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Biomedical subjects

N Narang

Publications and source records attributed to N Narang.

50 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Alcohol dehydrogenase of Biomphalaria glabrata (Molusca: Pulmonata): polymorphism, genetic analysis, and interspecific variations.

Alcohol dehydrogenase of Biomphalaria glabrata has been characterized by electrophoresis, substrate specificities, and other physiochemical means. It exists as a multiple molecular form possessing a minimum number of three bands in ovotestis, five in digestive gland, and six in albumen gland. Each organ shows characteristic electrophoretic forms which differ in substrate specificities and the response to the organomercurial inhibitor p-hydroxymercuribenzoate. Mercaptoethanol treatment has no effect on any electrophoretic form. Genetic analyses of the electrophoretic variants show that three different loci are responsible for the synthesis of the various electrophoretic forms observed in this species. Different species vary in their electrophoretic patterns. A possible role of alcohol dehydrogenase isozymes in the phylogenetic relationship among three species, B. glabrata, B. tenagophila, and B. straminea, has been discussed.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1976

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase of Biomphalaria glabrata (Say , 1818) (Mollusca: Pulmonata). Characterization and inheritance pattern.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase of Biomphalaria glabrata has been characterized by electrophoresis, kinetic properties and inheritance pattern. It exists as a single electrophoretic band with no polymorphism in the natural population studied during the present investigations. There are no organ-specific differences in electrophoretic pattern. The enzyme from the homogenates of various organs e.g., albumen gland, digestive gland, ovotestis and columellar muscle show similar physico-chemical parameters, such as optima for pH, NADP and glucose-6-phosphate. Incorporation of NADP is essential for maintaining the stability of the enzyme, failing which, there appear artifactual variations in electrophoretic mobility of the enzyme. The apparent lack of polymorphism in natural population of Biomphalaria glabrata has been discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Malate dehydrogenase of a mosquito, Culex p. quinquefasciatus: developmental changes, polymorphism, and physicochemical characterization.

Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) of larval, pupal, and adult stages of Culex p. quinquefasciatus has been characterized by electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, and other physicochemical means. It exists as a multiple molecular form possessing a large number of isoenzymes, from a minimum of three in early instar larvae to as many as 14 in adults. The isoenzyme pattern changes during development with respect to both relative activity and the appearance of some new forms and disappearance of others. Each developmental stage possesses a characteristic electrophoretic and gel isoelectric focusing pattern. MDH isoenzymes differ in their response to heat and thiol reagents. Similar electrophoretic variants from larvae, pupae, and adults show great differences in their response to heat treatment at 50 C and 56 C, indicating some differentiation of isoenzymes in each stage of development. Homogenization of whole mosquitos in mercaptoethanol solution results in a sharp increase in the activity of the principal bands and a decrease or disappearance of minor ones. The possibility of some minor bands being "conformers" arising due to nongenetic factors is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A sensitive and rapid HPLC-ECD method for the simultaneous analysis of norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin and their primary metabolites in brain tissue.

This report details a very sensitive, rapid and accurate ion-pair HPLC-ECD method for the analysis of biogenic amines and their metabolites in brain tissue. The method described enables detection of picogram amounts of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy phenethyleneglycol (MHPG) (37 pg), 3,4-dihydroxy phenylacetic acid (DOPAC) (18 pg), norepinephrine (NE) (12 pg), epinephrine (E) (6 pg), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) (18 pg), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine (DA) (6 pg), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (HVA) (12 pg) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) (12 pg). The linearity of the method is from 18.75 ng/mL to 300 ng/mL for MHPG; 9.37 to 150 ng/mL for DOPAC and 5-HIAA; 6.25 to 100 ng/mL for NE, HVA and 5-HT; and from 3.12 to 100 ng/mL for E and DA. The reproducibility, expressed as coefficient of variance (CV%) within-run and between-run groups, was 2.25% and 19.49% for MHPG; 3.84% and 29.84% for DOPAC; 0.89% and 8.97% for NE; 1.26% and 5.61% for E; 1.07% and 28.77% for 5-HIAA; 2.65% and 10.65% for DA; 5.97% and 24.38% for HVA; and 4.44% and 9.45% for 5-HT.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Decreased carbachol-stimulated inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate formation in senescent rat cerebral cortical slices.

