Study of colour discrimination with comb-filtered spectra.

Techniques that involve the use of comb-filtered spectra to study human colour vision have been developed in previous work (Bonnardel, V., Bellemare, H., Mollon, J.

[Pharmacodynamic basis for the use of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid in respiratory infections due to Streptococcus pneumoniae: In vitro studies in an experimental model].

Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid is a first choice treatment for respiratory tract infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis. In a previous study we observed its high efficacy against penicillin-susceptible and intermediate-resistant strains of S. pneumoniae.

Stochastic independence of color-vision mechanisms confirmed by a subthreshold summation paradigm.

We have used a subthreshold summation protocol to analyze spatial color-color interaction. By means of a CRT color monitor, we measured the threshold contours for a spatial frequency of 0.5 cycles/degree.

Kinetics of a self-amplifying substrate cycle: ADP-ATP cycling assay.

A kinetic study of an ATP-ADP amplification cyclic system involving the enzymes adenylate kinase, pyruvate kinase and L-lactate dehydrogenase has been made. The stoichiometry of the cycle is 2:1, because two molecules of ADP are synthesized from one each of ATP and AMP, and one molecule of ADP is converted back into one of ATP at each turn of the cycle. This results in a continuous exponential increase in the concentrations of ATP and ADP in the reaction medium, according to the equations obtained.

[Atrioventricular node catheter ablation with condenser discharge and radiofrequency].

The AV junction ablation was useful to treat patients with drug-refractory supraventricular arrhythmias. The purpose of this study was to determine short and long-term success and complications of the atrioventricular nodal catheter ablation and to compare direct current and radiofrequency energy. Forty patients underwent AV nodal ablation with direct current energy (Group I) and forty patients with radiofrequency (Group II).

A continuous spectrophotometric method based on enzymatic cycling for determining L-glutamate.

A continuous spectrophotometric assay for determining low levels of L-glutamate is described. The assay, which involves the enzymes L-glutamate oxidase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, is based on the recycling of L-glutamate into alpha-ketoglutarate, with the concomitant appearance of one molecule of hydrogen peroxide in each turn of the cycle. This is subsequently reduced by means of a peroxidase-coupled reaction, using 2, 2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) as substrate.

Modulation of the protein kinase CK2 activity by a synthetic peptide corresponding to the N-terminus of its beta regulatory subunit.

Using a synthetic peptide corresponding to the sixteen amino-acid N-terminus of the beta subunit, the structure-activity relationship study of casein kinase 2 (CK2) was performed with regard to its previously reported property to polymerize and oligomerize in vitro. Velocity sedimentation experiments show that the peptide beta 1-16 prevents the thick filament formation and stabilizes the ring-like structure of the kinase. Furthermore, the peptide beta 1-16 stimulates the kinase activity by 3-fold toward exogenous substrates as well as the intrinsic autophosphorylation of the kinase.

Optimizing enzymatic cycling assays: spectrophotometric determination of low levels of pyruvate and L-lactate.

A kinetic analysis of enzymatic cycling systems covering the whole course of the reaction, i.e., the transient phase and the steady state, is presented.

Kinetics of an autocatalytic zymogen reaction in the presence of an inhibitor coupled to a monitoring reaction.

A global kinetic analysis of a model consisting of an autocatalytic zymogen-activation process, in which an irreversible inhibitor competes with the zymogen for the active site of the proteinase, and a monitoring coupled reaction, in which the enzyme acts upon one of its substrates, is presented. This analysis is based on the progress curves of any of the two products released in the monitoring reaction. The general solution is applied to an important particular case in which rapid equilibrium conditions prevail.

Kinetic analysis of an autocatalytic process coupled to a reversible inhibition: the inhibition of the system trypsinogen-trypsin by p-aminobenzamidine.

A kinetic analysis of the mechanism of autocatalytic activation in the presence of a reversible inhibitor is presented. The kinetic equations of both the transient phase and the steady state are derived for this mechanism. We have extended the kinetic equations derived to a particular case in rapid equilibrium conditions.

Kinetic study of an enzymic cycling system coupled to an enzymic step: determination of alkaline phosphatase activity.

A kinetic study is made of a system consisting of a specific enzymic cycling assay coupled to an enzymic reaction. A kinetic analysis of this system is presented, and the accumulation of chromophore involved in the cycle is seen to be parabolic, i.e.

Quaternary structure of casein kinase 2. Characterization of multiple oligomeric states and relation with its catalytic activity.

The structure-activity relationship of casein kinase 2 (CK2) was examined with regard to its previously reported property to self-aggregate in vitro. Sedimentation velocity and electron microscopy studies showed that the purified kinase exhibited four major, different oligomeric forms in aqueous solution. This self-polymerization was a reproducible and fully reversible process, highly dependent upon the ionic strength of the medium, suggesting that electrostatic interactions are mostly involved.

