Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.4.21.64 (proteinase K)
 4,071 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A modification, using S1-nuclease, of a simple and sensitive fluorometric assay with ethidium bromide was developed for the measurement of cellular DNA interstrand crosslinking induced by bifunctional alkylators. Cells are lysed and treated with proteinase K and sodium dodecyl sulfate followed by extensive dialysis to yield intact high-molecular-weight DNA, free of contaminating proteins, on which the crosslink assay is then performed. The assay depends on the differential binding of ethidium bromide to single- and double-stranded DNA. Because of the higher ethidium bromide binding capacity of double-stranded DNA, the fluorescence retained after a heating/cooling cycle is directly proportional to the drug-induced cellular DNA interstrand crosslinking. We demonstrate that the sensitivity of this assay can be increased up to fourfold by including an S1-nuclease digestion step. This modified technique is simple and suited to the quantitation of low levels of DNA-interstrand crosslinking in cells.
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PMID:S1-nuclease enhancement of the ethidium bromide binding assay of drug-induced DNA interstrand crosslinking in human brain tumor cells. 220 Mar 10

The annulated cuticles of third- and fourth-stage larvae of Onchocerca volvulus have the typical structure of other nematodes but the cuticle of fourth-stage larvae was thinner. The surface of the third-stage larva was wrinkled and fuzzy, while that of the fourth-stage was smooth. Intermediate stages in the formation of the new cuticle and epicuticle beneath the old basal layer and of the separation of the cuticles are shown. Monoclonal antibodies specific to the surface of third-stage larvae did not react with the surface of the fourth-stage larvae. Binding of the monoclonal antibodies to the third-stage larvae was abrogated by treatment of the worms with trypsin and proteinase K, but was unaffected by treatment with periodate or the detergents sodium deoxycholate and SDS. The lectins RCA120 and WGA, but not any of the other lectins tested, bound only to the surface of fourth-stage larvae, and not to that of third-stage larvae. The surfaces of third- and fourth-stage larvae were shown to be different and contained stage-specific surface epitopes.
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PMID:Onchocerca volvulus: biochemical and morphological characteristics of the surface of third- and fourth-stage larvae. 222 9

Smooth (S)-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) preparations from reference and field strains of several biovars of Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, and B. suis were prepared by (i) the hot phenol-water method, (ii) hot sodium dodecyl sulfate extraction and proteinase K digestion, or (iii) dimethyl sulfoxide extraction. These S-LPS-enriched fractions were further analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining after periodate oxidation. Immunoblots were developed by using either monoclonal antibodies specific for Brucella A or M antigens or polyclonal polyspecific or monospecific sera from rabbits, cattle, and goats. The specificity of monoclonal antibodies reactive with Brucella unique (A or M) epitopes was demonstrated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, LPS latex agglutination, or agglutination inhibition. The most-represented subunits of S-LPS ranged in Mr from 30,000 to 70,000 relative to marker proteins. According to A or M immunodominance, two sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis banding patterns were clearly distinguished among biovars, whatever the fraction tested: a close succession of regularly spaced narrow bands for A greater than M strains and regularly spaced triplets of bands including either (i) a first thin band followed by two thick bands for B. abortus M greater than A strains or (ii) one thick band between two thin bands for B. melitensis or B. suis M greater than A strains. Moreover, A and M specificities were reaffirmed by sandwich enzyme immunoassay and latex agglutination inhibition with monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal sera.
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PMID:Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting analysis of smooth-lipopolysaccharide heterogeneity among Brucella biovars related to A and M specificities. 222 39

A 1,268-bp polynucleotide probe for heat-labile and heat-stable enterotoxins (LTh, STIa, STIb) was conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The HRP-conjugated trivalent probe was applied to the detection of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) by colony and stool hybridizations. The binding of the probe to its targets was assayed by the addition of HRP substrates hydrogen peroxide and luminol in the presence of an enhancer, and the chemiluminescence was recorded by exposure to X-ray film. Slot blot hybridization demonstrated that the HRP-conjugated trivalent probe specifically hybridized with the DNA isolated from ETEC strains. The trivalent probe also specifically identified bacterial colonies of ETEC that produced LTh, STIa, STIb, LTh-STIa, or LTh-STIb. Treatment of targets with sodium dodecyl sulfate and proteinase K remarkably reduced nonspecific hybridization to DNAs of non-ETEC strains. Furthermore, this probe was able to detect stool specimens seeded with 10(2) original ETEC cells per 5 mg of feces. These results suggest that the HRP-conjugated trivalent probe is a candidate for use in the clinical laboratory to detect ETEC.
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PMID:Trivalent heat-labile- and heat-stable-enterotoxin probe conjugated with horseradish peroxidase for detection of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli by hybridization. 227 91

