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Biomedical subjects

L Belanger

Publications and source records attributed to L Belanger.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Purification and interaction with estradiol-17beta.

The combination of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Concanavalin-A-Sepharose affinity chromatography has permitted the isolation on a preparative scale, of four molecular forms of rat alpha1-fetoprotein: a "slow" and a "fast" fraction, each separable into Concanavalin-A-adorbed ("high carbohydrate", i.e. rich in accessible alphaD-Mannosyl and alphaD-Glucosyl residues) and a Concanavalin-A-non adsorbed ("low carbohydrate") fractions. These four iso-alpha-fetoproteins (iso-AFP) bind estradiol-17beta. However, they disclose differences in both their association constants and number of binding sites for this hormone. Very high affinity sites (10(9)) are mainly located on the "slow-low carbohydrate" form. Low affinity, high capacity sites are preferentially located on the "high carbohydrate" form. These results confirm the molecular and functional heterogeneity of rat AFP and suggest that the carbohydrate moiety of the protein may have a role in estrogen-AFP interactions.

Animals↗

Double-antibody enzyme immunoassay applied to human alpha 1-fetoprotein.

We report the development of a double-antibody system for enzyme immunoassay of human alpha 1-fetoprotein. Equilibrium and sequential saturation procedures were evaluated and compared with a similar double-antibody radioimmunoassay. With our method, 3 mug of alpha 1-fetoprotein per liter can be detected. The dose-response curve covers a 100-fold range of analyte concentrations. Within-run and between-run coefficients of variation are respectively 6.9% and 10.0%. Analytical recovery of added antigen is 99.5 +/- 10.6%. Results are routinely obtained in 24 h but can be obtained in less than 8 h. Alpha 1-fetoprotein was measured in a variety of clinical samples, including sera from 488 pregnant women. The advantages of the present method over radioimmunoassay and other enzyme immunoassay procedures are discussed.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Histopathologic and bacteriologic evaluations of cellulitis detected in legs and caudal abdominal regions of turkeys.

The objective of this study was to identify the causative agent of cellulitis in turkeys. Eighteen flocks from nine producers were sampled at the local processing plant, and 37 birds with cellulitis on legs or caudal thoracic area were obtained. None of the 37 birds with cellulitis had lesions in other organs. On gross examination, lesions were categorized into two groups: cellulitis with unopened skin lesions (type a) and cellulitis with opened skin lesions (type b). Histopathologically, cellulitis with unopened skin lesions had dermal necrosis with underlying fibrin and inflammatory exudate but cellulitis with open skin lesions had chronic granulomatous/granulation tissue-type reaction associated with foreign material. A complete bacteriologic study was conducted on 25 of 37 birds. Bacteria were isolated from 12 of the 25 birds with cellulitis lesions. No aerobic, microaerophilic, or anaerobic bacteria were isolated from the remaining 13 birds with cellulitis lesions. Escherichia coli was isolated in low numbers in mixed cultures with Proteus mirabilis, Lactobacillus spp., Klebsiella spp., and Staphylococcus spp. in 9 of 12 lesions. The remaining few cases yielded P. mirabilis in pure culture or in mixed culture with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Types a and b cellulitis lesions in turkeys could be associated with primary contact dermatitis and skin abrasions, respectively. Their occurrence is likely associated with different management practices.

Abdomen↗

[Hormonal control of the expression of alpha fetoprotein in newborn rats. Evidence for a selective action of glucocorticoids on gene transcription].

Administration of glucocorticoid hormones to the newborn rat results in a rapid decrease in the synthesis of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) by the liver. The molecular basis of this hormonal action was investigated by examining the steady-state levels of AFP mRNA and albumin mRNA sequences in polysomal and total RNA preparations isolated from dexamethasone-treated and control animals. Following dexamethasone treatment the number of polysomal and total mRNA sequences hybridizable to specific (32P) cDNA probes was drastically decreased for AFP while it was unchanged for albumin. These data indicate that glucocorticoids exert a selective action on AFP mRNA levels and suggest that dexamethasone operate at the transcriptional level.

Animals↗