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K Kasai

Publications and source records attributed to K Kasai.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Evidence that Caenorhabditis elegans 32-kDa beta-galactoside-binding protein is homologous to vertebrate beta-galactoside-binding lectins. cDNA cloning and deduced amino acid sequence.

We have cloned a full-length cDNA for a beta-galactoside-binding protein with a relative molecular mass of 32 kDa (32-kDa GBP), recently purified from a nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans (Hirabayashi, J., Satoh, M., Ohyama, Y., and Kasai, K. (1992) J. Biochem. 111, 553-555). The clone contained a single open reading frame encoding 279 amino acids, including the initiator methionine. Significant sequence homology to metal-independent beta-galactoside-binding lectins (25-30% identities), which had previously been found only in vertebrates, was observed. Moreover, the nematode 32-kDa GBP proved to have a unique polypeptide architecture; that is, it is composed of two tandemly repeated homologous domains, each consisting of about 140 amino acids. The internal homology was about 32%. Thus, this protein is constructed with a duplicated fundamental unit which is similar to the subunit of vertebrate 14-kDa lectins. In spite of the extreme phylogenic distance between nematodes and vertebrates (divergence greater than 6 x 10(8) years ago), both of the two repeated domains of the nematode 32-kDa GBP retained most of the amino acid residues conserved in vertebrate lectins. This means that members of the metal-independent animal lectin family are distributed much more widely than had been believed: from nematodes to vertebrates. The implication is that proteins belonging to this family have fundamental roles which are not restricted to vertebrates but are common to almost all animals.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Trypsin and affinity chromatography.

Affinity adsorbents for trypsin which were prepared by immobilizing product-type ligands, that is, peptides having C-terminal arginine, proved to be effective not only for preparative purposes but also for basic research on molecular recognition. The properties of the binding site of trypsin were revealed by chromatographic experiments. Quantitative analysis based on the theory of frontal affinity chromatography proved to be extremely effective. As an extension of the product-type ligands, peptide argininals were also used and information on the mechanism of action of these inhibitors was obtained. Anhydrotrypsin, which lost the hydroxyl group of Ser183, was found to gain increased binding ability for product-type compounds. This inactivated enzyme was also used as an immobilized ligand and the unique affinity adsorbent thus prepared proved to be extremely effective for the separation of peptides and recombinant proteins based on their C-terminal structures. High-performance affinity chromatography of trypsin and related enzymes using a polymer-based support was also developed.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Arginine-tail method, an affinity tag procedure utilizing anhydrotrypsin agarose.

The arginine-tail method is a recently developed affinity tag procedure utilizing immobilized anhydrotrypsin for specific enrichment of a recombinant protein. Three model proteins (originally human beta-galactoside-binding lectin with a relative sub-unit molecular mass of 14,000) were prepared by mutagenesis, each of which has a tail of either Arg, Gly-Arg, or Gly-Gly-Arg at the C-terminus. All of them retained their original sugar-binding activity and antigenicity, and became recognizable by anhydrotrypsin. They were adsorbed on an anhydrotrypsin-agarose column at pH 5 after treatment with 4 M urea or 10 mM HCl to expose the C-terminal tails. The adsorbed arginine-tailed lectins were eluted either specifically with benzoylglycylarginine (Bz-Gly-Arg) or with 5 mM HCl. Added arginine was removed by carboxypeptidase B, but very slowly. When urea-denatured Escherichia coli lysate containing one of the arginine-tailed lectins was applied to the column, the lectin was adsorbed together with some host proteins, which are expected to have arginine or lysine at their C-termini. However, more than a ten-fold enrichment was attained by this procedure. The described method would be useful for purifying various recombinant proteins, even those which are inactive as a result of mutagenesis. The smallest tag arginine at the C-terminus should have a minimum effect on both the structure and function of a target protein.

Adsorption↗
PubMed1992

A general transcription initiation factor, human transcription factor IID, overexpressed in human lung and breast carcinoma and rapidly induced with serum stimulation.

