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T Emery

Publications and source records attributed to T Emery.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Distinctive cognitive profiles in Alzheimer's disease and subcortical vascular dementia.

BACKGROUND: There are inconsistencies in published reports regarding the profile of cognitive impairments in vascular dementia, and its differentiation from Alzheimer's disease. OBJECTIVES: To identify the overall profile of cognitive impairment in subcortical vascular dementia as compared with Alzheimer's disease; and the tests which best discriminate between these groups. METHODS: 57 subjects participated: 19 with subcortical vascular dementia, 19 with Alzheimer's disease, and 19 controls. The dementia groups were matched for age, education, and general levels of cognitive and everyday functioning. Subcortical vascular dementia was defined by clinical features (prominent vascular risk factors plus a previous history of transient ischaemic events or focal neurological signs) and substantial white matter pathology on magnetic resonance imaging. All subjects were given a battery of 33 tests assessing episodic and semantic memory, executive/attentional functioning, and visuospatial and perceptual skills. RESULTS: Despite a minimal degree of overall dementia, both patient groups had impairments in all cognitive domains. The Alzheimer patients were more impaired than those with vascular dementia on episodic memory, while the patients with vascular dementia were more impaired on semantic memory, executive/attentional functioning, and visuospatial and perceptual skills. Logistic regression analyses showed that the two groups could be discriminated with 89% accuracy on the basis of two tests, the WAIS logical memory--delayed recall test and a silhouette naming test. CONCLUSIONS: Subcortical vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease produce distinctive profiles of cognitive impairment which can act as an adjunct to diagnosis. Many of the neuropsychological deficits thought to characterise Alzheimer's disease are also found in subcortical vascular dementia.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

C1 inhibitor gene sequence facilitates frameshift mutations.

Mutations disrupting the function or production of C1 inhibitor cause the disease hereditary angioneurotic edema. Patient mutations identified an imperfect inverted repeat sequence that was postulated to play a mechanistic role in the mutations. To test this hypothesis, the inverted repeat was cloned into the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene in pBR325 and its mutation rate was studied in four bacterial strains. These strains were selected to assay the effects of recombination and superhelical tension on mutation frequency. Mutations that revert bacteria to chloramphenicol resistance (Cmr) were scored. Both pairs of isogenic strains had reversion frequencies of approximately 10(-8). These rare reversion events in bacteria were most often a frameshift that involved the imperfect inverted repeat with a deletion or a tandem duplication, an event very similar to the human mutations. Increased DNA superhelical tension, which would be expected to enhance cruciform extrusion, did not accentuate mutagenesis. This finding suggests that the imperfect inverted repeat may form a stem-loop structure in the single-stranded DNA created by the duplex DNA melting prior to replication. Models explaining the slippage can be drawn using the lagging strand of the replication fork. In this model, the formation of a stem-loop structure is responsible for bringing the end of the deletion or duplication into close proximity.

Angioedema↗
PubMed1992

Iron oxidation by casein.

Casein accelerates the oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) and the resulting Fe(III) remains strongly bound to the casein. Removal of phosphate from the casein abolishes the oxidative process. The oxidation rate is proportional to the casein concentration, and with high casein concentrations the rate is pseudo-first-order with respect to Fe(II) with a half-life of approximately 2 minutes. The oxidized iron is stoichiometrically bound to the casein, each mg of casein binding approximately 10 micrograms of iron. The physiological significance is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Synthetic ferrichrome analogues with growth promotion activity for Arthrobacter flavescens.

Two families of trihydroxamic acid analogues of ferrichrome were chemically synthesized and tested for biological activity with Arthrobacter flavescens. Compounds using a tertiary amine as anchor showed little activity. Several compounds using tetrahedral carbon as anchor showed activity approaching or equalling that of the natural siderophore, ferrichrome. The biological activity is discussed in relation to physical and chemical properties of the analogues.

Arthrobacter↗
PubMed1988

Stereochemical aspects of iron transport in Mycelia sterilia EP-76.

Chromic complexes of N,N',N''-triacetylfusarinine C have been prepared and examined for biological activity in Mycelia sterilia EP-76. The iron transport system of this organism recognizes only the lambda coordination isomer of Cr(III)-triacetylfusarinine C even though the delta configuration predominates in solution. Chromium is excreted into the medium following triacetylfusarinine C-mediated uptake of the metal. Hydrogenation of the double bonds conjugated to the hydroxamic acid functions of triacetylfusarinine C yields four chromatographically distinct ferric complexes. Two of the complexes have the lambda configuration, while the other two have the opposite (delta) configuration. The complexes differ in effectiveness as siderophores in M. sterilia EP-76, the lambda isomers being most active.

