Studies on the olfactory epithelium of the frog and the toad with the aid of light and electron microscopy

Summary Epithelial structures in the olfactory region of the frog and the toad have been examined with the aid of light and electronmicroscopy. The olfactory cells send out 6–12 extremely long cilia with a central fibrillar structure and a peripheral sheath. They are motile but only in a small degree as their peripheral ends are weaved together in a network which covers the epithelial surface. The sustentacular cells show a great number of small protoplasmic protrusions on their surface. Their importance is discussed.The cells of the glands of Bowman are also provided with small protoplasmic protrusions but they are smaller than those of the sustentacular cells and do not show their inner structures. In all three celltypes mitochondria were found containing systems of double-membranes and in the supporting cells and Bowman's cells intracellular cytoplasmic membranes were observed.     

Studies on somatostatin with time-resolved spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations

Somatostatin was studied by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and by molecular dynamics simulations. The results obtained indicate the existence of mainly one conformation in DMSO, and the existence of several conformations in other solvents. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the most important region for activity (residue 7-9) is also the most flexible region in the peptide.