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Biomedical subjects

E Dittrich

Publications and source records attributed to E Dittrich.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Intermittent administration of betalactam-antibiotics for treatment of severe infection in hemodialysis patients.

Infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients. Still, due to altered pharmacokinetics and potential toxic sideeffects, safe and efficient antibiotic therapy in dialysis patients remains a major challenge. We reviewed our experience with intermittent administration of betalactam antibiotics for treatment of severe infections in hemodialysis patients. A total of 81 episodes of infection in 45 patients was assessed. All patients were treated with betalactam antibiotics (cefepime in 11 episodes, cefpirom in 33 episodes, piperacillin in 9 episodes, amoxicillin in 18 episodes, ceftazidime in 10 episodes, respectively). All antibiotics were given post hemodialysis 3x per week. Treatment was considered efficient in case of a significant decrease in CRP in addition to clinical response. Overall treatment success rate was 85% (69 episodes of infection). The decrease of CRP was 52% (6.9 +/- 5.8 to 3.3 +/- 4.9 mg/dl; p = 0.00003). The mean duration of treatment was 19 +/- 13 days. Treatment was generally well tolerated. We conclude, that severe infections in hemodialysis patients can be treated safely and efficiently with an empiric therapy with betalactam antibiotics. Intermittent administration, potentially allowing ambulatory treatment, is possible.

Amoxicillin↗
PubMed2001

A preceding exchange with polyglucose versus glucose solution modifies peritoneal equilibration test results.

The peritoneal equilibration test (PET) is an important tool for evaluating peritoneal membrane characteristics. The polyglucose icodextrin induces ultrafiltration caused by colloid osmosis through the small pores of the peritoneal membrane and therefore is especially effective during long dwell times. The main indications for polyglucose solutions are daytime dwells in patients on automated peritoneal dialysis and nighttime exchanges in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. In CAPD patients, PET is started immediately after the icodextrin exchange. Therefore, we performed two PETs in each of 15 CAPD patients. PET post-1.36% glucose was performed immediately after a preceding exchange with 2 L of 1.36% glucose dialysate solution (dwell time, 10 hours). PET postpolyglucose was started immediately after a preceding exchange with 2 L of 7.5% icodextrin solution (dwell time, 10 hours). The dialysate to plasma (D/P) ratio of creatinine, phosphate, and sodium during PET postpolyglucose was significantly greater than during PET post-1.36% glucose at 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours of dwell time. The quotient of dialysate glucose at 1, 2, and 4 hours of dwell time to dialysate glucose at 0 dwell time was significantly lower in PET postpolyglucose compared with PET post-1.36% glucose. In the case of creatinine, phosphate, and glucose, PET postpolyglucose curves tended to be steeper than those of PET post-1.36% glucose during the first hour of dwell time, whereas both curves were parallel between 1 and 4 hours of dwell time. The course of D/P ratio curves of urea nitrogen, protein, and albumin was nearly identical between PET postpolyglucose and PET post-1.36% glucose. In a subgroup of 5 patients, D/P ratios of creatinine and phosphate were also greater in PET postpolyglucose compared with PET performed after a long dwell with 2.27% glucose solution. Before a scheduled PET, CAPD patients using icodextrin solution during the nighttime should perform their nighttime exchange with conventional glucose solution.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Internalization of the interleukin 6 signal transducer gp130 does not require activation of the Jak/STAT pathway.

Signalling receptors often undergo receptor-mediated endocytosis. In many cases this internalization is stimulated by ligand binding and activation of intrinsic receptor tyrosine kinases, resulting in a receptor down-regulation. We have analysed whether internalization of the interleukin 6 signal transducer gp130 is dependent on the activation of receptor-associated Jak kinases. By using a chimaeric receptor system we found that receptor mutants that lack box1 and therefore are not capable of activating Jak and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins are still endocytosed efficiently. A chimaeric receptor with the recently identified dileucine internalization motif being replaced by two alanine residues was not efficiently internalized but still capable of recruiting STATs. Furthermore an antagonistic antibody that inhibits the signalling of all interleukin-6-type cytokines via gp130 was internalized as efficiently as an agonistic one that activates the Jak/STAT pathway. Our findings suggest that the endocytosis of gp130 is signal-independent.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Effects of retinoic acid and fenretinide on the c-erbB-2 expression, growth and cisplatin sensitivity of breast cancer cells.

