Direct methylation from mouse plasma and from liver and brain homogenates

The analysis of fatty acid composition of plasma and tissue is important as a method for studying lipid nutrition. We investigated the possibility of direct methylation of fatty acids by BF(3)-methanol from plasma and from liver and brain homogenates without lipid extraction. There were no ghost peaks in the chromatogram produced by the direct methylation method. The 18:0 percentages were significantly higher in the direct methylation method than in the lipid extraction method. There were not remarkable differences in fatty acid composition in the direct methylation and methylation after lyophilization methods. Furthermore, the recovery ratio of the internal standard in the direct methylation method was higher than that in the lipid extraction method. The difference of fatty acid composition with lipid extraction may be caused by the change of lipid class extraction. Therefore, the direct methylation method without lipid extraction is the most suitable for determining fatty acid composition in plasma and tissue.     

Contact allergy from Frullania and respiratory allergy from Thuja

Occupational allergic contact dermatitis in 52 forest-workers was caused by sesquiterpene lactones from liverworts (Frullania) and by usnic acid from lichens which grow on various trees including cedar (Thuja). Occupational asthma and rhinitis in 35 wood-workers was caused by wood dust of western red cedar (Thuja plicata). Characteristically, the respiratory symptoms occurred in the evening and at night and not during working hours; inhalation challenge with plicatic acid from the wood provoked immediate, late or dual (combined immediate and late) asthmatic reactions. Another class of compounds, tropolones, derived from Thuja plicata wood, was responsible for dermatitis in a wood-worker. These distinct industrial hazards in two groups of workers at the tree-felling and wood-working levels in the forest-products industry can be identified by clinical history and examination supplemented by specific cutaneous or respiratory clinical investigation.     

Furanoheliangolides from two Eremanthus species and from Chresta sphaerocephala

The investigation of Eremanthus crotonoides afforded in addition to known compounds three new furanoheliangolides, while from E. glomerulatus six new furanoheliangolides and eremantholides were isolated. From the aerial parts of Chresta sphaerocephala a new guaianolide was obtained, while the roots contained known furanoheliangolides. The chemotaxonomy of the subtribe Lychnophorinae is discussed briefly.     

Chemiluminescence from an erythrocyte folic acid oxidase from normal individuals and from cancer patients

Folic acid oxidase from erythrocytes oxidatively cleaves folic acid at the C-9-N-10 bond to yield pterin-6-aldehyde and p-aminobenzoyl glutamic acid, with the concomitant generation of singlet oxygen. The emission from singlet oxygen is proportional to the enzyme activity. DABCO was used as a singlet oxygen emission enhancer to increase the sensitivity of the measurement. In general, pregnant women show high enzymatic activity, but the emission is strongly quenched by DABCO. This is contrary to normal and cancer cases in which an increase in the emission was observed. This effect is larger in cancer cases. These results are presented as a potential method for detecting physiological and pathological human conditions.     

Cadmium- and mercury-resistant Bacillus strains from a salt marsh and from Boston Harbor

Bacteria resistant to cadmium or mercury or both were isolated from the Great Sippewissett Marsh (Cape Cod, Mass.) and from Boston Harbor. Many of these metal-resistant isolates were gram-positive aerobic sporeformers, although not necessarily isolated as spores. Although several of the isolated strains bore plasmids, cadmium and mercury resistances appeared to be, for the most part, chromosomally encoded. DNA sequence homology of the gram-positive cadmium- and mercury-resistant isolates was not demonstrable with metal resistance genes from plasmids of either gram-positive (pI258) or gram-negative (pDB7) origin. Cadmium resistance of all the marsh isolates tested resulted from reduced Cd2+ transport. On the other hand, three cadmium-resistant harbor isolates displayed considerable influx but no efflux of Cd2+. Hg-resistant strains detoxified mercury by transforming Hg2+ to volatile Hg0 via mercuric reductase.     

Extrapolations from species to species and from various cell types in assessing risks from chemical mutagens

Strategies for estimating human mutation frequencies can be based on extrapolations of dose: mutation ratios in other species.     

Microbial sequences retrieved from environmental samples from seasonal Arctic snow and meltwater from Svalbard, Norway

16S rRNA gene (rrs) clone libraries were constructed from two snow samples (May 11, 2007 and June 7, 2007) and two meltwater samples collected during the spring of 2007 in Svalbard, Norway (79°N). The libraries covered 19 different microbial classes, including Betaproteobacteria (21.3%), Sphingobacteria (16.4%), Flavobacteria (9.0%), Acidobacteria (7.7%) and Alphaproteobacteria (6.5%). Significant differences were detected between the two sets of sample libraries. First, the meltwater libraries had the highest community richness (Chao1: 103.2 and 152.2) and Shannon biodiversity indices (between 3.38 and 3.59), when compared with the snow libraries (Chao1: 14.8 and 59.7; Shannon index: 1.93 and 3.01). Second, ∫-LIBSHUFF analyses determined that the bacterial communities in the snow libraries were significantly different from those of the meltwater libraries. Despite these differences, our data also support the theory that a common core group of microbial populations exist within a variety of cryohabitats.     

Growth and tissue formation from single geranium cells from virus-infected geraniums

Summary Single geranium (Pelargonium hortorum, Bailey) cells from callus isolated originally from stem tips of virus-infected plants were grown in microculture chambers in liquid Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 0.1 mg per liter of α-naphthalane acetic acid and 10.0 mg per liter of kinetin. Four of 1,000 of these single cells divided in the microculture chamber and produced colonies of 15 to 20 cells in 9 to 16 days. In all of the cases the plane of the first few cell division was at right angles to the long axis of the cells. Subsequently, one of the masses of cells obtained from a single cell, when transferred to solid Murashige and Skoog medium, established itself as a clone of callus tissue. Although the yield was low, the results were encouraging for the ultimate production of plants. These results suggested that, just as virus-free tobacco plants have been induced from single cell clones from certain tobacco species, virus-free single geranium cells may be useful to establish single cell clones from which pathogen-free geranium plants may be induced to differentiate. This work was supported by funds from USDA Hatch Project 981 and the NASA Institutional Grant. Published with the approval of the Director, Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station. The authors are indebted to Mr. E. H. Herrling and Mr. Steve Vicen for preparation of illustrations.     

A xanthone glycoside from Tripterospermum taiwanense and rutin from Gentiana flavo-maculata

Oleanolic acid, norathyriol, and a new xanthone glycoside, tripteroside, which was characterized as norathyriol 6-O-β-d-glucoside, were isolated from the fresh herb Tripterospermum taiwanense, and quercetin and rutin were isolated from the fresh herb Gentiana flavo-maculata.     

Structure and properties of agar from two unexploited agarophytes from Venezuela

The red seaweeds Gelidiella acerosa and Gracilaria mammillaris growing along the coast of Venezuela were investigated as potential economic sources of agar. Agar extracted from Gracilaria mammillaris accounted for 27% of the algal dry weight but had quite a poor gelling ability because of the presence of alkali-stable sulphate groups on the D-galactose residue. However, the gel strength of its aqueous solutions was considerably enhanced by the addition of potassium, sodium and calcium ions (up to 1N). On the contrary, the galactan from Gelidiella acerosa (yield of about 20% w/w) exhibited quite good properties. In particular, the gel strength was comparable to that of commercial agaroses. Sulphate esters were not detectable by chemical methods and NMR spectroscopy revealed an agarose backbone with a high degree of methylation on both D and L-galactose residues.