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Biomedical subjects

K Padmanabhan

Publications and source records attributed to K Padmanabhan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Internal jugular vein ectasia--a rare cause for paroxysmal cough.

Internal jugular vein ectasia (dilatation of the internal jugular vein) is a rare clinical entity, often undiagnosed. Usually it presents as an asymptomatic, soft, compressible neck swelling that increases in size on Valsalva's manoeuvre. Our report describes right internal jugular vein ectasia in a 15-year-old girl who presented to us with intractable paroxysmal cough. The entity was suspected on ultrasound imaging and confirmed by computed tomography scan and Doppler. Ligation and excision of the dilated vein almost immediately cured her cough. The probable reason for the cough was the pressure exerted by the dilated vein on the vagus nerve.

Adolescent↗

Effect of crystal freezing and small-molecule binding on internal cavity size in a large protein: X-ray and docking studies of lipoxygenase at ambient and low temperature at 2.0 A resolution.

Flash-freezing is a technique that is commonly used nowadays to collect diffraction data for X-ray structural analysis. It can affect both the crystal and molecular structure and the molecule's surface, as well as the internal cavities. X-ray structural data often serve as a template for the protein receptor in docking calculations. Thus, the size and shape of the binding site determines which small molecules could be found as potential ligands in silico, especially during high-throughput rigid docking. Data were analyzed for wild soybean lipoxygenase-3 (MW 97 kDa) at 293 and 93 K and compared with the results from studies of its molecular complexes with known inhibitors, structures published by others for a derivative of the same enzyme (98 K) or a topologically close isozyme lipoxygenase-1 (at ambient temperature and 100 K). Analysis of these data allows the following conclusions. (i) Very small changes in the relative orientation of the molecules in the crystal can cause major changes in the crystal reciprocal lattice. (ii) The volume of the internal cavities can ;shrink' by several percent upon freezing even when the unit-cell and the protein molecular volume show changes of only 1-2%. (iii) Using a receptor structure determined based on cryogenic data as a target for computational screening requires flexible docking to enable the expansion of the binding-site cavity and sampling of the alternative conformations of the crucial residues.

Algorithms↗

Mass transfer and oxidation kinetics in an in situ ozone generator.

An in situ ozone generator design based on a novel type of corona discharge tube construction was tested to examine enhancements in mass transfer and ozonation efficiency over conventional systems. In this design, the discharge gap is kept juxtaposed to the tubular pathway through which the treatment fluid is passed. A porous inner electrode tube is employed in the discharge tube, and the generated ozone diffuses through this porous tube and dissolves and reacts with the contaminants in the fluid that is being treated. The inner porous ceramic tube is grounded while the outer glass electrode is positively charged for corona discharge. Oxidation studies conducted on Reactive Blue 19 dye indicate that the time required for 90% color removal is about half that of a conventional ozone generation and bubble diffusion system at the same ozone dosage.

Coloring Agents↗

Teratocarcinosarcoma of the nose, paranasal sinuses and nasopharynx.

Teratomas affecting the head and neck are rare tumours of ambiguous origin. The benign form is seen in children and mostly affects the nasopharynx. Malignant tumours in the upper jaw have been reported rarely. They are almost exclusively seen in the adult male. They are highly aggressive tumours that are difficult to diagnose pre-operatively due to the varied histological patterns. Treatment options available are surgery, radiotherapy or a combination of both. Despite intensive treatment, the prognosis is still poor. A rare case of teratocarcinosarcoma of the nose, paranasal sinuses and nasopharynx in a 25-year-old male is presented. The tumour had a non-germ cell tumour origin. The clinical features, pathologic characteristics and treatment are detailed. It was managed by surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Adult↗

Factor IXa:factor VIIIa interaction. helix 330-338 of factor ixa interacts with residues 558-565 and spatially adjacent regions of the a2 subunit of factor VIIIa.

