Utility of osteopontin in cerebrospinal fluid as a diagnostic marker for neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus.

The whole protein of osteopontin (OPN full) and its cleaved form (OPN N-half) are involved in the immune response and the migration of immune cells to an inflammatory lesion. We have reported that serum OPN full and urine OPN N-half are elevated in lupus nephritis (LN). Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) is a refractory complication of SLE. To investigate whether OPN full and OPN N-half could serve as diagnostic markers for NPSLE, and to elucidate their role in NPSLE pathogenesis, the concentrations of OPN full and OPN N-half in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured in NPSLE and non-NPSLE patients. We found that the concentration of OPN full in the CSF was significantly higher in NPSLE than in non-NPSLE, and it decreased after treatment. When the cutoff value of OPN full in CSF was set to 963.4 ng/ml, the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of NPSLE were 70% and 100%, respectively. The correlation analysis of OPN full, OPN N-half and various cytokines/chemokines suggested that the cytokines/chemokines could be divided into two clusters: cluster A, which contains OPN full and cluster B, which contains interleukin-6. OPN full in CSF could be a novel diagnostic marker for NPSLE.

Clinical significance and new detection system of autoantibodies in myositis with interstitial lung disease.

Anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (ARS) and anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) antibodies are closely associated with interstitial lung disease in polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Anti-ARS-positive patients develop common clinical characteristics termed anti-synthetase syndrome and share a common clinical course, in which they respond well to initial treatment with glucocorticoids but in which disease tends to recur when glucocorticoids are tapered. Anti-MDA5 antibody is associated with rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease and poor prognosis, particularly in Asia. Therefore, intensive immunosuppressive therapy is required for anti-MDA5-positive patients from the early phase of the disease. New enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to detect anti-ARS and anti-MDA5 antibodies have recently been established and are suggested to be efficient and useful. These assays are expected to be widely applied in daily practice.

Predictive value of endoscopic findings in the diagnosis of active intestinal amebiasis.

Endoscopic diagnosis of amebic colitis can be difficult because its appearance may mimic other forms of colonic disease. The aim of this study was to identify predictive endoscopic findings for amebic colitis. Patients with suspected amebic colitis based on distinctive endoscopic findings such as aphthae or erosions, ulcers, exudates, or a bump, were included in the study. A total of 157 patients were selected, 50 of whom had amebic colitis. The sensitivity and specificity of endoscopic findings that were significantly associated with amebic colitis were: cecal lesions (80% and 54%), multiple number of lesions (96% and 29%), presence of aphthae or erosions (84% and 37%), and presence of exudate (88% and 74%). Multivariate analysis revealed that the best combination of findings to predict amebic colitis was the presence of cecal lesions, multiple lesions, and exudates, which corresponded to an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.89 (95% confidence interval 0.82-0.95).

Low serum levels of total and high-molecular-weight adiponectin predict the development of metabolic syndrome in Japanese-Americans.

BACKGROUND: Adiponectin is thought to play a significant role in the development of both insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Yet, there is very few evidence about the association plasma adiponectin and metabolic syndrome in the prospective study. Adiponectin exists as multimers in serum, and high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin is particularly considered to be the active form of the protein. AIM: We investigated whether serum HMW adiponectin as well as total adiponectin is associated with the development of metabolic syndrome in a longitudinal study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 224 men and 312 women of Japanese- Americans without metabolic syndrome at baseline who were followed for an average of 3.2 yr. The association of plasma total and HMW adiponectin with a progression to metabolic syndrome was examined. RESULTS: Subjects who developed metabolic syndrome had significantly lower plasma total and HMW adiponectin levels at baseline than those who did not develop metabolic syndrome. In a Cox proportional hazards model, lower total and HMW adiponectin levels were independent risk factors for the development of metabolic syndrome after adjusting for age, body mass index, classification of 75-g glucose tolerance test, and homeostasis model assessment (hazards ratio: total, 0.684, p=0.017, in men; 0.606, p=0.003, in women; HMW, 0.687, p=0.014, in men; 0.704, p=0.029, in women, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Low circulating levels of total and HMW adiponectin may be a possible predictor for the development of metabolic syndrome.

