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Biomedical subjects

K K Davidson

Publications and source records attributed to K K Davidson.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Elimination of extrachromosomally amplified MYC genes from human tumor cells reduces their tumorigenicity.

Oncogene amplification has been observed in a broad spectrum of human tumors and has been associated with a poor prognosis for patients with several different types of malignancies. Importantly, at biopsy, the amplified genes localize to acentric extrachromosomal elements such as double-minute chromosomes (DMs) in the vast majority of cases. We show here that treatment of several human tumor cell lines with low concentrations of hydroxyurea accelerates the loss of their extrachromosomally amplified oncogenes. The decreases in MYC copy number in a human tumor cell line correlated with a dramatic reduction in cloning efficiency in soft agar and tumorigenicity in nude mice. No effect on gene copy number or tumorigenicity was observed for a closely related cell line containing the same number of chromosomally amplified MYC genes. One step involved in the accelerated loss of extrachromosomal elements is shown to involve their preferential entrapment of DMs within micronuclei. The data suggest that agents that accelerate the loss of extrachromosomally amplified genes could provide valuable tools for moderating the growth of a large number of human neoplasms.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Effects of respiratory acidosis on HCO3- transport by rabbit collecting tubules.

These studies were performed to determine whether in vitro elevation of bath PCO2 with associated reduction in pH (acute respiratory acidosis) affected bicarbonate transport by isolated perfused rabbit cortical collecting tubules (CCT) and collecting tubules from the outer (OMCTos) and inner (OMCTis) stripes of the outer medulla. When the PCO2 was elevated and pH reduced from approximately 7.4 to 7.0 the rate of total CO2 absorption increased to 252% of that observed at pH 7.4 in CCT, 146% in OMCTos, and 150% in OMCTis. In OMCTis, pretreatment with colchicine inhibited the stimulation of total CO2 absorption associated with respiratory acidosis, whereas lumicolchicine did not. Similar inhibition was observed in the presence of maptam and a low calcium concentration and in the presence of a calmodulin inhibitor. No differences were observed in apical or basolateral membrane morphometry of principal or intercalated cells between control tubules and those subjected to respiratory acidosis. The results indicate that acute respiratory acidosis stimulates acidification by the rabbit distal nephron in vitro through a process(es) that, at least in OMCTis, evidently involves the cell cytoskeleton and changes in cell calcium and calmodulin activities.

Acidosis, Respiratory↗
PubMed1987

Effect of potassium depletion and protein intake in vivo on renal tubular bicarbonate transport in vitro.

These studies evaluated the effect of decreased dietary potassium and increased dietary protein content in rabbits on systemic acid-base parameters, urine pH, and segmental renal tubular bicarbonate handling in vitro. Animals fed a potassium-deficient high-protein diet (KD) for 2 wk developed metabolic acidosis (arterial blood pH 7.31 vs. 7.43) and excreted a more acid urine than control animals fed a diet with normal amounts of potassium and protein; whereas, animals fed the same potassium deficient diet to which supplemental potassium was added (KD + K+) excreted an even more acid urine and had a blood pH of 7.36. In superficial proximal convoluted and straight tubules, there were no differences in rates of fluid and total CO2 absorption between control and KD tubules. Cortical collecting tubules obtained from KD and KD + K+ animals absorbed, and control tubules secreted total CO2 in vitro. With an ambient potassium concentration of 2.5 mM, collecting tubules obtained from the inner stripe of the outer medulla of KD animals absorbed significantly less total CO2 than control tubules. The same tendency was observed in collecting tubules from the outer stripe of the outer medulla. Plasma aldosterone levels fell with development of potassium depletion. Administration of deoxycorticosterone for 1 day to KD animals was associated with a lower urine pH and higher arterial blood pH than in untreated KD animals and with increased total CO2 absorption by both cortical collecting tubules and tubules from the inner stripe of the outer medulla.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Absorption↗
PubMed1987

Bicarbonate transport in collecting tubules from outer stripe of outer medulla of rabbit kidneys.

