Biomedical subjects

C S Wang

Publications and source records attributed to C S Wang.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1998

Mass spectrometric characterization and glycosylation profile of bovine pancreatic bile salt-activated lipase.

We developed a procedure for the large scale isolation of bovine bile salt-activated lipase (BAL) for its crystallization [Wang, X., et al. (1997) Structure 5, 1209-1218] and also carried out a study on the molecule's glycosylation profile for a better deduction of the structure of the enzyme. Mass spectrometric analysis of the CNBr-generated peptides indicated that only one (Asn-361) of the two potential N-glycosylation sites (Asn-187 and Asn-361) with NXT motif is glycosylated. The analysis of the isolated CNBr peptide containing Asn-361 showed that it existed in three glycoforms in a ratio of 1.0:2.8:1.0, with oligosaccharide moieties weighing 1900.1, 2045.2, and 2336.4 Da, respectively. The major oligosaccharide chain contained mannose: galactose:N-acetylglucosamine:fucose:sialic acid in a molar ratio of 2:2:4:2:1. It was also determined that the potential O-glycosylated peptide (CB13) is not O-glycosylated and, in addition, it was found that there was microheterogeneity in the C-terminus of the isolated bovine BAL. The results obtained from this mass spectrometric study combined with the X-ray crystallographic studies provide more precise structural information on BAL. The procedure described here for the mass spectrometric analysis of CNBr-generated peptides also has general applicability for analysis of the glycosylation profile of glycoproteins and the C-terminal peptide structure of proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1998

Differences in risk factors for being either a hepatitis B carrier or anti-hepatitis C+ in a hepatoma-hyperendemic area in rural Taiwan.

This is a study of the differences in the risk factors for being either hepatitis B surface antigen positive [HBsAg(+)] or antibody to hepatitis C virus positive [Anti-HCV(+)] in A-Lein, a rural area in southern Taiwan, an area which also has a high hepatoma mortality rate. Three hundred eighty-five patients age > or =40 years participated in hepatoma screening at the A-Lein Community Health Center during 1995. Those who were HBsAg(-) and anti-HCV(-) or had coinfection of HBsAg(+) and anti-HCV(+) were excluded, leaving 293 patients: 109 HBsAg(+) and 184 anti-HCV(+). The anti-HCV(+) patients had a lower socioeconomic status (as defined by level of education and type of occupation) and were older than HBsAg(+) patients (P < 0.05). Those with higher alanine aminotransferase levels (ALT) also had a higher anti-HCV(+) to HBsAg(+) odds ratio (OR), and a dose response relationship was found, P < 0.0001. Anti-HCV(+) patients were more likely than HBsAg(+) patients to have a spouse who shared the infection, OR = 5.11; 95% CI, 2.30-11.28. Anti-HCV(+) patients were more likely than HBsAg(+) patients to have had blood transfusions (OR = 2.66; 95% CI, 1.20-5.89), frequent medical injections (OR = 2.64; 95% CI, 1.62-4.31), or injections by non-licensed medical providers (OR = 1.91; 95% CI, 1.18-3.09). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the significant factors for anti-HCV(+) patients vs. HBsAg(+) patients are drinking habit (OR = 3.45; 95% CI, 1.02-11.60), age (OR = 6.33; 95% CI, 2.93-13.68), and frequent medical injections (OR = 2.88; 95% CI, 1.65-5.03). The transmission of hepatitis C in A-Lein is closely related to low socioeconomic status, age, alcohol abuse, spouses being anti-HCV(+), and frequent medical injections, especially from non-licensed medical providers, including both pharmacists and those with no medical licensing whatsoever. These nonlicensed medical providers sometimes reuse needles to save money, which is a likely route of infection.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

An intelligent control system for ventilators.

