Subpopulation of human tonsillar lymphocytes with mitochondria visible by light microscopy. We observed a subpopulation of human tonsillar lymphocytes with cytoplasmic inclusions that stained orthochromatically blue with Wright stain. These lymphocytes represented fewer than 2% of cells in suspensions of cells from most tonsils; however, suspensions of tonsillar cells from 4 to 18 studied patients contained more than 2% (2.8%--6.4%) lymphocytes with cytoplasmic inclusions. These cells sedimented less rapidly than the modal population of lymphocytes in a previously described isokinetic gradient. Histochemical and ultrastructural studies suggested that the stained inclusions were prominent mitochondria stained by the Wright stain.


Presence of hormonally-sensitive adenylate cyclase receptors in capillary-enriched fractions from rat cerebral cortex. The 10 000 g particulate fraction from capillary-enriched fractions isolated from rat cerebral cortex was shown to possess an adenylate cyclase highly sensitive to activation by sodium fluoride, norepinephrine, epinephrine, isoproterenol and dopamine. To a lesser extent histamine and three dopamine agonists, namely M-7 (5,6-dihydroxy-2-dimethylamino tetralin), ET-495 (methane sulfonate of pyribedil), and S-584 (metabolite of pyribedil) stimulated the enzyme preparation. The action of norepinephrine was blocked by propanolol while phenotolamine and haloperidol were relatively ineffective except at highest concentrations. Phentolamine and propanolol at only highest concentrations (10(-4) M) antagonized the action of dopamine. Haloperidol was seen to be a potent inhibitor of either dopamine- or dopamine agonist-sensitive adenylate cyclase. No effects on the enzyme were observed with methoxamine, octopamine or serotonin. These preliminary data suggest the presence of a mixed population of receptors for adenylate cyclase in rat brain capillaries.


Differences in dihydroergotamine antagonism of glucose release by catecholamines, glucagon and adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate in rabbit liver slices. 1 Quantitative studies were made on the glucose release from rabbit liver slices in vitro induced by a range of concentrations of (-)-adrenaline (Ad), (-)-isoprenaline (Iso), glucagon and adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) in the presence and absence of several concentrations of dihydroergotamine (DHE). 2 DHE (3.16 X 10(-6) M) shifted the Ad log concentration-response (LCR) curve to the right and also reduced the maximum response; at a higher concentration (3.16 x 10(-5) M) it produced a greater shift to the right of the LCR curve and caused a reduction in the slope and a larger depression of the maximal responses. The LCR curve to Iso was similarly affected by this higher concentration of DHE. 3 DHE (1  X 10(-5) M) produced no significant effect on the LCR curves of glucagon or cyclic AMP and even at 1 x 10(-4) M DHE caused only a slight depression of the maximal responses to both agonists without any modification of the lower major portions of the curves. 4 These data indicate a selective antagonism by DHE at the rabbit liver adrenoceptor and, since the maximal responses to catecholamines were depressed by a lower concentration of DHE than was required to produce a slight depression of the responses to glucagon and cyclic AMP, the antagonism of DHE against catecholamines does not appear to be at a site beyond the formation of cyclic AMP, but rather at a site more intimately related to the adrenoceptor.


The effect of stimulus intensity on alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated feedback control of noradrenaline release. 1 Mouse vas deferns stimulated transmurally (2.5 Hz, 2-32 V, 40-620 mA, FOR 45 s) responded with a twitch and a secondary contraction. Both responses were abolished by cinchocaine and were voltage-dependent. 2 In tissues previously incubated with (3H)-(--)-noradrenaline, stimulation also produced an increase in tritium overflow from the tissue. Phentolamine increased tritium overflow by 19% at high stimulus intensities (30 V, 600 mA) and by 130% at low stimulus intensities (11 V, 200 mA). 3 It is concluded that alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated feedback control of noradrenaline release is more marked at low stimulus intensities and that this is compatible with a role for calcium ions in this control mechanism.


Severity of coronary atherosclerosis related to lipoprotein concentration. The influence of individual lipoproteins on the severity of coronary atherosclerosis was studied in 41 patients undergoing coronary angiography. The extent of athero-sclerosis was quantified by a coronary atherosclerosis score (CAS) based on the number and severity of lesions in eight proximal segments of the coronary circulation. The concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) showed a strong inverse association with CAS, which was independent of the effects of age and other lipoproteins. On multivariate analysis concentrations of other lipids--namely, total plasma cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and the combined effect of LDL cholesterol plus very-low-density lipoprotein triglyceride--showed direct, significant correlations with CAS, but these were weaker than that of HDL. This study shows that concentrations of several circulating lipoproteins are related to the severity of coronary atherosclerosis, HDL having an apparent retarding effect. These findings may partly explain the influence of lipoproteins on the development of clinical coronary heart disease.


Effect of opioid peptides on L-noradrenaline-stimulated cyclic AMP formation in homogenates of rat cerebral cortex and hypothalamus. Morphine and the opioid peptides leucine-enkephalin (leu-enk), methionine-enkephalin (met-enk) and beta-endorphin had no effect on basal cyclic AMP levels in rat cerebral cortex and hypothalamus, but each inhibited noradrenaline (NA)-stimulated cyclic AMP formation in both brain regions. This inhibition was reversed by naloxone. Naloxone did not reverse phentolamine- or propranolol-induced inhibition of NA-stimulated cyclic AMP formation. The increase in cyclic AMP formation induced by NaF or MnCl2 was unaffected by met-enk or morphine. These data suggest that in rat cerebral cortex and hypothalamus opiates bind to opiate receptors and that the opiate-receptor complex interferes with noradrenergic receptor activity.


Pharmacological analysis of analgesia and self-stimulation elicited by electrical stimulation of catecholamine nuclei in the rat brain. The relationship between intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) and stimulation-produced analgesia (SPA) was investigated in that rat employing an operant bar-press response and a modification of the hot-plate test. ICSS and SPA were elicited through bipolar electrodes chronically implanted in two catecholamine nuclei; the nucleus locus coeruleus (LC) and the substantia nigra (SN). These sites have previously been shown to yield both phenomena. SPA was shown to be of a magnitude similar to that of morphine. In addition, SPA deriving from both LC and SN was significantly reversed by the specific opiate antagonist, naloxone. The intensity of the stimulating current sufficient to induce SPA was found to be higher than that required for ICSS. The pharmacological susceptibilities of the two phenomena were tested by administering a number of drugs: haloperidol, propranolol, pimozide and AMPT attenuated ICSS in both LC and SN, while leaving SPA unaffected. In contrast, methysergide and PCPA blocked SPA and simultaneously facilitated ICSS. The present results indicate a dissociation of ICSS and SPA from LC and SN at both physiological and neurochemical levels; ICSS rates appeared to be a function of catecholaminergic tone, while SPA depended upon the integrity of serotonin transmission.


Effects of 4-aminopyridine on neuromuscular transmission. 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP) powerfully increases transmitter release from motor nerve terminals of rat and frog skeletal muscle in response to single nerve impulses. The drug also enhances transmitter release during repetitive nerve activity but, at D-tubocurarine-blocked endplates, only the first impulses cause increased transmitter release at stimulation frequencies at or above 50 Hz. At magnesium- and botulinum-poisoned endplates, 4-AP potentiates transmitter release at every stimulus during tetanic nerve stimulation and restores neuromuscular transmission. Spontaneous transmitter release in the rat is not affected by the drug, but at some frog endplates miniature endplate potential (mepp) frequency increases. The drug has no post-synaptic action, as evidenced by its lack of effect on amplitude or time course of mepps. Decreasing the temperature from 37 to 15 degrees C does not abolish the effect of 4-AP on neuromuscular transmission. In the presence of 4-AP, single nerve impulses produce repetitive spontaneous activity in the nerve terminal of the frog nerve-muscle preparation. Experiments on the mode of action of 4-AP suggest that the drug increases transmitter release by enhancing the influx of calcium ions during depolarization of the nerve terminal.


Petide antagonists of the renin-angiotensin system in the characterisation of receptors for angiotensin-induced drinking. The two naturally occurring analogues of angiotensin II (AII), Asp1-Val5-AII and Asp1-Ile5-AII, were equally effective as intracranial dipsogens in the water-replete rat. Renin, synthetic tetradecapeptide renin substrate (SRS) and angiotensin I (AI) also produced copious drinking when injected into the brain, but the naturally occurring renin substrate of rat caused little drinking and was much less effective than SRS. Prior intracranial injection of pepstatin, a competitive antagonist of the renin-angiotensinogen reaction, reduced drinking in response to renin and SRS but not to AI and AII. Renin-, SRS- and AI-induced drinking were inhibited by the converting enzyme inhibitor SQ 20881 injected through the same intracranial cannula in antagonist to agonist ratio of 1000:1, whereas the AII response was enhanced, although not significantly so, and the carbachol response was unaffected. Finally, position 8 aliphatic substituted analogues of AII were competitive antagonists of AII-induced drinking, and also inhibited drinking induced by renin, SRS and AI injected through the same intracranial cannula, but they did not inhibit carbachol-induced drinking. In conclusion, the angiotensin-sensitive receptor for thirst does not accept SRS or AI. It responds best to AII.


Effects of estrogen and progesterone on plasma gonadotropins and on catecholamine levels and turnover in discrete brain regions of ovariectomized rats. Estradiol benzoate (EB) was administered, either alone or followed 48 h later by progesterone to ovariectomized rats. Plasma gonadotropins (FSH and LH) and steady state levels of norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) in 17 individual brain nuclei were assayed. In addition, catecholamines were measured after administration of the synthesis inhibitor alpha-methyltyrosine (alpha-MT) in order to assess hormonal influences on turnover. Treatment with EB, which lowered plasma FSH and LH, reduced the depletion of NE produced by alpha-MT in the lateral septum, interstitial nucleus of the stria terminalis, and central gray catecholamine area, and reduced the depletion of DA in the nucleus of the tractus diagonalis. EB enhanced NE depletion in the periventricular and anterior hypothalamic nuclei, and raised steady state levels of NE in the medial amygdaloid nucleus. These effects were reversed by subsequent treatment with progesterone, which stimulated FSH and LH release. EB plus progesterone enhanced the alpha-MT-induced depletion of NE over that observed with EB alone in the arcuate nucleus, and similarly enhanced DA depletion in the interstitial nucleus of the stria terminalis. EB plus progesterone prevented the depletion of NE by alpha-MT in the paraventricular and ventromedial nuclei, and also lowered resting NE levels in the paraventricular nucleus. The results suggest that catecholamine neurons in several discrete brain regions participate in the stimulatory and inhibitory feedback effects of ovarian hormones on gonadotropin secretion, and perhaps also on the hormonal induction of sexual receptivity.


