[Current problems in mass screening of lung cancer].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Yasuda.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
On the basis of the observation that dnaA protein binds preferentially to DNA fragments carrying the Escherichia coli chromosomal replication origin (oriC), the binding sites were investigated by DNase I footprinting. As a result, three strong binding sites were identified in the minimal oriC sequence. The respective binding sites were 16 to 17 base-pairs long, and contained a common sequence (5') T-G-T-G-(G/T)-A-T-A-A-C (3') in the middle, although their polarities were not the same. Since mutants defective in function for autonomous replication have been isolated in the corresponding positions of the common sequence at each binding site, dnaA protein-binding at these sites seems to be significant for replication initiation.
The rod prepared from chicken gizzard myosin has been found to have two sites sensitive to limited digestion with chymotrypsin; these sites were located at a subfragment 2/light meromyosin junction (site 1), and at a site 10 kDa remote from either C-terminal or N-terminal of light meromyosin (site 2). The site 1 was more sensitive to the digestion than the site 2. The cleavage at site 2 of the light meromyosin yielded a 74-kDa fragment that was soluble in a low ionic strength solution, contrary to the insolubility of the parent light meromyosin in the same solution. Studies on the effects of MgCl2, ATP and pH on the susceptibilities of these sites to chymotrypsin have given following results. (a) Millimolar concentrations of MgCl2 protected site 1 and site 2 from the chymotryptic cleavage. (b) The cleavage at site 1 of myosin rod in the low salt solution free of Mg2+ at pH 7.0 and pH 8.5, was not affected by the presence of 5 mM ATP. However, MgCl2-induced protection of site 1 was relieved by addition of ATP. On the other hand, the cleavage at site 2 was stimulated by addition of ATP, irrespective of the presence or absence of MgCl2. (c) The alkaline condition of pH 8.5 was more favorable for the chymotryptic cleavages at both site 1 and site 2 than the neutral condition of pH 7.0. These results suggest that myosin rod contains two flexible regions, the structures of which are influenced by such an ambient factor as MgCl2, ATP or pH.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
For long-term toxicological studies, mizoribine at the dose of 2.5 mg/kg body weight was administered orally to two male and two female Beagle dogs for 36 consecutive months, once a day, 6 days a week, with a day-off on the 7th of each week. As a control group, 2 male and 2 female dogs were kept under the same conditions as the treated group. The above experiment resulted in no abnormal general symptoms being found in either group. In addition, body weight gain instead of weight loss was observed in both groups. Moreover, hematological and biological parameters were in the normal range, and no statistical difference was obtained between the two groups. An additional 10 mg/kg of mizoribine was administered once to both groups at the months of 6, 12, 18, 24, or 36 after the onset of this toxicological study so as to determine the pharmacokinetic behavior of serum mizoribine. This resulted in no significant difference being observed between the two groups. Therefore, it can be inferred that accumulation of mizoribine is not induced by its long-term repeated administration. In fertility study, the analysis of the sperm and the mating ability of a male dog with an appropriate healthy female dog revealed that mizoribine at this dose did not provoke any abnormalities in male gonadal functions.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The nucleotide sequence of the cloned DNA, 1,478 bp in length coding for glutathione synthetase (GSH-II) of E. coli B has been determined. Amino acid and nucleotide sequence analyses have assigned the open reading frame for GSH-II, starting with the ATG near its 5' terminus. The molecular weight calculated from the predicted amino acid sequence is 35,559 daltons, being in good agreement with that of a GSH-II subunit estimated by the SDS-PAGE method. Several signal sequences conserved in the promoter regions of E. coli were found in the non-coding regions of the gsh-II gene. They include the Shine-Dalgarno sequence, the Pribnow box and the sequence conserved in the "-35 region" with a preferable spacing from each other for an efficient transcription. Downstream from the termination codon, the inverted repeat sequences were present, followed by 6 successive T's. These structural features found in the non-coding regions have suggested to be involved in regulatory functions for the gsh-II gene expression.
