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Biomedical subjects

R F Kefford

Publications and source records attributed to R F Kefford.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Harvey-ras oncogene restriction fragment alleles in familial melanoma kindreds.

Unique and uncommon BamHI allelic restriction fragments of the Ha-ras locus have been reported in the genomes of patients with cancer and of three affected members of a familial melanoma kindred (Krontiris et al., 1986). Analysis of the BamHI and Msp/HpaII restriction fragments of peripheral blood leucocyte DNA from the members of two families with hereditary melanoma (HM)/familial dysplastic naevus syndrome (DNS) revealed that the only Ha-ras allele common to four affected members of one kindred and two from a second kindred, was the 6.7kb allele which is found in 66% of the normal population. This allele was found equally in affected and non-affected family members, and in one affected case was inherited from an unaffected homozygous parent. It was absent in two affected sisters in a third kindred. In the first kindred the karyotype of all three melanoma sufferers was 46XX 9qh+, while six unaffected members had a normal karyotype. BamHI polymorphism of the Ha-ras gene does not identify the affected members in the HM/DNS families studied.

Alleles↗
PubMed1985

Stimulation of HLA-A,B,C by IFN-alpha. The derivation of Molt 4 variants and the differential expression of HLA-A,B,C subsets.

Spontaneous mutants with altered HLA-A,B,C response to interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) were isolated from the human thymus leukemia cell line Molt 4. Using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated W6/32 (a monoclonal antibody to HLA-A,B,C) and the fluorescence-activated cell sorter, the cells with highest and lowest fluorescence after 24-48 h of IFN-alpha treatment were selected and expanded. After several cycles of selection, mutant clones with low (greater than 10% of wild-type) and high (three times better) response were obtained. A similar protocol was employed to derive high responder mutants with the monoclonal antibody YT76, which recognises a subset of HLA strongly induced by IFN-alpha. Stable clones were derived for which YT-HLA induction was 7-fold that of Molt 4 cells and for which HLA induction occurred at 100-fold lower concentrations of IFN-alpha. The high response phenotype of the mutants was not accompanied by a significant increase in the constitutive level of expression of HLA-A,B,C (in the absence of IFN). The increase in the level of HLA-A,B,C expression after IFN-alpha treatment is mostly accounted for by the increase in the expression of a subset of HLA molecules, detected by the monoclonal antibody YT76 including HLA-B molecules.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1983

Somatic variants of the level of expression of a cell surface antigen.

Somatic variants with constitutive changes in the expression of the cortical thymocyte differentiation antigen HTA 1 were derived from the T-cell leukemia line Molt 4 using monoclonal antibody NA1/34 and the fluorescent activated cell sorter. Cells with the highest and lowest fluorescence were sorted and expanded. After several cycles, high expressor variants, with 10- to 12-fold increased surface HTA 1 and low expressors, with a level of one third relative to the wild-type, were obtained. The stability of the high expressors was improved by cloning. In spite of the large differences in the level of HTA 1 between the various mutants and the wild-type, the expression of HLA-A,B,C or its increase following interferon-alpha stimulation, remained unchanged. Although in HTA 1 there was only a trace of beta2-microglobulin (beta2m) detected by lactoperoxidase labelling of the high expressor variants, significant levels of both beta2m and HTA 1 light chain beta(t) were observed in gels stained with Coomassie blue. The physiological association of beta(t) with HTA 1 was confirmed by the substantial increase of beta(t) which parallels the increase of HTA 1.

Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte↗
PubMed1983

Terminal incorporation of 2'-deoxyadenosine into polyadenylate segments of polyadenylated RNA in G1-phase-arrested human T-lymphoblasts.

