Savignin, a potent thrombin inhibitor isolated from the salivary glands of the tick Ornithodoros savignyi (Acari: Argasidae).

A thrombin (E.C. 3.4.21.5) inhibitor, savignin, was isolated from the salivary glands of Ornithodoros savignyi by a combination of size exclusion, anion-exchange, and reversed-phase chromatography. The inhibitor has a molecular mass of 12,430.4 Da as determined by electrospray mass spectrometry. The behavior of savignin during anion-exchange chromatography indicated that it has an acidic pI. The available N-terminal sequence (residues 1-11) differed from that of ornithodorin with only one residue. Savignin inhibits thrombin-induced platelet aggregation, but has no effect on ADP- or collagen-induced aggregation. Kinetic studies indicated that savignin is a competitive, slow-, tight-binding inhibitor of alpha-thrombin (K(i) = 4.89 +/- 1.39 pM). Tight-binding kinetics showed that the inhibitor has a lower affinity for gamma-thrombin (K(i) = 22.3 +/- 5.9 nM). Plasmin, factor Xa, and trypsin are not inhibited by savignin.     

Production of acidic xylo-oligosaccharides by a family 10 endoxylanase from Thermoascus aurantiacus and use as plant growth regulators

Neutral and acidic oligosaccharides were obtained from birchwood xylan by treatment with an endoxylanase, family 10 class, from Thermoascus aurantiacus. The main acidic xylooligosaccharide (aldotetrauronic acid) was separated from the hydrolysate by anion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography and the primary structure was determined by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The aldotetrauronic yield was 15% (w/w) of the total solubilised sugars. The addition of purified aldoterauronic acid at 1.6–16 mg l^–1 growth medium, induced callus and somatic embryogenesis in culture explants of common mallow (Malva silvestris L.) and cotton (Gosssypium hirsutum).     

Lung tissue mechanics and extracellular matrix composition in a murine model of silicosis.

The dynamic mechanical properties of lung tissue and its contents of collagen and elastic fibers were studied in strips prepared from mice instilled intratracheally with saline (C) or silica [15 (S15) and 30 days (S30) after instillation]. Resistance, elastance, and hysteresivity were studied during oscillations at different frequencies on S15 and S30. Elastance increased from C to silica groups but was similar between S15 and S30. Resistance was augmented from C to S15 and S30 and was greater in S30 than in S15 at higher frequencies. Hysteresivity was higher in S30 than in C and S15. Silica groups presented a greater amount of collagen than did C. Elastic fiber content increased progressively along time. This increment was related to the higher amount of oxytalan fibers at 15 and 30 days, whereas elaunin and fully developed elastic fibers were augmented only at 30 days. Silicosis led not only to pulmonary fibrosis but also to fibroelastosis, thus assigning a major role to the elastic system in the silicotic lung.     

Distribution of matter in the current-carrying plasma and dense core of the discharge channel formed upon electrical wire explosion

Distribution of matter in the discharge channel formed upon a nanosecond electrical explosion of a single wire in air and vacuum was studied experimentally. Simultaneous use of optical, UV, and X-ray diagnostics made it possible to distinguish qualitatively different regions of the discharge channel, such as the current-carrying layers and the region occupied by a weakly conducting cold plasma. Several series of experiments with 25-μm-diameter 12-mm-long wires made of different materials were performed. The charging voltage and the current amplitude were varied in the ranges of U ₀ = 10–20 kV and I _max ∼ 5–10 kA, respectively. Explosion regimes with a current pause and with and without current interruption, as well as with wire preheating in air and vacuum, were studied. Shadow and schlieren images of the discharge channel were obtained using optical probing at the second harmonic of a YAG: Nd⁺³ laser (λ = 0.532 μm, τ ∼ 10 ns). In the experiments carried out in vacuum, X-ray images of the discharge channel were also obtained using an X-pinch as a point source of probing radiation and UV images were recorded using a four-frame MCP camera.     

Limited proteolysis of porcine pancreatic lipase. Lability of the Phe 335-Ala 336 bond towards chymotrypsin

Mild chymotrypsin digestion of native lipase (449 amino acids) preferentially cleaved the Phe 335-Ala 336 bond. On SDS-gel electrophoresis, 3 major bands were observed: band 1 (52 kDa) representing native lipase, bands 2 and 3 (40 and 12 kDa) representing the two lipase fragments A and B. Fragment A does not retain lipase activity but maintains its ability to adsorb to interfaces. Fragment B was identified with the lipase C-terminal region (336-449). It does not exhibit any activity towards tributyrylglycerol emulsions and any ability to adsorb to interfaces.     

