Partial Catalytic Domains of New Protein-tyrosine Kinases Cloned from cDNA Amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction

A feature common to all members of the protein-tyrosine kinase (PTK) family is a highly conserved catalytic domain which is characteristic of this group. Degenerate oligonucleotide primers corresponding to two of the most highly conserved regions of the PTK catalytic domain were designed to amplify cDNA sequences of restricted subfamilies of PTKs from rat brain mRNA in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A third degenerate oligonucleotide primer corresponding to a highly conserved, PTK subfamily-specific sequence located between the two sequences mentioned above was also used to amplify cDNA sequences of PTKs of novel subfamilies from rat brain mRNA. pBluescript PCR libraries were constructed from the PCR-amplified cDNA. The PCR libraries were then screened by DNA sequencing for PTK-related sequences. Several sequences were identified that, on the basis of sequence comparison with known PTKs in GenBank, may encode new PTKs

Cloning of a cDNA for the Human Cell Adhesion Kinase β

Cell adhesion kinase beta (CAKbeta) is the second protein-tyrosine kinase (PTK) of the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) subfamily with large N- and C-domains in addition to the central kinase domain but without Src homology 2 and 3 (SH-2 and SH-3) domains. In this paper, cloning and sequencing of a cDNA encoding human CAKβ are described. A full-length clone (clone B) contained 4,157- base pairs of human CAKβ cDNA including 243-base pairs of the 5\u27-untranslated sequence and 881-base pairs of the 3\u27-untranslated sequence with a polyadenyla-tion signal (ATTAAA). The clone B of human CAKβ cDNA has an open read-ing frame encoding 1009 amino acid residues ; the human CAKβ has the same number of amino acid residues in the N-, C-, and kinase-domains as rat CAKβ . The amino acid sequence of human CAKβ is 95.4% identical with that of rat CAKβ . The species difference is most prominent in the C-domain. All three previously-recognized, subfamily-specific residues in the kinase domains of FAK and the rat CAKβ are also found in the human CAKβ . The residues V??? and A???, which have been considered to be characteristic to CAKβ , are found to be conserved also in the human CAK? . It has been postulated that CAKβ is important as a docking protein. The autophosphorylation site and also the ligand site to the SH-2 domains of the Src-family PTKs, Y???AEI, are found to be conserved in the human CAKβ . The ligand sequence for the Grb2 SH-2 domain, Y???HNV of the rat CAKβ , is found functionally conserved in the human CAKβ , Y???LNV. The third ligand sequence, E???PPPKPSR, participating in the binding to the SH-3 domains of pp130cas and Efs, is also found conserved in the human CAKβ . The extreme N- terminal 88 amino acid residues of the rat CAKβ were previously found entirely different from FAK and found unique to CAK? . Ninety four percent of those 88 residues in the human CAKβ are found identical with the rat CAKβ . This high sequence homology strongly suggeststhat this region is involved in the specific function of CAKβ different from FAK

The Function of β2-glycoprotein I in Angiogenesis and Its in Vivo Distribution in Tumor Xenografts

Intact β2-glycoprotein I (iβ2GPI) is a glycoprotein that regulates coagulation and fibrinolysis. Nicked β2GPI (nβ2GPI) possesses an angiogenic property at a relatively low concentration, and an antiangiogenic property at a high concentration. Here we investigated the functions of βi 2GPI and nβ2GPI in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A-induced endothelial cell proliferation and tube formation. We used noninvasive PET imaging to analyze the in vivo distribution of intravenously injected β2GPI variants in tumor lesions in mice. iβ2GPI was incubated with plasmin to obtain nβ2GPI, and its N-terminal sequence was analyzed. nβ2GPI had at least one other cleavage site upstream of the β2GPIʼs domain V, whereas the former plasmin-cleavage site locates between K317 and T318. Both of intact and nicked β2GPI significantly inhibited the VEGF-A-induced cell proliferation and the tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). PET imaging visualized considerably distributed intensities of all tested β2GPI variants in tumor lesions of pancreatic tumor cell-xenografts. These results indicate that β2GPI may be physiologically and pathophysiologically important in the regulation of not only coagulation and fibrinolysis, but also angiogenesis

A Novel 89Zr-labeled DDS Device Utilizing Human IgG Variant (scFv): “Lactosome” Nanoparticle-Based Theranostics for PET Imaging and Targeted Therapy

“Theranostics,” a new concept of medical advances featuring a fusion of therapeutic and diagnostic systems, provides promising prospects in personalized medicine, especially cancer. The theranostics system comprises a novel 89Zr-labeled drug delivery system (DDS), derived from the novel biodegradable polymeric micelle, “Lactosome” nanoparticles conjugated with specific shortened IgG variant, and aims to successfully deliver therapeutically effective molecules, such as the apoptosis-inducing small interfering RNA (siRNA) intracellularly while offering simultaneous tumor visualization via PET imaging. A 27 kDa-human single chain variable fragment (scFv) of IgG to establish clinically applicable PET imaging and theranostics in cancer medicine was fabricated to target mesothelin (MSLN), a 40 kDa-differentiation-related cell surface glycoprotein antigen, which is frequently and highly expressed by malignant tumors. This system coupled with the cell penetrating peptide (CPP)-modified and photosensitizer (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis (4-aminophenyl) porphyrin (TPP))-loaded Lactosome particles for photochemical internalized (PCI) driven intracellular siRNA delivery and the combination of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) photodynamic therapy (PDT) offers a promising nano-theranostic-based cancer therapy via its targeted apoptosis-inducing feature. This review focuses on the combined advances in nanotechnology and material sciences utilizing the “89Zr-labeled CPP and TPP-loaded Lactosome particles” and future directions based on important milestones and recent developments in this platform

Association between Hardness (Difficulty of Chewing) of the Habitual Diet and Premenstrual Symptoms in Young Japanese Women

Recent evidence suggests that voluntary rhythmic movements such as chewing may increase blood serotonin and subsequently brain serotonin, which in turn acts to alleviate premenstrual symptoms. In this observational cross-sectional study, we tested the hypothesis that hardness (difficulty of chewing) of the habitual diet (i.e. dietary hardness) is associated with decreased premenstrual symptoms. Subjects were 640 female Japanese dietetic students aged 18–22 years. Dietary hardness was assessed as an estimate of masticatory muscle activity for the habitual diet (i.e. the difficulty of chewing the food). The consumption of a total of 107 foods was estimated by means of a self-administered, comprehensive diet history questionnaire, and masticatory muscle activity during the ingestion of these foods was estimated according to published equations. Menstrual cycle symptoms were assessed using the retrospective version of the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire, from which total score and subscale scores (i.e. pain, concentration, behavioral change, autonomic reactions, water retention, and negative affect) in the premenstrual phase were calculated and expressed as percentages relative to those in the intermenstrual phase. Dietary hardness was not associated with total score in the premenstrual phase (P for trend = 0.48). Further, no association was seen for any subscale score in the premenstrual phase (P for trend = 0.18–0.91). In conclusion, this preliminary study failed to substantiate a hypothesized inverse relationship between hardness of the habitual diet and premenstrual symptoms. Considering the plausibility of the putative mechanism, however, further investigation using more relevant measures of chewing and premenstrual symptoms is warranted