Effects of opiates and methionine-enkephalin on pontine and bulbar respiratory neurones of the cat. The effects of microelectrophoretically applied opiate agonists and the antagonist naloxone have been investigated on extracellularly recorded neurones in pontine and bulbar respiratory centers of the cat. Morphine, levorphanol and methionine-enkephalin depressed the spontaneous discharge of respiration related units and the firing induced in these cells by phoretically applied L-glutamate. The rhythmic pattern of these neurones was modified, in such a way that basal activity was hardly affected while peak frequency was markedly reduced. These effects are mediated via stereospecific opiate receptors, since they were antagonized by naloxone and not mimicked by the D+ enantiomer of levorphanol, dextrophan. The few excitations observed following opiate agonist application were not antagonizable by naloxone. These data may provide a basis for the explanation of the depressant effect on central respiratory rhythm of systemically injected opiates which have been obtained in control experiments. The results are interpreted in terms of opiates lowering excitatory synaptic efficacy.


Differential effects of spinal cord lesions on narcotic and non-narcotic suppression of nociceptive reflexes: further evidence for the physiologic multiplicity of pain modulation. These studies examined the effects of bilateral lesions of the dorsolateral funiculus (DLF) of the rat spinal cord on the inhibition of a nociceptive reflex produced either by a systemic injection of 4 mg/kg of morphine or by a 20 sec exposure to 1.0 mA of transcutaneous electric shock. Reflex inhibition was quantified and analgesia inferred by use of a modified version of the D'Amour-Smith tail-flick test. Lesions which included only the DLF reduced morphine-produced analgesia (MA) by 73% but had no effect on shock-produced analgesia (SA) observed in the same rats. Baseline tail-flick latencies of this group were not affected by the lesions. Control lesions restricted to the dorsal columns attenuated neither MA nor SA. Lesions which included both the dorsal columns and DLF did not affect SA and produced no greater reduction in MA than lesions of the DLF alone. Previous work indicates that both MA and SA result, at least in part, from supraspinal activity. The current data indicate that: (1) supraspinal modulation participating in two different types of analgesic induction involves separate descending spinal pathways and (2) the maximal expression of analgesia produced by administration of narcotics requires the integrity of a supraspinal neural system projecting in the DLF.


[Bioligical aspects of cell fusion induced in vitro by sheep Visna virus]. Visna virus induced cell fusion of sheep choroid plexus cells was explored in vitro. Fusion is early rapid, and of exogenous origin for multiplicities of infection equal to or greater than 2 UFP per cell; whereas fusion is slow, late-occurring and of endogenous origin for multiplicities of infection less than or equal to 0.75 UFP per cell.


[Kinetics and ultrastructure of sheep fibroblast fusion induced by polyethylene glycol. Comparison with endogenous cell fusion induced by Visna virus]. The authors compare the fusion of sheep fibroblasts induced by low multiplicities of infection using visna virus and by high concentrations of polyethylene-glycol. In the case of Visna virus cell fusion is of the endogenous type, while fusion induced by polyethylene-glycol is of the exogenous type. The ultrastructural features are discussed for each type of cell fusion. The main differences between the two systems involve the intracellular microfilaments and Golgi apparatus.


[Study of cyclic AMP in rat tissue during the phase of hypocalcemic activity of parathyroid hormone]. As soon as two minutes after PTH i.v. injection the blood and kidney AMPc level is maximally increased but the lowering blood calcium effect remained till to ten minutes. At this time the calvaria AMPc level reached its maximum just at the onset of hypercalcemic effect of PTH. Thus AMPc increase in tissues is consistent with the two opposite effects of PTH.


[Mitochondrial localization of cytochrome c1 with specific antibodies]. A specific antibody against cytochrome c1 (pig heart mitochondria) has been obtained. It inhibits the electron transport of the respiratory chain in the intact mitochondria at the cytochrome c1 site of inner mitochondrial membrane ; but it has no effect on the isolated submitochondrial particles (inside-out inner mitochondrial membrane vesicles free of any outer membrane or outside-out inner membrane). Thus the topologic position of cytochrome c1 in the inner mitochondrial membrane is asymetrically lcoated on the outer side of the inner mitochondrial membrane. These results agree with our previous researches on ATP-ase and cytochromes b, c and a, indicating the location on the inner side for the first one, transmembranous for the last one, on the outer side for the others respiratory chain components. Thus the electron transport from cytochrome b to a takes place in the outer region of inner mitochondrial membrane and the transmembranous location of cytochrome-oxidase facilitates the transfer of the electrons to oxygen.


[Presence of nuclear triiodothyronine (T3) receptors in mouse fibroblasts]. The present preliminary data obtained from intact fibroblasts of adult mice (polyploid stem L 929) suggest that this cell system possesses high-affinity and saturable nuclear binding sites for triiodothyronine. As estimated by the Scatchard analysis, the equilibrium dissociation constant is approximately 2 X 10(-10) moles, the maximal binding capacity is about 2 000 sites for T3 per cell nucleus.


Regulation of the diurnal cycle in activity of serotonin acetyltransferase in the chick pineal gland. When chick pineal glands were explanted into organ culture at midlight phase of a diurnal cycle of illumination and incubated in the dark, they developed marked increases in serotonin acetyltransferase (acetyl coA:arylamine N-acetyltransferase; EC 2.3.1.5) activity. Either this increase in activity was inhibited or its onset was retarded in glands incubated under constant illumination. Supplements of theophylline, isobutylmethylxanthine, quinidine, and compound Ro 20-1724 (4-(3-butoxyl-4-methoxybenzyl)-2-imidazolidinone) elicited very marked increases in serotonin acetyltransferase activity in glands cultured in the dark. Levels of activity attained after 6 h in culture approached or exceeded the maximum levels attained at middark phase of the diurnal cycle in vivo. Effects of theophylline and compound Ro 20-1724 were additive. Supplements of dibutryl cAMP had little or no effect upon levels of serotonin acetyltransferase activity when tested alone or in combination with theophylline but further enhanced the increase in the level of enzyme activity elicited by Ro 20-1724. Adenosine and cAMP had little or no effect upon levels of serotonin acetyltransferase activity. It is concluded that levels of serotonin acetyltransferase activity in the chick pineal gland are regulated by a repressive, negative-control mechanism, which probably involves a membranous adenosine receptor.


Temperature-induced changes of spin-labelled radioactive lipids in isolated guinea pig liver microsomal membranes before and in mitochondrial membranes after their translocation. Lipids of isolated guinea pig liver microsomal membranes were labelled biosynthetically with isomeric doxyl stearic acid and temperature-induced changes of these membranes were studied by electron spin resonance. A noticeable discontinuity was detected at 10--12 degree C with 12- or 16-doxyl stearic acid containing membrane lipids which was attributed to the spin-labelled lipid--microsomal membrane protein interactions since no such discontinuity was detected in liposomes prepared from total lipid extracts of microsomal membranes. When microsomal membranes containing radioactive isomeric spin-labelled lipids were incubated with unlabelled mitochondria, reisolated mitochondrial membranes contained translocated radioactive isomeric spin-labelled lipids. Temperature-induced changes in these membranes showed no discontinuity with either isomeric doxyl stearic acid derivative, establishing a difference in the environment of translocated lipids in the membrane donor compared with that in the membrane acceptor. Microsomal membranes recovered from translocation experiments showed the same behaviour as the original membranes and exhibited the same discontinuity at 10--12 degree C, establishing that the translocation incubation itself did not alter the spin-labelled lipid interaction within these membranes. Studies of the loss of paramagnetism of spin-labelled lipids in microsomal membranes before and in mitochondrial membranes after their translocation showed a significant difference and suggested that both the outer and the inner mitochondrial membranes might have been involved.


Mechanism of heparin and serum lipoprotein interaction: effects of calcium, phosphorylcholine, and a serum fraction. The mechanism of formation of an insoluble complex between heparin and rat serum lipoprotein has been studied. Optical density changes during the reaction, counting of the fatty acid labelled lipoproteins in the precipitates, and complexing of [14C]palmitate-labelled lipoprotein with heparin-CNBr-Sepharose were used to quantitatively determine the formation of insoluble complexes. The maximal heparin--lipoprotein complex formation requires 25--30 mM of Ca2+, but with micromolar amounts of phosphorylcholine, the reaction was saturated at only 10 mM of Ca2+. The effect of phosphorylcholine in promoting the reaction was lost when purified chylomicrons or very low density lipoproteins were used. The effect of phosphorylcholine in promoting the interaction between heparin and pure chylomicrons or very low density lipoproteins was regained when a crude serum protein factor of unwashed chylomicrons was added to the system, suggesting that rat serum contains a protein factor(s) which normally inhibits the heparin--lipoprotein interaction by raising the requirement of Ca2+. Phosphorylcholine counteracted the effect of this protein, thereby favouring the precipitation reaction in the presence of much lower concentration of Ca2+. The results have been discussed with special reference to the possibility of a relationship between mucopolysaccharides, Ca2+, lipoproteins, and arterial phospholipids in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.


A direct radioimmunoassay for tonin.

A direct radioimmunoassay for tonin. A sensitive radioimmunoassay for the measurement of tonin is described. It is based on the use of antibodies produced in rabbits against highly purified tonin obtained from rat submaxillary gland. A radioiodinated enzyme with high specific activity was obtained by the chloramine-T method. Optimal conditions for radioimmunoprecipitation were established and the double-antibody method was used to separate bound and free tonin. The radioimmunoassay may be used to measure tonin in amounts as low as 150 pg. This radioimmunoassay was applied to the measurement of tonin in rat saliva and in homogenates of submaxillary glands. Excellent correlation was found between tonin activity measured fluorometrically and tonin concentration obtained by the radioimmunoassay.


Flow kinetics of lactate dehydrogenase chemically attached to nylon tubing. Rabbit muscle lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.27) was attached covalently to the inner surface of nylon tubing; a modified technique, involving benzidine and glutaraldehyde, was used, and the resulting immobilized enzyme showed no loss of activity over a period of several months. An experimental study was made of the flow kinetics for the reaction between pyruvate and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in two limiting cases, one substrate in excess and the concentration of the other one varied. A range of flow rates and temperatures was covered. The results were analyzed in various ways on the basis of the Kobayashi--Laidler treatment of flow systems. It was concluded that the kinetics are largely diffusion-controlled, especially at the lower substrate concentrations and flow rates. The values of the apparent Michaelis constants vary with flow rate vf, being linear in vf-1/3, and the values extrapolated to infinite flow rate (vf-1/3 = 0) approach the values for the enzyme in free solution. Analysis of the rates led to activation energies for the diffusion of the two substrates.


