Localization of immunoreactive tissue kallikrein in the seromucous glands of the human and guinea-pig respiratory tree

1993 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 834-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. T. Poblete ◽  
G. Garces ◽  
C. D. Figueroa ◽  
K. D. Bhoola

2012 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 1317-1328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaki Kita

Venomous mammals are rare, and only a few species in the orders Insectivora and Monotremata produce toxic venom. Among them, the duckbill platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is one of the two venomous Australian mammals. The adult male platypus carries a spur on each hind leg, which it uses to inject competitors with poison. However, the structure and function of the poison’s active compounds are still imcompletely characterized. We found that crude platypus venom produced potent Ca2+influx in human neuroblastoma IMR-32 cells. Guided by this assay, we identified 11 unique peptides, including peptide H–His–Asp–His–Pro–Asn–Pro–Arg–OH, which coincided with the N-terminal domain residues ofOrnithorhynchusvenom C-type natriuretic peptide (OvCNP). This heptapeptide induced a significant increase in [Ca2+]iin IMR-32 cells at 75 μM; had relatively specific affinities for glutamate, histamine, and GABAAreceptors; and facilitated neurogenic twitching in guinea pig ileum specimens at 30 μM. We also established that its proteinous venom fraction strongly hydrolyzed Pro–Phe–Arg–MCA and cleaved a human low-molecular-weight kininogen (LK), similar to porcine pancreas kallikrein. These results strongly indicated that platypus venom contains tissue kallikrein-like protease(s), and its proteolytic activity might synergistically contribute to toxicity through the specific cleavage of other venom constituents.



1999 ◽  
Vol 380 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Fiedler ◽  
G. Betz ◽  
H. Hinz ◽  
F. Lottspeich ◽  
D.M. Raidoo ◽  
...  

AbstractThe large and varied multigene families of tissue kallikreins of rat and mouse are considered to selectively release as many bioactive peptides. In order to determine whether a similar family of enzymes is expressed in the organs of the guinea pig purification studies were performed. Tissue kallikreins from the submandibular gland, coagulating gland/prostate complex and the pancreas were separated by affinity chromatography on benzamidine-Sepharose. Amino-terminal sequences, the patterns of hydrolysis rates of a number of peptideGuinea pig tissue kallikreins 1 and 2 have been reported previously. In the present study we have identified a third type, designated tissue kallikrein 1a because of its sequence similarity to kallikrein 1, which differs from the latter in the catalytic properties. The inferred occurrence of not more than two or three independent tissue kallikrein genes in the guinea pig contrasts with the varied family of enzymes expressed by the large number of such genes present in rats and mice. Expression in the guinea pig (and also in humans) of only a small number of tissue kallikreins makes specific processing of a multitude of biologically active peptides by such enzymes unlikely.





Author(s):  
Mai M. Said ◽  
Ramesh K. Nayak ◽  
Randall E. McCoy

Burgos and Wislocki described changes in the mucosa of the guinea pig uterus, cervix and vagina during the estrous cycle investigated by transmission electron microscopy. More recently, Moghissi and Reame reported the effects of progestational agents on the human female reproductive tract. They found drooping and shortening of cilia in norgestrel and norethindrone- treated endometria. To the best of our knowledge, no studies concerning the effects of mestranol and norethindrone given concurrently on the three-dimensional surface features on the uterine mucosa of the guinea pig have been reported. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of mestranol and norethindrone on surface ultrastructure of guinea pig uterus by SEM.Seventy eight animals were used in this study. They were allocated into two groups. Group 1 (20 animals) was injected intramuscularly 0.1 ml vegetable oil and served as controls.



Author(s):  
W. Kuenzig ◽  
M. Boublik ◽  
J.J. Kamm ◽  
J.J. Burns

Unlike a variety of other animal species, such as the rabbit, mouse or rat, the guinea pig has a relatively long gestation period and is a more fully developed animal at birth. Kuenzig et al. reported that drug metabolic activity which increases very slowly during fetal life, increases rapidly after birth. Hepatocytes of a 3-day old neonate metabolize drugs and reduce cytochrome P-450 at a rate comparable to that observed in the adult animal. Moreover the administration of drugs like phenobarbital to pregnant guinea pigs increases the microsomal mixed function oxidase activity already in the fetus.Drug metabolic activity is, generally, localized within the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) of the hepatocyte.



