Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

T Takeda

Publications and source records attributed to T Takeda.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources

Intravascularly applied K(+)-channel blockers suppress differently the positive endocochlear potential maintained by vascular perfusion.

We studied the effects of several K+ channel blockers on the positive endocochlear potential (EP) of guinea pigs undergoing perfusion via the anterior inferior cerebellar artery. The EP level was reversibly suppressed by 50-60% in the presence of Ba2+ (2 mM), quinine (2 mM) or verapamil (1 mM) in the perfusate, but not significantly affected by tetraethylammonium (20 mM) or 4-aminopyridine (5 mM). Although the effective site(s) of these blockers at the cell level has not been located yet, these findings indicate an important role for a K+ conductance in the generation of the EP.

Analgesics, Non-Narcotic↗

Lovastatin inhibits gene expression of type-I scavenger receptor in THP-1 human macrophages.

Lovastatin, an inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, inhibits the synthesis of mevalonic acid and is widely used as an anti-atherosclerotic drug. The macrophage scavenger receptor (SCR), a trimeric membrane glycoprotein, is postulated to play a key role in atheroma macrophage foam cell formation. HMG-CoA reductase is involved in the control of the synthesis of glycoproteins and farnesylated proteins, including ras proteins, which are involved in the transcriptional regulation of SCR gene expression. Accordingly, we examined whether lovastatin alters the gene expression of SCRs in THP-1 cell derived human macrophages. Lovastatin (5-15 microM) caused a significant dose-related reduction in steady state levels of type-I SCR mRNA in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-treated THP-1 cells. The addition of exogenous mevalonate (1 mM) completely restored the lovastatin-induced decrease of type-I SCR mRNA levels. While the addition of the isoprenoid end-product, isopentenyl adenine (50 microM), had little effect on the type-I SCR mRNA levels in lovastatin treated cells, the addition of isoprenoid farnesol (5 microM) largely restored the lovastatin-induced decrease of type-I SCR mRNA levels. Actinomycin D treatment showed that degradation rates of type-I SCR mRNA did not differ between the THP-1 derived cells with and without lovastatin treatment. Nuclear run-on assays showed that lovastatin markedly decreased the transcription of SCR gene in the cells. These results suggest that lovastatin inhibits the transcription of type-I SCR gene by affecting mevalonate metabolism, possibly through the farnesyl-pyrophosphate related end-product(s) in the THP-1-derived macrophages.

Cell Line↗

Molecular characterization and resistance to hydrogen peroxide of two fructose-1,6-bisphosphatases from Synechococcus PCC 7942.

In Synechococcus PCC 7942 cells, two catalytic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase isoenzymes, designated F-I and F-II, have been resolved by chromatography on a HiLoad 26/10 Q Sepharose column at 0.24 and 0.34 M of NaCl, respectively; the former represented the major part of the total extractable enzyme activity. F-I has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from the cells. F-I and F-II had respective molecular masses of 160 and 150 kDa and each enzyme was composed of four identical subunits. F-I hydrolyzed both fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and sedoheptulose 1,7-bisphosphate, whereas F-II hydrolyzed only fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. The apparent Km values of F-I and F-II for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate were 52 +/- 4.5 and 25 +/- 1.5 microM, respectively. F-I was inhibited by AMP with a Ki value of 0.26 mM, but F-II was not affected by AMP. The F-I failed to cross-react by Western blotting with the antibody raised against F-II; similarly, the F-II did not react with the F-I antibody. The genes encoding F-I and F-II were cloned from the chromosomal DNA of Synechococcus PCC 7942. A 1068-bp open reading frame, encoding F-I of 356 amino acid residues (approx molecular mass of 38.3 kDa) was observed. The nucleotide sequence of the F-II gene showed an open reading frame of 1017 bp that encodes a protein of 339 amino acid residues (approx molecular mass of 37.2 kDa). The recombinant enzymes expressed in Escherichia coli as well as the native enzymes of F-I and F-II from Synechococcus PCC 7942 cells were resistant to 1 mM hydrogen peroxide unlike the light-activated higher plant chloroplast enzymes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The Atf1 transcription factor is a target for the Sty1 stress-activated MAP kinase pathway in fission yeast.

