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Biomedical subjects

T Yagi

Publications and source records attributed to T Yagi.

At least 307 records · Page 17Linked to original sources

Mice lacking the 65 kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65) maintain normal levels of GAD67 and GABA in their brains but are susceptible to seizures.

The gene encoding of the 65 kDa isoform of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-synthesizing enzyme, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), GAD65, was targeted in mice by homologous recombination. Viable GAD65 -/- mice were obtained with the expected mendelian frequency and displayed no gross morphological defects. Despite the complete loss of GAD65 mRNA and protein in a homozygous mutant, there was no difference in GABA content in the brains of GAD65 +/+, +/-, and -/- mice. As for the other 67 kDa isoform (GAD67), the levels of mRNA and protein were largely unchanged by the GAD65 mutation. General behavior, including locomotor activity and performance in the Morris water maze task, appeared normal, but seizures were more easily induced by picrotoxin and pentylenetetrazol: the latencies to seizures induced by picrotoxin were shorter and the dose of pentylenetetrazol required for induction of seizures was lower.

Animals↗

Susceptibility to drug-induced seizures of Fyn tyrosine kinase-deficient mice.

Mice deficient for the fyn gene were examined for their susceptibility to seizures induced by various convulsive drugs, including pentylenetetrazol, picrotoxin, bicuculline, kainic acid, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and strychnine. Homozygous mutant (fynz/fynz) mice were significantly more likely to show myoclonic convulsions than were heterozygous mutants (+/fynz), when pentylenetetrazol, picrotoxin, bicuculline, kainic acid and NMDA were administered. On the other hand, no difference in seizure susceptibility was found between homozygous and heterozygous mutants when strychnine was administered. These results provide evidence of abnormal susceptibility to seizures induced by anti-GABAergic agents and agonists for central excitatory amino acids in Fyn-deficient mice.

Animals↗

Electrophysiologic comparison between incessant and paroxysmal tachycardia in patients with permanent form of junctional reciprocating tachycardia.

To clarify the differences between the incessant and paroxysmal types of the permanent form of junctional reciprocating tachycardia, we performed electrophysiologic studies in 11 patients with long RP' tachycardia using a slowly conducting accessory pathway as the retrograde conduction, and concluded that the short AH intervals during sinus rhythm and tachycardia are very important factors in the development of incessant tachycardia.

Adolescent↗

Structural studies of the proton-translocating NADH-quinone oxidoreductase (NDH-1) of Paracoccus denitrificans: identity, property, and stoichiometry of the peripheral subunits.

The proton-translocating NADH-quinone oxidoreductase (NDH-1) of Paracoccus denitrificans is composed of at least 14 unlike subunits and contains one FMN and at least five EPR-detectable iron-sulfur clusters. The 14 subunits are designated NQO1 through NQO14. The expression and partial characterization of the NQO4, -5, and -6 subunits have been performed. The NQO4, -5, and -6 subunits were individually expressed in Escherichia coli. The NQO4 subunit was expressed in both the cytoplasmic phase and membrane fraction, the NQO5 subunit in the cytoplasmic phase only, and the NQO6 subunit in the membrane fraction only. The NQO4 and NQO5 subunits were purified from cytoplasmic phase. Neither subunit contains non-heme iron or acid-labile sulfide, suggesting that the NQO4 or NQO5 subunit is not an iron-sulfur subunit. The antibodies against the NQO4, -5, and -6 subunits cross-reacted with their counterpart subunits in bovine heart complex I. The NQO4, -5, and -6 subunits in membrane-bound P. denitrificans NDH-1 were extracted by treatment at alkaline pH ( > or = 10) or with chaotropes (NaBr, Nal, and urea), suggesting that these subunits are localized in the peripheral part (not in the membrane sector) of the enzyme complex similar to the NQO1, -2, and -3 subunits. In addition, the subunit stoichiometry of NQO1 through -6 of the membrane-bound P. denitrificans NDH-1 has been determined by radioimmunoassays. There is 1 mol each of the NQO1 through -6 subunits per mol of the P. denitrificans NDH-1.

Amino Acids↗

Rate assay of N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase with 4-nitrophenyl N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminide as an artificial substrate.

