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Biomedical subjects

R Krishnamoorthy

Publications and source records attributed to R Krishnamoorthy.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Study of the role of the highly conserved residues Arg9 and Arg64 in the catalytic function of human N-acetyltransferases NAT1 and NAT2 by site-directed mutagenesis.

The arylamine N-acetyltransferases (NATs) NAT1 and NAT2 are responsible for the biotransformation of many arylamine and hydroxylamine xenobiotics. It has been proposed that NATs may act through a cysteine-linked acetyl-enzyme intermediate in a general base catalysis involving a highly conserved arginine residue such as Arg64. To investigate this possibility, we used site-directed mutagenesis and expression of recombinant human NAT1 and NAT2 in Escherichia coli. Sequence comparison with NATs from other species indicated that Arg9 and Arg64 are the only invariant basic residues. Either mutation of the presumed catalytic Cys68 residue or the simultaneous mutation of Arg9 and Arg64 to Ala produced proteins with undetectable enzyme activity. NAT1 or NAT2 singly substituted at Arg9 or Arg64 with Ala, Met, Gln or Lys exhibited unaltered Km values for arylamine acceptor substrates, but a marked loss of activity and stability. Finally, double replacement of Arg9/Arg64 with lysine in NAT1 altered the Km for arylamine substrates (decreased by 8-14-fold) and for acetyl-CoA (elevated 5-fold), and modified the pH-dependence of activity. Thus, through their positively charged side chains, Arg9 and Arg64 seem to contribute to the conformational stability of NAT1 and NAT2 rather than acting as general base catalysts. Our results also support a mechanism in which Arg9 and Arg64 are involved in substrate binding and transition-state stabilization of NAT1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Effect of alpha-thalassemia on sickle-cell anemia linked to the Arab-Indian haplotype in India.

Two population groups from Western India with a high prevalence of the beta(S) gene, one tribal (Valsad) and the other nontribal (Nagpur), were studied. The beta(S) gene frequency in both populations was similar (0.22 vs. 0.23), but not the clinical expression of sickle-cell anemia (SS): the sickle homozygotes in the tribal group appeared to have a mild clinical course, whereas the majority in the nontribal group exhibited a more severe clinical phenotype. Both tribal and nontribal SS patients had a similarly high mean hemoglobin (Hb)F expression (18.5% vs. 15.5%) and a high number of F cells (72.3% vs. 66.6%). DNA analysis of the beta-globin gene cluster region revealed that in these two populations, this portion of DNA was identical with and corresponded to the typical Arab-Indian haplotype. Nevertheless, in heterozygotes, the mean beta(S) expression was lower (27.9%) in the tribal as compared to the nontribal group (35.5%). The major epistatic factor distinguishing the milder presentation in tribals vs. a more severe manifestation in nontribals was the very high frequency (0.97) of the alpha-thalassemia gene in the former as compared to the latter (0.24). We conclude that the phenotypic expression of sickle-cell anemia, linked to the Arab-India haplotype and expressing similar levels of HbF and F cells, is not uniformly mild in India and that alpha-thalassemia is a powerful and additional epistatic factor in the Indian subcontinent.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗
PubMed1997

Dissection of the association status of two polymorphisms in the beta-globin gene cluster with variations in F-cell number in non-anemic individuals.

Expression of fetal hemoglobin (Hb F) is under polygenic control involving determinants both linked and unlinked to the beta-globin gene cluster on chromosome 11. Variations in the DNase I-hypersensitive site 2 of the locus control region (LCR-HS2) and a C --> T change at position -158 from the Ggamma-gene (detected as an XmnI polymorphism) correlate with the high level of Hb F expression in patients with sickle-cell anemia and beta-thalassemia. Interpretation of data under these conditions of anemic stress is difficult because the preferential survival of Hb F-containing erythrocytes (F-cells) may not reflect the true status of Hb F expression. We investigated the relationship between these markers and Hb F expression in terms of F-cell levels in 48 unrelated non-anemic AS heterozygotes from Sicily. The betaS-chromosome of all these individuals was of the Benin haplotype and they differed only by their betaA chromosomes. We demonstrate that F-cell expression is more strongly associated with LCR-HS2 polymorphism than with XmnI polymorphism. The observed association between XmnI polymorphism and Hb F expression is very likely to be due to linkage disequilibrium with LCR-HS2 sequences.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Molecular diversity and evolution of blaTEM genes encoding beta-lactamases resistant to clavulanic acid in clinical E. coli.