Structures of metal sites of oxidized bovine heart cytochrome c oxidase at 2.8 A.

The high resolution three-dimensional x-ray structure of the metal sites of bovine heart cytochrome c oxidase is reported. Cytochrome c oxidase is the largest membrane protein yet crystallized and analyzed at atomic resolution. Electron density distribution of the oxidized bovine cytochrome c oxidase at 2.8 A resolution indicates a dinuclear copper center with an unexpected structure similar to a [2Fe-2S]-type iron-sulfur center. Previously predicted zinc and magnesium sites have been located, the former bound by a nuclear encoded subunit on the matrix side of the membrane, and the latter situated between heme a3 and CuA, at the interface of subunits I and II. The O2 binding site contains heme a3 iron and copper atoms (CuB) with an interatomic distance of 4.5 A; there is no detectable bridging ligand between iron and copper atoms in spite of a strong antiferromagnetic coupling between them. A hydrogen bond is present between a hydroxyl group of the hydroxyfarnesylethyl side chain of heme a3 and an OH of a tyrosine. The tyrosine phenol plane is immediately adjacent and perpendicular to an imidazole group bonded to CuB, suggesting a possible role in intramolecular electron transfer or conformational control, the latter of which could induce the redox-coupled proton pumping. A phenyl group located halfway between a pyrrole plane of the heme a3 and an imidazole plane liganded to the other heme (heme a) could also influence electron transfer or conformational control.

The whole structure of the 13-subunit oxidized cytochrome c oxidase at 2.8 A.

The crystal structure of bovine heart cytochrome c oxidase at 2.8 A resolution with an R value of 19.9 percent reveals 13 subunits, each different from the other, five phosphatidyl ethanolamines, three phosphatidyl glycerols and two cholates, two hemes A, and three copper, one magnesium, and one zinc. Of 3606 amino acid residues in the dimer, 3560 have been converged to a reasonable structure by refinement. A hydrogen-bonded system, including a propionate of a heme A (heme a), part of peptide backbone, and an imidazole ligand of CuA, could provide an electron transfer pathway between CuA and heme a. Two possible proton pathways for pumping, each spanning from the matrix to the cytosolic surfaces, were identified, including hydrogen bonds, internal cavities likely to contain water molecules, and structures that could form hydrogen bonds with small possible conformational change of amino acid side chains. Possible channels for chemical protons to produce H2O, for removing the produced water, and for O2, respectively, were identified.

Redox-coupled crystal structural changes in bovine heart cytochrome c oxidase.

Crystal structures of bovine heart cytochrome c oxidase in the fully oxidized, fully reduced, azide-bound, and carbon monoxide-bound states were determined at 2.30, 2.35, 2.9, and 2.8 angstrom resolution, respectively. An aspartate residue apart from the O2 reduction site exchanges its effective accessibility to the matrix aqueous phase for one to the cytosolic phase concomitantly with a significant decrease in the pK of its carboxyl group, on reduction of the metal sites. The movement indicates the aspartate as the proton pumping site. A tyrosine acidified by a covalently linked imidazole nitrogen is a possible proton donor for the O2 reduction by the enzyme.

Contributions of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation to adenosine 5'-triphosphate production in AS-30D hepatoma cells.

