Polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis: an improved design

An apparatus for polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis is decribed which combines all parts into one integral unit. It eliminates several steps in the process of sealing, pouring, and setting the gels. Construction is easy with modest workshop facilities and the design easily adapted to suit most requirements. The apparatus provides a high degree of versatility and is suitable for use with many slab gel electrophoretic techniques.     

Optimal conditions for breaking medically important yeasts by an inexpensive and simple method

Conditions for breaking various medically important yeasts using glass beads, 30 ml Corex centrifuge tubes, and a Vortex mixer were determined. From 75–95% ofCandida hyphal cells and all species of yeasts exceptSporothrix schenckii were broken when 10 g of 0.45–0.50 mm glass beads, 50–300 mg of wet cells in 5 ml of buffer, and 90 s of vortexing were employed. Yeasts ofSporothrix schenckii broke more efficiently when 0.25–0.30 mm beads were used.     

The effect of hemoglobin ligands on the kinetics of human hemoglobin A1c formation

HbA1c is the most prevalent of the minor human hemoglobins. It is formed by the nonenzymatic addition of glucose to the alpha-amino group of the beta chain by an initial condensation reaction and a subsequent intermolecular Amadori rearrangement. We have developed a method of analysis which utilizes high performance liquid chromatography to follow the formation of HbA1c and greatly simplifies the determination of the kinetic parameters associated with this reaction. This has allowed us to study the effects of several Hb ligands, including the hydrogen ion, on the kinetics of this glycosylation reaction. Both the initial condensation reaction and the subsequent rearrangement are shown to exhibit acid catalysis, but the rate of the condensation step is limited by the extent of protonation of the alpha-amino group. The variation in kinetic parameters as a function of hydrogen ion concentration has allowed us to determine the probable reaction mechanism of HbA1c formation by comparison to previously reported model systems of Schiff base formation and Amadori rearrangement. The formation of pre-HbA1c from deoxy-Hb shows an increased forward rate when compared to oxy-Hb. The presence of physiologic concentrations of CO2 causes a proportional decrease in both k1 and k-1. 2,3-Diphosphoglycerate causes a significant increase in the keq of the formation reaction. The effects of CO and the substitution of L-glucose for D-glucose are not significant.     

Changes in the size and shape of the synaptic vesicles in the sensorimotor cortex of the rat brain in the initial phases of kindling

The sensorimotor area of rat cerebral cortex was subjected to repeated electrical stimulation at 10-min intervals, with resultant formation and progressive lengthening of self-sustained after-discharges (SSAD). One and 60 min after the third SSAD ended, we carried out an electron microscopy morphometric analysis of the agranular synaptic vesicles in type I synapses (after Gray) in the second cortical layer of the homotopic area of the unstimulated hemisphere. One minute after the seizure ended, 5.8% enlargement of the synaptic vesicles compared with the control was demonstrated in zone II of the synapse (0.1-0.2 micron from the active zone of the synapse). Neither the size nor the shape of the synaptic vesicles in the other parts of the synaptic apparatus altered. Sixty min after the seizure ended, a 5.5% enlargement of the synaptic vesicles in zone I (0.0-0.1 micron) and a 5.4% enlargement of those in zone II was found. The synaptic vesicles in zone I in the experimental animals were more oval than in the controls. Our findings support the vesicular theory and testify that hyperfunction, up to temporary exhaustion of the synaptic apparatuses, produces a change in the transmitter content of the synaptic vesicles. A raised amount of transmitter in the synaptic vesicles near the active zone could be one of the factors responsible for continued hyperexcitability of the tissue one hour after the seizure had ended. The results likewise support the concept of two mechanisms of synaptic vesicle formation, and hence of the existence of two different vesicle populations.     

Antibody responses to galectin-8, TARP and TRAP1 in prostate cancer patients treated with a GM-CSF-secreting cellular immunotherapy

A critical factor in clinical development of cancer immunotherapies is the identification of tumor-associated antigens that may be related to immunotherapy potency. In this study, protein microarrays containing >8,000 human proteins were screened with serum from prostate cancer patients (N = 13) before and after treatment with a granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-secreting whole cell immunotherapy. Thirty-three proteins were identified that displayed significantly elevated (P ≤ 0.05) signals in post-treatment samples, including three proteins that have previously been associated with prostate carcinogenesis, galectin-8, T-cell alternative reading frame protein (TARP) and TNF-receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1). Expanded analysis of antibody induction in metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients (N = 92) from two phase 1/2 trials of prostate cancer immunotherapy, G-9803 and G-0010, indicated a significant (P = 0.03) association of TARP antibody induction and median survival time (MST). Antibody induction to TARP was also significantly correlated (P = 0.036) with an increase in prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSADT) in patients with a biochemical (PSA) recurrence following prostatectomy or radiation therapy (N = 19) from in a previous phase 1/2 trial of prostate cancer immunotherapy, G-9802. RNA and protein encoding TARP and TRAP1 was up-regulated in prostate cancer tissue compared to matched normal controls. These preliminary findings suggest that antibody induction to TARP may represent a possible biomarker for treatment response to GM-CSF secreting cellular immunotherapy in prostate cancer patients and demonstrates the utility of using protein microarrays for the high-throughput screening of patient-derived antibody responses.