Biomedical subjects

K Murakami

Publications and source records attributed to K Murakami.

At least 559 records · Page 31Linked to original sources

PubMed1994

Isolation and characterization of two alternatively spliced complementary DNAs encoding a Xenopus laevis angiotensin II receptor.

We have isolated two cDNAs of 1.7 and 3.0 kb, produced by alternative splicing, that encode a angiotensin II (AII) receptor from a Xenopus laevis heart cDNA library. The two clones had identical coding regions with each other and were found to belong to the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily like the mammalian type 1 AII receptors (AT1); their amino acid sequence was 68.7% homologous with the human AT1 receptor sequence. However, there was a 1.3 kb insertion at the 3'-untranslated region of the longer clone. The insertion contained 9 repeats of an ATTTA motif, suggesting that the two mRNAs undergo distinct post-transcriptional regulation by virtue of a difference in their stability. Although the Xenopus receptor exhibited distinct specificities for AII receptor antagonists compared with mammalian AII receptors, several common characteristics, including the effect of dithiothreitol and guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate), demonstrated that the cloned receptor is a counterpart of the mammalian AT1 receptor. Moreover, the cloned receptor was expressed most abundantly in the Xenopus heart, which is inconsistent with the tissue distribution of mammalian AII receptors. This indicated that the Xenopus heart, unlike that of mammals, plays a major role in the AII-dependent regulation of blood pressure and extracellular fluid volume.

Alternative Splicing↗

PubMed1994

Effect of dithiothreitol on angiotensin II receptor type II in rat ovarian cultured granulosa cells.

Dithiothreitol markedly increased the ligand binding affinity of angiotensin II (AII) receptor type II (AT2) without affecting its antagonist selectivity in cultured ovarian granulosa cells, demonstrating that this AT2 is of the dithiothreitol-sensitive type. Dithiothreitol is useful for specifically detecting low levels of the AT2 in the ovary, where it plays roles that are probably related to atresia.

Angiotensin II↗

PubMed1994

Localization of thymosin beta 4 to the neural tissues during the development of Xenopus laevis, as studied by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry.

Thymosin beta 4, a polypeptide of 5 kDa, is known to have capacity to regulate actin polymerization by binding to an actin monomer. Distribution of Xenopus laevis thymosin beta 4 (XT beta 4) in the developing Xenopus larva was examined by means of in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Analysis with in situ hybridization revealed that XT beta 4 mRNA becomes gradually localized to the neural tissues, notochord and inner epidermis during neurula stages. Intense accumulation of XT beta 4 mRNA was observed in the ganglions of cranial nerves and in the dorsal region of the spinal cord from stage 26 and onwards. XT beta 4 immunoreactivity (XTI) was observed in larvas at all developmental stages later than stage 26, tail bud embryo. Immunoreactivity was initially distributed to the ganglion of cranial nerve V and Rohon-Beard cells. As the development progressed, the XTI appeared in other neuronal groups. By late tadpole stages (stages 42-47) the XTI was found in the pineal body, oculomotor and trochlear motoneurons of the midbrain, various neurons in the rhombencephalon, ganglions of cranial nerves V, VII/VIII and IX/X. In the spinal cord the XTI was observed in Rohon-Beard cells, dorsal root ganglion cells, motoneurons and other spinal cord neurons. Immunoreactivity was seen in both cell bodies and axons of the neurons. These findings suggest that thymosin beta 4 plays a role in the development of neurons, especially of sensory neurons.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Nucleotide sequence of the structural gene for the penicillin-binding protein 2 of Staphylococcus aureus and the presence of a homologous gene in other staphylococci.

The structural gene for penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP2) of Staphylococcus aureus was cloned and sequenced. The nucleotide sequence of the 2,458-bp chromosomal fragment was determined, and the 2,148-bp coding region for PBP2 was identified. Determination of ten N-terminal amino acids of the PBP2 protein indicated that N-terminal methionine had been removed from the primary translational product. Thus, PBP2 is comprised of 715 amino acids with a molecular mass of 79,147. Nucleotide sequences having some homology with the PBP2 gene and proteins cross-reactive with anti-PBP2 antibody were detected in some other species of staphylococci by polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis, respectively.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

[Distinction between adrenal adenomas and metastases using 0.5 Telsa MR imaging: diagnosis with out-of-phase T2*-weighted gradient-field-echo image].

