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Biomedical subjects

M Nomizu

Publications and source records attributed to M Nomizu.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Accumulation and removal of heavy metal ions by insolubilized-DNA and its interaction.

DNA was immobilized onto a porous glass bead by a treatment with UV irradiation. The immobilized DNA was insoluble in water and used for accumulation of heavy metal ion. When DNA-immobilized glass bead was added into aqueous solution containing heavy metal ions, such as Hg2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Zn2+, Cu2+ and Fe3+, the concentration of these metal ions in the solution was decreased. However, the concentration of Mg2+ in the solution was not affected by the addition of the DNA-immobilized glass bead. These results suggested that UV-irradiated DNA selectively accumulated heavy metal ions.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Preparation of insolubilized-DNA film with three-dimensional network and removal of endocrine disruptors.

A water-insolubilized film was prepared by UV irradiation on a dried DNA film. When a UV-irradiated DNA was examined using a circular dichroism spectroscopy, a double stranded structure was observed as well as that of native DNA. The UV irradiated DNA film was also accumulated intercalating reagents. These results suggested that the double stranded structure was involved in the UV irradiated DNA film with a three-dimensional network. The thymine-thymine dimer formation was suggested to be involved in the cross-linking reactions by the polymerization analysis using poly(dA)-poly(dT) and poly(dG)-poly(dC). We also demonstrate the utilization of the UV-irradiated DNA film as a functional material for the accumulation of harmful DNA intercalating pollutants in aqueous solution. These results suggested that the UV-irradiated DNA film was applicable as a functional material for medical, engineering and environmental sciences.

Acridine Orange↗
PubMed1999

Bioconjugation of laminin-related peptide YIGSR with polyvinyl pyrrolidone increases its antimetastatic effect due to a longer plasma half-life.

Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) which can be radically synthesized and have a long blood residency was used to modify the laminin-related peptide YIGSR, and its inhibitory effect on experimental lung metastasis of B16-BL6 melanoma cells was examined. The antimetastatic effect of PVP-conjugated YIGSR (PVP-YIGSR) was more than 100-fold greater than that of native YIGSR. When injected intravenously, PVP-YIGSR showed more than a 15-fold longer plasma half-life relative to native YIGSR. In addition, the stability of YIGSR in plasma was increased by conjugation with PVP. These findings suggest that PVP is a useful polymeric modifier for increasing the antimetastatic activity of YIGSR.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Identification of metastasis-promoting sequences in the mouse laminin alpha 1 chain.

Laminin-1, a major basement membrane matrix glycoprotein, enhances adhesion, migration, and metastasis of tumor cells. We have screened 208 overlapping synthetic peptides covering the short and long arms of mouse laminin alpha1 chain for their adhesion activity with B16-F10 mouse melanoma cells. Cell adhesion activity was determined using various amounts of peptides coated on plastic dishes and by measuring cell adhesion on peptide-conjugated Sepharose beads. Nineteen peptides showed B16-F10 cell adhesion activity. Three peptides, designated A-13, -24, and -208, showed the strongest attachment activity in the plate assay, whereas 4 peptides, A-13, -51, -99, and -112, demonstrated the strongest cell adhesion when conjugated to beads. The 19 peptides were tested in vivo for their effect on experimental pulmonary metastasis by B16-F10 cells. Four peptides, A-13, -51, -64, and -119, significantly enhanced metastasis, with A-13 showing the strongest dramatic enhancement. The four metastasis-promoting peptides also stimulated migration of B16-F10 cells in the Boyden chamber assay in vitro with A-13 being the most potent stimulator. In addition, the 4 peptides inhibited laminin-induced cell attachment and migration, which indicates that these four sequences are possible functional B16-F10 cell binding sites in laminin-1. All the four sequences are located on the globular domains of the short arm. Other peptides, including strong adhesion-active peptides, A-24, -99, -112, and a scrambled A-13 peptide, did not stimulate either migration or metastasis. Thus, laminin-1 has multiple active sites in the globular domains of the short arm which promote migration and metastasis of B16-F10 cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Identification of endothelial cell binding sites on the laminin gamma 1 chain.

