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W Mercer

Publications and source records attributed to W Mercer.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Characterization of 11 beta-HSD1B gene expression and enzymatic activity.

Nuclease protection analysis has been used to study the distribution of an mRNA that has been predicted to give rise to a truncated form of the enzyme 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11 beta-HSD1B). The 11 beta-HSD1B mRNA was found exclusively in the kidney, predominantly localized within the medulla with low amounts of the message in the cortex. Neither the renal papilla nor a range of peripheral and central tissues showed evidence of 11 beta-HSD1B mRNA. Expression of the whole (11 beta-HSD1A) and truncated enzymes in COS cells resulted in immunoreactive 34 kDa and 26 kDa proteins respectively, while kidney homogenates showed 34 kDa and 40 kDa species. The 11 beta-HSD1A enzyme converted corticosterone and cortisol to their respective 11-dehydro metabolites with an absolute dependence on NADP as co-factor, while the 26 kDa 11 beta-HSD1B protein was unable to metabolize either steroid. These results suggest that transcription of the 11 beta-HSD1B mRNA is associated with a mechanism down-regulating production of 11 beta-HSD1 activity.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗
PubMed1992

Tissue-specific expression of an 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase with a truncated N-terminal domain. A potential mechanism for differential intracellular localization within mineralocorticoid target cells.

The enzyme 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11-HSD) is thought to confer specificity on the nonselective Type I adrenocorticoid receptor by converting glucocorticoids to receptor-inactive metabolites in mineralocorticoid target tissues. S1 nuclease analyses using a rat liver 11-HSD probe demonstrated tissue-specific expression of the 5' region of the 11-HSD gene in the liver, lung, and kidney not evident in previous studies. Renal tissue contained a unique protected species which mapped to a position within the coding region, consistent with a divergence in liver and kidney protein sequences. Screening of a rat kidney cDNA library resulted in the isolation of several clones (11-HSD1B) noncolinear in their 5' regions with the liver sequence (11-HSD1A). Nucleic acid sequence analysis showed that the divergent clones code for a protein lacking a 26-amino acid NH2-terminal putative membrane-spanning signal peptide. The deletion of the leader sequence from the microsomal 11-HSD1A protein may result in a nuclear localization of the 11-HSD1B isoform. The renal 11-HSD1A and 11-HSD1B species increased coordinately during ontogeny and in parallel with the developmental surge in glucocorticoids. At least three alternate sites of polyadenylation were found to be utilized by the 11-HSD gene. Southern blot analysis showed the presence of a single gene in the rat. This study shows the expression of a kidney-specific 11-HSD isoform which may protect the Type I adrenocorticoid receptor from occupation by glucocorticoids in the nucleus of a mineralocorticoid target cell.

11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗
PubMed1985

The polypeptide structure and assembly of Ly-2/3 heterodimers.

Mild reduction of mature, thymic Ly-2/3 heterodimers of Mr 67 000 resulted in dissociation into three individual polypeptide chains, alpha, alpha', and beta, of respective Mr values 38 000, 35 000, and 30 000. The alpha and alpha' chains were both immunoprecipitated by a monoclonal antibody directed to the Ly-2.1 epitope whereas the Ly-3.1 antibody bound only the beta chain. The possibility that the alpha and beta chains of each heterodimer established their interchain links within a labile precursor protein in which alpha and beta segments were fused was considered but discounted by the finding that in mice heterozygous for both Ly-2 and Ly-3 loci, the Ly-2 product of one chromosome was not exclusively joined to Ly-3 structures coded by the same chromosome. By utilizing ionic detergents which selectively alter the charge of intrinsic membrane proteins, both Ly-2 and Ly-3 polypeptides were shown to have membrane insertion sites. It is suggested that as a consequence of their likely synthesis on membrane-bound polysomes, newly synthesized Ly-2 and Ly-3 structures accumulate within the same subcellular compartment - the membranes of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Their elevated concentration within this space may facilitate a low affinity binding interaction between Ly-2 and Ly-3 which is later stabilized by interchain disulfide bond formation.

Animals↗