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Biomedical subjects

R E Stephens

Publications and source records attributed to R E Stephens.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Cyclic AMP and calcium in the differential control of Mytilus gill cilia.

Lateral (L) cilia of Mytilus gill are activated by serotonin which, in molluscan systems, is known to activate adenylate cyclase. Triton-extracted models of L-cells, arrested at greater than 10(-6) M Ca++, are stimulated to beat by the addition of 10(-5) M cAMP while still under Ca++ arrest conditions, suggesting that cAMP-activation is not mediated by alterations of Ca++ levels. Using isolated, permeabilized cilia, we find, independent of [Ca++], that cAMP-dependent protein phosphorylation in L-cilia occurs uniquely and reversibly on three low molecular weight polypeptides of 23,000, 18,000, and 14,000 daltons. Phosphorylation is maximal at cAMP concentrations above 0.5 microM. The phosphorylated chains partially co-extract at high salt with a 14S dynein fraction and have approximately the same molecular weights as reported for dynein light chains. Such conditions mainly extract the outer dynein arm, about 40% of the Mg++-ATPase activity, and a corresponding amount of the cAMP phosphorylated chains. However, the three polypeptides sediment together at 10-11S, clearly separable from the 14S dynein ATPase. Using a gel-overlay technique, we find that calmodulin binds to axonemal polypeptides of L-cilia with molecular weights of 18,000 and 13,000, independent of Ca++, while in mixed-population cilia, only a 12,000 dalton chain binds calmodulin, in a Ca++ dependent manner. In neither case are calmodulin binding proteins found in the high salt fraction containing the cAMP-dependent phosphorylated chains, indicating that, in spite of some similarity in molecular weight, the cAMP-phosphorylated and calmodulin binding polypeptides are different. Also, double-labelling indicates that only the 18,000 dalton chains co-migrate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Distress and DNA repair in human lymphocytes.

This research assessed differences in DNA repair in lymphocytes from high- and low-distressed individuals. A median split on Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Scale 2 divided 28 newly admitted nonpsychotic psychiatric inpatients into high- and low-distress subgroups. The high-distress subgroup had significantly poorer DNA repair in lymphocytes exposed to X-irradiation than low-distress subjects. We also found that lymphocytes obtained from this psychiatric sample had significantly poorer DNA repair than lymphocytes from nonpsychiatric control subjects when compared 5 hr after X-irradiation. A high level of distress therefore appears to be associated with significant dysfunctional differences at the molecular level which may have important implications for health. These data provide evidence for a direct pathway through which distress could influence the incidence of cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Natural killer activity against cultured human neural tumor and fetal brain cells.

Ten human neural tumor lines and three established from normal human brain were analyzed for sensitivities to natural killer (NK) cytolysis. Compared to MOLT-4, fetal brain cells were sensitive, but those from adult brain and eight of ten neural tumor cell lines demonstrated marked NK resistance. The frequencies of target-binding cells (TBC) and single-cell lysis of glioma cells bound within tumor cell conjugates demonstrated that the resistance of two lines was explained either by a decrease in the frequencies of TBC or reduced ability of bound NK cells to lyse the tumor cell conjugates. A third resistant line demonstrated decreases in both TBC and tumor cell conjugate lysis. Two glioma lines with less NK resistance had greater frequencies of TBC or conjugate lysis than the resistant lines. Thus, NK resistance can result from decreased recognition of targets, diminished NK lysis of bound targets, or a combination of both.

Astrocytoma↗
PubMed1985

Evidence for a tubulin-containing lipid-protein structural complex in ciliary membranes.

The proteins and lipids of the scallop gill ciliary membrane may be reassociated through several cycles of detergent solubilization, detergent removal, and freeze-thaw, without significant change in overall protein composition. Membrane proteins and lipids reassociate to form vesicles of uniform, discrete density classes under a variety of reassociation conditions involving detergent removal and concentration. Freed of the solubilizing detergent during equilibrium centrifugation, a protein-lipid complex equilibrates to a position on a sucrose density gradient characteristic of the original membrane density. When axonemal tubulin is solubilized by dialysis, mixed with 2:1 lecithin/cholesterol dissolved in Nonidet P-40, freed of detergent, and reconstituted by freeze-thaw, vesicles of a density essentially equal to pure lipid result. If the lipid fraction is derived through chloroform-methanol extraction of natural ciliary membranes, a moderate increase in density occurs upon reconstitution, but the protein is adsorbed and most is removed by a simple low ionic strength wash, in contrast to vesicles reconstituted from membrane proteins where even high salt extraction causes no loss of protein. The proteins of the ciliary membrane dissolve with constant composition, regardless of the type, concentration, or efficiency of detergent. Analytical ultracentrifugation demonstrates that monodisperse mixed micelles form at high detergent concentrations, but that membranes are dispersed to large sedimentable aggregates by Nonidet P-40 even at several times the critical micelle concentration, which suggests reasons for the efficacy of certain detergent for the production of ATP-reactivatable cell models. In extracts freed of detergent, structured polydisperse particles, but not membrane vesicles, are seen in negative staining; vesicles form upon concentration of the extract. Membrane tubulin is not in a form that will freely undergo electrophoresis, even in the presence of detergent above the critical micelle concentration. All chromatographic attempts to separate membrane tubulin from other membrane proteins have failed; lipid and protein are excluded together by gel filtration in the presence of high concentrations of detergent. These observations support the idea that a relatively stable lipid-protein complex exists in the ciliary membrane and that in this complex membrane tubulin is tightly associated with lipids and with a number of other proteins.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Application of flow cytometry to analyses of cultured human glioma and fetal brain cells.