We investigated the effects of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and fenretinide (4-HPR) on c-erbB-2 expression in SK-BR-3, BT-474 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells and on the growth, differentiation, apoptosis and cisplatin (CDDP) sensitivity of SK-BR-3 cells. It has been reported that oestrogen inhibits c-erbB-2 in oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells. Using ELISA, Western and Northern analysis we have demonstrated that ATRA and 4-HPR exert similar effects down-regulating c-erbB-2 protein and mRNA in c-erbB-2-overexpressing SK-BR-3 and BT-474 and in normally expressing MCF-7 cells. Both retinoids inhibit SK-BR-3 cell growth. ATRA induces cellular enlargement and flattening, suggesting epithelial differentiation. 4-HPR causes nuclear and cytoplasmic condensation, DNA fragmentation and externalization of phosphatidylserine, indicating apoptosis. c-erbB-2 expression/activity has been linked to sensitivity against CDDP. Therefore, combinations of ATRA or 4-HPR with CDDP were tested for their anti-proliferative activity. Retinoid-conditioned cells were either exposed to retinoid and CDDP (schedule I, 'continuous retinoid treatment') or to CDDP alone (schedule II, 'retinoid pretreatment'). This retinoid-conditioning followed by CDDP +/- retinoid yields stronger growth inhibition compared with unconditioned cells, which were exposed to CDDP +/- retinoid (schedule III, 'no retinoid pretreatment'). The inefficacy of schedule III indicates that retinoid-conditioning is essential for the improvement of the antiproliferative effect. The interactions in schedules I and II are synergistic for ATRA and CDDP, but slightly antagonistic for 4-HPR and CDDR However, 4-HPR + CDDP is more effective in growth inhibition than each drug alone.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1998

Interleukin-6 and related cytokines: effect on the acute phase reaction.

The acute phase response is the answer of the organism to disturbances of its physiological homeostasis. It consists of a local and a systemic reaction. The latter is characterized by dramatic changes in the concentration of some plasma proteins called acute phase proteins. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been identified in vitro and in vivo as the major hepatocyte stimulating factor. Subsequently, additional hepatocyte stimulating factors, such as leukemia inhibitory factor, oncostatin-M, interleukin-11 and ciliary neurotrophic factor have been discovered. IL-t and related cytokines belong to the so-called alpha-helical cytokine family characterized by four antiparallel helices. IL-6 and IL-6-type cytokines exert their action via plasma membrane receptor complexes consisting of specific cytokine binding subunits and a common signal transducing protein gp130. In this presentation we focus on structure/function studies of IL-6, its receptor subunits gp80 and gp130, the internalization of the ligand/receptor complex and a recently elucidated signal transduction pathway. We have shown that protein tyrosine kinases of the JAK family are associated with the cytoplasmic domain of gp130 and are activated in response to IL-6. Subsequently, the transcription factors--named STATs (signal transducers and activators of transcription)--STAT1 alpha and STAT3 are transiently recruited to the cytoplasmic domain of gp130, where they become tyrosine phosphorylated by JAK kinases. In addition to the tyrosine phosphorylation we have observed that IL-6 also induces a serine phosphorylation of STAT3. This modification occurs with a delayed time-course as compared to the tyrosine phosphorylation and is inhibited by the protein kinase inhibitor H7. We propose that the STAT3 serine phosphorylation is required for transactivation of IL-6 target genes which is also inhibited by H7.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMed1997

Tyrosine kinase signaling pathways control the expression of retinoic acid receptor-alpha in SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells.

Breast carcinomas are frequently characterized by hyperactivated c-erbB receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. Combination of anti-proliferative retinoids with growth-inhibitory c-erbB-specific agents might induce therapeutic benefit. We demonstrate close interactions between the c-erbB and the retinoic acid receptor system in SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells. Epidermal growth factor and heregulin-beta1 activate c-erbB receptors and dose- and time-dependently up-regulate retinoic acid receptor-alpha (RAR-alpha) mRNA. Similar effects have been found for the growth-inhibitory c-erbB-2 receptor tyrosine kinase-activating antibody 4D5 and the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor orthovanadate. In contrast, the tyrosine kinase-inhibitor herbimycin A reduces tyrosine-specific protein phosphorylation and down-regulates RAR-alpha. Our data demonstrate that the expression of RAR-alpha, which represents a key mediator of the anti-proliferative effects of retinoids in breast cancer cells, is regulated by modulators of tyrosine kinase signaling. The levels of RAR-beta and -gamma mRNAs, however, are not affected by such agents.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1996

A complex of the soluble interleukin-6 receptor and interleukin-6 is internalized via the signal transducer gp130.

