Search PubMedSearch

Biomedical subjects

R Wetzel

Publications and source records attributed to R Wetzel.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

[Small intestine obturation and perforation in a calf caused by a foreign body. Case report].

Obturation and perforation of the jejunum by an ingested fir branch was diagnosed in a 3 months old male German Fleckvieh calf. Following resection of the altered segment of intestine an end-to-end anastomosis was performed. The abdominal cavity was flushed with a 0.4% solution of polyvidon-iodine in normal saline, and an antibiotic preparation was instilled. Systemic antibiotic therapy was maintained for 6 days. Recovery was uneventful, and the animal was discharged 9 days after admission.

Animals

[Arthrodesis of the wrist joint in patients with polyarthritis].

In rheumatoid arthritis, extreme damage to the wrist joint with rupture of the wrist extensor tendons can only be treated effectively by arthrodesis. The authors describe the technique of wrist fusion by an AO-plate. Twenty-two arthrodeses have been performed between July 1974 and June 1984, representing 7.4% of all surgical procedures on rheumatoid wrists (n = 294). Radial deviation and dorsiflexion of the hand must be avoided. Follow-up was possible in nine patients (eleven wrist-fusions). All these patients were satisfied with the result.

Adult

Unpaired cysteine-54 interferes with the ability of an engineered disulfide to stabilize T4 lysozyme.

We have introduced an intramolecular disulfide bond into T4 lysozyme and have shown this molecule to be significantly more stable than the wild-type molecule to irreversible thermal inactivation [Perry, L.J., & Wetzel, R. (1984) Science (Washington, D.C.) 226, 555-557]. Wild-type T4 lysozyme contains two free cysteines, at positions 54 and 97, and no disulfide bonds. By directed mutagenesis of the cloned T4 lysozyme gene, we replaced Ile-3 with Cys. Oxidation in vitro generated an intramolecular disulfide bond; proteolytic mapping showed this bond to connect Cys-3 to Cys-97. While this molecule exhibited substantially more stability against thermal inactivation than wild type, its stability was further enhanced by additional modification with thiol-specific reagents. This and other evidence suggest that at basic pH and elevated temperatures Cys-54 is involved in intermolecular thiol/disulfide interchange with the engineered disulfide, leading to inactive oligomers. Mutagenic replacement of Cys-54 with Thr or Val in the disulfide-cross-linked variant generated lysozymes exhibiting greatly enhanced stability toward irreversible thermal inactivation.

Base Sequence

Non-toxic expression in Escherichia coli of a plasmid-encoded gene for phage T4 lysozyme.

The phage T4 gene coding for lysozyme has been cloned into a plasmid under control of the (trp/lac) hybrid tac promoter and expressed in Escherichia coli with no significant toxic effect to actively growing cells. E. coli D1210 (lacIq) transformed with this plasmid produced active T4 lysozyme at levels up to 2% of the cellular protein after induction with isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactoside. A strain producing active lysozyme was shown to be under a selective disadvantage when co-cultured with a similar strain producing inactive lysozyme. Purified strains, however, are reasonably stable in culture and under normal storage conditions.

DNA, Recombinant

Identification and nucleotide sequence of the sup8-e UGA-suppressor leucine tRNA from Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Using the translation of rabbit globin mRNA in wheat germ extracts as an assay for ochre and opal suppression, a UGA suppressor tRNA from Schizosaccharomyces pombre strain sup8-e was purified by column chromatography and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The purified tRNA can be aminoacylated with leucine by a crude aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase preparation from a wild type S. pombe strain, and has high activity in the suppressor assay. By a combination of post-labeling fingerprinting and rapid gel sequencing methods the nucleotide sequence of this suppressor tRNA was determined to be: pG-C-G-G-C-U-A-U-G-C-C-ac4C-G-A-G-D-G-G-D-G-D-A-A-G-G-G-m22G-G-C-A-G-A-psi-U-U*-C-A-m1G-C-C-C-U-G-C-U-G-U-U-G-U-A-A-A-A-C-G-m5C-G-A-G-A-G-T-psi-C-G-m1A-A-C-C-U-C-U-C-U-G-G-C-C-G-C-A-C-C-AOH. The anticodon sequence U*CA is complementary to the UGA codon. An interesting feature of the suppressor tRNA is an expanded anticodon loop of nine nucleotides owing to an A-C nonpair at the first anticodon stem position.

Ascomycota

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase families and their significance to the origin of the genetic code.

A correlation of various aspects of the protein structures and substrate and mechanistic specificities of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases has led to the identification of at least one family of enzymes probably derived from a common ancestral synthetase. While strong correlations exist only in one part of the array of 64 codons comprising the Genetic Code, this itself may be interpreted as a meaningful pattern, most consistent with a development of the present code from earlier codes containing fewer amino acids and fewer available codons. Specifically, strong correlations in the enzymes whose cognate tRNAs respond to codons containing a central pyrimidine, including the enzyme family of Ile-, Phe-, Val-, Met-, and Leu-tRNA synthetases, suggests that these enzymes evolved last, and that, therefore, an earlier version of the Genetic Code was comprised solely of codons containing a central purine. It is suggested that further study of the historical interrelationships of these enzymes could lead to a fairly detailed picture of how the Genetic Code developed.

Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases

[Behavior of the trace elements copper, zinc and manganese in bovine rumen. 1. Trace element content of different fractions of rumen fluid and the effect of copper sulfate administration].

Two adult, rumen-fistulated steers were fed, over four consecutive 3-week periods, Cu-deficient and normal hays with and without copper sulphate supplementation. Their rumen liquor levels of copper, zinc and manganese were determined correspondingly. The rumen liquor samples were split into 3 fractions by way of centrifugation, sodium dodecyl sulphate treatment of the sediment and filtration. The fractionation of the rumen liquor showed copper to be contained mainly in the water-soluble supernatant (68%), whilst zinc and manganese are more strongly linked to the microbial fraction (57 and 46%, resp.). The plant residue did not average but 9, 24 and 22% of copper, zinc and manganese, respectively. Copper sulphate supplementation to normal hay resulted in a significantly increased copper content in the supernatant and in the microbial fraction. At the same time, the zinc and manganese content values in the microbial fraction were found increased. However, the same copper sulphate supplementation to Cu-deficient hay was found to reduce highly significantly the copper level in the microbial fraction. It is supposed that the excessively high molybdenum content of this hay (2.5 ng/kg) has prevented any effect of the copper sulphate supplementation. The positive effects of copper sulphate supplementation on the zinc and manganese levels in the bacterial fraction were maintained even when feeding Cu-deficient hay rich in Mo.

Animal Feed

[Behavior of trace elements copper, zinc and manganese in bovine rumen. 2. Passage rate and course of trace element concentration in rumen as influenced by copper sulfate administration].

In experiments on the distribution of copper, zinc and manganese in fractions of rumen liquor (Wetzel and Menke, 1977 (1)) changes in PEG and in trace element concentration during day-time (between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.) were measured at 2-hour intervals. Rumen volume was 61 l and passage rate 108 and 128 l/day in the two animals used. Average daily passage was calculated to be 40 mg copper, 98 mg zinc and 371 mg manganese. These values were found to be 11% higher than copper intake and 44 and 68% lower than zinc and manganese intakes, respectively. The differences indicate a remarkable endogenous secretion of copper, and a high absorption of zinc and manganese within the rumen. Concentration (mcg/g dry matter) of copper, zinc and manganese in the bacterial fraction and in total rumen liquor decreased slowly in the first hours after feeding, reaching a minimum after 4 to 6 hours and showed a slight increase thereafter. After addition of copper sulphate the curves mostly became linear. The conclusion is drawn that 1.8 ppm copper in inorganic binding does not lead to changes in trace element concentration to an extent that might be harmful to bacterial fermentation.

Animals

Analogs of methionyl-tRNA synthetase substrates containing photolabile groups.

Three photolabile analogs of substrates of methionyl-tRNA synthetase were synthesized. In one, the 4-thiouridine at the 8 position of E. coli tRNAfMet was alkylated with [14C]p-azidobromoacetanilide. In the second, [14C]p-azidobenzoic acid hydrazide was condensed with the 3'-terminal dialdehyde of periodate-oxidized Escherichia coli tRNAfMet. The modified tRNAs could be purified by chromatography on benzoylated DEAE-cellulose. The third photolabile compound was [3H]methioninyl-8-azido-adenosine 5'-phosphate, an analog of the methionyl adenylate intermediate in the aminoacylation reaction. Irradiation of each of these compounds in the presence of equimolar amounts of E. coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase of micrometer concentrations gave 5-15% crosslinking.

Affinity Labels

Psychiatric illness and non-cancer hysterectomy.

Forty-nine randomly selected women who received hysterectomy for reasons other than cancer were studied preoperatively with systematic interviews and record reviews, and were diagnosed using the explicit criteria of Feighner, et al. Fifty-seven percent were found to be psychiatrically ill, with 27% suffering from hysteria (Briquet's Syndrome), and 18% from primary depression. Recently some investigators have attributed a "post-hysterectomy syndrome" characterized by multiple psychologic and somatic symptoms to the surgery itself. However, a high pre-operative prevalence of psychiatric illness, particularly hysteria, must be considered when evaluating symptoms in a post-hysterectomy population.

Adult

A facile method for the preparation of N6-substituted ATP-Sepharose.

The attachment of 6-methylsulfonylpurineribose 5'-triphosphate to AH-Sepharose 4B as a facile method for the preparation of ATP-Sepharose is described. This reaction is compared to the coupling of 6-chloropurineriboside 5'-triphosphate as well as N(6)-aminocaproyl-ATP. An improved synthesis of purineriboside 5'-phosphates which does not require purification by column chromatography is also described.

Adenosine Triphosphate