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Biomedical subjects

S Tomatsu

Publications and source records attributed to S Tomatsu.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (Hunter disease): 13 gene mutations in 52 Japanese patients and carrier detection in four families.

Southern blot analysis of the iduronate sulfatase (IDS) gene in 52 unrelated Japanese patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type II was carried out using a cDNA probe, and mutations in 13 patients (25%) were identified. Of these, 3 had partial gene deletions (in 2 the normal 9.4-kb fragment was absent and in 1 the normal 7.4-kb fragment was absent, as determined by Southern blot analysis using EcoRI-digested DNA, respectively), 2 had gene insertions (in 1 there was a unique 11.2-kb fragment and in the other there was a unique 5-kb fragment, determined by Southern blot analysis using EcoRI-digested DNA), and 8 had rearrangements (in 6 the normal 9.4-kb and 7.0-kb fragments were absent and a unique 11.2-kb fragment was present; in the remaining 2 patients there were different rearrangements). In these 13 patients, the similar Southern blot patterns were indicative of structural alterations of the IDS gene, as revealed when their DNA was digested with HindIII or PstI and probed with IDS cDNA. All patients with these structural alterations were in a clinically severe state, except for 1 with an intermediate clinical phenotype. Our analyses of four families among those of the 13 patients revealed that all four mothers were carriers. The detection of structural abnormalities led to a precise identification of Hunter heterozygotes and revealed one de novo rearrangement in a germ cell of one of the maternal grandparents.

Adolescent↗

Suppressive effects of elimination diets on T cell responses to ovalbumin in hen's egg-sensitive atopic dermatitis patients.

We investigated the effect of elimination diets on T cell responses to ovalbumin (OA) in hen's egg-sensitive atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. The proliferative responses of both peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and T cells with monocytes to OA decreased after elimination diets, but those to Candida albicans or phytohemagglutinin (PHA) did not decrease after elimination diets. The proliferative responses of CD4+ T cells with monocytes to OA decreased after elimination diets. In these patients, clinical symptoms of AD improved. These results indicate that T cells, especially CD4+ T cells, respond to food antigens in food-specific lymphocyte responses, and that elimination diets may be able to initiate reduction of the responsiveness of food-sensitive T cells, especially CD4+ T cells. Moreover, the surface marker phenotypes of the T cells responding to OA were analysed. Our results showed that CD4+CD45RA+ T cells tended to increase. The increase in circulating CD4+CD45RA+ T cells might function as systemic suppression against immune responses in the skin.

Adolescent↗

Expression of secreted immunoglobulin heavy chain genes and immunoglobulin-secreting cells in human lymphocytes.

The numbers of immunoglobulin-secreting cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the expression of mRNA for secreted type of immunoglobulin heavy chains were investigated in healthy children, compared with the percentages of surface immunoglobulin-bearing cells and the expression of mRNA for membrane-bound type of immunoglobulin heavy chains, respectively. Although a difference between expression of mu s mRNA and mu m mRNA was unclear, mu mRNA was well transcribed. The expression of gamma s mRNA or alpha s mRNA was markedly higher than that of gamma m mRNA or alpha m mRNA. However, although the detection methods could be of different sensitivities, the percentage of IgM-, IgG-, or IgA-secreting cells was markedly low, compared with the percentage of surface IgM-, IgG-, or IgA-bearing cells, respectively. Therefore, additional regulation of the pattern of the immunoglobulin gene expression may be exerted at the translational and post-translational stages.

Antibody-Producing Cells↗

[Mucopolysaccharidosis type VII: characterization of exonic point mutations and molecular heterogeneity].

We identified two different exonic point mutations causing beta-glucuronidase (beta G1) deficiency in three Japanese patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type VII. The beta G1-specific mRNA levels were normal. Sequence analysis of the full-length mutated cDNAs showed C-->T transitions, which resulted in a single Ala619-->Val change (case 1, a 8-year old female and case 2, a 24-year old male) and a Arg382-->Cys change (case 3, a 7-year-old female). Each of these two amino acid changes reduced the beta G1 activity of the corresponding mutant beta G1 expressed following transfection of COS cells with expression vectors harboring the mutated cDNAs.

Adult↗

Intermediate form of mucopolysaccharidosis type II (Hunter disease): a C1327 to T substitution in the iduronate sulfatase gene.

Hunter disease, an X-linked recessive lysosomal storage disorder, is caused by a deficiency in iduronate sulfatase activity. Sequence analysis of mRNA of fibroblasts of an intermediate phenotype patient showed a single C1327 to T nucleotide transition. This mutation resulted in a substitution of termination codon for normal arginine at position 443 of the peptide sequence. Expression studies with this abnormal cDNA in fibroblasts from the patient revealed a loss of enzymatic activity and instability of the mutated protein. We posturate that this mutation is probably the cause of the intermediate form of Hunter disease.

