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C Liu

Publications and source records attributed to C Liu.

At least 703 records · Page 39Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Protection from Fas-mediated apoptosis by a soluble form of the Fas molecule.

Fas is an apoptosis-signaling receptor molecule on the surface of a number of cell types. Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence analysis revealed a human Fas messenger RNA variant capable of encoding a soluble Fas molecule lacking the transmembrane domain because of the deletion of an exon encoding this region. The expression of soluble Fas was confirmed by flow cytometry and immunocytochemical analysis. Supernatants from cells transfected with the variant messenger RNA blocked apoptosis induced by the antibody to Fas. Levels of soluble Fas were elevated in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, and mice injected with soluble Fas displayed autoimmune features.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

GTPase activation of ATP sulfurylase: the mechanism.

ATP sulfurylase from Escherichia coli K12 catalyzes two, coupled reactions: the hydrolysis of GTP and the formation of activated sulfate (APS). At saturating levels of GTP, the initial rate of APS formation is stimulated 116-fold. The mechanism of this activation has been investigated using isotope trapping, mass spectrometry, and initial velocity kinetic techniques. In the presence of GTP, APS formation proceeds via nucleophilic attack of sulfate at the alpha-phosphoryl group of ATP. Isotope-trapping experiments demonstrate productive, random binding of ATP and GTP. ATP is hydrolyzed to yield AMP and PPi. AMP production requires GTP and is suppressible by sulfate, suggesting GTP-dependent formation of an E*AMP intermediate in the synthesis of APS. Studies using the hydrolysis-resistant nucleotide analogues AMPCPP and GMPPNP demonstrate that GTP hydrolysis precedes scision of the alpha-beta bond of ATP. Product inhibition studies indicate that PPi release occurs prior to the addition of sulfate and APS formation. These results are used to construct a proposed mechanism for the GTP-activated synthesis of APS.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1994

Oligonucleotide studies of sequence-specific binding of chromomycin A3 to DNA.

Systematic kinetic, equilibrium binding, melting, and electrophoretic studies were carried out with oligonucleotides to determine the sequence specificities of chromomycin A3 (CHR) binding to DNA at the self-complementary tetranucleotide level. Decamers of the forms d(GTA-XGCY-TAC) and d(GTA-XCGY-TAC), with X, Y = A, G, C, or T, were used for this purpose. Results indicate that the binding preferences for CHR are in the order -GGCC- > -CGCG- > -GCGC-, -CCGG- > -AGCT- > -ACGT-, -TGCA- > -TCGA-. Detergent-induced drug dissociation studies revealed that CHR dissociates very slowly from both -GGCC- and -CGCG- sequences, with the former being measurably slower than the latter which in turn is at least an order of magnitude slower than the rest of the sequences. Thermal denaturation measurements indicate that the binding of CHR stabilizes the DNA duplex, with -GGCC- and -CGCG- exhibiting the largest effects. Results of gel electrophoretic retardation experiments support our general findings on the relative binding order. Our experimental results support earlier NMR findings by other researchers implicating the preference of aureolic acid drugs at the 5'GC3' step and further reveal significant modulations by the adjacent base pairs. Attempts were made to rationalize our results with the known detailed structural information from NMR studies.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Characterization of human bronchial epithelial cells immortalized by the E6 and E7 genes of human papillomavirus type 16.

We describe a novel human bronchial epithelial cell line immortalized after transfection with the E6 and E7 genes of human papillomavirus type 16. The established HBE4-E6/E7 cell line resembles morphologically the basal cells of the normal human bronchial epithelium and is nontumorigenic. A clonal isolate proved to be more sensitive to terminal differentiation induced by phorbol esters than the parental line, but both are refractory to the effects of serum. HBE4-E6/E7 cells are able to form tubules when grown in a basement membrane-like matrix, indicating that the cellular pathways leading to immortalization and those governing morphogenesis are distinct. This cell line should prove useful in the study of bronchial epithelial cell growth, differentiation, morphogenesis, and carcinogenesis.

