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Biomedical subjects

K Inouye

Publications and source records attributed to K Inouye.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Receptor selectivity of natriuretic peptide family, atrial natriuretic peptide, brain natriuretic peptide, and C-type natriuretic peptide.

To elucidate the ligand-receptor relationship of the natriuretic peptide system, which comprises at least three endogenous ligands, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), and three receptors, the ANP-A receptor or guanylate cyclase-A (GC-A), the ANP-B receptor or guanylate cyclase-B (GC-B), and the clearance receptor (C-receptor), we characterized the receptor preparations from human, bovine, and rat tissues and cultured cells with the aid of the binding assay, Northern blot technique, and the cGMP production method. Using these receptor preparations, we examined the binding affinities of ANP, BNP, and CNP for the C-receptor and their potencies for cGMP production via the ANP-A receptor (GC-A) and the ANP-B receptor (GC-B). These analyses revealed the presence of a marked species difference in the receptor selectivity of the natriuretic peptide family, especially among BNPs. Therefore, we investigated the receptor selectivity of the natriuretic peptide family using the homologous assay system with endogenous ligands and receptors of the same species. The rank order of binding affinity for the C-receptor was ANP greater than CNP greater than BNP in both humans and rats. The rank order of potency for cGMP production via the ANP-A receptor (GC-A) was ANP greater than or equal to BNP much greater than CNP, but that via the ANP-B receptor (GC-B) was CNP greater than ANP greater than or equal to BNP. These findings on the receptor selectivity of the natriuretic peptide family provide a new insight into the understanding of the physiological and clinical implications of the natriuretic peptide system.

Animals↗

[Brief counting method of airborne Cryptomeria japonica pollen by a combination of fluorescence antibody staining and flow cytometry].

Airborne pollens collected in a pollen collector (Virtual Impactor) was treated with a fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled monoclonal antibody (KW-S10) which was strictly specific to Japanese cedar pollen antigen (Cry j I). Flow cytometric analysis revealed that the intensity of fluorescence of the pollen samples treated with the antibody was greater than that of non-treated reference pollen or the antibody treated Hinoki-cypress pollen. By use of this method, it may be possible to display the airborne pollen concentration within 20 min after sampling.

Air↗

Regulation of movement speed by intracellular pH during Dictyostelium discoideum chemotaxis.

Evidence is presented that the chemoattractant-induced cytoplasmic alkalinization in the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum is essential in regulating locomotion speed during chemotaxis. Intracellular pH was manipulated with weak bases, weak acids, and proton-pump inhibition. Speed of locomotion of individual cells was measured during random and chemotactic movement. We found that (i) an increase of cytoplasmic pH increases the speed of randomly moving cells and (ii) the chemoattractant-induced rise in intracellular pH is essential for the increase in directed locomotion speed upon chemotactic stimulation. In addition, our experiments support the hypothesis that ammonia plays a key role in the thermo- and phototaxis of migrating slugs by increasing the locomotion speed of individual cells through changes in intracellular pH.

Journal Article↗

Biological characterization of human brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and rat BNP: species-specific actions of BNP.

We examined the diuretic-natriuretic activities of rat BNP and human BNP in anesthetized rats in vivo and their vasorelaxant activities for rat thoracic aorta and porcine coronary artery in vitro. Rat BNP was almost equipotent to rat ANP in diuresis and natriuresis with relative potencies of 1.6 and 2.5, respectively, while human BNP exerted no significant activity. Rat ANP, rat BNP and human BNP relaxed PGF2 alpha-contracted rat aortic strips with IC50 values of 0.62, 0.64 and 12.1 nM, respectively, while they relaxed PGF2 alpha-contracted porcine coronary arteries with IC50 values of 0.04, 1.10 and 0.02 nM, respectively. These results strongly suggest that the biological action of BNP is species-specific.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The use of N-(aminobenzoyloxy) succinimide as a two-level heterobifunctional agent for the preparation of hapten-protein conjugates. Daunomycin as a model hapten with an amino group.

