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Biomedical subjects

S Abel

Publications and source records attributed to S Abel.

72 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

The 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase gene family of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Genomic sequences encoding five divergent 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase polypeptides (ACC1, ACC2, ACC3, ACC4, and ACC5) have been isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana by using heterologous cDNAs and PCR fragments amplified from genomic DNA with degenerate oligonucleotide primers. Each gene is located on a different chromosome in the Arabidopsis genome. The genes are differentially expressed during development and in response to environmental stimuli. Protein-synthesis inhibition derepresses the expression of all genes but most dramatically derepresses that of ACC2, suggesting that their expression may be under negative control. The sequence of ACC2 was determined, and its transcription initiation site was defined. Authenticity of the polypeptide encoded by the gene was confirmed by expression experiments in Escherichia coli. The predicted size of the protein is 55,623 Da, and it contains the 11 invariant amino acid residues conserved between aminotransferases and ACC synthases from various plant species. Comparative analysis of structural and expression characteristics of ACC synthase genes from Arabidopsis and other plant species suggests that the sequence divergence of the ACC synthase genes and possibly the distinct regulatory networks governing the expression of ACC synthase subfamilies arose early in plant evolution and before the divergence of monocots and dicots.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Phosphate-Regulated Induction of Intracellular Ribonucleases in Cultured Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) Cells.

Four intracellular RNases were found to be induced in cultured tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) cells upon phosphate starvation. Localization studies revealed three (RNases LV 1-3) in the vacuoles and one (RNase LX) outside these organelles. All of these RNases were purified to homogeneity and were shown to be type I RNases on the basis of type of splitting, substrate, and base specificity at the cleavage site, molecular weight, isoelectric point, and pH optimum. Moreover, RNase LV 3 was shown by fingerprinting of tryptic digests on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and sequencing the N terminus and two tryptic peptides to be structurally very similar to a recently characterized extracellular RNase LE which is also phosphate regulated (Nürnberger et al. [1990] Plant Physiol 92: 970-976; Jost et al. [1991] Eur J Biochem 198: 1-6). Expression of the four intracellular RNases is induced by depleting the cells of phosphate and repressed by adding phosphate. Our studies indicate that higher plants, in addition to secreting enzymes for scavanging phosphate under starvation conditions, also induce intracellularly emergency rescue systems.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

Effects of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist on three types of responses to interleukin-1 in rabbit isolated blood vessels.

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IRA) is a secretory product of human monocytes or related cell lines that acts as a pure interleukin-1 (IL-1) antagonist in several bioassays. IRA administration was reportedly a life-saving intervention in rabbits injected with lethal doses of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We report the inhibitory effect of IRA on three distinct types of vascular responses to IL-1 in rabbit isolated blood vessels. The rabbit isolated superior mesenteric artery, when precontracted with phenylephrine, relaxed in a sustained manner in less than 30 min following application of recombinant interleukin-1 beta (12-290 pM), and this was a prostaglandin (PG)-dependent and endothelium-independent process. IRA (human recombinant sequence; 0.9-15 nM) behaved as an antagonist of IL-1 alpha or IL-1 beta, based on the surmountability and the concentration dependence, but could only prevent the effect of IL-1, not reverse it. IRA had no direct effect on the preparation and did not influence the acute relaxing effect elicited by substance P or iloprost, a PGI2 mimetic. Exposure to IL-1 beta depressed the response to noradrenaline (NA) in several hours in rabbit aorta rings. The inhibitory effect of IL-1 beta was endothelium and prostaglandin independent, but was prevented by a treatment with NG-nitro-L-arginine (a nitric oxide synthesis inhibitor), cycloheximide, dexamethasone, or IRA. Using the residual NA-induced contraction as a quantification of the IL-1 agonist effect, IRA was a very potent antagonist of IL-1 beta but was not totally surmountable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Birth places: a geographical perspective on planned home birth in New Zealand.

In New Zealand until the 1920s, most births occurred at home or in small maternity hospitals under the care of a midwife. Births subsequently came under the control of the medical profession and the prevalent medical ideology continues to support hospitalised birth in the interests of safety for mother and child. Despite resistance from the medical profession, recent (1990) legislation has reinstated the autonomy of midwives and this has come at a time when the demand for home births is increasing. This paper locates these changes within the geographical context of home as a primary place within human experience. It is argued that the medical profession has been an agent of an essentially patriarchal society in engendering particular experiences of time and place for women in labour. Narrative data indicate that the choice of home as a birth place is related to three dimensions of experience unavailable in a hospital context: control, continuity and the familiarity of home.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Induction of an Extracellular Ribonuclease in Cultured Tomato Cells upon Phosphate Starvation.

