Biomedical subjects

S W Runge

Publications and source records attributed to S W Runge.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

A simple, inexpensive method for teaching how membrane potentials are generated.

We have developed a simple laboratory exercise that uses an inexpensive dialysis membrane (molecular weight cutoff = 100) to illustrate the generation of membrane potentials (Vm) across plasma membranes of animal cells. A piece of membrane approximately 2.0 cm2 is mounted in an Ussing-like chamber. One chamber half is designated cytosol and the other half external. Chamber sidedness helps students relate their findings to those of real cells. As in real cells, outward directed K+ concentration gradients [high cytosolic K+ concentration ([K+]c) and low extracellular K+ concentration] generate cytosol electrically negative Vm with a slope of approximately -45 mV/decade change in [K+]c. The polarity of Vm reflects the outward flow of potassium ions because flow of the larger counterion, H2PO4-, is restricted to the pores in the membrane. A slope less than Nernstian (<59 mV/decade) suggests that the membrane is slightly permeable to H2PO4-. Importantly, this facilitates teaching the use of the Nernst equation to quantify the relationship between ion concentration ratios across membranes and magnitude of Vm. For example, students use their data and calculate a permeability ratio PK/PH2PO4 that corresponds to a slope of approximately 24% less than Nernstian. This calculation shows that Nernstian slopes are achieved only when permeability to the counterion is zero. Finally, students use the concept of membrane capacitance to calculate the number of ions that cross the membrane. They learn where these ions are located and why the bulk solutions conform to the principle of electroneutrality.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Apoptosis in C3H-10T1/2 cells: roles of intracellular pH, protein kinase C, and the Na+/H+ antiporter.

Changes in intracellular ion concentrations have been correlated with the activation of an endogenous endonuclease and thus internucleosomal DNA cleavage during apoptosis in many cell types. We investigated whether intracellular pH could play a significant role in apoptotic initiation and progression in C3H-10T1/2 cells, a cell strain that does not exhibit double-stranded DNA cleavage during apoptosis. Protein kinase C and the Na+/H+ antiporter, known regulators of intracellular pH, also were assessed for their involvement in apoptosis of C3H-10T1/2 cells. When a H+ ionophore was used to clamp intracellular pH to 6.0 or below, a significant level of apoptosis was induced in these cells within 6 h, whereas clamping at pH 6.75 did not induce significant amounts of apoptosis until 36 h after acidification. The acidified cells exhibited classic apoptotic morphology and chromatin condensation, similar to serum withdrawn cells, but failed to show internucleosomal DNA cleavage with electrophoresis of genomic DNA. Our results also suggest that the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-mediated inhibition of apoptosis in serum withdrawn C3H-10T1/2 cells functions through a sequential activation of protein kinase C and the Na+/H+ antiporter; thus, an alkalinization or an inhibition of acidification is involved in this apoptotic block. Serum withdrawal itself does not appear to act through a negative effect on either protein kinase C or the Na+/H+ antiporter. TPA was also capable of inhibiting the apoptosis induced by specific inhibitors of protein kinase C and the Na+/H+ antiporter, but the inhibition was successful only if the TPA was administered at least 20 min prior to the addition of the enzyme inhibitor. These results indicate that apoptosis in C3H-10T1/2 cells follows a pathway that involves intracellular acidification, but is independent of detectable endonuclease activity.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Rapid analysis of lambda gt11 fusion proteins without subcloning or lysogen induction.

Current methods of analyzing fusion proteins from lambda gt11 clones involve either subcloning of the insert DNA into a plasmid expression vector or production of lambda gt11 lysogens that are subsequently induced. Both of these methods can be quite time-consuming. The present communication describes a novel strategy for induction of the fusion protein that is both simple and rapid. Liquid cultures of E. coli Y1090R- infected with the lambda gt11 clone were induced directly to produce the fusion protein. Following the preparation of a crude bacterial cell lysate, fusion products were subjected to Western blot analysis.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Development and use of monoclonal antibodies against an oncofetal protein associated with carcinogenesis and tumorigenesis.

An oncofetal protein (OFP) studied in our laboratory associated with embryogenesis, carcinogenesis and tumorigenesis has as its known biological function the modification of RNA release from isolated nuclei. In the present study, we have developed and investigated the use of monoclonal antibodies against OFP. Six hybridoma cell lines (A-F) were isolated by screening the hybridoma culture media for anti-OFP antibodies (MOFP) with an indirect ELISA and by testing the ability of these antibodies complexed with anti-mouse IgG-agarose to bind to rat OFP and remove its associated RNA transport activity from solution (Immunobioassay). An inhibition ELISA developed to measure OFP gave a linear response up to 20 ng of plasma protein from a tumor-bearing rat. Western blot analysis using these monoclonals showed that OFP from a rat tumor (H7777) cytosol that shed to the blood consisted of two species exhibiting molecular weights of 50 and 55 kD respectively. In order to show the usefulness of our assays, a preliminary study showing the ability of the immunobioassay to detect the expression of OFP in the plasma of carcinogen treated rats in a dosage dependent manner has been presented. Since OFP is produced in the target organ of rats shortly after treatment with carcinogens and persists in the preneoplastic foci and subsequent tumors, these monoclonal antibodies will be valuable in studying its involvement in chemical carcinogenesis and tumorigenesis.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Developmental changes in expression of a tumor-associated protein in the rat fetus.

Monoclonal antibodies specific for a rat tumor-associated protein cross-react with a similar protein present in the cytosol of the rat fetus. The oncofetal protein exists as two species of approximate molecular weight 50 and 55 kDa which promote the transport of RNA from isolated nuclei. During rat fetal development, the protein first increases in concentration from approximately 12 to 16 days gestation and then drops to non-detectable levels perinatally.

Animals↗