Two classes of phosphotyrosine-containing proteins detected by labeling with 32P and 125I in HeLa cells

There are two classes of proteins that can be phosphorylated on tyrosine in HeLa cells. One class can be detected by metabolic labeling with [32P]Pi and affinity chromatography using anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies. The other cannot be detected by this technique but can be detected among the proteins which bind to the antibodies by in vitro iodination with 125I. Presumably proteins of the second class contain phosphotyrosine at which the phosphate undergoes very slow turnover. The incubation of cells in phosphate-minus medium caused a marked reduction in the levels of phosphotyrosine-containing proteins, this explaining the failure of detection of the second class proteins even after prolonged labeling with [32P]Pi.

Superoxide generation of leukemic cells in children

Superoxide (O2-) generation of leukemic cells was investigated in 28 children with acute leukemia. Leukemic cells of seven with acute myelomonocytic leukemia and one with acute monocytic leukemia produced various amounts of O2- (0.13-0.87 nmol/min/10(6) cells) when stimulated with wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Other types of leukemia cells exhibited no such functions. Leukemic cells of two patients diagnosed as unusual cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia generated significant amounts of O2- when stimulated with WGA and PMA. Both patients went into complete remission while on acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia treatment. Thus O2- generating activity can serve as a functional marker of leukemic cells in myelomonocytic lineage.

Azinomycins A and B, new antitumor antibiotics. III. Antitumor activity

Azinomycins A and B, isolated from the culture broth of Streptomyces griseofuscus S 42227, were examined for antitumor activities against P388 leukemia, P815 mastocytoma, B-16 melanoma, Ehrlich carcinoma, Lewis lung carcinoma and Meth A fibrosarcoma. Azinomycin B was markedly effective against the intraperitoneally inoculated tumors such as P388 leukemia, B-16 melanoma and Ehrlich carcinoma. The intraperitoneal administration of azinomycin B showed 57% survivors for 45 days and 193% ILS against P388 leukemia. For Ehrlich carcinoma, azinomycin B gave 161% ILS and 63% survivors for 45 days, but solid tumors such as Lewis lung carcinoma and Meth A fibrosarcoma were not susceptible to repeated injection of this substance. Azinomycin A was somewhat less effective than azinomycin B for the tumor systems tested.

Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage cells and fluids in patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis: possible role of chemotactic factors in the pathogenesis of disease

The current study concerns immunological mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) by an analysis of the cells and chemotactic factors (CF) obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Nine patients at an acute stage (HP acute, 8 summer type and 1 pigeon breeder's lung) and 4 patients at a quiescent stage (HP quiescent, 3 summer type and 1 pigeon breeder's lung) were included. The results indicate that: CF for polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) in HP acute were significantly more potent than in HP quiescent; CF for mononuclear cells were not significantly different in the groups; the percentage of lymphocytes in HP acute was significantly greater even though HP quiescent revealed greater percentages of lymphocytes as compared to normal controls; determination of T cell subsets employing OKT antibodies revealed the ratio of OKT8+ cells to OKT4+ cells in HP acute was significantly higher than in HP quiescent, and chemotaxis for PMN was marginally correlated with the percentage of OKT8+ cells at the acute stage of disease.

Increase of phosphotyrosine-containing proteins in human carcinomas

Immunofluorescent (IF) staining with monoclonal antibody to O-phosphotyrosine (PTYR) has shown that a variety of human carcinomas (liver, esophagus, stomach, lung, colon and breast) have increased amounts of PTYR-containing proteins (PTYR-proteins), which are localized in cytoplasmic regions and nucleolus-like structures of the carcinoma cells. PTYR-proteins were isolated from carcinomas of the liver, stomach and esophagus, and also from normal regions of these organs by immunoaffinity chromatography with polyclonal antibodies to PTYR. They were then labeled with 125I and analyzed by gel electrophoresis. Twenty-eight species of PTYR-proteins in a molecular weight range from 310,000 to 23,000 were detected, of which the major 16 species were confirmed to contain 125I-labeled diiodo-O-phosphotyrosine residues. All the PTYR-proteins found in carcinomas were also present, though at much lower levels, in normal regions of the respective organs.

