Mechanisms explaining the onset, course and spontaneous resolution of gouty arthritis

Cytogenetic analysis of short-term cultures from three untreated and one recurrent ependymoma revealed clonal aberrations in three of the four tumors. A posterior fossa ependymoma from a 3-year-old male patient showed trisomy 11 as the sole clonal chromosome aberration. A recurrent spinal ependymoma from a 35-year-old male showed hypertriploid clones with abnormalities involving chromosomes 1p11,7q21, and 10p13. A 62-year-old male patient with a cerebellar ependymoma showed a hypodiploid stem-cell line with clonal structural aberrations of both the long and short arms of chromosome 1, an interstitial deletion of 2q, trisomy 7, and monosomy for chromosomes 11, 13, and 16. A 3-year-old female patient with posterior fossa ependymoma showed a normal 46,XX karyotype. Chromosome 1 aberrations appear to be the most consistent finding in this small series of tumors, with the net loss or rearrangement of chromosome 1 pter-->p22 material from two of the four tumors. These findings, in addition to a previously published case [1], suggest a possible role for genes on the short arm of chromosome 1 in the cytogenetic evaluation of ependymomas.     

Membrane targeting of RecA during genetic transformation

Recombination in prokaryotes and eukaryotes is mediated by the RecA family of proteins. Although the interactions between RecA and DNA are well studied, the cellular location of these interactions is not known. Using genetic transformation of Streptococcus pneumoniae as a model system, there was increased expression of a protein, colligrin, and RecA, products of the rec locus during genetic transfer. These proteins formed a complex and were found associated with the membranes of genetically competent cells. With immunoelectron microscopy and subcellular fractionation, we showed that the induction of competence led to the translocation of RecA and colligrin to the membrane and to the formation of clusters of RecA in a colligrin-dependent step. Based on the behaviour of colligrin and RecA during genetic exchange and the numerous proteins in prokaryotes and eukaryotes with domains similar to colligrin, we suggest that there may exist a family of proteins, which gathers macromolecules at specific sites in biological membranes.     

Three proteins involved in Caenorhabditis elegans vulval invagination are similar to components of a glycosylation pathway

We have molecularly analyzed three genes, sqv-3, sqv-7, and sqv-8, that are required for wild-type vulval invagination in Caenorhabditis elegans. The predicted SQV-8 protein is similar in sequence to two mammalian beta(1,3)-glucuronyltransferases, one of which adds glucuronic acid to protein-linked galactose-beta(1, 4)-N-acetylglucosamine. SQV-3 is similar to a family of glycosyltransferases that includes vertebrate beta(1, 4)-galactosyltransferases, which create galactose-beta(1, 4)-N-acetylglucosamine linkages. One model is therefore that SQV-8 uses a SQV-3 product as a substrate. SQV-7 is similar to members of a family of nucleotide-sugar transporters. The sqv genes therefore are likely to encode components of a conserved glycosylation pathway that assembles a C. elegans carbohydrate moiety, the absence of which perturbs vulval invagination.     

Light-dependent changes in outer segment free-Ca2+ concentration in salamander cone photoreceptors

Simultaneous measurements of photocurrent and outer segment Ca2+ were made from isolated salamander cone photoreceptors. While recording the photocurrent from the inner segment, which was drawn into a suction pipette, a laser spot confocal technique was employed to evoke fluorescence from the outer segment of a cone loaded with the Ca2+ indicator fluo-3. When a dark-adapted cone was exposed to the intense illumination of the laser, the circulating current was completely suppressed and fluo-3 fluorescence rapidly declined. In the more numerous red-sensitive cones this light-induced decay in fluo-3 fluorescence was best fitted as the sum of two decaying exponentials with time constants of 43 +/- 2.4 and 640 +/- 55 ms (mean +/- SEM, n = 25) and unequal amplitudes: the faster component was 1.7-fold larger than the slower. In blue-sensitive cones, the decay in fluorescence was slower, with time constants of 140 +/- 30 and 1,400 +/- 300 ms, and nearly equal amplitudes. Calibration of fluo-3 fluorescence in situ from red-sensitive cones allowed the calculation of the free-Ca2+ concentration, yielding values of 410 +/- 37 nM in the dark-adapted outer segment and 5.5 +/- 2.4 nM after saturating illumination (mean +/- SEM, n = 8). Photopigment bleaching by the laser resulted in a considerable reduction in light sensitivity and a maintained decrease in outer segment Ca2+ concentration. When the photopigment was regenerated by applying exogenous 11-cis-retinal, both the light sensitivity and fluo-3 fluorescence recovered rapidly to near dark-adapted levels. Regeneration of the photopigment allowed repeated measurements of fluo-3 fluorescence to be made from a single red-sensitive cone during adaptation to steady light over a range of intensities. These measurements demonstrated that the outer segment Ca2+ concentration declines in a graded manner during adaptation to background light, varying linearly with the magnitude of the circulating current.     