This study reports on a ventilator system that consists of several intelligent modules for controlling ventilator operation. These modules are software programs in two controllers. One controller is a personal computer used for diagnoses, determining settings and checking the effects of settings. The other controller is a single-chip microprocessor in a ventilator that controls the ventilator's settings in accordance with the computer settings. After setting up the system, an artificial lung model simulating a patient's lung is used to test the system. The result of test run indicated that it always responds to a patient's lung condition in a stable manner. Thus, the proposed system with its intelligent modules may assist clinicians in caring for patients and managing ventilator operation.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1998

Differing characteristics of hepatitis B and C risk factors among elders in a rural area in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Both hepatitis B and C are major health concerns in Taiwan. The goal of this study was to determine how risk factors for hepatitis B and C differed in this study population. It was also hoped that the data might help determine how age and place of residence affect hepatitis risk factors. METHODS: Complete serum and hepatitis marker analysis (HBsAg and AntiHCV) was done for 282 individuals over 65 years old. Of these, 254 were interviewed for risk factor analysis. RESULTS: Of the 282 subjects, 8.2% were HBsAg+, 27.3% were AntiHCV+, and 3.2% were both HBsAg+ and AntiHCV+. AntiHCV+ subjects were more likely than AntiHCV-subjects to have had frequent medical injections, odds ratio (OR) = 2.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.68, 5.12), and it was the only independent risk factor for determining AntiHCV+, OR = 3.26, 95% CI (1.85, 6.11) (N = 254). The AntiHCV+ group had higher alanine and asparate aminotransferase levels but lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels than AntiHCV- and HBsAg+ groups (p < .0001). Abnormal ALT existed in 40.3% of AntiHCV+ and 10.7% of AntiHCV- cases. ALT was associated with AntiHCV and sex, although abnormal AST was only associated with AntiHCV. CONCLUSIONS: AntiHCV was closely related with frequent medical injections and was the primary risk factor for abnormal ALT and AST levels in this study population. It appears that frequent medical injections are an important risk factor because of the previously common habit of reusing syringes. This is of major concern to elders in Taiwan because of their much greater likelihood of repeated exposure.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Characterization of a desiccation-related protein in lily pollen during development and stress.

This work characterizes a lily (Lilium longiflorum Thunb. cv. Snow Queen) anther (LLA) protein associated with desiccation. Peptide mapping analysis revealed that the abundant LLA-23 doublet contained similar polypeptides, having an isoelectric point of 6.1. Immunoblots of pollen protein from developing anther/pollen confirmed that the LLA-23 protein accumulated only at the later stage of pollen maturation and that the levels remained steady in mature and vital pollen. The accumulation of LLA-23 proteins was correlated with desiccation that naturally occurred in pollen. Subcellular fractionation of pollen proteins revealed that the protein was located in the cytoplasmic fraction. Premature drying of developing pollen confirmed that the concomitant accumulation of LLA-23 was associated with desiccation. Peptide sequence analysis demonstrates similarities between the lily LLA-23 and a family of water-deficit/ripening-induced proteins including LP3 of pine, DS2 of potato, and Asr of tomato and pummelo. In addition, the concomitant accumulation of LLA-23 can be experimentally manipulated by methyl jasmonate (Me-JA) and salicylic acid (SA) as well as by mannitol and methyl viologen. The LLA-23 represents a novel member of the water-deficit/ripening-induced proteins.

Acetates↗

PubMed1998

Sepsis during total parenteral nutrition: exploration of risk factors and determination of the effectiveness of peripherally inserted central venous catheters.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is the most frequent serious complication during total parenteral nutrition (TPN), resulting in increased morbidity, mortality and health care costs. Existing reports have not documented the risk factors of sepsis during TPN. The objectives of this study were to determine the rate of sepsis in our practice and to explore the risk factors for sepsis during TPN. We also determined the role and efficacy of using peripherally inserted central venous catheters (PCVC) as insertion catheters to administer TPN. METHODS: From October, 1994, to May, 1996, we administered TPN to 378 pediatric patients hospitalized at Mackay Memorial Hospital. We followed all cases for the occurrences of any complications while administering TPN. We studied all patients who had fever, a clinical presentation of sepsis and a positive blood culture during their course of TPN. RESULTS: During the 20-month period 378 patients received TPN for a total of 6562 days. Fifty-six patients presented with clinical sepsis and positive blood cultures. Significant features in the sepsis group included longer duration of TPN, age < 3 months, usage of central venous catheters, gastrointestinal diseases as indication for TPN, low birth weight and short gestational age in prematurity. Seven patients died despite prompt antimicrobial therapy. One hundred eleven patients received TPN via PCVC for a mean duration of 17.1 days, significantly longer than 10.4 days in the peripheral intravenous catheter group but no difference between the sepsis rates. CONCLUSION: Considering the high incidence of sepsis during TPN, every attempt should be made to minimize the length of TPN therapy and encourage early enteral feeding. We also recommend the use of PCVC in patients requiring prolonged nutritional support.

