Protein-tyrosine kinase p72syk is activated by thromboxane A2 mimetic U44069 in platelets

We show that p72syk is rapidly activated following the stimulation of thromboxane A2 mimetics, U44069 and STA2 in porcine platelets. The activity of p72syk reached a maximum at 10 s and decreased to a basal level within 60 s after 1 microM U44069 stimulation. This activation was enhanced in a dose-dependent manner and completely canceled by the pretreatment of platelet suspension with ONO3708, a specific antagonist of thromboxane A2. Pretreatment of platelets with aspirin as well as apyrase did not affect the activation of p72syk. When both extra- and intra-cellular Ca2+ were depleted, the activation of p72syk was still persistent; in contrast, the deactivation process was completely abrogated even at 120 s after U44069 stimulation. These results suggest that p72syk is a responsible enzyme to the protein-tyrosine phosphorylation events, and that p72syk functions mainly before Ca2+ recruitment in thromboxane A2-stimulated platelets.

Vascular permeability enhancing activity of Porphyromonas gingivalis protease in guinea pigs

Porphyromonas gingivalis protease, which had been isolated from a culture supernatant, caused vascular permeability enhancement in a dose-dependent manner when injected into guinea pig skin. The permeability-enhancing reaction caused by the protease was not affected by treatment with antihistamine, but was greatly augmented by simultaneous injection of a kinin potentiator, carboxypeptidase N inhibitor. However, the reaction was inhibited by soybean trypsin inhibitor or alpha 2-antiplasmin, although both of these inhibitors could not inhibit P. gingivalis protease at all by themselves. A bradykinin-degrading enzyme, carboxypeptidase B, weakened this vascular reaction. Results described indicate that the permeability-enhancing reaction induced by the protease is caused by activation, of the kallikrein-kinin cascade in the tissue.

Activation of protein-tyrosine kinase p72syk with concanavalin A in polymorphonuclear neutrophils

We studied the abundance, subcellular distribution of a non-receptor protein-tyrosine kinase p72syk (Taniguchi, T., Kobayashi, T., Kondo, J., Takahashi, K., Nakamura, H., Suzuki, J., Nagai, K., Yamada, T., Nakamura, S., and Yamamura, H. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 15790-15796) in porcine polymorphonuclear neutrophils and the activation upon the stimulation with concanavalin A. The abundance was about 0.1% of total proteins and mainly distributed in the particulate fraction. Upon concanavalin A stimulation, the activity of p72syk increased within 30 s, attained to the maximum level at 1 min, and then returned to the basal level within 6 min. This activation was observed in a dose-dependent manner and abrogated by simultaneous addition of methyl alpha-mannopyranoside. When both extra- and intracellular Ca2+ were depleted, the activation of p72syk was still persistent; in contrast, the deactivation process was completely abrogated even at 6 min after stimulation. The replenishment of Ca2+ in the presence of A23187 resulted in a similar deactivation pattern as seen in the Ca(2+)-rich condition. In addition, genistein and herbimycin A, potent protein-tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, were capable of reducing concanavalin A-evoked p72syk activation and Ca2+ mobilization as well as the aggregation and lysozyme release. Furthermore, A23187-induced Ca2+ accumulation in inhibitor-treated cells resulted in the restoration of those cellular responses. These lines of evidence suggest that p72syk is activated with concanavalin A in a Ca(2+)-independent manner, participating in a mechanism of Ca2+ recruitment, and negatively regulated by a feedback mechanism through Ca2+ in neutrophils.

Conjugation of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase with succinylated gelatin: pharmacological activity and cell-lubricating function

