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Biomedical subjects

N L Edwards

Publications and source records attributed to N L Edwards.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Altered purine and pyrimidine metabolism in erythrocytes with purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency.

Purine and pyrimidine metabolism was compared in erythrocytes from three patients from two families with purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency and T-cell immunodeficiency, one heterozygote subject for this enzyme deficiency, one patient with a complete deficiency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, and two normal subjects. The erythrocytes from the heterozygote subject were indistinguishable from the normal erythrocytes. The purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficient erythrocytes had a block in the conversion of inosine to hypoxanthine. The erythrocytes with 0.07% of normal purine nucleoside phosphorylase activity resembled erythrocytes with hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency by having an elevated intracellular concentration of PP-ribose-P, increased synthesis of PP-ribose-P, and an elevated rate of carbon dioxide release from orotic acid during its conversion to UMP. Two hypotheses to account for the associated immunodeficiency--that the enzyme deficiency leads to a block of PP-ribose-P synthesis or inhibition of pyrimidine synthesis--could not be supported by observations in erythrocytes from both enzyme-deficient families.

Child↗
PubMed1980

Histochemical evaluation of lymphocytes in hypogammaglobulinemia. Decreased number of 5'-nucleotidase-positive cells.

With the use of a histochemical technique, 5'-nucleotidase activity was examined in peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with primary hypogammaglobulinemia. Our current study demonstrates that the decrease in 5'-nucleotidase activity in congenital agammaglobulinemia, previously demonstrated by a radiochemical assay, is associated with a reduction in the number of cells containing 5'-nucleotidase rather than with a decrease of the enzyme activity per cell. Both sheep erythrocyte rosette-forming and nonrosette-forming PBMs have reduced percentages of 5'-nucleotidase-containing cells in subjects with the enzyme deficiency. The reduced percentage of 5'-nucleotidase-containing mononuclear cells in patients with congenital agammaglobulinemia was evident in both monocyte-contaminated and monocyte-depleted cell preparations.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Biochemical basis for differential deoxyadenosine toxicity to T and B lymphoblasts: role for 5'-nucleotidase.

Deoxyadenosine metabolism was investigated in cultured human cells to elucidate the biochemical basis for the sensitivity of T lymphoblasts and the resistance of B lymphoblasts to deoxyadenosine toxicity. T lymphoblasts have a 20-to 45-fold greater capacity to synthesize deoxyadenosine nucleotides than B lymphoblasts at deoxyadenosine concentrations of 50--300 micron. During the synthesis of dATP, T lymphoblasts accumulate large quantities of dADP, whereas B lymphoblasts do not accumulate dADP. Enzymes affecting deoxyadenosine nucleotide synthesis were assayed in these cells. No substantial differences were evident in activities of deoxyadenosine kinase (ATP: deoxyadenosine 5'-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.76) or deoxyadenylate kinase [ATP:(d)AMP phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.4.11]. The activity of 5'-nucleotidase (5'-ribonucleotide phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.5) was increased 44-fold for AMP and 7-fold for dAMP in B lymphoblasts. A model for the regulation of deoxyadenosine nucleotide synthesis by 5'-nucleotidase activity is proposed on the basis of the observations.

Adenosine Deaminase↗
PubMed1979

Distribution of 5'-nucleotidase in human lymphoid tissues.

Low activity of 5'-nucleotidase (5'-ribonucleotide phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.5) in T lymphoblasts may explain the marked sensitivity of this cell to deoxynucleotide accumulation when compared to B lymphoblasts. The relevance of such observations with cultured cells to the normal immune system requires the demonstration of similar differences in the 5'-nucleotidase activity of normal human lymphocyte subpopulations. Sheep erythrocyte (E) rosette-forming cells from normal thymus, tonsil, and peripheral mononuclear cells have 5'-nucleotidase activities of 1.7, 11.3, and 21.2 nmol/hr per 10(6) cells. Non-E-rosette forming cells from the peripheral blood or tonsil have 5'-nucleotidase activity comparable to the higher levels found in the peripheral E-RFC. Increased levels of 5'-nucleotidase activity may be a marker for post-thymic T lymphocytes. T lymphoblasts have 5'-nucleotidase activity similar to values demonstrated for E-RFC in thymus, whereas cultured B lymphoblasts have 5'-nucleotidase activity 15 times greater than that of T lymphoblasts. On the basis of these observations, the 5'-nucleotidase deficiency in congenital agammaglobulinemia has been reevaluated. In these patients the data indicate that peripheral E-rosette forming cells have the enzyme deficiency, demonstrating an abnormality of T lymphocytes in this disorder of immunoglobulin production.

Agammaglobulinemia↗
PubMed1979

Overproduction of uric acid in hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency. Contribution by impaired purine salvage.

The contribution of reduced purine salvage to the hyperuricemia associated with hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency was measured by the intravenous administration of tracer doses of [8-(14)C]adenine to nine patients with normal enzyme activity, three patients with a partial deficiency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, and six patients with the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. The mean cumulative excretion of radioactivity 7 d after the adenine administration is 5.6+/-2.4, 12.9+/-0.9, and 22.3+/-4.7% of infused radioactivity for control subjects, partial hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient subjects, and Lesch-Nyhan patients, respectively. To assess relative rates of nucleotide degradation in control and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient patients two separate studies were employed. With [8-(14)C]inosine administration, three control subjects excreted 3.7-8.5% and two enzyme-deficient patients excreted 26.5-48.0% of the injected radioactivity in 18 h. The capacity of the nucleotide catabolic pathway to accelerate in response to d-fructose was evaluated in control and enzyme-deficient patients. The normal metabolic response to intravenous fructose is a 7.5+/-4.2-mmol/g creatinine increase in total urinary purines during the 3-h after the infusion. The partial hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient subjects and Lesch-Nyhan patients show increases of 18.6+/-10.8 and 17.3+/-11.8 mmol/g creatinine, respectively. Of the observed rise in purine exretion in control subjects, 40% occurs from inosine excretion and 32% occurs from oxypurine excretion. The rise in total purine excretion with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome is almost entirely accounted for by an elevated uric acid excretion. Increases in urine radioactivity after fructose infusion are distributed in those purines that are excreted in elevated quantities.The observations suggest that purine salvage is a major contributor to increased purine excretion and that the purine catabolic pathway responds differently to an increased substrate load in hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency. The purine salvage pathway is normally an important mechanism for the reutilization of hypoxanthine in man.

Adenine↗
PubMed1978

Lymphocyte ecto-5'-nucleotidase deficiency in agammaglobulinemia.

Fresh peripheral blood lymphocytes from eight patients with congenital agammaglobulinemia demonstrate reduced ecto-5'-nucleotidase activity when compared to the mean activity of normal subjects and patients with other forms of immunoglobulin deficiency. A specific defect of ecto-5'-nucleotidase is further suggested by normal values for lymphocyte ecto-adenosinetriphosphatase and ecto-nonspecific phosphatase. The data provide evidence for an enzyme deficiency in this X-linked, B lymphocyte deficiency syndrome.

Agammaglobulinemia↗