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Biomedical subjects

A Gutman

Publications and source records attributed to A Gutman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Insulin resistance in spontaneously hypertensive rats but not in deoxycorticosterone-salt or renal vascular hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the reported association between insulin resistance and hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) is a primary defect or a secondary phenomenon in hypertension. DESIGN: Comparisons of glucose metabolism between three groups of hypertensive rats: deoxycorticosterone (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats; two-kidney, one clip renovascular hypertensive (RVH) rats; SHR; and their respective control groups. There was also an additional group of weight-matched SHR and respective Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) controls. METHODS: A trace amount of 3H-deoxyglucose (3H-DOG) was administered in vivo to evaluate its plasma half-life and tissue uptake. In vitro adipose tissue segments were incubated with 14C-glucose and increasing doses of insulin. RESULTS: Compared with age-matched WKY rats, SHR had significantly higher insulin levels, longer plasma half-life and lower 3H-DOG uptake by heart and striated muscle. Plasma glucose levels and incorporation of 14C-glucose into CO2, triglycerides and glycogen by adipose tissue in response to increasing insulin concentrations was similar for both groups of SHR and WKY rats. No differences were found between hypertensive rats and controls in either the DOCA or RVH groups. CONCLUSION: Evidence of insulin resistance in spontaneous, but not secondary, rat hypertension indicates that the resistance is a primary rather than a secondary event in hypertension.

Animals

Autosomal recessive lethal infantile cytochrome C oxidase deficiency.

Three bedouin children with mitochondrial myopathy due to cytochrome c oxidase deficiency presented with progressive muscle weakness, failure to thrive, proximal renal tubular acidosis, and lactic acidemia leading to death. Two died by age 5 months and one by age 16 months. Cytochrome c oxidase was markedly reduced in skeletal muscle extracts of all three. Three other children of the same family with most probably the same metabolic aberration are also described. We suggest an autosomal recessive inheritance for this lethal mitochondrial myopathy.

Acidosis, Renal Tubular

The c-Ets oncoprotein activates the stromelysin promoter through the same elements as several non-nuclear oncoproteins.

The c-ets protooncogenes have recently been shown to code for transcription factors that activate the oncogene responsive unit of the polyoma virus enhancer. We show that transcription of the stromelysin gene, which is highly expressed in transformed cells and tumours, is efficiently activated by c-Ets-1 and -2 through two DNA elements. The distal element is a highly conserved palindrome composed of two strong binding sites for c-Ets-1. The proximal element does not bind c-Ets-1, but may be activated indirectly by increased synthesis of c-Jun and c-Fos. Both ets responsive elements mediate activation by the oncoproteins Ha-Ras, v-Src and v-Mos. These results suggest that c-Ets participates in the mechanisms by which stromelysin gene expression is deregulated in transformed cells and tumours.

Animals

Generation of full-length cDNA recombinant vectors for the transient expression of human fibronectin in mammalian cell lines.

In order to study the roles of the different alternatively spliced variants of human fibronectin (FN) as well as of its binding sites and structural domains in the processes of extracellular matrix assembly, cell adhesion, and cell migration, we constructed expression vectors coding for different human full-length FN polypeptides and deleted versions of these constructs. We expressed them transiently in mammalian cells by calcium phosphate transfection and microinjection techniques. While the deleted recombinants were expressed by both transfection and microinjection, the full-length recombinants could be only expressed by microinjection. Calcium phosphate transfection leads to the accumulation of recombinant FN in cytoplasmic vesicles of both matrix-forming and nonforming cells. On the contrary, microinjection leads to the accumulation of recombinant FN in cytoplasmic vesicles in cells that do not form a matrix, but to the rapid incorporation into the extracellular matrix of matrix-forming cells in addition to a cytoplasmic localization. Identical results were obtained when the FN signal and propeptides were replaced by those of E-cadherin.

Animals

Nuclear targets for transcription regulation by oncogenes.

Recent discoveries have highlighted the importance of transcription in cellular transformation. Transcription factors have a crucial role as nuclear targets that convert mitogenic signals from oncogenes into changes in gene expression.

Amino Acid Sequence

Cell-specific regulation of oncogene-responsive sequences of the c-fos promoter.

