Genetic mechanisms of tumor-specific loss of 11p DNA sequences in Wilms tumor.

Wilms tumor, a common childhood renal tumor, occurs in both a heritable and a nonheritable form. The heritable form may occasionally be attributed to a chromosome deletion at 11p13, and tumors from patients with normal constitutional chromosomes often show deletion or rearrangement of 11p13. It has been suggested that a germinal or somatic mutation may occur on one chromosome 11 and predispose to Wilms tumor and that a subsequent somatic genetic event on the normal homologue at 11p13 may permit tumor development. To study the frequency and mechanism of such tumor-specific genetic events, we have examined the karyotype and chromosome 11 genotype of normal and tumor tissues from 13 childhood renal tumor patients with different histologic tumor types and associated clinical conditions. Tumors of eight of the 12 Wilms tumor patients, including all viable tumors examined directly, show molecular evidence of loss of 11p DNA sequences by somatic recombination (four cases), chromosome loss (two cases), and recombination (two cases) or chromosome loss and duplication. One malignant rhabdoid tumor in a patient heterozygous for multiple 11p markers did not show any tumor-specific 11p alteration. These findings confirm the critical role of 11p sequences in Wilms tumor development and reveal that mitotic recombination may be the most frequent mechanism by which tumors develop.     

Influence of Nitrogen Fertilizers on Growth, Spore Production and Germination, and Biocontrol Potential of Trichoderma and Gliocladium

The mycelial weight of eight out of nine isolates of Trichoderma spp. and Gliocladium virens increased in media supplemented with 2000 mg/l of nitrogen (N) from the fertilizers NH₄Cl, NaNO₃, and a commercial 20–20–20. In general, the greatest increase in growth (up to 311 %) occurred with 20–20–20. The extent of growth was similar with either NH₄Cl or NaNO₃, but was less than that with 20–20–20. Measured by radial development on agar surfacesgrowth of isolates was either not affected or was constricted by supplemental fertilizers. Production of conidia by six out of eight isolates was stimulated by 20–20–20 but not by NH₄Cl or NaNO₃. Germination of conidia of all isolates, generally was high (> 85 %) on amended and nonamended agar. Chlamydospore formation by three Trichoderma isolates in liquid media was not affected by fertilizers. Antagonism or overgrowth of the pathogen Rhizoctonia solani by Trichoderma isolates in culture was reduced appreciably by NaNO₃, but was not affected by NH₄Cl or 20–20–20. Addition of 20–20–20 to natural soil did not reduce further the survival of R. solani caused by germling preparations of six out of seven Trichoderma isolates. However, reduction in survival of the pathogen caused by a T. hamatum isolate was stimulated further (45 %) by the fertilizer.     

Sequence homology in the metalloproteins; purple acid phosphatase from beef spleen and uteroferrin from porcine uterus

The primary structures of purple acid phosphatase and uteroferrin, two iron-binding glycoproteins isolated from beef spleen and porcine uterine fluids, respectively, have been examined by a combination of tandem mass spectrometry and classical Edman sequencing methods. Reported here are amino acid sequence data covering more than 90% of the primary structures for these two proteins. The sequence data reveal an unexpectedly high degree of homology, greater than 90%, for these two proteins.     

Enzymatic hydrolysis of short-chain lecithin/long-chain phospholipid unilamellar vesicles: sensitivity of phospholipases to matrix phase state

Short-chain lecithin/long-chain phospholipid unilamellar vesicles (SLUVs), unlike pure long-chain lecithin vesicles, are excellent substrates for water-soluble phospholipases. Hemolysis assays show that greater than 99.5% of the short-chain lecithin is partitioned in the bilayer. In these binary component vesicles, the short-chain species is the preferred substrate, while the long-chain phospholipid can be treated as an inhibitor (phospholipase C) or poor substrate (phospholipase A2). For phospholipase C Bacillus cereus, apparent Km and Vmax values show that bilayer-solubilized diheptanoylphosphatidylcholine (diheptanoyl-PC) is nearly as good a substrate as pure micellar diheptanoyl-PC, although the extent of short-chain lecithin hydrolysis depends on the phase state of the long-chain lipid. For phospholipase A2 Naja naja naja, both Km and Vmax values show a greater range: in a gel-state matrix, diheptanoyl-PC is hydrolyzed with micellelike kinetic parameters; in a liquid-crystalline matrix, the short-chain lecithin becomes comparable to the long-chain component. Both enzymes also show an anomalous increase in specific activity toward diheptanoyl-PC around the phase transition temperature of the long-chain phospholipid. Since the short-chain lecithin does not exhibit a phase transition, this must reflect fluctuations in head-group area or vertical motions of the short-chain lecithin caused by surrounding long-chain lecithin molecules. These results are discussed in terms of a specific model for SLUV hydrolysis and a general explanation for the "interfacial activation" observed with water-soluble phospholipases.     

A differential scanning calorimetric study of the thermotropic phase behavior of model membranes composed of phosphatidylcholines containing linear saturated fatty acyl chains

The thermotropic phase behavior of a series of 1,2-diacylphosphatidylcholines containing linear saturated acyl chains of 10-22 carbons was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. When fully hydrated and thoroughly equilibrated by prolonged incubation at appropriate low temperatures, all of the compounds studied form an apparently stable subgel phase (the Lc phase). The formation of the stable Lc phase is a complex process which apparently proceeds via a number of metastable intermediates after being nucleated by incubation at appropriate low temperatures. The process of Lc phase formation is subject to considerable hysteresis, and our observations indicate that the kinetic limitations become more severe as the length of the acyl chain increases. The kinetics of Lc phase formation also depend upon whether the acyl chains contain an odd or an even number of carbon atoms. The Lc phase is unstable at higher temperatures and upon heating converts to the so-called liquid-crystalline state (the L alpha phase). The conversion from the stable Lc to the L alpha phase can be a direct, albeit a multistage process, as observed with very short chain phosphatidylcholines, or one or more stable gel states may exist between the Lc and L alpha states. For the longer chain compounds, conversions from one stable gel phase to another become separated on the temperature scale, so that discrete subtransition, pretransition, and gel/liquid-crystalline phase transition events are observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Catalytic competence of human alpha- and gamma-thrombin in the activation of fibrinogen and factor XIII

Steady-state kinetic parameters were compared for the action of alpha- and gamma-thrombin on the physiologically important thrombin substrates fibrinogen and factor XIII at 37 degrees C, pH 7.4, and 0.14 M NaCl. gamma-Thrombin, an alpha-thrombin derivative proteolytically cleaved at R-B73 and K-B154, was observed to catalyze the release of fibrinopeptide A (FPA) from fibrinogen with a specificity constant (kcat/Km) of 5 X 10(3) M-1 s-1. This value was approximately 2400-fold lower than the specificity constant for the corresponding alpha-thrombin-catalyzed reaction. The low specificity constant was attributed to an increase in Km and a decrease in kcat for gamma-thrombin-catalyzed release of FPA from fibrinogen. Conversion of alpha-thrombin to gamma-thrombin also resulted in an approximately 800-fold reduction in the specificity constant for thrombin-catalyzed release of fibrinopeptide B (FPB) from fibrin I, as well as a loss in discriminatory power. Whereas alpha-thrombin preferentially released FPA from intact fibrinogen, gamma-thrombin released FPA and FPB from intact fibrinogen at similar rates. In contrast to the large difference in specificity constants observed for alpha- and gamma-thrombin catalysis with fibrin(ogen) as substrate, the specificity constant (2.6 X 10(4) M-1 s-1) observed for gamma-thrombin-catalyzed release of activation peptide from factor XIII was only 5-fold lower than the corresponding value for the alpha-thrombin-catalyzed reaction. Additionally, the promotion of factor XIII activation by fibrin characteristic of the alpha-thrombin-catalyzed reaction did not occur in the gamma-thrombin-catalyzed reaction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Radiation inactivation of hamster acrosin reveals that the biologically active unit is of low molecular size

The relationship between structure and activity of acid-extracted and purified acrosin obtained from cauda epididymal hamster spermatozoa was studied. A four-step purification procedure of acrosin was used; it included 1.) acid extraction, 2.) gel filtration over Sephadex G-100 resin, 3.) ion exchange on CM-Sepharose CL-6B, and 4.) affinity chromatography on proflavin-Sepharose 4B. Analysis of the purified enzyme by high-performance liquid chromatography (300 SW + I-125) revealed a molecular weight of 44,000, which was identical to that obtained for acid-extracted acrosin. Slab-gel electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions showed only one active band, as revealed with a highly sensitive assay using N alpha-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-lysine thiobenzyl ester as substrate. The radiation inactivation size of acid extracted acrosin was calculated to be 8400. This small unit could represent the active polypeptide portion of a larger monomer molecule or could represent the size of active subunits. Because acrosin is autocatalytic and highly active during fertilization, it is suggested that the active portion of the completely processed form of the enzyme is of small molecular weight.