Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L Johansen

Publications and source records attributed to L Johansen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Excess antibody immunoassay for the measurement of tonin in rat tissues and plasma.

Tonin, a proteolytic enzyme isolated from the rat submandibular gland, can generate angiotensin II directly from angiotensinogen. To date a method for the measurement of tonin in plasma has not been available and the present paper describes a sensitive and specific excess antibody immunoassay for determination of tonin in tissue homogenates and plasma. Interference from immunologically cross-reacting proteins was evaluated and the assay was found to be specific for tonin. Tonin measured in various tissue homogenates was directly proportional to the amount of sample added, giving a linear dose-response curve. The slope of this curve was determined by the recovery of tonin, which was better than 55% for urine and all tissues tested. The highest concentration of tonin was seen in the submandibular and sublingual gland (69 and 0.7 microgram/mg protein, respectively). The parotid gland, the exorbital lacrimal gland, liver, kidney, pancreas, and lung contained only negligible amounts (less than 4 ng/mg protein). Tonin in plasma was bound to one major inhibitor with a molecular weight of about 650,000-750,000. A partial splitting of the tonin-inhibitor complex was obtained by preincubating plasma with guanidine, allowing tonin to be measured with a recovery of 38 +/- 13% (n = 16) and with a linear dose-response curve. The concentration of immunoreactive tonin in normal arterial plasma from adult male rats was 0.90 +/- 0.53 ng/ml (n = 16). The concentration decreased after removal of the submandibular glands and increased after sympathetic stimulation.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Rapid purification of tonin, esterase B, antigen psi and kallikrein from rat submandibular gland by fast protein liquid chromatography.

Tonin, esterase B, antigen psi and kallikrein from the rat submandibular gland were purified by fast protein liquid chromatography with Mono P or Mono Q columns. The purity of the separated proteins was evaluated by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by isoelectrofocusing in flat-bed polyacrylamide gel. Tonin and esterase B were purified by DE-52 cellulose anion-exchange chromatography and chromatofocusing on Mono P in two and three steps, respectively. Antigen psi and kallikrein were purified by a two-step procedure using DE-52 cellulose and Mono Q anion-exchange chromatography. The high resolution power of Mono Q revealed the different isoenzymes of kallikrein.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Adjuvant Bestatin immunotherapy in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Clinical results of a randomized trial.

The first clinical results of an ongoing, prospective trial to determine the value of adjuvant Bestatin immunotherapy in the management of bladder cancer are presented. Patients with nonmetastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, scheduled for full dose local radiation therapy (64 Gy), were randomly allocated to adjuvant oral Bestatin treatment (30 mg daily for at least 1 year), starting at completion of irradiation, or no Bestatin. The longest follow-up period of the 151 evaluable patients is 6 years. The results have shown that the disease-free survival of the patients taking Bestatin is significantly improved compared to the controls (p = 0.04). However, the overall survival of the patients was not affected by the Bestatin treatment. The beneficial effect of Bestatin seemed to be more marked among men than women. Furthermore, statistical analyses of the patient material according to T tumor categories suggested that compared to the controls, patients with less advanced disease (T1 and T2) benefitted more from Bestatin treatment than those with more advanced tumors (T3 and T4). The results of this ongoing trial thus show that patients with bladder cancer benefit from adjuvant Bestatin treatment in terms of disease-free survival.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1987

Uptake and release for glutamine and glutamate in a crude synaptosomal fraction from rat brain.

[14C]Glutamine uptake in a crude synaptosomal (P2) fraction, (representing the sum of [14C]glutamine accumulated and [14C]glutamate formed by hydrolysis), is distinct from glutamate uptake. Glutamine uptake is Na+-independent and unaffected by the Na+-K+-ATPase inhibitor ouabain, whereas glutamate uptake is Na+-dependent and inhibited by ouabain. The uptake of both glutamine and glutamate is unaffected by the gamma-glutamyltransferase inhibitor, Acivicin. This indicates that glutamine uptake is not mediated by a carrier, as distinct from that of glutamate, and also not linked to gamma-glutamyl-transferase. Na+ affects the distribution of glutamine-derived glutamate by increasing the synaptosomal content and reducing that of the medium. When glutamate release from synaptosomes preloaded with [14C]glutamate is measured by superfusion technique in order to prevent reuptake, Na+ has been found to inhibit release in a non-depolarizing medium (Ringer buffer with no Ca2+) of the [14C]glutamate as well as of endogenous glutamate. The specific activity of the [14C]glutamine-derived glutamate in the incubation medium is much higher than that in the synaptosomes, indicating that there exists a readily releasable pool of newly formed glutamate in addition to another pool. The latter glutamate pool is partially reduced by Na+.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Isolation, characterization, and localization of antigen gamma, a serine proteinase of the "kallikrein-family" in the rat submandibular gland.

