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Biomedical subjects

M Crippa

Publications and source records attributed to M Crippa.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

[Associated hepatitis B virus forms and analysis of immunologic configurations in histologically typified chronic diseases of the liver. Epidemiologic aspects and development factors].

We report histological aspect of population, expression of middle classes of Lombardia (Italy), affected by hepatomegaly with or without marks of biohumoral compromised. After classification in groups, according to a minutely explained scheme, we investigate the hepatitis B virus (HBV) immunological aspect and the frequency of the several configurations in every group. We have found HBV positive almost half hepatopathies classified as metabolic according to histological features and 70% of the liver cirrhosis without histological signs of inflammation. The immunological shape showed by last group is identical to the shape of the group with typical histological signs of persistent chronic hepatitis. Another epidemiologic factor as age marks the different histological groups and leads to advance hypotheses of consecutiveness. Distribution of the different histological forms with reference to sex allows the same considerations on pathogenetic factors of progression.

Adolescent↗

Compact structure of ribosomal chromatin in Xenopus laevis.

Micrococcal nuclease digestion was used as a tool to study the organization of the ribosomal chromatin in liver, blood and embryo cells of X. laevis. It was found that in liver and blood cells, ribosomal DNA is efficiently protected from nuclease attack in comparison to bulk chromatin. Although ribosomal chromatin is fragmented in a typical nucleosomal pattern, a considerable portion of ribosomal DNA retains a high molecular weight even after extensive digestion. A greater accessibility of the coding region in comparison to the non-coding spacer was found. In embryos, when ribosomal DNA is fully transcribed, these genes are even more highly protected than in adult tissues: in fact, the nucleosomal ladder can hardly be detected and rDNA is preserved in high molecular weight. Treatment of chromatin with 0.8 M NaCl abolishes the specific resistance of the ribosomal chromatin to digestion. The ribosomal chromatin, particularly in its active state, seems to be therefore tightly complexed with chromosomal proteins which protect its DNA from nuclease degradation.

Animals↗

Inheritance of rDNA spacer length variants in man.

We studied the rDNA spacer length polymorphism in a sample of 121 individuals belonging to families of 2-3 generations. Our data, obtained by restriction pattern analysis of genomic DNA, confirmed the limited and discrete nature of this polymorphism. Using the pattern as a genetic marker, we analyzed the segregation of length variants in the different families and we investigated the possible occurrence of unequal crossing-over events among homologous and nonhomologous rDNA clusters. No direct evidence of recombination in the spacer region that we analyzed emerged from our study. All the differences in the restriction patterns observed among individuals from the same family could be explained as resulting from meiotic segregation. Family data showed a multichromosomal distribution of NTS length variants and demonstrated a direct correspondence between the frequency of a variant in the population and its degree of spreading on the different rDNA clusters.

Base Sequence↗

Xenopsin: the neurotensin-like octapeptide from Xenopus skin at the carboxyl terminus of its precursor.

We have synthesized two oligodeoxyribonucleotide mixtures that contain sequences complementary to different parts of the hypothetical mRNA sequence of xenopsin, a biologically active octapeptide found in skin extracts from Xenopus laevis. The two primer pools were independently used to initiate reverse transcription on skin poly(A)+ RNA and the resulting cDNAs were then used to screen in parallel a cDNA library prepared from skin poly(A)+ RNA. One of the clones that hybridized with both probes was subjected to sequence analysis. It contains a nearly full-length DNA copy of a mRNA of approximately equal to 490 nucleotides that encodes a xenopsin precursor protein. The deduced precursor is 80 amino acids long, exhibits a putative signal sequence at the NH2 terminus, and contains the biologically active peptide at the COOH terminus. The region corresponding to the NH2-terminal portion of the xenopsin precursor shows a striking nucleotide and amino acid sequence homology with the precursor of PYLa, another recently described peptide from Xenopus skin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural analysis of repetitive sequence elements transcribed in early development of Xenopus laevis.