Base Sequence↗

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IVA. N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase exonic point mutations in classical Morquio and mild cases.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IVA (MPS IVA) results from a genetic deficiency of N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate (Gal-NAc6S) sulfatase. We have identified two different exonic mutations causing GalNAc6S sulfatase deficiency in two unrelated Japanese families, in one patient with classical Morquio disease, and in two brothers with a mild form of MPS IVA. The nucleotide sequence of the full-length cDNA derived from a patient with classical Morquio disease revealed a two-base deletion at nucleotide position 1343-1344 (1344-1345 or 1345-1346) that altered the reading frame (designated 1342delCA). This mutation, inherited from the proband's consanguineous parents, was revealed by TaqI restriction analysis of a cDNA fragment amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. In the proband with the mild form of the disease, a C to G transversion at nucleotide 667 predicted the substitution of Lys for Asn204 (N204K). Since a new AluI site was created by the N204K mutation, restriction analysis indicated that the affected brothers were homozygous for this mutation, as confirmed by the finding that both their parents had this lesion. Transient expression in GalNAc6S sulfatase deficient fibroblasts of these two mutant alleles showed completely deficient or markedly decreased enzyme activities, thereby indicating that these two mutations were responsible for the enzyme deficiency.

Acetylgalactosamine↗

Optimization of electroporation for transfection of human fibroblast cell lines with origin-defective SV40 DNA: development of human transformed fibroblast cell lines with mucopolysaccharidoses (I-VII)

To simplify the process of transfection of human fibroblasts and to acquire a suitable number of transformants, we investigated experimental conditions of electric pulse-induced transfection of human fibroblasts using origin-defective simian virus 40 DNA (SV40 (ori-) DNA). Voltage, pulse duration, number of pulses and the concentration of SV40 (ori-) DNA led to the formation of 10 to 30 foci/25 cm2 6 weeks after transfection, using 2 to 3 x 10(6) cells and a square wave pulse generator. Optimal condition was determined to be 2 or 3 pulses at a voltage of 1500 to 2000 V/0.4 cm with 30 microseconds pulse width, using 2 micrograms of linearized SV40 (ori-) DNA. With this approach we developed human transformed fibroblasts cell lines with all types of mucopolysaccharidoses. The transformed fibroblasts grew rapidly and the saturation density exceeded that of the parental cells. All the transformed cell clones expressed T antigen, and deficiency in specific enzymes was conserved. A point mutation which occurred in the human beta-glucuronidase gene in a patient with mucopolysaccharidosis type VII was also conserved.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Morquio disease: isolation, characterization and expression of full-length cDNA for human N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase.

We cloned and sequenced a full-length cDNA of human placental N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase, the enzyme deficient in Morquio disease. The 2339-nucleotide sequence contained 1566 nucleotides which encoded a polypeptide of 522 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence was composed of a 26-amino acid N-terminal signal peptide and a mature polypeptide of 496 amino acid residues including two potential asparagine-linked glycosylation sites. Expression of the cDNA in transfected deficient fibroblasts resulted in higher production of this sulfatase activity than in untransfected deficient fibroblasts. The cDNA clone was hybridized to only a 2.3-kilobase species of RNA in human fibroblasts. The amino acid sequence of N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase showed a high degree of homology with those of other sulfatases such as human arylsulfatases A, B or C, glucosamine-6-sulfatase, iduronate-2-sulfatase and sea urchin arylsulfatase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Evidence for a structural mutation (347Ala to Thr) in a German family with 3-ketothiolase deficiency.

The molecular basis of 3-ketothiolase deficiency (3KTD) was examined in a 3KTD family. Immunochemical analyses showed that mitochondrial acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (T2) biosynthesized in the patient's fibroblasts (GK06) was unstable and that the parents and brother were obligatory carriers of 3KTD. When sequencing the PCR-amplified patient's T2 cDNA, we noted a G to A replacement which caused 347Ala to Thr substitution of the mature T2 subunit. Transfection analysis revealed that this substitution resulted in an instability of the T2 protein. Analyses of the T2 cDNA and gene of the family indicated that the patient was a compound heterozygote; the allele that derived from the mother had a point mutation (347Ala to Thr) and the other allele from the father has a mutation which would abolish the T2 gene expression. This report is apparently the first definition of a mutant allele for 3KTD, at the gene level.

Acetyl-CoA C-Acyltransferase↗

Purification and partial characterization of alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase from human liver.

