Yoshio Kera

Conjugation of acetaldehyde with cysteinylglycine, the first metabolite in glutathione breakdown byγ-glutamyltranspeptidase

Glutathione and its metabolites were examined for reactivity to acetaldehyde. When acetaldehyde was incubated with glutathione alone, there was only a slight decrease of acetaldehyde, while an apparently equimolar reaction between acetaldehyde and free sulfhydryl was observed with the addition of γ-glutamyltranspeptidase. Cysteinylglycine, the first metabolite in the glutathione breakdown by γ-glutamyltranspeptidase, showed a rapid and equimolar reactivity to acetaldehyde and such was comparable to the reaction seen withl-cysteine ord-penicillamine. In light of the chemical structure, cysteinylglycine probably conjugates with acetaldehyde to form thiazolidinecarboxylic acid derivatives, 2-methyl-thiazolidine-4-carbonyl-glycine, and if so, the alteration of glutathione metabolism by acetaldehyde during ethanol intoxication warrants further attention.

Genetic Polymorphism of Plasminogen: A New Basic Variant (PLG B) and Population Study in Japanese

Abstract. Genetic polymorphism of human plasminogen in the Japanese population was studied using agarose gel isoelectric focusing followed by immunofixation. A new basic variant, PLG B, was found as a heterozygous state PLG l‐B, which was genetically determined. The allele frequencies calculated from 258 individuals were PLG1=0.958, PLG2=0.020 and PLGB=0.022.

Genetic polymorphism of the B subunit of human coagulation factor XIII: Another classification

SummaryGenetic polymorphism of the B subunit of human coagulation factor XIII was studied using agarose gel isoelectric focusing (pH 4–6.5) followed by immunofixation. Factor XIII-B of all samples after desialylation was classified into three types (F, S, and FS). From results of the present study, it was confirmed that factor XIII-B was controlled by two codominant alleles on an autosomal locus. Allele frequencies of F-XIIIBF and F-XIIIBS in a Japanese population were 0.336 and 0.664, respectively.

Genetic Polymorphism of the A Subunit of Human Coagulation Factor XIII in Japanese

Genetic polymorphism of the A subunit of human coagulation factor XIII in a Japanese population was studied using the agarose gel isoelectric focusing followed by immunofixation. From the family study

Three New Variants in the Plasminogen System

Three new phenotypes of plasminogen system, named PLG 3-1, PLG 1-M and PLG 1-C, were found in sera from healthy Japanese persons by the agarose gel isoelectric focusing followed by the methods of immunofixation and caseinolysis. The present study indicates that at least the PLG 3 component is genetically determined. The existence of another PLG3 allele is postulated.

Phenotypic variation of human antithrombin III in normal plasma: Detection by isoelectric focusing

SummaryPlasma AT-III exhibits a microheterogeneous form with pIs distributed over a narrow pH range by analytical agarose gel isoelectric focusing followed by immunofixation. Three new variants, each of which was the heterozygous state between the common and each variant components, were observed in a total 370 samples from unrelated healthy donors. These variants have at least normal activities of the thrombin inactivation in the presence of heparin, and their immunological antigen concentrations in plasma are in the normal range.

Genetic polymorphism of white blood cell glucose dehydrogenase in Japanese

SummaryGenetic polymorphism of the glucose dehydrogenase in white cells extracts from random adult Japanese was investigated using polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing or agarose gel isoelectric focusing, followed by a specific zymogram technique. Three common phenotypes, which might correspond to GDH 1, GDH 2 and GDH 2-1 reported by King and Cook (1981), were observed at the p Is between pH 6.56–6.76 on the gel. No phenotypes with GDH 3 component were detected so far. The allele frequency of GDH3 may be very low among Japanese. The results of family study suggest that these phenotypes are inherited in the autosomal codominant trait. The allele frequencies were GDH1=0.522 and GDH2=0.478.

Comparative Study of Phenotypes on Activity and Plasma Concentration in the Genetic System of Plasminogen

Plasma antigen concentration of plasminogen was approximately 11-13 mg/100 ml in all phenotypes. Specific activities of common PLG 1-1 and second common PLG 2-1 were 16.52 +/- 1.43 U/mg (caseinolytic activity/milligram antigen concentration, mean +/- SD) and 17.22 +/- 2.14 U/mg, respectively. Caseinolytic activity, antigen concentration and specific activity of PLG 1-B were 0.80 +/- 0.23 U/ml, 11.39 +/- 2.44 mg/100 ml and 6.95 +/- 0.96 U/mg. Plasma plasminogen levels of three rare phenotypes (PLG 3-1, PLG 1-C and PLG 1-M) were at least in the normal ranges by immunological and biological assay.

Two New Slow-Moving Variants of Human Serum Albumin

Abstract: Two new slow‐moving variants of human serum albumin were found in members of two unrelated Japanese families. These variants, different from each other and from the slow‐moving variants described previously, were designated albumin ‘Okinoerabu’ and albumin ‘Akasaka’. The mode of inheritance of each variant was consistent with an autosomal codominant trait. A very rare type, homozygote for a variant, albumin ‘Okinoerabu’, was also detected. The segregation data of albumin and Gc showed no discrepancy from the postulation of a linkage between these two loci.