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Biomedical subjects

G Tian

Publications and source records attributed to G Tian.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Quasi-native chaperonin-bound intermediates in facilitated protein folding.

Chaperonins are known to facilitate protein folding, but their mechanism of action is not well understood. The fact that target proteins are released from and rebind to different chaperonin molecules ("cycling") during a folding reaction suggests that chaperonins function by unfolding aberrantly folded molecules, allowing them multiple opportunities to reach the native state in bulk solution. Here we show that the cycling of alpha-tubulin by cytosolic chaperonin (c-cpn) can be uncoupled from the action of cofactors required to complete the folding reaction. This results in the accumulation of folding intermediates which are chaperonin-bound, stable, and quasi-native in that they bind GTP nonexchangeably. We present evidence that these intermediates can be generated without the target protein leaving c-cpn. These data show that, in contrast to prevailing models, target proteins can maintain, and possibly acquire, significant native-like structure while chaperonin-bound.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Specificity in chaperonin-mediated protein folding.

Chaperonins are ubiquitous multisubunit toroidal complexes that aid protein folding in an ATP-dependent manner. Current models of folding by the bacterial chaperonin GroEL depict its role as unfolding and releasing molecules that have misfolded, so that they can return to a potentially productive folding pathway in solution. Accordingly, a given target polypeptide might require several cycles of binding and ATP-driven release from different chaperonin complexes before reaching the native state. Surprisingly, cycling of a target protein does not guarantee its folding, and we report here that unfolded beta-actin or alpha-tubulin both form tight complexes when presented to either GroEL or its mitochondrial homologue, and both undergo cycles of release and rebinding upon incubation with ATP, but no native protein is produced. We conclude that different chaperonins produce distinctive spectra of folding intermediates.

Actins↗
PubMed1995

A 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance study of intermittent warm blood cardioplegia.

This study was designed to assess the effects of intermittent warm blood cardioplegia on myocardial energy metabolites, intracellular pH, and contractile function. The isolated blood-perfused pig hearts were divided into three groups. After 30 minutes of control perfusion, the hearts in group 1 (n = 10) received 90 minutes of continuous warm (37 degrees C) blood cardioplegia; the hearts in group 2 (n = 9) received six 5-minute periods of warm blood cardioplegia, interrupted by six 10-minute episodes of ischemia (37 degrees C). The hearts were then reperfused for 30 minutes. The hearts in group 3 underwent 150 minutes of control perfusion without cardioplegia or ischemic episodes. Phosphorus 31-nuclear magnetic resonance spectra showed that a 10-minute interruption of warm blood cardioplegia decreased phosphocreatine levels and intracellular pH by approximately 47% (p < 0.01) and 0.12 unit (p < 0.05), respectively, and increased inorganic phosphate levels by approximately 87%, whereas resumption of cardioplegia for 5 minutes resulted in almost 100% recovery of phosphocreatine and inorganic phosphate levels and intracellular pH. More important, subsequent interruptions did not result in any cumulative changes in phosphocreatine level, inorganic phosphate level, or intracellular pH beyond those changes observed after the initial cardioplegic interruption. Moreover, during reperfusion there were no significant differences in adenosine triphosphate and phosphocreatine levels among the three groups of hearts. Furthermore, hearts from groups 1 and 2 showed comparable recovery of contractile function. These results indicate that six 10-minute interruptions and six 5-minute restorations of warm blood cardioplegia caused only mild and reversible changes in myocardial energy metabolites and intracellular pH and these changes were not cumulative. This study suggests that antegrade intermittent warm blood cardioplegia may provide as much myocardial protection as does antegrade continuous warm blood cardioplegia in the normal heart.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1995

Intermittent antegrade warm cardioplegia reduces oxidative stress and improves metabolism of the ischemic-reperfused human myocardium.

