Bullous eruption of systemic lupus erythematosus

A bullous eruption is now recognized as a specific complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We described a 22-year-old woman with SLE whose vesiculobullous eruptions exacerbated with a flare of visceral manifestations of the disease and resolved when the systemic disease was controlled by oral prednisolone.

Relationship among coelacanths, lungfishes, and tetrapods: a phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene sequences

To clarify the relationship among coelacanths, lungfishes, and tetrapods, the amino acid sequences deduced from the nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) genes were compared. The phylogenetic tree of these animals, including the coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae and the lungfish Lepidosiren paradoxa, was inferred by several methods. These analyses consistently indicate a coelacanth/lungfish clade, to which little attention has been paid by previous authors with the exception of some morphologists. Overall evidence of other mitochondrial genes reported previously and the results of this study equally support the coelacanth/lungfish and lungfish/tetrapod clades, ruling out the coelacanth/tetrapod clade.

Substrate specificity of tRNA (adenine-1-)-methyltransferase from Thermus thermophilus HB27

tRNA (adenine-1-)-methyltransferase was purified to homogeneity from an extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus HB27, by several steps of column chromatographies. The molecular weight of this enzyme was about 60,000 as analyzed by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Km for E. coli tRNA(2Glu) was 100 nM and that for the methyl group donor, S-adenosyl-L-methionine, was 7.8 microM. The substrate specificity of the enzyme was investigated by using T7 RNA polymerase transcripts and tRNA fragments obtained by partial digestion with RNases. The enzyme was able to transfer the methyl group to the 3'-half fragment of E. coli initiator tRNA, however, the extent of methylation was elevated by more than five times when the 5'-half fragment was added and annealed to the 3'-half. This indicates that the main recognition site of the enzyme is within the 3'-half region of tRNA molecule, while the tertiary interaction between the T-loop and the D-loop is very effective for the adequate methylation reaction.

Prediction of the structural similarity between spermidine/putrescine-binding protein and maltose-binding protein

A structural similarity between spermidine/putrescine-binding protein and maltose-binding protein has been predicted by a sequence-structure compatibility method. The sequence alignment obtained by this method revealed a consensus sequence motif located on the surface loop between the first alpha-helix and the second beta-strand, and the further analysis identified a similar motif in iron-binding protein. The conservation of this motif among certain bacterial periplasmic binding proteins suggests a common functional role for this region as well as an evolutionary relationship between them.

Quantitative assessment of image quality using niobium filtration for cephalometric radiography

The effect of added niobium filtration on image quality in cephalometric radiography was quantitatively evaluated using the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). A conventional full-wave cephalometric X-ray generator (Quint Sectograph) and a constant potential, high frequency X-ray generator (Orthophos CD) were compared with respect to the effects on the MTF of the added filtration. There was a slight reduction in image quality with both machines when adding niobium filtration.

Effects of unusual polyamines on phenylalanyl-tRNA formation

The effects of novel polyamines on aminoacyl-tRNA formation catalyzed by Escherichia coli., Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, and Thermus thermophilus HB8 S-100 extracts were investigated. These effects were diverse and differed depending on the amino acid and the enzyme used. A quaternary polyamine, tetrakis(3-aminopropyl)ammonium, inhibited phenylalanyl-tRNA synthesis catalyzed by the T. thermophilus extract, but not inhibit the other aminoacyl-tRNA formations tested. The inhibition was observed in hybrid reactions where the thermophile tRNA or extract was replaced by its E. coli counterpart, although the quaternary amine did not inhibit Phe-tRNA formation by the E. coli homologous system. Spermine relieved the inhibition of the reaction of thermophile enzyme and tRNA, but not the inhibition of the hybrid reactions. These results suggest that the branched polyamine interacts with both the thermophile enzyme and tRNA(Phe).

Effects of amiloride derivatives on the thermosensitivity of an adriamycin-resistant strain of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

We investigated the effects of amiloride and its derivative MH-12-43 on the thermosensitivity of adriamycin-resistant cells. Effects of hyperthermia at 42 degrees C were enhanced by 0.5 mM amiloride and 0.05 mM MH-12-43, which resulted in no decrease in survival rate by the treatment at 37 degrees C for 120 min. Therefore, the combination of hyperthermia and amiloride derivatives was effective in the adriamycin-resistant cells as well as wild type cells. Further, since the survival rates by the treatment with 0.05 mM MH-12-43 were markedly lower than those with 0.5 mM amiloride from hyperthermia at 42 degrees C, MH-12-43 might be more effective than amiloride.

