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Biomedical subjects

S Rajendran

Publications and source records attributed to S Rajendran.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Familial Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency with renal failure in two siblings. First case report from India.

We encountered 2 siblings with corneal opacities, anemia, decreased concentration of plasma esterified cholesterol, chronic renal failure and markedly reduced levels of plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase. Renal biopsy in 1 patient showed clear lacunae containing characteristic dense bodies in the glomerular and tubular basement membranes and the interstitium. One of the 2 siblings received a kidney transplant and is doing well after 9 years. This is the first report of this rare metabolic disease from India.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Endodermal sinus tumour of the ovary in pregnancy.

We present a case of a 30-year-old pregnant woman in whom an ovarian mass was identified by ultrasonography at 15 weeks' gestation. A markedly elevated maternal serum alphafetoprotein (MSAFP) suggested a diagnosis of endodermal sinus tumour of the ovary. A right salpingo-oophorectomy at 19 weeks' gestation enabled histological confirmation of the diagnosis and suggested a stage 1 tumour. Unfortunately tumour recurrence necessitated further laparotomy and delivery by caesarean section at 32 weeks' gestation. A total abdominal hysterectomy and left salpingo-oophorectomy was undertaken with resection of the splenic flexure and formation of a double-barrelled colostomy after which no gross intraperitoneal tumour remained. Three weeks later a new suprahepatic tumour mass was excised and the colostomy was closed. The patient then received four cycles of combination chemotherapy with cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin. Unfortunately she developed a faecal fistula at the site of the colostomy. Germ cell tumours are highly responsive to chemotherapy. Over-zealous surgery particularly involving bowel resection may cause unnecessary morbidity and compromise the outcome.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Transition between different binding modes in rat DNA polymerase beta-ssDNA complexes.

Interactions of rat DNA polymerase beta with a single-stranded (ss) DNA have been studied using the quantitative fluorescence titration technique. Examination of the fluorescence changes accompanying the binding, as a function of the thermodynamically rigorous binding density of rat pol beta-ssDNA complexes, reveals the existence of two binding phases. In the first high affinity phase, rat pol beta forms a complex with the ssDNA in which 16 nucleotides are occluded by the enzyme. In the second low affinity phase, a transition to a complex where the polymerase occludes only five nucleotides occurs. Thus, the data show that rat pol beta binds the ssDNA in two binding modes which differ in the number of occluded nucleotides. We designate the first complex as the (pol beta)16 binding mode and the second as the (pol beta)5 binding mode. The formation of the (pol beta)16 and (pol beta)5 modes has been fully confirmed in experiments with short ssDNA oligomers, a 16mer which can form either the (pol beta)16 or the (pol beta)5 mode, and a 10mer which can form only the (pol beta)5 mode. Binding of rat pol beta to the ssDNA has been analyzed using a statistical thermodynamic model which accounts for the existence of the two binding modes, cooperative interactions, and the overlap of potential binding sites. The results indicate that the 8 kDa domain of the enzyme is involved in ssDNA binding in both modes. Binding studies show that an isolated 8 kDa domain has the same intrinsic affinity for the ssDNA as the entire intact enzyme in its (pol beta)5 mode. However, the site size of the 8 kDa domain-ssDNA complex is ten nucleotides, suggesting that the formation of the (pol beta)5 mode is accompanied by a significant conformational transition of the intact protein. A higher intrinsic affinity, a higher net number of ions released, and a lower fluorescence change accompanying the formation of the (pol beta)16 than the (pol beta)5 mode indicate that the 31 kDa catalytic domain of the enzyme interacts with the ssDNA only in the (pol beta)16 mode. The significance of these results for understanding the functioning of rat pol beta in the DNA metabolism is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Human DNA polymerase beta recognizes single-stranded DNA using two different binding modes.

Interactions between the human DNA polymerase beta (pol beta) and a single-stranded (ss) DNA have been studied using the quantitative fluorescence titration technique. Examination of the fluorescence increase of the poly(dA) etheno-derivative (poly(depsilonA)) as a function of the binding density of pol beta-nucleic acid complexes reveals the existence of two binding phases. In the first high affinity phase, pol beta forms a complex with a ssDNA in which 16 nucleotides are occluded by the enzyme. In the second phase, transition to a complex where the polymerase occludes only 5 nucleotides occurs. Thus, human pol beta binds a ssDNA in two binding modes, which differ in the number of occluded nucleotide residues. We designate the first complex as (pol beta)16 and the second as (pol beta)5 binding modes. The analyses of the enzyme binding to ssDNA have been performed using statistical thermodynamic models, which account for the existence of the two binding modes of the enzyme, cooperative interactions, and the overlap of potential binding sites. The importance of the discovery that human pol beta binds a ssDNA, using different binding modes, for the possible mechanistic model of the functioning of human pol beta, is discussed.