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of intermittent antegrade warm blood cardioplegia and intermittent antegrade cold blood cardioplegia on myocardial metabolism and free radical generation of the ischemic-reperfused human myocardium. Thirty patients undergoing mitral valve procedures were randomly allocated to two groups: group 1 (15 patients) received warm blood cardioplegia and group 2 (15 patients), cold blood cardioplegia. Myocardial metabolism was assessed before aortic clamping, 1 minute after crossclamp removal, and after 20 minutes of reperfusion, by collecting blood simultaneously from the radial artery and coronary sinus. All samples were analyzed for lactate, creatine kinase, reduced and oxidized glutathione, ascorbic acid, fluorescent products of lipid peroxidation, and leukocyte activation (elastase). In all patients, early reperfusion was associated with significant coronary sinus lactate release. In group 2, but not in group 1, significant coronary sinus release of reduced and oxidized glutathione, fluorescent products of lipid peroxidation, and creatine kinase was also found; moreover, arterial-coronary sinus difference of ascorbic acid content was increased only in group 2, suggesting a transmyocardial consumption of this antioxidant vitamin. After 20 minutes of reperfusion, coronary sinus lactate release was no longer present in group 1, whereas significant production was still evident in group 2. In this group, significant coronary sinus release of fluorescent products of lipoperoxidation and reduced and oxidized glutathione was also observed at this time. No significant release of elastase from the coronary sinus was noted in the two groups throughout the study. The left ventricular stroke work index measured at the end of the study indicated a better functional recovery in group 1 than in group 2. In conclusion, intermittent antegrade warm blood cardioplegia protects the myocardium from ischemia-reperfusion injury better than intermittent antegrade cold blood cardioplegia; this phenomenon may be partly due to the decreased tissue oxidant burden mediated by intermittent warm blood cardioplegia.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

17 beta-(N-tert-butylcarbamoyl)-4-aza-5 alpha-androstan-1-en-3-one is an active site-directed slow time-dependent inhibitor of human steroid 5 alpha-reductase 1.

17 beta-(N-tert-butylcarbamoyl)-4-aza-5 alpha-androstan-1-en-3-one (finasteride), which has been approved for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, is shown here to be a slow time-dependent inhibitor of human steroid 5 alpha-reductase isozyme 1. This inhibition is characterized by an initial, fast step where the inhibitor binds to the enzyme followed by a slow step that leads to a final enzyme-inhibitor complex (EI*). No recovery of activity from this EI* complex was observed after dialysis for 3 days. The formation of EI* is diminished in the presence of a competitive, reversible inhibitor, indicating that the inhibition is active site-directed. At 37 degrees C and pH 7.0, the rate constant for the second, slow inhibition step, k3, is (1.40 +/- 0.04) x 10(-3) s-1 and the pseudo-bimolecular rate constant, k3/Ki, is (4.0 +/- 0.3) x 10(3) M-1 s-1. This latter rate constant is less than the value of 2.7 x 10(5) M-1 s-1 determined for the inhibition of 5 alpha-reductase 2 by finasteride [Faller, B., Farley, D., & Nick, H. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 5705-5710].(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors↗
PubMed1994

Oxygen-18 kinetic isotope effects in the dopamine beta-monooxygenase reaction: evidence for a new chemical mechanism in non-heme metallomonooxygenases.

Previous studies of dopamine beta-monooxygenase (D beta M) have implicated the formation of a substrate-derived benzylic radical via a hydrogen atom abstraction mechanism [Miller & Klinman (1985) Biochemistry 24, 2114]. We now address the nature of the oxygen species catalyzing C-H bond cleavage through the measurement of oxygen-18 isotope effects as a function of substrate structure. Using deuterium isotope effects, together with experimental O-18 isotope effects with protonated and deuterated substrates, it has been possible to calculate intrinsic O-18 isotope effects. Since the D beta M mechanism includes many steps which may involve changes in bond order at dioxygen, e.g., the reversible binding of O2 to the active-site copper and its reductive activation to a copper-hydroperoxide species, the intrinsic O-18 isotope effect is expected to be the product of two terms: (1) an overall equilibrium O-18 isotope effect on steps leading from O2 binding to the formation of the intermediate which catalyzes C-H bond cleavage and (2) a kinetic O-18 isotope effect on the C-H bond cleavage step. Thus, the magnitude of a single O-18 isotope effect measurement cannot reveal the nature of the bonding at oxygen during substrate activation. In the present study we have measured the change in O-18 isotope effect as a function of substrate structure and reactivity, finding values of 18(V/K) which decrease from 1.0281 +/- 0.001 to 1.0216 +/- 0.0003 as the rate of the C-H bond cleavage step decreases from 680 to 2 s-1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1994

Explanation for different types of regulation of arginine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli B and Escherichia coli K12 caused by a difference between their arginine repressors.