This report describes a new assay for detecting filarial parasites of the genus Brugia in blood samples using labeled DNA probes. The sequences of these DNA probes are based on the HhaI repeat DNA family found in the genus Brugia. These DNA probes are species-specific and can detect the DNA from a single microfilaria in hybridization assays. To adapt this test for use on blood samples collected in the field, complex steps to separate microfilariae from blood cells and to purify parasite DNA were eliminated. We found that the most effective method was to filter blood samples through 5.0 microns pore nitrocellulose membranes, lyse the microfilariae on the membranes by proteinase K digestion, denature the parasite DNA with sodium hydroxide, and hybridize with the DNA probe. With this method, individual microfilariae can be visualized and counted on autoradiograms. The assay was evaluated in a mock field study using Brugia malayi-infected jirds and was found to be an efficient and accurate method for quantifying microfilariae in blood samples.
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PMID:A rapid DNA assay for the species-specific detection and quantification of Brugia in blood samples. 234 29

A simple, sensitive, and specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol for the detection of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is described. We have improved all three PCR steps: sample preparation, DNA amplification, and detection of the amplified product. Some of the improvements have been described previously, but they have never been combined into a complete PCR protocol. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were lysed directly in a buffer containing sodium dodecyl sulfate, Triton X-100, and proteinase K. This crude cell lysate was amplified in a two-step PCR, first with outer primers and then with inner primers nested within the first primers. The PCR product was visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis and ethidium bromide staining. Thus, we avoided conventional DNA extraction as well as hybridization for the detection of the PCR product. The samples were analyzed with four sets of nested primers (JA4 through JA7, JA9 through JA12, JA13 through JA16, and JA17 through JA20) designed to amplify HIV-1 gag, env gp120, env gp41, and pol sequences, respectively. We were able to amplify HIV-1 sequences in all samples from 90 HIV-1-seropositive individuals with mostly mild symptoms. Of these individuals, 24 were negative in HIV-1 isolation and 9 were selected because they were infected by African and Haitian HIV-1 strains. Eighty-five (94%) individuals were positive with at least three of four primer sets. Samples from 26 healthy blood donors, as well as cells infected in vitro with human immunodeficiency virus type 2 and human T-cell leukemia virus type I, were negative in PCR, thus demonstrating the specificity of the amplification.
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PMID:Simple, sensitive, and specific detection of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in clinical specimens by polymerase chain reaction with nested primers. 238 Mar 80

Glycosomes are microbody organelles found in kinetoplastida, where they serve to compartmentalize the enzymes of the glycolytic pathway. In order to identify the mechanism by which these enzymes are targeted to the glycosome, we have modified the in vitro import assay developed by Dovey et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:2598-2602, 1988). This assay measures the uptake of in vitro-translated Trypanosoma brucei glycosomal 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (gPGK) by purified glycosomes. Up to 50% of the total 35S-gPGK in the glycosomal fraction was resistant to extraction by 3 M urea or treatment with proteinase K (500 micrograms/ml). The glycosome-associated 35S-gPGK could be chemically cross-linked to the endogenous glycosomal proteins to form a sodium dodecyl sulfate-resistant complex, suggesting that it is close to the intraglycosomal protein matrix. Deoxycholate solubilized the glycosome and thereby rendered the glycosome-associated 35S-gPGK fully susceptible to proteinase K. However, the glycosome-associated 35S-gPGK was not digested by proteinase K in the presence of Triton X-100, which cannot dissolve the glycosomal protein core. The 35S-gPGK synthesized in vitro was able to bind directly to protein cores, where it became resistant to urea extraction and proteinase K digestion. However, the 35S-gPGK-protein core complex exhibited a much higher density than the 35S-gPGK-glycosome complex and was readily separable in sucrose gradients. Thus, in our in vitro import assay, the 35S-gPGK appeared to associate with intact glycosomes, possibly reflecting import of protein into the organelle. Complete denaturation of the 35S-gPGK in 8 M urea prior to the assay enhanced the efficiency of its association with glycosomes. Native gPGK did not compete with the association of in vitro-translated gPGK unless it was denatured. The assay exhibited time and temperature dependence, but it did not require externally added ATP and was not inhibited by the nonhydrolyzable analogs adenosine-5'-(beta,gamma-imido)-triphosphate and gamma-S-ATP. However, the presence of 20 to 30 microM ATP inside the glycosome may fulfill the requirement for protein import.
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PMID:Characterization of an in vitro assay for import of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase into the glycosomes of Trypanosoma brucei. 238 17