Allosteric Regulation↗
PubMed1998

Does single-stranded DNA pass through the inner channel of the protein hexamer in the complex with the Escherichia coli DnaB Helicase? Fluorescence energy transfer studies.

The structure of the complex of the Escherichia coli primary replicative helicase DnaB protein with single-stranded (ss) DNA and replication fork substrates has been examined using the fluorescence energy transfer method. In these experiments, we used the DnaB protein variant, R14C, which has arginine 14 replaced by cysteine in the small 12-kDa domain of the protein using site-directed mutagenesis. The cysteine residues have been modified with a fluorescent marker which serves as a donor or an acceptor to another fluorescence label placed in different locations on the DNA substrates. Using the multiple fluorescence donor-acceptor approach, we provide evidence that, in the complex with the enzyme, ssDNA passes through the inner channel of the DnaB hexamer. This is the first evidence of the existence of such a structure of a hexameric helicase-ssDNA complex in solution. In the stationary complex with the 5' arm of the replication fork, without ATP hydrolysis, the distance between the 5' end of the arm and the 12-kDa domains of the hexamer (R = 47 A) is the same as in the complex with the isolated ssDNA oligomer (R = 47 A) having the same length as the arm of the fork. These data indicate that both ssDNA and the 5' arm of the fork bind in the same manner to the DNA binding site. Moreover, in the complex with the helicase, the length of the ssDNA is similar to the length of the ssDNA strand in the double-stranded DNA conformation. In the stationary complex, the helicase does not invade the duplex part of the fork beyond the first 2-3 base pairs. This result corroborates the quantitative thermodynamic data which showed that the duplex part of the fork does not contribute to the free energy of binding of the enzyme to the fork. Implications of these results for the mechanism of a hexameric helicase binding to DNA are discussed.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1998

Functional and structural heterogeneity of the DNA binding site of the Escherichia coli primary replicative helicase DnaB protein.

The structure-function relationship within the DNA binding site of the Escherichia coli replicative helicase DnaB protein was studied using nuclease digestion, quantitative fluorescence titration, centrifugation, and fluorescence energy transfer techniques. Nuclease digestion of the enzyme-single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) complexes reveals large structural heterogeneity within the binding site. The total site is built of two subsites differing in structure and affinity, although both occlude approximately 10 nucleotides. ssDNA affinity for the strong subsite is approximately 3 orders of magnitude higher than that for the weak subsite. Fluorescence energy transfer experiments provide direct proof that the DnaB hexamer binds ssDNA in a single orientation, with respect to the polarity of the sugar-phosphate backbone. This is the first evidence of directional binding to ssDNA of a hexameric helicase in solution. The strong binding subsite is close to the small 12-kDa domains of the DnaB hexamer and occludes the 5'-end of the ssDNA. The strict orientation of the helicase on ssDNA indicates that, when the enzyme approaches the replication fork, it faces double-stranded DNA with its weak subsite. The data indicate that the different binding subsites are located sequentially, with the weak binding subsite constituting the entry site for double-stranded DNA of the replication fork.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1998

Complex of Escherichia coli primary replicative helicase DnaB protein with a replication fork: recognition and structure.

Interactions of the Escherichia coli replicative helicase DnaB protein, with DNA replication fork substrates, have been studied using rigorous fluorescence titration, fluorescence energy transfer, and analytical ultracentrifugation methods. DnaB binds the 5' single-arm fork, the 3' single-arm fork, and the two-arm fork with stoichiometries of 1, 1, and 2 DnaB hexamers per fork, independent of the length of the duplex part of the fork. Within the structurally heterogeneous binding site, the helicase accesses most of the 20 nucleotide residues of an arm. The dsDNA of the fork does not contribute to the affinity; however, it affects the positioning of the enzyme on the 5' or 3' arm. Fluorescence energy transfer experiments provide direct evidence that the DnaB helicase binds the 5' arm of the fork in a single orientation, with respect to the duplex part of the fork. The 33-kDa domains of the hexamer face the dsDNA, while the small 12-kDa domains face the 5' end of the arm. In the complex with the 3' arm, the helicase is bound in an opposite orientation when compared to the 5' arm. This is the first determination of the strict, single orientation of a helicase in the complex with a replication fork. The 3' arm accommodates a DnaB hexamer, while another hexamer is associated with the 5' arm. The complex of two DnaB hexamers bound in opposite orientations with each arm of the fork may play an important role during bidirectional replication of the E. coli DNA.

Adenylyl Imidodiphosphate↗
PubMed1997

Strand specificity in the interactions of Escherichia coli primary replicative helicase DnaB protein with a replication fork.