Suspension-cultured cells of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) start to secrete an RNA-degrading enzyme activity during transition from logarithmic to stationary growth phase. Using affinity chromatography on agarose-5-(4-aminophenyl-phosphoryl) uridine 3'(2') monophosphate as a powerful and final enrichment step, the enzyme was purified to homogeneity and characterized as ribonuclease I (RNase I) according to the following data: (a) it has an M(r) of 22,000 (sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis), a pH-optimum of pH 5.5, a pl of 3.9, and its activity was found to be insensitive to EDTA; (b) the enzyme splits single-stranded RNA endonucleolytically by a phosphotransferase reaction yielding 2',3'-cNMPs as primary monomeric products; (c) as studied with diribonucleoside monophosphates as substrates, the enzyme exhibits a pronounced preference for 5' purine residues adjacent to the cleavage site. Most interestingly, in vivo synthesis and secretion was found to be induced when tomato cells were specifically starved for phosphate as mineral nutrient. (a) Extracellular enzyme activity increased about tenfold after transfer of phosphate-grown cells into medium lacking only phosphate. Accordingly, this increase in activity was not detectable when cells were constantly supplied with phosphate. (b) Biosynthetically labeling of the extracellular protein with radioactive amino acids was detectable by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis/fluorography directly within the bulk of extracellular proteins. Therefore, we propose that the secreted tomato RNase I synthesized upon phosphate starvation is a component of a higher plant inducible rescue system for scavenging exogenous phosphate.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1990

Evidence for RNA-Oligonucleotides in Plant Vacuoles Isolated from Cultured Tomato Cells.

We have shown that highly purified vacuoles of suspension-cultured tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) cells contain RNA-oligonucleotides, using two different approaches to label and detect RNA: (a) in vivo labeling of cellular RNA with [5-(3)H]uridine, followed by preparation of vacuoles from protoplasts and by quantification of radioactively labeled material; and (b) in vitro labeling and analysis on sequencing gels of nucleic acids prepared from tomato vacuoles and their identification as RNA. The intravacuolar location of the RNA found in vacuolar preparations was concluded from analyzing for RNA intact organelles after repeated flotation steps as well as ribonuclease A treatment. About 3% of the RNA in protoplasts was localized within vacuoles, exceeding by severalfold the contribution made by contamination with unlysed protoplasts and subcellular organelles. Investigation of the size distribution of vacuolar RNA revealed an oligonucleotide pattern strikingly different from that which would arise from contaminating protoplasts; vacuolar RNA fragments are considerably shorter than 80 nucleotides. Characterization of these oligoribonucleotides (3'-phosphorylated termini; relatively rich in pyrimidines) as possible products of tomato vacuolar ribonuclease I action, and, in addition, enzymatic hydrolysis of vacuolar RNA by inherent enzyme activities in lysed vacuole preparations support the hypothesis that plant vacuoles are involved in cellular nucleolytic processes.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1989

Molecular analysis of eight U1 RNA gene candidates from tomato that could potentially be transcribed into U1 RNA sequence variants differing from each other in similar regions of secondary structure.

From a tomato genomic library we isolated and characterized eight U1 RNA gene candidates (U1.1 to U1.8) all of which possessed the canonical plant U-snRNA transcription signals in their 5' and 3' flanking regions and exhibited nucleotide sequence conservation in the 5' splice site recognition sequence, in the Sm antigen binding site and in Loops B, C, D as well as in Stems III and IV of their coding region. Deviations from the U1 RNA consensus sequence were mainly localized to Loop A and Stems I and II, suggesting that the putative transcripts of the tomato U1.1-U1.8 genes would differ from each other in their capacity of binding to the U1 RNA-specific snRNP proteins.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Lacteal immunity to enteric cryptosporidiosis in mice: immune dams do not protect their suckling pups.

