Current utilization and further development of the palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer L., Arecaceae) in Tamil Nadu state,India

The palmyra palm Borassus flabellifer,), a multipurpose tree of great utility, occurs extensively in Tamil Nadu state, India. Figuring in history, literature, and folklore of the state, it is exploited for food from the fruit and tuberous seedlings; beverage and sugar from the sap; fiber from the leaf and leafbase for brushes, cordage, weaving, and plaiting; trunk wood for construction and fuel; and numerous minor products. Increasing exploitation of the palmyra threatens the future supply of palm raw materials so important to rural populations. Integrated development of palmyra products for local and export markets, as well as management/conservation measures, are needed both to maximize the economic value of the products and to assure sustained yield from native stands.     

Linkage Relationships Reflecting Ancestral Tetraploidy in Salmonid Fish

Fifteen classical linkage groups were identified in two salmonid species (Salmo trutta and Salmo gairdneri) and three fertile, interspecific hybrids (S. gairdneri X Salmo clarki, Salvelinus fontinalis X Salvelinus namaycush and S. fontinalis X Salvelinus alpinus) by backcrossing multiply heterozygous individuals. These linkage relationships of electrophoretically detected, protein coding loci were highly conserved among species. The loci encoding the enzymes appeared to be randomly distributed among the salmonid chromosomes. Recombination frequencies were generally greater in females than in males. In males, certain linkage groups were pseudolinked with other linkage groups, presumably because of facultative multivalent pairing and directed disjunction of chromosomes. Five such pseudolinkage groups were identified and they also appeared to be common among species and hybrids. Duplicate loci were never classically linked with each other, although some exhibited pseudolinkage and some showed evidence of exchanging alleles. Gene-centromere recombination frequencies estimated from genotypic distributions of gynogenetic offspring were consistent with map locations inferred from female intergenic recombination frequencies. These linkage relationships support the contention that all extant salmonids arose from a common tetraploid progenitor and that this progenitor may have been a segmental allotetraploid.     

Mouse protamine 2 is synthesized as a precursor whereas mouse protamine 1 is not.

The nuclei of mouse spermatozoa contain two protamine variants, mouse protamine 1 (mP1) and mouse protamine 2 (mP2). The amino acid sequence predicted from mP1 cDNAs demonstrates that mP1 is a 50-amino-acid protein with strong homology to other mammalian P1 protamines. Nucleotide sequence analysis of independently isolated, overlapping cDNA clones indicated that mP2 is initially synthesized as a precursor protein which is subsequently processed into the spermatozoan form of mP2. The existence of the mP2 precursor was confirmed by amino acid composition and sequence analysis of the largest of a set of four basic proteins isolated from late-step spermatids whose synthesis is coincident with that of mP1. The sequence of the first 10 amino acids of this protein, mP2 precursor 1, exactly matches that predicted from the nucleotide sequence of cDNA and genomic mP2 clones. The amino acid composition of isolated mP2 precursor 1 very closely matches that predicted from the mP2 cDNA nucleotide sequence. Sequence analysis of the amino terminus of isolated mature mP2 identified the final processing point within the mP2 precursor. These studies demonstrated that mP2 is synthesized as a precursor containing 106 amino acids which is processed into the mature, 63-amino-acid form found in spermatozoa.     

Calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity in airway epithelial cells of the human fetus and infant