The interactions of the Escherichia coli primary replicative helicase DnaB protein, with synthetic DNA replication fork substrates, having either a single arm or both arms, have been studied using the thermodynamically rigorous fluorescence titration techniques. This approach allows us to obtain absolute stoichiometries of the formed complexes and interaction parameters without any assumptions about the relationship between the observed signal (fluorescence) and the degree of binding. Subsequently, the formation of the complexes, with different replication fork substrates, has also been characterized using the sedimentation velocity technique. To our knowledge, this is the first quantitative characterization of interactions of a hexameric helicase with replication fork substrates. In the presence of the ATP nonhydrolyzable analog, AMP-PNP, the E. coli DnaB helicase preferentially binds to the 5' arm of the single-arm fork substrate with an intrinsic affinity 6-fold higher than its affinity for the 3' arm. ATP hydrolysis is not necessary for formation of the helicase-fork complex. The asymmetric interactions are consistent with the 5' --> 3' directionality of the helicase activity of the DnaB protein and most probably reflects a preferential 5' --> 3' polarity in the helicase binding to ssDNA, with respect to the ssDNA backbone. The double-stranded part of the fork contributes little to the free energy of binding. The data indicate a rather passive role of the duplex part of the fork in the binding of the helicase. This role seems to be limited to impose steric hindrance in the formation of nonproductive complexes of the enzyme with the fork. Quantitative analysis of binding of the helicase to the two-arm fork substrate shows that two DnaB hexamers can bind to the fork, with each single hexamer associated with a single arm of the fork. In this complex, the intrinsic affinity of the DnaB hexamer for the 5' arm in a two-arm fork is not affected by the presence of the 3' arm. Moreover, the results show that the 3' arm is in a conformation which makes it easily available for the binding of the next DnaB hexamer. Because of the large size of the DnaB hexamer, the data indicate that the 3' arm is separated from the 5' arm. The separation of both arms must be to such an extent that the 3' arm can bind an additional large DnaB hexamer. These results reveal that the 3' arm is not engaged in thermodynamically stable interactions with the helicase hexamer, when it is bound in its stationary complex to the 5' arm of the fork. The significance of the these results for a mechanistic model of the hexameric DnaB helicase action is discussed.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1997

Effects of concentration and volume of 2-chloroprocaine on epidural anesthesia in volunteers.

BACKGROUND: Effect of local anesthetic concentration and volume on the spread and density of epidural anesthesia is unclear. This study was performed to delineate effects of a threefold difference in concentration and volume of 2-chloroprocaine on epidural anesthesia. METHODS: Twelve healthy volunteers underwent lumbar epidural anesthesia with 300 mg of 2-chloroprocaine as a 3% (10 ml) and a 1% (30 ml) solution in a randomized, double-blind, balanced, crossover fashion. Sensory block was assessed with pinprick, touch (calibrated plastic filament), cold, and electrical stimulation. Motor block was assessed at the quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscles with isometric force dynamometry. Differences between solutions were assessed with repeated measures analysis of variance followed by post hoc testing. RESULTS: The number of dermatomes blocked to pinprick, touch, and cold was significantly greater with the 1% concentration (2 dermatomes greater than the 3% concentration on average, P < 0.05). Similar intensity of sensory block to electrical stimulation developed at the hip and knee and was unaffected by concentration of 2-chloroprocaine. Similar intensity of motor block developed at the quadriceps with both concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Intensity of sensory and motor block from epidural anesthesia with 2-chloroprocaine appears to depend primarily on total milligram dose.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

T4 endonuclease V exists in solution as a monomer and binds to target sites as a monomer.

Endonuclease V, a N-glycosylase/lyase from T4 bacteriophage that initiates the repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers in DNA, has been reported to form a monomer-dimer equilibrium in solution [Nickell and Lloyd (1991) Biochemistry 30, 8638], although the enzyme has only been crystallized in the absence of substrate as a monomer [Morikawa et al. (1992) Science 256, 523]. In this study, analytical gel filtration and sedimentation equilibrium techniques were used to rigorously characterize the association state of the enzyme in solution. In contrast to the previous report, at 100 mM KCl endonuclease V was found to exist predominantly as a monomer in solution by both of these techniques; no evidence for dimerization was seen. To characterize the oligomeric state of the enzyme at its target sites on DNA, the enzyme was bound to oligonucleotides containing a single site specific pyrimidine dimer or tetrahydrofuran residue. These complexes were analyzed by nondenaturing gel electrophoresis at various acrylamide concentrations in order to determine the molecular weights of the enzyme-DNA complexes. The results from these experiments demonstrate that endonuclease V binds to cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer and tetrahydrofuran site containing DNA as a monomer.

Bacteriophage T4↗
PubMed1996

Effect of tincture of Crataegus on the LDL-receptor activity of hepatic plasma membrane of rats fed an atherogenic diet.