In Escherichia coli K12, formation of the enzymes of arginine biosynthesis are controlled by arginine, with complete repression during growth with added arginine, severe repression (about 95%) during growth without added arginine and complete derepression during arginine-limited growth. In E. coli B, the degree of repression is not correlated with arginine concentrations. Under all conditions of growth enzyme formation is repressed, with repression being somewhat less in a medium with arginine than in a medium without arginine. These differences in repressibility between the two strains have been shown previously to be due to the presence of different alleles of argR, the gene for the arginine repressor. Here we have compared the binding of the two repressors to the operator sites of argF (ARG boxes). In DNase I footprinting and gel retardation experiments with argF ARG boxes we have shown that the arginine repressor of E. coli K12 bound to arginine (ArgRK-arg) has a greater affinity than the arginine repressor of E. coli B bound to arginine (ArgRB-arg), whereas free ArgRB (ArgRBf) has a much stronger affinity than free ArgRK (ArgRKf). The stronger binding of ArgRBf can explain the repression seen in E. coli B during arginine-limited growth and indicates that ArgRBf, but not ArgRKf, is able to repress enzyme synthesis under physiological conditions. The weaker repression of E. coli B than of E. coli K12 seen in the presence of arginine can be explained by the lower affinity of ArgRB-arg for operator sites as compared to ArgRK-arg. Another contributing cause for the weaker repression is the reduction of ArgRBf concentration due to autoregulation of the gene for the repressor. Thus the combined effects of repression by ArgRBf, but not ArgRKf, with the weaker repression by ArgRB-arg as compared to ArgRK-arg, convert the arginine dependent regulation in E. coli K12 to arginine independent regulation in E. coli B.

Arginine↗
PubMed1994

Relationships between biomarkers of exposure and neurological effects in a group of workers exposed to acrylamide.

A study was performed among 41 workers heavily exposed to a mixture of acrylamide and acrylonitrile in the city of Xinxiang, Henan province, People's Republic of China. The workers underwent a complete medical and neurological examination and provided blood and urine for the determination of several biomarkers of exposure. Among the exposed workers, signs and symptoms indicating peripheral neuropathy were found with statistically significant increased frequencies compared to a group of controls from the same city. Based on neuropathic signs and symptoms and quantifiable indicators of peripheral nervous dysfunction, such as vibration thresholds and electroneuromyography measurements, a neurotoxicity index (NIn) specific for acrylamide-induced peripheral neuropathy was designed. The NIn, which adequately predicted the clinical diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy, was significantly correlated with the levels of mercapturic acids in 24-hr urine, hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide, accumulated in vivo doses of acrylamide, employment time, and vibration sensitivity. The NIn was correlated also with hemoglobin adducts of acrylonitrile, which was explained primarily by a correlation between acrylamide and acrylonitrile exposure in this workshop. However, it was not significantly correlated with momentary measures of exposure such as concentrations of acrylamide in the air or in the plasma of exposed workers. This study is the first in which adduct monitoring has been applied to the same group of individuals in which adverse health effects have been observed. The results seem to indicate that hemoglobin adducts are useful as predictors of acrylamide-induced peripheral neuropathy and that measurements of vibration thresholds are useful for identifying early neurotoxic effects in workplaces with hazardous exposures to acrylamide.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed1994

Mutational analysis of the arginine repressor of Escherichia coli.

