Purification of human plasma fibronectin by double affinity chromatography on gelatin and heparin-Trisacryl

In this work the human plasma fibronectin was purified by affinity chromatography using a tandem column system. The first affinity column was filled with gelatin-Trisacryl whereas the second one contained heparin-Trisacryl. This double affinity chromatography demonstrated its high efficiency in term of purity and yield. Several analytical methods (electrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis, F.P.L.C. and adhesion assay on cultured eucaryotic cells) evidenced in fact the high purity of the preparation as well as its biological behaviour in term of cell adhesion and spreading. The performances of the sorbents used facilitate the scaling up when large quantities of FNP are needed.     

Interaction of the organic anion 1-aniline 8-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS) with isolated rat hepatocytes

The interaction of ANS with rat hepatocytes in time was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy. The intercept of the first linear portion of the time curve of interaction showed a positive value over all the ANS concentration range employed. This value was maintained after cellular disruption by homogenization. It was affected by ionic strength, pH, and divalent cation in the incubation medium, all conditions affecting the cellular surface. These data suggest that this phenomenon might be a binding of the compound to the hepatocytes surface. Due to the time constant and its disappearance after cellular disruption the other slower component of the curve seems to correspond to a process of translocation across the membrane.     

Functional incorporation and preferred orientation of phytohemagglutinin receptor glycoproteins in phospholipid vesicles

Porcine lymphocyte Phaseolus vulgaris phytohemagglutinin (PHA) receptor glycoproteins purified by affinity chromatography have been reassembled into vesicles made of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine by detergent (dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide) dialysis. The receptor glycoproteins were incorporated into the lipid vesicles in a nonselective manner with a yield of 65-70%. Vesicles containing the glycoproteins were sealed as evidenced by their impermeability to calcium ions, using quin 2 trapped inside the vesicles. The vesicles were agglutinated by PHA, suggesting that the saccharidic moiety of the reconstituted glycoproteins was, at least in part, oriented towards the extravesicular medium. This observation was further supported by the fact that the vesicles bound 125I-labeled PHA in a specific and saturable manner. At maximum amount of lectin bound, a ratio of 1.01 +/- 0.05 microgram of PHA per microgram glycoprotein incorporated was measured. When the binding data were analyzed by Scatchard plot, a downward concave profile was observed, suggestive of a positive cooperativity at low concentrations of lectin. The orientation of the reconstituted lectin receptor glycoproteins was determined by proteolytic treatments of labeled glycoproteins. The combined action of trypsin and chymotrypsin released, in the 120,000 X g supernatant, approximately 80% of label when 125I-tagged PHA receptor glycoproteins were incorporated into the vesicles. When the oligosaccharidic moieties of the receptor glycoproteins were specifically labeled, the simultaneous action of the two enzymes released approximately 70% of tritium labeling present in the reconstituted system. Taken together, these results suggest that the reconstituted PHA receptors are preferentially oriented into the phospholipid vesicles. The reconstituted PHA receptor glycoproteins competed effectively with cellular receptors in the assay of PHA-induced porcine lymphocyte activation. A 50% inhibition of [3H]thymidine incorporation was observed when 1 microgram of glycoproteins in vesicles was added to the cultured cells, whereas vesicles alone had no effect at this (equivalent) concentration.     

Spin-label studies on phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol membranes: effects of alkyl chain length and unsaturation in the fluid phase

Dynamic properties of phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol membranes in the fluid phase and water accessibility to the membranes have been studied as a function of phospholipid alkyl chain length, saturation, mole fraction of cholesterol, and temperature by using spin and fluorescence labelling methods. The results are the following: (1) The effect of cholesterol on motional freedom of 5-doxyl stearic acid spin label (5-SASL) and 16-doxyl stearic acid spin label (16-SASL) in saturated phosphatidylcholine membrane is significantly larger than the effects of alkyl chain length and introduction of unsaturation in the alkyl chain. (2) Variation of alkyl chain length of saturated phospholipids does not alter the effects of cholesterol except in the case of dilauroylphosphatidylcholine, which possesses the shortest alkyl chains (12 carbons) used in this work. (3) Unsaturation of the alkyl chains greatly reduces the ordering effect of cholesterol at C-5 and C-16 positions although unsaturation alone gives only minor fluidizing effects. (4) Introduction of 30 mol% cholesterol to dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine membranes decreases the lateral diffusion constants of lipids by a factor of four, while it causes only a slight decrease of lateral diffusion in dioleoylphosphatidylcholine membranes. (5) If compared at the same temperature, 5-SASL mobilities plotted as a function of mole fraction of cholesterol in the fluid phases of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine-, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine- and distearoylphosphatidylcholine-cholesterol membranes are similar in wide ranges of temperature (45-82 degrees C) and cholesterol mole fraction (0-50%). (6) In isothermal experiments with saturated phosphatidylcholine membranes, 5-SASL is maximally immobilized at the phase boundary between Regions I and III reported by other workers (Recktenwald, D.J. and McConnell, H.M. (1981) Biochemistry 20, 4505-4510) and becomes more mobile away from the boundary in Regions I and III. (7) 5-SASL in unsaturated phosphatidylcholine membranes showed a gradual monotonic immobilization with increase of cholesterol mole fraction without showing any maximum in the range of cholesterol fractions studied. (8) By rigorously determining rigid-limit magnetic parameters of cholestane spin labels in membranes from Q-band second-derivative ESR spectra to monitor the dielectric environment around the nitroxide radical, it is concluded that cholesterol incorporation increases water accessibility in the hydrophilic loci of the membrane. In contrast, 12-(9-anthroyloxy)stearic acid fluorescence showed that water accessibility is decreased in the hydrophobic loci of the membrane.     