General linear compartment model with zero input: III. First passage residence time of enzyme systems.

In this paper, we present an alternative procedure to derive the residence times of enzyme and compartment systems. This procedure allows to express the residence time by a general, symbolic and simplified formula relating it directly with the rate constants. It is applicable to any enzyme reaction scheme which can be formulated as a set of first-order or pseudo-first order interconversions, without any other restriction.

Kinetic study of an enzyme-catalysed reaction in the presence of novel irreversible-type inhibitors that react with the product of enzymatic catalysis.

In the present paper a kinetic study is made of the behaviour of a Michaelis-Menten enzyme-catalysed reaction in the presence of irreversible inhibitors rendered unstable in the medium by their reaction with the product of enzymatic catalysis. A general mechanism involving competitive, non-competitive, uncompetitive and mixed irreversible inhibition with one or two steps has been analysed. The differential equation that describes the kinetics of the reaction is non-linear and computer simulations of its dynamic behaviour are presented.

[Has protein kinase CK2 a role in the intracellular mitogenic signalling?].

The protein kinase CK2 is an ubiquitous serine-threonine kinase found in all eukaryotic cells. Although well characterized on a biochemical ground, its role and regulation in the intact cell are not clearly understood. Its possible implication in the control of cell proliferation has been examined by several different approaches.

Kinetics of an enzyme reaction in which both the enzyme-substrate complex and the product are unstable or only the product is unstable.

A kinetic analysis of the Michaelis-Menten mechanism has been made for the case in which both the enzyme-substrate complex and the product are unstable or only the product is unstable, either spontaneously or as the result of the addition of a reagent. This analysis allows the derivation of equations which under conditions of limiting enzyme concentration relate the concentration of all of the species to the time. A kinetic data analysis is suggested, which leads to the evaluation of the kinetic parameters involved in the reaction.

Kinetic analysis of the opened bicyclic enzyme cascades.

A kinetic analysis of the opened bicyclic enzyme cascade is presented. It includes the time-dependence of the concentrations of the modified and unmodified forms of the interconvertible enzymes, as well as their fractional modifications, from the onset of the reaction to its completion. The transient phase equations obtained allow the definition of new regulatory properties.

Modulation of the molecular organization and activity of casein kinase 2 by naturally occurring polyamines.

Polyamines have been reported to stimulate casein kinase 2 (CK2) in vitro. We have shown that the phosphorylation of different substrates is diversely stimulated by basic effectors and that the responsiveness of CK2 activity may be influenced by the overall conformation of the protein substrate but also by a specific interaction with the enzyme itself. Our data show that native hetero tetrameric CK2 is a spermine binding protein and a spermine binding site was identified in the N-terminal region of the beta subunit of CK2.

The kinetics of enzyme systems involving activation of zymogens.

A general model of zymogen activation is proposed and explicit kinetic equations for the time courses of the various species and products involved are given. These equations are valid for the whole course of the reaction and therefore for both the transient phase and the steady state. This model is sufficiently general to include mechanisms possessing one or more steps of zymogen activation besides possible steps of inhibition (reversible or irreversible) or inactivation.

Kinetic behaviour of zymogen activation processes in the presence of an inhibitor.

A global kinetic analysis of a general zymogen activation model, where not only the activating but also the activated enzyme suffer an irreversible inhibition is presented. A reaction in which the enzyme acts upon a substrate is coupled to monitor the process. In addition, we determined the corresponding kinetic equations for a number of particular cases of the general model studied.

pH-induced kinetic co-operativity of a thylakoid-bound polyphenol oxidase.

A study of the catecholase activity of a latent plant polyphenol oxidase, extracted and purified from the chloroplast membranes of grapes (Vitis vinifera cv. Airen), revealed for the first time a lag phase above pH 5.0, whereas a steady-state rate was reached immediately when pH values were lower, thus suggesting the hysteretic nature of the enzyme.

Kinetic analysis of the control through inhibition of autocatalytic zymogen activation.

A global kinetic analysis of a model of an autocatalytic zymogen-activation process in which an irreversible inhibitor competes with the zymogen for the active site of the proteinase is presented. Processes like the one here described are of great physiological interest because they are involved in the enzyme regulation of the gastrointestinal-tract enzymes, in blood coagulation, in fibrinolysis and in the complement system. The kinetic equations of both the transient phase and the steady state are derived for this mechanism.

Hysteresis and cooperative behavior of a latent plant polyphenoloxidase.

Appearance of a lag period dependent on pH in the expression of the catecholase activity of a polyphenoloxidase extracted in a latent state from Airen grape (Vitis vinifera L.) berries, is revealed, suggesting the hysteretic nature of the enzyme. The lag time was independent of enzyme concentration, indicating that slow pH-induced conformational changes in the protein must occur during assay.