Biological properties of human melanoma cells in culture

Summary Three human melanoma cell lines derived from one primary and two metastatic tumors from three different patients were characterized for growth properties usually associated with malignant transformation; these include cell morphology, growth rate, saturation density, growth in semisolid media, colony-forming ability on contact-inhibited monolayers of normal fibroblasts and epithelial cells, and tumorigenicity in immunosuppressed mice. Variations in expression of aberrant properties were evident among the lines. One of the metastatic lines satisfied all the parameters of malignancy tested and the other showed a number of these properties, whereas the primary essentially fulfilled only one. These results suggest that cultured melanoma cells reflect the clinical variability often observed among melanoma patients and the metastatic melanoma seems to display a higher degree of malignant transformation than the primary. THis work was supported in part by USPHS Grant No. 5 T01 AI00332-06 from the National Institutes of Health, Contract E73-2001-N01-CP-3-3237 from the Virus Cancer Program of the National Cancer Institute, and USPHS Grant No. 0H00714-02 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.     

Blood parameters of two hill stream cobitids in relation to their habitat

The blood of two fresh water cobitids — Botia lohachata, an exclusive water breathing form and Lepidocephalus guntea a dual breather, — showed a comparatively higher range of Hb (16.0–19.0 g%), Hct (50.0–61.1%) and number of RBC (2.71–6.7 millions/mm³) than many other water and air breathing fishes. Significant sexual difference exists in these characteristics (P > 0.05).The impact of life in oxygen depleted water, also inhabited by L. guntea as a result of its air breathing habit, is well reflected in its greater RBC size (11.86 × 8.66 µm) and their larger surface area (83.96 µm²) compared to that of Botia (53.16 µm²). The smaller size (9.92 × 6.45 µm) and consequently greater number of erythrocytes (4.67 millions/mm³) in Botia, are related to its active mode of life in the swiftly flowing water of hilly rivers. Though the higher nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio of 1 : 5.2 in Botia and 1 : 6.9 in Lepidocephalus suggest a slower red cell metabolism, the greater number of erythrocytes seems to have compensated for their active mode of life.     

A factor analysis of body build in the rat

Following a survey of the problems associated with the comparative study of measures of physique in domesticated and laboratory animals, techniques were developed for the measurement of body build in the adult albino laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus). They involved anesthetisation of the animals and the use of calipers and a simple apparatus devised for the purpose. The 17 measures taken on 100 rats, 50 of each sex, are detailed and the reasons for excluding others given. Intercorrelations of all the measures and their reliability co-efficients, which were judged satisfactory, are presented. The tables of intercorrelations, one for each sex, were factor analysed separately, and rotations to simple structure performed. Two factors were identified, one having factor saturations on measures of body length and the other similarly defining body width. This pattern was similar for the two sexes and a single index of body build was therefore proposed in which the length of the rear foot is divided by the width of the shoulder girdle and multiplied by 100 to avoid decimals. The use of the index in other investigations is mentioned.     

Relationship of body composition to somatotype.

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship in college-aged women between somatotype using both Sheldon's ('69) and Heath and Carter's ('67) procedures, and body composition, as measured by whole-body 40K counting and body density. Sheldon's endomorphy is closely associated with height and weight; Heath and Carter's first component is significantly related to weight and body fatness. Lean body mass (LBM) as a weight or as a percent is not closely related to Sheldon's mesomorphy or Heath and Carter's second component. However, when LBM and height are used as independent variables to estimate somatotype, both variables are significantly related to Heath and Carter's second component, accounting for 61% of the variance. Thus Heath and Carter's second component is significantly associated with LBM for a given body height. Most of the variation in Sheldon's ectomorphy and Heath and Carter's third component can be accounted for by weight and height. Sheldon's somatotype for all three components is not as closely related to body composition as Heath-Carter's. Body composition, as measured by either 40K counting or body density, is found to be important in accounting for variation in Heath and Carter's first and second components.     

Early hominid body weight and encephalization

The body weight of the Plio-Pleistocene hominids of Africa is estimated by predicting equations derived from the Terry Collection of human skeletons with known body weights. About 50% of the variance in body weight can be accounted for by vertebral and femoral size. Predicted early hominid weights range from 27.6 kg (61 lb) to 54.3 kg (119 lb). The average weight for Australopithecus is 43.2 kg (95 lb) and for Homo sp. indet. from East Rudolf, Kenya, is 52.8 kg (116 lb). These estimates are consistent even if pongid proportions are assumed. Indices of encephalization show that the brain to body weight ratio in Australopithecus is above the great ape averages but well below Homo sapiens. The Homo sp. indet. represented by the KNM-ER 1470, O.H. 7 and O.H. 13 crania have encephalization indices above Australopithecus despite the greater body weight of the former.     