A general transcription factor IID which binds to the TATA box promoter element on RNA polymerase II genes regulates and initiates eukaryotic mRNA synthesis. A quantitative polymerase chain reaction procedure was developed and the human transcription factor IID (hTFIID) transcript was measured in normal human tissues, lung carcinomas, lung carcinoma cell lines, and breast carcinomas. In some normal tissues such as liver, fetal lung, and placenta, relatively low to moderate levels of hTFIID mRNA were detected. In contrast, hTFIID transcript was highly expressed in nearly all solid lung carcinomas and cell lines including both small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. hTFIID mRNA was present to a greater extent in small cell lung cancer than non-small cell lung cancer in solid tumors and cell lines. In solid carcinomas of breast, overexpression of hTFIID was also detected. A serum induction study using a serum-starved small cell lung cancer cell line, Lu134BS, indicated hTFIID transcription to be rapidly induced at 15 min following stimulation and its response essentially similar to that of protooncogene, c-fos. These results indicate the involvement of the expression of the general transcription factor hTFIID in lung and breast carcinoma, such as being associated with poor differentiation and high mitotic activity.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Sialosylated Lewis chi expression in CD30-positive anaplastic large-cell lymphomas.

The expression of sialosylated Lewis chi (SLEX), a ligand for endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule 1 in malignant lymphomas, was immunohistochemically examined, using the monoclonal antibody, CSLEX1, which specifically reacts with SLEX. It was expressed in 6 out of 64 non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, which consisted of 1 nasal large-cell lymphoma and 5 of 8 (62%) Ki-1-positive anaplastic large-cell lymphomas (ALCL). One nasal lymphoma positive for SLEX co-expressed a T cell marker, cluster of differentiation (CD) 5, and natural killer (NK) cell markers such as CD56 and CD16, indicating that SLEX+ nasal lymphoma cells are possibly malignant counterparts of SLEX+ NK cells. SLEX did not react with 30 B cell lymphomas or most Hodgkin's disease lymphomas, though it did with one lymphocyte predominance type. Although SLEX+ ALCL exhibit T cell markers in some cases, some ALCL expressing SLEX may represent histiocytic differentiation of the neoplastic cells. The lymphoma cells of ALCL were preferentially positive for SLEX, in contrast to Hodgkin's disease cells, and thus CSLEX1 in conjunction with CD30 and CD15 should be of use for analyzing and making differential diagnoses of routine paraffin-embedded sections of ALCL.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed1992

Changes in expression of the endogenous beta-galactoside-binding 14-kDa lectin of chick embryonic skin during epidermal differentiation.

Changes in the expression pattern of the gene for the endogenous beta-galactoside-binding 14-kDa lectin of chick embryo were examined immunohistochemically during epidermal differentiation in vivo and in vitro with special reference to detailed localization of the 14-kDa lectin. The gene expression was visualized by the HRP-staining method following in situ hybridization, in which sulfonated cDNA was employed as a probe. The 14-kDa lectin gene expression (mRNA) was detected mainly in the intermediate layer of the epidermis: it was faint in 13-day-old embryos, gradually increased in intensity during epidermal differentiation, and became intensely positive in 17-day-old embryo. The expression of the gene in skin explants was suppressed by vitamin A, which induces mucous metaplasia of the epidermis in vitro. The anti-14-kDa lectin reaction was positive mainly in the intermediate layer of the differentiating epidermis, coinciding chronologically with expression of the gene at the light microscopic level. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that the positive reaction was primarily localized in desmosomes, in tonofilament bundles anchored to the desmosomes, along the outer surface of the plasma membrane, and in the intercellular space. Essentially the same staining pattern was observed in differentiating epidermis in vitro. The positive reaction was markedly reduced in the epidermis in which differentiation had been suppressed in vitro by the addition of vitamin A.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Effects of inorganic iodide, epidermal growth factor and phorbol ester on hormone synthesis by porcine thyroid follicles cultured in suspension.

