The primary structure of rat ribosomal protein L37a

The amino acid sequence of rat ribosomal protein L37a was deduced from the sequence of nucleotides in recombinant cDNAs isolated in Yamagata and in Chicago and confirmed from the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of the protein. Ribosomal protein L37a contains 91 amino acids (the NH2-terminal methionine is removed after translation of the mRNA) and has a molecular mass of 10143 Da.

Clinical study of radioisotope clearance from the cerebrospinal fluid space using single photon emission computed tomography

Radioisotope cisternography with statistical analysis was evaluated in 18 patients with suspected hydrocephalus shown by conventional CT, and 4 control patients. Regions of interest were located at cisterna magna, basal cistern, lateral cistern Sylvii, interhemispheric cistern, and lateral ventricle using three dimensional SPECT images. A value for the constant K was determined for each exponential radioactivity decay curve. On the basis of SPECT-derived K values our patients were grouped into hydrocephalus, nonhydrocephalus, and control patients. Twelve of 14 hydrocephalus patients were treated by shunt operation. Our less-invasive method showed reliable criteria for assessing the cerebrospinal fluid circulation.

The primary structure of rat ribosomal protein L34

The amino acid sequence of rat ribosomal protein L34 was deduced from the nucleotide sequence in a recombinant cDNA and confirmed from the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of the protein. Ribosomal protein L34 contains 117 amino acids (the NH2-terminal methionine is removed after translation of the mRNA) and has an Mr of 13,498. Hybridization of the cDNA to digests of nuclear DNA suggests that there are 7-9 copies of the L34 gene. The mRNA for the protein is about 630 nucleotides in length.

The primary structure of rat ribosomal protein L18a

The amino acid sequence of rat ribosomal protein L18a was deduced from the sequence of nucleotides in a recombinant cDNA. Ribosomal protein L18a contains 175 amino acids and has a molecular mass of 20,047 Da. Hybridization of the cDNA to digests of rat nuclear DNA and to a preparation of poly(A)+ mRNA suggests that there are 8-11 copies of the L18a gene and that the mRNA for the protein is about 700 nucleotides in length. Rat L18a is related to Schizosaccharomyces pombe L17 and perhaps to Halobacterium marismortui L19.

Two-compartment dispersion model for analysis of organ perfusion system of drugs by fast inverse Laplace transform (FILT)

A dispersion model developed in chromatographic theory is applied to the analysis of the elution profile in the liver perfusion system of experimental animals. The equation for the dispersion model with the linear nonequilibrium partition between the perfusate and an organ tissue is derived in the Laplace-transformed form, and the fast inverse Laplace transform (FILT) is introduced to the pharmacokinetic field for the manipulation of the transformed equation. By the analysis of the nonlinear least squares method associated with FILT, this model (two-compartment dispersion model) is compared to the model with equilibrium partition between the perfusate and the liver tissue (one-compartment dispersion model) for the outflow curves of ampicillin and oxacillin from the rat liver. The model estimation by Akaike's information criterion (AIC) suggests that the two-compartment dispersion model is more proper than the one-compartment dispersion model to mathematically describe the local disposition of these drugs in the perfusion system. The blood space in the liver, VB, and the dispersion number DN are estimated at 1.30 ml (+/- 0.23 SD) and 0.051 (+/- 0.023 SD), respectively, both of which are independent of the drugs. The efficiency number, RN, of ampicillin is 0.044 (+/- 0.049 SD) which is significantly smaller than 0.704 (+/- 0.101 SD) of oxacillin. The parameters in the two-compartment dispersion model are correlated to the recovery ratio, FH, mean transit time, tH, and the relative variance, sigma 2/t-2H, of the elution profile of drugs from the rat liver.