The limited chymotryptic digestion of unphosphorylated gizzard myosin in 0.15 M NaCl converted a papain-insensitive myosin in ATP to a papain-sensitive one. This conversion without phosphorylation of its 20-kDa light chain was accompanied with truncation of a 200-kDa heavy chain to a 195-kDa fragment and with the degradation of a 20-kDa light chain. Papain also yielded the 195-kDa fragment from the heavy chain, irrespective of the presence or absence of ATP. However, the ATP-induced protection of unphosphorylated myosin from the papain-digestion disappeared concurrently with degradation of the 20-kDa light chain by papain rather than the truncation of heavy chain. Papers from two laboratories [Onishi, H. & Watanabe, S. (1984) J. Biochem. (Tokyo) 95, 903-905; Kumon, A., Yasuda, S., Murakami, N., and Matsumura, S. (1984) Eur. J. Biochem. 140, 265-271] have reported that the ATP-protection of unphosphorylated myosin against papain is not observed after the 20-kDa light chain has been phosphorylated. The present results might indicate that the ATP-induced protection is also abolished through the chymotryptic degradation of the 20-kDa light chain.
The DNA fragment encompassing the ras gene of Harvey murine sarcoma virus was sequenced and assigned the coding region of a transforming protein, p21, to the sequence. Examination of nucleotide sequence, taken together with the result of analysis of the ras mRNAs (1), has revealed that p21 is encoded from a continuous coding region starting with the 5' proximal initiation codon but not a processed protein. However, there were found several differences between the sequence published by Dhar et. al. (2) and ours, including 9 deletions, 7 substitutions and 2 insertions of nucleotides in the published sequence of 997 nucleotides in length. Among these, one of the substitutions occurring in the coding region resulted in amino acid replacement of glycine by alanine at position 122 of p21. The evidences are presented with some of actual gel autoradiographs.
Chicken gizzard myosin in 0.15 M or 0.5 M NaCl was cleaved at two sites of heavy chain with 2-10 micrograms/ml papain. MgATP inhibited these cleavages of myosin in 0.15 M NaCl but not in 0.5 M NaCl. The protective effect of ATP was observed at concentrations as low as 10 microM and increased in proportion to ATP concentration to a maximum at 1 mM. ADP was as effective as ATP, while adenosine 5'-[beta, gamma-imido]triphosphate, an unhydrolyzable ATP analogue, was less effective than ATP or ADP. AMP had no protective effect on the digestion of myosin and GTP inhibited slightly the digestion. When the papain-insensitive myosin in 0.15 M NaCl and 2.5 mM MgATP was phosphorylated by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent myosin light-chain kinase, the myosin restored the vulnerability to papain. However, the two papain-susceptible forms, nonphosphorylated form in the absence of MgATP and phosphorylated form in the presence of MgATP, yielded very similar but distinct proteolytic fragments upon the digestion. When the extent of myosin assembly was estimated by the turbidimetry of myosin suspension in 0.15 M NaCl, nonphosphorylated myosin in the absence and presence of MgATP was assembled and disassembled, respectively, and phosphorylated myosin in the presence of MgATP was assembled. These results suggest that, at physiological ionic strength, papain as a probe distinguishes disassembled myosin and assembled myosin as papain-insensitive and papain-sensitive forms, respectively.
Cellular polysaccharide fractions of various representative members of genera of the family Spirochaetaceae were obtained by the ammonium hydroxide extraction method. The sugar composition of the polysaccharide preparations was complex and many kinds of sugars such as rhamnose, fucose, ribose, xylose, mannose, galactose, and glucose were detected in all of the spirochetes tested. Of particular interest was the presence of 4-O-methylmannose as a constituent polysaccharide in members of the genus Leptospira. This sugar was not detected in the polysaccharides of Spirochaeta, Borrelia, and Treponema. The chemical compositions of cell wall fractions were also examined. 4-O-Methylmannose was detected in the cell wall polysaccharides of the genus Leptospira but not in cell walls prepared from the Spirochaeta, Borrelia, and Treponema. The diaminopimelic acid present in cell wall peptidoglycans of the genus Leptospira was meso-diaminopimelic acid (A2pm). The molar ratios of alanine, glutamic acid, A2pm, glycine, muramic acid, and glucosamine in leptospiral cell walls were found to be approximately 2:1:1:1:1:1. In contrast to the Leptospira, the peptidoglycans of genera Spirochaeta, Borrelia, and Treponema contained ornithine (Orn) but not A2pm. Since 4-O-methylmannose and A2pm were found in the cell wall fractions of genus Leptospira but not in Spirochaeta, Borrelia, or Treponema, it was suggested that the chemical compositions of the cell wall might become an important criterion for the chemotaxonomy of Spirochaetales.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.