Combination therapy of radiation and Sizofiran (SPG) on the tumor growth and metastasis on squamous-cell carcinoma NR-S1 in syngeneic C3H/He mice

The efficacy of Sizofiran(SPG), a highly purified -1,3-D-glucan from the culture broth of a basidiomycetesSchizophyllum commune Fries, in combination with local irradiation was investigated using squamous-cell carcinoma NR-S1 and syngeneic hosts of OH/He mice. NR-S1 tumor was implanted sc in the thigh of C3H/He mice. When tumor grew to 4 mm in diameter, the local irradiation of 55 Gy was delivered. SPG was injected im at a dose of 5 mg/kg. When SPG was administered after irradiation, remarkable inhibition of tumor growth was observed in comparison with the radiation alone group. Furthermore, the combination effect of radiation and active immunotherapy using mitomycin C-treated NR-S1 cells as vaccine was examined. When radiotherapy and active immunotherapy were combined with SPG, suppression of tumor growth was observed from an early stage in comparison with the group which was not administered SPG. SPG also inhibited the pulmonary metastasis of NR-S1 tumor after radiotherapy.     

Flowering responses to light-breaks in photomorphogenic mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana, a long-day plant

Flowering response and plant form of photomorphogenic mutants (hy1, hy2, hy3, hy4 and hy5) of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.), a long-day plant, were examined in long and short days. There were only slight differences among genotypes including Landsberg wild type with respect to the flowering time under long days. The effect of 1 h light-(night)-breaks of far-red, red, blue and white light given in the middle of the dark period of plants grown under short days, was studied. Effects of far-red light applied at the end or the beginning of the main photoperiod on flowering and plant form were also examined. The light-breaks with all the above mentioned light qualities promoted floral initiation of all the genotypes including the wild type in terms of both the flowering time and the number of rosette leaves. In general, far-red light was most effective. It is possible to classify the hy-mutants into 3 groups by their responses to light-breaks under short day conditions: (a) Mutants hy2 and hy3, which have a reduced number of rosette leaves, and flower early. Red light is as effective as far-red light. The wavelength of light-breaks is relatively unimportant for flowering response. (b) Mutants hy4, hy5 and Landsberg wild type, which have a greater number of rosette leaves, and flower relatively late. The effectiveness of light-breaks is in the following order, far-red, blue, and red light, which is in reverse order to the transformation of phytochrome to the P_fr form. (c) Mutant hy1, which behaves anomalously with respect to relations between flowering time and number of rosette leaves; late flowering with reduced number of rosette leaves. Red, blue and far-red light are effective, but white light is ineffective for reducing the number of rosette leaves. When far-red light was given in the middle of the night or at the end of the main photoperiod, it markedly reduced the number of rosette leaves compared to those grown under short days for all the genotypes, while when applied at the beginning of the main photoperiod far-red light did not affect the number of rosette leaves. Different effects on the plant form dependent on the time of treatment with far-red light-breaks are also discussed.     

Two monoclonal antibodies against small-cell lung cancer show existence of synergism in binding

Summary Murine IgG1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), ITK-2 and ITK-3, were generated against a small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell line. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a variety of established cell lines as substrates, immunoperoxidase staining of freshly frozen tissue sections, and fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis of peripheral blood leukocytes showed that these mAbs recognize a part of the SCLC-associated cluster 1 antigen. In immunoprecipitation studies, both ITK-2 and ITK-3 bound to a 145-kDa glycoprotein of SCLC cell membrane extracts, as did MOC-1 and NKH-1, which both recognize the cluster 1 antigen. However, because the binding of¹²⁵I-labeled ITK-2 to SCLC cells was not inhibited by MOC-1 or NKH-1, the binding site of ITK-2 on SCLC cells appeared to be different from that of either MOC-1 or NKH-1. Unexpectedly, binding of¹²⁵I-labeled ITK-2 to SCLC cells increased in the presence of ITK-3. This ITK-3-induced increase in ITK-2 binding was due partly to an increase in the number of binding sites for ITK-2 on SCLC cells. Addition of ITK-3 may, therefore, improve the effectiveness of ITK-2-based tumor detection or therapy.     

Antibiotic production by the marine photosynthetic bacterium Chromatium purpuratum NKPB 031704: localization of activity to the chromatophores

Abstract Over 200 strains of marine purple photosynthetic bacteria were isolated. Two strains showed antibiotic activity towards Saccharomyces cerevisiae and were tentatively identified as Chromatium purpuratum . Crude antibiotic, prepared by solvent extraction, showed a broad antimicrobial spectrum. The highest activity was found in the chromatophore fraction. Chromatographic separation of purified light harvesting complex from one strain, NKPB 031704, showed the presence of two separate pigmented compounds which were responsible for antimicrobial activity. Our findings reveal the unexpected ability of photosynthetic bacteria to produce broad spectrum antibiotics. In addition, this is the first example of intracellular localization of antibiotic activity in a marine bacterium.     

REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION AND DISTINCT POPULATION STRUCTURES IN TWO TYPES OF THE FRESHWATER SHRIMP PALAEMON PAUCIDENS

Twenty local populations of the Japanese freshwater shrimp Palaemon paucidens were electrophoretically and morphologically surveyed. Based on the diagnostic distributions of some alleles at Gpi, Mpi, Mdh-1, and Mdh-2, these populations were largely classified into two types (A and B). The A type occurred in lakes, ponds, and rivers, while the B type was observed only in rivers. Average Nei's genetic distance (D) between the two types fell into the subspecies range . The coefficient of gene differentiation, G_ST, varied considerably between the two types. In 12 populations of the A type, with a G_ST value of 0.281, nine pond and lake populations showed a higher G_ST (0.246) than the three river populations (0.151). On the other hand, G_ST was 0.036 for the eight local populations of the B type. The lower rostrum tooth number had a mode of two in type A and three in type B. Type-A populations largely varied in the upper rostrum tooth number and egg size but type B did not. Under laboratory conditions, mating frequently occurred within each type, but not between types. Furthermore, no embryonic development was observed in the few cases of intertype mating. These results indicate that the A and B types had experienced cladogenic separation with pre- or postmating isolation, whereafter the A type, under geographic isolation, underwent genetic and phenotypic differentiation, while the B type, under extensive gene flow, did not undergo differentiation.     

Spontaneous Release of γ-Aminobutyric Acid Formed from Putrescine and Its Enhanced Ca2+-Dependent Release by High K+ Stimulation in the Brains of Freely Moving Rats

The spontaneous release of [3H] gamma-aminobutyric acid ([3H]GABA) in various areas of rat brain injected with [3H]putrescine was examined using a push-pull perfusion technique. The release in a 25-min perfusate was highest in the caudate-putamen. The effect of high K+ stimulation on the release of [3H]GABA formed from [3H]putrescine was examined in the caudate-putamen. The release was enhanced by high K+ solution in a Ca2+-dependent manner.     

Promotion of Rooting in Azukia Cuttings by Possible Glycoproteins Extracted from Lentinus edodes Culture

Macromolecules purified from Lentinus edodes mycelia cultureenhanced adventitious root formation in Azukia epicotyl cuttings.Partial purification by sequential column chromatographies gavematerial composed of 71% polysaccharides and 29% proteins. Thesugar moiety consisted of mainly xylose, glucose and arabinose,the sum of their contents being more than 76% of the total carbohydrates.The protein moiety consisted of mainly glycine and serine, whichaccounted for more than 40% of the total amino acid residues. (Received June 9, 1984; Accepted November 12, 1984)     

Purification and Properties of Sweet Potato NADPH-Cytochrome c (P-450) Reductase

NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, strictly NADPH-cytochrome P-450reductase, was purified by chromatography through DEAE-cellulose,2',5'-ADP-Sepharose, and Sephadex G-100 columns after solubilizationfrom microsomes from Ceratocystis fimbriata-infected sweet potatoroot tissue with Emulgen 913. The enzyme existed in three formsafter solubilization which migrated to positions correspondingto molecular weights of 81,000, 75,000 and 72,000 on an SDS-polyacrylamidegel. Trypsin treatment of the enzyme species with the largestpolypeptide yielded the species with the smallest one. Aftersucrose density gradient centrifugation of the pellet fractionobtained by centrifugation at 100,000?g of the crude extract,the enzyme species with the largest polypeptide was presentin the particulate fractions, whereas that with the smallestone was only found at the top of the gradient. We conclude thatthe enzyme species with the largest polypeptide is in an intact,amphipathic form, whereas that with the smallest one, and probablyalso the other species, is its hydrophilic domain produced byan endogenous protease(s). The K_m values of the enzyme in theintact form for NADPH and cytochrome c were 7.7 and 2.3 µM,respectively. ¹ Present address: Laboratory of Food Hygienics, Faculty ofAgriculture, Kagawa University, Miki-cho, Kida-gun, Kagawa 761-07,Japan. (Received September 6, 1984; Accepted December 27, 1984)     

A Comparison of Tomato Fruit Chloroplast and Chromoplast DNAs as Analyzed with Restriction Endonucleases

Chromoplast DNA was isolated from ripe-red tomato fruits, andits structure compared with that of chloroplast DNAs from maturegreen fruits and leaves. There was a good correspondence betweenthe structures analyzed by BamHI or EcoRI digestion and by hybridizationwith a probe for the gene of the ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenaselarge subunit. ¹ Present address: Koryo International College, Nisshin, Aichi470-01, Japan. (Received November 5, 1984; Accepted February 6, 1985)