[Effect of methotrexate-induced neutropenia on the periodontal lesion in rats]

The purpose of the present study was to investigate histologically the effect of methotrexate-induced neutropenia on the periodontal lesion in rats. In the experiment I, seventy rats were used. A suturing nylon thread was inserted between the maxillary 1st and 2nd molars for 3 weeks to produce a slight inflammation of the gingival tissue. Then, the animals were divided equally into the control and experimental groups. The animals of the experimental group were injected with 7.5 mg/kg of methotrexate once a day for 3 days. The animals of the control group were injected with saline in the same manner. The animals were killed at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 days after the last injection. During the sacrifice, peripheral blood was taken from all animals. White blood cells and neutrophils were counted and the periodontal tissues were examined by light microscopy. In the experiment II, ten rats were used. The animals were inserted with a suturing nylon thread as in the experiment I and then they were divided into the control and experimental groups. the animals of the experimental group were injected with 7.5 mg/kg of methotrexate once a day for 3 days, whereas the animals of the control group were injected with saline in the same manner. At 7 days after the last injection, peripheral blood was taken from all animals and then the animals were killed. Neutrophils were isolated from peripheral blood and the chemotaxis of these neutrophils were examined with the 48-well micro chemotaxis chamber. The periodontal tissues were examined by light microscopy. In the experiment I, the white blood cell count (WBC) and neutrophil count (NC) of the control animals did not show any changes. However, WBC and NC of the experimental animals decreased at 5 and 7 days. The control animals did not show any changes except for a slight inflammatory cell infiltration of the gingival connective tissue. The experimental animals exhibited remarkable resorption of the alveolar bone and inflammatory cell infiltration of the periodontal ligament at 5, 7 and 9 days. In the experiment II, WBC and NC of the experimental animals decreased compared with those of the control animals. The periodontal tissues of the control animals showed the changes similar to those of the control animals at 7 days in the experiment I. The periodontal tissues of the experiment animals also showed the changes similar to those of the experimental animals at 7 days in the experiment I.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Role of the 8-double bond of lanosterol in the enzyme-substrate interaction of cytochrome P-450(14DM) (lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase)

The role of the 8-double bond of lanosterol in the enzyme-substrate interaction of yeast cytochrome P-450(14DM) (lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase) was studied by analyzing metabolism of 8-lanostene-3 beta,32-diol, 7-lanostene-3 beta,32-diol, 6-lanostene-3 beta,32-diol and lanostane-3 beta,32-diol by the cytochrome. 8-Lanostene-3 beta,32-diol was actively metabolized by cytochrome P-450(14DM) and converted to the 32-nor-14-unsaturated metabolite. 7-Lanostene-3 beta,32-diol was also metabolized by the cytochrome, but the rate of metabolism was low. However, the cytochrome failed to catalyze the conversion of 6-lanostene-3 beta,32-diol and lanostane-3 beta,32-diol to their 32-nor metabolites. Spectral analysis of the sterol-cytochrome complexes and kinetics of cytochrome P-450(14DM) reduction in the presence of the sterols indicated that 6-lanostene-3 beta,32-diol and lanostane-3 beta,32-diol could not interact with the substrate site of the cytochrome. These results revealed that the 8-double bond of lanosterol plays an important role in the enzyme-substrate interaction of cytochrome P-450(14DM).

A single amino acid substitution converts cytochrome P450(14DM) to an inactive form, cytochrome P450SG1: complete primary structures deduced from cloned DNAS

Genes for lanosterol 14-demethylase, cytochrome P450(14DM), and a mutated inactive cytochrome P450SG1 were cloned from S. cerevisiae strains D587 and SG1, respectively. A single nucleotide change resulting in substitution of Asp for Gly-310 of cytochrome P450(14DM) was found to have occurred in cytochrome P450SG1. In this protein the 6th ligand to heme iron is a histidine residue instead of a water molecule, which may be the ligand for the active cytochrome P450(14DM). Molecular models of the active sites of the cytochrome P450(14DM) and cytochrome P450SG1 were built by computer modeling on the basis of the known structure of that of cytochrome P450CAM whose crystallographic data are available. The mechanisms which may cause a histidine residue to gain access to the heme iron are discussed.

Age-dependent pulmonary first-pass elimination of propranolol in rats

Plasma levels of propranolol after 2.5 mg kg-1 given i.v. and i.a. have been compared in 3- to 4-week-old rats to evaluate the effect of age on pulmonary first-pass elimination of the drug. In 5- to 52-week-old rats, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) after an intra-arterial dose was always larger than that after the i.v. dose. The plasma elimination half-lives after both routes of administration were almost identical, but tended to increase with age between weeks 7 and 104. First-pass pulmonary clearance and extraction ratio tended to decrease with age between weeks 7 and 52.

