Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Y Sohma.
Overlapping cDNA clones encoding rat thrombopoietin (TPO) were isolated from liver-derived cell line cDNA libraries and the nucleotide sequences were determined. The deduced 326-amino-acid rat TPO showed significant homology to the known TPO of other species, especially in the N-terminal sequence.
By screening a cDNA library constructed from aortic total RNA derived from Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits by differential hybridization, we have obtained a cDNA encoding the kappa light chain of immunoglobulin. Northern blot analysis of total RNA prepared from aortas of WHHL and normal rabbits of various ages revealed that this light-chain mRNA accumulates gradually with age in aortas in WHHL rabbits. Northern blotting and in situ hybridization with an antisense oligonucleotide specific to rabbit immunoglobulin gamma heavy-chain mRNA also detected accumulation of this heavy-chain mRNA in advanced lesions of WHHL rabbit aortas. Moreover, immunohistochemical and electron microscopic analyses demonstrated the presence of plasma cells in the atherosclerotic lesions.
Recently, we purified rat thrombopoietin (TPO) from plasma of irradiated rats (XRP) by measuring its activity that stimulated the production of megakaryocytes from megakaryocyte progenitor cells (CFU-MK) in vitro. We then cloned the cDNAs for rat and human TPO. In this study, we found the production of TPO by hepatocytes isolated with the collagenase perfusion method from both normal and thrombocytopenic rats, by a two-step fractionation of hepatocyte culture medium (CM). Subsequently, CM of rat hepatoma cell lines was screened for the presence of TPO; three cell lines, H4-II-E, McA-RH8994, and HTC, were found to produce TPO. According to the purification procedure for TPO from XRP, TPO was partially purified from 2 L CM of each of three cell lines with a six-step procedure. In the final reverse-phase column, TPO from each cell line was eluted with the same retention time as that from XRP, and the TPO fraction exhibited megakaryocyte colony-stimulating activity (Meg-CSA). TPO-active fraction eluted from the final reverse-phase column was separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), extracted from the gel, and assayed. TPO activity from each cell line was found in the respective molecular weight region, indicating the heterogeneity of the TPO molecule. Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we detected the expression of TPO mRNA in hepatocytes, three hepatoma cell lines, normal rat liver, and X-irradiated rat liver. Northern blot analysis showed that TPO mRNA was expressed mainly in liver among the various organs tested. These data demonstrate that TPO is produced by rat hepatocytes and hepatoma cell lines and suggest that liver may be the primary organ that produces TPO.
The complete gene for human thrombopoietin (TPO) has been cloned by screening a human genomic library using human TPO cDNA as a probe. This gene is 6.2 kb in length and contains six exons and five introns. It is shown that the human genome contains a single copy of the human TPO gene according to Southern blotting analysis. The transcription initiation site was determined by S1 nuclease mapping. The human TPO gene expressed TPO activity when transfected into COS-1 cells. The human TPO gene has been mapped to chromosome 3q27 by in situ hybridization using a biotin-labeled probe.
The vas deferens forms part of the male reproductive tract and extends from the cauda epididymis to the prostate. Using the patch clamp technique, we have identified a Ca(2+)-activated, voltage-dependent, maxi K+ channel on the apical membrane of epithelial cells cultured from human fetal vas deferens. The channel had a conductance of approximately 250 pS in symmetrical 140 mM K+ solutions, and was highly selective for K+ over Na+. Channel activity was increased by depolarization and by an elevation of bath (cytoplasmic) Ca2+ concentration, and reduced by cytoplasmic Ba2+ (5 mM) but not by cytoplasmic TEA (10 mM). Channel activity was also dependent on the cation bathing the cytoplasmic face of the membrane, being higher in a Na(+)-rich compared to a K(+)-rich solution. We estimated that up to 600 maxi K+ channels were present on the apical membrane of a vas cell, and that their density was 1-2 per mu 2 of membrane. Activity of the channel was low on intact cells, suggesting that it does not contribute to a resting K+ conductance. However, fluid in the lumen of the human vas deferens has a high K+ concentration and we speculate that the maxi K+ channel could play a role in transepithelial K+ secretion.
