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Biomedical subjects

K Nomoto

Publications and source records attributed to K Nomoto.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources

Extensive N nucleotide addition in junctional region of T cell receptor V gamma 5 genes rearranged in fetal liver-derived thymocytes in radiation chimera mice.

The V gamma 5 chain of T cell receptor gamma delta is preferentially expressed by murine fetal thymocytes. The fetal V gamma 5 gene is known to be homogeneous and lacks N nucleotide addition. We previously reported that V gamma 5+ cells were detected among donor-derived thymocytes from irradiated C3H/He mice soon after reconstitution with AKR/J fetal liver (FL) cells, but that only a few V gamma 5+ were detected among donor-derived thymocytes from irradiated C3H/He mice reconstituted with adult bone marrow (ABM) cells. The results suggest that preferential use of V gamma 5 is determined at the level of T cell precursor generation. In the present report, we analyzed whether the junctional region of FL-derived V gamma 5 genes in the FL chimeras is of fetal type. Sequencing analysis showed that V gamma 5 genes from FL chimeras contained extensive N nucleotide addition and were diverse both in nucleotide sequences and deduced amino acid sequences. V gamma 5 genes from donor-derived thymocytes of ABM chimeras, which by polymerase chain reaction were revealed to be less frequent than those of FL chimeras, also showed extensive N addition. Furthermore, the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) gene, which encodes an enzyme that adds N nucleotides into the junctional region, was expressed at high level in the donor-derived thymocytes of FL chimeras and normal 8-week-old AKR/J thymocytes but at low level in day 17 fetal AKR/J thymocytes. Our results suggest that the preferential rearrangement of the V gamma 5 gene is determined at the level of T cell precursor generation but the homogeneous V gamma 5 sequence of fetal type is generated only in the fetal thymic microenvironment where TdT gene expression is low or absent. The nomenclature of murine TcR gamma chains is according to Reilly et al. (Nature 1986. 321: 878). The relationship between the different nomenclature systems is summarized in Takagaki et al. (J. Immunol. 1989. 141: 2112).

Animals↗

Effect of postoperative intrapleural instillations of interleukin-2 in patients with malignant pleurisy due to lung cancer.

Thirteen patients with resectable lung cancer and concomitant malignant pleurisy which could not be detected by preoperative chest roentgenograms were treated with surgical resection of the primary lesions and postoperative intrapleural instillations of interleukin-2 (IL-2). All of the patients demonstrated disappearance of cancer cells from pleural effusion after the IL-2 therapy. Four of the 13 patients survived over 5 years and 2 of them are in disease free state at this moment (January 31, 1993). The first recurrent sites were distant organs in 8 of 11 patients with recurrence and lymph nodes in 3 of them. No pleural recurrence was observed. These results indicate that the postoperative intrapleural IL-2 therapy may be one of hopeful adjuvant therapies in patients with resectable lung cancer and concomitant malignant pleurisy, although distant metastasis and lymph node recurrence could not be suppressed completely.

Adenocarcinoma↗

The effect of combination therapy of radiation and Z-100, an arabinomannan on tumor growth in mice.

The effect of radiation combined with intraperitoneal administration of Z-100, an immunomodulatory arabinomannan extracted from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, was studied using Meth A fibrosarcoma in BALB/c mice and metastasis of Lewis lung carcinoma, 3LL, in C57BL/6 mice. In mice bearing Meth A fibrosarcoma, a moderate degree of growth inhibition was observed in the group of single therapy with Z-100 or radiation (10 Gy). When radiation was combined with Z-100, the tumor growth was significantly inhibited. In mice bearing 3LL, slight inhibition of pulmonary metastasis was observed in the group of single therapy, while significant degrees of inhibition of primary tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis were observed in the combination group. This suggests the usefulness of combined use of Z-100 in radiation therapy.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

Detection of reperfusion 30 and 60 minutes after coronary recanalization by a rapid new assay of creatine kinase isoforms in acute myocardial infarction.