A trypsin-like serine proteinase, antigen gamma, immunologically partially identical to glandular kallikrein when run against anti-rat glandular kallikrein antiserum in immunoelectrophoresis, was purified from the rat submandibular gland. The enzyme was purified by a two-step chromatography procedure, ionexchange chromatography followed by gel filtration. The criteria for purity were one band in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and in immunoelectrophoresis, respectively. Antigen gamma had a molecular mass of 25,000 Da and consisted of two polypeptide chains with molecular masses of 14,000 and 11,000 Da. The preparation contained several isoenzymes with pI ranging from 4.1 to 4.5. The enzyme showed high specific enzyme activity against the substrate D-valyl-L-leucyl-L-arginine-4-nitroanilide (S-2266), some trypsin-like and kininogenase activity, but no angiotensin converting enzyme, kininase, or tonin activity. Amidolytic activity was increased and stabilized by the presence of detergent in the assay buffer. The pH-optimum of antigen gamma amidolytic activity was about 10. Antigen gamma was inhibited by SBTI and PMSF, whereas aprotinin had to be added in a more than 100 times higher concentration than for glandular kallikrein. The binding pattern of antigen gamma to plasma proteins was different from that of tonin and glandular kallikrein. Antiserum against antigen gamma was raised in rabbits and characterized against rat submandibular gland homogenate. Immunohistochemistry showed antigen gamma in the secretory granules of the submandibular gland granular tubular cells but only adhering to the luminal cell wall in the striated and main excretory ducts. Antigen gamma was not detected in the sublingual or parotid gland or in the kidney. Antigen gamma was demonstrated by immunoelectrophoresis in rat submandibular gland saliva. The concentration was higher in sympathetically than in parasympathetically induced secretion.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗
PubMed1985

Insulin potentiates cholecystokinin (CCK)-induced secretion of pancreatic kallikrein.

The effects of insulin on pancreatic kallikrein secretion were studied in streptozotocin diabetic rats and after acute administration of insulin to normal rats. Studies on total protein and amylase secretion were included for comparison. In diabetic rats, the concentration of amylase in pancreatic tissue as well as basal and CCK-stimulated amylase exocrine secretion were significantly reduced. Insulin treatment restored pancreatic tissue concentration and exocrine release of amylase to normal. Insulin deficiency did not induce any change in the concentration of kallikrein or trypsin-like activity in pancreatic tissue. However, basal kallikrein secretion was higher in diabetic rats than in controls. Insulin treatment of diabetics rats did not alter basal kallikrein secretion but potentiated CCK-stimulation of kallikrein release. In normal rats, CCK induced an increase of pancreatic protein, amylase, and kallikrein secretion but not pancreatic juice flow. Additional administration of insulin potentiated the CCK-induced secretory rate of pancreatic juice, protein, and kallikrein but not amylase. A 1.6 times higher concentration of kallikrein was found in the portal vein than in arterial blood, indicating an endocrine release of pancreatic kallikrein. No difference in the concentration of circulating kallikrein was observed between the control and the insulin-treated group.

Amylases↗
PubMed1985

Enzymatic activity of rat submandibular gland kallikrein released into blood.

Enzymatic activity of submandibular gland (SG) kallikrein released into saliva and blood was studied at rest and after autonomic nerve stimulation. Kallikrein was measured by an immunometric assay that allows measurement of immunoreactive kallikrein in complex with inhibitors as well as simultaneous determination of kallikrein enzymatic activity. Measurements using the chromogenic substrate S2266 gave identical results to the natural substrate kininogen. Endogenous SG kallikrein secretory rate was, at rest, 0.9 +/- 0.1 ng/min. Kallikrein secretion into blood in response to autonomic nerve stimulation paralleled that into saliva, and secretion was greatly enhanced by alpha-adrenergic stimulation. In plasma, kallikrein was bound to several inhibitors that completely or partially blocked the enzyme activity. In arterial and SG venous control plasma, 93 +/- 3 and 72 +/- 10% inhibition of kallikrein enzyme activity was observed, respectively. Sympathetic stimulation after administration of a beta-adrenergic blocker increased kallikrein enzyme activity 62 and 11 times in arterial and SG venous plasma, respectively, with a corresponding 78 +/- 8 and 70 +/- 8% inhibition of kallikrein enzyme activity. A fraction containing kallikrein resembling "free kallikrein" was always present in plasma.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Demonstration of kallikrein in a rat pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma.

