Complement-dependent cytotoxic factor to megakaryocyte progenitors in sera from patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

The influence of sera from patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) was examined on colony formation from megakaryocyte (M) progenitors. Though incubation of marrow cells in Iscove's modified Dulbecco's medium (IMDM) containing 50% sera from several ITP patients stimulated M-colony formation in 8 of 13 cases, incubation in the sera from the patients and in baby rabbit serum as a source of complement significantly suppressed the colony formation. Experiments showed that sera of immunoglobulin G from ITP patients had significant complement-dependent cytotoxicity to M-progenitors in normal marrow cells or in the marrow cells from corresponding patients, but not to CFU-e, BFU-e or CFU-gm. Cytospin preparations of individually collected M-colonies from marrow cells treated with ITP patients' sera and complement revealed a reduction of megakaryocyte colonies containing cells of multilineages. These results indicate that autoantibodies detected in ITP patients can bind not only to platelets and megakaryocytes, but may also bind to M-progenitors.     

Regulatory Mechanisms of Reproductive Effort in Plants II. Plasticity in Reproductive Energy Allocation and Propagule Output of Glycine max Merr. (Leguminosae) Cultivated at Varying Densities and Nitrogen Levels

Abstract Plasticity in growth, reproductive energy allocation (RA), and reproductive output were studied in Glycine max Merr. Cv. Enrei (Leguminosae) grown under varying densities and soil nitrogen levels.
Marked plastic responses were detected in individual biomass, the patterns of resource allocation to total reproductive structures (RA) and also to propagules, reproductive outputs, and propagule weight under changing densities and soil nitrogen levels. Plants cultivated at higher densities exhibited proportionately lower individual biomass, lower RA, lower seed output, and smaller seed size in response to increasing density and decreasing soil nitrogen levels, although some deviations were observed, especially in the highest density plot with no fertilization. Differences due to different N-levels were not as great as those to changing density, which may in part be due to the fact that soybean has nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root tubercles, just as in any other Leguminosae. Fecundity was also maintained at the similar high rates of 80–97% in all plots examined, although slight but steady decreases were noted with increasing density. This resemblance in fecundity may be due to its strong inbreeding system.
Another important finding was that seed production under limited resource availability, notably lack of ample solar radiation due to strong interference at higher density plots, is exceedingly costly. This was most clearly exhibited by a sharp increase in relative energy partitioning to a single propagule in response to the increased density, the relative energy cost to a single propagule (RA) increasing from one to seven-fold. The results obtained in this study coincide well with the findings made in other plants, e.g., Helianthus annuus, Oryza sativa , and Coix ma-yuen , with the same experimental designs.     

GQ1b, a bioactive ganglioside that exhibits novel nerve growth factor (NGF)-like activities in the two neuroblastoma cell lines

To clarify the role of gangliosides in the morphological and biochemical differentiation of neuronal cell cultures, the model cell culture system represented by two neuroblastoma cell lines, GOTO and NB-1, which were established from adrenal gland and metastatic neck lymph node, respectively, was examined. We found that the total ganglioside fraction from human brain had two remarkable effects on these cell lines, which are similar to those of nerve growth factor (NGF): (a) an increase in the cell number, and (b) an increase in the neurite number and the total length of neurites. In these cases, the genuine effector in total gangliosides could not be ascribed to a possibly contaminating NGF-like protein, but rather to a particular molecular species of the gangliosides, GQ1b, which could completely replace the effector function not only qualitatively but also quantitatively. Our results provide direct evidence for the participation of gangliosides in such functions.     

Possible roles of calcium and ammonium in the development of bitter pit in apple

Apple trees ( Malus pumila Mill . var. domestica Fuji/ Malus prunifolia rootstock) showed a high susceptibility to bitter pit when supplyed with ammonium salt instead of nitrate (control) in the nutrient solution. When apple fruit was affected by bitter pit, a lower calcium as well as a higher nitrogen and ammonium-nitrogen contents was observed in the fruit flesh near the calyx end. The activity of the mitochondrial Ca²⁺-uptake of the fruit flesh near the calyx end was higher when the tree was grown with ammonium salt than when grown with nitrate. Both the activities of succinate: cytochrome c oxidoreductase and the mitochondrial Ca²⁺-uptake per g of tissue were higher in affected fruit than in healthy fruit. Each of chlorpromazine, N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-l-napthalenesulfonamide (W-7) and N-(6-aminohexyl)-l-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-5), calmodulin antagonists, was infiltrated into the fruit for 20 min under reduced pressure (about 1 × 10⁴ Pa). Few days later, numerous bitter pit-like spots were observed in both fruit treated with W-7 and chlorpromazine, while only a few spots were observed after the infiltration with W-5, a less potent calmodulin antagonist. A possible mechanism for the occurrence of bitter pit is discussed.     

Synthesis of four diastereoisomers at carbons 24 and 25 of 3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha,24-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholestan-26-oic acid, intermediates of bile acid biosynthesis

The synthesis of four stereoisomers at C-24 and C-25 of 3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha,24-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholestan-26-oic acid is described. Pyridium chlorochromate oxidation of 3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha-triacetoxy-5 beta-cholan-24-ol (II) prepared from cholic acid (I) afforded 3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha-triacetoxy-5 beta-cholan-24-al (III) which was converted to a mixture of the four stereoisomers (IV-VII) by a Reformatsky reaction with ethyl DL-alpha-bromopropionate followed by alkaline hydrolysis. Separation of these isomers (IV-VII) was achieved by silica gel column chromatography, and subsequent reversed-phase partition column chromatography. The configurations at C-24 were elucidated by conversion of each isomer into (24R)- or (24S)-5 beta-cholestane-3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha,24-tetrol (XII or XI) by Kolbe electric coupling, the C-24 configurations of which were determined by modified Horeau's method and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The stereochemistries at C-25 were deduced by comparison of IV-VII with the products of the hydroboration followed by oxidation with alkaline hydrogen peroxide of (24E)-3 alpha,7 alpha,12 alpha-trihydroxy-5 beta-cholest-24-en-26-oic acid (XIII).