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Y Azuma

Publications and source records attributed to Y Azuma.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Effects of the mycelial extract of cultured Cordyceps sinensis on in vivo hepatic energy metabolism in the mouse.

Mice were given the extract of cultured Cordyceps sinensis (Cs) (200 mg/kg daily, p.o.) for 3 weeks. In vivo phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of the liver were acquired at weekly intervals using a surface coil. From 1 to 3 weeks, a consistent increase in the ATP/inorganic phosphate ratio, which represents the high energy state, was observed in the Cs extract-treated mice. The intracellular pH of the Cs extract-treated mice was not significantly different from that of the control mice. No steatosis, necrosis, inflammation or fibrosis were observed in the liver specimens from Cs extract-treated mice.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1995

RanBP1, a Ras-like nuclear G protein binding to Ran/TC4, inhibits RCC1 via Ran/TC4.

A human protein that is 92% identical and 97% homologous at the amino acid level to RanBP1 from mouse was identified by the two-hybrid method, using two types of target cDNAs fused to sequences encoding the GAL4 DNA-binding domain. The target cDNAs encoded the human Ran/TC4 and human RCC1 proteins, respectively. An in vitro binding experiment showed that RanBP1 binds to RCC1 with the aid of Ran. Partially purified, GST-fused RanBP1 inhibited RCC1-stimulated guanine nucleotide release from Ran in vitro. Consistent with this in vitro finding, overproduction of human RanBP1 was detrimental to growth of tsBN2, a temperature-sensitive BHK21 hamster cell line defective in the RCC1 gene, and inhibited the growth of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae rcc1 mutants prp20, mtr1 and srm1. The specific effect of RanBP1 on rcc1- cells was confirmed by the finding that overproduction of RanBP1 induces significant levels of expression of a FUS1-lacZ gene and an increase in mating efficiencies in a ste3, pheromone receptor-deficient yeast mutant. This phenotype is similar to the srm1, a mutant isolated as a suppressor that restores mating to receptorless mutants. These findings indicate that RanBP1 negatively regulates RCC1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Isolation of a yeast protein kinase that is activated by the protein encoded by SRP1 (Srp1p) and phosphorylates Srp1p complexed with nuclear localization signal peptides.

Srp1p, the protein encoded by SRP1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is a nuclear-pore-associated protein. Its Xenopus homolog, importin, was recently shown to be an essential component required for nuclear localization signal (NLS)-dependent binding of karyophilic proteins to the nuclear envelope [Gorlich, D., Prehn, S., Laskey, R. A. & Hartman, E. (1994) Cell 79, 767-778]. We have discovered a protein kinase whose activity is stimulated by Srp1p (Srp1p fused to glutathione S-transferase and expressed in Escherichia coli) and is detected by phosphorylation of Srp1p and of a 36-kDa protein, a component of the protein kinase complex. The enzyme, called Srp1p kinase, is a protein-serine kinase and was found in extracts in two related complexes of approximately 180 kDa and 220 kDa. The second complex, when purified, contained four protein components including the 36-kDa protein. We observed that, upon purification of the kinase, phosphorylation of Srp1p became very weak, while activation of phosphorylation of the 36-kDa protein by Srp1p remained unaltered. Significantly, NLS peptides and the nuclear proteins we have tested greatly stimulated phosphorylation of Srp1p, suggesting that Srp1p, complexed with karyophilic proteins carrying an NLS, is the in vivo substrate of this protein kinase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Alendronate distributed on bone surfaces inhibits osteoclastic bone resorption in vitro and in experimental hypercalcemia models.

Alendronate is an aminobisphosphonate that acts as a potent inhibitor of osteoclastic bone resorption. To understand the mechanism of action of alendronate in vivo, in this study we investigated the relationship between distribution of [14C]-alendronate in rat bone and its effects on bone resorption in vitro or in rat hypercalcemic models. A single IV dose of 0.05 approximately 1.25 mg/kg inhibited the increase in plasma calcium level induced by bovine PTH or 1 alpha(OH)D3. The minimal effective dose of pamidronate (1.25 mg/kg) and etidronate (over 31.25 mg/kg) were at least 5 times and 25 times, respectively, higher than the dose of alendronate in the rat hypercalcemic model prepared by 1 alpha(OH)D3. The relative potencies of compounds in the hypercalcemic rat models reflected those of inhibitory effects on bone resorption in vitro. We conducted the ivory-slice assay under two conditions: (a) addition of a given bisphosphonate after adherence of the osteoclasts; and (b) preincubation of the ivory slices with a given bisphosphonate. The inhibitory IC50 values of alendronate under condition (b) were similar to those under condition (a). To evaluate the interaction between osteoclasts and alendronate in bone, we investigated the localization of [14C]-alendronate in the tibia of growing rats (4-day-old rats). Alendronate did not distribute uniformly in the tibia. At 1 day after injection (0.05 mg SC), dense labeling was seen primarily under osteoclasts. We injected 0.05 mg/kg of [14C]-alendronate (single i.v.) into rats [14C]-alendronate was rapidly eliminated from plasma, and mainly distributed to the bone in rats. These data suggest that alendronate which distributed on bone surface mainly contributed to the antihypercalcemic action in vivo.

