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M Landt

Publications and source records attributed to M Landt.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Monoject Samplette capillary blood container with serum separator evaluated for collection of specimens for therapeutic drug assays and common clinical-chemical tests.

The Monoject Samplette (Sherwood) capillary serum-separator tube was evaluated for use in pediatric capillary blood collection. When patients' values for eight common clinical-chemical tests and five therapeutic drugs were compared with values from specimens concomitantly collected in plain Caraway tubes, only chloride and total CO2 were significantly different. The chloride differences (range 0-2 mmol/L) were considered to be clinically insignificant. Higher CO2 values in Samplette specimens were apparently ascribable to decreased loss to the atmosphere. Samplette values for therapeutic drugs were higher than corresponding Caraway values, but only the differences for digoxin were judged to be clinically significant. Both recoverable serum and the incidence of hemolysis were lower in Samplette specimens than in Caraway specimens. Storage of serum over the clots (with separator material interposed) in Samplettes for 24 h had no clinically significant effect on results for glucose or potassium. Storage of specimens for as long as 24 h had no effect on theophylline, phenytoin, and gentamicin concentrations, but phenobarbital reproducibly decreased after 24 h. We conclude that the Samplette serum-separator tube is suitable for the collection of capillary blood for many of the chemical tests commonly ordered for pediatric patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Comparison of Ca2+ -dependent phosphorylation in viable dispersed brain cells with calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity in cell-free preparations of rat brain.

Using two depolarizing agents, veratrine and high concentrations of extracellular KCl, we studied depolarization-stimulated phosphorylations in 32P-labelled dispersed brain tissue in order to identify phosphoprotein substrates for Ca2+ - and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity at the cellular level, for comparison with findings in cell-free preparations. In intact brain cells, the only prominent depolarization-stimulated phosphorylation was a 77 kDa protein separated on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. This phosphorylation was dependent on external Ca2+, since chelation of Ca2+ in media with 6 mM-EGTA or the presence of verapamil (a Ca2+ -channel blocker) in the incubation media inhibited depolarization-stimulated phosphorylation of the 77 kDa protein. Phosphorylation of the 77 kDa protein also appeared to be dependent on calmodulin, because depolarization-stimulated phosphorylation was significantly decreased (P less than 0.05) when 100 microM-trifluoperazine was present in the incubation media. Polymyxin B, an inhibitor of Ca2+- and phospholipid-dependent phosphorylation, and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, the phorbol ester enhancing Ca2+- and phospholipid-dependent phosphorylation, had no effect on the phosphorylation of the 77 kDa protein. The 77 kDa phosphoprotein was identified as a protein previously named synapsin I [Ueda, Maeno & Greengard (1973) J. Biol. Chem 248, 8295-8305] on the basis of similar migration of native and proteolytic fragments of the 77 kDa protein with those of authentic synapsin I on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. Whereas several studies with cell-free preparations showed that 57 kDa and 54 kDa endogenous phosphoproteins were the most prominent species phosphorylated in a Ca2+ and calmodulin-dependent manner, these results indicate that synapsin is the most prominent Ca2+-and calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation in intact cells. The phosphorylations of 54 kDa and 57 kDa proteins may not be as important in vivo, but instead occur as a result of the disruption of cellular integrity inherent in preparation of cell-free subfractions of brain tissue.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase in acini from lactating rat mammary tissue: subcellular locale, characterization, and solubilization.

