Translocation of c-abl oncogene and PDGFB (c-sis) gene in a case of CML with 46,XY, t(22;22)

In a case of CML with a variant Philadelphia translocation (Ph1 or Ph) t(22;22) (q11;q13) in bone marrow cells and unstimulated peripheral blood cells, no cytogenetically detectable involvement of chromosome 9 was observed. Southern blot experiments using probes specific for bcr and c-sis however revealed rearrangement of the bcr, but not of PDGFB (c-sis) gene. Northern blot analysis of bone marrow RNA showed a very weak signal with the c-sis probe, while in a lymph-node biopsy PDGFB m-RNA could not be detected. Chromosomal in situ hybridization gave evidence for translocation of c-abl from chromosome 9 to Ph and of PDGFB from chromosome 22 to chromosome 9, as the result of a threefold translocation t(9;22;22).     

Skeletal muscle fiber type composition and performance during repeated bouts of maximal, concentric contractions

Force output and fatigue and recovery patterns were studied during intermittent short-term exercise. 27 men performed three bouts of 30 maximal unilateral knee extensions on 2 different occasions. Blood flow was maintained or occluded during recovery periods (60 s). Blood flow was restricted by inflating a pneumatic cuff placed around the proximal thigh. Muscle biopsies from vastus lateralis were analyzed for identification of fast twitch (FT) and slow twitch (ST) fibers and relative FT area. Peak torque decreased during each bout of exercise and more when blood flow was restricted during recovery. Initial peak torque (IPT) and average peak torque (APT) decreased over the three exercise bouts. This response was 3 fold greater without than with blood flow during recovery. IPT and APT decreased more in individuals with mainly FT fibers than in those with mainly ST fibers. It is suggested that performance during repeated bouts of maximal concentric contractions differs between individuals with different fiber type composition. Specifically, in high intensity, intermittent exercise with emphasis on anaerobic energy release a high FT composition may not necessarily be advantageous for performance.     

Inhibition of early steps of de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis by different xenobiotica

The importance of the early steps of de novo fatty-acid biosynthesis is discussed in terms of rate-limiting enzymic reactions with respect to their inhibition by xenobiotics. The inhibitory spectra of allicin as an inhibitor of the acetyl-CoA-synthase, two classes of graminicides (cyclohexane-1,3-diones and aryloxyphenoxypropionic acids) as inhibitors of acetyl-CoA-carboxylase, and the two antibiotics cerulenin and thiolactomycin, which affect the condensing step in fatty-acid biosynthesis, are compared.     

Effects of intracranial prolactin administration on maintenance of incubation readiness, ingestive behavior, and gonadal condition in ring doves

Systemic administration of prolactin (PRL) reportedly maintains readiness to sit on eggs, increases body weights and liver weights, and reduces gonadal and reproductive tract tissue weights in male and female ring doves. To determine if these effects are mediated by PRL-induced changes in the central nervous system, ring doves were isolated from their mates, nests, and eggs on Day 4 of incubation and given twice-daily intracerebroventricular injections of PRL (1 microgram, 0.031 IU) or saline vehicle (2 microliter) during the next 10 days. Food and water consumption were monitored daily during treatment and tests for incubation behavior and observation of organ weight changes were conducted at the end of the period. The incidence of incubation behavior in the PRL-treated group was not significantly different from that in the control group and was significantly lower than that reported in a previous study following subcutaneous PRL injections. However, gonadal and reproductive tract tissue weights were markedly reduced and food and water consumption were significantly elevated in PRL-treated birds. Body weights and liver weights were also increased following PRL administration. In contrast, crop sac weight did not increase in the PRL treated birds, thereby indicating that the effects of icv prolactin treatment were not mediated by increased plasma PRL levels and peripheral target organ stimulation. These results suggest that PRL can act directly on the brain to inhibit gonadotropin release and to stimulate ingestive behavior but central effects of PRL alone are not sufficient to maintain incubation readiness.     