The laminins belong to a family of trimeric basement membrane glycoproteins with multiple domains, structures, and functions. Endothelial cells bind laminin-1 and form capillary-like structures when plated on a laminin-1-rich basement membrane matrix, Matrigel. Laminin-1 is composed of 3 chains, alpha1, beta1, and gamma1. Because laminin-1 is known to contain multiple biologically active sites, we have screened 156 synthetic overlapping peptides spanning the entire laminin gamma1 chain for potential angiogenic sequences. Only 7 of these peptides, designated as C16, C25, C30, C38, C64, C75, and C102, disrupted the formation of capillary-like structures by human umbilical vein endothelial cells on Matrigel. Dose-response experiments in the presence of 50 to 200 microg/mL showed that tube formation was prevented by most peptides at 150 and 200 microg/mL, except for C16, which showed strong activity at all concentrations. Active peptides promoted vessel sprouting from aorta rings and angiogenesis in the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. In addition, the active peptides also promoted endothelial cell adhesion to dishes coated with 0.1 microg of peptide and inhibited attachment to laminin-1 but not to plastic or fibronectin. Four of the active peptides, C25, C38, C75, and C102, may have cell-type specificity with endothelial cells, since they did not promote PC12 neurite outgrowth or adhesion of B16-F10 melanoma and human submandibular gland cells. These results suggest that specific laminin gamma1-chain peptides have angiogenic activity with potential therapeutic applications.

Allantois↗
PubMed1999

Bioconjugation of laminin peptide YIGSR with poly(styrene co-maleic acid) increases its antimetastatic effect on lung metastasis of B16-BL6 melanoma cells.

A comb-shaped polymeric modifier, SMA [poly(styrene comaleic anhydride)], which binds to plasma albumin in blood was used to modify the synthetic cell-adhesive laminin peptide YIGSR, and its inhibitory effect on experimental lung metastasis of B16-BL6 melanoma cells was examined. YIGSR was chemically conjugated with SMA via formation of an amide bond between the N-terminal amino group of YIGSR and the carboxyl anhydride of SMA. The antimetastatic effect of SMA-conjugated YIGSR was approximately 50-fold greater than that of native YIGSR. When injected intravenously, SMA-YIGSR showed a 10-fold longer plasma half-life than native YIGSR in vivo. In addition, SMA-YIGSR had the same binding affinity to plasma albumin as SMA, while native YIGSR did not bind to albumin. These findings suggested that the enhanced antimetastatic effect of SMA-YIGSR may be due to its prolonged plasma half-life by binding to plasma albumin, and that bioconjugation of in vivo unstable peptides with SMA may facilitate their therapeutic use.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Mechanism of salmon sperm decondensation by nucleoplasmin.

Removal of protamine from DNA-protamine (salmine, protamine from salmon sperm) complexes by nucleoplasmin was examined and compared with that of poly-L-glutamic acid (PLGA) using turbidity and ethidium bromide (EB) treatment methods. When nucleoplasmin or PLGA was added to a DNA-protamine complex solution, turbidity was decreased and the amount of EB intercalated into DNA was increased. These results suggest that nucleoplasmin and PLGA can remove protamine from DNA-protamine complexes. The effect of nucleoplasmin was more potent than that of PLGA. Direct interaction of nucleoplasmin with protamine was confirmed by mixing experiments using circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence spectroscopies. Results suggest that nucleoplasmin is bound to protamine in a 1:1 ratio and that Trp126 is located near a hydrophilic region containing a polyglutamic acid tract of nucleoplasmin which was obviously influenced by its binding with protamine. It would appear that the polyglutamic acid tract in nucleoplasmin plays a critical role for binding with protamine.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

The laminin-derived peptide YIGSR (Tyr-Ile-Gly-Ser-Arg) inhibits human pre-B leukaemic cell growth and dissemination to organs in SCID mice.

The YIGSR (Tyr-Ile-Gly-Ser-Arg) laminin beta1 chain sequence has an inhibitory effect on tumour growth and the metastasis of melanoma and fibrosarcoma cells. In the present study, we investigated whether the multimeric YIGSR peptide (Ac-Y16) has an antiproliferative effect and/or prevents the metastasis of human pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells (NALM6) in severe combined immune deficient (SCID) mice. In in vitro studies, Ac-Y16 significantly inhibited leukaemic cell colony formation and the invasion of NALM6 cells in a Matrigel-based assay. The tumour growth and leukaemic infiltration in peripheral tissues were also analysed in SCID mice 9 weeks after NALM6, Matrigel and Ac-Y16 were subcutaneously co-injected. The weight of the subcutaneous tumours was significantly suppressed by Ac-Y16 in a dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the leukaemic infiltration was significantly inhibited in all organs with 1.5-2.0 mg of Ac-Y16. Leukaemic infiltrations in the brain were inhibited with 0.5 mg of Ac-Y16, and those in brain and bone marrow were also inhibited with 1.0 mg of Ac-Y16. With Ac-S16, a control-scrambled peptide, the only significant inhibition of the leukaemic infiltration was observed in bone marrow at a much higher dose. These data suggest that the multimeric YIGSR peptide can inhibit the tumour growth and metastasis of leukaemic cells and may be useful as a potential therapeutic reagent for leukaemic infiltrations.

