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Phosphatidylcholine signaling in response to CSF-1.

The formation of cell membrane following CSF-1 stimulation of a macrophage cell line is coordinated with cell cycle progression. The majority of membrane phospholipid accumulates during the S phase and results from cell-cycle dependent oscillations in the rates of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis and degradation. Both synthesis and degradation are enhanced during the G1 phase, resulting in a high rate of phosphatidylcholine turnover. Degradation of phosphatidylcholine after CSF-1 stimulation is mediated by a phospholipase C, and the release of diacylglycerol during G1 phase is biphasic. The degradation essentially stops during the S phase, thus allowing biosynthesis to supply the necessary membrane for cell division and doubling. The degradation of phosphatidylcholine during G1 signals the downstream activation of c-fos and junB transcription and can be mimicked by incubation of the macrophage cells with exogenous bacterial phospholipase C. In contrast, the expression of c-myc transcripts normally associated with CSF-1 stimulation is severely compromised in phospholipase C-treated cells, indicating that the diacylglycerol signals a pathway distinct from the pathway that governs c-myc activation. Constitutive expression of c-myc complements phospholipase C activity and permits the growth of cells in the presence of exogenous bacterial enzyme and the absence of CSF-1. Protein kinase C is not required to mediate the diacylglycerol signal that supports cell growth. GTP exchange on Ras is not enhanced, and MAP kinase activity is not stimulated in response to phosphatidylcholine degradation by exogenous phospholipase C. The 85 kDa cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 is activated, however, as well as a novel protein we have called p96. Rapid serine phosphorylation of p96 follows stimulation of cells with either CSF-1 or exogenous phospholipase C. Analysis of the murine cDNA encoding p96 reveals an amino-terminal domain with significant similarity to the amino-terminal domain of the Drosophila-disabled gene product and a carboxy-terminal domain containing proline-rich sequences characteristic of SH3 binding regions. The sequence of p96 suggests an interactive role for this unique protein in the CSF-1 signal transduction cascade.

Animals

Multiple antigen peptide. A novel approach to increase detection sensitivity of synthetic peptides in solid-phase immunoassays.

We describe a novel approach to detect antibodies to synthetic peptide antigens in solid-phase radioimmunoassays, using a multiple antigen peptide (MAP) system. The MAPs consist of multiple copies of peptides that are synthesized as single units on a branching lysyl matrix using a solid-phase peptide synthesis method. The efficacy of the MAP approach in solid-phase immunoassays was compared with the conventional approach using a monomeric peptide of the immunodominant epitope of the circumsporozoite proteins of two species of malaria. Two monomeric peptides with 12 and 17 residues were found to bind poorly to plastic surfaces at a concentration up to 30 micrograms/ml, and showed no immunoreactivity to specific polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies, while the corresponding MAP-containing peptides showed excellent binding capacity and immunoreactivity at a concentration of 0.11 microgram/ml. The immunoreactivity of MAP-containing peptides was also superior to that of monomeric peptides conjugated to a protein carrier. The effects of various arrangements of lysyl branching of MAP on antigenicity were also studied, and the optimal number for lysyl branching of MAP was found to be octameric. Thus, the MAP, by enhancing the coating capacity and the avidity of synthetic peptides, provides increased sensitivity and reliability for the use of synthetic peptide to study antigen-antibody interactions on solid surfaces.

Antibodies

The expression of a reporter protein, beta-galactosidase, is preserved during maturation and aging in some cells of the adult Drosophila melanogaster.

The effects of maturation and aging on cell stability and maintenance of protein expression have been examined in adult Drosophila melanogaster. Counting the number of cells present in the antenna of the adult fly revealed little loss in cell number with aging. Enhancer map-marked genes expressing beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) in the antenna and an Rh1 opsin reporter gene construct expressing beta-gal in the R1-6 photoreceptor cells of the compound eye revealed no alteration in spatial distribution or amount of beta-gal with aging. A heat shock-inducible promoter coupled to the expression of beta-gal, hsp70-lacZ, revealed that the rate and amount of induction of beta-gal after heat shock is preserved during aging but the rate of decay of beta-gal may be slightly delayed in older animals. These studies suggest that the ability to express a reporter protein, beta-galactosidase, is preserved in at least a subset of cells in the aging fly.

Animals

Chronic administration of adenosine A3 receptor agonist and cerebral ischemia: neuronal and glial effects.

