Chemically-defined medium for growth and differentiation of mixed epithelial and connective tissues in organ culture

The effect on tissue differentiation and growth in vitro of certain of the factors implicated in collagen synthesis (ascorbic acid, α-ketoglutarate and oxygen) and the influence of hydrocortisone was studied using organ cultures of fetal mouse mandible as a mixed epithelial and connective tissue system. Using serum-free Waymouth’s MB 752/1 chemically-defined medium, addition of high levels of ascorbic acid (300 μg per ml), hydrocortisone (1 μg per ml) and oxygen (95%) enhanced differentiation in a number of tissues, in particular skin and appendages, tooth germs and bone, while osteoid and dentine production were noticeably promoted. It is suggested that an essential aspect of media design for organ culture involves the incorporation of collagen-promoting factors to the in vitro environment particularly with regard to the controlling role implicated for collagen in a variety of biological processes. Some of the work reported here was undertaken while A. H. Melcher was a member of the Department of Dental Science, Royal College of Surgeons of England, London, England.     

Electron transfer reactions between quinols and quinones in aqueous and aprotic media

The pathways of redox equilibration of quinols and quinones have been investigated. The rate-limiting reaction involves the couple QH^?/QH^· of the reducing quinol and the couple Q^?/Q of the oxidising quinone. Three general mechanistic points may be surmised: (i) protonation/deprotonation reactions are not rate-limiting; (ii) all transfers occur in one-equivalent steps; (iii) electron transfers, but not hydrogen atom transfers, are the dominant features. In aprotic media, no rapid route of equilibration is available since the ionic species which are necessary for thermodynamically feasible routes of electron transfer cannot exist to any great extent. The relation of these results to models of biological quinone systems is discussed.     

Streamlining 'search and destroy': cost-effective surveillance for invasive species management

Invasive species surveillance has typically been targeted to where the species is most likely to occur. However, spatially varying environmental characteristics and land uses may affect more than just the probability of occurrence. Biodiversity or economic value, and the ease of detection and control are also likely to vary. We incorporate these factors into a detection and treatment model of a low-density invader to determine the surveillance strategy that minimizes expected management costs. Sites with a high probability of invader occurrence and great benefits associated with detection warrant intensive surveillance; however, the optimum investment is a nonlinear function of these factors. Environments where the invader is relatively easy to detect are prioritized for surveillance, although only a moderate investment is necessary to ensure a high probability of detection. Intensive surveillance effort may be allocated to other sites if the probability of occurrence, budget and/or expected benefits is sufficiently high.     

A single-step gel-filtration method for the isolation of procollagens from cell culture conditioned medium

Procollagens are the major proteins secreted into the conditioned medium of cultured arterial smooth muscle cells. Methods for the isolation and quantification of these macromolecules have traditionally required preliminary salt precipitation of procollagens from the conditioned medium followed by cellulose ion-exchange chromatography. The method described here exploits the elongated conformation of soluble procollagens and allows the direct recovery of procollagens from culture medium by a single gel-filtration chromatographic step under nondissociating conditions. Procollagens are isolated in high yield and show minimal processing by procollagen N- or C-terminal peptidase activity. This method results in rapid recovery of highly purified procollagens, free of most proteoglycans of other products of smooth muscle cell metabolism.     

Glucose metabolism and dehydrogenase activities in the cytosol and mitochondria of mouse LS cells in chemostat culture

Summary Energy metabolism has been examined in mouse LS cells growing under steady-state conditions in chemostat culture. The metabolic quotient of glucose oxidized (glucose consumed, but not fermented) remained constant, independent of growth rate between cell doubling times of 6 days and 1.2 days. Specific activities of cytochrome oxidase and malate dehydrogenase in the mitochondria remained constant at different growth rates, in accord with the constancy of the glucose oxidation rate. Cytosolic malate dehydrogenase activity was about fourfold greater than the mitochondrial isozyme. The steady-state rate of lactate production fluctuated because of technical limitations but correlated well with cytosolic lactate dehydrogenase activity. This work was supported by Grant A-3458 from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council Canada.     

