Biomedical subjects
Christine H Lee
Publications and source records attributed to Christine H Lee.
Concomitant information in bioassay and semi-parametric estimation.
This paper presents a flexible modern approach to handling concomitant information for estimating the relative potency parameter in quantitative bioassays. This is accomplished in a semi-parametric framework where the concomitant variable is included non-parametrically. Estimation is then performed using smoothing splines where the point and interval estimators of the relative potency parameter exhibits desirable asymptotic properties.
The bi-directional translocation of MARCKS between membrane and cytosol regulates integrin-mediated muscle cell spreading.
The regulation of the cytoskeleton is critical to normal cell function during tissue morphogenesis. Cell-matrix interactions mediated by integrins regulate cytoskeletal dynamics, but the signaling cascades that control these processes remain largely unknown. Here we show that myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate (MARCKS) a specific substrate of protein kinase C (PKC), is regulated by alpha5beta1 integrin-mediated activation of PKC and is critical to the regulation of actin stress fiber formation during muscle cell spreading. Using MARCKS mutants that are defective in membrane association or responsiveness to PKC-dependent phosphorylation, we demonstrate that the translocation of MARCKS from the membrane to the cytosol in a PKC-dependent manner permits the initial phases of cell adhesion. The dephosphorylation of MARCKS and its translocation back to the membrane permits the later stages of cell spreading during the polymerization and cross-linking of actin and the maturation of the cytoskeleton. All of these processes are directly dependent on the binding of alpha5beta1 integrin to its extracellular matrix receptor, fibronectin. These results demonstrate a direct biochemical pathway linking alpha5beta1 integrin signaling to cytoskeletal dynamics and involving bi-directional translocation of MARCKS during the dramatic changes in cellular morphology that occur during cell migration and tissue morphogenesis.
A 44-year-old woman with dry cough and solitary nodule.
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An elderly man with nonresolving cough, leukocytosis and a pulmonary mass.
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Myocarditis related to Campylobacter jejuni infection: a case report.
BACKGROUND: Myocarditis can develop as a complication of various infections and is most commonly linked to enterovirus infections. Myocarditis is rarely associated with bacterial infections; salmonellosis and shigellosis have been the most frequently reported bacterial cause. We report a case of myocarditis related to Campylobacter jejuni enteritis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 30-year-old previously healthy man presented with a history of prolonged chest pain radiating to the jaw and the left arm. Five days prior to the onset of chest pain, he developed bloody diarrhea, fever and chills. Creatine kinase (CK) and CK-MB were elevated to 289 U/L and 28.7 microg/L. Troponin I was 30.2 microg/L. The electrocardiogram (ECG) showed T wave inversion in the lateral and inferior leads. The chest pain resolved within 24 hours of admission. The patient had a completely normal ECG stress test. The patient was initiated on ciprofloxacin 500 mg po bid when Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from the stool. Diarrhea resolved within 48 hours of initiation of ciprofloxacin. The diagnosis of Campylobacter enteritis and related myocarditis was made based on the clinical and laboratory results and the patient was discharged from the hospital in stable condition. CONCLUSION: Myocarditis can be a rare but severe complication of infectious disease and should be considered as a diagnosis in patients presenting with chest pain and elevated cardiac enzymes in the absence of underlying coronary disease. It can lead to cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure. There are only a few reported cases of myocarditis associated with Campylobacter infection.
Acute hepatitis associated with oral levofloxacin therapy in a hemodialysis patient.
Levofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic commonly used to treat respiratory, urinary tract, skin and soft-tissue infections. Levofloxacin is generally well tolerated and has fewer reported side effects than other fluoroquinolones. We present a case of levofloxacin-associated severe hepatocellular injury. The hepatitis resolved soon after discontinuation of levofloxacin.
Sequential activation of individual PKC isozymes in integrin-mediated muscle cell spreading: a role for MARCKS in an integrin signaling pathway.
To understand how muscle cell spreading and survival are mediated by integrins, we studied the signaling events initiated by the attachment of muscle cells to fibronectin (FN). We have previously demonstrated that muscle cell spreading on FN is mediated by alpha5beta1 integrin, is associated with rapid phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase and is dependent on activation of protein kinase C (PKC). Here we investigated the role of individual PKC isozymes in these cellular processes. We show that alpha, delta and epsilonPKC are expressed in muscle cells and are activated upon integrin engagement with different kinetics - epsilonPKC was activated early, whereas alpha and deltaPKC were activated later. Using isozyme-specific inhibitors, we found that the activation of epsilonPKC was necessary for cell attachment to FN. However, using isozyme-specific activators, we found that activation of each of three isozymes was sufficient to promote the spreading of alpha5-integrin-deficient cells on FN. To investigate further the mechanism by which integrin signaling and PKC activation mediate cell spreading, we studied the effects of these processes on MARCKS, a substrate of PKC and a protein known to regulate actin dynamics. We found that MARCKS was localized to focal adhesion sites soon after cell adhesion and that MARCKS translocated from the membrane to the cytosol during the process of cell spreading. This translocation correlated with different phases of PKC activation and with reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. Using MARCKS-antisense cDNA, we show that alpha5-expressing cells in which MARCKS expression is inhibited fail to spread on FN, providing evidence for the crucial role of MARCKS in muscle cell spreading. Together, the data suggest a model in which early activation of epsilonPKC is necessary for cell attachment; the later activation of alpha or deltaPKC may be necessary for the progression from attachment to spreading. The mechanism of PKC-mediated cell spreading may be via the phosphorylation of signaling proteins, such as MARCKS, that are involved in the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton.