Biomedical subjects

C Geetha

Publications and source records attributed to C Geetha.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Design and validation of anti-inflammatory peptides from human parotid secretory protein.

Parotid secretory protein (PSP) and palate-lung-nasal epithelium clone (PLUNC) are novel secretory proteins that are expressed in the oral cavity and upper airways. Both proteins are related to bactericidal/permeability increasing protein (BPI). Cationic peptides derived from BPI exhibit anti-inflammatory activity. To test if PSP (C20orf70 gene product) also contains anti-inflammatory peptides, we designed 3 cationic peptides based on the predicted structure of PSP and known active regions of BPI. Each peptide inhibited the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated secretion of TNFalpha from RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. At 200 microg/mL, the peptide GK-7 exhibited inhibition similar to that achieved with 10 microg/mL of polymyxin B. PSP peptides directly inhibited the binding of LPS to LPS-binding protein. The cationic peptide Substance P had no inhibitory effect in these assays, confirming the specificity of the PSP peptides. These findings suggest that PSP peptides can serve as templates for the design of novel anti-inflammatory peptides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Expression and anti-bacterial activity of human parotid secretory protein (PSP).

Parotid secretory protein (PSP) is an abundant protein in mouse and rat parotid glands. A related sequence (C20orf70) was identified on human chromosome 20. The goal of this study was to determine if PSP is expressed in the human parotid gland. The cDNA for human PSP was amplified from a human parotid cDNA sample. A peptide antibody, raised to the C-terminal peptide of PSP, identified the protein in human parotid tissue by immunofluorescence microscopy. Immunoaffinity chromatography suggested that PSP was expressed in human saliva. PSP is related to bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI). To test if PSP exhibits anti-bacterial activity, epitope-tagged PSP was expressed in rat GH4C1 cells. The secretion medium exhibited bacteristatic or bactericidal effects on Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a colony-forming assay when compared with secretion medium from GH4C1 cells that did not express PSP. These results suggest that PSP is expressed in the human parotid gland and saliva, where it functions as a BPI-like anti-bacterial protein.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Camel kidney ferritin: isolation and partial characterization.

Camel kidney ferritin was isolated from a tissue homogenate by thermal denaturation, ammonium sulphate fractionation, Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration and DEAE-blue gel affinity chromatography. The yield and the iron and neutral carbohydrate contents were 0.012 mg/g wet tissue, 4.0% and 2.7%, respectively. The phosphate:iron ratio was 0.13, twofold lower than that reported for camel liver ferritin. Native gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of a monomeric ferritin. SDS gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting showed two types of subunits, heavy and light, contrary to the extensive heterogeneity observed in camel liver ferritin. In general, the tissue ferritins shared a similar amino acid composition. However, a twofold lower glycine and an eightfold higher arginine content were recorded for camel kidney ferritin. In addition, kidney ferritin had a relatively high content of glutamic acid. Cross-reactivity studies by Ouchterlony double diffusion and noncompetitive indirect ELISA revealed a distinct cross-reactivity between buffalo ferritin antiserum and camel liver ferritin, but camel liver ferritin showed only weak cross-reactivity.

Amino Acids↗

PubMed1999

Purification and characterization of fish liver ferritins.

Ferritin from the liver of fresh, salt and brackish water fishes was purified by thermal denaturation of liver homogenate followed by ammonium sulphate fractionation and Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration. Yield and iron content of purified fish ferritins were 0.016-0.026 mg/g of wet tissue and 4-14%, respectively. The iron content of ferritins from marine and brackish species was higher than from fresh water species. The phosphate/iron ratio ranged from 0.5 to 1.8 and was higher than mammalian ferritins. The fish ferritins have 5-6% neutral carbohydrate. Native gel electrophoresis and molecular weight analysis revealed the presence of a monomeric ferritin. SDS-gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting showed a single protein band of 21 kDa suggesting the presence of similar sized subunits in the native structure of fish ferritins. Isoelectric focusing revealed microheterogeneity with five to seven bands of pI values between 4.1 and 7.0. Variations in the amino acid composition were observed. Proline and arginine were not detected in murrel and salmon species, respectively. High proline and low tyrosine contents were recorded for perch ferritin. Immunological studies by non-competitive indirect ELISA revealed varying degrees of cross-reactivity. Mammalian ferritins exhibited a moderate cross-reactivity with anti-fish ferritin. On the contrary, very low or no cross-reactivity was observed between fish ferritin and anti-mammalian ferritin. Ferritins from bony fishes such as murrel and rohu exhibited a high degree of cross-reactivity with anti-shark ferritin. However, a moderate cross-reactivity was observed between shark and anti-murrel ferritin. Ferritin from marine bony fishes, salmon and mackerel and perch (brackish) showed a low to very low cross-reactivity with both the antisera.

Amino Acids↗