Tincture of Crataegus, (TCR), is a hypocholesterolemic and antiatherosclerotic drug made from berries of hawthorn, Crataegus oxyacantha. Its main constituents are flavonoids, triterpene saponins and a few cardioactive amines. TCR, when administered simultaneously to rats fed an atherogenic diet, significantly increased the binding of 125I-LDL to the liver plasma membranes, in vitro. Scatchard analysis of the specific binding data revealed that under the influence of TCR treatment the liver membranes bound to a greater number of 125I-LDL molecules indicating an enhancement in the LDL-receptor activity. TCR was also shown to increase bile acid excretion and to depress hepatic cholesterol synthesis in atherogenic diet fed rats. With these observations in view, the hypocholesterolemic action of TCR appears to be due to an upregulation of hepatic LDL-receptors resulting in greater influx of plasma cholesterol into the liver. TCR also prevents the accumulation of cholesterol in the liver by enhancing cholesterol degradation to bile acids and by simultaneously suppressing cholesterol biosynthesis. The various constituents of TCR may act synergistically to bring about the observed effects.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Oxidative stress in rat liver and lung induced by furanoterpenoids isolated from Fusarium solani infected sweet potatoes.

A crude extract containing some toxic furanoterpenoids was isolated from F. solani infected sweet potatoes. Chronic administration of the crude extract to male albino rats at a dosage of 1 mg/kg body weight/day for 21 days brought about a sharp increase in the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and a depression of glutathione levels in the lung and liver homogenates. The antioxidant defense system was affected as evident from a significant fall in the activities of the enzymes, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glutathione-S-transferase. Such an alteration could be the reason for the lung and liver damage caused by these toxic furanoterpenoids.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Mechanism of solvent-induced thermal stabilization of alpha-amylase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.

The transition temperature of irreversible thermal inactivation of alpha-amylase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens was estimated to be 60 degrees C. At this temperature, the enzyme inactivation followed first-order kinetics, having a half-life (t 1/2) of 12 min with a rate constant (k) of 0.06 min-1. Conformational change was a prerequisite for this thermal inactivation. This is governed by stepwise temperature-dependent phenomena. Among the solvent stabilizers tested, the enzyme was thermally stable in presence of DMSO and PEG 300 and the stabilizing efficiency of these cosolvents was concentration-dependent. The enzyme was partially stabilized by 5.0 M DMSO and 1.9 M PEG 300 up to 78 degrees C. However, above 78 degrees C the enzyme was inactivated in these cosolvents also. The mechanism of stabilization has been explained by preferential hydration of the enzyme in these structure stabilizing solvents by exclusion from the protein surface and interface by measurement of partial specific volume in these cosolvents. The data suggest a high value of preferential interaction parameter, (delta g3/delta g2)tau, mu 1, mu 3 being -0.606/g/g g/g in 40% DMSO and a low value of -0.025 g/g in 5% glycerol. The preferential interaction parameters in sucrose and glycerol suggests that (delta g3/delta g2)tau, mu 1, mu 3m is highest of -0.420 g/g in 10% glycerol than any other cosolvent.

Bacillus↗
PubMed1993

Kinetics and thermodynamics of the mechanism of interaction of sodium phytate with alpha-globulin.

The precipitation mechanism of alpha-globulin in the presence of myo-inositol hexaphosphate (sodium phytate) was studied in detail. The maximum interaction was found at pH 2.3 where the protein was in a dissociated state having an 8.3S aggregate and a 1.5S monomer. This interaction was predominantly dependent upon the sodium phytate to protein ratio. Velocity sedimentation studies indicated polymer formation due to preferential progressive binding of ligand to polymer, whose size and concentration increased with an increase in sodium phytate concentration. The polymer formation was shown to be ligand mediated and exists independently in solution along with the monomer. The binding isotherm by equilibrium dialysis confirmed differential binding of sodium phytate to the polymer and the monomer as indicated by two sets of binding sites, one having 7 +/- 2 sites of a K value 1.3 x 10(-4) mol-1 and the other having 56 +/- 3 sites with a K value of 2.8 x 10(-3) mol-1. Binding resulted in perturbation of chromophores of protein due to charge effects. The kinetics of the polymer formation was shown to be a pseudo-first-order reaction having two steps. The initial fast reaction involving conformational changes has rate constants of k1 = 52.4 x 10(-3) s-1 and k' = 67.5 x 10(-3) s-1, followed by a slow reaction step of rate constants k2 = 4.3 x 10(-3) s-1 and k'2 = 2.9 x 10(-3) s-1 at sodium phytate concentrations of 1 x 10(-4) M and 5 x 10(-4) M, respectively.

Alpha-Globulins↗