The atf1+ gene of Schizosaccharomyces pombe encodes a bZIP transcription factor with strong homology to the mammalian factor ATF-2. ATF-2 is regulated through phosphorylation in mammalian cells by the stress-activated mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases SAPK/JNK and p38. We show here that the fission yeast Atf1 factor is also regulated by a stress-activated kinase, Sty1. The Sty1 kinase is stimulated by a variety of different stress conditions including osmotic and oxidative stress and heat shock. Deletion of the atf1+ gene results in many, but not all, of the phenotypes associated with loss of Sty1, including sensitivity to environmental stress and inability to undergo sexual conjugation. Furthermore, we identify a number of target genes that are induced rapidly in a manner dependent upon both the Sty1 kinase and the Atf1 transcription factor. These genes include gpd1+, which is important for the response of cells to osmotic stress, the catalase gene lambda important for cells to combat oxidative stress, and pyp2+, which encodes a tyrosine-specific MAP kinase phosphatase. Induction of Pyp2 by Atf1 is direct in that it does not require de novo protein synthesis and results in a negative feedback loop that serves to control signaling through the Sty1/Wis1 pathway. We show that Atf1 associates stably and is phosphorylated by the Sty1 kinase in vitro. Taken together, these results indicate that the interaction between AM and Sty1 is direct. These findings highlight a remarkable level of conservation in transcriptional control by stress-activated MAP kinase pathways between fission yeast and mammalian cells.

Activating Transcription Factor 1↗

Transforming growth factor-alpha promotes tumor markers secretion from human ovarian cancers in vitro.

BACKGROUND: The regulatory mechanism of tumor markers secretion has not been well clarified. METHODS: Serum levels of CA 125 and tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) from 17 patients with Stage III serous cystadenocarcinoma were measured prior to an initial surgical treatment. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status was examined by an 125I-EGF binding assay in a human serous cystadenocarcinoma cell (SHIN-3) and in the 17 primary carcinomas. SHIN-3 cell and the EGFR-expressing primary cancer cells (n = 4) were cultured with or without various concentrations of transforming growth factor (TGF-alpha), a ligand for EGFR, and the CA 125 and TPA concentrations in the conditioned media were measured. RESULTS: EGFR was expressed in 12 primary carcinomas and in the SHIN-3 cell, and it was absent in the remaining 5 carcinomas. Pre-therapeutic serum CA 125 and TPA levels were significantly greater (P < 0.05) in patients with EGFR-expressing carcinomas (n = 5). These data suggest a possible involvement of EGFR in regulating these tumor markers secretion. TGF-alpha increased the CA 125 and TPA secretion from SHIN-3 cell. It also promoted the CA 125 secretion in 2 of 4 EGFR-expressing primary ovarian carcinoma specimens. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that a signal through the EGFR may be involved in regulating the CA 125 and TPA secretion from human ovarian carcinomas.

Binding Sites↗

Epidemiology of childhood leukemia in Hokkaido, Japan.

The population-based epidemiological indices (crude incidence, survival rate, mortality, etc.) of childhood leukemia (0-14 years of age) from 1969 to 1993 in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, were calculated, using data obtained from the Registry of Childhood Malignancies in Hokkaido Prefecture. A total of 1,084 cases of leukemia were diagnosed in the 1969-93 period. The annual incidence of all types of leukemia from 1984 to 1993 was about 4 per 100,000 children aged 0-14 years, with the incidence of ANLL decreasing slightly and that of ALL increasing. The ratio of ALL/ANLL could similarly be seen to be increasing in all age groups. Out of a cohort of 100,000 live births, about 65 children developed leukemia by 14 years of age, and in this longitudinal observation the ratio of ALL/ANLL was increasing. The incidence of ALL and ANLL and the ratio of ALL/ANLL in Japanese children are approaching those of Caucasians. Approximately 80% of the ALL cases were of the LI type (FAB classification), and about 65% of these could be immunologically classified as "common" ALL. The 5-year survival rate of T- and B-cell ALL cases was 50% or less, while that of "common" ALL cases was about 80%.

