Amino acid sequence of the nonsecretory ribonuclease of human urine

The amino acid sequence of a nonsecretory ribonuclease isolated from human urine was determined except for the identity of the residue at position 7. Sequence information indicates that the ribonucleases of human liver and spleen and an eosinophil-derived neurotoxin are identical or very closely related gene products. The sequence is identical at about 30% of the amino acid positions with those of all of the secreted mammalian ribonucleases for which information is available. Identical residues include active-site residues histidine-12, histidine-119, and lysine-41, other residues known to be important for substrate binding and catalytic activity, and all eight half-cystine residues common to these enzymes. Major differences include a deletion of six residues in the (so-called) S-peptide loop, insertions of two, and nine residues, respectively, in three other external loops of the molecule, and an addition of three residues at the amino terminus. The sequence shows the human nonsecretory ribonuclease to belong to the same ribonuclease superfamily as the mammalian secretory ribonucleases, turtle pancreatic ribonuclease, and human angiogenin. Sequence data suggest that a gene duplication occurred in an ancient vertebrate ancestor; one branch led to the nonsecretory ribonuclease, while the other branch led to a second duplication, with one line leading to the secretory ribonucleases (in mammals) and the second line leading to pancreatic ribonuclease in turtle and an angiogenic factor in mammals (human angiogenin). The nonsecretory ribonuclease has five short carbohydrate chains attached via asparagine residues at the surface of the molecule; these chains may have been shortened by exoglycosidase action.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Characterization of Vibrio cholerae O1 isolates responsible for cholera outbreaks in Kenya between 1975 and 2017

Kenya is endemic for cholera with different waves of outbreaks having been documented since 1971. In recent years, new variants of Vibrio cholerae O1 have emerged and have replaced most of the traditional El Tor biotype globally. These strains also appear to have increased virulence, and it is important to describe and document their phenotypic and genotypic traits. This study characterized 146 V. cholerae O1 isolates from cholera outbreaks that occurred in Kenya between 1975 and 2017. Our study reports that the 1975–1984 strains had typical classical or El Tor biotype characters. New variants of V. cholerae O1 having traits of both classical and El Tor biotypes were observed from 2007 with all strains isolated between 2015 and 2017 being sensitive to polymyxin B and carrying both classical and El Tor type ctxB. All strains were resistant to Phage IV and harbored rstR, rtxC, hlyA, rtxA and tcpA genes specific for El Tor biotype indicating that the strains had an El Tor backbone. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genotyping differentiated the isolates into 14 pulsotypes. The clustering also corresponded with the year of isolation signifying that the cholera outbreaks occurred as separate waves of different genetic fingerprints exhibiting different genotypic and phenotypic characteristics. The emergence and prevalence of V. cholerae O1 strains carrying El Tor type and classical type ctxB in Kenya are reported. These strains have replaced the typical El Tor biotype in Kenya and are potentially more virulent and easily transmitted within the population.     

Two new flavone glycosides from Cirsium lineare

An examination of four species of Cirsium disclosed the presence of two new flavonoids in C. lineare. The structure of one was 5,4′-dihydroxy-6,7,3′-trimethoxyflavone (cirsilineol) 4′-monoglucoside and the other 5,3′,4′-trihydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavone (cirsiliol) 4′-monoglucoside. Luteolin 7-glucoside was found in C. suffultum, and pectolinarin and linarin in C. kamtschaticum and C. pectinellum.     

A 5-bp Insertion in Mip Causes Recessive Congenital Cataract in KFRS4/Kyo Rats

We discovered a new cataract mutation, kfrs4, in the Kyoto Fancy Rat Stock (KFRS) background. Within 1 month of birth, all kfrs4/kfrs4 homozygotes developed cataracts, with severe opacity in the nuclei of the lens. In contrast, no opacity was observed in the kfrs4/+ heterozygotes. We continued to observe these rats until they reached 1 year of age and found that cataractogenesis did not occur in kfrs4/+ rats. To define the histological defects in the lenses of kfrs4 rats, sections of the eyes of these rats were prepared. Although the lenses of kfrs4/kfrs4 homozygotes showed severely disorganised fibres and vacuolation, the lenses of kfrs4/+ heterozygotes appeared normal and similar to those of wild-type rats. We used positional cloning to identify the kfrs4 mutation. The mutation was mapped to an approximately 9.7-Mb region on chromosome 7, which contains the Mip gene. This gene is responsible for a dominant form of cataract in humans and mice. Sequence analysis of the mutant-derived Mip gene identified a 5-bp insertion. This insertion is predicted to inactivate the MIP protein, as it produces a frameshift that results in the synthesis of 6 novel amino acid residues and a truncated protein that lacks 136 amino acids in the C-terminal region, and no MIP immunoreactivity was observed in the lens fibre cells of kfrs4/kfrs4 homozygous rats using an antibody that recognises the C- and N-terminus of MIP. In addition, the kfrs4/+ heterozygotes showed reduced expression of Mip mRNA and MIP protein and the kfrs4/kfrs4 homozygotes showed no expression in the lens. These results indicate that the kfrs4 mutation conveys a loss-of-function, which leads to functional inactivation though the degradation of Mip mRNA by an mRNA decay mechanism. Therefore, the kfrs4 rat represents the first characterised rat model with a recessive mutation in the Mip gene.     

