First-aid measures for the treatment of burns and scalds.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J C Lawrence.
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Wound specimens can be processed in the laboratory in a number of different ways. Routine investigations aim to identify all potential pathogens; a generalised scheme for the procedure is shown in Fig 1.
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PHAS-I levels increased 8-fold as 3T3-L1 fibroblasts differentiated into adipocytes and acquired sensitivity to insulin. Insulin increased PHAS-I protein (3.3-fold after 2 days), the rate of PHAS-I synthesis (3-fold after 1 h), and the half-life of the protein (from 1.5 to 2.5 days). Insulin also increased the phosphorylation of PHAS-I and promoted dissociation of the PHAS-I eukaryotic initiation factor-4E (eIF-4E) complex, effects that were maximal within 10 min. With recombinant [H6]PHAS-I as substrate, mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase was the only insulin-stimulated PHAS-I kinase detected after fractionation of extracts by Mono Q chromatography; however, MAP kinase did not readily phosphorylate [H6]PHAS-I when the [H6]PHAS-I.eIF-4E complex was the substrate. Thus, while MAP kinase may phosphorylate free PHAS-I, it is not sufficient to dissociate the complex. Moreover, rapamycin attenuated the stimulation of PHAS-I phosphorylation by insulin and markedly inhibited dissociation of PHAS-I.eIF-4E, without decreasing MAP kinase activity. Rapamycin abolished the effects of insulin on increasing phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 and on activating p70S6K. The MAP kinase kinase inhibitor, PD 098059, markedly decreased MAP kinase activation by insulin, but it did not change PHAS-I phosphorylation or the association of PHAS-I with eIF-4E. In summary, insulin increases the expression of PHAS-I and promotes phosphorylation of multiple sites in the protein via multiple transduction pathways, one of which is rapamycin-sensitive and independent of MAP kinase. Rapamycin may inhibit translation initiation by increasing PHAS-I binding to eIF-4E.
Incubating rat aortic smooth muscle cells with either platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF) or insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) increased the phosphorylation of PHAS-I, an inhibitor of the mRNA cap binding protein, eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4E. Phosphorylation of PHAS-I promoted dissociation of the PHAS-I-eIF-4E complex, an effect that could partly explain the stimulation of protein synthesis by the two growth factors. Increasing cAMP with forskolin decreased PHAS-I phosphorylation and markedly increased the amount of eIF-4E bound to PHAS-I, effects consistent with an action of cAMP to inhibit protein synthesis. Both PDGF and IGF-I activated p70S6K, but only PDGF increased mitogen-activated protein kinase activity. Forskolin decreased by 50% the effect of PDGF on increasing p70S6K, and forskolin abolished the effect of IGF-I on the kinase. The effects of PDGF and IGF-I on increasing PHAS-I phosphorylation, on dissociating the PHAS-I-eIF-4E complex, and on increasing p70S6K were abolished by rapamycin. The results indicate that IGF-I and PDGF increase PHAS-I phosphorylation in smooth muscle cells by the same rapamycin-sensitive pathway that leads to activation of p70S6K.
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PHAS-I is a heat-stable protein (relative molecular mass approximately 12,400) found in many tissues. It is rapidly phosphorylated in rat adipocytes incubated with insulin or growth factors. Nonphosphorylated PHAS-I bound to initiation factor 4E (eIF-4E) and inhibited protein synthesis. Serine-64 in PHAS-I was rapidly phosphorylated by mitogen-activated (MAP) kinase, the major insulin-stimulated PHAS-I kinase in adipocyte extracts. Results obtained with antibodies, immobilized PHAS-I, and a messenger RNA cap affinity resin indicated that PHAS-I did not bind eIF-4E when serine-64 was phosphorylated. Thus, PHAS-I may be a key mediator of the stimulation of protein synthesis by the diverse group of agents and stimuli that activate MAP kinase.
The cloning is described of two related human complementary DNAs encoding polypeptides that interact specifically with the translation initiation factor eIF-4E, which binds to the messenger RNA 5'-cap structure. Interaction of these proteins with eIF-4E inhibits translation but treatment of cells with insulin causes one of them to become hyperphosphorylated and dissociate from eIF-4E, thereby relieving the translational inhibition. The action of this new regulator of protein synthesis is therefore modulated by insulin, which acts to stimulate the overall rate of translation and promote cell growth.