Bronchi↗
PubMed1994

Heparin potentiation of the effect of acidic fibroblast growth factor on astrocytes and neurons.

Acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) could stimulate the proliferation of astrocytes and promote the survival of neurons from newborn rat brain in vitro. The effects of aFGF on both astrocytes and neurons were significantly potentiated by heparin. The effect of aFGF (2 ng/ml) with heparin (10 mu g/ml) on the survival of neurons was a hundredfold more potent than that of aFGF (200 ng/ml) without heparin.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Synthesis of 1L-chiro-inositol 2,3,5-trisphosphorothioate, the first partial agonist at the platelet myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor.

The synthesis of L-chiro-inositol 2,3,5-trisphosphorothioate, a novel analogue of the second messenger D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate has been accomplished from the natural product L-quebrachitol. Phosphitylation of (-)-1L-1,4,6-tri-O-benzoyl-chiro-inositol obtained from L-quebrachitol followed by sulfoxidation of the products gave (-)-1L-1,4,6-tri-O-benzoyl-chiro-inositol 2,3,5-tris[di(2-cyanoethyl) phosphorothioate], which was deblocked using sodium in liquid ammonia to give 1L-(-)-chiro-inositol 2,3,5-trisphosphorothioate. 1L-chiro-Inositol 2,3,5-trisphosphorothioate is a partial agonist in the release of intracellular Ca2+ from saponin-permeabilised platelets and is both a key tool for pharmacological dissection of the polyphosphoinositide pathway of cellular signalling and a lead compound for the design of small molecule Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptor antagonists.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Differential accumulation of mRNA and interspersed RNA during Xenopus oogenesis and embryogenesis.

Xenopus oocyte cytoplasmic poly(A)+ RNA has been shown to include two major complex classes: mRNA and interspersed RNA. The former is defined by its translatability, while the latter consists of non-translatable repeat-containing transcripts with unknown functions. In this study we compared the accumulation patterns of total mRNA and a subfamily of interspersed RNA, the XR family (McGrew & Richter, 1989, Dev. Biol. 134, 267-70). The results showed that the XR interspersed RNA level continued to increase throughout oogenesis, while the total mRNA level reached a peak at late stage II and then decreased as much as 40% between stage II and stage VI of oogenesis. In addition we have found that, like mRNA, only about half of the non-translatable XR interspersed RNA underwent deadenylation at oocyte maturation. This result suggested that about half of the interspersed RNA, like certain mRNAs, also contains the U-rich element to protect it from the automatic deadenylation, implying the poly(A) tail of interspersed RNA may play a role during early development.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Mutational analysis defines a C-terminal tail domain of RAP1 essential for Telomeric silencing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Alleles specifically defective in telomeric silencing were generated by in vitro mutagenesis of the yeast RAP1 gene. The most severe phenotypes occur with three mutations in the C-terminal 28 amino acids. Two of the alleles are nonsense mutations resulting in truncated repressor/activator protein 1 (RAP1) species lacking the C-terminal 25-28 amino acids; the third allele is a missense mutation within this region. These alleles define a novel 28-amino acid region, termed the C-terminal tail domain, that is essential for telomeric and HML silencing. Using site-directed mutagenesis, an 8-amino acid region (amino acids 818-825) that is essential for telomeric silencing has been localized within this domain. Further characterization of these alleles has indicated that the C-terminal tail domain also plays a role in telomere size control. The function of the C-terminal tail in telomere maintenance is not mediated through the RAP1 interacting factor RIF1: rap1 alleles defective in both the C-terminal tail and RIF1 interaction domains have additive effects on telomere length. Overproduction of SIR3, a dose-dependent enhancer of telomeric silencing, suppresses the telomeric silencing, but not length, phenotypes of a subset of C-terminal tail alleles. In contrast, an allele that truncates the terminal 28 amino acids of RAP1 is refractory to SIR3 overproduction. These results indicate that the C-terminal tail domain is required for SIR3-dependent enhancement of telomeric silencing. These data also suggest a distinct set of C-terminal requirements for telomere size control and telomeric silencing.

