Biomedical subjects

J Mowery

Publications and source records attributed to J Mowery.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Atherosclerosis. Potential targets for stabilization and regression.

Reviewed are various aspects of atherosclerotic plaque stabilization and regression in humans and experimental animals. Plaque regression is a function of the dynamic balance among initiation, progression, stabilization, and removal of plaque constituents. Pseudoregression, the result of the triad thrombolysis, age- or lesion-dependent arterial dilatation, and relaxation of vasospasm, may readily give rise to angiographic misinterpretation. Although lowering of plasma cholesterol and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol has demonstrated significant clinical benefits in a number of clinical trials, the magnitude of angiographic regressive changes is relatively small despite aggressive lipid-lowering regimens. The emerging need for alternative or complementary therapeutic interventions has been emphasized. In particular, they should be targeted to pivotal cellular or molecular mechanisms in initiation, progression, or stabilization. Potentially important therapeutic targets include the use of antioxidants or free radical scavengers such as Probucol or its analogues, butylated hydroxytoluene, tocopherols, and possibly the tocotrienols. Other therapeutic targets include intimal monocyte-macrophage recruitment, macrophage cholesterol acyltransferase inhibition, stimulation of the high density lipoprotein-mediated reverse cholesterol transport system, smooth muscle cell migration to and proliferation in the arterial intima, and intimal connective tissue synthesis. Whether the isoprenylated proteins associated with the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway will give rise to compounds regulating smooth muscle cell growth has yet to be determined. Because of the importance of thrombosis in the pathogenesis and progression of lesions, the need to develop interventional strategies targeted at endothelial cell thromboresistance and thromboregulation must assume a high priority in future research and development. Other areas of therapeutic promise include the calcium channel blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Detection of cell-CAM 105 in the pericanalicular domain of the rat hepatocyte plasma membrane.

Cell-CAM 105 has been identified as a cell adhesion molecule based on the ability of anti-cell-CAM 105 monospecific Fab fragments to inhibit the reaggregation of rat hepatocytes. Because of its adhesive properties, it was expected that cell-CAM 105 would be present on the lateral cell surface where adhesive interactions predominate. Paradoxically, however, immunofluorescence analysis of frozen sections of rat liver using specific monoclonal antibodies indicated that cell-CAM 105 was present exclusively in the bile canalicular domain of the rat hepatocyte where there is no intercellular adhesion. To more precisely define the in situ localization of cell-CAM 105, immunoperoxidase labeling and electron microscopy were used to examine intact and mechanically dissociated liver tissue. Results showed that when accessibility was provided by mechanical dissociation of perfusion fixed liver tissue, cell-CAM 105 could be detected in the pericanalicular region of lateral membranes. In contrast, when hepatocytes were labeled after incubation in vitro under conditions used during adhesion assays to induce reaggregation, cell-CAM 105 rapidly redistributed to all areas of the plasma membrane. Immunofluorescence analysis of primary hepatocyte cultures further revealed that cell-CAM 105 and two other bile canalicular proteins relocalized to discrete domains reminiscent of bile canaliculi, whereas cell-CAM 105 was also present in areas of intercellular contact. Serial section electron microscopy analysis of well-defined, cross-sectional profiles of bile canaliculi suggested the presence of cell-CAM 105-positive membrane folds that extended along the length of the bile canalicular border. In sections from livers in which calcium-dependent adhesive contacts had been disrupted by treatment with ethylenediamine tetraacetate, intact bile canaliculi were found that remained attached only by these border folds. The implications of these results are discussed with regard to a possible role for cell-CAM 105 in bile canalicular formation.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed1989

Comparison of the structural characteristics of cell-CAM 105 from hepatocytes with those of an altered form expressed by rat transplantable hepatocellular carcinomas.

