Nonshivering thermogenesis and brown fat in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Oxygen consumption was measured before and during infusion of the catecholamine isoproterenol in age-matched spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) normotensive rats. Mass-independent rates of oxygen consumption of anesthetized 7-week-old rats were similar in the WKY and SHR rats (11.08 +/- 0.74 and 11.33 +/- 0.82 ml O2 min-1 kg-.67, respectively). Catecholamine infusion elicited increased total oxygen consumption in both WKY and SHR animals (15.0 +/- 1.0 and 14.9 +/- 1.2 ml O2 min-1 kg-.67, respectively), and the magnitude of these increases did not significantly differ. To assess whether there were changes in the metabolic state of brown adipose tissue, the major site of catecholamine-induced thermogenesis in rats, enzymes whose activity is proportional to aerobic capacity were assayed in vitro. In both the interscapular and cervical brown fat depots, maximal citrate synthase and maximal HOAD (beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase) activities were similar in SHR and WKY rats. There were also no significant differences in brown fat protein content, suggesting no differential growth of this tissue in the two rat strains. Our results indicate that the nonshivering thermogenic capacity of the hypertensive SHR rats does not differ from that of the normotensive WKY animals.     

Mating Costs versus Parental Investment: A Reply to Gwynne

Dewsbury, D. A., ed. (1985): Foundations of comparative psychology (Zur Geschichte der vergleichenden Psychologie). Benchmark Papers in Behavior Series. Toates, F. (1986): Motivational systems (Antriebe). Le Magnen, J. (1986): Hunger. Rosenblatt, J. S., C. Beer, M.-C. Busnel, & P. J. B. Slater, eds. (1985): Advances in the study of behavior. Dickerson, J. W. T., & H. McGurk, eds. (1982): Brain and behavioural development. Interdisciplinary perspectives on structure and function (Gehirn und Verhaltensentwicklung). Bisping, R. (1985): Gedächtnisübertragung bei Goldfischen. Experimentelle Untersuchungen in der “shuttle-box” mit besonderer Berücksichtigung des Problems der Reizspezifität unter einer Rot-Grün-Diskriminationsbedingung (Memory transfer in goldfish). Nachtigall, W. (1984): Erfinderin Natur: Konstruktionen der belebten Welt (Natural constructions). Rasch und Röhring Verlag, Hamburg und Zürich.     

“Unblocking” Serum Activity <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> in the Polyoma System may Correlate with Antitumour Effects of Antiserum <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vivo</Emphasis>

In a variety of tumour systems, individuals carrying progressively growing neoplasms have lymphoid cells with a specific cytotoxic effect on cultured tumour cells from the same individual^1–4. Since the sera of tumour-bearing individuals have been shown to prevent tumour cell destruction by immune lymphocytes in vitro^2,5–8 and since this serum blocking activity appears early in primary and transplant tumour development^5,7, it has been suggested that the appearance of this serum blocking activity might be responsible for the progressive growth of tumours in individuals having cytotoxic lymphocytes. Counteraction of this blocking activity would thus be of primary importance in facilitating the function of an already existing or bolstered cell-mediated immunity. The serum blocking activity might be inhibited in various ways, by preventing the formation of blocking antibody or by interfering with its action (“unblocking”), as demonstrated in Moloney sarcoma regressor sera⁹. This type of serum also has a therapeutic effect on Moloney sarcomas in vivo^10,11, which has been tentatively attributed to its unblocking activity^8,9 or, possibly, to a complement-dependent cytotoxicity¹⁰. Tumour growth in the Moloney sarcoma system, however, might be due in part to continuous recruitment of neoplastic cells by virus-induced transformation and so the therapeutic effect could be due to a virus-neutralizing serum activity^9,10.     

Vergleich des Ablaichverhaltens einiger paarbildender sowie nicht-paarbildender Pomacentriden und Cichliden: (Pisces: Perciformes)