We have previously shown that chronic administration of the selective A3 receptor agonist N6-(3-iodobenzyl)-5'-N-methylcarboxoamidoadenosine (IB-MECA) leads to a significant improvement of postocclusive cerebral blood flow, and protects against neuronal damage and mortality induced by severe forebrain ischemia in gerbils. Using immunocytochemical methods we now show that chronic with IB-MECA results in a significant preservation of ischemia-sensitive microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP-2), enhancement of the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and a very intense depression of nitric oxide synthase in the brain of postischemic gerbils. These changes demonstrate that the cerebroprotective actions of chronically administered IB-MECA involve both neurons and glial cells, and indicate the possibility of distinct mechanisms that are affected in the course of chronic administration of the drug.

Adenosine

Effects of endothelin-3 on water and sodium excretion during extracellular volume expansion.

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the role of an IV dose of endothelin-3 (ET-3) (5 ng Kg-1 min-1) on mean arterial pressure (MAP), on diuresis and natriuresis in control and in volume expanded anesthetized rats. A systemic infusion of ET-3 in normal rats (Group I) increased MAP and produced a trend of increasing diuresis, without changes in natriuresis. A 10% body weight expansion (Group II) increased diuresis and natriuresis without changes in MAP. The simultaneous infusion of ET-3 and expansion with saline (Group III) resulted in an increase in MAP, an enhanced diuretic response, and a natriuresis of similar magnitude to that observed in Group II. These results suggest that the diuresis produced by a low dose of exogenous ET-3 in control rats, is independent of sodium excretion. Furthermore, the enhanced diuresis caused by ET-3 during expansion is greater than the addition of ET-3 and expansion effects, suggesting that new mechanisms are triggered in order to maintain volume and salt homeostasis in this state.

Animals

Cardiac MR imaging in congenital heart disease.

Magnetic resonance imaging is a unique and insightful tool for the assessment of structure and function in congenital heart disease. For anatomic assessment, the large field of view, lack of limitation by patient size, and ability to create three-dimensional surface displays from routine imaging acquisitions offer several advantages over other modalities. The ability of magnetic resonance imaging to assess the volume and mass of bizarre ventricular shapes accurately and myocardial tissue and blood tagging as well as phase encoded velocity mapping has enhanced research in pediatric cardiology. Newer techniques, such as oxygen-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging and echo-planar magnetic resonance imaging, promise even further advances in research and in clinical applications.

Heart Defects, Congenital

Optical time-of-flight chemical detection: absorption-modulated fluorescence for spatially resolved analyte mapping in a bidirectional distributed fiber-optic sensor.

A continuous chemically sensitive optical fiber is used with optical time-of-flight chemical detection (OTOF-CD) for spatially resolved analyte mapping. To enhance signal levels and to improve their reproducibility, two novel principles for signal generation and processing are introduced. In the first, the fluorescene of an analyte-insensitive fluorophore is monitored as a function of the evanescent wave absorption of an analyte-sensitive indicator. The resulting signal levels are well above those encountered in optical time domain reflectometry methods that rely upon backscattering for spatially resolved detection. As a result, the method could significantly expand the range of species that can be detected with absorption reagents used in OTOF sensors. The second method raises signal-to-noise ratios by 3-4.5-fold for measurements made at the far ends of the sensing fiber. It functions by sending probe laser pulses into and monitoring their return sequentially from both ends of the sensing fiber. Because the two pulses provide complementary information, only the first half of each of the collected waveforms is used for analyte quantitation. The introduced concepts were experimentally verified with a distributed sensor constructed from a 40-m-long continuous chemically sensitive optical fiber. This sensing element was produced by immobilization of an ammonia-sensitive absorbing reagent (phenol red) and an analyte-insensitive fluorophore (rhodamine 640) into the original silicone cladding of the plastic-clad silica fiber.

Fiber Optic Technology

Enhanced detection in brain activation maps using a multifiltering approach.

Current methods for detecting activation foci in positron emission tomography difference images include a low pass filtering step aimed at improving the signal-to-noise ratio. However, we show that detection sensitivity depends both on the activation signal and the filter sizes. Therefore, we propose to improve current detection methods by using a multifiltering strategy that is shown to be more sensitive when various kinds of signals are present in the brain activation images.

Brain

Macrorestriction analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans genomic DNA.

