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Biomedical subjects

W B Davis

Publications and source records attributed to W B Davis.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Effect of treatment with 5-ethyl-2'-deoxyuridine on herpes simplex virus encephalitis in normal and immunosuppressed mice.

5-Ethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (5-ethyl-dUrd), an analog of thymidine, was evaluated for its capacity to inhibit herpes simplex virus (HSV) replication in vitro and in vivo. The 50% effective dose concentration of 5-ethyl-dUrd for HSV types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and -2) cultured in Vero cells was 6 and 9 mug/ml, respectively. Levels of 5-ethyl-dUrd 14-fold in excess of the 50% effective dose for HSV-1 did not inhibit the formation of confluent monolayers by Vero cells, suggesting that the compound was not cytotoxic or inhibitory for mammalian cells. In vivo studies showed that 5-ethyl-dUrd was effective in significantly reducing mortality when administered to young adult mice after subcutaneous infection with HSV-2. Intraperitoneal and intravenous inoculation of drug (250 mg/kg per day) resulted in a 50% survivor rate at 15 days. Comparative studies with adenine arabinoside at 250 mg/kg per day gave a 40% survivor rate. Intramuscular injection of 5-ethyl-dUrd at a concentration as high as 2,000 mg/kg per day for 10 days was well tolerated by uninfected animals, and HSV-2-infected mice treated at this dosage had a 100% survival rate. Treatment with 5-ethyl-dUrd at a concentration of 500 mg/kg per day significantly increased the mean survival times of HSV-1- and HSV-2-infected mice immunosuppressed by irradiation; however, the fatal course of the infection was not altered. Assay for virus in tissues showed that 5-ethyl-dUrd treatment delayed progression of the infection into the central nervous system, indicating suppression of virus replication in the tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Specificity of isoniazid on growth inhibition and competition for an oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide regulatory site on the electron transport pathway in Mycobacterium phlei.

The mechanism of action of isoniazid (INH) on saprophytic and atypical mycobacteria is thought to be different from that on Mycobacterium tuberculosis because higher concentrations are required to be effective in these species. In this investigation, M. phlei was inhibited by INH at a concentration of 25 mug/ml. Benzoic acid hydrazide (BZH) and nicotinic acid hydrazide (NAH) were inhibitory at levels of 300 and 500 mug/ml, respectively. Inhibition by these compounds was not inoculum dependent. An isolated M. phlei mutant resistant to 100 mug of INH per ml (Inh(r)) was inhibited by INH only at concentrations about equal to those inhibitory for BZH and NAH. When NAH and BZH were below their minimal inhibitory concentrations, INH inhibition was antagonized. Hence, there appears to be a single target site for INH in mycobacteria with different affinities for various hydrazide analogs of INH. The increased inhibitory levels required for the atypical and saprophytic species are due to a decreased affinity of the target site for INH in these species. INH also inhibited both the oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) and adenosine 5'-monophosphate stimulation of reduced NAD (NADH) oxidase activity associated with the M. phlei and M. tuberculosis H(37)R(a) electron transport particles. INH did not reverse the NAD(+) stimulation of oxidase activity in the Inh(r) strain of M. phlei. No direct inhibitory effect of INH on NADH oxidase activity was observed. Incubation of M. phlei electron transport particles at 0 degrees C with INH resulted in a dramatic loss of oxidase activity which could have been prevented if NAD(+) were present. However, INH had no effect upon the NADH oxidase when stored with electron transport particles isolated from the Inh(r) strain. Therefore, INH inhibition of regulation and/or stabilization of the electron transport pathway by NAD(+) or adenosine 5'-monophosphate may account, in part, for the lethal action of the drug on mycobacteria.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗
PubMed1977

Differentiation of catalases in Mycobacterium phlei on the basis of susceptibility to isoniazid: association with peroxidase and acquired resistance to isoniazid.

Mycobacterium phlei contains two catalase activities and a single peroxidase activity. The latter is associated with one of the catalases. The single catalase-peroxidase enzyme accounted for 75% of the total catalase activity and was lost upon acquisition of resistance to the antitubercular drug isoniazid (INH). Heat-treated (68 degrees C) wild-type cells showed similar decreases in catalase activity as well as complete loss of peroxidase activity. Catalase activity in the INH-resistant strain of M. phlei (Inh(r)) was unaffected by heating. The heat-sensitive catalase of the wild-type M. phlei was completely inhibited by 0.1 M INH, and Cu(2+) enhanced this inhibitory effect by 100-fold. No inhibition of activity was found with the heat-stable enzyme. Equivalent inhibition of catalase was also observed with nicotinic acid hydrazide and benzoic acid hydrazide. Peroxidase activity was also completely inhibited by any one of the three hydrazides, either INH, benzoic acid hydrazide, or nicotinic acid hydrazide at 10(-3) M. The presence of two catalase activities and the loss of one (catalase-peroxidase) on acquiring INH resistance or heating wild-type cells was confirmed by acrylamide gel electrophoresis of the cell-free extracts.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1976

A twin study of dental dimension. II. Independent genetic determinants.

