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H J Gabius

Publications and source records attributed to H J Gabius.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

The sugar-combining area of the galactose-specific toxic lectin of mistletoe extends beyond the terminal sugar residue: comparison with a homologous toxic lectin, ricin.

Viscumin (the major lectin of mistletoe extract), also known as ML-1, and ricin (RCA II) belong to a group of heterodimeric toxic lectins composed of an A chain, which inhibits protein synthesis, and a B chain, which mediates entry into the cell in a galactose-specific manner. Although most of the binding force for the association of viscumin with galactose-containing ligands is generated by the nonreducing terminal galactose residue, a particular hydroxyl group on the penultimate sugar also appears to participate in the binding, suggesting that viscumin has an extended combining site. In this paper, we give further examples of affinity enhancement by the hydroxyl group situated on the penultimate sugar next to the glycosidic linkage of the terminal galactose. The structure with highest affinity for viscumin thus far discovered is beta-D-Gal-(1-->2)-beta-D-Gal. In contrast to viscumin, ricin does not have this extended binding area, as none of the disaccharides tested exhibited significant affinity enhancement.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗
PubMed1994

Distribution patterns in glycoconjugate expression during the development of the rat palate.

The distribution of complex carbohydrate structures during the embryonic development of the rat palate was analysed by examining lectin-binding patterns in serial paraffin and cryostat sections. With few exceptions, the binding patterns showed a general increase in lectin receptors in the more developed stages of palatogenesis. High mannose oligosaccharides were especially amplified during development. Terminal fucose molecules were not expressed. In contrast, terminal sialic acid molecules were ubiquitously distributed in epithelial and mesenchymal tissues. Non-sialylated terminal N-acetylglucosamine was specifically restricted to evolving bone matrix. Before palatal fusion, quantitative but not qualitative differences were detected between oral, nasal, and medial-edge epithelial surfaces. The only exception was LCA, which specifically marked epithelial cells at the tip of palatal shelves. A very selective affinity for Jacalin was demonstrated in the oral epithelium of the palate after day 16, suggesting the presence of sialylated terminal galactose-(beta-1,3)-N-acetylgalactosamine. PNA specifically marked the basal lamina of the oral side of palatal processes. The binding patterns of DBA, GSL IA, SBA, and VVA indicated that the epithelium of the tongue is characterized by terminal alpha- and beta-galactose residues, whereas palatine cells possess only molecules with beta-anomery. During palatogenesis, glycosaminoglycans patterns were significantly modified. Our data suggest that alteration of complex carbohydrate structures may play a central role in modulating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. The significance of these findings, however, remains to be elucidated.

Acetylglucosamine↗
PubMed1994

Cell type-dependent alterations of binding of synthetic blood group antigen-related oligosaccharides in lung cancer.

Blood group antigen-related oligosaccharides have been implicated in growth regulation, cell mobility control and adhesion; we are therefore interested in the localization of receptors for these oligosaccharides in tumour cells. Labelled neoglycoconjugates that carry synthetic sugar structures are suitable tools to determine: whether such binding sites are present in human lung cancer; whether structural alterations of the glycoligand part will affect extent of binding; and whether cell type-associated alterations can be detected. Sections from 121 cases of lung cancer, representing small cell and non-small cell lung carcinoma, mesothelioma and metastases from extrapulmonary primary carcinomas were used to study the binding of nine synthetic AH- and Le-related oligosaccharides. Probes with fucose-alpha 1-3/4-N-acetylglucosamine-beta 1-R, an A-like disaccharide and 3'-sulfated galactose as ligand appear to bind less well to small cell than to non-small cell lung cancer cases, whereas Lec-disaccharide distinguishes mesothelioma from metastatic carcinoma. The latter ligand, A-like disaccharide and H (type III)-like trisaccharide exhibit evident cell type-associated differences in extent of binding. Thus, tailor-made neoglycoconjugates constitute a promising class of histopathological tools that warrants further study.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1994

Carbohydrate-dependent binding of human myeloid leukemia cell lines to neoglycoenzymes, matrix-immobilized neoglycoproteins, and bone marrow stromal cell layers.

