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A Ruf

Publications and source records attributed to A Ruf.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

The mechanism of the elongation and branching reaction of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase as derived from crystal structures and mutagenesis.

The binding site for the acceptor substrate poly(ADP-ribose) in the elongation reaction of the ADP-ribosyl transferase poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was detected by cocrystallizing the enzyme with an NAD+ analogue. The site was confirmed by mutagenesis studies. In conjunction with the binding site of the donor NAD+, the bound acceptor reveals the geometry of the elongation reaction. It shows in particular that the strictly conserved glutamate residue of all ADP-ribosylating enzymes (Glu988 of PARP) facilitates the reaction by polarizing both, donor and acceptor. Moreover, the binding properties of the acceptor site suggest a mechanism for the branching reaction, that also explains the dual specificity of this transferase for elongation and branching, which is unique among polymer-forming enzymes.

Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose↗
PubMed1998

Inhibitor and NAD+ binding to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase as derived from crystal structures and homology modeling.

Inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP, EC 2.4.2.30) are of clinical interest because they have potential for improving radiation therapy and chemotherapy of cancer. The refined binding structures of four such inhibitors are reported together with the refined structure of the unligated catalytic fragment of the enzyme. Following their design, all inhibitors bind at the position of the nicotinamide moiety of the substrate NAD+. The observed binding mode suggests inhibitor improvements that avoid other NAD(+)-binding enzymes. Because the binding pocket of NAD+ has been strongly conserved during evolution, the homology with ADP-ribosylating bacterial toxins could be used to extend the bound nicotinamide, which is marked by the inhibitors, to the full NAD+ molecule.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Characterization of the thromboxane synthase pathway product 12-oxoheptadeca-5(Z)-8(E)-10(E)-trienoic acid as a thromboxane A2 receptor antagonist with minimal intrinsic activity.

Thromboxane synthase forms thromboxane (TX) A2 and 12(S)-hydroxyheptadeca-5(Z)-8(E)-10(E)-trienoic acid (HHT) at equimolar amounts. Twelve-oxoheptadeca-5(Z)-8(E)-10(E)-trienoic acid (Oxo-HT) is the primary metabolite of HHT and has been described to be an inhibitor of platelet aggregation. Functional studies, Schild analysis and competitive binding studies were performed to clarify its mode of action. Oxo-HT was prepared biosynthetically as well as chemosynthetically, purified and characterized by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Platelet activation was assessed by determination of shape change, aggregation, fibrinogen binding and P-selectin expression using optical aggregometry and flow cytometry. Oxo-HT 0.1 nM to 50 microM did not induce platelet activation. Furthermore, it had no effect on platelet activation induced by thrombin, ADP or PAF. In contrast, Oxo-HT inhibited platelet aggregation, fibrinogen binding and P-selectin expression induced by U46619 in a competitive manner. Schild analysis for U146619-induced fibrinogen binding and P-selectin expression revealed pA2 values of 6.1 and 6.6, respectively, which correspond to Kd values of approximately 0.8 microM and 0.3 microM, respectively. Oxo-HT also inhibited U46619 induced shape change (IC50 is approximately equal to 10 microM). However, Oxo-HT over a concentration range of 0.1-1 microM enhanced the partial shape change induced by low concentrations of U46619. Thus Oxo-HT seems to possess a minimal agonistic potential, which alone is not sufficient to trigger a platelet activation but can enhance low levels of platelet activation. Oxo-HT blocked the binding of [3H]SQ 29548 in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas HHT did not displace [3H]SQ 29548. The Kd of Oxo-HT determined from competition binding studies was 7.7 microM, about 10-25-fold higher than the apparent Kd determined by Schild analysis. This discrepancy might be due to a desensitization of the TXA2 receptor triggered by the minimal intrinsic activity of Oxo-HT. We conclude that Oxo-HT is a naturally occurring specific TXA2 receptor antagonist with minimal intrinsic activity. Oxo-HT may contribute to the regulation of TXA2-induced platelet activation in vivo.