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of MR imaging with a 0.5-T apparatus to distinguish adrenal adenomas from adrenal metastases. The series included 23 adrenal adenomas (18 non-hyperfunctioning adenomas, 5 hyperfunctioning) and 23 adrenal metastases (14 from lung, 5 liver, 3 colon, and 1 stomach cancer). The signal intensity (SI) ratio (adrenal tumor/liver) on T1-, T2-, and T2*-weighted MR images was calculated for adrenal tissue characterization. Adrenal adenomas were more precisely distinguished from adrenal metastases on T2*-weighted images (21/23, 91%) than on T2-weighted images (15/23, 65%). In conclusion, T2*-weighted images were better than routine T2-weighted images in distinguishing adrenal adenomas from adrenal metastases. The reason could be that the total signal intensity of adrenal adenomas which contained some fat components decreased on T2*-weighted images due to an out-of-phase effect.

Adenoma↗

PubMed1994

Autoinduction of activin genes in early Xenopus embryos.

Activin exhibits a potent mesoderm inducing activity towards the ectodermal tissue (animal cap) of Xenopus laevis blastulae. Thus in order to investigate the role of activin in morphogenesis of early Xenopus embryos, activation of genes for activin beta A and beta B was examined by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. In vivo, activin beta B mRNA appears to be present in embryonic stage 1 whereas beta A mRNA is undetectable prior to gastrulation. beta B and beta A mRNAs were noted to accumulate after stages 9 and 15 respectively. Activin gene expression in Xenopus animal caps was examined after treatment with various concentrations of activin A. Under these treatment conditions, both activin beta A and beta B mRNAs accumulated in a dose-dependent fashion after 24 h. The same effect was noted for treatment with similar concentrations of activin B. Accumulation of mRNAs was inhibited by the addition of cycloheximide to the culture medium, consistent with the proposition that activin gene expression requires certain protein factors. In total, therefore, these data suggest that an autoinduction mechanism is involved in the regulation of activin mRNA levels in normal Xenopus embryos and that this mechanism may play a pivotal role during early embryonic development.

Activins↗

PubMed1994

Tissue-specific trans-activation of renin gene by targeted expression of adenovirus E1A in transgenic mice.

We generated two transgenic mice carrying the adenovirus type 12 E1 region genes under control of the human renin promoter, in which the E1A and E1B genes were expressed predominantly in the kidney. Interestingly, renal transcription of the gene for mouse renin was shown to be elevated at 28 and 40 folds as compared in those of control animals, but histone mRNA levels were unchanged. Although the transfected mouse renin promoter was promiscuously trans-activated by E1A in HeLa cells where the endogenous renin gene was silent, the transgenic studies suggested that a cellular factor(s), in addition to E1A, was required for the tissue-specific renin gene activation. These findings provide the in vivo evidence that E1A could trans-activate cellular gene transcription in a tissue-specific manner.

Adenovirus E1A Proteins↗

PubMed1994

Biologically active BMP-2 in early Xenopus laevis embryos.

In this study, we attempted to purify the dimeric BMP-2 from extracts of Xenopus embryos in order to show the presence of BMP-2 activity in the embryos. Immunoreactive BMP-2 protein was found to be a homodimer of an 18 kDa BMP-2 polypeptide linked through disulfide bridge(s). Biological activities of the partially purified dimeric BMP-2 were examined in vitro. The Xenopus BMP-2 induced alkaline phosphatase in a dose-dependent manner in cultured osteoblastic cells, MC3T3-E1. The inducing activity was synergistically enhanced by the presence of retinoic acid. The results showed that the dimeric form of Xenopus BMP-2 has an indistinguishable biological activity from that of mammalian BMP-2.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

PubMed1994

X-ray analysis at 2.0 A resolution of mouse submaxillary renin complexed with a decapeptide inhibitor CH-66, based on the 4-16 fragment of rat angiotensinogen.