The presence of sugar receptors on human myeloid leukemia cells was comparatively assessed by a highly sensitive binding assay, employing a panel of 14 types of neoglycoenzymes (chemically glycosylated Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase). The selected carbohydrate ligands mainly encompass common components of natural glycoconjugates as mono- or disaccharides. The monocytoid cells of the THP-1 line, the very young myeloblasts and the myeloblasts of the lines KG-1a and KG-1, the promyelocytes of the HL-60 line, and the early myeloblasts/erythroblasts of the K-562 line displayed a nonuniform pattern of specific binding with quantitative differences at a fixed, nonsaturating concentration of the probes. Scatchard analysis in four cases corroborated the indication of cell-type-related differences between the various cell lines. To test whether the detectable cellular sugar-binding sites can mediate adhesion to glycoligands, a rather simple model matrix of nitrocellulose-immobilized neoglycoproteins was first used. In comparison to the carbohydrate-free carrier protein significant cell adhesion was observed primarily with neoglycoproteins that exposed galactose, N-acetylgalactosamine, N-acetylglucosamine, mannose, and fucose moieties among the 11 tested types of carbohydrate residue. Subsequently, human bone marrow stromal cell layers were tested as a model matrix with increased levels of physiological relevance and complexity. Mixtures of carbohydrate and neoglycoprotein were employed as inhibitors of an interaction via lectins between the stromal and the tumor cells. The carbohydrate-dependent alterations of this parameter revealed cell-type-associated properties. Tumor cell binding was significantly decreased for not more than two lines with the effective sugars, namely N-acetylgalactosamine, mannose, fucose, and sialic acid.

Bone Marrow↗
PubMed1994

Non-carbohydrate binding partners/domains of animal lectins.

1. Protein-carbohydrate interactions are involved in a large number of biologically important recognition processes. 2. Among the participating classes of proteins lectins are defined as carbohydrate-binding proteins other than an antibody or an enzyme. 3. In addition to the essential carbohydrate-binding domain other functionally and/or structurally important sites, defined by sequence comparison or by experimental demonstration of protein-protein interactions, can be present within the lectin molecule and may be relevant for its physiological significance. 4. Sequence motifs of lectins for protein-protein interactions include amino acid structures designed for cell adhesion, growth regulatory biosignalling, intracellular routing and enzymatic activity. 5. Elucidation of the complete functional role(s) of a lectin requires accurate delineation of its carbohydrate and, if present, of its protein ligands. 6. Presence of more than one carbohydrate-binding domain in a single lectin, potential ligand properties of the glycopart of a lectin, regulatory interplay between different sites and possible interaction of complementarily shaped peptide sequences to the sugar-recognizing site should all be assessed in the quest to comprehensively explain the physiological role(s) of a lectin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Correlation of expression of binding sites for synthetic blood group A-, B- and H-trisaccharides and for sarcolectin with survival of patients with bronchial carcinoma.

Carrier-immobilised carbohydrates were used to monitor the presence of specific carbohydrate-binding sites in tissue sections. Sarcolectin, an interferon-alpha/beta antagonist and growth regulator, had been shown to bind the lymphokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). The lectin is thus a MIF-specific probe. Biotinylated sarcolectin, neoglycoproteins with lactose or N-acetylglucosamine residues, and polyacrylamide-attached trisaccharides, that represent the ABH histo-blood group antigens, were applied to sections of 187 primary lung carcinomas. The panel of cases consisted of 57 epidermoid carcinomas, 55 adenocarcinomas, 43 large cell anaplastic carcinomas and 32 small cell anaplastic carcinomas. 47 cases with intrapulmonary metastatic tumours were also included. Expression of binding sites of both sarcolectin and trisaccharides of histo-blood group antigens A and H correlated with patient survival in lung cancer. In view of the widely performed analysis of the presence of histo-blood group antigens, concomitant profiling of binding sites for these sugar components is suggested to be of potential benefit.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1994

From ill-defined extracts to the immunomodulatory lectin: will there be a reason for oncological application of mistletoe?

