Homologous and heterologous regulation of the helodermin/vasoactive-intestinal-peptide response in the murine radiation leukemia-virus-induced lymphoma cell line BL/VL3

1. Functional vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)/helodermin receptors and beta 2-adrenoceptors coexist in membranes from a cultured cloned BL/VL3 cell line of murine T-cell lymphoma induced by a radiation leukemia virus (see preceding paper in this journal). 2. Short-term (5-30 min) exposures of BL/VL3 cells to VIP or isoproterenol induced both homologous and heterologous desensitization. The potency of VIP and isoproterenol to desensitize was similar to their potency to occupy receptors and activate adenylate cyclase. 3. Long-term (16-h) exposure of BL/VL3 cells to VIP induced homologous down regulation only, whereas isoproterenol induced both homologous and heterologous down regulation. The potency of VIP, peptide histidine isoleucinamide, helodermin, helospectin, and [D-Phe2]VIP on the one hand, and of isoproterenol on the other hand, to decrease homologous responses was comparable to their potency for receptor occupancy and adenylate cyclase activation.     

Are the characeae able to indicate the origin of groundwater in former river channels?

The macroscopic algae Characeae are usually assumed to occur in waterbodies supplied by groundwater with low phosphate content, but the indicative value of the species is seldom defined in bibliography. Former braided channels of the Rhône river are supplied with groundwater originating from the main channel (seepage) or from hillslope aquifer. The aim of the present paper was to determine if it possible to use the Characeae as indicators of physicochemical characteristies of water in order to assess the origin of groundwater supplying former river channels. Four former braided channels of the Rhône River colonized by Characeae were investigated, and the physico-chemical characteristics of i) the channels, ii) the groundwater and iii) the river were measured over a period of several months. Species are arranged along a gradient of conductivity, alkalinity, ammonium and phosphate content of the water. Charophyte species can indicate the origin of groundwater, either seepage or hillslope nutrient-poor aquifer, and integrate both the average value of the chemical parameter, and their variations. C. hispida occurs in a nutrient-poor channel mainly supplied by highly calcareous groundwater coming from hillslope aquifer. Chara major has requirements close to those of C. hispida, but is more tolerant to periodic inputs of nutrients. C. vulgaris and N. syncarpa both tolerate mesotrophic waters originating from both hillslope aquifer and seepage, and C. globularis is associated to a channel mainly supplied by mesotrophic to eutrophic river seepage.     

Further progress towards a catalogue of all Arabidopsis genes: analysis of a set of 5000 non-redundant ESTs

Nearly 7000 Arabidopsis thaliana -expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from 10 cDNA libraries have been sequenced, of which almost 5000 non-redundant tags have been submitted to the EMBL data bank. The quality of the cDNA libraries used is analysed. Similarity searches in international protein data banks have allowed the detection of significant similarities to a wide range of proteins from many organisms. Alignment with ESTs from the rice systematic sequencing project has allowed the detection of amino acid motifs which are conserved between the two organisms, thus identifying tags to genes encoding highly conserved proteins. These genes are candidates for a common framework in genome mapping projects in different plants.     

Analysis of human V H gene repertoire expression in peripheral CD19+ B cells

Using CD19 B-cell selection and polymerase chain reaction-amplified cDNA libraries, we analyzed the peripheral immunoglobulin heavy chain variable repertoire of three healthy adult donors. Here we report that most of the CD19+ circulating B cells expressed unmutated V _H-D-J_H rearrangements. By specific V _H family hybridization, we show that V _H gene family utilization in the periphery roughly corresponds to the complexity of these families in the germline and appears to be relatively constant among the analyzed subjects. However, sequence data of clones picked at random from one IgM cDNA library reveals that in spite of this random utilization, the V _H gene expression in naive circulating B cells is highly biased towards the expression of a limited set of V _H genes. As previously reported by others, this restricted mechanism is also found for the D and J _H segments.The nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper have been submitted to the GenBank/EMBL nucleotide sequence database and have been assigned the accession numbers Z47213-Z47243 and Z47349     

