Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E Muñoz.
Fatty acid anilides, the major xenobiotic found in the cooking oils responsible for the Spanish toxic oil syndrome, are immunogenic for rabbits as ascertained by a skin test reaction, the characterization of specific antibodies against anilides and the immunofluorescent detection of 'anilide dependent antigens' in tissue slices from treated animals.
Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of purified ATPase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus (E.C. 3.6.1.3.), a complex oligomeric protein, induces extensive conformational changes in it. In this report, we describe some physicochemical properties of the enzyme forms obtained. They can be summarized as follows. (1) The subunit stoichiometry of the enzyme is altered by the absorption and desorption process since most of the forms obtained are defective in gamma and delta subunits. An important reduction in the molar proportion of alpha subunit is also observed; (2) the fluorescence spectra of the different forms show progressive tyrosine residues which roughly correspond to the extent and strength of the interaction existing before elution of the enzyme; (3) circular dichroism measurements reveal changes of the secondary structure of the F1-ATPase undergoing an increase in alpha-helical content; (4) the ordered, active forms eluted from the hydrophobic chromatography columns are less stable than the native protein, as shown by dialysis experiments. These results while supporting the use of hydrophobic chromatography as a simplified model of membrane-membrane protein interaction, also indicate the need for caution in its application to the purification of complex membrane proteins.
Health care costs presently comprise more than one tenth of the nation's gross national product: One third of these expenditures are made by Medicare-Medicaid. National reimbursement changes for Medicare under a Diagnostic-Related Group system began October 1, 1983. Hospital charges (excluding physician charges) for all patients who underwent cholecystectomy without common bile duct exploration (Diagnostic-Related group 197 and 198) from Jan. 1, 1983 to March 31, 1983 were examined to quantify mean charges, variances, and components of hospital charges. Twenty-one patients (mean age 46.1 years) underwent elective cholecystectomy and 24 patients (mean age 64.9 years) underwent emergency cholecystectomy. The mean charge for elective cholecystectomy was $4763 +/- $1656; the mean length of stay (LOS) was 8.0 +/- 3.2 days. Low and high trim points were $3211 to $10,639 and 5 to 19 days LOS. Quartile cost analysis of the cost per patient showed that Q1 = 18.5%, Q2 = 21.2%, Q3 = 24.0%, and Q4 = 36.3%. Analysis of services showed that laboratory work (urinalysis, hematology, coagulation, microbiology, and biochemistry) averaged $451 +/- $298 (9.5% of total), room and board $2635 +/- $1044 (55.3% of total), operating and recovery room $924 +/- $167 (19.4% of total), and central supply-pharmacy $350 +/- $158 (7.4% of total). The mean charge for patients undergoing emergency cholecystectomy was $11,436 +/- $4185; mean LOS was 17.8 +/- 6.5 days. Low and high trim points were $6353 to $19,734; LOS was 9 to 30 days. Services as percent of total were laboratory 15.8%, room and board 53.7%, operating and recovery room 9.14%, central supply-pharmacy 7.3%, and radiology 8.2%. Several important findings are noted: (1) For a given disease there is marked variance of hospital charges. (2) Mean charges of emergency patients were 240% that of elective patients. (3) Consumption of services varies significantly within each group and between groups. This study demonstrates the importance of in depth financial analysis of therapies. This is a first step to identify the components of variance where reduction will not affect quality of care.
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The combined use of proteolytic digestion and lactoperoxidase catalyzed labelling with [125I] applied to membrane-bound or soluble pure F1-ATPase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus has allowed us to establish the topography of its alpha, beta, gamma and delta subunits within the protein molecule and with respect to the plane of the membrane. The beta subunit is most externally located to the membrane bilayer looking towards the cytoplasmic face, a position consistent with its proposed catalytic role. The alpha and gamma subunits lie in an intermediate layer between the beta subunits and the membrane, in which the gamma subunit occupies a central position within the F1-ATPase molecule in contact with the alpha subunit. The delta subunit appears to be tightly bound to the F0 component of the ATPase complex, probably buried in the membrane bilayer. A molecular arrangement of M. lysodeikticus ATPase is proposed that, taking into account the subunit stoichiometry alpha 3 beta 3 gamma 2 delta 2 (MW 420 000), accommodates the role assigned to each subunit and most, if not all, the known properties of this bacterial energy-transducing protein.
