Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023380 (lethargy)
 5,697 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A protein toxic to mice was isolated from the venom of the Mexican beaded lizard Heloderma horridum horridum by a combination of gel filtration (Sephadex G-75) and ion exchange chromatography (both diethylaminoethyl-cellulose [DE-cellulose] and carboxymethyl-cellulose [CM-cellulose]). The purified polypeptide component has an apparent mol. wt of 25,500 and is composed of approximately 220 amino acid residues. It has an isoelectric point (pI) of 6.8 and its N-terminal amino acid sequence was shown to be: Glu-Ala-Ser-Pro-Lys-Leu-Pro-Gly-Leu-Met-Thr-Ser-Asn-Pro-Asp-Gln-Gln-Thr- Glu-Ile. The sequence has no significant similarity with any other protein previously reported in the literature. Enzymatic activities such as phospholipase, hyaluronidase and proteinase, commonly present in venoms, could not be demonstrated in this protein. Patch-clamp experiments conducted with excitable membranes show no effects on Na+, K+ or Ca2+ ion channels. Among the constant physiological effects observed in mice injected with this toxin are lethargy, partial paralysis of rear limbs and lowering of body temperature, suggesting that it might be a hypothermic toxin. We propose calling this toxin Helothermine.
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PMID:Isolation and characterization of helothermine, a novel toxin from Heloderma horridum horridum (Mexican beaded lizard) venom. 169 19

Sperm hyaluronidase is thought to assist in penetration of the extracellular matrix (ECM) between the cumulus and corona radiata cells surrounding mammalian oocytes. The question was asked: Can motile cells which lack hyaluronidase penetrate the hamster oocyte cumulus complex (OCC)? Sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) and frog (Rana catesbeiana) sperm and the unicellular, biflagellated, green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were extracted and found to contain no hyaluronidase activity. Moreover, none of these cells was able to disperse the cumulus cells of hamster OCC, nor did they affect the ultrastructure of the ECM between cells. Fresh hamster OCC were challenged with suspensions of each cell type. Frog and sea urchin sperm penetrated to the zona pellucida surface in less than 5 min. A cell wall-less mutant of Chlamydomonas also penetrated to the zona surface but required longer than 5 min. Wild-type Chlamydomonas penetrated only halfway to the zona, perhaps because its cell wall adhered to the ECM between the cumulus cells and retarded its movement. The motility of the frog and sea urchin sperm was not affected by the ECM of the OCC. Frog sperm exhibited slow lethargic motility yet had no difficulty penetrating to the zona; this indicates that hyperactivated motility is not required for penetration of the ECM. None of the challenge cells penetrated the zona pellucida, although the frog sperm did compress the weave of the zona. These data show that motile cells which lack the enzyme hyaluronidase can readily penetrate the ECM of the hamster cumulus and corona radiata and suggest that the significance of hyaluronidase in fertilization should be reevaluated.
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PMID:Motile cells lacking hyaluronidase can penetrate the hamster oocyte cumulus complex. 387 8

Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia secondary to bee envenomation developed in 2 dogs. Clinical signs included lethargy, hematuria, ataxia, and seizures; 1 dog died. Clinicopathologic data included nonregenerative anemia, spherocytosis, positive results for Coombs' test, and occult hematuria. Treatment included oral administration of corticosteroids at immunosuppressive dosages and supportive care. The surviving dog initially responded to corticosteroids, but hemolysis recurred as the dosage was tapered. Hemolysis resolved with prolonged administration of corticosteroids. Bee venom contains hyaluronidase, histamines, and hemolysins that cause toxic and hemolytic effects. Envenomation should be considered in any dog with hemolytic anemia in which other causes are ruled out and exposure to bees is known.
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PMID:Bee sting envenomation resulting in secondary immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in two dogs. 1020 Jul 97