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Biomedical subjects

L Reinisch

Publications and source records attributed to L Reinisch.

72 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Cross-correlated photon scattering during the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin.

Changes in the ultraviolet light scattering from a suspension of purple membrane fragments were detected during the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin with a cross-correlation method. The scattered light intensity from a suspension of membrane fragments containing the protein bacteriorhodopsin was measured on a logarithmic time scale of 1 microsecond to 0.1 s at pH 4.6 after the photocycle was initiated with a polarized 532-nm laser flash. A simple model of curved sheets with positive and negative changes in the curvature is used to describe the observed light scattering changes. A detailed mathematical derivation of the model as well as the pictorial description are given. The changes in curvature of the membrane fragment are more than likely driven by the protein during the photocycle and are observed to have at least two time-resolved components, each changing the curvature of the fragment with an opposite sign.

Bacteriorhodopsins↗

Intracellular pH measurement using single excitation-dual emission fluorescence ratios.

In the present paper, laser spectroscopy was used to evaluate the utility of a new fluorochrome, carboxyseminaphthorhodafluor-1 (Snarf-1), for single excitation-dual emission ratio measurement of intracellular pH (pHi). The emission spectrum of Snarf-1 showed clear pH-dependent shifts, and emission ratios calculated from the 640 and 587 nm maxima were a sensitive indicator of pH. When irradiated in Cunningham chambers, solutions of Snarf-1 were rapidly bleached, and at pH 7.3 or higher, this bleaching led to a decrease in the 640/587 nm emission ratio. These ratio changes were also observed in intracellular measurements on lens embryonic epithelial cells under conditions in which the entrapped dye was rapidly bleached. As the laser dosage was reduced (by increasing the step size between sample points), bleaching could be reduced to very low levels, and under these conditions, the ratio remained constant. Snarf-1 loaded into lens epithelial explants was calibrated intracellularly using nigericin. Intracellular calibration curves were shifted to more alkaline values than in vitro curves. Intracellular calibration allowed estimates of pHi that were in reasonable agreement with previously published values for lens tissue. Potential artifacts arising from differential photobleaching and intracellular-in vitro calibration are discussed.

Animals↗

Endotracheal tube safety with the erbium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser.

The erbium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser operates in the infrared spectrum at a wavelength of 2.94 microns. The absorption coefficient for water at this wavelength is approximately 10 times that of the carbon dioxide laser. It is anticipated that this laser will produce more precise surgical ablation with decreased surrounding tissue destruction. The results of impacting endotracheal tubes with the Er:YAG laser are presented. The CO2 laser was used as a reference. Metallic tape that was not perforated by the CO2 laser after 240 seconds of continuous exposure at 20 W was perforated by the Er:YAG laser with use of 15 pulses of 1 J per pulse. Silver foil tape with a Meroplicable to otolaryngology, modification of current safety standards will be necessary.

Aluminum↗

Comparison of the erbium-yttrium aluminum garnet and carbon dioxide lasers for in vitro bone and cartilage ablation.

The in vitro bone- and cartilage-ablation characteristics of the solid-state erbium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser were compared to those of the carbon dioxide laser. Ablations of fresh, frozen cadaver septal cartilage and maxillary sinus bone were performed using total energies between 1 and 6 J. Specimens were studied using hematoxylin and eosin stain and digitized, computer-assisted measurements of 35-mm photographs. Erbium-yttrium aluminum garnet-ablated bone averaged 5 microns of adjacent tissue thermal injury, compared with 67 microns with carbon dioxide-ablated bone. Erbium-yttrium aluminum garnet-ablated cartilage averaged 2 microns of adjacent tissue thermal injury, compared with 21 microns with the carbon dioxide-ablated cartilage. The tissue-ablation characteristics of the erbium-yttrium aluminum garnet laser are promising for future otolaryngologic applications.

Aluminum↗

Recombination of carbon monoxide to ferrous horseradish peroxidase types A and C.