Porcine thyroid follicles cultured in suspension for 96 h synthesized and secreted thyroid hormones in the presence of thyrotropin (TSH). The secretion of newly synthesized hormones was assessed by determining the contents of thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) in the media and by paperchromatographic analysis of 125I-labelled hormones in the media where the follicles were cultured in the presence and absence of inhibitors of hormone synthesis. The hormone synthesis and secretion was modified by exogenously added NaI (0.1-100 microM). The maximal response was obtained at 1 microM. Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) activity in the cultured follicles with TSH for 96 h was dose-dependently inhibited by NaI. One hundred microM of NaI completely inhibited TSH-induced TPO activity. Moreover, both epidermal growth factor (EGF: 10(-9) and 10(-8) M) and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA: 10(-8) and 10(-7) M) inhibited de novo hormone synthesis. An induction of TPO activity by TSH was also inhibited by either agent. These data provide direct evidences that thyroid hormone synthesis is regulated by NaI as well as TSH at least in part via regulation of TPO activity and also that both EGF and PMA are inhibitory on thyroid hormone formation.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Effects of epidermal growth factor, phorbol ester, and retinoic acid on hormone synthesis and morphology in porcine thyroid follicles cultured in collagen gel.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF), phorbol esters (PEs), and retinoic acid (RA) inhibit differentiated functions of thyrocytes. In the present study the inhibitory effects of these growth-promoting factors on hormone synthesis were studied in thyroid follicles cultured in type-I collagen gel, and morphologic alteration by these factors was examined by light and electron microscopy (EM). Porcine open thyroid follicles obtained by treatment with 0.1% collagenase were embedded in collagen gel and cultured in Ham's F12 medium supplemented with 6H (insulin, hydrocortisone, somatostatin, transferrin, glycyl-his-lys, and thyrotropin) + 0.5% fetal bovine serum (FBS). After 1 week these open follicles developed to closed follicles, and the medium was changed to one containing 6H + 0.5% FBS + 0.1 microM sodium iodide (NaI). Some media were supplemented with either EGF, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), or all-trans RA. The closed follicles retained ability for hormone synthesis for 2 weeks after the medium change in the presence of 6H + FBS + NaI. The amounts of T4 and T3 secreted into the culture medium from day 9 to day 12 after the medium change were 60% and 45% of those from day 0 to day 4, respectively. EGF reduced production of T4 and T3 by 61% and 69%, respectively; PMA, by 87% and 99%; and RA, by 55% and 44%. In the medium supplemented with 6H + 0.5% FBS, the follicles exhibited intact polarity. Apical surfaces with microvilli were oriented to the follicular lumen and tight junctions were on the apical side of cell-to-cell contacts. Desmosomes were found on both the apical and basal halves of the cell contacts.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Purification and characterization of beta-galactoside-binding proteins from Caenorhabditis elegans.

Two carbohydrate-binding proteins (subunit molecular masses, 32 and 16 kDa, respectively) were isolated for the first time from a nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. They were specifically extracted with lactose and adsorbed on asialofetuin-Sepharose in the absence of a metal ion. Although these two proteins were co-eluted from a gel filtration column at a position corresponding to an apparent molecular size of 30 kDa under non-denaturing conditions, they could be separated by reversed-phase chromatography. The 32 kDa protein, the main component, was further characterized. Together with its solubility, saccharide specificity and metal independence, some other structural properties, including its amino acid composition, UV spectrum, and partial amino acid sequence, strongly suggested that the 32 kDa protein is a member of a class of soluble beta-galactoside-binding lectins which had previously been only found in vertebrates.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Pulmonary large cell carcinoma expressing neuroendocrine markers: the morphological, biological, and neuroendocrine features of their cell lines and surgical cases.

A cell line expressing neuroendocrine (NE) markers, designated as KTS9, was established from a human large cell carcinoma of the lung using serum-free medium, ACL-3. KTS9 cells showed morphological characteristics of large cell undifferentiated carcinoma (LCUC) and expressed some general NE markers including neuron-specific enolase (NSE), protein gene product (PGP) 9.5, neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM), synaptophysin and neurofilaments (NF) of 200 kd. Some cells of this cell line were positive to chromogranin-A (CG-A), but did not express Leu7 or aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC). Such a cell line derived from LCUC with NE properties has not previously been reported. The biological and NE properties of the KTS9 cell line were compared with those of 2 surgical cases of LCUC with NE markers and of the KTA7 cell line previously reported to derive from large cell carcinoma and to possess NE markers such as alpha-hCG, PGP9.5 N-CAM and AADC. Tumor cells of 2 large cell carcinomas expressed NSE, PGP9.5, N-CAM and NF. The KTS9 and KTA7 cell lines and 2 large cell carcinomas were thus considered to be LCUCs with NE differentiation. Both lines had the morphological characteristics of LCUC, relatively short doubling time and discordant expression of NE markers, indicating them to be closely related to the variant type of small cell carcinoma cell lines and thus possibly to represent high-grade malignancy. They may be useful for examining the biological behavior and NE features of large cell-type NE tumors of the lung.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Case report of primary cardiac lymphoma. The applications of PCR to the diagnosis of primary cardiac lymphoma.

