Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.2.1.23 (beta-galactosidase)
 14,648 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a neutrophil and T-lymphocyte chemotactic and activating factor. This cytokine is produced by many cell types including macrophages in response to a variety of microbial and non-microbial agents. In the present study, we determined the nucleotide sequence for bovine IL-8 cDNA. The amino acid sequence encoded by this cDNA shares 76 and 87% homology with the human and swine IL-8 proteins, respectively. Bovine IL-8 cDNA was expressed in Escherichia coli as a beta-galactosidase fusion protein. Western blotting demonstrates that this fusion protein, but not beta-galactosidase cross-reacts with monospecific anti-human IL-8 antiserum. We also studied the induction of IL-8 mRNA synthesis in bovine alveolar macrophages (BAM) stimulated with heat-killed Pasteurella haemolytica. IL-8 mRNA was induced in BAM as early as 1 h and was detectable at high levels 12 h post-stimulation with P. haemolytica. A dose titration of P. haemolytica and E. coli endotoxins showed that a relatively low level of P. haemolytica endotoxin induced high levels of bovine IL-8 mRNA. The significance of these findings in the pathogenesis of bovine pneumonia caused by P. haemolytica is discussed.
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PMID:Molecular cloning and expression of bovine interleukin-8. 873 90

We have isolated two phenotypically distinct nonfastidious Francisella strains (Fx1 and Fx2) from the blood of compromised patients with pneumonia and compared them with eight other Francisella strains, including Francisella tularensis biovar tularensis, F. tularensis biovar novicida, and F. philomiragia. Our isolates grew well on sheep blood agar, chocolate agar, modified Thayer-Martin agar, and Trypticase soy agar. Fx1 and Fx2 were determined to be within the Francisella genus by cellular fatty acid analysis and by the utilization of glucose, production of H2S and catalase, and lack of motility, oxidase, nitrate reductase, and gelatinase. They were additionally shown to belong to the species F. tularensis by sequencing of two variable regions comprising approximately 500 nucleotides of the 16S rRNA gene. Also, RNA probe hybridization confirmed their belonging to the species F. tularensis. However, the new strains, which are not identical, are distinguished from other F. tularensis strains by growth characteristics, repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR fragment pattern, and some biochemical tests. Key biochemical differences included the findings that Fx1 was positive for beta-galactosidase and arabinose hydrolysis and that both strains were citrulline ureidase positive and glycerol negative. Commercial F. tularensis antiserum agglutinated stock F. tularensis strains but not Fx1, Fx2, F. tularensis biovar novicida, or F. philomiragia; serum from either patient failed to agglutinate or only weakly agglutinated commercial antigen but showed agglutination when tested against each patient's respective isolate. Fx1 and Fx2 produced beta-lactamase. Because of their good growth, negative serology, and biochemical profile, the organisms could be misidentified in the clinical laboratory if standard strategies or commercial identification systems are used.
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PMID:Characterization of two unusual clinically significant Francisella strains. 881 97

We describe 3-year clinical course of a 54-year-old Japanese man who presented with action myoclonus, parkinsonism and epilepsy. There was no family history or consanguinity. The patient was well until the age of 51 years (in 1986), when he noted slow movements, memory disturbance and left hand tremor. He was treated with anti-Parkinson drugs without any improvements. Soon thereafter, he developed a gait disturbance and generalized tonic clonic seizures. He was admitted to our service at the age of 53 years. General physical examination revealed no hepatosplenomegaly. Neurological examination showed mild dementia. Neither retinal pigmentation nor cherry red spot was noted. He was unable to walk due to marked frozen gait. His upward gaze was limited and saccadic eye movement was slow. He had action myoclonus in both upper extremities and resting tremor on the left side. He showed mild left hemiparesis. Deep tendon reflex was hyperactive in both side with extensor plantar responses. MRI demonstrated cortical atrophy, especially marked at the bilateral temporal lobes with a right side predominance. Leukocyte lysosomal enzyme activities of beta-hexosaminidase, beta-galactosidase and sialidase were within normal limits. The patient died of pneumonia on April 25, 1989. At the time of a neurological CPC, neurologists reached the clinical diagnosis of adult-type neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis. Postmortem examination revealed bilateral bronchopneumonia. The brain weighed 1,219 g and showed atrophy of the temporal lobes. Histological examination showed neuronal cells with swollen cytoplasm and lipofuscin-like granules throughout the CNS, including the cerebral cortex, thalamus, substantia nigra, motor nuclei of the brain stem, dentate nuclei, inferior olivary nuclei. Clarke's nuclei and anterior horn cells. Marked neuronal loss was noted in the right temporal lobe and substantia nigra. Electron micrographs of the frontal cortex revealed "fingerprint profiles" in the cytoplasm of neuronal and glial cells. Pathological findings were consistent with the diagnosis of adult-type neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis (Kufs' disease).
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PMID:[A 54-year-old man with action myoclonus, parkinsonism and epilepsy]. 1058 20

