Search PubMedSearch

Biomedical subjects

K Ogawa

Publications and source records attributed to K Ogawa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Chemoprevention by dehydroepiandrosterone and indomethacin in a rat multiorgan carcinogenesis model.

The chemopreventive efficacy of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and indomethacin (IM) alone or in combination was investigated in a rat multiorgan carcinogenesis model. These two chemicals were selected as chemopreventive agents with different functions. Animals were sequentially given five carcinogens with different organ target sites in the first 4-week initiation period. One week after its completion, the rats received 0.3% DHEA in the diet, 20 ppm IM in the drinking water, or 0.3% DHEA + 20 ppm IM until experimental week 28. DHEA enhanced hepatocarcinogenesis, but concurrent treatment with IM suppressed tumor development as compared to the DHEA group. DHEA inhibited tumor development in the thyroid, with a similar tendency observed for the small intestine. In addition, treatment with this hormone decreased occurrences of preneoplasias in the urinary bladder and seminal vesicles. Treatment with IM clearly suppressed development of preneoplasias or neoplasias in the lung and small and large intestines. In the urinary bladder, treatment with IM tended to decrease preneoplastic lesion development. Analysis of multiplicity of total tumors of any category revealed comparable values for DHEA and control groups, while the IM group showed a significant reduction. IM in combination with DHEA caused suppression as compared to DHEA alone. In a separate 8-week experiment, DHEA or IM were administered for 4 weeks after prior carcinogen application, and biochemical responses in the target organs were investigated. DHEA increased glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase levels in the liver but caused a decrease in the small intestine. In addition, DHEA decreased serum T4 but not T3. IM decreased prostaglandin E2 content in the small intestine. In conclusion, although DHEA or IM exert significant chemopreventive effects in multiorgans with the exception of the DHEA-treated liver case, treatment in combination did not result in amplification of their beneficial influence. Our results suggest the possible application of IM for chemoprevention in high-risk individuals, but the question of effects of DHEA in the liver must be answered before this hormone can be considered for use in humans.

Animals

Increasing development of pepsinogen-altered pyloric glands and adenocarcinoma in glandular stomach of analbuminemic rats.

The susceptibility of pepsinogen-altered pyloric glands (PAPG) and neoplastic glandular stomach lesions induced by N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and catechol or sodium cholate in Nagase analbuminemic rats (NAR) was compared to Sprague-Dawley rats (SD). Male NAR and SD rats were given a single dose of 80 mg/kg body weight of MNNG by gastric intubation and, 2 weeks later, fed basal diet containing 0.8% catechol or 0.3% sodium cholate for 18 weeks. The animals were killed at the end of week 20 or after maintenance on basal diet at week 60. The number of pepsinogen-altered pyloric glands at week 20 was significantly (P < 0.001) higher in NAR fed either catechol or sodium cholate compared with SD rats. At week 60, adenomatous hyperplasias and adenocarcinomas were observed in 7 (88%; P < 0.01) and 3 (38%; P < 0.01) of 8 NAR fed catechol and in 4 (22%) and 0 of 18 SD rats, respectively. The results show that the frequency of PAPG in NAR and SD rats is related to the susceptibility to glandular stomach carcinoma. PAPG is a useful endpoint lesion for evaluation of gastric carcinogenicity in a 20-week carcinogenicity test, and NAR are sensitive for glandular stomach carcinogenesis.

Adenocarcinoma

Wild type p53 and c-myc co-operation in generating apoptosis of a rat hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (FAA-HTC1).

p53 and c-myc are both known to be involved in apoptotic cell death as well as positive or negative regulation of cell proliferation, but it is not well established whether their functions are mechanistically correlated. We found that FAA-HTC1 cells, a rat hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, expressed c-myc independently of cell cycle and no detectable p53. To investigate possible co-operation between p53 and c-myc, the dexamethasone (Dex)-inducible wild type rat p53 was stably transfected into this cell line and c-myc expression was suppressed by treatment with c-myc antisense oligonucleotide (AS). p53 expression in the p53-introduced derivative resulted in apoptotic cell death, but it did not inhibit proliferative growth of the viable cells. On the other hand, when c-myc was suppressed in the p53-expressing cells, both apoptosis and cell growth were inhibited. These results indicate that p53 can act in the same cells either as a growth-inhibitor or apoptosis-inducer depending on the status of c-myc expression.

Animals

P2y purinergic receptors coupled to phosphoinositide hydrolysis in tissues of the cochlear lateral wall.