Summary Calcitonin gene-related peptide-immunoreactive cells were identified within the epithelium of distal conducting airways in the human fetus and infant. Several peptides and amines, including calcitonin, have been identified previously within a specific population of airway epithelial cells. These cells, referred to as pulmonary neuroendocrine cells, are postulated to be airway chemoreceptors responsible for changes in ventilation and perfusion in response to changes in airway gas composition. Calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactive cells could be identified throughout the period of development studies (20 weeks gestation to 3 months of age), but were present in only limited numbers in less than 50% of individuals (n=23). In contrast, large numbers of calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactive cells were identified in 100% of infants (1–3 months, n=5) with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The differential processing of mRNA transcribed from the calcitonin gene in neural and non-neural tissue suggests that calcitonin, rather than calcitonin gene-related peptide, is the primary product of translation in pulmonary neuroendocrine cells. However, considering the potent vasodilatory and bronchoconstrictive effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide, its presence in pulmonary neuroendocrine cells, even in small amounts, may be important in controlling pulmonary vaso- and/or bronchomotor tone. The presence of large numbers of calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactive cells in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia suggests that calcitonin gene-related peptide may be one further agent contributing to the pulmonary pathophysiology seen in this disease.     

Cloning of a Drosophila melanogaster adenine phosphoribosyltransferase structural gene and deduced amino acid sequence of the enzyme

The Aprt locus of Drosophila melanogaster encodes the structural gene for adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT). DNA cloned from microdissected salivary gland polytene chromosome region 62B7-12 was used in conjunction with chromosome walking and hybrid selection of mRNA to isolate the Aprt gene. Aprt lies at cytogenetic position 62B9 and is closely flanked by other genes of unknown function. Nucleotide sequencing shows that four APRT cDNAs have a common 5' terminus with an apparent cap consensus sequence but two different 3' sites of polyadenylation. The distribution of conserved amino acid sequences in APRT from vertebrates, insects and bacteria suggests that they may have shared a common ancestral gene for this ubiquitous enzyme.     

An abundant, highly conserved tonoplast protein in seeds

We have isolated the membranes of the protein storage vacuoles (protein bodies) from Phaseolus vulgaris cotyledons and purified an integral membrane protein with M_r 25,000 (TP 25). Antiserum to TP 25 recognizes an abundant polypeptide in the total cell extracts of many different seeds (monocots, dicots, and a gymnosperm), and specifically labels the vacuolar membranes of thin-sectioned soybean embryonic axes and cotyledons. TP 25 was not found in the starchy endosperm of barley and wheat or the seed coats of bean but was present in all seed parts examined that consist of living cells at seed maturity. The abundance of TP 25 was not correlated with the amount of storage protein in seed tissue, and the protein was not found in leaves that accumulate leaf storage protein. On the basis of its abundance, evolutionary conservation, and distribution in the plant, we propose that TP 25 may play a role in maintaining the integrity of the tonoplast during the dehydration/rehydration sequence of seeds.     

Immediate breast reconstruction: reducing the risks

One-hundred and sixty-five consecutive immediate breast reconstructions in 157 patients were reviewed. Reconstructions were performed with tissue expanders (53 percent) or immediate gel prostheses (47 percent). Immediate reconstruction was associated with an 18 percent rate of implant loss. Certain risk factors were identified at the p less than 0.05 level using immediate gel implants: failure to achieve complete muscle coverage of the implant, smoking at the time of surgery, initial gel implants of 400 ml or more volume, and age. Expander loss was increased by detaching the pectoralis major (p less than 0.05) and probably by lack of complete muscle coverage in general. Chemotherapy, history of previous smoking, and clinical stage of the carcinoma did not seem to affect reconstructive success. Smoking and patient age should be considered during patient selection for immediate reconstruction. Muscle coverage of the prosthesis should always be attempted. Muscle coverage is mandatory in the smoker. Gel implants of 400 ml or more volume are to be avoided at the initial operation. This approach should enable all surgeons to achieve lower rates of implant loss.     