Methods are described to study cell surface and cytoplasmic antigens of cultured human glioma, fetal brain cells and fibroblasts using flow cytometry. This required harvesting the cultured cells with Versene or mild trypsin treatment and fixation in 4% paraformaldehyde prior to staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and fibronectin using indirect immunofluorescence. At passage 10, 38% of fetal brain cells [CHII] were GFAP-positive but at passage 14 only 3.5% expressed GFAP. Two glioblastomas and an anaplastic astrocytoma had 38.8%, 6.7% and 81.3% GFAP-positive cells, respectively. Of the 10(4) cells studied, 91.6%, 79.1% and 40.8% were fibronectin-positive for glioblastoma multiforme [12-18], oligodendroglioma [12-10] and fetal brain [CHII] cells, respectively. Two fibroblast lines had 33.5% and 43.1% of the cells expressing fibronectin. The validity of these results was confirmed by staining for GFAP and fibronectin using peroxidase-antiperoxidase and immunofluorescence microscopy. Using low angle forward light scatter to estimate cell size and gating techniques it was found that GFAP-positive CHII and anaplastic astrocytoma cells were generally larger than GFAP-negative cells of the same type. No correlation between cell size and fibronectin expression was found for glioblastoma [12-18] cells. These results demonstrate the validity of the described methods and illustrate some specific applications and the potential value of flow cytometry to neurooncology.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed1985

Resistance to natural killer cytolysis and neutral glycolipid composition of cultured human glioma and fetal brain cells.

Natural killer cells (NK) demonstrate cytotoxicity against a wide range of cultured cells without prior sensitization, and the sensitivity of many target cells to NK attack is altered by exposure to interferon. The structures on the target cells conferring sensitivity or resistance to NK are not known, but glycolipids are suggested to be related to NK susceptibility. To determine possible relationships between target cell glycolipids and NK cytolysis, the effects of human beta-interferon (IFN) on the neutral glycolipid composition and sensitivity to NK cytolysis of cultured cells from four human gliomas and two fetal brains were analyzed. Compared to MOLT-4 and Raji cells all six neural cell lines were quite resistant to NK, and IFN slightly increased this resistance. IFN also caused increases in the amounts of non-hydroxy fatty acid cerebroside, ceramide trihexoside, asialo-GM1, asialo-GM2 and globoside. Increased molar proportions of ceramide tri- and tetra-saccharides occurred in the two glioma lines which had the greatest increases in NK resistance following IFN exposure. It is concluded that neutral glycolipids may play a role in the mechanisms responsible for resistance of some glioma cells to NK cytolysis.

Astrocytoma↗
PubMed1985

Effects of interferon and gangliosides on growth of cultured human glioma and fetal brain cells.

Human beta-interferon (IFN) induced an antiviral state in two fetal brain and six glioma cell lines. The growth-inhibitory effect of IFN was most pronounced on three glioblastoma lines and least on fetal brain and oligodendroglioma cells; IFN growth inhibition of one schwannoma and one anaplastic cell line was intermediate between the two other groups. Thus, the growth-inhibitory effect of IFN generally correlated with the degree of anaplasia of the tissue from which the cells were derived. IFN (1000 units/ml) had to be present for 24 to 48 hr to have a significant inhibitory effect on growth of glioblastoma (12-18) cells. However, growth inhibition of 12-18 cells exposed to IFN for 3 days persisted for 3 weeks. Both sialic acid-N-acetylgalactosamine ganglioside and a mixture of normal human brain gangliosides (50 microM) inhibited growth of fetal brain (CHII) but not glioblastoma 12-18 cells. However, preincubation of cells with either sialic acid-N-acetylgalactosamine or a mixture of gangliosides did not augment the growth-inhibitory effects of IFN on either CHII or 12-18. These results indicate that gangliosides and IFN may be operating through different mechanisms to cause growth inhibition.

