Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

K Park

Publications and source records attributed to K Park.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

Comparison of voltage-activated Cl- channels in rat parotid acinar cells with ClC-2 in a mammalian expression system.

Rat parotid acinar cells express Cl- currents that are activated in a time-dependent manner by hyperpolarized potentials. ClC-2, a member of the ClC gene family, codes for a voltage-gated, inward rectifying anion channel when expressed in Xenopus oocytes. In the present study, we found that cDNA derived from individual parotid acinar cells contained sequence identical to that reported for ClC-2 in rat brain and heart. A polyclonal antibody generated against the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of ClC-2 recognized an approximately 100 kD protein on western blots of both brain and parotid gland. ClC-2 expressed in oocytes has different kinetics from the currents found in parotid acinar cells. Since the ClC-2 channel was cloned from and its transcripts are expressed in mammalian tissue, we compared the channel properties of acinar cells to a mammalian expression system. We expressed ClC-2 channels in human embryonic kidney cells, HEK 293, using recombinant ClC-2 DNA and ClC-2 DNA fused with DNA coding for jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP). Confocal microscopy revealed that the expressed ClC-2-GFP chimera protein localized to the plasma membrane. Whole cell Cl- currents from HEK 293 cells expressing ClC-2-GFP were similar, if not identical, to the Cl- currents recorded from cells transfected with ClC-2 cDNA (no GFP). The voltage-dependence and kinetics of ClC-2 channels expressed in HEK 293 cells were quite similar to those in acinar cells. Channels in parotid acinar and HEK 293 cells activated at more positive membrane potentials and with a faster time course than the channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes. In summary, we found that ClC-2 message and protein are expressed in salivary cells and that the properties of voltage-activated, inward rectifying Cl- channels in acinar cells are similar to those generated by the ClC-2-GFP construct expressed in HEK 293 cells. The properties of the ClC-2 anion channel seem to be dependent on the type of cell background in which it is expressed.

Animals↗

Formation of a DNA loop at the replication fork generated by bacteriophage T7 replication proteins.

Intermediates in the replication of circular and linear M13 double-stranded DNA by bacteriophage T7 proteins have been examined by electron microscopy. Synthesis generated double-stranded DNA molecules containing a single replication fork with a linear duplex tail. A complex presumably consisting of T7 DNA polymerase and gene 4 helicase/primase molecules was present at the fork together with a variable amount of single-stranded DNA sequestered by gene 2.5 single-stranded DNA binding protein. Analysis of the length distribution of Okazaki fragments formed at different helicase/primase concentrations was consistent with coupling of leading and lagging strand replication. Fifteen to forty percent of the templates engaged in replication have a DNA loop at the replication fork. The loops are fully double-stranded with an average length of approximately 1 kilobase. Labeling with biotinylated dCTP showed that the loops consist of newly synthesized DNA, and synchronization experiments using a linear template with a G-less cassette demonstrated that the loops are formed by active displacement of the lagging strand. A long standing feature of models for coupled leading/lagging strand replication has been the presence of a DNA loop at the replication fork. This study provides the first direct demonstration of such loops.

Bacteriophage M13↗

An enzymatic assay for erythrocyte creatine as an index of the erythrocyte life time.

OBJECTIVES: To establish and estimate an enzymatic measurement of creatine in erythrocytes as an index of the erythrocyte life time. DESIGN AND METHOD: The measurement of creatine in erythrocytes was performed using an enzymatic assay kit that was developed for serum and urine creatine. An erythrocyte sample was subjected to creatine measurement after hemolysis and deproteinization. Performance of the method for creatine measurement in erythrocytes was estimated. Effects of age and gender on the creatine content of erythrocytes were also estimated in 305 normal subjects. RESULTS: The method showed within-run CVs varying from 0.7 to 1.0% (n = 20), and between-day CVs from 1.3 to 1.7% (15 days). Good linearity was observed at least up to 1000 mumol/L as creatine value in hemolyzed sample. The analytical recovery was calculated to be 98.1 +/- 1.3% on average. No considerable interference by various substances, including guanidino compounds and amino acids, with the assay was observed. Excellent correlation was observed between the present method and high performance liquid chromatography. With the unit of mumol/g Hb: slope, 1.034 +/- 0.003 (mean +/- SD); intercept, -0.059 +/- 0.012 (mean +/- SD); correlation coefficient, 0.9996; and Sy.x, 0.069. With the unit of mumol/L RBC: slope, 1.033 +/- 0.003 (mean +/- SD); intercept, -18.23 +/- 3.55 (mean +/- SD); correlation coefficient 0.9996; and Sy.x, 20.40. A significant increase in erythrocyte creatine was observed in females aged 11- to 50 years old as compared with males in the corresponding age bracket, however, a gender difference was not observed in other age bracket. This finding suggests the possibility of a slight decrease in the erythrocyte life time due to menstruation in females. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the present method is favorable for quantifying erythrocyte creatine, and has analytical characteristics suitable for routine work in clinical laboratories.

Adolescent↗

Passive versus electrotransport-facilitated transdermal absorption of ketorolac.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the bioavailability (extent and rate of absorption) of ketorolac from two cutaneous absorption sources, active electrotransport and passive transdermal, and to examine the enantiomeric selectivity of bioavailability for each source. METHODS: Based on a crossover study in 12 healthy volunteers, the extent and rate of absorption of ketorolac, delivered by a patch, were found by estimating the input rate function of the drug. For that purpose, deconvolution was used in two steps. First, intravenous data were analyzed to estimate the ketorolac disposition function, and second, postpatch data were deconvolved to estimate the unknown patch input profile given the disposition function estimated in the first step. Because the input rate function curves to be estimated for the patches may be of arbitrary shape, a spline was used to model the patch input function, whereas intravenous data were modeled with use of a sum of exponentials. Differences in the extent of absorption (F) for the four treatment-enantiomer combinations were further examined with a mixed-effect regression model, based on the sets of four individual estimates of bioavailability. RESULTS: On average, the F value for the active electrotransport treatment, which exhibited the faster absorption rate, was four times greater than the F for the passive transdermal treatment. Further, during the passive treatment, R-ketorolac yielded an average F that is 42% greater than that for S-ketorolac and also exhibited a smaller absorption lag-time. During the active treatment, there was no important enantiomeric difference in either extent or rate of absorption.

Administration, Cutaneous↗