The molecular diversity of inhibitor-resistant TEM (IRT) enzymes was explored using a strategy which involved DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), and direct nucleotide sequencing. The study of plasmid-borne genes from 27 strains, resistant to amoxicillin and beta-lactamase-inhibitor combinations, identified mutations resulting in amino acid change at positions 69, 244, 275, and 276 known to be associated with the IRT phenotype and a mutation at nucleotide position 162 in the promoter region. These mutations were found to lie on two different gene sequences, described here as "TEM-1B like" and "TEM-2 like" restriction linkage groups. Further analysis, of nucleotide sequences of promoter and coding regions of the beta-lactamases, confirmed that a given mutation causing IRT phenotype could be associated with two different gene sequence frameworks and two different causal mutations could lie on identical gene sequence framework. These data argue in favor of convergent phenotypic evolution of IRT enzymes under the selective pressure imposed by the intensive clinical use of beta-lactam-beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations.

Amoxicillin↗
PubMed1997

Comparative study of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis strains isolated from Crohn's disease and Johne's disease using restriction fragment length polymorphism and arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction.

To obtain insights into the pathogenic mechanisms involving Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in Crohn's disease (CD) we questioned if the strains of M. paratuberculosis isolated from CD are distinguishable from those involved in Johne's disease (JD), a chronic granulomatous enteritis in cattle. Accordingly we compared human and animal strains at the DNA level, both by the analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in and around the insertion sequence IS 900 and by the arbitrarily primed chain reaction (AP-PCR). Results are in favour of a common clonal origin for the 4 strains isolated from CD and for 8 of the 11 strains isolated from cattle and sheep JD.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Properties of IRT-14 (TEM-45), a newly characterized mutant of TEM-type beta-lactamases.

IRT-14 (TEM-45) is a new mutant TEM-type beta-lactamase that was isolated from clinical Escherichia coli P37 and that confers resistance to broad-spectrum penicillins with reduced sensitivity to beta-lactamase inhibitors. The MICs of amoxicillin alone and of amoxicillin combined with 2 micrograms of clavulanic acid or 2 micrograms of tazobactam per ml were 4,096, 2,048, and 1,024 micrograms/ml, respectively. The strain was susceptible to cephalosporins, aztreonam, moxalactam, and imipenem. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity, and values of the kinetic parameters Kcat, Km, and Kcat/Km were determined for different substrates. This enzyme, with a pI of 5.2, was found to have reduced affinity for broad-spectrum penicillins and cephalosporins. The values of 50% inhibitory concentrations of clavulanic acid, sulbactam, tazobactam, and brobactam are correlated with the higher KmS for substrates. The resistance of E. coli P37 to mechanism-based inactivators results from a higher level of production of the TEM-derived enzyme due to the G-to-T substitution at position 162 (G-162-->T) in the promoter region of blaTEM and from the structural modifications resulting from the Met-69-->Leu and Arg-275-->Gln substitutions that characterize IRT-14 beta-lactamase.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1996

Mutation frequencies of the cytochrome CYP2D6 gene in Parkinson disease patients and in families.

The frequencies of five mutations of the debrisoquine 4-hydroxylase (CYP2D6) gene (mutations D6-A, B, C, D, and T), corresponding to poor metabolizer (PM) phenotypes, were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 47 patients with Parkinson disease, and compared with the findings in 47 healthy controls. These mutant alleles were about twice as frequent among patients as in controls, with an approximate relative risk ratio of 2.12 (95% confidence interval, 1.41-2.62). There seem to be no significant differences in frequencies of mutant genotypes in patients among gender and modalities of response with levodopa therapy; but frequency of the mutations was slightly enhanced after age-at-onset of 60 years. Mutations D6-B, D, and T were detected in 7 patients belonging to 10 Parkinson pedigrees.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Human desmin gene: cDNA sequence, regional localization and exclusion of the locus in a familial desmin-related myopathy.