15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5↗
PubMed1998

Prothrombin gene G20210-->A transition is a risk factor for cerebral venous thrombosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It has been recently reported that a G-->A transition at nucleotide position 20210 in the 3'-untranslated region of the prothrombin gene is associated with elevated plasma prothrombin levels and an increased risk of deep venous thrombosis. To date, it is unknown whether this polymorphism also represents a risk factor for cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). METHODS: Venous blood samples were collected from 45 patients with CVT and from 354 healthy blood donors as controls. A second control group consisted of 131 subjects with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes. Amplification of DNA was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The G-->A transition at nucleotide position 20210 of the prothrombin gene was detected by allele-specific restriction digestion. RESULTS: The G20210-->A transition in the prothrombin gene was found in a heterozygous form in 4 of 45 patients with CVT (8.9%) and in 8 of 354 healthy control subjects (2.3%). This difference was statistically significant (P=0.010). The G20210-->A transition increased the relative risk for CVT approximately 5-fold (age-adjusted odds ratio 5.7; 95% CI 1.5 to 21.5). In contrast, in the group of patients with acute cerebral ischemia, only 3 of 131 subjects (2.3%) were heterozygous for the G20210-->A transition, which corresponded to the prevalence in the group of healthy blood donors. CONCLUSIONS: The recently described G20210-->A transition in the 3'-untranslated region of the prothrombin gene is an inherited risk factor for CVT but obviously not for acute ischemic stroke or TIA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Increased fraction of circulating activated platelets in acute and previous cerebrovascular ischemia.

Determination of circulating activated platelets may be helpful to estimate the prognosis and to stratify therapies in arterial vascular disorders including stroke. We used flow cytometry and phase contrast microscopy to study whether the fraction of platelets expressing p-selectin and CD63 and the fraction of platelets with shape change are increased in patients with acute and previous cerebrovascular ischemia. The proportion of platelets expressing activation dependent antigens was higher in patients with acute (n = 24; p-selectin: 8.23 +/- 4.21%; CD63: 3.53 +/- 2.53%) and with previous cerebrovascular ischemia (n = 46; 3.86 +/- 1.98%; 2.80 +/- 1.79%) as compared to age- and sex-matched control subjects (n = 35; 2.17 +/- 0.96%; 1.79 +/- 0.75%; p < or = 0.005, respectively). In patients with previous ischemia, there was no difference between treatment with aspirin (n = 25) or phenprocoumon (n = 21). Hypertension, diabetes mellitus and smoking were not associated with increased antigen expression (analysis of variance). The fraction of discoid platelets and platelet counts were not significantly different between groups. Our results indicate increased expression of platelet neoantigens in acute and to a less degree in previous cerebrovascular ischemia. Ongoing platelet activation after cerebrovascular ischemia despite therapy with aspirin or phenprocoumon indicates that new anti-platelet drugs may be of benefit for these patients. Flow cytometry appears to be a useful tool to assess platelet function in cerebrovascular ischemia.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Photoaffinity labelling of human poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase catalytic domain.

Photoaffinity labelling of the human poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) catalytic domain (40 kDa) with the NAD+ photoaffinity analogue 2-azido-[alpha-32P]NAD+ has been used to identify NAD+-binding residues. In the presence of UV, photo-insertion of the analogue was observed with a stoichiometry of 0.73 mol of 2-azido-[alpha-32P]NAD+ per mol of catalytic domain. Competition experiments indicated that 3-aminobenzamide strongly protected the insertion site. Residues binding the adenine ring of NAD+ were identified by trypsin digestion and boronate affinity chromatography in combination with reverse-phase HPLC. Two major NAD+-binding residues, Trp1014 of peptide Thr1011-Trp1014 and Lys893 of peptide Ile979-Lys893, were identified. The site-directed mutagenesis of these two residues revealed that Lys893, but not Trp1014, is critical for activity. The close positioning of Lys893 near the adenine ring of NAD+ has been confirmed by the recently solved crystallographic structure of the chicken PARP catalytic domain [Ruf, Menissier-de Murcia, de Murcia and Schulz (1996) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 93, 7481-7485].

Affinity Labels↗
PubMed1997

In-vivo platelet activation correlates with red cell anionic phospholipid exposure in patients with beta-thalassaemia major.