The usefulness of genomic physical maps is greatly enhanced by linkage of the physical map with the genetic map. We describe a "macrorestriction mapping" procedure for Caenorhabditis elegans that we have applied to this endeavor. High molecular weight, genomic DNA is digested with infrequently cutting restriction enzymes and size-fractionated by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Southern blots of the gels are probed with clones from the C. elegans physical map. This procedure allows the construction of restriction maps covering several hundred kilobases and the detection of polymorphic restriction fragments using probes that map several hundred kilobases away. We describe several applications of this technique. (1) We determined that the amount of DNA in a previously uncloned region is < 220 kb. (2) We mapped the mes-1 gene to a cosmid, by detecting polymorphic restriction fragments associated with a deletion allele of the gene. The 25-kb deletion was initially detected using as a probe sequences located approximately 400 kb away from the gene. (3) We mapped the molecular endpoint of the deficiency hDf6, and determined that three spontaneously derived duplications in the unc-38-dpy-5 region have very complex molecular structures, containing internal rearrangements and deletions.

Animals

Relapse of paranoid psychotic state in methamphetamine model of schizophrenia.

The study of the clinical course of methamphetamine (MAP) psychosis yields insights into the biological aspect of the relapse of the paranoid psychotic state with hallucination in schizophrenia. A series of MAP psychosis studies in Japan conducted over a period of more than four decades revealed three types of clinical courses of MAP psychosis after discontinuation of MAP: transient type, prolonged type, and persistent type. Identification of the latter two indicates a lasting change in the brain that produces and maintains a schizophrenia-like paranoid psychotic state without MAP. The characteristic course seen in the transient type is acute recurrence of the psychotic state after a long remission period, almost identical to the initial episode, due to reuse of MAP or to psychological stressors. Such lasting vulnerability of the brain to schizophrenia-like psychotic symptoms may be caused by a lasting sensitization of the brain to the psychotogenic action of MAP resulting from its chronic abuse. Experimental studies using animals sensitized to MAP-induced stereotypy suggest that lasting enhancement of MAP-induced dopamine release in the striatum and nucleus accumbens is related to the development and expression of brain vulnerability to schizophrenic symptoms.

Animals

Cerebral blood volume maps with dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted FLASH imaging: normal values and preliminary clinical results.

PURPOSE: In this article we investigate the application of a method that uses the relaxation effect of bolus-like injected Gd-DTPA to quantify regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV). The aim of the study was to determine if the method provides correct rCBV values in healthy subjects as well as to obtain additional diagnostic information for patients with a glioma or stroke. METHOD: Twenty healthy subjects, 12 patients with brain infarctions, and 18 patients with gliomas were examined. A series of 64 sequential images of one slice was recorded during bolus transit with a FLASH sequence. The measured signal intensity-time curves were converted pixel-wise to concentration-time curves from which the rCBV images were calculated applying the indicator dilution method. RESULTS: An average value for gray and white matter of 4.4 +/- 1.6 vol% was obtained for the group of healthy subjects. The grading of the tumors could be classified according to the differences of their corresponding rCBV values. Fifty percent of the infarct patients had to be excluded from the analysis in the acute phase due to mispositioning of the slice and data degradation by gross motion artifact. Different rCBV values were found for areas that develop later into gliotic scars or cystic necrosis. CONCLUSION: The proposed method is easy to apply in clinical routine MR investigations and provides valuable information for noninvasive, preoperative assessment of tumor grading. It can also provide additional criteria for estimating the histological outcome and with it the degree of ischemia in stroke patients.

Adolescent

Monoclonal antibodies to a peptide of human rhinovirus type 2 with different specificities recognize the same minimum sequence.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) raised against a synthetic peptide including residues 156-170 of protein VP2 of human rhinovirus type 2 (HRV2) have previously been shown to be of differing specificities. The basis for these differences has now been examined in greater detail by ELISA, radioimmunoprecipitation and virus neutralization. Reactions with a panel of HRV2 mutant viruses indicated that substitution of some residues could enhance the apparent activity of one of the neutralizing anti-peptide MAbs. For one such substitution, VP2 P164H, there appeared to be a correlation between increased neutralizing activity and enhanced binding. Mapping experiments identified two overlapping neutralization epitopes (amino acids 156-163 and 160-165) and several non-neutralizing epitopes. Although some differences in antibody reactivity were due to epitope specificity alone, the explanation for others was less obvious. Significantly, the majority of MAbs that recognized, and in some cases neutralized, native virus had the same minimum binding sequence and critical residue requirement as others which recognized virus particles only after distortion. This demonstrates that factors other than the linear sequence of the peptide can be crucial in determining the fine specificity, and hence biological relevance, of peptide antigens.

