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L Cousineau

Publications and source records attributed to L Cousineau.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Expression of a reporter gene interrupted by the Candida albicans group I intron is inhibited by base analogs.

We previously reported the identification of an intron (CaLSU) in the 25S ribosomal RNA of some Candida albicans yeast strains. CaLSU was shown to self-splice and has the potential to adopt a secondary structure typical of group I introns. The presence of CaLSU inC. albicans strains correlates with a high degree of susceptibility to base analog antifungal agents, 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Cell death, resulting from addition of base analogs to growing cultures, precluded demonstration of a causal relationship between CaLSU presence and susceptibility to base analogs. In the present study, CaLSU was inserted in a non-essential lacZ reporter gene and expression was examined in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Different mutations affecting in vitro self-splicing also had similar effects on reporter gene expression in vivo. This indicates that in vivo removal of CaLSU from the reporter gene occurs through the typical self-splicing mechanism of group I introns. Base analogs inhibited expression of the reporter gene product in a concentration-dependent manner upon their addition to the cultures. This supports a model in which disruption of intron secondary structure, consecutive to the incorporation of nucleotide analogs, is a major factor determining the susceptibility of C.albicans cells to base analogs.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed1994

Molecular cloning, physical mapping and cross-hybridization of the murine adenovirus type 1 and type 2 genomes.

Murine adenovirus (MAd) type 1 strain FL and type 2 strain K87 genomes were cloned into plasmid pAT153 as HindIII restriction fragments. The MAd-1 and MAd-2 DNA genomes, 30.10 kb and 34.71 kb in length respectively, were mapped using BglII, ClaI, EcoRI, HindIII and SphI restriction endonuclease cleavage sites. In view of the large differences found between the MAd-1 and MAd-2 genomes in terms of the number and location of restriction sites, cross-hybridization experiments were performed. Homologous DNA sequences were located on the MAd-1 and MAd-2 physical maps. Both viruses are also genetically related to human adenovirus type 2 (HAd-2). Nucleotide sequences shared by HAd-2 and the MAds code for structural proteins, which may explain the antigenic similarities between these viruses from different origins. Our results confirm the existence of two distinct adenovirus species in the mouse.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Expedient syntheses of neoglycoproteins using phase transfer catalysis and reductive amination as key reactions.

Starting from peracetylated chloro- or bromo-glycosyl donors of N-acetylneuraminic acid, N-acetylglucosamine, glucose and lactose, the corresponding p-formylphenyl glycosides were synthesized stereospecifically under phase transfer catalysed conditions at room temperature in yields of 38-67%. After Zemplén de-O-acetylation, the formyl groups were directly and chemoselectively coupled to the lysine residues of bovine serum albumin by reductive amination using sodium cyanoborohydride. The conjugation reactions were followed as a function of time and under a series of different molar ratios of the reactants to provide glycoconjugates of varying degree of antigenicities. Thus, carbohydrate protein conjugates were made readily available using essentially two key reactions.

Aldehydes↗
PubMed1990

Inactivating and mutagenic effects of nitrosoguanide on human cytomegalovirus.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) was exposed for 24 hr to 10-30 micrograms/ml nitrosoguanidine (NG) at different times postinfection. NG treatments performed 24 to 48 hr after infection of human IAFP-1 fibroblasts with HCMV interfered most significantly with the replication of the virus. No correlation was found, however, between the inactivating effect of NG at this particular stage of the replication cycle and the induction of HCMV temperature-sensitive mutants. All the 17 HCMV mutant strains isolated on this occasion showed the same BamHI, Cfo I, Hpa II and Sph I restriction profiles which is indicative of mutations caused by single base changes.

Cytomegalovirus↗
PubMed1989

Isolation and nucleotide sequence of the hemA gene of Escherichia coli K12.