7-Oxo-24,25-dihydrolanosterol: a novel lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase (P-45014DM) inhibitor which blocks electron transfer to the oxyferro intermediate

7-Oxo-24,25-dihydrolanosterol (3 beta-hydroxy-8-lanosten-7-one, 7-oxo-HDL) was a potent competitive inhibitor for lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase (cytochrome P-45014DM) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Affinity of 7-oxo-DHL for the enzyme was more than 50-times higher than those of the inherent substrates, lanosterol and 24,25-dihydrolanosterol. 7-Oxo-DHL accelerated NADPH-dependent reduction of cytochrome P-45014DM in the reconstituted system consisting of the cytochrome and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase. These observations indicated that 7-oxo-DHL interacted with the substrate site of cytochrome P-45014DM. However, 7-oxo-DHL was not metabolized by the reconstituted system. Incubation of 7-oxo-DHL with the reconstituted system caused accumulation of oxyferro intermediate of cytochrome P-45014DM. It can thus be concluded that 7-oxo-DHL interfered with electron transfer to the oxyferro intermediate of the cytochrome, though it stimulated reduction of the heme iron. So far as we know, 7-oxo-DHL is the first example of a cytochrome P-450 inhibitor which selectively interferes with the electron transfer to oxyferro intermediate. 7 alpha-Hydroxy-24,25-dihydrolanosterol was also a competitive inhibitor of cytochrome P-45014DM. However, this compound was metabolized by the reconstituted system and could not block the electron transfer to oxyferro intermediate. 11-Oxo-24,25-dihydrolanosterol, an isomer of 7-oxo-DHL, did not have such inhibitory effects. These lines of evidence suggest a possibility that the keto group at C-7 of lanost-8-ene skeleton may interact with a certain site of cytochrome P-45014DM which has an important role in the electron transfer to oxyferro intermediate.

Detection of varicella-zoster virus DNA in cultured cells and tissue specimens by in situ hybridization using biotin-labeled probes

A method of in situ hybridization with biotinylated probes is described for specific detection of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) DNA in infected cell cultures and in human biopsied or autopsied materials. From molecularly cloned EcoRI-fragments of VZV DNA, we selected as probes for in situ hybridization three fragments (B, H, and K) which had any detectable homology neither with human cell DNA nor with DNAs of VZV-related viruses (herpes simplex virus type 1, type 2 and human cytomegalovirus). The procedure of in situ hybridization was based on that of Brigati et al. (Virology 126, 32-50, 1983), but following modifications were made. 1) The concentration of probe DNA was lowered to 100 ng per ml. 2) Streptavidin-biotin system was used for detection of hybridization. 3) Acid phosphatase was used to generate color development discernible from melanin present in skin. 4) Before hybridization, deparaffinized sections were treated with trypsin by the procedure routinely employed for detection of viral antigens in paraffin-embedded sections.

High capacity for pulmonary first-pass elimination of propranolol in rats

Plasma propranolol concentrations after i.v. and i.a. 1, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg kg-1 doses of the drug given intravenously or intra-arterially have been compared in 7-week-old male Wistar rats. The areas under the curves after i.a. dosing were almost twice those after i.v. dosing at any dose, despite the elimination half-lives being the same. The difference in total body clearance after i.a. dosing from that after i.v. dosing indicated a significant contribution by pulmonary clearance, which ranged from about 20 to 30 mL min-1 kg-1, to the overall first-pass elimination after the i.v. administration. The pulmonary extraction ratio was approximately 0.4 to 0.5 at the i.v. doses used. Mean pulmonary transit time was estimated to be about 1 to 2 min. There was no dose-dependence in the pulmonary first-pass elimination kinetics of propranolol.

