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Biomedical subjects

J Uemura

Publications and source records attributed to J Uemura.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Phosphate group requirement for mitogenic activation of lymphocytes by an extracellular phosphopolysaccharide from Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus.

The mitogenic activity of extracellular polysaccharides produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus OLL 1073R-1 and NCFB2483 was examined in murine lymphocytes. The extracellular polysaccharide from Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus OLL 1073R-1 was fractionated into neutral and acidic polysaccharides by anion-exchange chromatography, while that of Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus NCFB2483 were all fractionated into neutral polysaccharide(s). The acidic polysaccharide stimulated mitogenic responses of murine splenocytes and Peyer's patches but not of thymocytes. The optimal concentration of the acidic polysaccharide at the highest stimulation was 160 microg/ml. A significant increase of mitogenic activity was initiated at 24 h, and the highest response was obtained after stimulation for 48 h. The acidic polysaccharide purified by high performance liquid chromatography also had substantial mitogenic activity, and the molecular weight was estimated to be 1.2 x 10(6). The acidic polysaccharide was a phosphopolysaccharide consisting of glucose, galactose and phosphorus. Dephosphorylation by hydrofluoric acid degradation reduced the mitogenic activity in lymphocytes. The phosphopolysaccharide produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus 1073R-1 is a potent B-cell-dependent mitogen in which the phosphate group acts as a trigger of the mitogenic induction.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Production, purification and characterization of reutericin 6, a bacteriocin with lytic activity produced by Lactobacillus reuteri LA6.

A bacteriocin (Reutericin 6) produced by Lactobacillus reuteri LA6, was purified by hydrophobic chromatography from the modified MRS broth (D'-MRS) with 6180-fold increase in specific activity with 14% recovery. The molecular weight of reutericin 6 was determined to be 2.7 kDa by SDS-PAGE and ESI-MS. By amino acid analysis, reutericin 6 comprised of 67% hydrophobic and polar neutral amino acids. Lanthionine was not detected. The lytic activity against Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus JCM 1002T and N1A1 B6 was detected by the decrease of both turbidity and the number of viable cells, and by leaking of beta-galactosidase.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1997

Usefulness of self made introducer for laryngeal mask airway in paediatric anaesthesia.

The usefulness of a self made introducer for laryngeal mask airway (LMA) placement was investigated in 251 paediatric patients. Adequate success rate on the first attempt and atraumatic insertions were achieved by the introducer with minimum experience. The authors concluded that the introducer has significant advantages for easy and safe insertions of the LMA in paediatric anaesthesia.

Anesthesia, Inhalation↗
PubMed1997

Rapid detection method for bacteriocin and distribution of bacteriocin-producing strains in Lactobacillus acidophilus group lactic acid bacteria isolated from human feces.

A new screening method, using micro plate wells, was developed for detecting the bacteriocin producer in lactic acid bacteria. The method was applied for screening the bacteriocin producer in L. acidophilus group lactic acid bacteria isolated from human feces with 19 bacteria used as indicator strains. Of the 98 strains, 62 were finally selected as the bacteriocin producers, including 39 strains positive against at least one of food-borne pathogenic bacteria.

Bacteriocins↗
PubMed1994

Hemagglutination activity of Lactobacillus acidophilus group lactic acid bacteria.

The cells of 28 strains of the Lactobacillus acidophilus group were evaluated for hemagglutination (HA) activity. The activity was found in the surface layer (SL) protein fraction extracted by 2 M guanidine hydrochloride. The most SL proteins from the A group strains (L. acidophilus (A1), L. crispatus (A2), L. amylovorus (A3), and L. gallinarum (A4)) showed HA activity, but the proteins from the B group strains (L. gasseri (B1) and L. johnsonii (B2)) showed no activity. The SL proteins from the A group strains were composed in common of a main component having molecular mass of about 40-45 kDa on SDS-PAGE. The SL proteins from JCM 1034 strain that showed the highest HA activity was fractionated by CM-Toyopearl ion-exchange chromatography. The highest HA activity was detected in the major protein of 41 kDa. This protein was purified and shown to be composed of about 50% of hydrophobic amino acids. The HA activity of the protein (1034 lectin) was specifically inhibited by fetuin and bovine lactoferrin at the concentrations of 80 and 160 micrograms/ml, respectively. The removal of N-acetylneuraminic acid from fetuin significantly decreased the inhibitory activity.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1992

Use of prostaglandin E1 (lipo-PGE1) to treat Raynaud's phenomenon associated with connective tissue disease: thermographic and subjective assessment.

Four patients with connective tissue disease who had been suffering from severe Raynaud's phenomenon were treated with an intravenous infusion of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) and its effectiveness was assessed by thermography and a questionnaire approach. PGE1 in a lipid microsphere formulation (lipo-PGE1) produced a significantly greater increase in lesional skin temperature compared with treatment with PGE1 clathrated in alpha-cyclodextrin 12 months previously in the same group of patients. These results were supported by the subjective assessment obtained from the patients by questionnaire.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Effect of internally loaded iodide, thiocyanate, and perchlorate on sodium-dependent iodide uptake by phospholipid vesicles reconstituted with thyroid plasma membranes: iodide counterflow mediated by the iodide transport carrier.