Biological Transport↗
PubMed1987

Iron uptake in Mycelia sterilia EP-76.

The cyclic trihydroxamic acid, N,N',N''-triacetylfusarinine C, produced by Mycelia sterilia EP-76, was shown to be a ferric ionophore for this organism. The logarithm of the association constant k for the ferric triacetylfusarinine C chelate was determined to be 31.8. Other iron-chelating agents, such as rhodotorulic acid, citric acid, and the monomeric subunit of triacetylfusarinine C, N-acetylfusarinine, delivered iron to the cells by an indirect mechanism involving iron exchange into triacetylfusarinine C. In vitro ferric ion exchange was found to be rapid with triacetylfusarinine C. Gallium uptake rates comparable to those of iron were observed with the chelating agents that transport iron into the cell. Ferrichrome, but not ferrichrome A, was also capable of delivering iron and gallium to this organism, but not by an exchange mechanism. Unlike triacetylfusarinine C, the 14C-ligand of ferrichrome was retained by the cell. A midpoint potential of -690 mV with respect to the saturated silver chloride electrode was obtained for the ferric triacetylfusarinine C complex, indicating that an unfavorable reduction potential was not the reason for the use of a hydrolytic mechanism of intracellular iron release from the ferric triacetylfusarinine C chelate.

Biological Transport, Active↗
PubMed1986

Exchange of iron by gallium in siderophores.

Siderophores are iron transport compounds produced by numerous microorganisms and which strongly chelate Fe(III), but not Fe(II). Other trivalent metals, such as Al(III), Cr(III), or Ga(III), are not capable of significantly displacing iron from siderophores. However, I demonstrate here that Ga(III) can effectively displace iron under reducing conditions. With ascorbate as reductant and ferrozine as Fe(II) trapping agent, the kinetics of reductive displacement of iron by Ga(III) were followed spectroscopically by the increase of absorbance at 562 nm due to formation of the Fe(II)-ferrozine complex. No significant reduction of siderophore occurred in the absence of Ga(III). With excess Ga(III), the displacement was quantitative and very rapid. The rate of metal exchange was pseudo first order with respect to Ga(III) concentration and highly pH dependent, suggesting that siderophore ligands are displaced from the iron in a concerted mechanism by Ga(III) and protonation to expose the Fe(III) to reduction by ascorbate. Reaction rates were dependent upon the structure of the siderophore, being greatest for ferric rhodotorulic acid and slowest for ferrichrome A at pH 5.4. The pH profile for ferric rhodotorulic acid was unusual in that it showed a maximum at pH 6.5, while all other siderophores examined showed an increase in rate as pH was lowered from 7.0. The physiological significance of this reaction to the clinical use of gallium is discussed.

Gallium↗
PubMed1984

Retrohydroxamate ferrichrome, a biomimetic analogue of ferrichrome.

A new synthetic analogue of ferrichrome, retrohydroxamate ferrichrome, has been examined for biological activity. Although spectroscopic evidence indicates that the analogue is a weaker Fe(III) chelator than ferrichrome, retrohydroxamate ferrichrome is indistinguishable from ferrichrome in its growth factor activity for Arthrobacter flavescens, and in its potency in antagonizing the antibiotic activity of albomyhcin against Bacillus subtilis. It is as active as ferrichrome as a siderophore for the fungus, Ustaligo sphaerogena. In contrast, desmethylretrohydroxamate ferrichrome shows no significant biological activity.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1984

Reaction of cyanide with hydroxamic acid iron complexes to distinguish trihydroxamates from simple monohydroxamates.

At high pH primary hydroxamic acid-iron complexes react rapidly with potassium cyanide to yield a deep blue iron complex. Secondary, or N-substituted, monohydroxamic acid-iron complexes also react with loss of the red color typical of these complexes but with no formation of the blue product. Under the same conditions, trihydroxamates do not react at a significant rate. The blue complex is similar in many respects to the previously described Fe(CN)5NO3- but is noteworthy in its stability to oxidation and extremely high pH. Lack of formation of the blue complex with secondary hydroxamates is attributed to the absence of inorganic hydroxylamine so that the nitrosyl group cannot be formed. Lack of reactivity of siderophore trihydroxamates is due to the much greater stability of their iron complexes. The reaction is a simple, convenient method of distinguishing primary, secondary, and siderophore trihydroxamic acids.