The AS-30D rat hepatoma cell line is characteristic of that class of rapidly growing tumors which exhibit high rates of aerobic glucose utilization and lactic acid production (Bustamante, E., Morris, H.P., and Pedersen, P.L., J. Biol. Chem., 256: 8699-8704, 1981). In this study, we have examined the coupling properties of the mitochondria in intact AS-30D hepatoma cells and the relative contributions of cytoplasmic (glycolytic) and mitochondrial compartments to total cellular ATP production in the presence of glucose and glutamine. All respiration in AS-30D cells was inhibited by inhibitors of mitochondrial electron transport, ruling out significant rates of respiration from other cellular components. Moreover, cellular respiration was found to be coupled to phosphorylation of ADP, as demonstrated by its inhibition by oligomycin and aurovertin, inhibitors of the mitochondrial ATP synthetase (F0F1-ATPase). When intact cells were supplied with glucose as the only added energy source, it was estimated that about 60% of the total cell ATP was derived from glycolysis and 40% from oxidative phosphorylation. Addition of physiological concentrations of glutamine in the presence of glucose had little effect on the relative contributions of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation to total cellular ATP production. In the absence of added glucose, glutamine alone could maintain the same ATP production rates by supporting mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. It is concluded that, in the AS-30D hepatoma cell line, glucose is the preferred energy source, with the larger portion of ATP production being supplied by glycolytic reactions. Although oxidative substrates such as glutamine can replace glucose in maintaining total cell ATP production, they do not appear to be the major fuel sources when hepatoma AS-30D cells are exposed to concentrations of substrates which occur in vivo.

Purification and characterization of a bindable form of mitochondrial bound hexokinase from the highly glycolytic AS-30D rat hepatoma cell line.

Recent studies from this laboratory have demonstrated that a form of hexokinase characteristic of rapidly growing, highly glycolytic tumor cells is bound to an outer mitochondrial membrane receptor complex containing a Mr 35,000 pore protein (D. M. Parry and P. L. Pedersen, J. Biol. Chem., 258: 10904-10912, 1983; R. A. Nakashima, et al., Biochemistry, 25: 1015-1021, 1986). In new studies reported here the specificity of this receptor complex for binding hexokinase is defined, and a purification scheme is described which leads to a homogeneous and bindable form of the tumor hexokinase. In the AS-30D hepatoma, hexokinase activity is elevated more than 100-fold relative to liver tissue. The relative increase in hexokinase activity is 8 times greater than that of any other glycolytic enzyme. Hexokinase is the only glycolytic enzyme of AS-30D cells to exhibit a mitochondrial/cytoplasmic specific activity ratio greater than 1, showing a 3.5-fold elevation in the mitochondrial fraction. Purification of hexokinase is accomplished by preferential solubilization of the mitochondrial bound enzyme with glucose-6-phosphate, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography on gel permeation and anion exchange columns. The final fraction has a specific activity of 144 units per mg of protein, with a Km for glucose of 0.13 mM and for ATP of 1.4 mM. The purified tumor enzyme migrates as a single species upon sodium dodecyl sulfate: polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with an apparent molecular weight of 98,000. Significantly, the purified tumor enzyme retains its activity for mitochondrial binding. Additional results derived from chromatographic, polyclonal antibody, and amino acid analysis studies indicate that the predominant rat hepatoma hexokinase species is related most closely to isozymic form(s) of the enzyme commonly referred to as type II, and least related to the liver type IV isozyme (glucokinase).

Mutational analysis of the transforming growth factor beta receptor type II gene in human ovarian carcinoma.

In the present study, we evaluated a series of sporadic ovarian carcinomas for mutations within the entire coding region of TbetaR-II. Using reverse transcription-PCR and "Cold" single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis, 6 of 24 samples (25%) were found to contain code-altering mutations in TbetaR-II: (a) four mutations resulting in amino acid substitutions in the highly conserved serine/threonine kinase domain; (b) one mutation resulting in a conservative amino acid change in the transmembrane domain; and (c) a 1-bp insertion in the polyadenylic acid microsatellite region resulting in a reading frameshift. In addition, six cases (25%) exhibited a common bp substitution (C-->T at nucleotide 1322) in both tumor and patient-matched normal tissues. This is the first report of such TbetaR-II mutations in primary human ovarian carcinomas. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated a loss of expression of TbetaR-II in 5 of 22 available tumors (23%; 4 of which also had mutations in the coding region) and decreased expression of TbetaR-II in 10 of 22 available tumors (44%; 1 of which had a mutation in the coding region). Thus, the loss or decreased expression of TbetaR-II seems to be a common event in sporadic ovarian carcinomas, and mutational inactivation, due to either frameshift mutations in the polyadenylic acid microsatellite region or point mutations in conserved functional domains, is one mechanism by which this occurs.