The recombination of carbon monoxide to isoenzymes A2 and C of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was studied as a function of temperature (2 to 320 K) and pH (5 to 8.3) with flash photolysis and infrared difference absorption. At low temperatures three geminate recombination processes are observed. One of these internal processes, denoted by I*, is exponential in time with a rate coefficient that deviates strongly from an Arrhenius behavior below 100 K, implying phonon-assisted tunneling. The two other processes, denoted by I, are non-exponential in time and related to different carbonyl isomers, as shown by the infrared difference spectra. The existence of three internal processes indicates that HRP differs considerably from myoglobin where only one internal process, I, is seen. Moreover, the internal processes in HRP are faster than process I in myoglobin. At 300 K, only one recombination process from the solvent is observed and it is very slow (lambda s approximately 1 s-1 at 1 atm CO (1 atm = 101,325 Pa)), much slower than the corresponding association process in myoglobin. Since process I is fast, but binding from the solvent is slow, the barrier at the heme cannot be responsible for the small association rate. The infrared absorption difference spectra of the amide I/II bands indicate that photolysis and recombination trigger a two-step structural change. The slow recombination rate at 300 K can thus be explained by the large Gibbs energy of the conformational transition that is necessary to let CO move into the heme pocket. The partition coefficient for the CO in the heme pocket and the solvent is extremely small, while bond formation with the heme iron occurs in less than 100 nanoseconds.

Carbon Monoxide↗

Dynamics of dioxygen and carbon monoxide binding to soybean leghemoglobin.

The association of dioxygen and carbon monoxide to soybean leghemoglobin (Lb) has been studied by laser flash photolysis at temperatures from 10 to 320 K and times from 50 ns to 100 s. Infrared spectra of the bound and the photodissociated state were investigated between 10 and 20 K. The general features of the binding process in leghemoglobin are similar to the ones found in myoglobin. Below about 200 K, the photodissociated ligands stay in the heme pocket and rebinding is not exponential in time, implying a distributed enthalpy barrier between pocket and heme. At around 300 K, ligands migrate from the solvent through the protein to the heme pocket, and a steady state is set up between the ligands in the solvent and in the heme pocket. The association rate, lambda on, is mainly controlled by the final binding step at the heme, the bond formation with the heme iron. Differences between Lb and other heme proteins show up in the details of the various steps. The faster association rate in Lb compared to sperm whale myoglobin (Mb) is due to a faster bond formation. The migration from the solvent to the heme pocket is much faster in Lb than in Mb. The low-temperature binding (B----A) and the infrared spectra of CO in the bound state A and the photodissociated state B are essentially solvent-independent in Mb, but depend strongly on solvent in Lb. These features can be correlated with the x-ray structure.

Carbon Monoxide↗

Determination of the second order doppler shift of iron in myoglobin by Mössbauer spectroscopy.

We have performed Mössbauer absorption experiments on a sample of deoxygenated myoglobin crystals from 5 K to 280 K. With two series of measurements, one with the source and sample at the same temperature and the other with the source always at 298 K, we are able to extract information from the second-order Doppler effect in the sample. Simple models consistent with a description of myoglobin with low lying electronic states which are thermally populated above 40 K indicate that the Debye temperature of myoglobin is 220 K, in agreement with measurements using the Lamb-Mössbauer factor. The second-order Doppler effect is proportional to the square of the velocity of the motion. We are unable to see any indication of protein specific motion from the second-order Doppler effect, thereby indicating that protein specific motions are relatively slow.

Animals↗

Control and pH dependence of ligand binding to heme proteins.

The recombination after flash photolysis of dioxygen and carbon monoxide with sperm whale myoglobin (Mb), and separated beta chains of human hemoglobin (beta A) and hemoglobin Zürich (beta ZH), has been studied as a function of pH and temperature from 300 to 60 K. At physiological temperatures, a preequilibrium is established between the ligand molecules in the solvent and in the heme pocket. The ligand in the pocket binds to the heme iron by overcoming a barrier at the heme. The association rate is controlled by this final binding step. The association rate of CO to Mb and beta A is modulated by a single titratable group with a pK at 300 K of 5.7. The binding of CO to beta ZH, in which the distal histidine is replaced by arginine, does not depend on pH. Oxygen recombination is independent of pH in all three proteins. Comparison of the binding of CO at 300 K and at low temperatures shows that pH does not affect the preequilibrium but changes the barrier height at the heme. The pH dependence and the difference between O2 and CO binding can be explained by a charge-dipole interaction between the distal histidine and CO.

Adult↗

A kinetic study of the binding of carbon monoxide to ferrous chloroperoxidase.

