Isolation and characterization of cDNA encoding rabbit reticulocyte 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate synthase

We have isolated and sequenced a cDNA clone containing the entire coding region of rabbit reticulocyte 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate (DPG) synthase. The cDNA was verified by translation of the hybridization-selected RNA and by demonstrating identity of the deduced amino acid (aa) sequence to the sequences of CNBr peptides of the purified enzyme. The aa sequence of the enzyme was homologous to the reported sequence of the human enzyme [Haggarty et al., EMBO J. 2 (1983) 1213-1220], especially in the N-terminal half (aa 1-142). Northern blot analysis of rabbit reticulocyte poly(A)+ RNA revealed a single species of mRNA with about 1700 nucleotides.

Clinical experience with the 22-MeV microtron at the National Cancer Center Hospital

Experience with the 22-MeV microtron is presented. The maintenance and ease of operability of the system are satisfactory. The physical characteristics showed many clinical advantages. Fundamental measurement of dose distribution and depth dose curves were performed and clinically applied. The two-gantry system is very satisfactory and effective for irradiation by photons and electrons to treat many patients per day. The facility for intraoperative radiotherapy and the physical conditions for total body irradiation are also sufficient because of the well-designed building layout and the systematized facility with the microtron system.

[Extra-abdominal desmoid tumor--report of a case]

A case of an extra-abdominal desmoid tumor in a 17-year-old female is reported. At the time of the first examination, the tumor was found to already involve the floor of the mouth, the submandibular region, both sides of the neck, the anterior chest wall and the mediastinum and hence was considered inoperable. The patient was treated by external irradiation and interstitial irradiation (Ir and Au). The therapeutic response was very slow, becoming noticeable 4 months after completion of the therapy and lasting for more than a year. Experience in this case indicates that in order for radiotherapy to prove successful in the treatment of desmoid tumor, it must be administered in relatively high doses. Since desmoid tumors reportedly have the potential for sarcomatous transformation, a long-term follow-up seems to be necessary in the management of patients with this neoplasm. It is considered that inoperable extra-abdominal desmoid tumors are a good indication for radiation therapy.

Treatment of metastatic gastric cancer by combined radiation and hyperthermia (report of two cases)

Two patients with metastatic carcinoma of the stomach on the abdominal wall were treated by radiotherapy using cobalt-60 gamma-ray or megavoltage electrons combined with hyperthermia induced with a Thermotron (8 MHz). The total dosage was 44 Gy fractionated into 11 doses (twice a week), by cobalt-60 gamma-ray and 10 hyperthermia treatments for patient 1, and 32 Gy fractionated into eight doses (twice a week) given by megavoltage electrons and five hyperthermia treatments for patient 2. In patient 1, the shrinkage of the tumor was more than 50%. No tumor cells were observed histologically at the end of treatment. In patient 2, the tumors completely disappeared. These results encourage us in the use of radiotherapy combined with hyperthermia for rather radioresistant adenocarcinoma.

Hybridomas for production of monoclonal antibodies to human erythropoietin

Human urinary erythropoietin has been highly purified by a combination of conventional purification methods and immunoadsorbent columns packed with hybridoma-produced antibodies against contaminants that seemed difficult to separate from erythropoietin by the usual means. By using the partially purified erythropoietin as an antigen, three hybridoma clones have been obtained that secrete monoclonal antibodies against erythropoietin. One of the clones has been quite stable, with a rapid growth rate and high production of antibody. Western blotting technique with monoclonal antibodies revealed occurrence of two species of erythropoietin. The monoclonal antibody will be useful as a probe for the purification of erythropoietin and for further studies of the hormone and its mechanism of action.