The hypotensive effect of 2-(5-chloro-2-phenoxyanilino)-2-imidazoline (FR35447)

The hypotensive effect of FR35447 was comparable to that of prazosin and was more potent than that of hydralazine, but its duration of action was shorter. Repeated administration of FR35447 or prazosin to hypertensive rats for 5 consecutive days induced no significant difference in the intensity or duration of the hypotensive effect. In contrast, marked tachyphylaxis to hydralazine or phentolamine was observed. FR35447 as well as prazosin induced only a transient increase in cardiac output in anesthetized dogs, whereas hydralazine induced a longlasting increase. This difference may contribute to no development of tolerance to FR35447 or prazosin. FR35447 decreased the pressor response to noradrenaline, but not that to angiotensin II or vasopressin in pithed rats, which indicates that FR35447 is an alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist. FR35447 has some selectivity for alpha 2-adrenoceptors, but the selectivity was far less than that of yohimbine. Since FR35447 induced only slight hypotension following intracerebroventricular injection in anesthetized cats, the hypotensive effect of the drug does not appear to be mediated through the central nervous system. Whereas prazosin induced a dose-dependent increase in blood glucose in rats, FR35447 showed no significant effect.

Measurement of cutaneous blood flow by clearance of hydrogen gas generated by electrolysis

In an attempt to assess the reliability of a method for measurement of local blood flow-namely, the clearance of electrochemically generated hydrogen gas-a series of experiments were conducted using the skin and skin flap in rats and rabbits. The results showed high accuracy in obtained values, good reproducibility in the repeated measurements, and consistency with the values obtained by the hydrogen gas inhalation method. Histological examination revealed only minimal damage to the tissue resulting from the measurement. Using this method, blood flow was measured at different sites on the flap in rats. The critical point of blood flow as measured by this method was thoroughly consistent with the dye distance as well as with the survival length. No injurious effects of the measurement procedure on flap survival were noticed. The present study suggests a wide potential application of this method in plastic surgery because of its high reliability and because no radioactivity is involved.

Anti-O-phosphotyrosine antibodies in human sera

Antibodies reactive with O-phosphotyrosine (PTYR) were detected in 60 out of 621 inpatients, with high frequencies in hematologic and lung malignancies, hepatic diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and autoimmune diseases. Affinity-purified antibodies proved capable of recognizing PTYR-containing proteins in a human carcinoma cell line, A431, both by immunofluorescent staining and by immunoaffinity chromatography, but had no detectable affinity for phosphorylated serine or threonine, or for the nucleotides tested. In these respects, the antibodies observed in human sera were indistinguishable from anti-PTYR antibodies raised experimentally in rabbits or mice.

Immunofluorescent staining of human leukemic cells with monoclonal antibody to phosphotyrosine

Peripheral blood cells and bone marrow cells from patients with various types of leukemia, but not those from healthy persons, were brightly immunofluorescent (IF) after staining with monoclonal antibody reactive to O-phosphotyrosine. All the IF-positive cells observed in peripheral blood were judged to be leukemic in morphology, and the IF-positive cells comprised 40-90% of total leukemic cells present in blood. Similar bright fluorescence was observed in the K562 human leukemic cell line. The results raise the possibility that leukemic cells can be distinguished from normal hematologic cells by their increased contents of phosphorylated tyrosine residues.

Preparation and characterization of antibodies to O-phosphotyrosine and their use for identification of phosphotyrosine-containing proteins

To facilitate the identification of phosphotyrosine (P-tyr)-containing proteins, rabbit polyclonal antibodies and mouse monoclonal antibody specifically reactive to P-tyr were prepared by hyperimmunizing the animals with P-tyr-conjugated bovine serum albumin or poly-L-lysine. As determined by a solid-phase radioimmunoassay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the antibodies reacted with P-tyr-conjugated target antigens but not with those conjugated with phosphoserine (P-ser) or phosphothreonine (P-thr). This immune reaction was strongly blocked by 2 mM P-tyr and phenylphosphate but not by P-ser or P-thr. The antibodies were capable of isolating, as the major P-tyr-containing components, a 170kd protein (most likely the EGF receptor) from EGF-stimulated, 32P-labelled A431 cells, and 130kd and 60kd proteins from Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)-transformed chick cell lysate which had been labelled in vitro with gamma-32P-ATP. Immunofluorescent staining of RSV-transformed cells and A431 cells showed specific localization of P-tyr-containing proteins in the cytoplasm, plasma membrane, and nucleolus-like structures. The results demonstrated the usefulness of the antibodies for identification or isolation of P-tyr-containing proteins.

