Biomedical subjects

L Stanker

Publications and source records attributed to L Stanker.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

On the isolation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans from serum samples using immunoaffinity chromatography prior to high-resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Immunoaffinity chromatography (IAC) for the purification of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) from biological samples was explored as a means to simplify the cleanup procedure and thereby decrease the time and cost of dioxin analysis. A monoclonal antibody (DD3) was used to produce IAC columns and to isolate the PCDD/Fs from serum. Native and 13C-labeled PCDD/Fs were spiked at the ppq to ppt range into serum. Quantitation of the PCDD/Fs was performed by a standard dioxin analytical method, i.e. high-resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which was easily compatible with IAC. Five of the most toxic PCDD/Fs consistently showed acceptable recoveries (>25%) and were reliably quantitated. The congeners specifically recovered by this method represent almost 80% of the toxic equivalency of dioxins and furans present in the serum samples. Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were not recognized by this antibody column. Compared to conventional dioxin cleanup methods, IAC decreased solvent usage by 1.5 l/sample and took only 2 h to process a sample for analysis.

Benzofurans↗

PubMed1997

Aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) nonresponsiveness in estrogen receptor-negative MDA-MB-231 cells is associated with expression of a variant arnt protein.

Several studies have reported a correlation between expression of the estrogen receptor (ER) and aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) responsiveness in human breast cancer cell lines. MDA-MB-231 cells are ER-negative and Ah-nonresponsive; however, initial studies showed that 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin induced CYP1A1 mRNA levels (5.8-fold) and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity (2.6-fold) in high passage (Hp, >50 passages) cells transiently transfected with an Ah-responsive plasmid. In contrast, no induction responses were observed in low passage (Lp, <20 passages) cells. The Ah responsiveness of Hp compared to Lp MDA-MB-231 cells was associated with a >2-fold increased expression of the Ah receptor in Hp cells. Further analysis revealed that the apparent molecular weight of the Ah receptor mRNA transcript and immunoreactive protein were comparable in Lp MDA-MB-231 and Ah-responsive human HepG2 cells. In contrast, RT-PCR analysis of the Ah receptor nuclear translocator (Arnt) protein showed that HepG2 cells expressed the expected 2.6-kb transcript, whereas a 1.3-kb transcript was the major product in MDA-MB-231 cells. Western blot analysis confirmed that HepG2 cells primarily expressed a 97-kDa wild-type form of Arnt, whereas a dominant 36-kDa variant was expressed in MDA-MB-231 cells. Complete sequence analysis of the variant form of Arnt revealed a major deletion of the C-terminal region of the protein (aa 330 to 789). Like HepG2 cells, the wild-type 2.6-kb transcript was detected in ER-positive (Ah-responsive) MCF-7 cells, whereas the low-molecular-weight variant Arnt was dominant in ER-negative MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-435, and Adriamycin-resistant MCF-7 cells. These results suggest that expression of this protein may be useful as a prognostic factor in breast cancer.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1993

Analysis of hapten-carrier protein conjugates by nondenaturing gel electrophoresis.

Hapten-carrier protein conjugates were made using five different small haptens (MW < 1000), two carrier proteins and two methods of conjugation. Nondenaturing agarose gel electrophoresis was used to demonstrate that when as few as two molecules of a small hapten are attached to the carrier, the conjugate band migrates differently from that of the carrier alone or of the coupling reagent-treated carrier. Furthermore, the direction of the change in migration of each conjugate correlates with the change in charge which occurs upon attachment of the hapten to the carrier.

Cinnamates↗

PubMed1990

Fluorescence in situ hybridization to Y chromosomes in decondensed human sperm nuclei.

Human sperm nuclei were isolated with mixed alkyltrimethylammonium bromide and dithiothreitol (MATAB/DTT) and decondensed by treatments with lithium diiodosalicylate (LIS), sodium chloride, or Tris salts. Concentrations as low as 1 mM LIS induced measurable nuclear swelling compared to 600 mM required for the other two salts. As measured by image analyses, the projected nuclear area increased linearly up to approximately fivefold with LIS concentrations up to 10 mM. Swollen nuclei also maintained the elliptical shapes characteristic of the human sperm head. Expanded sperm nuclei of three men were hybridized with a fluorescently labeled 3.4 kb Y chromosome-specific repetitive DNA probe; 50.1% of the nuclei of each semen sample showed fluorescent labeling over a part of the nucleus indicating presence of the Y chromosome. In comparison, unswollen sperm did not yield reliable hybridization signals. This procedure is suitable for determining the proportion of human sperm with Y chromosomes and can be used to evaluate sperm separation techniques. The availability of probes specific for most human chromosomes suggests that this procedure may find general application in studies of sperm chromosomal constitution.

Cell Nucleus↗

PubMed1986

Improved high-affinity monoclonal antibody to iododeoxyuridine.

Three monoclonal antibodies (Mabs), IU-1, IU-4, and B-44 were evaluated in enzyme immunoassays (ELISA) and by flow cytometry for their abilities to recognize bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd)- and iododeoxyuridine (IdUrd)-substituted DNA's, nucleotides, and nucleosides. IU-4 is a new Mab, derived from mice immunized with 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine-5'-monophosphate (IdUMP) conjugated (IdUMP) conjugated through the phosphate group to albumin. This immunogen was selected to resemble IdUMP in DNA. In competition ELISA assays, IU-4 prefers IdUrd to BrdUrd and prefers halogenated nucleotides over the corresponding nucleosides. In both ELISA and flow analysis, IU-4 recognizes IdUrd in DNA at substitution frequencies at least as low as one IdUrd one per 1,000 normal bases. The high affinity of IU-4 for IdUrd-DNA contrasts with IU-1 and B-44, which show a strong binding dependency on the frequency of base substitution and require DNA that is essentially fully substituted with BrdUrd for binding in both flow and ELISA assays. The high affinity of IU-4 for IdUrd in DNA and its independence of IdUrd residue spacing make it a superior reagent for the quantitative labeling of halogenated thymidine analogues in whole cells.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A microcantilever-based pathogen detector.

The ability to detect small amounts of materials, especially bacterial organisms, is important for medical diagnostics and national security issues. Engineered micromechanical systems provide one approach for constructing multifunctional, highly sensitive, real-time, immunospecific biological detectors. We present qualitative detection of specific Salmonella enterica strains using a functionalized silicon nitride microcantilever. Detection is achieved due to a change in the surface stress on the cantilever surface in situ upon binding of a small number of bacteria. Scanning electron micrographs indicate that less than 25 adsorbed bacteria are required for detection.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