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J Allsop

Publications and source records attributed to J Allsop.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

An intronic duplication in the alanine: glyoxylate aminotransferase gene facilitates identification of mutations in compound heterozygote patients with primary hyperoxaluria type 1.

We report here the identification of a duplication within the first intron of the gene encoding human alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT); this duplication is closely linked to two point mutations associated with peroxisome-to-mitochondrion mistargeting of AGT in primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) patients. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of regions of the AGT gene including the insertion site from individuals heterozygous for this duplication, produces allele-specific fragments of different sizes. We have taken advantage of this to identify a nonsense mutation within a non-expressed allele of a compound heterozygote PH1 patient with mitochondrial AGT.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1990

Hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase activity in tissues and hypoxanthine concentrations in plasma and CSF of the horse in comparison with other species.

1. Plasma hypoxanthine and xanthine concentrations are very low in the horse and low in rat, mouse and greyhound compared to concentrations in beagles, man, sheep and rabbit. 2. Activities in erythrocytes of the main enzyme metabolizing hypoxanthine, hypoxanthine phosphori-bosyltransferase, show a similar pattern (Tax et al., 1976, Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 54B, 209-212); thus low activities have been found where plasma concentrations were low. 3. Hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase activities in horse tissue other than erythrocytes are similar to those in man and rabbit with high activities in brain; this enzyme may therefore be functionally important in equine brain.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1990

Purine synthesis de novo and salvage in hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient mice.

Extreme degrees of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) deficiency in man are associated with gross sex-linked neurological dysfunction, gout and urinary stones (the Lesch-Nyhan or 'complete HPRT-deficiency' syndrome). The less severe degrees of enzyme deficiency (sex-linked recessive gout and/or urolithiasis or the 'partial HPRT-deficiency' syndrome) may be associated with minor neurological manifestations. Whole body purine synthesis de novo is accelerated in both these groups of patients. A strain of mice with an experimentally produced mutation at the HPRT locus showed some residual 'apparent HPRT activity' in brain, liver, testicular, splenic, kidney and ovarian tissues but not in erythrocyte haemolysates. The mutation removes exons 1 and 2 of the coding region of the gene together with the promotor and about 10 kb of upstream sequence from the gene. It is therefore possible that the observed 'apparent HPRT activity' in these mice is due to the operation of an alternative metabolic pathway. Purine synthesis de novo was markedly accelerated in their brain, testicular, splenic and kidney tissues. It was not accelerated in the liver tissue of male mice hemizygous for the mutation and the degree of acceleration in the female homozygotes only just reached statistical significance at the p = 0.02 level. This observation casts doubt on the importance of modulations in the rate of hepatic purine synthesis de novo as a mechanism for maintaining a steady supply of purines for translocation to other organs.

Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase↗
PubMed1990

Subcellular distribution of hepatic alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase in various mammalian species.

The subcellular distribution of alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase 1 (AGT1) enzyme activity and immunoreactive protein has been determined in the livers of a variety of mammalian species (marmoset, baboon, cat, rabbit, pig, sheep) using the techniques of post-embedding protein A-gold immunoelectron microscopy and isopycnic density gradient centrifugation. In baboon and rabbit livers, AGT1 was exclusively peroxisomal. Morphometric analysis of the distribution of immunoreactive AGT1 protein in cat liver showed that 91-92% was located in the mitochondria with 8-9% in the peroxisomes. In marmoset liver, 59% of AGT1 was found in the mitochondrial matrix and 41% in the peroxisomal matrix. The results from pig and sheep were ambiguous, because of the low levels of expression of AGT1. The implications of these data in terms of the metabolic roles of AGT1 (gluconeogenesis and glyoxylate detoxification) and in terms of the evolutionary acquisition and loss of functional mitochondrial and peroxisomal targeting sequences are discussed.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1989

Defective DNA synthesis by T cells in acquired 'common-variable' hypogammaglobulinaemia on stimulation with mitogens.