Three geometric ortho-, meta-, and para-isomers of N-(aminobenzoyloxy)succinimide (ABS) were synthesized, and their usefulness as a two-level heterobifunctional cross-linking agent in the preparation of hapten-protein conjugates was evaluated. The conjugation was based on the principle that ABS reacts immediately with an amino group of a hapten, and an aminobenzoyl group incorporated into the hapten is then activated by diazotization to a functional diazobenzoyl group acting on tyrosine or histidine residues of the protein. Using the anti-tumor antibiotic daunomycin (DM) as a model hapten, the three isomers of ABS were compared for their ability to conjugate DM with bovine serum albumin (BSA); DM incorporation onto a BSA molecular was found to occur to the highest degree with m-ABS, followed by p-ABS. while o-ABS completely failed to conjugate under the same coupling conditions. Using m-ABS it was possible to introduce more than 10 molecules of DM per BSA molecule. One of the DM-BSA samples was used as the immunogen for the production of anti-DM serum in a rabbit. The antibody specificity was shown to be direct to DM but not to other anti-cancer drugs (bleomycin, mitomycin C, actinomycin D and 5-fluorouracil) by the double antibody enzyme immunoassay (DEIA) using DM-beta-galactosidase conjugate as a label. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for anti-DM IgG was developed using a DM-human serum albumin (DM-HSA) conjugate similarly prepared with m-ABS and horseradish peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG as the solid-phase antigen and the labelled second antibody, respectively. This ELISA permitted us to measure accurately as little as 50 ng of anti-DM IgG per ml using a standard anti-DM IgG which had been purified from the anti-DM serum using an affinity column of Sepharose 4B with DM-HSA as the ligand. Using this ELISA as well as a sandwich enzyme immunoassay (SEIA) for total IgG, serum levels of anti-DM IgG and total IgG levels were easily monitored in a rabbit following immunization with DM-BSA. These results indicate that the use of DBS provides a novel method for preparing hapten-protein conjugates which will be useful in biochemistry and immunochemistry.

Acetylation↗

Isolation and sequence determination of human brain natriuretic peptide in human atrium.

We isolated human brain natriuretic peptide (human BNP) from the human atrium. Sequence analysis has revealed that it is a 32-amino-acid peptide with the sequence S-P-K-M-V-Q-G-S-G-C-F-G-R-K-M-D-R-I-S-S-S-S-G-L-G-C-K-V-L-R-R-H, which is identical to the C-terminal sequence (77-108) of the human BNP precursor deduced from the cDNA sequence. The sequence of human BNP (77-108) is preceded by Pro75-Arg76 in the human BNP precursor, which is the same processing signal as Pro97-Arg98 of the precursor of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). The processing of the BNP precursor occurs in the cardiocyte, although that of the ANP precursor in the cardiocyte is unclear at present.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Purification and characterization of immunoglobulin production stimulating factor derived from human B lymphoblastoid HO-323 cells.

An immunoglobulin (Ig) production stimulating factor (IPSF) for hybridomas was found in spent medium of the human B lymphoblastoid cell line, HO-323. The IPSF was purified by serial use of DEAE chromatography, ultrafiltration, gel filtration and HPLC-DEAE chromatography. Purified IPSF was estimated to be a 410 k macro molecule by gel filtration, and contained three types of isomers which were separated from each other by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All of the isomers were, however, assumed to have the same protein components by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The IPSF was effective for human-human and mouse-mouse hybridomas producing IgM, but not for IgG producers in the experimental condition used here. Human-human hybridoma HF10B4, cultured in IPSF-containing medium, produced 20 times more IgM than in IPSF-free medium under serum-free conditions. The IPSF showed very little proliferation stimulating activity on HF10B4 cells.

Biological Factors↗

Relationships among islet cell antibodies, residual beta-cell function, and metabolic control in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus of long duration: use of a sensitive C-peptide radioimmunoassay.

Relationships among islet cell antibodies (ICA), residual beta-cell function, and metabolic control were studied in 60 insulin-dependent diabetics (IDDs) of long duration (6 to 31 years). Sensitive C-peptide immunoreactivity (CPR) and ICA assays with limits of 0.017 nmol/L and 5 Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDF) U, respectively, demonstrated that baseline (0.16 +/- 0.02 nmol/L, mean +/- SE, n = 26), as well as maximum CPR values (0.34 +/- 0.05 nmol/L), during 100-g oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) in ICA-positive IDDs were significantly higher than corresponding values in ICA-negative ones (baseline values, 0.10 +/- 0.01 nmol/L, P less than .05; maximum values, 0.20 +/- 0.04 nmol/L, P less than .01, n = 34). Negative correlation was observed between increment of serum CPR and metabolic control indices, including fasting blood glucose (FBG) and HbA1c levels (P less than .05). In addition, ICA-positive insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients had lower values of FBG (8.2 +/- 0.4 mmol/L, P less than .01 v ICA-negative IDDs) and HbA1c (9.2% +/- 0.2%, P less than .05 v ICA-negative IDDs) than ICA-negative ones (FBG, 9.9 +/- 0.4 mmol/L; HbA1c, 9.8% +/- 0.2%). These results indicate that minute CPR responses to OGTT detected by sensitive methods may represent residual pancreatic beta cells, which may contribute to ICA generation and good metabolic control in IDDs of long duration.

