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Biomedical subjects

X Guo

Publications and source records attributed to X Guo.

At least 379 records · Page 21Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

[Preliminary diagnostic criteria for primary Sjogren's syndrome in China].

Primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) is a common autoimmune connective tissue disease in China yet without a universally accepted diagnostic criteria. In this study a new criteria was proposed and compared with other six sets of criteria. Fifty-five items in 112 pSS and 185 controls were evaluated. Results show the criteria we proposed contained one major and nine minor items. For the purpose of identifying patients in clinical studies, a major with at least three of the nine minor items or at least five of the minor items should be presented. The major item is anti-SSA/SSB(+) and the minors are, (1) dry eyes or dry mouth (> 3 months, persistently), (2) swollen salivary glands (recurrently or persistently), (3) rampant dental caries, (4) Schirmer test (< 5 mm in 5 min.) or corneal staining(+), (5) unstimulated salivary flow (< 0.03 ml/min) or abornal parotid sialography, (6) minor salivary gland biopsy (> or = 1 focus), (7) renal tubular acidosis, (8) hypergammaglobuminemia (gamma globulin > or = 30%) or hypergammaglobuminemic purpura, (9) RF > 1 : 20 or ANA > 1 : 20. Other connective tissure diseases, pre-existing lymphoma, AIDS, sarcoidosis, graft vs host disease must be excluded. The criteria we proposed had a high specificity of 98.2% and sensitivity of 94.1%.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Blockade of (+/-) 12-chloroscoulerine on feed-back regulation of dopamine D2 autoreceptors].

AIM: To verify whether (+/-) 12-chloroscoulerine (CSL) is antagonist or agonist effect to D2 autoreceptors. METHODS: The levodopa content accumulated in the rat striatum was measured by HPLC-ECD, and the DA neuron firing activity in the substantia nigra zona compacta (SNC) was recorded. RESULTS: The accumulated levodopa content induced by CSL 40 mg.kg-1 was much more than that of 1,4-butyro-lactone (BL) group (P < 0.01). After i.p. injection of apomorphine (Apo) 5 mg.kg-1, the levodopa content was decreased below that of BL group (P < 0.05). The Apo inhibition on levodopa content was completely reversed by CSL (40 mg.kg-1, i.p.) and then increased the levodopa content (2.5 +/- 1.1 micrograms.g-1) over that of Apo group (0.7 +/- 0.3 microgram.g-1, P < 0.01). In the electrophysiologic recording, Apo (15 micrograms.kg-1, i.v.) induced the decrease of SNC DA cell firing rate nearly to zero. At the accumulated dose of CSL up to 80 micrograms.kg-1 (i.v.), the inhibition of Apo was attenuated and the firing activity was restored to predrug level. CONCLUSION: CSL showed an antagonistic action, an action to D2 autoreceptors.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Isolation and functional characterization of the human gene encoding the myeloid zinc finger protein MZF-1.

The expression of the human myeloid zinc finger gene (MZF-1) by human bone marrow cells is necessary for granulopoiesis. We have analyzed the structure and function of the MZF-1 gene by diagnostic polymerase chain reaction, genomic cloning, and promoter analysis. Comparison of human promyelocytic HL-60 cell cDNA with isolated MZF-1 genomic clones indicated that the human MZF-1 gene is without introns and spans approximately 3 kb. Restriction enzyme mapping and Southern analysis indicated further that the human MZF-1 gene is a single-copy gene. Primer extension studies identified the major transcription start site as a thymidine residue located 1102 bp upstream of the ATG translation start codon. A putative TATA box sequence (TAAAAA) was found at -66 bp and a CCAAT box at -130 bp relative to the transcription initiation site. In HL-60 cells, MZF-1 mRNA levels are increased by granulopoietic inducers including retinoic acid and GM-CSF. DNA upstream of the transcription start site contains tandem-repeated consensus retinoic acid response elements at -666 through -696 bp and paired putative GM-CSF-responsive sequences centered at -50 and -100 bp. CAT reporter gene constructs containing these DNA regions promoted transcription and conferred transcriptional responsiveness to retinoic acid and GM-CSF when transfected into HL-60 cells. Additional putative regulatory binding sites included conserved MZF-1 zinc finger binding sequences, the importance of which was suggested by the enhanced expression of the endogenous MZF-1 gene following vector-driven expression of MZF-1 constructs in K562 myeloblastic leukemia cells. These findings provide a clearer basis for understanding the role of MZF-1 gene expression in myeloid cell growth and differentiation.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Cardiac troponin I mutants. Phosphorylation by protein kinases C and A and regulation of Ca(2+)-stimulated MgATPase of reconstituted actomyosin S-1.

