GROWTH OF NORMAL AND TRANSFORMED RAT EMBRYO FIBROBLASTS : Effects of Glycolipids from Salmonella minnesota R Mutants

Addition of glycolipids obtained from Salmonella minnesota R mutants to normal, spontaneously transformed, and SV40-transformed rat embryo fibroblasts in culture results in an inhibition of growth of transformed cells but not of normal cells. In the presence of the glycolipid with the smallest carbohydrate chain length, spontaneously transformed cells stop growing when they reach confluency. Inhibition of growth of transformed cells is inversely related to the chain length of the core sugars. Glycolipid mR595 is shown to bind with the cell membrane of transformed cells and elicits an augmentation in the intracellular level of cyclic AMP. Normal cells bind relatively less glycolipid mR595 and show a lower percent of increase in cyclic AMP due to glycolipid mR595 than do transformed cells.     

Irradiation induced changes in flower formation inCannabis sativa L

Stimulation of flower formation was ohserved in the female plants ofCannabis sativa raised from seeds treated with gamma rays. These plants produced seeds, of smaller size. One of 195 plants formed sterile hermaphrodite flowers with reduced female structures and increased number of anthers.     

A Generator-Produced Gallium-68 Radiopharmaceutical for PET Imaging of Myocardial Perfusion

Lipophilic cationic technetium-99m-complexes are widely used for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). However, inherent uncertainties in the supply chain of molybdenum-99, the parent isotope required for manufacturing ⁹⁹Mo/^99mTc generators, intensifies the need for discovery of novel MPI agents incorporating alternative radionuclides. Recently, germanium/gallium (Ge/Ga) generators capable of producing high quality ⁶⁸Ga, an isotope with excellent emission characteristics for clinical PET imaging, have emerged. Herein, we report a novel ⁶⁸Ga-complex identified through mechanism-based cell screening that holds promise as a generator-produced radiopharmaceutical for PET MPI.     

Lucilia sericata Chymotrypsin Disrupts Protein Adhesin-Mediated Staphylococcal Biofilm Formation

Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms cause chronic infections due to their ability to form biofilms. The excretions/secretions of Lucilia sericata larvae (maggots) have effective activity for debridement and disruption of bacterial biofilms. In this paper, we demonstrate how chymotrypsin derived from maggot excretions/secretions disrupts protein-dependent bacterial biofilm formation mechanisms.