Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Y Urano

Publications and source records attributed to Y Urano.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

The human alpha-fetoprotein gene. Sequence organization and the 5' flanking region.

The human alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene was isolated into three overlapping clones in bacteriophage lambda vectors and its sequence organization analyzed by restriction endonuclease mapping and nucleotide sequencing. The human AFP gene is about 20 kilobase pairs long and contains 15 exons and 14 introns. The overall organization of the human AFP gene is similar to that of the mouse AFP gene, with all but two exons showing identical sizes. Nucleotide sequences at all exon/intron junctions display similarity to the consensus boundary sequence (Breathnach, R., and Chambon, P. (1981) Annu. Rev. Biochem. 50, 349-383), with the GT-AG rule applied to the splicing point. The cap site maps 44 nucleotides upstream from the translation initiation site. The "TATA box" is located 27 nucleotides upstream from the putative cap site and is flanked by sequences with dyad symmetry. The TATA box can thus be placed in the loop portion of a possible stem-loop structure formed by intrastrand base-pairing. Other characteristic nucleotide sequences in the 5' flanking region include a CCAAC pentamer, a 14-base pair (bp) enhancer-like sequence, and a 9-bp sequence homologous to the glucocorticoid responsive element. A long (90 bp) direct repeat and several alternating purine/pyrimidine sequences are also present in the 5' flanking region. A 736-bp sequence of the 5' flanking region adjacent to the cap site of the human AFP gene shows a 61% similarity with the corresponding region of the mouse AFP gene. There are two Alu family sequences and two poly(dT-dG) repeats in the human AFP gene that show different distribution patterns from those in the mouse AFP gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Giant seminoma of undescended testis in Down syndrome.

A giant seminoma of undescended testis in a forty-one-year-old Japanese male with Down syndrome is reported as is a review of the literature. The relationship between Down syndrome and testicular cancer are discussed. To our knowledge this is the largest seminoma of undescended testis (weight 3,500 Gm) so far recorded.

Adult↗

Optimal alignments of biological sequences on a microcomputer.

An algorithm and a program have been developed which enable optimal alignments of biological sequences on an 8-bit microcomputer. The compiled program can process sequences up to 1000 residues on a Commodore 64. Since this program was written originally in the BASIC language, it may readily be adapted to other microcomputers with small changes.

Algorithms↗

[Binding of peanut agglutinin (PNA) and Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) to human colonic carcinomas, adenomas, and polyps: histochemical staining by the lectin-antilectin-PEP method].

Binding of 2 lectins--peanut agglutinin (PNA) and Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA)--with human colonic carcinomas, adenomas, juvenile and hyperplastic polyps, and polyps in Cronkhite-Canada syndrome was examined histochemically by the lectin-antilectin-PAP method. With PNA, brush borders of the carcinoma cell were stained(90.9%), while the cytoplasm of the adenomas and polyps were stained granularly (88.0%). With DBA, the cytoplasm of the carcinomas was stained diffusely (72.7%), though 25% of the cases showed the fringed type cytoplasmic staining similar to adenomas, polyps and normal crypts. It appears important to recognize the differences in the staining patterns, especially in PNA, between carcinomas and other benign lesions, which apparently reflect changes of sugar residues during cancerization.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Multiple primary cancers in autopsy cases of Tokyo University Hospital (1883-1982) and in Japan Autopsy Annuals (1974-1982).

Multiple primary cancers in 30,386 consecutive autopsy cases from 1883 to 1982 in Tokyo University Hospital and 273,796 registered autopsy cases from 1974 to 1982 in Japan were examined. The frequency of multiple primary cancers among all cancers at Tokyo University Hospital was less than 0.5% until 1940. From 1960, it gradually increased, reaching 6.9% (1970-1982). The average age of patients with a single cancer was around 45 years until 1960. Thereafter, it became high, averaging 54.2 years in 1970-1982. The average age of patients with two and three or more primaries in 1970-1982 was 62.1 and 68.5, respectively. As the autopsy rate of cancers in Japan is 11.1% in 1974-1982, the statistics from the Autopsy Registry are highly representative of those in Japan. The frequency of multiple primaries was 5.5% in the Registry and increased year by year (3.6% in 1974 to 7.1% in 1982). The average age of patients with one, two and three or more primaries was 58.9, 66.7 and 69.8. In these two series, the older the patients, the larger was the number of primaries. In multiple cancers, the frequent combination consisted of the stomach, lung, colon, liver, prostate and thyroid. The stomach, lung, colon and liver were frequent primary sites when they occurred singly. The thyroid and prostate were frequent primary sites found at autopsy. Senescence of the Japanese population is suggested as one of the factors for an increase of multiple primaries in the last 20 years.

Adult↗

Tandem arrangement of the albumin and alpha-fetoprotein genes in the human genome.

A genomic clone containing human albumin mRNA sequences was isolated from a lambda phage gene library derived from a human hepatoma cell line that produces alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and albumin. This clone was also found to hybridize with the 5'-flanking region of the human AFP gene. Restriction mapping and nucleotide sequencing revealed that the albumin and AFP genes are present in tandem, in the same transcriptional orientation, with the albumin gene 14.5 kb upstream of the AFP gene. We have also isolated a genomic clone carrying both the albumin and AFP gene sequences from human fibroblasts, which produce neither AFP nor albumin. This DNA showed a restriction map that was indistinguishable from that of the clone obtained from the hepatoma described above, demonstrating that no gross rearrangements of the intergenic DNA sequence are involved in control of expression of the AFP and albumin genes.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

Renal vein thrombosis in stillborn infant of diabetic mother.

