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1.
Food Addit Contam ; 23(2): 140-7, 2006 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16449056

ABSTRACT

A survey of 12 metals including lead (Pb), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As) and platinum (Pt) was carried out using ICP-MS in 34 samples of wild fungi and 48 samples of wild blackberries collected from sites across the UK. On a fresh weight basis (mg/kg) levels of Pb were in the range 0.003-5.990, Cu 0.596-34.800, Cd<0.001-19.6, Hg<0.001-4.150, As 0.001-0.972 and Pt (microg/kg) 0.006-0.200, with higher concentrations found in fungi than in blackberries. The results of the survey showed that the concentrations of the metals were consistent with previous studies, where available. Concentrations in wild fungi of Pt, tin (Sn), and titanium (Ti) were significantly higher at urban sites than at rural sites. Urban blackberries had significantly higher levels of Pb, Ti, and Cd than rural ones, but lower levels of manganese (Mn). Pb, Ti and Sn concentrations were significantly higher in blackberries sampled near main roads rather than in rural areas.


Subject(s)
Food Analysis/methods , Fruit/chemistry , Fungi/chemistry , Metals, Heavy/analysis , Soil Pollutants/analysis , Environmental Monitoring/methods , Spectrophotometry, Atomic/methods , United Kingdom
2.
Vet Ther ; 2(4): 285-92, 2001.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19746650

ABSTRACT

A one-year field study was carried out in 45 households in Cairns, North Queensland to evaluate the efficacy of three topical or systemic treatment programs in controlling cat flea (Ctenocephalidesfelis) infestations within the residence and on dogs and cats. Homes were randomly assigned to one of three treatments. In the first group of homes, lufenuron was administered orally to all household pets according to label recommendations for the study duration, and nitenpyram was administered orally once per week for the first 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, all pets in the household received a single dose of nitenpyram if fleas were observed on any animal. Treatments in the second group of homes were identical to those for the first group except that all pets in the household received two doses of nitenpyram per week. In the final group, imidacloprid was applied topically to all household pets once every 4 weeks for the duration of the study, and no other flea-control measures were applied. Flea populations on the pets of all treatment groups were assessed; environmental flea numbers were assessed only for Groups 1 and 3. The combination of lufenuron and nitenpyram provided superior control of flea populations on the animals and in the environment compared with using imidacloprid alone.


Subject(s)
Benzamides/pharmacology , Ectoparasitic Infestations/veterinary , Imidazoles/pharmacology , Insect Control/methods , Nitro Compounds/pharmacology , Pyridines/pharmacology , Siphonaptera/drug effects , Animals , Benzamides/administration & dosage , Cat Diseases/prevention & control , Cats , Dog Diseases/prevention & control , Dogs , Drug Administration Schedule/veterinary , Drug Therapy, Combination , Ectoparasitic Infestations/prevention & control , Housing , Insecticides/administration & dosage , Insecticides/pharmacology , Neonicotinoids , Pyridines/administration & dosage
3.
Am Ann Deaf ; 145(5): 436-51, 2000 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-11191823

ABSTRACT

The experimenter investigated the effect of semantic clues on the reading comprehension of deaf and hearing Israeli children. Two groups of students with prelingual deafness, and a hearing control group, were asked to read syntactically simple and syntactically relative sentences of varying semantic plausibility. Sixteen of the participants who were deaf (mean grade 6.9) had been trained orally, using spoken language as their principal means of communication at home and at school. Another 16 students with deafness (mean grade 6.9), all of them children of deaf parents, had acquired sign language as their primary language. The mean grade of the hearing control group was 6.5. The results suggest that, in contrast to the case with hearing individuals, reading comprehension in individuals with prelingually acquired deafness, regardless of communication background, is predominantly determined by the semantic processing of content words, with only minor attention given to the processing of the syntactic structure of the text.