The physiologic activator of factor X consists of a complex of factor IXa, factor VIIIa, Ca(2+) and a suitable phospholipid surface. In one study, helix 330 (162 in chymotrypsin) of the protease domain of factor IXa was implicated in binding to factor VIIIa. In another study, residues 558-565 of the A2 subunit of factor VIIIa were implicated in binding to factor IXa. We now provide data, which indicate that the helix 330 of factor IXa interacts with the 558-565 region of the A2 subunit. Thus, the ability of the isolated A2 subunit was severely impaired in potentiating factor X activation by IXa(R333Q) and by a helix replacement mutant (IXa(helixVII) in which helix 330-338 is replaced by that of factor VII) but it was normal for an epidermal growth factor 1 replacement mutant (IXa(PCEGF1) in which epidermal growth factor 1 domain is replaced by that of protein C). Further, affinity of each 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl (dansyl)-Glu-Gly-Arg-IXa (dEGR-IXa) with the A2 subunit was determined from its ability to inhibit wild-type IXa in the tenase assay and from the changes in dansyl fluorescence emission signal upon its binding to the A2 subunit. Apparent K(d(A2)) values are: dEGR-IXa(WT) or dEGR-IXa(PCEGF1) approximately 100 nm, dEGR-IXa(R333Q) approximately 1.8 micrometer, and dEGR-IXa(helixVII) >10 micrometer. In additional experiments, we measured the affinities of these factor IXa molecules for a peptide comprising residues 558-565 of the A2 subunit. Apparent K(d(peptide)) values are: dEGR-IXa(WT) or dEGR-IXa(PCEGF1) approximately 4 micrometer, and dEGR-IXa(R333Q) approximately 62 micrometer. Thus as compared with the wild-type or PCEGF1 mutant, the affinity of the R333Q mutant for the A2 subunit or the A2 558-565 peptide is similarly reduced. These data support a conclusion that the helix 330 of factor IXa interacts with the A2 558-565 sequence. This information was used to model the interface between the IXa protease domain and the A2 subunit, which is also provided herein.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Characterization of zebrafish full-length prothrombin cDNA and linkage group mapping.

In this paper, we report the complete cDNA sequence of zebrafish prothrombin. The cDNA sequence predicts that zebrafish prothrombin is synthesized as a pre-proprotein consisting of a Gla domain, two kringle domains, and a two-chain protease domain. Zebrafish prothrombin is structurally very similar to human and other vertebrate prothrombins. Zebrafish and human prothrombin share 53% amino acid identity whereas zebrafish and hagfish prothrombin share 51% identity. Amino acid alignments of various prothrombins identified conservation of many of the functional/structural motifs suggesting that the vertebrate prothrombins may have similar functions. The three-dimensional structure of prothrombin predicted by homology modeling also revealed that the prothrombin fragment 1 and the catalytic domain structures are well conserved except for the insertion of an extra 7-amino-acid loop in the connecting region (CR) between the Gla and kringle I domain of fragment 1. Linkage analysis revealed that the prothrombin gene locus on linkage group 7 in zebrafish is syntenic to the human chromosome 11-prothrombin region suggesting its preservation through evolution. The availability of this cDNA sequence in zebrafish adds to our knowledge of the zebrafish hemostatic system and provides support for the view that similarities between zebrafish and mammalian coagulation exist, thus underscoring the relevance of the zebrafish model for studying human hemostasis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structure of tick anticoagulant peptide at 1.6 A resolution complexed with bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor.

The structure of tick anticoagulant peptide (TAP) has been determined by X-ray crystallography at 1.6 A resolution complexed with bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI). The TAP-BPTI crystals are tetragonal, a = b = 46.87, c = 50.35 A, space group P41, four complexes per unit cell. The TAP molecules are highly dipolar and form an intermolecular helical array along the c-axis with a diameter of about 45 A. Individual TAP units interact in a head-to-tail fashion, the positive end of one molecule associating with the distal negative end of another, and vice versa. The BPTI molecules have a uniformly distributed positively charged surface that interacts extensively through 14 hydrogen bonds and two hydrogen bonded salt bridges with the helical groove around the helical TAP chains. Comparing the structure of TAP in TAP-BPTI with TAP bound to factor Xa(Xa) suggests a massive reorganization in the N-terminal tetrapeptide and the first disulfide loop of TAP (Cys5T-Cys15T) upon binding to Xa. The Tyr1(T)OH atom of TAP moves 14.2 A to interact with Asp189 of the S1 specificity site, Arg3(T)CZ moves 5.0 A with the guanidinium group forming a cation-pi-electron complex in the S4 subsite of Xa, while Lys7(T)NZ differs in position by 10.6 A in TAP-BPTI and TAP-Xa, all of which indicates a different pre-Xa-bound conformation for the N-terminal of TAP in its native state. In contrast to TAP, the BPTI structure of TAP-BPTI is practically the same as all those of previously determined structures of BPTI, only arginine and lysine side-chain conformations showing significant differences.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Gabor spectra for Doppler echocardiography.

