Lisofylline prevents leak, but not neutrophil accumulation, in lungs of rats given IL-1 intratracheally

Hybertson, Brooks M., Stuart L. Bursten, Jonathan A. Leff,Young M. Lee, Eric K. Jepson, Chris R. Dewitt, John Zagorski, Hyun G. Cho, and John E. Repine. Lisofylline prevents leak, but not neutrophil accumulation, in lungs of rats given IL-1intratracheally. J. Appl. Physiol.82(1): 226-232, 1997.Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is increased in lunglavages from patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome, andadministering IL-1 intratracheally causes neutrophil accumulation and aneutrophil-dependent oxidative leak in lungs of rats. In the presentstudy, we found that rats pretreated intraperitoneally with lisofylline[(R)-1-(5-hydroxyhexyl)-3,7-dimethylxanthine (LSF)], an inhibitor of lysophosphatidic acid acyl transferase, which reduces the production of unsaturated phosphatidic acid species,did not develop the lung leak or the related ultrastructural abnormalities that occur after intratracheal administration of IL-1.However, rats pretreated with LSF and then given IL-1 intratracheally did develop the same elevations of lung lavage cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC) levels and the same increased numbersof lung lavage neutrophils as rats given IL-1 intratracheally. Lungs ofrats given IL-1 intratracheally also had increased unsaturated phosphatidic acid and free acyl (linoleate, linolenate) concentrations compared with untreated rats, and these lipid responses were prevented by pretreatment with LSF. Our results reveal that LSF decreases lungleak and lung lipid alterations without decreasing neutrophil accumulation or lung lavage CINC increases in rats given IL-1 intratracheally.

     

Faunal assemblage seriation of southern African Pliocene and Pleistocene fossil deposits

Fossil assemblages from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of southern Africa were seriated in order to give a better idea of their relative chronology. Time-sensitive mammals were selected for calculation of the Faunal Resemblance Index among 17 site units. On the basis of a logistical seriation and subsequent site analysis, the following sequence of sites was deemed most probable: Makapansgat Member 3, Makapansgat Member 4, Taung Dart deposits, Sterkfontein Member 4 and Taung Hrdli?ka deposits, Sterkfontein Member 5 (in part) and Kromdraai B, Kromdraai A and Swartkrans Member 1, Swartkrans Member 2, Swartkrans Member 3, Plovers Lake, Cornelia, Elandsfontein Main Site, Cave of Hearths Acheulian levels, Florisbad and Equus Cave and Klasies River Mouth. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Identification of a yeast artificial chromosome clone spanning a translocation breakpoint at 7q32.1 in a Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome patient.

Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) is a mental retardation/multiple congenital anomaly syndrome. The gene(s) involved has not been mapped or cloned, but, recently, a biochemical abnormality in cholesterol biosynthesis has been shown to occur in most SLOS patients. The defect is suspected to occur in the penultimate step of the cholesterol pathway, involving the enzyme 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase, which has not been isolated. On the basis of the hypothesis that a de novo balanced translocation [t(7;20)(q32.1;q13.2)] in an SLOS patient directly interrupts the SLOS gene, positional cloning techniques are being employed to localize and identify the SLOS gene. We report the identification of a chromosome 7-specific YAC that spans the translocation breakpoint, as detected by FISH. This is the first study narrowing a candidate SLOS region and placing it on physical and genetic maps of the human genome.     

Identification of new mutations in the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene of patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder affecting motor neurons. Although most cases of ALS are sporadic, approximately 10% are inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Mutations in the Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene (SOD 1) are responsible for a fraction of familial ALS (FALS). Screening our FALS kindreds by SSCP, we have identified mutations in 15 families, of which 9 have not been previously reported. Two of the new mutations alter amino acids that have never been implicated in FALS. One of them affects a highly conserved amino acid involved in dimer contact, and the other one affects the active-site loop of the enzyme. These two mutations reduce significantly SOD 1 enzyme activity in lymphoblasts. Our results suggest that SOD 1 mutations are responsible for > or = 13% of FALS cases.     

Combination of the tod and the tol pathways in redesigning a metabolic route of Pseudomonas putida for the mineralization of a benzene, toluene, and p-xylene mixture.

