Accurate determination of mean cell volume by isotope dilution in erythrocyte populations with variable deformability.

Variations in erythrocyte deformability and morphology lead to artifacts in electronic determinations of mean cellular volume (MCV) by the aperture-impedance method. The micropipette-aspiration technique loses accuracy when applied to severely aberrant cells such as dense sickle cells. A new light-scattering technique requires that the cells be capable of undergoing isovolumetric sphering. In contrast, the isotope-dilution (ID) method measures absolute mean volume and is free of artifacts associated with abnormal deformability or morphology. It does not depend on any algorithms or correction factors and does not subject the cells to any stringent processing, not even centrifugation. The ID method can be used to determine the mean volume of red cells in hypo- or hypertonic media or in the presence of pharmacologic agents. It requires no more than a 1-ml aliquot of suspended cells at a hematocrit of at least 30%. The cells can be readily recovered, washed, and reused. Using EDTA labeled with 57Co as an extracellular space marker we have used ID to determine the MCV of fractionated normal human red blood cells (RBC), unfractionated RBC containing SS hemoglobin, and RBC from four other mammalian species. In the case of human RBC obtained from eight normal donors, we obtained mean MCV values (+/- SD) of 83.6 +/- 3.0, 87.5 +/- 3.9, and 76.5 +/- 5.3 fl for unfractionated and top and bottom 10% density fractions, respectively. The value 83.6 is significantly lower than the generally accepted range of 89-91 indicated by electronic analyzers calibrated against spun microhematocrits. The discrepancy of about 7% can account for the difference between mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) data determined by a calibrated Coulter Counter and corresponding data obtained with paired samples using a cyanmethemoglobin procedure specified in NCCLS Standard H15-A and corrected for trapped plasma.     

Development and evaluation of the polymerase chain reaction to detect Mycoplasma genitalium

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed to detect Mycoplasma genitalium. Oligonucleotide primers were used to amplify a 374 bp region of the attachment protein of the mycoplasma. DNA from three strains of M. genitalium tested gave a characteristic PCR product which was not seen with DNA from any other source. As little as 10(-15) g of M. genitalium DNA could be detected and it was found in the vagina of progesterone-treated BALB/c mice inoculated with M. genitalium organisms later than they could be cultured from this site, but not in mice that never became colonised vaginally.     

An immune response defect due to low levels of class II cell surface expression. Analysis of antigen presentation and positive selection.

The effects of quantitative differences in class II cell surface expression have been difficult to address in intact animals. This study uses several lines of H-2s/s mice carrying an A beta k transgene that differ significantly in terms of class II cell surface expression. Due to inefficient chain pairing, mice carrying 60 to 65 copies of this transgene express only low levels of A alpha s/A beta k on the cell surface, and cell surface expression of the endogenous A alpha s/A beta s complex (and total Ia) is severely reduced (to 7-15% control levels). The significant decrease in class II cell surface expression in the thymic cortex of these mice did not affect the frequency of peripheral T cells expressing at least 10 distinct TCR V beta chains. However, T cell proliferative responses to the A alpha s/A beta s-restricted peptide MBP 89-101 were abrogated in high copy number A beta k mice. Experiments using bone marrow chimeras demonstrated that both inefficient Ag presentation and failure to positively select appropriate T cells contributed to this lack of response. Inefficient Ag presentation was clearly the dominant defect, and the density of class II cell surface expression required for positive selection appeared to be quite low.     

Simultaneous Comparisons of Multiple Treatments to Two (or More) Control

DUNNETT (1955) developed a procedure simultaneously comparing k treatments to one control with an exact overall type I error of α when all sampling distributions are normal. Sometimes it is desirable to compare k treatments to m≧2 controls, in particular to two controls. For instance, several new therapies (e.g., pain relievers) could be compared to two standard therapies (e.g., Aspirin and Tylenol). Alternatively, a standard therapy could be very expensive, difficult to apply and/or have bad side effects, making it useful to compare each new therapy to both standard therapy and no therapy (Placebo). Dunnett's method is expanded here to give comparisons of mean values for k treatments to mean values for m≧2 controls at an exact overall type I error of α when all sampling distributions are normal. Tabled values needed to make exact simultaneous comparisons at α = .05 are given for m = 2. An application is made to an example from the literature.     

Sequence of the cDNA encoding ovine tumor necrosis factor-alpha: problems with cloning by inverse PCR.

We have cloned and sequenced the ovine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-encoding cDNA, using gene amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, to aid studies of assorted diseases in this species. We used primers selected from published TnfA sequences of other species on a cDNA template prepared from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated ovine alveolar macrophages, to generate a product representing the central region of the molecule. We then used a novel method based on 'inverse PCR' to generate a product containing the 5' and 3' ends of the molecule. Here, we present the complete sequence of the ovine TNF-alpha cDNA and compare it with other published TNF sequences. The cloned cDNA has a leader sequence of 156 bp followed by a protein-coding sequence of 702 bp and a 3'-untranslated region of 800 bp. The protein product of the gene is a protein of Mr = 25,586, 79% homologous to human TNF-alpha. An mRNA produced by alveolar macrophages, which hybridises to the cloned gene, is induced greatly, with a peak induction time of approx. 135 min, in response to stimulation by lipopolysaccharide and to plating on plastic. We also discuss the resolution of some artefacts of the inverse PCR technique.     

The effect of high hydrostatic pressure on the modulation of regulatory enzymes from spinach chloroplasts.