Amino Acid Sequence

Species and regional differences in the expression of cell-type specific elements at the human and rat tyrosine hydroxylase gene loci.

The expression of the catecholamine biosynthetic enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), is confined to several different types of neuroendocrine cells. Using a transient assay system, we examined more than 10 kb of the human TH gene and 6.5 kb of 5' flanking sequences of the rat TH gene for DNA elements that confer cell-type specific expression. Surprisingly, these elements do not appear to be conserved in position or sequence across species. When plasmids containing DNA sequences - 749 bp from the transcription start site of the rat gene were introduced into PC12 cells, up to sixfold higher levels of expression were observed as compared to the same fragments introduced into HepG2 cells or LAN-1 cells. In contrast to the rat gene, analogous fragments of the human 5' promoter failed to confer cell-type specific expression. However, when plasmids containing a truncated thymidine kinase promoter and either orientation of a 760 by 3' human TH gene fragment were introduced into PC12 and LAN-1 cells, we observed a six- and 3.5-fold increase, respectively, over that observed for HepG2 cells. Subsequent deletion of this fragment led to significant activation of transcription in PC12 and HepG2 cell lines. These data indicate the presence of multiple elements contributing to the cell-type specific expression of tyrosine hydroxylase genes.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms

Nuclear factors that bind two regions important to transcriptional activity of the simian immunodeficiency virus long terminal repeat.

Previous studies identified two regions in the U3 region of a molecular clone of simian immunodeficiency virus, SIVmac142, that are important to transcriptional activity under conditions of induction as well as basal-level expression (B. Renjifo, N. A. Speck, S. Winandy, N. Hopkins, and Y. Li, J. Virol. 64:3130-3134, 1990). One region includes the NF-kappa B binding site, while the other lies just 5' of this site between nucleotides -162 and -114 (the -162 to -114 region). The fact that the NF-kappa B site mutation attenuated transcriptional activity in uninduced T cells and fibroblasts where activated NF-kappa B would not be present suggested that a factor(s) other than NF-kappa B could be acting through this site. In this study, we have identified a factor which binds to a cis element overlapping the NF-kappa B site. This factor, which we call simian factor 3 (SF3), would play a role in regulation under conditions of basal level expression, whereas under conditions of induction, NF-kappa B would act via this region. SF3 may also bind to an element in the -162 to -114 region. In addition, we have identified two other factors that bind the -162 to -114 region. One, which we designated SF1, is a ubiquitous basal factor, and the other, SF2, is a T-cell-predominant phorbol myristate acetate-inducible factor. Through identification of nuclear factors that interact with the U3 region of the SIVmac142 long terminal repeat, we can gain insight into how this virus is transcriptionally regulated under conditions of basal-level expression as well as conditions of T-cell activation.

Animals

Carotid baroreflex responsiveness to lower body positive pressure-induced increases in central venous pressure.

Lower body positive pressure (LBPP) was applied at 4 and 30 Torr to increase central venous pressure (CVP). CVP increased with LBPP (r = 0.55, P < 0.01), and the increases were significant at 4 and 30 Torr (7.4 and 7.8 mmHg) from the control (6.0 mmHg). During LBPP cardiac output increased, which was significantly related to the increase in CVP (r = 0.63, P < 0.01). The carotid baroreflex was elicited by trains of neck pressure and suction from 40 to -65 Torr. The carotid-cardiac and carotid-vasomotor baroreflex responses were assessed by determining the maximal gains of heart rate (HR) interval and intraradial mean arterial pressure (MAP) to changes in carotid sinus pressure using a logistic model. The carotid-cardiac and carotid-vasomotor baroreflex gains were negatively related to LBPP, and at 30 Torr, both gains (5.6 ms/mmHg and -0.14 mmHg/mmHg) were significantly smaller than the control (12.4 ms/mmHg and -0.24 mmHg/mmHg). The decreases in carotid-cardiac and carotid-vasomotor baroreflex sensitivity during LBPP were primarily associated with the increases in CVP (r = -0.52, P < 0.01, and r = -0.74, P < 0.01, respectively). These data suggest that the increases in CVP and/or central blood volume diminish the sensitivity of the carotid baroreflex control of HR and MAP by enhancing the tonic inhibitory influence from the cardiopulmonary baroreceptors.

