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)

We recently reported marked differences in insulin binding properties in Chinese hamster ovarian cell mutants with genetic defects in protein N-glycosylation. To further characterize the role of insulin receptor carbohydrates, we have now studied the effect of lectins on [125I]insulin binding to wild type (WT) Chinese hamster ovarian cells and to two mutant cell lines: B4-2-1, to which insulin was previously shown to bind with higher affinity than normal, and Lec 1, to which insulin binds with much lower affinity. The results show that of four lectins that bound to WT cells; only wheat germ agglutinin and phytohemagglutinin-E competed with insulin binding to these cells, while Concanavalin A (ConA) and Erythrina cristagalli agglutinin (ECA) did not. After solubilization of the cells, however, a potent inhibition of insulin binding was also seen with ConA and ECA. This suggests that sugar determinants for ConA and ECA are present on the insulin receptor, but are not accessible at the surface of the cells. Mutant B4-2-1 cells, which are deficient in mannosylphosphoryldolichol synthase and beta-galactosidase, differed from WT cells in that ECA and ConA potently inhibited insulin binding in intact cells. This suggests that these lectin binding sites of or near the insulin receptor are more accessible at the cell surface in this mutant cell line. Mutant Lec 1 cells, deficient in N-acetylglucosaminyl-transferase I, cannot process N-linked carbohydrates from their oligomannose to their complex forms. In these cells, marked differences in the pattern of lectin inhibition were observed compared to that in WT or B4-2-1 cells. ConA exerted a strong inhibition of insulin binding to solubilized cell preparations. Its effect on intact cells was modest however, suggesting that in this mutant line exposure of the insulin receptor at the cell surface is not different from that in the WT cells. Neither ECA nor PHA inhibited [125I]insulin binding to either intact or solubilized Lec 1 cells, suggesting that the absence of sugar determinants for these two lectins may play a role in the very low insulin binding affinity previously reported in this cell line. In conclusion, these indirect studies with lectins suggest that the carbohydrate units of the insulin receptor are heterogeneous. While some may be important for proper exposure of the receptor at the cell surface, others may play a role in more intrinsic receptor properties.
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PMID:Lectins as probes of insulin receptor carbohydrate composition: studies in glycosylation mutants of Chinese hamster ovarian cells with altered insulin binding. 351 53

Erythroagglutinating phytohemagglutinin (E-PHA)-dependent isoforms of human alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) from cord blood were analyzed for their carbohydrate structures by two-dimensional electrophoresis with E-PHA combined with extended agarose gel electrophoresis or with affinity electrophoresis with concanavalin A or Allomyrina dichtoma lectin. By means of neuraminidase and/or beta-galactosidase treatment, AFP-P2 was identified as alpha 2-->6 disialo-AFP, AFP-P3 as having biantennary structures with alpha 2-->6 monosialylated galactose of the Mannose (Man) alpha 1-->6 arm, AFP-P4 as having alpha 2-->6 monosialylated galactose of the Man alpha 1-->3 arm, and AFP-P5 as disialo-AFP with alpha 2-->3 sialylated galactose of the Man alpha 1-->6 antenna with the alpha 2-->6 sialylated galactose of the other antenna. Desialylated AFP with the terminal galactose of the Man alpha 1-->6 antenna with or without the galactose of the other arm also had a migration of AFP-P4, and other hydrolytic intermediates without the terminal galactose of the Man alpha 1-->6 arm with and without the galactose of the other antenna had mobilities of AFP-P3s and AFP-P3, respectively. Thus, the present system of two-dimensional lectin affinity electrophoreses would provide a model for the determination of the sugar chain structure of glycoproteins.
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PMID:Characterization of E-PHA-reactive alpha-fetoprotein isoforms by two-dimensional lectin affinity electrophoresis. 751 Oct 99

The exact mechanism of immunosuppression by thalidomide is poorly understood. A common denominator in the pathogenesis of graft-vs.-host disease, graft rejection, reactional lepromatous leprosy, and autoimmune disorders modulated by thalidomide is the activation of T lymphocytes culminating in the synthesis of interleukin-2 (IL-2), the expression of high-affinity IL-2 receptors, and the induction of proliferation. We investigated the effect of thalidomide on the production of IL-2 by the human leukemia cell line Jurkat through induction of IL-2 gene enhancer activity and through the presence of IL-2 in supernatants. beta-galactosidase activity, encoded by a reporter lac z construct and controlled by a transcription factor in thalidomide-treated PMA- and ionomycin-stimulated Jurkat cells, was similar (97 +/- 1.33%; p > 0.1) to non-thalidomide-treated controls at all drug concentrations tested. IL-2 enhancer-driven beta-galactose activity of thalidomide-treated and stimulated cells was also similar to that of untreated controls (p > 0.2). The IL-2 production of activated nontransfected Jurkat cells was gauged by using the IL-2-dependent cell line HT-2 as a readout and by ELISA. Jurkat cells were subcloned by limiting dilution. Bulk cultures and three subclones (J.5.2.5., J.5.2.9., and J.5.3.8.) were assayed at 6, 12, and 24 hours after PHA/PMA-induced stimulation. No inhibitory effect on the IL-2 production by thalidomide could be detected at any of the drug concentrations tested (5-30 micrograms/mL), whereas 10 to 100 ng/mL of cyclosporine inhibited the IL-2 production by 95 to 100%. In addition, we observed neither inhibition of IL-2-dependent proliferation of HT-2 nor inhibition of PHA-induced proliferation of peripheral mononuclear cells by thalidomide at all drug concentrations used (5-30 micrograms/mL). These results do not support the possibility of a modulatory effect on the immune response by thalidomide via IL-2 production and IL-2 response.
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PMID:Does thalidomide affect IL-2 response and production? 763 84

