The human heat-shock genes HSPA6 and HSPA7 are both expressed and localize to chromosome 1.

HSPA6 is a member of the human heat-shock protein gene family, encoding a basic 70-kDa protein, with unique induction characteristics (Leung et al., 1990, Biochem. J. 267: 125-132). Hybridization analyses with a somatic cell hybrid DNA panel localized the gene to chromosome 1q. The highly related HSPA7 DNA sequence (Voellmy et al., 1985, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82: 4949-4953) colocalized. Both HSPA6 and HSPA7 represent functional genes, as determined by analyses of mRNA from heat-shocked human cells using specific oligonucleotides, although their pattern of expression differed. Neither mRNA was detected in the absence of heat stress. A BamHI polymorphism in the HSPA7 gene was present in a predominantly Asian population.     

Elevated epidermal growth factor receptor binding in plutonium-induced lung tumors from dogs

The objective of this study is to examine and characterize epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) binding in inhaled plutonium-induced canine lung-tumor tissue and to compare it with that in normal canine lung tissue. Crude membrane preparations from normal and lung-tumor tissue from beagle dogs were examined in a radioreceptor assay, using 125I-labeled epidermal growth factor (EGF) as a ligand. Specific EGF receptor binding was determined in the presence of excess unlabeled EGF. We have examined EGF receptor binding in eight lung-tumor samples obtained from six dogs. Epidermal growth factor receptor binding was significantly greater in lung-tumor samples (31.38%) compared with that in normal lung tissue (3.76%). Scatchard plot analysis from the displacement assay revealed that there was no statistical difference in the binding affinity but significantly higher concentration of EGF-R sites in the lung-tumor tissue (619 fmol/mg) than in normal lung tissue (53 fmol/mg). The increase in EGF-R number in plutonium-induced dog lung tumors does not seem to correlate with increase in the initial lung burden exposure to plutonium. Our results demonstrate that there is a significant increase in EGF-R binding in inhaled plutonium-induced dog lung tumors.     

Paired cytoskeletal patterns in an epithelium of siamese twin cells.

The epidermis of some insects is a sheet of siamese twin cells which are formed by conserving the midbody between siblings after cell division. We have found that for about 36 h after ecdysis to the 5th stage, the cells of Calpodes caterpillars contain one to five or more actin bundles. The variation in number of bundles occurs in an epithelium that is presumed to be otherwise genetically and developmentally homogeneous. The number of bundles is paired in adjacent cells (P less than 0.005, n = 617). Confocal microscopy shows midbodies between paired but not between unpaired cells. The pairing is reminiscent of the paired nucleolar patterns in these siamese twin cells (Locke, M., H. Leung, Tissue and Cell 17, 573-588 (1985)) or the mirrored patterns of stress fibers in newly divided 3T3 cells (Albrecht-Buehler, G., J. Cell Biol. 72, 595-603 (1977)). The pairing provides further evidence for the operation of transiently heritable factors as determinants for cell pattern.     

Randomised controlled trial of short term treatment to eradicate Helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer.

OBJECTIVE--To determine whether one week''s drug treatment is sufficient to eradicate Helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer. DESIGN--Single blind, randomised controlled trial. SETTING--Specialised ulcer clinic in a teaching hospital. PATIENTS--155 patients with H pylori and a duodenal ulcer verified endoscopically which had either bled within the previous 24 hours or was causing dyspepsia. INTERVENTIONS--Patients were allocated randomly to receive either omeprazole for four weeks plus bismuth 120 mg, tetracycline 500 mg, and metronidazole 400 mg (all four times a day) for the first week (n = 78), or omeprazole alone for four weeks (n = 77). Further endoscopy was performed four weeks after cessation of all drugs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Presence or absence of H pylori (by urease testing, microscopy, and culture of antral biopsy specimens), duodenal ulcer, and side effects. RESULTS--Eradication of H pylori occurred in 70 (95%) patients taking the four drugs (95% confidence interval 86% to 97%) compared with three (4%) patients taking omeprazole alone (1% to 11%). Duodenal ulcers were found in four (5%) patients taking the four drugs (2% to 12%) and in 16 (22%) patients taking omeprazole alone (14% to 32%). Mild dizziness was the only reported side effect (six patients in each group) and did not affect compliance. CONCLUSIONS--A one week regimen of bismuth, tetracycline, and metronidazole is safe and effective in eradicating H pylori and reduces the number of duodenal ulcers four weeks after completing treatment.     

