Biomedical subjects

C Molinaro

Publications and source records attributed to C Molinaro.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Mental imagery combined with physical practice of approach shots for golf beginners.

Recent research on motor skills of golf have pointed to the usefulness of mental imagery. In golf, such training is rarely used as a teaching technique for beginners on the grounds that only top professionals stand to gain from mental imagery. This study tested whether mental imagery combined with physical practice can improve golf performance for the approach shot. 23 volunteer beginners, 8 women and 15 men, M age 23.4 yr. (SD = 3.7), enrolled in the University Physical and Sporting Activities Department, were divided into three groups, using a combination of physical practice of the approach shot plus mental imagery, physical practice only, and a third group engaging in various sporting activities instead of either mental or physical practice of the chip shot. Analysis showed that the beginners' approach shot performance improved most in the group combining physical practice and mental imagery when compared with the group just physically practising the approach shot. It seems mental training can be used effectively to improve performance even with beginners.

Achievement↗

PubMed2002

Caspase cleavage of the nuclear autoantigen LEDGF/p75 abrogates its pro-survival function: implications for autoimmunity in atopic disorders.

Lens epithelium-derived growth factor p75 (LEDGF/p75) is a nuclear autoantigen in atopic disorders implicated in cellular protection against stress-induced apoptosis. We observed that LEDGF/p75 was cleaved during apoptosis into fragments of 65 and 58 kD generated by caspases-3 and -7 cleaving at three sites: DEVPD30/G, DAQD486/G and WEID85/N. Sequence analysis revealed that the DEVPD30/G and WEID85/N sites lie within the highly conserved HATH (homologous to amino terminus of hepatoma-derived growth factor) region, also known as PWWP domain. Alignment of proteins containing this domain failed to reveal conservation of the DEVPD30/G and WEID85/N sites, suggesting that the HATH/PWWP domain of LEDGF/p75 may be specifically targeted by caspases. Overexpression of LEDGF/p75 protected HepG2 cells from serum starvation-induced cell death, whereas expression of the 65 kD fragment failed to protect. The apoptotic cleavage of LEDGF/p75 may contribute to the pathogenesis of atopic disorders by abrogating its pro-survival function and enhancing its immunogenicity.

Apoptosis↗

PubMed2001

Stability, reactivity, solution, and solid-state structure of halomethylzinc alkoxides.

In this paper, we report our findings regarding the development of a Lewis acid-catalyzed cyclopropanation of allylic alcohols with bis(iodomethyl)zinc. Iodomethylzinc alkoxides can be formed by treatment of an alcohol with bis(iodomethyl)zinc. These species are not prone to undergo cyclopropanation at low temperature but the addition of a Lewis acid in catalytic amounts induces the cyclopropanation reaction. Using this procedure, we demonstrated that the Lewis acid-catalyzed pathway significantly overwhelms the uncatalyzed one. This paper describes fundamental issues regarding the preparation and stability of halomethyl zinc alkoxides in solution as well as their aggregation state in solution and solid-state structures. Furthermore, the competition reaction between the inter- vs intramolecular cyclopropanation will be studied. Finally, we will discuss the possible activation pathways to explain the Lewis acid activation of halomethylzinc alkoxides. These findings provided new insights on the reactivity of ROZnCH(2)I and established the groundwork for the elaboration of an enantioselective version of the reaction.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Catalytic asymmetric cyclopropanation of allylic alcohols with titanium-TADDOLate: scope of the cyclopropanation reaction.

A substoichiometric amount of titanium-TADDOLate complex was effective at catalyzing the cyclopropanation reaction of allylic alcohols in the presence 1 equiv of bis(iodomethyl)zinc. After initial optimization of the catalyst structure, excellent yields and enantiomeric ratios were obtained for 3-aryl- or 3-heteroaryl-substituted allylic alcohols (up to 97:3). Alkyl-substituted allylic alcohols gave modest yields and enantiomeric ratios (up to 87:13) but these compare favorably with those observed with other substoichiometric chiral ligands. The full synthetic scope of the reaction is presented in this paper.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Secondary necrosis is a source of proteolytically modified forms of specific intracellular autoantigens: implications for systemic autoimmunity.