We have studied T cell defects in acquired 'common-variable' hypogammaglobulinaemia (CVH) by measuring the synthesis of DNA, RNA and protein in vitro in response to mitogens and to interleukin 2 (IL-2). We have confirmed that some patients have defective DNA synthesis in response to PHA and shown that this extends to responses to cell-derived B cell growth factor (c-BCGF) which is also mitogenic to T cells. DNA synthesis induced by IL-2 was not defective in these patients suggesting IL2-receptor induction is normal. The mitogen-related defect in DNA synthesis was not accompanied by any reduction in synthesis of RNA or of protein. Levels of the rate limiting enzyme (thymidylate synthetase EC 2.1.1.45) responsible for de novo DNA synthesis in the absence of endogenous thymidine were measured following PHA stimulation and found to be in the normal range. In the CVH patients (but not in normal individuals) the relationship between the levels of thymidylate synthetase and DNA synthesis in response to PHA approached significance, suggesting that this pathway becomes more important in CVH patients than in normal individuals perhaps because of defects in the thymidine 'salvage' pathway.

Agammaglobulinemia↗
PubMed1987

A new micro-assay for human liver alanine: glyoxylate aminotransferase.

A micro radiochemical method has been developed for the assay of the human liver peroxisomal enzyme alanine: glyoxylate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.44). The method, based on the electrophoretic separation of [14C]alanine (substrate) from [14C]pyruvate (product) is at least fifty times more sensitive than the currently-used spectrophotometric double enzyme method (Rowsell et al, Int J Biochem 1972;3: 247-257), enabling the enzymatic diagnosis of primary hyperoxaluria type 1 to be carried out on only 100 micrograms of human liver tissue obtained by percutaneous needle biopsy. The increased sensitivity of the new method allows the assay conditions to be such that they are on the linear parts of the time-course and protein concentration curves. This results in the activities of alanine: glyoxylate aminotransferase in human liver samples being 20-50% higher than those determined by the spectrophotometric method.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1986

Purine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.7 and 2.4.2.8) and purine de novo synthesis activity in rat testicular tissue at different stages of development, and their correlation with the circulating levels of gonadotrophins and testosterone, and with structural changes.

The overall activity of the purine de novo synthesis pathway and the activities of purine phosphoribosyltransferase in the rat testis were measured at different ages and were correlated with histological observations. Similar studies of the concentration of circulating gonadotrophins and testosterone were performed. The purine phosphoribosyltransferase activities were between two and three orders of magnitude greater than purine de novo synthesis. The peak activity of the purine de novo synthesis pathway coincided with the first appearance of meiosis in the spermatocytes immediately before the luteinising hormone (LH) level rose to its peak. The highest activity of the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT; EC 2.4.2.8) - catalysed purine salvage pathway coincided with the first appearance of mature spermatozoa in the tubules just after the occurrence of peak levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). These findings are linked to the development of testicular atrophy in cases of severe HPRT deficiency in man.

Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase↗
PubMed1984

The rate of purine synthesis de nova in blood mononuclear cells in vitro from patients with familial hyperuricaemic nephropathy.

We have measured the rate of purine synthesis de novo in blood mononuclear cells in vitro and the activities of the purine salvage enzymes [hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT; EC 2.4.2.8), adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT; EC 2.4.2.7)] and ribosephosphate pyrophosphokinase (PP-ribose-P synthetase; EC 2.7.6.1)] and the concentration of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PP-ribose-P) in the erythrocytes of affected family members. These subjects belong to families where hyperuricaemia and renal failure occur together early in life, and the genetic transmission follows an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. We term this syndrome, familial hyperuricaemic nephropathy. No significant differences were detected in either the rates of purine synthesis de novo in vitro between the index patients and the control subjects with respect to the enzyme activities or the PP-ribose-P concentrations. Two groups of controls were used, healthy individuals and patients with a comparable degree of renal failure due to non-immune complex renal disease. Mononuclear cells from patients with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (congenital HPRT deficiency) showed the expected acceleration of purine synthesis de novo in vitro. The accelerated purine synthesis de novo in vitro associated with phytohaemagglutinin-induced lymphocyte transformation was detectable by the method used. We conclude that familial hyperuricaemic nephropathy is not due to a metabolic lesion which causes accelerated purine synthesis de novo. This suggests that the primary abnormality may be a failure of the renal tubular net excretion of urate.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Purine de novo synthesis in liver and developing rat brain, and the effect of some inhibitors of purine nucleotide interconversion.