Probes of the structure of phosphoenolpyruvate synthetase: effects of a transition state analogue on enzyme conformation. Phosphoenolpyruvate synthetase of Escherichia coli is strongly inhibited by oxalate. The magnitude of the inhibition constant for oxalate suggests that this compound acts to produce a transition state analogue, in keeping with the suggestion of others that oxalate mimics the structure of enolpyruvate, a presumed catalytic intermediate in the enzymatic reaction. The addition of oxalate together with ATP results in a dramatic shielding of sensitive amino acid residues from reaction with both N-ethyl maleimide and phenylglyoxal. Thus, under conditions otherwise giving rise to almost complete inactivation by either reagent, no loss of activity is detectable in the presence of oxalate and ATP. These results indicate the formation of an enclosed structure during catalysis in which reactive groups are rendered quite inaccessible to solvent.


Pneumonia in calves produced with aerosols of bovine herpesvirus 1 and Pasteurella haemolytica. In each of 11 experiments, four calves were exposed first to an aerosol of bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV1, virus of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis) and second to an aerosol of Pasteurella haemolytica. The interval between aerosols was three to five days. In two other experiments, calves were exposed only to a bacterial aerosol. Climate was controlled for all experiments from the day of viral exposure and for eight of the experiments it was also controlled for four to six days before the first aerosol. The concentration of infectious doses of virus in the aerosols and the number of bacteria in the aerosols of each calf were determined. Macroscopically recognizable rhinitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis, tracheitis and pneumonia of lobar distribution in 42 lobes from 11 calves were seen in five experiments in which bacterial aerosol followed the viral aerosol by at least four days. One calf died with marked respiratory disease in each of four experiments within four days of exposure to the bacterial aerosol. Production of pneumonia was dependent on an interval between aerosols of at least four days but not on the condition of controlled climate on the environmental chamber either before or after the viral aerosol nor on the period of habituation allowed calves of some experiments.


The effect of cholera toxin and heat labile and heat stable Escherichia coli enterotoxin on cyclic AMP concentrations in small intestinal mucosa of pig and rabbit. The effect of cholera toxin, heat labile and heat stable Escherichia coli enterotoxin on mucosal cyclic AMP concentrations was determined on the proximal jejunum of weanling pigs and young rabbits. Ligated loops were injected with solutions containing no enterotoxin for control and either cholera toxin, heat labile or heat stable E. coli enterotoxin. The loops were drained after either two, four or six hours incubation at which time accumulated fluid was recorded and mucosal samples removed for determination of cyclic AMP concentration. In the rabbit, cholera toxin and heat labile, but not heat stable E. coli enterotoxin stimulated intestinal secretion while in the pig all three enterotoxins induced net fluid accumulation. Cholera toxin and heat labile, but not heat stable E. coli enterotoxin elevated rabbit mucosal cyclic AMP concentrations. In the pig these enterotoxins had no significant effect on mucosal cyclic AMP concentrations. The results are inconsistent with the hypothesis that the adenyl cyclase system is an essential step for enterotoxin induced intestinal secretion. The activation of intestinal adenyl cyclase by bacterial enterotoxins may only be an associated and not a necessary event for the stimulation of intestinal secretion.


Enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens type A isolated from intestinal contents of cattle, sheep and chickens. One hundred and fourteen strains of Clostridium perfringens, isolated from the intestinal contents of cattle, sheep, and chickens with enteritis or other disease conditions were studied for their ability to produce enterotoxin. Reversed passive hemagglutination, fluorescent antibody and immunodiffusion tests were used. On the basis of the reversed passive hemagglutination titres, supported by the other two tests, enterotoxigenicity of the strains was arbitrarily classified into two categories: highly enterotoxigenic and potentially enterotoxigenic, with 12% falling into each category. All the highly enterotoxigenic strains originated from cases of enteritis and included all three animal species. Apart from enterotoxigenicity, one C. perfringens strain produced beta toxin (type C) and 21 strains produced large amounts of alpha-toxin. The latter strains were predominantly associated with necrotic enteritis in chickens.


Opiate properties of SKF 525A.

Opiate properties of SKF 525A. SKF 525A, a classical inhibitor of microsomal drug-metabolizing enzymes, is structurally similar to the diphenylpropylamine analgesics, and certain reported effects in animals resemble those produced by opiate drugs. In an opiate radioreceptor assay, SKF 525A was 50 times less potent than methadone in the absence of sodium and 10 times less potent in the prescence of sodium. The nature of the sodium effect indicates SKF 525A to have less opiate agonist character than does methadone. In mice, 2 mg of SKF 525A given intraperitoneally induced less profound analgesia on a hot plate (44 degrees C) than did 0.1 mg of methadone. Analgesia by SKF 525A was prevented by pretreatment of the mice with naloxone. In rats, 50 microgram of SKF 525A given intracerebroventricularly was analgesic.


Effect of different drugs on a cytochrome c--phospholipid bilayer membrane. Liposomes were prepared from dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine and dicetylphosphate and their interaction with the extrinsic membrane protein cytochrome c examined in terms of changes in 22Na permeability, electrophoretic mobility, protein binding, and motion of an incorporated spin label. The amount of cytochrome c bound displays no significant temperature dependence over the temperature range studied (from 30 to 55 degrees C) whereas cytochrome c causes an increase in 22Na efflux only above the phospholipid phase transition temperature. Interaction of the protein with the lipid vesicles causes no significant disturbance in the bilayer interior as monitored by the motion of the incorporated spin probe. The drugs 2,4-dinitrophenol and ethacrynic acid, both of which increase the magnitude of the vesicle negative charge, enhance both cytochrome c binding and its effect on 22Na permeability. In contrast, the local anesthetic dibucaine, which induces a positive surface charge on these liposomes, reduces both protein binding and the protein-induced increase in 22Na efflux. Finally, the chemicals butylated hydroxytoluene, 2-tert-butylphenol, and tert-butylbenzene, all of which cause early 'melting' of the phospholipid fatty acyl chains, block the capacity of cytochrome c to enhance 22Na permeability while having no effect on its binding to the vesicles.


Viruses in sewage: effect of phosphate removal with calcium hydroxide (lime). During calcium hydroxide (lime) treatment (pH 9.6 to 10.5) of wastewaters for phosphate removal there was also a two-log removal of added poliovirus (type I, Sabin) from effluents. A similar virus reduction was seen in the sludge generated in these experiments. However, in view of the limitations of techniques for virus recovery from sludge, only a small portion of the infectious virus present in lime sludge may have been detected. Storage of lime sludge at 28 degrees C for up to 48 h produced no appreciable reduction in the virus titre. Five sets of field samples of sewage, effluents, and sludge from a sewage treatment plant (Kemptville, Ont.) which utilizes lime for phosphate removal were also examined for indigenous viruses being BS-C-1 cells. All of the sample of lime sludge and 80% of the samples of both sewage and lime-treated effluent revealed virus; after chlorination only 20% of the lime-treated effluent samples were positive for virus. In contrast, in an earlier study with essentially the same experimental set up, 76% of the sample of chlorinated primary effluent were found to contain virus. Because of the easily detectable quantities of infectious virus in lime sludge and due to the lack of virus inactivation during storage of such sludge, caution must be exercised in its handling and disposal.


Intracellular cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate levels and streptomycin production in cultures of Streptomyces griseus. Changes in the amount of cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate within the mycelium of Streptomyces griseus were measured as cultures progressed through trophophase and idiophase in a complex medium supporting growth and streptomycin synthesis. Concentrations were highest before the cultures entered stationary phase and had declined 90% by 5 h before the antibiotic was produced. This low conentration was maintained while the antibiotic accumulated during the idiophase. The results indicate that the onset of streptomycin synthesis is not directly mediated by an increase in intracellular cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate concentration, and thus that antibiotic production in S. griseus is not controlled by catabolite repression.


Musculoskeletal deformities following treatment of Wilms' tumour. Wilms' tumour is one of the most common neoplasms of infancy and childhood. Current treatment regimens result in a cure rate of about 80% for localized tumours but may also cause musculoskeletal deformities. Assessment of 21 patients previously treated for Wilms' tumour showed that all had flank atrophy on the treated side. Radiologic abnormalities included asymmetry of vertebral bodies, vertebral end-plate irregularities, scoliosis,  kyphosis, platyspondyly and hypoplasia of the ilium. Although the vertebral changes following radiotherapy for Wilms' tumour are present from an early age and the potential is great for an increase in spinal deformity with growth, few spinal curves progress past 20 degree. Since one cannot predict which curves will progress, all such patients need careful orthopedic follow-up until skeletal maturity is achieved.


Hamster embryo cells transformed by herpes simplex virus: reactions with adeno-associated satellite virus (AAV) and its adenovirus helpers. We have studied the reactions of hamster embryo cells transformed by ultraviolet-inactivated herpes simplex type 2 (333-8-9 T cells) to infections with adeno-associated satellite virus (AAV) and its adenovirus helpers. Resident HSV structural antigens were not detectable in early or late passage of 333-8-9 T cells. AAV structural antigens were not detected in these cells unless the cells were coinfected with a helper adenovirus. In early passage 333-8-9 T cells were permissive to infections with simian adenovirus SV15 whereas normal hamster cell line LSH was nonpermissive. In some late passages of 333-8-9 T cells infections with SV15 adenovirus led to the production of viruslike particles whose morphology was identical with reoviruses.


Multiple nuclear protein kinase activities in rat liver and hepatoma 3924A. Multiple protein kinase activities were isolated from nuclei of rat and hepatoma 3924A, and purified 40- to 140-fold, respectively. Hepatic protein kinase-I exhibited high activity with casein as substrate, but was relatively inactive with either liver and hepatoma chromatin or mixed histone. In contrast, hepatoma protein kinase-I showed equivalent activity with casein and liver chromatin. Protein kinase-IIA, -IIB and-IIC from both tissues were more active with liver chromatin in comparison to casein and hepatoma chromatin, and exhibited similar electrophoretic profiles of 32P-chromatin.


Development of biliary and hepatic neoplasms in guinea pigs treated with N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine. N-Nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP) was administered subcutaneously to 29 male inbred strain 13 guinea pigs at weekly intervals for 4 weeks. The guinea pigs were observed until their death or termination of the experiment at the end of 55 weeks. Of 14 guinea pigs that survived more than 30 weeks, 7 animals developed cholangiocarcinomas and 2 developed hepatocellular carcinomas. Tumors of other sites were not found.


Base specificity in the binding of benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide to simian virus 40 DNA. [14C]Simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA was reacted with [3H]7beta,8alpha-dihydroxy-9alpha,10alpha-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene to give 0.60 adducts per genome. The modified DNA was digested to completion with Hind III restriction endonuclease and the 6 fragments isolated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Hydrocarbon binding to the fragments was proportional to their guanine--cytosine (G--C) content, reflecting selective reaction of the hydrocarbon with deoxyguanosine residues. No sites unusually susceptible to alkylation were detected.


Carcinogenesis of nitrosomethylundecylamine in Fischer rats. Nitrosomethylundecylamine was synthesized and administered to Fischer rats by gavage in olive oil solution, at a dose of 46 mg/animal/week for 30 weeks. There were high incidences of hepatocellular carcinomas and cholangiocarcinomas in the liver and of squamous cell carcinomas and alveolar cell adenocarcinomas in the lung. In contrast with the activity of the next higher homolog, nitrosomethyldodecylamine, no bladder tumors were induced.


Antagonistic action between cyclic AMP and estrogen in phosphorylation of mammary tumor nuclear proteins. A new protein kinase-dependent phosphorylation occurs in the nuclei of hormone-dependent, 7,12-dimethylbenz[alpha]anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary carcinoma following preincubation of tumor slices with cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP). The presence of 17beta-estradiol in the medium inhibits this effect. Both events have been observed in vivo in the nuclei of DMBA-induced tumors. The phosphorylation pattern of nuclei in hormone-independent mammary tumor, DMBA No. 1, however, is not affected by preincubation with either cAMP or estrogen. These findings suggest that the antagonistic effect of cAMP and estrogen in the growth control of mammary tumors is exerted through a specific action on nuclear protein phosphorylation and that these events correlate with the hormone-dependency of the tumors.


Heterogeneity of tumor cells from a single mouse mammary tumor. By the use of a variety of cell culture and separation methods, four cell lines were isolated from a single autochthonous BALB/cfC3H mammary tumor. These lines differ markedly from each other in culture morphology, various in vitro growth properties, expression of murine mammary tumor virus antigen, and karyotype, yet all four lines are tumorigenic in normal, syngeneic hosts, yielding tumors of generally similar histology, although distinct from the original neoplasm. Three of the four lines have been cloned from soft agar. The clones exhibit the same growth properties as the lines from which they were derived. Karyotypic analysis of the parent tumor revealed the presence of cells with heterogeneous numbers of chromosomes similar to those seen in the isolated lines, suggesting both the presence of these distinct cell types in the original neoplasm and a genetic origin of the diversity.


Acute and long-term cytogenetic effects of childhood cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Approximately 30 banded karyotypes per subject from the lymphocytes of 66 childhood cancer patients and 14 noncancer control subjects have been analyzed in an attempt to gauge the late effects of anticancer chemotherapy and chemotherapy plus radiotherapy on the genetic material, i.e., the chromosomes. The frequencies (f) of aberrant cells were: f = 1/306 among cells from noncancer controls; f = 1/377 from cancer patients prior to therapy, f = 1/15 from patients currently on chemotherapy; and f = 1/32 from posttherapy patients (range, 3 months to 22 years poattherapy). The frequency of chromosomally aberrant cells did not appear to change with time among posttherapy patients, and the majority of aberrations detected in subjects from this group were balanced rearrangements. This was not the case for the on-therapy group where unbalanced rearrangements and unstable aberrations predominated.


Spontaneous esophageal carcinoma and epithelial cell line of an adult rhesus monkey. A continuous epithelial cell line, 816A, was established from a lymph node of an adult rhesus monkey with metastatic esophageal carcinoma. These cells are characterized by the presence of desmosomes and a markedly heteroploid karyotype. At a relatively early culture age, electron microscopy showed both budding and extracellular type C virus. Antigen reactive with antisera to Mason-Pfizer monkey virus was observed by complement-fixation. The level of this antigen decreased with increased culture age. To our knowledge, the 816A cells represent the only established simian or human cell line of esophageal carcinoma origin.


Constitutive and inducible granulocyte-macrophage functions in mouse, rat, and human myeloid leukemia-derived continuous tissue culture lines. Fourteen continuous tissue culture cell lines derived from mouse, rat, or human granulocyte-macrophage cancers were studied for expression of spontaneous and inducible markers of differentiated cells. Five cell lines (two mouse, two rat, and one human) synthesized myeloperoxidase spontaneously, and a fifth mouse line showed biochemically inducible enzyme. Twelve lines (6 mouse, 3 rat, and 3 human) produced lysozyme (muramidase), and all had detectable beta-glucuronidase. Superoxide generation was detected in one mouse, and three human cell lines following stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate. Maturation to differentiated polymorphonuclear leukocyte or macrophage morphology was induced in 3 cell lines (2 mouse and 1 human) following culture in diffusion chambers in total-body-irradiated rats. In vitro morphological differentiation was inducible in one (mouse) cell line exposed to casein, thioglycolate, or plasma from irradiated rats or mice. These findings indicate that mammalian cell lines derived from granulocyte-macrophage cancers stably express several combinations of differentiation markers. The patterns of expression of these markers did not always correlate with the morphological stage of differentiation.


Inverse relation between estrogen receptors and cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate-binding proteins in hormone-dependent mammary tumor regression due to dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate treatment or ovariectomy. During the growth arrest of 7,12-dimethylbenz(alpha) anthracene-induced rat mammary carcinomas following ovariectomy or N6, O2'-dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (DBcAMP) treatment, a change in the specific estrogen and cAMP binding to tumor proteins is observed. Three days after ovariectomy or DBcAMP treatment of the hosts, cAMP binding increases 5- and 2-fold in the nuclei and cytosol of tumors, respectively, whereas nuclear and cytoplasmic estrogen binding decreases by 70 and 25%, respectively. These changes in cAMP- and estrogen-binding activities are detectable within 1 day after ovariectomy or DBcAMP treatment, and the changes are reversed when resumption of tumor growth is induced by the injection of estradiol valerate or cessation of DBcAMP treatment. When 7,12-dimethylbenz(alpha)anthracene-induced tumors fail to regress after ovariectomy or DBcAMP treatment, the change in estrogen and cAMP binding does not occur. Concomitant with the increase of cAMP-binding activity in regressing tumors are increases in histone kinase activity and the cAMP content of the tumors. These increases in cAMP-binding and protein kinase activities are blocked by cycloheximide. These data suggest an interaction between a steroid hormone and cAMP in the growth control of a hormone-dependent mammary tumor.


Characterization by molecular hybridization of two viral populations derived from a radiation leukemia virus. Two leukemogenic viral populations were derived from a radiation leukemia virus of the C57BL mouse. One (FB), in which only B-tropic virus could be detected, was obtained in vivo by serial passage of cell-free extract in newborn rats. The second (3C), a complex containing at least B-tropic and xenotropic viruses, was produced in vitro by a permanent cell line (13-3C) established from the spleen of a virus-infected C57BL mouse. In molecular hybridization experiments, the 70S RNA of Gross leukemia virus hybridized 96 and 78% of FB and 3C radioactive complementary DNA's, respectively, with a relatively high thermal stability of the duplexes formed. In contrast, the 70S RNA of Rauscher leukemia virus hybridized 23 and 20% of the FB and 3C DNA probes, respectively, with a low thermal stability. The rat-grown FB virions exhibited 50% genome homology with the viruses produced in vitro on the 13-3C cells. Finally, hybridizing the FB and 3C probes with normal or leukemic mouse spleen DNA's resulted in 89 to 100% homology. The rat-grown virions did not appear to contain detectable rat cellular DNA sequences, while about 20 complete copies of their nucleotide sequences were detected in covalent linkage with FB-infected rat spleen DNA. These findings strongly support the endogenous murine origin of the investigated virions.


Aminopeptidase activities on the surface of mammalian cells and their alterations associated with transformation. Activities of various hydrolytic enzymes were determined in rat organ homogenates and on the surface of cells from various sources, i.e., tumor cell strains, primary cultured cells, normal cells, and their transformants. Alanine, leucine, methionine, phenylalanine, and glycyl-proline aminopeptidases and esterase showed relatively high activities in all these organs and cells. In the kidney homogenate the aminopeptidase A activity was higher in other organs; i.e., the aminopeptidase A activity was lower than that of aminopeptidase B. Normal cells derived from kidneys showed the kidney-type pattern of amino-peptidases A and B on the surface of cells, whereas tumor cells from various origins were of another organ type. When cultured mouse fibroblast strain C3H2K and rat fibroblast strain 3Y1 cells were transformed by SV40 or by a ts A mutant and maintained at permissive temperature, aminopeptidase A activity was drastically decreased, and the ratio of aminopeptidase A to aminopeptidase B was reduced to the levels of tumor cells. If the ts A mutant-transformed cells were grown at the restrictive temperature, the ratio approached that of normal cells. In normal cells, however, cultivation at high or low temperature did not cause any change of the activities.


A greatly simplified method of establishing B-lymphoblastoid cell lines. Ten lymphoblastoid cell lines were established by Epstein-Barr virus-induced transformation directly from 0.04 to 0.15 ml of peripheral whole blood of one patient with xeroderma pigmentosum and four normal healthy adults. All these lines expressed B-lymphocyte characteristics. The advantages of this method are: (a) only a few drops of blood are required for establishing a permanent line; (b) damage and loss of cells in separation procedures are minimal; and (c) the method is simple, reliable, and applicable, if desired, to any patient, even babies.


Changes in the adrenal cortex of the rat after chronic administration of the steroidogenic inhibitor U-8113. In concert with studies of the effects of various pharmacologic inhibitors of corticosteroidogenesis on adrenocortical morphology, U-8113, an analog of amphenone B, was administered daily to Sprague-Dawley rats for 7, 14, 21 or 30 day. The primary morphological responses involved increases in adrenal weight, width of zona fasciculata, width of zona reticularis, intracellular lipids, mitochondrial size, mitochondrial vacuolation and crystalline-like inclusions, small coated vesicles, lysosomes, autophagic vacuoles and cholesterol ester clefts. In particular, the increases in lysosomes, coated vesicles and autophagic vacuoles containing morphologically altered mitochondria were considered reflective of mechanisms designed to maintain cellular integrity amidst functional impairment. Lipid analysis revealed marked increases in cholesterol esters and phospholipids, supportive of morphological observations. When permitted a 14 day recovery period following either 14 or 30 days of inhibitor therapy, most fine structural alterations and lipid derangements were diminished, and the cells approximated normal parameters.


