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Biomedical subjects

T Shirai

Publications and source records attributed to T Shirai.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Immunohistochemical demonstration of 3,2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl DNA adduct formation in various organs of Syrian golden hamsters.

3,2'-Dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl (DMAB), known to be a wide-spectrum genotoxic carcinogen in rats, is also tumorigenic to hamster organs such as the forestomach, small and large intestines, gallbladder and urinary bladder. Using a specific antibody against DMAB-DNA adducts, adduct formation in various organs of Syrian golden hamsters after single s.c., i.g. or i.p. injections of DMAB was immunohistochemically examined in relation to its carcinogenic specificity. The nuclei of basal cells of forestomach, epithelia of small intestine, large intestine, gallbladder and urinary bladder of hamsters were stained to various degrees. However, no differences in the formation of DMAB-DNA adducts were observed between these and non-target organs regarding carcinogenicity. The staining intensity after i.g. or i.p. injections was slightly stronger than after s.c. injection. In line with previous findings for rats, the present results indicate that adduct formation is necessary but not itself sufficient for tumor induction in the Syrian golden hamster.

Aminobiphenyl Compounds

Reconstitution ratio is critical for alloreactive T cell deletion and skin graft survival in mixed bone marrow chimeras.

Although allogeneic bone marrow (BM) transplantation is an effective way to induce donor-specific tolerance, its clinical application is hampered because of the risk associated with vigorous myeloablative pretransplant conditioning. One approach to overcome this problem is to establish a lower chimeric state by mild myeloablation. It is not clear, however, whether there is a threshold in the extent of chimerism that is required for tolerance induction. In this study, we establish a mixed BM chimera system to examine the correlation between the reconstitution ratio of BM chimerism, donor-reactive T cell deletion, and skin graft acceptance using I-E alpha transgenic C57BL/6 mice as the BM and skin graft donors and Ly5 congenic C57BL/6 mice as the recipients. In this system, the class II MHC molecule I-E was the transplantation Ag, and the extent of I-E-reactive T cell deletion was determined by flow cytometry using a mAb specific for the V beta 11 TCR. The degree of BM chimerism was measured by examining the expression of donor-derived Ly5.2 and host-derived Ly5.1 on peripheral blood cells. Transplantation of I-E+ transgenic donor BM cells resulted in deletion of V beta 11+CD4+ T cells in recipient's PBL, and the extent of deletion was proportional to the degree of chimerism. When mice of different degrees of chimerism were tested for skin graft survival, we found that recipient mice with > 30% chimerism could accept skin grafts from I-E+ donor mice, whereas those with < 10% chimerism showed prolonged but not permanent graft survival. These findings revealed the sequence of events for induction of tolerance. First, the degree of BM chimerism determines the number of I-E+ cells in the thymus, which then elicits negative selection of I-E-reactive T cells in a form of clonal deletion. The extent of T cell deletion ultimately determines the mode of tolerance. These data provide experimental evidence for the potential use of partial chimerism by bone marrow transplantation for the induction of donor-specific tolerance in clinical settings.

Animals

Chemoprevention by dehydroepiandrosterone and indomethacin in a rat multiorgan carcinogenesis model.

The chemopreventive efficacy of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and indomethacin (IM) alone or in combination was investigated in a rat multiorgan carcinogenesis model. These two chemicals were selected as chemopreventive agents with different functions. Animals were sequentially given five carcinogens with different organ target sites in the first 4-week initiation period. One week after its completion, the rats received 0.3% DHEA in the diet, 20 ppm IM in the drinking water, or 0.3% DHEA + 20 ppm IM until experimental week 28. DHEA enhanced hepatocarcinogenesis, but concurrent treatment with IM suppressed tumor development as compared to the DHEA group. DHEA inhibited tumor development in the thyroid, with a similar tendency observed for the small intestine. In addition, treatment with this hormone decreased occurrences of preneoplasias in the urinary bladder and seminal vesicles. Treatment with IM clearly suppressed development of preneoplasias or neoplasias in the lung and small and large intestines. In the urinary bladder, treatment with IM tended to decrease preneoplastic lesion development. Analysis of multiplicity of total tumors of any category revealed comparable values for DHEA and control groups, while the IM group showed a significant reduction. IM in combination with DHEA caused suppression as compared to DHEA alone. In a separate 8-week experiment, DHEA or IM were administered for 4 weeks after prior carcinogen application, and biochemical responses in the target organs were investigated. DHEA increased glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase levels in the liver but caused a decrease in the small intestine. In addition, DHEA decreased serum T4 but not T3. IM decreased prostaglandin E2 content in the small intestine. In conclusion, although DHEA or IM exert significant chemopreventive effects in multiorgans with the exception of the DHEA-treated liver case, treatment in combination did not result in amplification of their beneficial influence. Our results suggest the possible application of IM for chemoprevention in high-risk individuals, but the question of effects of DHEA in the liver must be answered before this hormone can be considered for use in humans.