The structural features of the adult rat hepatocyte (ARH) forms of cell-CAM 105, a Mr 105,000 cell adhesion molecule, were compared using a variety of immunochemical and biochemical techniques with altered forms of more basic pI present on two transplantable hepatocellular carcinomas (THC 1682c and THC AS-30D). Immunoprecipitation analysis with polyclonal (anti-gp 105-2) and monoclonal (MAb) antibodies specific for cell-CAM 105 (MAb 362.50) demonstrated that ARH and THC cell-CAM 105 were indistinguishable in several respects including: (a) binding to wheat germ agglutinin; (b) labeling with NaIO4/NaB3H4; (c) susceptibility to digestion with endoglycosidases (endoglycosidase H and F and peptide N-glycosidase F N-glycanase); (d) rate of turnover on the cell surface; and (e) differential resistance of upper and lower forms to trypsin digestion in the presence or absence of calcium. Digestion with Clostridium perfringens or Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase did not equalize pI but instead decreased the size and increased the pI of both ARH and THC cell-CAM 105. Comparison of two-dimensional tryptic peptide maps, however, revealed five unique peptides in the THC AS-30D map and one peptide in the THC 1682c map, peptides which were only apparent in maps of deglycosylated ARH cell-CAM 105. Based on these results, it was concluded that there were significant differences in the glycosylation of ARH and THC cell-CAM 105. Biosynthetic labeling with 32PO4 and 35SO4 showed that both ARH and THC molecules were phosphorylated but not sulfated. Comparison of 32P-labeled peptides produced by digestion with V-8 protease revealed significant differences in the phosphorylation of the upper and lower forms from ARH and showed that the pattern of phosphorylation on THC cell-CAM 105 most closely resembled ARH upper form. Pulse-chase analysis of ARH cell-CAM 105 further indicated that only a subpopulation of the molecules labeled with [35S]methionine were phosphorylated.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

PubMed1989

Evidence for a role of dipeptidyl peptidase IV in fibronectin-mediated interactions of hepatocytes with extracellular matrix.

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) is a cell surface glycoprotein which has been implicated in hepatocyte-extracellular matrix interactions [Hixson, DeLourdes, Ponce, Allison & Walborg (1984) Exp. Cell Res. 152, 402-414; Walborg, Tsuchida, Weeden, Thomas, Barrick, McEntire, Allison & Hixson (1985) Exp. Cell Res. 158, 509-518; Hanski, Huhle & Reutter (1985) Biol. Chem. Hoppe-Seyler 366, 1169-1176]. However, its proteolytic substrate(s) and/or binding protein(s) which mediate this influence have not been conclusively identified. Nitrocellulose binding assays using 125I-labelled DPP IV that was purified to homogeneity from rat hepatocytes revealed a direct interaction of DPP IV with fibronectin. Although fibronectin could mediate an indirect binding of DPP IV to collagen, no evidence was found for a direct binding of DPP IV to native or denatured Type I collagen. Fibronectin appeared to bind DPP IV at a site distinct from its exopeptidase substrate recognition site since protease inhibitors such as competitive peptide substrates and phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride enhanced binding, possibly as a result of an altered conformation of DPP IV. To determine if fibronectin binding to DPP IV is involved in the interaction of fibronectin with the hepatocyte surface, the effect of various DPP IV inhibitors on 125I-fibronectin binding to isolated hepatocytes in suspension was examined. Kinetic studies revealed that inhibitors of DPP IV which enhanced fibronectin binding in vitro accelerated the initial binding of fibronectin to the cell surface where it was subsequently cross-linked (presumably by tissue transglutaminase) to as yet undefined components. Immunolocalization of fibronectin and DPP IV in normal rat liver sections showed that both proteins were present along the hepatocyte sinusoidal membrane. These observations, coupled with previous results showing that DPP IV is tightly bound to biomatrix isolated from rat liver (Hixson et al., 1984; Walborg et al., 1985), suggest that DPP IV binding to fibronectin may play a role in interactions of hepatocytes with extracellular matrix in vivo and possibly in matrix assembly.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Rapid low molecular weight polyethylene glycol embedding protocol for immunocytochemistry.

We describe an alternative polyethylene glycol (PEG) embedding procedure which utilizes PEG 200 for dehydration and PEG 600 for infiltration and embedding of perfusion-fixed rat liver. PEG 600 has a melting point of 22 degrees C, enabling infiltration of fixed tissue to be performed at room temperature. Sections (2 microM) cut in a cryostat at -20 degrees C and immobilized in agarose were readily labeled by immunoperoxidase protocols with monoclonal antibodies to hepatocyte membrane antigens. Subsequent examination by light microscopy or by electron microscopy after re-embedding in resin and ultra-thin sectioning showed excellent preservation of morphology, with minimal impairment of antigenicity.

Animals↗