Na+-dependent I- transport and I- counterflow were studied using phospholipid vesicles (P-vesicles) made of porcine thyroid plasma membranes and soybean phospholipid by sonication. 1) I- uptake by P-vesicles incubated in the presence of external Na+ was higher than that by P-vesicles incubated in choline+ instead of Na+. The vesicles exhibited Na+-dependent I- uptake. When P-vesicles were internally loaded with I- prior to incubation in Na+, a further increase in Na+-dependent I- uptake was observed, although the concentration of internal I- was very much higher than that outside. In the absence of external Na+, I- uptake by P-vesicles preloaded with I- was comparable to baseline uptake. 2) Na+-dependent I- uptake by P-vesicles not loaded with I- and enhanced Na+-dependent I- uptake by P-vesicles preloaded with I- were both inhibited by either of SCN- and ClO4- added outside the vesicles. 3) When P-vesicles were loaded with SCN- instead of I- and incubated in Na+, I- uptake by these vesicles was also higher than baseline Na+-dependent I- uptake. However, a ClO4- load did not result in an increase in I- uptake. These results indicate that Na+-dependent I- transport including Na+-dependent I- counterflow is specifically mediated by the thyroid I- carrier. SCN- - I- counterflow in addition to I- - I- counterflow occurs dependently on Na+, but ClO4- - I- counterflow does not.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Preservation of sodium-dependent iodide transport activity by methimazole and mercaptoethanol in phospholipid vesicles containing thyroid plasma membranes: with evidence of difference in the action of perchlorate and thiocyanate.

The effect of methimazole (MMI) and 2-mercaptoethanol (ME) on I-transport was studied using phospholipid vesicles (P-vesicles) made from porcine thyroid plasma membranes and soybean phospholipids by sonication. 1. When buffer solutions contained either 1 mM MMI or 2 mM ME, I-uptake by P-vesicles in the presence of external Na+ was apparently higher than that in the absence of external Na+. Na+-dependent I- uptake was inhibited by both C1O4- and SCN- added externally. 2. When PM was treated with 4 mM N-ethylmaleimide prior to preparation of P-vesicles, the activity of Na+-dependent I- transport was completely lost even when P-vesicles were incubated in the presence of ME. 3. When neither MMI nor ME was added to buffers, I- uptake in the presence of external Na+ was not at all higher than that in the absence of external Na+. In these instances, however, I- uptake was much higher compared than the baseline uptake in the presence of MMI or ME, and was inhibited by external SCN- and not by C1O4- without relation to external Na+. These data indicate that MMI or ME has two distinct effects on our model system of I- transport. The one is preservation of the Na+-dependent I- transport activity by protecting a sulfhydryl group, and the other is reduction of nonspecific I- binding to P-vesicles. In addition, C1O4- is a more specific inhibitor of thyroid I- transport than SCN-, when non-specific I- oxidation is imperfectly prevented.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Construction of a promoter-probe vector for a Bacillus subtilis host by using the trpD+ gene of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.

The trp gene cluster of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens was found to be structurally similar to that of the Enterobacteriaceae. The translation termination codon of the putative trpE gene and the initiation codon for the putative trpD gene overlap at the trpE-trpD junction, and a promoter for the putative trpC gene is suggested to exist. A promoter-probe vector of Bacillus subtilis, pFTB281, was constructed with a DNA fragment of B. amyloliquefaciens, complementing the trpC and trpD mutations of B. subtilis, a 42-base-pair DNA fragment of M13mp7, and the larger EcoRI-PvuII fragment of pUB110, which confers an autonomous replication function and the kanamycin-resistance phenotype to the chimeric plasmid. pFTB281 has BamHI, EcoRI, and SalI cloning sites in the 5'-upstream portion of the protein-coding region of the putative trpD gene, and the insertion of a certain DNA fragment at any of these sites allowed the plasmid to transform a trpD mutant of B. subtilis to the TrpD+ phenotype. DNA fragments showing the promoter function for the trpD gene were obtained from B. amyloliquefaciens and Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosomes and rho 11 and lambda phage DNAs, but rarely from the DNAs of Escherichia coli and pBR322.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1975

Isolation of outer membrane proteins of Escherchia coli and their characterization on polyacrylamide gel.

Proteins from the outer membrane of Escherichia coli were studied on a ureadodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel by electrophoresis. A polyacrylamide gel containing sodium dodecyl sulfate and urea gave an excellent resolution of outer membrane proteins. Seventeen protein bands were reproducibly observed on a gel. By use of Sephadex G-200, DEAE-cellulose and polyacrylamide gel, eight proteins were purified to near homogeneity. Five of them were found to be heat-modifiable proteins. The behavior of these purified proteins was studied on a polyacrylamide gel under three different electrophoretic conditions, which had been used for the analysis of cell envelope proteins. Thus correspondence was made between these purified proteins and envelope proteins reported by other investigators.

Bacterial Proteins↗