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Biomedical subjects

T Schwartz

Publications and source records attributed to T Schwartz.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Site-directed and transposon-mediated mutagenesis with pfd-plasmids by electroporation of Erwinia amylovora and Escherichia coli cells.

The suicide plasmid pfdA31-Tn5 was constructed to mutagenize Erwinia amylovora and Escherichia coli strains by electorporation. This vector carries the bacteriophage fd replication origin, a beta-lactamase gene and the transposon Tn5. For propagation the plasmid depends on host cells producing fd gene-2 protein. Electroporation of E.amylovora or E.coli cells with plasmid pfdA31-Tn5 yielded more than 10(4) transposition events per micrograms DNA. We have produced and characterized transposon mutants of E.amylovora affecting either galactose metabolism or the synthesis of the phytotoxin (L)-2,5-dihydrophenylalanine. A Tn5-insertion in a gene, involved in exopolysaccharide synthesis of E.amylovora strain Ea7/74, was subcloned into vector pfdA31 and used to mutagenize E.amylovora strain Ea1/79 by site-directed recombination.

Blotting, Southern

The heterogeneity of gastrin, with reference to conversion of gastrin-17.

High-resolution gel chromatography monitored by a sensitive radioimmunoassay for gastrin has disclosed that gastrin circulates in twenty different components. Since the assay is specific for the biological active sequence of gastrin (-Trp-Met-Asp-PheNH2), we conclude that all the twenty circulating molecular forms of gastrin encountered in this study may participate in the regulation of gastric acid secretion. There are two dominating forms of gastrin in serum: gastrin-34-like components and gastrin-17-like components. The former constituted 60% and the latter constitutes approximately 30% of the immunoreactive gastrins. We suggest that extragastrointestinal conversion of gastrin-17, released from tissue, is an important source of gastric-34-like components. Such conversion has been observed in intact man and pig. Studies with the isolated perfused porcine liver indicate that the liver is important in the metabolism of gastrin-17, and that conversion may be a hepatic function.

Animals

Occurrence of human pancreatic polypeptide in pancreatic endocrine tumors. Possible implication in the watery diarrhea syndrome.

Eighteen endocrine pancreatic tumors were examined for the occurrence of cells producing insulin, glucagon, gastrin, human pancreatic polypeptide (HPP), and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and for A1 cells. More than half of the tumors were mixed, i.e., they contained more than one type of hormone-producing cell. The clinical symptoms were attributable only to one of the hormones produced by the mixed tumors. Three of four tumors causing the watery diarrhea syndrome contained both VIP and HPP cells. In one such tumor there was a strong predominance of HPP cells; the serum HPP levels of this patient were a thousandfold elevated, whereas her VIP levels were within the normal range. Several lines of evidence point to HPP as a possible agent causing the watery diarrhea syndrome. In many of our patients, HPP cells hyperplasia was present in the extratumoral pancreas. Such hyperplasia may give rise to the raised serum HPP levels seen in many patients having endocrine pancreatic tumors.

Diarrhea