Isolation and characterization of an altered cytochrome P-450 from a yeast mutant defective in lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylation

A cytochrome P-450 (P-450SG1) was purified from a lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase (P-450(14DM)) defective mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, strain SG1, by a method similar to that used in the purification of the wild type enzyme (Yoshida, Y., and Aoyama, Y. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 1655-1660). P-450SG1 had the same apparent Mr as and was immunochemically identical to P-450(14DM). Peptide maps of P-450SG1 made by limited proteolysis with Staphylococcus aureus V8 proteinase, chymotrypsin, or papain followed by gel electrophoresis were identical to corresponding peptide maps of P-450(14DM). However, P-450SG1 showed no lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylase activity and its mode of interaction with diniconazole [(E)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1,2,4-triazol-1-y1)-1- penten-3- o1], a specific inhibitor of P-450(14DM), was fundamentally different from that of P-450(14DM). The absorption spectrum of ferric P-450SG1 was unusual for a native low-spin cytochrome P-450 and was superimposable on that of 1-methylimidazole complex of P-450(14DM), indicating that P-450SG1 has a histidine 6th ligand trans to the thiolate 5th ligand, while the 6th ligand of other ferric low-spin cytochrome P-450s is a water molecule or a hydroxyl group of an oxyamino acid. It is concluded that P-450SG1 is an altered P-450(14DM). Difference in the primary structure between P-450SG1 and P-450(14DM) may be slight and was not detected by peptide mapping. However, the alteration caused significant change in the substrate site and heme environments of the cytochrome. P-450SG1 is the first example of a cytochrome P-450 having a histidine axial ligand trans to thiolate and of a genetically altered cytochrome P-450 isolated in a homogeneous state.

Adenovirus hepatitis in a patient with severe combined immunodeficiency

An autopsy case of adenovirus hepatitis with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is presented. A 7-month-old female was admitted to the Kitasato University Hospital with chief complaint of persistent fever. A diagnosis of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) was made because of defective function in both T and B lymphocytes. Respiratory disturbance and severe hepatic dysfunction were manifested after admission. She died of respiratory failure on the 40th hospital day. Autopsy findings revealed many focal necroses scattered irregularly throughout the liver. Degenerating hepatocytes around the focal necrosis contained nuclear inclusion bodies, and crystalline arrays of adenovirus virions were recognized in these cells by electron microscopy. Adenovirus antigens were brilliantly detected in the nuclear inclusion bodies by indirect immunofluorescence.

Giant cell pneumonia in Letterer-Siwe disease

An 8 month-old girl suffered from Letter-Siwe disease since one week after birth. During the chemotherapy, giant cell pneumonia caused by measles virus infection developed and led rapidly to her death. Histopathologically, alveolar spaces were lined by multi-nucleated giant cells with intranuclear and intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies. Electronmicroscopical examination of the lung revealed intranuclear inclusion bodies full of rod-shaped structures characteristic to paramyxoviruses, and irregular electron-dense materials compatible with nucleocapsid protein antigens in the cytoplasm. Additionally these giant cells were observed in the salivary glands, thyroid gland, thymus and lymph nodes. The measles virus antigen was detected immunohistochemically in these giant cells in the lungs and other organs. The specific antibody of measles virus is helpful to study the pathogenesis of giant cell pneumonia.

Genome variation among varicella-zoster virus isolates derived from different individuals and from the same individuals

We have used 12 restriction enzymes to analyse the DNA of 24 clinical isolates of VZV derived from 12 patients in order to compare isolates derived from different individuals and derived serially from the same individual. As reported previously, only a small proportion of the isolates differed with respect to the presence or absence of restriction sites. However, we found that the size of DNA fragments generated from all the isolates derived from different patients varied in any of four regions, one of which was first recognized in this study. In one case, where multiple isolates recovered from the same individual were analysed, each was distinguished from the others not only by differences in the variable regions but also by the presence or absence of a restriction site in a nonvariable region. This suggests that multiple strains of VZV can be present in the same human host.