Alleles↗
PubMed1994

Daidzin, an antioxidant isoflavonoid, decreases blood alcohol levels and shortens sleep time induced by ethanol intoxication.

The extract from an edible vine, Pueraria lebata, has been reported to be efficacious in lessening alcohol intoxication. In this study, we have tested the efficacy of one of the major components, daidzin, from this plant extract. When ethanol (40% solution, 3 g/kg body weight) was given to fasted rats intragastrically, blood alcohol concentration (BAC) peaked at 30 min after alcohol ingestion and reached 1.77 +/- 0.14 mg/ml (mean values +/- SD, n = 6). If daidzin (30 mg/kg) was mixed with the ethanol solution and given to animals intragastrically, BAC was found to peak at 90 min after alcohol ingestion and reached only 1.20 +/- 0.30 mg/ml (n = 6) (p < 0.05 vs. controls). The ability of daidzin to delay and decrease peak BAC level after ethanol ingestion was also observed in fed animals. In both fasted and fed rats given alcohol without daidzin, BAC quickly declined after reaching its peak at 30 min. By contrast, BAC levels receded more slowly if daidzin was also fed to the animals. Daidzin showed a chronic effect. Rats fed daidzin for 7 days before ethanol challenge, but not on the day of challenge, also produced lower and later peak BAC levels. Interestingly, daidzin, whether fed to rats only once or chronically for 7 days, did not significantly alter activities of either alcohol dehydrogenase or mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase in the liver. Further experiments demonstrated that daidzin shortened sleep time for rats receiving ethanol intragastrically (7 g/kg) but not intraperitoneally (2 g/kg). To test whether daidzin delayed stomach-emptying, [14C]polyethylene glycol was mixed with ethanol and fed to rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗
PubMed1994

Rhizobium meliloti NodP and NodQ form a multifunctional sulfate-activating complex requiring GTP for activity.

The nodulation genes nodP and nodQ are required for production of Rhizobium meliloti nodulation (Nod) factors. These sulfated oligosaccharides act as morphogenic signals to alfalfa, the symbiotic host of R. meliloti. In previous work, we have shown that nodP and nodQ encode ATP sulfurylase, which catalyzes the formation of APS (adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate) and PPi. In the subsequent metabolic reaction, APS is converted to PAPS (3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate) by APS kinase. In Escherichia coli, cysD and cysN encode ATP sulfurylase; cysC encodes APS kinase. Here, we present genetic, enzymatic, and sequence similarity data demonstrating that nodP and nodQ encode both ATP sulfurylase and APS kinase activities and that these enzymes associate into a multifunctional protein complex which we designate the sulfate activation complex. We have previously described the presence of a putative GTP-binding site in the nodQ sequence. The present report also demonstrates that GTP enhances the rate of PAPS synthesis from ATP and sulfate (SO4(2-)) by NodP and NodQ expressed in E. coli. Thus, GTP is implicated as a metabolic requirement for synthesis of the R. meliloti Nod factors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Identification of factor-binding sites in the duck hepatitis B virus enhancer and in vivo effects of enhancer mutations.