Catheterization, Central Venous↗

PubMed1998

Alcohol-related problems in Taiwan with particular emphasis on alcoholic liver diseases.

Socioeconomic development has led to a progressive increase of alcohol consumption in Taiwan, with an accompanying increase in alcohol-related psychiatric problems, traffic accidents, and liver disease. The prevalent rates of alcohol dependence for Han Chinese and Fomosan aborigines were 0.1% and 1%, respectively in 1950. The rate of alcohol dependence increased to 23% for aborigines in 1995. The number of cases of death and serious injuries due to alcohol-related traffic accident has decreased, and the number of fatalities resulting from these accidents has decreased from third to eighth since the inception of a program of random traffic stops with alcohol breath test in 1997. Alcohol liver disease (ALD) was defined as daily alcohol consumption of 60 g, for a duration of longer than 5 years. We classified ALD patients into two groups: (1) those whose average daily consumption of alcohol exceeded 120 g for a duration longer than 15 years (group A); and (2) all other patients (group B). The case records of 33 cases of biopsy-confirmed ALD were obtained for study. The average of daily alcohol consumption in these cases was 160 g. All but one of these patients were male, age ranged from 26 to 69 years, with an average of 43.1. Clinically, ill-defined gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common presentation (61%), and hepatomegaly was the main physical sign (73%). The average mean corpuscular volume values of ALD and non-ALD patients were 102.3 +/- 10.94 and 94.5 +/- 8.1, respectively (p < 0.01). The mean corpuscular volume values of group A and group B were 102.9 +/- 9.7 vs. 96.5 +/- 9.11 (p < 0.05). Result from serum SGOT/SGPT and gamma-glutamyltransferase/alkaline phosphatase for ALD and non-ALD revealed statistically significant differences between these groups. Using the avidin-biotin complex technique, tissue IgA deposition for ALD patients was found to be different from that of non-ALD patients. Ten of 13 ALD patients vs. 2 of 13 non-ALD patients had continuous-form IgA deposition. Histologically, 45.5% of ALD patients had alcoholic cirrhosis, whereas alcoholic hepatitis was present in only 9.1% of patients. Overall, 88% of cases showed various severity of fatty metamorphosis.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Intra-arterial carbon dioxide-enhanced ultrasonogram of hepatocellular carcinoma treated by transcatheter arterial embolization and percutaneous ethanol injection therapy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of carbon dioxide-enhanced ultrasonography (CO2-US) in the evaluation of viable hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) which were treated by transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE), percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), or a combination treatment (TAE and PEI). Forty-one patients with 66 HCC were included in the study. They underwent CO2-US and angiography were performed in all tumours after they were treated by TAE, PEI or a combination treatment. Forty-six tumours were positively enhanced by CO2-US and 40 of them were positive by angiography. These 46 tumours were proved to be viable tumours either by biopsy or by follow-up studies. The positive predictive value was 100% for CO2-US and 87.8% in angiography. Twenty tumours were negative by CO2-US and these were also negative by angiography. Carbon dioxide-enhanced ultrasonography is a more reliable method for detecting the viable portion of the treated HCC compared with conventional angiography.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Prognostic factors in node-negative breast cancer patients: the experience in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Adjuvant chemotherapy has improved the length of disease-free survival and overall survival in node-negative breast cancer patients. It has been a common practice to select only the patients with higher rates of recurrence for adjuvant therapy. Therefore, it is essential to define the risk factors in node-negative breast cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred fifty-five patients with axillary node-negative breast cancers without adjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal therapy at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between 1981 and 1986 were included in this study. Tissue blocks for DNA flow cytometry study was available in the tumors of 145 patients. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 121 months and the percentages of patients with 10 years of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were 75.1% and 82.2%, respectively. The significant poor prognostic factors for 10 years of OS were a tumor size larger than 3 cm, negative estrogen and progesterone receptor status, and having a non-diploid tumor (p value = 0.0176, 0.048 and 0.016, respectively). The patients with frozen section, high mitotic rate, and Scarff-Blood-Richardson (SBR) grade II and III tumors had a worse prognosis than the others, but this trend did not reach statistical significance. The patients with positive estrogen receptor status had a 10-year disease-free rate (DFR) of 94%, and these with tumors less than 2 cm plus SBR grade I had a 10-year DFR of 92%. CONCLUSION: The node-negative breast cancer patients with a low risk of recurrence were those who had estrogen receptor positive, tumor less than 2 cm with SBR grade I, and intraductal carcinomas. Adjuvant chemotherapy would be no benefit for these patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Anticardiolipin antibody-related Budd-Chiari syndrome: report of a case.