The structure of mouse submaxillary renin complexed with a decapeptide inhibitor, CH-66 (Piv-His-Pro-Phe-His-Leu-OH-Leu-Tyr-Tyr-Ser-NH2), where Piv denotes a pivaloyl blocking group, and -OH- denotes a hydroxyethylene (-(S)CHOH-CH2-) transition state isostere as a scissile bond surrogate, has been refined to an agreement factor of 0.18 at 2.0 A resolution. The positions of 10,038 protein atoms and 364 inhibitor atoms (4 independent protein inhibitor complexes), as well as of 613 solvent atoms, have been determined with an estimated root-mean-square (r.m.s.) error of 0.21 A. The r.m.s. deviation from ideality for bond distances is 0.026 A, and for angle distances is 0.0543 A. We have compared the three-dimensional structure of mouse renin with other aspartic proteinases, using rigid-body analysis with respect to shifts involving the domain comprising residues 190 to 302. In terms of the relative orientation of domains, mouse submaxillary renin is closest to human renin with only a 1.7 degrees difference in domain orientation. Porcine pepsin (the molecular replacement model) differs structurally from mouse renin by a 6.9 degrees domain rotation, whereas endothiapepsin, a fungal aspartic proteinase, differs by 18.8 degrees. The triple proline loop (residues 292 to 294), which is structurally opposite the active-site "flap" (residues 72 to 83), gives renin a superficial resemblance to the fold of the retroviral proteinases. The inhibitor is bound in an extended conformation along the active-site cleft, and the hydroxyethylene moiety forms hydrogen bonds with both catalytic aspartate carboxylates. The complex is stabilized by hydrogen bonds between the main chain of the inhibitor and the enzyme. All side-chains of the inhibitor are in van der Waals contact with groups in the enzyme and define ten specificity sub-sites. This study shows how renin has compact sub-sites due to the positioning of secondary structure elements, to complementary substitutions and to the residue composition of its loops close to the active site, leading to extreme specificity towards its prohormone substrate, angiotensinogen. We have analysed the micro-environment of each of the buried charged groups in order to predict their ionization states.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Comparative studies on species-specific reactivity between renin and angiotensinogen.

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is the most important regulator of electrolyte homeostasis and blood pressure. Our recently generated transgenic mice carrying either the human renin (hREN) or human angiotensinogen (hANG) genes did not develop hypertension but dual gene strains obtained by cross-mating separate lines of mice exhibited a chronically sustained increase in blood pressure, suggesting the presence of species-specific reactivity between renin and angiotensinogen. In order to examine this specificity, the present study was designed to perform a strictly comparative study on hydrolysis of hANG by hREN and mouse submandibular renin (mREN) in vitro by using pure proteins. The recombinant hANG (rhANG) and the synthetic human-type tridecapeptide (hTDP), Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro-Phe-His-Leu-Val-Ile-His, corresponding to the N-terminal sequences of hANG, were used to determine the species specificity of recombinant hREN (rhREN) and mREN. While hTDP was cleaved by both rhREN and mREN with similar Km and with the same order of kcat, rhANG was cleaved by mREN with 16.7-fold higher Km and with 28.2-fold lower kcat than by rhREN. These results showed that kcat/Km value of mREN for rhANG was 468-fold lower than that for rhREN acting on rhANG.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Secretion of beta-amyloid precursor protein involves multiple cleavage sites.

A major histopathological feature of Alzheimer's disease is deposits of a approximately 4-kDa beta-amyloid peptide derived by proteolytic processing from a precursor, the beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP). Proteolytic cleavage of beta-APP within the approximately 4-kDa beta-amyloid domain permits the secretion of the amino-terminal portion of beta-APP while concomitantly producing a membrane bound approximately 9-kDa carboxyl-terminal fragment. We have characterized the proteolytic cleavage site for beta-APP secretion by amino acid sequence analysis of the approximately 9-kDa beta-APP carboxyl-terminal cleavage product produced by recombinant and native expression systems. Recombinant beta-APP was generated by a vaccinia virus expression system in CV-1 monkey fibroblasts; endogenous beta-APP was obtained using a fibroblast line derived from an individual with Down's syndrome. The sequences of both unlabeled and metabolically radiolabeled approximately 9-kDa fragment from CV-1 cells reveal that the major (60%) secretory cleavage site is after Lys16 of the beta-amyloid domain as reported previously; however, an additional cleavage site is seen after Phe19 (40%). Radiosequence analysis of the carboxyl-terminal fragment purified from Down's syndrome fibroblasts indicates cleavage sites after Phe19, Glu22, and Gly25 and not after Lys16. CV-1 cells expressing beta-APP mutants lacking 4 and 6 amino acids adjacent to Lys16 yielded approximately 9-kDa fragments with two identical cleavage sites, neither of which occurred after the retained Lys16 but were after Glu11 and His13. These data suggest that secretion of beta-APP involves multiple proteinases and that the composition of these proteinases may vary within different cell backgrounds.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Immunohistochemical studies of renin-containing cells in the developing sheep kidney.