Molecular evidence that most but not all carcinosarcomas of the uterus are combination tumors.

The pathogenesis of carcinosarcoma is still a subject of controversy. In the present study, molecular techniques were applied to determine the pathogenesis of uterine carcinosarcomas. The patterns of chromosome X inactivation were analyzed, targeting a portion of exon 1 of the human androgen receptor (HUMARA) in malignant epithelial and mesenchymal components. The presence of p53 and K-ras mutations were also analyzed. H&E-stained sections of paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed tissues were microdissected to obtain both epithelial and nonepithelial lesions from 25 carcinosarcomas, and DNAs were extracted by proteinase K digestion. Following treatment with methylation-sensitive restriction endonuclease (HhaI or HpaII), PCR amplification was performed using nested primers targeted to the HUMARA locus. Mutations in the p53 gene and K-ras gene were found in eight (32%) and six (24%) tumors, respectively. The patterns of chromosome X inactivation were different between the carcinomatous and sarcomatous components of three carcinosarcomas, indicating that these three tumors represent collision tumors. By contrast, the patterns of chromosome X inactivation, K-ras sequence, and p53 sequence were identical in both carcinomatous and sarcomatous components in 21 carcinosarcomas, indicating that these 21 tumors represent combination tumors. One case produced equivocal results that precluded determination of whether it represented a collision or combination tumor. These observations show that although most carcinosarcomas are combination tumors, some develop as collision tumors. The determination of histogenesis in individual cases of carcinosarcoma using molecular markers may be worthwhile, because the result could help predict the prognosis of individual cases and help guide clinical management.

Evidence for multiple genes coding for the isozymes of hexokinase in the highly glycolytic AS-30D rat hepatoma.

We have compared Southern blots of rat hepatoma DNA probed with Types I, II and III hexokinase cDNAs isolated from normal rat tissues. Hybridization patterns show several fragments recognized by both the Type I and II clones while no resemblance is observed between the Type III probe and the other two isozymes. It therefore appears that the Type I-like and Type II-like hepatoma isozymes are coded for by similar yet separate genes, while a dissimilar third gene codes for the Type III-like isozyme. In addition, a loss of heterozygosity was detected at the Type III locus in the AS-30D hepatoma when compared to normal tissue. As only the Type II-like isozyme is highly expressed in highly glycolytic tumors, these data have implications for differential gene regulation between the tumor isozymes.

Identification of a higher molecular weight protein that shows apparent cross-reactivity with anti-p21ras monoclonal antibodies on western blots.

We have characterized the immune cross-reactivity of several commercially available monoclonal antibodies prepared against the p21ras proteins and used in Western blotting experiments against human tissue homogenates. Under optimal conditions, only two bands were observed on Western blots. One of these comigrated with control p21ras protein. A second protein of apparent mobility corresponding to approximately 54 kDa was also observed with all four monoclonal antibodies tested. Protein sequencing by automated Edman degradation indicates that the 54 kDa species corresponds to human immunoglobulin heavy chain. Under suboptimal conditions, another high molecular weight species of apparent mobility 65 kDa was also observed to cross-react with some of the monoclonal antibodies tested. This 65 kDa species was identified by protein sequencing as human serum albumin. Coomassie blue staining of SDS-polyacrylamide gels indicates that serum albumin is a major contaminant of many surgically obtained human tissue samples, while p21ras and immunoglobulin heavy chain are present at much lower concentrations. These results may be of significance when using monoclonal antibodies to determine p21ras levels of whole tissue homogenates by dot-blot, slot-blot or microplate assays.

Quantification of renal uptake of technetium-99m-DTPA using planar scintigraphy: a technique that considers organ volume.

