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Biomedical subjects

Satoshi Sato

Publications and source records attributed to Satoshi Sato.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

No genetic association between polymorphisms in the Fyn kinase gene and age of schizophrenic onset.

Since the mRNA level of Fyn, a neurodevelopmental molecule, expression had been reported to be increased in postmortem schizophrenic prefrontal cortex and showed a strong correlation with age of disease onset, we investigated whether the three polymorphisms of the Fyn gene on genomic DNA (-93A/G, IVS10+37T/C and Ex12+894T/G) also had an effect on clinical onset in 139 unrelated schizophrenics. A comparison of the age of onset among the groups classified by polymorphisms showed no significant difference. Moreover, all allelic combinations also failed to show significant differences in age of onset among the groups. The present study reports that there is no indication that the three polymorphisms in the Fyn gene are associated with the age of schizophrenic onset.

Adolescent↗

Dynamic NMR line-shape analysis demonstrates that the villin headpiece subdomain folds on the microsecond time scale.

There is considerable interest in small proteins that fold very rapidly. These proteins have become attractive targets for both theoretical and computational studies. The independently folded 36-residue villin headpiece subdomain has been the subject of a number of such studies and is predicted to fold quickly. We demonstrate using dynamic NMR line-shape analysis that the protein folds on the time scale of 10 mus. Folding rates were directly estimated between 56 and 78 degrees C using resolved protein resonances from three different residues at both 500 and 700 MHz. The rates estimated using different residues and different field strengths agree well with each other. The estimated folding rate lies between 0.5 and 2.0 x 105 s-1 over this temperature range. The folding rate depends only weakly on temperature.

Animals↗

Effects of concomitant fluvoxamine on the metabolism of alprazolam in Japanese psychiatric patients: interaction with CYP2C19 mutated alleles.

OBJECTIVES: Administration of fluvoxamine (FLV) with concomitant benzodiazepines is common in clinical situations. We studied the effects of the coadministration of FLV on plasma concentrations of alprazolam (ALP). We also studied the effects of CYP2C19(*)2 or CYP2C19(*)3 on these drug interactions. METHODS: The subjects were 23 Japanese outpatients all concomitantly treated with FLV either before or after monotherapy with ALP. We measured the plasma concentrations of ALP and FLV using a column-switching, high-performance liquid chromatographic method with ultraviolet detection. The CYP2C19(*)2 or CYP2C19(*)3 alleles were identified using a polymerase chain reaction analysis. RESULTS: Coadministration with FLV produced significant, on average 58%, increases in the plasma concentrations of ALP ( P<0.001). There were, however, wide variations in the interactive effects of the coadministration of FLV on the plasma concentrations of ALP. While there were some subjects who had greater increases in plasma ALP concentrations, more than 100%, in response to the coadministration of FLV among the subjects with no mutated or one mutated allele, there are no subjects who had increases in plasma ALP concentrations of more than 50% among the subjects with two mutated alleles. The differences of these variances among the three genotype groups reached a level of significance ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Coadministration of FLV significantly increased the plasma concentrations of ALP compared with ALP monotherapy. Wide variations were observed in the drug interactions, with the CYP2C19 genotype possibly being related to these interactions.

Adult↗

The complete folding pathway of a protein from nanoseconds to microseconds.

Combining experimental and simulation data to describe all of the structures and the pathways involved in folding a protein is problematical. Transition states can be mapped experimentally by phi values, but the denatured state is very difficult to analyse under conditions that favour folding. Also computer simulation at atomic resolution is currently limited to about a microsecond or less. Ultrafast-folding proteins fold and unfold on timescales accessible by both approaches, so here we study the folding pathway of the three-helix bundle protein Engrailed homeodomain. Experimentally, the protein collapses in a microsecond to give an intermediate with much native alpha-helical secondary structure, which is the major component of the denatured state under conditions that favour folding. A mutant protein shows this state to be compact and contain dynamic, native-like helices with unstructured side chains. In the transition state between this and the native state, the structure of the helices is nearly fully formed and their docking is in progress, approximating to a classical diffusion-collision model. Molecular dynamics simulations give rate constants and structural details highly consistent with experiment, thereby completing the description of folding at atomic resolution.

Animals↗

Laminin- and fibronectin-like molecules produced by periodontal ligament fibroblasts under serum-free culture are potent chemoattractants for gingival epithelial cells.

