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A Kronenberg

Publications and source records attributed to A Kronenberg.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Mutation induction in human lymphoid cells by energetic heavy ions.

One of the concerns for extended space flight outside the magnetosphere is exposure to galactic cosmic radiation. In the series of studies presented herein, the mutagenic effectiveness of high energy heavy ions is examined using human B-lymphoblastoid cells across an LET range from 32keV/micrometer to 190 keV/micrometer. Mutations were scored for an autosomal locus, thymidine kinase (tk), and for an X-linked locus, hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt). For each of the radiations studied, the autosomal locus is more sensitive to mutation induction than is the X-linked locus. When mutational yields are expressed in terms of particle fluence, the two loci respond quite differently across the range of LET. The action cross section for mutation induction peaks at 61 keV/micrometer for the tk locus and then declines for particles of higher LET, including Fe ions. For the hprt locus, the action cross section for mutation is maximal at 95 keV/micrometer but is relatively constant across the range from 61 keV/micrometer to 190 keV/micrometer. The yields of hprt-deficient mutants obtained after HZE exposure to TK6 lymphoblasts may be compared directly with published data on the induction of hprt-deficient mutants in human neonatal fibroblasts exposed to similar ions. The action cross section for induction of hprt-deficient mutants by energetic Fe ions is more than 10-fold lower for lymphoblastoid cells than for fibroblasts.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1994

Radiation-induced genomic instability.

Quantitative assessment of the heritable somatic effects of ionizing radiation exposures has relied upon the assumption that radiation-induced lesions were 'fixed' in the DNA prior to the first postirradiation mitosis. Lesion conversion was thought to occur during the initial round of DNA replication or as a consequence of error-prone enzymatic processing of lesions. The standard experimental protocols for the assessment of a variety of radiation-induced endpoints (cell death, specific locus mutations, neoplastic transformation and chromosome aberrations) evaluate these various endpoints at a single snapshot in time. In contrast with the aforementioned approaches, some studies have specifically assessed radiation effects as a function of time following exposure. Evidence has accumulated in support of the hypothesis that radiation exposure induces a persistent destabilization of the genome. This instability has been observed as a delayed expression of lethal mutations, as an enhanced rate of accumulation of non-lethal heritable alterations, and as a progressive intraclonal chromosomal heterogeneity. The genetic controls and biochemical mechanisms underlying radiation-induced genomic instability have not yet been delineated. The aim is to integrate the accumulated evidence that suggests that radiation exposure has a persistent effect on the stability of the mammalian genome.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Platelets deficient in glycoprotein IIIb aggregate normally to collagens type I and III but not to collagen type V.

The aggregation of platelets induced by collagens is considered an important step in primary hemostasis. Glycoprotein (GP) IIIb (GPIIIb, GPIV, CD36) has been proposed as a blood platelet receptor for collagen. Platelets from three healthy blood donors were shown to be clearly deficient in GPIIIb. These platelets aggregated normally in response to type I and III collagens. In addition, platelet factor 4, beta-thromboglobulin, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) secretion in response to type I and III collagens was normal. The findings indicate that GPIIIb is not the major, essential collagen receptor for type I and III collagens. This would explain why all individuals with GPIIIb-deficient platelets examined so far are healthy and, in particular, show no apparent evidence of hemostatic problems. However, in contrast to control platelets, no aggregation and impaired platelet factor 4, beta-thromboglobulin, and ATP secretion was observed in response to type V collagen. Therefore, it is postulated that for type V collagen-induced aggregation both GPIa/IIa and GPIIIb are essential.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Thrombospondin binds normally to glycoprotein IIIb deficient platelets.

Glycoprotein IIIb (GPIV, CD36) has been proposed as the platelet receptor for thrombospondin (TSP). We found two healthy blood donors, whose platelets were shown to be GPIIIb deficient. These platelets expressed endogeneous TSP as control platelets and their binding capacity for exogeneous TSP was the same. These results indicate that GPIIIb is not the major TSP receptor on platelets. However, it is not yet possible to exclude that in GPIIIb-deficient platelets other proteins may substitute for GPIIIb in TSP binding.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Perspectives on fast-neutron mutagenesis of human lymphoblastoid cells.

