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Biomedical subjects

B Debuire

Publications and source records attributed to B Debuire.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

p53 mutations in Raji cells: characterization and localization relative to other Burkitt's lymphomas.

The nuclear phosphoprotein p53 is an important regulator of cell proliferation in normal cells. Interestingly, the gene encoding p53 has usually undergone mutations in a wide range of tumor types. Recent studies of the p53 gene in Burkitt's lymphomas have demonstrated that mutations are extremely common, and in fact it is rare that both alleles of the p53 gene in these tumors are not inactivated by mutation or deletion. We present here genetic data regarding the status of the p53 gene in the Burkitt lymphoma cell line, Raji. As is typical for this type of tumor, both alleles have undergone point mutations. Further, statistical analysis of available data from a large number of Burkitt's lymphomas indicates an apparent tumor-specific distribution of p53 mutations. The possibility that specific mutations of the p53 gene may be important for different tumor types is discussed.

Alleles

[Pericardial C-reactive protein. A marker of agonal cardiac disease ?].

We studied the influence of the agonal period on the concentrations of acute phase proteins in biological fluids obtained from 26 autopsy cases. We found significant differences for C-reactive protein concentrations in serum and in pericardial fluid, between short and long agonies. The other acute phase proteins studied (alpha-1 antitrypsin, alpha-2 macroglobulin, haptoglobin) failed to show any significant difference in serum and pericardial fluid levels between the two types of agony. The increase in C-reactive protein level in the pericardial fluid is attributed to an "agonal pericarditis" which may result from an agonal myocardial necrosis. Our results could be of interest in forensic medicine.

Adult

Evidence for different human tracheobronchial mucin peptides deduced from nucleotide cDNA sequences.

Highly glycosylated regions or glycopeptides were obtained by proteolysis of human tracheobronchial mucins. They were chemically deglycosylated and the resulting products were used to raise a rabbit antiserum. This antiserum specifically recognized the superanuclear region of respiratory and colonic goblet cells as areas around and below the nucleus of mucin-secreting cells in tracheobronchial mucous glands. A lambda gt11 cDNA library constructed from human tracheobronchial mucosa was screened with this antiserum. Ten positive clones were obtained from screening half of the library (about 10(6) recombinants). The antibodies were purified by absorption to each positive clone; some purified antibodies were specific for goblet cells and others recognized both goblet and mucous cells, indicating that there is differential cellular expression of mucin peptides. The total or partial amino acid sequences deduced from these cDNA clones could be classified into three groups. The first group contained repetitive sequences of eight amino acid residues, almost perfectly identical, and in different arrangements. The second type exhibited homology at their amino and carboxy-terminal ends. The last group had no distinctive feature except for a high content of hydroxy amino acids typical of mucins. Five different clones could correspond to the carboxy-terminal end of tracheobronchial apomucins. These results indicate that human tracheobronchial apomucins consist of a family of different proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence

Polymorphism of the proto-oncogene ETS-1 in hematological malignancies.

We studied a novel restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the proto-oncogenes ETS-1 that we detected in a patient with an acute monocytic leukemia by the presence of two, 3.7 and 10 kb, Xbal fragments on Southern blots of DNA from blast cells and remission blood samples. RFLP analysis of a series of 114 normal donors revealed that only four (3.6%) shared the 10 kb fragment. By contrast, this unusual allele was found in 20 (all lymphocytic or monocytic) of 108 (18.5%) hematological malignancies (p less than 0.001). DNA sequence analysis indicated the disappearance in the rare allele of a Xbal site due to a single point mutation at the 3' end of ETS-1 locus. Molecular consequences of this mutation point to a possible pathogenic involvement of ETS-1 in these disorders and to the question of genetic susceptibility to hematological malignancies.

Anemia, Refractory, with Excess of Blasts

Evidence for the resistance of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and pseudo-hormone, pyroglutamyl histidyl-amphetamine, to degradation by enzymes of the digestive tract in vitro.

TRH and pseudo-hormone (pyro Glu-His-amphetamine) were submitted to the digestion of chymotrypsin and prolidase and independently to the digestion of enzymes of the digestive track: pepsin (stomach), pancreatins (pancreas) and enzymes extracted from the intestinal mucosa (small intestine). Using thin layer chromatography and high voltage electrophoresis techniques to detect enzymic digestion products, only intact TRH and pseudo-hormone were found, indicating that both entities were, under the conditions used, resistant to in vitro digestion by enzymes of the digestive tract.

Amphetamines

The amino acid sequence of the alpha chain of badger (Meles meles) haemoglobin.