Acini isolated from lactating rat mammary tissue were used as the starting material to determine the subcellular location and characteristics of a calcium and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. The kinase activity phosphorylated a 53,600-Da endogenous protein, required Mg2+, and was stimulated only by the simultaneous presence of calcium and calmodulin. Fractionation by differential and sucrose gradient centrifugation demonstrated the enzyme activity in acinar homogenates to be largely particulate; yet the activity did not co-fractionate with markers for nuclei, secretory vesicles, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, lysozymes, Golgi or plasma membranes. The addition of dephosphorylated K-casein to these preparations resulted in a calcium and calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of the exogenous substrate. A combination of differential centrifugation and equilibrium sucrose density gradient centrifugation purified the kinase 15-fold and revealed a density for the kinase activity between 1.33 and 1.27 g/cm3, suggesting that the kinase was associated with a particle composed largely or entirely of protein. Gel chromatography on Sephacryl S-1000 also purified the activity significantly, and provided a molecular weight of approximately 10(6). In both procedures, the enzymatic activity and principal endogenous protein substrate were enriched indicating that the kinase was associated with the 53,600-Da substrate. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis of the fractions enriched in kinase activity by either gel-exclusion chromatography or equilibrium density gradient centrifugation revealed a discrete set of proteins common to both preparations. These included proteins with molecular weights of approximately 32, 35, 54, 70, 94, 100 and 103 K. The calmodulin-dependent protein kinase of mammary acini may be associated in a large complex with these protein species or may represent a polymer of one or several of the proteins. Despite no apparent association with the common phospholipid membranous organelles, the kinase activity was solubilized by treatment with a mixture of phospholipases C and D. After phospholipase treatment and chromatography on Sephacryl S-1000, calcium and calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation was no longer detectable, indicating separation of enzyme and endogenous substrate. Phospholipase treatment of the kinase preparation may be useful in future studies as a method to solubilize the activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Effects of dextran on five biuret-based procedures for total protein in serum.

We evaluated the effect of dextran on values for total protein in serum as measured by the biuret method with five widely used automated instruments: the American Monitor Parallel; the Du Pont aca II; the Roche Cobas-Bio; the Kodak Ektachem 400; and the Beckman Astra 8. Dextran concentrations as great as 25 or 30 g/L had relatively little or no influence on total protein measurements by the latter three instruments. Dextran concentrations exceeding 6 g/L caused falsely low results with the aca, whereas the Parallel gave falsely high results when the dextran concentration exceeded 2 g/L. The aca total protein procedure could be protected from the interference by dextran concentrations up to 30 g/L by injecting 0.4-0.8 mL of ethylene glycol directly into the reagent pack before sampling. However, we could not eliminate the interference with the Parallel procedure by any simple means; we thus recommend that it not be used for measuring total protein in serum samples from patients who are being treated with dextran.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Calcium-ion and calmodulin-dependent kappa-casein kinase in rat mammary acini.

A Ca2+- and calmodulin-dependent casein kinase specific for dephosphorylated bovine kappa-casein was identified in a microsomal fraction of mammary acini prepared from rats in late lactation. This phosphorylation has an absolute requirement for Mg2+ for either the basal or the Ca2+- and calmodulin-dependent activity. One-half of the maximal stimulation is achieved at a calmodulin concentration of 204nM in the presence of Ca2+. The Ca2+- and calmodulin-dependent kinase activity (but not the basal activity) is inhibited by trifluoperazine. The casein kinase is associated with a microsomal fraction enriched in markers for plasma membrane and Golgi (5'-nucleotidase and galactosyltransferase respectively). The activity of this casein kinase remains relatively constant throughout lactation, but declines dramatically in 24h when rats are removed from their pups. This activity may represent the physiological activity responsible in part or whole for kappa-casein phosphorylation occurring before micelle formation and milk secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Specificity of inhibition of calcium- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase by alloxan.

Studies were undertaken to determine whether the effect of alloxan to inactivate a membrane-bound calcium- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase was specific for the pancreatic islets and whether inactivation of the kinase occurred also after injection of a diabetogenic dose of alloxan into rats. The effect of alloxan was also examined on similar particulate calcium- and calmodulin-dependent kinases present in two other secretory tissues, mammary acini and forebrain. Exposure of alloxan to cell-free preparations of all secretory tissues examined inhibited the calcium- and calmodulin-dependent kinase activities, suggesting that the specificity of alloxan action was not due to the presence in islets of a kinase uniquely sensitive to alloxan. To determine whether the selective effect of alloxan action was mediated at the cellular level, experiments were performed with alloxan presented to intact cells. Whereas alloxan exposure to viable cell preparations of islets and brain decreased the subsequently measured calcium- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity, the activity measured in mammary acini exposed to these alloxan concentrations was unaffected. Injection (i.v.) of a diabetogenic dose of alloxan (50 mg/kg) produced an immediate (10 min) and selective inactivation of the calcium- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase in pancreatic islets but had no effect on the similar kinases measured in brain and mammary acini. These results indicate that the unique sensitivity of islets to alloxan may result from the ability of alloxan to rapidly gain intracellular access and then inactivate this kinase activity. The selective effect of alloxan injection on this islet protein kinase is consistent with the hypothesis that inactivation of the kinase by alloxan is related to its diabetogenic effect in vivo.

