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Biomedical subjects

K W Lo

Publications and source records attributed to K W Lo.

105 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase isoenzyme in patients with hepatitis B infection.

The hypothesis that hepatitis B infection is etiologically related to hepatoma has been investigated by studying the interrelationships between hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg, Australia antigen) and the fast-moving 5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase Band V isoenzyme (5'-NPDase-V). Sera from 58 patients with viral hepatitis were tested for 5'-NPDase-V and HBsAg. The isoenzyme was found in 34 of 37 patients who were also positive for HBsAg but in only 4 of 21 hepatitis patients who were HBsAg negative. Five patients convalescing from hepatitis were negative for both HBsAg and the isoenzyme. Preparative gel electrophoresis showed that these 2 markers were different proteins. Of 34 hepatoma patients, 29 were positive for 5'-NPDase-V. Only 1 isoenzyme-positive patient was positive for HBsAg by counterimmunoelectrophoresis. However, of 16 isoenzyme-positive hepatoma patients available for radioimmunoassay, 8 were NBsAg positive (50%). None of 21 hepatoma samples tested for antibody to NBsAg was positive. Of 21 "normal" carriers of HBsAg and 10 carriers with Down's syndrome, 4 persons were detected with the isoenzyme. The results suggest that HBsAg and 5'-NPDase-V in the presence of liver damage are associated and thus provide a new marker enzyme between hepatitis B infection and hepatoma.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗

Synthesis of 1,N6-etheno-2-aza-adenosine (2-aza-epsilon-adenosine): a new cytotoxic fluorescent nucleoside.

1,N(6)-Etheno-2-aza-adenosine was synthesized by treating 1,N(6)-etheno-adenosine with alkali, followed by nitrosation. The mechanism of formation of this novel nucleoside was elucidated using adenosine tritiated at C-8 and C-2, and was found to deformylate exclusively at C-2. This new 2-aza nucleoside fluoresces at 494 nm when excited at 358 nm. Toxicity study showed the compound is active in a rat mammary tumor tissue culture line, but inactive in HeLa and Glioma 26 tissue culture lines. It was also found to selectively inhibit the thymidine incorporation into DNA in a rat mammary tumor, but exhibits no ill effect on normal proliferative tissue. The reactive intermediate 3-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-4-amino-5-(imidazol-2-yl) imidazole was identified and was found to be an active agent in tissue culture.

Adenosine↗

p53 mutation in human nasopharyngeal carcinomas.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the third most common cancer in the southern provinces of China, but a rare cancer in other parts of the world. Epidemiological studies suggested a multifactorial etiology of NPC involving infection of Epstein Barr virus (EBV), genetic predisposition, environmental factors, such as consumption of salted fish, and other unknown factors. p53 mutation is a common event in many forms of human cancers but its possible involvement in the pathogenesis of NPC has not been examined. The presence of p53 mutation in NPC is studied by the sensitive PCR-SSCP analysis and direct DNA sequencing method. The frequent sites of p53 mutation (exons 4 to 8) reported in other human tumors were studied. Thirty-eight biopsied tumors of NPC and 4 NPC cell lines were examined for the presence of p53 mutation. No mutation of p53 resulting in change in amino acid sequence of the encoded p53 protein was identified in any of the biopsies tumors. RFLP studies of the biopsied materials of NPC also revealed no loss of heterozygosity at chromosome region 17p13 in 15 out of 15 informative cases, which further supports the conclusion that p53 mutation is an infrequent event in NPC. Apparently, p53 mutation has no significant role in the pathogenesis of this special group of human cancers. However, p53 mutation is frequently observed in cell lines derived from the primary NPC tumors. All the three NPC cell lines examined carry a missense p53 mutation, suggesting that mutation of the p53 gene may confer growth advantage to the tumor cells to become established in culture.

Adult↗

Genetic lesion in the carcinogenesis of cervical cancer.

Allelic loss at specific chromosomal loci was demonstrated in carcinoma of the cervix (CaCx) obtained from Hong Kong Chinese by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Altogether 12 patients with CaCx, 7 with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and 7 with normal cervical tissues were studied. Polymorphic DNA markers for chromosome 3 were used and the tumour and constitutional genotypes of the above patients were compared. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was found in 10 out of 12 informative cases with CaCx at RAF-1 locus (3p25) and in 10 out of 11 cases at D3S3 (3p14). Further study on patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia showed LOH at both 3p25 and 3p14 in four out of five cases. In normal cervical tissues, no LOH was demonstrated at both loci. Our data suggest that the deletion events occurring on the short arm of chromosome 3 at 3p25 and 3p14 are early events in the development of carcinoma of cervix. Since recessive genes have been reported to reside within or close to these 2 loci, important genes may have been lost or inactivated in the genesis of this tumour. Moreover, human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16, 18 or 33 was found in 8/12 of the carcinomas and 4/7 of CIN using Polymerase Chain Reaction and/or Southern Blot hybridization, confirming the close association with human papillomavirus. Whether the observed genetic lesions in the short arm of chromosome 3 in cervical "premalignant" and malignant lesions and their consistent association with high risk HPV represent independent events in the development of carcinoma of cervix will be discussed.

Alleles↗

Presence of p53 mutation in human cervical carcinomas associated with HPV-33 infection.

In this present study, we report the mutation of the p53 gene in vivo in human primary carcinomas of cervix and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The association of the HPV subtypes with the tumors was determined by multiplex primer polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. The mutation of the p53 gene was detected using PCR amplification of the p53 exons followed by SSCP (single strand conformation polymorphism) and DNA sequencing analysis. The p53 mutation was detected in two out of two HPV-33 positive carcinomas but was absent in the HPV-16/-18 positive carcinomas (0 out of 8 cases). The p53 mutation was also detected in one out of four HPV-negative cervical carcinomas. No mutation of the p53 gene was detected in the CIN specimens (0 out of 7 cases). The two mutations in the HPV-33 associated cervical carcinoma were detected at codon 273 (CGT to TGT; arginine to cysteine) and intron 5 (24 base pair downstream of the 3' end of exon 5). The p53 mutation at codon 273 has been previously reported in one of the HPV-negative cervical carcinoma cell line (C33A). Our results indicate that mutation of the p53 gene is not a common event in human cervical cancers (3/14), and may be related to the infection of HPV-16/18 in the tumor. However, mutation of the p53 gene was detected in cervical carcinomas associated with HPV-33 and may be an important genetic event in this subgroup of carcinomas.

Amino Acid Sequence↗