In an effort to characterize mRNAs that are highly expressed during atherosclerosis, we employed differential hybridization screening of a cDNA library constructed from total RNA derived from the aorta of Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits. Characterizing the cDNAs for mRNAs that are present in large amounts in WHHL rabbit aortae, we identified a positive clone encoding matrix gamma-carboxyglutamic acid protein (MGP). The primary structure of rabbit MGP was deduced from nucleotide sequence analysis of the cDNA. Northern blot analysis of total RNA prepared from aortae of WHHL and normal rabbits of various ages indicated that the expression of MGP mRNA increased in proportion to the progression of atherosclerosis in WHHL rabbits. Analysis of MGP mRNA by in situ hybridization revealed that a significant amount of MGP mRNA is accumulated in atherosclerotic lesions of WHHL rabbits, suggesting that the expression of MGP mRNA is correlated with the progression of atherosclerosis.
To identify a set of mRNAs that increases with the progression of atherosclerosis, differential hybridization screening of a cDNA library, constructed from total RNA in aortae of Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits, was carried out. Here we report that one of the positive clones encodes a rabbit homologue of human CD63 antigen. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the cDNA revealed the primary structure of rabbit lysosomal membrane antigen CD63. Analysis of the mRNA by in situ hybridization revealed that a significant amount of the mRNA is accumulated in atherosclerotic lesions of WHHL rabbits. Northern blot analysis of total RNA prepared from aortae of WHHL and normal rabbits indicates that expression of the mRNA increased with age in WHHL rabbits, suggesting that expression of the mRNA is correlated with the progression of atherosclerosis.
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Overexpression of the alpha-Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptor (alpha-PDGF) gene was detected in a case of malignant glioma. This overexpression was accompanied with amplification of rearranged alpha-PDGF receptor gene. We have isolated a cDNA for the transcript derived from the amplified receptor gene. Characterization of the cDNA revealed a deletion of 243 nucleotides coding for 81 amino acids in the extracellular region of the receptor. This in-frame deletion removed a part of the immunoglobulin-like domains in the extracellular region of the receptor. Analysis of the amplified alpha-PDGF receptor gene in the glioma indicated that exons coding for the 81 amino acids were lost by a gene deletion. The gene amplification was also detected in macroscopically normal cortex adjacent to the glioma from the same patient. However, the amplified gene in the macroscopically normal cortex had no major gene rearrangement. These data suggest that the overproduction of structurally altered alpha-PDGF receptor may take part in the onset and the development of malignant glioma.
In a primary brain tumor of glial origin, we found overexpression of the alpha-platelet-derived growth factor (alpha-PDGF) receptor mRNA. Southern blot analysis of the gene revealed amplification of the rearranged alpha-PDGF receptor gene in the glioma. A cDNA coding for an aberrant transcript from the amplified receptor gene was obtained and characterized. Partial nucleotide sequence analysis of the cDNA revealed a deletion of 243 nucleotides coding for 81 amino acids in a portion of the immunoglobulin-like domains of the extracellular region of the receptor. cDNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the total cellular RNA in the glioma indicated that more than 80% of the transcripts have a deletion of 243 nucleotides. Analysis of a PCR-amplified DNA fragment derived from the amplified alpha-PDGF receptor gene in the glioma revealed that an exon coding for the 81 amino acids was removed by a 2.1 kb gene deletion. We also found amplification of the alpha-PDGF receptor gene in macroscopically normal cortex adjacent to the glioma from the same patient. The amplified gene in the macroscopically normal cortex has no major gene deletion, suggesting that gene amplification is not sufficient for the development of malignant gliomas.
