Immunohistochemical localization of atrial natriuretic polypeptide (ANP) in human atrial and ventricular myocardiocytes

To date, there have been few immunohistochemical investigations of atrial natriuretic polypeptide (ANP) in human cardiac tissue, especially the ventricles. In this study, myocardial tissue was obtained from two sources: the bilateral atria and ventricles at autopsy; and biopsy tissues from the right auricle and left ventricle of a patient with myocardial infarction undergoing surgery. These tissues were examined by the avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase technique using three kinds of primary ANP-antibodies. ANP-immunoreactivity was observed in the perinuclear region of myocytes of all tissues examined. The intensity of the reaction was stronger in atrial tissue, weaker in ventricular tissue. In the later tissue, the positive-staining myocytes were not part of the pulse-conducting system. Although the tissues we studied were not obtained from normal hearts, our data demonstrates that ANP-reactivity can be detected in ventricular myocytes outside the pulse-conducting system.     

Immunohistochemical localization of atrial natriuretic polypeptide (ANP) in human atrial and ventricular myocardiocytes

Summary To date, there have been few immunohistochemical investigations of atrial natriuretic polypeptide (ANP) in human cardiac tissue, especially the ventricles. In this study, myocardial tissue was obtained from two sources: the bilateral atria and ventricles at autopsy; and biopsy tissues from the right auricle and left ventricle of a patient with myocardial infarction undergoing surgery. These tissues were examined by the avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase technique using three kinds of primary ANP-antibodies. ANP-immunoreactivity was observed in the perinuclear region of myocytes of all tissues examined. The intensity of the reaction was stronger in atrial tissue, weaker in ventricular tissue. In the later tissue, the positive-staining myocytes were not part of the pulse-conducting system. Although the tissues we studied were not obtained from normal hearts, our data demonstrates that ANP-reactivity can be detected in ventricular myocytes outside the pulse-conducting system.     

Induction of endoreduplication in Chinese hamsters V79 cells by cytosine arabinoside

Endoreduplication (ER) could be induced very effectively in Chinese hamster V79 cells exposed to cytosine arabinoside (1-β-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine; Ara-C). Cells were cultured for 48 hours in Ara-C containing medium. ER frequency increases rapidly after Ara-C release. About 60% of metaphase cells were endoreduplicated at 8–10 hours after release from Ara-C (5 μg/ml). Induction of ER also depends on Ara-C concentrations.     

Crystal structure of the self-complementary 5''-purine start decamer d(GCGCGCGCGC) in the Z-DNA conformation. I.

Alternating self-complementary oligonucleotides starting with a 5'-pyrimidine usually form left-handed Z-DNA; however, with a 5'-purine start sequence they form the right-handed A-DNA. Here we report the crystal structure of the decamer d(GCGCGCGCGC) with a 5'-purine start in the Z-DNA form. The decamer crystallizes in the hexagonal space group P6(5)22, unit cell dimensions a = b = 18.08 and c = 43.10 A, with one of the following four dinucleotide diphosphates in the asymmetric unit: d(pGpC)/d(GpCp)/d(pCpG)/d(CpGp). The molecular replacement method, starting with d(pGpC) of the isomorphous Z-DNA hexamer d(araC-dG)3 without the 2'-OH group of arabinose, was used in the structure analysis. The method gave the solution only after the sugar-phosphate conformation of the GpC step was manipulated. The refinement converged to a final R value of 18.6% for 340 unique reflections in the resolution range 8.0-1.9 A. A result of the sequence alternation is the alternation in the nucleotide conformation; guanosine is C3'-endo, syn, and cytidine is C2'-endo, anti. The CpG step phosphodiester conformation is the same as ZI or ZII, whereas that of the GpC step phosphodiester is "intermediate" in the sense that zeta (O3'-P bond) is the same as ZII but alpha (P-O5' bond) is the same as ZI. The duplexes generated from the dinucleotide asymmetric unit are stacked one on top of the other in the crystal to form an infinite pseudocontinuous helix. This renders it a quasi-polymerlike structure that has assumed the Z-DNA conformation further strengthened by the long inner Z-forming stretch d(CG)4. An interesting feature of the structure is the presence of water strings in both the major and the minor grooves. In the minor groove the cytosine carbonyl oxygen atoms of the GpC and CpG steps are cross-bridged by water molecules that are not themselves hydrogen bonded but are enclosed by the water rings in the mouth of the minor groove. In the major groove three independent water molecules form a zigzagging continuous water string that runs throughout the duplex.     

The first report of the non-indigenous Chydorus brevilabris Frey, 1980 (Crustacea: Cladocera) in Asian freshwaters

Limnology - Chydorus sphaericus (O.F. Müller, 1776) (Crustacea: Cladocera) sensu stricto is distributed in Europe: C. sphaericus-like organisms in other regions represent a group of...     

Polyclonal bovine sera but not virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies block bovine leukemia virus (BLV) gp51 binding to recombinant BLV receptor BLVRcp1.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV), a transactivating lymphotropic retrovirus, is the etiologic agent of enzootic lymphosarcoma or leukemia in cattle. Sera from BLV-infected animals possess high BLV-neutralizing antibody titres. The availability of the recombinant BLV receptor candidate, BLVRcp1, allowed us to determine a mechanism of virus neutralization by polyclonal sera and monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Bovine sera from animals naturally infected with BLV blocked gp51 binding to recombinant BLVRcp1. In contrast, virus-neutralizing MAbs specific for gp51 F, G, and H epitopes did not prevent gp51-receptor attachment. Furthermore, gp51 neutralization epitopes F, G, and H were accessible to antibodies following gp51 attachment to BLVRcp1. This finding implies that virus neutralization by MAbs to defined BLV gp51 epitopes can occur subsequent to virus engagement of the receptor while polyclonal sera can specifically block virus attachment to the receptor. In conclusion, these data suggest that cell infection by BLV is a multistep process requiring receptor binding (inhibited by polyclonal sera) followed by a second, postbinding event(s) at the cell membrane (inhibited by anti-gp51 MAbs).     

Positive selection is a general phenomenon in the evolution of abalone sperm lysin

Lysin is a 16kDa acrosomal protein used by abalone sperm to create a hole in the egg vitelline envelope (VE). The interaction of lysin with the VE is species-selective and is one step in the multistep fertilization process that restricts heterospecific (cross-species) fertilization. For this reason, the evolution of lysin could play a role in establishing prezygotic reproductive isolation between species. Previously, we sequenced sperm lysin cDNAs from seven California abalone species and showed that positive Darwinian selection promotes their divergence. In this paper an additional 13 lysin sequences are presented representing species from Japan, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Europe. The total of 20 sequences represents the most extensive analysis of a fertilization protein to date. The phylogenetic analysis divides the sequences into two major clades, one composed of species from the northern Pacific (California and Japan) and the other composed of species from other parts of the world. Analysis of nucleotide substitution demonstrates that positive selection is a general process in the evolution of this fertilization protein. Analysis of nucleotide and codon usage bias shows that neither parameter can account for the robust data supporting positive selection. The selection pressure responsible for the positive selection on lysin remains unknown.      

植物生活史对策的进化

植物生活史对策的进化班勇（中国林业科学院林业研究所,北京１０００９１）ＥｖｏｌｕｔｉｏｎｏｆＬｉｆｅＨｉｓｔｏｒｙＳｔｒａｔｅｇｙｉｎＰｌａｎｔｓ￥ＢａｎＹｏｎｇ（ＲｅｓｅａｒｃｈＩｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｏｆＦｏｒｅｓｔｒｙ,ＣｈｉｎｅｓｅＡｃａｄｅｍｙｏ...