Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Boublik.
This article discusses the effectiveness of MR imaging in evaluating the injuries of both upper and lower extremities in the professional football player. Topics include bone, joint and soft tissue disorders, and injuries resulting from overuse or trauma of the shoulder, elbow, forearm, and wrist; the pelvis and hip, lower extremity muscle and tendon, knee, and ankle.
Protein-nucleic acid interactions which occur during Escherichia coli 50 S ribosomal subunit assembly between 23 S rRNA, 5 S rRNA and a complete set of 34 L-proteins were monitored by high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). This approach made it possible to visualize and quantitatively analyze conformational changes induced in the rRNAs during E. coli 50 S ribosomal subunit assembly. The reconstituted RNA-protein complexes, the control 23 S rRNA and native 50 S subunits were characterized by their mass and morphology. Association of 23 S rRNA with the first assembly protein, L24, led to the formation of a distinct nucleus of mass ("cluster") on the filamentous and loosely coiled molecule of the 23 S rRNA. This structural feature was preserved and enhanced in 23 S rRNA after its association with the rest of the early assembly proteins, namely L3, L20, L13, L4 and L22. Since the above proteins, with the exception of L3, bind to the 5' end of the 23 S rRNA, the cluster seems to be formed predominantly by interactions of L24, L13, L20, L22 and L4 with this segment of the 23 S rRNA molecule. Association with the rest of the primary binding proteins (L2, L23, L9, L1), which interact with the 3' end of the 23 S rRNA, appears to result in the formation of a second mass center. Binding of additional proteins led to the formation of compact particles with an apparent similarity to the 50 S subunit. However, particles with defined structural features characteristic of the native 50 S subunit requires the interaction of both 23 S rRNA and 5 S rRNA with all of the L-proteins. STEM image analysis demonstrated that 50 S subunit reconstitution proceeds by the immediate folding of the 23 S rRNA into a single mass center followed by the formation of a second mass center. These mass centers merge into one central body, which is gradually enhanced and decorated with structural elements characteristic of the 50 S subunit in the latter stages of assembly.
A comprehensive and systematic approach to physical examination of the shoulder is described, with particular emphasis on findings pertinent to an athletic population. The format consists of initial impression, inspection, palpation, range of motion and strength testing, stability assessment, special tests, vascular examination, and general physical examination.
Twenty-two total knee arthroplasties with at least one cementless component were performed in 14 patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) from 1985 to 1989. All 22 femoral components and ten tibial components were implanted cementless. The mean age at operation was 26 years. All 14 patients were available for follow-up evaluation at an average of 3.9 years (range, two to 6.2 years). Using The Knee Society's scoring system, the knee score improved from an average of 18 points (range, 0-47 points) preoperatively to 92 points (range, 58-100 points) at follow-up evaluation. The functional score improved from 28 points (range, 0-55 points) to 76 points (range, 40-100 points). Nonprogressive radiolucencies of less than 1 mm were observed in two knees. One reoperation was performed for failure of a metal-backed patellar component. Knee arthroplasty with cementless components in selected JRA patients can give results comparable with a fully cemented knee at the two- to six-year follow-up evaluation.
Fifty-eight patients with 62 pathologic fractures secondary to metastatic disease were admitted to a rehabilitation hospital during a 5-year period. Thirty-four patients were discharged home, 7 were transferred to other facilities, and 17 died. The average hospital stay for the patients who went home (37 days) was only 3 days longer than for patients with nonpathologic fractures. No patient could transfer independently or ambulate at the time of admission, but 26 and 23, respectively, could do so by the time of discharge; 27 patients showed significant improvement in their ability to perform activities of daily living as measured by Kenny scores. All 11 patients who had hypercalcemia died. Eleven of 13 patients requiring parenteral narcotics died. Patients with pathologic fractures secondary to metastatic disease are excellent candidates for intensive rehabilitation programs, but hypercalcemia and administration of parenteral narcotics suggest a poor rehabilitation outcome.
Protein-nucleic acid interactions involved in the assembly process of the Escherichia coli 30S ribosomal subunit were quantitatively analyzed by high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. The in vitro reconstituted ribonucleoprotein (core) particles were characterized by their morphology, mass, and radii of gyration. During the assembly of the 30S subunit, the 16S rRNA underwent significant conformational changes that were governed by the cooperative interactions of the ribosomal proteins. The sequential association of the first 12 proteins with the 16S rRNA resulted in the formation of core particles containing up to three mass centers at distinct stages of the assembly process. These globular mass centers may correspond to the three major domains (5', central, and 3') of the 16S rRNA. Through the subsequent interactions of the late assembly proteins with the 16S rRNA, two of the three domains merge, yielding the basic structural traits of the native 30S subunit. The fine morphological features of the native 30S subunit became distinctly resolved only after the addition of the full complement of proteins. The fully reconstituted 30S subunits are active in polyphenylalanine synthesis assays. Visualization of the assembly mechanism of the E. coli 30S ribosomal subunit revealed domain-specific folding of the 16S rRNA through the formation of distinct intermediate core particles hitherto not observed.