To demonstrate the presence of independent genetic determinants of multiple correlated tooth dimensions from twin data, a multivariate analysis was performed on the covariance matrices of monozygotic and dizygotic within-pair differences for mesiodistal and buccolingual dimensions of 28 teeth of the secondary dentition. The results provided strong evidences that the correlation among tooth dimensions is primarily genetic in origin, probably attributable to the pleiotropic action of either independent genes or groups of genes. Among the genetic factors that were identified, one appeared to affect the maxillary teeth in general while a second influenced primarily the anterior mandibular teeth. There was a striking tendency for homologous measurements on the right and left sides to be associated with the same genetic factor. In contrast, genetic determination of the maxillary and mandibular dentition seemed to be independent of each other, and a wider range of genetic factors were found to influence the mandibular than the maxillary teeth, suggesting that a differential degree of evolutionary stability may have been achieved in the teeth of the two jaws.

Female↗
PubMed1975

Effect of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide on the membrane-associated reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidase of Mycobacterium phlei.

NAD+ had a biphasic effect on the NADH oxidase activity in electron transport particles from Mycobacterium phlei. The oxidase was inhibited competitively by NAD+ at concentrations above 0.05 mM. NAD+ in concentrations from 0.02 to 0.05 mM resulted in maximum stimulation of both NADH oxidation and oxygen uptake with concentrations of substrate both above and below the apparent K-M. Oxygen uptake and cyanide sensitivity indicated that the NAD+ stimulatory effect was linked to the terminal respiratory chain. The stimulatory effect was specific for NAD+. NAD+ was also specific in protecting the oxidase during heating at 50 degrees and against inactivation during storage at 0 degrees. NAD+ glycohydrolase did not affect stimulation nor heat protection of the NADH oxidase activity if the particles were previously preincubated with NAD+. Binding studies revealed that the particles bound approximately 3.6 pmol of [14C1NAD+ per mg of electron transport particle protein. Although bound NAD+ represented only a small fraction of the total added NAD+ necessary for maximal stimulation, removal of the apparently unbound NAD+ by Sephadex chromatography revealed that particles retained the stimulated state for at least 48 hours. Further addition of NAD+ to stimulated washed particles resulted in competitive inhibition of oxidase activity. Desensitization of the oxidase to the stimulatory effect of NAD+ was achieved by heating the particles at 50 degrees for 2 min without appreciable loss of enzymatic activity. Kinetic studies indicated that addition of NADH to electron transport particles prior to preincubation with NAD+ inhibited stimulation. In addition, NADH inhibited binding of [14C]NAD+. The utilization of artificial electron acceptors, which act as a shunt of the respiratory chain at or near the flavoprotein component, indicated that NAD+ acts as at the level of the NADH dehydrogenase at a site other than the catalytic one resulting in a conformational change which causes restoration as well as protection of oxidase activity.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1973

Hydroxamate recognition during iron transport from hydroxamate-ion chelates.

Kinetics of radioactive iron transport from three structurally different secondary hydroxamate-iron chelates (schizokinen-iron, produced by Bacillus megaterium ATCC 19213; Desferal-iron, produced by an actinomycete; and aerobactin-iron, produced by Aerobacter aerogenes 62-1) revealed that B. megaterium SK11 (a mutant which cannot synthesize schizokinen) has a specific transport system for utilization of ferric hydroxamates with a recognition capacity based on the chemical structure of the hydroxamate. Both Desferal and schizokinen enhanced iron uptake in this organism; however, Desferal-iron delivered only one-sixth the level of iron incorporated from the schizokinen-iron chelate. Desferal-iron did not generate the rapid rates of iron transport noted with schizokinen-iron at elevated iron concentrations. Assays containing large excesses of either iron-free Desferal or iron-free schizokinen suggested that the iron-free hydroxamate may compete with the ferric hydroxamate for acceptance by the transport system although the system has greater affinity for the iron chelate. Aerobactin-iron did not stimulate iron uptake in B. megaterium SK11 and aerobactin inhibited growth of this organism, indicating that B. megaterium SK11 cannot efficiently process the aerobactin-iron chelate.

Bacillus megaterium↗
PubMed1973

Fate of labeled hydroxamates during iron transport from hydroxamate-ion chelates.

