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Biomedical subjects

A N Schechter

Publications and source records attributed to A N Schechter.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Determination of deoxyhemoglobin S polymer in sickle erythrocytes upon deoxygenation.

We have used 13C/1H magnetic double-resonance spectroscopy to measure the amount of sickle hemoglobin polymer within sickle erythrocytes as a function of oxygen saturation. We previously showed that the methods of cross-polarization and scalar decoupling could be used to measure accurately the polymer fraction in deoxygenated sickle hemoglobin solutions [Noguchi, C.T., Torchia, D.A. & Schechter, A.N. (1979) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 76, 4936-4940]. Our measurements show that the amount of intracellular deoxyhemoglobin S polymer increases monotonically with decreasing oxygen saturation. Polymer can be detected at oxygen saturation values above 90%. This result can be theoretically explained by the excluded volume effect of the oxyhemoglobin S in the cell. The very high total intracellular hemoglobin concentration (34 g/dl) reduces the amount of soluble deoxyhemoglobin S to about 3 g/dl at 90% oxygen saturation. The agreement between theory and experiment indicates that the equilibrium properties of intracellular polymerization can be described by the analyses resulting from studies of concentrated sickle hemoglobin solutions. The curve for polymer formation as a function of oxygen saturation is roughly hyperbolic whereas that for cell sickling is sigmoidal; the difference is most apparent for measurements at pH 7.65. Intracellular polymer formation may in general have a different relationship to oxygen saturation than cell sickling and may be a more meaningful parameter of the pathophysiological process in sickle cell anemia than cell morphology. In addition, measurements of intracellular polymer should be useful in evaluating potential therapeutic agents.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗
PubMed1980

Stereospecific inhibitors of the gelation of sickle hemoglobin.

During the last decade there have been major advances in understanding the structure of the gel of deoxyhemoglobin S and the mechanism of its formation. These advances have allowed the development of a new strategy for the inhibition of gelation, i.e., stereospecific competitive inhibitors of the polymerization process. For this purpose we have used equilibrium solubility measurements to study the effects of amino acids and peptides on deoxyhemoglobin S solubility. We have found that aromatic amino acids and short peptides containing these amino acids significantly increase solubility; longer peptides, however, decrease solubility by an excluded-volume related effect. Recently we have used computer graphics projections of the surface of the hemoglobin molecules in the crystal form to design peptide inhibitors. In addition, we have developed 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic methods to quantitate the gel of deoxyhemoglobin S in hemoglobin solutions an in cells. These spectroscopic methods allow us to study the mechanism of intracellular gelation and to test the effects of inhibitors on sickle cells.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1979

Conformation-specific antibodies to the alpha chain COOH terminus of hemoglobin A0.

An anti-hemoglobin antiserum obtained from a sheep immunized with human carboxyhemoglobin A0 demonstrated little difference in its reactivity with deoxy- or carboxyhemoglobin A0. However, a subpopulation of this antiserum isolated by synthetic peptide affinity chromatography clearly distinguished between these two hemoglobin species. This subpopulation, designated alpha(129-141) anti-hemoglobin antibodies, represents less than 1% of the total anti-hemoglobin antibodies. They are nonprecipitating by Ouchterlony analysis, and fluorescence-quenching studies demonstrate the interaction of a single antibody binding site per hemoglobin dimer. These antibodies bind preferentially to carboxyhemoglobin with a median affinity constant of 5 X 10(8) M-1 compared to binding to deoxyhemoglobin with a binding affinity of less than 1 X 10(8) M-1. Furthermore, the presence of these antibodies in stoichiometric amounts increases the oxygen affinity of hemoglobin, and thus antibody and oxygen binding to hemoglobin can be considered as a linked function.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1979

13C NMR quantitation of polymer in deoxyhemoglobin S gels.

13C/1H magnetic double-resonance spectroscopy has been used to quantitate the amount of polymerized hemoglobin S in deoxygenated gels at 30 degrees C, for samples whose hemoglobin concentration range from 21 to 32 g/dl. Scalar- and dipolar-decoupled spectra and a 13C proton-enhanced dipolar-decoupled spectrum were recorded for each sample as was a scalar-decoupled spectrum for a matching oxyhemoglobin S control. The difference between the oxyhemoglobin S and deoxyhemoglobin S scalar-decoupled spectra was used to determine the polymer fraction, and this value was compared with the polymer fraction determined by using ultracentrifugation sedimentation on the same sample (assuming a two-phase model). The polymer fraction value determined by uncorrected sedimentation averaged 0.15 more than the value obtained from NMR. The discrepancy between the two techniques was largely removed when the analysis of the sedimentation data included a correction for depletion of hemoglobin in the supernatant or sol phase due to sedimentation of free molecules. The best fit to both the sedimentation and NMR data was obtained by using a solubility of deoxyhemoglobin S at 30 degrees C of 17.3 +/- 1 g/dl. These results indicate that the NMR techniques, which do not require separation of the sample into a sol phase and a pellet phase, provide quantitative information about the deoxyhemoglobin S polymer and will be useful for studies of sickle erythrocytes.