The significance of site-specific phosphorylation of cardiac troponin I (TnI) by protein kinase C and protein kinase A in the regulation of Ca(2+)-stimulated MgATPase of reconstituted actomyosin S-1 was investigated. The TnI mutants used were T144A, S43A/S45A, and S43A/S45A/T144A (in which the identified protein kinase C phosphorylation sites, Thr-144 and Ser-43/ Ser-45, were, respectively, substituted by Ala) and S23A/S24A and N32 (in which the protein kinase A phosphorylation sites Ser-23/Ser-24 were either substituted by Ala or deleted). The mutations caused subtle changes in the kinetics of phosphorylation by protein kinase C, and all mutants were maximally phosphorylated to various extents (1.3-2.7 mol of phosphate/mol of protein). Protein kinase C could cross-phosphorylate protein kinase A sites but the reverse essentially could not occur. Compared to wild-type TnI and T144A, un-phosphorylated S43A/S45A, S43A/S45A/T144, S23A/ S24A, and N32 caused a decreased Ca2+ sensitivity of Ca(2+)-stimulated MgATPase of reconstituted actomyosin. S-1. Phosphorylation by protein kinase C of wild-type and all mutants except S43A/S45A and S43A/S45A/T144A caused marked reductions in both the maximal activity of Ca(2+)-stimulated MgATPase and apparent affinity of myosin S-1 for reconstitued (regulated) actin. It was further noted that protein kinase C acted in an additive manner with protein kinase A by phosphorylating Ser-23/Ser-24 to bring about a decreased Ca2+ sensitivity of the myofilament. It is suggested that Ser-43/Ser-45 and Ser-23/Ser-24 in cardiac TnI are important for normal Ca2+ sensitivity of the myofilament, and that phosphorylation of Ser-43/Ser-45 and Ser-23/Ser-24 is primarily involved in the protein kinase C regulation of the activity and Ca2+ sensitivity, respectively, of actomyosin S-1 MgATPase.

Actomyosin↗
PubMed1995

Cardiac troponin I induced conformational changes in cardiac troponin C as monitored by NMR using site-directed spin and isotope labeling.

Conformational changes in both free cardiac troponin C (cTnC) and in complex with a recombinant troponin I protein [cTnI(33-211), cTnI(33-80), or cTnI (86-211)] were observed by means of a combination of selective carbon-13 and spin labeling. The paramagnetic effect from the nitroxide spin label, MTSSL, attached to cTnC(C35S) at Cys 84 allowed measurement of the relative distances to the 13C-methyl groups of the 10 methionines of cTnC in the monomer or complex. All 10 1H-13C correlations in the heteronuclear single- and multiple-quantum coherence (HSMQC) spectrum of [13C-methyl] Met cTnC in the complex with cTnI(33-211) were previously assigned [Krudy, G. A., Kleerekoper, Q., Guo, X., Howarth, J. W., Solaro, R. J., & Rosevear, P. R. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 23731-23735]. In the presence of oxidized spin label, nine of the 10 Met methyl 1H-13C correlations of cTnC were significantly broadened in the cTnC(C35S) monomer. This suggests flexibility within the central helix, or interdomain D/E helical linker, bringing the N- and C-terminal domains in closer proximity than predicted from the crystallographic structure of TnC. In the spin-labeled cTnC(C35S). cTnI(33-211) complex only N-terminal Met methyl 1H-13C correlations of cTnC(C35S) were paramagnetically broadened beyond detection, whereas correlations for Met residues (103, 120, 137, and 157) in the C-terminal domain were not. Thus, complex formation with cTnI decreases interdomain flexibility and maintains cTnC in an extended conformation. This agrees with the recently published study suggesting that sTnC is extended when bound to sTnI [Olah, G. A., & Trewhella, J. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 12800-12806]. The recombinant N-terminal domain of cTnI, cTnI(33-80), gave similar results as observed with cTnI(33-211) when complexed with spin-labeled cTnC(C35S). However, complex formation with the C-terminal fragment, cTnI(86-211), which contains the inhibitory sequence, is insufficient to maintain cTnC extended to the amount observed with either cTnI(33-211) or cTnI(33-80); although compared to that observed in free cTnC, it does cause decreased flexibility in the interdomain linker. In the absence of the N-terminal domain of cTnI, there is a decrease in flexibility within the N-terminal domain of cTnC. Interestingly, the N-terminal domain of cTnC in the reduced spin-labeled complex with cTnI(86-211), in the presence of ascorbate, showed two distinct conformations which were not seen in the complex with cTnI(33-211).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1995

The effects of nimodipine on the EEG of substance abusers.