The complete amino acid sequence of the alpha chain from the badger (Meles meles) haemoglobin was elucidated using conventional methods chiefly performed on tryptic peptides separated by peptide "mapping" and comparison with human alpha chain. Sixteen differences were noted between the alpha chain of badger and man. Phylogenetic aspects and three-dimensional structure requirements are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence

[Sequential Edman degredation].

Since Edman's first publication in 1950, the stepwise degradation of proteins and peptides is universally performed by protein chemists. We extensively reviewed the different manual degradations. We take two examples of manual degradation: a semi-micromethod and a micromethod in order to illustrate the evolution of manual degradation. The "dansyl-Edman" procedure proposed by Hartley in 1963 completes the manual N-terminal determination of peptides. We describe the different procedures of identification of PTH-amino acids: paper chromatography, thin layer chromatography, gas chromatography and liquid chromatography under high pressure and various modified Edman degradation procedures. Possibilities and limits of the liquid phase Sequenator of Edman reported in 1967 and the solid phase Sequencer of Laursen reported in 1971 are also considered in detail.

Amino Acids

Amino acid sequence of a cyanogen bromide fragment containing the two tryptophanyl residues of lobster arginine kinase (Homarus vulgaris).

Lobster arginine kinase [EC 2.7.3.3] contains 2 tryptophanyl residues and 9 methionyl residues. The whole carboxymethylated protein was first subjected to CNBr cleavage and the resulting fragments were isolated by gel filtration and other experimental approaches. One fragment, CB5, which contains 60 residues including the two tryptophanyl residues and two of the five cysteinyl residues of the protein, was characterized and the results are reported inthis paper. The overall strategy for the establishment of the complete sequence of this fragment was based on the use of three types of peptides: (a) whole cyanogen bromide peptide CB5 which was partially characterized by automatic Edman degradation using a sequencer: 42 steps were performed out of 60 residues, (b) tryptic peptides of CB5, (c) peptides formed by cleavage of S-carboxymethylated arginine kinase (whole protein) at the two tryptophanyl residues with BNPS-skatole. The complete amino acid sequence of the CNBr polypeptide (CB5) which contains the two tryptophanyl residues of the whole protein was established.

Amino Acid Sequence

Primary sequence of the beta-chain of Badger haemoglobin.

Badger (Meles meles) haemoglobin was purified by paper electrophoresis and converted into globin. Chain separation was carried out on a CM-cellulose column in the presence of 8 M urea. The beta-chain was aminoethylated, purified by gel filtration and submitted to tryptic digestion. A fingerprint obtained with the enzymic digests showed 17 distinct ninhydrin-positive spots from which 20 pure peptides were isolated by further electrochromatographic separations. These peptides were sequenced using Dansyl-Edman and Ptc-Edman degradation techniques. The presence of amide residues was confirmed after aminopeptidase M hydrolysis. Taking human haemoglobin beta-chain as a model, the covalent structure could be completely resolved without the help of any further overlapping technique. The following substitutions were noted (badger/human, position): Ala/Pro5, Ser/Ala13, Tyr/Phe41, Asp/Glu43, Ser/Ala70, Glu/Asp73, Lys/Ala76, Asn/His77, Lys/Thr87, Lys/Arg104 and Gln/Pro125. A comparison with other haemoglobin beta-chains already sequenced shows a greater similarity with dog haemoglobin, the only example of beta-chain of known structure in the order of Carnivores.

Amino Acid Sequence

Isolation and characterization of the cyanogen bromide fragments of lobster arginine kinase (homarus vulgaris).

Arginine kinase was aminoethylated in order to block the five free thiol groups on the native enzyme, and then submitted to BrCN cleavage. The BrCN resulting peptides were soluble in propionic acid (10 percent) and subsequently submitted to gel-filtration. The large polypeptide subfractions were citraconylated and resubmitted to differnt gelchromatographies, whereas the short peptide subfractions were submitted to preparative paper electrochromatographies. Eight peptides of 2, 11, 17, 25, 61, 82, 86 and 132 amino acid residues were isolated, one of which is the overlapping of two peptides. The amino acid composition and the end group of all the isolated peptides were established. The short peptides (2, 11 and 17 residues) were sequenced. All peptides possess homoserine at C-terminal position because one methionyl residue is situated at the C-terminal position in the native protein. The polypeptide with 132 residues possessed N-acetylated residue at N-terminal position: therefore this polypeptide is located at the N-terminal position in the protein. The sum and account of each amino acid of the seven isolated peptides were compared to those of the intact protein: the sum of the seven peptides is 331 amino acid residues, whereas the whole protein contains 342 residues. The molecular weight of arginine kinase is revised and calculated on the basis of the present results (37, 687).

Amino Acid Sequence