Animals

Frequent mutations of Ki-ras codon 12 in N-bis (2-hydroxypropyl)-nitrosamine-initiated thyroid, kidney and lung tumors in Wistar rats.

N-Bis (2-hydroxypropyl) nitrosamine (DHPN) is a very potent mutagen and wide spectrum carcinogen in rodents. In the present study, we investigated mutational activation of the Ki-ras gene in eight thyroid, five kidney (four mesenchymal and one transitional cell lesion) and two lung tumors induced with DHPN. Mutations were identified using single-strand conformation polymorphism, restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing analysis. All of the 15 neoplasms could be shown to have mutations in codon 12 (GGT-->GAT). These results suggest that Ki-ras mutations are frequent events during the development of DHPN-induced carcinomas in these organs. In a separate experiment, moreover, we analyzed the presence of Ki-ras mutations in various tissues 8 weeks after DHPN treatment. One of five thyroid tissues treated with DHPN was found to have the same characteristic mutation, suggesting that it may represent an early event during carcinogen-induced tumor formation in the thyroid.

Animals

Increasing development of pepsinogen-altered pyloric glands and adenocarcinoma in glandular stomach of analbuminemic rats.

The susceptibility of pepsinogen-altered pyloric glands (PAPG) and neoplastic glandular stomach lesions induced by N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and catechol or sodium cholate in Nagase analbuminemic rats (NAR) was compared to Sprague-Dawley rats (SD). Male NAR and SD rats were given a single dose of 80 mg/kg body weight of MNNG by gastric intubation and, 2 weeks later, fed basal diet containing 0.8% catechol or 0.3% sodium cholate for 18 weeks. The animals were killed at the end of week 20 or after maintenance on basal diet at week 60. The number of pepsinogen-altered pyloric glands at week 20 was significantly (P < 0.001) higher in NAR fed either catechol or sodium cholate compared with SD rats. At week 60, adenomatous hyperplasias and adenocarcinomas were observed in 7 (88%; P < 0.01) and 3 (38%; P < 0.01) of 8 NAR fed catechol and in 4 (22%) and 0 of 18 SD rats, respectively. The results show that the frequency of PAPG in NAR and SD rats is related to the susceptibility to glandular stomach carcinoma. PAPG is a useful endpoint lesion for evaluation of gastric carcinogenicity in a 20-week carcinogenicity test, and NAR are sensitive for glandular stomach carcinogenesis.

Adenocarcinoma

Isolation of cDNA clone encoding human homologue of senescence marker protein-30 (SMP30) and its location on the X chromosome.

We have isolated and characterized a cDNA clone encoding human homologue of senescence marker protein-30 (SMP30), a calcium binding protein also called regucalcin (RC). This clone (pHSMP6) has 1356 base pairs (bp) and contains an open reading frame of 897 bp, which encodes 299 amino acids. The estimated molecular weight of the deduced polypeptide is 33,250 and pI is 5.836. The homology of amino acid sequences between human homologue and rat SMP30 is 88.6%. Using pHSMP6 as a probe, the chromosomal location of the human homologue of SMP30 gene was determined. The results of regional mapping using a panel of 11 rodent-human somatic hybrids indicated that the gene is located in the p11.3-q11.2 segment of the X chromosome. This gene thus could be a candidate for one of the X-linked diseases mapped to this regions.

Amino Acid Sequence

Modulating effects of ellagic acid, vanillin and quercetin in a rat medium term multi-organ carcinogenesis model.