Desmin is a muscle-specific intermediate filament that is encoded by a gene assigned to human chromosome 2q35. Desmin-related myopathies are inherited disorders characterized by an intrasarcoplasmic accumulation of desmin. Recently, the knockout of the desmin gene was shown to generate a myopathic syndrome in transgenic mice, suggesting that functional abnormality of desmin may generate similar clinical symptoms in mouse and human. To determine the potential role of the desmin gene in a well-defined desmin-related myopathy (autosomal dominant form of Fardeau), human desmin cDNAs obtained from affected and unaffected individuals were cloned, sequenced and compared. No obvious mutation was detected. A BssHII restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was identified in exon 6 of the desmin gene. This RFLP was associated with a previously identified EcoRV RFLP in exon 4 to generate a tetra-allelic system, which was tested for linkage to the desmin-related myopathy in three families. The human desmin gene was localized within an 11-cM interval on chromosome 2q using a panel of radiation hybrids. This 11-cM region was clearly excluded by linkage analysis in the three desmin-related myopathy families using a set of highly polymorphic microsatellite markers. These results suggest that the desmin gene is not primarily involved in this disease.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed1996

Vitreous disposition of two acycloguanosine antivirals in the albino and pigmented rabbit models: a novel ocular microdialysis technique.

A novel ocular microdialysis-perfusion technique was developed that allowed for the continuous sampling of the vitreous humor for drug. The technique produced accurate and rapid vitreous drug concentration time profiles with a resolution of 20 minutes on the time axis. The vitreous elimination of ganciclovir (GCV) and acyclovir (ACV) was extremely rapid, having vitreous half lives of 2.62 and 2.98 hours, respectively, and a transretinal mechanism of clearance was established for these compounds. Further, it was shown that the compounds do not exhibit saturation kinetics over the dosage ranges used in the clinical setting. Ocular pigmentation had a dramatic effect on the vitreous pharmacokinetics of GCV and ACV. The rate of elimination of GCV and ACV from the vitreous of the pigmented rabbit was much slower than the elimination from the albino rabbit (t 1/2 = 5.59 vs. 2.62 for GCV and 8.63 vs. 2.98 for ACV). The mean residence time of GCV was 2 times greater in the pigmented rabbit than in the albino rabbit and 3 times greater for ACV. Further, the volumes of distribution increased by 3.5 fold for GCV and 6.2 fold for ACV, respectively.

Acyclovir↗
PubMed1996

A founder mutation in the gamma-sarcoglycan gene of gypsies possibly predating their migration out of India.

We investigated the molecular basis of a severe form of early onset autosomal recessive muscular dystrophy with sarcoglycan (SG) deficiency in seven large Gypsy families living in different parts of Western Europe and apparently not closely related. They were linked to the LGMD2C locus (13q12) suggesting a primary defect in the gamma-SG gene coding for the 35 kDa dystrophin-associated glycoprotein. All of the 18 investigated patients were homozygous for the same G-->A transition in codon 283 producing the replacement of a conserved cysteine of the extra-cellular domain of the protein by a tyrosine. All affected chromosomes in homozygous and heterozygous relatives carried the same allele 5 of the intragenic marker D13S232. Flanking markers were studied to delineate a common ancestral haplotype, the size of which was used to compute the date of the founding mutation. We found evidence that the mutation occurred between 60 and 200 generations ago, therefore possibly predating the commonly accepted date of migration of the Gypsy ancestors out of India.

Biomarkers↗
PubMed1996

Celiac disease in Down's syndrome with HLA serological and molecular studies.

The association between Down's syndrome (DS) and celiac disease (CD) has been confirmed by several authors. The sensitivity and specificity of antigliadin antibodies (AGAs), the clinical features of subjects with DS and CD (DS-CD+), the incidence of CD, and the results of serological and molecular class I and II HLA typing were determined in a sample of 57 Sicilian subjects with DS. Six (10.5%) and 17 subjects (29.8%) showed high levels of IgA AGAs and IgG AGAs, respectively. AGAs sensitivity and specificity were lower than in the population without DS. Ten people with DS were submitted to jejunal biopsy, and seven (12.2%) showed CD according to ESPGAN criteria. All seven patients were put on gluten-free diet, followed by rapid disappearance of symptoms. Class I and II HLA serological and molecular typing was carried out in seven DS-CD + subjects, 22 people with DS without CD (DS-CD-), five subjects with CD without DS, and 20 controls. Between DS-CD + and DS-CD- subjects, no statistically significant difference regarding serum HLA class I antigens was found. DQA1*0101 allele appears significantly in DS-CD + patients and deserves to be searched for in a larger sample to assess its meaning in the DS-CD association.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Genotyping of the polymorphic N-acetyltransferase (NAT2*) gene locus in two native African populations.

