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Biomedical subjects

H E Wade

Publications and source records attributed to H E Wade.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1980

Enzymatic control of phenylalanine intake in phenylketonuria.

The plant enzyme phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) will survive in the gut for long enough to deplete the phenylalanine derived from food protein and so reduce the rise in blood phenylalanine that otherwise occurs after a protein meal. This effect has been demonstrated in healthy adults and phenylketonuric (PKU) patients. When the enzyme was given to an untreated PKU patient for 12 consecutive days (three doses a day after food) his blood phenylalanine levels were reduced on average by a quarter. This enzyme preparation may have a place in the treatment of PKU.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Bacterial glutaminase in treatment of acute leukaemia.

A glutaminase-asparaginase enzyme from Achromobacter sp has antitumour activity in vitro and in animals. Glutaminase was administered in doses of 3500-20 000 IU/m2 body surface area/day to six patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and three patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). The enzyme had a blood half life of 80 minutes but depletion of blood glutamine persisted for 12 hours after single doses. Seven patients, including four (two with AML and two with ALL) resistant to asparaginase, received repeated doses of glutaminase. Antileukaemic effects were observed in all seven; one elderly patient developed metabolic acidosis. Study of this new antileukaemic agent in patients with acute leukaemia at an earlier stage of their disease is now justified.

Acidosis↗
PubMed1968

The preparation of ribosomal ribonucleic acid from whole bacteria.

1. A simple method for the preparation of ribonuclease-free ribosomal RNA is described in which ribonuclease-deficient bacteria are treated with acetone and the RNA is extracted with phenol and purified by precipitating it with potassium acetate. The treatment with acetone appears to render the cell wall permeable to RNA but not to DNA during the extraction with phenol. The method thus avoids the need to disrupt the bacteria and greatly simplifies the subsequent purification. 2. The method has been used successfully with ribonuclease-deficient strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The recovered purified RNA accounts for about 70% of the total ribosomal RNA and shows the normal sedimentation pattern of the 16s and 23s components in the analytical centrifuge.

Acetates↗
PubMed1966

Magnesium ion-independent ribonucleic acid depolymerases in bacteria.

The distribution of ribonucleases among bacteria has been determined from the examination of a wide variety of species. Bacteria that had been growing rapidly on a solid medium were harvested, treated with acetone and incubated in the presence of EDTA between pH4 and pH9. The ribonuclease activity was determined from the rate at which acid-soluble nucleotides were released. Out of nearly 200 strains examined, about 30 did not contain a detectable ribonuclease. The pH optima of ribonucleases in the remainder were sufficiently distinctive to suggest a use in taxonomy. Escherichia coli B was examined in more detail to determine the factors responsible for variations in the ribonuclease content of this bacterium. Growth rate had little influence on ribonuclease content when a complex medium containing no readily assimilable carbohydrate was used; the addition of glucose resulted in a marked increase in ribonuclease and a dependence of enzyme content on growth rate. An increase in the concentration of sodium chloride in the medium decreased the ribonuclease content of bacteria growing on it.

Arthrobacter↗
PubMed1965

The sedimentation behaviour of ribonuclease-active and -inactive ribosomes from bacteria.

1. The ;30s' and ;50s' ribosomes from ribonuclease-active (Escherichia coli B) and -inactive (Pseudomonas fluorescens and Escherichia coli MRE600) bacteria have been studied in the ultracentrifuge. Charge anomalies were largely overcome by using sodium chloride-magnesium chloride solution, I 0.16, made 0-50mm with respect to Mg(2+). 2. Differentiation of enzymic and physical breakdown at Mg(2+) concentrations less than 5mm was made by comparing the properties of E. coli B and P. fluorescens ribosomes. 3. Ribonuclease-active ribosomes alone showed a transformation of ;50s' into 40-43s components. This was combined with the release of a small amount of ;5s' material which may be covalently bound soluble RNA. Other transformations of the ;50s' into 34-37s components were observed in both ribonuclease-active and -inactive ribosomes at 1.0-2.5mm-Mg(2+), and also with E. coli MRE600 when EDTA (0.2mm) was added to a solution in 0.16m-sodium chloride. 4. Degradation of ribonuclease-active E. coli B ribosomes at Mg(2+) concentration 0.25mm or less was coincident with the formation of 16s and 21s ribonucleoprotein in P. fluorescens, and this suggested that complete dissociation of RNA from protein was not an essential prelude to breakdown of the RNA by the enzyme. 5. As high Cs(+)/Mg(2+) ratios cause ribosomal degradation great care is necessary in the interpretation of equilibrium-density-gradient experiments in which high concentrations of caesium chloride or similar salts are used. 6. The importance of the RNA moiety in understanding the response of ribosomes to their ionic environment is discussed.