Amino acid sequence of the nonsecretory ribonuclease of human urine

The amino acid sequence of a nonsecretory ribonuclease isolated from human urine was determined except for the identity of the residue at position 7. Sequence information indicates that the ribonucleases of human liver and spleen and an eosinophil-derived neurotoxin are identical or very closely related gene products. The sequence is identical at about 30% of the amino acid positions with those of all of the secreted mammalian ribonucleases for which information is available. Identical residues include active-site residues histidine-12, histidine-119, and lysine-41, other residues known to be important for substrate binding and catalytic activity, and all eight half-cystine residues common to these enzymes. Major differences include a deletion of six residues in the (so-called) S-peptide loop, insertions of two, and nine residues, respectively, in three other external loops of the molecule, and an addition of three residues at the amino terminus. The sequence shows the human nonsecretory ribonuclease to belong to the same ribonuclease superfamily as the mammalian secretory ribonucleases, turtle pancreatic ribonuclease, and human angiogenin. Sequence data suggest that a gene duplication occurred in an ancient vertebrate ancestor; one branch led to the nonsecretory ribonuclease, while the other branch led to a second duplication, with one line leading to the secretory ribonucleases (in mammals) and the second line leading to pancreatic ribonuclease in turtle and an angiogenic factor in mammals (human angiogenin). The nonsecretory ribonuclease has five short carbohydrate chains attached via asparagine residues at the surface of the molecule; these chains may have been shortened by exoglycosidase action.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Character displacement in the fighting colours of Hetaerina damselflies

Aggression between species is a seldom-considered but potentially widespread mechanism of character displacement in secondary sexual characters. Based on previous research showing that similarity in wing coloration directly influences interspecific territorial aggression in Hetaerina damselflies, we predicted that wing coloration would show a pattern of character displacement (divergence in sympatry). A geographical survey of four Hetaerina damselfly species in Mexico and Texas showed evidence for character displacement in both species pairs that regularly occurs sympatrically. Hetaerina titia, a species that typically has large black wing spots and small red wing spots, shifted to having even larger black spots and smaller red wing spots at sites where a congener with large red wing spots is numerically dominant (Hetaerina americana or Hetaerina occisa). Hetaerina americana showed the reverse pattern, shifting towards larger red wing spots where H. titia is numerically dominant. This pattern is consistent with the process of agonistic character displacement, but the ontogenetic basis of the shift remains to be demonstrated.     

Early growth and final yield of autumn sownVicia faba L cultivars given different forms of fertiliser N over winter

Summary Between 3 Nov. 1983 and 9 Apr. 1984, six applications of fertiliser N (ammonium, nitrate or urea) were given to four autumn sown (26 Oct. 1983)Vicia faba L cultivars, Banner Winter (BW) and Maris Beagle (MBg), cold tolerant cultivars normally sown in the autumn, and Herz Freya (HF) and Maris Bead (MBd), cold sensitive cultivars more commonly sown in the spring. The effects of additional N were determined by comparison with plants given zero-N (controls). Application of N, regardless of form, had no effect on % emergence at the first sampling (15 Dec. 1983); >90% for BW, MBg and HF, but only 40–60% for MBd. At this time the dry weight, carbon content and nitrogen content of all cultivars was approximately 20% less than that of the seed on planting. No more plants emerged after 15 Dec. 1983. Between 15 Dec. 1983 and 20 Feb. 1984, all cultivars, regardless of N treatment, showed little change in dry weight, carbon content and nitrogen content but the proportion of total plant dry weight, carbon content and nitrogen content in the cotyledons decreased while the proportions in root, stem and leaf tissue increased. On 20 Feb. 1984 there were no N effects. All cultivars but especially BW and MBg, showed progressive increases in dry weight, carbon content and nitrogen content during the period 20 Feb. 1984 to 8 May 1984. Pooled results for all four cultivars indicated that on 8 May 1984, plants given ammonium and urea had a greater dry weight, carbon content and nitrogen content than controls. At harvest (1–3 Sep. 1984), BW and MBg outyielded (g dw seed m⁻²) HF and MBd. Pooled results for all cultivars indicated that application of N regardless of form gave increased yield and an increased N concentration (mg N g⁻¹ dw) in the seed.     

Results of the study of bird droppings collected in the Lithuanian SSR for the purpose of searching out tularemia epizootics

There are practically no records of cases of tularemia among humans in the Lithuanian SSR. Nevertheless, the mass sero-allergic survey of the population for tularemia, carried out 10-12 years ago, showed that 2.3% of the adult population in the Republic had had contacts with the causative agent of this infection. The work was aimed at the determination of the present activity of the foci of tularemia. During 6 years in 22 rural districts 2582 samples of avian excrements, containing bones and wool of small animals, were collected and studied by means of the antibody neutralization test (ANT). In 132 (5.1 +/- 0.4%) excrement samples collected on the territory of 12 districts Francisella tularensis antigen was detected. The average ANT titer was 45.2, the maximum titer (10 excrement samples) reached 1: 160. The study revealed the existence of the natural foci of tularemia in Lithuania at present, but their activity proved to be low. The most unfavorable situation was found to exist in western districts of the Republic.