In human body fluids a soluble form of the interleukin-6 receptor (sIL-6R) has been found which together with interleukin-6 (IL-6) acts agonistically on cells expressing the signal transducer gp130. The means by which the sIL-6R is removed from the circulation is unknown. Here, we show that a complex of 125I-labelled recombinant sIL-6R and IL-6 is internalized by MDCK cells stably transfected with gp130 and by human hepatoma cells HepG2 that endogenously express the IL-6R and gp130. We further show that most of the internalized sIL-6R is degraded within lysosomes. Our studies suggest that cells expressing gp130 are capable of endocytosing an IL-6/sIL-6R complex, thereby removing both from the circulation.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

A di-leucine motif and an upstream serine in the interleukin-6 (IL-6) signal transducer gp130 mediate ligand-induced endocytosis and down-regulation of the IL-6 receptor.

The interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor complex is composed of two different subunits, the IL-6 binding protein (IL-6R, gp80) and the signal transducing component gp130. Our previous studies revealed that the 10-amino acid sequence TQPLLDSEER within the intracellular domain of gp130 is crucial for the efficient internalization of IL-6. Since this sequence contains a putative di-leucine internalization motif, we further analyzed this region by constructing two additional deletions and a series of point mutants. Analyses of these mutants showed that the di-leucine pair (Leu-145 and Leu-146) is essential for ligand internalization, with leucine 145 being less resilient to exchanges. Furthermore, when a chimeric protein (Tac-STQPLL) composed of the Tac antigen fused to the hexapeptide STQPLL of gp130 was studied, we found that this sequence is sufficient to mediate endocytosis and lysosomal targeting of the chimera. Mutational analysis of three serine residues upstream of the di-leucine motif revealed that mutation of serine 139 to an alanine reduces the initial internalization rate by 50%. This finding suggests that a serine phosphorylation may be important for rapid endocytosis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Bidirectional interactions between the estrogen receptor and the cerbB-2 signaling pathways: heregulin inhibits estrogenic effects in breast cancer cells.

The responsiveness of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer to endocrine therapy is frequently reduced in cells over-expressing c-erbB-2. Stimulation of ER suppresses c-erbB-2, indicating that estrogen controls the activity of c-erbB-2. Heregulin (HRG) has been described to bind to c-erbB-3/c-erbB-4 and to stimulate c-erbB-2. Here we describe the effects of HRG on cell growth and on ER and c-erbB-2 expression in breast cancer cell lines containing distinct levels of c-erbB-2 and ER (BT-474: c-erbB-2 , ER+; MDA-MB-361: c-erbB-2++, ER++; MCF-7: c-erbB-2+, ER ). Proliferation of estrogen-stimulated, c-erbB-2 and ER-positive cells is inhibited by HRG in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, HRG dose-dependently inhibits ER expression. Estrogen, however, inhibits c-erbB-2. Estrogen-mediated down-regulation of c-erbB-2 is most pronounced in MCF-7 but weaker in BT-474. In the latter cells HRG efficiently blocks the estrogenic effect on c-erbB-2. In MCF-7 cells, however, the inhibition of c-erbB-2 cannot be completely reverted by HRG. This modulation occurs in all 3 cell lines at protein, RNA and transcriptional levels, suggesting that the activity of the c-erbB-2 promoter, which contains an estrogen-responsive region, is affected by HRG. The intensity of the mutual inhibition between the HRG/c-erbB-2 and the estrogen/ER system depends on the relative levels of ER and c-erbB-2 expression in the respective cell lines.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1995

Retinoic acid induced death of ovarian carcinoma cells correlates with c-myc stimulation.

In the ovarian adenocarcinoma subline N.I, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) induced substantial cell death. This response was elicited only at decreased serum levels. Exposure of N.I cells to increasing concentrations of ATRA was accompanied by a considerable up-regulation of c-myc transcript levels that correlated with the rate of cell killing, which itself was an active process as judged by sustained transcriptional expression. ATRA-triggered rounding and detaching of single cells from the substratum was accompanied by degradation of genomic DNA. We show that the N.I model cell line, which is otherwise highly ATRA-resistant, can undergo an ATRA-triggered suicide program when serum is limited. The accompanying c-myc up-regulation seems to be mediated by retinoic-acid-receptor-independent pathways involving membrane-associated phospholipases instead, because manoalide partly suppressed c-myc induction by ATRA but left constitutive c-myc expression unaffected.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1995

Macrophage colony-stimulating factor is expressed by an ovarian carcinoma subline and stimulates the c-myc proto-oncogene.