Effects of TCV-309, a novel PAF antagonist, on circulatory shock and hematological abnormality induced by endotoxin in dogs

We investigated the effects of TCV-309, a novel platelet activating factor (PAF) antagonist, on circulatory dysfunction and hematological abnormalities in experimental canine endotoxin (ET) shock. ET caused biphasic hypotension with a decrease in cardiac output (CO), left ventricular systolic pressure (LVP) and its dp/dt(max). The first hypotensive phase occurred within 15 min, and the second phase between 90 and 180 min following the injection of ET. Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) abruptly increased at 15 min with a partial recovery, and was then sustained at twice the basal value throughout the experiment. TCV-309 attenuated the hypotension, the decrease in CO, LVP and its dp/dt(max), and the increase in PVR. TCV-309 had no significant effect on the increase in TPR. The decrease in plasma fibrinogen and the increase in hematocrit and plasma lactate were significantly attenuated by TCV-309. These data suggest that PAF may be a key mediator leading to shock in sepsis.

[Transurethral hyperthermic treatment in patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy]

Transurethral hyperthermic treatment was performed on 30 patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Two patients had a urethral catheter because of urinary retention. The prostate was heated transurethrally. The treatment consisted of 3-8 sessions of 60 min. each. To evaluate this treatment, the following parameters were determined before and 1-5 weeks after the last hyperthermia session; subjective symptoms score, and as objective data residual urine volume and uroflowmetry. The symptoms score improved in 25 (83%) patients. Of 2 patients with a catheter, the catheter could be removed from 1 patient. Although there was no change in prostatic volume, significant decreases in residual urine volume, and increases of maximum flow rate and mean flow rate were observed. No adverse reactions were seen. Judging from the above results, this treatment is considered to be useful for patients with BPH.

Efficient expression of E. coli dihydrofolate reductase gene by an in vitro translation system using phosphorothioate mRNA

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) of Escherichia coli (E. coli) was synthesized in a cell-free translation system of E. coli directed by phosphorothioate-containing mRNA (thio-mRNA) which was polymerized by an in vitro transcription of the DHFR gene in the presence of SP diastereomers of ribonucleoside 5'-O-(1-thiotriphosphates). The molecular weights of the products thus obtained were identical to those with the unsubstituted mRNA. Furthermore, the thio-mRNA for DHFR showed higher translational activities than the corresponding unsubstituted mRNA. It is suggested that this effectiveness resulted from the higher stability of thio-mRNA in the cell-free translation system. Amongst the various types of thio-mRNAs, the single substitution of adenosine residues was most effective in translational activity. This higher translational activity of thio-mRNA compared with the unsubstituted mRNA was also demonstrated in a continuous flow cell-free system originally developed by Spirin et al. (1988). Therefore, introduction of sulfur atoms into phosphodiester bonds of mRNA appears to be a useful strategy for the stabilization of mRNA in large-scale protein production in vitro.

Discrimination of intracellular and extracellular proteins using amino acid composition and residue-pair frequencies

Sequences of intracellular and extracellular soluble proteins were analyzed statistically in terms of amino acid composition and residue-pair frequencies. Residue-pair frequencies were calculated for sequential separations from (n, n + 1) to (n, n + 5), and converted into scoring parameters. Then, for each test protein, the single-residue and residue-pair parameters were applied to calculate a total score. According to our definition, a protein which yields a positive score is indicative of an intracellular protein, whereas a negative score implies an extracellular one. The parameter set was derived from 894 sequences constituting different protein families in the PIR database, and assessed by application to a test of 379 proteins. The results showed that 88% of intracellular and 84% of extracellular proteins were correctly assigned. The discrimination power was improved by about 8% in comparison with the previous study, which used composition data alone. Segregation of intra/extracellular proteins is also observed by other criteria, such as structural class (intracellular proteins prefer alpha and alpha/beta types and extracellular proteins prefer beta and alpha + beta types). Segregation by sequence was found to be a more reliable procedure for distinguishing intra/extracellular proteins than methods using structural class. Possible causes for this segregation by sequence are discussed.