A rapid and accurate rate assay method for N-acetyl-beta-D-hexosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.52, also known as N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, or NAGase) using 4-nitrophenyl N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminide (NP-GlcNAc) as an artificial substrate was developed using diethylaminoethyl-alpha-cyclodextrin (DEn-CD, where n is the number of diethylaminoethyl groups introduced to alpha-cyclodextrin), as an additive to ionize 4-nitrophenol to yellow-colored 4-nitrophenoxide at pH near 5, where the enzyme acts optimally. A possible recipe for the rate assay of NAGase is as follows. Prepare a stock solution containing 4.8 mmol/l NP-GlcNAc and 1% DEn-CD (n is preferably near 17) in 0.1 mol/l glycolate buffer, pH 5.50. Introduce the stock solution and a properly diluted sample (urine or other body fluid) to a reaction cell placed in a spectrophotometer at a ratio of 1:1, and monitor the absorbance at 400 or 420 nm. The reaction rate (enzymatic activity) can be conveniently read directly from calibration plots prepared for a given lot of DEn-CD sample, or can be calculated from the rate of the absorbance increase, ionization degree of 4-nitrophenol at pH 5.50, and the millimolar absorbance coefficient of 4-nitrophenoxide in the presence of 0.5% DEn-CD.

Acetylglucosamine↗

Amorphization of Serpentine at High Pressure and High Temperature

Pressure-induced amorphization of serpentine was observed at temperatures of 200° to 300°C and pressures of 14 to 27 gigapascals with a combination of a multianvil apparatus and synchrotron radiation. High-pressure phases then crystallized rapidly when the temperature was increased to 400°C. These results suggest that amorphization of serpentine is an unlikely mechanism for generating deep-focus earthquakes, as the temperatures of subducting slabs are significantly higher than those of the rapid crystallization regime.

Journal Article↗

Characterization of p53 gene mutations in basal-cell carcinomas: comparison between sun-exposed and less-exposed skin areas.

Mutations in the p53 gene in 32 basal-cell carcinomas (BCC) developed in Japanese patients were identified by the polymerase chain reaction and single-strand-conformation polymorphism analysis, followed by sequencing the DNA. Among 16 BCC developed in continuously sun-exposed areas, 6 tumors showed 7 base substitutions, most of which were G:C to A:T transitions, mainly at the dipyrimidine sites. Seven out of 16 BCC developed in less-exposed areas showed 8 base substitutions, but the majority (75.0%) of them were transversions. These results suggest that the mutation in the p53 gene plays a significant role in the tumorigenesis of BCC developed in less-exposed areas as well as those in sun-exposed areas in Japanese patients. There must be therefore causative factors other than UV irradiation for BCC in less-exposed areas.

Aged↗

Expression and characterization of the flavoprotein subcomplex composed of 50-kDa (NQO1) and 25-kDa (NQO2) subunits of the proton-translocating NADH-quinone oxidoreductase of Paracoccus denitrificans.

This study reports the expression of the flavoprotein (FP) subcomplex of the proton-translocating NADH-quinone oxidoreductase (NDH-1) from Paracoccus denitrificans, which is composed of the NQO1 (50 kDa) and the NQO2 (25 kDa) subunits. The two subunits are co-expressed in Escherichia coli using a double expression plasmid system. The expressed subunits form a water-soluble heterodimer complex with 1:1 stoichiometry. The expressed complex contained one [2Fe 2S] cluster but almost no FMN or [4Fe 4S] cluster. The two latter prosthetic groups could be partially reconstituted with FMN, Na2S, and (NH4)2Fe(SO4)2 in vitro under anaerobic conditions. The reconstituted FP subcomplex showed EPR signals from two distinct species of iron-sulfur cluster. One resonance transition originates from a [2Fe-2S] cluster with g values of gx,y,z = 1.92, 1.95, and 2.00 and slow spin relaxation, which was tentatively assigned to the cluster N1a. These EPR properties are very similar to those reported for the NQO2 subunit expressed alone (Yano, T., Sled', V. D., Ohnishi, T., and Yagi, T. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 494-499). The other originates from a [4Fe 4S] cluster with g values of gx,y, z = 1.87, 1.94, and 2.04 and fast relaxing behavior, which are reminiscent of the cluster N3 in the membrane bound enzyme complex. After reconstitution with FMN, the FP subcomplex catalyzed electron transfer from NADH and from deamino-NADH to a variety of electron acceptors. The enzymatic properties of the FP subcomplex, reconstituted with FMN and iron-sulfur, correspond to those of the isolated P. denitrificans NADH-dehydrogenase complex.

Amino Acids↗

Aberrant splicing and truncated-protein expression due to a newly identified XPA gene mutation.