Autoantibodies↗

Two-dimensional NMR and photo-CIDNP studies of the insulin monomer: assignment of aromatic resonances with application to protein folding, structure, and dynamics.

The aromatic 1H NMR resonances of the insulin monomer are assigned at 500 MHz by comparative studies of chemically modified and genetically altered variants, including a mutant insulin (PheB25----Leu) associated with diabetes mellitus. The two histidines, three phenylalanines, and four tyrosines are observed to be in distinct local environments; their assignment provides sensitive markers for studies of tertiary structure, protein dynamics, and protein folding. The environments of the tyrosine residues have also been investigated by photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) and analyzed in relation to packing constraints in the crystal structures of insulin. Dimerization involving specific B-chain interactions is observed with increasing protein concentration and is shown to depend on temperature, pH, and solvent composition. In the monomer large variations are observed in the line widths of amide resonances, suggesting intermediate exchange among conformational substates; such substates may relate to conformational changes observed in different crystal states and proposed to occur in the hormone-receptor complex. Additional evidence for multiple conformations in solution is provided by comparative studies of an insulin analogue containing a peptide bond between residues B29 and A1 (mini-proinsulin). This analogue forms dimers and higher-order oligomers under conditions in which native insulin is monomeric, suggesting that the B29-A1 peptide bond stabilizes a conformational substate favorable for dimerization. Such stabilization is not observed in corresponding studies of native proinsulin, in which a 35-residue connecting peptide joins residues B30 and A1; this extended tether is presumably too flexible to constrain the conformation of the B-chain. The differences between proinsulin and mini-proinsulin suggest a structural mechanism for the observation that the fully reduced B29-A1 analogue folds more efficiently than proinsulin to form the correct pattern of disulfide bonds. These results are discussed in relation to molecular mechanics calculations of insulin based on the available crystal structures.

Circular Dichroism↗

A dicarba analog of beta-atrial natriuretic peptide (beta-ANP) inhibits guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate production induced by alpha-ANP in cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells.

The synthesis and biological properties are described of [Asu7,23']-beta-ANP-(7-28) (Asu, L-alpha-aminosuberic acid), a dicarba analog of beta-atrial natriuretic peptide (beta-ANP, an antiparallel dimer of human alpha-ANP with the chains linked by 7-23' and 7'-23 disulfide bonds). This Asu-analog (referred to as analog III) displaced 125I-alpha-ANP specifically bound to cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) with an apparent Ki of 2.1 x 10(-8) M, but did not stimulate formation of intracellular cGMP at 10(-8) -10(-5) M. Analog III inhibited the alpha-ANP-stimulated cGMP production in VSMC competitively with a pA2 value of 7.45 and behaved as an antagonist of alpha-ANP in rat aorta smooth muscle relaxation. In addition, beta-ANP was also shown to inhibit the alpha-ANP-induced cGMP production in a dose-dependent manner. The mechanism of action of beta-ANP is also discussed.

Animals↗

Formation of crystals of the insecticidal proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai IPL7 in Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli JM103 cells harboring expression plasmid pTB1 or pKC6 synthesized the 130- and 135-kilodalton insecticidal proteins, respectively, of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai IPL7, and both products accumulated as cytoplasmic inclusion bodies. Amorphous inclusions which contained contaminating proteins, together with the corresponding insecticidal proteins, were formed in cultures at 37 degrees C, but bipyramidal crystals practically free of contaminants were observed at 30 degrees C. Although 9.8% of the amino acids were substituted between these two proteins, both protein crystals had the same shape as those of the parental B. thuringiensis strain, which produced both proteins.

Bacillus thuringiensis↗

Control of cell type proportions by a secreted factor in Dictyostelium discoideum.

It has been shown that, in Dictyostelium discoideum, conversion of prestalk cells to prespore cells in suspension cultures is inhibited by coexisting prespore cells. To examine whether the inhibition of conversion requires direct cell contact or is mediated by substances secreted by the cells, prestalk cells and prespore cells were incubated in shaken suspension, separated from each other by a dialysis membrane, and conversion of the prestalk cells to prespore cells scored after 24 h. Prestalk-to-prespore conversion was significantly inhibited if the density of the prespore cells was sufficiently high. In contrast, prestalk cells had little influence on prestalk-to-prespore conversion. Media conditioned by prespore cells, but not by prestalk cells, also inhibited the conversion of prestalk cells. Adenosine, propionate, diethylstilboestrol and differentiation inducing factor (DIF), all of which are known to influence the prestalk/prespore differentiation, were examined for their effects on prestalk-to-prespore conversion. Among these, all except adenosine significantly inhibited the conversion. Based on these results, possible mechanisms for maintenance of the constant cell-type ratio in D. discoideum slugs were discussed.