The effects of low-fluence exposures to (Pu, Be) neutrons (En = 4.2 MeV) have been studied in a sensitive human B-lymphoblastoid cell line, TK6. Mutations were scored for two genetic loci, hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (hgprt) and thymidine kinase (tk), as a function of dose and dose rate. For exposures limited to less than one cell cycle, the mutation frequency for the hgprt locus was 1.92 X 10(-7)/cGy. When exposures were protracted over multiple cell generations, mutation yields were increased to 6.07 X 10(-7)/cGy. Similar yields were obtained for the induction of tk-deficient mutants with a normal cell generation time (tk-ng) when exposures were carried out at very low dose rates over multiple cell generations. In the series of data presented here, the results obtained for short-duration neutron exposures are compared with data obtained for monoenergetic heavy charged particles of defined linear energy transfer (LET) produced at the BEVALAC accelerator at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. TK6 cells have been exposed to beams ranging in atomic number from 20Ne to 40Ar over an energy range from 330 to 670 MeV/amu. Mutation induction was evaluated for both loci for a subset of these beams. The results obtained with 20Ne ions of 425 MeV/amu (LET = 32 keV/microns) and 28Si ions of 670 MeV/amu (LET = 50 keV/microns) closely resemble the mutation yields obtained for brief exposures to (Pu, Be) neutrons. The nature of alterations in DNA structure induced within the tk locus of tk-ng mutants is reviewed for a series of neutron-induced mutants and a series of mutants induced by exposure to 40Ar ions (470 MeV/amu, LET = 95 keV/microns). The mutational spectra for these two types of mutants were similar and were dominated by allele loss mutations. Multilocus deletions inclusive of the c-erbA1 locus were common among tk-deficient mutants induced by these densely ionizing radiations. For the mutants induced by 40Ar ions, it is likely that the mutations were produced by the traversal of the chromosome by a single particle.

Argon↗
PubMed1989

Molecular characterization of thymidine kinase mutants of human cells induced by densely ionizing radiation.

In order to characterize the nature of mutants induced by densely ionizing radiations at an autosomal locus, we have isolated a series of 99 thymidine kinase (tk) mutants of human TK6 lymphoblastoid cells irradiated with either fast neutrons or accelerated argon ions. Individual mutant clones were examined for alterations in their restriction fragment pattern after hybridization with a human cDNA probe for tk. A restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) allowed identification of the active tk allele. Among the neutron-induced mutants, 34/52 exhibited loss of the previously active allele while 6/52 exhibited intragenic rearrangements. Among the argon-induced mutants 27/46 exhibited allele loss and 10/46 showed rearrangements within the tk locus. The remaining mutants had restriction patterns indistinguishable from the TK6 parent. Each of the mutant clones was further examined for structural alterations within the c-erbA1 locus which has been localized to chromosome 17q11-q22, at some unknown distance from the human tk locus at chromosome 17q21-q22. A substantial proportion (54%) of tk mutants induced by densely ionizing radiation showed loss of the c-erb locus on the homologous chromosome, suggesting that the mutations involve large-scale genetic changes.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed1989

Locus specificity for mutation induction in human cells exposed to accelerated heavy ions.

The relative efficiencies of two types of densely ionizing particles were compared for the induction of mutations at two distinct genetic loci in human cells. Mutations to 6-thioguanine resistance (hgprt locus) or to trifluorothymidine resistance (tk) locus were scored in TK6 human lymphoblastoid cells exposed to graded doses of 40Ar ions (470 MeV/amu, LET = 95-97 keV/microns) or 28Si ions (456 MeV/amu, 61 keV/microns). The autosomal tk locus was more efficiently mutated than the X-linked hgprt locus following heavy particle irradiations. This was predominantly due to the contribution of a class of slowly growing mutants scored at the tk locus. Silicon ions were more efficient per unit dose than argon ions for the induction of mutants at either locus. When the mutant yield for a particular ion was compared with particle fluence, similar numbers of hgprt mutants are induced by equal numbers of 40Ar or 28Si ions. Comparison of the number of tk mutants with particle fluence demonstrates an increased efficiency for 28Si ions over 40Ar. These data suggest that the LET-RBE relationship may be different for individual genetic loci in human cells.

Argon↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Retrospective analysis of varicella zoster virus (VZV) copy DNA numbers in plasma of immunocompetent patients with herpes zoster, of immunocompromised patients with disseminated VZV disease, and of asymptomatic solid organ transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: Varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Subclinical reactivation has been described in solid organ recipients and has been associated with graft versus host disease in bone marrow transplantation. Newer studies assessing the prevalence and impact of subclinical VZV reactivation in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are lacking. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a first step we developed a highly sensitive quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay for VZV DNA with a detection limit of < or = 20 copies/mL. Using this assay, we retrospectively analyzed plasma samples of different patient groups for VZV DNA. VZV DNA was found in 10/10 plasma samples of immunocompetent patients with herpes zoster (VZV copy numbers/mL: mean+/-SEM 1710+/-1018), in 1/1 sample of a human immunodeficiency virus-infected patient with primary VZV disease (15,192 copies/mL) and in 4/4 plasma samples of immunocompromised patients with visceral VZV disease (mean of first value 214,214+/-178,572). All 108 plasma samples of asymptomatic SOT recipients off any antiviral therapy, randomly sampled over 1 year, were negative for VZV DNA. CONCLUSION: Our qPCR assay proved to be highly sensitive (100%) in symptomatic VZV disease. We did not detect subclinical reactivation in asymptomatic SOT recipients during the first post-transplant year. Thus, subclinical VZV reactivation is either a rare event or does not exist. These data need to be confirmed in larger prospective trials.

Adult↗