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Biomedical subjects

R Daly

Publications and source records attributed to R Daly.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Identification of Tek/Tie2 binding partners. Binding to a multifunctional docking site mediates cell survival and migration.

The Tek/Tie2 receptor tyrosine kinase plays a pivotal role in vascular and hematopoietic development. To study the signal transduction pathways that are mediated by this receptor, we have used the yeast two-hybrid system to identify signaling molecules that associate with the phosphorylated Tek receptor. Using this approach, we demonstrate that five molecules, Grb2, Grb7, Grb14, Shp2, and the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase can interact with Tek in a phosphotyrosine-dependent manner through their SH2 domains. Mapping of the binding sites of these molecules on Tek reveals the presence of a multisubstrate docking site in the carboxyl tail of Tek (Tyr(1100)). Mutation of this site abrogates binding of Grb2 and Grb7 to Tek in vivo, and this site is required for tyrosine phosphorylation of Grb7 and p85 in vivo. Furthermore, stimulation of Tek-expressing cells with Angiopoietin-1 results in phosphorylation of both Tek and p85 and in activation of endothelial cell migration and survival pathways that are dependent in part on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Angiopoietin-1-induced signaling from the Tek receptor is mediated by a multifunctional docking site that is responsible for activation of both cell migration and cell survival pathways.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Medical assessment of patients presenting with psychiatric symptoms in the emergency setting.

Psychiatrists in the emergency department (ED) are often asked to evaluate patients with disturbances of affect, behavior, and cognition. The first and most crucial step in the evaluation process is to eliminate possible medical causes for a patient presenting psychiatric symptoms. Failure to detect and diagnose underlying medical disorders may result in significant and unnecessary morbidity and mortality.

Delirium↗

Accelerated mammary tumor development in mutant polyomavirus middle T transgenic mice expressing elevated levels of either the Shc or Grb2 adapter protein.

The Grb2 and Shc adapter proteins play critical roles in coupling activated growth factor receptors to several cellular signaling pathways. To assess the role of these molecules in mammary epithelial development and tumorigenesis, we have generated transgenic mice which individually express the Grb2 and Shc proteins in the mammary epithelium. Although mammary epithelial cell-specific expression of Grb2 or Shc accelerated ductal morphogenesis, mammary tumors were rarely observed in these strains. To explore the potential role of these adapter proteins in mammary tumorigenesis, mice coexpressing either Shc or Grb2 and a mutant form of polyomavirus middle T (PyV mT) antigen in the mammary epithelium were generated. Coexpression of either Shc or Grb2 with the mutant PyV mT antigen resulted in a dramatic acceleration of mammary tumorigenesis compared to parental mutant PyV mT strain. The increased rate of tumor formation observed in these mice was correlated with activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor family and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. These observations suggest that elevated levels of the Grb2 or Shc adapter protein can accelerate mammary tumor progression by sensitizing the mammary epithelial cell to growth factor receptor signaling.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Mental disorder and violence. A special (high security) hospital study.

BACKGROUND: From a first clinical description of a complete resident sample of special (high security) hospital patients, we examined the association between mental disorder and violence. METHOD: A record survey of all 1740 patients resident at any time between 1 January and 30 June 1993, inclusive, and, for most, the official criminal record. RESULTS: 1015 patients (58%) had functional psychosis, one-quarter of whom also had an independent personality disorder; 461 (26%) had personality disorders uncomplicated by psychosis, and 264 (16%) had learning disabilities. Pre-admission substance misuse, which was probably under-recorded, had been most common among those with psychosis and an independent personality disorder. Less than 10% had never been convicted of a criminal offence, although 25% had been admitted directly from other hospitals. Direct personal violence was more common among men, and fire-setting among women. Schizophrenia was most strongly associated with personal violence. More than 75% of those with a psychosis were recorded as being driven to offend by their delusions. In the absence of delusions, hallucinations had no such effect. CONCLUSIONS: For people with personality disorder better clinical descriptions seem essential. For people with a pure psychosis, as symptoms were usually a factor driving the index offence, treatment appears as important for public safety as for personal health.

Adult↗

Dynamin binds to SH3 domains of phospholipase C gamma and GRB-2.

