A high level of colony-stimulating activity in a lung cancer patient with extensive leucocytosis, and the establishment of a CSA producing cell line (KONT)

Colony-stimulating activity (CSA) was demonstrated in materials taken from a patient suffering from lung cancer associated with excessive leucocytosis. CSA was detected not only in his urine, serum and pleural effusion but also in the supernatant of cell cultures originating from the effusion. The excessive leukocytosis of the patient might be due to a CSA producing tumor. A cell line (KONT) originating from the CSA producing tumor has been maintained for 4 years and shown to produce mouse- and human-CSA.

A new electrophoretic variant of hemoglobin (Ogi) in which a leucine residue is replaced by an arginine residue at position 34 of the alpha-chain

Hemoglobin Ogi, in which an arginine is substituted for a leucine residue at position 34 of the alpha-chain, was detected in a Japanese family. Although slightly increased oxygen affinity is associated with this amino acid substitution in the alpha 1 beta 1 contact, it is without obvious deleterious effect on the hematological parameters of the individuals heterozygous for this variant.

Hypoglycemia, hypopotassemia and hyperleukocytosis associated with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung

We studied a patient with lung cancer, who exhibited severe systemic derangements of metabolism causing cachexia preceding the appearance of a large bulky tumor. The data described herein left no doubt that lung cancer growing in the patient acted as a powerful hypoglycemic factor, setting in motion widespread metabolic disorders. Inappropriate secretion of insulin may be involved in the manifestation of hypoglycemia. However, no ectopic secretion of insulin, glucagon, ACTH and aldosterone appeared to be associated with the carcinoma in the patient. From the present and previous observations, it is stressed that progressive energy loss from the patient occurs by virtue of a combination of severe anorexia and the establishment of a systemic energy-losing cycle dependent on an interplay of glycolysis in the cancer cells and stimulated gluconeogenesis in the host tissues, which in turn results in derangements of protein, lipid and electrolyte metabolism. Attempts to ameliorate the patient's distress and counterbalance the effect of the tumor by parenteral hyperalimentation were not satisfactory and resulted in only a temporary improvement. This study also demonstrated that marked granulocytosis was the result of production of an excess granulopoietic colony stimulating activity by the cancer cells.

Frequency and distribution of structural variants of hemoglobin and thalassemic states in Western Japan

Hemolysates from 100,000 people who visited the Kyushu University Hospital and affiliated hospitals during the past 15 years were screened for hemoglobinopathies using electrophoresis on thin-layer starch gel; those exhibiting an abnormality were characterized further on clinical, biochemical, and genetic grounds. Of about 97,000 adult and 3,140 cord blood samples, 29 contained electrophoretically detectable abnormalities in the heterozygous condition. Another 17 samples had quantitative changes in the levels of the minor hemoglobin components. Of the thalassemic conditions, 12 involved beta-thalassemia, 3 alpha-thalassemia, 1 delta beta-thalassemia, and 1 delta-thalassemia. Among 45 carriers of beta-thalassemia from 12 families, 5 were noted to have thalassemia intermedia since they exhibited much more severe hemolytic syndromes than those with typical beta-thalassemia minor. The frequency with which we could detect a structural variant of Hb A in the adults by electrophoresis was one in 3,800 samples. About one in 8,000 carried a beta-thalassemia gene.

Characterization of colony-stimulating activity in medium conditioned by a human cell line (KSNY)

A human lung cancer cell line (KSNY) produces a high level of human colony-stimulating activity (CSA) as shown by the dose-response relationship between the number of colonies and the concentration of conditioned medium (CM). The CM tends to induce markedly granulocytic colonies rather than other cell-type colonies. The medium conditioned by KSNY cells (KSNY-CM) is stable at 50 degrees, but is completely inactivated at 70 degrees for 30 min. There is little binding of mouse CSA and/or human CSA in the CM to concanavalin-A-Sepharose. Fractionation of the CM by Sephacryl S-200 chromatography indicated that the maximum activity of KSNY-CSA for mouse and human marrow cells is eluted at approximately 20,000 approximately 25,000 and at 45,000 approximately 48,000 daltons.