High hydrostatic pressure enhanced the specific activity of regulatory enzymes of the Benson-Calvin cycle (fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase, phosphoribulokinase) which are modulated by the ferredoxin-thioredoxin system. High activity of chloroplast fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase required dithiothreitol, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, and Ca2+. At 100 bar the A0.5 for fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (0.3 mM) was lower than that at 1 bar (1.5 mM), whereas similar variations of pressure did not alter the A0.5 for Ca2+ (55 microM). The response of chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase exposed to 500 bar was a 4-fold increase in the NADP-linked activity; conversely, the NAD-dependent activity remained unchanged. The concerted action of high pressure and Pi (or ATP), both activators of chloroplast glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase, led to inactivation. On the other hand, the activity of phosphoribulokinase increased 10-fold when the enzyme was incubated at 1500 bar; the activation process was strictly dependent on the presence of dithiothreitol. At variance with these enzymes, bovine liver fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, yeast glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase, and chloroplast ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase, whose activities are not modulated by reduced thioredoxin, were inactivated by high pressure. The comparison of oligomeric enzymes revealed that the stimulation of specific activity by high pressure correlated with thioredoxin-mediated activation, and it did not depend on a particular subunit composition. Present results show that high pressure resembled thioredoxin, cosolvents, and chaotropic anions in its action on regulatory enzymes of the Benson-Calvin cycle. The comparison of physiological and non-physiological modulators suggested that thioredoxin-mediated modifications of noncovalent interactions is an important event in light-dependent regulation of chloroplast enzymes.     

Mechanism of inhibition of peptide chain initiation by amino acid deprivation in perfused rat liver. Regulation involving inhibition of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha phosphatase activity.

In previous studies, initiation of protein synthesis was shown to be inhibited in perfused rat livers deprived of single essential amino acids. In the present study, histidinol, a competitive inhibitor of histidinyl-tRNA synthetase, was used to amplify the effects of histidine deprivation on protein synthesis in perfused liver to facilitate investigation of mechanisms involved in the inhibition of peptide chain initiation. Protein synthesis was reduced to 77% of the control rate in livers deprived of histidine and to 13% of the control rate in livers deprived of histidine and exposed to 2.0 mM histidinol. The inhibition of protein synthesis caused by histidine deprivation alone was accompanied by a 2-fold increase in the number of free ribosomal particles, a 29% decrease in Met-tRNA(i) binding to 43 S preinitiation complexes, and a 31% reduction in activity of eukaryotic initiation factor 2B (eIF-2B). By comparison, histidine deprivation combined with histidinol addition resulted in a 3-fold increase in free ribosomal particles, a 66% decrease in Met-tRNAi binding, and a 78% reduction in eIF-2B activity. The proportion of the alpha-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor two (eIF-2) in the phosphorylated form increased from 8.9 +/- 0.8% in control livers to 52.4 +/- 5.5% in response to histidinol. The increase in the amount of eIF-2 alpha in the phosphorylated form apparently was not due to an increase in kinase activity, because there was no change in eIF-2 alpha kinase activity in extracts of liver perfused with medium containing histidinol compared to controls. Instead, the increased phosphorylation of eIF-2 alpha was associated with an inhibition of eIF-2 alpha phosphatase activity. Thus, in contrast to other systems that have been examined, the mechanism involved in the increase in the phosphorylation state of eIF-2 alpha appears to involve an inhibition of eIF-2 alpha phosphatase activity rather than activation of an eIF-2 alpha kinase.     

Morphometry, densitometry and pattern analysis of plastic-embedded histologic material from urothelial cell carcinoma of the bladder.

An image analysis method of grading histologic sections of bladder carcinoma was tested. The method was new in four respects. First, for fixation of the biopsies a coagulant fixative was used. Second, 2-microns plastic sections were used to ensure the reproducibility of nuclear imaging. Third, a new stereologic approach was used for calculation of the nuclear volume and DNA content. Fourth, for the classification rule the morphometric, densitometric and texture features were used in concert. The IBAS 2000 instrument was used for the measurements. Texture analysis of the chromatin patterns was performed using Markovian texture features. Using discriminant analysis, of 22 parameters, 2 morphometric, 2 densitometric and 3 texture features were selected for the classification rule. With them, 89% of the bladder carcinomas were correctly classified into the three grades. All grade III tumors were classified correctly. Among the features tested, the densitometry of the DNA had the highest F values. All of the grade III tumors and 45% of the grade II tumor group had DNA histograms indicating aneuploidy. This study showed that plastic-embedded material is well suited to morphometry and densitometry and can be used for quantitative grading of bladder carcinoma.     

Three saponins from Oxytropis species.

Three flavonoids and three saponins have been isolated from Oxytropis species. Their structures were determined as isorhamnetin-3-O-beta-D-glucoside, rhamnetin-3-O-beta-D-galactoside, apigenin, 3-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1----2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1----4)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl]+ ++soyasapogenol B, 3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1----2)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl] azukisapogenol and a new saponin 3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1----2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-25-O-alpha-L- rhamnopyranosyl-(20S,24S)-3 beta,16 beta, 20,24,25-pentahydroxy-9,19-cycloanostane.     

Genetic mapping of the gene for androgen-binding protein/sex hormone-binding globulin to mouse chromosome 11

Southern blot analysis of DNAs from Chinese hamster x mouse and rat x mouse somatic cell hybrids showed that the mouse gene encoding androgen-binding protein/sex hormone-binding globulin (ABP-SHBG) is on Chromosome 11. Progeny from an intersubspecies backcross were analyzed to position this locus, termed Shbg, between Il-3 and Int-4 in the middle of this chromosome. Shbg is thus closely linked to several neurological mutations, one of which, Tr, is also associated with male sterility. The recent finding that ABP-SHBG is found throughout the rat brain raises the possibility that one of these mutations may be due to a defect in Shbg.