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T Liang

Publications and source records attributed to T Liang.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Ataxia-telangiectasia: identification and detection of founder-effect mutations in the ATM gene in ethnic populations.

To facilitate the evaluation of ATM heterozygotes for susceptibility to other diseases, such as breast cancer, we have attempted to define the most common mutations and their frequencies in ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) homozygotes from 10 ethnic populations. Both genomic mutations and their effects on cDNA were characterized. Protein-truncation testing of the entire ATM cDNA detected 92 (66%) truncating mutations in 140 mutant alleles screened. The haplotyping of patients with identical mutations indicates that almost all of these represent common ancestry and that very few spontaneously recurring ATM mutations exist. Assays requiring minimal amounts of genomic DNA were designed to allow rapid screening for common ethnic mutations. These rapid assays detected mutations in 76% of Costa Rican patients (3), 50% of Norwegian patients (1), 25% of Polish patients (4), and 14% of Italian patients (1), as well as in patients of Amish/Mennonite and Irish English backgrounds. Additional mutations were observed in Japanese, Utah Mormon, and African American patients. These assays should facilitate screening for A-T heterozygotes in the populations studied.

Ataxia Telangiectasia↗

[Rapid determination of creatinine in urine by capillary electrophoresis in a multiple injection mode].

The level of urinary creatinine in clinic diagnosis is one of the useful index of renal function, and is often used as a reference of some biochemical substance determined in random urine. In this paper, a rapid multiple-injection capillary electrophoresis(CE) method for the determination of urinary creatinine is reported. A 36 cm x 50 microns coated capillary, a phosphoric acid buffer(0.1 mol/L, pH 2.5)and UV-detector at 200 nm wavelength were used in this method. In comparing with single injection for five samples, the analysis time of five successive injections can save 20 min. By use of pyridine as internal standard, the correlation between the concentrations of creatinine and the corresponding peak height ratios of creatinine and pyridine is good(r = 0.9996), and the assay precision is acceptable. We also compared the CE method with the bio-analyser(Jeffe' kinetic), and the results showed a satisfactory correlation (r = 0.9773, n = 12) and a shorter analysis time.

Creatinine↗

[Determination of serotonin in rat brain by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry].

A GC/MS method for the determination of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) has been developed. 5-HT in homogenized rat brain was acylated and extracted into EtOAc. The acylate was further derivatized with heptafluorbutyl anhydride and formed a spirocyclic pentafluoropropionyl derivative. Subsequent analysis of 5-HT derivative by gas chromatography-electron capture negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry was highly specific and sensitive. The assay is linear from 0.5 to 50 micrograms/L with a linear equation of Y = 0.134 8X - 0.07995, r = 0.999. The recovery was 98.2% +/- 3.8% (n = 10) and the limit of detection was 0.5 microgram/L. The reproducibility of 5-HT determination in rat brain was less than 10% (RSD) at both levels of 1.0 microgram/L and 50.0 micrograms/L. The method has been applied to analysis of 5-HT in the dose rat brain successfully.

Animals↗

Growth suppression of hamster flank organs by topical application of gamma-linolenic and other fatty acid inhibitors of 5alpha-reductase.

Certain unsaturated aliphatic fatty acids, such as gamma-linolenic acid, inhibit 5alpha-reductase activity in vitro and in vivo. Hamster flank organ growth, as measured by the increase in the area of pigmented macule, is dependent on androgen. When one of the paired flank organs of a castrated hamster was treated topically with testosterone, the treated organ, but not the contralateral flank organ, became larger and darker. Topical application of gamma-linolenic acid to the testosterone-treated flank organ suppressed this testosterone effect. Other fatty acids that were not inhibitors of 5alpha-reductases were not active. Topical treatment of hamster flank organs with 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone also stimulated the growth of the organ. This 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone-dependent activity, however, was not significantly affected by gamma-linolenic acid, suggesting that flank organ growth was dependent on 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone and that gamma-linolenic acid acted by inhibiting 5alpha-reductase. With intact male hamsters, the endogenous androgen-dependent growth of flank organs is also suppressed by topical treatment with gamma-linolenic acid. The effect of gamma-linolenic acid is localized at the site of its application; topical application of gamma-linolenic acid did not affect the androgen-dependent growth of other organs such as testis, epididymis, seminal vesicle, and prostate. gamma-Linolenic acid, with low toxicity and absence of systemic effect, therefore may be potentially useful for treatment of androgen-dependent skin disorders.