Author(s):  
Corazon D. Bucana

In the circulating blood of man and guinea pigs, glycogen occurs primarily in polymorphonuclear neutrophils and platelets. The amount of glycogen in neutrophils increases with time after the cells leave the bone marrow, and the distribution of glycogen in neutrophils changes from an apparently random distribution to large clumps when these cells move out of the circulation to the site of inflammation in the peritoneal cavity. The objective of this study was to further investigate changes in glycogen content and distribution in neutrophils. I chose an intradermal site because it allows study of neutrophils at various stages of extravasation.Initially, osmium ferrocyanide and osmium ferricyanide were used to fix glycogen in the neutrophils for ultrastructural studies. My findings confirmed previous reports that showed that glycogen is well preserved by both these fixatives and that osmium ferricyanide protects glycogen from solubilization by uranyl acetate.I found that osmium ferrocyanide similarly protected glycogen. My studies showed, however, that the electron density of mitochondria and other cytoplasmic organelles was lower in samples fixed with osmium ferrocyanide than in samples fixed with osmium ferricyanide.



Author(s):  
B. L. Soloff ◽  
A. L. Barron ◽  
H. J. White ◽  
R. G. Rank

Chlamydial organisms (specifically C. trachomatis) have been implicated as a frequent cause of genital infection in the human (1). Study of the histo- pathological aspects of such infections has been impeded because of difficulties in obtaining adequate tissue specimens and the lack of a suitable experimental host. In 1964, Murray (2) isolated the causative agent of guinea pig inclusion conjunctivitis which possesses similarities to human inclusion conjunctivitis. This guinea pig organism was found to be a member of the Chlamydia psittaci subgroup and was designated as the Gp-ic agent. Male guinea pigs have been successfully infected with Gp-ic by intraurethral inoculation. Transmission of the infection to the female by sexual contact has been demonstrated (3). We are not aware of any ultrastructural studies to date concerning the development of this agent in genital tissue.Studies in our laboratory have established that, in our guinea pig model, the cervix is the major site of injection.



Author(s):  
B. Monis ◽  
D. Lis ◽  
I. Parlanti ◽  
A. R. Eynard ◽  
M. A. Valentich ◽  
...  

We are gathering evidences which indicate ultrastructural variations and chemical heterogeneity of certain glycocalyces as well as hormone dependence of some of them. Thus, in the lumenal glycocalyx of renal collecting tubules of the guinea-pig granular and filamentous structures were seen (1, fig. 1). By isolation, chemical analysis and cellulose acetate electrophoresis in various buffers of tubular membrane material, glycopeptides and glycosaminoglycans were identified (fig. 2).Guinea-pig and rat transitional epithelium of urinary tract showed a filamentous lumenal glycocalyx demonstrable with ruthenium red (fig. 3) but which only in part stained with concanavalin A. Chemical and electrophoretic data indicated that urothelium contains glycoproteins, glycosaminoglycans and glycolipids.The glycocalyx of the fat globule membrane of milk of several species has a granular appearance as shown by cationic dyes and by concanavalin A (2, 3, fig. 4 and 5). Also, several glycoproteins were isolated and identified on polyacrilamide gel electrophoresis (fig. 6). Glycosaminoglycans and certain glycolipids such as sulfatides were chemically identified in this glycocalyx.



Author(s):  
Juan Mora-Galindo ◽  
Jorge Arauz-Contreras

The zinc iodide-osmium tetroxide (ZIO) technique is presently employed to study both, neural and non neural tissues. Precipitates depends on cell types and possibly cell metabol ism as well.Guinea pig cecal mucosa, already known to be composed of epithelium with cells at different maturation stages and lamina propria which i s formed by morphologically and functionally heterogeneous cell population, was studied to determine the pat tern of ZIO impregnation. For this, adult Guinea pg cecal mucosa was fixed with buffered 1.2 5% g 1 utara 1 dehyde before incubation with ZIO for 16 hours, a t 4°C in the dark. Further steps involved a quick sample dehydration in graded ethanols, embedding in Epon 812 and sectioning to observe the unstained material under a phase contrast light microscope (LM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM).



Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document