Alloxan↗
PubMed1984

Glucose-stimulated protein phosphorylation in the pancreatic islet.

A glucose-dependent phosphorylation of a 68kDa islet-cell protein was observed in islet-cell homogenates. In the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP the protein was phosphorylated only in the presence of alpha-D-glucose; other sugars were ineffective. Activation of the phosphorylation was half-maximal at 0.34 mM-glucose, 7 microM-ATP and 0.3 mM-Mg2+. Although the addition of glucose 6-phosphate in this design did not stimulate phosphorylation of the islet-cell protein, addition of glucose 6-phosphate to the radioactively labelled 68kDa protein rapidly removed (chased) the 32P label. The addition of presynthesized glucose 6-[32P]phosphate phosphorylated the 68kDa band in the islet-cell homogenate and also phosphorylated purified skeletal-muscle phosphoglucomutase. Phosphoglucomutase labelled thus by 32P was indistinguishable from the islet-cell phosphoprotein on electrophoretic gels. The 32P incorporated into both the islet-cell protein and the purified skeletal-muscle phosphoglucomutase was chased similarly by hexose phosphates. The purified phosphoglucomutase could also be phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase or by a mannoheptulose-insensitive process by the islet-cell cytosol. The phosphoenzyme formed thus was also dephosphorylated by D-glucose 6-phosphate and alpha-D-glucose 1-phosphate, suggesting that this may be a mechanism for generation of glucose 1,6-bisphosphate.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Characterization of calmodulin-activated protein kinase activity of rat adipocyte endoplasmic reticulum fraction.

Calmodulin-activated protein kinase activity in the endoplasmic reticulum fraction of rat adipocytes was identified and characterized. The major endogenous protein substrate of the calmodulin-activated kinase activity has an apparent molecular weight of 54,000 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. The calmodulin-activated component of the activity was saturated at 10 microM ATP. Calcium or calmodulin alone did not increase the activity, but the simultaneous presence of calcium and calmodulin increased activity three to four-fold. Half-maximal activation of this activity occurred at 8 microM Ca2+. The addition of increasing amounts of calmodulin caused a concentration-dependent activation in the presence of calcium, which was saturable at high calmodulin concentrations. Magnesium was required for activity, with half-maximal activity occurring at 230 microM. The antipsychotic drug trifluoperazine inhibited the activation of the protein kinase activity by calmodulin, but had a negligible effect on the basal activity. Half-maximal inhibition occurred at 63 microM. Phosphorylation of the 54,000 mol. wt band was independent of cAMP, cGMP and the combination of cAMP and cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Calmodulin-activated protein kinase phosphorylated both phosphoserine and phosphothreonine residues in the 54,000 mol. wt substrate. These experiments have partially characterized a calmodulin-activated protein kinase activity from adipocytes, which appears to be a unique activity of unknown function.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1984

Protein substrate specificity of a calmodulin-dependent protein kinase isolated from bovine heart.

The protein substrate specificity of a calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity from the cytosolic fraction of bovine heart was examined. Prior to the experiments, the kinase activity was purified more than 50-fold with a recovery of greater than 10% of the homogenate activity. Two endogenous protein substrates of molecular weight 57,000 and 73,000 were phosphorylated in these kinase preparations. The kinase preparation was also able to phosphorylate exogenous synapsin, phospholamban, glycogen synthase, MAP-2, myelin basic proteins and kappa-casein, but not tubulin, pyruvate kinase, the regulatory subunit of cAMP protein kinase II, myosin light chain or phosphorylase b. High levels of calmodulin were required for activation of the kinase activity toward the 57,000 and 73,000 molecular weight endogenous substrates (K0.5 = 93 +/- 5 nM), glycogen synthase (K0.5 = 127 +/- 10 nM), and kappa-casein (K0.5 = 321 +/- 107 nM). The kinase possessed a high affinity for glycogen synthase (half maximal activity at 0.9 +/- 0.4 microM) but a low affinity for kappa-casein (21 +/- 2 microM). Sucrose density gradient centrifugation separated the calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity into two fractions with apparent molecular weights of approximately 900,000 and 100,000. Both fractions phosphorylated the endogenous 57,000 molecular weight substrate and glycogen synthase similarly. These results indicate that cardiac calmodulin-dependent protein kinase previously observed to phosphorylate endogenous protein substrate possesses a wide range of substrate specificity.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Benzyl alcohol toxicity in a neonatal intensive care unit. Incidence, symptomatology, and mortality.