Actins↗
PubMed1999

Autocatalytic processing of the streptococcal cysteine protease zymogen: processing mechanism and characterization of the autoproteolytic cleavage sites.

The autocatalytic processing of the streptococcal cysteine protease zymogen (proSCP) to active streptococcal cysteine protease (SCP) was investigated in vitro using purified protein from Streptococcus pyogenes strain B220. It was found that the autocatalytic maturation of the zymogen proceeds through the sequential appearance of at least six intermediates, five of which were characterized through a combination of N-terminal sequencing and MS. Intermediates were identified as resulting from cleavages after Lys26, Asn41, Lys101, Ala112, and Lys118. Time-course studies of the proSCP processing gave a sigmoidal activity profile and indicated that proSCP catalyses its own transformation, mainly via an intermolecular processing mechanism. A similar sequential appearance of intermediates was observed when inactive Cys192Ser proSCP was treated with native, enzymatically active SCP, thus demonstrating that the maturation can exclusively proceed by a bimolecular mechanism. It was shown that proSCP, but not mature SCP, immobilized on a Sepharose resin is capable of liberating itself from the column, indicating that the zymogen is also capable of intramolecular processing. In order to test whether the amino acid sequences at the processing sites could be used for developing new, specific substrates, 3-amino benzoic acid octapeptide derivatives based on all five characterized amino acid sequences from the autoprocessing cleavage sites were synthesized and tested for activity. The 3-amino benzoic acid derivatives have kcat/KM values ranging from 1200 to 7700.M-1.s-1, making them very good endopeptidase substrates for SCP.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Significant role of laminin-1 in branching morphogenesis of mouse salivary epithelium cultured in basement membrane matrix.

Mouse submandibular epithelium shows branching morphogenesis in mesenchyme-free conditions when covered with a basement membrane matrix (Matrigel) in medium supplemented with epidermal growth factor. In the present study, the role of laminin-1 (LN1), a major glycoprotein of Matrigel, in this culture system was defined. When the epithelium was cultured in a LN1-nidogen gel, the epithelium showed much branching, comparable to that observed with Matrigel. By electron microscopy, only a felt-like matrix was formed on the epithelial surface in the LN1-nidogen gel cultures, while an organized basal lamina structure was formed on the epithelial surface in direct or transfilter recombination cultures with mesenchyme. Next, the epithelium covered with Matrigel was cultured in medium containing either biologically active peptides from LN1, IKVAV-including peptide (2097-2108), AG10 (2183-2194), AG32 (2370-2381) or AG73 (2719-2730) from the alpha1 chain, or YIGSR-including peptide (926-933) from the beta1 chain. Only AG73 (RKRLQVQLSIRT from the alpha1 chain carboxyl-terminal globular domain) inhibited the epithelial branching in Matrigel. These results suggest that LN1-nidogen can support the branching morphogenesis of submandibular epithelium even if LN1-nidogen is not assembled into an intact basal lamina, and that the AG73 sequence is an important site on LN1, which interacts with submandibular epithelial cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Immobilization of DNA by UV irradiation and its utilization as functional materials.

The water-insoluble DNA film was successfully prepared by UV irradiation. The DNA film was stable in water. It could effectively accumulated the DNA-binding intercalating materials, such as ethidium bromide, dibenzo-p-dioxin and benzo[a]pyrene, in their aqueous solutions. On the other hand, DNA was immobilized onto nonwoven cellulose fabrics, also by the UV irradiation. The DNA immobilized cloth was found to bind silver ions. The DNA-cloth containing silver ion showed antibacterial activity. The water-insoluble DNA prepared by UV irradiation has a potential ability to serve as biomaterials for medical, engineering and environmental objects.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Identification of laminin alpha1 and beta1 chain peptides active for endothelial cell adhesion, tube formation, and aortic sprouting.

