PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

G Lauer

Publications and source records attributed to G Lauer.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Cultured gingival epithelium. A possible suitable material for pre-prosthetic surgery.

In cultivating gingival epithelium from people up to the age of 66 years it is possible to gain a differentiated mucosal tissue sheet that is more than 100 times the size of the original biopsy surface. The morphological characteristics are a prickle cell layer with polygonal cells and a basal cell layer with flattened cells. Desmosomes, tonofibrils and microplicae at the superficial side of the epithelium are typical features. There is a cell biological differentiation as the distinct binding of lectins and of a cytokeratin antibody proves. The multiplication in surface area, the possibility of using cells of senior patients and the morphological and cell biological differentiation of cultured gingival epithelium are advantages in its application for the autologous bridging of intraoral defects.

Acetylglucosamine

Cloning, nucleotide sequence, and engineered expression of Thermus thermophilus DNA ligase, a homolog of Escherichia coli DNA ligase.

We have cloned and sequenced the gene for DNA ligase from Thermus thermophilus. A comparison of this sequence and those of other ligases reveals significant homology only with that of Escherichia coli. The overall amino acid composition of the thermophilic ligase and the pattern of amino acid substitutions between the two proteins are consistent with compositional biases in other thermophilic enzymes. We have engineered the expression of the T. thermophilus gene in Escherichia coli, and we show that E. coli proteins may be substantially removed from the thermostable ligase by a simple heat precipitation step.

Amino Acid Sequence

[Peripheral oxygen saturation during dental surgery with and without premedication].

83 adults undergoing dental surgical procedures in local anesthesia were monitored continuously with a pulse oximeter for hypoxemia. 30 patients received as premedication either a combination of a neuroleptic drug and an opiate or a benzodiazepine. There was a drop in the oxygen saturation in 80% of the patients with premedication but only in 66% of the patients without. There were statistical highly significant more periods of hypoxemia in patients with premedication compared to the others. (1548 periods versus 659 periods p less than 0.001). The kind of premedication/sedation does not influence the number of hypoxic episodes. We conclude that especially patients with premedication should only be treated by surgeons with sufficient clinical experience in coping with emergency situations.

Anesthesia, Dental

[Alexithymia and affective expression in endogenous and non-endogenous depression].

Clinical observations and psychopathological reports on patients with endogenous depression suggested a high frequency of alexithymic characteristics in these patients. 21 inpatients with unipolar endogenous depression and 21 inpatients with neurotic-reactive depression, classified according to ICD-9 and DSM-III criteria, were assessed with the content analysis method of Gottschalk-Gleser and the Beth Israel Alexithymia Questionnaire (BIAQ) as well as other questionnaires at two points of time. The gorup with unipolar endogenous depression showed significantly less separation anxiety, diffuse anxiety, total anxiety, hostility directed inward, total hostility and depressivity at both points of time. The endogenous depression group showed significantly higher scores in the BIAQ than the group with neurotic depression. The specifity of alexithymia in psychosomatic patients, its high frequency and the significance of this phenomenon in endogenous depression are discussed.

Adjustment Disorders

Apico-basal osmotic gradient induces transcytosis in cultured renal collecting duct epithelium.

The present experiments report the existence of an apico-basal plasma membrane shuttle in cultured renal collecting duct principal cell epithelium. Apical and basal perfusion under isotonic conditions, 290 mosm phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), has no effect on the shape of the epithelium. In contrast, gradient perfusion of the epithelium with 75 mosm PBS on the apical side and 290 mosm PBS on the basal side for 10 min alters the morphology of the epithelium by causing the originally columnar epithelial cells to become lower, the intercellular spaces to dilate, and the intracellular vesicles to enlarge. Perfusion of the epithelium with isotonic PBS in the presence of electron-dense cellular markers such as gold-coupled GPCDI antibody, recognizing a glycoprotein in the plasma membrane of collecting duct cells (W.W. Minuth, G. Lauer, S. Bachman and W. Kriz, Histochemistry 80:171-182, 1984), cationized ferritin (CF), horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and native ferritin (NF) for 10 min reveals their binding at the apical plasma membrane. Little endocytosis is observable. However, after labeling the luminal side by the cellular markers and following exposure to apical hypotonicity, 75 mosm PBS for 10 min, endocytosis of all markers is enhanced to a high degree. Furthermore, the gold-coupled GPCDI antibody and cationized ferritin are transported within vesicles unidirectionally through the epithelium and are exocytosed at the basolateral aspect, indicating the retrieval and possible translocation of apical plasma membrane. In contrast, volume markers such as NF and HRP are also endocytosed under osmotic gradient exposure, but are not seen to be transcytosed. Therefore, the function of this membrane pathway seems not to be related to water reabsorption, but may be part of a cellular response as protection against the osmotic gradient.

Animals

Differentiation properties of renal collecting duct cells in culture.