We have identified oncogene-responsive sequences in the human c-fos promoter that mediate induction of transcription by several nonnuclear oncoproteins and the tumor promoter TPA. These sequences are regulated in a cell-specific manner. (i) In NIH 3T3 cells, the CArG box of the c-fos promoter is sufficient to mediate activation by oncogenes. (ii) In contrast, in HeLa cells, additional flanking sequences are also required, including the outer arm of the serum response element and the FAP site. We also show that the serum response factor, which binds to the CArG box, activates transcription in vivo in NIH 3T3 cells but not in HeLa cells. Finally, we present evidence that the intracellular level of the c-Fos protein could be a major determinant of cell-specific regulation of these oncogene-responsive elements of the c-fos promoter.

Base Sequence

Fructose-1,6-diphosphatase deficiency in Israel.

The clinical and biochemical data on nine patients belonging to six families with fructose-1,6-diphosphatase deficiency are reported. Two of the six families were Jewish, three were Moslem Arabs and one was of Druze origin. All patients had had neonatal hypoglycemia, lactic acidosis and an abnormal fructose or glycerol loading test. At a later age, instances of hypoglycemia occurred in patients both with and without preceding illness. Hypoglycemic attacks were associated with severe hyperuricemia and metabolic acidosis. Therapeutic measures included a restriction in fructose intake and avoidance of prolonged fasting, particularly during febrile episodes.

Consanguinity

The collagenase gene promoter contains a TPA and oncogene-responsive unit encompassing the PEA3 and AP-1 binding sites.

PEA3 is a transcription factor which binds to the polyoma virus enhancer and whose activity is regulated by the expression of a number of oncogenes. We show here that PEA3 also binds specifically to the collagenase and fos cellular promoters. On the collagenase promoter, PEA3 acts synergistically with AP-1 to achieve maximum levels of transcription activation by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), and non-nuclear oncoproteins, thereby defining a TPA- and oncogene-responsive unit (TORU). From a comparative study of the collagenase TORU and the analogous polyoma virus TORU, we conclude that both the binding affinity of the PEA3 motif and the spacing between PEA3 and AP-1 modulate transcription activation induced by oncogene expression.

Base Sequence

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase deficiency: a common cause of recurrent myoglobinuria.

Six patients with carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) deficiency were diagnosed. Five were males aged 12-48 years and one was a 7-year-old girl. Severe myoglobinuria with renal shut-down led to the diagnosis in four, the main cause of myoglobinuria being prolonged exertion. Other precipitating factors included febrile illnesses, fasting and sleep deprivation. Between attacks, EMG, serum creatine kinase (CK) activity and the response of serum lactate to ischemic exercise were normal in all patients. The diagnosis of CPT deficiency was based on assay of the enzyme by the isotope exchange assay in leukocyte, muscle or cultured skin fibroblast homogenates. CPT activity assayed by the forward assay under standard conditions was normal. CPT deficiency seems to be a common cause of exercise-induced myoglobinuria. Prompt diagnosis can lead to avoidance of risk factors and prevention of rhabdomyolysis and its consequences.

Adult

[Leiomyoma of the small bowel with hypercalcaemia: presence of a substance with parathormone activity (author's transl)].

A leiomyoma of the small bowel produced laboratory features of hyperparathyroidism which disappeared promptly after tumour resection. Hypercalcaemia, hypophosphatemia, hyperchloremia, elevated chloride/phosphorus ratio, increased urinary cyclic AMP, and blood levels of immunoreactive parathormone were present. Electron microscopy showed dense round granules in the tumour cells.

Aged

Rat liver glycogen metabolism in the perinatal period.