In the presence of the adenosine deaminase inhibitor erythro-9-[3(2-hydroxynonyl)]adenine microM concentrations of 2'-deoxyadenosine (dAdo) are toxic to nondividing human lymphoid cells and induce G1-phase arrest in T-leukemic lymphoblasts, effects which appear to be independent of ribonucleotide reductase inhibition by accumulated 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate. We sought to determine if 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate had effects similar to those of other cytotoxic adenosine analogues which are incorporated into polyadenylated RNA [poly(A)+ RNA]. In the presence of erythro-9-[3-(2-hydroxynonyl)]adenine, 8-14C]dAdo, at minimal cytostatic concentrations, was incorporated into the polyadenylate segments of cytoplasmic poly(A)+ RNA in the human T-leukemic lymphoblast line CCRF-CEM, and 70% of incorporated dAdo was in the 3'-terminal position. No DAdo was found in enzyme hydrolysates of nonpolyadenylated regions of poly(A)+ RNA or of poly(A)-RNA. Enzymic hydrolysis of polyadenylated segments from labeled poly(A)+ RNA yielded adenosine:dAdo ratios of approximately 55:1.

Adenine↗
PubMed1983

Flow cytometric analysis of adenosine analogue lymphocytotoxicity.

The induction of G1-phase arrest in T-lymphoblasts by cytostatic concentrations of 2'-deoxyadenosine (R. M. Fox, R. F. Kefford, E. H. Tripp, and I. W. Taylor, Cancer Res., 41: 5141-5150, 1981) prompted a flow cytometric analysis of the cell cycle effects of three other adenosine analogues with known effects on polyadenylated RNA metabolism in an attempt to further explore the nature of 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate-mediated lymphotoxicity. Cytostatic concentrations of 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine induced an S-phase block, while 3'-deoxyadenosine (cordycepin) and tubercidin (7-deazaadenosine) induced a cycle-nonspecific block. Furthermore, total cellular RNA content was unaltered by 2'-deoxyadenosine or 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine, but 3'-deoxyadenosine and tubercidin caused a marked reduction in total cellular RNA at minimally cytostatic concentrations. At concentrations of 0.3 to 20 microM, all of these nucleosides were toxic to nondividing peripheral blood lymphocytes, suggesting that in these cells their mechanism of action does not involve reactions associated with DNA replication. Inhibition of polyadenylated RNA metabolism by triphosphate derivatives of adenosine analogues may account for lymphocytotoxicity in nondividing cells, but the demonstrated diverse effects of these nucleosides on nucleic acid metabolism in dividing cells preclude elucidation of the mechanism of the unique induction of G1-phase arrest by 2'-deoxyadenosine.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1982

Deoxycoformycin-induced response in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: deoxyadenosine toxicity in non-replicating lymphocytes.

The occurrence of severe immunodeficiency disease in children with inherited adenosine deaminase deficiency, and reports of remission induction in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with the adenosine deaminase inhibitor deoxycoformycin, prompted a study of the effects of deoxyadenosine on resting peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and chronic lymphocytic leukaemic (CLL) lymphocytes in short-term culture. In the presence of an inhibitor of adenosine deaminase, micromolar concentrations of dAdo caused elevation of deoxyadenosine-5'-triphosphate (dATP) pools and in vitro lysis of non-dividing PBL and CLL lymphocytes. This death of non-replicating cells indicates a mechanism of deoxyadenosine toxicity independent of DNA replication and ribonucleotide reductase inhibition. Similar changes occurred in vivo in a patient with advanced CLL who responded to treatment with deoxycoformycin, 0.1 mg/kg, days 1-5, with a fall in the WCC from 102.0 x 10(9)/1 to 6.8 x 10(9)/l over 21 d. Therapeutic blockade of deoxyadenosine catabolism deserves further investigation both in the treatment of lymphoproliferative disease and as a method lympholytic immunosuppression.

Adenosine Deaminase Inhibitors↗
PubMed1982

Purine deoxynucleoside toxicity in nondividing human lymphoid cells.