The rate of purine de novo synthesis from sodium formate in developing rat brain falls in the late gestational stages to birth, rises again in the 1st week of life and then decreases rapidly to the 3rd week, and continues declining up to 8 weeks of life (adulthood). The changes in the overall purine biosynthetic rate with respect to time are similar to those in the activity of the rate-limiting enzyme [amidophosphoribosyltransferase (phosphoribosyl diphosphate amidotransferase; EC 2.4.2.14)]. Azaserine [O-diazoacetyl-L-serine], a known inhibitor of glutamine requiring metabolic steps, inhibits purine de novo synthesis by more than 90%. This confirms that the method used to assess purine de novo synthesis in fact does so. The effects of virazole [1-beta-ribofuranosyl-1-H,1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide], an inhibitor of IMP dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.14), and of alanosine [L-2-amino-3-(hydroxynitrosamino)propanoic acid] an inhibitor of adenylosuccinate synthetase (EC 6.3.4.4), on the rate of purine de novo synthesis were investigated in liver and brain tissue. The effect of the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol [4-hydroxypyrazolo(3,4-d)pyrimidine] was also investigated in liver tissue. The biosynthesis of the purines which were extruded into the incubation medium as well as those which remained in the tissue was studied. Only inhibitory effects were observed, and these were confined to the purines remaining in the tissue. Allopurinol was completely inert from this viewpoint. The results are compared with those of other workers using lymphoid cells, and emphasize the differences in the control of de novo purine synthesis in different tissues and under different conditions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aging↗
PubMed1982

Activities of enzymes involved in purine metabolism and some related adenine nucleotide concentrations of leucocytes in renal failure.

We have studied purine metabolism in mononuclear and polymorphonuclear cells from uraemic patients using microradiochemical enzyme assays and high-pressure liquid chromatography. In mononuclear cell lysates the mean activities of adenosine deaminase (EC 3.5.4.4) and 5'-nucleotidase (EC 3.1.3.5) were significantly diminished. The activities of adenylate kinase (EC 2.7.4.3), purine nucleoside phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.1), adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.7), and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.8) were not significantly different in the two groups. The activities of adenosine deaminase and adenine phosphoribosyltransferase were reduced in the polymorphonuclear cell lysates. No clear differences emerged in the concentration of adenine nucleotides in the mononuclear cells. The significance of these changes, which are less marked than those in erythrocytes, is discussed with reference to the immunodeficiency associated with uraemia.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1981

Effect of renal failure on erythrocyte purine nucleotide, nucleoside and base concentrations and some related enzyme activities.

1. We have studied purine metabolism in renal failure using high-pressure liquid chromatography to determine metabolite concentrations in erythrocytes and plasma, and microradiochemical assays of enzyme activity in erythrocytes. 2. The mean activities of some of the enzymes involved in purine metabolism were raised in renal failure. Significant elevations of adenylate kinase (EC 2.7.4.3), purine nucleoside phosphorylase (EC 2.4.2.1), hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.8) and adenosine deaminase (EC 3.5.4.4) but not of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.7) and ribosephosphate pyrophosphokinase (phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase; EC 2.7.6.1) activities were demonstrated. However, there was an overlap between results from patients with renal failure and normal (control) subjects. Erythrocyte phosphoribosylpyrophosphate levels were also unchanged. 3. Erythrocyte nucleotide concentrations especially those of inosine were raised in renal failure. 4. The plasma inosine was reduced in renal failure. 5. The significance of these changes is discussed.

Adolescent↗