A human nucleolar antigen (pp90) associated with cell growth and its induction by Epstein-Barr virus and human cytomegalovirus

Immunofluorescent staining of HeLa cells with rabbit antiserum raised against isolated HeLa cell nucleoli showed bright nucleolar fluorescence. Immunoprecipitation of nuclear extracts obtained from HeLa cells labelled with 35S-methionine or 32P-orthophosphate followed by gel electrophoresis of the precipitate revealed a major band of 90 kd. This antigen, called pp90, was judged to be responsible for the nucleolar fluorescence. Serine residues were predominantly phosphorylated in pp90. Similar nucleolar fluorescence was observed commonly in human cells derived from malignant tumors including acute lymphatic leukemia, adult T-cell leukemia, hepatitis B virus-associated hepatoma, adenocarcinoma, and in 5 lymphoid cells derived from Burkitt lymphoma but not in normal human lymphocytes or liver cells. In immunoprecipitation, 32P-labelled pp90 was commonly detected as the major component in all of those cells which showed nucleolar fluorescence. Resting human embryo lung (HEL) cells were negative for both nucleolar fluorescence and pp90 in immunoprecipitation, but turned positive when stimulated to grow, suggesting the involvement of pp90 in cell growth. Antigen pp90 was also induced in human lymphocytes and HEL cells by infection with Epstein-Barr virus in human cytomegalovirus, respectively, which are known to induce cell DNA synthesis in early stages of infection. A cross-reacting nucleolar antigen was detected in 2 monkey cells but not in 3 rodent cells tested.

[Chronic dacryocystitis cured by probing of the duct]

A seven-year-old case with chronic dacryocystitis resulting from congenital obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct was cured not by a dacryocystorhinostomy but by probing of the duct. Our results show that even in case of planned dacryocystorhinostomy, probing of the duct should be performed at least once.

Lymphoid interstitial pneumonia associated with depressed cellular immunity and polyclonal gammopathy

This report describes a case of lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (LIP) associated with polyclonal gammopathy and selective depression of cellular immunity. Enhanced humoral immunity is suggested because the patient exhibited increased levels of circulating immunoglobulin (chiefly IgG) and a positive test reaction for rheumatoid factor. When first examined, the patient displayed depressed cellular immunity in that the results of his skin test were negative to dinitrochlorobenzene and phytohemagglutinin (PHA), his peripheral lymphocytes responded suboptimally to PHA, and he had decreased numbers of circulating T cells. When examined 6 yr later, the patient was again hypergammaglobulinemic, but he had regained some of his cellular immune function. Eight years after the patient was initially seen, he showed further improvement in cellular immune function. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage cells showed that the patient had a normal proportion of OKT4+ (inducer/helper) cells, but a reduced number of OKT8+ (suppressor/cytotoxic) cells. Thus, his improvement may have been associated with a correction of an imbalance of immunoregulatory T cells. Furthermore, because the disease was active on initial examination but less active after the second evaluation, malfunction of his cellular immune functions may have been involved in the pathogenesis of LIP.

Ontogenetic appearance of somatostatin-containing nerve terminals in the median eminence of rats

The development of immunoreactive (ir) somatostatin-containing nerve terminals in the rat median eminence (ME) has been examined electron-microscopically. Nerve fibers containing ir particles scattered throughout the axoplasm are first seen in the external layer of the ME on day 18.5 of gestation, and, on day 21.5 appear to terminate on the basement membrane of the perivascular space of the portal vessels. After birth, the fiber terminals contain several membrane-limited granules, which are labeled with ir PAP particles. Ultrathin, Epon-embedded sections of ME, treated by the protein A gold-labeling method for somatostatin, demonstrate positively labeled granules in the nerve fibers in the postnatal ME, but in the prenatal tissue, no specific gold-labeling is found. These findings show that, in the external layer of the ME, somatostatin storing occurs in the granules in the axonal terminals after birth.

Comparison of the cardiovascular effect of FR34235, a new dihydropyridine, with other calcium antagonists

