The needle necropsy.

The technique of limited necropsy by histological examination of needle tissue cores obtained percutaneously is indicated when a full necropsy is not justified owing to the risk of infection or when tissue for special investigations is needed soon after death without recourse to full necropsy facilities. The method is ideal for detecting conditions producing diffuse changes in an organ. Because the cadaver is preserved essentially intact relatives who refuse permission for a standard necropsy might consent to a needle necropsy if this option is offered to them.     

Purification of the neurotensin receptor from bovine brain

The neurotensin receptor protein, solubilized with digitonin/asolectin from bovine cerebral cortex membranes, was purified to apparent homogeneity by affinity chromatography using immobilized neurotensin. The product exhibits saturable and specific binding of [3,11-tyrosyl-3,5-3H]neurotensin with an apparent affinity (Kd = 5.5 nM) comparable to that measured in intact membranes and crude soluble extracts. The affinity-purified material, after reduction with 100 mM dithiothreitol, in denaturing gel electrophoresis showed a single polypeptide of Mr 72,000. Under nonreducing conditions the apparent Mr, however, was 50,000, suggesting the presence of intramolecular disulfide bonds. The purified neurotensin receptor was judged to be homogeneous, in that (i) only a single polypeptide was detectable; and (ii) the overall purification was 30,000-50,000-fold, giving a specific neurotensin-binding activity close to the theoretical maximum.     

WSV 2019: The First Committee Meeting of the World Society for Virology

The World Society for Virology (WSV) was founded and incorporated as a nonprofit organization in the United States in 2017. WSV seeks to strengthen and support both virological research and virologists who conduct research of viruses that affect humans, other animals, plants, and other organisms. One of the objectives of WSV is to connect virologists worldwide and support collaboration. Fulfilling this objective, virologists from fourteen countries in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East met on 25–27th August 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden at the Karolinska University Hospital for the first Committee Meeting of WSV. This meeting included compelling keynote and honorary speeches and a series of 18 scientific talks were given encompassing a diverse array of subjects within virology. Followed by the scientific session, a business session was held where multiple aspects and next steps of the society were discussed and charted out.     

Kinetic Instability of Zero Steady State As a Fundamental Cause of Low Efficiency of Chemotherapy of Cancer

Using mathematical modeling of the process of cancer treatment by the classical chemotherapy methods and therapy with biological agents, the effect of the kinetic parameters of the model on the final outcome of treatment was studied. It is established that the complete cure (i.e., the formation of a stable steady state with a zero number of cancer cells) cannot be reached by means of only classical chemotherapy.     

Cultivation of newly isolated microalgae Coelastrum sp. in wastewater for simultaneous CO2 fixation,lipid production and wastewater treatment

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - Cultivation of microalgae in wastewater is a promising and cost-effective approach for both CO2 biofixation and wastewater remediation. In this study, a new...     

A small RNA that complements mutants in the RNA processing enzyme ribonuclease P

Four temperature-sensitive RNase P mutants were analyzed for the accumulation of 10 S RNA. In the 10 S region of the polyacrylamide gel two molecules appear, a and b. While the level of 10 Sa seems to be affected in some of the mutants, the 10 Sb molecule was not found in rnpB mutants. A plasmid (pL2), which contains Escherichia coli DNA sequences that complement, at least partially, rnp mutations, directs the synthesis of 10 Sb RNA. The presence of the pL2 plasmid complements the rnpA49, rnpB3187 and the rnpC241 mutations, as revealed by colony formation at “non-permissive” temperatures. However, the complementation of the rnpA49 mutation is much better than that of the other mutations. The complementation can also be measured by the increased level of RNase P activity in extracts. 10 Sa and b RNAs are unique among all RNAs tested thus far, since they are stable during exponential growth at 30 °C and 37 °C. However, at higher temperatures, such as 43 °C, the molecules are somewhat less stable, and they become rather labile when RNA synthesis is blocked by rifampicin. Structural analysis revealed that the 10 Sa and 10 Sb RNA molecules have dissimilar sequences.     

Lactobacillus plantarum USM8613 Aids in Wound Healing and Suppresses Staphylococcus aureus Infection at Wound Sites

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - This study aimed to elucidate the targets and mechanisms of anti-staphylococcal effects from bioactive metabolites produced by lactic acid bacteria. We aimed...     

An investigation of the molecular properties and stability of intermediates of proenkephalin in isolated bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin granules

An antiserum to a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues 95-117 of bovine proenkephalin recognizes all the major intermediates of this prohormone in bovine adrenal medulla (Birch, N. P. and Christie, D. L. (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 12213-12221). This antiserum enabled an investigation of the stability and molecular properties of intermediates in the processing of proenkephalin in bovine adrenal medullary chromaffin granules. Intact and hypotonic lysates of chromaffin granules were incubated at 37 degrees C and the stability of intermediates assessed by gel filtration followed by radioimmunoassay and gel electrophoresis in combination with immunoblotting. Processing was slow in intact granules compared with incubations of hypotonic lysates which resulted in the selective cleavage of an Mr 27,000 intermediate and increases in the amounts of immunoreactivity of lower molecular weight. Protease inhibitors increased the stability of the 27-kilodalton intermediate, the most effective being p-chloromercuribenzoate. Preliminary evidence was obtained for the regulation of the processing of this intermediate by soluble factors present in chromaffin granules. It appears that membrane-associated intermediates of proenkephalin are relatively stable, although analysis of soluble immunoreactivity released during the incubation of chromaffin granule membranes showed a decrease in the 27-kilodalton intermediate and increased amounts of lower molecular weight intermediates. Analysis of hypotonic lysates by two-dimensional gel-electrophoresis showed that proenkephalin intermediates exhibit significant microheterogeneity. It will be important to compare the products of proenkephalin generated by purified proteases with a putative role in the processing of this prohormone with the properties of endogenous intermediates as revealed in this study.