Sensitization of mice with wild-type and cold-adapted influenza virus variants: immune response to two H1N1 and H3N2 viruses

Two A strain influenza viruses, A/Hong Kong/123/77 (A/HK/123/77) (H1N1) and A/Queensland/6/72 (A/Qld/6/72) (H3N2), and the two cold-adapted reassortants which possess the surface antigens of these strains (CR35 and CR6, respectively) were tested for their ability both to induce primary cytotoxic T-cell (Tc cell) responses in mice and to sensitize mice for a second Tc cell response when challenged with a distantly related A strain virus, A/Shearwater/72 (H6N5). After intranasal inoculation, A/Qld/6/72 replicated to higher titers in the lung (1 to 2 log10 50% egg infective doses) than did A/HK/123/77 or either of the reassortants. A/Qld/6/72 induced higher Tc cell responses in the lung than did CR6, and both were more effective than either A/HK/123/77 or CR35 in this respect. When similar doses (10 or 10(3) hemagglutinin units) of each virus were injected intravenously into mice and the spleens were tested for Tc cell activity 6 days later, both A/Qld/6/72 and CR6 were ca. 100-fold better at inducing a primary Tc cell response than A/HK/123/77 or CR35. In contrast, the H1N1 and H3N2 viruses gave rather similar anti-hemagglutinin antibody titers (after intravenous injection) and delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions (after subcutaneous injection). If mice were primed with a low dose of these viruses (10(4) 50% egg infective doses intranasally), A/Qld/6/72 and CR6 were more effective than A/HK/123/77 or CR35 at sensitizing for a secondary Tc cell response when challenged with A/Shearwater/72, but if larger doses were given either intranasally (10(6) 50% egg infective doses) or intravenously (10 to 10(3) hemagglutinin units), all viruses sensitized the mice equally well, despite the fact the A/Shearwater/72 gives a poor primary Tc cell response in mice. Thus, the viral glycoprotein antigens can be important in determining the immunogenicity of the virus and, particularly, the class I antigen-restricted Tc cell response of the host.     

Ca2+ channel antagonist actions in bladder smooth muscle: comparative pharmacologic and [3H]nitrendipine binding studies

The actions of a series of 15 Ca2+ channel antagonists including D-600, nifedipine, and diltiazem were examined against K+ depolarization and muscarinic receptor induced responses in guinea pig bladder smooth muscle. Responses of bladder are very dependent upon extracellular Ca2+ and sensitive to the Ca2+ channel antagonists, the tonic component more than the phasic component of response. Regardless of stimulant, K+ or methylfurmethide (MF), or component of response, the same rank order of antagonist activities is expressed, suggestive of a single structure-activity relationship and the existence of a single category of binding site which may, however, exist in several affinity states. High affinity binding of [3H]nitrendipine (KD = 1.1 X 10(-10) M) occurs in bladder membranes, and similar high affinity binding was found in microsomal preparations from other smooth muscles including guinea pig and rat lung, rat vas deferens, uterus, and stomach. [3H]nitrendipine binding in the bladder was sensitive to displacement by other 1,4-dihydropyridines, paralleling their pharmacologic activities and showing excellent agreement with binding data previously obtained for guinea pig ileal smooth muscle. Comparison of pharmacologic data for inhibition of K+- and MF-induced responses by a common series of Ca2+ channel antagonists in bladder and ileum revealed excellent correlations. Neither pharmacologic nor binding studies suggest significant differences in Ca2+ channel antagonist properties in smooth muscle from bladder and intestine.     

Preference and performance of Lepidoptera varies with tree age in juniper woodlands

1. As trees age, they undergo significant physiological and morphological changes. Nevertheless, tree ontogeny and its impacts on herbivores are often overlooked as determinants of plant–herbivore population dynamics and the strength of plant–herbivore interactions. 2. Juniperus (Cupressaceae) is a dominant, long‐lived conifer that serves as the sole host to a specialised assemblage of caterpillars. Over the past 150 years, several juniper species in western North America have expanded their geographic occupancy at local and regional scales, which has resulted in an increase in the number of immature trees on the landscape. Using assays in the laboratory, the effects of tree ontogeny on caterpillar performance and oviposition preference for two juniper specialist caterpillars, Callophrys gryneus (Lycaenidae) and Glena quinquelinearia (Geometridae), were examined. The study considered whether responses to tree ontogeny were consistent across caterpillar species and juniper host species. 3. Tree age was found to be a reliable predictor of caterpillar performance, with caterpillars developing more quickly and growing larger when fed foliage from young trees. Differences in the phytochemical diversity between foliage from trees of different ages might help to explain observed differences in caterpillar performance. Interestingly, the specialist butterfly, C. gryneus, displayed an oviposition preference for foliage from old‐growth Juniperus osteosperma trees, despite the fact that larvae of this species performed poorly on older trees. 4. It is concluded that young juniper trees are an important resource for the specialised Lepidopteran community and that tree ontogeny is an important component of intraspecific variation, which contributes to the structure of plant–herbivore communities.