Arylsulphatase activity in the oviduct of the frogRana esculenta. II. Progesterone-induced changes following ovariectomy and hypophysectomy

Summary The effects of progesterone treatment on arylsulphatase activity were studied histochemically and biochemically in the frog oviduct under different experimental conditions. In ovariectomized animals, the hormone induced a large increase in enzyme activity, while in hypophysectomized ones there was a large decrease in this activity. These results indicate that the facilitatory and inhibitory effects of progesterone on arylsulphatase activity are influenced by the presencein situ of the gonad. Hypotheses are advanced to explain different effects of the progesterone treatment.     

Amplitude of the SCN clock enhanced by the behavioral activity rhythm

Circadian rhythms are regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a small structure at the base of the hypothalamus. While light effects on the SCN are well established, little is known of behavioral effects. This study elucidates direct modulating action of behavioral activity on the SCN by use of in vivo electrophysiology recordings, assessments of general locomotor behavior, and video-tracking of mice. The results show suppression of SCN neuronal activity by spontaneous behavior, the magnitude being dependent on the intensity, duration and type of behavioral activity. The suppression was moderate (32% of circadian amplitude) for low-intensity behavior and considerable (59%) for locomotor activity. Mild manipulation of the animals had reversed effects on the SCN indicating that different mechanisms are involved in the regulatory effect of spontaneous versus induced activity. The results indicate that exercise at the proper time of the cycle can boost the amplitude of the rhythm of the SCN clock itself. This has potentially beneficial effects for other rhythmic functions that are under the control of the SCN.     

The effect of arterial blood loss on the myoelectrical activity of the pyloric sphincter and duodenum

The effects of 5, 10 and 25% arterial bleeding on the myoelectric activity of the pyloroduodenal junction were investigated in conscious rabbits. Bleeding produced biphasic changing in activity of pylorus and duodenum. The first phase was determined by complete inhibition of pyloroduodenal activity. The second one manifested by more increased duodenal activity than pylorus. These results indicate that bleeding-induced alterations in pyloroduodenal myoelectric activity are related to duodenopyloric discoordination.     

Changes in the circadian flight activity of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae in relation to insemination, feeding and oviposition

ABSTRACT. The effects of different physiological inputs on the circadian pattern of flight activity were examined in Anopheles gambiae. Males and virgin females had a similar activity pattern in which the initial (light-off) peak accounted for a large proportion of the total activity. Starvation caused an increase in activity, but the basic pattern remained unchanged. After insemination, the initial peak in females was greatly reduced, while activity later in the dark phase increased. Blood-feeding was followed by a depression of activity for 2–3 days, but there was an increase in the relative importance of the initial peak until oviposition had taken place. These changes are consistent with the switches in behaviour in the wild, from mating to host-seeking, and then between host-seeking and oviposition. Our results suggest that the changes are brought about by factors which have differential effects on the components of the circadian pacemaker.     

Inhibitors of cathepsin R (ribosomal proteinase). Polyamines as natural inhibitors of the proteinase]

The effects of potential inhibitors on the activity of neutral ribosomal proteinase--cathepsis R--were studied. It was found that cathepsin R belongs to the group of serine enzymes. The polyamines spermine and spermidine, which are inherently present in the ribosomes, are natural reversible inhibitors of cathepsin R. Upon separation of the enzyme from the inhibitors the proteinase displays a high activity. The effects of polyamines on the proteinase activity may either be direct or mediated via RNA. The enzyme activity can also be controlled by amino acids. Approximately 2/3 of cathepsis R were found in a latent state.     

Effects of ethanol on the activity of brain enzymes

Ethanol alters, in a selective manner, the activity of several membrane-bound enzymes in the central nervous system (CNS) which are important for neuronal transmission of information. Ethanol inhibits Na+/K+-transporting ATPase activity, while adenylate cyclase (AC) activity is stimulated by ethanol added in vitro. Ethanol's effects on AC activity are mediated primarily via effects on proteins that regulate AC activity. Ethanol has selective effects on monoamine oxidase activity, in that the B form of the enzyme is more sensitive to inhibition by ethanol added in vitro. The selective effects of ethanol on different membrane-bound CNS enzymes may result from differing membrane lipid microenvironments of the enzymes, or from differences in the enzyme proteins per se.     