BACKGROUND: Renin-containing (RC) cells in small ruminant kidneys have been known to be widely distributed along the blood vessels. In the present study, RC cells in developing sheep kidneys were studied to investigate not only the appearance but distribution with the potential physiological significance using immunohistochemical and histoplanimetrical techniques. METHODS: Seven fetal, 12 newborn, and 3 adult metanephric kidneys were used and immunostained by anti-renin antiserum. In the histoplanimetrical analysis, the numerical values of RC cells existing at the walls of 3 major arterial types in the kidneys were calculated. RESULTS: At day 44 of gestation, RC cells were already demonstrated in the walls of renal, interlobar, and afferent vessels, located in the deep cortex and the medulla. In intermediate gestational periods, RC cells were detected throughout the intrarenal arterial trees. In late gestational periods, RC cells expressed in the walls of interlobar/arcuate and interlobular arteries tended to decrease or disappear gradually, while they were distributed predominantly in the afferent glomerular vessels. In newborn lambs, especially days 1 to 3 after birth, increased numbers of RC cells were demonstrated throughout the arterial trees in the kidneys. In older lambs, RC cells located in the interlobar/arcuate arteries and the proximal region of the interlobular arteries decreased in number and gradually disappeared. Some RC cells were still distributed in the distal portion of the interlobular artery even in the adult sheep. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the wide distribution of RC cells in sheep kidney is formed in perinatal life, and that the neuronal regulation is associated with the maintenance of this distribution.

Aging↗

PubMed1994

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung by fetal lung biopsy.

A case of type III congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation of the lung was successfully diagnosed prenatally by fetal lung biopsy. We performed this procedure at 22 weeks of gestation, using a biopsy gun system under ultrasound guidance. The pregnancy was undisturbed by the procedure but as the condition was incompatible with life, an abortion was performed. The diagnosis was confirmed at post-mortem examination. Fetal lung biopsy appears to be a useful method for prenatal diagnosis of fetal lung disorders.

Abortion, Induced↗

PubMed1994

Combinatorial action of cAMP and phorbol ester on synergistic expression of the human activin A gene.

A number of synergistic effects of cAMP and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) that mimic diacylglycerol function on transcription have been studied, implying the existence of "cross-talk" regulation. However, there is still less information available on the combinatorial action of such signal transduction convergence on cellular gene expression. In the present study, we have first examined the synergistic effects of cAMP and TPA on the gene expression of activin A, an important regulator of cell growth and differentiation, and next we revealed their ordered action in HT1080 cells. A combined treatment of these cells with cAMP and TPA synergistically increased accumulation of the activin A mRNA. Interestingly, this synergistic response also occurred when cells were treated with cAMP following short preexposure to TPA. In contrast, the increase in activin A mRNA levels in those cells preexposed to cAMP with subsequent treatment by TPA was limited to that caused by TPA alone, suggesting an importance of ordered stimulation. Addition of cycloheximide (CHX), an inhibitor of protein synthesis, to cultures led to superinduction of activin mRNA transcripts regardless of TPA exposure, but significantly attenuated the cAMP-induced mRNA levels. Moreover, the observed synergism between TPA and cAMP was not inhibited by CHX, showing that de novo protein synthesis was required for the mRNA induction by cAMP but not for those induced by TPA or those induced by both. These results demonstrated that transient stimulation of HT1080 cells by TPA with subsequent exposure to cAMP is sufficient for the synergistic induction of the activin A gene expression and suggested that the combinatorial action of TPA followed by cAMP stimulation plays an important role in regulating activin synthesis in these cells.

Activins↗

PubMed1994

Bovine leukemia virus induces CD5- B cell lymphoma in sheep despite temporarily increasing CD5+ B cells in asymptomatic stage.

To investigate bovine leukemia virus (BLV)-induced leukemogenesis, we infected sheep with BLV and used flow-cytometric and immunohistological analysis to characterize the phenotypic alterations in lymphocytes from peripheral blood and lymph nodes taken from the animals with lymphoma at various stages. In sheep at the asymptomatic stage, depending on the extent of progression of the disease, the proportions of CD2(+)-, CD4(+)-, CD8(+)-, and gamma delta TCR(+)-T cells that coexpressed CD5 decreased, but CD5+ sIgM+ cells as well as CD5- sIgM+ cells increased for a period. The number of CD5+ B cells, however, rapidly decreased in the lymphoma stage. On the other hand, neoplastic lymphocytes appeared to be a monoclonal population derived from a single cell with surface phenotypes of sIgM+, B-cell-specific molecule B2+, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II+, OvCD5-, OvCD2-, OvCD4-, OvCD8-, gamma delta TCR-, which suggests that only CD5- B cells proliferate clonally when the disease proceeds to the lymphoma stage. Thus, rapid decrease of CD5+ B cells may be used as a marker of lymphoma stage. To identify the BLV provirus in the CD5- B and CD5+ B cells throughout the course of disease, each fraction of CD5- B and CD5+ B cell was sorted from the peripheral blood by flow cytometry and nested double polymerase chain reaction was performed. In BLV-infected but healthy sheep, BLV integrated both CD5- B and CD5+ B cells. In lymphoma, however, BLV provirus was detected only in CD5- B cells but not in CD5+ B cells. Therefore it appears that a disappearance of BLV-infected CD5+ cells is one of the critical events leading to CD5- B cell lymphoma in sheep. This is in contrast to the BLV-induced lymphoma in cattle which shows CD5+ phenotype.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Cloning and characterization of the hemA gene for synthesis of delta-aminolevulinic acid in Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli.