Cysteine-scanning mutagenesis of helix IV and the adjoining loops in the lactose permease of Escherichia coli: Glu126 and Arg144 are essential. off

Cys-scanning mutagenesis has been applied to the remaining 45 residues in lactose permease that have not been mutagenized previously (from Gln100 to Arg144 which comprise helix IV and adjoining loops). Of the 45 single-Cys mutants, 26 accumulate lactose to > 75% of the steady state observed with Cys-less permease, and 14 mutants exhibit lower but significant levels of accumulation (35-65% of Cys-less permease). Permease with Phe140-->Cys or Lys131-->Cys exhibits low activity (15-20% of Cys-less permease), while mutants Gly115-->Cys, Glu126-->Cys and Arg144-->Cys are completely unable to accumulate the dissacharide. However, Cys-less permease with Ala or Pro in place of Gly115 is highly active, and replacement of Lys131 or Phe140 with Cys in wild-type permease has a less deleterious effect on activity. In contrast, mutant Glu126-->Cys or Arg144-->Cys is inactive with respect to both uphill and downhill transport in either Cys-less or wild-type permease. Furthermore, mutants Glu126-->Ala or Gln and Arg144-->Ala or Gln are also inactive in both backgrounds, and activity is not rescued by double neutral replacements or inversion of the charged residues at these positions. Finally, a mutant with Lys in place of Arg144 accumulates lactose to about 25% of the steady state of wild-type, but at a slow rate. Replacement of Glu126 with Asp, in contrast, has relatively little effect on activity. None of the effects can be attributed to decreased expression of the mutants, as judged by immunoblot analysis. Although the activity of most of the single-Cys mutants is unaffected by N-ethylmaleimide, Cys replacement at three positions (Ala127, Val132, or Phe138) renders the permease highly sensitive to alkylation. The results indicate that the cytoplasmic loop between helices IV and V, where insertional mutagenesis has little effect on activity [McKenna, E., et al. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89, 11954-11958], contains residues that play an important role in permease activity and that a carboxyl group at position 126 and a positive charge at position 144 are absolutely required.     

Cytoplasmic creatine kinases from giant pandas

The muscle and brain creatine kinases of giant panda have been isolated and purified. The purified muscle and brain enzymes (MM and BB) are homogeneous on both the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence and absence of SDS. Both enzymes are dimers, consisting of two identical subunits each with a molecular weight of 42,000 daltons. The characteristics of muscle and brain enzymes have been studied, respectively. The hybridized enzyme, MB, was prepared by hybridization of MM and BB. The kinetic parameters of MM, BB and MB were determined, respectively. The results from modification of SH groups show that the SH groups of panda creatine kinases are essential for their activity and among the all SH groups in the enzyme only one per subunit is essential for enzymatic activity.     

Immunoglobulin A antibodies to Helicobacter pylori

Serological testing for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to Helicobacter pylori has proven useful in supporting the diagnosis of infection with this organism, but the clinical value of IgA antibodies in H. pylori-related gastritis remains controversial. The purpose of our study was to determine the frequency of IgA-positive IgG-negative patients with symptoms of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, thus assessing the clinical utility of IgA testing for H. pylori-related gastritis. It was found previously that the frequency of infected individuals in this category (IgA positive and IgG negative) is about 2%, but a large number of IgG-negative patients with GI disorders suggestive of H. pylori infection have not been investigated until now.