Subject(s)
Cognition , Deafness/psychology , Language , Reading , Child , Female , Humans , Israel , Male , Semantics , Sign Language
4.
J Biol Chem ; 274(33): 22977-84, 1999 Aug 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10438463

ABSTRACT

A family of bacterial transporters, the SET (sugar efflux transporter) family, has been recently reported (Liu, J. Y., Miller, P. F., Gosink, M., and Olson, E. R. (1999) Mol. Microbiol. 31, 1845-1851). In this study, the biochemical and cell biological properties of the three Escherichia coli members (SetA, SetB, and SetC) of the family are characterized. We show that both SetA and SetB can transport lactose and glucose. In addition, SetA has broad substrate specificity, with preferences for glucosides or galactosides with alkyl or aryl substituents. Consistent with the observed in vitro substrate specificities, strains that hyperexpress SetA or SetB are desensitized to lactose analogues as measured by induction of the lac operon. In addition, strains that hyperexpress SetA are resistant to the growth inhibitory sugar analogue o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-thiogalactoside. Strains disrupted for any one or all of the set genes are viable and show no defects in lactose utilization nor increased sensitivity to inducers of the lac operon and nonmetabolizable sugar analogues. The data suggest that the set genes are either poorly expressed under normal laboratory growth conditions or are redundant with other cellular gene products.


Subject(s)
Carbohydrate Metabolism , Escherichia coli/metabolism , Monosaccharide Transport Proteins/metabolism , Biological Transport , Kinetics , Lac Operon , Plasmids , beta-Galactosidase/genetics , beta-Galactosidase/metabolism
5.
Ann Pharmacother ; 33(5): 587-99, 1999 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10369624

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of etidronate and alendronate in the treatment of established postmenopausal osteoporosis. DATA SOURCE: A MEDLINE search was performed (from 1966 through September 1998) using the search terms bisphosphonates, etidronate, alendronate, and postmenopausal osteoporosis. English-language articles were considered for review. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials using fracture as an end point were selected to review the efficacy of etidronate and alendronate in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Results for the outcomes of bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture are summarized. DATA SYNTHESIS: Etidronate and alendronate increase spinal BMD in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. In one study, etidronate decreased the number of women sustaining new radiographic vertebral fractures over two years, but this effect was lost after three years of treatment. Alendronate reduces the number of radiographic vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with a low bone mass. In women with preexisting fractures, alendronate decreases the number of patients with radiographic vertebral fractures, clinical (i.e., symptomatic vertebral and nonvertebral) fractures, and hip fractures. A significant reduction in the overall number of nonvertebral fractures has not been demonstrated in clinical trials evaluating either alendronate or etidronate. CONCLUSIONS: No studies have directly compared the efficacy of alendronate and etidronate and the results of long-term clinical trials (i.e., >5 y) have not been published. Based on the results obtained in clinical trials using fracture as an end point, alendronate appears to be the bisphosphonate of choice. Safety profiles and cost should also be considered in the choice of etidronate or alendronate for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.


Subject(s)
Alendronate/therapeutic use , Bone Density/physiology , Etidronic Acid/therapeutic use , Fractures, Bone/etiology , Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal/drug therapy , Aging , Alendronate/pharmacokinetics , Clinical Trials as Topic , Data Collection , Etidronic Acid/pharmacokinetics , Female , Fractures, Bone/drug therapy , Fractures, Bone/economics , Humans , Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal/complications , Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal/economics
6.
Mol Microbiol ; 31(6): 1845-51, 1999 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-10209755

ABSTRACT

Using a functional cloning strategy with an Escherichia coli genomic plasmid library, we have identified a new family of sugar efflux proteins with three highly homologous members in the E. coli genome. In addition, two open reading frames, one present in Yersinia pestis and the other in Deinococcus radiodurans, appear to encode closely related proteins. An in vitro transport assay using inside-out membrane vesicles prepared from overproducing strains was used to demonstrate that members of this new family can efflux [14C]-lactose. As sugar efflux phenomena have been reported previously in several bacterial species including E. coli, the identification of a new family of sugar efflux proteins may help to reveal the physiological role of sugar efflux in metabolism. It is proposed that the E. coli members of this family, whose functions were previously unknown, be given the gene family designation SET for sugar efflux transporter.