Laminin-1 is a basement membrane glycoprotein that promotes several biological activities including cell attachment, tumor metastasis, and angiogenesis. Angiogenesis plays an important role in tissue formation, reproduction, wound healing, and several pathological conditions. In this study, we screened 405 synthetic peptides from the alpha1 and beta1 chains to identify potential sites on laminin-1 active with endothelial cells. Peptides were initially screened by testing both endothelial cell adhesion to peptide-coated wells and tube formation on Matrigel in the presence of soluble peptide. Twenty active peptides were identified in these screens. A secondary screen using the rat aortic ring sprouting assay identified 13 of the 20 peptides that stimulated endothelial sprouting. Several of these active peptides were also found to stimulate human umbilical vein endothelial cell migration in Boyden chamber assays. Differences in the amount of peptide needed for the response and in the resultant morphologies/responses were observed between the peptides in all of the assays. Our results suggest that several active domains on laminin-1 may play important roles in stimulating different steps in angiogenesis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Cell binding sequences in mouse laminin alpha1 chain.

Laminin-1, a multifunctional glycoprotein of the basement membrane, consists of three different subunits, alpha1, beta1, and gamma1 chains. Previously, we used synthetic peptides to screen for biologically active sequences in the laminin alpha1 chain C-terminal globular domain (G domain) and identified several cell binding sequences (Nomizu, M., Kim, W. H., Yamamura, K., Utani, A., Song, S. Y., Otaka, A., Roller, P. P., Kleinman, H. K., and Yamada, Y. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 20583-20590). Here, we identify new cell binding sequences on the remainder of the laminin alpha1 chain by systematic peptide screening, using 208 overlapping synthetic peptides encompassing the central and N-terminal portions of the alpha1 chain. HT-1080 cell attachment activity to the peptides was evaluated using peptide-coated plastic substrates and peptide-conjugated Sepharose beads. Twenty five peptides showed cell attachment activities on either the peptide-coated plastic substrates and/or the peptide-conjugated Sepharose beads. A-13 (RQVFQVAYIIIKA) showed strongest cell attachment activity in both the assays. Cell attachment to 14 of the peptides was inhibited by heparin. EDTA and integrin antibodies inhibited cell adhesion to two of the peptides, A-13 and A-25, suggesting that these sites likely bind to integrins. These peptides inhibited cell attachment to laminin-1 but not to collagen I, suggesting these active sites are available on the intact molecule. Most of active sequences were localized on globular domains suggesting that these structures play a critical role in binding to cell-surface receptors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Laminin-1 and laminin-2 G-domain synthetic peptides bind syndecan-1 and are involved in acinar formation of a human submandibular gland cell line.

The culture of human submandibular gland (HSG) cells on laminin-1 induces acinar differentiation. We identified a site on laminin involved in acinar differentiation using synthetic peptides derived from the C-terminal G-domain of the laminin alpha1 and alpha2 chains. The alpha1 chain peptide AG73 (RKRLQVQLSIRT) decreases the size of acini formed on laminin-1. Cells cultured with either AG73 or the homologous alpha2 chain peptide MG73 (KNRLTIELEVRT) form structures that appear acinar-like, but the cell nuclei are not polarized to the basal surface and no lumen formation occurs, indicating that additional sites on laminin are required for complete differentiation. The G-domain of laminin-1 contains both integrin and heparin binding sites, and anti-beta1-integrin antibodies disrupt acinar formation. Cell adhesion to the peptides and to E3, an elastase digest fragment of laminin-1 containing AG73, is specific, since other laminin peptides or EDTA do not compete the binding. Heparin and heparan sulfate decrease cell adhesion to AG73 and MG73 but anti-beta1-integrin antibodies have no effect. Treating the cell surface with heparitinase inhibits adhesion to both AG73 and MG73. We isolated cell surface ligands using both peptide affinity chromatography and laminin-1 affinity chromatography. Treating the material bound to the affinity columns with heparitinase and chondroitinase enriches for a core protein identified as syndecan-1 by Western blot analysis, thus identifying a syndecan-1 binding site in the globular domain of laminin-1 and laminin-2. In summary, multiple interactions between laminin and HSG cells contribute to acinar differentiation, involving both beta1-integrins and syndecan-1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Laminin-like proteins are differentially regulated during cerebellar development and stimulate granule cell neurite outgrowth in vitro.