The binding of carbon monoxide to ferrous chloroperoxidase in the pH range 4-6.5 is influenced by a titratable group on the enzyme having a pKA of 5.5 +/- 0.2 at 20 degrees C. The basic form of the enzyme reacts much faster with carbon monoxide than does the protonated form of the enzyme. The delta H degrees for the ionization of the functional group in the enzyme involved in carbon monoxide binding is about 8 kcal mol-1, and the delta S degrees is approximately 1 cal mol-1 K-1. These pKA and delta H degrees values suggest that this functional group is an imidazole ring associated with a histidine residue situated at the active site of the enzyme. The rates of the reaction for the formation and dissociation of the complex suggest that this histidine residue is not directly liganded to the iron atom of the heme prosthetic group. The relatively good agreement between the various kinetic approaches with several methods of experimentation, data collection, and data analysis lends strength to a proposed model in which the histidine occupies a distal site close to the sixth axial ligand position of the heme iron atom.

Carbon Monoxide↗

Infrared spectroscopy of photodissociated carboxymyoglobin at low temperatures.

We have studied the infrared spectra of the bound and photodissociated states of Mb-12CO and Mb-13CO from 5.2 to 300 K. The absorbance peaks seen between 1800 and 2200 cm-1 correspond to CO stretching vibrations. In the bound state of Mb-12CO, the known lines A0 at 1969, A1 at 1945, and A2 at 1927 cm-1, have center frequencies, widths, and absorbances that are independent of temperature between 5.2 and 160 K. Above 160 K, A2 gradually shifts to 1933 cm-1. The low-temperature photodissociated state (Mb) shows three lines (B0, B1, B2) at 2144, 2131, and 2119 cm-1 for 12CO. The absorbances of the three lines depend on temperature. B0 is tentatively assigned to free CO in the heme pocket and B1 and B2, to CO weakly bound to the heme or heme pocket wall. The data are consistent with a model in which photodissociation of MbCO leads to B1 and B2. B2 decays thermally to B1 above 13 K; rebinding to A occurs from B1. The barriers between B2 and B1 and between B1 and A are described by activation enthalpy spectra. Heme and the central metal atom in state Mb have near-infrared, EPR, and Mössbauer spectra that differ slightly from those of deoxyMb. The observation of essentially free CO in state B implies that the difference between Mb and deoxyMb is not due to an interaction of the flashed-off ligand with the protein but is caused by an incomplete relaxation of the protein structure at low temperatures.

Animals↗

Solvent viscosity and protein dynamics.

Proteins are dynamic systems. Recent evidence demonstrates that they exist in a large number of conformational substates and can continuously move from one substate to another; motion of a small ligand inside a protein may be possible only through these conformational fluctuations. To test this idea, we study with flash photolysis the binding of CO to protoheme and O2 and CO to myoglobin in many different solvents. The standard evaluation of such experiments yields information only about the protein-solvent system. A novel approach is presented which permits conclusions concerning the protein: Data from all solvents are considered together, and the rates for transitions of the ligand over various barriers are studied as a function of temperature for fixed solvent viscosities. Results show that over a wide range in viscosity the transition rates in heme-CO are inversely proportional to the solvent viscosity and can consequently be described by the Kramers equation. The rates of O2 and CO in myoglobin also depend on the solvent viscosity and are most sensitive to the solvent at the lowest viscosity. Viscosity influences protein reactions even in aqueous solutions. The data dan be interpreted by a dynamic model in which transitions into and inside myoglobin are governed by fluctuations between conformational substates corresponding to closed and open pathways. Ligand motion thus is mainly controlled by gates and not by static potential barriers. Some characteristic parameters for the substates are determined, and they agree approximately with similar parameters found in Mössbauer experiments. As expected, the barrier parameters evaluated in the novel approach deviate markedly from the ones obtained by the conventional procedure. Comparison with model calculations or basic theories will be meaningful only with the new evaluation, and the method may be essential for many or possibly all biochemical reactions.

Carbon Monoxide↗

Dioxygen replacement reaction in myoglobin.

The replacement reaction of myoglobin (Mb), MbCO + O2 leads to MbO2 + CO leads to MbCO + O2, has been studied with flash photolysis in the temperature range from 140 to 320 K and the time range from 2 mus to 200 s. In a fraction of the Mb, the photodissociated CO remains within the protein; rebinding is not affected by the presence of O2 and occurs with rates that are identical with the ones observed earlier in solvents containing only CO. In the remaining fraction CO migrates into the solvent and Mb combines preferentially with oxygen. The rate of the subsequent replacement of O2 by CO permits calculation of the oxygen dissociation rate ko2; ko2 has been determined from 260 to 320 K. The measurements support a multibarrier model.

Animals↗

Fast reactions in carbon monoxide binding to heme proteins.