PHAS-I is a heat- and acid-stable protein that is phosphorylated on Ser/Thr residues in response to insulin and growth factors. To investigate the phosphorylation of PHAS-I, the protein was expressed in bacteria and purified for use as substrate in protein kinase reactions in vitro. Recombinant PHAS-I was rapidly and stoichiometrically phosphorylated by mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. At saturating MgATP, the Km and Vmax observed with PHAS-I were almost identical to those obtained with myelin basic protein, one of the best MAP kinase substrates. PHAS-I was also phosphorylated at a significant rate by casein kinase II and protein kinase C. To investigate sites of phosphorylation, PHAS-I was digested with collagenase and phosphopeptides were resolved by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. Almost all of the phosphate introduced by MAP kinase was recovered in the peptide, Leu-Met-Glu-Cys-Arg-Asn-Ser-Pro-Val-Ala-Lys-Thr. 32P was released in the seventh cycle of Edman degradation, identifying the Ser (Ser64) as the phosphorylated residue. Ser64 was also phosphorylated in response to insulin in rat adipocytes. We conclude that PHAS-I is a substrate for MAP kinase both in vivo and in vitro. As PHAS-I is one of the most prominent insulin-stimulated phosphoproteins in adipocytes, it may qualify as the major MAP kinase substrate in these cells.
Rat adipocytes were incubated with insulin or epidermal growth factor (EGF) before the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, ERK-1 and ERK-2, and the ribosomal protein S6 kinases, Rsk-2 and p70S6K, were resolved by ion exchange chromatography and identified by immunoblotting. EGF was more effective than insulin in increasing the activity of two kinases that reacted with Rsk-2 antibody (2- and 2.5-fold with EGF versus 1.6- and 1.2-fold with insulin). EGF was also more effective than insulin in increasing the activity of ERK-1 (5-fold versus 2-fold) and ERK-2 (2.5-fold versus 1.5 fold). The activity of p70S6K was increased by approximately the same extent by EGF and insulin (1.7-fold versus 2-fold). Rapamycin blocked activation of p70S6K by insulin, but it did not attenuate the effect (2-fold) of insulin on increasing the glycogen synthase activity ratio (+/-glucose-6-P). Insulin increased glucose incorporation into glycogen and 2-deoxyglucose uptake by approximately 5-fold, whereas EGF and phorbol 12-myristate were without effect. Thus, activation of MAP kinases and ribosomal protein S6 kinases appears insufficient to activate glycogen synthase or glucose transport, the two key components in the stimulation of glycogen synthesis by insulin.
An approach involving microinjection and microanalysis has been developed to investigate signal-transduction pathways involved in the hormonal control of metabolism. We have applied this strategy to investigate the role of Ras signaling in the acute activation of glucose transport by insulin in cardiac myocytes. Glucose transport activity was assessed by measuring the initial rate of accumulation of 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate (dGlc6P) in individual cells after incubation in 2-deoxyglucose. Insulin increased accumulation of dGlc6P by 3- to 4-fold, consistent with its stimulatory effect on glucose transport. Accumulation of dGlc6P was increased severalfold by microinjecting the nonhydrolyzable GTP analogue, guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate, which activates members of the Ras superfamily of GTP-binding proteins. Injecting activated Ha-Ras protein also mimicked insulin by increasing dGlc6P; whereas, injecting a Ras protein lacking the COOH-terminal site of fatty acylation required for Ras function was without effect. Introducing the neutralizing Ras antibody Y13-259 into cells attenuated the effect of insulin. These findings implicate Ras in the acute regulation of metabolism by insulin.