Verhalten der Glasaale(Anguilla anguilla) bei ihrer Wanderung in den Ästuarien deutscher Nordseeflüsse

Zusammenfassung 1. Das Verhalten von GlasaalenAnguilla anguilla L., die bei Tage im oberen Tidegebiet der Elbe an der Oberfläche und im Schwarm wanderten, wurde beobachtet.2. Aus diesen und früheren Untersuchungen in der Elbe geht hervor, daß bei Ebbe die Aale ihre Tageswanderung am Ufer etwas unterhalb der Flutstromgrenze in den frühen Morgenstunden beginnen und täglich in den Vormittagsstunden wieder abbrechen. Sie verbergen sich dann im Sand oder unter den Steinen.3. Die täglich weiter flußaufwärts begonnenen Oberflächenwanderungen enden vermutlich an der Tidegrenze oder etwas oberhalb davon und umfassen damit einen Bereich von etwa 50 km.4. Glasaalschwärme wurden am häufigsten an den Tagen, die dem Mitternachtstidehochwasser an der Flutstromgrenze folgten, festgestellt. Diese Erscheinung läßt sich aus dem Verhalten der Glasaale erklären, negativ phototaktisch und passiv mit dem Flutstrom flußaufwärts zu treiben.5. Die Aale halten während der Tageswanderung engen Uferkontakt und lassen sich in ihrer Wanderrichtung, außer bei starker Turbulenz, durch gleichlaufende Strömungen nicht irritieren.6. Das Elbestauwehr wird, außer gelegentlich an der Schleuse, während des beschriebenen Entwicklungsabschnittes nur bei Hochwasser überwunden; dann können die Aale im Bereich überfluteten Geländes in das Gebiet oberhalb des Stauwehrs gelangen.7. Die in der Elbe nachgewiesenen Verhaltensweisen bestätigen sich nach früheren Beobachtungen anderer Autoren und eigenen Ermittlungen in den Flüssen Weser und Ems.8. Das periodische Auftauchen der Glasaale an der Wasseroberfläche im oberen Tidebereich wird dadurch erklärt, daß sich aus der vorangegangenen Zeit im wechselnden Flut- und Ebbstrom ein innerer Rhythmus erhalten hat, der abwechselnd eine positive und negative Rheotaxis auch ohne äußeren Zeitgeber noch einige Tage in Erscheinung treten läßt.9. Die Frage, wie die Aale im äußeren und inneren Küstenabschnitt Ebbe-oder Flutströmungen perzipieren und welche Bedeutung möglicherweise lunaren Einflüssen zukommt, wird diskutiert.

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Behaviour of elvers(Anguilla anguilla) during their migration in estuaries of German North Sea rivers

Upon observing the tidal section of the Elbe River, it was found that the elvers (Anguilla anguilla L.), gathering in shoals immediately below the surface of the water, moved only in the early part of the morning. The area of such below-the-surface movements probably ranges from approximately the uppermost point reached by the flood stream to the uppermost point of measurable vertical tidal fluctuations. In the Elbe this area spreads over a distance of about 50 kilometers. Subsequent to such early day movements, the elvers bury themselves in the river bottom. They are passively carried upstream and, following a midnight high tide, appear at the upper boundary of the flood stream. Above this boundary the elvers swim against the current and close to the river bank. If the direction of the downstream current occasionally changes, for example, due to the special morphology of the river banks, the elvers swim with it, but, in principle, they do not alter their upstream direction of swimming. The elvers reach the section above the weir near Geesthacht only when the water is extremely high and the surrounding land flooded, or, though more seldom, through the sluice. Behavioural patterns and hydrographical relationships similar to those described for the Elbe were found by other authors to exist in the Weser and Ems Rivers. The periodic emergence of the elvers to the surface in the upper tidal region can be explained by previous experiences and resulting internal rhythms, which do not need reinforcements by external factors over shorter periods of time. The question of how ebb and flood streams are perceived in outer and inner coastal waters by the elvers, as well as possible direct and indirect influences through the moon, are discussed.