There is an obvious discrepancy between the popularity of mistletoe extracts and their classification as a non-conventional treatment modality with unproven efficacy in oncology. The commercial preparations suffer from several major drawbacks: lack of precise declarations for the molecular characteristics and the concentrations of diverse extract constituents; the composition of extracts can even be influenced by the different methods of preparation, the time of harvest, and the type of host tree; lack of experimentally substantiated instructions for the dose of supposedly effective substance(s) and the schedule of applications to clinically trigger an undisputably documented antitumoral activity; lack of thorough clinical studies according to the generally accepted criteria as the measure for responsible recommendations. To provide the indispensable set of data for a rational decision, the immunomodulatory galactoside-specific lectin was biochemically characterized and its antitumoral/antimetastatic activity was documented in three murine tumor model systems, occurring within a narrow dose range. Biweekly treatment with s.c. injections of a lectin dose of 1 ng/kg caused no notable harmful side-effects in patients, who showed modulation of selected immune parameters. In a group of 23 patients with advanced cancer no at least partial remission was seen. In principle, enhancement of factors like cytokine availability or NK-cell activity is not necessarily linked to therapeutic benefit. Factors such as growth promotion of certain tumor cell lines by cytokines, occurrence of respective insensitivity in advanced stages or varying levels of target sensitivity to cell-mediated cytotoxicity with significant interindividual differences deserve attention. Each tumor class has to be considered separately for its responsiveness.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1994

Paraganglioma of the lung--developed after exposure to nuclear radiation by the Tschernobyl atomic reactor accident?

A 36-year-old Russian patient had been exposed to severe nuclear radiation during the Tschernobyl accident and developed Cushing's syndrome in September 1991. After bilateral adrenalectomy a small centrally localized lung tumor in the left segment S6 was diagnosed, and the syndrome was correlated to primary lung cancer. Thoracotomy and resection of the segments S6 revealed a primary ACTH-producing lung tumor of the cell type of a paraganglioma. The patient lost his symptoms after curative tumor resection. The case is discussed under the aspects of tumor etiology, its clinical course and immunohistochemical findings.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1994

Migration inhibitory factor-binding sarcolectin from human placenta is indistinguishable from a subfraction of human serum albumin.

Human sarcolectin is known as growth promoter and interferon-alpha/beta antagonist. Besides N-acetylneuraminic acid-dependent cell agglutination it also binds to a macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). Several types of negatively charged carbohydrates interfere with this binding, indicating importance of a negatively charged cluster. Since human serum albumin that has very similar properties in gel electrophoretic analysis can also bind to this factor with a comparatively reduced extent, sarcolectin and albumin are compared biochemically and immunologically. Their peptide maps, generated by cleavage with cyanogen bromide and N-chlorosuccinimide, reveal no differences. The N-terminal sequences are identical up to the fourteenth position that have unequivocally been determined. Reactivities to anti-human serum albumin antibody that inhibits binding of sarcolectin to MIF are similar. Fractionation of human albumin by chromatography on hydroxyapatite yields a subfraction with increased specific activity, measured by extent of inhibition of sarcolectin-MIF interaction. It exhibits the same inhibitory capacity as a similarly derived subfraction from sarcolectin. Interestingly, rabbit and pig serum albumins are as active as human albumin to inhibit binding of sarcolectin to MIF, whereas hamster, mouse, horse and bovine albumin preparations were ineffective up to 2.5 mg/ml. Thus, sarcolectin appears to be a subfraction of human serum albumin whose functionally relevant molecular peculiarities are presently unknown. Neither treatment with organic solvents nor with lipases, but exposure to trypsin, chymotrypsin and pronase can impair sarcolectin's ability to bind MIF.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

[Lectin-based therapy applications from the laboratory to practice].

Thorough analysis of the principles of molecular recognition is the basis for rational development of clinical applications. Currently, our knowledge is expanding, how biological information is encoded in a language of carbohydrate moieties, constituting the glycopart of cellular glycoconjugates. Carbohydrate-binding proteins like lectins can specifically bind these ligands. This glycobiological interplay participates in recognitive inter- and intracellular processes that enable to devise clinical schemes with rational perspective like targeted drug delivery, non-steroidal treatment of inflammation or lectin ligand-dependent treatment of infectious diseases. Besides the ligands, lectins, too, can be of therapeutical value, e.g. as biomodulators in the immune system. The rapid development within glycobiology allows to propose that certain aspects can well find their place in veterinary practice after proving their efficacy in clinical trials.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Phenotype-associated lectin-binding profiles of normal and transformed blood cells: a comparative analysis of mannose- and galactose-binding lectins from plants and human serum/placenta.

Surface glycoconjugates of normal and transformed blood cells are commonly characterized by plant lectins. To infer physiological significance of protein-carbohydrate interactions, mammalian lectins are obviously preferable as research tools. So far, human serum lectins have not been used to assess their binding to immunophenotyped human normal or transformed blood cells. Thus, our study combines two groups of lectins with different specificity from plant and human sources. Besides concanavalin A (ConA) we have isolated the mannose-binding protein and serum amyloid P component from human serum. Especially the mannose-binding protein is believed to play a role in host defence against bacteria and yeast cells with unknown impact on normal and tumor cells. These three lectins establish the first group. In addition to the immunomodulatory mistletoe lectin, whose binding can elicit enhanced cytokine secretion from mononuclear blood cells, we included the beta-galactoside-binding lectin (14 kDa) from human placenta in the second group. The initial series of measurements was undertaken using two-color flow cytometry to determine the phenotype-associated binding (based on cluster designation; CD) of the lectins to blood and bone marrow cells from normal donors and the cell line CEM (T-lymphoblastoid), KG1-A (primitive myeloid leukemia) and Croco II (B-lymphoblastoid). Heterogeneity was apparent for each lectin in the CD-defined cell populations. Significant differences in binding were noted between Viscum album agglutinin (VAA) and other lectins for CD4+ cells from blood and between mannose-binding protein (MBP) and VAA versus 14 kDa, ConA and serum amyloid P component (SAP) for CD19+ cells from bone marrow.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood Cells↗
PubMed1994

Androgen status and expression of glycoconjugates and lectins in the epithelial cells of the mouse ventral prostate. A glycohistochemical approach.

We investigated histochemically the expression of glycans and endogenous sugar-binding proteins (endolectins) in the ventral prostate of normal and androgen-deprived mice. The avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex technique was used with a panel of biotinylated lectins and neoglycoproteins, respectively, on paraffin sections. Characteristic binding patterns depending upon the type of lectin were observed in the glandular epithelium and basement membranes. This report also initiates the histochemical study of endogenous glycan-binding proteins in this male-accessory sex organ. Remarkably, the endocrine status was found to affect the distribution of lectin-reactive determinants of glycoconjugates as well as endolectins. The histophysiological significance of these modifications in the glandular cells are discussed in the light of previous biochemical findings obtained mainly in humans and the rat.

Androgens↗
PubMed1994

Contribution of carbohydrate histochemistry to glycobiology.

The physiological importance of carbohydrate biology has gradually emerged from a lot of recent information on protein-carbohydrate and carbohydrate-carbohydrate interaction in normal and pathological conditions. After considering the conventional methods which allowed researchers to differentiate glycan-containing macromolecules from other complex compounds (nucleic acids, proteins), selected topics of intracellular and cellular organ architecture are focused upon in which the use of lectins and neoglycoproteins as histochemical reagents has opened new horizons for the localization of glycoconjugates in situ and the elucidation of their often still enigmatic functions. The authors hope to place into perspective that such glycohistochemical studies will strongly contribute to the progress in the dynamically growing field of glycobiology.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Adhesion of human lymphoid cell lines to immobilized carbohydrates and to bone-marrow stromal cell layers by surface sugar receptors.