Glucose transport and phosphorylation are the first steps in the utilization of extracellular glucose by skeletal muscle. We have examined the relationships between proteins mediating these steps in single fibers of identified type dissected from rabbit skeletal muscle. The level of the glucose transporter isoform GLUT4, measured by immunoblotting, varied among fibers by a factor of 20 (slow oxidative > fast oxidative glycolytic > fast glycolytic). In fibers from the tibialis anterior muscle, GLUT4 was correlated (r2 = 0.75) with the activity of malate dehydrogenase, an enzyme representative of oxidative energy metabolism. In these fibers a strong correlation (r2 = 0.70) was also observed between GLUT4 and hexokinase activity. GLUT1 levels were barely detectable, regardless of fiber type. To investigate the possible role of muscle activity in controlling the expression of transporters, tibialis anterior muscles were activated by chronic electrical stimulation of the peroneal nerves. GLUT1 levels increased after 1 day of stimulation to a plateau that was severalfold higher than the level in non-stimulated cells. Hexokinase activity and the GLUT4 level changed in parallel: both were increased by approximately 2.5-fold after 1 day and by 14-fold after 21 days. Thus, while both GLUT1 and GLUT4 were regulated by muscle activity, only GLUT4 expression was coordinated with the expression of hexokinase.
Although the actions of insulin and a number of growth factors that signal via protein-tyrosine kinase receptors are believed to involve increased phosphorylation of key intracellular proteins, relatively few of the downstream phosphoproteins have been identified. In this report we describe a cDNA encoding one of the most prominent insulin-stimulated phosphoproteins in rat adipocytes. The cDNA encodes a protein, designated PHAS-I, which has 117 amino acids and a M(r) of 12,400. When translated in vitro and subjected to SDS/PAGE, PHAS-I migrates anomalously, having an apparent M(r) of 21,000. The predicted amino acid composition is interesting in that approximately 45% of the PHAS-I protein is accounted for by only four amino acids--serine, threonine, proline, and glycine. The PHAS-I gene is expressed in a variety of tissues, although the highest levels of mRNA are present in fat and skeletal muscle, two of the most insulin-responsive tissues. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of PHAS-I differ from any that have been reported, and homology screening provided no clues concerning the function of the protein. However, in view of its tissue distribution and the fact that the protein is phosphorylated in response to insulin, we speculate that PHAS-I is important in insulin action.
The effects of amylin and insulin on the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase and phosphorylase were investigated using rat diaphragms incubated with 32Pi. Muscles were incubated with insulin (200 nM) or amylin (200 nM) for 30 min before extracts were prepared. The 32P contents of the enzymes were determined after immunoprecipitation and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Amylin increased both the activity ratio (-AMP/+AMP) and the 32P content of phosphorylase by approximately 2-fold. Insulin alone was without significant effect on phosphorylase, but insulin blocked the effect of amylin on increasing the phosphorylation of phosphorylase. Insulin increased the glycogen synthase activity ratio (low glucose-6-P/high glucose-6-P) by approximately 80%. Amylin decreased this ratio from 0.14 to 0.08 and increased the phosphorylation of synthase by approximately 40%. To investigate changes in phosphorylation of different sites in the synthase, the enzyme was subjected to exhaustive proteolysis with trypsin, and 32P-labeled fragments were separated by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. Insulin decreased the 32P contents of sites 3(a+b+c) and 2(a+b), which appears to account for the increase in synthase activity. Amylin increased phosphorylation of sites 1a, 1b, and 3(a+b+c), but not sites 2(a+b). With insulin plus amylin, phosphorylation of none of the sites was significantly changed. The results indicate that the effects of amylin on glycogen synthase must involve more than activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, as this kinase phosphorylates site 2 and does not phosphorylate sites 3(a+b+c).
Wounds will readily acquire bacteria, unless protective measures are taken. The bacterial protection afforded by conventional absorbent cellulose dressings has been shown to be limited, particularly in the presence of serous exudate that may compromise dressing integrity. In addition, dressings may shed particles that remain in the wound. By contrast, many modern dressings are impermeable to bacteria, are removed completely, have been found to optimize reepithelialization rates and reduce the incidence of wound sepsis. Recently, it has been found that they could also play a role in preventing cross-contamination. Removing conventional cellulosic dressings from bacterially colonized wounds liberates wound bacteria into the air, and the numbers are slow to decline. However, using an in vitro wound model, use of the hydrocolloid dressing Granuflex (ConvaTec, Skillman, NJ) on experimentally colonized wounds resulted in significantly fewer numbers of airborne bacteria. Dispersal from wet conventional dressings was lower than from dry dressings; nevertheless, the numbers of bacteria per liter of air following removal of the hydrocolloid dressing were approximately 20% of those observed for gauze. These findings have also been confirmed in the clinic. To reduce the incidence of complications, wound care in general, and infection control procedures in particular, requires carefully disciplined team work.