PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

R Schlesinger

Publications and source records attributed to R Schlesinger.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

The b alleles of U. maydis, whose combinations program pathogenic development, code for polypeptides containing a homeodomain-related motif.

U. maydis is a fungal pathogen of corn with two forms: one is yeast-like and nonpathogenic; the other is filamentous and pathogenic. The b locus, with 25 different alleles, regulates this dimorphism: any combination of two different alleles triggers pathogenic development, whereas the presence of identical alleles results in the yeast-like form. We have cloned four b alleles (b1, b2, b3, and b4) and show that the b locus contains a single open reading frame (ORF) of 410 amino acids with a variable N-terminal region and a highly conserved C-terminal region (60% and 93% identity, respectively). Mutational analysis confirms that this ORF is responsible for b activity. The b polypeptides appear to be DNA binding proteins because they contain a motif related to the homeodomain in their constant region. We propose that combinatorial interactions between b polypeptides generate regulatory proteins that determine the developmental program of the fungus.

Alleles

Purification and characterization of cytolysins from Listeria monocytogenes serovar 4b and Listeria ivanovii.

Several exoproteins from Listeria monocytogenes serovar 4b (NCTC 10527) and Listeria ivanovii (ATCC) 19119, SLCC 2379), respectively, have been purified to homogeneity by thiol-disulfide exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Both strains produce a haemolytic/cytolytic protein of Mr 58 kDa, which has all the properties of a SH-activated cytolysin, the prototype of which is streptolysin O (SLO), and this protein has therefore been termed listeriolysin O (LLO). In addition a protein of Mr 24 kDa from culture supernatants of L. ivanovii co-purified with LLO. The N-terminal aminoacid sequences of both proteins from L. ivanovii have been determined. By mutagenesis with transposons of Gram-positive origin (Tn916 and Tn1545), which have been introduced via conjugation into L. ivanovii, several phenotypic mutants (altered haemolysis on sheep blood agar or lecithinase-negative) were obtained. Results on the properties of these mutants will be presented.

Amino Acid Sequence

Airborne particles, their use in the respiratory system to measure air flow, function, and clearance.

Nonhygroscopic monodisperse particles can be used to estimate airway dimensions within chosen regions of the respiratory tract. These dimensions correspond well with those measured in inflation-fixed lungs. The dispersion of a bolus of airborne particles on inhalation and exhalation is very sensitive to the dimensions of the airways through which the bolus passes, yielding indices of dispersion that provide sensitive indicators of changes in airway dimensions, eg, with smoking. The rates of clearance of particles from the lungs are determined using gamma-labelled particles whose lung retention is determined by external measurements. There are major differences between the deep lung and the ciliated airways. Changes in clearance rates are caused by disease or inhaled intoxicants such as cigarette smoke. At lower levels of irritant exposure, an acceleration of clearance rate is observed, while higher doses and longer periods of exposure produce decreased rates. It is suggested that aerosol techniques may have useful clinical applications; approaches are suggested for such applications.

Adult

Potential human health effects of acid rain: report of a workshop.

This report summarizes the potential impact of the acid precipitation phenomenon on human health. There are two major components to this phenomenon: the predepositional phase, during which there is direct human exposure to acidic substances from ambient air, and the post-depositional phase, in which the deposition of acid materials on water and soil results in the mobilization, transport, and even chemical transformation of toxic metals. Acidification increases bioconversion of mercury to methylmercury, which accumulates in fish, increasing the risk to toxicity in people who eat fish. Increase in water and soil content of lead and cadmium increases human exposure to these metals which become additive to other sources presently under regulatory control. The potential adverse health effects of increased human exposure to aluminum is not known at the present time.

Acids

Does central nervous system toxicity occur in transplant patients with hypocholesterolemia receiving cyclosporine?

A syndrome of severe central nervous system toxicity (confusion, cortical blindness, quadriplegia, seizures, and coma) associated with cyclosporine therapy and a low serum cholesterol level in patients with liver transplants has been described. We present a case history of a patient who demonstrated several similar features after heart-lung transplantation. Possible cyclosporine neurotoxicity should be considered in any patients with hypocholesterolemia receiving this drug.

Adult