Differential screening of phage-ab libraries by oligonucleotide microarray technology

A novel and efficient tagArray technology was developed that allows rapid identification of antibodies which bind to receptors with a specific expression profile, in the absence of biological information. This method is based on the cloning of a specific, short nucleotide sequence (tag) in the phagemid coding for each phage-displayed antibody fragment (phage-Ab) present in a library. In order to set up and validate the method we identified about 10,000 different phage-Abs binding to receptors expressed in their native form on the cell surface (10 k Membranome collection) and tagged each individual phage-Ab. The frequency of each phage-Ab in a given population can at this point be inferred by measuring the frequency of its associated tag sequence through standard DNA hybridization methods. Using tiny amounts of biological samples we identified phage-Abs binding to receptors preferentially expressed on primary tumor cells rather than on cells obtained from matched normal tissues. These antibodies inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and tumor development in vivo, thus representing therapeutic lead candidates.     

Galantamine and carbon monoxide protect brain microvascular endothelial cells by heme oxygenase-1 induction

Galantamine, a reversible inhibitor of acetylcholine esterase (AChE), is a novel drug treatment for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Interestingly, it has been suggested that galantamine treatment is associated with more clinical benefit in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease compared to other AChE inhibitors. We hypothesized that the protective effects of galantamine would involve induction of the protective gene, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), in addition to enhancement of the cholinergic system. Brain microvascular endothelial cells (mvECs) were isolated from spontaneous hypertensive rats. Galantamine significantly reduced H₂O₂-induced cell death of mvECs in association with HO-1 induction. These protective effects were completely reversed by nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) inhibition or HO inhibition. Furthermore, galantamine failed to induce HO-1 in mvECs which lack inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), supplementation of a nitric oxide (NO) donor or iNOS gene transfection on iNOS-deficient mvECs resulted in HO-1 induction with galantamine. These data suggest that the protective effects of galantamine require NF-κB activation and iNOS expression, in addition to HO-1. Likewise, carbon monoxide (CO), one of the byproducts of HO, up-regulated HO-1 and protected mvECs from oxidative stress in a similar manner. Our data demonstrate that galantamine mediates cytoprotective effects on mvECs through induction HO-1. This pharmacological action of galantamine may, at least in part, account for the superior clinical efficacy of galantamine in vascular dementia and Alzheimer disease.     

Tracer kinetic model of regional pulmonary function using positron emission tomography.

To determine the spatial distributions of pulmonary perfusion, shunt, and ventilation, we developed a compartmental model of regional (13)N-labeled molecular nitrogen ((13)NN) kinetics measured from positron emission tomography (PET) images. The model features a compartment for right heart and pulmonary vasculature and two compartments for each region of interest: 1) aerated alveolar units and 2) alveolar units with no gas content (shunting). The model was tested on PET data from normal animals (dogs and sheep) and from animals with experimentally injured lungs simulating acute respiratory distress syndrome. The analysis yielded estimates of regional perfusion, shunt fraction, and specific ventilation with excellent goodness-of-fit to the data (R(2) > 0.99). Model parameters were estimated to within 10% accuracy in the presence of exaggerated levels of experimental noise by using a Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis. Main advantages of the present model are that 1) it separates intraregional blood flow to aerated alveolar units from that shunting across nonaerated units and 2) it accounts and corrects for intraregional tracer removal by shunting blood when estimating ventilation from subsequent washout of tracer. The model was thus found to provide estimates of regional parameters of pulmonary function in sizes of lung regions that could potentially approach the intrinsic resolution for PET images of (13)NN in lung (approximately 7.0 mm for a multiring PET camera).     

Regional VA, Q, and VA/Q during PLV: effects of nitroprusside and inhaled nitric oxide.

Partial liquid ventilation (PLV) with high-specific-weight perfluorocarbon liquids has been shown to improve oxygenation in acute lung injury, possibly by redistributing perfusion from dependent, injured regions to nondependent, less injured regions of the lung. Our hypothesis was that during PLV in normal lungs, a shift in perfusion away from dependent lung zones might, in part, be due to vasoconstriction that could be reversed by infusing sodium nitroprusside (NTP). In addition, delivering inhaled NO during PLV should improve gas exchange by further redistributing blood flow to well-ventilated lung regions. To examine this, we used a single transverse-slice positron emission tomography camera to image regional ventilation and perfusion at the level of the heart apex in six supine mechanically ventilated sheep during five conditions: control, PLV, PLV + NTP, and PLV + NO at 10 and 80 ppm. We found that PLV shifted perfusion from dependent to middle regions, and the dependent region demonstrated marked hypoventilation. The vertical distribution of perfusion changed little when high-dose intravenous NTP was added during PLV, and inhaled NO tended to shift perfusion toward better ventilated middle regions. We conclude that PLV shifts perfusion to the middle regions of the lung because of the high specific weight of perflubron rather than vasoconstriction.     