Administration, Topical↗

[Effects of IL-1 on experimental tooth movement in rabbits].

The purpose of this study was to search the effects of IL-1 on the orthodontic tooth movement and alveolar bone by animal experiment. The distance of tooth movement was measured and histologic changes were observed. 12 rabbits were divided into two groups. IL-1 was injected in the gingiva around the moving tooth of the experimental group. The rate of tooth movement and the number of osteoclasts of the two groups were compared. The results suggested that IL-1 can promote the tooth movement and increase the number of osteoclasts and can also promote bone remodelling.

Alveolar Process↗

[Determination of human urinary pseudouridine by high performance capillary electrophoresis].

Pseudouridine, mainly as a degradation product of transfer ribonucleic acid, has been shown to be excreted in abnormal amounts in the urine of patients with cancer and can be used as one of the potentially valuable tumor markers. In this paper, a method for the rapid determination of human urinary pseudouridine by HPCE is reported. We used a 24 cm x 25 microm i.d. coated capillary and a borate buffer solution (0.1 mol/L, pH 8.6), and set the UV detection wavelength at 200 nm. In this experiment, pseudouridine can be separated completely with uridine and anti-tumor drugs (5-fluouridine and methetrexation) and other endogenous substances in urine within 4 minutes. Assay precision was determined for concentrations of 50 micromol/L and 200 micromol/L as 2.38% and 1.92% for within-day CV, 3.7% and 2.4% for between-day CV respectively. Sulfosalicylic acid was used as internal standard. Linearity, between the concentrations of pseudouridine and the corresponding peak height or area ratios of pseudouridine and the internal standard, was demonstrated in the 6.25-200 micromol/L range (r>0.9990). The detection limit of concentration for pseudouridine was 4 micromol/L. This method, with simple sample preparation, good assay precision, lower cost and full-automation, is an effective means for the assessment of pseudouridine in clinical application.

Electrophoresis, Capillary↗

CAND3: a ubiquitously expressed gene immediately adjacent and in opposite transcriptional orientation to the ATM gene at 11q23.1.

Using a magnetic beads-mediated cDNA selection procedure and a fetal brain expression library, we identified a transcriptional unit within a cosmid positive for the marker D11S384. Pursuit of its full-length cDNA led to the cloning of the third candidate gene (CAND3) we studied in our quest for the ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) gene, ATM. CAND3 spans approximately 140 kb of genomic DNA and is located immediately centrimeric to ATM, with 544 bp of DNA separating the two genes. CAND3 encodes two ubiquitously expressed transcripts of approximately 5.8 kb and approximately 4.6 kb that are divergently transcribed from a promoter region common to ATM. Nucleotide sequence was determined for one of its alternately spliced transcripts. The predicted protein has 1175 amino acids and is novel in sequence, with only weak homologies to transcriptional factors, nucleoporin protein, and protein kinases, including members of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3 kinase) family. Although neither homology to ATM nor any mutation of CAND3 in A-T patients has been found, the head-to-head arrangement of CAND3 and ATM, with expression of both housekeeping genes from a common stretch of 544 bp intergenic DNA, suggests a bi-directional promoter possibly for co-regulation of biologically related functions. YACs, BACs, cosmids, and STSs are defined to aid in further study of this gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Ataxia-telangiectasia: mutations in ATM cDNA detected by protein-truncation screening.

