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Biomedical subjects

T Miki

Publications and source records attributed to T Miki.

At least 469 records · Page 26Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

An unexpected transforming gene in calf-thymus carrier DNA: bovine hst.

During a search for transforming genes by transfecting a human cDNA expression library together with calf thymus carrier-DNA into NIH/3T3 cells, we found a focus which was induced by a plasmid containing a sequence highly homologous to human HST (a transforming gene from Human STomach cancer). However, PCR analysis identified the source of this sequence as calf thymus DNA. The deduced amino acid (aa) sequence of bovine HST shows 91 and 81% identity to the human and mouse HST aa sequences, respectively. These data suggest that the hst of calf thymus carrier-DNA could induce transformation of NIH/3T3 cells.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1995

Genetic association between chromosome 8 microsatellite (MS8-134) and Werner syndrome (WRN): chromosome microdissection and homozygosity mapping.

Werner syndrome (WRN) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by premature aging that has been mapped to the short arm of chromosome 8, 8p11.2-p12. To refine the genetic map around the WRN region, we have isolated eight microsatellites for this region from a microdissection library. We typed members of Japanese families with WRN on the basis of homozygosity mapping analysis. There was no obligate recombination between the WRN locus and microsatellite clone, MS8-134 (D8S1055). The maximum lod score was 20.28 at theta = 0.00. Alleles for MS8-134 showed association with WRN in a case-control study (OR = 3.55, 95% CI 1.56-8.07, P < 0.01). Such microsatellites from a microdissection library of the definite chromosome region may be useful for positional cloning of the WRN gene.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Phenotypes of dnaA mutants of Escherichia coli sensitive to detergents and organic solvents.

We examined growth sensitivities of dnaA mutants of Escherichia coli to detergents (deoxycholic acid, cholic acid) and organic solvents (ethanol, glycerol). The dnaA602, dnaA604, dnaA5, and dnaA46 mutants with mutations in the putative ATP binding site of DnaA protein showed higher sensitivities to the detergents than did the wild-type strain. The dnaA508 and dnaA167 mutants with mutations in the N-terminal region of DnaA protein, however, showed higher sensitivities to organic solvents. The dnaA204 and dnaA205 mutants with a mutation in the C-terminal region of DnaA protein showed similar sensitivity as did the wild-type strain to reagents. Complementation analysis with a plasmid carrying the wild-type dnaA gene confirmed that dnaA mutations are responsible for these phenotypes that are sensitive to the reagents.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1995

The small GTP-binding proteins Rac1 and Cdc42 regulate the activity of the JNK/SAPK signaling pathway.

c-Jun amino-terminal kinases (JNKs) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are closely related; however, they are independently regulated by a variety of environmental stimuli. Although molecules linking growth factor receptors to MAPKs have been recently identified, little is known about pathways controlling JNK activation. Here, we show that in COS-7 cells, activated Ras effectively stimulates MAPK but poorly induces JNK activity. In contrast, mutationally activated Rac1 and Cdc42 GTPases potently activate JNK without affecting MAPK, and oncogenic guanine nucleotide exchange factors for these Rho-like proteins selectively stimulate JNK activity. Furthermore, expression of inhibitory molecules for Rho-related GTPases and dominant negative mutants of Rac1 and Cdc42 block JNK activation by oncogenic exchange factors or after induction by inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. Taken together, these findings strongly support a critical role for Rac1 and Cdc42 in controlling the JNK signaling pathway.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

A single ataxia telangiectasia gene with a product similar to PI-3 kinase.

A gene, ATM, that is mutated in the autosomal recessive disorder ataxia telangiectasia (AT) was identified by positional cloning on chromosome 11q22-23. AT is characterized by cerebellar degeneration, immunodeficiency, chromosomal instability, cancer predisposition, radiation sensitivity, and cell cycle abnormalities. The disease is genetically heterogeneous, with four complementation groups that have been suspected to represent different genes. ATM, which has a transcript of 12 kilobases, was found to be mutated in AT patients from all complementation groups, indicating that it is probably the sole gene responsible for this disorder. A partial ATM complementary DNA clone of 5.9 kilobases encoded a putative protein that is similar to several yeast and mammalian phosphatidylinositol-3' kinases that are involved in mitogenic signal transduction, meiotic recombination, and cell cycle control. The discovery of ATM should enhance understanding of AT and related syndromes and may allow the identification of AT heterozygotes, who are at increased risk of cancer.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Electron spin resonance studies on neutrophil cytochrome b558. Evidence that low-spin heme iron is essential for O2-. generating activity.