The tissues of the lateral wall of the cochlea, spiral ligament and stria vascularis, maintain homeostasis of the inner ear through the production of endolymph and regulation of cochlear blood flow. We examined the effects of purinergic agonists on the release of inositol phosphates (InsPs) in intact isolated lateral wall tissues of the Fischer-344 rat. After preincubation with myo[3H]inositol, stimulation with the P2 purinergic agonist ATP-gamma-S resulted in a concentration-dependent increase in the formation of [3H]InsPs. The P2 purinergic agonist alpha,beta-methylene ATP (AMP-CPP) was a weaker stimulant, and the P1 purinergic agonist adenosine was ineffective. These results are consistent with the presence of P2y receptors and a purinergically controlled InsP3 second messenger system in the cochlear lateral wall.

Adenosine Triphosphate

High expression of c-kit in K562YO cells due to the prolonged half-life of its mRNA: the effects of modification with serine/threonine kinase signals.

We previously reported that the K562 cell line K562YO expressed a high level of the c-kit gene. In this study, we analyzed the mechanism of this expression and investigated the effects of the serine/threonine kinases such as protein kinase C (PKC) and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent kinase (PKA) on it. The half-life of the c-kit mRNA in K562YO cells was greater than 10 hours, compared with 2 hours in the original K562 cells, which expressed a very low level of c-kit mRNA. This prolonged half-life can contribute to the high level of c-kit expression in K562YO cells. Cycloheximide (CHX), a protein synthesis inhibitor, caused increases in c-kit mRNA levels in K562YO cells. 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), by which PKC was activated at first and downregulated in a late phase, gradually decreased c-kit mRNA in K562YO cells until 9 hours and then returned to the control level 24 hours after treatment. TPA also rapidly decreased c-kit protein level on the membranes. In whole cells, c-kit protein was also decreased 6 hours after incubation with TPA. Calphostin C, a light-dependent PKC inhibitor, decreased c-kit mRNA levels within 30 minutes in a light-dependent manner. It also decreased c-kit protein in whole cells 2 hours after the addition. However, it increased the amount of c-kit protein on the cell surfaces. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbc-AMP) increased c-kit mRNA as well as c-kit protein on membranes and in whole cells. Run-on transcriptional assay suggested that the agent (dbc-AMP) enhanced the transcription rate of the gene. These results suggest that c-kit protein on the membranes is downregulated by PKC activation and upregulated by PKC inhibition. In the whole cell lysate, c-kit proteins are decreased by PKC inhibition through downregulation of mRNA. On the other hand, the elevation of an intracellular cAMP level causes upregulation of both the mRNA and c-kit protein on membranes and in whole cells through enhanced transcription. Thus, c-kit gene expression is apparently modulated by PKC and PKA.

Bucladesine

Genetic susceptibility to herpetic encephalitis of inbred rabbits of B/Jas strain.

Inbred rabbits of B/Jas strain were found to be highly susceptible to herpes simplex virus type 1 encephalitis, following i.v. injection of the virus, while Chbb:HM strain rabbits were not susceptible. The susceptibility trait seemed to be inherited recessively, involving multiple genes, because (B/Jas x Chbb:HM)F1 hybrids were as resistant as Chbb:HM rabbits, and because more than 90% of backcrosses of (B/Jas x Chbb:HM)F1 to B/Jas were resistant to viral inoculation. The encephalitis in B/Jas rabbits resembled human herpes simplex encephalitis, in that the temporal lobe as well as the brain stem were affected preferentially, leading to the development of various types of seizures, such as circling, loss of balance leading to a fall, and tonic and clonic convulsions. The disease could be diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis before onset of seizures, and diseased rabbits showed a marked lymphopenia at onset of seizures.

Animals

Comparative pharmacodynamic analysis of TAT-59 and tamoxifen in rats bearing DMBA-induced mammary carcinoma.

TAT-59 suppressed the growth of DMBA-induced mammary tumors in rats earlier and more strongly than tamoxifen (TAM). After oral administration of the drugs, DP-TAT-59, one of the main metabolites of TAT-59, was found in 10- to 15-fold higher concentrations in both the tumor and blood compared to 4-OH-TAM, an active metabolite of TAM. In a 3-day antiuterotrophic test, every detected metabolite of TAT-59 showed stronger antiestrogenic activity than did TAM. In a competition assay, the affinity of the metabolites for estrogen receptors ranged from that of estradiol to that of TAM. These results suggest that the superior antiestrogenic activity of TAT-59 compared to TAM was either due to its higher penetration into tumor tissue or to the stronger antiestrogenic activity of its metabolites.

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene

Erythroid differentiation and growth inhibition of K562 cells by 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine: synergism with interferon-alpha.