An intestinal cell-mediated chromosome aberration test for the detection of genotoxic agents

The use of rat-liver S9 in genotoxicity tests may not reflect true metabolism by whole cells, particularly cells of target organs. We have tested mucosal cells of the mouse small intestine for the capacity to mediate activation/inactivation of chemical carcinogens. Mucosal cells were isolated by pronase digestion. Three million cells were co-cultured with Chinese hamster ovary fibroblasts during a 3-h exposure to chemical clastogens. In the presence of the mucosal cells, aflatoxin B1 (100 microM) was activated to produce chromosome aberrations in 30% of Chinese hamster ovary cell metaphases. 4-Nitroquinoline 1-oxide was deactivated by intestinal cells, while benzo[a]pyrene and dimethylbenz[a]anthracene were not activated by the cells. The clastogenicity of the phenolic compounds caffeic acid (0.28 mg/ml) and clorogenic acid (0.25 mg/ml) was eliminated by the mouse intestinal preparation. The pyrrolizidine alkaloid monocrotaline was activated by intestinal cells. The results suggest the presence of specific activation and deactivation enzymes in the intestinal mucosa. The intestine cell-mediated chromosome aberration test could provide a means to measure tissue-specific activation and deactivation capabilities.     

光合细菌菌落计数培养基的研究

利用正交设计试验法研究了碳源、酵母膏、微量元素、磷酸盐、铁盐、琼脂等6个因子对光合细菌培养计数的影响,确定了各因素的最佳配比:NaHCO31.0g,CH3COONa3.0g,酵母膏2.0g,微量元素0mL/L,K2HPO40.5g,Fe-EDTA0.005g,琼脂8g。该组合加上NH4Cl1.0g,MgCl2·6H2O0.2g,NaCl5.0g,dH2O1000mL,即得出光合细菌菌落计数培养基,称之为R培养基。该培养基对光合细菌的检测具有准确、快速、简便等优点。     

黄色隐球酵母生产辅酶Q10发酵条件的优化

从黄色隐球酵母L3302提取辅酶Q10,经过氮源、碳源、初始pH、发酵温度等的研究分析,得到最佳的发酵条件。通过最优化实验确定培养基:蔗糖和葡萄糖各1.25g/L;酵母膏和玉米浆各0.3g/L;pH值6.5,温度28℃,接种量5%,装液量为50mL/500mL;生长因子以蛋白水解液为优。按此发酵条件上罐发酵,得到菌体生长量为12.8g/L发酵液,辅酶Q10的产量为1.82mg/100mL发酵液。     

乳糖对产木聚糖酶基因工程菌1020的诱导作用及碳氮源优化

研究了国产及进口LB培养基对产嗜热性木聚糖酶基因工程菌1020生长及产酶的影响,并以国产原料为基准,优化了培养基。结果表明,国产的酵母膏及蛋白胨和进口原料相比,缺少某些成分,单纯增加用量不能弥补这种差别;乳糖可以代替昂贵的IPTG起到有效的诱导作用;10g·L-1的乳糖可兼起能源及诱导剂的双重效果,菌的生物量和产酶量达到最佳;发酵8h后补加5g·L-1乳糖,生物量及酶活皆有提高。复合氮源优于单一的无机或有机氮源。优化后的酶活从进口LB培养基的270U～290U提高到1700U～1800U。     

双向凝胶电泳比较三种常用蛋白质提取方法

组织(或细胞)的蛋白质提取效率直接影响蛋白质双向凝胶电泳(2-DE)的分辨率.为探索建立适用于人乳腺癌细胞株MCF-7蛋白质提取的最佳条件,比较目前在双向凝胶电泳中常用的3种蛋白质提取方法对MCF-7细胞总蛋白的提取效率.MCF-7细胞经培养后,分别采用M-PER试剂、标准裂解液或含硫脲裂解液提取其总蛋白质,然后进行双向凝胶电泳,并根据凝胶上蛋白质斑点的丰度和分布特点判断所得双向电泳图谱的质量,以确定MCF-7细胞蛋白质提取的相对最佳方法.结果显示,M-PER试剂法得到的图谱分辨率较低,蛋白质主要集中分布在分子量15~70kD,pH4.7~6.3的范围内;标准裂解液法得到的图谱分辨率有所提高,蛋白质分布比M-PER试剂法得到的图谱广;硫脲裂解液法得到的图谱是三者中分辨率最高的,尤其是高丰度蛋白和高分子量蛋白分离效果比前两者好.结果表明,在3种常用的蛋白质提取方法中,硫脲裂解液对细胞蛋白质的溶解性最佳,相对更适合于提取MCF-7细胞的蛋白质,并与双向凝胶电泳条件更兼容.