Ultrastructural demonstration of hormone-induced movement of carotenoid droplets and endoplasmic reticulum in xanthophores of the goldfish, Carassius auratus L. The hormone-induced pigment dispersion in primary cultures of xanthophores of goldfish (Carassius auratus L.) has been shown to involve the dispersion of not only carotenoid droplets but also of smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The dispersion of these organelles is inhibited by cytochalasin B and is accompanied by thinning of the cell body, thickening of the processes, and also overall changes in cellular morphology (process extension) under certain conditions. Electron microscopic examination of heavy meromyosin treated glycerinated xanthophores in scales revealed the presence of actin filaments in these cells.


Discrimination of LH, FSH, TSH and ACTH in dissociated porcine anterior pituitary cells by light and electron microscope immunocytochemistry. Using the PAP unlabelled antibody method, LH, FSH, TSH and ACTH were localized at light microscope level in cultured cells dissociated from the porcine adenohypophysis. Antisera were shown to be specific for the beta-subunits of the porcine glycoprotein hormones by radioimmunoassay and absorption studies. Using these antisera, it was found that LH and FSH were contained within the same cell, with TSH in a separate cell. When absorbed with LH, anti-porcine ACTH stained a separate distinct population of ACTH cells. Adjacent ultra-thin sections stained with anti-pLH beta and anti-pFSH beta, and examined at electron microscope level, showed that the ovoid, 150--400nm secretory granules of the LH/FSH gonadotrophs contained both LH and FSH.


Possible relationship between the activity of the adrenal gland and the subcommissural organ in the lizard Lacerta s. sicula Raf. Effects of ACTH Administration during winter. In order to study the possible functional relationship between the adrenal gland and the subcommissural organ (SCO) in the lizard Lacerta s. sicula Raf., ACTH was administered to some specimens of this species in January when both the adrenal gland and the subcommissural organ have a very low activity. In comparison to untreated controls, the adrenals of animals treated with ACTH showed clear signs of stimulation, presenting enlarged blood vessels, very few lipid droplets, numerous polymorphic mitochondria and abundant tubular smooth endoplasmic reticulum. In addition, a distinct increase in secretory material was observed in the subcommissural cells of specimens treated with ACTH. These cells showed large cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum filled with granular material in the basal region, numerous secretory granules of two types in the paical region and a reduced number of microvilli on the free cell surface. These findings, together with the results of preceding studies, lead the authors to the consideration that steroid hormones might play a role in the regulation of the secretory activity of the SCO.


The demonstration of cells bearing Fc receptors in the metrial gland of the pregnant rat uterus. Cells obtained by collagenase treatment of metrial gland tissue from rats of day 12, 13, 14 and 15 of pregnancy were examined for the presence of surface membrane receptors for immunoglobulin (Fc receptors). Using an EA rosetting technique in which sheep red blood cells (SRBC) were sensitized with a rabbit anti-SRBC immunoglobulin preparation, Fc receptors were found on a proportion of the cells. The majority of the granulated metrial gland cells were not included in the rosetting cell population, suggesting that they do not possess the type of Fc receptor detected by this method. A comparison was made between results obtained when cells were counted in suspension and those obtained from cell counts on sections of fixed material. Both methods were found to yield similar results.


Isolation and characterization of a siderophore-like growth factor from mutants of SV40-transformed cells adapted to picolinic acid. We have isolated mutants of SV40-transformed BALB/3T3 cells adapted to grow in picolinic acid. A line of cells, derived from the mutant cells, that multiplies in the absence of serum has also been characterized. From ultrafiltrates of medium conditioned by contact with these cell lines, we have identified and partially purified a highly specific iron-binding ligand termed siderophore-like growth factor (SGF). Experiments have indicated that the factor is a peptide(s) of approximately 1600 daltons. In nanogram amounts, SGF solubilizes and binds Fe 3+ in vitro and stimulates the uptake of Fe 3+ in vivo. The Fe 3+ uptake preceded the stimulation of DNA synthesis induced by the factor in the mutant cell lines. The factor could not be separated into Fe 3+ binding and DNA synthetic activity, suggesting that the early iron uptake is an integral component of the proliferative response. These data support the hypothesis that SGF is representative of a family of mammalian siderophores which may have an important role in cell proliferation.


Cellular alterations dependent upon the polyoma virus Hr-t function: separation of mitogenic from transforming capacities. Hr-t mutants of polyoma virus are restricted in their growth properties (host range) and defective in cell transformation and tumor induction. The present study indicates that these mutants have lost the ability to induce morphological transformation, but have retained a mitogenic function. Thus an early and dramatic difference between wild-type virus and hr-t mutant-infected cultures of rat fibroblasts is the morphological change in individual cells observed by light, fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy. Viruses containing an intact hr-t function (wild-type virus and ts-a mutants) induce a transformed phenotype consisting of stellate cell shape, loss of defined cytoplasmic actin architecture, cellular "underlapping," and increased nuclear and nucleolar sizes. These prominent alterations constitute an abortive transformation, peaking 24-48 hr post-infection, and subsequently resolving in most or all of the cells. In contrast, cells infected with hr-t mutants do not develop the above structural changes, but rather retain their preinfection appearance. Both wild-type virus and hr-t mutants induce cellular DNA synthesis in confluent monolayers of rat cells beginning 12-14 hr post-infection. Flow microfluorometric (FMF) analysis confirms the viral mediated transit of cells from the G1 to the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle, as well as an increase in the proportion of cells with an 8N (octaploid) DNA content. Approximately 50% of the clones isolated from wild-type-infected cultures are polyploid. Stable transformants are found among these polyploid clones, but the majority of the latter resemble the parental cells in their morphology and growth properties. Polyploid clones are derived from hr-t mutant-infected cultures at a much lower frequency, similar to that of mock-infected cultures. Data obtained by sequential labeling of infected cultures with 3 H-thymidine and 5-bromo-deoxyuridine, together with cell number quantitation, indicate that hr-t mutants promote only a single round of cell division, while the wild-type virus and ts-a mutants promote multiple rounds. Loss of the hr-t function in polyoma virus therefore reveals a residual viral mitogenic activity, but prevents the virus from effecting morphological transformation of cells with concomitant loss of defined actin cables, polyploidization and multiple cycles of cell division in confluent cultures.


Identification and isolation of the yeast cytochrome c gene. The iso-1-cytochrome c gene of yeast has been identified and cloned using a synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide as a hybridization probe. The oligomer d[pT-T-A-G-C-A-G-A-A--C-C-G-G] is complementary to a region near the N terminal coding region of the yeast cyc 1 gene. Of several yeast Eco RI fragments which hybridize to this probe, one is changed in size by a G leads to T mutation which eliminates an Eco RI site within the cyc 1 gene. Both the wild-type and the RI- mutant forms were cloned in lambda gt vectors. Maxam-Gilbert sequencing for 91 nucleotides into the coding region for iso-1-cytochrome c yielded a DNA sequence in perfect correspondence with the known protein sequence.


Biochemical transfer of single-copy eucaryotic genes using total cellular DNA as donor. Previous studies from our laboratories have demonstrated the feasibility of transferring the thymidine kinase (tk) gene from restriction endonuclease-generated fragments of herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA to cultured mammalian cells. In this study, high molecular weight DNA from cells containing only one copy of the HSV gene coding for tk was successfully used to transform L+K-cells to the tk+ phenotype. The acquired phenotype was demonstrated to be donor-derived by analysis of the electrophoretic mobility of the tk activity, and the presence of HSV DNA sequences in the recipient cells was demonstrated. In companion experiments, we used high molecular weight DNA derived from tissues and cultured cells of a variety of species to transfer tk activity. The tk+ mouse cells transformed with human DNA were shown to express human type tk activity as determined by isoelectric focusing.


Differential expression of Rous Sarcoma virus-specific transformation parameters in enucleated cells. Chicken embryo fibroblasts transformed with the Ta and ts68 mutants of Rous Sarcoma virus (RSV) were enucleated and studied for their capacity to express reversibly the transformed phenotype in response to temperature changes. After shift to the permissive temperature (35 degrees C), the cytoplasts acquired a transformed morphology and displayed characteristic ruffles and microvilli at their surface. As detected by immunofluorescence, they also lost their actin filament cables and exhibited characteristic changes in the pattern of cell surface structures containing LETS protein. Expression of all these transformation parameters was reversible after shiftback to the nonpermissive temperature (41 degrees C). These results indicate that a whole set of changes characteristic for the transformed phenotype can be expressed independently of the cell nucleus. In contrast, ts mutant-infected cytoplasts were no longer able to respond to temperature shifts with changes in their hexose transport rate. Cytoplasts prepared from cells grown at 41 degrees C retained their low rate of hexose uptake after shift to 35 degrees C, whereas cytoplasts from cells grown at 35 degrees C exhibited a high rate of hexose transport even after 10 hr of shift to 41 degrees C. These results are in accordance with the hypothesis that the product of the src gene of RSV represents a multifunctional protein which acts independently on nuclear and extranuclear sites.


Regulation of expression and chromosomal subunit conformation of avian retrovirus genomes. We have investigated the copy number, chromosomal subunit conformation and regulation of expression of integrated avian retrovirus genomes. Our results indicate that there are approximately two copies of the endogenous viral genomes (RAV-O) per haploid cell genome in uninfected chick embryo fibroblasts (CEF) and red blood cells (RBC). The copy number and subunit conformation (as measured by DNAasel sensitivity) of the RAV-O genomes are independent of the level of expression of these viral DNA sequences. In cells isolated from embryos of the V+, gs-chf- and gs+chf+ phenotypes, approximately one of the two viral genomes is in a DNAase l-sensitive conformation. Upon infection with an exogenous Rous sarcoma virus (PR-RSV-C), one new viral genome is integrated per haploid CEF genome. The newly integrated RSV genome is completely sensitive to DNAase l, and the subunit conformation of the endogenous viral genomes is not altered by the integration of additional exogenous proviruses. Both the endogenous and newly integrated exogenous viral genomes are present in "nu-body" structures, and the selective sensitivity of these proviral DNA sequences to DNAase l is maintained in isolated nucleosomes. Our experiments revealing the DNAase l sensitivity of one of the two RAV-O genomes in gs-chf-CEF led us to reexamine the level of viral specific RNA in CEF of various GS genotypes. We find that GS/GS CEF contain approximately 100 copies of viral RNA per cell, gs/gs CEF contain no detectable viral RNA, and the heterozygote GS/gs CEF contain approximately 50 copies of viral specific RNA per cell. These results suggest that the GS gene controls production of RAV-O RNA sequences in CEF in a "cis" fashion. In RBCs, however, the expression of the RAV-O genome is independent of the GS gene, with both GS/GS and gs/gs RBCs containing roughly equivalent amounts of viral specific RNA. Our results suggest that the chromosomal structure of the endogenous viral genes is independent of the GS gene, and that the GS gene is cis-acting and tissue-specific.