Using fast flash photolysis, we have measured the binding of CO to carboxymethylated cytochrome c and to heme c octapeptide as a function of temperature (5 degrees-350 degreesK) over an extended time range (100 ns(-1) ks). Experiments used a microsecond dye laser (lambda = 540 nm), and a mode-locked frequency-doubled Nd-glass laser (lambda = 530 nm). At low temperatures (5 degrees-120 degreesK) the rebinding exhibits two components. The slower component (I) is nonexponential in time and has an optical spectrum corresponding to rebiding from an S = 2, CO-free deoxy state. The fast component (I*) is exponential in time with a lifetime shorter than 10 mus and an optical spectrum different from the slow component. In myoglobin and the separated alpha and beta chains of hemoglobin, only process I is visible. The optical absorption spectrum of I* and its time dependence suggest that it may correspond to recombination from an excited state in which the iron has not yet moved out of the heme plane. The temperature dependences of both processes have been measured. Both occur via quantum mechanical tunneling at the lowest temperatures and via over-the-barrier motion at higher temperatures.

Binding Sites↗

Comparisons of wound healing among excisional, laser-created, and standard thermal burns in porcine wounds of equal depth.

The present study was designed to characterize similarities and differences among three wounding modalities in partial-thickness porcine wounds. We hypothesized that inherent differences, such as endogenous cytokine delivery into excisional wounds or ablation of eschar during laser vaporization, should accelerate the magnitude and sequence of reparative events above the delayed repair that is frequently observed in patients with burns. A constant mid-dermal depth of injury was created by a Padgett dermatome, a computer-controlled pulsed CO(2) laser, or a temperature-controlled metal template. Wounds were harvested after 5, 10, or 15 days. After 5 days, significant resurfacing differences were apparent with values of 54% in excisions, 29% in lasers, and 12% in standard thermal burns. Sequences of fibroblastic proliferation were measurably different among the three wound modalities. At day 5 the bromodeoxyuridine labeling index for fibroblasts showed laser wound levels greater than excision wound levels, which were greater than burn wound levels; but by day 10, the proliferative profiles indicated that burn wound levels were greater than excision wound levels, which were greater than laser wound levels. Capillary areas (an assessment of angiogenesis) differed among the three wound types throughout the study. Peak values were observed at day 5 in both excisional and laser injuries; however, standard thermal burns did not peak until day 10. Both the magnitude and sequence of expression of three matrix metalloproteinases (-1, -2, and -9) differed among the three types of injuries. Laser wounds showed the earliest peak in matrix metalloproteinase-1 expression, whereas burns showed the least expression at day 5. In conclusion, although the three types of wounds undergo similar reparative processes such as reepithelialization, fibroblastic proliferation, angiogenesis, and expression of matrix metalloproteinases, the magnitude and temporal sequences are measurably altered among the three wound modalities. A greater understanding of specific differences within wound environments may lead to more insightful design of interventional wound therapies.

Journal Article↗

Percutaneous laser ablation of fetal congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation: too little, too late?

OBJECTIVE: Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation, type III (CCAM III) lesions are large, bulky tumors which can cause mediastinal shift, prevent normal pulmonary growth, and compress the esophagus, thus leading to complications of nonimmune hydrops, pulmonary hypoplasia and polyhydramnios. Because the mortality rate of untreated fetuses with CCAM and hydrops is high, early delivery or intrauterine resection of the enlarged pulmonary lobe (lobectomy) is indicated; however, open fetal resection of CCAM at less than 30 weeks is associated with perioperative mortality that approaches 40%, as well as the usual maternal and fetal morbidity of open fetal surgery. As an alternative, percutaneous laser ablation of a CCAM III lesion with hydrops was attempted. METHODS: A 30-year-old G3 P1011 with CCAM III in the left fetal hemithorax developed mediastinal shift, hydrops and polyhydramnios at 23 weeks' gestation. After pregnancy termination and open fetal resection were declined, an 18-gauge needle was placed into the fetal tumor percutaneously under real-time ultrasonographic guidance, using sterile technique with light sedation. A cleaved 400-microm Nd:YAG laser fiber was passed through the needle lumen, and using a power setting of 15 W, a total of 2,943 J of laser energy was delivered in pulses of 1.0 s at 0.2-second intervals over two sessions one week apart. RESULTS: Although tumor size decreased, the hydrops worsened and fetal death occurred. CONCLUSIONS: The fetus with CCAM complicated by hydrops is already so compromised by the advanced state of the disease that insufficient time is available for necrotic tissue reabsorption after minimally invasive therapy with laser energy. Until earlier markers for intervention are determined, percutaneous laser debulking of CCAM is unlikely to be successful.

Catheter Ablation↗