Adolescent↗

Identification of the functional region on the superantigen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis-derived mitogen responsible for induction of lymphocyte proliferation by using synthetic peptides.

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis-derived mitogen (YPM) is the unique Gram-negative bacillary superantigen known. In order to identify the regions on the YPM molecule involved in its superantigenic activity, seven overlapping peptides of the entire YPM molecule were synthesized and tested to evaluate their effects on the YPM-induced proliferation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes. A peptide corresponding to the N-terminal amino acid sequence (1-23) was found to inhibit YPM-induced lymphocyte proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. The N-terminal peptide was found to show no inhibition of the proliferation induced by the other superantigen (staphylococcal enterotoxin B) or the other T-cell mitogen pertussis toxin, indicating that the inhibition is specific to YPM-induced proliferation. Thus, we have identified the N-terminal region (1-23) of the YPM as one of the functional regions responsible for its superantigenic activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The primary gustatory area in human cerebral cortex studied by magnetoencephalography.

Magnetic fields (MFs) from gustatory stimulation with 1 M NaCl and 3 mM saccharin were recorded from the human brain by using a whole-cortex SQUID system. The averaged onset latency of MFs was 93 ms for NaCl and 172 ms for saccharin and no response was obtained for water. A high correlation coefficient was noted between the difference of onset MFs latencies in two tastants and that of behavioral reaction times, and responses to saccharin were delayed or abolished after treatment of a subject's tongue with a sweet-suppressing agent. This finding indicates that the MFs obtained were caused by gustatory stimulation. By plotting the estimated current dipole on the magnetic resonance image, we could locate the primary gustatory area at the transition area between the operculum and insula, as reported in macaque monkeys.

Adult↗

Immunohistochemical study of Cell Cycle Modulators in G(1)-S Transition in Clinical Breast Cancer Tissue.

In the present study, we investigated immunolocalization of the modulators of G(1)-S transition by using monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies for each of the modulators in 65 cases of clinical breast cancer. Two prominent cyclin dependent kinase(cdk)-cyclin complexes, cdk4-cyclin D and cdk2-cyclin E, were proved to have different modes of mutual expression. cdk4-positive lesions were found to equal cyclin D-expressing lesions in 55 cases, while the former were more extensive than the latter in 9 cases. On the other hand, cyclin E expression was detected in all the cases examined and was more dominant than that of cdk2/cdc2 in as many as 40 cases whereas the reverse was seen in only 1 case. Interestingly, cdk4(P<0.01)and cyclin E(P<0.05)expressions showed an inverse relationship with the tumor size and the cancer stage. A similar tendency was also detected for two other positive modulators of G(1)-S transition, indicating that cell cycle progression must be regulated by the cancer itself once it has grown to a certain extent. p21, which has been regarded as a universal inhibitor of the cell cycle, was expressed in 43.1% of the cases examined and its immunoreactivity showed an inverse relationship with lymph node metastasis(P<0.05). It also tended to be absent more frequently in T3 or larger cancers and stage III cases. Moreover, two patients who died as a result of cancer and three patients with recurrence were all p21 negative, suggesting that p21 is prognosticably the most significant of all these modulators.

Journal Article↗

An artificial thyroid hormone receptor mutant without DNA binding can have dominant negative effect.