The purpose of this study is to characterize the features of bicarbonate (total CO2) transport in isolated perfused collecting tubules obtained from the outer stripe of the outer medulla (OMCTos) of rabbit kidneys. Under control conditions (25 mM HCO3- in the perfusate and bath), all OMCTos studied absorbed total CO2 at a mean rate of 8.61 +/- 0.44 pmol.mm-1.min-1. Ouabain (10(-4) M in the bath) did not affect the rate of total CO2 absorption (JtCO2). Addition of the diethylstilbene 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS) in a concentration of 10(-4) M or replacement of bath chloride by gluconate reduced JtCO2 by approximately 50%, whereas replacement of luminal chloride increased JtCO2 by 40%. The carbonic anhydrase inhibitors acetazolamide and ethoxyzolamide in concentrations of 10(-4) M had little effect on JtCO2. In a concentration of 10(-3) M, acetazolamide reduced JtCO2 by only 31%. OMCTos obtained from rabbits with ammonium chloride-induced metabolic acidosis did not have increased rates of total CO2 absorption compared with the control, but treatment of animals with mineralocorticoids increased JtCO2. These results indicate that OMCTos are capable of significant bicarbonate absorption in vitro. This absorption 1) is independent of sodium transport, 2) appears to require, at least in large part, HCO3- or OH- -Cl- exchange across the basolateral cell membrane of acid-secreting cells, 3) is much more resistant to inhibition by carbonic anhydrase inhibitors than reported previously for other rabbit nephron segments, and 4) is stimulated by prior mineralocorticoid treatment of animals but not by prior metabolic acidosis in vivo.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗
PubMed1985

Femorotibial vein bypass in a child.

This report details the course and management of a 5-year-old girl with intermittent claudication, a chronic leg ulcer, and discrepancy in leg growth caused by unilateral femoropopliteal arterial occlusive lesions of obscure etiology. Angiographic evaluation, pathologic observations, and surgical management of this child are detailed. A 4-year follow-up has provided gratifying results that justify the surgical approach to this unique patient.

Arterial Occlusive Diseases↗
PubMed1985

In vivo and in vitro studies of urinary concentrating ability in potassium-depleted rabbits.

The factors responsible for the urinary concentrating defect associated with the potassium-depleted (KD) state are uncertain. The present studies were designed to, first, determine whether a urinary concentrating defect exists in potassium-depleted rabbits and, second, to use the technique of in vitro perfusion to evaluate directly the antidiuretic hormone (ADH) responsiveness of cortical collecting tubules (CCT) in this setting. Feeding female New Zealand White rabbits a potassium-deficient diet for 2 wk caused a significant fall in plasma potassium levels in both the ad-libitum and controlled water intake groups (P less than 0.001). Muscle potassium content after 2 wk of potassium restriction fell from 45.6 +/- 0.9 to 29.0 +/- 1.2 meq/100 g fat-free dry solids (P less than 0.001). Renal papillary sodium content fell significantly from a control value of 234.6 +/- 8.0 to 182.46 +/- 10.0 meq/kg H2O after 2 wk of potassium restriction. Maximal urinary osmolality measured after 12 h of dehydration and 1.25 U pitressin IM was significantly decreased in rabbits after 2 wk of potassium restriction in both the ad-libitum and controlled water intake groups (P less than 0.001). The relationship between plasma potassium concentration and maximum urinary osmolality was significantly correlated in both the ad-libitum and controlled water intake groups, r = 0.73 and 0.68 (P less than 0.001), respectively. In addition, refeeding KD rabbits with normal chow for 1 wk resulted in normalization of both plasma potassium levels and urinary concentrating ability. CCT from control and KD rabbits were perfused in vitro at 25 degrees C. The hydraulic conductivity coefficient, Lp, was significantly reduced at all doses of ADH tested in tubules from KD rabbits when compared with control tubules. In addition, the maximal hydraulic conductivity in tubules from KD rabbits when tested with 200 microU/ml ADH at 37.5 degrees C was only 23% of control values (P less than 0.05). Furthermore, this reduced ADH responsiveness persisted when the bath potassium was elevated from 5 to 20 mM. The reflection coefficient for NaCl when compared with raffinose was 0.91 in tubules from KD animals. Thus, these data suggest that the ADH-resistant urinary concentrating defect associated with potassium depletion is due, at least in part, to a diminished responsiveness of the CCT to ADH. Therefore, further studies were designed to investigate the cellular steps involved in this abnormal response. There was no difference in the 8-para-chlorophenylthio cyclic AMP induced hydroosmotic response between CCT from KD and control rabbits. Since the cAMP-induced hydroosmotic response was similar between KD and control CCT, experiments were performed to evaluate the contribution of phosphodiesterase (PDIE) activity by using the potent PDIE inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine (10(-4) and 10(-3)M) in the presence of ADH (200 U/ml). Although Lp was increased by PDIE inhibition in CCT from both control and KD animals, the overall hydroosmotic response in CCT from KD rabbits was still significantly reduced when compared with controls. The final experiments used forskolin to evaluate further the adenylate cyclase complex. The resulting hydroosmotic response in CCT from KD rabbits was almost identical to that obtained in controls. In conclusion, these data suggest that the decreased responsiveness of CCT from KD rabbits to ADH involves a step at or proximal to the stimulation of the catalytic subunit of adenylate cyclase, and that PDIE activity makes no contribution to this abnormal hydroosmotic response.

Animals↗