A model core curriculum for medical education is proposed to serve as the essential basis of material to be mastered at present and as a reference for curricula to be constructed by individual universities. The author carried out a questionnaire in departments of clinical laboratory medicine in the national universities in order to clarify the actual conditions of countermeasures of this education program for clinical laboratory medicine. As a result, 50% of universities satisfied this program's objectives and the remainder were insufficient. School hours are reduced by half. There were great differences in the methods of clinical laboratory training between universities. In the Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, general clinical laboratory education is administered in the first semester of the 4th year. In clinical training, all the members should study compulsory fundamental laboratory technique in first semester of the 5th year and, in addition, 6th graders in the last 2 months should be able to choose an advanced clinical training course. To this basic curriculum addition of an elective curriculum will be required, providing individual or unique training programs based on student needs and the educational principles of each university.

Curriculum↗
PubMed2002

Inhibition of migration of human glioblastoma cells by cerivastatin in association with focal adhesion kinase (FAK).

To investigate the biological effect of cerivastatin on glioblastoma cells, we exposed them to various concentrations of cerivastatin. Cerivastatin exhibited dual effects on glioblastoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed disruption of actin stress fibers and focal adhesion plaques even at nanomolar concentrations. Matrigel assay demonstrated marked inhibition of glioblastoma cell invasion. Immunoblot analysis using a phosphospecific antibody against focal adhesion kinase (FAK) showed that inhibition of migration was associated with the down-regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation of FAK. Our data suggest that cerivastatin may be beneficial for combination therapy with conventional anti-cancer drugs by inhibiting the invasion of glioblastoma.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed2002

Human lactiferous mammary gland cells produce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and express the VEGF receptors, Flt-1 AND KDR/Flk-1.

Human milk contains a variety of growth factors. Recently, it was reported that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was one of them. We investigated milk VEGF isoforms, their functions, and VEGF receptors on mammary gland epithelial cells (MEC). The VEGF concentration in human milk was 74.3+/-34.9ng/ml on the first day after delivery, and rapidly decreased in a couple of days to 6.2+/-2.3ng/ml on the fifth day, and matured milk maintained about 4ng/ml. In an MTT assay, human milk accelerated HUVEC proliferation and MV303, a neutralizing antibody of VEGF, blocked 17.3 % of the effect. Immunoprecipitation and Western blotting showed that VEGF121 and VEGF165 were contained in human colostrums, and RT-PCR of human MEC confirmed that VEGF121, VEGF165 and VEGF189 were present. By immunostaining of human breast tissues, RT-PCR of MEC from human colostrum and measurement of the VEGF concentrations of conditioned media of cultured human MEC, it was confirmed that VEGF was produced by MEC. MEC was also expressed VEGF receptors, flt-1 and Flk-1/KDR. These results speculate us that the existence of autocrine or paracrine system within breast tissue via VEGF receptors on MEC and have a role in lactation.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Five novel SLC7A7 variants and y+L gene-expression pattern in cultured lymphoblasts from Japanese patients with lysinuric protein intolerance.

Two distinct human light subunits of the heteromeric amino acid transporter, y+LAT-1 coded by SLC7A7 and y+LAT-2 coded by SLC7A6, are both known to induce transport system y+L activity. SLC7A7 has already been identified as the gene responsible for lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI). We successfully identified five novel SLC7A7 variants (S238F, S489P, 1630delC, 1673delG, and IVS3-IVS5del9.7kb) in Japanese patients with LPI by PCR amplification and direct DNA sequencing. In addition, we performed a semi-quantitative expression analysis of SLC7A7 and SLC7A6 in human tissue. In normal tissue, the gene-expression ratio of SLC7A6 to SLC7A7 was high in the brain, muscle, and cultured skin fibroblasts; low in the kidneys and small intestine; and at an intermediate level in peripheral blood leukocytes, the lungs, and cultured lymphoblasts. The gene-expression ratio of SLC7A6 to SLC7A7 in cultured lymphoblasts was significantly different between normal subjects and LPI patients with R410X and/or S238F, where the relative amount of SLC7A7 mRNA was significantly lower and the relative amount of SLC7A6 mRNA was statistically higher in affected lymphoblasts than in normal cells. Expression of SLC7A7 and SLC7A6 may thus be interrelated in cultured lymphoblasts.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

[Effect of aging on heart rate and blood pressure variabilities in healthy men and women].

OBJECT: To clarify the effect of aging and gender on heart rate and blood pressure variability in healthy men and women. SUBJECT AND METHODS: One hundred ninety four healthy subjects aged from 20 to 70(97 men and 97 women) were examined. Heart beat and blood pressure during 5 minutes in the supine and standing positions were measured under a respiration rate of 15/min. Blood pressure and heart were measured with Finapres and Biotop, respectively. Data entry and spectral analysis were carried out by the Fast Fourier Transform(FFT) method with BIMUTAS-II, after correcting 256 data with Hanning window function and resampling at 200 Hz. RESULT AND DISCUSSION: High frequency power(HF: 0.15-0.50 Hz) of heart rate variability decreased with age in both men and women, Low frequency power (LF: 0.05-0.15 Hz) of systolic blood pressure(SBP) variability in the standing posture decreased with age in men. The HF of SBP variability in the standing posture was decreased with age in both men and women. These findings suggest that aging and gender affected heart rate and blood pressure variability.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

The role of thrombin in the neo-vascularization of malignant gliomas: an intrinsic modulator for the up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor.

Thrombin is a key enzyme in the blood coagulation system where it converts fibrinogen to fibrin. It participates in a variety of biological processes such as the induction of mitogenesis and of morphological changes, the production of cytokines and growth factors, and apoptosis. To clarify the role of thrombin in the proliferation of human malignant gliomas, we investigated its effect on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in vitro and determined its intrinsic expression in human glioma tissues. In 3 human glioma cell lines tested, U-87 MG, U-251 MG, and U-105 MG, thrombin induced the VEGF mRNA expression and protein in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The thrombin receptor expression was detectable by RT-PCR and immunoblot. The secretion of VEGF protein in glioma cells was stimulated by the thrombin receptor agonist peptide and the induction of VEGF was significantly blocked by the thrombin inhibitor hirudin, indicating that the up-regulation of VEGF was mediated by the thrombin/thrombin receptor pathway. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that prothrombin, the precursor of thrombin, was distributed in all 10 glioma tissues examined. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemical analysis revealed the co-localization of prothrombin mRNA-positive and GFAP-positive cells in the glioma tissues. Although various factors may be involved in the up-regulation of VEGF, our results suggest that human gliomas per se express prothrombin, and that thrombin, converted from prothrombin in glioma tissues, substantially stimulates angiogenesis in an autocrine fashion.

Blotting, Northern↗
PubMed2002

[Gene therapy].

Gene therapy is a method for treating hereditary disease at the gene level. In this paper, I show recent gene therapy approaches for cancer, hemophilia and arteriosclerosis obliterans, and gene medical supply including antisense and decoys are also introduced. With the rapid advances in gene therapy research, the case of dying gene therapy using the adenovirus vector was reported due to DIC. Establishment of the safety in the gene therapy and solution of the ethics problems are also important issues.

Adenoviridae↗