A cytogenetic characterization comparing a rat 6TG-resistant strain and 6TG-sensitive clones

Summary A 8.3 /ml 6-thioguanine (6TG)-resistant strain was isolated from a rat tetraploid cell line by step-by-step selection in 6TG-medium. In the 6TG-resistant cell population 51% of the cells were tetraploid and 35% of the cells were hypertetraploid, i.e., one chromosome more than a tetraploid. The 6TG-resistant strain grew very well in RPMI 1640 medium with intervals of three days between subcultures. The 6TG-resistant cells all have a homogeneously staining region (HSRs) in one of the X chromosomes which do not stain after chromosome C-banding. They also possess a higher NORs activity and much lower frequency of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE). When the 6TG-resistant RCT cells were subcultured in 6TG-free medium for three days, their SCE frequency did not change. 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) significantly suppressed the NORs activity for both 6TG-resistant cells and 6TG-sensitive cells (P<0.001).Abbreviations 6TG 6-thioguanine - HSRs homogeneously staining region - NORs nucleolar organizer region - SCE sister chromatid exchange - BrdU 5-bromodeoxyuridine - HPRT Hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase     

丽江百合鳞茎细胞内贮藏物质的细胞形态学观察

丽江百合(Lilium lijiangenese L.J.Peng,sp nov.)引种栽培三年。鳞茎体积增大,中部鳞片细胞由平均12层增加到21层。细胞体积由平均86.5×79微米增加到97.5×89.7微米。细胞内含有两种贮藏颗粒,一种体积较大,椭圆形,另一种体积略小呈圆球形。较大者含有淀粉物质,较小者含有蛋白质、脂肪、多糖和少量核糖核酸。细胞内平均淀粉粒数由4.2个增加到8个,其体积由29.1×19.5微米增加到46.8×23.4微米。蛋白质颗粒数由平均12个增加到70个,体积稍有减小,由4.68—7.8微米减少到3.9—5.85微米。     

马尾树科及其近缘科花粉形态研究

本文观察了马尾树科(Rhoipteleaceae)、胡桃科(Juglandaceae)以及桦木科(Be-tulaceae)、9属9种植物花粉形态。马尾树科与桦木科桦木属(Betula L.)花粉粒均为扁球形,极面观呈钝三角形,萌发孔类型均为多孔类型,孔之间均有弓形加厚,而且外表面均具细颗粒状雕纹。而胡桃科大多为多边形、散孔类型。根据花粉形态资料,探讨了马尾树科的系统位置。     

The effect of berbamine derivatives on activated Ca2+-stimulated Mg2+-dependent ATPase in erythrocyte membranes.

Ca2+-stimulated Mg2+-dependent ATPase (Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase) stimulated by calmodulin, by partial proteolysis or by oleic acid in erythrocyte membranes was inhibited by various derivatives of the naturally occurring alkaloid berbamine. The ability of these derivatives to inhibit trypsin-activated Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase correlated well with their ability to inhibit the calmodulin-stimulated enzyme. Inhibition of the trypsin-activated Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase by O-4-(ethoxybutyl)berbamine (EBB) was competitive with respect to ATP. The Ki for inhibition was about 8 microM. These results suggest that the binding site of EBB on the activated Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase may bear structural similarity to that on calmodulin, and may be closely related to the ATP-binding site on the enzyme.     

Junctions between lens cells in differentiating cultures: structure, formation, intercellular permeability, and junctional protein expression

We previously described cultures of chick embryo lens cells which displayed a marked degree of differentiation. In this report, the junctions found between the lens fiber-like cells in the differentiated "lentoids" are characterized in several ways. Thin-section methods with electron microscopy first demonstrated that numerous, large junctions between lentoid cells accompanied the other differentiated features of these cells. Freeze-fracture techniques, including quantitative analysis, then revealed that (a) junctional particles were loosely arranged as is typical of fiber cells, (b) the population of individual junctional areas in culture was indistinguishable from that found in 10- to 12-day chick embryo lenses, and (c) apparent junction formation occurred during the development of the lens cells, with lacy arrays of particles being associated with fiber-like junctions. In addition, gap junctions with hexagonally packed particles, typical of lens epithelial cells, largely disappeared during the course of differentiation. Injection of tracer dyes into lentoid cells resulted in rapid intercellular movement of dye, consistent with functional cell-to-cell channels connecting lentoid cells. During the development of the lens cells in culture, as junction formation occurred, an increase of approximately eight-fold in MP28 protein was observed within the cells. These combined results indicate that (a) extensive lens fiber junctions and functional cell-to-cell channels are found between differentiated lentoid lentoid cells in vitro, (b) lens fiber junctions appear to form during the course of lens cell differentiation in culture, (c) a significant increase occurs in the putative junctional protein before the cultures are highly developed, (d) the increased levels of MP28 and junction formation may be required for the full expression of the differentiated state in the lens fiber cell, and (e) this culture system should prove to be valuable for additional experiments on lens junctions and for other studies requiring the development of lens fiber cells in vitro.     

