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Biomedical subjects

K E Brown

Publications and source records attributed to K E Brown.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Goose parvovirus--an autonomous member of the dependovirus genus?

Goose parvovirus is the etiological agent of Derzsy's disease, a fatal hepatitis of young geese. The virus infects geese and Muscovy ducks and can be propagated in the laboratory in primary embryonic goose fibroblasts. To date the virus has only been classified by morphological, biochemical, and culture characteristics as an autonomous parvovirus. We now report the cloning and partial sequencing of 3434 nucleotides of the viral genome. Three overlapping clones were obtained, encoding regions in the nonstructural and capsid coding region. The nucleotide sequence show little homology to other autonomous parvoviruses but 55% homology to the dependovirus AAV2. The homology to AAV2 was also confirmed at the amino acid level (nonstructural protein 55%, capsid coding region 51%). DNA cross hybridization studies indicate an even closer similarity of goose parvovirus to the yet unsequenced human dependoviruses AAV1 and AAV3 than to AAV2. These findings suggest that goose parvovirus may be genetically related to the dependovirus genus rather than to the other autonomous parvoviruses.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Cloning and sequencing of the simian parvovirus genome.

We recently reported the identification of a novel simian parvovirus in cynomolgus monkeys with severe anemia. We now describe the cloning and sequencing of 4986 nucleotides of the viral DNA. Like the human parvovirus B19, simian parvovirus encapsidates both positive and negative single-stranded DNA. The positive strand contains two large open reading frames, with the left open reading frame encoding the nonstructural protein(s) and the right reading frame encoding the two capsid proteins. Simian parvovirus has little homology with the autonomous parvoviruses or the dependovirus AAV-2 but 50% overall homology with parvovirus B19 DNA. At the amino acid level there was 70% homology with B19 capsid proteins and 50% homology with B19 nonstructural protein. Based on this genetic similarity and with the known tropism of the virus for cynomolgus erythroid precursors, we suggest that this new virus should be classified as a new member of the Erythrovirus genus of the Parvoviridae.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Developmental transformation of dendritic arbors in mouse whisker thalamus.

Neurons in slices though the somatosensory thalamus of postnatal day 6 and adult mice were injected with Lucifer yellow. Dendritic arbors on postnatal day 6 are confined to single barreloids (single whisker representations); in adults they are seven times longer, extending beyond their barreloid to adjacent barreloids. The postnatal transformation of dendritic arbors by total process growth and extension to adjacent barreloids suggests a developmental change in the role of these cells from instructing whisker pattern formation to integrating sensory information from more than one whisker.

Aging↗
PubMed1995

Morphology and antigenicity of recombinant B19 parvovirus capsids expressed in transfected COS-7 cells.

COS-7 cells transfected with parvovirus B19-simian virus 40 (SV40) hybrid vectors have previously been shown to express B19 structural proteins. In this study the morphology and antigenicity of B19 proteins expressed in these cells were investigated. At 84 h after transfection, approximately 10% of the COS-7 cells expressed B19 antigen, and the yield was equivalent to 2 x 10(3) to 2 x 10(5) B19 particles/transfected cell. The B19 proteins self-assembled into capsids that were morphologically and antigenically similar to native B19 virions, and could substitute for native antigen in a B19 IgM assay. Recombinant capsids lacking the recently described 11 kDa protein also resembled native virions.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Influence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exoproducts on virulence factor production in Burkholderia cepacia: evidence of interspecies communication.

The effect of concentrated cell-free extracellular material from stationary-phase cultures of Burkholderia cepacia 10661 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 on virulence factor production in B. cepacia was assessed. While increasing concentrations of the B. cepacia exoproduct caused a slight increase in siderophore, lipase, and protease production in the producing organism, a significant in productivity was observed for all three virulence factors with the addition of the PAO1 exoproduct. Moreover, the addition of the exoproduct from a strain of P. aeruginosa producing reduced amounts of autoinducer caused only a slightly greater response than that of the control. Both B. cepacia 10661 and P. aeruginosa PAO1, along with two matched clinical isolates of both organisms obtained from a cystic fibrotic patient, were shown to produce variable amounts of three different types of autoinducer. The potential for interspecies signalling in microbial pathogenicity is discussed.

Burkholderia cepacia↗
PubMed1995

Human parvovirus B19 can infect cynomolgus monkey marrow cells in tissue culture.