Amoebacidal effects of serum from the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

Treatment of axenic Naegleria gruberi cultures with alligator serum resulted in time-dependent amoebacidal activity, with measurable activity at 5 min and maximal activity occurring at 20 min. The amoebacidal activity was concentration dependent, with measurable activity at 25% serum, whereas treatment of amoebas with undiluted serum resulted in only 16% survival. The efficacy was dependent on the concentration of amoebas, with higher survival rates at high amoeba densities and lower survival rates at low amoeba densities. The amoeba-killing effects of alligator serum were broad in spectrum because the serum was effective against 3 strains of Naegleria species tested and 4 Acanthamoeba species, which have been reported to be resistant to human serum complement-mediated lysis. The amoebacidal effects of alligator serum were temperature dependent, with optimal activity at 15-30 C and a decrease in activity below 15 C and above 30 C. The amoebacidal activity of alligator serum was heat labile and protease sensitive, indicating the proteinaceous nature of the activity, and was also inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, which indicated a requirement for divalent metal ions. These characteristics strongly suggest that the amoebacidal properties of alligator serum are because of complement activity.     

Regulation of the Adenylyl Cyclase System of the Infusorian Tetrahymena pyriformis by Hormonal and Non-Hormonal Agents and Its Dependence on the Basal Activity Level of Adenylyl Cyclase

Effects of glucagon and biogenic amines as well as of non-hormonal agents (manganese cations, forskolin, guanine nucleotides) on activity of adenylyl cyclase (AC) was studied in the infusorian Tetrahymena pyriformis, a representative of unicellular eukaryotes. The infusorian cultures at different growth stages were chosen for the study. It has been revealed that the AC basal activity measured in the cultures at the stationary stage is much lower than in those at the exponential stage. The stimulating effects of hormones (glucagon, serotonin, isoproterenol) and of non-hormonal agents were shown to depend markedly on the tetrahymena AC basal activity. These effects are pronounced at the stationary stage of growth (the low basal activity), whereas in cultures at the active division stage (the high basal activity) they either are reduced or change their sign to opposite (inhibition of AC activity. The obtained results not only are another evidence in favor of the existence of the functionally active ACS in lower eukaryotes, but also indicate an important role of this system in regulation of sensitivity of infusoria at different growth stages to external actions.     

Effects of insulin, glucocorticoids and adrenaline on the activity of rat adipose-tissue lipoprotein lipids.

The lipoprotein lipase activity of epididymal fat-bodies from starved rats was measured during incubations at 37 degrees C in vitro. Protein synthesis independent activation of the enzyme, previously observed during incubations at 25 decrease C, also occurs at 37 degrees C. Protein-synthesis-dependent increases in the activity of the enzyme occur in the presence of insulin and are markedly potentiated by glucocorticoids. The effects on the activity of the enzyme of insulin alone, or in the presence of glucocorticoids, are correlated with its effects on total protein synthesis in the tissue. Adrenaline antagonizes the increase in activity of the enzyme brought about by insulin and abolishes the potentiation of insulin action by glucocorticoids. These changes may be due, at least in part, to its stimulation of inactivation of the enzyme in the tissue. It is suggested that changes in adipose-tissue lipoprotein lipase activity that occur with changes in nutritional status in vivo result from the combined effects of changes in plasma insulin and glucocorticoid concentrations.     

Landscape-Scale Implications of the Edge Effect on Soil Fauna Activity in a Temperate Forest

Although studies on edge effects on species richness and abundance are numerous, the responses of ecosystem processes to these effects have received considerably less attention. How ecosystem processes respond to edge effects is particularly important in temperate forests, where small fragments and edge habitats form a considerable proportion of the total forest area. Soil fauna are key contributors to decomposition and soil biogeochemical cycling processes. Using the bait lamina technique, we quantified soil fauna feeding activity, and its dependence on soil moisture and distance to the edge in a broad-leaved forest in Southern England. Feeding activity was 40% lower at the forest edge than in the interior, and the depth of edge influence was approximately 75 m. A watering treatment showed that moisture limitation was the main driver of the reduced feeding activity at the edge. In England, only 33% of the forest area is greater than 75 m from the edge. Therefore, assuming that the results from this single-site study are representative for the landscape, it implies that only one- third of the forest area in England supports activity levels typical for the forest core, and that edge effects reduce the mean feeding activity across the landscape by 17% (with lower and upper 90% confidence intervals of 1.3 and 23%, respectively). Changing climatic conditions, such as summer droughts may exacerbate such effects as edges lose water faster than the forest interior. The results highlight the importance of taking edge effects into account in ecological studies and forest management planning in highly fragmented landscapes.     

The effect of disconnecting the hippocampus from the septum on the activity of septal neurons]

Extracellular recording of neuronal activity was performed in the medial and lateral septal nuclei (MS and LS) in unanaesthetized rabbits after coagulation of septo-hippocampal connections. The MS neuronal activity had many pathological features. The LS activity was normal in every respect. Spontaneous activity, reactivity to sensory stimuli and main characteristics of responses to sensory stimuli were preserved in LS (and in a part of MS neurones). Sensory effects were augmented in intensity and duration, the number of neurones in LS with theta-bursts increased twofold, theta-bursts were more regular, than in control animals. These effects may be explained by an increase of ascending RF influences, which is supported by the fact of outstanding similarity between sensory and reticular effects in septal neurones after hippocampal disconnection. The number of units with inhibition of activity in response to sensory stimuli decreased, habituation of responses was absent. That means that hippocampal influences are necessary for the organization of inhibitory phenomena in the septum, and, above all, for processes of gradual habituation.     