We unknowingly "screened" all NICU infants for elevated levels of serum benzyl alcohol (Bz-OH) over a three-month period. The fortuitous "screening" procedure resulted from the interference by Bz-OH with a routine blood CO2 assay used for all infants; validity was proved by (1) replication of the interference pattern with Bz-OH or benzoic acid; (2) confirmation of elevated benzoic acid levels in serum in two of the four screening positive infants tested but not in control infants, and (3) disappearance of the interference patterns when Bz-OH solutions were discontinued in affected infants. Screened Bz-OH-positive infants were compared to screened negative control infants, matched for weight (less than 1000 g), severity of RDS (on respirators), exposure to Bz-OH, and survival for longer than 48 hours. Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), metabolic acidosis appearing prior to IVH, and mortality were increased in Bz-OH-positive infants (P less than .05 in each case); hyperbilirubinemia and thrombocytopenia were not. Gasping respirations were not a major symptom. It is concluded that Bz-OH poisoning was a major cause of morbidity and mortality in NICU infants weighing less than 1000 g at birth during the three-month screening period. A retrospective review of patient records covering a 16-month period showed significant improvement in the survival rate of infants weighing less than 1000 g following the discontinuation of Bz-OH solutions.

Acidosis, Respiratory↗
PubMed1984

Interferences with potentiometry of CO2 in the Ektachem 400 Analyzer.

We have investigated the Kodak Ektachem 400 Analyzer procedure for CO2 for interferences from benzyl alcohol, benzoic acid, and several compounds structurally similar to benzoic acid. Benzoic acid in plasma, at concentrations found in neonates intoxicated with benzyl alcohol, caused a large increase in the results for CO2, as did substantially above-normal concentrations of certain fatty acids and keto-acids, and toxic concentrations of aspirin. We observed a correlation between increasing benzoic acid concentrations (up to 17 mmol/L) and falsely increasing CO2 values (greater than 47 mmol/L) obtained with the Ektachem Analyzer for samples from a neonate in the intensive-care unit, who was receiving benzyl alcohol-preserved saline solutions. Although the Ektachem CO2 procedure is simple and rapid, and in most cases accurate, questionable results are occasionally encountered, as indicated by a low anion gap or a measured CO2 exceeding that calculated from blood gas measurements. Such results require the use of another method for verification.

Benzoates↗
PubMed1983

Alloxan inhibition of a Ca2+- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity in pancreatic islets.

Alloxan was found to inhibit a Ca2+- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase recently identified in pancreatic islets. This effect of alloxan may be specifically related to the inhibitory action of alloxan on insulin secretion from islets since: 1) in islet-cell subcellular fractions, alloxan at micromolar concentrations irreversibly inhibits the Ca2+- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity; 2) pretreatment of intact islets with alloxan at concentrations that inhibit insulin secretion similarly inhibits the protein kinase activity; and 3) alloxan inhibition of both insulin secretion and protein kinase activity in intact islets can be prevented by D-glucose. This inhibition by alloxan appears to be a direct effect on the enzyme since alloxan treatment of either the islet homogenate or the microsomal fraction enriched in protein kinase activity inhibited the kinase activity with similar concentration dependence. These results suggest that alloxan-induced inhibition of a Ca2+- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase may represent a critical inhibitory site which mediates alloxan-induced inhibition of insulin secretion.

Alloxan↗
PubMed1983

Correlation of Ca2+-and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity with secretion of insulin from islets of Langerhans.

A Ca2+-activated and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity which phosphorylates predominantly two endogenous proteins of 57kDa and 54kDa was found in a microsomal fraction from islet cells. Half-maximal activation of the protein kinase occurs at approx. 1.9 microM-Ca2+ and 4 micrograms of calmodulin/ml (250 nM) for phosphorylation of both protein substrates. Similar phosphoprotein bands (57kDa and 54kDa) were identified in intact islets that had been labelled with [32P]Pi. Islets prelabelled with [32P]Pi and incubated with 28 mM-glucose secreted significantly more insulin and had greater incorporation of radioactivity into the 54 kDa protein than did islets incubated under basal conditions in the presence of 5 mM-glucose. Thus the potential importance of the phosphorylation of these proteins in the regulation of insulin secretion is indicated both by activation of the protein kinase activity by physiological concentrations of free Ca2+ and by correlation of the phosphorylation of the substrates with insulin secretion in intact islets. Experiments undertaken to identify the endogenous substrates indicated that this calmodulin-dependent protein kinase may phosphorylate the alpha- and beta-subunits of tubulin. These findings suggest that Ca2+-stimulated phosphorylation of islet-cell tubulin via a membrane-bound calmodulin-dependent protein kinase may represent a critical step in the initiation of insulin secretion from the islets of Langerhans.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Endogenous substance in newborn infants causing false positive digoxin measurements.