A 75-year-old man initially complained of pollakiuria and low abdominal pain, and died of massive bleeding from an exacerbated gastric ulcer. The diagnosis of primary cardiac lymphoma was made postmortem. The tumor involved only the epicardium and myocardium, which met the criteria of primary cardiac lymphoma as defined by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. The lymphoma consisted of large cells and expressed the B cell marker, CD20. Although chronic inflammation due to chronic renal failure was observed in the pericardium around the lymphoma, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted to detect monoclonality at the DNA level in lymphoma cells, which were shown to comprise a monoclonal population.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Characterization of transmural and subendocardial infarction by typing and grading of ischemic lesions in autopsied human hearts.

Two types of myocardial infarction, transmural and subendocardial, were macroscopically examined, and the gross and microscopic findings were correlated. The transmural type usually consisted of yellowish-brown coagulation necrosis in the center of an infarcted focus and coagulative myocytolysis at the marginal zone. The subendocardial type was characterized by coagulative myocytolysis throughout the entire focus. Wavy fiber and colliquative myocytolysis of non-specific ischemic lesions were seen only microscopically in both peripheral and subendocardial areas of infarcted foci. Coagulation necrosis was associated with obstructive thrombus formation in 79% of cases as a result of absolute ischemia in the transmural type. Coagulative myocytolysis was associated with obstruction by plaque hemorrhage in 27% of cases, and multivessel disease was frequently encountered in the subendocardial type due to insufficient blood supply. Based on histochemical and immunohistochemical examinations, the ischemic lesions were graded in descending order of coagulation necrosis, coagulative myocytolysis, wavy fiber, and colliquative myocytolysis. The close relation between coagulation necrosis and the transmural type as well as that of coagulative myocytolysis with the subendocardial type suggests two different pathogenetic mechanisms of transmural and subendocardial infarction.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

A case report of inflammatory pseudosarcoma of the urinary bladder.

A case of inflammatory pseudosarcoma of the urinary bladder in a 35-year-old Japanese male is presented. This benign lesion can easily be mistaken for spindle cell sarcoma since it consists of rhabdomyoblast-like elongated strap cells showing infiltrative growth, and whether it is benign or malignant is difficult to determine by microscopic examination. In this case, spindle cell proliferation extended among bundles of the superficial muscle layer. However, no abnormal mitoses, severe nuclear atypia or cellular pleomorphism could be seen, thus indicating inflammatory pseudosarcoma. Although the lesion was not completely resected, no recurrent disease has been clinically observed for two years following transurethral resection. Urologists and surgical pathologists must be able to detect this lesion in order to avoid unnecessary surgical procedures.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Effect of a phorbol ester on immunoreactive endothelin-1 release from cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells.

This study was designed to examine how protein kinase C (PKC) regulates the release of endothelin-1 (ET-1) from cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells. We measured the release of immunoreactive (IR)-ET-1 from cells cultured for up to 72 h in the presence or absence of a phorbol ester TPA. The release of IR-ET-1 from control cells (no TPA) increased according to time for up to 72 h. In the presence of TPA, the release of IR-ET-1 from the cells was higher than the control level for up to 8 h, but was lower thereafter and reached a plateau after 48 h. TPA dose-dependently stimulated IR-ET-1 release during incubation for 4 h, but suppressed it after incubation for 72 h. Stimulation of PKC by diacylglycerol mimicked the early (4 h) action of TPA. On the other hand, pretreatment of cells with TPA to downregulate PKC significantly suppressed basal and thrombin- or FCS-stimulated IR-ET-1 release. These findings suggest that the activation of PKC is related to the stimulation of ET-1 release and that down-regulation of PKC leads to the suppression of ET-1 release from cultured endothelial cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Pulmonary blastoma. Comparison between its epithelial components and fetal bronchial epithelium.