Adult

Altered host range phenotype of the transformation-defective Ad12 mutant CS-1 is due to deletions in the E1 region.

Although it grows well in bulk infection, human adenovirus type 12 (Ad12) does not plaque efficiently in Vero cells of simian origin. After long-term passage of the virus or after transfection of Ad12 DNA into these cells, however, transformation-defective, host-range mutants giving high plaque yields in Vero cells were isolated. The original mutants have deletions in both E1a and E1b as well as additions of viral sequences at the right terminus of the genome. We have constructed a recombinant virus (Ad12d169) carrying both E1 alterations of the original mutant CS-1 on the Ad12 wild-type background. Another mutant (Ad12mut2) has additional sequences at the right terminus and an intact E1 region. In plaque assays mutant virus Ad12d169 carrying E1a deletions has an about thousandfold higher efficiency in Vero cells than Ad12wt and Ad12mut2, mapping the enhanced replication in Vero cells to the deletions in E1. Mechanical models for the influence of the E1 deletions, for example by up-regulation of the E2-encoded DNA-binding protein, are discussed to explain the efficient replication of mutant adenoviruses in Vero cells under plaque assay conditions.

Adenovirus E1 Proteins

Fine-scale transgenic mapping of the MyoD core enhancer: MyoD is regulated by distinct but overlapping mechanisms in myotomal and non-myotomal muscle lineages.

Skeletal muscle lineage determination is regulated by the myogenic regulatory genes, MyoD and Myf-5. Previously, we identified a 258 bp core enhancer element 20 kb 5' of the MyoD gene that regulates MyoD gene activation in mouse embryos. To elucidate the cis control mechanisms that regulate MyoD transcription, we have mutagenized the entire core enhancer using linker-scanner mutagenesis, and have tested the transcriptional activity of enhancer mutants using lacZ reporter gene expression in transgenic mouse embryos. In total, 83 stable transgenic lines representing 17 linker-scanner mutations were analyzed in midgestational mouse embryos. Eight linker-scanner mutations resulted in a partial or complete loss of enhancer activity, demonstrating that MyoD is primarily under positive transcriptional control. Six of these mutations reduced or abolished transgene expression in all skeletal muscle lineages, indicating that activation of MyoD expression in trunk, limb and head musculature is regulated, in part, by shared transcriptional mechanisms. Interestingly, however, two adjacent linker-scanner mutations (LS-14 and LS-15) resulted in a dramatic reduction in transgene expression specifically in myotomes at 11.5 days. At later stages, transgene expression was absent or greatly reduced in myotomally derived muscles including epaxial muscles (deep back muscles) and hypaxial muscles of the body wall (intercostal muscles, abdominal wall musculature). In contrast, head muscles, as well as muscles of the body derived from migrating muscle progenitor cells (e.g. limb, diaphragm), were unaffected by these mutations. In Pax-3-mutant mice, LS-14 and LS-15 transgene expression was eliminated in the body, but was unaffected in the head, yielding an identical expression pattern to the endogenous MyoD gene in mice mutant for both Myf-5 and Pax-3. These data support the hypothesis that LS-14 and LS-15 define the core enhancer targets for Myf-5-dependent activation of MyoD in myotomal muscles.

Alternative Splicing

Body surface Laplacian electrocardiographic mapping--a review.

It is of great importance and significance to be able to noninvasively map spatially distributed cardiac electrical activity from body surface electrical recordings. The standard electrocardiographic monitoring techniques provide little spatial information regarding cardiac electrical activity. Recently, a new approach-body surface Laplacian electrocardiographic mapping-has been aggressively pursued to provide high-resolution spatial mapping of cardiac electrical activity. The fundamental innovation is the measurement of the Laplacian electrocardiogram distribution over the body surface. The body surface Laplacian electrocardiographic maps have been shown to provide enhanced ability to map multiple spatially separate cardiac bioelectric sources. This article reviews the theoretical and experimental aspects of this emerging mapping technique. First of all, the paper briefly reviews the historical development of body surface mapping and inverse solutions for mapping the distributed cardiac electrical activity. Then the paper reviews the theoretical basis of body surface Laplacian mapping and the biophysical interpretation of body surface Laplacian signals, as well as technical consideration of the Laplacian recording and instrumentation. Investigations of body surface Laplacian maps in computer models and a physical tank model, as well as physiological studies are also reviewed.

Animals