Cytochrome b558 purified from pig neutrophils was studied to characterize the spin state of the heme iron in relation to its O2-. generating activity. ESR spectra of cytochrome b558 either from resting or stimulated neutrophils showed a low-spin hemoprotein with g1,2,3 of 3.2, 2.1, and 1.3 (estimated). At physiological pH, the oxidized cytochrome b558 is in a purely low-spin state. On lowering or raising pH from 7, the spin state changes to high-spin. The ESR spectrum of high-spin cytochrome b558 was identical to that of methemoglobin, suggesting that the axial-ligand type in both hemoproteins may be the same, i.e. histidine is the fifth ligand. The ratio of the low-spin to high-spin heme in cytochrome b558 was evaluated by magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy. The pH of cytochrome b558 was varied to form different ratios of the low-spin to high-spin states of the heme, and its O2-. generating activity was examined in cell-free systems. O2-. forming activity decreased concomitant with loss of the low-spin heme, which provides direct evidence that the low-spin state of cytochrome b558 is essential to generate O2-. and the heme retains the low-spin state through the redox cycle.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Expression cloning, developmental expression and chromosomal localization of fibroblast growth factor-8.

A mouse testis cDNA library in lambda pCEV27 eukaryotic expression vector was transfected in NIH3T3 fibroblasts and several transformed foci were identified. A plasmid with high-titered focus forming activity was rescued from one of these transformants. Structural analysis of this cDNA predicted a protein identical to androgen induced growth factor (AIGF), recently identified as the eighth member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family. A 1.6 kilobasepair transcript of the FGF-8 gene was detected in testis but not in other adult tissues analysed. During development, expression of FGF-8 was restricted to embryonic days 9 through 13 suggesting that the growth factor plays a role during a discrete stage of mouse embryogenesis. An exon-containing genomic clone of human FGF-8 was isolated and structural comparisons indicated that the gene structure of this region is highly conserved among the FGF genes. Using a panel of human-rodent somatic cell hybrids, the FGF-8 gene was localized to human chromosome 10.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1995

A new mitochondrial DNA mutation associated with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Mitochondria play an important role in glucose-induced insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells. We therefore examined whether patients with NIDDM exhibit genetic variability in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), a candidate gene for NIDDM. We sequenced mtDNA in the region encoding tRNALeu and the adjacent region in several diabetic patients with clinical features suggesting mitochondrial DNA mutations. We found a new point mutation at position 3316 that leads to an amino acid change in the ND-1 protein. The frequency of the mutation was screened with PCR-RFLP in 295 NIDDM patients and 406 controls. We found ten NIDDM patients (3.4%) harbored the mutation. Although 4 control subjects had the mutation, the frequency was significantly higher in the NIDDM patients than in the control subjects (p = 0.02). These results suggest that the 3316 mutation is associated with NIDDM.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Region-related Fos expression in hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons of rats by intraperitoneal administration of an endogenous satiety substance, 2-buten-4-olide.

An effect of 2-buten-4-olide (2-B4O), an endogenous satiety substance, on hypothalamic dopamine neurons of rats was studied by double-label immunohistochemistry for c-Fos and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Intraperitoneal administration of 2-B4O induced Fos-like immunoreactivity in TH-immunoreactive neurons in the periventricular area and paraventricular nucleus but not in the arcuate nucleus. Thus, the present results suggest that tuberohypophysial dopamine neurons are regulated under the influence of endogenous 2-B4O.

4-Butyrolactone↗
PubMed1995

Localization of the human HER4/erbB-4 gene to chromosome 2.