Distribution of gonadotropin-releasing hormone-like peptides in the brain during development of juvenile male Rana esculenta

Summary The distribution and density of cell bodies and fibers immunoreactive to GnRH-like peptides were investigated in the brain of male juvenile frogs (Rana esculenta) during postmetamorphic development. An immunohistochemical technique was used, involving antisera raised against 4 variants of GnRH: mammalian GnRH, chicken GnRH-I, chicken GnRH-II and salmon GnRH. A comparison of the immunohistochemical distribution at 8 different developmental stages shows that the maximum density of immunoreactive-GnRH elements, and the full distributional complexity of this system, is attained at the completion of spermatogenesis. Immunoreactive-GnRH cell bodies first appear in the anterior preoptic area during the metamorphic climax, and then appear sequentially in the medial septal area, tegmentum and, lastly, in the retrochiasmatic area and olfactory bulb when immunoreactive-fibers also reach the cerebellum. The GnRH system reacts positively to antisera for all 4 GnRH variants, but immunoreactivity for chicken GnRH-I is the weakest.     

Perturbation of conformational dynamics,enzymatic activity,and thermostability of β-glycosidase from archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus by pH and sodium dodecyl sulfate detergent

The conformational dynamics of β-glycosidase from Sulfolobus solfataricus was investigated by following the emission decay arising from the large number of tryptophanyl residues that are homogeneously dispersed in the primary structure. The fluorescence emission is characterized by a bimodal lifetime distribution, suggesting that the enzyme structure contains rigid and flexible regions, properly located in the macromolecule. The enzyme activity and thermostability appear to be related to the dynamic properties of these regions as evidenced by perturbation studies of the enzyme structure at alkaline pH and by addition of detergents such as SDS. The pH increase affects the protein dynamics with a remarkable loss of thermal stability and activity; these changes occur without any significant variation in the secondary structure as revealed by far-UV dichroic measurements. In the presence of 0.02% (w/v) SDS at alkaline pH, the enzymatic activity and thermostability are recovered. Under these conditions, the conformational dynamics appear to be similar to that evidenced at neutral pH. Further increases in SDS concentration, at alkaline pH, render the activity and thermostability of β-glycosidase similar to those observed in the absence of detergent. Proteins 27:71–79 © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Mathematical Modeling of Renal Tubular Glucose Absorption after Glucose Load

A partial differential Progressive Tubular Reabsorption (PTR) model, describing renal tubular glucose reabsorption and urinary glucose excretion following a glucose load perturbation, is proposed and fitted to experimental data from five subjects. For each subject the Glomerular Filtration Rate was estimated and both blood and urine glucose were sampled following an Intra-Venous glucose bolus. The PTR model was compared with a model representing the conventional Renal Threshold Hypothesis (RTH). A delay bladder compartment was introduced in both formulations. For the RTH model, the average threshold for glycosuria varied between 9.90±4.50 mmol/L and 10.63±3.64 mmol/L (mean ± Standard Deviation) under different hypotheses; the corresponding average maximal transport rates varied between 0.48±0.45 mmol/min (86.29±81.22 mg/min) and 0.50±0.42 mmol/min (90.62±76.15 mg/min). For the PTR Model, the average maximal transports rates varied between 0.61±0.52 mmol/min (109.57±93.77 mg/min) and 0.83±0.95 mmol/min (150.13±171.85 mg/min). The time spent by glucose inside the tubules before entering the bladder compartment varied between 1.66±0.73 min and 2.45±1.01 min.The PTR model proved much better than RTH at fitting observations, by correctly reproducing the delay of variations of glycosuria with respect to the driving glycemia, and by predicting non-zero urinary glucose elimination at low glycemias. This model is useful when studying both transients and steady-state glucose elimination as well as in assessing drug-related changes in renal glucose excretion.