A small, fast-growing and non-differentiated clone (N.1) derived from the heterogeneous human epithelial ovarian carcinoma cell line HOC-7 produces an autocrine/paracrine factor that is secreted into the cell culture supernatant. This factor is capable of enhancing mRNA levels of the proliferation-related oncogene c-myc in the more differentiated clone D3 and in normal human fibroblasts MRC.5, but also in N.1 cells themselves. Supernatants enriched for this paracrine/autocrine factor also confer a mitogenic stimulus as measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation. Trypsin can neutralise the stimulating activity of the secreted factor as well as monoclonal antibodies directed against macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). We show that M-CSF and also M-CSF receptor are expressed in N.1 cells and that recombinant M-CSF induces c-myc transcript levels in N.1 cells. This investigation raises the possibility that M-CSF might be an autocrine growth factor in non-differentiated ovarian carcinomas. Inappropriate cytokine production could create a tumour-promoting microenvironment in this cancer type.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1995

Sodium butyrate inhibits c-myc splicing and interferes with signal transduction in ovarian carcinoma cells.

Sodium butyrate (NaB), a physiologically produced short chain fatty acid, dramatically changes the growth rate and also the morphology of a fast growing subclone (N.1) derived from the heterogenous human ovarian carcinoma HOC-7. The mRNA of the growth related proto-oncogene c-myc, constitutively expressed in N.1 cells decreased significantly within 24 h of NaB treatment and remained suppressed until the NaB block was released. Down-regulation was accomplished partially by accelerating degradation of c-myc mRNA and by inhibiting splicing of c-myc transcripts. We demonstrated that NaB blocked general mechanisms in signal transduction, such as the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores, and modulated the activity of serine/threonine kinases. The multiple effects of sodium butyrate on HOC-7 derivatives, as well as on a variety of other cell types investigated by others, may be due to interference with general mechanisms of signal transduction.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1994

Identification of a region within the cytoplasmic domain of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) signal transducer gp130 important for ligand-induced endocytosis of the IL-6 receptor.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) exerts its action via a cell surface receptor complex consisting of two subunits, the IL-6 receptor and the signal transducer gp130. We have studied the role of both transmembrane proteins for IL-6 internalization and ligand-induced down-regulation of cell surface receptors. Co-expression of wild-type and mutant forms of both the IL-6 receptor and gp130 in transiently transfected COS-7 cells revealed that gp130 is essential for efficient endocytosis and receptor down-regulation. Whereas the cytoplasmic domain of the IL-6 receptor is not significantly involved in the internalization process, deletion of the corresponding domain of gp130 resulted in an almost complete loss of the ability to endocytose IL-6. Mutants with different truncations within the intracellular domain of gp130 revealed that a 10-amino acid sequence TQPLLDSEER is crucial for efficient internalization. Since this sequence contains a putative di-leucine internalization motif, we suggest that a di-leucine motif directs the receptor mediated endocytosis of the IL-6 receptor complex.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Biosynthesis and half-life of the interleukin-6 receptor and its signal transducer gp130.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) exerts its action via a receptor complex composed of a ligand-binding subunit (gp80) and a signal transducer (gp130) which both belong to the hematopoietic receptor super-family. Very little is known about the biosynthesis and the biological half-lives of proteins of this superfamily. Therefore, we studied the biosynthesis and maturation of the interleukin-6 receptor and its signaling subunit gp130 by pulse chase experiments in stably transfected Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. We found that both proteins are synthesized as precursors with apparent molecular masses of 67 kDa and 130 kDa, respectively. These receptor forms are processed within 45-60 min into mature proteins of 82 kDa and 150 kDa containing complex-type oligosaccharides. The signal transducer gp130 shows a similar maturation in human hepatoma cells HepG2. The IL-6 receptor appears at the cell surface 45 min after completion of its synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum. In both cell types studied, gp80 and gp130 are rapidly turned over with half-lives of 2-3 h. These half-lives were unaffected by the presence of the ligand IL-6.

Animals↗