Mechanisms of modulation of neuronal nicotinic receptors by substance P and OAG

Substance P is known to modulate neuronal nicotinicacetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the sympathetic nervous system.There are two conflicting proposals for the mechanism of this effect, an indirect action mediated by protein kinase C (PKC) and a direct interaction with receptor subunits. We studied the mechanisms of thiseffect in PC-12 cells. Substance P enhanced the decay of thenicotine-induced whole cell current. This effect was fast in its onsetand was not antagonized by guanosine5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate), a G protein blocker, orstaurosporine, a nonselective PKC blocker. Staurosporine failed toreverse the inhibition by 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol (OAG), a synthetic diacylglycerol analog known to activate PKC. Theinhibitory effects of the peptide and OAG were preserved in excisedpatches, but substance P applied to the extra patch membrane wasineffective in the cell-attached patch configuration. We conclude thatsubstance P modulates neuronal nAChRs most likely by direct interactions with the receptors but independently from activation ofPKC or G proteins and that PKC does not participate in modulation by OAG.

     

Low serum reverse T3 levels in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism

Although patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (1 degree HPT) were euthyroid, we measured serum thyroid hormone levels in 16 patients with 1 degree HPT together with 17 patients with hypercalcemia due to malignant diseases (HCM). In patients with 1 degree HPT, serum levels of T3, T4 and T3U were within normal range, but serum rT3 (reverse T3) levels (205 +/- 37 pg/ml, mean +/- SD) were significantly decreased as compared with those in normal controls (276 +/- 44 pg/ml, P less than 0.01). A significant inverse correlation was observed between the serum levels of rT3 and parathyroid hormone (PTH) (r = 0.54, P less than 0.05). After parathyroidectomy, serum rT3 levels were significantly elevated (240 +/- 56 pg/ml) compared to preoperative levels (P less than 0.01). Low levels of serum rT3 seemed to be attributed to the high levels of serum PTH. On the other hand, serum levels of T3 and T4 were low and serum rT3 levels were high in patients with HCM. Low serum rT3 allows for the differentiation of patients with 1 degree HPT from those with HCM.     

Structure and function relationship of staphylocoagulase

The bacterial protein staphylocoagulase binds stoichiometrically to human prothrombin, resulting in a coagulant complex, staphylothrombin. The enzymatic properties of staphylothrombin differ from those of -thrombin in their substrate specificities toward natural and synthetic substrates, in addition to their interaction with protease inhibitors. In order to obtain information about the region of staphylocoagulase that interacts with human prothrombin, staphylocoagulase was cleaved by -chymotrypsin. Limited -chymotryptic cleavage of staphylocoagulase yielded three large fragments, of 43, 30, and 20 kD. The 43-kD fragment exhibited a high affinity for human prothrombin (K_d=1.7 nM), which is comparable to the affinity observed using intact staphylocoagulase (K_d=0.46 nM). A complex of the 43-kD fragment and prothrombin possessed both clotting and amidase activity essentially identical to that observed in a complex of intact staphylocoagulase and prothrombin. The 30-kD fragment exhibited weaker affinity for prothrombin (K_d=120 nM.) While clotting activity was not observed with a complex of this fragment and prothrombin, it nonetheless possessed a weak amidase activity. The 20-kD fragment was found only to bind to prothrombin. The NH₂-terminal sequence analyses of these fragments revealed that the 43-kD fragment constitutes the NH₂-terminal portion of staphylocoagulase, and contains the 30-kD and 20-kD fragments. It is therefore concluded that the functional region of staphylocoagulase for binding and activation of prothrombin is localized in the NH₂-terminal region of the intact protein. The 43-kD fragment contained 324 amino acids with a molecular weight of 38,098. The 43-kD fragment had an unusual amino acid composition based on a sequence in which the sum of Asp (28 residues), Asn (22), Glu (35), Gln (9), and Lys (52) residues accounted for more than 45% of the total. A comparison of the amino acid sequence of the 43-kD fragment with that of streptokinase did not reveal any obvious sequence homology. There was also no sequence homology with that of trypsin, -chymotrypsin, and elastase.This article was presented during the proceedings of the International Conference on Macromolecular Structure and Function, held at the National Defence Medical College, Tokorozawa, Japan, December 1985.