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Biomedical subjects

T Oshima

Publications and source records attributed to T Oshima.

At least 397 records · Page 22Linked to original sources

Phosphoenolpyruvate-insensitive phosphofructokinase isozyme from Thermus thermophilus HB8.

In the previous paper [Xu, J., Oshima, T., & Yoshida, M. (1990) J. Mol. Biol. 215, 597-606], we reported that phosphofructokinase from Thermus thermophilus is allosterically inhibited by phosphoenolpyruvate, which induces dissociation of the active four-subunit enzyme into an inactive two-subunit form. When T. thermophilus was cultured in a glucose-containing medium, another phosphofructokinase (PFK2) appeared in addition to the reported one (PFK1). The molecular weights of the native PFK2 molecule (132,000) and its subunit (34,500), which are slightly smaller than those of PFK1, suggest that PFK2 is also composed of four identical subunits. However, the hyperbolic kinetics and molecular form of PFK2 are not affected at all by phosphoenolpyruvate. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequences of subunits of PFK1 and PFK2 revealed that they are composed of very similar but different polypeptides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

[Physiological studies on nonpregnant and pregnant uterus in experimentally diabetic rats].

Spontaneous intraluminal pressure waves of diabetic nonpregnant uterus and contractile responses to oxytocin and prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF 2 alpha) of both diabetic nonpregnant and diabetic pregnant uterus were investigated in vitro. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (STZ), 60 mg/kg for nonpregnant and 50 mg/kg for pregnant rats. Frequency of spontaneous intraluminal pressure waves of nonpregnant uterus was reduced in diabetic rats when compared with normal, but amplitude was slightly larger in diabetic than in normal uterus. Pressure-volume curves revealed that the compliance of nonpregnant diabetic uterus was remarkably reduced. Normal tubal side-circular muscle was significantly more sensitive to oxytocin and PGF 2 alpha than cervical one in contractile responses. This tendency was lost in diabetic nonpregnant uterus. Contractile responses of both tubal and cervical circular muscles to oxytocin were lower in nonpregnant diabetic than in normal rats, but those of longitudinal muscles were higher in diabetic nonpregnant than in normal rats. Cervical circular muscle of pregnant diabetic rats was more sensitive to both agents than those of normal. However, contractile responses of diabetic longitudinal muscle to both agents were higher than those of normal as in the case of nonpregnant uterus. The mechanism of diabetic changes of the nonpregnant and pregnant uterus was discussed.

Animals↗

In vitro antiplatelet profiles of the new thromboxane synthetase inhibitor sodium 2-(1-imidazolylmethyl)-4,5-dihydrobenzo[b]thiophene-6-carboxylate.

The in vitro properties of CS-518 (RS-5186; sodium 2-(1-imidazolylmethyl)- 4,5-dihydrobenzo[b]thiophene-6-carboxylate, CAS 113817-57-5), a new thromboxane (TX) synthetase inhibitor, as an antiplatelet agent were investigated. Incubation of clotting whole blood from man, rabbits, and dogs with CS-518 resulted in a concentration-dependent reduction of TXB2 production and an increase in 6-keto-PGF1 alpha. Similar properties were also observed for ozagrel and isbogrel, but both agents were less effective on TXB2 production. CS-518 inhibited arachidonic acid (AA)- or collagen-induced platelet aggregation in platelet rich plasma (PRP) from man, rabbits and dogs. In addition, antiaggregatory effects of CS-518 were confirmed in whole blood by two methods: impedance method and free platelet count method. TXA2 formation in washed canine platelets in response to AA (0.1 mmol/l) was dose-dependently inhibited by incubation with CS-518. This inhibition by CS-518 was gradually attenuated after platelets were subsequently washed with drug-free buffer, but a dose-dependent inhibition was still observed with platelets that had been washed three times. Ozagrel also inhibited TXB2 formation when incubated with platelets, whereas this inhibition disappeared with platelets only washed once. In contrast, platelets treated with acetylsalicylic acid, an irreversible inhibitor of cyclooxygenase showed a comparable inhibition before and after they were washed three times. These results indicate that CS-518 exerts antiplatelet effects in vitro via potent, selective, and long-lasting but reversible inhibition on TX synthetase.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗

[Diaphragmatic fatigue and its recovery are influenced by markedly decreased cardiac output: possible involvement of neuromuscular junction].