Alendronate↗
PubMed1995

Isolation of thermolabile mutant RNA polymerase II from fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe with mutations in the subunit 3 gene.

Subunit alpha of prokaryotic RNA polymerases plays key roles in protein-protein contacts for both subunit assembly and transcription activation. To gain an insight into the roles of subunit 3, the eukaryotic homologue of alpha, temperature-sensitive mutants of the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, have been isolated after transformation of the mutagenized rpb3 gene encoding mutant subunit 3 of RNA polymerase II. A total of 68 ts mutants were classified into two groups: mutants comprising one group ceased growing immediately after a temperature up-shift, while mutants comprising the other group exhibited delayed growth arrest at high temperatures. RNA polymerase II partially purified from Ts54, one of the group 2 mutants, was thermolabile in vitro, as measured by a non-specific transcription assay. This mutant carries double mutations in domain A of subunit 3, and thus can be used as a reference mutant of RNA polymerase II.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1995

Effects of protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors with different modes of action on topoisomerase activity and death of IL-2-dependent CTLL-2 cells.

We studied the effects of protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors with different modes of action on topoisomerase activity and cell death in CTLL-2 cells, whose growth is IL-2-dependent. The Flavonoids genistein, biochanin A, and apigenin inhibited topoisomerase II to the same extent as etoposide, a specific inhibitor of the enzyme. Methyl 2,5-dihydroxycinnamate (2,5-MeC) also inhibited topoisomerase II, but was less potent than genistein. Herbimycin A and staurosporine did not inhibit topoisomerase II. None of the inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinases examined inhibited topoisomerase I activity. All the inhibitors induced cell death with internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in the presence of IL-2. Genistein, biochanin A, and apigenin induced DNA fragmentation and cell death early in the incubation period and did not alter the profiles of phosphotyrosine proteins in either the lysate or pelleted fractions, indicating that the early cell death was induced by the inhibition of topoisomerase II activity rather than by the inhibition of protein tyrosine kinase activity. 2,5-MeC similarly induced early cell death and DNA fragmentation, but to a lesser extent than genistein presumably due to the inhibition of topoisomerase II activity. Herbimycin A induced a slow increase in DNA fragmentation and cell death, accompanied by a decrease in phosphotyrosine proteins in the pelleted fraction, suggesting that the inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphorylation, presumably of the nuclear proteins, is related to cell death and DNA fragmentation. Staurosporine-induced DNA fragmentation appeared to be due to mechanism(s) other than the inhibition of topoisomerases and protein tyrosine kinases, since it neither altered the profiles of phosphotyrosine proteins nor inhibited topoisomerase activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Immunohistochemical microquantification of fast-myosin in frozen histological sections of mammalian skeletal muscles.

Fast-myosin in frozen histological sections was quantified by an immunohistochemical micromethod based on the ELISA. Frozen tissue sections mounted on glass slides were used analogously to the antigen-precoated wells of ELISA plates. The intensity of immunoreactivity of frozen sections to an anti-fast-myosin monoclonal antibody was quantified directly from the color developed with the second antibody coupled with peroxidase using phenol-4-aminoantipyrine as a substrate. Fast-myosin levels in the masseter muscles of pigs, rats, and rabbits were 185 +/- 6, 223 +/- 9, and 178 +/- 12 mg/g of total protein, respectively, and those in the gastrocnemius muscles from cows, pigs, goats, rats, and rabbits were 172 +/- 12, 211 +/- 7, 177 +/- 9, 211 +/- 10, and 205 +/- 10 mg/g, respectively. In the masseter of cows and goats, fast-myosin was not detected. The results obtained by this immunohistochemical micromethod were in good agreement with those obtained by histomorphometrical and biochemical analyses. This immunohistochemical micromethod could be used to quantitatively evaluate the muscle contractile characteristics that determine meat quality.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Biphasic effect of staurosporine on thymocyte apoptosis.

When mouse thymocytes were incubated with staurosporine at low doses (1-100 nM), apoptosis was induced dose- and time-dependently. Staurosporine-induced apoptosis was dependent on macromolecular synthesis, and it was also dependent on protein phosphorylation sensitive to 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl-2-methylpiperazine dihydrochloride (H-7). Whereas, staurosporine at high doses (above 500 nM) did not induce significant DNA fragmentation, rather it inhibited the DNA fragmentation induced by 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-acetate, A23187, and dibutyrylcyclic AMP, as H-7 did. K252a, a derivative of staurosporine, induced apoptosis, which was inhibited by H-7, even at high doses. These results indicate that staurosporine had a biphasic effect on thymocyte apoptosis, a stimulatory effect at low concentration, and an inhibitory effect at high concentration. K252a had only the former action.