Construction of a hybrid strain which is capable of mineralizing components of a benzene, toluene, and p-xylene mixture simultaneously was attempted by redesigning the metabolic pathway of Pseudomonas putida. Genetic and biochemical analyses of the tod and the tol pathways revealed that dihydrodiols formed from benzene, toluene, and p-xylene by toluene dioxygenase in the tod pathway could be channeled into the tol pathway by the action of cis-p-toluate-dihydrodiol dehydrogenase, leading to complete mineralization of a benzene, toluene, and p-xylene mixture. Consequently, a hybrid strain was constructed by cloning todC1C2BA genes encoding toluene dioxygenase on RSF1010 and introducing the resulting plasmid into P. putida mt-2. The hybrid strain of P. putida TB105 was found to mineralize a benzene, toluene, and p-xylene mixture without accumulation of any metabolic intermediate.     

Construction and use of a nontoxigenic strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the production of recombinant exotoxin A.

To express recombinant forms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A in high yield, we have developed a nontoxigenic strain of P. aeruginosa derived from the hypertoxigenic strain PA103. The nontoxigenic strain, designated PA103A, was produced by the excision marker rescue technique to replace the toxA structural gene in PA103 with an insertionally inactivated toxA gene. The PA103A strain (ToxA-) was used subsequently as the host strain for the expression and production of several recombinant versions of exotoxin A, and the results were compared with exotoxin A production in other P. aeruginosa and Escherichia coli strains. Use of the PA103A strain transformed with the high-copy-number pRO1614 plasmid bearing various toxA alleles resulted in final purification yields of exotoxin A averaging 23 mg/liter of culture. By comparison, exotoxin A production in other expression systems and host strains yields approximately 1/4 to 1/10 as much toxin.     

抗杀螟硫磷二化螟的抗性遗传力研究

应用数量遗传学的方法分析了水稻二化螟(chilo suppressalis)对杀螟硫磷抗药性的遗传力,并就遗传力和杀虫剂的杀死率对抗性发展速率的影响进行了预测。研究结果表明：二化螟对杀螟硫磷抗性的遗传力较低(h²＝0.277),产生高抗性的潜力不大。即使在室内选择的条件下,要获得10倍的抗性约需要6-12代;在野外条件下则需要更长的时间(15-32代)。因此,结合抗性变化动态的监测结果,我们认为在野外条件下二化螟是不致于产生高抗性,杀螟硫磷仍不失为二化螟抗性治理系统中有效品种之一。     

世界红树植物分布区域间种类组成的相似性研究

以集合论为基础Ｊａｃｃａｒｄ相似性指数,定交了两个植物分布区域间种类组成的相似度和相异度,分析了世界个结树植物分布区域间的相似性。结果认为,在６个分布区域中,与东岸最相似的区域是大洋洲沿岸,与亚洲沿岸及东太平洋群岛之间最相似的区域也是玉平洋洲沿岸,与美洲西岸最相似的区域是非洲西岸,与非洲西岸最相似的区域是美洲东岸。     

不同预处理对大麦花药3种内源激素含量和过氧化物酶活性的影响

研究了大麦（Ｈｏｒｄｅｕｍ ｖｕｌｇａｒｅ Ｌ．）花药－花粉培养中不同预处理对花药内源激素（ＡＢＡ,ＩＡＡ,ＩＰＡ）含量和过氧化物酶活性的影响。结果表明：１． 经甘露醇预处理不同天数,同一种基因型的３种内源激素的变化和不同基因型的同一种内源激素的变化规律十分相似,均是在预处理初期含量急剧增加,最高值在０．５或１ ｄ 处。以后开始逐渐下降;最后,保持在一定的水平上。２． 在甘露醇预处理过程中,两种基因型花药过氧化物酶活性的变化规律也十分相似。在预处理前期（从开始到第３天）活性呈直线上升,第３天达到最大值。从第３天到第５天活性减弱。最后,活性又开始增强。３． 在低温预处理过程的初期（２～５ ｄ） 两种基因型花药过氧化物酶活性都出现第一个小峰。在第１４天（“Ｈａｒｒｉｎｇｔｏｎ”）或第２１天（“Ｉｇｒｉ”）又出现第二个峰值,但后者较高。在预处理的后期（从第２８天到第３５天）两种基因型花药过氧化物酶的活性又呈现上升的趋势。同甘露醇预处理后期变化一致