Heteroduplex analysis of the nonhomology region between Moloney MuLV and the dual host range derivative HIX virus. The dual host range virus HIX has been previously characterized as an envelope gene recombinant between Moloney murine leukemia virus (Mo-MuLV) and an unidentified xenotropic murine leukemia virus. Using long reverse transcripts of Mo-MuLV, a region of nonhomology has been mapped by electron microscopic analysis of heteroduplexes formed with HIX 35S virion RNA. In this nonhomology region, the Mo-MuLV cDNA strand measured approximately 900 nucleotides, mapping between 1.6 and 2.5 kilobases from the 3' end. In  a previous study, hybridization of Mo-MuLV 21S RNA with Mo-MuLV cDNA resulted in the formation of different heteroduplex structures diagnostic of a noncontiguously coded leader sequence at the 5' end of the 21S RNA. Following hybridization of poly(A)+ HIX 21S RAN with 8.2 kb Mo-MuLV cDNA, analogous heteroduplex structures were observed exhibiting the Mo-MuLV:HIX substitution loop in the DNA:RNA segment of the molecules. This analysis permitted more precise mapping of the nonhomology region with respect to the splice point in the 21S presumptive glycoprotein mRNA. The mapping of this nonhomology region in HIX virus provides an internal visual marker for the 3' end of the genome which may prove useful in future analyses of other deletion or substitution derivatives of Mo-MuLV.


Mapping the spliced and unspliced late lytic SV40 RNAs. The sizes and map positions of the major late lytic SV40 cytoplasmic mRNAs and the abundant nuclear RNA species have been determined by the technique of Berk and Sharp (1977, 1978). From these experiments, the coding sequences (bodies) of the 16S and 19S late cytoplasmic SV40 RNAs have been located at 0.935-0.17 and 0.765-0.17 map units, respectively. The cytoplasmic 16S RNA molecules contain a leader sequence of approximately 210 nucleotides, corresponding to SV40 map positions 0.72-0.76 units, spliced to the coding sequences. In a population of the late 19S RNA molecules, there are several different leader segments, each spliced to the same coding sequences. The size of these 19S leader RNA segments was estimated to be 50-70, 100-120 and 200-210 nucleotides in length. The 5' ends of the 19S leader RNA segments were located at 0.72, 0.71, 0.695 and 0.69 map units. An analysis of the nuclear viral RNAs has provided insight into the biogenesis of the cytoplasmic messages. Poly (A)-containing nuclear RNA has a number of species in addition to those found in the cytoplasm. The 3' ends of the poly (A)-containing RNAs map at 0.17 SV40 units. The 5' ends of the more abundant nuclear molecules map approximately at 0.72, 0.70, 0.67, 0.64 and 0.59 units. Since these nuclear SV40 RNA molecules are both colinear with the viral DNA and larger than the cytoplasmic nRNAs, they may represent intermediates in a stepwise processing system. Alternatively, the variation in 5' ends of nuclear SV40 transcripts may represent a number of separate initiation sites for transcription. The presence of the intervening RNA sequences (between the leader and the coding sequences of the mature mRNAs) in these nuclear RNA molecules suggests that the synthesis of "spliced" SV40 RNA involves the direct transcription of the DNA sequences and the subsequent splicing out of the intervening seqment of RNA. Evaluation of the more abundant nonpolyadenylated nuclear RNA molecules showed that they have the same 5' ends as the poly (A)-containing nuclear RNAs. The 3' ends of the nonpolyadenylated RNA molecules map heterogeneously in a broad region extending beyond 0.28 map units. The presence of these long nuclear viral transcripts suggests that transcription of late SV40 RNA does not terminate at 0.17 map units. The location of poly (A) in mature cytoplasmic viral RNA at 0.17 map units suggest that poly (A) addition to RNA molecules may occur by a specific cleavage of the longer transcripts. Based on these analyses, we propose that the longer nonpolyadenylated viral RNA molecules in the nuclei of SV40-infected cells may represent the primary transcripts. While their 5' termini are being processed, the specific addition of poly (A) at 0.17 map units takes place. The polyadenylation of RNA is followed by splicing events to generate the cytoplasmic forms of SV40 mRNA.


Phenotypic complementation of the SV40 tsA mutant defect in viral DNA synthesis following microinjection of SV40 T antigen. African green monkey cells (CV-1P) were microinjected with highly purified SV40 T antigen using protein-loaded red cell ghosts and polyethylene glycol as fusagen. The microinjected cells were infected  with a temperature-sensitive mutant of SV40 (tsA209) which is defective in the initiation of viral DNA synthesis. Using in situ hybridization as an assay method, we found that PEG-microinjection of both partially and highly purified T antigen resulted in an increase in the amount of viral DNA sequences in the monolayer. Moreover, 3H-thymidine-labeled and unlabeled Hirt supernatant from microinjected, tsA209-injected cells contained significantly more SV40 DNA than comparable extracts from sham-injected, tsA209-infected or uninfected cells, which were tested in parallel. Thus the introduction of highly purified, "large" SV40 T antigen led to phenotypic complementation of the tsA defect in viral DNA synthesis.


[Changes in the composition of glycolipids in N-nitrosomorpholine-induced hepatoma. The role of such substances in the plasma membrane of normal and neoplastic cells]. Malignant hepatomas induced in the rat by N-Nitrosomorpholine showed an absence of trisialogangliosides GT1 and, in some cases, also a decrease in disialoganglioside GD1a and monoganglioside GM1. Simultaneously there occurred an increase in a monoganglioside with a short oligosacharide chain GM3. Such deviations in the composition of glycolipids are in accordance with the literary data mentioning, as a general change, the presence of only some glycolipids as a result of a deficient synthesis of the oligosacharide part of their molecule. The differences in the glycolipid composition of the cell membrane as well as their different arrangement have been discussed with respect to some present views concerning the different behaviour of the neoplastic cell surfaces.


[Fine structure of the myoblastic myoma]. A series of 10 myoblastic myomas were examined with the light and electron microscope. Based on electron microscopical examinations, the findings permitted to divide the cases according to their most probable histogenesis in two groups as follows: a) the granular lesions of the appendix and those of the hypophyseal infundibulum most probably originate from nervous tissue; b) the lesions of the skin and the tongue most probably are results of alterations of cell metabolism.


Apparent microviscosity of intact and post-lipolysis ("remnant") very low density lipoprotein particles. The apparent microviscosity of intact rat plasma very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and post-lipolysis very low density lipoprotein was determined by fluorescence depolarization measurements and flurorescence decay measurements using 1, 6-diphenylhexatriene. Post-lipolysis very low density lipoprotein was prepared in vitro after incubation of the intact lipoprotein with either purified bovine milk lipoprotein lipase or lipoprotein lipase rich (post-heparin) plasma. During lipolysis, an average of 88% of the triglycerides were hydrolyzed, and the lipoprotein became depleted in phospholipids, cholesterol and apolipoprotein C. The apparent microviscosity of the lipoprotein increased by three-fold from 0.63 to 1.88 poise. It is concluded that the compositional changes occurring during lipolysis affect the physical properties of the lipoprotein, as measured here by the fluidity (microviscosity) of the particles.


Studies on the surface structure of very low density lipo-proteins. Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL) were incubated with 5 different pure phospholipases. From the results the following conclusions were drawn. (1) The phospholipids ,re localized in a monomolecular layer on the outside of the VLDL particles. This supports the lipid core model proposed by several groups. (2) A minor fraction of the phospholipids (ranging from 3 to 10%) cannot be degraded by the enzymes and probably have a strong interaction with apoproteins. (3) The average surface pressure of VLDL is probably low, and comparable with a lateral surface pressure of 15 dynes/cm at the air--water interface, as concluded from experiments with two phospholipases A(2). Calculations of the thickness of the surface coat and protein coverage on the basis of this value agree very well with values reported in literature.


[Response of an undifferentiated and nullipotential cell line derived from an A/Heston mouse teratocarcinoma to infection with type C ecotropic murine viruses]. The PCC6 cell line, derived from an A/Heston Mouse Teratocarcinoma, and composed of nullipotential embryonic carcinoma cells (ECC), is completely resistant to infection with type C murine ecotropic viruses. It reacts as other cell lines previously studied which are derived from a 129 Mouse teratocarcinoma and composed of multipotential ECC.


[Rare electrophoretic variants of the proteins adenylate kinase 1, phosphoglucomutase 1 and 2, and transferrin (AK1, PGM1, PGM2, Tf) in two populations of French Guiana]. Two small populations of inner French Guiana were investigated for red cell enzymes and serum proteins. Rare variants were found in four systems (AK1, PGM1, PGM2, Tf). Similarities between some of these variants and those found in other Amerindian populations indicate that these genetic markers may be valuable in studies of Amerindians. A mutation rate has been estimated from the results.


Lipoproteins and the inhibitory effect of human endothelial cells on platelet function. We investigated the effect of plasma low density lipoproteins (LDL), very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), and high density lipoproteins (HDL) on the platelet inhibitory effect of primary cultures of human endothelial cell monolayers (ECM). ECM incubated with lipoprotein-deficient plasma (LDP) for 2 hours at 37 degrees C had an inhibitory effect on ADP- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation and prostaglandin production in platelet-rich plasma similar to that observed when ECM were preincubated with growth medium or plasma. Concentrations of LDL in LDP up to protein concentration of 1600 microgram/ml had an inhibitory effect on the endothelial cells' ability to modulate these platelet reactions. VLDL at the highest concentration (1600 microgram/ml) had a slightly inhibitory effect, whereas HDL showed no such effect. The inhibitory effect of LDL was not observed during the first hour of incubation. When HDL in concentrations similar to or higher than LDL were combined with LDL, the inhibitory effect of LDL was partially reduced. VLDL combined with LDL or HDL did not interfere with the effects of the later fractions. The inhibitory effect of LDL was significantly reduced when LDL were diluted in whole plasma. Prostacyclin which is synthesized and released from the endothelial cells and contributes to the inhibitory effect upon platelets did not change its effect on platelet reactivity by preincubation with the various lipoprotein fractions. The current studies may indicate that LDL have a direct effect on the endothelial cells and that this effect may be partially counteracted by HDL. This effect of LDL on the endothelial cells reduces the endothelium's ability to inhibit platelet aggregation and thus could favor the tendency to thrombus formation.