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and succinylated gelatin (succinyl gelatin) were conjugated to improve in vivo pharmacological activity of SOD. Lysyl residues of human recombinant Cu,Zn-SOD were cross-linked with carboxyl residues of succinyl gelatin using 1-ethyl-3-[3- (dimethylamino)propyl]carbodiimide. Various chemical and pharmacokinetic parameters of the conjugate were determined. Analysis by atomic absorption spectrometry and amino acid composition revealed that the conjugate was composed of about 2.9 mol of succinyl gelatin (with a mean molecular weight of 23,000) to 1 mol of SOD and exhibited an apparent mean molecular weight of 98,000. The conjugate retained almost 100% of its original activity on a molar basis. When the succinyl gelatin-conjugated Cu,Zn-SOD (Suc-gel-SOD) was administered intravenously to mice, its plasma half-life was prolonged to 29.7 min compared with 4.5 min for native SOD. Tissue distribution analysis revealed that intravenously administered Suc-gel-SOD showed a much greater accumulation than native SOD in the liver followed by in decreasing order the kidney, the lung, and the spleen; native SOD was excreted more rapidly into urine before it accumulated in tissues. Furthermore, Suc-gel-SOD exhibited lower antigenicity and immunogenicity than native SOD, and it had a better therapeutic effect against ischemic edema of the foot pad in mice. The conjugate was found to accumulate more than native SOD in the ischemic foot pad. A newly added property of the conjugate is cell-lubricating activity, which facilitated cell passage through micropores and reduced hemolysis during cell passage in vitro.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Granulomatous leptomeningitis in beagle dogs

A granulomatous leptomeningitis was seen in seven laboratory Beagle dogs (four males, three females), 14 to 15 months old, that had been used as control or experimental subjects in a toxicologic study. The dogs were clinically normal during the experimental period. Microscopic lesions were characterized by typical noncaseating granulomas in leptomeninges and slight scattered perivascular cuffing in gray and white matter throughout the central nervous system, with no site of predilection. Although no microorganisms could be found by ordinary light microscopic examination, there was a positive reaction for Escherichia coli antigen in the cytoplasm of macrophages, which corresponded to periodic acid-Schiff-positive, calcium-negative, and iron-negative materials in the granulomas and cuffs. Electron microscopic examination revealed that these materials were large phagolysosomes indicative of abnormal lysosomal function. These findings indicate that at least some cases of canine granulomatous leptomeningitis could be very likely caused by E. coli and represent an entity distinct from classical canine granulomatous meningoencephalitis.

How antenatal ultrasound diagnosis of congenital malformations has contributed to fetal outcome: a 22-year review

We herein reviewed 630 malformed fetuses delivered from 24 weeks of gestation onwards in our institute over the past 22 years. These fetuses were divided into 2 groups: 210 from 1970 to 1982 (group 1) and 420 from 1983 to 1991 (group 2). Twenty-two varieties of congenital malformations were diagnosed antenatally in group 1, whereas 55 additional malformations became diagnosable in group 2. Thirty-four varieties of congenital malformations still remained undiagnosed throughout the 22-year study period. Cases receiving 'fetal therapy' and 'close obstetric care' increased, with statistical significance, from 1.8 to 15.7%, and from 22.9 to 55.7% in groups 1 and 2, respectively. A significant increase was also noted in the survival rate from group 1 (63.3%: 105/166) to group 2 (75.5%: 259/343). This study has revealed that the steady advancement in antenatal diagnosis of congenital malformations, along with great efforts in terms of intensive care, has contributed to improved fetal outcome.

Absence of bcr/abl gene in single hemopoietic progenitors in some patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia

CD34+DR- and CD34+DR+ cells were isolated from the marrow mononuclear cells of five patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) carrying the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome. Analysis of bcr/abl hybrid mRNA in individual colonies from a single cell using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) demonstrated the presence or absence of the hybrid mRNA. For patient 1 in the chronic phase of CML, the hybrid mRNA was detected in all colonies derived from CD34+DR+ and CD34+DR- hemopoietic progenitors. In contrast, for patient 2 in the chronic phase of CML, the mRNA was detected in all individual colonies from CD34+DR+ progenitors but not in any from CD34+DR- progenitors. For patient 3 in the chronic phase of CML, the mRNA was detected in all individual colonies from CD34+DR+ but in only some of the colonies from CD34+DR- progenitors. For patients 4 and 5 in the acute crisis of CML, the mRNA was found in a portion of colonies from CD34+DR+ and CD34+DR- progenitors. These results indicated that normal clones can persist in CD34+DR- progenitors in some patients with CML, even when chromosome analysis detects the Ph chromosome in all metaphases of bone marrow cells.