Src homology 3 (SH3) domains are found in a variety of proteins that are involved in signal transduction or represent components of the cytoskeleton. These domains are thought to serve as modules that mediate specific protein-protein interactions that include proline-rich sequences on the target protein. We have identified proteins of 110, 80, 65, and 43 kDa in human embryonic fibroblasts that bind specifically to the SH3 domain of phospholipase C gamma, a primary substrate of receptor tyrosine kinases, and characterized the 110-kDa band as the microtubule-activated GTPase dynamin. In addition, dynamin binds the son of sevenless adaptor protein GRB-2 with even higher affinity. This interaction does not require the dynamin GTPase function and involves a proline-rich target sequence between residues 812 and 820 of dynamin.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Allopurinol pretreatment improves postoperative recovery and reduces lipid peroxidation in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

In this prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the clinical, biochemical, and hemodynamic effects of xanthine oxidase inhibition in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting were assessed. Allopurinol pretreatment significantly reduced the use of inotropic support after the operation (5 of 25 patients versus 13 of 25 patients, p < 0.01) and increased the rate of peripheral warming (11.4 +/- 0.85 hours versus 14.4 +/- 1 hours, p < 0.02). Twenty patients (9 in the allopurinol group and 11 in the placebo group) underwent invasive hemodynamic monitoring and intraoperative coronary sinus cannulation. The cardiac indexes of both groups were similar before the operation and for the first postoperative hour; thereafter, the cardiac index increased significantly in only the active treatment group (F = 3.33 and df = 5.90, p < 0.004). Products of lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) increased significantly in only the placebo group, with increases being evident both in the systemic circulation (9.5 +/- 3.2 nmol/gm albumin, p < 0.007, and 24 +/- 5 nmol/gm albumin, p < 0.001, at 30 seconds and 2 minutes of reperfusion, respectively) and the coronary sinus (19.4 +/- 5.8 nmol/gm albumin, p < 0.004, and 28 +/- 4 nmol/gm albumin, p < 0.001, at 2 and 5 minutes of reperfusion, respectively. No significant difference was evident between the groups with respect to cardiac enzyme or vitamin E release. It is proposed that xanthine oxidase inhibition exerts its beneficial effects by reducing the level of free radical activity associated with reperfusion during coronary artery bypass grafting.

Adult↗

Guanine-nucleotide-releasing factor hSos1 binds to Grb2 and links receptor tyrosine kinases to Ras signalling.

Many of the actions of receptor tyrosine kinases are mediated by the protein Ras, including the activation of various downstream serine/threonine kinases and the stimulation of growth and differentiation. The human protein Grb2 binds to ligand-activated growth factor receptors and downstream effector proteins through its Src-homology (SH) domains SH2 and SH3, respectively, and like its homologue from Caenorhabditis elegans, Sem-5, apparently forms part of a highly conserved pathway by which these receptors can control Ras activity. Here we show that the SH3 domains of Grb2 bind to the carboxy-terminal part of hSos1, the human homologue of the Drosophila guanine-nucleotide-releasing factor for Ras, which is essential for control of Ras activity by epidermal growth factor receptor and sevenless. Moreover, a synthetic 10-amino-acid peptide containing the sequence PPVPPR specifically blocks the interaction. These results indicate that the Grb2/hSos1 complex couples activated EGF receptor to Ras signalling.

3T3 Cells↗

The SH2/SH3 domain-containing protein GRB2 interacts with tyrosine-phosphorylated IRS1 and Shc: implications for insulin control of ras signalling.

GRB2, a small protein comprising one SH2 domain and two SH3 domains, represents the human homologue of the Caenorhabditis elegans protein, sem-5. Both GRB2 and sem-5 have been implicated in a highly conserved mechanism that regulates p21ras signalling by receptor tyrosine kinases. In this report we show that in response to insulin, GRB2 forms a stable complex with two tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins. One protein is the major insulin receptor substrate IRS-1 and the second is the SH2 domain-containing oncogenic protein, Shc. The interactions between GRB2 and these two proteins require ligand activation of the insulin receptor and are mediated by the binding of the SH2 domain of GRB2 to phosphotyrosines on both IRS-1 and Shc. Although GRB2 associates with IRS-1 and Shc, it is not tyrosine-phosphorylated after insulin stimulation, implying that GRB2 is not a substrate for the insulin receptor. Furthermore, we have identified a short sequence motif (YV/IN) present in IRS-1, EGFR and Shc, which specifically binds the SH2 domain of GRB2 with high affinity. Interestingly, both GRB2 and phosphatidylinositol-3 (PI-3) kinase can simultaneously bind distinct tyrosine phosphorylated regions on the same IRS-1 molecule, suggesting a mechanism whereby IRS-1 could provide the core for a large signalling complex. We propose a model whereby insulin stimulation leads to formation of multiple protein--protein interactions between GRB2 and the two targets IRS-1 and Shc. These interactions may play a crucial role in activation of p21ras and the control of downstream effector molecules.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Laboratory investigation of PRRS virus infection in three swine herds.

