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Biomedical subjects

A Nakane

Publications and source records attributed to A Nakane.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

The rapid degradation of mutant SecA protein in the Bacillus subtilis secA341 (ts) mutant causes a protein translocation defect in the cell.

To study the function of SecA protein and the protein translocation system of Bacillus subtilis, wild-type and mutant SecA proteins were characterized in vivo and in vitro. SecA protein was abundant in a wild-type strain (168) and existed in a stable homodimer. In contrast to this, SecA341 (ts) protein having an amino acid replacement from proline to leucine at residue 431 was undetectable by immunoblotting in the cell lysate of a secA341 mutant (TB301) at the nonpermissive temperature, 42 degrees C. Pulse-chase studies using 35S-methionine showed that newly synthesized SecA protein was rapidly degraded in the mutant at 42 degrees C. Purified SecA341 protein was more sensitive to trypsin and subtilisin than purified wild-type SecA protein in the presence of ATP. These results indicate that the secA341 mutation causes the rapid degradation of mutant SecA protein and a concomitant protein translocation defect in the cell.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1994

Importance of early gamma interferon production in Propionibacterium acnes-induced resistance to Toxoplasma gondii infection in mice.

Treatment of mice with heat-killed Propionibacterium (P.) acnes conferred transient protection against Toxoplasma infection. To investigate the mechanism of this nonspecific resistance, the production of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) by P. acnes-injected mice was evaluated in comparison with that by noninjected controls upon infection with Toxoplasma. Mice pretreated with this bacterium produced significantly more IFN-gamma than that produced by control mice up to 24 hr of infection. A single injection of anti-IFN-gamma MAb on day 0 but not later than day 3 of infection resulted in a total abrogation of the resistance conferred by P. acnes. Likewise, daily injection of cyclosporin A (Cs-A), a potent inhibitor of T cell function, during the first 3 days of Toxoplasma infection severely exacerbated the infection, in accordance with a marked suppression of the early IFN-gamma production. In contrast, the administration of Cs-A for 3 consecutive days starting at day 4 had no significant consequence on P. acnes-induced anti-toxoplasma resistance, while it reduced greatly the ability of P. acnes-injected mice to produce IFN-gamma in the later phase of infection. Moreover, no significant increase in mortality and suppression of IFN-gamma production was noted in mice receiving anti-asialo GM1 antibody. These results suggest that the early IFN-gamma production by T cells is an essential event for the establishment of P. acnes-induced anti-toxoplasma resistance in mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Enhancement by recombinant human interleukin 2 of host resistance to Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant mice.

The lymphokine production by pregnant mice infected with a lethal dose of Toxoplasma gondii was evaluated in comparison with that by virgin mice infected with a sublethal dose of this protozoan parasite. Splenocytes taken from mice before and on the day after infection produced considerable amounts of IL-2 in response to concanavalin A (Con A) stimulation, but the titers rapidly declined in both pregnant and virgin mice as infection progressed. A trace amount or undetectable level of IL-2 was produced by splenocytes from acutely infected mice when stimulated with Toxoplasma lysate antigen (TLA). In contrast to the kinetics of IL-2 production, the levels of IFN-gamma produced by splenocytes cultured with Con A or TLA increased steadily in the later stage of infection in both pregnant and virgin mice. Thus, the response to Con A or TLA of splenocytes to produce IL-2 and IFN-gamma differed strikingly in acute toxoplasmosis in mice. The administration of rHuIL-2 resulted in a significant decrease in the mortality of pregnant mice infected with a lethal dose of Toxoplasma. The combination of rHuIL-2 and rMuIFN-gamma increased the survival rate slightly but not significantly compared with pregnant mice receiving either rHuIL-2 or rMuIFN-gamma. Moreover, exogenously administered rHuIL-2 enhanced the production of both IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma in the bloodstreams of pregnant mice, in accordance with the decreased mortality. These results indicate that IL-2 may play a significant role in modulating the host defense against Toxoplasma infection in pregnant mice.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

An anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody protects mice against a lethal infection with Listeria monocytogenes through induction of endogenous cytokines.