Effects of highly decreased cardiac output on the development and recovery of diaphragmatic fatigue were studied in dogs. The fatigue was induced by supramaximal electrical stimulation (20 Hz) of phrenic nerves for 30 minutes. Cardiac output was reduced during this period to 30% of control value by mechanically obstructing inferior vena cava with a balloon in animals with lowered cardiac output group (lowered Qt group). Cardiac output was maintained at normal value throughout the experiment in animals of the other group (control group). The animals were observed for recovery for 60 minutes after induction of the fatigue. The standardized transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi/Pdi 100) and integrated electromyographic activity (Edi/Edi 100) elicited by electrical test stimuli (20, 100 Hz) were significantly lower in lowered Qt group (P less than 0.01) during entire fatigue and recovery period. The decrease of Pdi/Pdi 100 and Edi/Edi 100 at high frequency test stimuli (100 Hz) was observed only in lowered Qt group. These results suggest that when cardiac output is severely decreased the diaphragm is more susceptible to fatigue, and that this may be caused by a failure of neuromuscular junction as well as by an impaired excitation-contraction coupling.

Animals↗

Structure of an ATPase operon of an acidothermophilic archaebacterium, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius.

The nucleotide sequence of the operon of the ATPase complex of an acidothermophilic archaebacterium, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, has been determined. In addition to the three previously reported genes for the alpha, beta, and c (proteolipid) subunits of the ATPase complex (Denda, K., Konishi, J., Oshima, T., Date, T., and Yoshida, M. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 7119-7121), the operon contained three other genes encoding hydrophilic proteins with molecular masses 25, 13, and 7 kDa. The 25-kDa protein is the third largest subunit (gamma), the 13-kDa protein is most likely the fourth subunit (delta), and the 7-kDa protein may correspond to an unknown subunit of the ATPase, tentatively named as epsilon subunit. They do not have significant sequence similarity to subunits in F0F1-ATPases and eukaryotic V-type ATPases, whereas the other three subunits, alpha, beta, and c, have homologous counterparts in F0F1- and V-type ATPases. The order of the genes in the operon was delta alpha beta gamma epsilon c. The S. acidocaldarius ATPase operon differed from the eucabacterial F0F1-ATPase operon in that the former contains only one gene for a hydrophobic subunit at the most downstream part of the operon whereas the latter has three hydrophobic F0 genes preceding five hydrophilic F1 genes.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Thermus thermophilus membrane-associated ATPase. Indication of a eubacterial V-type ATPase.

An ATPase with Mr of 360,000 was purified from plasma membranes of a thermophilic eubacterium Thermus thermophilus, and was characterized. ATP hydrolytic activity of the purified enzyme was extremely low, 0.07 mumol of Pi released mg-1 min-1, and it was stimulated up to 30-fold by bisulfite. The following properties of the enzyme indicate that it is not a usual F1-ATPase but that it belongs to the V-type ATPase family, another class of ATPases found in membranes of archaebacteria and eukaryotic endomembranes. Among its four kinds of subunits with approximate Mr values of 66,000 (alpha), 55,000 (beta), 30,000 (gamma), and 12,000 (delta), the alpha subunit had a similar molecular size to the catalytic subunits of the V-type ATPases but was significantly larger than the alpha subunit of F1-ATPases. ATP hydrolytic activity was not affected by azide, an inhibitor of F1-ATPases, but was inhibited by nitrate, an inhibitor of the V-type ATPase. N-terminal amino acid sequences determined for the purified alpha and beta subunits showed much higher similarity to those of the V-type ATPases than those of F1-ATPases. Thus the distribution of the V-type ATPase in the prokaryotic kingdom may not be restricted to archaebacteria.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Tetramer-dimer conversion of phosphofructokinase from Thermus thermophilus induced by its allosteric effectors.