The hepatic N-acetyltransferase enzyme encoded by the NAT2* gene locus is responsible for the human polymorphic acetylation of numerous arylamine or hydrazine-containing drugs and xenobiotics including AIDS-related therapeutic agents such as isoniazid and sulphonamides. The genetic basis underlying the human acetylation polymorphism has been extensively studied in several populations but native African populations were poorly documented. In the present study, 117 unrelated black Africans, namely Dogons from Mali and Gabonese, were investigated for NAT2* allelic variability and genotype distribution. Thirteen NAT2* alleles were unambiguously identified by combined use of allele-specific reamplifications and restriction endonuclease digestions. Our results confirm the African origin of G191->A substitution in the NAT2* coding region which was previously associated with slow acetylation in African-Americans. The finding of high allelic diversity in the studied populations is consistent with the hypothesis of a single African origin for NAT2*-associated polymorphism. Finally, no excess of the slow acetylator phenotype is predicted in these populations, implying no need for fitting NAT2* polymorphism-sensitive therapies to black Africans, compared to Caucasians.

Acetylation↗
PubMed1996

Lack of association of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene polymorphism and premature myocardial infarction in Mauritian Indians.

Eighty-five young Mauritian Indians, male survivors of premature myocardial infarction (MI) and thus belonging to a high risk group, were compared with 108 stringently selected controls for a possible association between premature MI and an insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in the gene encoding angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE). The frequency of the D allele was 0.42 in the MI group and 0.43 in the control group, and thus no association between I/D polymorphism of ACE with susceptibility to early-onset MI was found in this population group. Other gene components of the renin-angiotensin system and lipid metabolism need to be explored to understand the genetic factors involved in causing MI at an early age.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Analysis of HLA haplotypes in families with type 1 diabetes mellitus in La Réunion island.

To analyse HLA and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) association in the ethnically mixed population of La Réunion island, we carried out a family study on 70 diabetic subjects. HLA-DQA1, -DQB1 and -DRB1 typing was performed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), completed by PCR-sequence-specific oligonucleotide (SSO) and PCR-sequence-specific priming (SSP). Haplotype-relative risks (HRR) were determined with the non-transmitted parental haplotypes as controls, and relative risks (RR) were calculated with a classical case-control study. The most significant risks were found for the cis and trans combinations between DQA1*03 or *0501 (Arg52+) and DQB1*02 or *0302 (Asp57-) alleles, suggesting a direct role for the HLA-DQ heterodimer in IDDM susceptibility. Interestingly, due to the mixed origin of the population, the trans-encoded DQ molecules in the (DR3)-DQA1*0501-DQB1*02/(DR4)-DQA1*03-DQB1*0302 subjects were also found cis-encoded in patients with the (DR7 or 9)-DQA1*03-DQB1*02 haplotype and in a patient with the rare (DR11)-DQA1*0501-DQB1*0302 haplotype. A relative predispositional effect (RPE) analysis gave significant haplotype-IDDM+ associations in the following order: (DR3)-DQA1*0501-DQB1*02 > (DR4)-DQA1*03-DQB1*0302 > (DR9)-DQA1*03- DQB*02 > (DR7)-DQA1*03-DQB1*02 > (DR2)-DQA1*01-DQB1*0502. No protective effect remained significant once the susceptible haplotypes were removed. A stratification study showed a stronger influence of the DQ genes than DRB1 alleles within the DR7 haplotypes. On the other hand, IDDM subjects with only one susceptible haplotype had inherited this haplotype more often from their father than from their mother. This paternal effect could be related to the greater risk of IDDM in offspring of diabetic fathers than the risk in offspring of diabetic mothers.

Adult↗