Spectrophotometric determination of inorganic phosphate in the presence of thiol compounds

A spectrophotometric method for inorganic phosphate determination in the presence of thiol compounds is described. Thiol compounds, which interfere with the measurement of inorganic phosphate by a modification of the method of Gomori, are removed by carboxymethylation by iodoacetate prior to the formation and reduction of phosphomolybdate complex. A linear standard curve is obtained by this method, and the method is suitable for the assay of a phosphate-releasing enzyme when the measurement must be performed in the presence of thiol compounds.     

Light and electron microscopic studies on capillaries of the goat cardiac muscle with special reference to the topographical relationship between the vessels and Purkinje fibers

The capillaries of the cardiac muscle were investigated in the goat by means of light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and the following results were obtained. The capillaries of the working cardiac muscles were numerous, arranged mainly parallel to the long axis of muscle cells and formed dense elongated networks. On the contrary, those of the terminal Purkinje fibers were relatively few in number, oriented in various directions and formed loose and circularly meshed networks surrounding the fibers. Such findings were discussed in correlation with the physiology and functional morphology of various types of the cardiac muscle cells.     

Partial purification and characterization of a factor which stimulates an increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity in the liver from tumor cell-free ascites fluid

A factor responsible for stimulating an increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity in the liver of mice was found in tumor cell-free ascites fluid of mice 3 days after inoculation of tumor cells. The factor was purified about 70-fold in 25% yield from tumor cell-free ascites fluid. As little as 1 μg of protein of purified fraction, injected intraperitoneally into normal mice, significantly increased the activity of ornithine decarboxylase in the liver. The most active preparation of the factor formed two major protein bands on analytical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and both these bands stained with periodic acid-Schiff's reagent. The factor was a heat-labile, alkaline-stable, acidic protein with a molecular weight of more than 300 000. It was inactivated by treatment with 10 mM dithiothreitol, 5M urea, pronase or mixed glycosidase, but was stable on treatment with DNAase, RNAase or neuraminidase.     

Mutations in the hepatocyte nuclear factor-4alpha gene in Japanese with non-insulin-dependent diabetes: a nucleotide substitution in the polypyrimidine tract of intron 1b.

Mutations of the hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF-4alpha) gene have been demonstrated in maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) 1 families. To investigate the possibility that the HNF-4alpha gene contributes to the onset of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in Japanese patients, we screened all exons and flanking introns of this gene for mutations in 100 patients with NIDDM diagnosed after 25 years of age. We identified two missense mutations: M49V in exon 1c and T1301 in exon 4; and two nucleotide substitutions in introns: cytosine to thymidine at -5 nt in intron 1b and adenine to thymidine at -21 nt in intron 5. We screened an additional 220 diabetic subjects for the polymorphism in intron 1b. The c/t substitution in intron 1b was associated with NIDDM. This substitution in the polypyrimidine tract, an important cis-acting element directing intron removal, is likely to influence pre-mRNA splicing of this gene. T1301 in exon 4 was observed in only two diabetic subjects. This mutation could influence the conformation of this peptide, resulting in changes in ligand binding domain function. M49V in exon 1c was found in both diabetic and non-diabetic subjects; isoforms HNF-4alpha 4, 5, and 6 with this mutation may impair glucose metabolism in tissue. In contrast to the primary cause of nonsense and missense mutations of the HNF-4alpha gene in MODY1, the nucleotide substitution in intron 1b may partially contribute to development of NIDDM in combination with other genetic and environmental factors.     

Low serum reverse T3 levels in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism

Although patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (1 degree HPT) were euthyroid, we measured serum thyroid hormone levels in 16 patients with 1 degree HPT together with 17 patients with hypercalcemia due to malignant diseases (HCM). In patients with 1 degree HPT, serum levels of T3, T4 and T3U were within normal range, but serum rT3 (reverse T3) levels (205 +/- 37 pg/ml, mean +/- SD) were significantly decreased as compared with those in normal controls (276 +/- 44 pg/ml, P less than 0.01). A significant inverse correlation was observed between the serum levels of rT3 and parathyroid hormone (PTH) (r = 0.54, P less than 0.05). After parathyroidectomy, serum rT3 levels were significantly elevated (240 +/- 56 pg/ml) compared to preoperative levels (P less than 0.01). Low levels of serum rT3 seemed to be attributed to the high levels of serum PTH. On the other hand, serum levels of T3 and T4 were low and serum rT3 levels were high in patients with HCM. Low serum rT3 allows for the differentiation of patients with 1 degree HPT from those with HCM.     