We compared the cardiovascular effect of FR34235, a new dihydropyridine derivative, with the effects of nifedipine, nicardipine, and diltiazem on the dog using in vitro and in vivo preparations. FR34235 reduced the amplitude of coronary arterial contraction induced by K+ more so than that induced by norepinephrine in in vitro preparations. The ID50 values of FR34235 for various arterial strips contracted by K+ were smaller (1/5-1/426) than those of nifedipine and diltiazem, and almost the same as those of nicardipine. There was a greater increase in both the coronary and vertebral blood flow than in the other peripheral arterial flow in anesthetized dogs administered FR34235 (0.32-100 micrograms/kg i.v.), and the duration of effect was about two to three times longer than that of the other drugs. To obtain a vasodilating effect by the intraduodenal route, 10-30 times the intravenous dose of FR34235 was required, far lower than that required of nicardipine. In atrioventricular (AV) and sinoatrial node preparations, FR34235 was weaker in impairing AV conduction than nifedipine, in spite of their similar potencies in increasing coronary flow and decreasing sinus rate. FR34235 was more potent than diltiazem in increasing coronary flow, in spite of their similar potencies on AV conduction. It is concluded that FR34235 has: (a) potent vasodilating activity, probably due to inhibition of Ca2+ influx into the cells; (b) selective and long-lasting effects on the coronary and cerebral arteries in vivo; (c) a wide difference between doses that cause vasodilation and an impairing effect on AV conducting tissues; and (d) therapeutic effects after absorption from the intestinal tract.

Topography and ultrastructure of LHRH- and somatostatin-containing axonal terminals in the median eminence of rats

The topography and ultrastructure of LHRH and somatostatin nerve fibers in the median eminence in male rats were investigated with special reference to the relation between the fiber terminals and the perivascular space of the portal capillaries. Vibratome sections taken from the rostral and preinfundibular portions of the median eminence were immunostained with anti-LHRH or anti-somatostatin serum before plastic embedding for electron microscopy. In the external layer of the median eminence, the LHRH fibers did not directly contact the perivascular space, although they were in close proximity to the external surface of the median eminence. On the contrary, somatostatin fibers divided into branches in the external layer of the median eminence and terminated in direct contact with the perivascular space in the median eminence. LHRH fiber terminals contain immunoreactive granules, whereas somatostatin fibers are characterized by the presence of synaptic vesicle-like structures, vesicle ghosts and immunoreactive granules in their terminals. These topographical and ultrastructural differences might be regarded as a morphological manifestation of different mechanisms in the release of neurohormones.

Electronmicroscopic study of somatostatin-containing neurons in rat arcuate nucleus with special reference to neuronal regulation

After an intraventricular administration of colchicine, the arcuate nucleus of rat hypothalamus was examined light and electron microscopically by pre-embedding immunohistochemistry for somatostatin. The arcuate nucleus exhibited numerous immunoreactive cell bodies and dense networks of immunoreactive fibers. The fibers appeared to surround immunonegative cell bodies. The immunoreactive cell bodies were multipolar in shape and projected immunoreactive processes to some extent. The immunoreactive cell bodies and fibers received synaptic contacts by immunonegative fiber terminals containing a large number of synaptic clear vesicles. Similarly, immunoreactive somatostatin fibers appeared to terminate upon other immunonegative cell bodies and fibers. The immunoreactive presynaptic terminals contain several labeled granules and numerous synaptic vesicles. In close proximity to these immunolabeled terminals, non-labeled presynaptic terminals were also observed upon the immunonegative cell bodies and fibers. This suggests that in the arcuate nucleus neurons regulated by somatostatin neurons are also under the control of other types of neurons.

[A clinical study of netilmicin in patients of surgical field (author's transl)]

Ten patients with postoperative infections were treated intramuscularly with netilmicin, a new aminoglycoside. Netilmicin was administered either with or without antibiotics. The overall cure rate was 60%. No adverse reaction was appeared in 10 patients during the course of the treatment.

Pharmacological study on sympathetic inhibition of the urinary bladder in dogs

The sympathetic inhibitory mechanism in dog urinary bladder studied. The bladder contractions induced by electrical stimulation of the pelvic nerve both proximal and distal to the pelvic plexus and by intraarterial administration of tetramethylammonium (TMA) were inhibited by stimulation of the hypogastric nerve and intraarterial injection of catecholamines. The inhibition by hypogastric nerve stimulation was more potent at the low frequency of pelvic nerve stimulation than at the high frequency. The inhibition of contraction induced by stimulation of the pre-plexal pelvic nerve was antagonized by phentolamine and propranolol, whereas the inhibition of contraction induced by stimulation of the post-plexal pelvic nerve and by TMA treatment were antagonized only by propranolol. It is concluded that inhibition by hypogastric nerve stimulation of bladder contraction induced by pelvic nerve stimulation is composed of two different components. One occurs at the ganglia in the pelvic plexus and is mediated by alpha-adrenoceptors. The other occurs at the post-plexal pelvic pathway, probably at the ganglia in the bladder wall or on the muscle cells, and is mediated by beta-adrenoceptors. Moreover, the alpha-adrenergic action facilitated the pelvic nerve excitation in its pathway from the ganglionic cell bodies to the muscle cells.