[Production of monoclonal antibodies against osteoclasts of rat]

In mammals, it has been difficult to collect the authentic osteoclasts on a large scale. Recently we established a culture system for forming osteoclast-like multinucleated cells (MNCs) which exhibited many characteristics of osteoclasts. MNCs instead of authentic osteoclasts were used as immunogen to establish the hybridomas which secrete monoclonal antibodies against the osteoclasts by in vitro immunization. We obtained two monoclonal antibodies, HOK 1 and HOK 2. HOK 1 showed intense immunoreactivity with MNCs, mononuclear cells and putative migratory traces of MNCs on the culture dishes, but it had weak reactivity with the stromal cells. HOK 2 also showed strong reactivity with MNCs, mononuclear cells, and the very limited area of the culture dishes just facing to one side of some MNCs. The stromal cells were faintly stained with HOK 2. In th paraffin sections of tibiae, both antibodies intensely stained osteoclasts, osteoblasts and osteocytes. The bone matrix was weakly stained by HOK 2 but not by HOK 1. The present observations indicated that HOK 1 and HOK 2 could recognize the common antigen expressed on cells both involving in the bone formation and resorption. The antigens recognized by HOK 1 and HOK 2 were shown to exist on the putative traces of motile MNCs. These antibodies would be available to investigate the mechanisms of the 'bone remodeling' as a functional marker of bone cells.

The suppressive effect of gelatin-conjugated superoxide dismutase on disease development and severity of collagen-induced arthritis in mice

We studied the effect of superoxide dismutase (SOD) on murine collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), an animal model of human rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Among SOD derivatives studied, only gelatin-SOD conjugate which has prolonged half life in vivo was effective to suppress the development of CIA, while native SOD or gelatin carrier alone was ineffective. Interestingly, pyran polymer-conjugated SOD which also has a long half life showed no suppressive effect on the disease. No significant effect on immune response against type II collagen (CII) was found in any of the experimental groups. In addition, induction of suppressor cells was not detected in spleen or lymph node cells of the gelatin-SOD-treated group. Therefore, these results suggest that oxygen radicals may have an important role in the effector phase of the immune response to manifest this chronic autoimmune polyarthritis. Thus, the use of appropriate antioxidants for the treatment of human RA may be rationalized.

Unique associations between HLA-B and HLA-DRB1*04 gene variants in Japanese

HLA-DRB1*04 gene variants were determined in apparently healthy Japanese with PCR-SSCP and PCR-RFLP, and HLA-B-DRB1*04 haplotype frequencies were estimated statistically. DRB1*0405, which consisted of 60% of the Japanese DRB1*04 gene pool, was associated strongly with HLA-B54. This association was observed only for DRB1*0405, and not for any other DR4 variants. DRB1*0403 and DRB1*0406, which share the same peptide sequence except for amino acid 37, were both associated with B35 and B62. DRB1*0407 was associated exclusively with B35. DRB1*0410 was associated with B60 and B61. B60 and B61, on the other hand, were associated only with DRB1*0410 and DRB1*0405. B35 was associated with all DR4 microvariants. With this possible exception, our calculation suggests that unique B-DR associations were present even for DR4 microvariants. The knowledge of HLA-B and DRB1*04 associations would be useful in clinical settings.

[Primary mediastinal tumors in children--comparison with mediastinal tumors in adults]

During the past 43 years, 628 patients with a primary mediastinal tumor underwent surgical operation in our institution. Of those patients, 106 patients (16.9%) were children of 15 yr of age or less and 522 patients (83.1%) were adults. 47 (44.3%) of the 106 children had neurogenic tumors, while 21 patients (19.8%) had a teratoma. 189 (36.2%) of the 522 adults had thymoma and 89 patients (17.1%) had teratoma. In the 106 children there were 71 benign tumor patients (66.9%) and 35 malignant tumor patients (33.1%). There were 277 (53.1%) benign and 245 (46.95) malignant tumors in the 522 adults. The adults had significantly more malignant tumors than the children (p < 0.01). In our series of malignant mediastinal tumors in children, 14 patients (13.3%) had a lymphoma and 11 patients (10.5%) had a neuroblastoma. On the other hand, in the adults, 127 patients (24.3%) had a thymoma and 66 patients (12.6%) had a lymphoma. Regarding benign mediastinal tumors, in children, 30 patients (28.5%) had a ganglioneuroma and 19 patients (18.0%) had a teratoma. In the adults, 68 patients (13.0%) had a teratoma and 62 patients (11.9%) had a thymoma. In the clinical manifestation, 51 child patients (48.1%) and 191 adult patients (36.6%) were asymptomatic. As symptoms due to compression or direct invasion to adjacent structures, dyspnea was seen in 16 child patients (15.1%), and chest pain occurred in 59 adult patients (11.3%). Dyspnea was significantly more common in children than in in adults (p < 0.01). Emergency operations were performed in children more than in adults.