Metabolism of 32-hydroxy-24,25-dihydrolanosterol by purified cytochrome P-45014DM from yeast. Evidence for contribution of the cytochrome to whole process of lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylation

Metabolism of 32-hydroxy-24,25-dihydrolanosterol (lanost-8-ene-3 beta,32-diol), a posturated intermediate of the 14 alpha-demethylation (removal of C-32) of 24,25-dihydrolanosterol (lanost-8-en-3 beta-ol), by a reconstituted system consisting of yeast cytochrome P-450 which catalyzes lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylation (cytochrome P-45014DM) (Yoshida, Y., and Aoyama, Y. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 1655-1660 and Aoyama, Y., Yoshida, Y., and Sato, R. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 1661-1666) and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase was studied. The reconstituted system converted both 32-hydroxy-24,25-dihydrolanosterol and 24,25-dihydrolanosterol to 4,4-dimethyl-5 alpha-cholesta-8,14-dien-3 beta-ol, the 14 alpha-demethylated product of the latter. The metabolism of these compounds was inhibited by a low concentration of ketoconazole which is a potent cytochrome P-45014DM inhibitor. Affinity of cytochrome P-45014DM for 32-hydroxy-24,25-dihydrolanosterol was about 20 times higher than for 24,25-dihydrolanosterol and the cytochrome metabolized the former about 4 times faster than the latter under the experimental conditions. Spectral analysis suggested that the 32-hydroxyl group of 32-hydroxy-24,25-dihydrolanosterol interacted with the heme iron of the oxidized cytochrome and this interaction might support the high affinity of this compound for the cytochrome. These lines of evidence indicate that 32-hydroxy-24,25-dihydrolanosterol is the intermediate of the 14 alpha-demethylation of 24,25-dihydrolanosterol by cytochrome P-45014DM. It is also clear that the cytochrome catalyzes further metabolism of the 32-hydroxylated intermediate to the 14 alpha-demethylated product with higher efficiency than the 32-hydroxylation of the substrate. Cytochrome P-45014DM is thus classified as lanosterol C14-C32 lyase.

Interaction of azole antifungal agents with cytochrome P-45014DM purified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae microsomes

Mechanism of action of azole antifungal agents was studied by analyzing interaction of ketoconazole, itraconazole, triadimefon and triadimenol with a purified yeast cytochrome P-450 which catalyzes lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylation (P-45014DM). These antifungal agents formed low-spin complexes with P-45014DM, indicating the interaction of their azole nitrogens with the heme iron. Affinity of these antifungal agents for the cytochrome was extremely high compared with usual nitrogenous ligands. Upon reduction with sodium dithionite, the azole complexes of ferric P-45014DM were converted to the corresponding ferrous derivatives. Spectral analysis of these complexes suggested that geometric orientation of the azole moiety of an antifungal agent to the ferrous heme iron was regulated by the interaction between the N-1 substituent and the heme environment. CO could not readily replace ketoconazole or itraconazole co-ordinating to the heme iron of ferrous P-45014DM while triadimefon and triadimenol complexes of the cytochrome were promptly converted to the CO complexes. The inhibitory effects of ketoconazole and itraconazole on the P-45014DM-dependent lanosterol 14 alpha-demethylation were higher than that of triadimenfon. The substituents at N-1 of the azole moieties of ketoconazole and itraconazole are extremely large while those of triadimefon and triadimenol are relatively small. Accordingly, observations described above suggest that the N-1 substituent of an azole antifungal agent regulates the mobility of the molecule in the heme crevice of ferrous P-45014DM and determines the inhibitory effect of the compound.

Analysis of viral antigens in giant cells of measles pneumonia by immunoperoxidase method

The localization of measles virus proteins was analyzed by immunoperoxidase method using both monospecific and monoclonal antibodies. In Vero cells infected with the Edmonston or EB-L strain, the former being a laboratory strain and the latter a fresh isolate from a measles patient, nucleocapsid protein was located in the nuclei, and matrix protein, phosphoprotein, haemagglutinin and fusion protein were located in the cytoplasm. In the lung tissues of eight cases with measles giant cell pneumonia, the similar findings were obtained. The presence of haemagglutinin on the surface of giant cells at the luminal side was also noticed. Histopathologically, measles giant cells had nuclear and cytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies with some differences in appearance. The significance of localization of viral proteins is discussed in comparison with histopathological findings in measles giant cells.