We developed a method to estimate the radioactivity of 99mTc-DTPA within the kidney by planar scintigraphy. Phantom experiments and renal studies were used to compare our method with that of the Gates' method. Our method corrects for scatter and attenuation using the volume depth-independent buildup factor technique, after which background correction is performed with consideration for target organ volume. When the renal phantom-to-background activity concentration ratio (S) was changed from 5 to 80 in a water-filled container and the renal phantom depth was varied from 1 to 11 cm for each value of S, the renal phantom count rate calculated by our method was accurate under all conditions investigated. In contrast, the Gates' method was significantly affected by phantom depth and S values. In 40 patients, renal uptake in the image obtained 2-3 min after injection of 99mTc-DTPA was estimated by our method and the Gates' method, and the correlation between uptake and creatinine clearance was determined. When a ring background region of interest (ROI) around the kidney was employed, a good correlation was obtained by our method (r = 0.947) in comparison with the Gates method (r = 0.887). With both methods, a semilunar background ROI produced poor results than the ring background ROI. In conclusion, renal radioactivity levels that correlate well with creatinine clearance can be obtained by our method, which allows estimation of individual glomerular filtration rates.

Genetic alterations in the transforming growth factor receptor complex in sporadic endometrial carcinoma.

Cellular responses to the transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) ligand, including inhibition of cell proliferation, are mediated by a heteromeric receptor complex composed of TGFbeta types I and II receptors (TbetaR-I and TbetaR-II). Loss of responsiveness to TGFbeta, attributed to inactivation of the TbetaR complex, has been implicated in the development of tumors in a number of human epithelial and lymphoid tissues. To gain a better understanding of TGFbeta signal transduction pathways in endometrial carcinogenesis, we have investigated the role of the TbetaR complex by evaluating the TbetaR-I and TbetaR-II genes for mutations throughout the entire coding region in human sporadic endometrial tumors. Using reverse transcription-PCR, "Cold" single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis, and direct DNA sequencing, it was found that 1 of 39 (2.6%) and 7 of 42 samples (17%) contained code-altering changes in the kinase domain of TbetaR-I and TbetaR-II, respectively. In 7betaR-I, a 3-bp deletion was found resulting in replacement of Arg and Glu at codon 237 and 238 by Lys. With TbetaR-II, mutations were found in the kinase, the extracellular, and the C-terminal domains. No frameshift mutations were detected; however, a silent population polymorphism (AAC-->AAT at codon 389) in TbetaR-II was found in 19 of 42 (44%) tumor samples. These results suggest that alteration in TbetaR-II, but not TbetaR-I, has an important role in the development of endometrial carcinoma.

The von-Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene is not mutated in sporadic ovarian carcinomas.

The von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene has been shown to be mutated frequently not only in neoplasms from von Hippel-Lindau disease, but also in sporadic clear cell renal carcinoma. In order to reveal the possible role of the VHL tumor suppressor gene in the development of ovarian carcinoma, a total of 71 primary sporadic ovarian carcinomas were analyzed for the presence of mutations in the exon 2 and 3 of the VHL tumor suppressor gene, using the polymerase chain reaction with single strand conformation polymorphism analysis. No mutations in the VHL gene were found in any of the tumors analyzed. This result shows that the VHL tumor suppressor gene does not play a major role in the tumorigenesis of sporadic ovarian carcinoma.

New cembranes from the soft coral sarcophyton species

Three new cembranes, including one with a 13-membered carbocyclic ring, have been isolated from the soft coral Sarcophyton sp.

A new antibiotic K-82 A and minor components, produced by Streptomyces lavendulae, strain No. K-82.

From the results of taxonomic studies, Streptomyces sp. strain No. K-82 isolated from a soil sample collected in Kumamoto city, was identified as a strain belonging to Streptomyces lavendulae WAKSMAN & HENRICI 1948. The strain produced an active new antibiotic called K-82 A and minor components named the B complex. Antibiotic K-82 A was isolated as dark reddish needles by silica gel column chromatography and found to have both antibacterial activity and high phage induction activity. The K-82 B complex was found to consist of at least five components, among which K-82 B2 and B3 were isolated as crystals. Substances K-82 B2 was identified as benzoic acid from its physicochemical properties. Substance B3 like B2 had only marginal antibiotic activity.