It is well established that muscarinic cholinergic receptors are linked to phosphoinositide hydrolysis in brain. Previous studies of muscarinic responses used Li+ to increase inositol phosphate accumulation and suggested little or no change during aging. Li+ disrupts certain aspects of the inositol phosphate metabolism and inhibits the formation of inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate [Ins(1,3,4,5)P4]. Ins(1,3,4,5)P4 appears to have second messenger functions. To investigate the effects of aging on agonist stimulated Ins(1,3,4,5)P4 formation, young (6-8 months) and old (28-30 months) Fischer 344 rat cerebral cortical or hippocampal slices were challenged with various agonists known to stimulate phosphoinositide hydrolysis in brain using a recently developed assay that does not use Li+. Carbachol and quisqualate stimulated [3H]inositol trisphosphate ([3H]InsP3) and [3H]Ins(1,3,4,5)P4 formation in young and old rat cerebral cortical slices. Norepinephrine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and vasopressin failed to stimulate [3H]Ins(1,3,4,5)P4 or [3H]InsP3 formation in either young or old rat cerebral cortical slices. In old rat cerebral cortical slices, the carbachol-stimulated [3H]Ins(1,3,4,5)P4 formation was reduced by 44%. Angiotensin II stimulated [3H]InsP3 was increased (219%) in old rats. There was no influence of aging either on the basal level or on the maximal response to carbachol or quisqualate in hippocampal slices. These studies suggest region-specific changes in phosphoinositide hydrolysis during aging.

Aging↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Isozymes of Culex p. fatigans. I. An esterase locus in linkage group III and its variability in natural populations.

Acrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed 19 frequent and 4 rare sites of esterase activity in various Brazilian populations of Culex p. fatigans. One pair of allozymes designated as Est-1 F and Est-1 S was selected for detailed investigation. Est-1 locus shows independent assortment from linkage group I marker, sex, and linkage group II markers, yellow and ruby, and therefore is assigned to linkage group III. Gene frequencies of Est-1 F varied from 0.49 to 0.92 in various Brazilian populations. Inhibition studies suggest that Est-1 F and Est-1 S are ali-esterases.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Differences in renal tubular Na-K-adenosine triphosphatase in spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive rats.

Na-K-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity in seven specific renal tubular segments of 8-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) was compared with age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Systolic blood pressure in 8-week-old SHR were significantly higher than in age-matched WKY. Na-K-ATPase activity in proximal convoluted tubule and outer and inner medullary collecting ducts was significantly higher in SHR than in WKY. On the other hand, medullary thick ascending limbs had reduced Na-K-ATPase activity in SHR. The possible role of the abnormal pattern of renal tubular Na-K-ATPase in the development of hypertension in SHR remains to be determined.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Suppression of ouabain-insensitive K-ATPase activity in rabbit nephron segments during chronic hyperkalemia.

Recently, we demonstrated that an ATPase stimulated by K (and not inhibited by ouabain, Na-K-ATPase inhibitor) is present in the connecting tubule (CNT) and collecting duct segments of the rabbit. In this study, we determined the effects of high- and low-K diet on K-ATPase activity in the CNT and collecting duct segments of rabbit. One group of animals was given a low-K diet (34 mEq/kg diet) and the other group was given a high-K diet (700 mEq/kg diet) for 1 week. K-ATPase activity was measured by a microfluorometric assay in which ATP hydrolysis is coupled to oxidation of NADH. Low-K animals had plasma K = 3.1 +/- 0.2 as compared with 5.5 +/- 0.5 mEq/l in high-K animals. Low-K animals had significant K-ATPase activity in CNT, CCD (cortical collecting duct) and MCD (medullary collecting duct). On the other hand, K-ATPase activity in all 3 segments from high-K animals was not significantly different from zero. These results support a hypothesis that chronic K loading suppresses the ouabain-insensitive K-ATPase in the distal nephron.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of low-potassium diet on N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive ATPase in the distal nephron segments.

The present study was undertaken to investigate whether or not potassium deficiency influences N-ethylmaleimide (NEM)-sensitive ATPase in the distal nephron segments of the rat. One group of animals was fed a low-K diet, whereas the normal K-group was given the same diet after supplementation with KCl. The nephron segments examined were: the medullary and cortical thick ascending limbs, the distal convoluted tubule, and the cortical, outer and inner medullary collecting ducts. NEM-sensitive ATPase activity in microdissected segments was measured by a fluorometric microassay. The plasma K+ concentration in the low-K group was 3.1 +/- 0.3 mEq/l compared with 4.2 +/- 0.1 mEq/l in the normal-K group. NEM-sensitive ATPase activity in the outer medullary collecting duct of low-K diet animals was significantly greater than in normal-K animals. There was no significant difference in NEM-sensitive ATPase activity between the two groups of animals in the other nephron segments examined. It is suggested that NEM-sensitive H-ATPase activity in the outer medullary collecting duct is modulated by the potassium status of the animal.

Animals↗