Radioimmunoassay of urinary oxytocin in man]

A radioimmunoassay (RIA) for oxytocin (OT) in urine is described. 125I-OT was prepared, and antibodies were raised in rabbits against OT coupled to bovine serumalbumine. This allowed us to set up of RIA for OT which limit of detection is 1.25 pg/tube (0.6 microU). The use of an extraction procedure using CG50 Amberlite is essential. The recovery after extraction reaches 70.5%. pH 5 is the optimum pH were urine samples must be stored. The superposition of the elution peak of endogenous OT on that of exogenous hormone is an argument in favour of the validity of such an extraction procedure. Daily urinary excretion of OT reaches 9.58 mU +/- 3.48 in 18 healthy young men.     

Enzyme memory. Effect of glucose 6-phosphate and temperature on the molecular transition of wheat-germ hexokinase LI.

A theory is presented that associates burst (orlag) kinetics with the respective concentrations of enzyme initial states X1 and X6 and with the cooperation of a mnemonical enzyme. The theory predicts that for an enzyme with a negative cooperation, decreasing the initial concentration of X1 (or increasing that of X6) tends to increase the induction time. This increase may correspond to a reversal of a burst in a lag. Similarly, if the enzyme has a positive cooperation, decreasing the initial concentration of X6 (or increasing that of X1) increases the induction time. The first case above is expected to apply to wheat germ hexokinase LI, X1 being the form that binds glucose preferentially, and X6 the one that binds glucose 6-phosphate. By changing solely the respective concentrations of the two initial forms, one may expect to modify the pre-steady-state phase but not the steady-state kinetics of the reaction. By jumping the temperature of the enzyme solution from 4 degrees C to 30 degrees C and letting the transconformation ewuilibrium relax for various periods of time before mixing enzyme with the substrates, one can analyse the effect of the relative concentrations of X1 and X6 on the induction time. One can estimate in that way one of the rate constants of the transconformation between the two free enzyme forms. The shorter the incubation time at 30 degrees C then the smaller is the negative induction time (in absolute values). Another possibility of controlling the ratio between the two initial concentrations of the enzyme, is to pre-mix hexokinase with glucose 6-phosphate and to arrange that glucose-6-phosphate concentration, after mixing enzyme and substrates, is held constant whatever the pre-mixing conditions. When wheat germ hexokinase LI is pre-mixed 30 min at 30 degrees C with glucose 6-phosphate before the reaction starts, the burst does not disappear. If, on the other hand, pre-mixing is effected at 4 degrees C the burst is reversed into lag. This result is taken to mean that the equilibrium constant between the two free enzyme forms (the 'circle' and the 'rhombus') is strongly dependent on temperature. A direct study of the effect of glucose 6-phosphate on the conformational equilibrium of wheat germ hexokinase, gives support to this interpretation. If hexokinase is mixed at 4 degrees C with glucose 6-phosphate a slow increase in fluorescence of tryptophanyl residues is observed, which indicates that the 'rhombus' conformation accumulates under these conditions. On the other hand, at 30 degrees C, glucose 6-phosphate does not produce any significant change in the fluorescence of the protein. As expected, these results imply that the equilibrium between the two free enzymes species is freely reversible a 4 degrees C and nearly irreversible at 30 degrees C. The equations derived from the mnemonical model allow fitting or simulation of the experimental results.     

Influence of season of birth on onset of gonadotrophic and ovarian functions in young doe hares (Lepus europaeus).

The pituitary and ovarian responses to a monthly i.v. injection of 5 micrograms luteinizing-hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) were studied in three groups of young doe hares, born in January-February (group I), in April (group II) or at the end of the breeding season (August-September, group III). The LHRH injection was always followed by a release of LH and progesterone, which did not differ among the three groups at 3 months of age. The pituitary and ovarian responses to LHRH increased gradually from the age of 3 months in groups I and III and from the age of 9 months in group II. One female of the ten born in January-February ovulated and reached puberty in June, at the age of 4 months, but with a weak pituitary response. The females born in April displayed a seasonally delayed puberty, at 9 months of age (two of five females ovulated in the next January). Four of the five females born at the end of the breeding season ovulated after LHRH when 5 months old (in February), with a full pituitary-ovarian response. The low pituitary response of group I in June-August, even if 10-20% of females ovulated after LHRH, suggests a need for a period of short days. Then, the most favourable conditions for the hare to reach puberty would be a period of short decreasing daylengths during the fall, followed by increasing daylengths after the winter solstice.