Biomedical subjects

R Affleck

Publications and source records attributed to R Affleck.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Solvent dielectric effects on protein dynamics.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to investigate the dynamics of alpha-chymotrypsin in solvents ranging in dielectric constant from 72 to 1.9. EPR measurements showed that motions in the vicinity of two spin-labeled amino acids (Met-192 and Ser-195) decreased dramatically with decreasing solvent dielectric constant, a trend consistent with changes in the electrostatic force between charged residues of the protein. EPR results and MD simulations revealed a very similar functional dependence between rates of motion in the protein and the dielectric constant of the bulk solvent; however, predicted motions of protein atoms were markedly faster than measured motions of the spin labels. MD calculations for dielectric constants of 5 and 72 showed the greatest differences near the outer surface of the protein. In general, at the lower dielectric constant many atoms of the protein move more slowly, and many of the slowest residues are near the exterior. These results suggest that altered dynamics may contribute to the unusual properties--e.g., modified stereoselectivities--of enzymes in nearly dry organic solvents.

Chymotrypsin↗

PubMed1992

Enzymatic catalysis and dynamics in low-water environments.

Enzymes suspended in organic solvents represent a versatile system for studying the involvement of water in enzyme structure and function. Addition of less than 1% (vol/vol) water to tetrahydrofuran containing 1 M 1-propanol leads to a substantial increase in the transesterification activity of subtilisin Carlsberg (from Bacillus licheniformis) that correlates with a sharp increase in the active-site polarity and a 90% decrease in the rotational correlation time (i.e., increase in mobility) of a nitroxide spin label within the active site. Water in excess of 1% has little additional effect on active-site polarity and coincides with a further increase in spin-label mobility, yet the transesterification activity decreases dramatically. Thus, transesterification activity increases and then decreases with increasing enzyme hydration and flexibility (which are presumably coupled through dielectric screening), suggesting that the conformation of partially hydrated subtilisin is different from that of the nearly dry enzyme--i.e., enzyme containing less than 9% (wt/wt) water.

Bacillus↗

PubMed1985

Effects of early hypoxia on breathing pattern in rabbit pups before and after vagotomy.

We examined the influence of vagal pulmonary receptors exerted on the breathing pattern and inspiratory activities of phrenic nerve and intercostal electromyograms (EMG) during hypoxia in rabbit pups. Animals in their second week of life were anaesthetized with ketamine (50 mg/kg) and acepromazine (3 mg/kg) and tracheostomized. While they breathed spontaneously, we recorded tidal volume (VT), integrated phrenic activity (PHR), integrated external intercostal EMG (INT), and blood pressure (BP). To prevent secondary ventilatory depression, animals were exposed to 12% O2 (balanced with N2) for no longer than 5 min before and after vagotomy. All measurements were taken from 1 min following the onset of hypoxic exposure until the end of the run. During hypoxia, VT, PHR, and INT increased in intact rabbit pups. There was an almost immediate decrease in BP that was maintained during the total period of hypoxia exposure. Hypoxia resulted in inconsistent changes in inspiratory (TI) and expiratory (TE) time in intact animals. Following vagotomy, PHR, INT, VT, BP, and TE responses were the same as in intact animals. However, TI significantly decreased in all animals. In response to hypoxia with and without vagal feedback, INT increased less than PHR in most cases. Qualitatively similar effects of hypoxia were observed in an adult rabbit. The results reveal that the increase in VT and the shortening of TI in response to hypoxia do not depend on vagal feedback in rabbits during the early postnatal period. In fact TI shortening was significant only without vagal feedback.

Animals↗

PubMed1984

Respiratory effects of progressive asphyxia in rabbit pups and adult rabbits.

Effects of prolonged airway occlusion were investigated in anesthetized and vagotomized 9-to 15-day-old pups and adult rabbits. The changes and temporal relationships between "integrated" phrenic activity, external intercostal electromyogram (INT), and esophageal pressure (Pes) were examined. Each occlusion resulted in hyperpnea, apnea, and gasping. Blood pressure recorded during the occlusion showed a marked decrease. During hyperpnea, the rate of changes and maximal amplitudes in Pes and INT were similar in both age groups. The increase in integrated phrenic activity (PHR) was significantly greater in young rabbits. In both age groups, changes in INT during gasping followed a similar time course and exceeded those in PHR. Maximal values of the three parameters were concurrent in adults, whereas the increase in INT peaked later than PHR and Pes in rabbit pups. In adult rabbits, PHR, INT, and Pes, during the last gasp, decreased to the values of the first hyperpnea breath. In rabbit pups, Pes of the last gasp decreased significantly below this value while INT was still elevated. This Pes decrease could result from inspiratory muscle dysfunction in the pups. Thus in rabbit pups, 1) greater changes in PHR were necessary to produce a given change in Pes than in adult rabbits; 2) activity of the external intercostal muscles was not efficient in developing pressure under conditions of asphyxia; and 3) the independent activation of diaphragmatic and intercostal motoneurons is not of vagal origin. Additionally, the results led us to conclude that Pes can serve as a close approximation of respiratory drive in adult rabbits. This parameter, however, cannot be used as an index of central inspiratory activity during gasping in rabbit pups.

Animals↗