Doppler echocardiography on current ultrasonography machines makes use of short-time Fourier spectrograms (STFTs) to display the patterns of blood velocities in the heart chamber. From these sonologists infer the functional parameters, such as valve area, that have pathological significance. After mention of the lacuna in such an STFT display, the Gabor transform and associated Gabor spectrogram evaluation techniques are described. Finally, comparative views of ultrasound machine display with PC-based STFT and Gabor displays for two typical patients are shown, with inferences in support of the proposed Gabor display.

Blood Flow Velocity↗

The structure of mammalian hexokinase-1.

We have determined the structures of the glucose-6-phosphate (G6P)-inhibitable 100,000 Mr Type I hexokinase from rat and the G6P-sensitive 50,000 Mr hexokinase from Schistosoma mansoni at a resolution of 2.8 and 2.6 A respectively. The structures define the glucose and G6P binding sites in these enzymes, suggest the mechanisms of intradomain G6P inhibition and activity loss in the Type I hexokinase N-terminal half, and reveal the structure of the membrane targeting motif that integrates the Type I hexokinase into the outer mitochondrial membrane.

Animals↗

Interaction of calcium with native and decarboxylated human factor X. Effect of proteolysis in the autolysis loop on catalytic efficiency and factor Va binding.

Human factor X is a two-chain, 58-kDa, vitamin K-dependent blood coagulation zymogen. The light chain of factor X consists of an NH2-terminal gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) domain, followed by a few helical hydrophobic residues and the two epidermal growth factor-like domains, whereas the heavy chain contains the serine protease domain. In this study, native factor X was found to contain three classes of Ca2+-binding sites: two high affinity (Kd 100 +/- 30 microM), four intermediate affinity (Kd 450 +/- 70 microM), and five to six low affinity (Kd 2 +/- 0.2 mM). Decarboxylated factor X in which the Gla residues were converted to Glu retained the two high affinity sites (Kd 140 +/- 20 microM). In contrast, factor X lacking the Gla domain as well as a part of the helical hydrophobic residues (des-44-X) retained only one high affinity Ca2+-binding site (Kd 130 +/- 20 microM). Moreover, a synthetic peptide composed of residues 238-277 (58-97 in chymotrypsinogen numbering) from the protease domain of factor X bound one Ca2+ with high affinity (Kd 150 +/- 20 microM). From competitive inhibition assays for binding of active site-blocked factor Xa to factor Va in the prothrombinase complex, the Kd for peptide-Va interaction was calculated to be approximately 10 microM as compared with 30 pM for factor Xa and approximately 1.5 microM for decarboxylated factor Xa. A peptide containing residues 238-262(58-82) bound Ca2+ with reduced affinity (Kd approximately 600 microM) and did not inhibit Xa:Va interaction. In contrast, a peptide containing residues 253-277(73-97) inhibited Xa:Va interaction (Kd approximately 10 microM) but did not bind Ca2+. In additional studies, Ca2+ increased the amidolytic activity of native and des-44-Xa toward a tetrapeptide substrate (benzoyl-Ile-Glu-Gly-Arg-p-nitroanilide) by approximately 1.6-fold. The half-maximal increase was observed at approximately 150 microM Ca2+ and the effect was primarily on the kcat. Ca2+ also significantly protected cleavage at Arg-332-Gln-333(150-151) in the protease domain autolysis loop. Des-44-Xa in which the autolysis loop was cleaved possessed </=5% of the amidolytic activity of the noncleaved form; however, the S1 binding site was not affected, as determined by the p-aminobenzamidine binding. Additionally, autolysis loop-cleaved, active site-blocked native factor Xa was calculated to have approximately 10-fold reduced affinity for factor Va as compared with that of the noncleaved form.

1-Carboxyglutamic Acid↗

An ambiguous structure of a DNA 15-mer thrombin complex.