Chemical Phenomena↗
PubMed1984

Anaerobic iron uptake by Escherichia coli.

Assimilation and uptake of iron in anaerobic cultures of Escherichia coli were supported by iron supplied as ferrienterobactin, ferrichrome, and ferrous ascorbate; however, as in the aerobic cultures, ferrichrome A was a poor iron source. Albomycin inhibited both aerobically and anaerobically grown cells. The siderophore outer membrane receptor proteins FepA and FhuA were produced under anaerobic iron-deficient conditions. Anaerobic transport of ferrienterobactin and ferrichrome was inhibited by KCN and dinitrophenol. The Km for ferrienterobactin uptake in anaerobically grown cells was 0.8 microM, and the Vmax was 38 pmol/min per mg, compared with 0.1 microM and 80 pmol/min per mg, respectively, in aerobically grown cells.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed1983

A rapid and sensitive paper electrophoresis assay for the detection of microbial siderophores elicited in solid-plating culture.

A rapid and sensitive assay for the detection of microbial siderophores (iron-binding compounds) is described. Nine representative fungal and bacterial cultures including Ustilago sphaerogena, Penicillium sp., Fusarium roseum, Rhodotorula pilimanae, Bacillus subtilis W 23, Bacillus subtilis W 168, Bacillus megaterium, Azotobacter vinelandii OP, and Escherichia coli B, were nutritionally stressed for iron by sequential transfers on iron-deficient solid-plating media. In response to Fe-stress conditions, the microorganisms excreted siderophore compounds into the extracellular solid culture medium. The solid agar matrix effectively concentrated and restricted the migration of the siderophore compounds to the region immediately adjacent to colonial growth. Agar-block samples from this region were removed and placed at the origin of an electrophoresis paper strip. The resultant absorbed material from the agar-block sample was subjected to high-voltage paper electrophoresis which separated the siderophore compounds by size and molecular net charge. Phenolic acid ("catechol")-type siderophores were detected by fluorescence under uv light. Hydroxamic acid-type siderophores were visualized by spraying the electrophoretogram with ferric iron solution.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1983

Siderophores Produced by Nitrogen-Fixing Azotobacter vinelandii OP in Iron-Limited Continuous Culture.

Azotobacter vinelandii requires a high complement of iron and an efficient iron acquisition system to support nitrogen fixation. To circumvent problems inherent in batch culture trace metal studies, continuous cultures were used to measure the response of A. vinelandii to iron stress. Iron was found to be growth limiting for nitrogen-fixing A. vinelandii at a concentration as high as 12.5 muM; iron was growth sufficient at 25 muM. Iron-stressed A. vinelandii in continuous culture formed 2,3-hydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), 2-N,6-N-di-(2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl)-l-lysine (DHBL), and a chromophoric yellow-green fluorescent peptide (YGFP). At a fixed dilution rate of 0.1 h, steady-state growth occurred at growth-limiting iron concentrations. DHB and DHBL were quantitatively measured during iron-limited steady states and iron-sufficient states by Arnow colorimetric assays. YGFP was determined by absorbance measurements taken at 380 nm, and the concentration was calculated from the reported specific absorption coefficient. Biomass increased and DHBL, DHB, and YGFP concentrations decreased as the concentration of growth-limiting iron was increased in the culture vessel and medium reservoirs. DHBL was the major siderophore and YGFP was the minor siderophore species produced during iron-limited equilibrium growth. A low level of DHB and YGFP, but no DHBL, was formed under iron-sufficient conditions. These results provide further physiological evidence that DHB, YGFP, and especially DHBL may function as siderophores in nitrogen-fixing A. vinelandii.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1983

Iron uptake from ferrichrome A and iron citrate in Ustilago sphaerogena.

Double radioactive label transport assays with iron, chromium, and gallium chelates were used to investigate the mechanism of iron uptake by Ustilago sphaerogena. In iron-deficient cells, ferrichrome A iron was taken up without appreciable uptake of the ligand. Iron-sufficient cells partially accumulated the ligand with the metal. The chromium- and gallium-containing analogs of ferrichrome A were transported as intact chelates. Ferrichrome A iron uptake was inhibited by dipyridyl. The data suggest that the intact ferrichrome A chelate binds to a specific receptor, the iron is then separated from the ligand at the membrane by reduction, and the metal is released to the inside of the cell while the ligand is released to the exterior. The reduction step is not transport rate limiting. Iron chelated to citrate was taken up by an energy-dependent process. The citrate ligand was not taken up with the metal. Uptake was sensitive to dipyridyl and ferrozine. Chromic ion chelated to citrate was not transported, suggesting that the iron, rather than the chelate, is recognized by the receptor or that reduction of the metal is required for transport.

