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Biomedical subjects

K E Mitchell

Publications and source records attributed to K E Mitchell.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Matrix metalloproteinase and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase in serum and synovial fluid of osteoarthritic dogs.

To better understand the mechanisms responsible for the pathological processes of osteoarthritis (OA) and to potentially identify a profile of changes that could be predictive of early OA, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) in the synovial fluid and serum of normal and osteoarthritic dogs were examined. The concentration of MMP-1 in the synovial fluid of osteoarthritic dogs (0.62 +/- 0.16), as measured by densitometry, was significantly higher than that found in control dogs (0.42 +/- 0.19) (P = 0.03). The concentration of MMP-1 in the serum of osteoarthritic dogs (0.74 +/- 0.16) was significantly less than that found in control dogs (0.87 +/- 0.08) (P = 0.05). The concentration of TIMP-2 in the synovial fluid of osteoarthritic dogs (46.2 +/- 21.9 ng/ml) was significantly less than that of control dogs (122.0 +/- 66.5 ng/ml) (P = 0.009). The concentration of TIMP-2 in the serum of osteoarthritic dogs (116.2 +/- 43.1 ng/ml) was not significantly different than that of control dogs (95.1 +/- 94.4 ng/ml) (P = 0.554). In addition, a phospho-tyrosine immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry were used to isolate and identify interferon-alpha in canine synovial fluid.

Animals↗

Transplantation of porcine umbilical cord matrix cells into the rat brain.

Immune rejection of transplanted material is a potential complication of organ donation. In response to tissue transplantation, immune rejection has two components: a host defense directed against the grafted tissue and an immune response from the grafted tissue against the host (graft vs host disease). To treat immune rejection, transplant recipients are typically put on immunosuppression therapy. Complications may arise from immune suppression or from secondary effects of immunosuppression drugs. Our preliminary work indicated that stem cells may be xenotransplanted without immunosuppression therapy. Here, we investigated the survival of pig stem cells derived from umbilical cord mucous connective tissue (UCM) after transplantation into rats. Our data demonstrate that UCM cells survive at least 6 weeks without immune suppression of the host animals after transplantation into either the brain or the periphery. In the first experiment, UCM cells were transplanted into the rat brain and recovered in that tissue 2-6 weeks posttransplantation. At 4 weeks posttransplantation, the UCM cells engrafted into the brain along the injection tract. The cells were small and roughly spherical. The transplanted cells were positively immunostained using a pig-specific antibody for neuronal filament 70 (NF70). In contrast, 6 weeks posttransplantation, about 10% of the UCM cells that were recovered had migrated away from the injection site into the region just ventral to the corpus callosum; these cells also stained positively for NF70. In our second experiment, UCM cells that were engineered to constitutively express enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) were transplanted. These cells were recovered 2-4 weeks after brain transplantation. Engrafted cells expressing eGFP and positively staining for NF70 were recovered. This finding indicates a potential for gene therapy. In the third experiment, to determine whether depositing the graft into the brain protected UCM cells from immune detection/clearance, UCM cells were injected into the tail vein and/or the semitendinosis muscle in a group of animals. UCM cells were recovered from the muscle or within the kidney 3 weeks posttransplantation. In control experiments, rat brains were injected with PKH 26-labeled UCM cells that had been lysed by repeated sonic disruption. One and 2 weeks following injection, no PKH 26-labeled neurons or glia were observed. Taken together, these data indicate that UCM cells can survive xenotransplantation and that a subset of the UCM cells respond to local signals to differentiate along a neural lineage.

Animals↗

Incorporation of bovine bone marrow stromal cells into porcine foetal tissues after xenotransplantation.

Bovine bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) were injected into the liver of foetal pigs at about 40 days of gestation to test whether these cells could populate developing tissue, and if so, which ones. Approximately 40 days after injection, the foetuses were harvested and tissue sections from many areas of the body were analysed for the presence of bovine cells using two different methods. First, using PCR, bovine repetitive DNA was found to be present in DNA extracted from foetal pig tissues. Secondly, using oligonucleotide primed in situ synthesis (PRINS), the in situ presence of bovine cells was found within porcine tissue sections. PRINS-labelled cells were found within cartilage, perichondrium, connective tissue and smooth muscle. These data suggest that bovine BMSCs integrate throughout the foetal pig.

Animals↗

NH(2)-terminal modification of a channel-forming peptide increases capacity for epithelial anion secretion.