Subject(s)
Escherichia coli Proteins , Escherichia coli/metabolism , Antiporters/metabolism , Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Genomic Library , Immunoblotting , Isopropyl Thiogalactoside/pharmacology , Lactose/metabolism , Monosaccharide Transport Proteins/genetics , Monosaccharide Transport Proteins/metabolism , Multigene Family , Plasmids , Time Factors , Yersinia pestis/genetics , beta-Galactosidase/metabolism
7.
Regul Toxicol Pharmacol ; 26(1 Pt 1): 44-51, 1997 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-9339479

ABSTRACT

Estimating intakes of chemicals in food requires residue data, giving the concentration of the chemical in food, and consumption data for foods which could contain the chemical. Residue data are often restricted to only a few foods and even then may not be representative of the foods of interest due to limitations in the sampling or analytical procedures. Obtaining reliable consumption data can also be complex. People normally eat a wide range of different foods, which may each contain a range of concentrations of the chemical of interest. Both sets of data can be combined using one of several approaches. This paper reviews the nature and relevance of the factors affecting the collection of these two data sets and the procedures available for combining them to estimate consumer exposure. Considerable expertise and judgment are necessary to obtain an estimate of exposure that is robust enough for risk management purposes.


Subject(s)
Diet , Drug Residues/analysis , Food Additives/analysis , Animals , Eating , Humans
8.
J Bacteriol ; 179(6): 1857-66, 1997 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-9068629

ABSTRACT

The marRAB operon is a regulatory locus that controls multiple drug resistance in Escherichia coli. marA encodes a positive regulator of the antibiotic resistance response, acting by altering the expression of unlinked genes. marR encodes a repressor of marRAB transcription and controls the production of MarA in response to environmental signals. A molecular and genetic study of the homologous operon in Salmonella typhimurium was undertaken, and the role of marA in virulence in a murine model was assessed. Expression of E. coli marA (marAEC) present on a multicopy plasmid in S. typhimurium resulted in a multiple antibiotic resistance (Mar) phenotype, suggesting that a similar regulon exists in this organism. A genomic plasmid library containing S. typhimurium chromosomal sequences was introduced into an E. coli strain that was deleted for the mar locus and contained a single-copy marR'-'lacZ translational fusion. Plasmid clones that contained both S. typhimurium marR (marRSt) and marA (marASt) genes were identified as those that were capable of repressing expression of the fusion and which resulted in a Mar phenotype. The predicted amino acid sequences of MarRSt, MarASt, and MarBSt were 91, 86, and 42% identical, respectively, to the same genes from E. coli, while the operator/promoter region of the operon was 86% identical to the same 98-nucleotide-upstream region in E. coli. The marRAB transcriptional start sites for both organisms were determined by primer extension, and a marRABSt transcript of approximately 1.1 kb was identified by Northern blot analysis. Its accumulation was shown to be inducible by sodium salicylate. Open reading frames flanking the marRAB operon were also conserved. An S. typhimurium marA disruption strain was constructed by an allelic exchange method and compared to the wild-type strain for virulence in a murine BALB/c infection model. No effect on virulence was noted. The endogenous S. typhimurium plasmid that is associated with virulence played no role in marA-mediated multiple antibiotic resistance. Taken together, the data show that the S. typhimurium mar locus is structurally and functionally similar to marRABEc and that a lesion in marASt has no effect on S. typhimurium virulence for BALB/c mice.


Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/genetics , DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , Drug Resistance, Microbial/genetics , Drug Resistance, Multiple/genetics , Escherichia coli Proteins , Operon , Salmonella typhimurium/genetics , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Base Sequence , Blotting, Northern , Cloning, Molecular , Female , Genetic Complementation Test , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Molecular Sequence Data , Open Reading Frames , Plasmids , Promoter Regions, Genetic , Repressor Proteins/genetics , Salmonella Infections, Animal/microbiology , Salmonella typhimurium/drug effects , Salmonella typhimurium/pathogenicity , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Transcription, Genetic , Virulence/genetics
9.
Mol Microbiol ; 21(3): 441-8, 1996 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8866468

ABSTRACT

Chromosomally encoded systems present in a variety of bacteria appear to play a central role in determining the Intrinsic level of resistance to many commonly used antibiotics. Work with the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli has shown that there is significant similarity at the amino acid sequence level among the structural components of these resistance systems as well as among their genetic regulators. This review describes two of the better-studied regulatory systems, marRAB and soxRS, as well as two regulated multidrug-efflux systems, encoded by emrAB and acrAB, and focuses on conserved themes in their primary structures and environmental stimuli. The observed resistance to clinically important antibiotics appears to reflect an overlap with broad-ranged adaptive responses by free-living bacteria to noxious plant materials in their natural environment.