Severe respiratory depression after epidural morphine in a patient with myotonic dystrophy

We describe a patient with myotonic dystrophy who underwent cholecystectomy, and developed severe respiratory depression following epidural administration of morphine to provide postoperative analgesia. At preoperative assessment, he demonstrated near normal vital capacity and maximal voluntary ventilation, but the presence of chronic ventilatory failure with a resting value of PaCO2 51 mmHg. Anaesthesia was produced by a combination of epidural and light general anaesthesia without intravenous anaesthetics, narcotics or neuromuscular relaxants. Five hours after epidural administration of 2 mg morphine, the patient developed severe respiratory depression with a PaCO2 of 93 mmHg. Intravenous naloxone resulted in transient improvement in minute volume, suggesting that epidural morphine was responsible for the depression. Epidural morphine can cause unexpected respiratory depression, even at a small dose, because of the sensitivity of the respiratory centre to morphine in patients with myotonic dystrophy.

[Clinical characteristics and treatment results of acute promyelocytic leukemia in children (Children's Cancer and Leukemia Study Group)]

The clinical characteristics and treatment outcome in 40 children with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) treated at institutions participating in the Children's Cancer and Leukemia Study Group (CCLSG) were studied retrospectively. The median age at diagnosis was 8 years old. Bleeding diathesis was the predominant presenting symptom (90%), associated with laboratory findings of disseminated intravascular coagulation. Hepatomegaly, splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy were observed in 35%, 10%, and 15% of the cases, respectively. The median WBC count was 4.25 x 10(9)/l. Anemia (hemoglobin < 8 g/dl) and thrombocytopenia (< 30 x 10(9)/l) were present in more than half of the patients. Cytogenetic studies demonstrated the characteristic 15; 17 translocation in about 90% of the patients analyzed. Induction therapy consisted of cytosine arabinoside and an anthracycline, with or without other agents. Twenty-nine patients (73%) achieved complete remission (CR) while early fatal hemorrhage was the predominant cause of induction failure. The survival rates continued to decrease (28% at 3 years, 24% at 5 years, and 7.9% at 10 years) due to late marrow relapses. Anthracycline cardiotoxicity was fatal in three patients in remission. These clinical features of childhood APL should be taken into account in the development of new protocols.

Intracavitary treatment of malignant ascitic carcinomatosis with oily anticancer agents in rats

The anticancer effects and pharmacokinetics of intraperitoneal (ip) injection were determined for doxorubicin (DOX) dissolved in a lymphographic oily contrast medium, Lipiodol Ultrafluid (Lipiodol) (DOX/Lipiodol), using AH 130 ascitic tumor in rats. A high percentage (50%) of long-term survivors (cure) was observed with only a single ip injection of the DOX/Lipiodol on the seventh day after tumor inoculation, by which time the tumor ascites accumulated to a level similar to that seen clinically. The cure rate of this lipid formulation was much better than that for DOX dissolved in saline (DOX/saline) (17%). An immunopotentiating agent, Picibanil, given in 1 KE (clinical unit) or 5 KE doses was no better than the saline group, indicating that the above effect was not a result of immunopotentiation by Lipiodol. The severity of toxic side effects of DOX was also reduced by lipid solubilization. Pharmacokinetic study showed that DOX/saline was absorbed rapidly into the blood stream from the peritoneal cavity, whereas DOX/Lipiodol was retained in the ascites at a higher concentration for a much longer time. Thus the present results suggest that lipid formulations of anticancer agents have augmented therapeutic efficacy by intracavitary injection. The lipid formulations show increased stability in and prolonged slow release from the lipid milieu. Thus this therapeutic tactic of using oily anticancer agents appears to be promising for the control of pleural and peritoneal carcinomatoses.