Role of the peripheral vasculature in changes in venous return caused by isoproterenol, norepinephrine, and methoxamine in anesthetized dogs. We studied effects on venous return of alpha- and beta-adrenergic agonists in anesthetized dogs. Blood from the superior and inferior venae cavae (venous return) was drained at the level of the tricuspid valve into a reservoir, from which blood was pumped into the right atrium at a constant rate. Isoproterenol infused into the ascending aorta or the right atrium increased the venous return and heart rate and decreased systemic blood pressure. The increase in venous return produced by isoproterenol given into the right atrium was not significantly different from that produced by isoproterenol administered into the ascending aorta, although the increase in heart rate was more marked with the latter route of administration. Norepinephrine infused into the ascending aorta increased the systemic blood pressure, venous return, and heart rate. Methoxamine infused into the ascending aorta increased the systemic blood pressure and decreased the venous return but produced no change in heart rate. Isoproterenol increased the venous return even when the sinoaortic baroreceptor reflex was eliminated. Propranolol abolished the increase in venous return caused by isoproterenol and reversed the increase in venous return caused by norepinephrine. The results suggest that a decrease in venous resistance mediated through a beta-adrenergic mechanism is important in increasing venous return, whereas an increase in venous resistance mediated through an alpha-adrenergic mechanism is responsible for a decrease in venous return.


Antagonistic effects of theophylline and adenosine on adrenergic neuroeffector transmission in the rabbit kidney. The actions of adenosine and theophylline on adrenergic neuroeffector transmission were studied in the rabbit kidney perfused with Tyrode's solution in which the norepinephrine stores had been labeled with (-)-norepinephrine[3H] ((-)-NE[3H]). We found that adenosine inhibited (-)-NE[3H] release induced by nerve stimulation, increased basal perfusion pressure, and enhanced the vasoconstrictor response to nerve stimulation and norepinephrine in a dose-dependent manner. Theophylline per se had effects on neuroeffector transmission opposite to those of adenosine. All effects of adenosine were antagonized effectively or annulled by theophylline in concentrations having little or no effect on rabbit kidney phosphodiesterase activities. Two other compounds, Ro 20-1724 and ZK 62.711, being equally potent or more potent than theophylline as phosphodiesterase inhibitors, failed to antagonize adenosine-mediated inhibition of (-)-NE[3H] release by nerve stimulation. Ro 20-1724 in high concentration (10(-4) M) inhibited the vasoconstrictor response to nerve stimulation, but it had little additional effect on the enhancement by adenosine. These findings suggest that theophylline specifically antagonizes the effects of adenosine on pre- and postjunctional transmission in the kidney. The results also are consistent with the view that endogenous adenosine may play a role as modulator of adrenergic neuroeffector transmission.


Simultaneous determination of serum cholesterol in high- and low-density lipoproteins with use of heparin, Ca2+, and an anion-exchange resin. Cholesterol concentrations in serum high-density and low-density lipoproteins are simultaneously determined simply, specifically, and rapidly by use of the precipitation method with heparin, Ca2+, and an anion-exchange resin. The isolation of lipoproteins is reproducible, selective, and complete, as judged by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel and by immunoelectrophoresis, with use of samples with very-low-density lipoprotein triglyceride concentrations of less than 3.5 g/liter. The precision of the present method is as good (CV, 2.8-3.1%) as that for the method used by the U.S. Lipid Research Clinics (CV 2.0-3.2%). The present method and the heparin-Mn2+ method of the Clinics gave results that agreed reasonably well (for low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol r = 0.935, P less than 0.001; for high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol r = 0.837, P less than 0.001). we also describe the relations between high- or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol, and between cholesterol concentrations in these two lipoprotein classes.


A fluorogenic substrate for angiotensin-converting enzyme in plasma. A simple, sensitive, and reproducible assay for angiotensin-converting enzyme is described. It is based on the hydrolysis of the minimally fluorescent substrate p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonylglycyl-L-tryptophylglycine to the products p-nitrobenzyloxycarbonylglycine and the highly fluorescent L-tryptophylglycine. The L-tryptophylglycine was analyzed by fluorometry (lambda excitation = 285 nm; lambda emission = 350 nm). The mean value for human plasma (serum) is 16.5 nmol of substrate hydrolyzed per minute per milliter of plasma under the described assay conditions.


The effects of thiol moiety of levamisole on both cellular and humoral immunity during the early response to a hapten-carrier complex. Cell-mediated reactions to the carrier and antibody-mediated reactions to the hapten were studied in guinea-pigs treated with a single i.v. injection of the thiol moiety of levamisole (DTC), before or after immunization with a hapten-carrier complex. The results show that a heavy dose of DTC induced delayed hypersensitivity reactions to the carrier and decreased antibody synthesis to the hapten. On the other hand, with a small dose of DTC no delayed hypersensitivity could be induced, but antibody synthesis to the hapten was depressed or enhanced, depending upon whether the injection was done before or after immunization. The mechanisms whereby DTC modulated the immune response are discussed.


Vascular pedicle fibular transplantation as treatment for bone tumor. In 4 cases of bone tumor in which extensive bone defects resulted from removal of the tumorous focus, vascular pedicle free fibular transplantation was performed using microsurgical techniques together with filling the defects with iliac bone. Early bone union was achieved. Atrophy and fracture were avoided. Early postoperative physical therapy was possible. The vessels selected in the recipient site are dependent upon the location of the graft bed, but the anastomosed site of the vessels should be kept outside of the graft bed. It is important to plan the operation so as to avoid motion at the site of callus formation and tension at the anastomosis site.


Angiotensin-induced variations of receptors in rat uterine membranes. 1. 3H-labelled angiotensin II specfically binds to plasma membranes of rat uterine smooth muscle cells. Two classes of binding sites differing in their affinity for the hormone were demonstrated. The high-affinity binding sites (KD 29 degrees C approximately 2.0 X 10(-8) mol/l) probably correspond to the receptors involved in the biological response. 2. Bilateral nephrectomy significantly increases the concentration of 3H-labelled angiotensin-binding sites, a phenomenon which seems unrelated to the freeing of receptor sites secondary to the suppression of plasma angiotensin. This phenomenon may be responsible for the specific hypersensitivity in vitro to angiotensin of uteri excised in anephric rats as compared with normal rats. 3. Angiotensin II infusion in nephrectomized rats reduced the concentration of 3H-labelled angiotensin-binding sites. 4. It is suggested that the angiotensin receptor concentration is regulated by the concentration of circulating angiotensin.


Localization of central noradrenergic mechanisms in cardiovascular regulation in rats. 1. Various drugs were injected stereotactically into the brain of anaesthetized rats. 2. Noradrenaline injected into the area of the nucleus of the tractus solitarius in the lower brain stem or into the far anterior hypothalamus/pre-optic region induced a fall in blood pressure and heart rate related to the administered dose. 3. When injected into the anterior hypothalamus/pre-optic region, clonidine and alpha-methylnoradrenaline induced a long-lasting decrease in blood pressure and heart rate.


Phagocytosis: a review.

Phagocytosis: a review. Primitive unicellular organisms depend greatly on internalization of particulate matter for nourishment. In metazoa, this process is further developed to play a major role in mechanisms of defense. This review analyzes, mainly in mammalian systems, the various phenomena surrounding the phagocytic act. Much of the emphasis is placed on experimental work which has recently elucidated some of its features. Both the structural and functional aspects of phagocytosis are considered throughout the review, which is subdivided into an examination of chemotaxis and the various agents inducing it, the mode of recognition of particles to be phagocytized, and the mechanisms of ingestion. The last includes a discussion of the possible means whereby recognition is translated into ingestion, the modes of adhesion of particles onto the surface of phagocytes, the formation and fusion of pseudopodia during engulfment and ingestion, and process and significance of degranulation. In addition, the metabolic changes in phagocytes during the processes of chemotaxis, ingestion, and digestion are described. A discussion of the various ways phagocytes may destroy microorganisms incorporates an appreciation of the importance of the microbicidal action of the acidic environment of the phagosome, the various lysosomal contents, hydrogen peroxide, superoxide, singlet oxygen, and chemiluminescence. The interdependence and interrelationship of the induction and cooperation of these mechanisms are examined.


Active chloride transport powered by Na-K-ATPase in shark rectal gland. The isolated rectal gland of the spiny dogfish is a unique model for the study of active chloride transport. The gland is stimulated to secrete chloride agains an electrical and a chemical gradient when perfused in vitro by theophylline and/or dibutyryl cyclic AMP. Chloride secretion is depressed by ouabain which inhibits Na-K-ATPase. Thiocyanate and furosemide also inhibit chloride secretion but ethoxolamide, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, does not. Chloride transport is highly dependent on sodium concentration in the perfusate. The intracellular concentration of chloride in intact glands exceeds the level expected at electrochemical equilibrium, suggesting active transport of chloride into the cell. These features suggest a general hypothesis for chloride secretion in which the uphill transport of chloride into the cytoplasm is coupled through a membrane carrier to the downhill movement of sodium along its electrochemical gradient. The latter is maintained by the Na-K-ATPase pump while chloride is extruded into the duct by electrical forces.


Structure and function of the Na, K-ion pump or Na, K-ATPase in mammalian kidney. Information about the purified Na, K-ATPase from the mammalian thick ascending limb of Henle is related to studies on its localization in tubular cells and the environment along the transport pathways to reach a better understanding of the role of this pump in the active transtubular transport of Na+.


Inhibition of (Na+K+)-ATPase and cation transport by an antibody against renal plasma membranes. An antibody was raised in rabbits against NaI extracted plasma membranes of rat kidney. The antibody inhibited (Na+K+)-ATPase of basolateral membranes and of rat erythrocyte ghosts. Also K+-stimulated pNPase was inhibited. No effect on Mg-ATPase and basal pNPase activity was registered. Kinetic experiments with Na+,K+ and Mg-ATP showed a noncompetitive inhibition of (Na+K+)-ATPase by the antibody. Hill constants were unchanged. In renal epithelial cell cultures as well as in intact rat erythrocytes ouabain sensitive 22Na-efflux and 42K influx was inhibited by the antibody. It is concluded that outward facing Na+K+-ATPase is immunogenic. The antibody can be raised when the antigen is adequately disintegrated to open otherwise hidden antigenic sites.


Carbohydrate metabolism in rat kidney: heterogeneous distribution of glycolytic and gluconeogenic key enzymes. The distribution pattern of the unidirectional enzymes of gluconeogenesis and glycolysis, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (EC 3.1.3.11) and phosphofructokinase (EC 2.7.1.11), within the nephron was studied by the microdissection and oil-well techniques according to LOWRY and PASSONNEAU [11]. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activity was found to be highest in the proximal convolution, whereas phosphofructokinase revealed its highest activity in the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop. Starvation and NH4Cl acidosis led to an increase of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activity in the proximal convolution. These results indicate a clear separation of the glucose synthesizing and degrading pathways within the nephron, which is maintained in conditions that stimulate gluconeogenesis.