54Mn absorption and excretion in rats fed soy protein and casein diets

Rats were fed diets containing either soy protein or casein and different levels of manganese, methionine, phytic acid, or arginine for 7 days and then fed test meals labeled with 2 microCi of 54Mn after an overnight fast. Retention of 54Mn in each rat was measured every other day for 21 days using a whole-body counter. Liver manganese was higher (P less than 0.0001) in soy protein-fed rats (8.8 micrograms/g) than in casein-fed rats (5.2 micrograms/g); manganese superoxide dismutase activity also was higher in soy protein-fed rats than in casein-fed rats (P less than 0.01). There was a significant interaction between manganese and protein which affected manganese absorption and biologic half-life of 54Mn. In a second experiment, rats fed soy protein-test meals retained more 54Mn (P less than 0.001) than casein-fed rats. Liver manganese (8.3 micrograms/g) in the soy protein group was also higher than that (5.7 micrograms/g) in the casein group (P less than 0.0001), but manganese superoxide dismutase activity was unaffected by protein. Supplementation with methionine increased 54Mn retention from both soy and casein diets (P less than 0.06); activity of manganese superoxide dismutase increased (P less than 0.05) but liver manganese did not change. The addition of arginine to casein diets had little effect on manganese bioavailability. Phytic acid affected neither manganese absorption nor biologic half-life in two experiments, but it depressed liver manganese in one experiment. These results suggest that neither arginine nor phytic acid was the component in soy protein which made manganese more available from soy protein diets than casein diets.     

Thrombolysis using liposomal-encapsulated streptokinase: an in vitro study

The clot-lysing ability of streptokinase (SK) was examined using membrane-bound thrombi. Encapsulation of SK in large unilamellar phospholipid vesicles (liposomes) resulted in entrapping approximately 30% of its original activity. Measurements of streptokinase activity for liposomal-encapsulated streptokinase (LESK) indicated little loss of activity or leakage in Tris-buffered saline over a 24-hr period at temperatures of 4 and 23 degrees C. However, incubation of free SK and LESK in platelet-poor plasma (PPP) at 37 degrees C resulted in a decrease of SK activity. The retention of SK activity in LESK was considerably higher than that of unentrapped SK. Clot-dissolving time (CDT) was measured by monitoring the pressure drop during slow filtration in plasma through membrane-bound thrombi. The results indicated that both LESK and free SK were able to activate the fibrinolytic system. Without prior incubation in PPP at 37 degrees C, the CDT of a SK and PPP mixture (SK/PPP) was 10.7 +/- 1.9 min (n = 12), while that of a LESK and PPP mixture (LESK/PPP) was 12.4 +/- 1.7 min (n = 12). The CDT-detected clot-lysing abilities of both SK and LESK were diminished by incubation in PPP, but to different extents. After 15- and 30-min incubations, the CDT of SK/PPP increased significantly to 15.5 +/- 1.5 and 24.1 +/- 2.4 min (n = 5, P less than 0.05), respectively. In contrast, the CDT of LESK/PPP increased to 13.3 +/- 0.8 min (n = 5) after 15 min of incubation and to 16.0 +/- 1.1 min (n = 5, P less than 0.05) after a 30-min incubation. These results suggest that entrapment of SK in liposomes preserves the thrombolytic potential of the plasminogen activator by limiting its exposure to the components of the plasma.     

Inhibition by prostaglandin E2 of neurotransmission in rabbit but not human bronchus--a calcium-related mechanism?

Prostaglandins have been implicated in the development of airway hyperresponsiveness, and this may be mediated via modulation of neurotransmission. We compared the effects of prostaglandin E2 on the contractile response to electrical field stimulation in rabbit and human bronchus. Prostaglandin E2 produced marked inhibition in rabbit bronchus (mean % inhibition 35 +/- 17, P less than 0.05) but was without effect in human bronchus. The inhibition in rabbit bronchus was not the result of a direct effect on muscle tone and the site of action is likely to be pre-synaptic since prostaglandin E2 had only minor effects on exogenous acetylcholine. Since prostaglandins are known to affect calcium mobilization, we compared the dependence of cholinergic stimulation on the calcium voltage dependent channel (VDC) in the two species. Cholinergic stimulation was dependent on the VDC in rabbit but not human bronchus and this may be an explanation for the different effects of prostaglandin E2 in the two species.