Subject(s)
Carrier Proteins , Drug Resistance, Microbial/genetics , Drug Resistance, Multiple/genetics , Escherichia coli Proteins , Escherichia coli/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial , Genes, Overlapping , Trans-Activators , Amino Acid Sequence , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , Lipoproteins/genetics , Membrane Proteins/genetics , Membrane Transport Proteins , Molecular Sequence Data , Multidrug Resistance-Associated Proteins , Repressor Proteins/genetics , Sequence Homology, Amino Acid , Transcription Factors/genetics
10.
Nucleic Acids Res ; 23(19): 3980-8, 1995 Oct 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-7479046

ABSTRACT

Translation of yeast GCN4 mRNA occurs by a reinitiation mechanism that is modulated by amino acid levels in the cell. Ribosomes which translate the first of four upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in the mRNA leader resume scanning and can reinitiate downstream. Under non-starvation conditions reinitiation occurs at one of the remaining three uORFs and GCN4 is repressed. Under starvation conditions, in contrast, ribosomes bypass the uORFs and reinitiate at GCN4 instead. The high frequency of reinitiation following uORF1 translation depends on an adequate distance to the next start codon and particular sequences surrounding the uORF1 stop codon. We present evidence that sequences 5' to uORF1 also strongly enhance reinitiation. First, reinitiation was severely inhibited when uORF1 was transplanted into the position of uORF4, even though the native sequence environment of the uORF1 stop codon was maintained, and this effect could not be accounted for by the decreased uORF1-GCN4 spacing. Second, insertions and deletions in the leader preceding uORF1 greatly reduced reinitiation at GCN4. Sequences 5' to uORF1 may influence the probability of ribosome release following peptide termination at uORF1. Alternatively, they may facilitate rebinding of an initiation factor required for reinitiation prior to resumption of the scanning process.


Subject(s)
DNA-Binding Proteins , Fungal Proteins/genetics , Open Reading Frames , Protein Biosynthesis , Protein Kinases/genetics , RNA, Messenger/chemistry , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins , Alleles , Codon , Deoxyribonuclease HindIII , Escherichia coli/genetics , Gene Deletion , Gene Expression , Gene Transfer Techniques , Nucleic Acid Hybridization , Plasmids , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Protein Sorting Signals/genetics , RNA Probes , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Recombinant Fusion Proteins , Ribosomes/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics
11.
Mol Med ; 1(4): 436-46, 1995 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8521301

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The marR gene of Escherichia coli encodes a repressor of the marRAB operon, a regulatory locus controlling multiple antibiotic resistance in this organism. Inactivation of marR results in increased expression of marA, which acts at several target genes in the cell leading to reduced antibiotic accumulation. Exposure of E. coli to sodium salicylate (SAL) induces marRAB operon transcription and antibiotic resistance. The mechanism by which SAL antagonizes MarR repressor activity is unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Recombinant plasmid libraries were introduced into a reporter strain designed to identify cloned genes encoding MarR repressor activity. Computer analysis of sequence databases was also used to search for proteins related to MarR. RESULTS: A second E. coli gene, MprA, that exhibits MarR repressor activity was identified. Subsequent database searching revealed a family of 10 proteins from a variety of bacteria that share significant amino acid sequence similarity to MarR and MprA. At least four of these proteins are transcriptional repressors whose activity is antagonized by SAL or by phenolic agents structurally related to SAL. CONCLUSIONS: The MarR family is identified as a group of regulatory factors whose activity is modulated in response to environmental signals in the form of phenolic compounds. Many of these agents are plant derived. Some of the MarR homologs appear more likely to control systems expressed in animal hosts, suggesting that phenolic sensing by bacteria is important in a variety of environments and in the regulation of numerous processes.


Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Drug Resistance, Microbial/genetics , Drug Resistance, Multiple/genetics , Escherichia coli Proteins , Escherichia coli/genetics , Operon/genetics , Phenols/metabolism , Repressor Proteins/genetics , Amino Acid Sequence , Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Base Sequence , Escherichia coli/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial , Gene Library , Molecular Sequence Data , Repressor Proteins/metabolism , Sequence Alignment
12.
J Bacteriol ; 176(24): 7754-6, 1994 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8002604

ABSTRACT

A series of novel genetic constructs derived from the marRAB operon was used to determine the role of this gene cluster in salicylate-inducible multiple-antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli. Our findings indicate that regulated antibiotic resistance associated with this locus requires only the products of marR and marA, without any neighboring genes.


Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/genetics , DNA-Binding Proteins , Drug Resistance, Multiple/genetics , Escherichia coli Proteins , Escherichia coli/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial , Repressor Proteins/genetics , Drug Resistance, Microbial , Escherichia coli/drug effects , Mutagenesis , Operon/genetics
13.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother ; 38(8): 1773-9, 1994 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-7986007

ABSTRACT

Multiple antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli has typically been associated with mutations at the mar locus, located at 34 min on the E. coli chromosome. A new mutant, marC, isolated on the basis of a Mar phenotype but which maps to the soxRS (encoding the regulators of the superoxide stress response) locus located at 92 min, is described here. This mutant shares several features with a known constitutive allele of the soxRS gene, prompting the conclusion that it is a highly active allele of this gene. The marC mutation has thus been given the designation soxR201. This new mutant was used to examine the relationship between the mar and sox loci in promoting antibiotic resistance. The results of these studies indicate that full antibiotic resistance resulting from the soxR201 mutation is partially dependent on an intact mar locus and is associated with an increase in the steady-state level of mar-specific mRNA. In addition, paraquat treatment of wild-type cells is shown to increase the level of antibiotic resistance in a dose-dependent manner that requires an intact soxRS locus. Conversely, overexpression of MarA from a multicopy plasmid results in weak activation of a superoxide stress response target gene. These findings are consistent with a model in which the regulatory factors encoded by the marA and soxS genes control the expression of overlapping sets of target genes, with MarA preferentially acting on targets involved with antibiotic resistance and SoxS directed primarily towards components of the superoxide stress response. Furthermore, compounds frequently used to induce the superoxide stress response, including paraquat, menadione, and phenazine methosulfate, differ with respect to the amount of protection provided against them by the antibiotic resistance response.


Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/genetics , DNA-Binding Proteins , Drug Resistance, Microbial/genetics , Escherichia coli Proteins , Escherichia coli/genetics , Genes, Bacterial , Trans-Activators , Transcription Factors/genetics , Alleles , Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins/genetics , Chromosome Mapping , Escherichia coli/drug effects , Superoxides/metabolism
14.
Mol Cell Biol ; 14(4): 2616-28, 1994 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8139562

ABSTRACT

Translational control of the GCN4 gene in response to amino acid availability is mediated by four short open reading frames in the GCN4 mRNA leader (uORFs) and by phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF-2). We have proposed that reducing eIF-2 activity by phosphorylation of its alpha subunit or by a mutation in the eIF-2 recycling factor eIF-2B allows ribosomes which have translated the 5'-proximal uORF1 to bypass uORF2 to uORF4 and reinitiate at GCN4 instead. In this report, we present two lines of evidence that all ribosomes which synthesize GCN4 have previously translated uORF1, resumed scanning, and reinitiated at the GCN4 start site. First, GCN4 expression was abolished when uORF1 was elongated to make it overlap the beginning of the GCN4 coding region. Second, GCN4 expression was reduced as uORF1 was moved progressively closer to GCN4, decreasing to only 5% of the level seen in the absence of all uORFs when only 32 nucleotides separated uORF1 from GCN4. We additionally found that inserting small synthetic uORFs between uORF4 and GCN4 inhibited GCN4 expression under derepressing conditions, confirming the idea that reinitiation at GCN4 under conditions of diminished eIF-2 activity is proportional to the distance of the reinitiation site downstream from uORF1. While uORF4 and GCN4 appear to be equally effective at capturing ribosomes scanning downstream from the 5' cap of mRNA, these two ORFs differ greatly in their ability to capture reinitiating ribosomes scanning from uORF1. When the active form of eIF-2 is present at high levels, reinitiation appears to be much more efficient at uORF4 than at GCN4 when each is located very close to uORF1. Under conditions of reduced recycling of eIF-2, reinitiation at uORF4 is substantially suppressed, which allows ribosomes to reach the GCN4 start site; in contrast, reinitiation at GCN4 in constructs lacking uORF4 is unaffected by decreasing the level of eIF-2 activity. This last finding raises the possibility that time-dependent binding to ribosomes of a second factor besides the eIF-2-GTP-Met-tRNA(iMet) ternary complex is rate limiting for reinitiation at GCN4. Moreover, our results show that the efficiency of translational reinitiation can be strongly influenced by the nature of the downstream cistron as well as the intercistronic distance.