We have examined the distal half of the ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) gene transcript for truncation mutations in 48 A-T affecteds. We found 21 mutations; 4 of the mutations were seen in more than one individual. Genotyping of the individuals sharing mutations, by using nearby microsatellite markers, established that three of the four groups shared common haplotypes, indicating that these were probably founder effects, not public mutations. The one public mutation was found in two American families, one of Ashkenazi Jewish background and the other not. Most truncations deleted the PI3-kinase domain, although some exceptions to this were found in patients with typical A-T phenotypes. All patients not previously known to be consanguineous were found to be compound heterozygotes when mutations could be identified--that is, normal and abnormal protein segments were seen on SDS-PAGE gels. All 48 patients gave RT-PCR products, indicating the presence of relatively stable mRNAs despite their mutations. These results suggest that few public mutations or hot spots can be expected in the A-T gene and that epidemiological studies of A-T carrier status and associated health risks will have to be designed around populations with frequent founder-effect mutations, despite the obvious limitations of this approach.

Ataxia Telangiectasia↗

Steroid hormone receptor status defines the MMTV promoter chromatin structure in vivo.

The ability to respond to small signalling molecules such as steroid hormones is important for many physiological processes. Steroid hormones act through a group of high affinity receptors that regulate transcription by binding to hormone response elements (HREs) located within the promoters of target genes, which themselves are organized with nuclear proteins to form chromatin. To dissect the mechanisms(s) of steroid hormone action we have used the steroid inducible mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter as a model system. The MMTV promoter is assembled into a phased array of nucleosomes that are specifically positioned in rodent cells. Induction of transcription by glucocorticoids is accompanied by the appearance of a hypersensitive region in the proximal promoter which allows the hormone dependent assembly of a preinitiation complex including transcription factors such as nuclear factor 1 (NF1) and the octamer transcription factor (OTF). Surprisingly, when introduced by transient transfection, the progesterone receptor (PR) is unable to activate this promoter in vivo, a finding that may result from its inability to alter MMTV promoter chromatin. In an attempt to investigate the failure of the PR to activate the promoter, we have stably introduced the MMTV promoter into human T47D breast cancer cells that express high levels of the PR. In contrast to what has been observed previously in rodent cells, the MMTV templates resident in human breast cancer cells adopt a novel and constitutively open chromatin structure. The constitutively open chromatin structure is accompanied by the hormone independent loading of transcription factors including the PR and NF1. In T47D cells that stably express the glucocorticoid receptor, the MMTV promoter responds to glucocorticoids, but not progestins, and displays glucocorticoid induced restriction enzyme hypersensitivity and transcription factor loading. These findings suggest that the organization of the MMTV chromatin structure is dependent upon the cell type and receptor status of the recipient cell into which the MMTV promoter is stably introduced.

Animals↗

Sublocalization of an ataxia-telangiectasia gene distal to D11S384 by ancestral haplotyping in Costa Rican families.

In an effort to localize a gene for ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), we have genotyped 27 affected Costa Rican families, with 13 markers, in the chromosome 11q22-23 region. Significant linkage disequilibrium was detected for 9/13 markers between D11S1816 and D11S1391. Recombination events observed in these pedigrees places A-T between D11S1819 and D11S1960. One ancestral haplotype is common to 24/54 affected chromosomes and roughly two-thirds of the families. Inferred (ancestral) recombination events involving this common haplotype in earlier generations suggest that A-T is distal to D11S384 and proximal to D11S1960. Several other common haplotypes were identified, consistent with multiple mutations in a single gene. When considered together with all other evidence, this study further sublocalizes the major A-T locus to approximately 200 kb, between markers S384 and S535.

Ataxia Telangiectasia↗

Localization of an ataxia-telangiectasia gene to an approximately 500-kb interval on chromosome 11q23.1: linkage analysis of 176 families by an international consortium.

We describe a 20-point linkage analysis map of chromosome 11q22-23 that is based on genotyping 249 families (59 CEPH and 190 A-T). Monte Carlo linkage analyses of 176 ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) families localizes the major A-T locus to the region between S1819(A4) and S1818(A2). When seven nonlinking families were excluded from subsequent analyses, a 2-lod support interval of approximately 500 kb was identified between S1819(A4) and S1294. No recombinants were observed between A-T and markers S384, B7, S535, or S1294. Only 17 of the international consortium families have been assigned to complementation groups. The available evidence favors either a cluster of A-T genes on chromosome 11 or intragenic defects in a single gene.