Several clinical and laboratory findings suggest the presence of a chronic hypercoagulable state in patients with beta-thalassaemia major (TM). We have previously shown that isolated TM red blood cells (RBC) strongly enhance prothrombin activation, suggesting an increased membrane exposure of procoagulant phospholipids (i.e. phosphatidylserine). In this study we quantitated the procoagulant activity of RBC in TM and thalassaemia intermedia (TI) patients. We also determined the fraction of activated platelets expressing p-selectin (CD62p) or CD63 in these subjects. Both assays were performed by dual-colour flow cytometry. A significantly (P < 0.01) higher fraction of FITC-annexin V-labelled RBC was found in TM and TI patients, compared to the controls. A highly significant correlation (P < 0.001) was found in TM patients between the number of RBC-bound annexin V molecules and the fraction of CD62p (p-selectin) or CD63-positive platelets. This association between annexin V binding to TM RBC and the expression of platelet activation markers was also found in individual TM patients over time. Thus, the procoagulant surface of TM RBC may accelerate thrombin generation in vivo which, in turn, triggers platelet activation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Structure of the catalytic fragment of poly(AD-ribose) polymerase from chicken.

The crystal structures of the catalytic fragment of chicken poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase [NAD+ ADP-ribosyltransferase; NAD+:poly(adenosine-diphosphate-D-ribosyl)-acceptor ADP-D-ribosyltransferase, EC 2.4.2.30] with and without a nicotinamide-analogue inhibitor have been elucidated. Because this enzyme is involved in the regulation of DNA repair, its inhibitors are of interest for cancer therapy. The inhibitor shows the nicotinamide site and also suggests the adenosine site. The enzyme is structurally related to bacterial ADP-ribosylating toxins but contains an additional alpha-helical domain that is suggested to relay the activation signal issued on binding to damaged DNA.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Freeze-dried human leukocytes stabilized with uranyl acetate during low temperature embedding or with OsO4 vapor after embedding.

Two new simple stabilization procedures for freeze-dried biological material are introduced which are compatible with low temperature embedding (LTE) in Lowicryl. The first method uses a Lowicryl K11M/HM20 mixture supplemented with 0.3% uranyl acetate for LTE. For the second method polymerized Lowicryl blocks containing the freeze-dried material are exposed to OsO4 vapor which penetrates into the Lowicryl block and stabilizes the embedded specimen. The quality of structural preservation is demonstrated with human leukocytes.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed1995

In vivo degradation of human fibrinogen A alpha: detection of cleavage sites and release of antithrombotic peptides.

Several degradation products of fibrinogen have been shown to possess regulatory functions. Using peptide extracts from human blood filtrate, a large number of fibrinogen A alpha fragments was identified. These fragments are generated at known plasmin attack sites and at several novel cleavage sites especially at hydrophobic and basic amino acid residues. One fragment containing the cell attachment site (RGD sequence) of fibrinogen A alpha efficiently inhibits fibrinogen binding and platelet aggregation (IC50:20-50 microM) in vitro. We conclude that in vivo degradation of fibrinogen A alpha results in generation of endogenous antithrombotic peptides with local importance in fibrinolysis and platelet aggregation.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMed1995

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase: structure-function relationship.

Dissection of the human poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) molecule in terms of its structure-function relationship has proved to be an essential step towards understanding the biological role of poly(ADP-ribosylation) as a cellular response to DNA damage in eukaryotes. Current approaches aimed at elucidating the implication of this multifunctional enzyme in the maintenance of the genomic integrity will be presented.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Ultrastructural aspects of platelet adhesion on subendothelial structures.

Platelet adhesion to ligands within the subendothelium induces platelet activation. Ultrastructural and immunocytochemical investigations were carried out to obtain information on the microtopography of the adhesive interactions. Rabbit platelets which react in vivo with endothelial lesions (V. jugularis), and human platelets which react in vitro with collagen were observed. It was shown that the reaction of adhering platelets depends on the micro-topography of the adhesive surface 1. On plane surfaces the platelets spread 2. Collagen fibers induce the formation of focal contacts. They are initiated by binding of ligands to certain transmembrane receptors. The contact mediates the formation of the contractile gel, which acts as a constricting sphere internalizing surface bound ligands, i.e., retraction of collagen networks. Most of the experiments hitherto dealt with platelets that spread. The described findings show that the reaction mentioned above plays a more important role than previously imagined and may be the physiological response of platelets interacting with subendothelial components in vessel lesions.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Flow cytometric detection of activated platelets: comparison of determining shape change, fibrinogen binding, and P-selectin expression.