A 3.6-kb EcoRI-SalI fragment of Paracoccus denitrificans DNA hybridized with a DNA probe carrying the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) synthase gene (phaC) of Alcaligenes eutrophus. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this region showed the presence of a 1,872-bp open reading frame (ORF), which corresponded to a polypeptide with a molecular weight of 69,537. Upstream of the ORF, a promoter-like sequence was found. Escherichia coli carrying the fusion gene between lacZ and the ORF accumulated a level of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) that was as much as 20 wt% of the cell dry weight in the presence of beta-ketothiolase and acetoacetylcoenzyme A reductase genes of A. eutrophus. The ORF was designated phaCPd. A plasmid vector carrying the phaCPd'-'lacZ fusion gene downstream of the promoter-like sequence expressed beta-galactosidase activity in P. denitrificans. When a multicopy and broad-host-range vector carrying the ORF along with the promoter-like sequence was introduced into P. denitrificans, the PHA content in the cells increased by twofold compared with cells carrying only a vector sequence.
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PMID:Molecular analysis of the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) synthase gene from a methylotrophic bacterium, Paracoccus denitrificans. 855 May 12

Correlations between the in vitro biological properties of HIV strains isolated from patients and the prognosis of their disease have been reported. We developed a technique to study the phenotype of HIV strains isolated from patients. We used the P4 cell line, derived from HeLa cells, which has been transfected with receptor CD4 gene. HIV laboratory strain (HIVLAI) and peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) from donors infected with HIVLAI induce syncytium in P4 cell cultures in vitro. The presence of reporter gene (LacZ gene) under the control of the HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) in these cells allows colorimetric visualization of syncytia in the cytoplasm using a beta-galactosidase (beta gal) assay in the presence of X-gal. We cocultivated 1 x 10(6) patient PBLs with 2 x 10(6) normal PHA-activated normal PBLs for 4 days in the presence of IL-2 in 24-well plates. Half of the medium was replaced twice a week and PHA-activated normal PBLs were added every 7 days. HIV-1 was isolated from cocultured PBLs of 18 patients with advanced-stage HIV infection as assessed by the production of HIV p24 detected with a commercially available HIV-1 p24 ELISA. Supernatant and 10(5) cells were collected twice a week from cocultured PBLs and were added to P4 cells in 96-well microtiter plates. The cultures were observed every day for 3 days and then the beta gal assay was performed. We did not observe any effect with cells and supernatant from 8 patients, harvested from cultures incubated for as long as 28 days. The phenotype of these isolates was called NC (noncytopathic). In cells from 2 patients, we obtained blue multinucleated giant cells; the phenotype of these strains was called SI (syncytium inducing). In cultures from 8 other patients, we obtained the death of P4 cells without syncytium formation, and the phenotype of these strains was called CI (cell-killing inducing). In every case, the cytopathic effect of HIV-1 isolates could be detected with cocultured PBLs collected as early as day 4 of culture. Cocultured PBLs from 13 healthy controls did not alter the P4 cells. We displayed the replication of CI strains of HIV-1, but not the one of NC strains in P4 cell line. Our micromethod allowed the detection of cytopathic effects of HIV isolates. Further investigations should define the clinical applications of this method.
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PMID:A microassay for determination of the cytopathogenicity of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 isolates. 880 3

A new protein immobilization and purification system has been developed based on the use of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs, or bioplastics), which are biodegradable polymers accumulated as reserve granules in the cytoplasm of certain bacteria. The N-terminal domain of the PhaF phasin (a PHA-granule-associated protein) from Pseudomonas putida GPo1 was used as a polypeptide tag (BioF) to anchor fusion proteins to PHAs. This tag provides a novel way to immobilize proteins in vivo by using bioplastics as supports. The granules carrying the BioF fusion proteins can be isolated by a simple centrifugation step and used directly for some applications. Moreover, when required, a practically pure preparation of the soluble BioF fusion protein can be obtained by a mild detergent treatment of the granule. The efficiency of this system has been demonstrated by constructing two BioF fusion products, including a functional BioF-beta-galactosidase. This is the first example of an active bioplastic consisting of a biodegradable matrix carrying an active enzyme.
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PMID:In vivo immobilization of fusion proteins on bioplastics by the novel tag BioF. 1518 13

Malignant transformation is often accompanied by an aberrant glycosylation profile of the cell surface-in particular, the production of GlcNAcbeta1-6Manalpha1 branches in N-linked glycoproteins. To identify the target glycoproteins, we show a method using recombinant chicken N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase VI (GnT VI) and radiolabeled uridine (5'-)diphosphate-GlcNAc. The assay exploits the fact that GnT VI has a strict requirement for the GlcNAcbeta1-6Manalpha1 structure for activity, when a pyridylaminated free N-glycan is used as the acceptor substrate. Human asialo-agalacto alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), which is known to contain GlcNAcbeta1-6Manalpha1 branches in its N-linked glycan chains, was radiolabeled when reacted with GnT VI, whereas human asialo-agalacto transferrin and bovine fetuin, neither of which contains a GlcNAcbeta1-6Manalpha1 structure were not, thus corroborating the specificity of the assay. Several proteins from human serum after pretreatment with sialidase and beta-galactosidase could be detected using the assay. One was identified as AGP from its mobility on SDS-PAGE, demonstrating the potential of this assay even with crude materials. Furthermore, this method could detect a protein that was also positively stained with leukoagglutinating phytohemagglutinin (L(4)-PHA) using glycoproteins prepared from WiDr human colon cancer cells. This method should provide a useful complement to the current method, which relies on the specificity of L(4)-PHA.
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PMID:A specific detection of GlcNAcbeta1-6Manalpha1 branches in N-linked glycoproteins based on the specificity of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase VI. 1642 2