We measured creatine kinase (CK) isoforms by a new immunoinhibition method to evaluate their usefulness in detecting early coronary reperfusion. Blood samples were collected at 15-minute intervals from 50 patients with acute myocardial infarction. CK isoforms were determined by a 10-minute immunoinhibition method with an autoanalyzer. Values for inhibited isoforms (MM3, MM2/2, and MB2/2) were divided by those of noninhibited isoforms (MM1, MM2/2, MB1, MB2/2, and BB) to calculate the isoform ratio. In the reperfused group the increase in the isoform ratio was 2.69 +/- 1.80 (SD) 30 minutes after reperfusion and 2.41 +/- 2.01 at 60 minutes, which was significantly higher than the corresponding values in the nonreperfused group (0.17 +/- 0.16 and 0.32 +/- 0.26, respectively). When an increase of 0.70 or more in the isoform ratio was used as the criterion for reperfusion, the sensitivity and specificity were 92% and 100% at 30 minutes and 100% and 100% at 60 minutes after recanalization, respectively. We conclude that the isoform ratio obtained by the new 10-minute assay of CK isoforms is useful for the noninvasive detection of reperfusion 30 and 60 minutes after recanalization in acute myocardial infarction.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗

Early detection of coronary reperfusion by rapid assessment of plasma myoglobin.

We assayed plasma myoglobin and creatine kinase to elucidate the usefulness of rapid assessment of myoglobin for detecting coronary reperfusion in 31 patients with acute myocardial infarction. Reperfusion was achieved in 20 patients by thrombolytic therapy or angioplasty, and it was not in 11 patients. Blood sampling was performed before and 43 +/- 15 (+/- SD) min after the start of treatment. In the reperfused group, blood samples were obtained before and 26 +/- 10 min after reperfusion. Myoglobin was assayed by a new quantitative test based on latex agglutination turbidimetry which required an assay time of 10 min. After treatment, the rate of increase of plasma myoglobin was significantly higher than that of plasma creatine kinase in the reperfused group (9.7 +/- 9.5 and 2.8 +/- 1.6-fold), but not in the occluded group (1.8 +/- 0.6 and 1.5 +/- 0.3-fold). When a 3.0-fold or greater increase in myoglobin (1.9-fold or greater increase in creatine kinase) was taken as evidence of coronary reperfusion, the sensitivity and specificity were 95% and 100% (70% and 82% in creatine kinase), respectively. In conclusion, using the rate of increase of myoglobin, as measured by latex agglutination turbidimetry, coronary reperfusion can be diagnosed within 1 h after reperfusion.

Adult↗

Phenotypes of lymphocytes infiltrating non-small cell lung cancer tissues and its variation with histological types of cancer.

We investigated surface markers of lymphocytes infiltrating four different histological non-small cell lung cancer tissues obtained at surgery and the corresponding peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of 40 clinical cases, who had undergone no prior anti-cancer treatment, by flowcytometry. In estimation of the mean proportion of each lymphocyte subset, a paired Wilcoxon test revealed that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) exhibited significantly higher values of CD3+ cells (P < 0.05), CD8+ cells (P < 0.05) and CD20+ cells (P < 0.01), and lower value of CD16+cells (P < 0.05), as compared with those in PBL. The Spearman test revealed that none of the values of surface markers in TIL statistically correlated with those in the corresponding PBL (r < 0.6, P > 0.05). Although there was no significant difference between the mean CD4/CD8 ratio of total TIL and that of PBL, TIL of 12 patients with squamous cell carcinoma almost always showed lower values of CD4/CD8 ratio than those in PBL (P < 0.05), while the CD4/CD8 ratio was similar between TIL and PBL in adenocarcinoma. These results suggest that TIL of lung cancers represent specific immunological responses, whose characteristic depend on the histological types of lung cancers.

CD4-CD8 Ratio↗

Treatment effect of a traditional Chinese medicine, ren-shen-yang-rong-tang (Japanese name: ninjin-youei-to), on autoimmune MRL/MP-lpr/lpr mice.

MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr (MRL/lpr) mice were treated with a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, Ren-shen-yang-rong-tang (Japanese name: Ninjin-youei-to, NYT) intraperitoneally (i.p.) every 3 days or per os (p.o.) 6 times/week from before the onset of autoimmune disease (6 weeks of age). Fifty percent survival time was found in placebo-controlled male and female mice of 28 and 22 weeks of age, respectively. NYT-treatment markedly prolonged the survival time of MRL/lpr mice. That is, 50% survival time was 43 weeks in the i.p.-treated male mice and 30 weeks of age in the p.o.-treated female mice. Further, NYT-treatment significantly reduced occurrence of thymic atrophy and prevented the anomalous accumulation of B220+ T-cells in lymph node and spleen, both of which are characteristic in MRL/lpr mice. Moreover, grades of proteinuria were significantly reduced in both the i.p.- and p.o.-treated groups compared with the control groups. Such clinical benefit and increased survival time were interestingly not associated with the decrease in the level of autoantibodies.

Animals↗

Role of B-lymphocytes in the immunopharmacological effects of a traditional Chinese medicine, xiao-chai-hu-tang (shosaiko-to).