A group A xeroderma pigmentosum (XPA) patient, XP2NI, is a compound heterozygote with a newly identified G to C transversion at the last nucleotide in exon 5 in one chromosome, and with the known splicing mutation in intron 3 in another chromosome in the XPA gene. XP2NI had mild skin symptoms and the cells were slightly less sensitive to UV radiation than the cells of typical severe XPA patients who have the splicing mutation in intron 3 homozygously. Reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR and sequencing of the PCR products revealed that the mutation in exon 5 resulted in producing three types of aberrant mRNA, lacking 7 nucleotides at the end of exon 5, lacking entire exon 5, and lacking exons 3, 4 and 5. A significant amount of a truncated type of protein was produced in XP2NI cells, and the size of the protein indicated that it should have been translated from the mRNA, lacking the 7 nucleotides and retained one of the zinc-finger domains required for the DNA repair activity. The clinical mildness of XP2NI may be due to the residual DNA repair activity of the truncated XPA protein, while no XPA protein was detected in the XPA cells with the homozygous intron 3 splicing mutation.

Base Sequence↗

Physical and functional association of the cbl protooncogen product with an src-family protein tyrosine kinase, p53/56lyn, in the B cell antigen receptor-mediated signaling.

To identify novel signal transducers involved in signaling mediated by the Src-family protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), we used a yeast two-hybrid system with a probe corresponding to the regulatory region of p56lyn, a member of Src-family PTKs. One of the isolated clones contained the COOH-terminal 470 amino acid residues of p120c-cbl, the product of the cellular homologue of the v-cbl retroviral oncogene. p120c-cbl is a cytoplasmic protein with nuclear protein-like motifs. Here we show in vivo association of p120c-cbl with p53/56lyn. After stimulation of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR), p120c-cbl was rapidly tyrosine phosphorylated. Studies with lyn- or syk-negative chicken B cells demonstrated that p53/56lyn, but not p72syk, was crucial for tyrosine phosphorylation of p120c-cbl upon stimulation of the BCR. We also show the importance of p59fyn in tyrosine phosphorylation of p120c-cbl in the T-cell receptor-mediated signaling using fyn-overexpressing T cell hybridomas and splenic T cells from fyn-deficient mice. These results suggest that p120c-cbl is an important substrate of Src-family PTKs in the intracellular signaling mediated by the antigen receptors

Cells, Cultured↗

A population association study of four candidate genes (hexokinase II, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor, fatty acid binding protein-2, and apolipoprotein C-II) with type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in Japanese subjects.

In order to define the major genetic factor(s) for the development of Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in Japanese subjects, a population association study of candidate genes involved in either glucose or lipid metabolism was carried out using microsatellite DNA polymorphisms. Each polymorphic locus near the four candidate genes, hexokinase II (HKII), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP1R), fatty acid binding protein-2 (FABP-2), and apolipoprotein C-II (apoC-II) genes, were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using 32P-labelled primers and each subject was genotyped for the association study. The HKII, GLP1R, FABP-2, and apoC-II polymorphisms exhibited 18, 10, 7, and 10 alleles, respectively. While polymorphism information contents (PICs) of these polymorphisms were relatively high, allele frequencies in these polymorphisms did not differ among subjects with Type 2 diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and non-diabetic controls. These results suggest that the HKII, GLP1R, FABP-2, and apoC-II genes are not the major inherited factors for the development of Type 2 diabetes or IGT in Japanese subjects, although minor contribution cannot be ruled out.

Apolipoprotein C-II↗

Ability of paralyzed flagella mutants of Chlamydomonas to move.

Chlamydomonas mutants missing the central pair or radial spokes are paralyzed despite the fact that they have the full wild-type complement of functional dynein ATPases. We show here that these mutants can move under conditions of low ATP concentration, a combination of ATP and ADP, and a combination of ATP and ribose-modified ATP analogs. These conditions suggest an inhibitory role of ATP and that this inhibition can be relieved by ADP or analogs. The function of the central-pair/radial spoke complex may be to release this ATP inhibition in a controlled manner.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Long-duration xenogeneic extracorporeal pig liver perfusion with human blood.

