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J D Roberts

Publications and source records attributed to J D Roberts.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1977

Nitrogen-15 nuclear magnetic resonance of aliphatic tripeptides.

The 15N chemical shifts of eight aliphatic tripeptides have been measured at the natural-abundance level. For a given tripeptide, the resonances of the COOH-terminal and NH2-terminal amino acids can be identified by measurements at low or high pH. The shifts of the NH2-terminal amino acid nitrogens are essentially independent of the amino acids in the rest of the peptide. The shifts of the other nitrogens are characteristic of the amino acids themselves and of the immediately preceding amino acid toward the NH2 terminus. Non-terminal amide nitrogens have shifts of about 6 ppm upfield of COOH-terminal amide nitrogens at the isoelectric point of measurement. 15N chemical shifts appear to have considerable potential value for peptide sequencing.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1976

Mode of action of trichloroethylene on squid axon membranes.

The mode of action of trichloroethylene on electrical properties of squid giant axons has been studied by means of voltage clamp techniques. Trichloroethylene decreased the resting membrane potential in a manner dependent upon the concentration, the depolarization by 50% saturated trichloroethylene attaining 28.4 and 32.7% of the initial value at 20 and 10 degrees C, respectively. Leakage conductance was decreased to 34.6% of the control by 30% saturated trichloroethylene at 10-12 degrees C. It appears that the trichloroethylene-induced depolarization is at least in part due to a decrease in resting potassium permeability. Both peak transient and steady-state conductance increases were suppressec by trichloroethylene, and the curve relating the steady-state conductance to the membrane potential was shifted in the depolarizing direction while the peak transient conductance curve was not appreciably shifted. The reversal potential for the peak transient current was greatly shifted by trichloroethylene in the direction of hyperpolarization in a manner dependent on the concentration, the maximum shift amounting to 25 mV at 10 degrees C. This effect was less pronounced at 20 degrees C. The shift in the reversal potential is mostly due to a decrease in selectivity of the peak transient channel and partly due to an accumulation of sodium ions inside. Analyes of dose-response relation in suppressing peak transient and steady-state conductances show that trichloroethylene interacts with receptor on a one-to-one stoichiometric basis. Steady-state sodium inactivation curve was shifted by trichloroethylene in the direction of hyperpolarization. All of these effects were partially reversed after washing the axon with anesthetic-free media. The accumulation of sodium ions inside would be much more pronounced in small nerve fibers in the brain than in giant axon and, together with the observed decrease in the selectivity of peak transient channels, would play a significant role in general anesthesia.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1975

Applications of natural-abundance nitrogen-15 nuclear magnetic resonance to large biochemically important molecules.

Natural-abundance nitrogen-15 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of enzymes and other biopolymers is found to be feasible using newly available instrumentation. The long correlation times of such molecules result in short spin-lattice relaxation times, and these in turn allow rapid signal accumulation. The advantages of short T1 values are sometimes offset, however, by unfavorable nuclear Overhauser effects. The dependence of T1 and nuclear Overhauser effects upon correlation time is discussed, and preliminary nitrogen-15 nuclear magnetic resonance results for several biopolymers, including lysozyme, protamines, pepsin, hemoglobin, vitamin B 12, and tRNA, are presented.

Egg White↗
PubMed1975

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: reinvestigation of carbon-13 spin-lattice relaxation time measurements of amino acids.

The carbon-13 spin-lattice relaxation times (T1) of glycine have been measured as a function of pD and concentration. Contrary to previously reported findings, no significant dependence was observed on either pD or concentration. In addition, the T1 values reported here are much longer than those published earlier. The discrepancies arise from the presence of paramagnetic impurities in the earlier samples. For the carboxyl carbon, dipole-dipole relaxation is dominant in both D2O and H2O solution, and in H2O there is a significant intermolecular dipolar contribution. Proton and oxygen relaxation times have also been measured. These, along with the carbon relaxation data, allow a discussion of the dynamics of glycine in solution.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1975

Multiple primary neoplasms in blacks compared to whites. IV. Further cancers in patients with cancer of the digestive organs.

Second primary cancers found among whites and blacks with initial cancer of the digestive organs were reported based on data from the Charity Hospital Tumor Registry. Observed second primary cancers were compared to expected numbers to obtain a direct estimate of risk. Both white and black men had about a twofold risk of developing a second cancer. For white men, the excess was limited to a subsequent skin cancer, but this finding was probably an artifact of reporting and lacked biologic significance. Among women, both white and black, large excesses of invasive cancer of the cervix and ovary were found after an initial cancer of the large intestine and anorectum was discovered. No excess of breast cancer was found.

Black or African American↗