Erythrocytes↗
PubMed1978

Inhibition of sickle hemoglobin gelation by amino acids and related compounds.

The effects of amino acids, several aromatic compounds, and peptides on the gelation and solubility of deoxyhemoglobin S have been studied. The aromatic amino acids (tryptophan, phenylalanine, and possibly tyrosine) significantly inhibited the rate of gel formation and increased solubility. The dipeptide L-Thr-L-Phe, the tripeptide L-Lys-L-Phe-L-Phe, and various phenylalanine analogues (hydrocinnamic acid, phenethylamine, benzamine, and amphetamine) also inhibited gelation. However, aromaticity is not a sufficient condition for inhibiting gelation as shown by the fact that several aromatic compounds (acetylsalicylic acid, salicyclic acid, aniline, and phenol) enhanced gelation. Surprisingly, several oligopeptides (betaS1--12, betaS4--8, betaS3--13, and betaS4--10) also enhanced gelation. All of these additives follow the supersaturation relationship that the delay time for gelation is proportional to the ratio of the total hemoglobin concentration to the solubility of deoxyhemoglobin S to the nth power (n approximately 35). A possible mechanism for the action of these inhibitors is considered in terms of a specific site of interaction on the hemoglobin molecule. Although none of these compounds may prove to be efficacious in treatment of sickle cell anemia, they should yield information about the structure and process of formation of the deoxyhemoglobin S gel.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1978

Genetic control of the immune response to staphylococcal nuclease in mice.

Genetic control of the immune response to staphylococcal nuclease in mice is detectable at several levels. At least one H-2-linked Ir gene controls 1) the relative proportions of antibodies to different determinants on nuclease when whole nuclease is the immunogen; 2) the immunogenicity of isolated fragments of nuclease, corresponding to the same regions or determinants; and 3) the T-lymphocyte proliferative response to nuclease and to its fragments. It is concluded that a model in which Ir-gene control is determined by the recognition by T lymphocytes of a single "carrier" determinant for the whole molecule does not adequately explain this system. Evidence is presented for the existence of more than one such H-2-linked Ir gene in the T-cell proliferative response. In addition, a non-H-2-linked gene(s) is described which controls the overall level of antibodies to nuclease, i.e., the aggregate of all the antibodies of different subspecificities which have in common that they bind to some part of the nuclease molecule. Evidence is also presented that T lymphocytes, as well as the receptors involved in Ir-gene function (whether or not these are T-lymphocyte receptors), are less sensitive to conformational differences between native nuclease and its isolated fragments than are the antibodies ultimately made. This insensitivity to conformation may reflect the recognition of determinants which are shorter or more flexible in the native state than those recognized by antibodies.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Direct physical measurements on substituted agarose gels: evidence for intercalation of gel-bound ethidium into transfer RNA.

The cation of the salt ethidium bromide (3,8-diamino-5-ethyl-6-phenylphenanthridinium bromide) has been covalently linked to an agarose matrix through an intermediate 3,3'-diaminodipropylaminosuccinyl spacer arm. Partition binding and visible absorption spectral measurements on the gel were used to monitor the binding of transfer RNA to the covalently bound ethidium group. Direct fluorescence measurements of the formation of the gel-bound complex indicate that this binding involves the intercalation of the ethidium groups into the tRNA molecule. Dissociation of the ethidium-tRNA complex was monitored as a function of sodium chloride concentration by both direct solution spectral measurement of the released tRNA and by fluorescence quenching measurements of the dissociation of the intercalation complex. The derivatized gel has been shown to be capable of the fractionation of tRNA species by elution with a positive salt gradient under column flow conditions.

Chromatography, Affinity↗
PubMed1978

The reaction of SLE antibodies with native, single stranded RNA: radioassay and binding specificities.

Escherichia coli 3H-tRNA and MS2 phage 125I-RNA were prepared and used in a sensitive nitrocellulose filter assay. Antibodies that bound these RNA ligands occurred in the sera of several patients with SLE, but not in sera of patients with other connective tissue diseases. The antibody populations that bound polyribonucleotides (largely IgG) were distinct from antibody populations that bound polydeoxyribonucleotides. Competition experiments showed that the anti-RNA antibodies preferentially bound native ssRNA as compared with synthetic single and double stranded polyribonucleotides. There was increasing affinity with increasing m.w. of the ssRNA. The anti-tRNA population was of restricted heterogeneity (Sips index 0.83) and bound tRNA with an average association constant (Ko) of 9 x 10(6) l/mole at 4 degrees C. The anti-MS2 RNA population was much more heterogeneous (Sips index 0.67) and bound MS2 RNA with a Ko of about 3 x 10(9) l/mole at 4 degrees C. Whereas NZB/NZW mice spontaneously produce RNA reactive antibodies with conformation specificity for native tRNA, human SLE anti-RNA antibodies appear to have very little of this type of conformation specificity.