     

Enzyme activities of FT and ST muscle fibers in heavy-resistance trained athletes

Tissue samples were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle of elite olympic weight and power lifters (OL/PL, n = 6), bodybuilders (BB, n = 7), and sedentary men (n = 7). Enzyme activities of citrate synthase (CS), lactate dehydrogenase (LD), 3-OH-acyl-CoA-dehydrogenase (HAD), and myokinase (MK) were assayed on freeze-dried dissected pools of slow-twitch (ST) and fast-twitch (FT) fiber fragments by fluorometric means. Histochemical analyses were carried out to assess fiber type composition and fiber area. CS and HAD activities were lower (P less than 0.05), and LD and MK were higher (P less than 0.05) in FT than ST fibers in the entire subject pool (n = 20). CS of FT fibers and HAD of ST fibers were lower in athletes (P less than 0.05-0.01) compared with nonathletes, whereas LD of both fiber types was higher (P less than 0.05-0.001) in athletes. CS activity of ST fibers and MK activity of FT fibers were higher (P less than 0.05) in BB compared with OL/PL. FT and ST fiber area was greater (P less than 0.05) in athletes than in nonathletes. BB displayed greater (P less than 0.05) fiber size than OL/PL. FT/ST area was greater (P less than 0.05) in OL/PL than BB. It is suggested that long-term heavy-resistance training results in specific metabolic adaptations of FT and ST fiber types. These changes appear to be influenced by the type of resistance training.     

Armaments and ornaments: an evolutionary explanation of traits of dual Utility

Secondary sexual characters in many species function both in male-male competition and as cues for female choice. Based on a literature compilation of existing knowledge of traits with this dual function, we propose that they commonly arise through intersexual selection processes and serve as honest signals to other males regarding fighting ability or dominance. Faking these traits, here called armaments, (i.e. weapons and status badges) is difficult, as they are constantly put to trial in male-male contests. Females that subsequently utilize them as indicators of male phenotypic quality when selecting a partner will benefit by acquiring males of higher quality to father their offspring. Thus, evolution of armaments through male-male competition is seen as a usually initiating process, whereas female choice later may assume a role as an additional selective factor. The reverse, that males use information from traits evolved through female choice, is, however, also possible. The traditional view of independently evolved and temporarily unordered intra- and intersexual selection processes fails to explain dual trait functions. Moreover, our model may more satisfyingly than traditional ones explain how trait honesty and trait genetic variance are maintained: theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that such honesty and variation are more easily maintained under male-male competition than under female choice.     

Effects of 5 weeks of lower limb suspension on muscle size and strength

Lack of weight-bearing, as occurs in space, appears to be associated with reductions in strength and mass of skeletal muscle. Very limited data, however, is at hand describing changes in skeletal muscle size and function following manned space missions. Our current knowledge therefore is mainly based on studies of space flown rats. It is obvious though that this information, only in part can be extrapolated to humans. A few bed rest studies have demonstrated that decreases in strength and muscle size are substantial. At this time, however, the magnitude or time course of such changes either in response to space flight or simulations of microgravity have not been defined. In the last few years we have employed a human model to simulate unloading of lower limb skeletal muscles that occurs in microgravity. This model was essentially adopted from the rat hindlimb suspension technique. The purpose of this study was to assess the magnitude of decreases in muscle strength and size as a result of five weeks of unilateral lower limb suspension.     

Evidence for the Existence of Differential O-Glycosylated α5-Subunits of the γ-Aminobutyric AcidA Receptor in the Rat Brain

Abstract: Polyclonal antibodies were raised to synthetic peptides having amino acid sequences corresponding with the N- or C-terminal part of the γ-aminobutyric acid_A (GABA_A) receptor α₅-subunit. These anti-peptide α₅(2–10) or anti-peptide α₅(427–433) antibodies reacted specifically with GABA_A receptors purified from the brains of 5–10-day-old rats in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were able to dose-dependently immunoprecipitate up to 6.3 or 13.1% of the GABA_A receptors present in the incubation, respectively. In immunoblots, each of these antibodies reacted with the same two protein bands with apparent molecular mass of 53 or 57 kDa. After exhaustive treatment of purified GABA_A receptors with N -Glycanase, each of these antibodies identified two proteins with apparent molecular masses of 46 and 48 kDa. Additional treatment of GABA_A receptors with neuraminidase and O -Glycanase resulted in an apparently single protein with molecular mass of 47 kDa, which again was identified by both the anti-peptide α₅(2–10) and the anti-peptide α₅(427–433) antibody. These results indicate the existence of at least two different α₅-sub-units of the GABA_A receptor that differ in their carbohydrate content. In contrast to other α- or β-subunits of GABA_A receptors so far investigated, at least one of these two α₅-subunits contains O-linked carbohydrates.