[Occurrence of carcinoma of the vulva and vagina following irradiation of cervix carcinoma]

Six patients with carcinoma of the vulva and 3 with carcinoma of the vagina following radiation therapy for cancer of the cervix were analyzed. The interval between irradiation and diagnosis of the second tumor varied from 5 to 23 years. Despite the lack of having detailed information on irradiation factors in all patients, circumstantial evidence from this study suggests that radiation therapy may have contributed to the development of carcinoma of the vulva and vagina in some of the patients. Close follow-up patients treated for squamous carcinoma of the genital tract must emphasize inspection for new lesions. The incidences previously reported in the literature are also reviewed for comparison.

A modified anaerobic method of sweat collection

In an attempt to devise a method for collecting large volumes of thermally induced sweat with less epidermal contamination and evaporative water loss, we developed an anaerobic sweat collector by using a sheet of polyethylene film placed over a thin layer of Vaseline and paraffin oil on the skin. To test the validity of the new method, sweat samples collected every 5 min from the new collector (sweat A) were compared with those obtained from a second collector using no oil (sweat B) and scraped sweat for concentrations of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP), protein, glucose, urea, lactic acid, calcium, sodium, potassium, and cholesterol. The concentration of sweat ingredients in scraped sweat was often far greater than could be expected from evaporative water loss alone. When compared with sweat A, sweat B also had higher concentrations of these ingredients in the initial samples, indicating epidermal contamination, which was especially marked in cAMP, protein, urea, cholesterol, and calcium. Concomitant with a rise in plasma glucose following the administration of a glucose bolus, the sweat glucose significantly increased, indicating the plasma as a major source of sweat glucose. We conclude that the new sweat collector is instrumental in collecting large volumes of the cleanest possible human sweat.

Isolation of human erythropoietin with monoclonal antibodies

Human erythropoietin was isolated from urine of aplastic anemic patients in a high yield with a simple purification procedure using an immunoadsorbent column of monoclonal antibodies and a Sephadex G-100 column. About 6 mg of erythropoietin was isolated from 700 liters of urine and the specific activity was estimated to be 81,600 units/mg of protein with an in vivo 59Fe incorporation assay method, using starved rats. Activity measurement of the extracts from sliced gels after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the Western blotting technique revealed heterogeneity of the isolated erythropoietin, which is probably caused by variable amounts of carbohydrates attached to the polypeptide chain. Thirty amino acids in the NH2-terminal portion of the isolated hormone were sequenced.

[Seven-year follow-up studies on asymptomatic HBs Ag carriers]

This report covers 7-year follow-up studies on 35 HBs Ag carriers whose anti-HBc titer levels were 10 (log 2) or more and who had normal liver functions at the start of the studies, when 9 of them (25.7%) were HBe Ag positive, 24 (68.6%) anti-HBe positive and 2 (5.7%) negative to both. 1. There was no significant difference in the incidence of abnormal SGPT levels as a whole between HBe Ag positives and anti-HBe positives. But abnormally high SGPT levels of 100 KU or more were observed at a higher percentage among HBe Ag positives (4/9. 44.4%) than among anti-HBe positives (1/24. 4.2%. p less than 0.02). 2. Based on the results of the 7-year studies, all cases were classified into six clinical stages. HBe Ag positives were divided into three groups by the stage with different SGPT levels: 5 cases (15.2%) whose SGPT leves never rose above 50 KU were classified as Stage 1; 3 cases with chronic active hepatitis (9.6%) whose highest SGPT levels were over 200 KU (2 new cases and 1 case with a relapse of chronic inactive hepatitis) as Stage 2 and 1 case (3.0%) seroconverted to anti-HBe positive following an acute relapse of chronic inactive hepatitis as Stage 3. Anti-HBe positives were divided into another three groups similarly according to their mean HBs Ag titer levels: 6 cases (18.2%) whose mean HBs Ag titer levels ranged from 10 to 13 (log 2) were classified as Stage 4; 13 cases (39.4%) whose mean HBs Ag titer levels ranged from 6 to 9 as Stage 5 and 5 cases (15.2%), including 2 cases turned negative to HBs Ag, whose mean HBs Ag titer levels were below 5 as Stage 6. The average age of each group increased wth its clinical stage, namely, 32.6 in Stage 1, 34.3 in Stage 2, 33.0 in Stage 3, 34.5 in Stage 4 and 37.0 in Stage 5, but the average age in Stage 6 was 29.0. 3. All HBe Ag positives showed fluctuations in HBs Ag titer levels. The fluctuations were particularly noteworthy among cases with chronic active hepatitis in Stage 2 during an acute relapse. The HBs Ag titers rose just before the acute relapses in a case of chronic active hepatitis when SGPT levels went over 200 KU. This suggested a proliferation of the virus. On the other hand, in anti-HBe positives, a decrement of the virus was suggested by the fact that an increasing proportion of cases showed their HBs Ag titer levels to fluctuate or to become lower with the progress of stages (p less than 0.05) and two cases turned negative to HBs Ag as plotted in Stage 6. And the proportion of cases with abnormal SGPT levels decreased with the progress of stages (p less than 0.05). One case whose SGPT level was 125 KU, highest among anti-HBe positives, followed the clinical course of chronic inactive hepatitis and lowered in HBs Ag titer. 4. Between HBe Ag and anti-HBe cases, there were considerable differences in the occurrence of liver disturbances and their clinical courses...