1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine↗
PubMed1995

TEI-3313, a novel prostaglandin A1 derivative, prevents bone loss and enhances bone formation in immobilized male rats.

The effect of a novel prostaglandin A1 derivative, TEI-3313, with the chemical structure 5-[(Z,2E)-4,7-dihydroxy-2-heptenyridene]-4-hydroxy- 2-methylthio-4-(4-phenoxybutyl)-2-cyclopentenone, on bone mineral content was investigated. Seven-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats in which the right hindlimbs were immobilized by sciatic nerve dissection received 1, 10, 100 or 500 micrograms of TEI-3313/kg/day, i.p., for 6 weeks. Control animals were operated on but received vehicle only. Bone mineral content of the femur was measured by single-photon absorptiometry, and biochemical parameters were analyzed. Histomorphometric observations were performed on the proximal metaphysial sections of the tibiae. The administration of up to 500 micrograms/kg of TEI-3313 to rats had no effect on body weight or on serum calcium, inorganic phosphorus and 1 alpha,25 dihydroxy vitamin D3 levels. Immobilization decreased the ash content, calcium content and total bone mineral content of the femur compared with nonimmobilization (unoperated femur). With TEI-3313 administration, changes in these parameters in the immobilized femur were prevented almost to the levels of the nonimmobilized femur, in a dose-dependent manner. The enhancement of bone mineral content was remarkable in the midshaft of the femur. TEI-3313 enhanced ash and calcium content and total bone mineral content in nonimmobilized femurs. Microradiograms showed that TEI-3313, unlike pamidronate and 17 beta-estradiol, had little inhibitory effect on trabecular bone resorption in the proximal portion of the tibia. TEI-3313 not only prevented the bone loss induced by immobilization but also increased bone mass in the nonimmobilized femurs without affecting the levels of 1 alpha,25 dihydroxy vitamin D3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1995

[Molecular mechanisms of apoptosis in the immune system].

Apoptosis is a controlled death process under regulation by multiple death and survival genes. In the immune systems, apoptosis has important roles in establishment of the mature immune system (embryological programmed cell death), in dynamic maintenance of functional cell number (physiological programmed cell death) and in elimination of unwanted cells (biochemical programmed cell death). The process of apoptosis is regulated by multiple genes and their products depending on different stimuli. The current knowledge on the molecular events of apoptotic cell death, particularly in thymocytes, is reviewed.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1995

Staurosporine-induced thymocyte apoptosis is inhibited by herbimycin A, a specific inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinase.

When mouse thymocytes were incubated with staurosporine at low doses (1-100 nM), increased tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins with a molecular weight of 31-34 kD in the detergent-soluble fraction was observed, together with an increase in internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. Incubation with staurosporine for 6 h was enough to trigger and progress of apoptosis. Herbimycin A, a specific inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinases, and cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, reduced the amount of the phosphotyrosine proteins, this being followed by the inhibition of DNA fragmentation and cell death, suggesting a close relationship between protein tyrosine phosphorylation and the induction of apoptosis by staurosporine.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1994

A mutant form of the Ran/TC4 protein disrupts nuclear function in Xenopus laevis egg extracts by inhibiting the RCC1 protein, a regulator of chromosome condensation.

The Ran protein is a small GTPase that has been implicated in a large number of nuclear processes including transport. RNA processing and cell cycle checkpoint control. A similar spectrum of nuclear activities has been shown to require RCC1, the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Ran. We have used the Xenopus laevis egg extract system and in vitro assays of purified proteins to examine how Ran or RCC1 could be involved in these numerous processes. In these studies, we employed mutant Ran proteins to perturb nuclear assembly and function. The addition of a bacterially expressed mutant form of Ran (T24N-Ran), which was predicted to be primarily in the GDP-bound state, profoundly disrupted nuclear assembly and DNA replication in extracts. We further examined the molecular mechanism by which T24N-Ran disrupts normal nuclear activity and found that T24N-Ran binds tightly to the RCC1 protein within the extract, resulting in its inactivation as a GEF. The capacity of T24N-Ran-blocked interphase extracts to assemble nuclei from de-membranated sperm chromatin and to replicate their DNA could be restored by supplementing the extract with excess RCC1 and thereby providing excess GEF activity. Conversely, nuclear assembly and DNA replication were both rescued in extracts lacking RCC1 by the addition of high levels of wild-type GTP-bound Ran protein, indicating that RCC1 does not have an essential function beyond its role as a GEF in interphase Xenopus extracts.

Animals↗