The basement membrane glycoprotein laminin-1 is a potent stimulator of neurite outgrowth. Although a variety of laminin isoforms have been described in recent years, the role of alternative laminin isoforms in neural development remains largely uncharacterized. We found that a polyclonal antibody raised against the alpha1, beta1, and gamma1 chains of laminin-1 and a monoclonal antibody raised against the alpha2 chain of laminin-2 detect immunoreactive material in neuronal cell bodies in the developing mouse cerebellum. In addition, laminin-1-like immunoreactivity was found in cell types throughout the cerebellum, but laminin-alpha2-like immunoreactivity was restricted to the Purkinje cells. Purified laminin-1 and laminin-2 stimulated neurite outgrowth in primary cultures of mouse cerebellar granule neurons to a similar extent, whereas the synthetic peptides tested appeared to be active only for cell adhesion and not for stimulation of neurite outgrowth. The E8 proteolytic fragment of laminin-1 contained full neurite outgrowth activity. The identity of laminins expressed in granule neurons was also examined by Western blotting; laminin-like complexes were associated with the cell and appeared to have novel compositions. These results suggest that laminin-like complexes play important roles in cerebellar development.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Laminin-1 and the RKRLQVQLSIRT laminin-1 alpha1 globular domain peptide stimulate matrix metalloproteinase secretion by PC12 cells.

Here we have investigated the ability of laminin-1 and specific laminin-1-derived synthetic peptides to stimulate neuronal cell matrix metalloproteinase secretion. Zymographic analysis of conditioned media from laminin-1-treated PC12 and NG108-15 cells revealed a 72-kDa matrix metalloproteinase which was not secreted by untreated cells. Laminin-1 alpha1 chain-derived synthetic peptides, AASIKVAVSADR (LAM-L) and RKRLQVQLSIRT (AG-73), also stimulated PC12 cell secretion of a 72-kDa matrix metalloproteinase. We further investigated the structural requirements of AG-73 for cell attachment, neurite outgrowth, and matrix metalloproteinase secretion using a series of AG-73 analogs that had single amino acids substituted with alanine. At the substrate levels tested, the AG-73 peptide promoted the adhesion of 67% of the PC12 cells and neurite outgrowth in 71% of the PC12 cells. Substitutions in any one of the amino acids within the central LQVQ sequence resulted in a large reduction in cell attachment whereas substitution in the carboxyl terminal proximal amino acids L, S, and R had little effect on attachment. Alanine substitution of any of the amino terminal proximal LQV amino acids and the carboxyl terminal L, I, and R residues resulted in a 65-91% reduction in neurite outgrowth. These data demonstrate that the sequence requirements for cell attachment and neurite outgrowth were not necessarily coupled but that the sequence requirements for neurite outgrowth and matrix metalloproteinase secretion were identical. We conclude that laminin-1 is able to stimulate neuronal cells to secrete a matrix metalloproteinase. Further, this study identifies the LQVXLXIR laminin-1 alpha1 globular domain peptide to be capable of stimulating both neurite outgrowth and matrix metalloproteinase secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Laminin-alpha1-chain sequence Leu-Gln-Val-Gln-Leu-Ser-Ile-Arg (LQVQLSIR) enhances murine melanoma cell metastases.

We earlier screened overlapping synthetic peptides from the globular domain of the laminin alpha1 chain to identify active sites for cell attachment. We report here that one of the active cell-adhesion peptides, AG-73 (Arg-Lys-Arg-Leu-Gln-Val-Gln-Leu-Ser-Ile-Arg-Thr; RKRLQVQLSIRT) causes B16F10 murine melanoma cells to metastasize to the liver, a site not normally colonized by these cells. Increases in liver metastases and in lung colonization are observed in immune-deficient beige/nude/xid and in C57Bl/6 mice with this peptide. This metastatic activity was observed with i.v. and with i.p. peptide injections, regardless of tumor cell or of peptide-injection times. In vitro, the AG-73 peptide enhances tumor cell adhesion, migration, invasion, and gelatinase production, and blocks laminin-1-mediated cell migration. AG-73 was found to significantly inhibit cell adhesion to a proteolytic laminin-1 fragment, E3, containing the AG-73 sequence. Cell attachment to AG-73, the E3 fragment, and laminin-1 involved cation-dependent receptors. We report that a laminin peptide has the novel and unexpected activity of causing B16F10 melanoma cells, a lung selected cell line, to metastasize to the liver. The minimal active sequence of AG-73, LQVQLSIR, could be one of the most important biologically active sites of laminin-1, especially in promotion of the malignant phenotype. Activation of the malignant phenotype by this peptide provides a significant new model for understanding metastatic mechanisms.

Animals↗