A deficiency in alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase is known as mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB or Sanfilippo B syndrome. We purified this enzyme almost 39,000-fold from liver to homogeneity with 3% recovery. Use of concanavalin A (Con A)-Sepharose and heparin-Sepharose resulted in 13.4-fold and 11.6-fold purifications of the enzymatic activity, respectively. The molecular mass was estimated to be 300 kDa by gel filtration and 80 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis. The isoelectric point was 5.1, optimal pH was 4.5, and the Km for p-nitrophenyl alpha-N-acetylglucosamine was 0.13-0.20 mM. The purified enzyme was stable at 50 degrees C for 1 h and within the pH range of 6.5-8.5. Anti-serum against the purified enzyme raised in BALB/c mice inhibited the activities of alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗

Gene deletions in Japanese patients with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies: deletion study and carrier detection.

Fifty unrelated Japanese patients with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD and BMD) have been studied through use of the dystrophin cDNA probes. The 14-kb dystrophin cDNA was subdivided into six subclones, and Hind III-digested DNAs were analyzed by Southern blotting. Of 50 unrelated patients, 20 showed a deletion of one or several of the exon-containing Hind III fragments (40.0%). These corresponded to 50% (11/22) of BMD patients and 32.1% (9/28) of DMD patients, and the position and extent of deletions were mapped and proven to be more heterogeneous in DMD than in BMD. Both ends of deletions detected by probe 1-2a were common to all six BMD patients, and the 5' ends of deletions in probe 5b-7 were also common to four BMD patients. The phenotypic-specific deletion in Japanese BMD patients existed in the 5' end of the DMD gene, although an apparently similar deletion produced a wide range of clinical courses (BMD phenotype). Three out of eight females in DMD/BMD families were diagnosed as carriers through use of the junctional fragment and dosage analyses of dystrophin cDNA.

Adolescent↗

Mucopolysaccharidosis type VII: characterization of mutations and molecular heterogeneity.

We identified two different exonic point mutations causing beta-glucuronidase (beta G1) deficiency in two Japanese patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (MPSVII). Enzyme assay of lysates of the lymphocytes and cultured fibroblasts showed little residual activity. The beta G1-specific mRNA levels were normal, as determined by northern blot analysis. Mutated cDNA clones, including the entire coding sequence, were isolated using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products derived from beta G1-deficient fibroblasts. Sequence analysis of the full-length mutated cDNAs showed C----T transitions, which resulted in a single Ala619----Val change (case 1, a 24-year-old male) and a Arg382----Cys change (case 2, a 7-year-old female). The former change was revealed by a loss of the cleavage site for the Fnu4HI in the mutated cDNA. On the basis of the loss of Fnu4HI restriction site, the patient (case 1) was a homozygote with this mutation. The mutational change in patient 2 was confirmed by direct sequencing and by demonstrating heterozygosity for the mutation in her parents. The Ala619----Val and Arg382----Cys mutations each disrupt a different domain which is highly conserved among human, rat, and Escherichia coli beta G1s. Each of these two amino acid changes reduced the beta G1 activity of the corresponding mutant beta G1 expressed following transfection of COS cells with expression vectors harboring the mutated cDNAs.

Adult↗

Molecular basis of mucopolysaccharidosis type VII: replacement of Ala619 in beta-glucuronidase with Val.

We have identified a mutation causing beta-glucuronidase (beta Gl) deficiency in a 6-year-old girl with mucopolysaccharidosis type VII. Enzyme assay of lysates of a girl's lymphocytes or cultured fibroblasts showed little residual activity and a normal beta Gl-specific mRNA level, as revealed by Northern-blot analysis. Sequencing of the full-length mutated cDNA revealed a C----T transition, an event causing a single Ala619----Val change (we designated this variant beta GGifu). This change is detected by loss of the cleavage site for the enzyme Fnu4HI in the mutated cDNA. On the basis of the loss of Fnu4HI restriction site, the patient was shown to be a homozygote with the beta GGifu mutation and her parents and brother were heterozygotes. This mutation disrupts a functional domain consisting of a region of sequence highly conserved among human, rat and bacterial beta Gls, and it reduces the enzyme activity, as tested by transfection of COS cells with expression vectors harboring the mutated cDNA.

Alanine↗

Non-existence of a tight association between a 444leucine to proline mutation and phenotypes of Gaucher disease: high frequency of a NciI polymorphism in the non-neuronopathic form.