Mice were protected against a lethal infection with Listeria monocytogenes when treated with low doses of an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (MAb). Injection of anti-CD3 MAb induced rapid production of endogenous tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the spleens and endogenous gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in the bloodstreams and spleens of mice. Administration of anti-Thy1.2 MAb or a combination of anti-CD4 MAb and anti-CD8 MAb resulted in suppression of anti-CD3 MAb-induced endogenous cytokine production and antilisterial resistance. Alternatively, in vivo depletion of anti-CD3 MAb-induced TNF and IFN-gamma by the simultaneous administration of antibodies against TNF and IFN-gamma suppressed anti-CD3 MAb-induced antilisterial resistance. Moreover, injection of anti-complement receptor type 3 (Mac-1, CD11b) resulted in inhibition of anti-CD3 MAb-induced antilisterial resistance. These results suggest that the preventive effect of anti-CD3 MAb might be due to activation of phagocytes by TNF and IFN-gamma induced by stimulating CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells with the MAb. Furthermore, treatment with anti-CD3 MAb did not inhibit establishment of acquired resistance against secondary infection with L. monocytogenes.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Endogenous gamma interferon is essential in granuloma formation induced by glycolipid-containing mycolic acid in mice.

The present study examined the role of endogenous gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in the formation of granulomas in mice which had been given a single intravenous injection of glycolipid-containing mycolic acid (trehalose 2,3,6'-trimycolate) purified from cell walls of Rhodococcus aurantiacus (Gordona aurantiaca) (GaGM) in the form of liposome. The histological status of granuloma formation in the livers, spleens, and lungs of GaGM-injected mice was studied at weeks 1 through 5, and the titers of endogenous IFN-gamma in all of these organ extracts and in the sera were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The granulomas, composed of epithelioid cells, developed until 3 weeks postinjection, and thereafter the granulomas regressed. The production of endogenous IFN-gamma was biphasic, with an early phase detected at days 1 through 3 and a late phase detected at weeks 1 through 5. The latter peak of endogenous IFN-gamma production proceeded in parallel with granuloma formation. Both the areas of granulomas and titers of IFN-gamma in these organs were dependent on the doses of GaGM used for injection. The cells which produce endogenous IFN-gamma in the spleens appear within the granulomas. To study the role of endogenous IFN-gamma in granuloma formation, the in vivo administration of rat anti-mouse IFN-gamma monoclonal antibody was carried out. Anti-mouse IFN-gamma monoclonal antibody neutralized endogenous IFN-gamma and resulted in the suppression of the number of granulomas and the size of each granuloma. These findings suggest that biphasic production of endogenous IFN-gamma in the local lesions may be crucial to the formation and development of the granulomas.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

The relationship between clinical symptoms and anaerobic bacteria from infected root canals.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the composition of bacterial flora from infected root canals and clinical symptoms. The materials evaluated consisted of 28 teeth from 25 patients with apical periodontitis. Eubacterium were found to be significantly related to acute or chronic clinical symptoms and Peptococcus, Peptostreptococcus, and Porphyromonas gingivalis to subacute clinical symptoms. We suggested that Peptococcus, Peptostreptococcus, Eubacterium, Porphyromonas, and Bacteroides were significantly related to percussion pain; Porphyromonas and Bacteroides were significantly related to odor in the infected root canals. Many Bacteroides were isolated from most of the infected root canals.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Endotoxin and gram-negative bacteria in the rat periapical lesions.