Brain↗
PubMed1983

Reconstitution of ciliary membranes containing tubulin.

Membranes from the gill cilia of the mollusc Aequipecten irradians may be solubilized readily with Nonidet P-40. When the detergent is removed from the solution by adsorption to polystyrene beads, the proteins of the extract remain soluble. However, when the solution is frozen and thawed, nearly all of the proteins reassociate to form membrane vesicles, recruiting lipids from the medium. The membranes equilibrate as a narrow band (d = 1.167 g/cm3) upon sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The lipid composition of reconstituted membranes (1:2 cholesterol:phospholipids) closely resembles that of the original extract, as does the protein content (45%). Ciliary calmodulin is the major extract protein that does not associate with the reconstituted membrane, even in the presence of 1 mM calcium ions, suggesting that it is a soluble matrix component. The major protein of reconstituted vesicles is membrane tubulin, shown previously to differ hydrophobically from axonemal tubulin. The tubulin is tightly associated with the membrane since extraction with 1 mM iodide or thiocyanate leaves a vesicle fraction whose protein composition and bouyant density are unchanged. Subjecting the detergent-free membrane extract to a freeze-thaw cycle in the presence of elasmobranch brain tubulin or forming membranes by warming the extract in the presence of polymerization-competent tubulin yields a membrane fraction with little incorporated brain tubulin. This suggests that ciliary membrane tubulin specifically associates with lipids, whereas brain tubulin preferentially forms microtubules.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Morphological transformation in vitro of normal human fibroblasts by chrysotile.

Pathologic response of tissue to asbestos in vivo gives rise to fibromatoma, granuloma and mesothelioma. We are attempting to develop a model system in vitro using human cells in order to investigate the possible mechanisms responsible for these pathologies. Within the first 12 hr of exposure to chrysotile, the fibroblasts showed distinctive morphological changes. Cells appeared elongated with occasional vacuolated nuclei and granular cytoplasm. Cells showed no other obvious morphological changes by light microscopy and were serially passaged at confluence. The cells with vacuolated nuclei were successfully serially passaged. Binucleated cells were first observed 48 hr after passaging. As time in culture increased (3 days to 2 weeks) many cells lost their distinctive bipolar properties and developed "stress striations" and multiple vacuoles in the cytoplasm. Multinucleated giant cells (2-11 nuclei/cell) with lobate nucleoli became more numerous. With increasing passages, the confluent cell density decreased and cell size increased. Cells usually had condensed nucleoli and had lost all control of directional growth. Preliminary indications suggest that these in vitro morphological transformations are due--at least in part--to a lack of control over cytokinesis.

Asbestos↗
PubMed1983

Interaction of erythrocyte membranes with particulates.

Chrysotile fibers promoted the fusion of human erythrocyte membranes and the hemolysis and fusion of fowl erythrocytes. Amosite and glass fibers did not show the same effect. These findings provide a model for the internalization of the fibers by animal cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Interactions of chrysotile and benzopyrene in a human cell culture systems.

The risk of lung cancer related to asbestos exposure has been shown to increase disproportionately by cigarette smoking, suggesting a synergistic effect. Differing lengths of NIEHS chrysotile with benzopyrene [B(a)P, B(e)P] (organic by-products of combustion) were applied on normal human fibroblasts (cell line CI) to test for cytotoxicity (survival determined by colony-forming efficiency), binding of benzopyrene to DNA, and the production of benzopyrene metabolites. At concentrations of 100 micrograms/mL, NIEHS short chrysotile was more cytotoxic than NIEHS intermediate chrysotile (3% and 17% survival, respectively); B(a)P and B(e)P concentrations up to and including 10 microM were not cytotoxic. Simultaneous application of NIEHS short chrysotile with B(a)P or B(e)P did not decrease survival synergistically. On the contrary, application of B(a)P simultaneously with NIEHS intermediate chrysotile resulted in increased survival over that of intermediate chrysotile alone (25% and 17% survival, respectively). There were low levels of B(a)P bound to DNA in the presence of NIEHS short chrysotile or NIEHS intermediate chrysotile. Measurable levels of B(a)P-DNA adducts were formed both in the absence and in the presence of each size of NIEHS chrysotile. However, there was no strong indication of a perturbation of the level of DNA-B(a)P binding following simultaneous administration of increasing levels of asbestos in addition to 1 microM hydrocarbon. The asbestos had no demonstrable influence on the level of B(a)P metabolism during the 24-hr period following simultaneous exposure of asbestos and hyrdocarbons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Asbestos↗
PubMed1983

Effects of human brain cell culture conditions on [14C]glucosamine radioactivity incorporation into gangliosides.