The HER4/erbB-4 gene has been isolated as the fourth member of the human EGFR subfamily of tyrosine kinases and has been reported to encode a receptor for NDF/heregulin. In the present study we determined the chromosomal location of the HER4/erbB-4 gene within the human genome. Using human cDNA probes in fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), we mapped the HER4/erbB-4 gene to human chromosome 2q33.3-34. This finding established that also the HER4/erbB-4 gene is located in close vicinity of homeobox and collagen gene loci, as is the case for the related EGFR, erbB-2/neu and erbB-3. Aberrations of this chromosomal region associated with T cell leukemias and lymphomas as well as alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas raise the possibility that HER4/erbB-4 might be activated in these tumour types.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed1995

Modulation of the heme environment of neutrophil cytochrome b558 to a "cytochrome P450-like" structure by pyridine.

The effect of pyridine on the heme environment of cytochrome b558 was studied using ESR and optical absorption spectroscopy in relation to the O2(-)-generating activity in the NADPH oxidase system of stimulated pig neutrophils. As the concentration of pyridine increased, the absorption maxima of the alpha- and gamma-bands of cytochrome b558 shifted which correlated with a concomitant decrease in O2(-)-generating activity. In addition, the g = 3.2 signal of cytochrome b558 decreased with the concomitant appearance of a new ESR spectrum that strikingly resembled that of cytochrome P450. The results suggest that pyridine induces a structural modification in the heme environment of cytochrome b558 by shifting the 5th heme ligand (histidine) to a nearby thiolate group without direct binding of pyridine to the heme. The existence of a reactive thiolate near the heme iron was confirmed by pretreatment of blocked cytochrome b558 with p-chloromercuribenzoate, which completely inhibited the formation of the cytochrome P450-like ESR spectrum. The results provide further evidence that a low-spin heme iron of cytochrome b558 with a g-value of 3.2 is essential to the O2(-)-forming reaction of the NADPH oxidase system. From sequence alignments of cytochrome P450 with those of large and small subunits of cytochrome b558, the heme in cytochrome b558 appears to be specifically associated with the large subunit.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Rapid typing of variable number of tandem repeat locus in the human apolipoprotein B gene for DNA diagnosis of heart disease by polymerase chain reaction and capillary electrophoresis.

The apolipoprotein B (apoB) variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) alleles containing larger repeat units is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) in entangled polymer solution was applied to the analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified apoB VNTR locus for DNA diagnosis of heart disease. The CE separation gives an excellent resolution of two alleles differing by one or two 16 bp repeat units in the DNA size range up to 600 bp with high speed. The apoB alleles differing in length by 2 or 4 repeat units are readily distinguishable by CE in the DNA size range from 600 to 1000 bp. The plate number achieved was 1 million plates per meter. CE combining with PCR provides an excellent technique for accurate determination of the number of repeat units of apoB VNTR alleles and differentiation of heterozygous from homozygous individuals. Using the CE technique, the apoB VNTR loci from some individuals in genotyping were examined towards precise DNA diagnosis for coronary heart disease.

Apolipoproteins B↗
PubMed1995

Keratinocyte growth factor.

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is a member of the heparin-binding fibroblast growth factor family (FGF-7) with a distinctive pattern of target-cell specificity. Studies performed in cell culture suggested that KGF was mitogenically active only on epithelial cells, albeit from a variety of tissues. In contrast, KGF was produced solely by cells of mesenchymal origin, leading to the hypothesis that it might function as a paracrine mediator of mesenchymal-epithelial communication. Biochemical analysis and molecular cloning established that the KGF receptor (KGFR) was a tyrosine kinase isoform encoded by the fgfr-2 gene. Many detailed investigations of KGF and KGFR expression in whole tissue and cell lines largely substantiated the pattern initially perceived in vitro of mesenchymal and epithelial distribution, respectively. Moreover, functional assays in organ culture and in vivo and studies of KGF regulation by sex steroid hormones reinforced the idea that KGF acts predominantly on epithelial cells to elicit a variety of responses including proliferation, migration and morphogenesis.

Animals↗