Biological Factors↗

Preparation and evaluation of intragastric buoyant preparations.

The design and preparation of two drug formulations which float in gastric juice are described. One, a buoyant tablet, consisted of powdered soybean protein, drug and sodium bicarbonate. The other, a laminated film-type preparation, consisted of a drug film, an effervescing film containing sodium bicarbonate and outer drug release regulating films. Cinnarizine, an acid-soluble drug, was chosen as model drug, and carboxyvinyl polymer, ethyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl cellulose were used in the preparation of the films. Both formulations showed favorable buoyancy in an in vitro acidic dissolution test medium and also sustained release properties. In an absorption study using beagle dogs, cinnarizine was found in the blood even 24 hr after oral administration of the buoyant tablet or film-type preparation. Similar buoyant tablets containing barium sulfate were administered orally to a healthy volunteer, and it was confirmed by roentgenography that the tablets floated for almost three hours.

Administration, Oral↗

Buoyant sustained release granules based on chitosan.

Attempts to develop sustained release intragastric 'floating' granules based on chitosan are described, using chitosan of different degrees of deacetylation (chitosan H and L), in granular form or in laminated preparations. The granules were made from chitosan H (chitosan H granules), from a 1:1 mixture of chitosan H and L (1:1 mixture granules), from a 1:2 mixture of chitosan H and L (1:2 mixture granules), or from chitosan L (chitosan L granules). They were prepared by a method involving deacidification, had internal cavities, were immediately buoyant in both acidic and neutral fluids, and gave sustained release of prednisolone (used as a model drug). The laminated preparations, composed of a chitosan granule layer and a chitosan L membrane, were also immediately buoyant in the same fluids, and also provided sustained release of the model drug. The release properties were controlled by regulating the chitosan L content of the granules, or the chitosan L membrane thickness of the laminate. In an absorption study using beagle dogs, sustained drug absorption from these preparations was obtained.

Animals↗

A highly specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay of caerulein, an analogue of cholecystokinin-8.

A highly specific and sensitive competitive radioimmunoassay was developed for caerulein (CLN), an analogue of cholecystokinin-8 (CCK-8), in plasma and brain. Antiserum was produced in rabbit by immunization with N delta-[CLN-(1-6)]-ornithine amide conjugated with bovine serum albumin by the glutaraldehyde method. N alpha-[CLN-(1-6)]-lysine amide was labelled with 125I-Bolton & Hunter reagent and used as a labelled antigen after purification by high-performance liquid chromatography. This assay was highly specific for CLN, and cross reactivities for other related peptides, CCK-4, CCK-8, gastrin-I, and gastrin-(14-17), were not observed (less than 0.01%). The limits of determination in biological specimens after CLN administration were 11 pg/ml in human plasma and rat plasma and 80 pg/g in rat brain. This study showed that the slight structure difference between hapten and 125I-labelled antigen is important to the assay performance.

Animals↗

Buoyant sustained release tablets based on chitosan.

This study attempted to develop sustained release intragastric 'floating' tablets based on chitosan. Two kinds of chitosan with different degrees of deacetylation (chitosan H and L) were used, and two types of preparations (types A and B) were examined. Type A preparations, i.e. directly compressed tablets using a mixture of sodium hydrogen carbonate and citric acid, were buoyant immediately and gave sustained release of prednisolone (as model drug) in acidic dissolution fluid. Type B preparations, i.e. preparations composed of a directly compressed layer and a chitosan H membrane layer enclosing carbon dioxide (a foamy membrane layer), quickly developed buoyancy and also provided sustained release of drug. The drug release rate from the preparation using chitosan L was slower than that from the preparation using chitosan H. In an absorption study using beagle dogs, sustained drug absorption from Type B preparations was obtained.

Animals↗

Inhibition of cytochrome P-450-linked monooxygenase systems by naphthoquinones.

Several naphthoquinones, except 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, were found to inhibit microsomal cytochrome P-450-linked monooxygenase activities in rabbit liver and human placenta. In particular, 5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone inhibited placental estrogen biosynthesis more effectively than it did hepatic drug oxidation reactions. There was little contribution by superoxide radicals to these enzyme inhibitions by naphthoquinones. Spectrophotometric studies revealed that naphthoquinones bind to the cytochrome P-450 component of the monooxygenase complex in both microsomal systems, suggesting that the inhibition is caused by direct interaction of these compounds with the heme.

Androstenedione↗