The structure of a complex between thrombin and a GGTTGGTGTGGTTGG DNA 15-mer has been analyzed crystallographically. The solution NMR structure of the 15-mer has two stacked G-quartets similar to that found in the previous X-ray structure determination of the 15-mer-thrombin complex [Padmanabhan, Padmanabhan, Ferrara, Sadler & Tulinsky (1993). J. Biol. Chem. 268, 17651-17654]; the strand polarity, however, is reversed from that of the crystallographic structure. The structure of the complex here has been redetermined with better diffraction data confirming the previous crystallographic structure but also indicating that the NMR solution structure fits equally well. Both 15-mer complex structures refined to an R value of about 0.16 presenting a disconcerting ambiguity. Since the two 15-mer structures associate with thrombin in different ways (through the TGT loop in the X-ray and TT loop in the NMR model), other independent lines of physical or chemical evidence are required to resolve the ambiguity.

Journal Article↗

Conformational rearrangements required of the V3 loop of HIV-1 gp120 for proteolytic cleavage and infection.

HIV gp120 is specifically cleaved at a single site in the V3 loop between Arg315 and Ala316 by thrombin. Previous observations by others have indicated that binding to CD4 enhances the rate of V3 loop cleavage, and that this cleavage is a prerequisite for HIV infection. Other observations also suggest that the cleavage site is in a type II beta-turn centered at Pro313-Gly314. However, our docking experiments indicate that this conformation cannot dock to thrombin and other trypsin-like serine proteases. Thus, based on the thrombin-bound conformation of peptide substrates, we propose that CD4 binding, at a site remote from the V3 loop, induces and stabilizes a trans to cis isomerization of the highly conserved residue Pro313, and that this conformational shift is a prerequisite for cleavage by a 'thrombin-like' cellular protease and subsequent infection.

Binding Sites↗

Kringle-kringle interactions in multimer kringle structures.

The crystal structure of a monoclinic form of human plasminogen kringle 4 (PGK4) has been solved by molecular replacement using the orthorthombic structure as a model and it has been refined by restrained least-squares methods to an R factor of 16.4% at 2.25 A resolution. The X-PLOR structure of kringle 2 of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PAK2) has been refined further using PROFFT (R = 14.5% at 2.38 A resolution). The PGK4 structure has 2 and t-PAK2 has 3 independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. There are 5 different noncrystallographic symmetry "dimers" in PGK4. Three make extensive kringle-kringle interactions related by noncrystallographic 2(1) screw axes without blocking the lysine binding site. Such associations may occur in multikringle structures such as prothrombin, hepatocyte growth factor, plasminogen (PG), and apolipoprotein [a]. The t-PAK2 structure also has noncrystallographic screw symmetry (3(1)) and mimics fibrin binding mode by having lysine of one molecule interacting electrostatically with the lysine binding site of another kringle. This ligand-like binding interaction may be important in kringle-kringle interactions involving non-lysine binding kringles with lysine or pseudo-lysine binding sites. Electrostatic intermolecular interactions involving the lysine binding site are also found in the crystal structures of PGK1 and orthorhombic PGK4. Anions associate with the cationic centers of these and t-PAK2 that appear to be more than occasional components of lysine binding site regions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structure of the non-covalent complex of prothrombin kringle 2 with PPACK-thrombin.

Prothrombin fragment 2 (the second kringle) has been co-crystallized with PPACK (D-Phe-Pro-Arg)-thrombin and the structure of the non-covalent complex has been determined and refined (R = 0.16) at 3.2 A resolution using X-ray crystallographic methods. The kringles interact with thrombin at a site that has previously been proposed to be the heparin binding region. The latter is a highly electropositive surface near the C-terminal helix of thrombin abundant in arginine and lysine residues. These form salt bridges with acidic side chains of kringle 2. Somewhat unexpectedly, the negative groups of the kringle correspond to an enlarged anionic center of the lysine binding site of lysine binding kringles such as plasminogen K1 and K4 and TPA K2. The anionic motif is DGDEE in prothrombin kringle 2. The corresponding cationic center of the lysine binding site region has an unfavorable Arg71Phe substitution but Lys35 is conserved. However, the folding of fragment 2 is different from that of prothrombin kringle 1 and other kringles: the second outer loop possesses a distorted two-turn helix and the hairpin beta-turn of the second inner loop pivots at V64 and D70 by 60 degrees. The Lys35 is located on a turn of the helix, which causes it to project into solvent space in the fragment 2-thrombin complex, thereby devastating the cationic center of the lysine binding site.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones↗