Three cases of pulmonary blastoma exhibiting biphasic epithelial and stromal patterns, and a case of fetal lung-type adenocarcinoma, were examined by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy (EM) and compared with fetal bronchial epithelium in order to explore the multidirectional differentiation of their epithelial components. The glandular cells of all four tumors resembled fetal bronchial epithelial cells in the pseudoglandular stage. Neuroendocrine (NE) cells were also present; they were argyrophilic and expressed pan-NE markers, neurosecretory granules and peptide hormones. The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) was strongly expressed on the cell membranes of glandular cells, as in the case of proximal bronchial epithelial cells at the pseudoglandular stage in fetal lung. Sialosylated Lewis X was also expressed, indicating that the epithelial cells were possibly of endodermal origin. Two of the four cases showed considerable immunoreactivity for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). The epithelial cells of pulmonary blastomas may occasionally de-differentiate into cells functionally resembling fetal hepatic, foregut and yolk sac cells expressing AFP. Tumor examination by immunohistochemistry and EM suggested that the glandular cells of the tumors may differentiate to some extent like those of fetal large bronchi at the pseudoglandular stage, but there was concordance and discordance in the expression of neuroendocrine and oncofetal markers between blastomatous tumors and fetal bronchial epithelium.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

[A case of granulomatous hypophysitis].

The patient was an unmarried, 25-year-old woman who presented herself with amenorrhea and lactation as her chief complaints. Radiography revealed a tumor in the sella turcica. Upon neurological examination at the time of admission, there were no abnormal findings affecting the field of vision or visual acuity, and no abnormalities were seen in the fundus oculi. In endocrinological tests, the basal plasma values of pituitary hormones were normal except for that of prolactin, which was 69.1 ng/ml. The preoperative diagnosis was nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma, and this neoplasm was resected by the transsphenoidal approach. Postoperative histological investigation showed vermiculous destruction of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, and also scattered lymph follicles accompanying infiltration by numerous lymphocytes and multinucleated foreign-body giant cells, and deposition of calcium. These findings, together with the epithelioid cells gathered around them, pointed to a diagnosis of granulomatous hypophysitis. The causes of granulomatous hypophysitis are known to include syphilis, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, mycotic granuloma, and foreign-body granuloma due to the rupturing of a Rathke's cleft cyst, but no evidence of any of these was found in this patient. Another known source of inflammatory lesions in the hypophysis is lymphocytic hypophysitis, which resembles Hashimoto's autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland, and which is characterized both by the formation of lymph follicles and by extensive lymphocyte infiltration. In relation to the cause of granulomatous hypophysitis, thinking that it might possibly be an autoimmune disease, we conducted an immunological investigation, and also made a serological study of autoantibodies, but obtained no positive results.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Clinical study on cefprozil in pediatrics].

Clinical efficacy and safety of cefprozil (CFPZ, BMY-28100), a newly developed oral cephalosporin, were studied in our pediatric department. Clinical effectiveness, bacteriological effectiveness and side effects were studied in 116 pediatric patients with ages ranging 4 months to 11 years. CFPZ was given 4.6-14.1 mg/kg daily in 3 times for 3-10 days. Clinical efficacies were evaluated in 112 patients, and the therapeutic effectiveness were excellent in 1 and good in 6 for 7 patients with acute pharyngitis, excellent in 24 and good in 26 for acute purulent tonsillitis, excellent in 3, good in 8 and fair in 1 for acute bronchitis, excellent in 21, good in 7, fair in 1 and poor in 1 for acute pneumonia, excellent in 1 acute purulent parotitis, excellent in 2 and good in 7 for acute UTI, good in 1 impetigo, fair in 1 periproctal abscess and good in 1 acute enteritis. The effectiveness rate was 96.4%. Bacteriologically, 4 strains of Staphylococcus aureus (beta-lactamase producing strains), 1 strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis (beta-lactamase producing strain), 2 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, 2 strains of Streptococcus agalactiae, 4 strains of beta-Streptococcus, 1 strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae (beta-lactamase producing strain) and 1 strain of Salmonella C2 were all disappeared, and of 22 strains of Streptococcus pyogenes, 20 strains were disappeared, 1 was decreased and 1 was unknown, of 5 strains of Escherichia coli (3 beta-lactamase producing strains), 4 were disappeared and 1 was decreased, of 29 strains of Haemophilus influenzae (14 beta-lactamase producing strains), 14 were disappeared, 11 were decreased, 3 persisted and 1 was unknown and of 2 strains of Haemophilus parainfluenzae (1 beta-lactamase producing strain), 1 was disappeared and 1 persisted. The bacteriological eradication rates for Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria were 97.1% and 56.8%, respectively, and the drug was especially effective against Gram-positive bacteria. No side effects nor refusal of ingestion were observed. As abnormalities in laboratory test results, 3 cases of elevation of eosinophil counts and 1 of elevation of platelet counts were observed. In conclusion, CFPZ was considered to be a safe and highly effective antibiotic in pediatric infections.

Bacteria↗