Cocaine abusers have increased EEG beta and areas of reduced cortical blood flow. Since, nimodipine has neuroprotective effects and increases blood flow, we investigated the efficacy of single and multiple doses of the nimodipine in normalizing the EEG of substance abusers. Fourteen subjects received single (0, 30, 60 mg) and eleven received multiple daily (up to 150 mg in 12 hours) doses of nimodipine to determine whether this drug would increase EEG alpha and decrease beta in substance abusers. The EEG was recorded from eight scalp locations (F3, C3, P3, O1, F4, C4, P4 and O2) for three minutes during eyes closed, and eyes open conditions. Single and multiple doses of nimodipine produced significant increases in EEG alpha and decreases in EEG beta in the eyes open condition. Thus, nimodipine may have potential therapeutic implications in the treatment of cocaine dependence. Chronic nimodipine dosing in cocaine-dependent individuals is now needed to confirm its efficacy in the treatment of cocaine dependence.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Nimodipine improves information processing in substance abusers.

We examined whether nimodipine can improve information processing in healthy drug abusers using cognitive event-related potential (ERP) methodology. Placebo and 30- and 60-mg doses of nimodipine were administered on separate days in a random double-blind design to twelve male subjects, who used cocaine and/or opiates as well as alcohol and marijuana. The subjects performed the auditory rare event monitoring (AREM) task and the paired letter version of the visual continuous performance task (CPT) before oral drug administration as well as one and two hours after drug ingestion. The EEG was recorded from 7 scalp locations. The P3 component of the ERPs to the target stimulus was reduced with repeated testing on the placebo day. The 30-mg dose of nimodipine blocked the decrease in P3, which reflects stimulus evaluation in both tasks. Chronic administration of nimodipine may alleviate the cognitive deficits observed in substance abusers during abstinence and prevent treatment relapse.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Anticancer activity of beta-L-dioxolane-cytidine, a novel nucleoside analogue with the unnatural L configuration.

Naturally occurring nucleosides and all anticancer nucleoside analogue drugs are in the beta-D configuration. L-(-)-dioxolane-cytidine [(-)-OddC] is the first L-nucleoside analogue ever shown to have anticancer activity. This compound was converted within cells to its mono-, di-, and triphosphate metabolites and was incorporated into DNA. As with cytosine arabinoside, conversion to the monophosphate was catalyzed by cellular deoxycytidine kinase, which was essential for cytotoxicity. However, unlike cytosine arabinoside, (-)-OddC was not susceptible to degradation by deoxycytidine deaminase. Because (-)-OddC inhibited the growth of hepatocellular and prostate tumors that are generally difficult to treat, it is a promising candidate for additional testing. Our results indicate that there is a great deal of variability in the chiral specificities of cellular enzymes and demonstrate how these differences can be exploited in the design of better anti-viral and anticancer drugs.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

5-Fluoro-2-pyrimidinone, a liver aldehyde oxidase-activated prodrug of 5-fluorouracil.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is an effective antitumor agent used in treating various cancers. Because of its metabolism by intestinal and other cells, 5-FU has an inconsistent bioavailability that limits its oral use. 5-Fluoro-2-pyrimidione (5-FP), a 5-FU prodrug, was synthesized and found to be converted to 5-FU by aldehyde oxidase, an enzyme present in high concentrations in the livers of mice and humans but not in the gastrointestinal tract. Using BDF1 mice, the pharmacokinetics of 5-FP were studied and compared with those of 5-FU. The bioavailability of 5-FP given orally was 100% at a dosage of 25 mg/kg and 78% at a dosage of 50 mg/kg. The half-lives of both doses of 5-FP were at least 2-fold longer than the half-lives of the same doses of 5-FU, and the clearance rates of 5-FP were 3-fold slower. 5-FP was converted rapidly to 5-FU, in vivo. The resulting 5-FU was measured at a steady-state level of 40-70 microM in plasma, at a dosage of 25 mg/kg, that was sustained for at least 4 hr. Also, when given orally, 5-FP was shown to have potent activity against Colon 38 tumor cells and P388 leukemia cells in mice. The therapeutic index of 5-FP was similar to that of 5-FU in these mouse tumor models. The potential clinical use of 5-FP as a prodrug of 5-FU should be considered.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1995

Effects of marker information on sib-pair linkage analysis of a rare disease.