Variations in the expression of the gene Pgd due to the effect of chromosomal rearrangements in Drosophila melanogaster

The effects of chromosomal rearrangements on the expression of the gene Pgd coding for 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PGD) was studied in D. melanogaster. Of 21 chromosomal rearrangements examined, 2 produced complete loss of PGD activity, 10 markedly decreased it, 3 slightly increased it, and 6 had no appreciable effect. The effect of some rearrangements can be restricted to the larval stage. The results of histochemical staining and the quantitative analysis of the electrophoretic PGD patterns allowed us to identify chromosomal rearrangements whose inhibition of PGD activity was due to mosaic expression of the Pgd gene. The rearrangements whose effects are variegated represented 50% of those decreasing the expression of the marker gene or about 25% of those we considered.     

Photoentrainment, pharmacology, and phase shifts of the circadian rhythm in the rat pineal.

Photoentrainment of circadian rhythms in mammals is mediated by the retinohypothalamic projection to the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. It should therefore be possible to mimic or block the effects of light on the circadian pacemaker with appropriate pharmacological agents. Such agents and their effects should be useful in identifying the neurotransmitters involved in photoentrainment and their mechanisms of action on the circadian pacemaker. The effects of light on the circadian rhythm in rat pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity are described. Carbachol, a cholinergic agonist, was found to mimic the effects of light on this rhythm, including the acute reduction of nocturnal activity and phase-shifting of the free-running rhythm. These results raise the possibility that acetylcholine is involved in the photoentrainment of mammalian circadian rhythms.     

Electrical activity of the brain of the eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) subjected to hypoxia and hypercapnia

The effects of hypoxia and hypercapnia on the electric activity of cerebral vesicles have been studied in 48 unrestrained eels placed in water in a soundproof location. 1. Hypoxia (PwO2 less than 5 torr) was well endured for 8 hours after which sharp bursts appeared, rapidly followed by cerebral death. 2. Hypercapnia (PwCO2 congruent to 14 torr) gave an amplitude decrease in cerebral activity beginning with the first hour, and after 8 hours there was an appearance of slow waves which progressively invaded the recording while the latency of average VER increased. 3. The large resistance of eels to hypoxia, is discussed in relation to the importance of anaerobic glycolysis in fish. The effects of hypercapnia on cerebral electric activity in eels are comparable to those observed in mammals and may be due to metabolic and electrolytic modification in CRL and in nervous cells.     

Enzymatic and immunologic study of the role of the thyroid hormone in the formation of the internal mitochondrial membrane during postnatal development of the rat

Hypothyroidism induces an increase of liver D-beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase activity. Injection of thyroid hormone reverses the phenomena. The use of monospecific antibody raised against the purified enzyme indicates that there was not an increase of apoenzyme biosynthesis. The thyroid hormone negative control is due to a metabolism alteration of the membrane phospholipids which are directly involved in the apoenzyme activity. The highest difference is observed with 20 days old rats. Opposite effects were obtained on succinate cytochrome c reductase.     

Oxidation of buried cysteines is slow and an insignificant factor in the structural destabilization of staphylococcal nuclease caused by H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> exposure

Summary. The oxidation of buried cysteine or methionine residues can destroy the enzyme activity of a protein by disrupting structure. Engineering in such an oxidatively triggered switch for enzyme activity would only be useful if the effects of substitution are relatively minor, while the effects of the oxidized side chain upon structure are significant and the oxidation relatively easy. To assess the feasibility of this strategy for controlling enzyme activity, the effects of such substitutions and their oxidation were studied in a well characterized model protein, staphylococcal nuclease. Stability and enzyme activity of the oxidized proteins was assessed and compared to the stability and enzyme activity of the unoxidized proteins. Cysteines were found to be generally well tolerated in buried positions but these mutants were not more destabilized than wild-type when oxidized. This shows that buried cysteines are difficult enough to oxidize that this is not likely to be a useful protein engineering strategy or a commonly used regulatory modification. Similar effects were observed for methionine.     

