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Biomedical subjects

D Hornby

Publications and source records attributed to D Hornby.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Tracing the origin of the RACTK1 K(+) channel.

Potassium secretion by the kidney is vital for the maintenance of K(+) homeostasis. RACTK1, a putative inwardly rectifying potassium channel cloned from cultured rabbit collecting duct cells, has been proposed to play a role in this process. However, the lack of homology with any other cloned potassium channel and the inability to reproduce the results across different laboratories has brought into question the existence of RACTK1. Recently, it has been suggested that RACTK1 is a contamination from Escherichia coli. In this work we add conclusive evidence supporting the bacterial origin of RACTK1. Using both genomic PCR and RT-PCR we were unable to detect RACTK1 in a number of mammalian species. In addition sequencing of RACTK1 cDNA confirmed a complete homology between RACTK1 and a region of E. coli genomic DNA. Finally, a hypothesis on how RACTK1 could have been generated from a contamination by E. coli genomic DNA is presented.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Regulation of distal nephron K+ channels (ROMK) mRNA expression by aldosterone in rat kidney.

1. The expression of ROMK mRNA isoforms in rat kidney was measured using competitive polymerase chain reaction. Under basal conditions the expression of ROMK2 and 3 mRNA was significantly higher than that of ROMK1 or 6. 2. Administration of aldosterone for a period of 1 week significantly increased the mRNA expression not only of the alpha1-subunit of the Na+-K+-ATPase, but also of ROMK2, 3 and 6. 3. These data not only provide evidence that ROMK K+ channels may be involved with mineralocorticoid-sensitive K+ secretion in the distal nephron, but also demonstrate for the first time that ROMK6 may be involved in this process.

Actins↗
PubMed1998

The polypeptide backbone of recombinant human zona pellucida glycoprotein-3 initiates acrosomal exocytosis in human spermatozoa in vitro.

Human gamete interaction is of fundamental biological importance, yet the molecular interactions between spermatozoa and the zona pellucida are poorly understood. Surprisingly, the role of the polypeptide backbone of zona pellucida glycoprotein 3 (ZP3), the putative ligand for spermatozoa activation, has been largely overlooked. Purified recombinant human ZP3 was expressed in Escherichia coli as a C-terminal fusion to the dimeric glutathione S-transferase (GST) from Schistosoma japonicum and was shown to induce acrosomal exocytosis in live, capacitated human spermatozoa. The level of exocytosis is comparable with that obtained using purified, glycosylated, recombinant human ZP3 [van Duin, M., Polman, J.E.M., DeBreet, I.T.M., Van Ginneken, K., Bunschoten, H., Grootenhuis, A., Brindle, J. and Aitken, R.J. (1994). Biol Reprod. 51, 607-617]. These data imply that the polypeptide chain of human ZP3 contributes to recognition of spermatozoa during acrosomal exocytosis in vitro.

Acrosome↗
PubMed1996

Imaging ROMK1 inwardly rectifying ATP-sensitive K+ channel protein using atomic force microscopy.

The inwardly rectifying K+ channel ROMK1 has been implicated as being significant in K+ secretion in the distal nephron. ROMK1 has been shown by immunocytochemistry to be expressed in relevant nephron segments. The development of the atomic force microscope has made possible the production of high resolution images of small particles, including a variety of biological macromolecules. Recently, a fusion protein of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and ROMK1 (ROMK1-GST) has been used to produce a polyclonal antibody for immunolocalization of ROMK1. We have used atomic force microscopy to examine ROMK1-GST and the native ROMK1 polypeptide cleaved from GST. Imaging was conducted with the proteins in physiological solutions attached to mica. ROMK1-GST appears in images as a particle composed of two units of similar size. Analyses of images indicate that the two units have volumes of approximately 118 nm3, which is close to the theoretical volume of a globular protein of approximately 65 kDa (the molecular mass of ROMK1-GST). Native GST exists as a dimer, and the images obtained here are consistent with the ROMK1-GST fusion protein's existence as a heterodimer. In experiments on ROMK1 in aqueous solution, single molecules appear to aggregate, but contact to the mica was maintained. Addition of ATP to the solution produced a change in height of the aggregates. This change (which was reversible) suggests that ATP induces a structural change in the ROMK1 protein. The data show that atomic force microscopy is a useful tool for examination of purified protein molecules under near-physiological conditions, and furthermore, that structural alterations in the proteins may be continuously investigated.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1994

Component analysis and characterization of a nuclear deoxyribonucleotidase.

We have previously reported the identification of a novel activity residing in the nuclear fraction of mammalian cells that selectively binds and hydrolyses deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates. Incubation of this protein with [alpha-32P]dATP leads to the appearance of a retarded band relative to free dATP when the reaction is analysed on non-denaturing polyacrylamide gels. We now show that the retarded species comprises the product of dATP hydrolysis (dADP or dAMP) bound to an as yet unidentified species. We have termed this complex the 'product-nucleotide binding particle' or PNBP*. Through a combination of continuous elution polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and gel-filtration chromatography, we demonstrate that the hydrolytic activity (dNTPase) is distinct from the radiolabelled species detected in gel-retardation experiments. T.l.c. confirms that the labelled product does not share RF values associated with a range of mono-, di- and tri-phosphate deoxyribonucleotide standards, and gel-filtration experiments suggest a molecular mass for PNBP* of between 2.5 and 3 kDa. The ability of purified PNBP* to retain its nucleotide ligand after a number of denaturing processes suggests that the ligand is covalently bound. The recovery of dNTPase activity from both gel-filtration and ion-exchange chromatography reveals that the as yet unliganded PNBP* (or a precursor form) is associated with the dNTPase enzyme as part of the active complex, prior to addition of dATP.

Animals↗