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Biomedical subjects

H Sasamoto

Publications and source records attributed to H Sasamoto.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Extracellular production of mouse interferon beta by the Bacillus subtilis alpha-amylase secretion vectors: antiviral activity and deduced NH2-terminal amino acid sequences of the secreted proteins.

Using two Bacillus subtilis alpha-amylase secretion vectors, mouse interferon-beta (IFN-beta) cDNA was expressed. Ten kinds of mature and hybrid forms of biologically active mouse IFN-beta proteins were synthesized in B. subtilis and were secreted into the culture medium. Similar amounts of proteins, which were determined by immunoblot analysis, were secreted from the B. subtilis transformants, while the antiviral activity in the medium was markedly different in each one of them. The highest antiviral activity was observed in a hybrid protein, in which eleven amino acids consisting of the prosequence of alpha-amylase (eight amino acids) and three amino acids encoding in the HindIII linker DNA were assumed to be extended in front of the Leu residue at position 6 of the mature form of mouse IFN-beta. Its activity was higher than that of the mature form of the mouse IFN-beta secreted from a B. subtilis transformant. These results indicate that the amino acid sequence around the NH2-terminal region of the mouse IFN-beta is closely related to the antiviral activity, but the NH2-terminal amino acid is not. The hybrid proteins of mouse IFN-beta show no interferon activity against a human cell line, HEL.

Amino Acid Sequence

Signal peptide of Bacillus subtilis alpha-amylase.

Mature alpha-amylase of Bacillus subtilis is known to be formed from its precursor by the removal of the NH2-terminal 41 amino acid sequence (41 amino acid leader sequence). DNA fragments coding for short sequences consisting of 28 (Pro as the COOH terminus) 29 (Ala), 31 (Ala), and 33 (Ala) amino acids from the translation initiator, Met, in the leader sequence were prepared and fused in frame to the DNA encoding the mature alpha-amylase. The secretion activity of the 33 amino acid sequence was nearly twice as high as that of the parental 41 amino acid sequence, whereas the activity of the 31 amino acid sequence was 75% of that of the parent. In contrast, almost no secretion activity was observed with the 28 and 29 amino acid sequences. The signal peptide cleavage site of the precursor expressed from the plasmid encoding the 33 amino acid sequence was located between Ala and Leu at positions 33 and 34 and that from the 31 amino acid sequence between Thr and Ala at positions 33 and 34. The NH2-terminal amino acid from the latter corresponded to the 3rd amino acid of the mature enzyme. These results indicated that the functional signal peptide of the B. subtilis beta-amylase consists of the first 33 amino acids from the initiator, Met.

Amino Acid Sequence

[Efficacy of etoposide in bone metastasis of breast cancer].

We have used ADM, MMC, CDDP and other drugs for a case of bone metastasis of breast cancer, but the bone destruction was advanced and she could not walk. We have also used etoposide, a new chemotherapeutic drug, for the same case. Two months later bone sclerosis was seen by X-ray film and pain disappeared. Bone sclerosis then advanced after 6 months, she has begun to stand, and after 8 months she has been able to walk with a cane. There was no severe side effect. Etoposide was very effective for bone metastasis of the breast cancer.

Bone Neoplasms

Active forms of chymotrypsin C isolated from autolyzed porcine pancreas glands.

Four active forms of chymotrypsin C (C1, C2A, C2B, and C3) were isolated from the autolyzed porcine pancreas glands. Their molecular weights were estimated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to be 29 100 for C1, 26 300 for C2A and C3, and 25 500 for C2B. The kinetic analyses of esterase activity of the enzymes toward Ac-LLeu-OEt and Ac-LPhe-OEt showed that chymotrypsin C1 hydrolyzed the two substrates more efficiently than did chymotrypsin C3. Chymotrypsin C1 consisted of chain A (H-Cys-...-Asn-OH, Mr 886) and chain BC (H-Val-...-Lys-OH, Mr 28 200). Chymotrypsin C3 consisted of the two components of C3L and C3S that could be dissociated in the presence of 2.3% SDS. C3L consisted of the chain A and the chain C (H-Ser-...-Lys-OH, Mr 13 600). C3S was the chain B (H-Val-...-Lys-OH, Mr 11 800). These kinetic and chemical analyses show that chymotrypsins C1 and C3 correspond to chymotrypsin A delta and A alpha, respectively.

Amino Acids

Chest roentgenograms in primary pulmonary hypertension.

The characteristics of 59 chest roentgenograms of patients with primary pulmonary hypertension were investigated and compared with roentgenograms of 100 healthy control subjects. The relationship with pulmonary hemodynamics was also examined. In primary pulmonary hypertension, there was remarkable protrusion of the main pulmonary artery; the DPA (T/2) and the PL/T index (see text) had high values. These indices depend mainly on pulmonary hypertension, but are partially determined physically by the size of the individual heart. The width of the descending branch of the right pulmonary artery (dPA) was about double the control value (P less than 0.001). The cardiothoracic ratio was significantly increased in primary pulmonary hypertension and there was a positive correlation between the ratio and the mean right atrial pressure (r = 0.37, P less than 0.01). However, there was no correlation with pulmonary arterial pressure or other pulmonary hemodynamic parameters. These results indicate that the increase in the cardiothoracic ratio in primary pulmonary hypertension is caused mainly by right heart failure.

Adolescent

Arrhythmias in primary pulmonary hypertension.

Through the examination of 171 electrocardiograms (ECG) of 101 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH), the following conclusions were obtained. Arrhythmias were found in 27 (26.7%) of the 101 patients. Among the surviving cases, arrhythmias were found in 8 (17.8%) out of 45 patients, but among the decreased cases, the figure was higher, 19 (33.9%) out of 56. There were instances of more than one kind of arrhythmias in the same patient and a total of 34 types of arrhythmias were noted. The main types of arrhythmias were sinus tachycardia (13 cases), sinus bradycardia (6 cases), and first degree A-V block (5 cases), which accounted for 70% of the total. Sinus tachycardia was observed in only 2 of the survivors but in 11 of the decreased cases, which showed a significant difference (p less than 0.05). First A-V block were all induced by digitalis. Wenckebach type of second degree A-V block was noted in only 1 case and it was also induced by digitalis. Since severe attacks of ventricular arrhythmias were very rare in these cases with PPH, it is difficult to consider the Adams-Stokes syndrome as the cause of syncopal attacks or sudden death. However, it is necessary to further investigate nodal functions by means of continuous ECG monitoring, the overdrive suppression test and His bundle ECGs.

Adolescent

A case of persistent atrial standstill.

A case of persistent atrial standstill is described. The criteria for diagnosing atrial standstill are separated into two categories: the lack of electrical atrial activity and the lack of mechanical atrial activity. Echocardiography of the anterior mitral leaflet is to be used as one of the noninvasive methods for the diagnosis of the lack of mechanical atrial activity.

Adolescent