The syndrome of resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) encompasses a heterogeneous group of conditions which are caused by mutations of thyroid hormone receptor beta 1 (TR beta 1). Mutations usually cluster in two regions of the ligand-binding domain. The mutant receptors can inhibit normal receptor activity in a dominant negative manner, consistent with the dominant mode of inheritance of RTH. Recent evidence suggested that this dominant negative effect (DNE) of the RTH mutants involves competition for DNA binding and emphasized the essential role of intact DNA binding activity for mutants in order to exert DNE. However, we found that a Cys73Ser substitution in the DNA-binding domain (DBD) of wild-type produces a TR which can inhibit the transcriptional activation by TR alpha 1, either in the presence or absence of T3, on three different TRE-containing reporter genes, in transient co-transfection studies. Co-expression of TRv alpha 2, a TR alpha splicing variant, can enhance this DNE. However, DNE was not observed on the negatively-regulated TSH alpha Luc reporter gene when wild-type and DBD mutant were co-transfected at equimolar ratios. The DNE of DBD mutant is not reversed by co-transfection with excess retinoid X receptor alpha. DBD mutant alone can also inhibit the transactivation from a TK-luciferase reporter gene either linked with rat malic enzyme thyroid response element, or not. These observations parallel those we previously observed using TRv alpha 2. Our results indicate that a DBD mutant can have DNE, possibly through a mechanism similar to that of TRv alpha 2, which may involve interference with basal transcription factors. The clinical significance of these DBD mutants is currently unclear, but it is logical to expect such mutants do occur in nature.

Animals↗

Paired comparison of vascular wall reactions to Palmaz stents, Strecker tantalum stents, and Wallstents in canine iliac and femoral arteries.

BACKGROUND: Palmaz stents, Strecker stents, and Wallstents, all used clinically, differ substantially in their physical characteristics, yet how differently the vascular wall reacts to them has not been demonstrated conclusively. We therefore undertook a side-by-side comparison. METHODS AND RESULTS: One stent was implanted into each canine external iliac and/or the flexing portion of the proximal femoral artery. In 9 dogs, Palmaz stents were placed vis-à-vis Strecker stents, with follow-up of 2 and 4 months. In 7 dogs, Palmaz stents were placed vis-à-vis Wallstents, with 4 months of follow-up. Angiographic midstent luminal diameters immediately after placement and at follow-up as well as midstent cross-sectional areas of neointima were compared for significant differences. In addition, neointimal maturation, medial atrophy, and stent-related trauma were assessed. Angiographically, all arteries remained open. The degree of luminal narrowing by recoil and neointima never reached 50% and was modest for Palmaz stents and Wallstents (P = .33) but significantly higher for Strecker stents (P < .0001 compared with Palmaz stents). This corresponded histologically to a significantly thicker neointima (P = .003) over Strecker than over Palmaz stents but not between Palmaz stents and Wallstents (P = .18). Neointimal buildup was generally more pronounced in the femoral artery segments than in the iliac segments. Maturation of the neointima over Palmaz stents was much further advanced than over Strecker stents and slightly more advanced than over Wallstents. Pressure-related atrophy of the tunica media was least for Strecker stents and more pronounced but similar for Wallstents and Palmaz stents. Wallstent wire ends caused some wall trauma; several femoral Palmaz stent struts protruded through the media. CONCLUSIONS: The lower-hoop-strength, higher-profile tantalum Strecker stent is affected by vascular wall recoil and evokes a greater degree of neointima formation than the lower-profile, higher-hoop-strength Palmaz stent and Wallstent. Medial atrophy is pronounced outside the latter two stents. The rigid Palmaz stent can penetrate through the vascular wall in flexing arteries.

Animals↗

Enzymic and molecular characterization of NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Synechococcus PCC 7942: resistance of the enzyme to hydrogen peroxide.

NADP-dependent glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from Synechococcus PCC 7942 cells. The native enzyme had a molecular mass of 160 kDa and consisted of four subunits with a molecular mass of 41 kDa. The activity was 6-fold higher with NADPH than with NADH; the apparent Km values for NADPH and NADH were 62 +/- 4.5 and 420 +/- 10.5 microM respectively. The gene encoding NADP-dependent GAPDH was cloned from the chromosomal DNA of Synechococcus 7942. A 1140 bp open reading frame, encoding an enzyme of 380 amino acid residues (approx.molecular mass of 41.3 kDa) was observed. The deduced amino acid sequence of the gene had a greater sequence similarity to the NADP-dependent and chloroplastic form than to the NAD-dependent and cytosolic form. The Synechococcus 7942 enzyme lacked one of the cysteines involved in the light-dependent regulation of the chloroplast enzymes of higher plants. The recombinant enzyme expressed in Escherichia coli as well as the native enzyme purified from Synechococcus 7942 cells were resistant to 1 mM H2O2.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Molecular characterization of Euglena ascorbate peroxidase using monoclonal antibody.

Ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.11) has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from Euglena gracilis Z. The enzyme showed a molecular mass of 58 kDa on SDS-PAGE and gel filtration, indicating that Euglena ascorbate peroxidase exists as a monomeric form. The substrate specificity for an electron donor and the stability of the purified enzyme were similar to those of cytosolic isozymes from higher plants. One of the characteristic properties was that Euglena ascorbate peroxidase reduces organic hydroperoxides as well as hydrogen peroxide. The N-terminal amino-acid sequence showed no significant similarity to any other ascorbate peroxidase from higher plants. However, the sequence of the peptides from the purified enzyme exhibited a high degree of homology to sequences of cytosolic and chloroplastic ascorbate peroxidases. Monoclonal antibodies against the purified Euglena ascorbate peroxidase were prepared. Two monoclonal antibodies (EAP1 and EAP2) showed high homology to cytosolic ascorbate peroxidases of higher plants, as judged by Western blot analysis. The EAP1 was also specific for chloroplastic ascorbate peroxidase from spinach. These findings indicate that Euglena ascorbate peroxidase exists in highly homologous regions with the ascorbate peroxidases of higher plants.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The catalase-peroxidase of Synechococcus PCC 7942: purification, nucleotide sequence analysis and expression in Escherichia coli.

Synechococcus PCC 7942, a cyanobacterium, possesses catalaseperoxidase as the sole hydrogen peroxide-scavenging system. The enzyme has been purified to electrophoretic homogenenity from the cells. The native enzyme had a molecular mass of 150 kDa and was composed of two identical subunits of molecular mass 79 kDa. The apparent Km value of the catalase activity for H2O2 was 4.2 +/- 0.27 mM and the kcat value was 2.6 x 10(4) s-1. The enzyme contained high catalase activity and an appreciable peroxidase activity with o-dianisidine and pyrogallol. The catalase activity was not inhibited by 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole but by KCN and NaN3 (apparent Ki values 19.3 +/- 0.84 and 20.2 +/- 0.95 microM respectively). The enzyme showed an absorption spectrum of typical protohaem and contained one protohaem molecule per dimer. The gene encoding catalase-peroxidase was cloned from the chromosomal DNA of Synechococcus PCC 7942. A 2160 bp open reading frame (ORF), coding a catalase-peroxidase of 720 amino acid residues (approx. 79.9 kDa), was observed. The deduced amino acid sequence coincided with that of the N-terminus of the purified enzyme and showed a remarkable similarity to those of a family of catalase-peroxidases of prokaryotic cells. Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3)plysS, harbouring a recombinant plasmid containing the catalase-peroxidase gene, produced a large amount of proteins that co-migrated on SDS/PAGE with the native enzyme. The recombinant enzyme showed the same ratio of catalase activity to peroxidase activity with o-dianisidine and the same Km for H2O2 as the native enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Adoptive immunotherapy with tumor-specific T lymphocytes generated from cytokine gene-modified tumor-primed lymph node cells.

