Identification of brush cells in the alimentary and respiratory system by antibodies to villin and fimbrin

Summary Brush cells represent a population of epithelial cells with unknown function, which are scattered throughout the epithelial lining of both the respiratory system and the alimentary system. These cells are reliably distinguished from other epithelial cells only at the ultrastructural level by the presence of an apical tuft of stiff microvilli and extremely long microvillar rootlets that may project down to the perinuclear space. In the present study we show that brush cells can be identified in tissue sections even at the light microscopic level by immunostaining with antibodies against villin and fimbrin, two proteins that crosslink actin filaments to form bundles. In brush cells, villin and fimbrin are not only present in the actin filament core bundles of apical microvilli and their long rootlets but, in addition, both proteins are also associated with microvilli extending from the basolateral cell surface of the brush cells. Basolateral immunostaining specific for villin and fimbrin does not occur in any other epithelial cell type of the respiratory and alimentary tract. Thus immunostaining with antibodies against both proteins allows unequivocal identification of individual brush cells even in sectional planes that do not contain the brightly stained apical tuft of microvilli and their long rootlets.     

Plasmodium falciparum: analysis of the interaction of antigen Pf155/RESA with the erythrocyte membrane

The location of the Plasmodium falciparum vaccine candidate antigen Pf155/RESA in the membrane of infected erythrocytes was analzyed by means of selective surface radioiodination and immunofluorescence of surface-modified cells. The lack of radiolabel in Pf155/RESA as well as its localization by immunofluorescence similar to that of the N-terminal region of erythrocyte band 3 suggests that the antigen is associated with the cytoplasmic phase of the erythrocyte membrane. In concordance with this, Pf155/RESA was detected by immunofluorescence on the surface of inside out membrane vesicles from P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes. Pf155/RESA from spent culture medium also bound to inside out membrane vesicles of normal erythrocytes as well as to cytoskeletal shells of such vesicles, but failed to bind to sealed right-side out membrane vesicles. Depletion of spectrin from the vesicles abolished antigen binding, suggesting that Pf155/RESA association with the erythrocyte cytoskeleton is mediated by spectrin.     

Syringeale Kippschwingungen und Klangerzeugung beim Feldschwirl (Locustella naevia)

Zusammenfassung Durch eine akustische Analyse des Feldschwirlgesangs wird die vonBrackenbury aufgestellte These widerlegt, daß der Vogel während des Gesangs hechelt, d. h. während einzelner Elemente ein- und ausatmet. Die mittlere Strophenlänge beträgt 62 s. Ferner wird vorgeschlagen, daß dem Gesang ein Kippschwingungsmechanismus mit einer Frequenz von etwa 25 Hz zugrunde liegt, dem hochfrequente (ca. 6 kHz) Schwingungspulse überlagert sind.

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Relaxation oscillations and sound production in the Grasshopper Warbler (Locustella naevia)

Summary By acoustical analysis of the Grasshopper Warbler's song it is demonstrated that this bird, contrary to Brackenbury's hypothesis, does not sing by performing mini-breaths during single song elements. The mean length of uninterrupted song sections is 62 s. It is suggested that the Grasshopper Warbler's song is made up by a relaxation oscillation of about 25 Hz on which high frequency pulses of about 6 kHz are superimposed.

     

Plasmid pGB301, a new multiple resistance streptococcal cloning vehicle and its use in cloning of a gentamicin/kanamycin resistance determinant

Summary Streptococcal plasmid pGB301 is an in vivo rearranged plasmid with interesting properties and potential for the molecular cloning of genes in streptococci. Transformation of S. sanguis (Challis) with the group B streptococcal plasmid pIP501 (29.7 kb) gave rise to the deletion derivative pGB301 (9.8 kb, copy number 10) which retained the multiple resistance phenotype of its ancestor (inducible MLS-resistance, chloramphenicol resistance). Among the eight restriction endonucleases used to physically map pGB301 were four that cleaved the plasmid at single sites yielding either sticky (HpaII, KpnI) or bluntends (HpaI, HaeIII/BspRI). Passenger DNA derived from larger streptococcal plasmids (pSF351C61, 69.5 kb; pIP800, 71 kb) was successfully inserted into the HpaII site and, by blunt-end cloning, into the HaeIII/BspRI site. The gentamicin/kanamycin resistance gene of pIP800 was expressed by recombinant plasmids carrying the insert in either orientation. Insertion of passenger DNA into the HaeIII/BspRI site (but not the HpaII site) caused instability of adjacent pGB301 sequences which were frequently deleted, thereby removing the chloramphenicol resistance phenotype. The vector pGB301 has a remarkable capacity for passenger DNA (inserts up to 7 kb) and the property of instability and loss of a resistance phenotype following insertion of passenger DNA into the HaeIII/BspRI site should facilitate the identification of cloned segments of DNA when using this plasmid in molecular cloning experiments.     

Immunocytochemical analysis of the cytoskeleton of the human amniotic epithelium

Summary The amniotic epithelium constitutes a diffusion barrier controlling the passage of solutes and water between the aminotic cavity and maternal circulation. With the present immunocytochemical approach, we have shown that several major components of the cytoskeleton, i.e., actin, -actinin, spectrin and ezrin, are preferentially associated with the apical and lateral cell surfaces of the human amniotic epithelium. Keratins are distributed throughout the entire cytoplasm, whereas vimentin mainly forms a perinuclear scaffold. These findings indicate a role of the various components of the cytoskeleton in the structural integrity and modulation of cell shape and junctional permeability.     

Heterogeneity of microvascular pericytes for smooth muscle type alpha- actin

Microvascular pericytes are believed to be involved in various functions such as regulation of capillary blood flow and endothelial proliferation. Since pericytes represent a morphologically heterogeneous cell population ranging from circular smooth musclelike to elongated fibroblast-like morphology it is possible that regulation of blood flow (via contractility) and control of endothelial proliferation (as well as other metabolic functions) may be accomplished by different subsets of pericytes. In the present study we provide evidence for heterogeneity of pericytes at the molecular level by using two novel technical approaches. These are (a) immunostaining of whole mounts of the microvascular beds of the rat mesentery and bovine retina and (b) immunoblotting studies of microdissected retinal microvessels. We show that pericytes of true capillaries (midcapillaries) apparently lack the smooth muscle isoform of alpha-actin whereas transitional pericytes of pre- and postcapillary microvascular segments do express this isoform. Thus, regulation of capillary blood flow may be accomplished by the smooth muscle-related pre- and postcapillary pericytes whereas the nonmuscle pericytes of true capillaries may play a role in other functions.     

Identification and subcellular location of talin in various cell types and tissues by means of [125I]vinculin overlay, immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry

In the present study, we have examined the cellular and subcellular distribution of talin in several tissues of the chicken. By immunocytochemistry, Western Blot analysis and [125I]vinculin overlay, talin was demonstrated in most of the main tissues and cell types of the body. Corresponding to the property of talin to bind to the fibronectin receptor, talin was found to be confined to the site of the plasma membrane that abuts the extracellular matrix in various types of mesenchymal and epithelial cells. In the central nervous system talin was almost exclusively confined to cells of the connective tissue, i.e., blood vessels and the connective tissue sheaths. No evidence was obtained for the association of talin with any type of intercellular junction. In nonadhering cells such as circulating platelets and leukocytes, talin displayed a diffuse distribution throughout the cytoplasm. These findings suggest a general role for talin in certain aspects of cellular adhesion to the extracellular matrix.