Platelet activation plays an important role in the pathomechanisms of arterial vascular disorders including stroke, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and myocardial infarction. Circulating activated platelets may be useful markers of local thrombotic events occurring in these diseases. Using flow cytometry circulating activated platelets can be detected by determining: 1. the platelets' shape change on the basis of the different light scatter properties of discocytes and spherocytes, 2. the expression of platelet bound fibrinogen or conformation specific neoantigens on fibrinogen and on its platelet receptor, and 3. the exposure of granule membrane proteins such as P-selectin as a result of platelet secretion. The concentration-effect relationships were determined for the ADP and U46619 induced shape change, fibrinogen binding, and expression of P-selectin. The EC50 for the shape change was 4 times lower than the EC50 for the fibrinogen binding and 29 times lower than the EC50 for the expression of P-selectin. These data clearly demonstrate that the shape change is a more sensitive indicator of platelet activation in vitro than fibrinogen binding or P-selectin expression. Both the shape change and fibrinogen binding were reversible, whereas the expression of P-selectin was irreversible upon stimulation. Reversibility of the shape change may be responsible for the fact that in patients with stroke or PAD the fraction of discocytes did not differ from controls, whereas more than 80% of them revealed a significantly higher fraction of P-selectin positive platelets. Thus the determination of the P-selectin expression reveals a higher diagnostic sensitivity for detecting a platelet activation in vivo than the determination of the shape change.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed1995

Platelet-induced neutrophil activation: platelet-expressed fibrinogen induces the oxidative burst in neutrophils by an interaction with CD11C/CD18.

Mutual contacts and platelet-expressed fibrinogen seem to be required for the stimulation of neutrophils by activated platelets. The beta 2-integrins CD11b/CD18 and CD11c/CD18 are potential receptors for fibrinogen on neutrophils. In order to investigate whether binding of fibrinogen to these integrins is involved, monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) and Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro (GPRP) peptide that inhibits fibrinogen binding to CD11c/CD18 were checked for their effects on the interaction of activated platelets and neutrophils. The luminol-amplified chemiluminescence (CL) as a measure for the oxidative burst of neutrophils was recorded simultaneously to the platelet aggregation in mixed cell suspensions. The adhesion of platelets and neutrophils was determined microscopically. The thromboxane A2 mimetic U46619 was used as a potent platelet agonist but that does not stimulate neutrophils. aggregation and a strong CL of neutrophils. The platelet-induced activation of neutrophils required added fibrinogen which fibronectin or thrombospondin could not substitute for. Cytochalasin D (Cyto D) that blocks actin polymerization totally abrogated the platelet-induced Cl of neutrophils. The MoAb OKM1 against CD11b, which blocks fibrinogen binding to CD11b/CD18 as well as the MoAbs IOT16 and IOT18 directed against CD11a and CD18, respectively, had no effect. In contrast, the MoAb LeuM5 which inhibits the binding of fibrinogen to CD11c/CD18 revealed a strong inhibition. Furthermore, GPRP peptide which CD11c/CD18 recognizes on the A alpha-chain of fibrinogen also strongly inhibited the platelet-induced CL of neutrophils, whereas control peptides such as Gly-His-Arg-Pro (GHRP) or Gly-Pro-Gly-Gly (GPGG) had no effect. In contrast to the platelet-induced CL of neutrophils, Cyto D, MoAb against CD11c and GPRP peptide did not inhibit the CL induced by FMLP and PAF in pure neutrophil suspensions. They also did not affect U46619-induced platelet aggregation. The adhesion of platelets and neutrophils was neither dependent on added fibrinogen nor inhibited by Cyto D, MoAb against CD11c and the GPRP-peptide. Therefore fibrinogen and actin polymerization seem not to be required for the adhesion of neutrophils to platelets. However, the activation of neutrophils depends on the interaction of CD11c/CD18 with the A alpha-chain of platelet-expressed fibrinogen and the contractile system of neutrophils.

Blood Platelets↗