A synthetic, channel-forming peptide, derived from the alpha-subunit of the glycine receptor (M2GlyR), has been synthesized and modified by adding four lysine residues to the NH(2) terminus (N-K(4)-M2GlyR). In Ussing chamber experiments, apical N-K(4)-M2GlyR (250 microM) increased transepithelial short-circuit current (I(sc)) by 7.7 +/- 1.7 and 10.6 +/- 0.9 microA/cm(2) in Madin-Darby canine kidney and T84 cell monolayers, respectively; these values are significantly greater than those previously reported for the same peptide modified by adding the lysines at the COOH terminus (Wallace DP, Tomich JM, Iwamoto T, Henderson K, Grantham JJ, and Sullivan LP. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 272: C1672-C1679, 1997). N-K(4)-M2GlyR caused a concentration-dependent increase in I(sc) (k([1/2]) = 190 microM) that was potentiated two- to threefold by 1-ethyl-2-benzimidazolinone. N-K(4)-M2GlyR-mediated increases in I(sc) were insensitive to changes in apical cation species. Pharmacological inhibitors of endogenous Cl(-) conductances [glibenclamide, diphenylamine-2-dicarboxylic acid, 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid, 4,4'-dinitrostilben-2,2'-disulfonic acid, indanyloxyacetic acid, and niflumic acid] had little effect on N-K(4)-M2GlyR-mediated I(sc). Whole cell membrane patch voltage-clamp studies revealed an N-K(4)-M2GlyR-induced anion conductance that exhibited modest outward rectification and modest time- and voltage-dependent activation. Planar lipid bilayer studies yielded results indicating that N-K(4)-M2GlyR forms a 50-pS anion conductance with a k([1/2]) for Cl(-) of 290 meq. These results indicate that N-K(4)-M2GlyR forms an anion-selective channel in epithelial monolayers and shows therapeutic potential for the treatment of hyposecretory disorders such as cystic fibrosis.

Animals↗

Glycosylation influences gating and pH sensitivity of I(sK).

The KvLQT1 and minK subunits that coassemble to form I(sK) channels, contain potential N-glycosylation sites. To examine the role of glycosylation in channel function, a Chinese hamster ovary cell line deficient in glycosylation (Lec-1) and its parental cell line (Pro-5) were transiently transfected with human KvLQT1 (hKvLQT1) cDNA, alone and in combination with the rat (rminK) or human minK (hminK) cDNA. Functional KvLQT1 and I(sK) currents were expressed in both cell lines, although amplitudes were larger in Pro-5 than Lec-1 cells transfected with hKvLQT1 and hKvLQT1/hminK. For I(sK), but not KvLQT1, the voltage-dependence of activation was shifted to more positive voltages and the activation kinetics were slower in the Lec-1 compared to the Pro-5 cells. The effect of extracellular acidification on recombinant KvLQT1 and I(sK) currents was investigated in Pro-5 and Lec-1 cells. Changing external pH (pH(o)) from 7.4 to 6.0 significantly decreased the amplitude and increased the half-activation voltage (V(1/2)) of KvLQT1 currents in Pro-5 and Lec-1 cells. In Pro-5 cells, decreasing pH(o) reduced I(sK) amplitude without increasing V(1/2), whether rminK or hminK was coexpressed with hKvLQT. In contrast, changing pH(o) from 7.4 to 6.0 did not significantly change I(sK) amplitude in Lec-1 cells. Thus, oligosaccharides attached to the minK subunit affect not only the gating properties, but also the pH sensitivity of I(sK).

Animals↗

A synthetic peptide based on a glycine-gated chloride channel induces a novel chloride conductance in isolated epithelial cells.

CK(4)-M2GlyR, an aqueous soluble peptide derived from the transmembrane M2 segment of the glycine-gated Cl(-) channel found in postsynaptic membranes of the central nervous system, has previously been shown to increase transepithelial Cl(-) and fluid secretion of epithelial monolayers. The goal of this study was to determine whether CK(4)-M2GlyR exerts these effects via formation of a novel chloride conductance pathway, modulation of endogenous chloride channel activity, or a combination of these effects. Ionic currents were recorded from isolated epithelial cells before and after treatment with the peptide using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. CK(4)-M2GlyR increased whole-cell Cl(-) currents in all epithelial cell lines that were studied, including: Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, a human colonic epithelial cell line (T84), and airway epithelial cells derived from a human cystic fibrosis patient (IB3-1). No evidence was found for modulation of endogenous Cl(-) channels by CK(4)-M2GlyR based on both the electrophysiological properties of the observed currents and the pharmacological profile of the CK(4)-M2GlyR-induced current. These results suggest that CK(4)-M2GlyR increases Cl(-) permeability in epithelial cells directly, by forming a distinct conduction pathway in cell membranes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Aqueous solubilization of transmembrane peptide sequences with retention of membrane insertion and function.