[A case of multiple colon cancer appeared after thymectomy for thymoma with myasthenia gravis]

A 62-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of diarrhea and melena. Thymectomy for thymoma with myasthenia gravis was carried out on this patient four years ago. Barium enema revealed four tumor shadows in the ascending and transverse colon. Multiple colon cancer was diagnosed and extended right hemicolectomy was carried out. The postoperative course was uneventful and she has been free from any symptom. In this paper, we discussed the relationship between thymoma and the incidence of nonthymic malignancy.

Effect of microbial and mite proteases on low and high molecular weight kininogens. Generation of kinin and inactivation of thiol protease inhibitory activity

Kinin release from guinea pig plasma high molecular weight kininogen (HMWK) induced by various microbial and mite proteases has been demonstrated previously (Molla, A., Yamamoto, T., Akaike, T., Miyoshi, S., and Maeda, H. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 10589-10594; Maruo, K., Akaike, T., Matsumura, Y., Kohmoto, S., Inada, Y., Ono, T., Arao, T., and Maeda, H. (1991) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1074, 62-68). In this paper, we describe the effects of various microbial and mite proteases on low molecular weight kininogen (LMWK) and HMWK from human plasma. A protease from the house dust mite Dermatophagoides farinae (Df-protease) directly liberated kinin from both LMWK and HMWK to a significant degree. The Km, kcat, and kcat/Km values for kinin generation from LMWK were 3.24 microM, 0.61 s-1, and 1.9 x 10(5) M-1 x s-1, respectively, and those for kinin generation from HMWK were 0.56 microM, 0.12 s-1, and 2.1 x 10(5) M-1 x s-1, respectively; kcat/Km values for Df-protease were comparable with that for glandular kallikrein. In contrast, microbial proteases showed only weak kinin-releasing activity from both human plasma kininogens. Four of ten different microbial proteases liberated kinin from LMWK, and only serratial 56-kDa protease released kinin from HMWK. Furthermore, Df-protease markedly inactivated the thiol protease inhibitory activity of LMWK and HMWK, whereas all microbial proteases (as well as the endogenous protease trypsin) did not affect this inhibitory activity of both kininogens from human plasma.

Increased 120 kDa protein in liver cytosol of genetically obese Zucker rats

In this study, the differences between the pattern of stained proteins from genetically obese Zucker rats and those from lean Zucker rats were analyzed using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The level of the 120 kDa protein in the liver cytosol fraction of these obese rats was several times higher than that found in the lean rats. This protein was not present in the mitochondrial fractions of either strain. The level of the 120 kDa protein was decreased drastically during a 72-h fast in the obese Zucker rats. An increase in the level of this protein was induced in the lean Zucker rats through a 48-h fast followed by refeeding with a high-carbohydrate diet. However, when the lean Zucker rats were refed with a high-fat diet following the fast, no significant change was observed in the level of the 120 kDa protein. These observations strongly suggest that the elevated levels of the 120 kDa protein seen in the liver cytosol fraction of obese Zucker rats may be responsible for the observed increases in lipogenesis and pathogenesis of obesity in these rats.

Pronounced enhancement of .NO-dependent antimicrobial action by an .NO-oxidizing agent, imidazolineoxyl N-oxide

The antimicrobial action of .NO against Cryptococcus neoformans was investigated by using imidazolineoxyl N-oxide, which we recently reported removes .NO via oxidation (T. Akaike, M. Yoshida, Y. Miyamoto, K. Sato, M. Kohno, K. Sasamoto, K. Miyazaki, S. Ueda, and H. Maeda, Biochemistry 32:827-832, 1993). No appreciable fungicidal activity was observed in neutral .NO solutions. Imidazolineoxyl N-oxide induced or enhanced fungicidal action in neutral or acidic .NO solutions, respectively. Our results provide convincing evidence that .NO is not a microbicidal molecular species.