The hemA gene of Escherichia coli K12 was cloned by complementation of a hemA mutant of this organism. Subcloning of the initial 6.0 kb HindIII fragment allowed the isolation of a 1.5 kb NheI-AvaI fragment which retained the ability to complement the hemA mutant. DNA sequencing by the dideoxy chain terminator method of Sanger showed the presence of an open reading frame (ORF) of 1254 nucleotides, which ends 6 nucleotides beyond the AvaI site. Primer extension experiments showed the existence of a putative transcription initiation site for the hemA gene, located at position 130. A possible promoter sequence was identified upstream from this transcription initiation site, and its functional activity was confirmed by the use of the pK01 promoter-probe vector. Protein synthesis in an in vitro coupled transcription-translation system showed a 46 kDa protein, which corresponds to the mol. wt. of the hemA protein, as deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the gene. No homology was found between the amino acid sequence of the hemA protein of E. coli K12 and known sequences of other delta-aminolevulinic acid synthases (delta-ALAS), suggesting that this protein is different from other delta-ALAS enzymes.

5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase↗
PubMed1984

Increased DNA topoisomerase I activity in aging human cell chromatin.

Chromatin-associated DNA topoisomerase I activity was measured in human diploid fibroblasts during in vitro aging. No difference was detected as a function of cell age in the nicking and the closing activities of the DNA-unwinding enzyme. The capacity of type-I topoisomerase to relax superhelical DNA molecules was, however, increased in aged cells. An age-related increase in nucleoprotein content was also observed.

Aging↗
PubMed1977

Antithrombin III and Factor VIII in patients with neoplasms.

Possible increased activation of the coagulation pathway was measured in a group of patients with neoplastic diseases. In addition to standard tests, the thromboplastin generation test, thrombin generation test and immunologic and coagulant activities of both Factor VIII and antithrombin III were utilized in the evaluation. The correlation between immuno-Factor VIII (VIII-Ag) and its clotting activity (VIII-C1) was good (r = 0.83). In contrast, this was not the situation for antithrombin III-Ag and its clotting activity. Thromboplastin generation was accelerated in 60% and thrombin generation was accelerated in 40% of the patients. Fibrinogen was elevated in half the cases: in most of these patients, thrombin times were slightly prolonged. These results indicate that some patients who have cancer have abnormal clotting patterns and are often in a potentially hypercoagulable state that is reflected by the thromboplastin generation test, thrombin generation test, and high levels of Factor VIII (both VIII-Ag and VIII-C1).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1974

[Scleronodular type of Hodgkin's disease: experience at the Sherbrooke University Hospital Center].

Scleronodular type of Hodgkin's disease: experience at the Centre hospitalier universitaire de SherbrookeThe nodular sclerosis type of Hodgkin's disease appears to be a distinct clinical entity. However, the incidence, the initial localization of the tumour and the survival of the patients are variable. The present study was carried out on a group of 17 patients, all French Canadians living in the province of Quebec, from a total of 31 with Hodgkin's disease, an incidence of 55%. There were more males (10) than females (7). The mean age of the group was 37 years, but that of the females was lower than that of the males. The mediastinum was involved at the onset in 47% of the patients. The initial staging (according to the classification of Rye) in 76% of the patients was I or II.Four patients showed disease below the diaphragm. The lungs were infiltrated three times, the spleen six times, and the liver five times. The duration of survival of the 17 patients was twice that of the patients with the three other types of the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Suspected epidemiological relationships among strains of Escherichia coli O55:B5 confirmed by restriction pattern analysis of the carried plasmid (RColBM IncFIII).

Seven strains of Escherichia coli O55:B5g, isolated from independent cases of infantile diarrhoea, contained similar RColBM plasmids beloning to incompatibility group IncFIII. Suspecting an epidemiological link among all these cases we compared the restriction pattern of the corresponding RColBM plasmids after digestion with endonucleases EcoRI and BglII. These patterns were similar, confirming the suspected relationships among the seven cases of infantile diarrhoea. The patterns obtained with the RColBM plasmids from children were different from those obtained with two RColBM plasmids isolated from adults. The probable source of the seven cases of infantile diarrhoea was identified as a nursery.

Adult↗