An allopurinol metabolite, 4-aminopyrazolopyrimidine, was tested on two different strains of mice (NMRI-IVIC and C57Bl/6J) that had been infected 4 days earlier with the virulent Ya strain of Trypanosoma cruzi. Low doses of 4-aminopyrazolopyrimidine (0.125-0.500 mg/kg body wt/day) for 10 days induced a significant reduction in parasitemia (direct counts and subinoculation experiments) and increased survival time (without any evidence of toxicity) compared with untreated animals. When tested in vitro, 4-aminopyrazolopyrimidine was sixfold more active than allopurinol as a trypanostatic drug. The low therapeutic doses of 4-aminopyrazolopyrimidine suggest that this drug may be useful in the treatment of acute Chagas' disease.
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We have identified cytoplasmic and membrane-associated proteinases from Micrococcus lysodeikticus (M. luteus) by the use of 125I-labeled casein and insulin as substrates. The membrane-associated activities were released by shock washing. Proteolytic activities showed pH optima at slightly alkaline values and we have concentrated on the activities at pH 8.0. The total units of both proteolytic activities were higher in the cytoplasmic than in any other fractions but the situation was different when the results were expressed in terms of specific activity. The activities against casein and insulin were differentiated by the action of inhibitors, divalent metal ions, Arrhenius plots and dependence on ionic strength. On these grounds, it is proposed that the membrane-associated enzyme acting on insulin is a single thiol proteinase while the proteolysis of casein reflects the action of, at least, two enzymes (thiol proteinase and serine proteinase). The distinction between the casein and insulin degrading activities was confirmed by crossed-inhibition experiments and by their behaviour on gel chromatography and concentration-dependence experiments. The aggregating properties have hampered the purification of the enzymes. The present results raise doubts about the significance of preventing membrane damage and degradation of membrane proteins by the addition of indiscriminated proteinase inhibitors during membrane isolation and manipulation.
1. Two membrane fractions were separated from rabbit white muscle SR by discontinuous sucrose gradient. 2. Both crude and membrane fractions were shown to contain AChE, Ca2+-stimulated and Ca2+- independent ATPase activities. 3. 1% W/V Triton X-100 solubilized most of the AChE and Ca2+-stimulated ATPase but the Ca2+- independent ATPase was poorly solubilized. 4. AChE was sensitive to BW284c51, non-sensitive to ethopropazine and presented inhibition by excess of the substrate, ATCh. 5. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis from Triton-treated crude SR revealed several bands of AChE and ATPase activities. 6. SDS-gel electrophoresis from crude SR showed two polypeptides specifically labelled with [3H]DFP.
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We developed a sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay of the energy-transducing adenosine triphosphatase (F1-ATPase, EC 3.6.1.3) of Micrococcus lysodeikticus and extended the assay to the alpha-, beta- and gamma-subunits of the enzyme. We isolated these subunits and studied cross-reactions. We found the immunochemical properties of alpha- and beta-subunits to differ, and gamma-subunits showed an intermediate behaviour between that of alpha- and beta-subunits. Our findings indicate that each subunit of M. lysodeikticus F1-ATPase has its own identity and that conformational antigenic determinants and/or co-operative antigenic sites-arise from subunit assembly. Equimolecular amounts of alpha- and beta-subunits (up to three copies of each) reconstituted partially the immunochemical properties of the ATPase molecule, and addition of 2 mol of gamma-subunit per mol of alpha 3 beta 3 complex improved reconstitution. Our findings describe the first reconstitution of biological activity of this ATPase by assembly of the isolated subunits, and provide support for earlier proposals on the stoicheiometry of the alpha 3 beta 3 gamma 2 type for M. lysodeikticus F1-ATPase. The radioimmunoassay method affords opportunities to study the homologies between different energy-transducing ATPases and their constituent polypeptides before the primary structure of these complex proteins has been determined.
