PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

K Venkatasubramanian

Publications and source records attributed to K Venkatasubramanian.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Large-scale animal cell cultures: design and operational considerations.

The manufacture of biologicals, especially proteins, using large-scale culture of animal cells is becoming popular. There is a need for a rational approach to the design and scale-up of bioreactors for these applications. The ultimate requirement of any scale-up strategy should be to preserve the biological activity of these high-value molecules. With this as the central theme, the design and operation of animal cell processes has been discussed. Equal importance has been given to both the biological and the engineering aspects which need to be considered for a successful scale-up. An integrated systems approach has been stressed.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Binding of thymopoietin to the acetylcholine receptor.

Thymopoietin is a polypeptide hormone of the thymus with physiological effects on the immune system and on acetylcholine-mediated transmission at the neuromuscular synapse. Elucidation of the structure and function of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor has been facilitated by the use of the electric organs of Torpedo ray or Electrophorus eel as rich sources of the receptor and by the use of snake polypeptide toxins such as alpha-bungarotoxin as highly selective labels of the acetylcholine binding site. We now show that thymopoietin binds with high affinity (Ka approximately equal to 2.5 X 10(9) M-1) to the acetylcholine binding region of the acetylcholine receptor of Torpedo californica, as evidenced by similar and complete inhibition of the binding of radiolabeled thymopoietin or alpha-bungarotoxin by either of these polypeptides. These findings raise intriguing questions concerning the mechanisms whereby alpha-bungarotoxin and the thymopoietin affect acetylcholine receptor function, since these two polypeptides with such similar binding properties have very different functional effects.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1985

Role of neurotransmitters and teratogens on palate development.

Neurotransmitters regulate palate shelf reorientation. Acetylcholine and serotonin stimulate, whereas GABA inhibits reorientation. Serotonin stimulates cell movement in an in vitro chemotactic system. Diazepam may cause cleft palate by mimicking GABA. Diazepam sensitivity may be caused by genotypic differences in a GABA-ergic system in the embryo.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1984

Chemotactic behavior of myoblasts.

Earlier studies have suggested that myogenic cells of somite origin migrate into the developing limb, but little is known about the factors affecting the pattern of migration. In order to understand the migratory behavior of myogenic cells, embryonic skeletal muscle cells were tested for their ability to migrate chemotactically using a modified Boyden chamber assay system. It is shown here, for the first time, that embryonic skeletal muscle cells have the capacity to migrate toward a gradient of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and PDGF-like factors present in serum and chick embryo extract (CEE). On the other hand, nonmyogenic limb mesenchyme cells do not exhibit such a response. A hypothesis is proposed here that chemotactic factors from the already patterned vasculature might influence the distribution of skeletal muscle cells during early limb development.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Adhesive and migratory behavior of normal and sulfate-deficient sea urchin cells in vitro.

Dissociated cells from different stage embryos of the sea urchin Lytechinus pictus were compared in their adhesion to various substrates. Micromeres from 16-cell stage embryos bind to tissue culture and Petri dishes but not to Petri dishes coated with human plasma fibronectin. Other cell types did not adhere to any of the substrates tested. By hatched blastula stage, about 28% of the cells adhered to fibronectin as well as to tissue culture dishes. By the mesenchyme blastula stage, there was a further increase in the proportion of cells adhering to these substrates. At no stage did cells adhere to native rat tail collagen. Primary mesenchymal cells were isolated by their selective adhesion to tissue culture dishes in the presence of horse serum. These cells were then examined for their migratory capacity. Cell spreading and migration followed adhesion and occurred on fibronectin but not on the other substrates tested. Based on analysis of video tapes, greater than 60% of these cells moved faster than 1 micron/min. On the other hand, cells from sulfate-deprived embryos, in which primary mesenchyme migration is blocked in situ, failed to spread and migrated little on the same substratum. This defect was reversed by a 6 h pretreatment of the cells in normal sea water. Thus, the in vitro migratory behavior parallels that observed in vivo. These results support the hypothesis that the primary mesenchymal cells produce a sulfate-dependent component that is required for cell spreading and migration.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Serotonin regulation of palatal cell motility and metabolism.

Serotonin has been previously shown to stimulate palate reorientation. To elucidate the mechanism by which the neurotransmitter may be regulating palate morphogenesis, the effects of serotonin on cell motility and various metabolic reactions have been measured in vitro. To monitor cell motility, a chemotactic system was employed in which cultured palate mesenchymal cells in a modified Boyden chamber migrate toward the chemoattractant(s) in N-18 neuroblastoma conditioned medium. Serotonin stimulated cell motility and 10(-5) M was optimal with nearly 100% stimulation achieved. With N-18 conditioned medium diluted 1:100, serotonin stimulated cell motility 4.9-fold. Serotonin itself was not chemotactic but modulated cell movement in the presence of the chemoattractant. Protein carboxyl methylation was stimulated by serotonin about 100% at concentrations ranging from 3 X 10(-7) M to 3 X 10(-6) M in different experiments. The net stimulation may have been elicited by an indirect effect since serotonin also inhibited demethylation of protein methyl esters. Serotonin was shown to inhibit cyclic AMP in cultured palate cells: 10(-5) M agonist depressed levels to 19% of control in 3 h. Further, prostaglandin E1, which stimulated cyclic AMP levels, markedly inhibited cell motility in the chemotactic assay. Thus there is an inverse relationship between cyclic AMP levels and cell motility in fetal palate cells. Finally it was observed that serotonin stimulated cyclic GMP levels; 10(-5) M serotonin optimally stimulated cyclic GMP with a spike of stimulation (6.1-fold) within 30 sec. In summary, serotonin in palate cells stimulates both protein carboxyl methylation and cyclic GMP. Modulation of these reactions could be regulating cell motility and/or protein secretion, which in turn could function in palate reorientation.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Palate cell motility and substrate interaction.