Adoptive immunotherapy with immune T cells mediates regression of established tumors in animal models. We previously demonstrated that precursor lymphocytes of sensitized T cells can develop into mature effector cells after in vitro activation with anti-CD3 mAb and IL-2. We demonstrate here that tumor cells genetically modified to secrete IL-2 can enhance the precursor response in the tumor-bearing host and subsequently augment the antitumor efficacy of adoptive immunotherapy. MCA205 and MCA203, weakly immunogenic fibrosarcomas, were transfected in vitro with cDNA encoding for IL-2, IL-4, or IL-6. Lymph nodes (LN) draining these cytokine-producing tumors for 7 days were harvested, activated in vitro with anti-CD3/IL-2, and adoptively transferred into mice bearing established parental MCA205 pulmonary metastases. The effector cells generated from LN draining the IL-2 producing tumor exhibited enhanced antitumor activity compared with cells from LN draining parental, IL-4-producing, or IL-6-producing tumor. Phenotype analysis of cells from LN draining the IL-2-producing tumor revealed selective expansion of V beta 8+ cells. Depletion of V beta 8+ effector cells abrogated the antitumor efficacy indicating that V beta 8+ cells constituted the majority of antitumor reactivity and that secretion of IL-2 from tumor cells promoted the priming of V beta 8+ precursor cells, which can develop into mature effector cells. These results have important clinical implications that the method presented here could be applicable to the treatment of human cancer as more effective immunotherapy.

Animals↗

High-Spatial-Resolution Medical-Imaging System Using a HARPICON Camera Coupled with a Fluorescent Screen.

A high-sensitivity HARPICON camera was developed for medical X-ray imaging using a fluorescent screen. It is an avalanche-multiplication-type image pick-up tube and is 32 times more sensitive than conventional tubes. The camera also has a wider dynamic range than conventional medical-imaging cameras because a maximum output signal current of 2.3 muA is obtained and, in high-illumination-intensity regions, photocurrent is not proportional to illumination intensity. The fluorescent screen is an intensifying screen of the type used for radiographic screen-film combinations in medical examination. An X-ray image on the screen is focused on the photoconductive layer of the pick-up tube using a coupling lens with f/0.65. Experiments were performed using monochromated X-rays at the Photon Factory. An image of a spatial resolution test chart was taken in a 525 scanning-line mode of the camera. The chart pattern of 5 line-pairs mm(-1 )(spatial resolution of 100 mum) was observed at an X-ray input field of 50 x 50 mm. Real-time digital images of the heart of a 12 kg dog were obtained at a frame rate of 60 images s(-1) after injection of a contrast medium into an artery. The images were stored in digital format at 512 x 480 pixels with 12 bits pixel(-1). High-spatial-resolution and high-contrast images of coronary arteries were obtained in aortography using X-rays with energy above that of the iodine K edge; the image quality was comparable with that of conventional selective coronary angiography.

Journal Article↗

cDNAs encoding spinach stromal and thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase, differing in the presence or absence of their 3'-coding regions.

Two cDNA clones encoding stromal (SAP28) and thylakoid-bound (SAP22) ascorbate peroxidase were isolated from a spinach cDNA library constructed by greening cotyledons. The SAP22 and SAP28 contained an open reading frame encoding mature protein of 295 and 345 amino acids with calculated molecular mass of 32239 Da and 37710 Da, respectively, preceded by the common transit peptides of 70 amino acid residues. Interestingly, the N-terminal 364 amino acids of SAP22 were 100% identical with SAP28 except for one C-terminal amino acid residue (Asp-365), and the C-terminal of SAP22, which is the putative transmembrane segment, was 50 amino acids longer than that of SAP28.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Syntheses of triglycosyl tetrapeptides and a hexaglycosyl tetrapeptide.

A stereo-controlled synthesis of the model compound for the phytoalexin elicitor-active glycoprotein is described. Glycosylation of the trisaccharide, 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->6)-2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl- alpha-D-mannopyranosyl-(1-->6)-2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl trichloroacetimidate (12), with N-(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-L-seryl-L- proline benzyl ester (3) or N-(carbobenzoxy)-L-seryl-L-proline methyl ester (4) by use of BF3. OEt2 gave the triglycosyl-seryl-proline derivatives. The N- as well as C-terminus of these triglycosyl dipeptides could be deblocked selectively to give compounds 14 and 16, which are versatile intermediates for the completion of model compound synthesis of glycopeptide. Triglycosyl tetrapeptides (18, 21) and hexaglycosyl tetrapeptide (23) have been prepared by the convergent block synthesis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