Histidine and arginine residues in a peptide, which represent residues 112-121 of myoglobin, were replaced by alanine, and antibodies for these peptides were raised in rabbits. Adsorption equilibria between these peptides and antibodies were measured to identify the essential amino acid residues for specific binding and their effects on adsorption behavior. Protonation of one histidine residue affected strongly the dependence of adsorption equilibrium on pH, and the adsorption capacities of the antibodies against the peptides containing this essential histidine residue rapidly decreased at around pH 5-6, which corresponds to the pKa value of histidine. Immunization with peptide sequences containing such histidine residues is one method to obtain suitable antibodies for immunoaffinity chromatography, which have a weak affinity for the elution step under mild conditions.
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Changes in acinar cell volume were measured in the perfused submandibular gland of the rat at 23 degrees C during salivary secretion induced by acetylcholine (ACh). Cellular volume was monitored by two methods: the impedance method and the morphometric method using video-enhanced contrast optical microscopy. Both measurements revealed a decrease in acinar cell volume in response to 1 microM ACh. Within the 1st min of stimulation, secretion increased to the initial maximum (initial secretion), and cell shrinkage occurred. During sustained stimulation, secretory rate and cell volume were maintained at the plateau level (steady secretion). The decrease in cell volume was 71.8 +/- 2.9% of resting volume (means +/- SE, n = 8) as measured by the impedance method and 76.1 +/- 2.0% (n = 20) as measured by the morphometric method. With the removal of ACh, cell volume increased to 111.6 +/- 2.7% (n = 8) of the prestimulation level as measured by the impedance method and 108.8 +/- 1.5% (n = 20) as measured by the morphometric method, and then recovered to the prestimulation level slowly. The weight of the gland decreased significantly during stimulation. These findings proved that volume decrease occurred during stimulation. The measurement of cell volume gave the net fluid flux of the acinar cell compartment. The net fluid flux and the rate of salivary secretion gave an estimation of the fluid influx across the basolateral membrane. These findings suggest that a transcellular route for fluid secretion exists in the salivary gland.
The severity of aortic regurgitation is difficult to estimate prior to mitral valve replacement (MVR) in cases with tight mitral stenosis (MS), because low output state due to mitral obstruction masks signs of aortic regurgitation. This study clarified left ventricular performance, possibly affected by increased diastolic loading after MVR. The study subjects consisted of 12 patients with pure mitral stenosis (MS group) and 11 with combined mitral stenosis and aortic regurgitation (MSAR group). The diagnosis was made by cardiac catheterization preoperatively. The aortographic grade of aortic regurgitation was class 1 or 2 according to the AHA classification. Both groups were matched in terms of severity in mitral obstruction evaluated by mitral valve area. On preoperative echocardiographic evaluation, there was no difference in the mean values of LVDd, LVSd, and %FS between the groups MS and MSAR. After surgery, symptoms improved in each patient. Echocardiography performed three months after MVR revealed no differences in these parameters between both the groups. We concluded that aortic regurgitation evaluated as class 1 or 2 preoperatively does not increase in respect to left ventricular diastolic overloading and echocardiographic left ventricular performance remains unchanged.
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This report described 56-year-old male with cardiac amyloidosis, whose echocardiographic and hemodynamic findings suggested hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. M-mode echocardiography demonstrated asymmetric septal hypertrophy (2.1 cm/1.6 cm), systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve, and pericardial effusion. Two-dimensional echocardiography revealed marked hypertrophy of the septum and papillary muscles with characteristic fine grannular sparkling appearance of the myocardium. Bilateral heart catheterization showed normal hemodynamics except a pressure gradient of 35 mmHg within the left ventricular outflow tract. Moreover, no hemodynamic evidence of restrictive cardiomyopathy was observed. Myocardial biopsy was performed at the time of pericardiectomy, and diffuse amyloid deposits were identified between myocardial fibers. It is of particular interest that cardiac amyloidosis presented the form of ventricular hypertrophy associated with left ventricular outflow obstruction, probably due to uneven deposition of amyloid.