We previously reported that a traditional Chinese medicine, Xiao-chai-hu-tang (Japanese name: Shosaiko-to), induced interferon (IFN) activity in the serum of mice after intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration. In the present study in which murine spleen cells were cultured in vitro with Shosaiko-to, B-cells isolated by anti-immunoglobulin-coated plates were confirmed to generate IFN in response to Shosaiko-to stimulation. IFN activity was induced in the serum after i.p. administration of Glycyrrhizae radix, Scutellariae radix, Bupleuri radix and Pinelliae tuber which are included in Shosaiko-to as its constituent. Such an IFN-inducing activity was confirmed to exist in methanol-insoluble fractions of these extracts derived from Shosaiko-to and these constituents but not in methanol-soluble fractions. These four extracts as well as Shosaiko-to, induced interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the serum after the administration. In in vitro stimulation of spleen cells, Shosaiko-to and extracts of Glycyrrhizae radix, Bupleuri radix and Pinelliae tuber showed mitogenic activity, but an extract of Scutellariae radix with in vivo IFN-inducing activity did not. B-cells appear to participate in the immunopharmacological effects of Shosaiko-to through mitogenic activity, IFN induction and the effect of IL-6.

Animals↗

Enhancement of T-cell proliferation by PSK.

Protein-bound polysaccharide, PSK, is a biological response modifier and influences various immunological functions in vivo, including those of T-cells. However, PSK has not been proved to stimulate proliferation of T-cells in vitro in contrast to various lines of evidence that indicate the proliferation of B-cells in vitro. PSK enhanced the proliferation of spleen cells in C3H/He and nude mice in vitro. In this study such proliferating cells were detected by monoclonal antibody to bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporated into DNA, and their subsets were determined by flowcytometry with monoclonal antibody to Thy1 as a cell surface marker of T-cells. When spleen cells from C3H/He mice were cultured with PSK for 3 days, the percentage of BrdU positive cells increased, and about 67% of BrdU positive cells were Thy1.2 positive. In addition, PSK also had the activity to enhance the proliferation in a T-cell-enriched fraction from spleen cells by nylon fiber columns as well as that in original spleen cells. These results suggest that PSK enhances the proliferation of T-cells as well as B-cells.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

A Mytilus peptide related to the small cardioactive peptides (SCPs): structure determination and pharmacological characterization.

1. An SCP-related peptide, Ala-Pro-Asn-Phe-Leu-Ala-Tyr-Pro-Arg-Leu-NH2, was isolated from the ABRMs of Mytilus edulis. The peptide was designated Mytilus SCP. 2. At 10(-10) M or higher, Mytilus SCP showed a potentiating effect on phasic contraction of the ABRM in response to repetitive electrical stimulation. In contrast, the peptide did not show any potentiating effect on contractures in response to ACh and the FMRFamide-related Mytilus decapeptide, suggesting that the potentiating effect on phasic contraction was brought about by an action of the peptide on the nerve elements in the ABRM. 3. At 10(-8) M or higher, Mytilus SCP showed a catch-relaxing effect in addition to the potentiating effect. The relaxing effect was blocked by mersalyl, suggesting that it was also brought about by a presynaptic action. 4. Various analogues of Mytilus SCP were examined on the ABRM. Leu-Ala-Tyr-Pro-Arg-Leu-NH2 was suggested to be the minimum structure required for both potentiating and relaxing activities on the ABRM. Leu-D-Ala-Tyr-Pro-Arg-D-Leu-NH2 and D-Leu-Ala-Tyr-Pro-Arg-D-Leu-NH2 were found to show strong potentiating and relaxing activities, though they were less potent than the Mytilus SCP.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Further identification of bioactive peptides in the anterior byssus retractor muscle of Mytilus: two contractile and three inhibitory peptides.

1. Two contractile and three inhibitory peptides were newly isolated from the anterior byssus retractor muscles (ABRMs) of the bivalve mollusc Mytilus edulis by using the muscle as the bioassay system. 2. The structures of the two contractile peptides were GPFGTHIKamide (GPFG-8) and GPFGLNKHGamide (GPFG-9). The contractile response of the ABRM to the first-time application of GPFG-8 or GPFG-9 was of considerable size. The threshold concentrations of the peptides were around 10(-9) M. However, the contractile response to the second-time application was far smaller than that to the first-time application in both cases. Namely, the muscle showed tachyphylaxis to the peptides. 3. Two of the three inhibitory peptides were members of the Mytilus-inhibitory-peptide (MIP) family. Their structures were RAPLFIamide (MIP6) and RSPMFVamide (MIP7). The peptides, as well as the other MIPs previously identified, showed a potent inhibitory effect on phasic contraction of the ABRM in response to repetitive electrical stimulation. The remaining one was an MIP-related peptide (MIP-RP) having the sequence of MRYFVamide. The MIP-RP was less potent than the two MIPs in inhibiting the contraction of the ABRM.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The effect of adult thymectomy on immune response to infection with Listeria monocytogenes in mice.