Comparative EPR studies on the nitrite reductases from Escherichia coli and Wolinella succinogenes

Hexaheme nitrite reductases purified to homogeneity from Escherichia coli K-12 and Wolinella succinogenes were studied by low-temperature EPR spectroscopy. In their isolated states, the two enzymes revealed nearly identical EPR spectra when measured at 12 K. Both high-spin and low-spin ferric heme EPR resonances with g values of 9.7, 3.7, 2.9, 2.3 and 1.5 were observed. These signals disappeared upon reduction by dithionite. Reaction of reduced enzyme with nitrite resulted in the formation of ferrous heme-NO complexes with distinct EPR spectral characteristics. The heme-NO complexes formed with the two enzymes differed, however, in g values and line-shapes. When reacted with hydroxylamine, reduced enzymes also showed the formation of ferrous heme-NO complexes. These results suggested the involvement of an enzyme-bound NO intermediate during the six-electron reduction of nitrite to ammonia catalyzed by these two hexaheme nitrite reductases. Heme proteins that can either expose bound NO to reduction or release it are significant components of both assimilatory and dissimilatory metabolisms of nitrate. The different ferrous heme-NO complexes detected for the two enzymes indicated, nevertheless, their subtle variation in heme reactivity during the reduction reaction.     

Structural analysis of the locus containing the human C-reactive protein gene and its related pseudogene

The gene for human C-reactive protein (CRP) is mapped within a 34-kilobase pair genomic DNA segment identified by chromosome walking through overlapping DNA fragments cloned into a lambda phage library. Within 16 kilobase pairs upstream and downstream of the locus for the authentic CRP gene, only one other sequence homologous to that for CRP could be found. Sequencing analysis indicates this sequence to be a pseudogene with 50-80% region-specific homology. Comparison of the authentic CRP gene cloned from genomic DNA libraries independently prepared from three patients indicates no difference in the 5' and 3' flanking region, promoter region, or coding sequence. Only a polymorphism in the length of the poly(GT) stretch located in the intron is observed. There appears to be only one gene locus and copy per haploid chromosome for the authentic CRP gene and its pseudogene.     

Reactivation of inhibited bone acid phosphatase and its significance in bone histomorphometry

Despite biochemical demonstration of acid phosphatase (AcP) activation or reactivation in bone, few attempts have been made to show similar effects histochemically. Bones from growing rats, when fixed in 4% buffered formaldehyde at room temperature and demineralized in 5% formic acid, exhibited expected inactivation of AcP. The inhibited AcP, however, was reactivated by pre-incubation of sections for 1 hr at 37 degrees C in the following buffers: 0.2 M Tris, 0.2 M glycine, 0.2 M NaHCO3, or 0.1 M borax, as well as in alkaline water, but not in 0.2 M Na2HPO4 (all at pH 9). The reactivation was (a) site-specific (e.g., osteoclasts, osteoblasts, osteocytes, and cement lines), (b) temperature- and pH-dependent, (c) unaffected by OH- or SH--binding agents or by an alkaline phosphatase inhibitor, and (d) inhibited completely by 10 mM Na2HPO4. The reactivation process, much simplified and/or more effective than with the methods previously reported, was observed in all 83 human biopsy bones embedded in methyl methacrylate and in human bones stored in cold buffered formaldehyde for 7 months. This study demonstrates a unique method for reactivating and thus localizing the inhibited AcP in bones, and suggests possible applications in bone histomorphometry.     

Isolation and characterization of human VkIII germ-line genes. Implications for the molecular basis of human VkIII light chain diversity

To understand the relative importance of germ-line genes in the generation of the functional human antibody repertoire, it is first necessary to define the number of variable region genes and to determine their fine structure. We have focused on the human VkIII variable region gene family because of its association with autoantibodies. A human genomic library was screened with a VkIII cDNA probe and subsequently with a VkIII germ-line gene probe. Seven different VkIII clones were isolated and characterized by restriction mapping and sequence analyses. Three clones have identical restriction enzyme sites over a 12-kilobase (kb) region, contain identical sequences over an 895-base pair (bp) region, and thus are likely to be different isolates of the same human VkIII gene. Another two clones have identical restriction enzyme sites over a 5-kb region, are identical over a stretch of 905 bp sequenced, and likely represent independent isolates of another human VkIII gene. The remaining two VkIII clones consist of two additional VkIII genes which are homologous to each other, but are quite different from the first two VkIII genes. Thus, four new human VkIII genes were defined. Together with four other VkIII genes previously isolated by other investigators, a total of eight human VkIII germ-like genes have now been described. A comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences of these genes with the reported amino acid sequences of all human VkIII light chains suggests that at least one additional VkIII gene exists in the germ line. Among the eight identified human germ-line VkIII genes, three are pseudogenes. Of the remaining five potential functional genes, one gene seems to encode a majority of the VkIII light chains which have been sequenced. Possible explanations for this phenomenon are discussed.