OBJECTIVE: Specific autoantigens targeted in systemic autoimmunity undergo posttranslational modifications, such as cleavage, during cell death that could potentially enhance their immunogenicity. In light of the increasing interest in the immunologic consequences of defective clearance of apoptotic cells, we sought to determine whether autoantigens cleaved during apoptosis undergo an additional wave of proteolysis as apoptosis progresses to secondary necrosis in the absence of phagocytosis. METHODS: Apoptosis was induced in Jurkat cells with etoposide, anti-Fas antibody, or staurosporine (STS), and in HeLa cells with STS. Progression to secondary necrosis was assessed morphologically and quantified by trypan blue uptake. Autoantigen proteolysis during cell death was examined by immunoblotting of cell lysates using highly specific human autoantibodies as detecting probes. RESULTS: Cells treated with the different apoptosis inducers underwent a rapid apoptosis that gradually progressed to secondary necrosis. During the initial apoptotic stages, several autoantigens, including poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, topoisomerase I (or Scl-70), SSB/La, and U1-70 kd, were cleaved into their signature apoptotic fragments. Progression of apoptosis to secondary necrosis was associated with additional proteolysis of these and other autoantigens in a caspase-independent manner. Some autoantigens (e.g., ribosomal RNP, Ku, and SSA/Ro) appeared to be resistant to proteolysis during cell death. CONCLUSION: In the absence of phagocytosis, apoptotic cells may undergo secondary necrosis, a process associated with additional proteolytic degradation of specific autoantigens. Secondary necrosis may occur in vivo in autoimmune disorders associated with impaired clearance of apoptotic cells and serve as a source of modified forms of specific autoantigens that might stimulate autoantibody responses under proinflammatory conditions.

Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones↗

PubMed1996

Stimulation of mitotic recombination upon transcription from the yeast GAL1 promoter but not from other RNA polymerase I, II and III promoters.

Homologous recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other organisms can be stimulated by transcription. Consistent with this, we find that recombination of a chromosomal ade1 allele with a plasmid-borne ADE1 ORF under the control of the GAL1 promoter increased from 6.1x10(-6) to 1.7x10(-4) when transcription of the plasmid locus was induced by growing the cells in the presence of galactose. Recombination could also be stimulated by over-expressing the Gal4 transcription factor in the presence of the GAL1-ADE1 plasmid, while culturing the cells in dextrose medium. However, when transcription of the same ORF was driven from the highly active promoters of the rDNA (RNA polymerase I), and ADH1 (RNA polymerase II) genes, only background levels of recombination (5-10x10(-6)) were observed, irrespective of the carbon source. Recombination was found to involve integration of the whole plasmid and to depend on RAD51, RAD52 and RAD54. The results indicate that increased accessibility of transcriptionally active chromatin is not sufficient to cause increased rates of this kind of reciprocal exchange.

Alleles↗

PubMed1984

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibody to gentamicin.

Splenocytes from BALB/c mice immunized with a gentamicin-hemocyanin conjugate were fused with X63-Ag8.653 murine myeloma cells to produce hybridomas that secreted monoclonal antibody to gentamicin. Sixteen positive clones were obtained. The monoclonal antibody chosen for a gentamicin immunoassay has been characterized with respect to class, subclass, type of light chain, electrophoretic homogeneity, and binding affinity. Gentamicin monoclonal antibody purified from mouse ascites fluid was analyzed by immunoelectrophoresis, double immunodiffusion, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The results show that the antibody is an IgG2a (kappa). Two bands were detected when the purified antibody was electrophoresed on polyacrylamide gels: a major band and a less mobile minor component (5.6% of the major band). Both were IgG2a (kappa). The major band contained antibody which bound 2.1 moles of the substrate-labeled gentamicin derivative, beta-galactosyl-umbelliferone sisomicin, per mole of IgG, whereas one mole of the minor band bound only 0.095 moles of the substrate-labeled conjugate. The antibody has an affinity constant of 1.22 X 10(10) M-1.

Animals↗