The human pathogenic parvovirus B19 cannot be grown in standard tissue culture but propagates in human bone marrow, where it is cytotoxic to erythroid progenitor cells. We now show that parvovirus B19 can replicate in cynomolgus bone marrow. Cynomolgus monkeys may be a suitable animal model for pathogenesis studies of parvovirus B19.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

In situ hybridisation and in situ polymerase chain reaction detection of parvovirus B19 DNA within cells.

Modification of an in situ polymerase chain reaction (ISPCR) technique is described for the detection of B19 parvovirus infection. Specific amplification of B19 DNA inside fixed cells was followed by hybridisation with a digoxigenin-labelled probe and then visualised by immunochemical reaction. The assay had higher sensitivity compared to direct in situ hybridisation and still allowed cellular localisation and characterisation of infected cells. This assay can be used as a confirmatory method for PCR in tissues and will allow further identification of tissues permissive for B19 parvovirus infection.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Integrin regulatory switching in development: oscillation of beta 5 integrin mRNA expression during epithelial-mesenchymal interactions in tooth development.

Integrin receptors for extracellular matrix molecules are thought to play important roles in morphogenesis since they mediate aspects of embryonic cell adhesion and migration. Using in situ hybridization, the mRNA expression pattern of the beta 5 integrin receptor subunit was examined during murine tooth development, a classical system for studying morphogenesis. In developing tooth, high-level expression of beta 5 integrin mRNA alternates from epithelium to mesenchyme and back to epithelium. Each switch in localization occurs within one day. These results demonstrate that an integrin mRNA can be precisely and rapidly up- and down-regulated over unexpectedly short time spans, and that expression can oscillate between adjacent, interacting epithelial and mesenchymal tissues during morphogenesis. This rapid modulation of mRNA expression suggests a potential regulatory role for the beta 5 integrin receptor in morphogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Expression of the c-myb proto-oncogene in bovine vascular smooth muscle cells.

Previously we have shown that bovine vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) express c-myb mRNA (Reilly, C. F., Kindy, M. S., Brown, K. E., Rosenberg, R. D., and Sonenshein, G. E. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 6990-6995). Here we have characterized changes in the low level of c-myb mRNA expressed in quiescent serum-deprived subconfluent SMCs upon entry into the cell cycle. After serum stimulation, levels of c-myb mRNA increased 3-4-fold during late G1 and remained at this level during S phase. A 1.5-kilobase partial c-myb cDNA clone, isolated from a bovine SMC library, was partially sequenced and found to be 89 and 85% homologous to the human and murine c-myb genes, respectively. Using bovine and murine c-myb clones, no change in the rate of c-myb gene transcription or mRNA stability was detected during the cell cycle. Thus, the regulation of changes in c-myb mRNA levels in SMCs appears distinct from mechanisms seen in hematopoietic or fibroblastic cells. Vectors containing myb binding sites linked to the thymidine kinase promoter and the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene were transiently transfected into SMC cultures. KHK-CAT-dAX, which contains nine concatenated myb binding sites, exhibited 7-fold more activity than the parental dAX-TK-CAT vector in exponentially growing SMCs. The levels of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity in exponentially growing cells were approximately 2-fold higher than in cells that had been serum deprived for 24 h and were entering quiescence. Thus SMCs produce a functional c-myb protein that can activate transcription from a heterologous promoter. Furthermore, introduction of antisense c-myb oligonucleotides to quiescent serum-deprived SMC cultures severely inhibited entry of cells into S phase upon serum addition. Thus, expression of the c-myb oncogene plays an important role in cell cycle progression of SMCs.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Haemagglutination by parvovirus B19.

Human parvovirus B19 is a member of the autonomous parvoviridae but in contrast to other members of the genus has not been shown to agglutinate red blood cells. We now report that the virus agglutinates red cells of primate origin, though with plasma-derived virus this activity is masked by the presence of an IgM-like inhibitor. This observation is consistent with the presence on the erythroid precursor target cell of a specific receptor for parvovirus B19.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Prokaryotic expression of a VP1 polypeptide antigen for diagnosis by a human parvovirus B19 antibody enzyme immunoassay.

