Structure and expression of cDNA for calphobindin II, a human placental coagulation inhibitor

Calphobindin II, with Mr 73,000, is one of the human placental anticoagulant proteins. The cDNA encoding calphobindin II was obtained by screening a human placental lambda gt11 cDNA library using a specific antibody as a probe. The longest cDNA insert consisted of 2,361 nucleotides and a 64-nucleotide-long poly(A) tract. An open reading frame encoding 673 amino acids was predicted. The deduced sequence includes an 8-fold repeat of a conserved 70-amino-acid-long segment that has a high degree of sequence identity with the repeated segments in members of the Ca2+-dependent phospholipid binding protein family. The cDNA fragment including the open reading frame was introduced into the expression vector pKK223-3 and subsequently expressed in Escherichia coli JM105 cells. The resulting recombinant protein reacted with the specific monoclonal antibodies to calphobindin II and prolonged the blood coagulation time as did placental calphobindin II.     

[Na] and [K] dependence of the Na/K pump current-voltage relationship in guinea pig ventricular myocytes

Na/K pump current was determined between -140 and +60 mV as steady-state, strophanthidin-sensitive, whole-cell current in guinea pig ventricular myocytes, voltage-clamped and internally dialyzed via wide-tipped pipettes. Solutions were designed to minimize all other components of membrane current. A device for exchanging the solution inside the pipette permitted investigation of Na/K pump current-voltage (I-V) relationships at several levels of pipette [Na] [( Na]pip) in a single cell; the effects of changes in external [Na] [( Na]o) or external [K] [( K]o) were also studied. At 50 mM [Na]pip, 5.4 mM [K]o, and approximately 150 mM [Na]o, Na/K pump current was steeply voltage dependent at negative potentials but was approximately constant at positive potentials. Under those conditions, reduction of [Na]o enhanced pump current at negative potentials but had little effect at positive potentials: at zero [Na]o, pump current was only weakly voltage dependent. At 5.4 mM [K]o and approximately 150 mM [Na]o, reduction of [Na]pip from 50 mM scaled down the sigmoid pump I-V relationship and shifted it slightly to the right (toward more positive potentials). Pump current at 0 mV was activated by [Na]pip according to the Hill equation with best-fit K0.5 approximately equal to 11 mM and Hill coefficient nH approximately equal to 1.4. At zero [Na]o, reduction of [Na]pip seemed to simply scale down the relatively flat pump I-V relationship: Hill fit parameters for pump activation by [Na]pip at 0 mV were K0.5 approximately equal to 10 mM, nH approximately equal to 1.4. At 50 mM [Na]pip and high [Na]o, reduction of [K]o from 5.4 mM scaled down the sigmoid I-V relationship and shifted it slightly to the right: at 0 mV, K0.5 approximately equal to 1.5 mM and nH approximately equal to 1.0. At zero [Na]o, lowering [K]o simply scaled down the flat pump I-V relationships yielding, at 0 mV, K0.5 approximately equal to 0.2 mM, nH approximately equal to 1.1. The voltage-independent activation of Na/K pump current by both intracellular Na ions and extracellular K ions, at zero [Na]o, suggests that neither ion binds within the membrane field. Extracellular Na ions, however, seem to have both a voltage-dependent and a voltage-independent influence on the Na/K pump: they inhibit outward Na/K pump current in a strongly voltage-dependent fashion, with higher apparent affinity at more negative potentials (K0.5 approximately equal to 90 mM at -120 mV, and approximately 170 mM at -80 mV), and they compete with extracellular K ions in a seemingly voltage-independent manner.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Molecular cloning, sequence analysis and expression of a cDNA encoding human type-1 angiotensin II receptor.

We isolated a cDNA encoding type-1 angiotensin II receptor from a human liver cDNA library. The cDNA had an open reading frame encoding a protein of 359 amino acid residues with a relative Mr of 41,060. The deduced amino acid sequence of the human angiotensin II (Ang II) receptor was 95.3% and 94.2% identical to those of bovine and rat type-1 Ang II receptors, respectively, and had a significant similarity with the G protein-coupled receptor. The rank order of the binding to the receptor expressed in COS-7 cells was Ang II greater than Ang III greater than Ang I. The expression of the Ang II receptor mRNA was detected in human liver, lung, adrenal and adrenocortical adenomas but not in adrenomedullary tumor, pheochromocytoma, by Northern blot analysis.     

Congenitally defective aldosterone biosynthesis in humans: the involvement of point mutations of the P-450C18 gene (CYP11B2) in CMO II deficient patients.

The gene for steroid 18-hydroxylase (P-450C18) has been recently assigned to encode corticosterone methyl oxidases Type I and Type II which were previously postulated to catalyze the final two steps in the biosynthesis of aldosterone in humans. Molecular genetic analysis of the P-450C18 gene is three patients from three different families affected with CMO II deficiency has indicated that a point mutation of CGG----TGG (181Arg----Trp) in exon 3 and one of GTG----GCG (386Val----Ala) in exon 7 occur exclusively in the gene of the patients. Analysis of PCR products by restriction enzymes (HapII and HphI) has indicated that the patients are homozygous and the unaffected parent is heterozygous for both mutations, in accordance with the established concept that CMO II deficiency is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. These data clearly provide the molecular genetic basis for the characteristic biochemical phenotype of CMO II clinical variants.     

Mechanism of the stimulatory effect of cyclodextrins on lankacidin-producing Streptomyces

Summary Gel-filtration analysis of a mixture of cyclodextrin (CyD) and lankacidin C showed that -CyD had strong, -CyD weak and -CyD no affinity for lankacidin C. Lankacidin C production activity, which was assayed by measuring the incorporation of l-[methyl-¹⁴C-]methionine into the lankacidin molecule, was the greatest with cells grown in the presence of -CyD, less with -CyD and the least with -CyD. Lankamycin and T-2636M, which are by-products in lankacidin C fermentation, were not included by -CyD and their production was not stimulated by -CyD. It was apparent that the stimulatory effect of CyD was closely related to the formation of an inclusion complex between CyD and the antibiotic. Lankacidin C biosynthesis was repressed by preincubating cells with lankacidin C, while the repressive effect of lankacidin C was abrogated by the inclusion by -CyD. Thus, abrogation of feed-back repression seems to be a main mechanism of the effect of CyD. However, -CyD, which had no affinity for lankacidin C, stimulated the production to the least extent and exhibited a complementary effect on the stimulation by -CyD or -CyD. -CyD also caused a change in cell morphology and cell-surface hydrophobicity. It was assumed that the modification of the cell surface is a secondary mechanism of the effect of CyD.The second report of the stimulatory effect of cyclodextrins on lankacidin fermentationOffprint requests to: H. Sawada     

Multi-scale spatial pattern of recruitment in the barnacles Semibalanus cariosus at fishing ports on the Kameda peninsula, southern Hokkaido, Japan

The potential causes of the variable nature of recruitment of marine organisms can be inferred from the scales over which they vary. Sampling for recruits of Semibalanus cariosus on the intertidal concrete tetrapods at 21 fishing ports along the Kameda Peninsula, southern Hokkaido, Japan, was conducted at the end of the recruitment season in 1994 at three spatial scales: at each fishing port, separated by several km; at two sites at each fishing port, separated by several hundred m; and on three blocks at each site, separated by 1–2 m. At all spatial scales, recruitment intensity was independent of adult densities. Recruitment densities significantly varied within all spatial-scales, however, 85.6% of the total variances was estimated to be due to variation among ports. Such km-scale variation of recruitment intensities coincided with the hydrographic pattern of the direction of coastal current.