We report the detection of a digoxin-like immunoequivalent substance in the plasma of neonates and infants and in amniotic fluid. Time-course studies in individual infants indicate that the substance probably is produced endogenously and is not exclusively retained by the infants from external sources. Digoxin recovery studies demonstrated that the presence of this material caused falsely elevated digoxin values. Our results cast considerable doubt on the reliability and clinical utility of digoxin radioimmunoassay measurements on the serum or plasma of neonatal and infant patients.

Amniotic Fluid↗
PubMed1983

The Kodak Ektachem 400 Analyzer evaluated for automated enzymic determination of plasma creatinine.

We have evaluated an automated creatinine iminohydrolase procedure for plasma creatinine analysis, as used in the Kodak Ektachem 400 Analyzer. The correlation with kinetic and end-point (equilibrium) alkaline picrate procedures is generally excellent. The enzymatic procedure has the advantage of being unaffected by bilirubin, cephalosporins, and acetoacetate, all of which interfere in alkaline picrate procedures. Its accuracy, however, greatly depends on calibration values provided by the manufacturer. Storage of samples at -20 degrees C produced little change in measured creatinine. The Ektachem procedure has a greater range of linearity (140 mg/L) than the alkaline picrate procedures, but it shares with them the disadvantages of suboptimal precision in the normal range. The increased specificity, ease of performance, and other advantages of this use of creatinine iminohydrolase make it an attractive procedure.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Interference by hemolysis with various methods for total calcium and its correction by trichloroacetic acid precipitation.

We evaluated the influence of hemolysis on total serum calcium as determined with the Du Pont aca, SMA 12/60, Ektachem 400, Corning 940 EGTA titrator, and the Beckman Astra 8, comparing results with those obtained by atomic absorption spectroscopy. We find that hemoglobin does not influence calcium measurements with the SMA 12/60, Ektachem 400, or Beckman Astra 8. The presence of hemoglobin exceeding 2 to 3 g/L caused falsely high results with the aca and falsely low results with the Corning 940 titrator. Similar interferences may be observed with other titrating or colorimetric procedures that involve direct reaction of the sample with o-cresolphthalein complexone or calcein. Upon removal of the hemoglobin by precipitation with trichloroacetic acid, the values obtained with the aca and the Corning 940 EGTA titrator were similar to those measured by atomic absorption. With nonhemolyzed serum samples the acid treatment had little or no effect on the aca procedure but resulted in a positive bias of approximately 10% with the EGTA procedure. Thus we recommend this trichloroacetic acid procedure for measuring calcium in hemolyzed samples with the aca and, with certain reservations, with the EGTA titrator.

Autoanalysis↗
PubMed1982

Calmodulin binding to rat adipocyte plasma membrane: characterization and photoaffinity cross-linking of calmodulin to binding proteins.

[125I]Calmodulin binding to isolated rat adipocyte plasma membranes has been characterized, and the calmodulin binding proteins associated with the membrane have been identified by use of the photoaffinity cross-linker N-hydroxysuccinimidyl 4-azidobenzoate. Total binding of [125I]calmodulin to plasma membranes was assayed by a centrifugation method and found to be calcium dependent, requiring 2.2 microM free calcium for half-maximal binding. Total binding was curvilinear with time, plateauing at 30 min. In addition, calmodulin binding was demonstrated to be both saturable (1700 pmol/mg of membrane protein) and exchangeable. Additional calmodulin binding sites were not produced by further ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) treatment of membranes prepared in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Eight specific calmodulin binding protein complexes were identified by use of the photocovalent cross-linking agent. Results obtained with photocovalent cross-linking were similar to those obtained in the total calmodulin binding assays. The formation of the calmodulin binding protein complexes was dependent on time and calcium concentration. The integration of these two techniques provides a powerful tool for studying calmodulin-regulated proteins.

Adipose Tissue↗