Arginine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli is negatively regulated by a hexameric repressor protein, encoded by the gene argR and the corepressor arginine. By hydroxylamine mutagenesis two types of argR mutants were isolated and mapped. The first type is transdominant. In heterodiploids, these mutant polypeptides reduce the activity of the wild-type repressor, presumably by forming heteropolymers. Four mutant repressor proteins were purified. Two of these map in the N-terminal half of the protein. Gel retardation experiments showed that they bind poorly to DNA, but they could be precipitated by L-arginine at the same concentration as the wild-type repressor. The other two mutant repressors map in the C-terminal half of the protein. They are poorly precipitated by L-arginine and they bind poorly to DNA. In addition, one of these mutants appears to exist as a dimer. The second type of argR mutant repressor consists of super-repressors. Such mutants behave as arginine auxotrophs as a result of hyper-repression of arginine biosynthetic enzymes. They map at many locations throughout the argR gene. Three arginine super-repressor proteins were purified. In comparison with the wild-type repressor, two of them were shown to have a higher DNA-binding affinity in the absence of bound arginine, while the third was shown to have a higher DNA-binding affinity when bound to arginine.

Arginine↗
PubMed1994

Functional and structural relation between central chemoreception of respiration and the nucleus retrofacialis in rats.

Iontophoresis of hydrogen ions (H+) to respiration related units (RRUs) in the nucleus retrofacialis (NRF) region was used to investigate the role of RRUs in central chemoreception of respiration. The results were as follows: 1) of the 13 inspiration related units (InRUs) recorded, 7 were excitatory and 1 was inhibitory; 2) of the 29 expiration related units (ExRUs), 12 were inhibitory and 1 was excitatory; and 3) of the 7 phase-spanning respiration related units (PSUs), 4 were excitatory and 2 were inhibitory. None of the remainder were affected. Histochemical study using the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) technique revealed a neural structural relation between the ventral surface of the medulla and neurons in the NRF region. It was suggested that the RRUs in the NRF region might contribute to the central chemoreception which regulates respiration.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Regulation of lymphoid-specific immunoglobulin mu heavy chain gene enhancer by ETS-domain proteins.

The enhancer for the immunoglobulin mu heavy chain gene (IgH) activates a heterologous gene at the pre-B cell stage of B lymphocyte differentiation. A lymphoid-specific element, microB, is necessary for enhancer function in pre-B cells. A microB binding protein is encoded by the PU.1/Spi-1 proto-oncogene. Another sequence element, microA, was identified in the mu enhancer that binds the product of the ets-1 proto-oncogene. The microA motif was required for microB-dependent enhancer activity, which suggests that a minimal B cell-specific enhancer is composed of both the PU.1 and Ets-1 binding sites. Co-expression of both PU.1 and Ets-1 in nonlymphoid cells trans-activated reporter plasmids that contained the minimal mu enhancer. These results implicate two members of the Ets family in the activation of IgH gene expression.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Effects of iontophoretically applied morphine on respiration related units in the medial part of the nucleus retrofacialis region in rats.

The effects of morphine on 108 spontaneously discharging units in the medial part of the nucleus retrofacialis (mNRF) were studied in 13 SD rats anesthetized with urethane and allowed to breathe spontaneously. A 5-barrelled microelectrode was inserted into the mNRF region to record discharges of respiration related units (RRUs) and nonrespiration related units (NRRUs), and then morphine was administered by iontophoresis. Among the 27 inspiration related units (InRUs) recorded, morphine exerted an inhibitory effect on 8 units and an excitatory effect on 6 units; while among the 36 expiration related units (ExRUs), the excitatory effect was much more obvious than the inhibitory effect (12 vs 2). This difference was statistically significant. The results revealed a difference between the effects of morphine on InRUs and ExRUs in the mNRF region. The excitatory effect of morphine on ExRUs in the mNRF region might play a role in the mechanism by which morphine depresses respiration.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Role of respiration related units in the nucleus retrofacialis region in rats.

Experiments were carried out on 10 urethane anesthetized, spontaneously breathing rats. The distribution of respiration related units (RRUs) in the nucleus retrofacialis (NRF) region was explored systematically with an extracellular recording technique and their discharging patterns were analyzed through a microcomputer. A total of 212 spontaneously discharging units were recorded in the NRF region. Among them 120 were RRUs and the remainder were non-respiration related units (NRRUs). Among the RRUs, 28 were determined to be inspiration related units (InRUs); 81 were expiration related units (ExRUs) and 11 were phase-spanning respiration related units (PSUs) according to their temporal relation to phrenic activity. These RRUs were further classified into augmenting, decrementing and constant types based on their discharge patterns. The results indicated that RRUs in the NRF region were relatively abundant as compared to NRRUs, and they were more concentrated in the medial part of the NRF region (mNRF). Among them, ExRUs were predominant.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Age- and gender-related variations in the activities of drug-metabolizing and antioxidant enzymes in the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus).