We found that 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine (DDA), a P-site specific adenylate cyclase inhibitor, inhibited the growth of K562 cells and caused them to become benzidine positive. The continuous exposure of cells to DDA was needed to recruit cells for growth inhibition and differentiation. Fetal calf or human sera were also necessary for DDA to induce differentiation. DDA at a concentration of 1.5 mM with serum induced 98% of the cells to produce hemoglobin and inhibited their growth to 15% of that of the control. An increase of epsilon-globin mRNA and a decrease of c-myc and c-myb mRNA occurred only during differentiation in the presence of fetal calf serum (FCS). An incubation with DDA and interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) or hemin synergistically induced more benzidine-positive cells than in the presence of DDA alone, although IFN-alpha did not trigger differentiation by itself. The erythroid differentiation and growth inhibition were, however, not related to a decreased intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) concentration induced by DDA. The simultaneous incubation with dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbc-AMP) and DDA enhanced the effects of DDA. Adenine, a possible metabolite of DDA digestion by purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), also induced erythroid differentiation in K562 cells. However, it did not act synergistically with IFN-alpha.

Adenine

Interspecies conservation of outer arm dynein intermediate chain sequences defines two intermediate chain subclasses.

Immunological analysis showed that antibodies against the intermediate chains (ICs) IC2 and IC3 of sea urchin outer arm dynein specifically cross-reacted with intermediate chains IC78 and IC69, respectively, of Chlamydomonas outer arm dynein. In contrast, no specific cross-reactivity with any Chlamydomonas outer arm polypeptide was observed using antibody against IC1 of sea urchin outer arm dynein. To learn more about the relationships between the different ICs, overlapping cDNAs encoding all of IC2 and IC3 of sea urchin were isolated and sequenced. Comparison of these sequences with those previously obtained for the Chlamydomonas ICs revealed that, although all four chains are homologous, sea urchin IC2 is much more closely related to Chlamydomonas IC78 (45.8% identity), and sea urchin IC3 is much more closely related to Chlamydomonas IC69 (48.5% identity), than either sea urchin chain is related to the other (23.5% identity). For homologous pairs, the similarities extend throughout the full lengths of the chains. Regions of similarity between all four ICs and the IC (IC74) of cytoplasmic dynein, located in the C-terminal halves of the chains, are due primarily to conservation of the WD repeats present in all of these ICs. This is the first demonstration that structural differences between individual ICs within an outer arm dynein have been highly conserved in the dyneins of distantly related species. The results provide a basis for the subclassification of these chains.

Amino Acid Sequence

Regional Proteus syndrome: report of an autopsy case.

An uncommon autopsy case involving Proteus syndrome with multiple hamartomatous lesions in a 52 year old woman is reported. At birth, hemihypertrophy was noted on the right side of the face. Leiomyoma of the urinary bladder was extirpated at 37 years of age. She died of sepsis due to a brain abscess. At autopsy, diffuse asymmetrical lipomatosis was noted on the right side of the face, scalp, lip, oral mucosa, tongue and on the left side of the cerebellar peduncle. Multiple meningiomas, cavernous hemangiomas and osseous hypertrophy overlapped in the intracranial regions. The present case is considered as a regional type of Proteus syndrome displaying a somatic mosaicism.

Brain Neoplasms

Mitral valve repair using an annuloplasty ring made of artificial woven Dacron graft.

A woven Dacron ring made of artificial graft was successfully used in combination with a modified Kay's annuloplasty for mitral valve repair. In this procedure, after excision and repair of the redundant prolapsed leaflets, Kay's annuloplasty was performed at both commissures to reduce the posterior annulus and to coapt the leaflets. A woven Dacron ring was then seated and tied to the annulus to provide long-term stabilization and prevent its further dilatation. The mitral orifice of the patient was reduced from 33 mm to 21 mm in diameter, and neither mitral regurgitation nor stenosis was found in the postoperative evaluation.

Female

Immunohistochemical studies on the development of TSH cells in the pituitary of Xenopus laevis larvae.

Since thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) producing cells are thought to play an essential role during metamorphosis, their development was immunohistochemically examined to reveal the appearance and topographical changes in the distribution in the hypophysis of Xenopus laevis tadpole from hatching to the end of metamorphosis. TSH-immunoreactive cells initially appeared at stage 49 (just the beginning of development of the pars nervosa in the hypophysis) as small clusters in the middle part of the pars distalis. They showed conspicuous changes in number during late premetamorphosis: their number reached a peak at stage 51, suddenly decreased at stage 52 (just before completion of the hypophysial histogenesis) followed by gradual increase until the end of metamorphosis. At later stages, they were restricted to the posterior half of the pars distalis.

Aging

Effects of fasting and refeeding on some metabolic characteristics of rat brown adipose tissue.