Isoelectric focusing and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with acrylamide copolymerized with gelatin (substrate-SDS-PAGE) were combined to evaluate the proteinases of both long-term-grown and fresh isolates of Trichomonas vaginalis. This two-dimensional substrate-SDS-PAGE resolved as many as 23 distinct proteinase activities in several isolates, and proteinases had relative molecular masses between 23 and 110 kilodaltons (kDa). Isoelectric points (pI) of proteinases ranged from 5.7 to 7.0. Overall, the various representative proteinase profiles were similar among those of long-term-grown and fresh isolates, although heterogeneity existed among several cysteine proteinase activities. Pattern changes were detected in fresh isolates passaged over several weeks, showing the ability of proteinases to be differentially expressed and to undergo phase variation. The two-dimensional proteinase patterns were very reproducible for isolates analyzed over a certain period of time before expression of some proteinases varied. The heterogeneity and differential expression of certain proteinases were not coordinated with phenotypic variation of already characterized immunogens and adhesins. Data suggesting that a 43-kDa proteinase resided on the parasite surface were obtained on the basis of removal of activity following pronase or proteinase K treatment of live organisms. Finally, immunized experimental animals produced antibody to many T. vaginalis proteinases, which indicates the immunogenic nature of trichomonad proteinases.
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PMID:Analysis of the proteinases of representative Trichomonas vaginalis isolates. 240 30

The immunophysical characteristics of 29 Serratia marcescens strains isolated from hospitalized patients in three different cities were studied. Their outer membrane antigens were compared by solid-phase radioimmunoassay inhibition, and their proteinase K-treated, whole-cell lysates were compared by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblot analysis. The strains had a limited number of unique outer membrane lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and capsular polysaccharide (K) antigens. By solid-phase radioimmunoassay inhibition, these strains could be divided into four distinct LPS and five K antigenic groups. By SDS-PAGE, the LPS groups could be further divided into three distinct SDS-PAGE core polysaccharide profiles and five distinct O-side-chain polysaccharide profiles. Immunoblot analysis with rabbit antiserum confirmed the limited heterogeneity of these isolates. Of the strains tested, no PAGE profile was unique to blood or nonblood isolates or to organisms collected from a given hospital. Variability of O and core PAGE profiles was not a function of organism growth cycle. Five representative Serratia strains were tested by SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analysis and in a bactericidal assay with normal human serum. We found that (i) the normal human serum had antibodies to the LPS of each of the strains, (ii) the anti-LPS antibody measured by immunoblot did not correlate with the level of bactericidal activity in the normal human serum, (iii) three of four sepsis isolates were serum sensitive, (iv) two Serratia strains serum sensitive in log-phase growth became serum resistant in late stationary-phase growth and under limiting nutrient conditions, and (v) no LPS PAGE profile distinguished serum-sensitive from serum-resistant strains.
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PMID:Immunophysical characterization of human isolates of Serratia marcescens. 240 11

The tumor antigen capable of inducing tumor resistance (tumor rejection antigen; TRA) was separated and some of its physicochemical properties were characterized. Cytosol and plasma membrane fractions were separated from Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)-induced CSA1M tumor cells. Immunization with membrane but not cytosol fraction of these tumor cells together with complete Freund's adjuvant resulted in complete protection against subsequent challenge with viable CSA1M cells. The TRA activity contained in the membrane fraction was recovered in the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-solubilized fraction after the SDS-extraction of CSA1M membranes. This CSA1M SDS-solubilized preparation gave protection against syngeneic RSV-induced CSA9F tumor cells as well as the homologous tumor cell type, but failed to induce resistance to RSV-unrelated tumor cells. The membrane or SDS-solubilized fraction from RSV-unrelated tumor cells was unable to generate anti-CSA1M protective immunity. Physicochemical analyses have demonstrated that TRA activity in the SDS-solubilized fraction was completely abolished by treatment with proteinase K but was only marginally affected after treatment with glycosidase mixture. When the SDS-solubilized preparation was applied to a Sephacryl S-300 superfine column, TRA activity was recovered in the range of molecular weight of 50-90 kD. Further fractionation of this TRA-positive fraction by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the molecular size of TRA is 56-68 kD. These results indicate that membrane proteins which were isolated from CSA1M tumor cells and have a molecular size of about 60 kD are capable of inducing RSV-induced tumor-specific in vivo protective immunity.
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PMID:Separation of the tumor rejection antigen of Rous sarcoma virus-induced murine fibrosarcoma. 245 98


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