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T Sassa

Publications and source records attributed to T Sassa.

45 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Apparent "activation" of protein kinases by okadaic acid class tumor promoters.

A cytosolic fraction of mouse brain gave two peaks of protein kinase activity on DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The first peak of protein kinase corresponded to protein kinase C. The second peak contained protein kinases that were "activated" dose-dependently by the okadaic acid class tumor promoters, okadaic acid and dinophysistoxin-1. This "activation" was not achieved by other tumor promoters, such as 12-0-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate, teleocidin, aplysiatoxin, or palytoxin. In addition, the second peak contained phosphatases. The phosphate liberation from phosphorylated histone type III-S by incubation with the second peak was inhibited by okadaic acid or dinophysistoxin-1, dose-dependently. The resulting apparent "activation" of protein kinases by okadaic acid is indicated and would imply a new pathway of tumor promotion on mouse skin.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Mutations affecting acetylcholine levels in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Gene cha-1.unc-17 of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a complex gene, consisting of at least two complementation groups. One part (cha-1 region) of the gene encodes the enzyme choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), but the function of the other part (unc-17 region) is still unclear. We measured the ChAT activity and ACh levels of the cha-1 and unc-17 complex gene mutants. We show here that alterations in ACh levels, rather than the ChAT activity, reflect abnormal phenotypes accompanying cha-1.unc-17 mutations, that is, the decreased ACh levels in cha-1 mutations and abnormal accumulation in unc-17 mutations. Our results suggest that the unc-17 region may encode functions necessary for storage and/or release of ACh at the presynaptic level.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1985

[Hyperthermia: microwave hyperthermia in combination with intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy of cancer of the pancreas].

Fourty eight patients with cancer of head of pancreas have been treated by the intra-arterial infusion of 5-FU and Mitomycin C alone or in combination with regional hyperthermia, employing microwave machine operating at a frequency of 2450 MHz. In patients treated with intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy alone the average survival of 4.2 month was attained, whereas the average survival of 9.0 month has been seen in 39 patients treated with infusion chemotherapy and hyperthermia. The hyperthermia treatment has improved the local therapeutic effects and the effects on the survival of the patients. Thanks to this combination therapy 27 of 39 patients (69%) survived more than 6 month, and 12 patients (31%) survived more than one year, longest survival being 7 years. This study confirms that heat administered by the microwave unit potentiated the effects of the intraarterial infusion chemotherapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Metabolism of Tritiated Gibberellins A(4) and A(9) in Norway Spruce, Picea abies (L.) Karst. : Effects of a Cultural Treatment Known to Enhance Flowering.

Shoots of mature grafted propagules of Picea abies (L.) Karst. metabolized [(3)H]gibberellin A(4) (GA(4)) to at least 14 acidic substances, two of which were tentatively identified by gas-liquid radiochromatography as GA(2) (possibly an artifact) and GA(34). [(3)H]GA(9) was converted into a number of metabolites, one of which was chromatographically similar to, but not identical with, GA(4). Metabolism was maximally 61 and 57% over 48 hours for GA(4) and GA(9), respectively, and was correlated with the rate of change (i.e. increase followed by decrease) in endogenous GA-like substances as shoot elongation progressed. Propagules covered with a clear plastic film, a treatment which promotes flowering, metabolized [(3)H]GA(4) more slowly than did control plants in the open. Inasmuch as a GA(4/7) mixture can also promote flowering in P. abies, the retarded metabolism of [(3)H]GA(4) may reflect the manner in which trees under plastic metabolize endogenous GA-like substances. If so, then the stimulating effect of this cultural treatment on flowering may come about through an increased level of endogenous, less polar GA-like substances.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1979

Metabolism of Tritiated Gibberellin A(20) in Immature Seeds of Dwarf Pea, cv. Meteor.

Tritium-labeled gibberellin A(20) ([(3)H]GA(20)) was applied via the pedicel to immature pods and seeds of dwarf peas and three harvests were made at days 5, 10, and 23 (mature) after application. Of the five metabolites of [(3)H]GA(20), the three in highest yield were GA(29), an alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone, and a compound (B), whose structure was only tentatively assigned. The metabolic sequence GA(20) --> GA(29) --> compound B --> the ketone was indicated. The amount of [(3)H]GA(29) in both seeds and pods was highest at day 5 and declined to its lowest level at maturity. The amount of the [(3)H]ketone in the seed increased with time to its highest level at maturity. It is suggested that compound B and the ketone represent the major pathway of catabolism of GA(29), a 2beta-hydroxylated GA of low biological activity, and that the ketone is not metabolized, or only slowly metabolized, during seed maturation.

Journal Article↗