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Biomedical subjects

P Berntsson

Publications and source records attributed to P Berntsson.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Topoisomerase II is nonfunctional in polyamine-depleted cells.

The polyamines-putrescine, spermidine, and spermine-are essential for normal cell proliferation. Polyamine depletion affects DNA structure and synthesis. Topoisomerase II (topo II) is also necessary for normal cell proliferation, and it has been shown in vitro that polyamines may affect topo II activity. In order to investigate the effect of polyamine depletion on topo II activity, we treated Chinese hamster ovary cells with either alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) or 4-amidinoindan-1-one-2'-amidinohydrazone (CGP 48664), which are polyamine biosynthesis inhibitors. Treatment with the topo II inhibitor etoposide results in DNA strand breaks only if there is active topo II in the cells. By quantitating DNA strand breaks after etoposide treatment using single cell gel electrophoresis, we were able to estimate intracellular topo II activity. We also quantitated topo II activity in crude nuclear extracts from control and polyamine biosynthesis inhibitor-treated cells. Using single cell gel electrophoresis, we noted a clear decrease in the function of topo II in polyamine biosynthesis inhibitor-treated cells, as compared with untreated control cells. However, the topo II activity in crude nuclear extracts did not differ significantly in control versus polyamine biosynthesis inhibitor-treated cells. Taken together, these results indicate that although the function of topo II in polyamine-depleted cells was impaired, topo II remained functional in an in vitro assay. Using the single cell gel electrophoresis assay, we also found that spermine depletion itself caused DNA strand breaks.

Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase↗
PubMed1991

Oxidation of dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers and analogues by human liver cytochrome P-450 IIIA4.

A series of 21 different 4-substituted 2,6-dimethyl-3-(alkoxycarbonyl)-1,4-dihydropyridines was considered with regard to oxidation to pyridine derivatives by human liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 (P-450). Antibodies raised against P-450 IIIA4 inhibited the microsomal oxidation of nifedipine and felodipine to the same extent, as did cimetidine and the mechanism-based inactivator gestodene. Gestodene was approximately 10(3) times more effective an inhibitor than cimetidine, on a molar basis. When rates of oxidation of the 1,4-dihydropyridines were compared to each other in different human liver microsomal preparations, all were highly correlated with each other with the exceptions of a derivative devoid of a substituent at the 4-position and an N1-CH3 derivative. A P-450 IIIA4 cDNA clone was expressed in yeast and the partially purified protein was used in reconstituted systems containing NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase and cytochrome b5. This system catalyzed the oxidation of all of the 1,4-dihydropyridines except the two for which poor correlation was seen in the liver microsomes. Principal component analysis supported the view that most of these reactions were catalyzed by the same enzyme in the yeast P-450 IIIA4 preparation and in the different human liver microsomal preparations, or by a closely related enzyme showing nearly identical properties of catalytic specificity and regulation. The results indicate that the enzyme P-450 IIIA4 is probably the major human catalyst involved in the formal dehydrogenation of most but not all 1,4-dihydropyridine drugs.

Calcium Channel Blockers↗
PubMed1991

Effects of mutations in glycosylation sites and disulphide bonds on processing, CD4-binding and fusion activity of human immunodeficiency virus envelope glycoproteins.

Site-directed mutagenesis was used to study the biological significance of a disulphide bridge and two N-linked oligosaccharides in the CD4-binding region of the envelope glycoproteins of human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Mutagenesis was performed in a phage M13 system at sites corresponding to the cysteine residue (amino acid 402) and the asparagine residues (390 and 447) of the env gene. The mutated env gene was inserted into a recombinant vaccinia virus under the control of the vaccinia virus 7.5K promoter and the expression of mutated env proteins was analysed by SDS-PAGE, a conventional indirect immunofluorescence assay and by a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. Cysteine 402 was found to be essential for the specific cleavage of gp160 into gp120 and gp41, and for intracellular transport of the protein to the cell surface. CD4-binding and syncytium formation assays demonstrated that the disulphide bridge of cysteine 402 stabilized a conformation essential for receptor binding as well as syncytium formation by CD4+ cells. No altered biological activity compared to that of the wild-type proteins could be detected for the mutant proteins lacking the N-glycosylation sites. These data show that the two conserved glycans attached to asparagine residues 390 and 447 do not play any active role in the formation of the disulphide bridge involving cysteine 402 or in the maintenance of an active conformation of the protein, despite their location within the functionally important CD4-binding region.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Felodipine analogs: structure-activity relationships.

Several 3,5-pyridinedicarboxylic acid [4-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-] esters, which are analogs to felodipine, were synthesized and tested for peroral activity and vascular selectivity. Structure-activity relationships demonstrate that felodipine has biological properties (selectivity and oral activity) close to the optimum for this class of compounds.

Administration, Oral↗