Ataxia Telangiectasia↗

Genetic haplotyping of ataxia-telangiectasia families localizes the major gene to an approximately 850 kb region on chromosome 11q23.1.

The genotyping data given localize the major A-T gene to an approximately 850 kb region. They also localize the group A A-T gene (ATA) to a region that contains the approximately 850 kb region. They are compatible with linking A-TFresno to 11q22-23. NBS-V2 does not link to this region. Four non-linking families contain only single affecteds, suggesting that these may be spontaneous mutations rather than evidence for an A-T gene outside the 11q22-23 region. Finally, two other non-linking families contain recombinant haplotypes that are compatible with a second A-T gene at 11q22-23, slightly distal to the approximately 850 kb region. However, convincing evidence for a second gene is still lacking.

Adult↗

Immunocytochemical localization of androgen receptors in human skin using monoclonal antibodies against the androgen receptor.

Androgen receptors were localized in cryostat sections of human skin using monoclonal antibodies to the human androgen receptor. Bound antibodies were detected using biotinylated rabbit anti-rat IgG, peroxidase-conjugated streptavidin, and diaminobenzidine as chromogen. In the neonatal foreskin, antibody to androgen receptor bound to keratinocytes in the epidermis and to fibroblasts and vascular endothelial cells in the dermis. Immunohistochemical staining was stronger in nuclei than in cytoplasm. This staining was specific, because there was no significant staining when antibody to the androgen receptor was replaced with IgG from nonimmunized rats or with buffer, or when antibody to androgen receptor was incubated, prior to immunostaining, with a trp E-human androgen-receptor fusion protein used as immunogen. Incubation of androgen receptor antibody with trp E alone did not affect staining. Androgen-receptor antibody also bound to keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells in skin from adult men and women. Skin from the scalp, nose, lip, back, and chest gave positive staining for androgen receptor. Antibody to androgen receptor also bound to the coil and ductal cells of eccrine glands, external root sheath of hair follicles, epithelium in the hair bulb, dermal papilla cells, and sebocytes. There was no significant binding to adipocytes, collagen, or stratum corneum. These results show that androgen receptor is present in cells that are known to be targets for androgens and also in cells in which the biologic effects of androgens are yet to be characterized.

Adult↗

Inhibition of steroid 5 alpha-reductase by specific aliphatic unsaturated fatty acids.

Human or rat microsomal 5 alpha-reductase activity, as measured by enzymic conversion of testosterone into 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone or by binding of a competitive inhibitor, [3H]17 beta-NN-diethulcarbamoyl-4-methyl-4-aza-5 alpha-androstan-3-one ([3H]4-MA) to the reductase, is inhibited by low concentrations (less than 10 microM) of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The relative inhibitory potencies of unsaturated fatty acids are, in decreasing order: gamma-linolenic acid greater than cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid = cis-6,9,12,15-octatetraenoic acid = arachidonic acid = alpha-linolenic acid greater than linoleic acid greater than palmitoleic acid greater than oleic acid greater than myristoleic acid. Other unsaturated fatty acids such as undecylenic acid, erucic acid and nervonic acid, are inactive. The methyl esters and alcohol analogues of these compounds, glycerols, phospholipids, saturated fatty acids, retinoids and carotenes were inactive even at 0.2 mM. The results of the binding assay and the enzymic assay correlated well except for elaidic acid and linolelaidic acid, the trans isomers of oleic acid and linoleic acid respectively, which were much less active than their cis isomers in the binding assay but were as potent in the enzymic assay. gamma-Linolenic acid had no effect on the activities of two other rat liver microsomal enzymes: NADH:menadione reductase and glucuronosyl transferase. gamma-Linolenic acid, the most potent inhibitor tested, decreased the Vmax. and increased Km values of substrates, NADPH and testosterone, and promoted dissociation of [3H]4-MA from the microsomal reductase. gamma-Linolenic acid, but not the corresponding saturated fatty acid (stearic acid), inhibited the 5 alpha-reductase activity, but not the 17 beta-dehydrogenase activity, of human prostate cancer cells in culture. These results suggest that unsaturated fatty acids may play an important role in regulating androgen action in target cells.

5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors↗