Subject(s)
Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2/metabolism , Fungal Proteins/biosynthesis , Fungal Proteins/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal , Genes, Fungal , Introns , Protein Kinases/biosynthesis , Protein Kinases/genetics , RNA, Messenger/biosynthesis , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics , Cloning, Molecular , DNA-Binding Proteins/biosynthesis , DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , Escherichia coli , Genetic Complementation Test , Guanosine Triphosphate/metabolism , Open Reading Frames , Phosphorylation , Plasmids , Protein Biosynthesis , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , RNA, Transfer, Met/metabolism , Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis , Recombinant Proteins/metabolism , Restriction Mapping , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism , Sequence Deletion , beta-Galactosidase/biosynthesis , beta-Galactosidase/metabolism
15.
J Psychosom Res ; 37(5): 455-65, 1993 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8350288

ABSTRACT

UNLABELLED: We compared symptomatic, hemodynamic and opioid responses of heart disease patients to exercise testing and a stressful public speaking task. Plasma beta-endorphins were measured at rest and immediately post stress. Nineteen of 50 patients had angina during exercise; 31 had asymptomatic ischemia. No patient had angina during the speech, but two had ECG changes and 39% had radionuclide changes indicating ischemia. Patients with asymptomatic ischemia on exercise had a significantly greater beta-endorphin response than those with angina. Public speaking elicited a significantly larger beta-endorphin increase relative to change in double product (an index of stress) than did exercise. CONCLUSIONS: (1) Patients with silent vs painful ischemia experience a greater beta-endorphin response to exercise. (2) beta-endorphin response to a speech stressor is greater than to exercise when controlled for an index of stress. (3) Increased beta-endorphin response to a speech stressor may partially explain the predominance of silent ischemia during psychological stress.


Subject(s)
Arousal/physiology , Exercise Test , Myocardial Ischemia/blood , Stress, Psychological/complications , beta-Endorphin/blood , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Angina Pectoris/blood , Angina Pectoris/psychology , Coronary Disease/blood , Coronary Disease/psychology , Female , Hemodynamics/physiology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Myocardial Infarction/blood , Myocardial Infarction/psychology , Myocardial Ischemia/psychology
16.
J Bacteriol ; 175(10): 2888-94, 1993 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-8491710

ABSTRACT

A genetic approach was undertaken to identify normal bacterial genes whose products function to limit the effective concentration of antibiotics. In this approach, a multicopy plasmid library containing cloned Escherichia coli chromosomal sequences was screened for transformants that showed increased resistance to a number of unrelated antibiotics. Three such plasmids were identified, and all contained sequences originating from the mar locus. DNA sequence analysis of the minimal complementation unit revealed that the resistance phenotype was associated with the presence of the marA gene on the plasmids. The putative marA gene product is predicted to contain a helix-turn-helix DNA binding domain that is very similar to analogous domains found in three other E. coli proteins. One such similarity was to the SoxS gene product, the elevated expression of which has previously been associated with the multiple antibiotic resistance (Mar) phenotype. Constitutive expression of marA conferred antibiotic resistance even in cells carrying a deletion of the chromosomal mar locus. We have also found that transformants bearing marA plasmids show a significant reduction in ompF translation but not transcription, similar to previously described mar mutants. However, this reduction in ompF expression plays only a minor role in the resistance mechanism, suggesting that functions encoded by genes unlinked to mar must be affected by marA. These results suggest that activation of marA is the ultimate event that occurs at the mar locus during the process that results in multiple antibiotic resistance.


Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/biosynthesis , DNA-Binding Proteins , Escherichia coli Proteins , Escherichia coli/genetics , Trans-Activators , Transcription Factors/biosynthesis , Amino Acid Sequence , Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins/biosynthesis , Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins/genetics , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Base Sequence , Chromosome Mapping , Cloning, Molecular , Drug Resistance, Microbial , Gene Library , Genetic Complementation Test , Molecular Sequence Data , Plasmids/genetics , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Sequence Homology, Amino Acid , Transcription Factors/genetics , Transformation, Genetic
17.
Aliment Pharmacol Ther ; 6(2): 229-40, 1992 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-1600043

ABSTRACT

The usefulness of micronutrient antioxidant therapy for recurrent (non-gallstone) pancreatitis has recently been endorsed by a 20-week double-blind double-dummy cross-over trial in 20 patients. Treatment was delivered as two types of tablets, providing daily doses of 600 micrograms organic selenium, 9000 i.u. beta-carotene, 0.54 g vitamin C, 270 i.u. vitamin E and 2 g methionine. We report antioxidant profiles in blood samples collected before entry, at the cross-over stage and upon completion of trial. Baseline serum concentrations of selenium, beta-carotene and vitamin E in the patients were significantly lower than in healthy controls, were unaltered by placebo and normalized by active treatment, but reverted to basal values in the subgroup that received placebo subsequently. The baseline serum concentration of a free radical marker--the 9-cis, 11-trans isomer of linoleic acid--was significantly higher in the patients than in controls, fell inexplicably in the placebo phase and fell further upon active treatment. Discriminant analysis eliminated the overlap in free radical marker and selenium concentrations between control sera on the one hand and baseline or post-placebo samples from the patients on the other: antioxidant treatment normalized the relationship between these biochemical parameters. Subnormal baseline serum levels of S-adenosylmethionine drifted downwards upon active treatment whereas a sharp rise was noted when a relapse of pancreatitis occurred during the placebo phase. The results confirm that adequate exposure to antioxidants in the active treatment phase was associated with amelioration of oxidative stress, and that there was no residual effect 10 weeks after switching over to placebo treatment. Furthermore, the paradoxical behaviour of S-adenosylmethionine may imply that the beneficial effect of micronutrient antioxidants in recurrent pancreatitis is linked with preservation of the methionine trans-sulfuration pathway in pancreatic acinar cells.


Subject(s)
Pancreatitis/drug therapy , Acute Disease , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Antioxidants/therapeutic use , Chronic Disease , Double-Blind Method , Female , Free Radicals/metabolism , Glutathione Peroxidase/blood , Humans , Linoleic Acid , Linoleic Acids/blood , Male , Middle Aged , Pancreatitis/blood , Pancreatitis/enzymology , S-Adenosylmethionine/blood , Selenium/blood
18.
New Biol ; 3(5): 511-24, 1991 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-1883814

ABSTRACT

Expression of the GCN4 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated at the translational level by short open reading frames (uORFs) present in the leader sequence of its mRNA. Under conditions of amino acid sufficiency, these sequences restrict the flow of initiating ribosomes to the GCN4 AUG start codon. Mutational analysis of GCN4 has led to a model in which ribosomes must translate the 5'-proximal uORF1 and reassemble an initiation complex in order to translate GCN4. This reassembly process is thought to be rapid when amino acids are abundant, such that reinitiation occurs at uORF2, uORF3, or uORF4. Reinitiation at these sites prevents translation of GCN4, presumably because ribosomes dissociate from the mRNA following termination at uORFs 2 to 4. Because of reduced initiation factor activity under starvation conditions, a substantial fraction of ribosomal subunits scanning downstream from uORF1 are not ready to reinitiate when they reach uORFs 2 to 4, but become competent to do so while scanning the additional sequences between uORF4 and GCN4. Examination of the effects of point mutations in the ATG codons of the different uORFs suggests a quantitative model for this control mechanism that describes the probability of reinitiation as a function of the distance scanned downstream from uORF1. This model accounts for the phenotypes of a number of deletion and insertion mutations that alter the intercistronic spacing between the uORFs and GCN4. The correspondence between observed and predicted results implies that the differential rates of reinitiation at GCN4 versus uORFs 2 to 4 are determined largely by the different scanning times required to reach each of these start sites following translation of uORF1. In addition, it supports the notion that an increased scanning-time requirement for reinitiation in amino acid-starved cells forms the basis for translational derepression of GCN4 expression.