The susceptibilities of passively immunized principal and nonimmunized control suckling mice to orogastric challenge with Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts were compared. Principals were suckled by dams that had recovered from C. parvum infection. Controls were suckled by dams reared free of C. parvum infection. Principals and controls were equally susceptible to challenge. Principals were susceptible even when their dams were hyperimmunized by oral and parenteral booster inoculations with C. parvum oocysts. Immune dams produced serum antibody against C. parvum, while nonimmune dams did not. Anti-cryptosporidia immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA were demonstrated in whey extracted from the stomachs of principals that had suckled immune dams but not in whey extracted from the stomachs of controls. It was concluded that passive lacteal immunity is not an efficient means of protection against cryptosporidiosis in mice. As in other coccidian infections, protective immunity against cryptosporidiosis may depend more on immune cells than on antibody.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Germinating seed in anterior chamber. Report of an unusual case.

A seed introduced into the eye of an 8-year-old boy through a penetrating corneal wound became embedded in the iris. Many months later it germinated. The germinating seed was successfully removed from the iris and anterior chamber with retention of excellent visual acuity. The seed was identified as a dicotyledonous seedling of the family Compositae.

Anterior Chamber↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Efficacy of a polyvalent bacterial lysate in children with recurrent respiratory tract infections.

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are the most frequent infections in humans, particularly in children. In addition to intervention, increasing interest is focusing on immunomodulatory therapy for recurrent RTIs, which indicate a reduced defense capacity of the respiratory mucosa. LW 50020, an oral immunomodulator that contains the antigens of seven bacteria common in RTIs, has reduced the number, duration, and severity of RTIs in children and adults. This 56-week placebo-controlled, double-blind study in 188 children investigated whether the efficacy of the standard schedule (immunization cycle + one booster cycle) would be enhanced by additional booster cycles. Efficacy and safety over the long term were also assessed. The rate of infection was reduced by 50% with the standard schedule and could not be further decreased by two consecutive booster cycles. With both schedules, this reduction was sustained during a 28-week treatment-free observation period that followed the 28-week treatment period. The number of adverse drug reactions was low, and all were transient, expected, and nonserious. These results confirm that LW 50020 is an effective and safe strategy for RTIs.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Treatment of recurrent respiratory tract infections with a polyvalent bacterial lysate: results of an open, prospective, multinational study.

This multicenter, open study, carried out in 14 countries in Europe, Latin America, and Asia, recruited 4965 patients suffering from recurrent respiratory tract infections to investigate the safety and acceptability of the oral bacterial lysate immunomodulator LW 50020. Patients remained in the study for 4 months (two 4-week courses of LW 50020 separated by a 28-day treatment-free interval and follow-up). The incidence of all adverse events was 7.2%; that of adverse drug reactions was 0.6%. Adverse drug reactions were mild to moderate and not more frequent in the large subgroup of patients (77%) with a known history of allergies or underlying respiratory diseases; however, the incidence of adverse events in this subgroup was twofold higher than in the study population as a whole, probably indicating a generally increased vulnerability to disease. No clinically relevant changes in laboratory variables followed treatment. Comparison of the first study period (first course of LW 50020 and drug-free interval) with the second study period (second course of LW 50020 and follow-up) showed an overall reduction of at least 50% in the number, severity, and duration of respiratory tract infections, the number of antibiotic and symptomatic treatments, and the number of days absent from school or work. Tolerability and acceptability were assessed as good or very good in 99% of patients who completed the study.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Potential role for P-glycoprotein in the non-proportional pharmacokinetics of UK-343,664 in man.

1. UK-343,664 is a potent and specific PDE5 inhibitor. Following single oral doses to human volunteers, it exhibited non-proportional pharmacokinetics over the dose range 30-800 mg. Over this 27-fold dose range, Cmax and AUCt increased 247- and 287-fold respectively. The half-life (4-6 h) was similar at all doses. No systemic exposure was quantifiable at doses <10 mg. 2. UK-343,664 is a lipophilic molecule (log D7.4 = 3.1) and as such is expected to be cleared mainly by metabolism. Based on studies with expressed human P450 enzymes it was concluded that the metabolism of UK-343,664 was predominantly mediated by CYP3A4. With a moderate Km = 76 microM for this enzyme, saturation of first-pass metabolism alone was considered unlikely to account for the non-proportional pharmacokinetics. 3. UK-343,664 showed high affinity for P-glycoprotein in vitro, with a Km = 7.3 microM. In transport studies in LLC-PK1 cell monolayers transfected with P-glycoprotein, UK343,664 showed marked polarized transport which was concentration dependent. 4. The high affinity of UK-343,664 for P-glycoprotein is considered to be the primary source of the non-proportional pharmacokinetic profile observed in man.

3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases↗