Model-free sib-pair linkage analysis was used to screen the GAW9-Problem 1 data set for evidence of linkage of a rare disease to any of 360 highly polymorphic marker loci. Negative regressions nominally significant at the alpha = 0.05 level were obtained for 44 markers; however all of these proved to be Type I errors. None of the four disease loci were detected by sib-pair linkage, which was not surprising, given the particular model and sampling scheme used to generate these data. Neither deleting parental marker genotypic information nor misspecifying marker allele frequency estimates substantially increased the Type I error rate. A two-stage testing procedure using a 10 or 20 cM map and a liberal first stage significance level gave the same overall results as a one-stage 2 cM map but required only about 42% or 22% as many markers, respectively.

Alleles↗
PubMed1995

The unique amino-terminal peptide of cardiac troponin I regulates myofibrillar activity only when it is phosphorylated.

Protein kinase A (PKA) dependent phosphorylation of C-protein and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is known to be associated with a reduced sensitivity to Ca2+. We have investigated the relative importance of each of these sites of phosphorylation in this effect by use of extraction/reconstitution experiments and mutagenesis of recombinant cTnI. Conditions developed for extraction of troponin (Tn) complex also resulted in extraction of C-protein. A truncated cTnI (cTnI/NH2) lacking the 32 amino acids in the unique amino terminal extension of cTnI was engineered and expressed. In contrast to native cTnI, cTnI/NH2, which lacks Ser23 and Ser24, was not phosphorylated by PKA either in pure form or after incorporation into the myofilament lattice. The relation between pCa (-log molar free Ca2+ concentration) and MgATPase activity of non-phosphorylated native myofibrils or non-phosphorylated myofibrils reconstituted with cTnI, but lacking C-protein, was the same and could not be distinguished from that of control or PKA-treated myofibrils into which we exchanged cTnI with cTnI/NH2. However, PKA-dependent phosphorylation of either native myofibrils or reconstituted myofibrils containing cTnI but lacking C-protein resulted in an identical and significant rightward shift of pCa50 (half-maximally activating pCa) in the pCa-activity relationship. Our results strongly indicate that phosphorylation of cTnI at Ser residues in the unique amino terminal extension of the molecule is both necessary and sufficient for the decrease in myofilament Ca(2+)-sensitivity associated with PKA-dependent phosphorylation.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Osteogenic protein-1 induces dendritic growth in rat sympathetic neurons.

Sympathetic neurons from perinatal rat pups extend only a single axon when maintained in culture in the absence of glia and serum. Exposure to recombinant osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1) selectively induces the formation of dendrites that correctly segregate and modify cytoskeletal and membrane proteins and form synaptic contacts of appropriate polarity. OP-1 requires nerve growth factor (NGF) as a cofactor, and, in the presence of optimal concentrations of NGF, OP-1-induced dendritic growth from cultured perinatal neurons is comparable to that observed in situ. Sympathetic neuroblasts that had not formed dendrites in situ also responded to OP-1 in culture, indicating that OP-1 can cause de novo formation as well as regeneration of dendrites. These data imply that specific signals can regulate the development of neuronal shape and polarity.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Efficient selection of recombinant adenoviruses by vectors that express beta-galactosidase.

Adenovirus serotype 5 vectors which contain the Excherichia coli beta-galactosidase gene driven by the cytomegalovirus immediate-early promoter as a screenable marker have been made and successfully used in the construction of recombinant adenoviruses. The beta-galactosidase gene has been introduced into viruses in which the E3 region is maintained or deleted and in which the cis-acting packaging sequence has been reiterated at the right end of the chromosome. A unique BstBI site has been introduced 3' of the beta-galactosidase gene. Cotransfection of BstBI-digested vector DNA and a plasmid containing the left end of the viral chromosome followed by staining with X-Gal (5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside) results in clear plaques when overlap recombination has occurred and blue plaques when ligation of the viral arms has occurred within the host cell. The beta-galactosidase-expressing viruses grow to lower titers than do the parental viruses, leading to a relative growth advantage for viruses resulting from overlap recombination. Combined with color selection based on the beta-galactosidase gene, this system permits efficient production and selection of recombinant viruses after cotransfection of BstBI-digested viral DNA with a plasmid including left-end viral sequences and the gene of interest. The beta-galactosidase-expressing viral DNAs were used to construct viruses containing BstBI sites on either side of the cis-acting packaging element as a means of testing their utility.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1995

Adenovirus type 5 precursor terminal protein-expressing 293 and HeLa cell lines.