Interleukin-8 production by CD16-CD56bright natural killer cells in the human early pregnancy decidua

Decidual CD16-CD56bright natural killer (NK) cells were sorted from the decidual mononuclear cells (MNC) at the early pregnancy using a fluorescence activated cell sortor. The CD16-CD56bright NK cell population occupies a major population in the decidual MNC, in contrast to a very small population (< 1%) in the peripheral blood MNC. These decidual CD16-CD56bright NK cells produced a large amount of IL-8, i. e., mean of 96.7 +/- 19.8 ng/ml in the 24 hr-cultured supernatants without any stimulant, which was comparable to the IL-8 production by LPS-stimulated peripheral blood MNC. Most of the IL-8 was ascribable to the production from decidual CD16-CD56bright NK cells. Intracytoplasmic IL-8 in the decidual CD56bright NK cells was also detected by flow cytometry. RT-PCR methods confirmed IL-8 mRNA expression in this population, while no or very scarce expression of IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta mRNA was observed. The present study is a first observation revealing that decidual CD16-CD56bright NK cells express IL-8 mRNA and produce IL-8.

[Expression of activation antigen, CD69, on human local eosinophils]

The activation antigen, CD69, has been shown to be expressed on activated lymphocytes. CD69 has also been shown to be associated with the signal transduction process. Recently, we demonstrated the expression of CD69 on lung eosinophils obtained from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with eosinophilic pneumonia. In this study, we performed flowcytometric analysis of CD69 expression on eosinophils obtained from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, pleural effusion or peripheral blood of various patients. Whatever the disease, local eosinophils expressed significant levels of CD69, whereas most peripheral blood eosinophils did not express CD69. These findings suggest that CD69 is a marker for local eosinophils and that local eosinophils may differ functionally from peripheral blood eosinophils.

A novel modified nucleoside found at the first position of the anticodon of methionine tRNA from bovine liver mitochondria

Methionine tRNA was purified from bovine liver mitochondria, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. The tRNA possesses only three posttranscriptionally modified nucleosides, two pseudouridines in the anticodon and T stems and a previously unknown nucleoside specified by the gene sequence as cytidine, in the first position of the anticodon. Structure analysis of the anticodon nucleoside by mass spectrometry revealed a molecular mass 28 Da greater than that of cytidine, and unmodified ribose, with substitution at C-5 implied by hydrogen-deuterium exchange experiments. Proton NMR of the intact tRNA showed presence of a formyl moiety, thus leading to the candidate structure 5-formylcytidine (f5C), not a previously known compound. The structure assignment was confirmed by chemical synthesis and comparison of data from combined HPLC/mass spectrometry and proton NMR for the natural and synthetic nucleosides. The potential function of f5C in the tRNA(Met) anticodon is discussed with regard to codon-anticodon interactions.

Miniature endplate currents at the newly formed neuromuscular junction in Drosophila embryos and larvae

Miniature endplate currents (mepcs) were recorded in embryos and larvae of Drosophila melanogaster with the patch clamp technique in the whole cell configuration from abdominal ventral oblique muscles. Shortly after nerve-muscle contacts (16 h after egg laying) mepcs were small and infrequent. The mean amplitude of mepcs increased abruptly during late embryonic stages but did not change any further up to second instar larvae. The amplitude distribution of mepcs was skewed toward larger amplitudes and changed drastically to a more broader distribution at the time of hatching, but did not change any further. These muscle cells were found to be electrically coupled to those in the rostral neighbor segment. The synaptic current has a fast rising phase and decayed with a single exponential throughout the developmental period examined. The decay time constant increased with amplitude but the rise time did not. Neither the rise time nor the decay time constant changed with development. Many synaptic currents decayed in a stepwise manner revealing underlying single channel events. Two discrete steps were discerned, with amplitudes of about 7.6 and 16 pA at -60 mV. These two types of channels were observed throughout the stages examined.

Synthesis and angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitory activity of N-[(1S)-1-carboxy-5-(4-piperidyl)pentyl]-L-alanine derivatives

As part of a search for potent and long-lasting angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, various types of N-[(1S)-1-carboxy-5-(4-piperidyl)pentyl]-L-alanine derivatives (7a, 8-11) were prepared. The key synthetic intermediate, N-[(1S)-5-(1-benzyloxycarbonyl-4-piperidyl)-1- ethoxycarbonylpentyl]-L-alanine (17a), was synthesized by asymmetric reduction of the alpha-oxoester (13) with Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei followed by a substitution reaction with tert-butyl L-alaninate (15) and subsequent treatment with hydrogen chloride. Compounds 7a and 8-11 showed potent and long-lasting ACE-inhibitory activity in rats.

Synthesis and platelet-activating factor (PAF)-antagonistic activities of 1,4-disubstituted piperazine derivatives

During the screening of novel platelet-activating factor (PAF) antagonists, we found that 1-(6-methoxy-3,4-dihydro-2-naphthoyl)-4- (3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl)piperazine and its 4-(3,4,5- trimethoxybenzoyl)piperazine derivatives (1b, 2b) exerted in vitro and in vivo PAF-antagonistic activities. Modifications of the 1-acyl group, the substituent at the 4-position and the piperazine ring of 1a and 2b were examined and from this series 1-(2,3-dimethoxy-6,7-dihydro-5H-benzocyclohepten-8-ylcarbonyl++ +)-4- (3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoyl)piperazine (2g) was found to be one of the most potent PAF antagonists.