Effects of dietary supplementation with the antioxidants ellagic acid, quercetin and vanillin were examined using a medium term multi-organ carcinogenesis model in rats. Groups of 10-15 male F344 rats were given i.p. injections of diethylnitrosamine (DEN, 100 mg/kg body wt.) and N-methylnitrosourea (MNU, 20 mg/kg body wt), s.c. injections of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH, 40 mg/kg body wt.), together with 0.05% N-butyl-N-(4- hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN) and 0.1% 2,2'-dihydroxy-di-n-propylnitrosamine (DHPN), both in the drinking water, for a total multiple initiation period of 4 weeks (DMBDD) treatment). Ellagic acid, quercetin or vanillin, each at a dose of 1% each in the diet were administered from 1 day before and throughout the carcinogen exposure period, or after completion of the initiation regimen. All surviving animals were sacrificed at the end of week 36, and major organs were examined histopathologically. In the small intestine, significant reductions in the incidence and number of tumors (adenomas and carcinomas) were observed in the groups administered ellagic acid during (8%, 0.08 +/- 0.29) or after (8%, 0.08 +/- 0.29) DMBDD treatment, and those receiving quercetin after DMBDD treatment (0%) compared to the control value (57%, 1.07 +/- 1.21). Although the incidences were not statistically significant, slightly decreased numbers of small intestinal tumors were found in the groups receiving vanillin during (0.33 +/- 0.72), or after (0.40 +/- 0.83) DMBDD treatment. The incidence of large intestinal carcinomas in the group treated with vanillin during DMBDD treatment was significantly higher (73%) than the control value (21%). These results indicated that while ellagic acid and quercetin exerted potent chemopreventive action in both the initiation and promotion stages in the present experimental system, their beneficial effects were restricted to the small intestine. Since small intestinal carcinomas are very infrequent in humans, the advantages of these phenolic compounds for human application as chemopreventors should not be overestimated.

1,2-Dimethylhydrazine

Chronic transection of post-ganglionic parasympathetic and nasociliary nerves does not affect local cerebral blood flow in the rat.

The role of post-ganglionic parasympathetic nerve fibers from the sphenopalatine ganglion and nasociliary nerve fibers from the trigeminal ganglion in the regulation of basal cerebral blood flow (CBF) was examined using rats, which had been divided into three groups; a sham group, a denervation group and a denervation+NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) group. In the denervation and denervation+L-NMMA groups, unilateral chronic transection of the above nerve fibers had been performed at the ethmoidal foramen (EF) for 2 weeks. In the sham group, the above nerve fibers were only exposed at EF and not severed 2 weeks before the CBF measurement. Local CBF was measured by the [14C]iodoantipyrine autoradiographic method after intravenous administration of saline in the sham and denervation groups or L-NMMA (30 mg/kg) in the denervation+L-NMMA group. No significant difference in CBF was noted on each side in any of the regions between the sham and denervation groups. L-NMMA induced a significant reduction in local CBF on either side in each brain region. Neither the animals which were administered saline nor those with L-NMMA showed any side-to-side differences in local CBF in any of the brain regions examined. These findings suggest that the perivascular nerve fibers running through the EF, which are known to contain substantial nitric oxide synthase (NOS), may not play a pivotal role in the regulation of basal CBF. The reduction in CBF induced by the acute administration of L-NMMA was not affected by the chronic denervation of the above NOS-containing perivascular nerves.

Animals

Glycosphingolipid composition of rat placenta: changes associated with stage of pregnancy.

The composition of glycolipids and their changes in the placenta were investigated in the normal pregnant rat. Total lipid fractions extracted from the placenta between days 12 and 20 of pregnancy (day 0 = oestrus) were subjected to glycolipid analysis using DEAE-Sephadex chromatography, silica-gel HPLC, silica-gel TLC, TLC/immunostaining, matrix-assisted secondary-ion mass spectrometry in the negative-ion mode and 1H NMR. Glycolipids identified in the rat placenta were: gangliosides GM3 (NeuAcLacCer and NeuGcLacCer) and GD3 (NeuAcNeuAcLacCer, NeuAcNeuGcLacCer and NeuGcNeuAcLacCer), and neutral glycolipids ceramide monosaccharide (CMH) (GlcCer), ceramide disaccharide (CDH) (LacCer), ceramide trisaccharide (CTH) (Gb3Cer) and ceramide tetrasaccharide (CQH) (Gb4Cer). The content of neutral glycolipids was higher than that of gangliosides throughout pregnancy. Of the neutral glycolipids, CMH and CTH predominated and the level of CDH was low at mid-pregnancy. During late pregnancy, CMH and CTH decreased and CDH increased markedly. CQH remained at a low level throughout pregnancy. Of the gangliosides, GM3 was predominant on days 12-16 and then decreased, whereas GD3, which was low on day 12, increased slightly on day 16 and maintained the same level thereafter. Immunohistochemical studies indicated that these changes in the expression of major gangliosides from GM3 to GD3 occurred in labyrinthine trophoblasts. Thus expression of these glycolipids appears to change markedly during pregnancy.