A second rare autopsy case of renal vein thrombosis in a stillborn female infant of a diabetic mother and the first after oxytocin induction is reported. Correlative light and electron microscopic studies were conducted. Extensive thrombosis from main to small cortical branches of the left renal vein was encountered causing hemorrhagic infarction of the left kidney. Newly formed hemorrhagic infarction and thrombosis of several small veins in the cortex of the right kidney were discovered. Hyperplasia of the pancreatic islets of Langerhans was observed. The literature was reviewed and the pathogenesis and clinical aspects were discussed.

Adult↗

Endotoxemia-induced diffuse myelitis and extensive patchy necrosis of the liver.

An autopsy case with endotoxemia-induced diffuse myelitis and extensive, grossly patchy necrosis of the liver occurring in a 70-year-old female was examined histopathologically and electron microscopically. Leucopenia with prominent leukemoid reaction (myeloblasts 20%) preceded the terminal fulminant hepatitis by two weeks. Soon after the terminal event, bacteremia and endotoxemia were detected and negativity for HB antigen was proved. Diffuse myelitis was characterized by devastation of hyperplastic bone marrow structure mottled with destructed sinus architecture and scattered exudative necrosis, resulting in the loss of mature granulocytes and erythropoiesis. Regenerative clusters of myeloblasts and prominent increase of megakaryocytes were observed. Electron microscopically, the bone marrow contained fibrin and platelets within the exudate of the marrow stroma. Extensive, grossly patchy necrosis of the liver microscopically consisted of well demarcated coagulation necrosis of hepatic parenchyma with scattered fibrin thrombi in the sinusoids at the boundary. There were no definite thrombi but occasional fibrin accumulation in the small blood vessels of the liver. Both extensive diffuse myelitis and extensive, patchy necrosis of the liver seemed to be quite rare in incidence. The pathogenesis of these combined lesions was discussed in relation with endotoxemia.

Aged↗

A case of malignant histiocytosis.

Malignant histiocytosis, presenting initially with swelling and subcutaneous tumor in the lid, was reported in a 14-year-old boy. The diagnosis of malignant histiocytosis was made on the basis of light- and electron-microscopic findings.

Adolescent↗

Two cases of hereditary diabetes insipidus, with an autopsy finding in one.

Two cases of hereditary diabetes insipidus (DI) are described, with an autopsy finding in one. The patients were brothers and 7 other relatives had symptoms of DI. The transmission of the disease in this family seemed to be an autosomal dominant trait with incomplete penetration. Both patients had the incomplete type of DI, which is diagnosed by the response of plasma AVP and the change in Uosm/Posm to 14 h water deprivation. The post-mortem examination in Case 1 showed that there was no atrophy of the supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular nucleus, but immunohistochemical studies revealed, that the paraventricular nucleus scarcely had any vasopressin positive cells in contrast to an autopsy control. This finding suggests that there may be a congenital defect in AVP synthesis in some cases of hereditary DI.

Adult↗

Novel repetitive sequence families showing size and frequency polymorphism in the genomes of mice.

A middle repetitive sequence, PR1, originally found in mouse rDNA appeared as satellite-like bands when EcoRI and BglII digests of genomic DNA were subjected to Southern blot hybridization using PR1 as probe. The copy number and sizes of PR1-related satellite-like bands, designated as PR1 families, differed remarkably among the subspecies and laboratory strains of mice when the EcoRI digests of genomic DNAs were compared. These bands were not detected in rat and human DNAs. A unit of PR1 sequence was determined by examining cloned EcoRI 3.5 kb (kb, 10(3) bases) fragment and 6.6 kb rDNA by cross-hybridization and sequence analysis: 3.5 kb and 6.6 kb DNAs are composed of homologous PR1 regions and the flanking non-homologous sequences. The results indicate that amplification of different sequences containing PR1 has occurred in different subspecies and strains of mice, and that the segments of satellite-like bands are likely to have been created by recombination of the PR1 sequence with other DNA segments before amplification. The chromosomal distribution of the 3.5 kb PR1 family was studied by back-crossing the female F1 between BALB/c and DDD/1 to male DDD/1. The segregation data strongly suggest that most, if not all, of this family are located on a single chromosome. The stability of these PR1 families in the genomes of cultured cells of a given strain was also examined. An extra band homologous to PR1 appeared in their genomes, but was not detected in other tissues, indicating that some PR1 families may change even during cell propagation.

Animals↗

Distribution of peanut agglutinin binding sites in rat lymphatic organs.

Distribution of peanut agglutinin binding sites was studied histologically with horseradish peroxidase labelled and fluorescein isothiocyanate labelled peanut agglutinin in terms of cell differentiation in rat lymphatic organs, (thymus, spleen, lymph nodes). In this study, alcohol-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections were used and proved to be useful for the histochemical study with peanut agglutinin. In the germinal center of the lymph node, cells were weakly positive for peanut agglutinin binding sites but not in the mantle zone of the lymph follicle. In the thymus, the cortical thymocytes were weakly positive for peanut agglutinin binding sites but not in the medulla. In the spleen, some cells on the periphery of the white pulp were weakly positive for PNA binding sites but cells around the central artery were not positive. Large cells with granular cytoplasma around the sinus of the spleen and lymph node, thought to be fixed macrophages, were strongly positive for PNA binding sites.

Animals↗