Late in 1991, an enveloped RNA virus (now called porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome [PRRS] virus) was identified as the etiologic agent for mystery swine disease. In 1992, laboratory procedures for the diagnosis of this disease evolved rapidly, and veterinary diagnosticians started applying these tests to field cases. This report is written from the perspective of veterinary laboratory diagnosticians and utilizes 3 case studies to define the advantages and disadvantages of the various available diagnostic laboratory PRRS test procedures in different clinical situations. The diagnostic procedures currently used in our laboratory for investigating PRRS are pathologic examination, serologic testing, fluorescent antibody (FA) testing, and virus isolation. Interstitial pneumonia, characterized by mononuclear cell infiltration of alveolar walls with normal airway epithelium, is a hallmark lesion for the disease, especially in neonatal pigs with respiratory distress. Interstitial pneumonia is not a specific lesion and must be coupled with other tests to verify PRRS virus infection. Demonstration of seroconversion is helpful, especially in sows that have experienced reproductive failure. The indirect FA test detects antibody sooner than the serum neutralization test and will likely become the serologic test of choice. The direct FA test on fresh tissue utilizes monoclonal antibody and is useful for investigating PRRS virus-associated pneumonia. Virus isolation utilizing swine alveolar macrophages has also been a useful diagnostic procedure. All of the above tests have been universally unrewarding when applied to aborted, mummified, or stillborn piglets.

Animals↗

Association of the Shc and Grb2/Sem5 SH2-containing proteins is implicated in activation of the Ras pathway by tyrosine kinases.

The mammalian shc gene encodes two overlapping, widely expressed proteins of 46 and 52K, with a carboxy-terminal SH2 domain that binds activated growth factor receptors, and a more amino-terminal glycine/proline-rich region. These shc gene products (Shc) are transforming when overexpressed in fibroblasts. Shc proteins become phosphorylated on tyrosine in cells stimulated with a variety of growth factors, and in cells transformed by v-src (ref. 2), suggesting that they are tyrosine kinase targets that control a mitogenic signalling pathway. Here we report that tyrosine-phosphorylated Shc proteins form a specific complex with a non-phosphorylated 23K polypeptide encoded by the grb2/sem-5 gene. The grb2/sem-5 gene product itself contains an SH2 domain, which mediates binding to Shc, and is implicated in activation of the Ras guanine nucleotide-binding protein by tyrosine kinases in both Caenorhabditis elegans and mammalian cells. Consistent with a role in signalling through Ras, shc overexpression induced Ras-dependent neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells. These results suggest that Shc tyrosine phosphorylation can couple tyrosine kinases to Grb2/Sem-5, through formation of a Shc-Grb2/Sem-5 complex, and thereby regulate the mammalian Ras signalling pathway.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Kinetics of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D metabolism in the aging rat.

To determine whether postmaturational aging influences the kinetics of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] metabolism in the rat, we measured the metabolic clearance (MCR) and production (PR) rates of 1,25(OH)2D in 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-mo-old Fischer 344 rats using the constant infusion method. Plasma calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone (PTH), urinary calcium and phosphorus, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were also measured. MCR and PR increased 57 and 91%, respectively (when expressed per rat), and 32 and 39%, respectively (when expressed per kg body wt), between 6 and 24 mo of age, with the greatest increase occurring between 18 and 24 mo. The plasma concentration of 1,25(OH)2D remained unchanged. Plasma PTH, when compared with 6-mo-old animals, was significantly elevated at 18 mo (147%) and even higher at 24 mo (240%). GFR (51Cr-labeled EDTA clearance) remained unchanged through 18 mo but tended to be reduced at 24 mo. Plasma phosphorus tended to decrease with age, whereas plasma calcium, urinary calcium, and urinary phosphorus did not differ among the age groups. These data indicate that both clearance and production of 1,25(OH)2D increase with postmaturational aging in the rat. They also suggest that the early age-related rise in plasma PTH is neither a consequence of low plasma calcium nor of renal insufficiency.