Hepatic xenografts can tolerate hyperacute rejection owing to their lower susceptibility to humorally mediated injury. We investigated the possibility of long-duration xenoperfusion without immunologically controlling natural antibodies or complements. Pig livers were perfused for 9 h with human blood (Group 1) or pig blood (Group 2). Physiological conditioning and administration of prostaglandin E1 and insulin was characteristic of our system. The portal vein and hepatic artery pressure and bile production did not significantly differ between the two groups. Despite a gradual decrease throughout the perfusion, overall oxygen consumption was significantly higher in Group 1. Liver enzymes were released at higher levels in Group 1. Histological examination revealed intact hepatic architecture in Group 2, while in Group 1 interlobular morphology was severely damaged by endothelial disruption, although hepatic sinusoidal architecture was preserved. It is concluded that, despite biochemically and histologically confirmed tissue injury, graft viability was well-maintained in xenoperfusion even without immunological manipulations.

Alprostadil↗

Radial maze performance, open-field and elevated plus-maze behaviors in Fyn-kinase deficient mice: further evidence for increased fearfulness.

Fyn-deficient mice produced by inserting the beta-galactosidase gene (lacZ) into the fyn gene locus were tested in a radial maze, an open field and an elevated plus-maze. In the radial maze, the homozygous Fyn-deficient (fynz/fynz) mice showed no impairment in spatial learning, although they showed a stronger avoidance tendency for those arms located closer to the experimenter during pretraining (adaptation). In the open-field test, the fynz/fynz mice defecated more frequently in the bright condition than did the +/fynz mice, and they were less active during the first 10-min test period than the +/fynz mice. In addition, the temporal pattern of locomotor activity for fynz/fynz mice was altered by changing the illumination while the pattern for +/fynz mice remained relatively unchanged. Scores reflecting the fear-response in the elevated plus-maze were higher in the fynz/fynz mice. These results indicate that Fyn deficiency increased fear-response, but did not impair spatial learning in the radial maze. It is suggested that we should take account of effects of emotional factors in the learning experiment using mutant mice.

Animals↗

Ischemic preconditioning of the liver in rats: implications of heat shock protein induction to increase tolerance of ischemia-reperfusion injury.

It has been reported that ischemic preconditioning of the heart or brain has a possible relevance to heat shock protein (HSP). It is still unknown, however, whether HSP induced by means of ischemic preconditioning of the liver is a direct factor in the acquisition of tolerance to succeeding ischemia-reperfusion injury. In the present study we used ischemic preconditioning of the liver to verify the effects of induced HSP72 in the liver on the subsequent longer warm ischemia and reperfusion. Rats preconditioned with short-term (15-minute) ischemia were compared with rats preconditioned by heat exposure or with control rats. After a 48-hour recovery from the sublethal stress for preconditioning, all rats were exposed to longer (30-minute) warm ischemia and reperfusion. Forty-eight hours after ischemic preconditioning, HSP72 was clearly induced in the liver, as well as in the liver preconditioned with heat shock, but not in the kidney or heart. This ischemic preconditioning also attenuated the liver damage in the subsequent ischemia-reperfusion injury, improving the restoration of hepatic function during reperfusion and resulting in higher postischemic rat survival. According to the proposed model of tolerance acquisition for ischemia-reperfusion injury by stress preconditioning, these observations support the speculation that the induced HSP72 plays some beneficial role in this protection mechanism.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Catalytic properties of adenylylsulfate reductase from Desulfovibrio vulgaris Miyazaki.

Adenylylsulfate reductase (EC 1.8.99.2) isolated from Desulfovibrio vulgaris Miyazaki catalyzes electron transfer from dihydroflavin coenzyme (FADH2, FMNH2, or dihydroriboflavin) to adenylyl sulfate (APS), and catalyzes flavin-mediated oxidation of ferrocytochrome c3 with APS. The reaction with FAD as an electron mediator was markedly stimulated in the presence of menadione. Km of the enzyme was about 0.015 mM for riboflavin and FAD in the presence of menadione. Free flavin coenzyme was found to be the normal cellular constituent. These observations suggested that free flavin coenzyme may be a physiological electron carrier for APS reductase, and the enzyme may be called AMP, sulfite:flavin oxidoreductase. Km (APS) of this enzyme is lower than 1 microM. The enzyme is not inhibited by ATP and GTP, but was inhibited by AMP and sulfite. Its extremely low Km (APS) enables this enzyme to reduce any traces of cytosolic APS which is present only at micromolar concentration, and inhibition by sulfite makes this organism utilize an energetically favorable electron acceptor, sulfite, preferentially over APS which is produced from sulfate at the cost of ATP.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