The role of adult thymus in in vivo immune response to infection with Listeria monocytogenes was examined using euthymic mice and adult-thymectomized (ATx) mice which had been thymectomized 2 weeks before. Numbers of T cells in peritoneal cavities and spleens were increased at 2 weeks after inoculation of L. monocytogenes, whereas such increases of T cells were several times higher in euthymic mice than in ATx mice. In flow-cytometric analysis of peritoneal exudate cells, a significant increase of CD3+CD4-CD8- cells bearing gamma/delta type T cell receptor was noted in euthymic mouse after infection compared to ATx mouse. Neither assay of antigen-specific T cell proliferation nor analysis of cell cycle exhibited any superiority of T cells obtained from euthymic mice to those obtained from ATx mice. These findings suggest that the enlargement of T cell population in euthymic mice is attributed largely to T cells which emigrate from the thymus after inoculation of L. monocytogenes. Moreover, in vivo protective immune response against secondarily challenged L. monocytogenes was achieved more efficiently in euthymic mice than in ATx mice, as shown by the clearance of the bacteria from organs and the survival rate of infected mice. Our results indicate the importance of adult thymus-dependent increase of T cells in eliminating the facultative intracellular bacteria such as L. monocytogenes.

Animals↗

Preferential hydrolysis of phosphatidylethanolamine in rat ischemic heart homogenates during in vitro incubation.

Phospholipid-hydrolyzing activities were examined in rat hearts with ischemia induced by occlusion of the left main coronary artery. When homogenates of ischemic heart were incubated in vitro at 37 degrees C, a significant amount of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) was degraded, whereas the contents of other phospholipids did not change significantly. During the incubation, a stoichiometrical amount of lysoPE was concomitantly formed. The lysoPE formed had mainly saturated fatty acids and its composition resembled that of fatty acids detected at the sn-1 position in the glycerol backbone of heart PE. No appreciable PE degradation was observed in homogenates prepared from nonischemic rat heart. No difference in phospholipase activities was found between ischemic and nonischemic heart homogenates when exogenous radioactive phospholipids were used as substrates. Rabbit anti-rat 14-kDa type II phospholipase A2 antibody suppressed the degradation of PE observed in ischemic heart homogenates. These findings indicate that the type II phospholipase A2 activity may be involved in the breakdown of endogenous PE in ischemic heart homogenates.

Animals↗

Prevention of induction of unresponsiveness to class I antigens by veto activity of donor marrow in cylophosphamide-treated mice.

The survival of skin grafts from B6.C-H-2bm1 (bm1; Kbm1,IAb,IE-,Db) mice was prolonged when C57BL/6 CrSlc (B6; H-2b) mice were inoculated intravenously with 9 x 10(7) spleen cells (SC) plus 3 x 10(7) bone marrow cells from bm1 mice 14 days prior to skin grafting. When B6 mice were inoculated i.v. with bm1 cells and treated intraperitoneally with 200 mg/kg cyclophosphamide (CP) 2 days later, the survival of bm1 skin grafts was not prolonged at all, suggesting antagonism between the veto cell-mediated enhancement by donor cells and CP-induced enhancement. In order to deplete the veto cells from the tolerogen, SC plus BMC were treated with anti-Thy1.2 mAb+C' or CP. The survival of the bm1 skin grafts was not prolonged at all in B6 mice inoculated with Thy1.2-treated bm1 or bm1 cells from CP-treated donors. When B6 mice were inoculated with Thy1.2-treated or CP-treated bm1 cells and followed by CP treatment, however, the survival of bm1 skin grafts was prolonged moderately. These results strongly suggested that the unresponsiveness induced with donor-derived veto cells prevents the tolerance induction to class I alloantigens (H-2Kbm1) by our protocol of CP-induced tolerance. Furthermore, in B6 mice injected with anti-Thy1.2 mAb on day -1 and bm1 cells on day 0, the survival of bm1 skin grafts was not prolonged at all. However, skin graft tolerance to bm1 antigens was induced when B6 mice were injected with anti-Thy1.2 mAb on day -1 and bm1 cells on day 0 followed by CP on day 2. These results may also be explained by the depletion of donor-derived veto cells in the recipient mice.

Animals↗

Induction of interleukin 2-responsiveness in thymocytes of the transgenic mice carrying lck-transgene.