We recently reported that the peptide C-K4-M2GlyR mimics the action of chloride channels when incorporated into the apical membrane of cultured renal epithelial monolayers. C-K4-M2GlyR is one of a series of peptides that were prepared by the addition of lysine residues to the N- or C-terminus of the M2 transmembrane sequence of the brain glycine receptor. This study addresses how such modifications affect physical properties such as aqueous solubility, aggregation, and secondary structure, as well as the ability of the modified peptides to form channels in epithelial monolayers. A graded improvement in solubility with a concomitant decrease in aggregation in aqueous media was observed for the M2GlyR transmembrane sequences. Increases in short-circuit current (I(SC)) of epithelial monolayers were observed after treatment with some but not all of the peptides. The bioactivity was higher for the more soluble, less aggregated M2GlyR peptides. As described in our previous communication, sensitivity of channel activity to diphenylamine-2-carboxylate, a chloride channel blocker, and bumetanide, an inhibitor of the Na/K/2Cl cotransporter, was used to assess changes in chloride selectivity for the different assembled channel-forming peptides. The unmodified M2GlyR sequence and the modified peptides with less positive charge are more sensitive to these agents than are the more highly charged forms. This study shows that relatively insoluble transmembrane sequences can be modified such that they are easier to purify and deliver in the absence of organic solvents with retention of membrane association, insertion, and assembly.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural components of ryanodine responsible for modulation of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium channel function.

Comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) was used to analyze the relationship between the structure of a group of ryanoids and the modulation of the calcium channel function of the ryanodine receptor. The conductance properties of ryanodine receptors purified from sheep heart were measured using the planar, lipid bilayer technique. The magnitude of the ryanoid-induced fractional conductance was strongly correlated to specific structural loci on the ligand. Briefly, electrostatic effects were more prominent than steric effects. The 10-position of the ryanoid had the greatest influence on fractional conductance. Different regions of the ligand have opposing effects on fractional conductance. For example, steric bulk at the 10-position is correlated with decreased fractional conductance, whereas steric bulk at the 2-position (isopropyl position) is correlated with increased fractional conductance. In contrast to fractional conductance, the 3-position (the pyrrole locus) had the greatest influence on ligand binding, whereas the 10-position had comparatively little influence on binding. Two possible models of ryanodine action, a direct (or channel plug) mechanism and an allosteric mechanism, were examined in light of the CoMFA. Taken together, the data do not appear to be consistent with direct interaction between ryanodine and the translocating ion. The data appear to be more consistent with an allosteric mechanism. It is suggested the ryanoids act by inducing or stabilizing a conformational change in the ryanodine receptor that results in the observed alterations in cation conductance.

Allosteric Regulation↗

The pyrrole locus is the major orienting factor in ryanodine binding.

Ryanodine, a natural product, is a complex modulator of a class of intracellular Ca2+ release channels commonly called the ryanodine receptors. Ryanodine analogs can cause the channel to persist in long-lived, subconductance states or, at high ligand concentrations, in closed, nonconducting states. In this paper, we further explore the relationship between structure and ryanodine binding to striated muscle. Ryanodine, 3-epiryanodine, and 10-ryanodine are three structural isomers of ryanodine. The dissociation constants of these compounds were measured using rabbit skeletal muscle ryanodine receptors. Placing the pyrrole carbonyl group at the 3-epi- and 10-positions of ryanodol largely restores the large loss of binding energy observed when ryanodine is hydrolyzed to ryanodol. Comparative molecular field analysis successfully predicts the enhanced binding and indicates that the pyrrole group controls the orientation of ligand binding. We propose that the ryanoids are reorientated in the binding site of the ryanodine receptors such that the pyrrole always occupies the same subsite. By applying this model, the binding constants of other ryanoids are predicted.

Animals↗

On the nature of social support for families of critically ill children.

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of family social support during an acute life-threatening health crisis of a child. A convenience sample of 10 families was obtained from two pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in a major midwestern metropolitan area. Tape-recorded interviews of parents took place in the hospital 2 to 13 days after admission to the PICU. The Family Crisis Support Interview (FCSI) was developed from existing literature on social support with content selected for specificity to this population. Qualitative analysis was used to reduce verbatim interview transcription data into four major categories with related themes. Results suggest that for these families (a) costs of support received sometimes outweighed the perceived benefits; (b) the benefit of the social network to parents was influenced by its density and level of connectedness; (c) mothers received more network support than fathers; and (d) dyadic cohesion was a central factor in perceptions of overall support. Interpretation of the data include general applications to family nursing management in pediatric critical care.

Adult↗

Lead toxicity.

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Health Personnel↗