Die bisher vom Ablaichverhalten der Cichlidae und Pomacentridae be-kanntgewordenen Einzelheiten werden verglichen; das Ablaichen von Dascyllus reticulatus aus dem Freiland ist beschrieben. Cichlidae und Pomacentridae sind nächstverwandte Fischfamilien und in warmen Zonen mit vielen Arten weit verbreitet. Ihre Lebensräume haben vieles gemeinsam, doch sind die Cichlidae auf Süß-, die Pomacentridae auf Meer-wasser spezialisiert. Die Vertreter beider Familien gründen und verteidigen zur Fortpflanzungszeit Reviere, und zwar entweder nur die ♂♂ oder ♂ und ♀ gemeinsam, bei Cichliden in Ausnahmefälien auch nur die ♀♀- Bei Pomacentriden wie Cichliden pflegen ♂ und ♀ die Brut gemeinsam, wenn sie auch beide balzen und als Paar ein Revier verteidigen, das zum Ablaichen und zur Brutpflege dient. Daneben gibt es unter den Pomacentridae Arten, von denen allein das ♂ brutpflegt, balzt und ein Revier verteidigt. Wenn dagegen bei Cichliden nur ein Geschlecht brutpflegt, ist es regelmäßig das ♂; es verteidigt dann, wenn überhaupt, ein Revier, das entweder zum Ablaichen und Brüten oder (bei Maulbrütern) nur dem Brüten dient. Im ersten Fall balzt das ♀, im letzten das ♂, das ein anderes Revier besitzt, welches zum Ablaichen dient. In beiden Familien balzt der Partner, der das Ablaichrevier besitzt; das gilt auch für andere Fischfamilien. Die Cichliden sind je nach Art – selbst innerhalb einer Gattung verschie-den – monogam (für einen Brutzyklus oder fürs Leben) oder agam (viele Maulbrüter) oder polygam (Haremsbildung). Pomacentriden sind monogam oder agam; Maulbrüten sowie Polygamic sind von ihnen nicht bekannt. Bei den agamen Pomacentriden pflegt das ♂ die Eier in seinem Revier, bei den agamen Cichliden pflegt das ♂ die Brut außerhalb des ♂-Reviers. Bei Cichliden mit aufgelockerter Paarbindung kommt es zur Polygamic, wenn die ♀♀ nicht maulbrüten, sondern die Brut an einem Ort pflegen, der im Revier des ♂ liegt. Da bei Pomacentriden das ♂ brutpflegt, ist Polygamic nicht zu erwarten. Das Ablaichverhalten von Pomacentriden und Cichliden stimmt weit-gehend überein. In beiden Familien zeigen von agamen Arten zumindest die Revierbesitzer beim Ablaichen aggressive Verhaltensweisen gegen den Partner, am deutlichsten als Beißen, das zunehmend reduziert sein kann (Stößeln, T-Stellung und ?2ugucken”). Bei monogamen Arten fehlen diese Verhaltensweisen im Ablaichverhalten, sie können aber in ihrer Balz vorkommen.     

On the mechanism of ATP-induced shape changes in the human erythrocyte membranes: the role of ATP

In the preceding paper (Sheetz, M. and S.J. Singer. 1977. J Cell Biol. 73:638-646) it was shown that erythrocyte ghosts undergo pronounced shape changes in the presence of mg-ATP. The biochemical effects of the action of ATP are herein examined. The biochemical effects of the action of ATP are herein examined. Phosphorylation by ATP of spectrin component 2 of the erythrocyte membrane is known to occur. We have shown that it is only membrane protein that is significantly phosphorylated under the conditions where the shape changes are produced. The extent of this phosphorylation rises with increasing ATP concentration, reaching nearly 1 mol phosphoryle group per mole of component 2 at 8mM ATP. Most of this phosphorylation appears to occur at a single site on the protein molecule, according to cyanogen bromide peptide cleavage experiments. The degree of phosphorylation of component 2 is apparently also regulated by a membrane-bound protein phosphatase. This activity can be demonstrated in erythrocyte ghosts prepared from intact cells prelabeled with [(32)P]phosphate. In addition to the phosphorylation of component 2, some phosphorylation of lipids, mainly of phosphatidylinositol, is also known to occur. The ghost shape changes are, however, shown to be correlated with the degree of phosphorylation of component 2. In such experiment, the incorporation of exogenous phosphatases into ghosts reversed the shape changes produced by ATP, or by the membrane-intercalating drug chlorpromazine. The results obtained in this and the preceding paper are consistent with the proposal that the erythrocyte membrane possesses kinase and phosphates activities which produce phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of a specific site on spectrin component 2 molecules; the steady-state level of this phosphorylation regulates the structural state of the spectrin complex on the cytoplasmic surface of the membrane, which in turn exerts an important control on the shape of the cell.     

Marabou Storks Wash Dung Beetles

Marabou Storks in their natural environment were observed to practise an insightful method of food amelioration.     

Selective inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis by gold salts and phenylbutazone

Gold salts and phenylbutazone selectively inhibit the synthesis of PGF_2α and PGE₂ respectively. Lowered production of one prostaglandin species is accompanied by an increased production of the other. Selective inhibition by these drugs was observed in the presence of adrenaline, reduced glutathione and copper sulphate under conditions when most anti-inflammatory compounds inhibited PGE₂ and PGF_2α syntheses equally. It is postulated that selective inhibitors may have a different mode of action and beneficial effects may be related to the endogenous ratio of PGE to PGF required for normal function.     

'Sympathetic Song': the Silent and the Overt Vocal Repertoire, Exemplified with a Dueting Pair of the African Slate-Coloured Boubou, Laniarius funebris

In many bird species the total song repertoire consists of an overt repertoire normally uttered, and a silent repertoire produced only under special circumstances. A silent repertoire can be inferred from specific vocal responses of an individual to hearing parts of its own silent repertoire uttered by another bird ('sympathetic song'). The silent repertoire plays a prominent role in dueting birds, in particular those with sex-specific overt song repertoires, where the overt repertoire of one partner is the silent repertoire of the other. This is here exemplified with a pair of the slate-coloured boubou L. funebris . Silent repertoires should be taken into consideration when relating the complexity of birds' vocal behaviour to the size or structure of their forebrain vocal control areas.