Coexpression and assembly of myosin heavy chain and myosin light chain in Escherichia coli.

A fragment of the Dictyostelium discoideum myosin heavy chain gene representing heavy meromyosin was coexpressed in Escherichia coli with the entire essential myosin light chain from the scallop. The expressed myosin heavy chain and essential myosin light chain copurify through ammonium sulfate fractionation, anion exchange, and gel filtration chromatography. The purified complex consists of about 1 mol of light chain per mol of heavy chain.

Association of antibody to histone complex H2A-H2B with symptomatic procainamide-induced lupus.

Antinuclear antibodies develop in most patients who are given prolonged procainamide therapy, but clinical symptoms resembling those of lupus appear in only 15 to 20 percent of such persons. No objective marker for symptomatic procainamide-induced lupus has been described. However, IgG antibodies to the histone complex H2A-H2B have previously been reported in this disorder, and it has been suggested that antiguanosine antibodies may be a marker for major manifestations of procainamide-induced lupus.

Myosin subfragment-1 is sufficient to move actin filaments in vitro.

The rotating crossbridge model for muscle contraction proposes that force is produced by a change in angle of the crossbridge between the overlapping thick and thin filaments. Myosin, the major component of the thick filament, is comprised of two heavy chains and two pairs of light chains. Together they form two globular heads, which give rise to the crossbridge in muscle, and a coiled-coil rod, which forms the shaft of the thick filament.

Human cardiac myosin heavy chain genes and their linkage in the genome.

Human myosin heavy chains are encoded by a multigene family consisting of at least 10 members. A gene-specific oligonucleotide has been used to isolate the human beta myosin heavy chain gene from a group of twelve nonoverlapping genomic clones. We have shown that this gene (which is expressed in both cardiac and skeletal muscle) is located 3.

Procainamide elicits a selective autoantibody immune response.

The specificity of the in vivo humoral immune response elicited by procainamide was examined by solid-phase assays, immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation and a cytotoxicity assay. Serial samples obtained from patients during their procainamide therapy showed a progressive increase in antibodies to histones and denatured DNA, and both activities decreased after discontinuation of therapy. In contrast antibodies to tetanus, human IgG (rheumatoid factor) and heterologous lymphocytes were unaffected by procainamide treatment, indicating that they were not drug-induced.

A polymorphic human myosin heavy chain locus is linked to an anonymous single copy locus (D17S1) at 17p13.

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) have been developed for an adult human skeletal muscle myosin heavy chain gene which was previously mapped to the short arm of human chromosome 17. Using RFLP analysis of DNA from 140 individuals, we have found tight linkage (LOD score of 6.9) between this myosin heavy chain gene and the anonymous DNA probe, D17S1.

IgG antibodies to the histone complex H2A-H2B characterize procainamide-induced lupus.

Patients treated with procainamide and other drugs commonly develop antinuclear antibodies and occasionally symptoms of lupus erythematosus. However, the pathological events which lead to clinical symptoms in some patients but only abnormal serology in others have not been established. The present study examines the incidence, amount, immunoglobulin class, and antigen-binding specificity of anti-histone and anti-denatured DNA (anti-dDNA) antibodies in three groups of patients.

Isolation and characterization of human myosin heavy chain genes.

We have isolated four unique human sarcomeric myosin heavy chain (MHC) genomic clones using rat MHC cDNA clones as probes. Three of these clones contain adult skeletal muscle-specific DNA sequences, whereas one clone contains embryonic skeletal muscle-specific sequences. This developmental and tissue specificity was determined by hybridization of each of the human clones to MHC mRNA from different muscle tissues.

Therapeutic recreation for long-term care patients.

The present study evaluates the impact of a therapeutic recreation program on the life satisfaction and activity level of hospitalized geropsychiatric patients. Sixty-one inpatients from a VA Medical Center were randomly assigned to participate either in a community recreation program for ten consecutive Saturdays or to engage in the regularly scheduled hospital program. Data from four observational instruments established a baseline of activities and confirmed that the study group's life satisfaction appears quite comparable to previously published reports.

Working together: the National Association of Gay Alcoholism Professionals.

This article briefly describes the formation of the National Association of Gay Alcoholism Professionals (NAGAP). It then discusses the need for education, information, and advocacy that prompted the development of NAGAP's goals. There are four primary goals: (1) creating and fostering a network for support and communication among gay and lesbian alcoholism professionals; (2) educating those who work with gay/lesbian alcoholics; (3) raising the gay and lesbian communities' consciousness about alcoholism; and (4) improving treatment for gay/lesbian alcoholics, partly through advocacy.