Pineal mediation of the thermoregulatory and behavioral activating effects of beta-endorphin

Intraventricular administration of the opioid peptide, beta-endorphin to goldfish altered their body temperatures and activity levels. Low doses (0.5-5.0 pg g-1 body weight) of beta-endorphin significantly increased behaviorally selected body temperatures while higher doses (15 pg g-1) decreased the preferred temperatures selected in horizontal thermal gradients. There was a significant day-night rhythm in the extent of these effects. These thermoregulatory effects could be blocked and reversed by systemic administration of the opiate antagonist, naloxone, supporting mediation of the thermoregulatory effects at opioid receptors. In addition, administration of naloxone by itself significantly decreased preferred temperature. Removal of the pineal gland significantly increased the preferred temperatures selected by goldfish and eliminated the thermoregulatory effects of beta-endorphin administration in both the day and the night. The behavioral activity effects of beta-endorphin were dependent on the thermal conditions. In fish held at a constant temperature (20 degrees C) beta-endorphin caused a dose-dependent increase in activity, while in individuals held in thermal gradients administration of beta-endorphin had no effects on activity. In both situations naloxone caused a decrease in activity levels. Pinealectomy also eliminated the behavioral activating effects of beta-endorphin, though it had no apparent effects on the actions of naloxone. These results indicate that the pineal gland is involved in the mediation of the thermoregulatory and behavioral activating effects of beta-endorphin. Speculations are made as to the possible mechanisms of action of the pineal gland in mediating the effects of opioid neuropeptides.     

The regulatory effects of opioid peptides--enkephalins--in controlling the activities of the cardiovascular system

In this review we analyse the experimental and clinical findings demonstrating important regulatory significance of met-enkephalin, leu-enkephalin and their derivatives in the control of cardiovascular system activity. Enkephalin-positive immunoreactivity is revealed in the heart of different species of animals, and their cardiovascular effects are established in numerous investigations. It is determined that cardiac effects of enkephalins are essentially associated with modulatory influence at the presynaptic and postsynaptic levels on the activity of extracardiac neural regulation. Cardiovascular effects of endogenous opioid system are extremely important in developing of myocardial ischemia, cardiac arrhythmias and congestive heart failure. The cellular mechanisms of opioid effects are associated with stimulation of mu- and delta-subtypes of opiate receptors which stimulation of mu- and delta-subtypes of opiate receptors which are coupled with conductivity of ion channels, adenylate cyclase activity, phosphoinositide turnover and calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kynases.     

The role of the 5-HT2 receptor in the regulation of sexual performance of male rats

The present studies have attempted to evaluate the role of 5-HT2 receptors in the regulation of sexual behavior of male rats by determining the effects of 5-HT2 receptor antagonists, pirenperone, LY53857 and LY281067, and a 5-HT2 receptor agonist, DOI. The administration of 1 mg/kg s.c. pirenperone produced a total suppression of ejaculatory response and lower doses had no effect. However, the administration 0.1 mg/kg s.c. of either LY53857 or LY281067 restored ejaculatory capacity to rats that were unable to ejaculate and produced significant decreases in ejaculatory latency in rats with full sexual capacity. Although all of these agents are 5-HT2 antagonists, LY53857 and LY281067 lack the additional monoaminergic activity of pirenperone. Since the effects of pirenperone were opposite from the effects of the selective 5-HT2 antagonists, the suppressive effects of this agent were probably related to its other monoaminergic activity e.g. alpha 1 antagonist activity. This proposal was supported by the observation that the administration of prazosin, an alpha 1 antagonist, significantly increased ejaculatory latency and suppressed the stimulatory effects of LY53857. In contrast to the stimulatory effects of the selective 5-HT2 antagonists, the administration of DOI, resulted in a suppression of sexual performance, which was blocked by pretreatment with LY53857.     

Ectonucleotidase Activities Associated with the Olfactory Organ of the Spiny Lobster

The olfactory system of the Florida spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, has olfactory receptors that are excited by the purine nucleotides AMP, ADP, and ATP. These receptors reside on chemosensory neurons that are contained within aesthetasc sensilla on the lateral filaments of the antennules. Also associated with the lobster's olfactory system are ectonucleotidase activities that dephosphorylate excitatory nucleotides, resulting in the production of the nonstimulatory nucleoside adenosine. Our studies of the 5'-ectonucleotidase, ecto-ADPase, and ecto-ATPase activities of this olfactory system showed that each activity was characterized by Michaelis-Menten kinetics; Michaelis constants ranged from 6.9 to 33.5 microM, and maximum velocities ranged from 2.5 to 28.8 fmol/sensillum/s. Evidence that AMP dephosphorylation may serve as an inactivation process was shown by the close correlation between the kinetics of 5'-ectonucleotidase activity and the periodicity of olfactory sampling. Decreased magnesium ion concentration or increased calcium ion concentration resulted in increased ecto-ATPase activity; this activity was insensitive to vanadate ion. Ectonucleotidase activities may have multiple effects on the detection of exogenous nucleotides by a chemosensory system. These effects can be either direct, such as the conversion of an odorant to an inactive compound, or indirect, such as the conversion of an odorant to another compound that can activate or inhibit either receptors or enzymes associated with the system.