Human lung cancer cell line (KSNY) producing colony-stimulating activity which affects both human and mouse marrow cells

A cell line (KSNY) in vitro, which produces colony-stimulating activity (CSA) for human and mouse marrow cells, has been established. A biopsy was performed on the tumor mass of a lung cancer patient who had developed extensive leucocytosis. A piece of the tumor was transplanted to a nude mouse. The seconarily transplanted mice, in turn, developed extensive leucocytosis. The mouse tumor was then removed and placed in culture bottles. To date, the KSNY cells have been maintained in vitro continuously for 15 months. By the use of a methylcellulose bone-marrow colony-formation technique, a high level of CSA in the supernatant of the tumor cell culture was recognized. Doubling time of the cell line is 46 hr. The modal chromosome number is 52, ranging from 45 to 106.

Rat alpha 1-acid glycoprotein: uptake by inflammatory and tumour tissues

The tissue distribution of intravenously administered 125 I-alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and 125I-albumin was studied in rats with inflammatory granuloma or transplanted sarcoma. The marked concentration of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein in extra-vascular spaces of the granuloma or sarcoma tissue was observed, most of which remained in a trichloroacetic-acid-precipitable form throughout the experiments. Albeit less marked, albumin also preferentially accumulated in both pathological tissues and presented essentially the same distribution pattern as alpha 1-acid glycoprotein in intact organs except kidney in both morbid states. The results suggest that serum alpha 1-acid glycoprotein might play an important role in inflammatory or cell proliferative processes in situ. The studies on trichloroacetic acid fractionation also indicate indicat a selective involvement of the kidney in the catabolic processes of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein as compared to that of albumin.

Increased oxygen affinity for hemoglobin Sawara: alphaA4(6) aspartic acid replaced by alanine

The oxygen binding property of Hb Sawara (alphaA4 Asp replaced by Ala) was studied at different pH values with and without addition of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate. The oxygen affinity of Hb Sawara was shown to be increased, the difference of the log P50 value between normal and abnormal hemoglobins being 0.37 at pH 7.0. Both the magnitude of the alkaline Bohr effect and the effect of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate upon oxygen affinity of Hb Sawara were comparable to those of Hb A. The amino acid substitution of alanine for alphaA4 aspartic acid might result in the loss of a stabilizing force for ionic interaction between the alpha-amino group of NA (1)alpha1 valine and the alpha-carboxyl of HC3(141)alpha2 arginine in the deoxy-form.

Developmental studies on glucosamine metabolism

Changes in hepatic hexosamine metabolism and serum seromucoid concentrations during postnatal development were investigated in the rat. A relatively low activity of hepatic L-glutamine: D-fructose-6-phosphate aminotransferase (AT) was observed within 24 hr of birth. This rapidly increased to a maximum at about 2 weeks of age, followed by a decline to adult levels after another 2 weeks. The developmental pattern of hepatic UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2'-epimerase (EP) closely resembled that of AT. It was relatively low in the newborn, increased to a maximum at about 2 weeks and then declined to adult values after another 2 weeks. The serum seromucoid concentration was low in the new born rats and then increased gradually with development to adult levels at about 50 days. The hepatic concentrations of UDP-GlcNAC and CMP-NANA both were relatively high at 24 hr after birth compared to values observed at 50 days. The developmental pattern observed for both over this time period was quite similar and was almost the reciprocal to that for the seromucoid fraction. After 50 days the concentration of UDP-GlcNAc remained constant at adult levels as did that of the seromucoid fraction, but the concentration of CMP-NANA showed a marked increase. It is suggested that the hepatic concentrations of these amino-sugar nucleotides during development primarily reflect the demand for the hepatic synthesis and secretion of plasma glycoproteins as reflected in the seromucoid fraction.

Hemoglobin Yoshizuka (G10(108)beta asparagine--aspartic acid): a new variant with a reduced oxygen affinity from a Japanese family

During the course of a survey, a new hemoglobin, designated hemoglobin Yoshizuka, has been encountered in a Japanese family. Clinically, mild anemia was noted in five of six heterozygous individuals but no other significant abnormalities were found. Hemoglobin Yoshizuka is characterized by the substitution of aspartic acid for asparagine at the tenth residue of the G helix in the beta-chain. Reduced oxygen affinity with almost normal heme-heme interaction was found to be a property of this abnormal hemoglobin. The asparagine residue G10(108)beta lies in the internal cavity of the tetrameric molecule and its main chain carbonyl is thought to be hydrogen bonded to histidine G10(103)alpha at the region of contact between alpha- and beta-chains. It would appear likely that the introduction of a carboxyl group into the central cavity might result in interactions between the polar groups and the substituted side chain, disrupting the system of hydrogen bonds which contribute to the stability of the contacts between unlike subunits.