The effects of aging on the activities of drug-metabolizing enzymes and antioxidant enzymes were studied in male and female White-Footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) at ages of 6, 8, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, and 48 months. Male mice had significantly higher liver microsomal cytochrome P450 (P450) content and NADPH:cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (P450 reductase) activities than females at all age groups. Many of the P450-dependent enzyme activities were also generally higher in males. Female mice showed age-dependent decreases in P450 content and the activities of P450 reductase, pentoxyresorufin O-dealkylase (PROD) and N-nitrosodimethylamine demethylase (NDMAd) in the liver from 6 to 24 months; while, the males showed an age-dependent decrease only for the liver PROD activity from 6 to 24 months. The old males (30-month old) appeared to have significantly higher activities for 6 beta-, 2 beta-, 16 alpha- and 16 beta-testosterone and androstenedione formation than the middle-aged (6- to 18-month old) and very old (48-month old) males. Females showed age-dependent decreases for the formation of 6 beta-, 2 beta-, 16 alpha- and 16 beta-testosterone in liver microsomes from 6 to 24 months. Lung microsomes from 6- and 8-month old males had much higher activities of ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) and PROD than older males. The total NNK alpha-hydroxylation activities changed in the same pattern as lung microsomal EROD and PROD activities in both male and female mice. The activities of several phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes: glutathione S-transferase (GST), DT-diaphorase, sulfotransferase and UDP-glucuronosyl-transferase (UDPGT) did not show any significant age-dependent changes, with the possible exception that the GST activity in males decreased from 18 to 36 months. Males had about 3-fold higher UDPGT activities than females among all age groups. Glutathione peroxidase activities were drastically lower in old and very old males, and 6 to 24 months old males had significantly higher activities than the corresponding females. In females, superoxide dismutase activities decreased linearly to extremely low levels as mice aged. Catalase activities showed a tendency for increase with age in males. In conclusion, some P450-dependent activities and antioxidant enzymes, but not phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes, showed age-dependent changes; and most of these changes occur from 6 to 24 months. The demographic attributes of the White-Footed mouse are well-suited for physiological and biochemical studies of aging and can complement the more standard laboratory mouse model with its typical two year life span.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Binding of the arginine repressor of Escherichia coli K12 to its operator sites.

In the arginine regulon of Escherichia coli K12 each of the eight operator sites consists of two 18-base-pair-long palindromic sequences called ARG boxes. In the operator sites for the structural genes of the regulon the two ARG boxes are separated by three base-pairs, in the regulatory gene argR they are separated by two base-pairs. The hexameric arginine repressor, the product of argR, binds to the two ARG boxes in an operator in the presence of L-arginine. From the results of various kinds of in vitro footprinting experiments with the ARG boxes of argF and argR (DNase I protection, hydroxyl radical, ethylation and methylation interference, methylation protection) it can be concluded that: (1) the repressor binds simultaneously to two adjacent ARG boxes; (2) that it binds on one face of the double helix; and (3) that it forms contacts with the major and minor grooves of each ARG box, but not with the central three base-pairs. The repressor can bind also to a single ARG box, but its affinity is about 100-fold lower than for two ARG boxes. From gel retardation experiments with 3H-labeled repressor and 32P-labeled argF operator DNA, it is concluded that the retarded DNA-protein complex contains no more than one repressor molecule per operator site and that most likely one hexamer binds to two ARG boxes. The bound repressor was shown to induce bending of argF operator DNA. The bending angle calculated from the results of gel retardation experiments is about 70 degrees and the bending center was located within the region encompassing the ARG boxes. The main features that distinguish the arginine repressor from other repressors studied in E. coli are its hexameric nature and the simultaneous binding of one hexameric molecule to two palindromic ARG boxes that are close to each other.

Arginine↗