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N Porchet

Publications and source records attributed to N Porchet.

84 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Structural features of the core proteins of human airway mucins ascertained by cDNA cloning.

Tracheobronchial secretions are one of the most important elements of the mucociliary system that protects the respiratory mucosa. They contain bronchial mucus, which is composed of a group of macromolecules secreted by the goblet cells of the epithelium and the submucosal glands. Bronchial mucins are the most characteristic molecules of this mucus. They form a group of complex, polydispersed O-linked glycoproteins containing sugars, which make up 80% of their weight. The protein core of human airway mucin has been difficult to sequence by traditional technologies because of its high content of serine and threonine residues linked to numerous oligosaccharide chains. We therefore prepared a lambda gt11 cDNA library from one sample of human tracheobronchial mucosa and screened this library with a polyclonal antibody directed against the apopeptides of human bronchial mucins. We obtained 20 positive clones that were sequenced. These sequences were classified into three different types. The use of the nucleotide probes from these clones in Northern blot analysis showed that the RNA messages were extremely polydispersed. At the current time, four of these probes allow us to map human tracheobronchial mucins genes to at least three different chromosomes. These results suggest that the peptide moiety of the human airway mucin is very heterogeneous.

Bronchi↗
PubMed1991

Evidence for different human tracheobronchial mucin peptides deduced from nucleotide cDNA sequences.

Highly glycosylated regions or glycopeptides were obtained by proteolysis of human tracheobronchial mucins. They were chemically deglycosylated and the resulting products were used to raise a rabbit antiserum. This antiserum specifically recognized the superanuclear region of respiratory and colonic goblet cells as areas around and below the nucleus of mucin-secreting cells in tracheobronchial mucous glands. A lambda gt11 cDNA library constructed from human tracheobronchial mucosa was screened with this antiserum. Ten positive clones were obtained from screening half of the library (about 10(6) recombinants). The antibodies were purified by absorption to each positive clone; some purified antibodies were specific for goblet cells and others recognized both goblet and mucous cells, indicating that there is differential cellular expression of mucin peptides. The total or partial amino acid sequences deduced from these cDNA clones could be classified into three groups. The first group contained repetitive sequences of eight amino acid residues, almost perfectly identical, and in different arrangements. The second type exhibited homology at their amino and carboxy-terminal ends. The last group had no distinctive feature except for a high content of hydroxy amino acids typical of mucins. Five different clones could correspond to the carboxy-terminal end of tracheobronchial apomucins. These results indicate that human tracheobronchial apomucins consist of a family of different proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Assignment of human tracheobronchial mucin gene(s) to 11p15 and a tracheobronchial mucin-related sequence to chromosome 13.

Extensive heterogeneity of tracheobronchial mucin RNAs has been described recently. Based on the results of total or partial cDNA sequencing, the mucin cDNAs obtained were classified into three groups. The first group contained 24 bp tandem repeat sequences, the second exhibited homology at their amino- and carboxyl-terminals, and the third group seems to consist of alternative hydrophilic-hydrophobic zones. JER58, JER47 and JER57 probes, representing the first, second, and third tracheobronchial mucin families respectively, were used for chromosome assignment. In human DNAs digested with BamHI, the JER58 probe detected a sequence of 21 kb, the JER47 probe detected a major sequence of 21 kb and a minor sequence of 4 kb, and the JER57 probe detected two sequences of 1.8 kb and 1.3 kb. By somatic hybrid cell analysis, the JER58. JER47, and JER57 major sequences were assigned to chromosome 11 and the JER47 minor sequence to chromosome 13. By in situ hybridization the JER58, JER47 and JER57 probes were assigned to 11p15. Under the experimental conditions used, no specific hybridization to the chromosome 13 region was observed with the JER47 probe. Our results indicate that tracheobronchial mucin gene(s) is/are localized on 11p15. The minor JER47 BamHI sequence localized on chromosome 13 probably corresponds to a tracheal-mucin related sequence. The intestinal mucin gene was also recently localized to the same 11p15 region. Intestinal and tracheobronchial mucins appear different according to their tissue distribution and their cDNA nucleotide sequences. Tracheal mucin probes (JER58, JER47, JER57) and intestinal probes may represent independent genes on 11p15 or else different mRNAs from the same primary transcript produced by differential splicing. Further studies using mucin genomic probes for 11p15 will be required for the elucidation of tracheal and intestinal mucin gene organisation in this region.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Diversity of the peptide moiety of human airway mucins.

A lambda gt11 cDNA library constructed from human tracheal mucosa was screened with rabbit antibodies raised to chemically deglycosylated pronase glycopeptides from bronchial mucins. This library allowed us to select 20 positive clones. The total or partial nucleotide sequences of 14 of them were classified in three different types of organization or families. Antibodies purified from total immuneserum on each positive clone were specific either of goblet cells or goblet cells and mucous cells, showing a differential cellular expression of the peptide axis of mucins. The use of each type of nucleic probe in Northern blot analysis confirmed the existence of a great heterogeneity of the RNAs contributing to a great peptide heterogeneity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Biochemical contribution to diagnosis and study of a new case of D-glyceric acidemia/aciduria.