The fate of the hydroxamic acid-iron transport cofactors during iron uptake from the (59)Fe(3+) chelates of the (3)H-labeled hydroxamates schizokinen and aerobactin was studied by assay of simultaneous incorporation of both (59)Fe(3+) and (3)H. In the schizokinen-producing organism Bacillus megaterium ATCC 19213 transport of (59)Fe(3+) from the (3)H-schizokinen-(59)Fe(3+) chelate at 37 C was accompanied by rapid uptake and release (within 2 min) of (3)H-schizokinen, although (3)H-schizokinen discharge was temperature-dependent and did not occur at 0 C. In the schizokinen-requiring strain B. megaterium SK11 similar release of (3)H-schizokinen occurred only at elevated concentrations of the double-labeled chelate; at lower chelate concentrations, (3)H-schizokinen remained cell-associated. Temperature-dependent uptake of deferri (iron-free) (3)H-schizokinen to levels equivalent to those incorporated from the chelate form was noted in strain SK11, but strain ATCC 19213 showed only temperature-independent binding of low concentrations of deferri (3)H-schizokinen. These results indicate an initial temperature-independent binding of the ferric hydroxamate which is followed rapidly by temperature-dependent transport of the chelate into the cell and an enzyme catalyzed separation of iron from the chelate. The resulting deferri hydroxamate is discharged from the cell only when a characteristic intracellular concentration of the hydroxamate is exceeded, which happens in the schizokinen-requiring strain only at elevated concentrations of the chelate. This strain also appears to draw the deferri hydroxamate into the cell by a temperature-dependent mechanism. The aerobactin-producing organism Aerobacter aerogenes 62-1 also demonstrated rapid initial uptake and temperature-dependent discharge of (3)H-aerobactin during iron transport from (3)H-aerobactin-(59)Fe(3+), suggesting a similar ferric hydroxamate transport system in this organism.

Bacillus megaterium↗
PubMed1971

Iron requirements and aluminum sensitivity of an hydroxamic acid-requiring strain of Bacillus megaterium.

Bacillus megaterium strain ATCC 19213 secretes a ferric-chelating secondary hydroxamic acid, whereas a mutant (strain SK11) derived from it cannot produce a hydroxamate. Strain SK11 could be cultivated in a sucrose-mineral salts medium (treated with Chelex 100 to reduce trace metals) in the absence of added hydroxamate, if the inoculum was high. The lowest iron supplements necessary for maximal growth of both strains were equivalent (0.01 to 0.04 mug of iron per ml). Addition of either aluminum (0.5 mug/ml) or chromium (0.1 mug/ml) to the medium prevented full growth of strain SK11 at the minimal iron concentration, although elevated iron (1 mug/ml) reversed this inhibition. The iron-free secondary hydroxamate, Desferal, also abolished aluminum and chromium inhibition of strain SK11, producing maximal population densities at the low iron concentration. Growth of the hydroxamate-producing strain 19213 was not altered significantly by the aluminum or chromium levels which inhibited strain SK11. However, strain 19213 responded to these metals by increasing its secretion of a secondary hydroxamate. It was concluded that aluminum and chromium interfered with iron incorporation, either directly or by formation of nonutilizable aggregates with iron. The secondary hydroxamates may have overcome this interference by solubilization of iron for delivery to a single uptake process, or the ferric-hydroxamate chelate may enter the cell by an alternate route.

Aluminum↗
PubMed1971

Active transport of iron in Bacillus megaterium: role of secondary hydroxamic acids.

Kinetics of radioactive iron transport were examined in three strains of Bacillus megaterium. In strain ATCC 19213, which secretes the ferric-chelating secondary hydroxamic acid schizokinen, (59)Fe(3+) uptake from (59)FeCl(3) or the ferric hydroxamate Desferal-(59)Fe(3+) was rapid and reached saturation within 3 min. In strain SK11, which does not secrete schizokinen, transport from (59)FeCl(3) was markedly reduced; the two ferric hydroxamates Desferal-(59)Fe(3+) or schizokinen-(59)Fe(3+) increased both total (59)Fe(3+) uptake and the (59)Fe(3+) appearing in a cellular trichloroacetic acid-insoluble fraction, although 10 min was required to reach saturation. Certain characteristics of transport from both ferric hydroxamates and FeCl(3) suggest that iron uptake was an active process. The growth-inhibitory effect of aluminum on strain SK11 was probably due to the formation of nonutilizable iron-aluminum complexes which blocked uptake from (59)FeCl(3). Desferal or schizokinen prevented this blockage. A strain (ARD-1) resistant to the ferric hydroxamate antibiotic A22765 was isolated from strain SK11. Strain ARD-1 failed to grow with Desferal-Fe(3+) as an iron source, and it was unable to incorporate (59)Fe(3+) from this source. Growth and iron uptake in strain ARD-1 were similar to strain SK11 with schizokinen-Fe(3+) or the iron salt as sources. It is suggested that the ferric hydroxamates, or the iron they chelate, may be transported by a special system which might be selective for certain ferric hydroxamates. Strain ARD-1 may be unable to recognize both the antibiotic A22765 and the structurally similar chelate Desferal-Fe(3+), while retaining its capacity to utilize schizokinen-Fe(3+).

Aluminum↗