Cultured leukemic T-lymphoblasts, incubated in the presence of inhibitors of adenosine deaminase, are exquisitely sensitive to growth inhibition by deoxyadenosine. An analogy between this phenomenon and human combined immunodeficiency disease associated with inborn adenosine deaminase deficiency and the use of inhibitors of adenosine deaminase in the management of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia has been noted. These phenomena are believed to reflect accumulation of high intracellular concentrations of deoxyadenosine triphosphate (dATP) following phosphorylation of deoxyadenosine, inhibiting replicating T-cells. In an attempt to extend these observations to noncultured, nonleukemic T-cells, we studied deoxyadenosine metabolism in human thymocytes. Human thymuses were separated into large replicating and small nondividing cell types by centrifugal elutriation. Both thymocyte subpopulations elevated in their dATP pools on incubation with microM concentrations of deoxyadenosine in the presence of erythro-9-[3-(2-hydroxynonyl)]adenosine, an inhibitor of adenosine deaminase. These dATP pool rises were similar in extent to those found in cultured leukemic T-lymphoblasts. However, the finding that small nonreplicating thymocytes elevate their dATP pool was unexpected. This prompted study of unstimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes. These cells (T and non-T) showed a similar elevation of their dATP pool on incubation with deoxyadenosine. Furthermore, these nondividing peripheral blood lymphocytes were killed by microM concentrations of deoxyadenosine in the presence of an inhibitor of adenosine deaminase. The biochemical mechanism of this G0-phase cell death is not known. These findings provide impetus for the investigation of adenosine deaminase inhibitors as lympholytic immunosuppressants or as agents to noncycling malignant lymphoid cells.

Adenosine Deaminase Inhibitors↗
PubMed1982

Ototoxicity in patients receiving cisplatin: importance of dose and method of drug administration.

A total of 146 serial audiograms that were performed for 32 patients who had received cisplatin treatment were analyzed. Fifteen patients developed significant audiometric abnormality after a mean cumulative dose of 203 mg/m2. Ototoxicity was more severe with higher cumulative doses and higher individual doses, and was most marked in those patients receiving bolus injections. Loss of perception of higher frequencies was most common. Symptoms of ototoxicity occurred in 23 patients and included deafness, tinnitus, otalgia, and recruitment. In some patients the symptoms were transient, and not all patients with symptoms developed audiometric abnormalities. Audiometric abnormalities were invariably preceded by one or more symptoms of ototoxicity. Ototoxicity resulted in dose modification or cessation of treatment in only three patients, and in each case the decision to modify the dose was made on the basis of symptoms of ototoxicity rather than on the audiometric findings. We conclude that audiometry has a limited role in the routine management of patients receiving cisplatin treatment.

Cisplatin↗
PubMed1981

G1-phase arrest of cultured human leukemic T-cells induced by deoxyadenosine.

Cultured human T-cell leukemia lymphocytes have enhanced sensitivity to growth inhibition by deoxyadenosine. We have used flow cytometry to investigate the mechanism of deoxyadenosine toxicity in cultured T-leukemic cells. Comparative studies on deoxyadenosine-resistant Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B-lymphocyte cell lines were also performed. After exposure of T-cells to low concentrations of deoxyadenosine (3 microM), in the presence of an adenosine deaminase inhibitor (erythro-9-[3-(2-hydroxynonyl)]adenosine), accumulation of cells of cells with a G1 DNA content was demonstrated. In contrast, B-cell lines showed a similar degree of growth inhibition after exposure to 200 to 400 microM deoxyadenosine but were blocked in S phase. The T-cell G1 block was associated with a rise in the deoxyadenosine triphosphate pool, and both these phenomena were prevented by the addition of deoxycytidine. The biochemical mechanism of this G1 block induced by deoxyadenosine in T-cells is not understood.

Adenosine Kinase↗
PubMed1980

Immunoblastic lymphoma in husband and wife.

Cases of an identical diffuse immunoblastic lymphoma in husband and wife are reported. The disease was fatal in both cases, deaths occurring within weeks of each other, and similar clinical characteristics were present in both patients.

Environment↗