Animals

Apoptosis and functional Fas antigen in rheumatoid arthritis synoviocytes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether apoptosis occurs in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synoviocytes, and if this phenomenon is dependent on the Fas/Apo-1 pathway. METHODS: Apoptotic change in vivo was examined in RA synovial cells by several standard methods. The ability of cells to undergo Fas-induced apoptosis was determined in vitro. RESULTS: Typical apoptotic change was demonstrated in RA synovial cells by each method. Anti-Fas antibody induced apoptotic synovial cell death in vitro. CONCLUSION: This is the first reported study to demonstrate apoptosis in RA synovial cells. The findings indicate that rheumatoid synoviocytes undergo Fas-mediated apoptosis.

Antibodies

Preferential dependence of autoantibody production in murine lupus on CD86 costimulatory molecule.

Blockade of the interactions between CD28/CTLA-4 and their ligands, CD80 (B7, B7.1)/CD86 (B70, B7.2), seems an attractive means to induce antigen-specific peripheral tolerance in organ transplantation and autoimmune disease. Recently, diversities between CD80 and CD86 in expression, regulation, and function have been reported in certain cell populations and murine experimental disease models. To investigate the possible differential role of CD80 and CD86 in the development of lupus, we treated lupus-prone NZB/W F1 mice with specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against CD80, CD86, or both. The treatment with a combination of anti-CD80 and CD86 mAb before the onset of lupus completely prevented autoantibody production and nephritis, and prolonged survival. Interestingly, we found that anti-CD86 mAb alone, but not anti-CD80 mAb, efficiently inhibited autoantibody production. Subclass study on IgG anti-double-stranded (ds) DNA antibody revealed that the treatment with anti-CD86 mAb almost completely inhibited both IgG1 and IgG2b, but not IgG2a production. The incomplete reduction of IgG2a anti-dsDNA antibody by anti-CD86 mAb was compensated by the addition of anti-CD80 mAb. A significant reduction of mRNA for interleukin (IL)-2, interferon-gamma, IL-4 and IL-6 was observed in mice treated with a combination of anti-CD80 and CD86 mAb or anti-CD86 mAb alone. Treatment with both mAb after the onset of lupus resulted in a significantly prolonged survival with reduction of autoantibody production. These results suggest that CD86 plays a more critical role in autoantibody production, and CD86, but not CD80, contributes to Th2-mediated Ig production. However, the blockade of both CD80 and CD86 are required for preventing the development and progression of lupus.

Animals

Ki-ras mutations with frequent normal allele loss versus absence of p53 mutations in rat prostate and seminal vesicle carcinomas induced with 3,2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl.

We have developed a prostate carcinogenesis model in Fischer 344 rats using 3,2'-dimethyl-4-aminobiphenyl (DMAB) as a carcinogen to examine various potential modifying factors. In this study, mutational changes in the ras and p53 genes were assessed in DMAB-induced rat prostate and seminal vesicle carcinomas by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and subsequent direct DNA sequencing. Eight of 22 prostate adenocarcinomas (three of nine (33.3%) from the ventral lobe and five of 13 (38.5%) from the dorsolateral lobe, including three transplantable tumors) and one of 11 seminal vesicle adenocarcinomas (9.1%) demonstrated point mutations in the Ki-ras gene. One prostate malignant fibrohistiocytoma examined was negative. Among the positive cases, five (three ventral prostate carcinomas and two transplantable tumors) also showed loss of the normal allele. In contrast, other than one mutation in the p53 gene in the malignant fibrohistiocytoma, there were no mutations in the Ha-ras or p53 genes. These results indicate that mutational activation of the Ki-ras gene, but not of the Ha-ras or p53 genes may play a mechanistic role in prostate and seminal vesicle carcinogenesis by DMAB and that a loss of the normal allele of the Ki-ras gene may also be involved in the process.

Adenocarcinoma

Abnormal T cell activation and skewed T cell receptor V beta repertoire usage in Japanese patients with idiopathic portal hypertension.

Idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH), a disorder of unknown etiology, is characterized by a noncirrhotic portal hypertension associated with splenomegaly, hypersplenism, and anemia. We examined the surface phenotypes of T cells and the T cell receptor V beta repertoire in patients with IPH. The T cells in peripheral blood samples and from spleens showed a marked increase in frequencies of HLA-DP(+)- and HLA-DR(+)-activated T cells and the observed high frequencies in the blood were to a considerable extent reduced after splenectomy. Thus, the continuous activation of T cells may occur initially in the spleen. Investigation of T cell receptor V beta repertoire revealed a significant skewing of V beta 9 and V beta 11 in both peripheral blood and splenic T cells and V beta 12 in splenic T cells. The IPH may be a disease mediated by a continuous stimulation with either a certain antigen or more likely a superantigen.