Previously, we revealed that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) or an HGF-like factor secreted by periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PLF) and gingival fibroblasts cultured in the presence of serum was a major chemoattractant for gingival epithelial cells, and suggested that it might play a role in epithelial invasion. However, our recent study showed that serum-free culture of PLF and gingival fibroblasts produced potent chemoattractants other than HGF for gingival epithelial cells. To identify these chemoattractants, PLF-conditioned medium (PLF-CM) from serum-free cultures was obtained, concentrated, and separated by gel filtration column chromatography, and the chemotactic activity for gingival epithelial cells of each eluted fraction was monitored by a modified Boyden chamber assay. The chemoattractant activity was eluted at a molecular mass of around 600 kDa, which would include laminin and fibronectin, but not HGF, determined by ELISA. The chemotactic activity was reduced by treatment with antilaminin and/or antifibronectin polyclonal antibodies. Western blots using both antibodies revealed that the PLF-CM contained laminin- and fibronectin-like molecules. Along with HGF, these large glycoprotein molecules produced by PLF may be involved in the pathogenesis and progression of periodontitis by inducing the apical migration of epithelial cells.

Adult↗

[Clinico-statistical analysis of renal cell carcinomas in patients on hemodialysis].

Eleven patients on hemodialysis that were surgically treated for renal cell carcinomas during the recent 10 years at our institutes were clinically analyzed. Patients' ages at presentation ranged from 35 to 70 years with an average of 54.8 years. Nine of the 11 patients were males and 2 were females. Periods between the introduction of hemodialysis and the presentation ranged from 1 to 21 years with an average of 11.7 years. The most frequent cause of hemodialysis was chronic glomerulonephritis. Five patients presented with macroscopic hematuria, which was the most frequent clinical manifestation. Transperitoneal nephrectomy through a lumbar oblique incision was performed in 9 of 12 surgical procedures. Transperitoneal resection and retroperitoneal endoscopic resection were performed on 2 patients and 1 patient, respectively. Blood transfusion was performed on 2 patients with retroperitoneal hemorrhage before or after operation and 2 patients with pre-existing renal anemia. Pathologically, 9 patients had pT1a disease. Patients were followed up for up to 7 years and 11 months. One patient died of the disease and 2 patients died of unknown causes. In conclusion, surgical removal of renal cell carcinomas was well tolerated, safe and effective treatment in patients under hemodialysis.

Adult↗

pH-dependent stability and folding kinetics of a protein with an unusual alpha-beta topology: the C-terminal domain of the ribosomal protein L9.

The folding kinetics and thermodynamics of the isolated C-terminal domain of the ribosomal protein L9 (CTL9) have been studied as a function of pH. CTL9 is an alpha-beta protein that contains a single beta-sheet with an unusual mixed parallel, anti-parallel topology. The folding is fully reversible and two-state over the entire pH range. Stopped-flow fluorescence and CD experiments yield the same folding rate, and the chevron plots have the characteristic V-shape expected for two-state folding. The values of DeltaG*(H2O) and the m value calculated from the kinetic experiments are in excellent agreement with the equilibrium measurements. The extrapolated initial amplitudes of both the stopped-flow fluorescence and CD measurements show that there is no detectable burst phase intermediate. The domain contains three histidine residues, two of which are largely buried in the native state. They do not participate in salt-bridges or take part in a hydrogen bonded network. NMR measurements reveal that the buried histidine residues have significantly perturbed pK(a) values in the native state. The equilibrium stability and the folding rate are found to be strongly dependent upon their ionization state. There is a linear relationship between the log of the folding rate and DeltaG* (H2O) . The protein is much more stable and folds noticeably faster at pH values above the native state pK(a) values. DeltaG*(H2O) of unfolding increases from 2.90 kcal mol(-1) at pH 5.0 to 6.40 kcal mol(-1) at pH 8.0 while the folding rate increases from 0.60 to 18.7 s(-1). Tanford linkage analysis revealed that the interactions involving the two histidine residues are largely developed in the transition state. The results are compared to other studies of the pH-dependence of folding.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Thymidine phosphorylase and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase in bladder cancer.

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) levels in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder resected from 38 patients were examined by ELISA. TP levels in high-grade and invasive cancer were significantly higher than those in low-grade and superficial cancer, respectively. No significant differences in the DPD levels were observed among grades and stages, but the DPD/TP ratio was significantly lower in grade 3 tumor than in grade 1. These results demonstrated that 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine seemed to be useful for managing patients with grade 3 cancer. The present study also suggested that we might be able to exclude cases of bladder cancer in which 5-fluorouracil group medicines would be inappropriate candidates in treatment options by measuring both TP and DPD levels in the tumor.

Aged↗