The effect of a low protein (4%) diet on the activity of the hydrolytic enzymes ribonuclease, deoxyribonuclease, acid and alkaline phosphatases, beta-glucuronidase and lysozyme has been studied in the spleen and thymus of weanling Wistar rats. Experimentation was carried out over 20 and 30 days, and comparisons were made with well-nourished (12% protein) controls. Body weight decreased during the terminal period in protein-deficient animals (P less than 0.001). Spleen and thymus absolute net weights also dropped significantly (P less than 0.001). In terms of organ weight relative to body weight, there was a clear decrease in thymus compared with controls (P less than 0.001). Enzyme activities expressed per total organ fell significantly. Thus, in spleen at 20 days the decrease was maximum in ribonuclease activity (91.15%) and minimum in acid phosphatase activity (44.09%). Thymus decreases ranged from 83.60% activity in beta-glucuronidase and 93.56% in ribonuclease. At 30 days decreases were accentuated; the maximum value in spleen was 92.34% lysozyme and, in thymus, 97.09% acid phosphatase. A large increase in hydrolytic activity expressed per milligram of protein was registered, especially at 30 days. This increase reached a maximum of 78.08% beta-glucuronidase in thymus and a minimum of 56.1% alkaline phosphatase; acid phosphatase and ribonuclease activities were not modified. In spleen, however, acid phosphatase (34.00%), alkaline phosphatase (62.50%), deoxyribonuclease (39.25%), and beta-glucuronidase (36.01%) increased, but lysozyme and ribonuclease enzymes decreased. We concluded that a low protein diet increases catabolism in spleen and thymus through an enhancement of lysosomal hydrolase activities.
Purified F1-ATPase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus contains zinc in the amount of 1 mol/mol of enzyme. This zinc content correlates with standard values of ATPase activity (assayed with Ca2+-ATP as substrate) of the protein, i.e. 5--6 mumol substrate hydrolysed . min-1 . mg-1. Prolonged dialysis against EDTA results in a zinc-free protein which concomitantly loses its ATPase activity. Chelators such as Zincon, EDTA and L-cysteine inhibit the ATPase activity in concentration and/or time dependence related to their affinity for the metal ion involved. Reconstitution of the metallo (Zn2+) protein is demonstrated by the incorporation to the zinc-free protein of 65Zn2+ in amount near the 1 mol/mol of enzyme. This incorporation was concomitant with the regain of ATPase activity. The inhibition by EDTA and Zincon is reversed specifically by Zn2+ while the inhibition by EDTA is prevented by Zn2+ and Mn2+ and to, a minor extent, by Cd2+. Zn2+ and Ca2+ ions are involved and are probably mandatory in the ATPase activity of M. lysodeikticus F1 but their roles appear to be different and not exchangeable. Other divalent metal ions inhibit the Ca2+-ATPase activity of the Zn2+ protein by the following decreasing order; Hg2+, Fe2+, Co2+, Cd2+, Mn2+, Mg2+. M. lysodeikticus F1-ATPase is thus identified as a metallo (zinc) protein, which requires additional divalent metal ions for ATP hydrolysis.
Groups of mice were inoculated with six Trypanosoma cruzi strains and then treated with 32 mg/kg body weight allopurinol for 10 consecutive days. Effects of the drug on mortality rates were closely evaluated and repeated fresh blood examinations were done. Infected mice showed at least four parasitemia patterns with varied mortality rates and parasitemia levels. Evidence is provided that, independently of the parasitemia pattern or level and strain origin, there are marked differences in the sensitivity to allopurinol between the several T. cruzi strains studied. These differences in drug response seem to be related to biological characteristics of the strains and pose further challenges in the rational therapy of Chagas' disease.
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