A sparing procedure to clear the mouse mammary fat pad of epithelial components for transplantation analysis

Transplantation of epithelial cells into cleared fat pads is a widely used technique in the study of mammary gland biology. It was first described in 1959 and has remained a valuable technique, most recently in conjunction with the analysis of mammary anlagen from knockout mice with an embryonic lethal phenotype or reproductive defect, and for mammary epithelial stem-cell assays or analysis of precancerous cells. Mammary glands, unlike most other organs, mainly develop postnatally. When the small amount of endogenous epithelium present in the fat pad of a prepubertal mouse is removed, this clearance leaves a natural microenvironment that can be repopulated with exogenously supplied epithelial cells. Cells with the appropriate developmental potential (stem cells or progenitor cells) can regenerate the epithelial portion of the mammary gland after puberty and pregnancy. The conventional clearance of the fat pad is an involved surgical procedure. We have improved the technique and minimized surgery and recovery time, while maintaining an efficient removal of endogenous epithelium from the mammary fat pad.     

Immunolocalization of MMP-19 in the human intervertebral disc: implications for disc aging and degeneration

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) degrade components of the extracellular matrix of the disc, but the presence of MMP-19 has not been explored. In other tissues, MMP-19 is known to act in proteolysis of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein-3, thereby exposing this protein to make it available to influence cell behavior. MMP-19 also has been shown to inhibit capillary-like formation and thus play a role in the avascular nature of the disc. Using immunohistochemistry, normal discs from six subjects aged newborn through 10 years and 20 disc specimens from control donors or surgical patients aged 15-76 (mean age 40.2 years) were examined for immunolocalization of MMP-19; six Thompson grade I discs, five Thompson grade II, eight Thompson grade III, five Thompson grade IV, and one Thompson grade V discs were analyzed. The results indicate that in discs from young subjects, MMP-19 was uniformly localized in the outer annulus. In discs from adult donors and surgical patients, outer and inner annulus cells only occasionally showed MMP-19 localization. The greatest expression of MMP-19 was observed in young discs, and little expression was seen in older or degenerating discs. Because MMP-19 has been shown to regulate IGF-mediated proliferation in other tissues, its decline in the aging/degenerating disc may contribute to the age-related decrease in disc cell numbers.     

Sac1, a lipid phosphatase at the interface of vesicular and nonvesicular transport

The lipid phosphatase Sac1 dephosphorylates phosphatidylinositol 4‐phosphate (PI4P), thereby holding levels of this crucial membrane signaling molecule in check. Sac1 regulates multiple cellular processes, including cytoskeletal organization, membrane trafficking and cell signaling. Here, we review the structure and regulation of Sac1, its roles in cell signaling and development and its links to health and disease. Remarkably, many of the diverse roles attributed to Sac1 can be explained by the recent discovery of its requirement at membrane contact sites, where its consumption of PI4P is proposed to drive interorganelle transfer of other cellular lipids, thereby promoting normal lipid homeostasis within cells.      

American and korean ginseng tissue cultures: Growth,chemical analysis,and plantlet production

Summary Roots, stems, or leaves of American (Panax quinquefolium) and Korean (Panax ginsing) ginseng were grown as callus or supension tissue cultures. Tissue cultures ofP. ginseng would occasionally form plantlets. The fundamental chemical composition, inorganic analysis, and saponin (panaquilin) content of American and Korean ginseng plants and tissue cultures were determined. The crude saponin content is very similar to, but approximately one-half (1.3%, fresh weight) of that present in ginseng roots. Two-dimensional thin layer chromatographic analysis revealed minor differences in the panaquilins present in American and Korean ginseng tissue cultures. The sapogenin, panaxadiol, was isolated from Korean ginseng callus.     

Mutants of Salmonella typhimurium That Are Insensitive to Catabolite Repression of Proline Degradation

In Salmonella typhimurium the two enzymes of proline catabolism, proline oxidase and Delta(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid dehydrogenase, are subject to catabolite repression when the cells are grown in the presence of glucose. Mutants partially relieved of catabolite repression (PutR) for the proline catabolic enzymes have been isolated by selection on agar plates containing glucose and proline. The specificity of the catabolite repression-insensitive character for the enzymes of proline utilization has been confirmed by an analysis of other unrelated catabolic enzymes. Histidase and amylomaltase of the mutant strains are equally as sensitive to glucose repression as are the enzymes from the wild type. All four PutR mutants exhibit higher induced and higher basal levels of proline oxidase as compared with the corresponding wild-type levels. The mutations of three strains tested are cotransducible with constitutive, pleiotrophic-negative and structural gene mutations of the put region. Three-factor crosses indicate that two putR mutations are located at one end of the cluster of put mutations.     

Ground wētā in vines of the Awatere Valley,Marlborough: biology,density and distribution

The endemic New Zealand ground wētā (Hemiandrus sp. ‘promontorius’) has a Naturally Uncommon conservation status. This is because of the paucity of information on its density and distribution. Here, the biology, density and distribution of a population of this wētā found in and around vineyards in the Awatere Valley, Marlborough was studied. Wētā density was assessed in vineyards, paddocks and shrublands in this valley. Soil moisture, penetration resistance, pH and organic matter were recorded at locations with and without wētā. Wētā density in vineyards was significantly higher than in either paddocks or shrub habitats. In vineyards, the density of this insect was significantly higher under-vines than in the inter-rows. Higher numbers of this wētā were found in moist soils that required lower force to burrow. Females laid an average of 55 eggs between March and April, which hatched in September. These findings highlight the intersection between agriculture and conservation.