Scanning transmission electron microscopic images of transfer RNAs reveal the molecular dimensions and compact morphology of these small macromolecules in unprecedented detail. Selective labeling of a sulfhydryl group on 2-thiocytidine enzymatically inserted at position 75 at the 3' end of yeast tRNA(Phe) with an undecagold cluster permits identification of this specific tRNA site by dark field STEM. Imaging of a single nucleotide at a defined location on the tRNA molecule should make it possible to localize in situ tRNAs at the A, P, and E sites of the ribosomal peptidyl transferase center, and in complexes of tRNA with enzymes and elongation factors. In addition, this approach may be used for the highly specific topographical mapping of other RNAs and/or biological macromolecular complexes.
We have partially purified two 16S rRNA-specific methyltransferases, one of which forms m2G966 (m2G MT), while the other one makes m5C967 (m5C MT). The m2G MT uses unmethylated 30S subunits as a substrate, but not free unmethylated 16S rRNA, while the m5C MT functions reciprocally, using free rRNA but not 30S subunits (Nègre, D., Weitzmann, C. and Ofengand, J. (1990) UCLA Symposium: Nucleic Acid Methylation (Alan Liss, New York), pp. 1-17). We have now determined the basis for this unusual inverse specificity at adjacent nucleotides. Binding of ribosomal proteins S7, S9, and S19 to unmodified 16S rRNA individually and in all possible combinations showed that S7 plus S19 were sufficient to block methylation by the m5C MT, while simultaneously inducing methylation by the m2G MT. A purified complex containing stoichiometric amounts of proteins S7, S9, and S19 bound to 16S rRNA was isolated and shown to possess the same methylation properties as 30S subunits, that is, the ability to be methylated by the m2G MT but not by the m5C MT. Since binding of S19 requires prior binding of S7, which had no effect on methylation when bound alone, we attribute the switch in methylase specificity solely to the presence of RNA-bound S19. Single-omission reconstitution of 30S subunits deficient in S19 resulted in particles that could not be efficiently methylated by either enzyme. Thus while binding of S19 is both necessary and sufficient to convert 16S rRNA into a substrate of the m2G MT, binding of either S19 alone or some other protein or combination of proteins to the 16S rRNA can abolish activity of the m5C MT. Binding of S19 to 16S rRNA is known to cause local conformational changes in the 960-975 stem-loop structure surrounding the two methylated nucleotides (Powers, T., Changchien, L.-M., Craven, G. and Noller, H.F. (1988) J. Mol. Biol. 200, 309-319). Our results show that the two ribosomal RNA MTs studied in this work are exquisitely sensitive to this small but nevertheless functionally important structural change.
The secondary structure of HeLa 18S rRNA was investigated by a combination of chemical and enzymatic probing techniques. Using four chemical reagents (DMS*, kethoxal, DEPC and CMCT) which react specifically with unpaired bases and two nucleases (RNase T1 and cobra venom nuclease) which cleave the ribopolynucleotides at unpaired guanines and helical segments, we have analyzed the secondary structure of the 5' domain of 18S rRNA isolated from HeLa 40S ribosomal subunits. The sites at which chemical modifications and nuclease cleavages occurred were identified by primer extension using synthetic deoxyoligonucleotides and reverse transcriptase. These studies led to the deduction of an intra-RNA pairing pattern from the available secondary structure models based on comparative sequence analysis. Apart from the general canonical pairing we have identified noncanonical U-U, G-A, A-G, A-C, C-A and G-G pairing in HeLa 18S rRNA. The differential reactivity of bases to chemical reagents has enabled us to predict the possible configuration of these bases in some of the noncanonical pairing. The absence of chemical reactivities and cobra venom nuclease sensitivity in the terminal loops of helices 6 and 12 indicate a tertiary interaction unique to HeLa 18S rRNA. We have confirmed the existence of the complex tertiary folding recently proposed (Gutell and Woese 1990 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 87, 663-667) for the universally conserved helix 19 in HeLa 18S rRNA. The complementarity of chemical modifications and enzymatic cleavages provided experimental evidence for the proposal of a model structure for the 655 nucleotides of the 5' domain of HeLa 18S rRNA.