A 444leucine to proline mutation detected by a NciI polymorphism in the human glucocerebrosidase gene was studied to investigate the correlation of the three clinical phenotypes of Gaucher disease with this mutation in 11 Japanese patients with Gaucher disease (type I, 8 patients; type II, 1 patient; type III, 2 patients) and to determine the feasibility of the use of genomic probe DNA for carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis in 8 Japanese families with Gaucher disease and agreeable to family study (type I, 6 families; type III, 2 families). The homoallelic 444leucine to proline mutation was found only in patients with type I disease. Of the 8 type I patients, 5 had the homoallelic mutation and 2 had one mutant allele. One patient with type II disease did not have this mutant allele. Of the 2 type III patients, one had a single mutant allele whereas the other exhibited no mutation of this kind. These results suggest that the 444leucine to proline mutation is very common in the type I (non-neuronopathic form) disease and is not tightly associated only with neuronopathic types of Gaucher disease in Japanese patients. These findings seem to conflict with others showing that this mutation is partially responsible for the occurrence of neuronopathic Gaucher disease. Thus, the NciI polymorphism will not be useful for the diagnosis of subtypes of Gaucher disease. Carrier detection was feasible in three families with type I disease of the 8 families analyzed by the NciI polymorphism.

Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific↗

Gene deletions in Japanese patients with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy.

Thirty-eight unrelated Japanese patients with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD and BMD) have been investigated with the DMD cDNA probes. The 14-kb DMD cDNA was subdivided into 6 subclones and HindIII-digested DNAs were analyzed by Southern blotting. Out of 38 unrelated patients, 14 showed a deletion of one or several of the exon-containing HindIII fragments (36.8%). These corresponded to 50% (9/18) of BMD patients and 25% (5/20) of DMD patients, and the position and extent of deletions were mapped and proved to be more heterogeneous in DMD than in BMD. Both ends of deletions detected in probe 1-2a were common to all six BMD patients without the maintenance of reading frame of messenger RNA, and 5' ends of deletions in probe 5b-7 were also common but maintained in frame in three BMD patients. The phenotypic-specific deletion in Japanese BMD patients has existed in the 5' end of the DMD gene, although its apparently similar deletion produced a wide range of clinical courses (BMD phenotype). There was no tight correlation between clinical severity and presence or absence of deletion in DMD or BMD.

Adolescent↗

[Molecular basis of mucopolysaccaridosis type VII (beta-glucuronidase deficiency)].

We have identified several mutations causing beta-glucuronidase (beta Gl) deficiency in three cases with mucopolysaccaridosis type VII (MPS VII). Enzyme assay of lysates of these lymphocytes or cultured fibroblasts showed little residual activity and that the beta Gl-specific mRNA levels were normal, as revealed by Northern blot analysis. Mutated cDNA clones including the entire coding sequencing were isolated from a library in case 1 and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) products in case 2 and 3 derived from cultured fibroblasts. Sequencing of the full-length mutated cDNA revealed C----T transitions, an event causing a single Ala619----Val change (cases 1 and 2) and Arg382----Cys and Pro649----Leu changes (case 3). The former change is detected by loss of the cleavage site for the enzyme Fnu 4 HI in the mutated cDNA. On the basis of the loss of Fnu 4 HI restriction site, the patients (cases 1 and 2) were shown to be a homozygote with this mutation and the parents and brother in case 1 were heterozygotes. The Ala619----Val and Arg382----Cys mutations disrupt a functional domain consisting of a region of sequence highly conserved among human, rat and bacterial beta Gl's, and they lower the enzyme activity, as tested by transfection of COS cells with expression vectors harboring the mutated cDNA. However the Pro649----Leu mutation does not lower the enzyme activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The organization and the complete nucleotide sequence of the human NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase gene.

The organization and the complete nucleotide (nt) sequence of the b5R gene encoding human NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase (b5R; EC 1.6.2.2) have been determined by a combination of restriction mapping and nt sequence analysis of overlapping genomic DNA clones. The entire gene is about 31 kb in length and contains nine exons and eight introns. Exon 2 contains the junction of the membrane-binding domain and the catalytic domain of b5R, indicating that two forms of b5R, a soluble and a membrane-bound form, are generated by post-translational processing. The 5' portion of the b5R gene lacks the canonical 5' transcriptional regulatory elements, but contains five copies of the GC box sequence G-G-G-C-G-G. While the average G + C content of the b5R gene is 55%, that of the 5' portion of the gene is extraordinarily high (86%). The CpG dinucleotide sequence was found at a very high frequency in this G + C-rich region. These structural features are very similar to those of the regulatory regions of constitutively expressed 'housekeeping' genes. Several transcription start points were identified by the primer extension experiment. Seventeen complete and twelve incomplete Alu family sequences were found in introns. An uncanonical polyadenylation signal was detected in the 3'-untranslated region of the gene as A-G-T-A-A-A instead of A-A-T-A-A-A.

Amino Acid Sequence↗