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Biomedical subjects

R B Russell

Publications and source records attributed to R B Russell.

46 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Molecular biology of human renin and its gene.

This article describes investigations of several aspects of the molecular biology of the human renin gene and the three-dimensional structure of renin and its precursor, prorenin. Because of the importance of the RAS in hypertension, heart failure, renal failure, and possibly other disorders such as atherosclerosis, it is critical to understand the detailed control of this system. This control involves regulation at the transcriptional level, folding of prorenin, sorting of prorenin to a regulated pathway where it is proteolytically cleaved to renin and released in response to secretogogues, constitutive release of uncleaved prorenin, and nonproteolytic activation of prorenin. Currently there is great interest not only in the control of renin in the kidney, the sole source of circulating renin, but also at extrarenal sites where RAS activity may regulate cardiovascular functions. The renin gene was found to be expressed significantly in the renal juxtaglomerular cells and several other cell types. Most tissue culture cells did not express the gene; exceptions were cultured SK-LMS-1 cells and cAMP-stimulated human lung fibroblasts. Cultured human uterine-placental cells expressed the human renin gene at levels higher than in other cell types assessed. Renin mRNA had the same start site in the placental cells as the kidney and was regulated by calcium ionophores and cAMP. Thus, these cells provide primary nontransformed human cells to study the homologous human promoter. Transfected renin promoters showed cell type-specific expression and cAMP responsiveness in these cells in constructs containing as few as 102 bp of 5'-flanking DNA. DNA upstream from this appears to contain an inhibitory element(s) that may have some tissue specificity in its distribution. The cAMP response is not due to cAMP induction of a transcription factor that secondarily affects the renin promoter. A novel element may be involved, since the promoter does not contain a CRE element that mediates many cAMP responses, and the cells do not appear to respond to another known cAMP-responsive transcription factor, AP-2. Studies with transfected vectors expressing a mutant cAMP-responsive protein kinase A regulatory subunit suggest that cAMP is not responsible for basal renin promoter activity in the placental cells. By contrast, cAMP induces in essence gene activation in WI26VA4 transformed human lung fibroblasts in which renin mRNA levels increase by up to 150-fold in response to forskolin. Thus, cAMP may activate renin gene expression under certain circumstances and tissue-specific renin gene expression may be directed by more than one mechanism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

The role of the plastic surgery nurse collagen specialist.

Injectable collagen is an extremely effective treatment for the correction of facial soft tissue deformities due to minor contour irregularities. A specially trained nurse can be an integral part of the collagen treatment program in a plastic surgery office. The nurse must be motivated to inject collagen, must have the support of the supervising plastic surgeon, and must have confidence in his or her ability to make appropriate aesthetic judgements.

Collagen↗
PubMed1976

Antimalarial activity of some novel derivatives of 2,4-diamino-5(p-chlorophenyl)-6-ethylpyrimidine (pyrimethamine).

Thirteen new analogs of 2,4-diamino-5(p-chlorophenyl)-6-ethylpyrimidine (Daraprim, pyrimethamine) in which the alph position of the 6-ethyl substituent was modified were prepared. The respective oxygens analogs (ketals, ketone, alcohol), the dimethyl hydrazone, and the nitrone displayed activities in the range of 1/4 to 1/16 that of pyrimethamine toward Plasmodium berghei in mice. The therapeutic ratios of some of these compounds may be slightly better than that of pyrimethamine.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Rejection of HLA identical related kidney transplants.

Three cases are described in each of which an HLA identical kidney transplant from a brother was rejected forcefully by the recipient and only one graft survived for more than a year. Rejection of this type is most unusual with well matched grafts and may have been triggered by a system of major antigens that are unassociated with those that are currently recognised.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

On the evolution of protein folds: are similar motifs in different protein folds the result of convergence, insertion, or relics of an ancient peptide world?

This paper presents and discusses evidence suggesting how the diversity of domain folds in existence today might have evolved from peptide ancestors. We apply a structure similarity detection method to detect instances where localized regions of different protein folds contain highly similar sequences and structures. Results of performing an all-on-all comparison of known structures are described and compared with other recently published findings. The numerous instances of local sequence and structure similarities within different protein folds, together with evidence from proteins containing sequence and structure repeats, argues in favor of the evolution of modern single polypeptide domains from ancient short peptide ancestors (antecedent domain segments (ADSs)). In this model, ancient protein structures were formed by self-assembling aggregates of short polypeptides. Subsequently, and perhaps concomitantly with the evolution of higher fidelity DNA replication and repair systems, single polypeptide domains arose from the fusion of ADSs genes. Thus modern protein domains may have a polyphyletic origin.

Amino Acid Motifs↗