Adult

Flow threshold for enhanced phorbol ester binding in the ischemic gerbil brain.

The correlation between regional phorbol ester binding and cerebral blood flow (CBF) was evaluated in the gerbil brain after 2-hour unilateral common carotid artery occlusion. [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) was used as a specific ligand for estimating the translocation of protein kinase C (PKC), and CBF was determined by the [14C]iodoantipyrine method. A quantitative autoradiographic method permitted concurrent measurement of these two parameters in the same brain. In the ischemia group of the animals, statistically significant, inverse correlations were noted between the CBF and PDBu binding in the hippocampus (CA1 and CA3 regions and dentate gyrus), the caudate-putamen and lateral nuclei of the thalamus. In these regions, the PDBu binding increased progressively as CBF fell below 35-40 ml/100 g/min. On the other hand, the PDBu binding in the cerebral cortices did not show any significant changes even when CBF was decreased to below 35 ml/100 g/min. The above data suggest that (1) the translocation of PKC to the cell membrane may be regionally specific in response to ischemia, and may remain in the regions particularly vulnerable to ischemia such as the hippocampus, caudate-putamen and lateral nuclei of the thalamus in the early ischemic phase; (2) the threshold of CBF below which PKC begins to translocate to the cell membrane in the above regions, may be 35-40 ml/100 g/min in 2-hour ischemia.

Animals

Tepid antegrade and retrograde cardioplegia.

To determine the optimal temperature for the combination of antegrade and retrograde cardioplegia, 42 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting were randomized to receive cold (9 degrees C; n = 14), tepid (29 degrees C; n = 14), or warm (37 degrees C; n = 14) blood cardioplegia delivered continuously retrograde and intermittently antegrade. Myocardial oxygen utilization, lactate and acid metabolism, and coronary vascular resistance were measured during the operation and cardiac function was assessed postoperatively. Myocardial oxygen consumption, lactate release and acid release were greatest with warm, intermediate with tepid, and least with cold cardioplegia (p = 0.0001). However, washout of lactate and acid at the time of cross-clamp release was reduced (p = 0.022) with tepid or cold compared with warm cardioplegia. Early postoperative left ventricular function was best preserved (p = 0.01) after tepid than after cold or warm combination cardioplegia. These results suggest that tepid combination cardioplegia reduced metabolic demands but permitted immediate recovery of cardiac function. This technique may provide better myocardial protection than cold or warm combination cardioplegia.

Aged

Myocardial protection for coronary bypass grafting: the Toronto Hospital perspective.

BACKGROUND: The contemporary results of coronary artery bypass grafting using a variety of myocardial preservation techniques are excellent. In recent years, the number of "high-risk" patients referred for operation has increased, thus necessitating continued advances in surgical myocardial protection. METHODS: In this article, we review recent advances in clinical myocardial protective techniques and emphasize studies conducted at The Toronto Hospital. Further, on the basis of promising current research, we speculate on future prospects for myocardial protection. RESULTS: At The Toronto Hospital, we converted from crystalloid to intermittent cold blood cardioplegia in 1985. We demonstrated that "continuous" cardioplegic strategies may help resuscitate the ischemic myocardium and reduce operative complications in high-risk patients. Further improvements in myocardial protection will require refinements in cardioplegic solution temperature, direction of delivery, and additives to "precondition" the myocardium against ischemic damage. CONCLUSIONS: Major advances that meet the requirements of an increasingly high risk patient population have been made in surgical myocardial protection in recent years. The future is bright for continued progress in this area.

Blood

Atypical pemphigus associated with monoclonal IgA gammopathy.

We describe a 60-year-old woman with atypical pemphigus and IgA-lambda monoclonal gammopathy. Histopathologic study of vesiculopustular lesions showed intraepidermal acantholytic and neutrophilic blisters. Direct immunofluorescence revealed intercellular IgG deposition with concurrent deposits of IgA and C3. Indirect immunofluorescence and immunoblotting studies revealed that the patient had circulating IgG anti-intercellular antibodies that recognized the 150 kd desmoglein (pemphigus foliaceus antigen) in bovine desmosome preparation. Immunoblot studies with human epidermal extract showed that the IgG of this patient exclusively reacted with the 140 kd protein (between the 150 kd human desmoglein and the 130 kd human pemphigus vulgaris antigen), the nature of which is currently unknown. The patient also had IgA anti-intercellular autoantibodies, which reacted with the desmoglein in the bovine desmosome sample but did not show any reactivity in human epidermal extract.

Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic