Molecular cloning of a porcine gene syk that encodes a 72-kDa protein-tyrosine kinase showing high susceptibility to proteolysis

By using antibodies raised against a portion of N terminus of 40-kDa kinase (Kobayashi, T., Nakamura, S., Taniguchi, T., and Yamamura, H. (1990) Eur. J. Biochem. 188, 535-540), not only 40-kDa protein but also 72-kDa protein were detected on immunoblot analysis of porcine spleen homogenate. In splenocytes preparation, the antibodies could immunoprecipitate protein-tyrosine kinase activity of the 72-kDa protein but not detect the 40-kDa protein even on immunoblot. After incubation of crude spleen homogenate at 37 degrees C with or without various protease inhibitors, immunoblot analysis revealed proteolytic breakdown of the 72-kDa protein to 40-kDa fragment. Next, using oligonucleotides designed according to partially sequenced information of the 40-kDa kinase as a probe, we have isolated a clone containing entire coding sequence for the 40-kDa kinase from a porcine spleen cDNA library. This clone had a 1884-base-pair-long open reading frame encoding 628-amino-acid polypeptide with a calculated molecular weight of 71,618. The deduced amino acid sequence did not contain a ligand binding or membrane spanning region but did a well-conserved protein-tyrosine kinase domain and two src homology region 2 domains. The sequences of these domains showed 30-40% identity to those of other protein-tyrosine kinases, but those of remaining parts were quite unique. From these results, we concluded that the 40-kDa kinase was generated by proteolysis from the 72-kDa holoprotein which was a new member of nonreceptor protein-tyrosine kinase so far reported. We therefore designated this gene as syk after spleen tyrosine kinase.     

Effect of androgen pretreatments at adulthood on androgen-induced proliferative response of seminal vesicles in neonatally castrated mice

Male mice were castrated on days 0 and 60 after birth. The majority of the neonatally castrated mice were pretreated with androgen; the mice were given daily injections of testosterone propionate (TP; 4 or 8 micrograms/g body wt) for 20 or 30 days starting from day 60. Daily injections of TP (4 micrograms/g body wt) to examine androgen-induced proliferation were started from day 30 or 60 after the end of TP pretreatments or from day 60 after castration; on various days after starting TP injections, the weight and the incorporation of 5-[125I]iodo-2'-deoxyuridine into the whole seminal vesicles were determined as indices for proliferation. The seminal vesicles of neonatally castrated adult mice were characterized by long duration of androgen-induced proliferation (greater than 20 days) with a low peak (neonatal castration type), whereas the seminal vesicles of adult castrated mice were characterized by short duration of proliferation (10 days) with a high peak (adult castration type). In neonatally castrated adult mice, the neonatal castration type of androgen-induced proliferation was changed largely to the adult castration type when pretreatment with 8 micrograms/g body wt of TP had been given for 30 days. However, this effect gradually disappeared when the mice had been pretreated with decreasing amounts of TP for a shorter period. The present findings suggest that the defect in the androgen-induced proliferative response of mouse seminal vesicles induced by the absence of neonatal and prepubertal testicular androgens can be compensated by androgens given in adulthood, if enough androgen is given for a sufficiently long time.     

Complete nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding VP4 of a human rotavirus (strain K8) which has unique VP4 neutralization epitopes.

In our previous study (K. Taniguchi, Y. Morita, T. Urasawa, and S. Urasawa, J. Virol. 62:2421-2426, 1987) in which the cross-reactive neutralization epitopes on VP4 of human rotaviruses were analyzed, one strain, K8, was found to bear unique VP4 neutralization epitopes. This strain, which belongs to subgroup II and serotype 1, was not neutralized by any of six anti-VP4 neutralizing monoclonal antibodies which reacted with human rotavirus strains of serotypes 1, 3, and 4 or serotypes 1 through 4. We determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding VP4 of strain K8 by primer extension. The VP4 gene is 2,359 base pairs in length, with 5' and 3' noncoding regions of 9 and 25 nucleotides, respectively. The gene contains a long open reading frame of 2,325 bases capable of coding for a protein of 775 amino acids. When compared with those of other human rotaviruses, VP4 of strain K8 had an insertion of one amino acid after residue 135, as found in simian rotavirus strains, and in addition, it had a deletion of one amino acid (residue 575). The amino acid homology of VP4 of strain K8 and those of other virulent human rotaviruses was only 60 to 70%. This was unusual, since over 90% VP4 homology has been found among the other virulent human rotavirus strains. In contrast, the VP7 amino acid sequence of the K8 strain was quite similar (over 98% homology) to those of other serotype 1 human rotaviruses. Thus, the K8 strain appears to have a unique VP4 gene previously not described.     

Properties of a reversible soluble-insoluble cellulase and its application to repeated hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose

Cellulase was covalently immobilized on an enteric coating polymer, Eudragit L, that is reversibly soluble and insoluble depending on the pH of the medium. The hydrolysis of solid cellulose with the immobilized enzyme can take advantage of the soluble property of the immobilized enzyme itself at the most reactive pH value; on the other hand, recovery of the enzyme can take advantage of the insoluble property of the enzyme at other pH values. It was experimentally confirmed that 100% of immobilized enzyme activity in solution can be recovered by precipitation and by dissolving it again by alternative change of pH. After a period of hydrolysis, immobilized enzyme and unreacted cellulose were precipitated together to remove the product-the soluble sugar solution-by changing pH. Following this, a new buffer solution was added to the precipitate to dissolve it and resume the reaction. This was repeated several times. The hydrolysis rate of this process increased significantly compared with that of a batch process. Utilization of the reversible soluble-insoluble carrier for immobilizing enzyme is promising, not only for cellulose-cellulase systems, but also for other heterogeneous reaction systems.     

Activity of thyroid stimulating antibody and thyroid stimulation blocking antibody determined by radioiodine uptake into FRTL-5 cells

To investigate the pathophysiology of patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases, we measured serum thyroid stimulating antibody (TSAb) activity and thyroid stimulation blocking antibody (TSBAb) activity by determining the radioiodine (125I) uptake into FRTL-5 cells. FRTL-5 cells were pre-incubated for seven days with 5H medium and then incubated for 48 hours with patients' crude IgG prepared by polyethylene glycol precipitation. In order to measure TSBAb, 10 microU/ml TSH was also added. 125I was added one hour before the end of the 48 hour incubation period. After the incubation, the medium was aspirated, and the radioactivity in the cells was counted. In patients with untreated hyperthyroid Graves' disease, TSAb was detectable in 18 of 20 patients, the detectability being 90%, and activity showed a statistically significant positive correlation with TSAb activity determined by c-AMP accumulation. Out of 41 patients with hypothyroidism, TSBAb determined by 125I uptake was positive in six cases, the detectability being 14.6%. The inhibition of 125I uptake by one of these six IgGs was suggested to be at the TSH receptor level because it inhibited TSH induced c-AMP accumulation and showed positive thyrotropin binding inhibitor immunoglobulin (TBI I) activity, but did not inhibit the forskolin- and (Bu)2cAMP-induced 125I uptake. Inhibition of another IgG was suggested at the post-receptor level because it did not inhibit TSH induced cAMP accumulation and showed negative TBI I activity, but inhibited forskolin- and (Bu)2cAMP-induced 125I uptake.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Comparisons of maltase activities in kidney brush border membranes from normal, diabetic, glucose-infused and maltose-infused rabbits

The specific activities of membrane-bound maltase (alpha-D-glucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.20) in isolated brush border membranes (BBMs) of alloxan-induced diabetic, glucose-infused and maltose-infused rabbits were 30%, 140% and 160%, respectively, of those of control rabbits. Differences in the relative activities of trehalase (EC 3.2.1.28), another disaccharidase, in these groups were similar but less marked. However, the activities of two other marker enzymes of the brush border, alkaline-phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, were similar in the 4 groups of rabbits. The decreases in the activities of the two disaccharidases were due to changes in the Vmax values of the enzymes without change in their Km values for maltose and trehalose. The maltase activities in the 4 groups showed similar dependences on Tris-HCl, KCl and NaCl. The electrophoretic profiles of the BBMs of the 4 groups on SDS-polyacrylamide gel showed slight differences. From these results, we conclude that diabetes, glucose infusion and maltose infusion probably change the concentrations of active enzymes in the BBM of the kidney in rabbits.     

Effects of glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid on (Na+ + K+)-ATPase of renal basolateral membranes in vitro

Studies were made on the direct effects of glycyrrhizin and its aglycone, glycyrrhetinic acid on the activities of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase and (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase, a membrane bound Na+ and Ca2+-extrusion pump enzyme of the basolateral membranes (BLM) of canine kidney. Glycyrrhetinic acid inhibited the activity of the Na+-pump enzyme dose-dependently (IC50 = 1.5 x 10(-4) M), but had no effect on that of the Ca2+-pump enzyme of kidney BLM and homogenates. Glycyrrhizin also inhibited the Na+-pump enzyme activity but had less effect (IC50 = 2 x 10(-3) M). The effects of these compounds were due to competitive inhibition with ATP binding to the enzyme (Ki = 12 microM) and so were different from that of ouabain, which inhibits the Na+-pump by binding to its extracellular K+-binding site. The direct effect of glycyrrhetinic acid on the membrane may be important role in the multiple actions of licorice.     

Differences in thymus dependency among the alloreactive T-cell subpopulations in their development

Effects of thymectomy at various times after birth (Tx-1, Tx-3, Tx-7, Tx-14) on mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), cell-mediated cytotoxicity (CMC), and graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR) were examined by experiments with spleen cells obtained at 8 weeks of age. All of MLR, CMC, and GVHR were detected in spleen cells of Tx-14 mice. However, the ability of spleen cells to induce GVHR was abolished by thymectomy at 7 days after birth. On the other hand, MLR and CMC were not affected in such mice. In Tx-1 or Tx-3 mice, only MLR was detected in spleen cells. These results suggest that thymus dependency of T cells responsible for MLR are lower in their maturation than those for CMC and that thymus dependency of T cells responsible for GVHR are the highest among these T-cell subpopulations.     

Inducer-responsive expression of the cloned human interferon beta 1 gene introduced into cultured mouse cells.

A hybrid plasmid was constructed from pSV2-Ecogpt (Mulligan and Berg, 1981) and the cloned 1.8 kilobase chromosomal DNA segment which contains the human interferon (HIFN-beta 1) gene and its flanking sequences. Cultured mouse FM3A cells were transfected by the hybrid plasmid and several Ecogpt+ clones were selected. Southern blot analysis of the DNA from these mouse cell clones showed that two of them contained a few copies of the 1.8 kilobase human DNA. Synthesis of mRNA characteristic of the HIFN-beta 1 mRNA increased as measured by RNA blot analysis when those clones were treated with Newcastle disease virus or with poly(I):poly(C). In addition, the induced mouse cell clones gave rise to the synthesis of human IFN-beta 1. These results suggest the presence of a unique nucleotide sequence in the 1.8 kilobase DNA which is sufficient for the inducer-responsive expression of the human IFN-beta 1 gene.     

Developmental changes in humoral suppressor activity released from concanavalin A-stimulated human lymphocytes on B cell differentiation

Cell-free culture supernatants (Con A-activated supernatants) were obtained by incubating peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from cord blood, healthy children of various ages, and healthy adults with mitogenic doses of concanavalin A (Con A) for 48 hr. It is well known that human T lymphocytes are activated by Con A to manifest suppressor function in vitro. One mechanism whereby these suppressor cells act has been shown to be by the secretion of a soluble suppressor factor. The present study has investigated the Con A-inducible suppressor cell function in cord blood, children of various ages, and adults by comparing the ability of each Con A-activated supernatant to inhibit the generation of immunoglobulin-producing cells (Ig-PC) in pokeweed mitogen- (PWM) stimulated cultures of adult PBL. Con A-activated supernatants from adults could markedly suppress the generation of Ig-PC by allogeneic as well as autologous PBL in response to PWM. Such suppression appeared to be equally effective on the generation of IG-PC of 3 major classes, IgG, IgM, and IgA. On the contrary, Con A-activated supernatants from cord blood and newborn infants showed only a negligible suppression on PWM-induced adult B cell differentiation. But the suppressor activity found in Con A-activated supernatants gradually increased with advancing age, and reached approximately to the adult level at 4 yr of age or later. The results suggest that human T lymphocytes may be relatively deficient in their Con A-induced suppressor cell function in the early period of life.