To elucidate the mechanism by which palate shelves reorient during embryogenesis, migration of palate mesenchymal cells has been studied employing various substrates. When palate explants were cultured in a hydrated collagen lattice, it was observed that bipolar spindle-shaped cells migrated out of each explant toward the other. These cells were aligned parallel to each other and to the fibrous tracks that formed. The cells appeared to move along and through the fibrous tracks. Cell migration was dependent on the presence of serum and fibronectin. The fibrous tracks viewed by phase microscopy were sensitive to collagenase. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the collagen fibers of the hydrated lattice had coalesced into larger bundles. Pretreatment of explants with serotonin stimulated cell migration out of the explant into the hydrated collagen lattice. This effect was specific, since the antagonist methysergide blocked the stimulation produced by serotonin. Employing other substrates, it was noted that palate cells migrating out of double explants toward each other produced large wrinkles in a polysiloxane substratum. Similarly, cultured monolayer cells also produced wrinkles that disappeared as cells rounded up after trypsin treatment. Finally, monolayer cells pulled on and distorted collagen films when cultured on the substrate. It is concluded that migrating palate cells can interact with their substrate producing tractional forces. Serotonin-induced modulation of cell motility and its relationship to palate reorientation are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Prenatal and postnatal development of protein carboxymethylation activity in the mouse.

The carboxymethylation of endogenous methyl-accepting proteins in intact cells of whole embryos decreased between days 9.5 and 11.5 of gestation and thereafter increased. This fluctuation was not due to a change in the level of protein carboxymethylase (PCM) which remained constant during this period. Embryonic PCM was located predominantly in the cytosol of the embryonic cells, as is the case in adult tissues. Brain PCM specific activity was the same as the rest of the body from gestational days 13.5 to 19.5, but thereafter underwent a two- to threefold increase so that by the end of weaning (about 30 days), it had reached the high adult level. This time course suggests that increasing PCM may be part of the brain maturation process occurring during the neonatal period.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1981

A comparative study of platelet reactivity in arthritis.

We utilized a standardized in vitro method which employs transmission electron microscopy to monitor the degree of surface activation (cytoplasmic spreading) and amount of aggregation displayed by platelet populations from 314 patients with one of five distinct rheumatic diseases and from 72 normal subjects. The percentage of patients in each group whose platelet populations were hyperactive was as follows: polymyalgia rheumatica, 75 percent; scleroderma, 65 percent; primary gout, 61 percent; rheumatoid arthritis, 57 percent; and degenerative joint disease, 40 percent. Pair-wise contrasts performed after an analysis of variance suggest the following differences and similarities: (1) the mean differential platelet count of the normal subjects differed from that in each disease state; (2) the platelet responsivity in patients with degenerative joint disease most closely resembled that in normal subjects; (3) the platelet response in polymyalgia rheumatica plus temporal arteritis was the most abnormal; and (4) platelet response in scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout closely resembled each other. The increased platelet response in vitro may reflect the in vivo presence of disease-related "risk factors" (hyperuricemia, immune complexes, and atherosclerosis). Those patients with "triggered" platelet populations may be appropriate candidates for antiplatelet therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

A phospholipase A2 inhibitory protein in rabbit neutrophils induced by glucocorticoids.

When rabbit peritoneal neutrophils were treated with glucocorticoids, their chemotactic response to stimulation by the chemoattractant fMet-Leu-Phe was markedly reduced. Preincubation of cells with glucocorticoids also decreased phospholipase A2 (phosphatide 2-acylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.4) activity in situ as measured by the release of [1-14C]arachidonic acid previously incorporated into phospholipids. The inhibitory potencies of glucocorticoids on phospholipase A2 activity correlated well with their anti-inflammatory activities and their abilities to bind to glucocorticoid receptors. Inhibitors of RNA and protein synthesis suppressed the inhibitory effect of glucocorticoids on phospholipase A2 activity. Digestion of the glucocorticoid-treated cells by Pronase overcame the inhibitory activity. Phospholipase A2 activity induced by Ca2+ ionophore A23187 was not affected by Pronase treatment. Gel filtration of proteins from neutrophil membranes labeled with [3H]lysine showed an induction of protein(s) (about 40,000 daltons) after glucocorticoid treatment. This protein inhibited a partially purified pancreatic phospholipase A2 and reduced the peptide-initiated chemotactic response of neutrophils.

Animals↗