Electron micrographs of Escherichia coli 23 S rRNA molecules obtained by scanning transmission electron microscopy, unstained and under nondenaturing conditions, reveal previously unresolved structural patterns. The complexity of the pattern is dependent upon the ambient ionic strength conditions. In water and in very low ionic strength buffer, the conformation of 23 S rRNA is characterized by an extended framework, with short side branches related to the secondary and tertiary structure of the molecule. The total length of this filamentous complex is approximately 2500 A, only about one-fourth of the length of 23 S rRNA when fully stretched under the denaturing conditions used for imaging by conventional electron microscopy. These data, supplemented by the determination of the linear density (M/L), suggest that in low ionic strength the backbone of 23 S rRNA is formed by a structure corresponding, on the average, to the mass of four nucleotide strands (M/L approximately equal to 480 Da/A). With increasing ionic strength, 23 S rRNA coils into more compact forms. Molecules in these states can be characterized by apparent radii of gyration (RG), which can be calculated from the mass distribution within the digitized images of individual RNA molecules. The 23 S rRNA is in its most condensed form (RG = 115 A) in ribosomal reconstitution buffer; however, it still does not attain the compactness of the large subunit (RG = 69 A), nor does it show any resemblance to the native 50 S subunit. The net content of ordered secondary structure, as determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy, is not visibly affected by the changes of ionic strength conditions. These results imply that the observed conformational changes in 23 S rRNA are caused by intramolecular folding of the 23 S rRNA strands induced by the shielding effect of ambient charges.
Conformation of highly purified recombinant human fibroblast interferon-beta (rHuIFN-beta) was correlated with its biological activity. The extent of ordered secondary structure was determined by circular dichroic (CD) spectroscopy in various buffer conditions to establish conditions of protein stability and its potential for helix formation. The highest "helicity" (about 50 +/- 5% of alpha-helices) and the highest antiviral activities (4-10 x 10(7) units/mg) were found in 50% ethylene glycol, 1 M NaCl and 0.05 M Na3PO4, pH 7.2 (Buffer I); 80 mM citric acid, 20 mM Na2HPO4, pH 2.9 (Buffer II); and 25 mM NH4OAc, 125 mM NaCl, pH 5.1 (Buffer III). Both helicity and antiviral activity of the IFN-beta decrease in parallel with denaturation by urea, heat, and/or by repeated cycles of freezing and thawing. Low pH (pH 2.9 Buffer II) exhibits a distinct stabilizing effect on the structure and antiviral activity of IFN-beta against heat denaturation.
The absolute partial electron scattering cross-section for the phosphorus L2,3-shell ionization was measured by electron spectroscopic imaging using poliovirus as a primary standard. The equivalent calcium cross-section was obtained in relation to phosphorus using the stoichiometric ratio for these two elements in hydroxyapatite, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2. At 80 keV, the partial cross-section of phosphorus was 2.26 x 10(-20) and 2.68 x 10(-20) cm2/atom for poliovirus and hydroxyapatite, respectively, at 150 eV loss for a 15-eV energy window and an acceptance angle of 15 mrad. Under the same conditions the calcium cross-section was 0.49 x 10(-20) cm2/atom at 360 eV loss. The experimental values are slightly higher than the theoretical cross-sections calculated either by hydrogenic or Hartree-Slater approaches.
The mechanism of 16 S ribosomal RNA folding into its compact form in the native 30 S ribosomal subunit of Escherichia coli was studied by scanning transmission electron microscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy. This approach made it possible to visualize and quantitatively analyze the conformational changes induced in 16 S rRNA under various ionic conditions and to characterize the interactions of ribosomal proteins S4, S8, S15, S20, S17 and S7, the six proteins known to bind to 16 S rRNA in the initial assembly steps. 16 S rRNA and the reconstituted RNA-protein core particles were characterized by their mass, morphology, radii of gyration (RG), and the extent and stability of 16 S rRNA secondary structure. The stepwise binding of S4, S8 and S15 led to a corresponding increase of mass and was accompanied by increased folding of 16 S rRNA in the core particles, as evident from the electron micrographs and from the decrease of RG values from 114 A and 91 A. Although the binding of S20, S17 and S7 continued the trend of mass increase, the RG values of these core particles showed a variable trend. While there was a slight increase in the RG value of the S20 core particles to 94 A, the RG value remained unchanged (94 A) with the further addition of S17. With subsequent addition of S7 to the core particles, the RG values showed an increase to 108 A. Association with S7 led to the formation of a globular mass cluster with a diameter of about 115 A and a mass of about 300 kDa. The rest of the mass (about 330 kDa) remained loosely coiled, giving the core particle a "medusa-like" appearance. Morphology of the 16 S rRNA and 16 S rRNA-protein core particles, even those with all six proteins, does not resemble the native 30 S subunit, contrary to what has been reported by others. The circular dichroism spectra of the 16 S rRNA-protein complexes and of free 16 S rRNA indicate a similarity of RNA secondary structure