The role of lck gene in T cell proliferation and differentiation was investigated with transgenic mice carrying human lck cDNA whose expression was regulated by the promoter of mouse H-2Kb and the enhancer element of mouse IgH. RNase protection assay revealed that the lck transgene was expressed in the thymus and spleen, whereas immunoblot analysis demonstrated that amounts of p56lck in freshly isolated lymphoid organs were almost equal between transgenic mice and negative littermates. Cell-surface marker analyses of the thymocytes and peripheral lymphocytes revealed no remarkable difference between both groups. Notable finding is that the thymocytes from transgenic mice showed a significant proliferative response to the stimulation with IL-2, but not the thymocytes from negative littermates. Further analysis revealed that CD4+8- single positive thymocytes proliferated in response to IL-2. While surface expression levels of IL-2R alpha and IL-2R beta of these CD4+8- thymocytes from transgenic and control mice were almost equal before stimulation with IL-2, the expression of IL-2R beta was induced only in transgenic thymocytes after stimulation with IL-2. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that the expression of p56lck of transgenic thymocytes was not down-regulated at 4 hr after stimulation with IL-2, whereas p56lck of control ones were not detectable any more at 4 hr after stimulation with IL-2. Moreover, in vitro kinase assay substantiated such unchanged expression of p56lck in the thymocytes from transgenic mice: the kinase activities of p56lck did not decrease in thymocytes from transgenic mice after stimulation with IL-2, while kinase activities of control ones were significantly down-regulated by stimulation of IL-2. These results suggested that a significant proliferative response found in the thymocytes from lck-transgenic mice after the stimulation with IL-2 was caused by a constitutive expression of p56lck in these thymocytes even after the stimulation. Our findings, therefore, support a possibility that p56lck may play a role in the IL-2R-mediated signaling system in CD4+8- thymocytes.

Animals↗

Myocardial infarct size can be estimated from serial plasma myoglobin measurements within 4 hours of reperfusion.

BACKGROUND: An early estimation of infarct size is useful for the appropriate early treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction. We evaluated how early and how accurately infarct size could be estimated from serial plasma myoglobin (Mb) measurements in patients with successful reperfusion. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured plasma Mb and creatine kinase (CK) in 35 patients in whom reperfusion therapy was successfully performed. Blood samples were collected at 15-minute intervals for 2 hours after reperfusion, at 30-minute intervals for the subsequent 2 hours, and at 3-6-hour intervals until 52 hours after reperfusion. Plasma Mb was measured by a newly developed turbidimetric latex agglutination assay. Total Mb and CK release (sigma Mb, sigma CK) were calculated with a one-compartment model. The mean chord motion in the most hypokinetic 50% of the infarct-related artery territory was calculated from follow-up ventriculograms as an index of the severity of regional hypokinesis. There were significant correlations between sigma Mb and sigma CK (r = 0.89), between log sigma Mb and the severity of regional hypokinesis (r = -0.85), and between log sigma CK and the severity of regional hypokinesis (r = -0.74). The time required for the cumulative Mb release curves to reach a plateau was 64 +/- 28 minutes. An additional 53 +/- 14 minutes was required to calculate the disappearance rate constant of Mb, and 15 minutes was necessary for the assay. Therefore, the total time required for sigma Mb to be available was 132 +/- 40 minutes, significantly shorter than the time required for sigma CK, 24.3 +/- 9.1 hours (p < 0.001). The infarct size could be estimated from the sigma Mb in 34 of 35 patients within 4 hours of reperfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Infarct size can be estimated accurately 4 hours after reperfusion by calculating the sigma Mb in patients with successful reperfusion.

Clinical Enzyme Tests↗

Inhibitory effects of a novel antiplatelet agent, E5510, on collagen-induced platelet-derived growth factor release and aggregation of human platelets in vitro.

E5510, 4-cyano-5,5-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-pentenoic acid, is a new anti-platelet-aggregation agent under development. We examined the inhibitory efficacy of E5510 on PDGF-release from washed human platelets. E5510 concentration-dependently inhibited collagen-induced PDGF release from human platelets. PDGF release was reduced to below the detection limit (0.47 ng/ml) by preincubation of platelets with 0.04 microM or higher concentrations of E5510. Total growth factor release from platelets was also measured by a bioassay with cultured smooth muscle cells. E5510 almost completely abolished the mitogenic effect of collagen-induced platelet releasates at concentrations of 0.04 microM or higher. Our data suggest that the release of PDGF and other growth factors was inhibited by E5510 at the same concentration that inhibited platelet aggregation.

Animals↗