Basidiomycota↗
PubMed1982

A novel iron protein from Desulfovibrio gigas.

The isolation, purification, and partial characterization of a novel iron-containing protein from the sulfate-reducing anaerobic bacterium, Desulfovibrio gigas, is described. The highly insoluble protein was isolated from the cell debris following osmotic shock of the bacteria. The insoluble fraction consistently contained about 90% of the cell-associated iron. Elemental analysis of a crude protein preparation gave 5.3% iron, 2.9% sulfur and 11.9% nitrogen. An independent colorimetric iron analysis showed 6.4% iron. The iron could be dissociated from the protein by treatment with 5% SDS. The iron-free protein was purified by a combination of organic extraction and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The purified protein showed only one major band, Mr 14000, by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The protein could be reconstituted upon treatment with an appropriate mixture of FeS and beta-mercaptoethanol. The reconstituted protein had the same physical and chemical properties as the native protein. The amino acid composition was not unusual except for the high isoleucine content.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1982

Siderophore iron transport followed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Siderophore iron transport was followed in Ustilago sphaerogena using isotope transport assays coupled with EPR spectroscopy. EPR spectroscopy was used as a quantitative tool to follow the rate of reduction of siderophore iron(III) to iron(II) in the cell suspension by following the disappearance of the signal at g = 4.3. This rate was compared with the rate of iron transport, measured by the disappearance of radioactively labeled iron from the medium. The transport of three iron chelates was examined: the ferric siderophores ferrichrome and ferichrome A, and iron(III) chelated to excess citrate. For the transport of ferrichrome, an iron(III) ionophore, the rate of reduction of iron(III) to iron(II) was significantly lower than the rate of uptake of isotope from the medium supernatant, which is consistent with the established mechanism of uptake of the entire complex followed by intracellular reduction to remove the iron from the ligand. However, the rate of reduction of ferrichrome A, a non-ionophore, was identical with the rate of transport of iron into the cell. Iron(III) citrate was reduced at a rate slightly lower than the rate of transport. These data suggest that reduction of iron(III) is involved in the transport of iron from ferichrome A and possibly from iron(III) citrate.

Biological Transport, Active↗
PubMed1982

Role of two siderophores in Ustilago sphaerogena. Regulation of biosynthesis and uptake mechanisms.

Under iron-deficient conditions the smut fungus Ustilago sphaerogena produces two kinds of siderophores, ferrichrome and ferrichrome A. Regulation of ligand biosyntheses and uptake mechanisms of the iron chelates were studied to determine the role of each chelate in U. sphaerogena. The biosynthesis of each ligand was differentially regulated. Ferrichrome A, the more effective chelate, was preferentially synthesized under more extreme conditions of iron stress, but completely repressed when the cell was supplied with sufficient iron. In contrast, biosynthesis of ferrichrome was strongly but not completely repressed by iron. The mechanism of repression was examined using a newly developed in vivo synthesis assay. Chromium and gallium-containing siderophore analogs had no effect on siderophore ligand biosynthesis. Iron, added as siderophores, resulted in increased oxygen uptake and amino acid transport, which was soon followed by decreased ligand biosynthesis, suggesting that regulation may be indirect and related to oxidative metabolism. Uptake experiments were used to rule out a ligand-exchange mechanism for ferrichrome A-iron transport. The data suggest that ferrichrome A-iron is taken up at a specific site that results in a rapid distribution of iron inside the cell.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1980

Malonichrome, a new iron chelate from Fusarium roseum.

The predominant iron chelates, or siderochromes, produced by the fungus, Fusarium roseum during culture periods up to seven days are the ester type fusarinine compounds. During longer periods of incubation, the fusarinine compounds completely disappear from the culture medium and are replaced by a new siderochrome. The new compound has been isolated, purified, and its structure determined. It is a cyclic hexapeptide containing one residue of L-alanine, two residues of glycine and three residues of delta-N-hydroxyornithine. The hydroxylamino groups of the ornithine residues are acylated with 3 mol of malonic acid to form a negatively charged ferrichrome type chelate. The circular dichroism spectrum indicates that the stereochemistry about the iron is lambda-cis. This compounds, which we name malonichrome, is not an efficient iron donor to F. roseum nor does it show growth factor activity towards Arthrobacter flavescens.

Amino Acids↗