Disappearance of terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase in human malignant T-lymphoblasts treated with a human alpha interferon preparation

Human T-lymphoblastoid cell lines RPMI 8402, MOLT-3, and CCRF-CEM were treated with interferon (IFN) to determine if the treatment would result in the disappearance of cellular terminaldeoxynucleotidyltransferase (TdT), a possible differentiation marker for T-lymphocytes. Incubation of RPMI 8402 cells in the presence of IFN preparation caused a decrease in the number of TdT-positive cells and in TdT activity of the cell extract. The inhibition of cell multiplication was dose dependent. The anticellular effect of IFN preparation was cytostatic, not cytocidal. The IFN preparation modified neither the TdT content nor proliferation of MOLT-3 and CCRF-CEM cell lines. The effects of IFN preparation thus varied with the cell line.     

Characterization of two types of histone H2B genes from macronuclei of Tetrahymena thermophila.

Two histone H2B gene clones were isolated from macronuclei of Tetrahymena thermophila. Nucleotide sequences of the two clones were highly homologous within the coding region but not in the noncoding region. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences between the two clones showed three differences in a total of 121 amino acids. Each of the two clones contained a TAA triplet within the coding region, which appeared to code for a glutamine residue. To demonstrate the existence of histone mRNA containing UAA triplet, nuclease P1 protection mapping using total cellular RNA and nucleotide sequencing of primer extension products were carried out. The results clearly indicated that two cloned histone H2B genes were transcribed, giving rise to the major histone H2B mRNAs with a UAA triplet sequence in frame. The tentative 5'- and 3'-ends of histone H2B mRNAs were determined.     

Fatty chain composition of phospholipids in sea urchin spermatozoa

1. An analysis was made of lipids extracted from the spermatozoa of the sea urchins, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus and Anthocidaris crassispina. 2. Nearly all the lipids from both species consisted of phospholipids (about 80%) and cholesterol (about 14%). Triglyceride and cholesterol ester were present in trace amounts. 3. The fatty acid composition of each phospholipid was determined by gas-liquid chromatography. In both species, the fatty acid consisting of phosphatidylethanolamine was of the unsaturated type for the most part, while cardiolipin was comprised to a considerable degree of saturated fatty acids. In phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine from H. pulcherrimus sperm, unsaturated fatty acid content was somewhat higher than that in phospholipids from A. crassispina sperm.     

Light and electron microscopic studies on experimental nocardia-toxicosis in mice

An exotoxin (HS-6) produced by Nocardia otitidiscaviarum isolated from certain lesions of cutaneous nocardiosis of a male 82-year-old patient induced severe injuries in the pancreas, liver, stomach, small intestine, heart, thymus and kidney of male ICR mice. Mice given Nocardia-free preparation of HS-6 at a dose of 1 mg/kg of body weight developed several autophagic vacuoles in the pancreas and liver within 20 min after the i.p. injection. Thereafter, the autophagic vacuoles increased in number and size with time. About 24 hr after the administration of HS-6, the liver showed marked accumulation of fat droplets in the cytoplasm of the hepatocytes. Although they contained abundant autophagic vacuoles in the regions of RER, there were no lipomatoses in the acinar cells of the pancreas, those of the chief cells and smooth muscle cells of the stomach, Paneth cells, goblet cells, smooth muscle cells of the small intestine, and plasma cells in the digestive tract. Biochemical examinations revealed that HS-6 had no significant effect on the protein synthesis of reticulocytes. Inoculation of the Nocardia into the mouse peritoneal cavities caused marked granulomatoses in the pancreas, liver and regional lymph nodes, but did not develop autophagic vacuoles in RER regions of these organs.     

Identification of (Na,K)ATPase inhibitor in brine shrimp,Artemia salina,as long-chain fatty acids

Summary An inhibitory activity to (Na,K)ATPase was found in cell extracts of the brine shrimp, Artemia salina, irrespective of its developmental stages. Organic solvent extraction together with gas chromatographic analysis reveals that the inhibitory activity is due to long-chain, non-esterified fatty acids and their derivatives. Unsaturated fatty acids, especially with cis-configuration, are more effective in inhibition than saturated ones.Abbreviations ATPase adenosine triphosphatase - EDTA ethylenediamine-tetraacetate - TLC thin-layer chromatography     

Energy metabolism of sea urchin spermatozoa, with phosphatidylcholine as the preferred substrate

Phosphatidylcholine content in the spermatozoa of the sea urchin, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, decreased rapidly during incubation with sea water. Sea urchin sperm contained approx. 85% phospholipid in total lipid. Phosphatidylcholine (PC) was the principal lipid. Other phospholipids, however, remained at constant levels during incubation. Although the free fatty acid content gradually increased following dilution of dry sperm in sea water, the amounts of triacylglycerol and cholesterol ester were extremely low. Analysis by gas-liquid chromatography indicated most of fatty acid moieties in PC to be polyenoic. PC composed in part of unsaturated fatty acids was consumed to a greater extent during incubation than that consisting of saturated fatty acids. Furthermore, 1-palmitoyl-2-[1-14C]linoleoylphosphatidylcholine was transformed to 14C-labelled free fatty acid in a subcellular system. Thus, possibly, phospholipase A2 is present in sea urchin sperm. Also, [1-14C]oleic acid was immediately oxidized to 14CO2 by sperm. It is thus concluded that sea urchin sperm use phosphatidylcholine as a substrate for energy metabolism.     

Characterization of human genomic DNA sequences homologous to the interleukin 2 cDNA

Southern blot analysis of human placental DNA under low stringency hybridization conditions revealed several DNA fragments hybridizable to the human interleukin 2 (IL-2) cDNA. Four phage clones carrying these IL-2 cDNA-like sequences were isolated and their structures analyzed. A DNA fragment derived from one of the clones gave the strongest hybridization signal. Sequence analysis of this fragment revealed the presence of a cluster of three DNA segments, i.e. 20 base pairs (bp), 57 bp and 18 bp in length and having about 85%, 80% and 83% homology to three different parts of the coding region of human IL-2 cDNA, respectively.     

Involvement of the histidine residues in the pH-induced conformational change of histone H5

Comparative studies on the conformational stability of histones H1 and H5 have been carried out by monitoring the pH-induced conformational transitions of the proteins by CD and 1H NMR spectroscopies. The transition point of H1 agrees with the pKa of the carboxyl groups of the acidic residues. In contrast, the transition of H5 is associated with the ionization of the histidine residues which exist exclusively in H5, as well as the deionization of the acidic residues. These observations, combined with the result of the deuterium exchange rates of the histidine C-2 protons, led us to conclude that His-25 and His-62, which are buried in the globular domain, play an important role in the conformational stability of histone H5.     

Distinction and similarity in the structure of histones H1 and H5 as indicated by 13C nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectroscopy

The 13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies have been carried out on histones H1 and H5, by focusing our interest on possible formation of specific salt bridges between acidic and basic amino acid residues in the proteins and also on the structural difference between the two proteins. The 13C chemical shift and pKa values of the carboxyl group of glutamic acid residues in the histones coincided with those of free glutamic acid. Based on this result and another experiment using completely modified lysine residues in the histones, no evidence for a specific interaction between acidic and basic residues has been found. It has also been shown that the pH-effects of aliphatic and aromatic resonances are quite different between H1 and H5, suggesting that the globular domain of H5 is more stable than that of H1. The correlation time (1.5 ns) for the alpha-carbons of H5 estimated from 13C nuclear Overhauser enhancement was twice as long as that of H1 (0.9 ns), indicating that the backbone in the N-terminal and C-terminal domains of H5 is less mobile than that of H1.