Synthesis and platelet-activating factor (PAF)-antagonistic activities of trisubstituted piperazine derivatives

2- or 3-Substituted 1-(2,3-dimethoxy-6,7-dihydro-5H-benzocyclohepten-8- ylcarbonyl)-4-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoyl)- and 4-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl)piperazines (2a-s, 3a, b) were prepared and evaluated for antagonistic activities against platelet-activating factor (PAF)-induced platelet aggregation and blood pressure reduction. The 2-methoxymethyl derivative (2f) showed the most potent activities in this series. The enantiomers (R)-(+)-2f and (S)-(-)-2f were synthesized from carbobenzoxy-O-benzyl-L- and D-serine in several steps. In the binding experiment, (S)-(-)-2f showed thirty times greater affinity than the R isomer for the PAF receptor.

Differential expression of homeobox-containing genes Msx-1 and Msx-2 and homeoprotein Msx-2 expression during chick craniofacial development

The expression pattern of chick Msx-1 and Msx-2 homeobox genes in craniofacial primordia was examined by in situ hybridization using cRNA probes. Both genes were expressed in the distal region of the facial primordia, where the distribution of Msx-2 expression was restricted distally within the Msx-1 expression domain. On the contrary, Msx-2 expression in the lateral choroid plexus and cranial skull was broader and more intensive than Msx-1 expression. Our findings suggest that these two genes cooperate to play differential roles in craniofacial development. Msx-2 protein was detected immunohistochemically, and its localization essentially corresponded to the mRNA expression pattern, substantiating the involvement of Msx-2 protein as a transcriptional regulator in developing limb and face.

Effect of an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, CV-11974, and its prodrug, TCV-116, on production of aldosterone

In dispersed rabbit adrenocortical glomerulosa cells, a non-peptide angiotensin II (AT1) receptor antagonist, CV-11974 (10(-10)-10(-5) M), competitively inhibited angiotensin II- or angiotensin III-stimulated aldosterone production, whereas PD123177, an angiotensin AT2 receptor antagonist, did not. CV-11974 inhibited aldosterone production induced by 4 mM K+ but not by 12 mM K+. CV-11974 had no effect on adrenocorticotropic hormone-stimulated aldosterone or corticosterone production, but inhibited angiotensin II-stimulated corticosterone production. In the rat, TCV-116, the prodrug of CV-11974, (0.1 and 1 mg/kg, p.o.) markedly reduced the elevation of both plasma aldosterone concentration and blood pressure induced by i.v. infusion of angiotensin II. In spontaneously hypertensive rats, TCV-116 at daily p.o. doses of 0.1, 1 and 10 mg/kg for 2 weeks caused a dose-dependent reduction of blood pressure and plasma aldosterone concentration without affecting plasma corticosterone. Thus, TCV-116 inhibited the induction of aldosterone production by not only exogenous but also endogenous angiotensin II.

Mapping of antigenic sites involved in serotype-cross-reactive neutralization on group A rotavirus outercapsid glycoprotein VP7

Two neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (N-mAbs) were utilized to locate amino acid (aa) residues involved in the formation of serotype-cross-reactive epitopes on the VP7 of selected group A rotaviruses. N-mAb 954/159/13 neutralized G serotype 3 as well as porcine G serotype 4 rotaviruses, whereas N-mAb 57/8 neutralized G serotype 3, 4, 6, 9, and 10 strains. Neutralization-resistant variants of each serotype were selected in the presence of these two monoclonal antibodies. Sequence analysis of the gene encoding VP7 of such variants revealed: (i) variable regions VR-5 (aa 88-100), VR-8 (aa 209-223), and VR-9 (aa 235-242) are involved in cross-reactive neutralization; (ii) an aa substitution can occur at the same position on the VP7 of different serotypes selected by a given N-mAb; (iii) the location of an aa substitution on the variant VP7 selected by a given N-mAb can vary depending on the rotavirus serotype; (iv) a substituted single aa species at a specific position on the variant VP7 selected by a single N-mAb can vary, resulting in variants which exhibit antigenic differences; and (v) the VP7 of a porcine rotavirus Gottfried strain has a unique antigenic mosaic of serotype 3 and serotype 4.