Synthesis of 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate synthase in erythroid cells

Antiserum prepared from a rabbit which was immunized with human erythrocyte glycerate-2,3-P2 synthase was found to react with glycerate-2,3-P2 synthase in rabbit erythroid cells. By using this antiserum, it was proved that the specific activity of this enzyme was unchanged during the development of the rabbit erythroid cells. This leads us to conclude that the increased activity of glycerate-2,3-P2 synthase in developing erythroid cells (Narita, H., Ikura, K., Yanagawa, S., Sasaki, R., Chiba, H., Saimyoji, H., and Kumagai, N. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 5230-5235) is due to the accumulation of enzyme protein. There is at least a 16-fold increase in the level of this protein during development from bone marrow erythroid cells to erythrocytes. The synthesis of glycerate-2,3-P2 synthase was shown to occur in rabbit reticulocytes and bone marrow erythroid cells. These cells were incubated for protein synthesis and the protein synthesized was precipitated with the anti-glycerate-2,3-P2 synthase antiserum and separated on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. The immunoprecipitated product was shown to produce fragments of the same molecular weight after digestion with V8 protease as did the pure glycerate-2,3-P2 synthase. The proportion of glycerate-2,3-P2 synthase synthesis in reticulocytes (0.04% of total protein synthesis) was comparable to the level of this protein in the cells (0.07% of the total protein).

2,3-Bisphosphoglycerate in developing rabbit erythroid cells

Rabbits were made anemic to different extents by phenylhydrazine injections so as to vary the developmental stages of the erythroid cells in their peripheral blood and bone marrow. It was found that the more severe the anemia, the lower the concentration of glycerate-2,3-P2 in the bone marrow cells and in the circulating erythroid cells. The glycerate-2,3-P2 level was shown to rise during erythroid differentiation in a linear relationship to the hemoglobin level, corresponding to the equation Y = 0.03x + 0.29, where y is the concentration of glycerate-2,3-P2 (micromoles per ml packed cells) and x is the concentration of hemoglobin (milligrams per packed cells). The bone marrow cells were fractionated on a size (i.e. maturity) basis and enzyme activities in the fractionated cells were measured. The accumulation of glycerate-2,3-P2 was found to be primarily attributable to the increase in glycerate-2,3-P2 synthase activity. Glycerate-2,3-P2 phosphatase and phosphofructokinase increased as the cells matured from the polychromatic stages to become reticulocytes while pyruvate kinase and phosphoglyceromutase decreased. The changes in phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase appear to be advantageous for glycerate-2,3-P2 accumulation. The two enzyme activities directly responsible for the synthesis and the breakdown of glycerate-2,3-P2 are probably manifested by a single protein, glycerate-2,3-P2 synthase-phosphatase.