Cell-surface sugar receptors may participate in interactions of lymphoid cells that influence their adhesive properties and proliferation. Their expression on cells of the pre-B line BLIN-I, the B-lymphoblastoid line Croco II, the myeloma line RPMI 8226 and the T-lymphoblastoid line CCRF-CEM was monitored with a panel of 14 types of chemically glycosylated E. coli beta-galactosidase at a non-saturating ligand concentration. Quantitative differences were determined for the capacity of the different cell types to bind constituents of the carbohydrate part of glycoconjugates. They were corroborated by analyses of binding for lactose-, beta-N-acetylgalactosamine-, beta-N-acetylglucosamine- and fucose-exposing neoglycoenzymes up to saturation levels. Values of dissociation constants of the tetrameric enzyme were in the range of 3-300 nM. Several types of sugar receptor led to carbohydrate-inhibitable adhesion of cells to 6 types of nitrocellulose-immobilized neoglycoprotein, their effectiveness being most obvious for the myeloma cells. Analyses of the carbohydrate-ligand-mediated adhesion of the other cell types revealed a comparatively decreased response. Only a few carbohydrates among the 7 types tested were effective in reducing cell adhesion to a far more complex ligand-bearing matrix than immobilized neoglycoproteins, namely bone-marrow stromal cell layers: sialic acid and N-acetylgalactosamine for B-lymphoblastoid cells and rhamnose for pre-B cells. These cellular interactions may encompass sugar receptors on the stromal cells and other types of molecular recognition in addition to the detected activities on the lymphoid cells.

Bone Marrow↗
PubMed1993

The major binding protein of the interferon antagonist sarcolectin in human placenta is a macrophage migration inhibitory factor.

The interferon antagonist and growth promotor sarcolectin has affinity for negatively charged carbohydrates. Isolation of cellular binding proteins will be a step to elucidate its physiological significance. Thus, resin-immobilized sarcolectin was employed as affinity ligand for chromatographic fractionation of extract from human placenta. Elution with 0.1 M NH4OH or with 0.1 M N-acetylneuraminic acid and 1 M NaCl resulted primarily in purification of a protein of molecular mass of about 12 kDa according to gel electrophoretic analysis under denaturing conditions in the presence or absence of reductive agent and 12,470 Da by laser desorption mass spectrometry. The native molecular mass, assessed by gel filtration, is approximately 28 kDa. No evidence for detectable post-translational modification by glycosylation was provided by treatment with N-glycosidase F or sialidase and subsequent electrophoretic analysis. The N-terminal sequence of the major sarcolectin-binding protein is identical to that deduced from the cDNA sequence of a human macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), starting from its third amino acid, over the determined stretch of 22 amino acids. Comparison of the calculated molecular mass of 12,221 of this factor to the experimentally determined value of 12,470 excludes any extensive modification of the protein. The sarcolectin-binding protein reduces macrophage migration at a concentration of 100 ng/ml in MIF assays. Recombinant migration inhibitory factor and purified sarcolectin-binding protein reacted equally well with anti-MIF antibody in immunoblot analysis and in assays to block binding to sarcolectin. Binding of biotinylated sarcolectin, too, is nearly identical for the two protein preparations. It is optimal in the range pH 7-9 and is markedly impaired by increasing ionic strength. Chemical modification with group-specific reagents revealed that the integrity of carboxyl groups of the sarcolectin-binding protein and of lysine/arginine groups of sarcolectin are primarily important to maintain binding capacity. In addition to contribute to the understanding of the functional significance of sarcolectin this result provides a convenient procedure to purify a lymphokine.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

[Effect of mistletoe lectin therapy on serum level of defined serum proteins (acute phase proteins) in tumor patients].

The influence of galactoside-specific mistletoe lectin (ML-1) administration on defined acute phase reactants in the serum of cancer patients (mammary carcinoma, n = 4; larynx carcinoma, n = 11; TNM-stages II to IV; after appropriate surgery, chemotherapy, radiation) was studied. Regular subcutaneous injections of the optimal doses of ML-1 (1 mg/kg body weight, twice a week) yielded statistically significant increases of certain acute phase reactants (C-reactive protein, haptoglobin, coeruloplasmin, C3-complement, albumin, immunoglobulin IgM) after four weeks of treatment. However, serum concentrations of transferrin, C4-complement and the immunoglobulins IgG and IgA were found within the biological range (means +/- 2 s). The increase of acute phase reactants after administration of ML-1 correlates positively with the activity of lymphatic cells (e.g. expression of IL-2 and HLA-DR receptors) in FACS (fluorescence-activated cell sorter) staining experiments and indicates the immunoreactive potency of this substance which may be speculated to be cytokine-induced.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