Human glioma cells (12-18) and fetal neural cells (CH II) in culture were exposed for 20 hr to [14C]glucosamine to determine the level and distribution of radiolabel incorporated into gangliosides. Cells of identical passage levels at two stages of growth, preconfluent and confluent, were preincubated for 0 to 60 hr in serum-free medium (SFM). Both higher cell densities and longer incubations in SFM caused a change in the amounts and patterns of radiolabeled gangliosides. Preincubation for 60 hr in SFM caused an increase (P less than 0.05) in the percent of total recovered ganglioside radiolabel in GM1 of CH II cells, from 10.5 to 16.7% in preconfluent cells and from 14.1 to 31.9% in confluent cells. Conversely, the proportion of radiolabel in GM3 and GM2 decreased with longer preincubations in SFM. A similar preincubation of glioma cells caused an increase in the proportion of label into GD1a of both preconfluent and confluent cells (P less than 0.02) from 4 to 11% of the total ganglioside radioactivity. Higher cell densities also resulted in consistently higher percent (of total ganglioside) incorporation into GD1a of 12-18 cells (P less than 0.05) and GM1 of CH II (P less than 0.01). These results show that there is a shift in the incorporation of precursor label into more complex gangliosides under conditions associated with the arrest of cell division. These phenomena may represent a regulatory response of the ganglioside biosynthetic apparatus to changes in extracellular environment and cell contact.

Brain↗
PubMed1982

A sequence specific endonuclease from Micrococcus radiodurans.

A new sequence specific endonuclease, Mra I has been purified from Micrococcus radiodurans. This enzyme cleaves bacteriophage lambda DNA at three sites, adenovirus type 2 DNA at more than 12 sites and has a unique site on phi X174 DNA. It has no sites on SV40, PM2 and pBR322 DNA. The three sites on phage lambda DNA are different from those cleaved by Sma I, Xma I and Xor II. The sites of cleavage are located at 0.424, 0.447 and 0.834 fractional lengths on the physical map of lambda DNA. Mra I is shown to be an isoschizomer of Sac II and Sst II recognizing the palindromic nucleotide sequence '5-CCGC reduced GG-3'. The enzyme shows an absolute requirement of Mg2+, but is active in the absence of added 2-mercaptoethanol. The enzyme shows activity at a broad range of temperature and pH with an optimum at 45 degrees C and pH 7.0. Mra I represents the first restriction enzyme from a bacterium whose DNA lacks modified methylated bases.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1982

Effect of exogenous gangliosides on human neural cell division.

Human neural cells in exponential growth phase were transferred to a serum-free medium and maintained for 72 hr without any detectable loss in viability. The two normal fetal cell lines (CHI and CHII) showed a serum-dependent cell proliferation, but the glioblastoma multiforme cells (12-18) were able to continue proliferating in this totally synthetic medium. The incorporation of [3H]thymidine into the acid-precipitable fraction of both normal and neoplastic human neural cells was assayed in the presence and the absence of exogenous gangliosides by a convenient new method. In serum-free medium, gangliosides (50 microM) inhibited the thymidine incorporation into the normal fetal cells within 24 hr and, in serum containing medium, reduced their proliferation within 48 hr. No such effects were detectable in the glioma cells. The inhibition of thymidine incorporation in the normal cells was reversible upon removal of the gangliosides. These results indicate a role of gangliosides in the postmitotic phase of normal human neural cells resulting in the regulation of cell proliferation.

Brain↗
PubMed1982

Effects of cell density on the neutral glycolipid composition of cultured human brain and glioma cells.

Density dependent chain elongation of neutral glycosphingolipids (NGSL) is associated with contact inhibition of mitosis in several normal cultured cell lines. Transformed non-neural cell lines which have impaired contact inhibition frequently lose this biochemical response. To determine if either of these phenomena occur in human neural cells we determined NGSL compositions of cultured glioblastoma multiforme and normal fetal brain cells. Fetal cells generally had more total NGSL than the tumor cells. As a percentage of total NGSL, both cell lines at higher cell densities had larger proportions of ceramide trihexoside and globoside, but smaller proportions of cerebroside. This decrease was mainly in non-hydroxy fatty acid cerebroside of glioma cells, but in hydroxy fatty acid cerebroside of normal fetal brain cells. These results demonstrate that although glioblastoma multiforme cells have markedly impaired growth control, they still preserve density dependent chain elongation of NGSL. A role for this phenomenon in normal cellular growth control has yet to be established.

Aged↗