Kallikrein was identified immunohistochemically and biochemically in a transplantable pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma of the rat. The concentration of immunoreactive kallikrein in tumor homogenates was the same as in the pancreas. Kallikrein in tumor cells exists as a proenzyme and is released into blood in high concentrations. The impact of the presence of a kallikrein-producing tumor on other kallikrein-containing organs and other possibly interrelated systems was investigated. The concentration of kallikrein in the submandibular gland and pancreas of host rats was not significantly different from that of control rats. Urinary kallikrein secretion was significantly increased, although this may be a result of the high plasma glandular kallikrein concentration combined with kidney damage. The plasma concentration of kininogen, kininase, and renin was not significantly different from control rats. Rats with tumor had significantly lower blood pressure than did control animals, and blood pressure was inversely related to the concentration of glandular kallikrein in plasma. However, it was not proven that the low blood pressure was due to the high concentration of kallikrein. Nephrectomized tumor rats gave a smaller hypotensive response to kininase inhibition than was expected from their high concentration of circulating kallikrein. This may be explained by the absence of the "free kallikrein" fraction in plasma of host rats.

Amylases↗
PubMed1984

Excess antibody immunoassay for rat glandular kallikrein. Measurement of kallikrein complexed with inhibitors and in plasma.

We have recently developed an immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) for specific measurement of immunoreactive kallikrein which allows a simultaneous determination of the enzymatic activity of kallikrein. This paper describes the application of this method for measurements of glandular kallikrein complexed with inhibitors. Interference by low molecular weight inhibitors such as benzamidine and Trasylol was easily overcome by increasing the amount of immobilized anti-kallikrein antibody added in the assay, and by prolonging the incubation time of the antigen-binding step. The recovery of kallikrein in complex with plasma inhibitors was complete only when the anti-kallikrein antibody was immunoadsorbed onto a solid-phase sheep anti-rabbit immunoglobulin. The dose-response curve of glandular kallikrein in plasma paralleled that of purified kallikrein in both the immunoradiometric and the immunoenzymometric assays. The concentration of immunoreactive glandular kallikrein in normal rat plasma was 12.8 +/- 4.3 nU/ml. The enzymatic activity of this immunoreactive kallikrein was 86% inhibited.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Hydrophilic monodisperse particles as solid-phase material in immunoassays: comparison of shell-and-core particles with compact particles.

Hydrophilic monodisperse shell-and-core particles with a density of 1.07 were superior to heavier compact particles as a solid-phase material for immunoassays. The shell-and-core particles formed a semistable suspension for 24 h and were easily collected by centrifugation. The hydroxyl groups of the particles were activated with two sulfonyl chlorides. The most reactive one, tresyl chloride, gave rapid chemical coupling of antibodies, whereas tosyl chloride favored a rapid hydrophobic adsorption which was followed by slow chemical coupling. The solid-phase sheep antirabbit IgG made was used as a separation agent in several immunoassays and gave solid-phase primary antibodies by immunoadsorption of rabbit antibodies.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Excess antibody immunoassays for rat glandular kallikreins. Measurement of kallikrein from different organs in the presence of cross-reacting antigens.

An immunoradiometric assay has previously been developed for measurement of rat glandular kallikrein. In the present paper, further studies on the specificity and sensitivity of the method are described. Problems of interference of immunologically cross-reacting antigens were overcome by proper preabsorption of the antibody. A method was thus established in which enzymatic activity of the immunoreactive kallikrein could be measured even in the presence of enzymes sharing immunological determinants and substrate specificity with kallikrein. Two variants of the immunoradiometric assay have been evaluated. A simplified version with simultaneous addition of all reagents gave results equal to those obtained in the original assay. A further modification with delayed addition of the solid-phase antibody, gave considerable improvement in assay sensitivity.

Animals↗