The purpose of this study was to measure the amount of endotoxin as well as to identify Gram-negative bacteria in experimental periapical lesions in rats. Molar pulps were exposed and infected and the amount of endotoxin in the periapical tissue of the right mandibular first molar was measured by Endospecy, while the colony number of Gram-negative bacteria was determined in the same region of the left mandibular first molar. In the control animals, the amount of endotoxin in the periapical tissues did not change at all during the experimental period, and no Gram-negative bacteria were isolated. In the experimental animals, the amount of endotoxin in the periapical tissues increased gradually from 1 to 70 days, and its level was significantly greater than that of control animals after 7 days. Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from the periapical tissues and their number gradually increased from 1 to 14 days (26 to 82%), but decreased at 21 days. It was approximately 60% from 28 to 70 days. The results of this study showed that the amount of endotoxin in the periapical tissues gradually increased with increasing time and that Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from the same region but did not increase in number concurrently with the increase in the amount of endotoxin.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Correlation between increased susceptibility to primary Toxoplasma gondii infection and depressed production of gamma interferon in pregnant mice.

To explore a possible mechanism of pregnancy-associated suppression of T cell-mediated immunity to Toxoplasma gondii, acquired resistance and gamma interferone (IFN-gamma) production in pregnant mice were compared with those in virgin mice after infection with the S-273 strain of this protozoan parasite. The 50% lethal dose of this strain was less than 200 tachyzoites for pregnant mice and 2,800 organisms for virgin controls. Toxoplasma-induced production of both IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma in the bloodstream of pregnant mice was significantly depressed as compared with that in virgin controls. The administration of recombinant murine IFN-gamma (rMuIFN-gamma) resulted in a significant decrease of mortality and parasitic growth in the organs of pregnant mice infected with a lethal dose of S-273 strain tachyzoites. Thus, the impairment of T cell-mediated immune responses was evident in pregnant mice from the impaired IFN-gamma-generating capacity and poor survival rate after primary infection with Toxoplasma. When mice with chronic Toxoplasma infection were injected with specific antigen, the resultant production of IFN-gamma was also significantly suppressed during pregnancy. However, there was no direct correlation between the serum levels of IFN-gamma and susceptibility to reinfection, since the mortality rate of chronically infected pregnant mice after the challenge with the high virulent RH strain was not significantly higher than that of virgin controls.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Endogenous tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, and gamma interferon levels during Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice.

Mice were infected intravenously with a sublethal dose of Listeria monocytogenes cells and then levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in the bloodstreams, spleens, and livers were monitored. The maximum level of TNF was detected at 72 h in the spleens and livers, but TNF was never detected in the bloodstreams. IL-6 appeared in the bloodstreams and spleens and peaked at 48 h. The maximum level of IFN-gamma could be detected in all three specimens, and the highest titer was shown in the spleens. Endogenous TNF production was suppressed by in vivo administration of anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody (MAb) or anti-asialo GM1 antibody but not by anti-CD8 MAb, whereas none of these antibodies suppressed endogenous IL-6 production. Endogenous production of neither IL-6 nor IFN-gamma was inhibited in rabbit anti-recombinant mouse TNF-alpha antibody-treated mice. Similarly, production of TNF and IL-6 did not decrease in anti-mouse IFN-gamma MAb-treated animals, but TNF production was augmented in these animals. These results suggest that the these endogenous cytokines are produced by different mechanisms in L. monocytogenes infection.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Functional evaluation of tumor-infiltrating mononuclear cells. Detection of endogenous interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in human colorectal adenocarcinomas.

Quantitative evaluation of the levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the extracts of tumors and their corresponding normal tissues resected from 43 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma was done using solid-phase, sandwich radioimmunoassay. The levels of both IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha detected in the tumor tissues were higher than those in the corresponding normal colorectal tissues obtained from each patient. A significant negative correlation was observed between the level of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in each tumor extract. The decrease of the level of IFN-gamma in the tumor correlated with the advance of clinical stage, and the levels of IFN-gamma of the patients with distant metastases were significantly lower than those of the patients without distant metastases. However, an increase in the level of TNF-alpha correlated not only with an enlarged diameter but also with the extent of the primary tumor. Immunohistochemical staining of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha producing cells in tumor tissues showed that IFN-gamma was mainly produced by CD4+ CD8- T-lymphocytes and TNF-alpha was mainly produced by CD11c+ cells with macrophage-like morphology. These results suggest that CD4+ T-lymphocytes that produce IFN-gamma might play an important role in the antitumor response against cancer progression in human colorectal adenocarcinomas.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1991

Immunoregulatory cytokine release in rat spleen cell cultures after treatment with bleomycin and its analogues in vivo.