The gene from Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli that is involved in the C5 pathway of delta-amino-levulinic acid (ALA) of Escherichia coli. Subcloning of deletion fragments from the initial 2.5-kilobase (kb) chromosomal fragment allowed the isolation of a 1.6-kb fragment that could complement the hemM mutation. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the 1.6-kb DNA fragment revealed an open reading frame that encodes a polypeptide of 426 amino acid residues, and the deduced molecular mass of this polypeptide is 46768 Da. The amino acid sequence shows a high degree of homology of the HemA protein, which is glutamyl-tRNA reductase, to other organisms. Thus, we examined the complementation test of the cloned gene from Xanthomonas with a hemA mutation of E. coli and found that the gene complemented the hemA mutation. These results suggest that the cloned gene is hemA and the gene from Xanthomonas also complements both hemA and hemM mutations, as in the case of the E. coli hemA.

Aldehyde Oxidoreductases↗

PubMed1994

Cellular localization of inflammatory cytokines in human glomerulonephritis.

We evaluated the expression of inflammatory cytokines in renal tissues obtained from 45 patients with several types of glomerulonephritis. Immunofluorescence studies with specific antibodies to interleukin (IL)-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and TNF-beta showed intense cytoplasmic staining in the glomeruli and interstitium. Cells positive for these cytokines were found frequently in tissue from patients with lupus nephritis (WHO Class IV) and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, and, to a lesser extent, in tissue from patients with mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis, and minimal change nephrotic syndrome. Most of these cells were dual-stained with a monoclonal antibody to monocytes-macrophages. In situ hybridization for cytokine mRNA, combined with immunoperoxidase staining for monocytes-macrophages, detected IL-1 alpha, IL-6, and TNF-alpha mRNA in monocytes-macrophages infiltrating the glomeruli and interstitium. Occasionally, there was weak or moderate immunostaining for IL-1 alpha, IL-6, and TNF-alpha in the glomerular mesangial and epithelial cells, but in situ hybridization signals were rarely found in these loci. These findings suggest that infiltrating monocytes-macrophages, rather than resident glomerular cells, are the major source of inflammatory cytokines in human glomerulonephritis.

Glomerulonephritis↗

PubMed1994

A multicenter study on HLA and autoimmunity in Japanese patients with early-onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM): the JDS Study.

The Japan Diabetes Society (JDS) conducted a multicenter study on HLA and autoimmunity in Japanese patients with early-onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). HLA, immunoglobulin heavy-chain complex (Gm), properdin factor B (BF), and glyoxalase of erythrocytes (GLO) were typed, and organ-specific autoantibodies including islet cell antibodies (ICA) were assayed in 159 IDDM patients and their relatives and in 258 healthy Japanese subjects. The HLA-DRw9 phenotype and HLA-Bw61/DRw9 haplotype were significantly increased among the patients with autoantibodies other than ICA, whereas the DR4 phenotype and Bw54/DR4 haplotype were significantly increased in those without the autoantibodies. The DR4 phenotype was significantly increased in the patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases. The relative risk of the HLA-DRw9/DR4 genotype was highest among all DR genotypes. The Gm phenotype of g and gft were significantly increased in the patients with the autoantibodies. The BF-F phenotype was significantly decreased in the patients either with or without the autoantibodies. There was no association of GLO types with IDDM. The prevalence of ICA among IDDM patients was decreased with duration of IDDM. No significant association was found between the prevalence of ICA and sex, age at onset, or HLA type. On the other hand, the prevalence of the autoantibodies was not significantly changed with duration of the disease, and was significantly higher in females than in males.

Adolescent↗