A nonphotochromogenic, rapidly growing Mycobacterium strain was isolated in pure culture from the sputum and the bronchoalveolar fluid of a patient with hemoptoic pneumonia by using axenic media and an amoebal coculture system. Both isolates grew in less than 7 days at 24 to 37 degrees C with an optimal growth temperature of 30 degrees C. The isolates exhibited biochemical and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles overlapping those of Mycobacterium abscessus, Mycobacterium chelonae, and Mycobacterium immunogenum, indicating that they belonged to M. chelonae-M. abscessus group. They differed from M. abscessus in beta-galactosidase, beta-N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase, and beta-glucuronidase activities and by the lack of nitrate reductase and indole production activities, as well as in their in vitro susceptibilities to minocycline and doxycycline. These isolates and M. abscessus differed from M. chelonae and M. immunogenum by exhibiting gelatinase and tryptophane desaminase activities. Their 16S rRNA genes had complete sequence identity with that of M. abscessus and >99.6% similarity with those of M. chelonae and M. immunogenum. Further molecular investigations showed that partial hsp65 and sodA gene sequences differed from that of M. abscessus by five and three positions over 441 bp, respectively. Partial rpoB and recA gene sequence analyses showed 96 and 98% similarities with M. abscessus, respectively. Similarly, 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer sequence of the isolates differed from that of M. abscessus by a A-->G substitution at position 60 and a C insertion at position 102. Phenotypic and genotypic features of these two isolates indicated that they were representative of a new mycobacterial species within the M. chelonae-M. abscessus group. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that these isolates were perhaps recently derived from M. abscessus. We propose the name of "Mycobacterium massiliense" for this new species. The type strain has been deposited in the Collection Institut Pasteur as CIP 108297(T) and in Culture Collection of the University of Goteborg, Goteborg, Sweden, as CCUG 48898(T).
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PMID:Amoebal coculture of "Mycobacterium massiliense" sp. nov. from the sputum of a patient with hemoptoic pneumonia. 1558 72

Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a major human pathogen and a leading cause of inflammatory infections such as pneumonia and otitis media. An important mechanism for host defense against S. pneumoniae is opsonophagocytic killing by neutrophils. To persist in the human host, the pneumococcus has developed strategies to evade opsonization and subsequent neutrophil-mediated killing. Utilizing a genomic approach, we identified NanA, the major pneumococcal neuraminidase, as a factor important for resistance to opsonophagocytic killing in ex vivo killing assays using human neutrophils. The effect of NanA was shown using both type 4 (TIGR4) and type 6A clinical isolates. NanA promotes this resistance by acting in conjunction with two other surface-associated exoglycosidases, BgaA, a beta-galactosidase, and StrH, an N-acetylglucosaminidase. Experiments using human serum showed that these exoglycosidases reduced deposition of complement component C3 on the pneumococcal surface, providing a mechanism for this resistance. Additionally, we have shown that antibodies in human serum do not contribute to this phenotype. These results demonstrate that deglycosylation of a human serum glycoconjugate(s) by the combined effects of NanA, BgaA, and StrH, is important for resistance to complement deposition and subsequent phagocytic killing of S. pneumoniae.
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PMID:Three surface exoglycosidases from Streptococcus pneumoniae, NanA, BgaA, and StrH, promote resistance to opsonophagocytic killing by human neutrophils. 2016 17