We have studied the immunological effects that accompany a change in the chemical structure of a group of antineoplastic antibiotics by comparing the immunoregulatory cytokine release during mitogen-stimulated spleen cell culture after in vivo drug treatment. Whereas bleomycin and peplomycin increased cytokine levels in culture supernatants when compared with supernatants from untreated control rat spleen cell cultures, liblomycin generally reduced cytokine levels under the same culture conditions. We then compared these results with the antitumor effects of equivalent doses of the three drugs against a highly antigenic rat fibrosarcoma, KMT-17, both in vivo and in vitro. The results suggest that the immunoaugmenting effects of these antitumor antibiotics are essential for an optimal antitumor effect in vivo, and that these effects can be drastically altered by modification of the chemical structure of the drugs employed.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Endogenous gamma interferon-independent host resistance against Listeria monocytogenes infection in CD4+ T cell- and asialo GM1+ cell-depleted mice.

The effects of in vivo administration of antibodies against T-cell subsets and asialo GM1 (ASGM1)-bearing cells on endogenous gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) production and host defense in Listeria monocytogenes-infected mice were investigated. Endogenous IFN-gamma titers in the bloodstreams and spleen extracts of mice on day 2 of infection were partially suppressed by administration of rabbit anti-ASGM1 antibody, but not by anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody (MAb) or anti-CD8 MAb. Of the different combinations of these three antibodies, the most suppressive effect on IFN-gamma production was observed after administration of anti-CD4 Mab and anti-ASGM1 antibody, although anti-CD8 MAb combined with anti-CD4 MAb partially inhibited IFN-gamma production. In contrast, antilisterial resistance was suppressed by the administration of anti-CD8 MAb but not by anti-CD4 MAb or anti-ASGM1 antibody. Antilisterial resistance in mice in which both CD4+ cells and ASGM1+ cells had been depleted was performed as efficiently as in normal mice in spite of the fact that endogenous IFN-gamma production was markedly suppressed. Furthermore, these mice also eliminated L. monocytogenes cells efficiently from the spleens even when they were pretreated with anti-mouse IFN-gamma MAb. These results indicate that CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and ASGM1+ cells are all responsible for endogenous IFN-gamma production and that antilisterial resistance and endogenous IFN-gamma production are not absolutely correlated.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Interferon induction by human herpesvirus 6 in human mononuclear cells.

Interferon (IFN) production after inoculation with human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) was studied in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 10 HHV-6-seropositive healthy adults and five samples of cord blood mononuclear cells. When the cells were exposed to HHV-6 at a multiplicity of infection of 10(-2) 50% tissue culture infectious doses/cell, IFN activity was detected as early as 12 h after exposure to HHV-6, plateaued at days 2-5, and gradually decreased thereafter. IFN was also induced by ultraviolet-inactivated but not heat-inactivated HHV-6. The response of cord blood mononuclear cells was lower than that of the cells from healthy adults. The activity of all IFN samples was stable to acid and exclusively neutralized by anti-human IFN-alpha. The IFN-producing cell population was mainly non-T cells and monocytes. Furthermore, exogenous IFN suppressed HHV-6 replication. Production of IFN-alpha may be an important part of the host response to HHV-6.

Cell Separation↗
PubMed1990

Evidence that endogenous gamma interferon is produced early in Listeria monocytogenes infection.

It has been presumed that gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), which plays an essential role in antilisterial resistance, is produced late in Listeria monocytogenes infection. In the present study, however, IFN-gamma was detected in the bloodstreams and spleens of mice from days 1 to 4 of L. monocytogenes infection by both a double-sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and an immunohistochemical technique, suggesting that endogenous IFN-gamma is produced early but not late in L. monocytogenes infection.

Animals↗