Escherichia coli↗
PubMed1965

The distribution of ribosomal ribonucleic acids among subcellular fractions from bacteria and the adverse effect of the membrane fraction on the stability of ribosomes.

1. The distributions of nucleic acids and protein among fractions obtained by differential centrifugation from species of Pseudomonas, Aerobacter, Escherichia, Proteus and Bacillus have been studied. 2. The DNA in a cell wall-membrane fraction obtained by low-speed centrifugation from the Gram-negative species could be removed by homogenizing and subsequent washing. About 7-14% of the total RNA remained firmly attached and resembled ribosomal RNA in base composition. A similar fraction from the Gram-positive B. subtilis contained about one-half of the total bacterial DNA and only 60% of this could be removed by homogenizing and subsequent washing. 3. A deposit obtained by high-speed centrifugation could be separated into a heavy ribosome layer and a light turbid layer. In E. coli B the latter contained about equal concentrations of RNA and DNA and accounted for about one-half of the total bacterial NADP-activated 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. 4. The washed cell wall-membrane fraction from most species accelerated the degradation of ribosomes. In Pr. vulgaris the activity of this fraction was exceptionally high and resulted in the progressive degradation of ribosomes during their isolation from this species. 5. A possible connexion between ribosome degradation and the synthesis of flagella is discussed in the light of these results.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed1965

The inhibition of ribosomal ribonuclease by bacterial ribosomes.

1. A comparison has been made between the ribonuclease activities of untreated ribosomes from Escherichia coli B and Pseudomonas fluorescens and the activities of ribosomes on to which ribosomal ribonuclease from E. coli B has been adsorbed. 2. The normal ribosomes from both species were stable in 5-10mm-Mg(2+) (I0.16) at pH6. The RNA in ribosomes from Ps. fluorescens was attacked by the adsorbed ribonuclease under these conditions, whereas the ribosomes from E. coli B were able to adsorb and inhibit this enzyme. 3. Inhibition was also observed with ribosomes from Aerobacter aerogenes, Proteus vulgaris and two other strains of E. coli. It was not observed in ribosomes from three species of Pseudomonas. 4. The inhibition depended on the integrity of the ribosomes and was not observed under conditions of low Mg(2+) concentration that cause irreversible degradation into more slowly sedimenting particles.

Enterobacter↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Amino acid degrading enzymes for cancer therapy.

The development of microbial enzymes for cancer therapy presents difficulties not commonly experienced with biological drugs. The development of the enzyme asparaginase from Escherichia coli in the USA and of the serologically different asparaginase from the plant pathogen Erwinia carotovora in this Establishment, has not only added to the choice of antileukaemia drugs but also provided a valuable guide to the selection and development of new therapeutic enzymes. Our own programme has led to the study of enzymes that degrade other amino acids (glutamine, arginine, phenylalanine and tyrosine) that appear to be important to certain leukaemia cells. Microbes with only remote associations with man were considered as a source of these to minimize initial immunological sensitivity. In the case of erwinia asparaginase the benefits of this have probably included a lower incidence of anaphylaxis compared with the escherichia enzyme. The selection of a stable, high-affinity enzyme that operates efficiently under physiological conditions ensures effective depletion of a circulating amino acid but the choice is very limited. It is also difficult to assess from laboratory tests the likely persistence, toxicity and efficacy of the enzyme in clinical use and to arrive at meaningful biological tests for the quality control of the finished product. Some of the difficulties will be described and proposals made for criteria of acceptance for this type of drug in experimental use.

Alcaligenes↗