We report a case of a 37-year-old female who suffered from upper abdominal pain, progressive abdominal distention, shortness of breath, palpitation and pitting edema of lower legs for more than one month. Abdominal sonography showed small caliber of hepatic veins, mild hepatosplenomegaly and moderate ascites. Computed tomography of abdomen disclosed extensive thrombi in bilateral femoral veins, ovarian veins and inferior vena cava. Ascites was transudate with normal cell count. Laboratory data showed hypoalbuminemia, mild elevation of total bilirubin and iron deficiency anemia. Anti-cardiolipin antibody was positive and antinuclear antibody was negative. The histopathological features, including sinusoidal dilatation with atrophic change of adjacent hepatocytes, slight congestion and hemosiderin-like material within the cytoplasm of Kupffer cells, were compatible with the criteria of Budd-Chiari syndrome. Heparin was intravenously administered immediately to prevent further progression of thrombosis. The ascites was successfully controlled with diuretics (spironolactone and furosemide). After a two-week course of treatment, she was discharged in good condition and on warfarin anti-coagulant medication.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Helicobacter pylori in surgical specimens from patients with resectable gastric adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in surgical specimens from patients with respectable gastric adenocarcinoma using a histological method, and to study the specific biology of H. pylori-associated gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The presence of H. pylori in resected specimens from 276 patients treated between October 1994 and October 1996 was evaluated histologically using hematoxylin-eosin stain. Clinicopathologic data, including age, gender, cancer location, invasion depth, histologic type (intestinal or diffuse), stage (early or advanced), and the histology of the noncancerous gastric mucosa, were compared between patients testing positive and those testing negative for H. pylori. RESULTS: The overall positive rate of H. pylori was 27.5%. H. pylori-positive gastric cancer was frequently associated with atrophic gastritis or intestinal metaplasia in the noncancerous tissue, but was not associated with other variables. CONCLUSION: The results contradict the prevailing concept that H. pylori rarely colonizes in the metaplastic mucosa. To determine whether patients who have normal mucosa with superficial gastritis have a lower seroprevalence of H. pylori, further serologic study of the IgG antibody against H. pylori is mandatory. Our histologically positive rate is relatively lower than the seropositive one. More tissue samplings and special stains may provide more precise results.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1997

Semen quality in workers with long-term lead exposure: a preliminary study in Taiwan.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the semen quality from five workers in a lead battery manufacturing factory. Blood and semen samples were taken to measure lead concentrations. These samples were compared with samples from eight workers not exposed to lead, based on age, marital status and duration of marriage. Results showed lead concentrations in blood and semen were significantly higher in the exposed group. However, comparisons based on sperm count, motility and viscosity showed no significant differences. There was a significant negative relationship for the exposed group between motility and blood-lead and semen-lead concentrations. Comparing sperm count and blood-lead and semen-lead concentrations, there was a non-significant negative relationship. Semen-lead concentrations and semen pH were significant factors that explained the semen count and semen motility results. Prolonged exposure to lead may have harmful effects on the body's reproductive functions.

Humans↗

PubMed1997

The crystal structure of bovine bile salt activated lipase: insights into the bile salt activation mechanism.

