Production of 6-APA using a recirculated packed bed batch reactor

Summary A recirculated packed bed batch reactor has been designed for the production of 6-aminopenicillanic acid. It was observed that the flow rate of penicillin G solution is a rate limiting step for its hydrolysis. Under the conditions used, the maximum rate of hydrolysis of penicillin G was observed at a flow rate of 3.0 L/min.     

Uromodulin (Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein/uromucoid) is a phosphatidylinositol-linked membrane protein

Uromodulin, originally identified as an immunosuppressive glycoprotein in the urine of pregnant women, has been previously shown to be identical to human Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein (THP). THP is synthesized by the kidney and localizes to the renal thick ascending limb and early distal tubule. It is released into the urine in large quantities and thus represents a potential candidate for a protein secreted in a polarized fashion from the apical plasma membrane of epithelial cells in vivo. After introduction of the full-length cDNA encoding uromodulin/THP into HeLa, Caco-2, and Madin-Darby canine kidney cells by transfection, however, the expressed glycoprotein was almost exclusively cell-associated, as determined by immunoprecipitation after radioactive labeling of the cells. By immunofluorescence, THP was localized to the plasma membranes of transfected cells. In transfected cell extracts, THP also remained primarily in the detergent phase in a Triton X-114 partitioning assay, indicating that it has a hydrophobic character, in contrast to its behavior after isolation from human urine. Triton X-114 detergent-associated THP was redistributed to the aqueous phase after treatment of cell extracts with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. Treatment of intact transfected HeLa cells with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C also resulted in the release of THP into the medium, suggesting that it is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked membrane protein. Similar to other known GPI-linked proteins, uromodulin/THP contains a stretch of 16 hydrophobic amino acids at its extreme carboxyl terminus which could function as a GPI addition signal and was shown to label with [3H]ethanolamine. The results indicate that THP is a member of this class of lipid-linked membrane proteins and is released into the urine after the loss of its hydrophobic anchor, probably by the action of a phospholipase or protease.     

The lectin nature of α-galactosidases from Vicia faba seeds

α-Galactosidase from Vicia faba seeds has been resolved into three molecular forms, I, II¹ and II², respectively. Enzyme I is a tetramer (M_r 160 000) consisting of identical sub-units (M_r 44000 ± 2000). All three forms display lectin activity with glucose/mannose specificity. Enzyme I has been further studied with respect to its lectin specificity and various factors affecting this property. The results indicate that the catalytic and the lectin sites reside in the same protein molecule. The results presented are unique in that the enzyme activity is specific for galactose and its lectin activity is specific for glucose/mannose.     

Effect of methallibure (ICI 33,828) on the pituitary-gonad and the pituitary-thyroid axes of the Indian garden lizard,Calotes versicolor (Daudin)

Summary The effect of methallibure (ICI 33,828) on the pituitary-gonad and the pituitary-thyroid axes of the Indian garden lizard, Calotes versicolor was studied. Following administration of methallibure B₂ (FSH) and B₃ (ICSH) cells of the pars distalis exhibited significant alterations with concomitant changes in the seminiferous tubules, and in the interstitial cells and epididymis respectively. B₁ (TSH) cells exhibited conspicuous hypertrophy and degranulation which was reflected in dramatic changes in thyroid morphology. The caudally localized acidophilic A₁ (PRL) cells also showed hypertrophy, hyperplasia and intense granulation. The rostrally located A₂ (STH) acidophils and the B₄ (ACTH) cells were unaffected by the treatment. The possible mode of action of this drug is discussed in the light of available literature.Supported by a grant from the University Grants Commission of India. The generous supply of methallibure by Dr. A.L. Walpole of the Imperial Chemical Industries Limited, England, through Professor C.J. Dominic, Banaras Hindu University, is gratefully acknowledged     

Ligh- and electron-microscopic immunocytochemistry of somatotropes in the anterior pituitary gland of European ferret,Mustela putorius furo

Light-microscopic immunocytochemistry of ferret anterior pituitary revealed the localization of somatotropes in the pars distalis, but no immunoreactive cells were detected in the pars tuberalis. Ultrastructural studies by superimposition immunocytochemistry and immuno-electron microscopy, clucidated the morphological heterogeneity of these somatotropic cells. They were classified into 2 subtypes on the basis of size of the secretory granules. Type-I cells with small granules (mean diameter, 192 nm), were considered to be the immature somatotrop, while Type-II cells, with comparatively larger secretory granules (mean diameter, 257 nm), were considered to be the matured form of Type-I cells and the typical somatotropic cell-type, and were much more predominant than the Type-I cells. The fact that Type-II cells had a distinct Golgi zone and many mitochondria, while in Type-I cells the intracellular organelles were generally less developed, supports this suggestion. In addition to these two extreme subtypes, several intermediate forms were also encountered that may represent different transitional phases during the conversion of Type I to Type II. Protein A-gold immuno-electron microscopy illustrated the specific localization of growth hormone over the granules, with no labelling over any other cytoplasmic organelles of the 2 somatotrope subtypes.     

Prediction of stenosis behaviour in artery by neural network and multiple linear regressions

Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology - Blood flow analysis in the artery is a paramount study in the field of arterial stenosis evaluation. Studies conducted so far have reported the...     

Solvent-Free Synthesis,Characterization, and In Vitro Biological Activity Study of Xanthenediones and Acridinediones

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - The present work highlights the broad range of oxygen and nitrogen heterocycles and their applications in medicinal field. A facial approach has been...     

Synthesis,Antitumor, and DNA Binding Behavior of Novel 4-(2-Hydroxyquinolin-3-yl)-6-Phenyl-5, 6 Dihydropyrimidin Derivatives in Aqueous Medium

This article deals with the synthesis of 4-(2-hydroxyquinolin-3-yl)-6-phenyl-5,6-dihydropyrimidin derivatives (2a–f), on condensation with various aromatic aldehydes and ketones in aqueous ethanolic NaOH solution yielding the corresponding chalcones (3). These chalcones were further reacted with thiourea/urea in the presence of a base, which led to the formation of the titled derivatives (2a–f). The newly synthesized heterocyles were characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR, ¹HNMR, and electronic and mass spectral data. The compounds (2a and 2b) were evulated for in vitro cyctotoxicity against human breast adenocarcinoma cell (MCF-7). In MTT cytotoxicity studies, both quinolinde derivatives were found most effective. The binding interaction behavior of the compound (2a) and (2d) with calf thymus-DNA (CT-DNA) was studied by electronic spectra, viscosity measurements, and thermal denaturation studies. On binding to CT-DNA, the absorption spectrum underwent bathochromic and hypochromic shifts. The binding constant (K_b) observed 4.3 × 10⁵ M^?1 for (2a), and 3.8 × 10⁵ M^?1 for (2d) suggested that compound (2a) binds more strongly with base pairs than (2d).