Phosphofructokinase (PFKase) was purified from an extreme thermophile. Thermus thermophilus. Allosteric natures of T. thermophilus PFKase is similar to those of Bacillus stearothermophilus PFKase, that is, hyperbolic plots of the activity versus concentration of fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) were changed into a sigmoidal shape by the addition of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), while further addition of ADP caused it to revert to a hyperbolic shape. The native T. thermophilus PFKase has an Mr of 148,000 consisting of four 36,500 subunits. However, it exists as a two-subunit form of Mr 74,000 in the presence of PEP. The two-subunit form was catalytically inactive. The four-subunit enzyme was regenerated by addition of either F6P or Mg.ADP, or by removal of PEP from the solution. This reversible dissociation was observed within a wide range of pH (6.5 to 8.4) and temperature (4 degrees C to 65 degrees C). Thus, unlike PFKase from other sources, the allosteric kinetics of T. thermophilus PFKase can be explained well, at least qualitatively, by the dynamic equilibrium between the active four-subunit form and inactive two-subunit form that is modulated by PEP, F6P and Mg.ADP. Parallel suppression of the PEP-induced conversion in molecular form and kinetics by high concentrations of sulfate and phosphate supports the above explanation. Also, the observation that the degree of PEP inhibition was dependent on the protein concentration of the PFKase in the assay solution is consistent with the presence of this equilibrium.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Role of activated platelets in endotoxin-induced DIC in rats.

To clarify whether activated platelets play an important role in the occurrence and exacerbation of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), we investigated the effects of 4 anti-platelet drugs, a PGI2 analog (CS-570), a thromboxane synthetase inhibitor (dazoxiben), a thromboxane receptor antagonist (BM-13177), and ticlopidine, in an experimental DIC model in rats. Experimental DIC was induced by a continuous infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS derived from E. coli, 055 B5, 25 mg/kg/hr) for 4 hrs. In the time-course determination of the coagulation parameters and prostanoids, an abrupt increase in TxB2 (a stable metabolite of TxA2) and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha (a stable metabolite of PGI2) was followed by a decrease in platelet count, a prolongation of blood coagulation time, and an increase in fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products (FDP). Four hours after the start of LPS infusion, the rats were considered to be in the state of DIC. The effects of the anti-platelet drugs were investigated 4 hrs after the start of LPS infusion. CS-570 and ticlopidine ameliorated DIC in a dose-dependent manner. CS-570 (10 micrograms/kg/min) improved DIC in the platelet count, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (Fbg), and FDP, without affecting TxB2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha formation. Ticlopidine (200 mg/kg, i.p.) prevented the exacerbation of DIC in such item parameters as platelet count, APTT, and FDP. Both dazoxiben and BM-13177 (30 mg/kg, i.p.) ameliorated DIC in following parameters as platelet count, APTT and FDP. Dazoxiben, but not BM-13177, significantly inhibited the increase in TxB2 concentration at 4 hr. These observations suggest that drugs which inhibit platelet activation by a TxA2-dependent route are effective in improving DIC induced by LPS, and that drugs which inhibit multiple platelet-activating routes improve DIC in more item parameters than drugs which inhibit only the TxA2-dependent activating route. Consequently, it is concluded that activated platelets might play an important role in the occurrence and exacerbation of DIC induced by LPS, and that one of the roles of TxA2 in DIC is to activate platelets.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗

[Percutaneous transfemoral arterial placement of 3 Fr. balloon infusion catheter for infusion chemotherapy of liver tumors].

A 3 Fr. single lumen balloon catheter was successfully introduced for arterial infusion chemotherapy by percutaneous transfemoral arterial insertion. This balloon catheter was used combined with 6.3 Fr. outer catheter coaxially. After placing the catheter into the target artery, the balloon catheter was ruptured by injecting 1 ml contrast medium. On the other hand the balloon was made as a leak balloon catheter by a small needle puncture before use. Some merits of this system were as follows: Transarterial infusion chemotherapy can be followed immediately after making a diagnosis by transfemoral angiography. At the time of rupturing the balloon, we can see the area that must be infused under the conventional fluoroscopy. In the case of leak balloon catheter no blood regurgitation through the catheter was occurred during the procedure because of elasticity of the rubber. In 40 patients having liver tumor we performed this method combined with continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil for 3 to 5 weeks and also once a week intra-arterial administration of mitomycin C and adriamycin. In some patients hyperthermia therapy was also carried out for the purpose of potentiation of cellular chemosensitivity by low temperature hyperthermia. The result of this therapy was as follows: CR; 10.3%, PR; 20.7%, NC; 63.9% and PD; 5.1%. No serious complications were encountered in our series except for some minor arterial troubles caused by catheter tip.