BACKGROUND: The intestinally located pancreatic enzyme, bile salt activated lipase (BAL), possesses unique activities for digesting different kinds of lipids. It also differs from other lipases in a requirement of bile salts for activity. A structure-based explanation for these unique properties has not been reached so far due to the absence of a three-dimensional structure. RESULTS: The crystal structures of bovine BAL and its complex with taurocholate have been determined at 2.8 A resolution. The overall structure of BAL belongs to the alpha/beta hydrolase fold family. Two bile salt binding sites were found in each BAL molecule within the BAL-taurocholate complex structure. One of these sites is located close to a hairpin loop near the active site. Upon the binding of taurocholate, this loop becomes less mobile and assumes a different conformation. The other bile salt binding site is located remote from the active site. In both structures, BAL forms similar dimers with the active sites facing each other. CONCLUSIONS: Bile salts activate BAL by binding to a relatively short ten-residue loop near the active site, and stabilize the loop in an open conformation. Presumably, this conformational change leads to the formation of the substrate-binding site, as suggested from kinetic data. The BAL dimer observed in the crystal structure may also play a functional role under physiological conditions.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Pancreaticojejunal anastomotic leak after pancreaticoduodenectomy--multivariate analysis of perioperative risk factors.

The records of 131 consecutive patients with periampullary carcinoma who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy within a 12-year period were reviewed to determine the perioperative risk factors of pancreaticojejunal (PJ) anastomotic leak. Twenty-one PJ leaks were identified, for a frequency of 16% (21 of 131); 19% (4 of 21) of these patients eventually died of PJ leak-related complications. A total of 23 items of perioperative data, presumed as risk factors predisposing to PJ leak, were examined. By univariate analysis, advanced age, prolonged duration of untreated jaundice, deep jaundice, decreased creatinine clearance, increased intraoperative blood loss, and shock during operation were statistically significant. However, by multivariate analysis, only duration of jaundice, creatinine clearance, and intraoperative blood loss turned out to be independent risk factors. Noteworthily, jaundiced patients with impaired creatinine clearance not only had a higher incidence of PJ leak, but were also more liable to experience sepsis and intraabdominal bleeding, which uniformly elicited a grave clinical course. Routine preoperative biliary drainage failed to enhance the security of PJ. Completion pancreatectomy continued to carry a poor prognosis, and should be avoided when possible and replaced by early, aggressive radiologic intervention.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Retrograde lymphatic spread: a likely route for metastatic ovarian cancers of gastrointestinal origin.

In order to outline the pathways of gastrointestinal malignancies metastasizing to the ovaries, we reviewed 103 cases of metastatic ovarian tumors, and also performed para-aortic lymph node sampling on 11 patients at operation for metastatic ovarian tumors. Of the 103 patients, 74% (26/35) with gastric cancer and 67% (45/67) with colorectal cancer had lymph node metastasis at or before the diagnosis of ovarian tumor. Intraperitoneal metastases presented in 49 and 42% of patients with gastric and with colorectal cancers, respectively. Twenty-three percent of gastric cancer patients and 25% of colorectal cancer patients presented with both lymph node and intraperitoneal metastases. The ovary was the first or among the early metastatic organs diagnosed in 51 of the 53 patients with metachronous ovarian metastases. Only 4 patients with colorectal cancer and none with gastric cancer showed parenchymal organ metastases. These 4 patients also showed intraperitoneal lesions, and 3 of these 4 patients had node metastasis. Among the 11 patients who underwent prospective para-aortic lymph node sampling during operation for the ovarian tumors, only 1 had enlarged para-aortic nodes depicted by computed tomography, 2 had grossly enlarged (>/=1.5 cm) para-aortic lymph nodes noted at surgery, and 6 of the 7 patients with gastric cancer and all 3 with colorectal cancer had metastatic nodes histologically. Among the 58 nodes taken from these patients, 67% showed metastatic foci. We concluded that lymph node metastasis is frequently seen in patients with metastatic ovarian tumors of gastrointestinal origin, and hypothesized that retrograde lymphatic spread is a likely route for the metastases.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

An analysis of unnatural deaths between 1990 and 1994 in A-Lein, Taiwan.