in the core particles with the first four proteins, S4, S8, S15, S20. The circular dichroism melting profiles of these core particles show only insignificant variations, implying no obvious changes in the distribution or the stability of the helical segments of 16 S rRNA. However, subsequent binding of proteins S17 and S7 affected both the extent and the thermal stability of 16 S rRNA secondary structure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Experiments were performed seeking conditions for the optimum use of anti-T cell monoclonal antibodies in vivo in mice. Anti-L3T4 (CD4) and anti-Lyt2 (CD8) antibodies of different subclasses (IgG2b, IgG2a, and IgM) and species (rat or mouse) were used. The results showed that (i) intraperitoneal compared to intravenous administration of the different antibodies achieved the same serum levels whether in the presence or absence of the recipient's thymus; (ii) repeated treatment with a rat IgM anti-L3T4 or a rat IgG2b anti-Lyt2 antibody was followed by inability to detect serum levels of each antibody; (iii) in vivo treatment with these antibodies caused target cell lysis, target antigen masking without cell destruction, or target antigen modulation without cell destruction and the particular effect of a given antibody could not be predicted by its isotype or specificity; (iv) neither the C5 component of complement nor antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity mediated the action of GK1.5 antibody in vivo; (v) dose-response curves of in vivo potency of a given antibody could not be predicted by in vitro assays; (vi) thymocytes were depleted by monoclonal antibody treatment by using 1000-fold more antibody than needed to deplete peripheral lymphocytes; (vii) the rate of return of target T cells after depletion in nonthymectomized mice depended on the dose of the antibody; and (viii) thymectomy prolonged the effect of most, but not all antibodies. In thymectomized mice, CD8+ cells remained almost undetectable for prolonged periods of time after depletion while CD4+ cells returned to approximately 30% of their original level and remained constant over time after initial complete depletion. These results provide useful data for the effective use of monoclonal anti-T cell antibodies in mice. They stress the difficulty of predicting the in vivo effects of monoclonal antibodies without actually testing them in vivo. They include new insights into mechanisms of action of monoclonal antibodies and the role of thymectomy in prolonging their effect. They describe the unrecognized ability of antibodies to deplete thymocytes.
Previous immunoelectron microscopy studies have shown that the anticodon of valyl-tRNA, photocrosslinked to the ribosomal P site at the C1400 residue of the 16 S RNA, is located in the vicinity of the cleft of the small ribosomal subunit of Escherichia coli. In this study we used single-particle image-averaging techniques to demonstrate that the 30 S-bound tRNA molecule can be localized directly, without the need for specific antibody markers. In agreement with the immunoelectron microscopy results, we find that the tRNA molecule appears to be located deep in the cleft of the 30 S subunit. We believe that the use of computer image averaging to localize ligands bound to ribosomes and other macromolecular complexes will become widespread because of the superior sensitivity, precision and objectivity of this technique compared with conventional immunoelectron microscopy.
Digitized images of molecules of 16 S rRNA from Escherichia coli, obtained by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), provide quantitative structural information that is lacking in conventional electron micrographs. We have determined the morphology, total molecular mass, mass distribution within individual rRNA molecules and apparent radii of gyration. From the linear density (M/L) we have assessed the number of strands in the structural backbone of rRNA and studied the pattern of branching and folding related to the secondary and tertiary structure of rRNAs under various buffer conditions. Even in reconstitution buffer 16 S RNA did not show any resemblance to the native 30 S subunit.
A structural study of Escherichia coli 50 S ribosomal subunits depleted selectively of proteins L7/L12 and visualized by low-dose electron microscopy has been carried out by multivariate statistical analysis, classification schemes and the new reconstruction technique from single-exposure, random-conical tilt series. This approach has allowed us to solve the three-dimensional structure of the depleted 50 S subunits at a resolution of 3 nm-1. In addition, two distinct morphological populations of subunits (cores) have been identified in the electron micrographs analyzed and have been separately studied in three dimensions. Depleted subunits in the two morphological states present as main features common to these two structures but different from those of the non-depleted subunit (1) the absence of the stalk, (2) a rearrangement of the stalk-base that changes the overall structure of this region. This morphological change is quite noticeable and important, since this region is mapped as a part of the GTPase center. The two conformations differ mainly in the orientation of the area between the L1 region and the head (the probable localization of the peptidyl transferase center) and in the accessibility of the region located below the head. A possible relationship of these structural changes to the functional dynamics of the ribosome is suggested.
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