Gene Literature Dashboard

Incubation of steroid-free whole mouse brain cytosol from adrenalectomized-ovariectomized mice with saturating concentrations of tritiated dexamethasone was found to label all Type I as well as all Type II adrenocorticosteroid receptors. The quantitative and brain regional distribution of residual dexamethasone binding in cytosols pre-treated with dextran-coated charcoal (DCC) and 300 mM KCl was indistinguishable from that for tritiated aldosterone-Type I receptor complexes under the same conditions. We therefore conclude that the dexamethasone binding sites remaining after DCC and KCl treatment of steroid-free brain cytosol are due to the presence of Type I receptors. The differential sensitivity of Type I and Type II receptors to the DCC/KCl treatment paradigm may be useful in the purification of Type I receptors.

Changes in the protein C-thrombomodulin (PC-TM) system in relation to other coagulofibrinolytic parameters were examined in 25 patients undergoing open heart surgery. Although all patients were given heparin, a decrease in antithrombin III (ATIII) and progressive increase in thrombin-ATIII complex (TAT) and fibrinopeptide A (FPA) levels were noted during cardiopulmonary bypass, which indicated that heparinization did not completely inhibit the formation of thrombin and its function. C1-inactivator (INA) resistant fibrinolytic activity increased markedly during CPB, in parallel with the change of tissue plasminogen activator antigen (t-PA;Ag), which indicates that fibrinolytic activity during CPB is mainly of extrinsic origin caused by t-PA. Protein C antigen (PC;Ag), protein S antigen (PS;Ag), and thrombomodulin antigen (TM;Ag) were all decreased significantly during CPB. This is considered to reflect the activation and consumption of the PC-TM system in response to generated thrombin. Furthermore, enhancement of the extrinsic fibrinolytic system is easily explained by the action of activated PC, which counteracts plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), to cause enhancement of t-PA activity.

The synthesis of aspartic proteinase inhibitors derived from a new histidine side-chain analogue of statine (Sta), (3S,4S)-4-amino-3-hydroxy-5-(imidazol-4-yl)pentanoic acid (HiSta, 20), is reported. Boc-HiSta(BOM)-OMe (7) was prepared in 16% overall yield from Boc-His(pi-BOM)-OH via formation of the tetramic acid derivative 11 and stereoselective cis reduction with NaBH4 to the 4-hydroxy lactam 12. Removal of the Boc group from ester 7 (enantiomeric purity ee = 88-90%) and coupling to the tripeptide segment Iva-Val-Val-OH (13) by the DCC/HOBt preactivation method followed by hydrogenolytic removal of the pi-BOM group over Pd(OH)2 on carbon gave Iva-Val-Val-HiSta-OMe (16). This new peptide 16 is a very potent inhibitor of the fungal aspartic proteinase penicillopepsin (Ki = 4.5 x 10(-9) M) that is 10 times more active than the comparable Sta-containing inhibitor 3 and 2-3 times more potent than the new (3S,4S)-4-amino-3-hydroxy-5-phenylpentanoic acid (AHPPA) analogue 17 (Ki = 1.5 x 10(-8) M). However, compound 16, which has an imidazole residue at the P1 position, is a significantly weaker inhibitor of the enzyme than the corresponding analogues with the lysine (5) and ornithine (6) side chains at P1. Considerations that led to the synthesis of 16 and the results of the enzyme kinetics are discussed in detail.

The contribution of diabetes and cirrhosis to sexual dysfunction and hypogonadism was evaluated by two-way analysis of variance in a group of 30 men with idiopathic hemochromatosis. The prevalence of severe sexual dysfunction was significantly higher in men with hemochromatosis than in a control group matched for prevalence of diabetes and age (P less than 0.001). In both controls and hemochromatosis patients the presence of diabetes was significantly associated with sexual dysfunction (P less than 0.005), but the more severe symptoms in the hemochromatosis patients were related to the additive effects of hypoandrogenism (P less than 0.01). Sexual dysfunction was a common early complaint in hemochromatosis patients, but these symptoms were frequently overlooked, leading to diagnostic delay. Mean testicular volume was a useful measure of gonadal status, being significantly correlated with indices of serum free testosterone (rs = 0.83; P less than 0.01) and LH (rs = 0.71; P less than 0.001). The presence of cirrhosis did not contribute significantly to symptomatology, but had an effect independent of and additive to hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in reducing serum free testosterone (P less than 0.02) and estradiol (P less than 0.002), an effect apparently mediated through central rather than testicular mechanisms. Hypoandrogenism was associated with an increase in serum sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations (P less than 0.005), but cirrhosis also had an independent effect in raising SHBG (P less than 0.005), which could not be accounted for by changes in circulating sex hormone concentrations. Thus, the evaluation of sexual dysfunction or hypogonadism in men with hemochromatosis requires consideration of the effects of both diabetes and cirrhosis. Because of the greater variance in SHBG some estimate of free testosterone rather than total testosterone is preferable.