To produce parvovirus B19 antigen for diagnostic purposes, partially overlapping segments covering the genes encoding the viral structural proteins VP1 and VP2 were cloned into expression vectors. The constructs were induced in Escherichia coli, resulting in the expression of beta-galactosidase fusion proteins. In immunoblotting experiments with sera from patients with erythema infectiosum, immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies bound to a single polypeptide of 235 amino acids at the N terminus of VP1. The DNA fragment encoding this polypeptide was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and cloned into an expression vector. The viral capsid antigen expressed in E. coli was purified by preparative agarose gel electrophoresis and used in IgG and IgM solid-phase enzyme immunoassays. Comparison with reference gamma- and mu-capture radioimmunoassays using whole virus antigen showed that these antibody tests are suitable for the serodiagnosis of human infections caused by parvovirus B19.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1991

Concerted modulation of alpha 1(XI) and alpha 2(V) collagen mRNAs in bovine vascular smooth muscle cells.

We have isolated a partial cDNA for alpha 1(XI) collagen from a bovine smooth muscle cell (SMC) library. Previously, this collagen was not known to be expressed in SMCs. Comparison of the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence of the 2.7-kilobase bovine clone and the human alpha 1(XI) sequence indicates 92 and 98% homology, respectively. Bovine SMCs in culture were found to produce alpha 1(XI) mRNA. However, alpha 2(XI) and alpha 1(II) collagen RNA were not detectable; therefore, SMCs cannot synthesize the same type XI collagen as found in cartilage. Since type XI collagen is structurally related to type V collagen, the expression of alpha 1(XI) and alpha 2(V) collagen mRNA in SMCs was characterized. Levels of alpha 1(XI) and alpha 2(V) collagen mRNAs were low in exponentially growing SMCs and increased 3-4-fold as cells became confluent. Increased mRNA levels were also observed when exponentially growing subconfluent SMCs were incubated in medium containing 0.5% fetal bovine serum for 24 h, similar to the effects of serum deprivation on the expression of types I and III collagen genes (Kindy, M. S., Chang, C.-J., and Sonenshein, G. E. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 11426-11430). However, as cell density increased, serum deprivation resulted in very different responses for these collagen genes. Serum deprivation caused a decrease in expression of alpha 1(XI) and alpha 2(V) collagen mRNAs in cultures as they approached confluence. In contrast, at confluence alpha 1(I) and alpha 2(I) mRNA levels no longer responded to serum concentration whereas expression of alpha 1(III) mRNA remained inducible by serum deprivation. These results suggest concerted regulation of alpha 1(XI) and alpha 2(V) collagen gene expression, which is distinct from that for the chains of type I and type III collagen with respect to cell density and serum.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Regulation of expression of the growth-state-related genes 2F1 and 2A9 during entry of quiescent smooth muscle cells into the cell cycle.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) play a key role in the development of major arteries. Furthermore, abnormal growth of vascular smooth muscle cells has been implicated in the progression of major diseases of the cardiovascular system. Here, we report detection in primary cultures of bovine vascular smooth muscle cells of mRNA for two growth-state-related genes, 2F1 and 2A9, which code for a mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier and calcyclin, respectively, and on the characterization of their cell cycle expression. Cultures of exponentially growing smooth muscle cells were made quiescent by serum deprivation. Upon readdition of serum, cells entered the cell cycle synchronously; DNA synthesis began 12 h post-serum addition. Levels of 2F1 and 2A9 RNA were low in quiescent cells and increased between 2 and 4 h post-serum addition. No changes in the rates of transcription of the 2F1 or 2A9 genes were detected by nuclear run-off assays during the time course. Thus the regulation of changes in expression of 2F1 and 2A9 in early G1 is mediated post-transcriptionally.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Detection of B19 parvovirus in human fetal tissues by in situ hybridisation.

Evidence of B19 parvovirus infection was sought by in situ hybridisation with biotinylated probes in 65 tissue samples from 32 pregnancies (fetuses, products of conception and/or placentas). Twenty-seven samples were reactive and the results were confirmed by other methods for B19 virus detection in 22 cases. The other methods used were in situ hybridisation with 3H and 35S labelled probes; dot-blot hybridisation with biotin and 32P labelled probes; polymerase chain reaction assay; negative stain and thin section electron microscopy; and radioimmunoassay for B19 antigen. The five false positive results by in situ hybridisation with biotinylated probes were considered to be due to non-specific biotin capture and were more frequent with unfixed samples than with formalin fixed material. It was concluded that while biotinylated probes offered advantages over radioactive probes for detecting B19 DNA by in situ hybridisation, positive findings should be confirmed by other methods.

Biotin↗