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Keiko Yamaguchi

Publications and source records attributed to Keiko Yamaguchi.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Antimicrobial peptides from the skin of the Japanese mountain brown frog Rana ornativentris: evidence for polymorphism among preprotemporin mRNAs.

A previous study led to the isolation of antimicrobial peptides belonging to the temporin and brevinin-2 families from a pooled extract of the skin of adult specimens of the Japanese mountain brown frog Rana ornativentris Werner 1903. In order to ascertain whether individual frogs expressed the full complement of temporin genes, we individually cloned cDNAs encoding the temporin precursors from total RNA extracted from the skins of 12 frogs by RT-PCR using a set of preprotemporin-specific primers. All the specimens examined contained mRNAs directing the synthesis of the novel, but inactive, temporin-1Oe (ILPLLGNLLNGLL x NH2). Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed marked polymorphism among individual frogs. Twenty-seven distinct preprotemporin-1Oe mRNAs were identified that contained synonymous substitutions in the antimicrobial peptide region and both synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions in the signal peptide and intervening sequence regions. Up to eight preprotemporin-1Oe mRNA variants were found within a single frog. In addition, several cDNAs encoding preprotemporin-1Oa and -1Ob and a single cDNA encoding preprotemporin-1Oc were characterized. Peptidomic analysis of norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions revealed the presence of temporin-1Oe, temporin-1Of (SLILKGLASIAKLF x NH2), temporin-1Og (FLSSLLSKVVSLFT x NH2), four members of the ranatuerin-2 family and one member of the palustrin-2 family in addition to previously characterized temporin and brevinin-2 peptides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Detection of oligosaccharide ligands for hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF/FGF-7), RANTES and heparin cofactor II by neoglycolipid microarrays of glycosaminoglycan-derived oligosaccharide fragments.

Neoglycolipid technology is eminently adaptable for microarray design for high-throughput detection and specificity assignments of carbohydrate-protein interactions. Dermatan sulfate (DS) is known to play an important role because of its ability to bind growth factors as well as chemokines and to modulate their biological activities during inflammation and response to injury. We prepared various iduronic acid-rich fragments from DS by complete digestion with chondroitinase ACI, and investigated whether the DS-binding proteins, such as HGF/SF, RANTES, KGF/FGF-7 and HCII, can detect their oligosaccharide ligands in a neoglycolipid microarray. First, a comparison of the intensity of binding signals obtained from chondroitin oligosaccharides with those of heparin oligosaccharides showed that our microarray system is feasible not only to single-out the oligosaccharide ligands, but also to detect the difference between an intrinsic interaction unrelated only to electrostatic interaction and non-specific electrostatic interaction. Second, HGF/SF, KGF/FGF-7 and HCII showed preferential binding to iduronic acid-rich fragments of DS oligosaccharides that are greater than 8-mers in lengths. In contrast, RANTES binding seemed to depend only on the negative charges; their binding intensity towards the DS oligosaccharides was somewhat stronger than the binding of HGF/SF, KGF/FGF-7 and HCII. Third, the use of polyvinylpyrrolidone-40 (PVP-40), ovalbumin (OV) and Tween 20 in place of BSA as a blotting agent was useful in these glycosaminoglycan dependent reactions to minimize background due to non-specific interactions.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

[Isoferritin].

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Anemia, Hypochromic↗
PubMed2004

[The problems of multiple-chemical sensitivity patients in using medicinal drugs].

Multiple-chemical sensitivity (MCS) patients are presumed to be compelled to lead inconvenient and difficult lives, because unpleasant and multiorgan symptoms are caused by very small amounts of various chemicals in the living environment. Therefore we conducted a questionnaire survey of MCS patients who are members of support groups to elucidate the problems of MCS patients in using medicinal drugs. In this report, we selected 205 persons who stated that they had been "diagnosed with MCS by a physician" or "a physician suspected a diagnosis of MCS" on the questionnaire as the reason they judged themselves to have MCS. The questionnaire results showed that about 60% of MCS patients have difficulty in using medicinal drugs and that the difficulties are more likely to occur in women, in people 40-59 years old, and in patients who developed MCS in reaction to pesticides or medicinal drugs. The prescribed drugs and OTC drugs noted as usable or unusable by patients in the questionnaire were analyzed from the viewpoint of their medicinal constituents. The results indicated that lidocaine is likely to be unusable by MCS patients. In addition, caffeine, aspirin, chlorphenylamine maleate, minocycline hydrochloride, levofloxacin, etc. were also likely to be unusable by MCS patients. Many patients who recorded drugs containing the above-mentioned remedies as unusable had a past history of allergy, suggesting that allergy is involved in the difficulties of MCS patients in using medicinal drugs.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Diagnosis of ocular sarcoidosis by diagnostic criteria for systemic sarcoidosis].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic criteria for systemic sarcoidosis in diagnosis of ocular sarcoidosis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Subjects were 105 ocular sarcoidosis suspects and 37 patients with other uveitis. We diagnosed ocular sarcoidosis suspects using the diagnostic criteria for systemic sarcoidosis proposed by the Japanese Committee for Diffuse Lung Diseases. The criteria included histological and clinical diagnosis, and the clinical diagnosis required 5 systemic tests: 1) tuberculin skin test, 2) serum gamma-globulin(gamma-gl), 3) serum angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE), 4) serum lysozyme, and 5) 67Ga scintigraphy. Three positive findings including either 1) or 3) fulfilled the clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients were histologically and/or clinically diagnosed, and 43 patients remained undiagnosed. The histological and clinical diagnosis did not produce the same diagnostic yields. The sensitivity of ACE and gamma-gl was low. The percentage of patients showing increased lymphocytosis and/or CD 4/8 in bronchoalveolar lavage was similarly high in the diagnosed and undiagnosed, suggesting the presence of definitive ocular sarcoidosis in the undiagnosed. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic criteria for systemic sarcoidosis yielded false negative results in diagnosing ocular sarcoidosis. The selection and combination of systemic tests for clinical diagnosis should be further studied.

Adult↗