During organic acid screening by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, we detected a large peak corresponding to glyceric acid in a patient's urine sample. The D(+) configuration was demonstrated by a polarimetric method and by enzymatic stereospecificity of D-glycerate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.29). We biochemically investigated this fifth reported case of D-glyceric acidemia. In our patient, loading tests with L-serine and fructose led to an increase of D-glyceric acid in both plasma and urine. Determination of other metabolites involved in D-glycerate metabolism revealed no abnormality in any sample examined. After comparing all our results with those of the preceding observations described in the literature, we suggest a possible enzymatic defect located on one of the metabolic pathways shared by fructose and L-serine, possibly at the level of hepatic D-glycerate kinase (EC 2.7.1.31). Nevertheless, a primary defect of L-serine catabolism cannot be entirely excluded.

Chemical Phenomena↗
PubMed1983

Possible amino acid repetitive sequences in the proline-rich glycoprotein of human parotid saliva.

The amino acid sequence of the proline-rich glycoprotein from human parotid saliva was studied using different preparations: native glycoprotein, tryptic glycopeptides, and their chemically deglycosylated homologous derivatives. The results indicate very similar structural features of the proline-rich glycoprotein and the tryptic glycopeptides and suggest that the peptide backbone of the glycoprotein comprises several repetitive domains containing one carbohydrate-peptide linkage and a proline-rich sequence. These data are in fair agreement with a preceding circular dichroism study (Aubert, J.P., Porchet, N., Boersma, A., Loucheux-Lefevbre, M.H. and Degand, P. (1982) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 704, 361-365).

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1982

Circular dichroism studies on the proline-rich glycoprotein of human parotid saliva.

Previous results on the primary structure of the human parotid saliva proline-rich glycoprotein established the concept of repetitive domains in the sequence of that glycoprotein, tryptic glycopeptides of proline-rich glycoprotein representing the basic structure. The present work is concerned with the study of the secondary structure of the proline-rich glycoprotein, and of tryptic glycopeptides with and without the glycan moiety, using circular dichroism. CD spectra exhibit the same secondary structure with about 60% of polyproline II helical structure for the proline-rich glycoprotein, tryptic glycopeptides and their deglycosylated homologues. The present results are in fair agreement with the amino acid sequence results and suggest a model for the schematic representation of the proline-rich glycoprotein.

Calcium↗
PubMed1979

Determination of amniotic fluid phospholipids by thin-layer chromatography, with use of a hydrogen flame ionization detector.

We describe a new specific method for measuring lecithin, sphingomyelin, and phosphatidylglycerol in amniotic fluid by thin-layer chromatography, with use of a hydrogen flame ionization detector. After extraction and acetone precipitation to isolate surface-active lecithin, the phospholipids are separated on a thin rod of refractory and chemically stable material, having an outer coating of a bonded, sintered partition medium. Two solvent systems are used to develop the chromatograms, chloroform/methanol/water to separate lecithin and sphingomyelin, tetrahydrofuran/methylal/methanol for phosphatidylglycerol. Then the rod is passed through an hydrogen flame; the resulting ions produced generate a current, which is amplified and fed to a potentiometric recorder. The height of integral curves was proportional to the area under each peak. For quantitation we used an internal standard (lysolecithin in the first system. phosphatidyldimethylethanolamine in the second). The method requires less than 5 mL of amniotic fluid; results are available within 6 h.

Amniotic Fluid↗
PubMed1979

[Adaptation to Gemsaec centrigugal analyser of a method of turbidimetric estimation of amylase (author's transl)].

Hydrolysis of a solution of amylopectin by serum or urinary amylase leads to a reduction of the turbidity of this solution, observed at 340 nm. Adapted to centrifugal analysis, this method permits 15 estimations in 3 minutes with a serial reproducibility of 2.7 per cent, and a daily reproducibility of 6 per cent. The correlation with a nephelemetric method of estimation gives r = 0,969, with an enzyme method r = 0,957 and with an amyloclastic method, r = 0,919.

Amylases↗
PubMed1977

[Exact determination of the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio in amniotic fluid. Suggestion of a reference methods (author's transl)].

Pulmonary maturity of the fetus can be evaluated by the lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio in amniotic fluid. To existing methods of lipid extraction, precipitation with acetone and chromatography, we add a simple and accurate estimation of sphingomyelins (S) and precipitated lecithins (Lp) without acid digestion. The method is reproducible (C.V. less than 9%) for the measurement of Lp/S ratio and gives with accuracy the concentrations of Lp, avoiding possible errors in interpretation of Lp/S. Our results show that at 35 weeks of normal gestation, Lp/S ratio is about 2 and Lp concentration, 10 mg/1.

Amniotic Fluid↗