The frequencies of different HLA-A and -B alleles in 77 Australian patients with hemochromatosis have been compared with frequencies of HLA alleles not associated with hemochromatosis in 63 of their heterozygous relatives and with published population frequencies. As for all other populations reported, an association of HLA-A3 and HLA-B7 with the disease was found. A weak association with HLA-B12 was also detected. No other significant positive or negative associations with HLA alleles were detected. In addition, HLA-A2 and -B12 were in significant linkage disequilibrium in patients but not in controls, which may indicate a new mutation or recent recombination between HLA-A and hemochromatosis either in our patient group or in the founding population. HLA-A1 and -B8 and HLA-A29 and -B12 were in linkage disequilibrium in controls but not in patients, suggesting that this population is not segregating a hemochromatosis allele on either of these haplotypes. Genetic linkage analysis using the program LIPED showed strong linkage in 23/24 families, most of which had additional HLA alleles (other than A3 and B7) associated with hemochromatosis. This provides evidence for a single hemochromatosis locus, possibly with more than one allele.

We have recently described an assay procedure to measure estrogen and progesterone receptors in extracts from frozen sections by a ligand binding assay. With this methodological approach it is now possible to perform comparative experiments not only to DCC/Scatchard analyses from different tissue blocks, but also to immunocytochemical determinations in identical tissue blocks: (1) When receptor quantities measured by the two biochemical methods were compared, a high correlation of estrogen receptor content was found between determinations in supernatants from frozen sections and DCC/Scatchard analyses. A slightly poorer correlation in the comparison of the ligand binding assays was obtained for the progesterone receptor. (2) The percentage of tumor cells stainable by immunocytochemistry for estrogen and progesterone receptors could hardly be correlated to the receptor concentrations (fmol/mg) measured quantitatively by the two ligand binding assays. (3) As the final result tumor specimen could be grouped into classes of receptor status according to the presence or absence of a nuclear stain in immunocytochemical assays or according to receptor concentrations above or below distinct threshold which were fixed at 20 fmol/mg for Scatchard analyses of both receptor species, 20 fmol/mg for estrogen- and 40 fmol/mg for progestin receptors for the assay with sections. In this diagnostical consideration the concordance of both biochemical methods to the immunocytochemical assessment was high for estrogen and less pronounced for progesterone receptors. (4) In some breast cancer specimen analyzed biochemically an unspecific progestin binding component could be detected superimposed on the progesterone receptor peak after isoelectric focusing.

We reported a rare case of triple cancers with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) associated with disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) after the operations of colon cancer and primary lung cancer. A 78-year-old Japanese male, who had been operated upon for colon cancer (adenocarcinoma) on March 1981, metastatic brain tumor (adenocarcinoma) on December 1986, and primary lung cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) on February 1987, was admitted to our hospital because of severe general malaise on December 6 1987. On admission, he had mild hepatosplenomegaly and hemorrhage diathesis such as purpura. Serum LDH increased to 2,515 mU/ml. The white blood cell count was 6,210/microliters with 53% leukemia cells, and the platelet count was 12,000/microliters. A bone marrow was infiltrated with 96.0% leukemia cells. The leukemia cells stained positively for PAS and negatively for peroxidase. Immunological examination of leukemia cells showed that HLA-DR, TdT, B1 and J5 were positive and cytoplasmic Igmu and surface Ig were negative, indicating common ALL. The coagulation studies revealed that the activated partial thromboplastin time was prolonged to 42.0 seconds, FDP increased to 79.9 micrograms/ml, and antithrombin-III decreased to 62%. Chromosome analysis showed a 48, XY, +2, +21q-, t(9;22) karyotype. He was diagnosed as having Ph1 positive ALL associated with DIC. He was treated with vindesine, prednisolone, L-asparaginase, and adriamycin and complete remission (CR) was achieved after two months. But on August 1988, 8 months after CR, ALL and brain tumor relapsed and he died of pneumonia on September 19, 1988.