Effect of streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin on rabbit macrophage functions in vitro: mediation by splenic lymphocytes

Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE) showed no direct effect on rabbit macrophage functions in vitro. However, when splenic lymphocytes were added to macrophage cultures, SPE caused marked augmentation of glucose consumption and superoxide anion production, and concomitant inhibition of phagocytosis without loss of cell viability. The SPE effects were demonstrated to be mediated by a soluble factor(s) released from the splenic lymphocytes in response to SPE stimulus.     

Dysbindin-1, a Schizophrenia-Related Protein,Functionally Interacts with the DNA- Dependent Protein Kinase Complex in an Isoform-Dependent Manner

DTNBP1 has been recognized as a schizophrenia susceptible gene, and its protein product, dysbindin-1, is down-regulated in the brains of schizophrenic patients. However, little is known about the physiological role of dysbindin-1 in the central nervous system. We hypothesized that disruption of dysbindin-1 with unidentified proteins could contribute to pathogenesis and the symptoms of schizophrenia. GST pull-down from human neuroblastoma lysates showed an association of dysbindin-1 with the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) complex. The DNA-PK complex interacts only with splice isoforms A and B, but not with C. We found that isoforms A and B localized in nucleus, where the kinase complex exist, whereas the isoform C was found exclusively in cytosol. Furthermore, results of phosphorylation assay suggest that the DNA-PK complex phosphorylated dysbindin-1 isoforms A and B in cells. These observations suggest that DNA-PK regulates the dysbindin-1 isoforms A and B by phosphorylation in nucleus. Isoform C does not contain exons from 1 to 6. Since schizophrenia-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) occur in these introns between exon 1 and exon 6, we suggest that these SNPs might affect splicing of DTNBP1, which leads to impairment of the functional interaction between dysbindin-1 and DNA-PK in schizophrenic patients.     

Human Brain Reacts to Transcranial Extraocular Light

Transcranial extraocular light affects the brains of birds and modulates their seasonal changes in physiology and behavior. However, whether the human brain is sensitive to extraocular light is unknown. To test whether extraocular light has any effect on human brain functioning, we measured brain electrophysiology of 18 young healthy subjects using event-related potentials while they performed a visual attention task embedded with emotional distractors. Extraocular light delivered via ear canals abolished normal emotional modulation of attention related brain responses. With no extraocular light delivered, emotional distractors reduced centro-parietal P300 amplitude compared to neutral distractors. This phenomenon disappeared with extraocular light delivery. Extraocular light delivered through the ear canals was shown to penetrate at the base of the scull of a cadaver. Thus, we have shown that extraocular light impacts human brain functioning calling for further research on the mechanisms of action of light on the human brain.     

Sequences of cDNAs for human salivary and pancreatic α-amylases

The nucleotide sequences of the cloned human salivary and pancreatic α-amylase cDNAs correspond to the continuous mRNA sequences of 1768 and 1566 nucleotides, respectively. These include all of the amino acid coding regions. Salivary cDNA contains 200 bp in the 5′-noncoding region and 32 in the 3′-noncoding region. Pancreatic cDNA contains 3 and 27 bp of 5′- and 3′-noncoding regions, respectively. The nucleotide sequence humology of the two cDNAs is 96% in the coding region, and the predicted amino acid sequences are 94% homologous.Comparison of the sequences of human α-amylase cDNAs with those previously obtained for mouse α-amylase genes (Hagenbuchle et al., 1980; Schibler et al., 1982) showed the possibility of gene conversion between the two genes of human α-amylase.     

High-frequency transfection of mouse FM3A mammary carcinoma cells in suspension culture with plasmid DNA

High-frequency transfection of mouse FM3A cells, grown in suspension, with plasmid pSV2neo DNA was achieved by incubation of the cells with DNA plus polybrene for 6 h followed by an osmotic shock with a hypertonic NaCl solution. When incubated for 20 min at 34 degrees C, FM3A cells showed resistance to the osmolarity change from 0.1 to 9.0% NaCl in the medium. Within this concentration range, 5-7% gave the highest efficiency of transfection. Both linear and circular forms of plasmid DNA produced transformants with equal efficiency. This method was simple, reproducible, and carrier DNA was not required. The efficiency was about 100 times higher than that of the method with DNA-calcium phosphate precipitates. Transformed cells were stable and different numbers of plasmid DNA copies were detected.     

Changes in IL-6, IL-8, C-reactive protein and pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor after transcatheter arterial chemo-embolization therapy for hepato-cellular carcinoma.

In an attempt to investigate the interaction between the changes of cytokines and acute phase reactants after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization therapy (TACE), the levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), C-reactive protein (CRP) and pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) in the blood of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were measured. Before the therapy, serum IL-6 and plasma IL-8 levels were detectable in 77.8% and 28.5%, respectively, of patients with HCC. Levels of serum IL-6 and plasma IL-8 increased after TACE and reached a peak on day 3 in all patients (18/18) and in 87.5% of patients (12/14), respectively. Both blood levels of IL-6 and IL-8 reached a peak earlier than those of CRP and PSTI did after the therapy. When the maximal values of IL-6 were compared with those of CRP and PSTI, there were significant positive correlations (r = 0.63, P < 0.01 and r = 0.81, P < 0.01, respectively). Similarly, comparisons of the maximal values of IL-8 with those of CRP and PSTI gave a significant correlation (r = 0.68, P < 0.01 and r = 0.67, P < 0.05, respectively). However, no significant correlation was found between the elevation of IL-6 and IL-8.     

Further characterization of the lipid-depleted bovine rhodopsin obtained by cholate-ammonium sulfate fractionation

The rhodopsin preparation obtained by the method of ammonium sulfate fractionation contained 3–6 mol phospholipid and about 18 mol cholate per mol rhodopsin. The purified rhodopsin had 74% helical structure and showed a visible CD spectrum different from that of rhodopsin in the membrane. The rhodopsin was stable below but denatured gradually above 20°C. The lifetime of metarhodopsin I was long in this preparation. Regeneration capacity was low and only 30% of the original rhodopsin was regenerable by addition of 11-cis-retinal after bleaching.50 mol of phosphatidylcholine were maximally bound to 1 mol rhodopsin when the purified rhodopsin was mixed with phosphatidylcholine in 0.5% cholate. The rhodopsin recombined with lipid had properties similar to those of the original rhodopsin in the membrane. Exchange of cholate for other detergents was easily performed by dialysis. The rhodopsin preparation in which cholate was exchanged for digitonin gave almost the same CD, thermal stability and regenerability as those of a native rhodopsin in the membrane but metarhodopsin I still retained its long lifetime.