scholarly journals Metabolism of phenylalanine in mice homozygous for the gene ‘dilute lethal’

1970 ◽  
Vol 119 (5) ◽  
pp. 895-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. I. Woolf ◽  
A. Jakubovic ◽  
F. Woolf ◽  
P. Bory

Mice homozygous for dl have been suggested as models for phenylketonuria. We found: (1) the concentration of phenylalanine in the blood was normal at all ages examined; (2) phenylalanine hydroxylase activity in the liver in vitro equalled that in unaffected littermates; (3) the apparent Km values for phenylalanine and cofactor respectively in dl/dl mice were the same as in their normal littermates; (4) inhibition of the overall reaction by the particulate fraction, excess of substrate, excess of cofactor or phenylpyruvic acid showed no difference between dl/dl mice and their unaffected littermates; (5) phenylalanine injected in vivo had equal, small, effects on phenylalanine hydroxylase activity of the liver measured in vitro in the two groups of mice. An explanation of the findings of other workers, based on the natural history of the disease process, is tentatively put forward.

1976 ◽  
Vol 154 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
O Greengard ◽  
J A. Delvalle

Injections of phenylalanine increased a 2.5-fold in 9 h the hepatic phenylalanine hydroxylase activity of 6-day-old or adult rats that had been pretreated (24h earlier) with p-chlorophenylalanine; without such pretreatment, phenylalanine did not raise the enzyme concentration. This difference is paralleled by the much greater extent to which the injected phenylalanine accumulated in livers of the pretreated compared with the normal animals. The hormonal induction of hepatic phenylalanine hydroxylase activity obeyed different rules: an injection of cortisol was without effect on adult livers but caused a threefold rise in phenylalanine hydroxylase activity of immature ones, both without and after pretreatment with p-chlorophenylalanine. In the latter instance, the effects of cortisol, and of phenylalanine were additive. Actinomycin inhibited the cortisol- but not the substrate-induced increase of phenylalanine hydroxylase, whereas puromycin inhibited both. The results indicate that substrate and hormone, two potential positive regulators of the amount of the hepatic (but not the renal) phenylalanine hydroxylase, act independently by two different mechanisms. The negative effector, p-chlorophenylalanine, also appears to interact with the synthetic (or degradative) machinery rather than with the existing phenylalanine hydroxylase molecules: 24h were required in vivo for an 85% decrease to ensue, and no inhibition occurred in vitro when incubating the enzyme with p-chlorophenylalanine or with liver extracts from p-chlorophenylalanine-treated rats.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine M. Khella ◽  
Rojiar Asgarian ◽  
Judith M. Horvath ◽  
Bernd Rolauffs ◽  
Melanie L. Hart

Understanding the causality of the post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) disease process of the knee joint is important for diagnosing early disease and developing new and effective preventions or treatments. The aim of this review was to provide detailed clinical data on inflammatory and other biomarkers obtained from patients after acute knee trauma in order to (i) present a timeline of events that occur in the acute, subacute, and chronic post-traumatic phases and in PTOA, and (ii) to identify key factors present in the synovial fluid, serum/plasma and urine, leading to PTOA of the knee in 23–50% of individuals who had acute knee trauma. In this context, we additionally discuss methods of simulating knee trauma and inflammation in in vivo, ex vivo articular cartilage explant and in vitro chondrocyte models, and answer whether these models are representative of the clinical inflammatory stages following knee trauma. Moreover, we compare the pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations used in such models and demonstrate that, compared to concentrations in the synovial fluid after knee trauma, they are exceedingly high. We then used the Bradford Hill Framework to present evidence that TNF-α and IL-6 cytokines are causal factors, while IL-1β and IL-17 are credible factors in inducing knee PTOA disease progresssion. Lastly, we discuss beneficial infrastructure for future studies to dissect the role of local vs. systemic inflammation in PTOA progression with an emphasis on early disease.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Pollreisz ◽  
Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth

Cataract in diabetic patients is a major cause of blindness in developed and developing countries. The pathogenesis of diabetic cataract development is still not fully understood. Recent basic research studies have emphasized the role of the polyol pathway in the initiation of the disease process. Population-based studies have greatly increased our knowledge concerning the association between diabetes and cataract formation and have defined risk factors for the development of cataract. Diabetic patients also have a higher risk of complications after phacoemulsification cataract surgery compared to nondiabetics. Aldose-reductase inhibitors and antioxidants have been proven beneficial in the prevention or treatment of this sightthreatening condition in in vitro and in vivo experimental studies. This paper provides an overview of the pathogenesis of diabetic cataract, clinical studies investigating the association between diabetes and cataract development, and current treatment of cataract in diabetics.


1999 ◽  
Vol 123 (10) ◽  
pp. 949-951
Author(s):  
Carol S. Marshall ◽  
Denis Dwyre ◽  
Robin Eckert ◽  
Liisa Russell

Abstract A 35-year-old gravida 3, para 3 Filipino woman with a negative antibody screen, no prior history of transfusion, and no hemolytic disease of the newborn in her children suffered a massive postpartum hemorrhage requiring transfusion. A severe hemolytic transfusion reaction occurred 5 days after delivery. Subsequently, a panagglutinin on a routine antibody identification panel was identified as anti-Jk3. The patient's red blood cell phenotype was Jk(a−b−) and all of her children were Jk(a−b+), yet the antibody that formed reacted with equal strength against all Jka- or Jkb-positive cells. The rare Jk(a−b−) phenotype is more common in Polynesians. Anti-Jk3, like other Kidd system antibodies, is difficult to detect because in vivo production may be absent between provocative episodes and because these antibodies often show weak in vitro reactions. The increasing numbers of Pacific Islanders in the United States could result in more frequent encounters with this rare phenotype. Increased awareness of ethnic variability in blood phenotypes and of the capricious nature of Kidd antibodies can help pathologists and technologists deal more effectively with these cases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (21) ◽  
pp. 12084
Author(s):  
Michał Śmiga ◽  
John W. Smalley ◽  
Paulina Ślęzak ◽  
Jason L. Brown ◽  
Klaudia Siemińska ◽  
...  

The non-enzymatic addition of glucose (glycation) to circulatory and tissue proteins is a ubiquitous pathophysiological consequence of hyperglycemia in diabetes. Given the high incidence of periodontitis and diabetes and the emerging link between these conditions, it is of crucial importance to define the basic virulence mechanisms employed by periodontopathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis in mediating the disease process. The aim of this study was to determine whether glycated proteins are more easily utilized by P. gingivalis to stimulate growth and promote the pathogenic potential of this bacterium. We analyzed the properties of three commonly encountered proteins in the periodontal environment that are known to become glycated and that may serve as either protein substrates or easily accessible heme sources. In vitro glycated proteins were characterized using colorimetric assays, mass spectrometry, far- and near-UV circular dichroism and UV–visible spectroscopic analyses and SDS-PAGE. The interaction of glycated hemoglobin, serum albumin and type one collagen with P. gingivalis cells or HmuY protein was examined using spectroscopic methods, SDS-PAGE and co-culturing P. gingivalis with human keratinocytes. We found that glycation increases the ability of P. gingivalis to acquire heme from hemoglobin, mostly due to heme sequestration by the HmuY hemophore-like protein. We also found an increase in biofilm formation on glycated collagen-coated abiotic surfaces. We conclude that glycation might promote the virulence of P. gingivalis by making heme more available from hemoglobin and facilitating bacterial biofilm formation, thus increasing P. gingivalis pathogenic potential in vivo.


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