In the present study, we were particularly interested in distinguishing specific patterns of structural and functional proteins in the collecting duct system of neonatal and adult kidneys and in cultured renal collecting duct epithelia in order to ascertain the degree of differentiation in the cultures. We studied the distribution of specific renal collecting duct cell markers using morphological, immunohistochemical and biochemical procedures. Cultured renal collecting duct epithelium undergoes maturation in vitro. Examples of morphological differentiation include the appearance of cilia and microvilli at the apical cell pole, and a basement membrane at the basal aspect of the epithelium. Tight junctions with five to seven strands separate the wide intercellular spaces from the apical cell surface. Physiological maturation from a 'leaky' to a 'tight' epithelium is evident from the acquisition of the alpha-subunit of Na/K-ATPase and the development of a high transepithelial potential difference and resistance. Biochemical differentiation is revealed by the expression of specific proteins. The simple-epithelium cytokeratins, PKK1 and PKK2, which are typical intracellular-matrix proteins of mature collecting duct epithelium, maintain the same distribution in cell culture as in neonatal and adult kidneys. An indicator of maturation in vitro is the expression of the collecting duct-specific proteins, PCD2 and PCD3. Newly developed monoclonal antibodies against these antigens reacted similarly with cultured cells and cells of the mature collecting duct system, but they did not label the embryonic ampullae in the cortex of neonatal rabbit kidneys. In contrast, a third collecting duct-specific protein, PCD1, is not expressed by the cultured cells, which indicates the retention of an embryonic characteristic in vitro. Embryonic collecting duct ampullae of the neonatal kidney in situ contain laminin during their development. Laminin is, however, absent in cultured collecting duct epithelium. Biochemical stimulation of the adenylate cyclase system by arginine vasopressin resulted in a twofold stimulation of the enzyme activity. This degree of stimulation is similar to that found in maturing kidneys of neonatal rabbits and indicates another embryonic feature of the cultures.

Animals

Immunocytochemical localization of a renal glycoprotein (gpCDI) synthesized by cultured collecting duct cells.

A sulfated, proline-rich glycoprotein (gpCDI, apparent molecular weight 200,000 in column chromatography and 150,000 in SDS-PAGE) was isolated from cultured renal collecting duct epithelium by centrifugation. Triton X100 extraction and DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography. A DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography fraction with the enriched gpCDI was used for immunization of guinea pigs. The antiserum was prepared for antigen localization by indirect immunofluorescence in collecting duct cell cultures and in tissue sections of neonatal and adult rabbit kidneys. In the cultured collecting duct epithelium, antibody staining of the epithelium and structures of the extracellular matrix was age dependent. Cultures of dedifferentiated collecting duct monolayers revealed positive reaction in the cytoplasm. In neonatal and adult rabbit kidneys, the antibody was localized in the entire collecting duct system but not in the collecting duct ampullae of the newborn kidney. Staining of the cytoplasm was found only in medullary collecting ducts of the neonatal kidney; other portions revealed staining mostly at the basal circumference of the tubule and at the luminal cell borders. Apart from collecting ducts, no other tubular segments were reactive. The cortical and the medullary interstitium contained fluorescent fibres which were concentrated around vascular structures. A possible relation between gpCDI and collagenous compounds is discussed. Bowman's capsule reacted positively, whereas staining of the mesangial matrix was weak. The localization of the antigen, as revealed by indirect immunofluorescence, suggests that gpCDI occurs both in intracellular and extracellular (interstitial) location. Two main points are emphasized: Firstly gpCDI is considered an important constituent in different stages of collecting duct development, and secondly, the staining pattern of the antibody varies with the different portions of both young and adult kidney collecting ducts; this staining heterogeneity may correspond with the known regional differences of collecting duct functions.

Animals

lambda Repressor and cro--components of an efficient molecular switch.

In a lysogen, most genes of phage lambda are repressed; in response to a transient induction signal, they are efficiently switched on. The switch, which consists in part of a tripartite operator to which two regulatory proteins bind, depends not only on DNA--protein interactions, but also on effects transmitted from one DNA-bound protein to another. lambda Exemplifies a strategy that facilitates efficient switching between two physiological states in response to a transient signal.

Animals

Improved methods for maximizing expression of a cloned gene: a bacterium that synthesizes rabbit beta-globin.

In this paper we describe a method for constructing E. coli plasmids that direct efficient expression of genes that encode eucaryotic or procaryotic proteins. No functional assays for the proteins are needed, and they are produced in their native, unfused state. The only requirement is that the genes be isolable without intervening sequences. We describe as an example the construction of a plasmid that directs the synthesis of about 10,000-15,000 monomers per cell of rabbit beta-globin. The essential steps in a typical construction are as follows. --A region of the gene encoding the amino-terminal portion of the protein is fused to DNA encoding an enzymatically active carboxy terminal fragment of beta-galactosidase. The latter is carried on one of three plasmids designed to facilitate the fusion (the construction of these three plasmids is described in the Appendix). --A "portable promoter" of the lac operon is placed at many positions in front of the fused gene using nucleases in vitro. Those promoter placements that elicit efficient expression of the fused gene are identified by the beta-galactosidase activity that they express. (In the special case we describe, plasmids identified as directing efficient expression of beta-globin were found to bear "hybrid" ribosome binding sites consisting of the Shine-Dalgarno sequence carried on the promoter fragment and the ATG of the beta-globin gene.) --The gene of interest is reconstituted intact, with the portable promoter in place, by recombination in vitro or in vivo.

Animals

Guidelines for objective student clinical education evaluations.

Student clinical evaluations need to take into consideration the many variables associated with the production of quality radiographs. Using performance objectives with correction factors for atypical training conditions and a scale of achievement with an evaluation formula, objective student clinical education evaluations may be realized.

Educational Measurement