A cDNA library prepared from mRNA of Xenopus laevis embryos was screened with a genomic DNA fragment containing various transcribed repetitive sequence elements. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence of two isolated cDNAs and their genomic relatives allows one to define two transcribed repetitive sequence elements. One of them belongs to a highly reiterated family and consists of a tandem array of homologous subunits of 77-80 bp. The other is reiterated approximately 2200 times, has a size of 260 bp and displays a conserved region of 135 bp. The data are consistent with the presence of repetitive sequence transcripts in the 3' part of mRNA molecules.

Animals↗

Disomic and diploid meiotic products in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Effect of vincristine, vinblastine, adriamycin, bleomycin, mitomycin C and cyclophosphamide.

The effect of some antineoplastic drugs on the induction of disomic and diploid meiotic products in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was evaluated. Vincristine and vinblastine turned out not to be effective on any of the four genetic phenomena studied (sporulation, recombination, disomic induction and diploid induction). Adriamycin showed only slight activity in inducing diploids, particularly during the first meiotic division. Cyclophosphamide was active on both phenomena leading to the formation of disomic and diploid spores. Mitomycin C and bleomycin were effective on the induction of diploids. In all of these inductions, the origin of diploids was due to failure of the second meiotic division. No significant effects were found on recombination frequency. As a general conclusion, one may assume that formation of aneuploid and diploid gametes are two distinct phenomena, not necessarily correlated from the point of view of the mechanism and of the specificity of induction.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Sequence organization of the spacer in the ribosomal genes of Xenopus clivii and Xenopus borealis.

We have studied in X. clivii and X. borealis cloned EcoRI fragments containing the spacer located between the 28S and 18S ribosomal genes. We report for these two species the nucleotide sequences at both ends of the NTS region with special emphasis on the sequences around the transcription initiation site of the 40S rRNA precursor. In X. clivii the location of the 5' end of the precursor was mapped. In both species the sequences around the 40S origin are duplicated in the NTS. Nucleotide sequence comparison has revealed a stretch of 13 identical bases around the transcription initiation site of X. laevis and X. clivii. The same sequence is also present at the presumptive transcription initiation site of X. borealis rDNA.

Animals↗

Transcription of spacer sequences in genes coding for ribosomal RNA in Xenopus cells.

Untreated Xenopus cells synthesize RNA is increased and some sequences complementary to those of the nontranscribed spacer are found in the heavy shoulder of the 40S precursor rRNA peak. In such events transcription initiation seems to take place within the spacer because its middle and right BamHI endonuclease fragments are preferentially transcribed, whereas only few RNA sequences complementary to the left spacer fragment are found. It is concluded that at least some spacer regions contain promoters for transcription and can be transcribed either into a special class of "spacer transcripts" or into molecules covalently linked to rRNA precursor.

Animals↗

Large scale isolation of nuclei and nucleoli from vitellogenic oocytes of Xenopus laevis.

A new method is described which allows the purification of large quantities of nuclei (germinal vesicles) from Xenopus laevis vitellogenic oocytes of different developmental stages. From the isolated nuclei, purified nucleoli were obtained. The isolated germinal vesicles are transcriptionally active showing endogenous RNA polymerase activity as well as a high level of activity with an exogenously added template.

Animals↗

Translation "in vitro" of globin mRNA from Xenopus laevis.

RNA isolated from Xenopus laevis reticulocytes and characterized as globin mRNA (Meza et al., 1978) was tested for its capacity to stimulate "in vitro" a wheat germ translation system, and the ability to synthesize a polypeptide. The latter was identified as globin by its electrophoretic mobility and immunoprecipitation with antiglobin antibody.

Animals↗

Characterization of globin mRNA from Xenopus laevis.

A 9S polyadenylated mRNA was isolated from 'xenopus laevis reticulocytes and purified by sedimentation and oligo-dT-cellulose chromatography. The size of this RNA estimated in denaturing agarose gels was 2.2 x 10(5) daltons. 9S polyadenylated mRNA hydridized to total DNA with a Cot1/2 of 3.8 x 10(3).

Animals↗