Human lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells: III. Effect ofl-phenylalanine methyl ester on LAK cell activation from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells: Possible protease involvement of monocytes,natural killer cells and LAK cells

Summary We have shown that depletion of monocytes from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) byl-phenylalanine methyl ester (PheOMe) enhanced lymphokine-activated killer cell (LAK) generation by recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) at high cell density. In this study, we have investigated the mechanism of action of PheOMe on LAK activation by using trypsin, chymotrypsin, tosylphenylalaninechloromethanol (TPCK, a chymotrypsin inhibitor), tosyl-l-lysinechloromethane (TLCK, a trypsin inhibitor), phenylalaninol (PheOH), and benzamidine. PBMC were treated with 1–5 mM PheOMe for 40 min at room temperature in combination with the various agents, washed and assessed for their effects on natural killer (NK) activity against K562 cells and monocyte depletion. The treated cells were then cultured with or without rIL-2 for 3 days. LAK cytotoxicity was assayed against⁵¹Cr-labeled K562 and Raji tumor target cells. TPCK at 10 µg/ml partially inhibited depletion of monocytes by PheOMe. TLCK did not prevent depletion of monocytes nor inhibition of NK activity induced by PheOMe. TPCK and TLCK inhibited NK activity by themselves. TPCK but not TLCK inhibited rIL-2 induction of LAK cells. On the other hand, PheOH and benzamidine (analogs of PheOMe) lacked any effect on monocyte depletion but abrogated the inhibitory effect of PheOMe on NK activity. They had no effect on rIL-2 activation of LAK activity enhanced by PheOMe. Trypsin potentiated the inhibitory effect of PheOMe on NK activity and monocyte depletion. Trypsin partially inhibited IL-2 activation of LAK activity enhanced by PheOMe. Chymotrypsin had little effect on NK activity but prevented the inhibitory effect of PheOMe on NK activity. It had little effect on monocyte depletion induced by PheOMe. PheOMe was hydrolysed by monocytes and chymotrypsin to Phe and methanol as determined by HPLC. TPCK inhibited hydrolysis of PheOMe by monocytes. Our data suggest that the effects of PheOMe on monocytes, NK cells and LAK activation involve protease activities of monocytes.     

1H-NMR heme resonance assignments by selective deuteration in low-spin complexes of ferric hemoglobin A

The heme methyl and vinyl alpha-proton signals have been assigned in low-spin ferric cyanide and azide ligated derivatives of the intact tetramer of hemoglobin A, as well as the isolated chains, by reconstituting the proteins with selectively deuterated hemins. For the hemoglobin cyanide tetramer, assignment to individual subunits was effected by forming hybrid hemoglobins possessing isotope-labeled hemins in only one type of subunit. The heme methyl contact shift pattern has 1-methyl and 5-methyl shifts furthest downfield in both chains and the individual subunits of the intact hemoglobin in both the cyanide- and azide-ligated species, which is consistent with a dominant rhombic perturbation due to the proximal His-F8 imidazole pi bonding in the known structure for human adult hemoglobin. The individual chain and subunit assignments confirm that the detailed electronic/magnetic properties of the heme pocket are essentially unaltered upon assembling the R-state tetramer from the isolated subunits.     

Failure of gallamine and pancuronium to inhibit selectively (-)-[3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate binding in guinea-pig atria

Binding of (-)-[3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) to muscarinic sites in guinea-pig atrial and ileal longitudinal muscle homogenates showed the presence of a single population of binding sites in atria (KD = 41 (32-53) (95% confidence limits) pM; Bmax = 0.225 +/- 0.02 pmol/mg protein (3)) and two binding sites in the ileum (KD = 20.9 (8.8-49) pM and 11.3 nM; Bmax = 0.436 +/- 0.09 and 11.85 +/- 2.63 pmol/mg protein (4), respectively). Atropine, gallamine, and pancuronium displaced (-)-[3H]QNB binding from the high affinity binding sites in the two tissues in a dose-dependent manner with -log Ki values of 8.6, 6.4, and 6.9, respectively, in atria and 8.7, 6.8, and 6.9, respectively, in ileal longitudinal muscle. The lack of selectivity of gallamine and pancuronium in binding experiments differed from results obtained in isolated tissue experiments where these antagonists showed a marked difference in their ability to antagonize cholinomimetics in the two tissues. In addition, the Ki values for gallamine and pancuronium in ileal homogenates were ca. 130- and 16-fold lower, respectively, than their KB values determined from isolated tissue experiments. Attempts to correlate data from binding experiments and isolated tissue experiments using combinations of antagonists led to variable results attributed to differences in the rates of dissociation of the antagonists from muscarinic receptors. It is concluded that the interaction of gallamine or pancuronium with agonists or antagonists at muscarinic receptors is not a simple bimolecular interaction.     