Spectrum structures and biological functions of 8-mers in the human genome

The spectra of k-mer frequencies can reveal the structures and evolution of genome sequences. We confirmed that the trimodal spectrum of 8-mers in human genome sequences is distinguished only by CG2, CG1 and CG0 8-mer sets, containing 2,1 or 0 CpG, respectively. This phenomenon is called independent selection law. The three types of CG 8-mers were considered as different functional elements. We conjectured that (1) nucleosome binding motifs are mainly characterized by CG1 8-mers and (2) the core structural units of CpG island sequences are predominantly characterized by CG2 8-mers. To validate our conjectures, nucleosome occupied sequences and CGI sequences were extracted, then the sequence parameters were constructed through the information of the three CG 8-mer sets respectively. ROC analysis showed that CG1 8-mers are more preference in nucleosome occupied segments (AUC > 0.7) and CG2 8-mers are more preference in CGI sequences (AUC > 0.99). This validates our conjecture in principle.     

SPATIAL FLOWER PARAMETERS AND INSECT SPATIAL VISION

The present article reviews recent and older literature on the spatial parameters that flowers display, as well as on the capacities of anthophilous insects to perceive and use these parameters for optimizing their foraging success. Although co-evolution of plants and pollinators has frequently been discussed with respect to floral colours and insect colour vision, it has rarely been assessed with respect to insect spatial vision and spatial floral cues, such as shape, pattern, size, contrast, symmetry, spatial frequency, contour density and orientation of contours. This review is an attempt to fill this gap. From experimental findings and observations on both flowers and insects, we arrive at the conclusion that all of the spatial and spatio-temporal parameters that flowers offer are relevant to the foraging task and are tuned to the insect's visual capacities and visually guided behaviour. We try, in addition, to indicate that temporal cues are closely related to spatial cues, and must therefore be included when flower–pollinator interactions are examined. We include results that show that colour vision and spatial vision have diverged over the course of evolution, particularly regarding the processing of spatio-temporal information, but that colour vision plays a role in the processing of spatial cues that are independent of temporal parameters. By presenting this review we hope to contribute to closer collaboration among scientists working in the vast fields of botany, ecology, evolution, ethology and sensory physiology.     

Effect of nickel on red blood cell parameters and on serum vitamin B12, folate and homocysteine concentrations during pregnancy with and without anemia

BackgroundResearch to date suggests that nickel affects not only the metabolism of vitamin B12 but also folates and thus may affect hematopoiesis processes.ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to examine the relationship of nickel (Ni) status to red blood cell (RBC) parameters and serum vitamin B12, folate and homocysteine concentrations in the course of normal pregnancy and in pregnant women with anemia.MethodsThe study included fifty-three pregnant women recruited to the study from the Lower Silesia region of Poland, 17 % of whom developed anemia. Nickel concentration was determined in urine, whole blood and food samples by atomic absorption spectrometry. At the same time as the food and urine samples were taken, blood was also collected for the determination of RBC parameters and serum vitamin B12, homocysteine and folate concentrations.ResultsThe median reported Ni intake, and the urinary and whole blood nickel contents for the studied pregnant women for the first trimester were respectively – 162.46 μg/day, 3.98 μg/L and 3.32 μg/L; for the second trimester – 110.48 μg/day, 6.86 μg/L and 1.04 μg/L; and for the third trimester – 132.20 μg/day, 3.41 μg/L and 0.70 μg/L. With regard to Ni concentration in whole blood (p = 0.0204) and in urine (p = 0.0003), the differences in the values for individual trimesters were statistically significant. The whole blood Ni level was significantly higher (9.28 vs 3.62 μg/L, p = 0.0114), while the concentration of homosysteine was significantly lower (4.09 vs 5.04 μmol/L, p = 0.0165) in pregnant women with anemia compared to those without anemia. The whole blood Ni concentration was negatively correlated with almost all RBC parameters in non-anemic pregnant women.ConclusionsNi status changes with the development of normal pregnancy, and in the case of anemia, an increase in Ni concentration in whole blood is observed. The demonstrated correlations between the Ni status in pregnant women and RBC parameters as well as serum vitamin B12 and folate concentrations suggest that nickel is associated with the methionine–folate cycle, iron homeostasis and bacterial synthesis of vitamin B12 in humans.     

The role of body mass in thermoregulation

Inbred Fisher and Buffalo rats were raised in small and in large litters and by such litter manipulation, large- and small-bodied animals were obtained within the same strain. When the rats were exposed to extreme cold and heat, it appeared that large-bodied rats in both strains survived longer in cold and small-bodied rats survived longer in heat. The two trends were clearly evident, and individual correlations between survival time and body mass were generally significant. However, there were also irregularities in such correlations. It is concluded that this is due to the fact that body mass is only one factor determining temperature tolerance in addition to hypothalamic, endocrine, and possibly neurochemical factors not known to be correlated to body mass.