Subject(s)
DNA-Binding Proteins , Fungal Proteins/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic , Genes, Fungal , Models, Genetic , Protein Biosynthesis , Protein Kinases , RNA, Messenger/genetics , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics , Transcription Factors/genetics , Amino Acids/metabolism , Mutagenesis, Insertional , Open Reading Frames , Peptide Chain Initiation, Translational , Ribosomes/metabolism
19.
Clin Exp Allergy ; 21(2): 203-8, 1991 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-2043988

ABSTRACT

Selenium status and its relationship to lowered platelet glutathione peroxidase activity was investigated in 18 subjects with aspirin (ASA)-induced asthma and in asthmatic and non-asthmatic ASA-tolerant subjects. Mean serum selenium concentration in ASA-tolerant asthmatics (1.25 microns/l; 98.5 micrograms/l) was significantly higher than that in ASA-induced asthma subjects (1.14 microns/l; 89.7 micrograms/l) and than that in healthy controls (1.15 microns/l; 91 micrograms/l). Although there was a correlation between serum selenium concentration and platelet glutathione peroxidase activity, enzyme activity was significantly lower in the ASA-induced asthma group compared to other groups even after correcting for selenium status. These results indicate that lowered platelet glutathione peroxidase activity in ASA-induced asthma is a product of both selenium availability and an unidentified syndrome-specific (possibly genetic) factor.


Subject(s)
Aspirin/adverse effects , Asthma/blood , Glutathione Peroxidase/deficiency , Selenium/blood , Adult , Asthma/enzymology , Asthma/etiology , Blood Platelets/enzymology , Drug Hypersensitivity/blood , Drug Hypersensitivity/complications , Drug Hypersensitivity/enzymology , Female , Glutathione Peroxidase/blood , Humans , Male
20.
Mol Cell Biol ; 11(1): 486-96, 1991 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-1986242

ABSTRACT

GCN4 encodes a transcriptional activator of amino acid-biosynthetic genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that is regulated at the translational level by upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in its mRNA leader. uORF4 (counting from the 5' end) is sufficient to repress GCN4 under nonstarvation conditions; uORF1 is required to overcome the inhibitory effect of uORF4 and stimulate GCN4 translation in amino acid-starved cells. Insertions of sequences with the potential to form secondary structure around uORF4 abolish derepression, indicating that ribosomes reach GCN4 by traversing uORF4 sequences rather than by binding internally to the GCN4 start site. By showing that wild-type regulation occurred even when uORF4 was elongated to overlap GCN4 by 130 nucleotides, we provide strong evidence that those ribosomes which translate GCN4 do so by ignoring the uORF4 AUG start codon. This conclusion is in accord with the fact that translation of a uORF4-lacZ fusion was lower in a derepressed gcd1 mutant than in a nonderepressible gcn2 strain. We also show that increasing the distance between uORF1 and uORF4 to the wild-type spacing that separates uORF1 from GCN4 specifically impaired the ability of uORF1 to derepress GCN4 translation. As expected, this alteration led to increased uORF4-lacZ translation in gcd1 cells. Our results suggest that under starvation conditions, a substantial fraction of ribosomes that translate uORF1 fail to reassemble the factors needed for reinitiation by the time they scan to uORF4, but become competent to reinitiate after scanning the additional sequences to GCN4. Under nonstarvation conditions, ribosomes would recover more rapidly from uORF1 translation, causing them all to reinitiate at uORF4 rather than at GCN4.


Subject(s)
DNA-Binding Proteins , Fungal Proteins/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal , Peptide Chain Initiation, Translational , Protein Kinases , Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid , Ribosomes/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics , Transcription Factors/genetics , Amino Acids/metabolism , Base Sequence , DNA Mutational Analysis , DNA, Fungal/genetics , Hydrogen Bonding , Molecular Sequence Data , Molecular Structure , RNA, Messenger/ultrastructure , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism
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