Adolescent↗

Circular chromosomal DNA in the sulfur-dependent archaebacterium Sulfolobus acidocaldarius.

The shape of the chromosomal DNA of the sulfur-dependent archaebacterium Sulfolobus acidocaldarius was analyzed by the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis(PFGE). S.acidocaldarius DNA digested with Notl showed two DNA bands at around 1.0 Mbp and 2.1 Mbp. Notl-linking clones were isolated from the library of S.acidocaldarius chromosomal DNA. It contained two Notl sites. Both 1.0 and 2.1 Mbp DNA band separated by PFGE were hybridized with the two independent Notl-linking fragment. Each right and left arms of two Notl-linking fragments were hybridized with one of the two DNA bands separated by PFGE. The results indicated that the chromosomal DNA of S.acidocaldarius is circular.

Archaea↗

Studies on the NADH-menaquinone oxidoreductase segment of the respiratory chain in Thermus thermophilus HB-8.

Five distinct low potential iron-sulfur clusters have been identified potentiometrically in the membrane particles from Thermus thermophilus HB-8. Three of these clusters (designated as [N-1H]T, [N-2H]T, and [N-3]T) exhibit the following midpoint redox potentials and g values (Em8.0 = -274 mV, gx,y,z = 1.93, 1.94, 2.02), (Em8.0 = -304 mV, gx,y,z = 1.89, 1.95, 2.04), and (Em8.0 = -289 mV, gx,y,z = 1.80, 1.83, 2.06), respectively. These clusters, one binuclear and two tetranuclear, have been shown to be components of the energy coupled NADH-menaquinone oxidoreductase complex (NADH dh I). They are reducible by NADH in the piericidin A-inhibited aerobic membrane particles as well as in the purified NADH dh I complex. Two additional very low potential iron-sulfur clusters (one binuclear, [N-1L]T, and one tetranuclear, [N-2L]T) were observed in membrane particles. These clusters possess the following physiochemical properties (Em8.0 = -418 mV, gx,y,z = 1.93, 19.5, 2.02) and (Em8.0 = -437 mV, gx,y,z = 1.89, 1.95, 2.04), respectively. No high potential tetranuclear cluster equivalent to the mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster [N-2]B was found in this bacterial system. In membrane particles isolated from T. thermophilus HB-8 cells, four different semiquinone species have been identified based on their redox midpoint potentials [Em9(Q/QH2) = 40, -100, -160, -300 mV] and sensitivity to the quinone analogue inhibitor, 2-heptyl-4-hydroxy quinoline-N-oxide. Of these semiquinone species the -100 mV component has been suggested to be part of the NADH dehydrogenase. Piericidin A sensitive delta psi formation has been demonstrated to be coupled to the NADH-MQ1 oxidoreductase in membrane vesicles of T. thermophilus HB-8.

Cell Membrane↗

Percutaneous fiberoptic angioscopy of the left ventricle in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and acute myocarditis.

Left ventricular luminal changes were examined by percutaneous fiberoptic angioscopy in 13 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and in four patients with acute myocarditis. Angioscope-guided endomyocardial biopsy was also performed in six patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and in two with acute myocarditis. A balloon-tipped guiding catheter (9F) was introduced through the right femoral artery into the left ventricle, the balloon was inflated, and a 1.6 or 4.3F fiberscope was introduced through the catheter into the ventricle so as to locate the fiberscope tip at the tip of the catheter shaft. The balloon was then pushed against the desired portion of the ventricle and warmed saline was infused to observe the luminal changes. In contrast to the patients without organic heart disease whose left ventricular luminal surface was brown in color, the luminal surface was white or light yellow in four, light brown in one, bluish-white in one, with white and brown portions distributed in a mosaic pattern in four, and it was reddish brown in the remaining one patient with dilated cardiomyopathy. Mural thrombi were observed in two of the patients. The luminal surface was light brown in one, reddish brown in one, rose in one, and red in one patient with acute myocarditis. Thrombi and scattered bleeding were observed in two and one of these patients, respectively. The changes in luminal coloration in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and acute myocarditis had no obvious relation to left ventricular volume and ejection fraction. Angioscope-guided biopsy revealed that the white and light yellow portions were due to endocardial fibrosis, that the endocardia of brown portions were not fibrotic, and that the myocardium in the red portions contained mononuclear cells, indicating inflammation. The results indicate that the angioscopic features of the left ventricular luminal surface were not uniform in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy or in those with acute myocarditis, and that angioscopy can be used as a guiding tool for endomyocardial biopsy.