Aging↗

Set-point for parathyroid hormone release increases with postmaturational aging in the rat.

The plasma concentration of immunoreactive PTH (iPTH) increases with postmaturational aging in both humans and animals. In the present study we determined the basal, maximally stimulated, and maximally suppressed levels of iPTH and the concentration of whole blood ionized calcium sufficient to produce half-maximal suppression of the plasma concentration of iPTH (set-point for PTH release) in male Fischer 344 rats aged 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 28 months. Basal iPTH increased 2.3-fold from 3 to 28 months of age, whereas basal blood ionized calcium remained unchanged. The set-point for PTH release increased steadily and significantly (P < 0.001) from 1.19 +/- 0.09 mM at 3 months to 1.37 +/- 0.13 mM at 24 months and then declined slightly to 1.32 +/- 0.11 mM at 28 months of age. Basal iPTH correlated significantly with set-point. Neither maximally stimulated nor maximally suppressed iPTH levels showed any significant change with advancing age. These results suggest that the age-related increase in basal plasma iPTH in the rat may be in part a consequence of an increase in the set-point for PTH release.

Aging↗

Ethanol and leucine oxidation--I. Leucine oxidation by the rat in vivo.

The effect of ethanol upon the oxidation of leucine by the rat in vivo was determined. The rate of leucine oxidation was not significantly altered by chronic administration of ethanol (20% v/v solution as drinking water for 28 days). Ethanol administered acutely (8 g kg 0.73) significantly decreased leucine oxidation by the rat in vivo. This decrease appeared to be independent of a more general depression of oxidation metabolism. Decrease in leucine oxidation by ethanol is discussed in relation to the regulation of tissue leucine pool sizes in vivo.

Aminoisobutyric Acids↗

Ethanol and leucine oxidation--II. Leucine oxidation by rat tissue in vitro.

The effect of ethanol upon leucine oxidation by rat tissues in vitro is reported. The activities of branched chain amino acid aminotransferase and 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase were decreased by chronic administration of ethanol (20% v/v solution as drinking water for 35 d) in muscle and kidney but were increased, although not significantly, in liver. Acute administration of ethanol (8 g kg-1 body-weight 0.73) did not affect enzyme activities. Tissue NAD+:NADH ratios, calculated from lactate:pyruvate ratios, were significantly decreased in the liver and kidney of rats receiving ethanol acutely. These data are consistent with the view that ethanol decreases leucine oxidation by decreasing availability of NAD+ when given acutely and by decreasing enzyme activity when administered chronically.

Animals↗

Inhibition of calmodulin activity by insect venom peptides.

Several peptides found in insect venom, including melittin, apamin and mastoparan, inhibited the activity of calmodulin-stimulated phosphodiesterase at concentrations that had no appreciable effect on basal phosphodiesterase activity; the Ki value of melittin for inhibiting calmodulin activity was 30 nM. Acetylation of the peptides reduced their inhibitory effect on calmodulin, suggesting that a net positive charge was an important determinant of anti-calmodulin activity. An examination of other structural features of these peptides suggested that the most potent inhibitors of calmodulin had an alpha-helical conformation. Equilibrium dialysis experiments showed that melittin inhibited the calcium-dependent binding of 3H-chlorpromazine to calmodulin (IC50 0.9 microM); kinetic analyses of these data indicated that this inhibition was non-competitive, suggesting that melittin and chlorpromazine act at different sites on calmodulin. Since calmodulin regulates a number of processes that these peptides inhibit, our results raise the possibility that the inhibition of calmodulin activity by these insect venom peptides may explain some of their biochemical or toxicological effects.

Animals↗

[Comparative study of ultrasonography and scintigraphy in liver metastases detection in cases of colorectal carcinoma (author's transl)].

A comparative study has been realized to test the accuracy of ultrasonography and scintigraphy for detecting the presence of liver metastases in 305 patients with colorectal carcinomas. Presence or absence of hepatic metastases has been affirmed by laparotomy and biopsy. In the 47 cases with metastases, the sensitivity of ultrasonography was 93%, that of scintigraphy being 76%. In 258 cases without metastases the specificity of ultrasonography was 97%, that of scintigraphy being 92%. These results, confirmed by report in the published literature, show that ultrasonography should be the first examination for suspected hepatic metastases.

Adult↗