This is an analysis of all unnatural deaths (ICD-9, E47-E55) that occurred between 1990 and 1994 in A-Lein, Taiwan. Unnatural deaths for this period totalled 134, or 89.66 per 100,000 per year. The crude accidental mortality rate (E47-E53) and road traffic accident (RTA) mortality rate (E54 is many times larger than in other industrialized countries: 2.1-5.1 times and 2.4-7.7 times, respectively. These figures are even higher for males. The reported suicide rate in A-Lein is approximately equal to that in the UK, but less than other industrialized countries. The actual suicide mortality rate in A-Lein as computed in this survey was 1.8 times higher than reported, which was 2.4 times that of Taiwan as a whole and 2.1 times Great Britain; 30.9 per cent of male and 75 per cent of female unnatural deaths excluding RTAs were suicides (ICD-9 E48-E55). RTA deaths were 3.2 times higher among males than among females (P < 0.05) and 26.8 per cent were associated with alcohol consumption. Only 21.4 per cent of killed motorcyclists wore helmets and only 8.3 per cent of killed car drivers used seat belts. Unnatural deaths excluding RTAs were mostly among people of low socio-economic status aged 50-60 years with less than a college education. Of these, 75 per cent occurred at home or at work. The most common cause of non-traffic unnatural death excluding RTAs was suicide, and the second most common was drowning. In conclusion, it was found that high unnatural death rates in A-Lein are related to low socio-economic level, sex (males), drinking, inadequate safety protection while working and driving, and inadequate law enforcement.

Accidents↗

PubMed1997

Prognostic study of gastric cancer without serosal invasion: reevaluation of the definition of early gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Early gastric cancer, a term defined by Japanese researchers in the 1960s, is equivalent to pT1 tumor stage regardless of nodal status. Recently, there were suggestions to exclude node-positive pT1 gastric cancer from this entity and to consider node-negative pT2 gastric cancer as early gastric cancer. STUDY DESIGN: A survival analysis was conducted of 294 patients who underwent resection for gastric cancers confined within the gastric wall (pT1, n = 164; pT2, n = 130) between 1986 and 1992. RESULTS: The cumulative 5-year survival rate was 93.5% for pT1 patients and 67.9% for pT2 patients, with an overall survival of 82.5%. There was a significant difference in the 5-year survival rate between node-positive and node-negative pT1 patients (72.8% versus 95.6%; p = 0.0095). The 5-year survival rate of node-negative pT2 patients (80.4%) was significantly worse than that of node-negative pT1 patients (p = 0.011) but was not significantly better than that of node-positive pT1 patients (p = 0.4). If excellent prognosis is a prerequisite for the definition of early gastric cancer, then node-positive pT1 cancer and node-negative pT2 cancer should not be considered early gastric cancer. CONCLUSIONS: In the 1990s, now that new imaging techniques such as endoscopic ultrasonography has been introduced, the preoperative staging of gastric cancer can be made more accurately than in the 1960s, when the term "early gastric cancer" was defined. Because the prognosis of early gastric cancers, if subcategorized by nodal status, is not homogeneously excellent, a reevaluation of the definition of early gastric cancer may be necessary.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Characterization of a lily tapetal transcript that shares sequence similarity with a class of intracellular pathogenesis-related (IPR) proteins.

This study addresses isolating and characterizing a cDNA clone corresponding to a tapetum-specific transcript, designated as PR-10a from Lilium longiflorum. Anther ontogeny is histologically divided into three consecutive phases. The first encompasses early proliferative stages and differentiation of the locules. The second concerns microspore development from the onset of meiosis through microspore maturation. The final phase involves pollen maturation, originating with microspore mitosis through pollen formation. The lily PR-10a transcript is anther-specific and temporally expressed only at the phase of microspore development during which the tapetal cells become polarized, highly secretory, and exhibit loss of cell walls. The maximal level of PR-10a transcript coincides strictly with the peak of tapetal secretory function. Comparing mRNA and cDNA insert sizes reveals that PR-10a is close to full-length. Sequence analysis demonstrates similarity between the predicted lily PR-10a and asparagus AoPR1 protein, potato pSTH2 and pSTH21 proteins, parsley PcPR1 and PcPR3 proteins, bean PvPR1 and PvPR2 proteins, lupin L1R18B protein, pea 149 protein and a family of major allergens including Cor a 1 of hazel, Car b 1 of hornbeam, Aln g 1 of alder, Bet v 1 of birch and Api g 1 of celery. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported organ/tissue-specific IPR protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