Antibody Specificity↗
PubMed1978

Measurement of antigen-specific IgG autoantibody production in vitro.

This report describes the development of a direct, highly sensitive and reproducible microassay for measuring picogram amounts of IgG antibody produced in spleen cultures of NZB/NZW female mice and specific for a well defined nucleic acid antigen (native ssRNA). The spontaneously synthesized antibodies were extensively purified from the culture supernatants. The isolated IgG anti-RNA antibodies had a high affinity, limited heterogeneity, and were specific for RNA as compared with DNA. Spleen cell cultures produced quantities of anti-RNA antibodies sufficient to account for a large proportion of the circulating anti-RNA antibodies in the whole animal. However, our results provide no evidence for the recently published suggestion (Sawada) et al., 1977. J. Immunol. 119:355) that autoreactive lymphocytes are released from normal immunoregulatory control during in vitro culture conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Radioimmunoassay of creatine kinase isoenzymes in human serum: isoenzyme MM.

Measurement of the mass concentration of serum enzymes by radioimmunoassay provides direct quantitation of specific isoenzymes and may be less subject to some of the limitations of traditional assay procedures for enzymes. We describe the development of a sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay for the muscle isoenzyme of creatine kinase, CM-MM, in human serum. CK-MM, purified from human skeletal muscle, was used to raise high-titer antisera and for iodination by the Chloramine T method. The radioimmunoassay required 50 microliter of sample, utilized a double-antibody separation method, and was completed in 24 h. Cross reactivity with CK-BB was virtually zero, 3--17% with CK-MB. The mass concentration of CK-MM in the serum of healthy subjects ranged from 36 to 1668 microgram/liter and correlated closely with total CK enzymatic activity. Serum concentrations of CK-MM from casually selected patients correlated less well with total CK enzymatic activity, suggesting the existence of other CK isoenzymes or the presence of inactive forms.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Radioimmunoassay of creatine kinase isoenzymes in human serum: isoenzyme BB.

We describe a sensitive, specific radioimmunoassay for the BB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-BB) in serum. A sequential saturation assay was used to achieve sufficient sensitivity to detect the isoenzyme in 100-microliter serum samples of all healthy persons and patients tested. Bound and free antigen were separated by a second antibody system. Large excesses of purified isoenzyme MM did not react in the assay. Cross reactivity of two preparations of CK-MB was only 1 to 7+. The 95th percentile of serum CK-BB in 208 healthy adults was 6.2 microgram/liter. Within-assay and between-assay precision ranged from 5.5 to 11.9% and 9.7 to 13.6%, respectively.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Genetic control of the immune response to staphylococcal nuclease. III. Time-course and correlation between the response to native nuclease and the response to its polypeptide fragments.

The progression of the Ir gene-controlled antibody response to staphylococcal nuclease in mice with repeated immunizations has been examined. H-2-linked control of the response to a single immunization with 100 mug of nuclease in complete Freund's adjuvant was confirmed. However, among strains of the high responder H-2a haplotype, the response of the A/J mice was about 10-fold higher than that of the B10.A, indicating additional non-H-2-linked control. In addition, the low responder C57BL/10 (H-2b) strain produced antibody levels as high as or higher than those of the congenic high responder B10.A (H-2a) strain when both strains were repeatedly immunized, indicating complexity even in the H-2-linked control of the response to this small monomeric protein. Polypeptide fragments of nuclease were also studied as immunogens. The antibody response to one fragment (residues 99-149) was found to follow the same pattern among five strains tested as that to whole nuclease. However, in this case the C57BL/10 was found to be a nonresponder rather than a low responder, failing to develop a response despite repeated immunizations. In contrast, the C57BL/10 showed a low but significant response to another fragment (residues 1-126) of nuclease. These results suggest that the apparent H-2-linked control of the response to whole nuclease is a reflection of the ability to recognize a determinant(s) in the region from residues 99 to 149, and that the eventual response of the C57BL/10 strain after hyperimmunization reflects the recognition of other determinants. If these observations reflect the common recognition of a determinant on native nuclease and on a random-conformation fragment, they have implications about the conformational specificity of the receptors, or the flexibility of the determinants, involved in H-2-linked Ir-gene control. In addition, evidence is presented for a possible second H-2-linked gene (or genes) controlling the response to other determinants of nuclease expressed on the polypeptide fragments.

Animals↗