Gluconeogenic enzymes in defined structures of developing rat nephron. Three gluconeogenic enzymes, P-pyruvate carboxykinase (PPCK), fructose-1-6 bisphosphatase (FBPase), and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) were measured in identified structures of rat nephron from 2 days before birth to maturity. In the proximal convoluted tubule, the three enzymes increased from the earliest age assayed to +14 days (PPCK, 7-fold, FBPase, 2-fold and G6Pase, 50-fold). Among the 7 defined structures that were analyzed, highest levels at all ages were in the proximal convoluted tubule with almost no activity in the distal convoluted tubule. All three enzymes had negligible activity in the neogenic zone and mesenchyme. Supported by grants from the Public Health Service (HD 03891 and NS-05221) and the American Cancer Society (P-78).


Induction of rat kidney gluconeogenic ability after impairment of liver gluconeogenesis. The renal gluconeogenic response to the inhibition of liver gluconeogenesis was studied in rats treated with CCl4. This treatment resulted in a generalized fall of hepatic gluconeogenic enzyme activities and a complete impairment of liver gluconeogenesis. On the contrary, an enhancement of renal phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity and gluconeogenic ability was found. This stimulation seemed to be not related to metabolic acidosis but mediated by glucocorticoids. On the other hand, the pattern of intermediate metabolites in kidney suggested that renal gluconeogenesis was operative in these conditions, probably playing a key role in glucose homeostasis.


Interaction of rumen development and renal gluconeogenesis in lambs. Renal gluconeogenesis of equal aged lambs with different states of rumen development was studied. Going from preruminantto ruminant stage, the rate of glucose formation from several precursors increased. Concomitantly urine pH shifted from acid to base state. Obviously, an enhanced secretion of H+ in lambs kidney during rumen development does not stimulate renal gluconeogenesis. Furthermore, there is no indication from our data that renal gluconeogenesis in lambs is inversely related to the activity of the sodium pump.


Somatostatin and the endocrine pancreas. Thus far, somatostatin has been used primarily as a research tool to investigate pancreatic alpha- and beta- cell function. On the basis of its ability to inhibit insulin and glucagon secretion, several therapeutic applications have been suggested: e.g., as an adjunct in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, or as a palliative agent in inoperable islet tumors. Current experiments are underway to develop more specific analogs with longer durations of action to permit clinical evaluation of these potential applications. The presence of somatostatin within the pancreatic D cells raises the possibility that it may function as a local regulator of insulin and glucagon release. Clearly, further work is needed to delineate the factors governing the secretion of somatostatin and its mode of action. Such studies may uncover a new class of syndromes resulting from D-cell dysfunction.


The effect of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and dietary phosphate on the sodium-dependent phosphate transport system located in the rat renal brush border membrane. The effect of two parameters regulating renal phosphate excretion, namely parathyroid hormone application and dietary phosphate intake, on the transport properties of isolated rat renal brush border membrane vesicles was investigated. In the first set of experiments brush border membrane vesicles from young normal rats injected i.m. with 30 USP parathyroid hormone or i.v. with 1 mg dibutyryl cAMP were compared. PTH and dbcAMP injection decreased specifically the Vmax of the sodium-dependent phosphate transport system by appr. 30%. In a second set of experiments rats were kept on phosphate-rich and phosphate-poor diet and after 6-8 weeks the brush border membranes were isolated. The membranes obtained from phosphate-depleted animals showed a markedly (approximately 100%) higher initial sodium-dependent phosphate uptake than membranes isolated from animals kept on phosphate-rich diet. Again only the sodium-dependent phosphate uptake was affected, sodium-independent phosphate permeability, sodium-dependent D-glucose transport, mannitol permeability and sodium permeability remained unchanged.


Tissue culture of human breast tumours.

Tissue culture of human breast tumours. Several media have been used in an attempt to assess the most appropriate combination of ingredients to effect good cell growth from human breast tumours. Good epithelial cell growth has been obtained in 60 out of a group of 160 tumours successfully cultured in four types of basic media. The other tumours were fibroblastic in nature or contained a mixture of epithelial and fibroblastic cells.


Possible role of infectious simian foamy virus DNA in persistent infection. Simian foamy virus type 7 (SFV-7) can persist in peripheral blood leukocytes of SFV-7-infected rabbits. Rabbit peripheral blood leukoyctes cultured in vitro did not support the growth of SFV-7, but low titer of virus could be detected after 4 to 5 days incubation. The DNA derived from SFV-7 infected primary rabbit kidney cells is infectious. The presence of SFV-7 DNA provirus in infected rabbit kidney cells during replication may contribute one of the mechanisms of persistance.


Infection of Taiwan monkey T and B cells with Epstein-Barr virus. In order to establish Taiwan monkey lymphoblastoid cell lines, attempts were made to raise the susceptibility of monkey lymphocytes to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) by chemical and enzymatic treatments. EBV infectivity to monkey T and B cells were tested by detection of EBV early antigens in infected cells with the indirect immunofluorescent antibody technique. Treatments of monkey unfractionated lymphocytes with DEAE-Dextran (160 microgram/ml) for 1 hr, ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA, 0.5%) for 10 min, 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR, 12.5 microgram/ml) for 23 hr and 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (IUdR, 12.5 microgram/ml) for 20 hr raised the susceptibility of the cells to EBV. However, trypsin treatment (0.05, 0.1 and 0.2%) at 37 degrees C for 5 min did not affect cell susceptibility to EBV. Unfractionated lymphocytes, T cells which were purified by rosette formation with sheep red blood cells, and a B cell-rich population obtained by the treatment of lymphocytes with antithymoycte serum were treated with the chemicals described above. The results showed that although the possibility of T cell susceptibility to EBV could not be ruled out because of 1 to 2.5% of B cell contamination in purified T cells, the main target cells in Taiwan monkey leukocytes for EBV infection were B cells.


IgG and IgA antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. Immunoglobulin levels and IgG and IgA antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), viral capsid antigens (VCA) and early antigens (EA) were tested in 67 untreated (5 stage I, 32 stage II, 16 stage III and 14 stage IV), 21 treated and 7 recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients and 54 normal subjects. The mean serum concentrations of IgG, IgA and IgM in NPC patients were higher than those of the normal control. 41.1, 86.3, 94.7 and 95.8% of NPC patients had anti-VCA titers of greater than or equal to 1:640 and greater than or equal to 1:40 in IgG and IgA, and anti-EA titers of greater than or equal to 1:40 and greater than or equal to 1:10 in IgG and IgA, respectively. But none of the control had such titers. IgG and IgA levels, anti-VCA titers in IgG and IgA, and anti-EA titers in IgG increased with advances of the disease in untreated NPC patients. Untreated patients had higher anti-VCA titers in IgG,  and anti-EA titers in IgG and IgA than 60Co-treated cases, but lower than recurrent patients. Anti-VCA in IgA and IgG was more closely correlated than anti-EA in IgA and IgG. Anti-VCA and anti-EA antibodies in IgA were detected from the throat washing of a NPC patient at clinical stage III.


The organic chemistry of phosphate transfer. Studies in simple systems have identified the reaction mechanisms likely to be involved in biological phosphate transfer and provide the background for understanding the reaction in vivo. Metabolic pathways start from inorganic phosphate, but the introduction of organophosphorus compounds allows us to by-pass early steps and modify specific enzyme-catalyzed reactions. In some cases, as with the nerve poisons, the effects are not specific to enzymes catalyzing reactions of organophosphorus compounds. But the success of any rational chemical intervention depends on both our understanding of the biochemical reaction and the current state of synthetic organophosphorus chemistry. The chemistry of the phosphate transfer process in cases where chemical intervention in metabolic processes has been successful is summarized, and some less familiar types of organophosphorus compound are discussed in the light of the apparent requirements for successful intervention.


Studies on the mechanism of action of ACTH on triglyceride synthesis in fat cells. It was found that ACTH greatly reduced lipogenesis in fat cells in the presence of calcium ion, but not in the absence of calcium ion. Of the enzymes involved in triglyceride synthesis from fatty acid in lipid micelle membranes, only acyl-CoA synthetase was inhibited by calcium ion, the apparent Ki value of calcium ion being 4.2 X 10(-4) M. The Km values of the enzyme for palmitate and ATP were 2.0 X 10(-4) M and 2.5 X 10(-4) M, respectively and calcium ion caused non-competitive inhibition with both palmitate and ATP. The acyl-CoA synthetase activity of lipid micelle membranes was inhibited by treatment with phospholipase A or C, but not by treatment with phospholipase D. The mechanism of inhibition of triglyceride synthesis by ACTH is discussed on the basis of these results.


Plasma levels of 18-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone in essential hypertension. In order to investigate the role of 18-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone (18-OH-DOC) in essential hypertension (EH), the responses of plasma 17-OH-DOC to 7 stimulation tests (furosemide test, adrenal suppression test, angiotensin II infusion test, adrenal stimulation test, metopirone test, saline infusion test and potassium chloride infusion test) and the circadian rhythm were investigated in 18 patients with essential hypertension (low renin group: 8, and normal renin group: 10). From the present study, it micht be thought that plasma 18-OH-DOC does not play an important role in the suppression of PRA in patients with low PRA.


Effects of sulphydryl reagents on pancreatic glucagon secretion in vitro. The effect of sulphydryl reagents on glucagon secretion of isolated Wistar rats islets was studied. Chloromercuribenzene-p-sulphonic acid (CMBS) is a strong stimulator of glucagon secretion, whereas 5,5'-dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) markedly inhibited the hormone release. The effect of CMBS could not be suppressed by 20 mM glucose, but in the presence of 1 mM 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyano-stilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (SITS), and is independent of the glucagon content of islets. The results let us assume that sulphydryl-groups of pancreatic A-cells are involved in the regulation of glucagon secretion.


Diminished sensitivity of re-initiation of translation to inhibition by cap analogues in reticulocyte lysates. In a nuclease-treated reticuloyte lysate reinitiation of protein biosynthesis was less inhibited by 7-methylguanosine 5'-monophosphate (m7GMP), whereas primary-initiation could be totally blocked by cap analogues. We suggest that a cap binding factor binds to mRNA as a first step in initiation of protein synthesis and that this factor remains bound during the subsequent reinitiation cycles. Primarily because of the greater relative importance of the reinitiation process, globin synthesis in the untreated lysate was less inhibited by m7GMP.