Hepatitis B viruses (hepadnaviruses) can cause chronic, productive infections of hepatocytes. Analyses of the enhancers and promoters of these viruses in cell lines have suggested a requirement of these elements for liver-enriched transcription factors. In this study, a minimum of seven factor-binding sites on the duck hepatitis B virus enhancer were detected by DNase I footprinting using duck liver nuclear extracts. Among the sites that were tentatively identified were one C/EBP-, one HNF1-, and two HNF3-binding sites. Mutations of the HNF1- and HNF3-like sites, which eliminated factor binding, as assessed by both DNase I footprinting and competitive gel shift assays, were evaluated for their effects on enhancer activity. Using a construct in which human growth hormone was expressed from the viral enhancer and core gene promoter, we found that all of the mutations, either alone or in combination, reduced expression two- to fourfold in LMH chicken hepatoma cells. The mutations in the HNF1 site and one of the HNF3 sites, when inserted into the intact viral genome, also suppressed virus RNA synthesis in primary hepatocyte cultures. Virus carrying the latter HNF3 mutation was also examined for its ability to infect and replicate in ducks. No significant inhibition of virus replication was observed in a short-term assay; however, virus with the HNF3 mutation was apparently unable to grow in the pancreas, a second site of duck hepatitis B virus replication in the duck.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Surgical correction of ptosis in ocular fibrosis syndrome.

The surgical management of ptosis is reported in seven patients suffering from the ocular fibrosis syndrome. Satisfactory results were obtained with bilateral Crawford type brow suspension with autologous fascia lata in six patients and bilateral Fox type brow suspension with stored fascia lata in a young child. As patients with ocular fibrosis syndrome usually exhibit little or no Bell's phenomenon, corneal exposure can become a problem after brow suspension. It was recommended that the lids are left just closed on the operating table at the end of the operation. None of the patients required a subsequent procedure to lower an overcorrection of the ptosis. The routine prescription of ocular lubricants for 2 months after ptosis correction is advocated. Urgent brow suspension in young children using non-autologous materials should only be considered if there is a risk of amblyopia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Excimer laser superficial keratectomy for proud nebulae in keratoconus.

Contact lens intolerance in keratoconus may be due to the formation of a proud nebula at or near the apex of the cone. Excimer laser superficial keratectomy was performed as an outpatients with proud nebulae as treatment patients with proud nebulae as treatment for their contact lens intolerance. The mean period of contact lens wear before the development of intolerance was 13.4 years (range 2 to 27 years). Following the development of intolerance, three patients abandoned contact lens wear in the affected eye while the remainder experienced a reduction in comfortable wearing time (mean = 3.75 hours; range: 0-14 hours). All patients had good potential Snellen visual acuity with a contact lens of 6/9 (nine eyes) and 6/12 (one eye). The proud nebulae were directly ablated with a 193 nm ArF excimer laser using a 1 mm diameter beam. Between 100-150 pulses were sufficient to ablate the raised area. Patients experienced no pain during the procedure and reported minimal discomfort postoperatively. In all cases flattening of the proud nebulae was achieved. Seven patients were able to resume regular contact lens wear (mean wearing time = 10.17 hours; range 8 to 16 hours). In three patients, resumption of contact lens wear was unsuccessful because of cone steepness. All patients achieved postoperative Snellen visual acuity of 6/12 or better with a contact lens. Four patients experienced a loss of one line in Snellen acuity. The mean follow up period was 8.3 months (range 2 to 17 months). Excimer laser superficial keratectomy is a useful technique for the treatment of contact lens intolerance caused by proud nebulae in patients with keratoconus. Penetrating keratoplasty is thus avoided.

Contact Lenses↗
PubMed1994

Electrochemical therapy in the treatment of malignant tumours on the body surface.

From November 1988 to May 1991, 113 patients with malignant tumours on their body surface, who were at great operative risk or had refused surgery, underwent local treatment with electrochemical therapy (ECT). After 2.6 years' follow up, total effective rate of the cure was 79.7%. The clinical results were considered satisfactory.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Posturography classification and clinical application].

W-I computerized posturography system, designed by authors of this article, was introduced. Using this system body sway was measured in 60 normal adults and 484 patients with vertigo. 204 patients with confirmed clinical diagnoses were analyzed. Posturography (PSG) may be classified in 16 composite graphic types. Statistics suggested that PSG of 84.5% patients with unilateral peripheral vestibular dysfunction show that the left-right direction graphic type and of 77.8% patients with front-back direction graphic type. The mechanism of the above-mentioned types of posturography was discussed.

Adult↗