The correlation between blood glucose levels, the concentration of glycogen, the activities of glycogen synthase and phosphorylase and their respective kinases and phosphatases was examined in liver of rat fetuses between day 18 of gestation and one day after birth. Between day 18 and 21 there is a rapid increase in the concentration of glycogen and in the activity of synthase a and a much slower increase in the activity of phosphorylase a. The activity of the respective kinases increased rapidly during this period and reached maximum on day 21. The activity of synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase increased after day 18, to reach a maximum on day 19 and 20, respectively, but decreased again towards day 21. The possibility that the changes in glycogen concentration and enzyme activities were related to an effect of glucose or AMP on the respective phosphatases was considered. It was found that the Km of phosphorylase phosphatase for glucose in the prenatal period was 5--7 mM, as in the adult. Since the level of blood glucose during this period was constant (2.8 mM), an effect of glucose on phosphatase activity seems unlikely. AMP concentration increased between day 18 and 21 from 6--15 nmol/g. In view of the low level of phosphorylase a activity during this period, the increase in AMP concentration is not considered to be important in the regulation of glycogen breakdown at this time. Immediately after birth blood glucose levels dropped to 5 mg/dl. This was accompanied by a rapid decrease in glycogen concentration and in the activity of glycogen synthase and a rise in phosphorylase activity. Blood glucose levels returned to the initial level within 1 h after birth, whereas the changes in glycogen concentration and enzyme activities continued for at least 3 h after birth. On day 22 all parameters examined had reached the level found in adult rat liver. It is suggested that the rapid changes observed immediately after birth are due to an effect of gypoglycemia mediated by hormones and cannot be ascribed to direct effects of metabolites on the enzyme systems involved.

Animals

X-linked dyskeratosis congenita with pancytopenia.

Two maternal male cousins in a Jewish Iraqi kindred were affected with dyskeratosis congenita and had a megaloblastic bone marrow. One cousin had pancytopenia and the other had thrombocytopenia. The kindred displays a deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and a beta-thalassemia trait. The following genetic "markers" of the X chromosome were studied: G6PD, the X-linked blood groups Xg, and color vision. Linkage analysis indicated that dyskeratosis, G6PD, and Xg are far apart on the X chromosome. Chromosomal studies showed a 46XY karyotype in both cases; however, nonspecific numerical aberrations and structural abnormalities were found in the first and in the second case, polyploidy was seen in four of 60 cells. The proband's cultured fibroblasts did not show increased susceptibility to malignant transformation by simian virus 40, an oncogenic virus.

Adolescent

Abnormal platelet glycogen metabolism in multiple myeloma patients.

This study presents evidence on the occurrence of an inverse relationship between activation of glycogen synthetase and inactivation of phosphorylase in a platelet preparation in vitro. The activities of glycogen synthetase and phosphorylase and the pattern of changes in these activities in platelets from controls and multiple myeloma patients were compared. Platelets obtained from multiple myeloma patients were shown to have an increased glycogen content, accompanied by an elevated level of glycogen synthetase a and a decreased activity of phosphorylase a. The pattern of changes in these enzyme activities during incubation was also different in platelets of controls and multiple myeloma patients. Extracts from patients' platelets prevented glycogen synthetase activation and phosphorylase inactivation of control platelets. Preincubation of platelets from multiple myeloma patients in control plasma resulted in an increased rate of glycogen synthetase activation, and abolished activation of phosphorylase which was found after preincubation in autologous plasma.

Adult

Regulation of glycogen synthetase and phosphorylase phosphatase activities in rat adipose tissue.

Incubation of a rat adipose tissue homogenate causes a time and temperature dependent activation of glycogen synthetase (UDP glucose:glycogen 4-alpha-glucosyltransferase) and simultaneous inactivation of phosphorylase (1,4-alpha-D-glucan: orthophosphate alpha-glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.1). Activation of glycogen synthetase at 15 and 23 degrees C was preceded by a lag period. The duration of the lag period could not be correlated with significant changes in phosphorylase activity. Addition of glucose and methylxanthines caused an increase in the rates of glycogen synthetase activation and phosphorylase inactivation. The effect on glycogen synthetase activation was mainly on the linear phase. Addition of AMP inhibited phosphorylase inactivation and accelerated glycogen synthetase activation. Addition of muscle phosphorylase alpha caused a prolongation of the lag period which lasted until phosphorylase alpha activity had decreased to the level originally present in the preparation. It is concluded that in adipose tissue activation of glycogen synthetase is not dependent on prior inactivation of phosphorylase and that other factors should be looked for to explain the lag period preceding glycogen synthetase activation.

Adenosine Monophosphate