Specific inhibitors of tyrosine-specific protein kinase, synthetic 4-hydroxycinnamamide derivatives

Several newly synthesized 4-hydroxycinnamamide derivatives such as 3-(3',5'-di-isopropyl-4'-hydroxybenzylidene)-2-oxindol (ST 280), 3-(3',5'-di-methylthiomethyl-4'-hydroxybenzylidene)-2-oxindole (ST 458), alpha-cyano-3-ethoxy-4-hydroxy-5-phenylthiomethylcinnamamide (ST 638) and 3-(3'-ethoxy-4'-hydroxy-5'-phenylthiomethylbenzylidene)-2-pyrol idinone (ST 642) were found to inhibit tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor with IC50 values of 0.44 microM, 0.44 microM, 0.37 microM and 0.85 microM, respectively. None of them showed inhibitory effect on the enzyme activities of serine- and/or threonine-specific protein kinases such as cAMP-dependent protein kinase, Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C, casein kinase I and casein kinase II. In addition, none of them had effect on Na+/K+-ATPase or 5'-nucleotidase. The results suggest that the compound ST 280, ST 458, ST 638 and ST 642 are potent and specific inhibitors of tyrosine-specific protein kinase.     

Cloning and sequence analysis of cDNAs encoding mammalian mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase

A cDNA clone, named ppmMDH-1 and covering a part of the porcine mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase (mMDH; L-malate:NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.37) mRNA, was isolated from a porcine liver cDNA library with a mixture of 24 oligodeoxyribonucleotides as a probe. The sequences of the probe were deduced from the known sequence of porcine mMDH amino acid residues 288-293. ppmMDH-1 covered the coding region for porcine mMDH amino acid residues 17-314 and the 3' untranslated region. Subsequently, mouse mMDH cDNA clones were isolated from a mouse liver cDNA library with the ppmMDH-1 cDNA as a probe. One of the clones, named pmmMDH-1 and containing a cDNA insert of about 1350 base pairs, was selected for sequence analysis, and the primary structure of the mouse precursor form of mMDH (pre-mMDH) was deduced from its cDNA sequence. The sequenced coding regions for the porcine and mouse mMDH mRNAs showed about 85% homology. When the deduced amino acid sequence of the mouse pre-mMDH was compared with that of the porcine mMDH, they shared a 95% homology, and the mouse pre-mMDH yielded a leader sequence consisting of 24 amino acid residues and a mature mMDH, consisting of 314 amino acid residues. The leader sequence contained three basic amino acid residues, no acidic residues, and no hydrophobic amino acid stretch. The mouse mMDH leader sequence was compared with those of three other rodent mitochondrial matrix proteins.     

Lack of association and linkage between HLA and familial polyposis coli

Summary We investigated possible association of and linkage between HLA and familial polyposis coli (FPC). In 182 individuals from 66 pedigrees of FPC and 108 individuals from a normal population, HLA-A,-B, and-C antigens were determined. When the frequencies of HLA antigens in 66 unrelated patients and in normal controls were compared, no association of FPC with HLA was observed. For the linkage analysis, HLA haplotypes of 17 affected sib pairs were investigated by the affected sib pair method. The number of pairs which shared two, one, and no haplotypes identical by descent was not significantly different from the number expected with random occurrence (P>0.95). Finally, seven families were analyzed using Morton's sequential test. A maximum lod score of-0.056 at a recombination fraction of 0.4, and a lod of-3.089 at a recombination fraction of 0.05 were obtained. Therefore, there is neither an association of nor linkage between FPC and HLA.