Innovation in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Innovations of behavior have major implications for the concept of culture in animals. Innovation has rarefy been documented in wild animal populations. The chimpanzees of the Ta? National Park, C?te d’Ivoire, spontaneously included new patterns of behavior in their repertoire during our study. Some innovations were incorporated into a minority of the group members’ repertoire, whereas others, such as building day nests in trees and on the ground more frequently, became general behaviors. Similarly, new contexts for use of leaf- clipping behavior and novel ways of feeding on some leaves appeared and rapidly became part of the behavior of most group members. The environmental parameters were too stable to explain these new forms of behavior, as most of them took place within 1 month during the same dry season. In a similar way, leaf- grooming acquired a new function in Gombe chimpanzees. A process similar to social conventions could explain the emergence of these new functions for an existing behavior in a way rather similar to human “fashion. ” Three major characteristics of human culture — the absence of individual variations in the performance of the behavior, the general use of the behavior by group members, and the ability to modify the function of a behavior — characterize leaf-clipping in Ta? chimpanzees and leaf- grooming in Gombe chimpanzees.     

Cyclic-AMP inhibits cell growth and negatively interacts with platelet membrane glycoprotein expression on the Dami human megakaryoblastic cell line

Intracellular signaling processes by which hematopoietic growth factors regulate megakaryocytopoiesis remain uncompletely understood. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) has been shown to be implicated in the regulation of growth and differentiation in various normal and malignant cell types. Since a few studies have suggested the possible involvement of the cAMP pathway as one of the intracellular mechanisms whereby megakaryocytopoiesis may be regulated, we investigated the functional effects of cAMP on the human megakaryoblastic Dami cell line. We observed that exposure of Dami cells to cAMP analogs or to agents elevating intracellular cAMP levels yielded dose-dependent cell growth inhibition. Cell cycle progression analysis of cells predominantly synchronized at the G1/S boundary by prior treatment with hydroxyurea revealed that cAMP transiently accumulated cells in the G2/M phase, then slowing down cell cycle. On the other hand, immunofluorescence and Northern blot analysis of megakaryocytic differentiation marker expression showed that probes we have used significantly inhibited GPlb expression. Moreover, although these agents used alone did not affect GPllb/llla expression, they markedly reversed phorbol ester-induced GPllb/llla expression increase. These inhibitory cAMP actions on glycoprotein expression were not the result of cell cycle perturbation since we observed that GPlb and GPllb/llla expression were not cell cycle dependent. All these data may then be consistent with a potential negative regulatory role of the cAMP intracellular signaling pathway during megakaryocytopoiesis. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Developmental and pathogen-induced activation of an msr gene, str246C, from tobacco involves multiple regulatory elements

A family of genes, the so-called msr genes (multiple stimulus response), has recently been identified on the basis of sequence homology in various plant species. Members of this gene family are thought to be regulated by a number of environmental or developmental stimuli, although it is not known whether any one member responds more specifically to one stimulus, or whether each gene member responds to various environmental stimuli. In this report, we address this question by studying the tobacco msr gene str246C. Using transgenic tobacco plants containing 2.1 kb of 5 flanking DNA sequence from the str246C gene fused to the -glucuronidase (GUS) coding region, the complex expression pattern of the str246C promoter has been characterized. Expression of the str246C promoter is strongly and rapidly induced by bacterial, fungal and viral infection and this induction is systemic. Elicitor preparations from phytopathogenic bacteria and fungi activate the str246C promoter to high levels, as do wounding, the application of auxin, auxin and cytokinin, salicylic acid or copper sulfate, indicating the absence of gene specialization within the msr gene family, at least for str246C. In addition, GUS activity was visualized. histochemically in root meristematic tissues of tobacco seedlings and is restricted to roots and sepals of mature plants. Finally, analysis of a series of 5 deletions of the str246C promoter-GUS gene fusion in transgenic tobacco plants confirms the involvement of multiple regulatory elements. A region of 83 by was found to be necessary for induction of promoter activity in response to Pseudomonas solanacearum, while auxin inducibility and root expression are apparently not controlled by this element, since its removal does not abolish either response. An element of the promoter with a negative effect on promoter activation by P. solanacearum was also identified.Joint first authors