ABSTRACT
Recent studies have identified a role for the oxidation product of linoleic acid, 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE) in cell proliferation. The enzyme 13-HODE dehydrogenase catalyzes the conversion of 13-HODE to 13-oxooctadecadienoic acid. This enzyme has been shown to correlate with the degree of differentiation of intestinal cells in both in vitro and in vivo models. Higher enzyme levels are found in more differentiated cell types. The present study was done to determine if enzyme levels of 13-HODE dehydrogenase are predictive of the differentiation status of biopsies from human colonic mucosa. Twenty-eight patients who underwent diagnostic colonoscopy (10 patients with adenocarcinoma and 18 with adenomatous polyps) had biopsies taken from both normal rectal mucosa and neoplastic mucosa. The determination of 13-HODE dehydrogenase activity was conducted by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of all biopsy samples. Sixteen of the 18 patients with polyps had lower 13-HODE dehydrogenase activity in the adenoma than in the uninvolved rectal mucosa (P = 0.001). The colon adenocarcinomas also had less 13-HODE dehydrogenase activity in the cancer biopsy tissue than in uninvolved rectal mucosa (P = 0.041) These data are consistent with a role for 13-HODE dehydrogenase in intestinal cell differentiation. Understanding the precise role of this enzymatic reaction could be important potentially in the therapy and biology of colon cancer. In addition, measurements of 13-HODE dehydrogenase may be a useful parameter by which to ascertain the differentiation status of intestinal cells in vitro.
Subject(s)
Adenocarcinoma/enzymology , Adenomatous Polyps/enzymology , Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism , Colorectal Neoplasms/enzymology , Intestinal Mucosa/enzymology , Linoleic Acids/metabolism , Oxidoreductases/metabolism , Adenocarcinoma/pathology , Adenomatous Polyps/pathology , Adult , Aged , Biopsy , Colonoscopy , Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology , Humans , Intestinal Mucosa/pathology , Middle Aged , Sensitivity and SpecificitySubject(s)
Skin Pigmentation , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Child , Child, Preschool , England , Female , Humans , India/ethnology , Infant , Male , Middle Aged , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
A familial reciprocal translocation, established by R-banding as t(9;13) (9p23;13q21), is described in a phenotypically normal male carrier, whose father is also a balanced carrier and wife had four consecutive spontaneous abortions. The role of translocation in reproductive failure through production of chromosomally unbalanced gametes or by impairment of the spermatogenesis is briefly discussed.
Subject(s)
Abortion, Habitual/genetics , Chromosome Aberrations , Chromosomes, Human, 13-15 , Chromosomes, Human, 6-12 and X , Translocation, Genetic , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , PregnancyABSTRACT
An 11-year-old girl with severe psychomotor retardation and other congenital anomalies characteristic of Down's and G deletion I syndromes, was confirmed to be a chromosome 21 ring carrier by R- and G-banding techniques. The dynamics of the ring evolution resulting in a population of complex unstable rings, as in our index case, and the effects of the consequent ring mosaicism are briefly discussed.
Subject(s)
Chromosome Aberrations , Chromosomes, Human, 21-22 and Y , Down Syndrome/genetics , Child , Chromosome Deletion , Down Syndrome/enzymology , Female , Humans , Mosaicism , Phenotype , Superoxide Dismutase/blood , SyndromeABSTRACT
Skin colour data obtained by reflectance spectrophotometry on indigenous populations are compared with environmental variables--latitude, temperature, humidity and altitude. Association with latitude predominates at all wavelengths. Temperatures show a small but appreciable association at the shorter wavelengths, humidity at wavelengths above 595 nm. Over 80 per cent of the total interpopulation variance at each wave length is accounted for by these variables, more at the shorter wavelengths. It is suggested that skin colour should be regarded as a complex of entities of differing selective values rather than a single entity.