HeLa and 293 cell lines that express biologically active adenovirus type 5 precursor terminal protein (pTP) have been made. The amount of pTP synthesized in these cell lines ranges from barely detectable to greater than that observed in cells infected with the wild-type virus. The pTP-expressing cell lines permit the growth of a temperature-sensitive terminal protein mutant virus sub100r at the nonpermissive temperature. A higher percentage of the stably transfected 293 cell lines expressed terminal protein, and generally at considerably higher levels, than did the HeLa cell lines. While 293 cells appeared to tolerate pTP better than did HeLa cells, high-level pTP expression in 293 cells led to a significantly reduced growth rate. The 293-pTP cell lines produce infectious virus after transfection with purified viral DNA and form plaques when overlaid with Noble agar after infection at low multiplicity. These cell lines offer promise for the production of adenoviruses lacking pTP expression and therefore completely defective for replication.

Adenoviruses, Human↗
PubMed1995

Identification of a ras-activated enhancer in the mouse osteopontin promoter and its interaction with a putative ETS-related transcription factor whose activity correlates with the metastatic potential of the cell.

The role of RAS in transducing signals from an activated receptor into altered gene expression is becoming clear, though some links in the chain are still missing. Cells possessing activated RAS express higher levels of osteopontin (OPN), an alpha v beta 3 integrin-binding secreted phosphoprotein implicated in a number of developmental, physiological, and pathological processes. We report that in T24 H-ras-transformed NIH 3T3 cells enhanced transcription contributes to the increased expression of OPN. Transient transfection studies, DNA-protein binding assays, and methylation protection experiments have identified a novel ras-activated enhancer, distinct from known ras response elements, that appears responsible for part of the increase in OPN transcription in cells with an activated RAS. In electrophoretic mobility shift assays, the protein-binding motif GGAGGCAGG was found to be essential for the formation of several complexes, one of which (complex A) was generated at elevated levels by cell lines that are metastatic. Southwestern blotting and UV light cross-linking studies indicated the presence of several proteins able to interact with this sequence. The proteins that form these complexes have molecular masses estimated at approximately 16, 28, 32, 45, 80, and 100 kDa. Because the approximately 16-kDa protein was responsible for complex A formation, we have designated it MATF for metastasis-associated transcription factor. The GGANNNAGG motif is also found in some other promoters, suggesting that they may be similarly controlled by MATF.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1995

Ca2+ and cAMP activate different K+ conductances in the human intestinal goblet cell line HT29-Cl.16E.

The mechanism of regulated Cl- secretion was evaluated in the mucin-secreting cell line HT29-Cl.16E by transepithelial electrophysiology and fura 2 measurements of cytosolic Ca2+. Carbachol by itself was a weak secretagogue, but augmented adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-mediated secretion more than twofold, consistent with activation of a rate-limiting K+ conductance. To characterize this conductance, monolayers were apically permeabilized with amphotericin B. At least two types of K+ conductances were identified. One type was activated by elevated cytosolic cAMP levels and inhibited by Ba2+ (inhibitor constant 0.3 mM) in the basolateral solution but was not affected by quinidine or elevated cytosolic Ca2+. The other type was activated by carbachol via cytosolic Ca2+ and was partially inhibited by quinidine (60% inhibition by 2.5 mM quinidine) but was not affected by Ba2+ up to 1 mM. Both conductances appear to be involved in active, transepithelial Cl- secretion in intact monolayers but under different conditions because 1) the cAMP-stimulated short-circuit current (Isc) can be partially inhibited by 1 mM Ba2+ (50%) but not quinidine, 2) the Ba2+ inhibition does not affect the carbachol-induced increase in Isc in cells with elevated cAMP levels, and 3) the carbachol-dependent Isc can be inhibited by quinidine. Therefore, the contribution of the cAMP-dependent K+ conductance appears important for maintaining the membrane potential and therewith Cl- secretion when cAMP is the only messenger for secretion signals, whereas the Ca(2+)-dependent K+ conductance is responsible for the carbachol-stimulated increase in Isc.

Amphotericin B↗