To investigate the effects of fasting and refeeding on rat interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT), we determined in vitro oxygen consumption, in vitro lipolysis, DNA content and composition of fatty acid (FA). Fasting decreased the weights of body and BAT, and the DNA content of BAT. Fasting reduced both basal oxygen consumption and basal lipolysis of BAT. Fasting also suppressed the noradrenaline- and glucagon-induced increases in both oxygen consumption and lipolysis of BAT. In both triglyceride and phospholipid FA of BAT the extent of unsaturation was increased by fasting. Refeeding restored all of these parameters to the control level. These observations indicate that fasting reduces both oxygen consumption and lipolysis of BAT, resulting in reduced thermogenesis, while fasting could stimulate BAT in certain phases of its function as observed in FA composition.

Adipose Tissue, Brown

[A case of type A acute aortic dissection successfully treated with a ringed intraluminal graft: a new technique of graft insertion].

A-77-year old woman was hospitalized at our hospital presenting with severe chest and back pain. A computed tomographic scan revealed acute type A aortic dissection and intraoperative ultrasound showed an entry near the brachiocephalic artery. Selective cerebral perfusion using flexible 12 Fr balloons was performed for brain protection. The distal aorta was trimmed just proximal to the entry using felt strips and a 24 mm ringed intraluminal graft (ILG) was inserted under it successfully. The patient did well after the operation. Insertion of a ringed ILG is a simple and easy technique, however if an entry is located near the aortic arch, insertion is difficult because of intimal retraction to the arch. And an additional intimal tear sometimes occurs at the site of tape ligation. The method which we presented seemed to provide safer insertion of the proximal ring without these problems.

Acute Disease

[A case of uncomplicated retinal astrocytoma].

A 45-year-old Japanese women whose left eye contained an elevated, whitish yellow, and multi-lobed mass of 1.5 disc diameters that extended out from the retina adjacent to the optic disc. Ultrasonography demonstrated high reflectivity corresponding to the lesion of the left eye. By fluorecein angiography the tumor showed autofluorescein, retinal vessel through the tumor in the venous phase, and in the late phase pronounced staining of the tumor. A scanning laser ophthalmoscope showed the surface in detail. A search of the literature revealed only 16 cases of uncomplicated retinal astrocytoma.

Astrocytoma

Conditional transformation of mouse liver epithelial cells. An in vitro model for analysis of genetic events in hepatocarcinogenesis.

Primary rodent and human hepatocytes have a very limited lifespan in culture and are not readily applicable to transformation studies in vitro. To facilitate the investigation of early genetic events involved in hepatocarcinogenesis, we examined a transformation assay system utilizing conditionally immortalized mouse liver epithelial cells as an alternative to primary hepatocytes. By infecting primary mouse hepatocytes with a recombinant retrovirus carrying a temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 large T antigen gene, two mouse liver epithelial cell lines, CHST8 and CHST10-2.1, were established. Because of the heat-labile nature of the large T antigen, the cell lines proliferated rapidly at 33 degrees C, but were growth-arrested at 39 degrees C. Because activated c-H-ras and c-myc oncogenes are frequently found to be involved in mouse hepatocarcinogenesis in vivo, we assessed whether those oncogenes can complement the immortalizing function of the large T antigen at the nonpermissive temperature. When CHST8 cells were doubly transfected with activated c-H-ras and c-myc at 33 degrees C, they exhibited clonal growth ability even after shifting the temperature to 39 degrees C. However, neither c-H-ras nor c-myc alone allowed growth at 39 degrees C. On the other hand, c-H-ras alone was sufficient for overcoming the growth defect of CHST10-2.1 cells at 39 degrees C, whereas c-myc alone was again ineffective. Northern blot studies revealed that endogenous c-myc expression was significantly downregulated in the parental CHST8 cells after a temperature shift from 33 to 39 degrees C. In contrast, in the parental CHST10-2.1 cells, appreciable c-myc expression was observed at both temperatures. These results indicate that c-H-ras and c-myc can cooperate in complementing the ability of the temperature-sensitive large T antigen to immortalize mouse liver cells at the nonpermissive temperature. In addition, the mutant c-H-ras, but not c-myc, cooperated with the functional T antigen at 33 degrees C to allow growth in soft agarose of the CHST8 and CHST10-2.1 cell lines. However, cell lines carrying mutant c-H-ras and overexpressing c-myc were unable to grow in soft agarose at 39 degrees C. Thus, the two cellular oncogenes were insufficient for full transformation of the liver epithelial cells. The present in vitro model should be useful for investigating molecular events involved in both early and late stages of hepatocarcinogenesis.

Animals