Suppression of defective-sporulation phenotypes by mutations in the major sigma factor gene (rpoD) of Bacillus subtilis

Summary Mutations (crsA47 and crsA4) in the major sigma factor gene (rpoD) of Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase have been found to be powerful intergenic suppressors of spoOB, spoOE, spoOF, spoOK and spoIIG mutations. The crsA47 suppressor restores sporulation of spoOE, spoOF, spoOK and spoIIG mutants to levels near those of wild type bacteria and substantially improves the sporulation of a spoOB strain. The crsA mutations are shown to prevent the induction by aliphatic alcohols of SpoO phenocopies in wild type B. subtilis cells.     

Role of calmodulin inhibition in the mode of action of ophiobolin a

Calmodulin has been isolated from the root of Zea mays. It activates the bovine brain calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase and has electrophoretic mobility very similar to that of bovine brain calmodulin. Ophiobolin A, a fungal toxin, interacts with the maize calmodulin. The interaction is not reversed by dilution or denaturation in SDS and results in the loss of ability of the calmodulin to activate the phosphodiesterase. The inhibition is much faster in the presence than in the absence of Ca²⁺. The electrophoretic mobility of ophiobolin A-treated calmodulin is less than that of untreated calmodulin. Several similarities are found between the inhibition of maize calmodulin by ophiobolin A in vitro and the effects of ophiobolin A on excised roots. Both are irreversible and time-dependent. The concentration of ophiobolin A for half-maximal inhibition of calmodulin in the phosphodiesterase assay is similar to that for phytotoxicity. In both cases ophiobolin A derivatives behave similarly, i.e. 18-bromo-19-methoxyophiobolin A is as potent as ophiobolin A, while 3-anhydro-ophiobolin A and 6-epi-ophiobolin A are less potent. A smaller amount of active calmodulin was measured in the extract from ophiobolin A-treated roots than in those from untreated roots. The present study suggests that calmodulin is a target molecule in the root for the toxicity of ophiobolin A.     

Activation of immobilized plasminogen by tissue activator. Multimolecular complex formation

Ternary complex formation of tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) and plasminogen (Plg) with thrombospondin (TSP) or histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRGP) has been demonstrated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, an affinity bead assay, and a rocket immunoelectrophoresis assay. The formation of these complexes was specific, concentration dependent, saturable, lysine binding site-dependent, and inhibitable by fluid phase plasminogen. Apparent Kd values were approximately 12-36 nM for the interaction of TPA with TSP-Plg complexes and 15-31 nM with HRGP-Plg complexes. At saturation the relative molar stoichiometry of Plg:TPA was 3:1 within the TSP-containing complexes and 1:1 within HRGP-containing complexes. The activation of Plg to plasmin by TPA on TSP- and HRGP-coated surfaces was studied using a synthetic fluorometric plasmin substrate (D-Val-Leu-Lys-7-amino-4-trifluoromethyl coumarin). Kinetic analysis demonstrated a marked increase in the affinity of TPA for plasminogen in the presence of surface-associated TSP or HRGP. Compared to fluid phase activation or activation on fibronectin- or Factor VIII-related antigen-coated surfaces there was a 35-fold increase in efficiency of plasmin generation. A substantial amount (up to 71%) of the plasmin formed remained surface-associated and was found to be protected from inhibition by alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor. Greater than 200-fold increase in inhibitor concentration was required to effect 50% inhibition. Complex formation of locally released tissue plasminogen activator with Plg immobilized on TSP or HRGP surfaces may thus play an important role in effecting proteolytic events in nonfibrin-containing microenvironments.