Acute Disease↗

Effect of unusual polyamines on cleavage of DNA by restriction enzymes.

The effect of unusual polyamines, such as thermine, caldopentamine, caldohexamine, tris(3-aminopropyl)amine, or tetrakis(3-aminopropyl)ammonium, on the activities of various restriction endonucleases was investigated by using an Escherichia coli plasmid as a substrate, which contains a high GC content fragment from an extreme thermophile. Restriction enzymes used were SmaI, BanII, NaeI, RsaI, and TaqI. Most of the polyamines tested were inhibitory to the enzyme activities. The larger and more branched a polyamine was, the more the activities of nucleases were inhibited. The inhibition was positively correlated with the polyamine concentration. The sites protected by a polyamine were identical to those protected by other polyamines, and also identical to those which were less sensitive to the restriction enzyme in the absence of polyamines. No sequence specificity was seen among these sites.

Base Composition↗

Purification, catalytic properties, and thermal stability of threo-Ds-3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase coded by leuB gene from an extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus strain HB8.

Threo-Ds-3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase coded by the leuB gene from an extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus strain HB8, was expressed in Escherichia coli carrying a recombinant plasmid. The thermostable enzyme thus produced was extracted from the E. coli cells, purified, and crystallized. The enzyme was shown to be a dimer of identical subunits of molecular weight (4.0 +/- 0.5) x 10(4). The Km for threo-Ds-3-isopropylmalate was estimated to be 8.0 x 10(-5) M and that for NAD 6.3 x 10(-4) M. The optimum pH at 75 degrees C in the presence of 1.2 M KCl was around 7.2. The presence of Mg2+ or Mn2+ was essential for the enzyme action. The enzyme was activated about 30-fold by the addition of 1 M KCl or RbCl. The high salt concentration decelerated the thermal unfolding of the enzyme, and accelerated the aggregation of the unfolded protein. Based on these effects, the molecular mechanism of the unusual stability of the enzyme is discussed.

3-Isopropylmalate Dehydrogenase↗

Archaebacterial ATPases: relationship to other ion-translocating ATPase families examined in terms of immunological cross-reactivity.

Immunological cross-reactivity among three types of H(+)-ATPases, that is, three archaebacterial ATPases, the F1-ATPase from thermophilic bacterium PS3 (TF1) and the vacuolar membrane ATPase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was examined by means of immunoblot analyses. The three archaebacterial ATPases were very similar in immunological cross-reactivity, suggesting that they belong to the same family of ATPases. Cross-reaction was also observed between the ATPase from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, one of the three archaebacteria, and TF1. S. cerevisiae vacuolar ATPase reacted with the antibodies prepared against each of the three archaebacterial ATPases, but did not react with the antibody against TF1. Electron microscopic examination revealed that the oligomeric structure of Sulfolobus ATPase was very similar to that of F1-ATPase. These results, taken together, suggest that the archaebacterial ATPases share close structural similarities with the vacuolar ATPases, and, to a lesser degree, with the F0F1-ATPases.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

The functional domain of adenylate cyclase associated with entry into meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Diploid yeast cells that carry a part of the CYR1 gene deficient in a region coding for the N-terminal domain of adenylate cyclase were growth arrested and accumulated unbudded cells after inoculation into complete medium or nitrogen-free medium, but produced many cells which had one or more buds after incubation in sporulation medium. The cells incubated in sporulation medium had abnormal spindles which were free from the spindle pole bodies, larger in size, or frequently distributed in cytoplasm. The levels of cyclic AMP in these cells did not decrease to the wild-type level after transfer to the sporulation medium and remained at a constant level. The results suggest that the N-terminal domain of adenylate cyclase is associated with the regulatory function for sporulation. The environmental signals for sporulation may be transferred to the adenylate cyclase system through a factor that negatively interacts with the N-terminal domain of this enzyme.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