V.A.T.E.R. association and its limits

Comparative investigation of 92 cases of V.A.T.E.R. syndrome (4 personal cases) and 62 cases of caudal regression (Duhamel syndrome) (2 personal cases) are performed. There is much analogy between these two entities. Initial impairment would be an early dysfunction of mesoderm setting up located on esophagus in V.A.T.E.R. syndrome and on kidneys in Duhamel syndrome. Etiopathogenic factors remain unknown. Genetic counseling is good. Detection of only one mesodermal malformation leads to inquire other unnoticed anomalies (kidneys, heart, spine, alimentary duct).     

Lymphocyte-activating factor. I. Generation and physicochemical characterization.

Lipopolysaccharide-activated murine peritoneal macrophages elaborate lymphocyte-activating factor (LAF) which is mitogenic for murine thymocytes. A method of LAF production is presented that permits the generation of a relatively homogeneous molecular species. LAF has an isoelectric point of 4.8 (range 4.7-4.9). The m.w. was determined by using several physical techniques. The apparent sedimentation coefficient (S20,w) was determined to be 2.0S by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. The Stokes (molecular) radius was determined by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 to be 22 A (range 21.5 to 22.5); the calculated diffusion coefficient (D20,w) was 9.7 X 10(-7) cm2/sec (range 9.5 X 10(-7) to 9.9 X 10(-7). The buoyant density of LAF is 1.30 g/cm3 (range 1.27 to 1.33) as determined by CsCl isopycnic ultracentrifugation; the partial specific volume was estimated to be 0.72 (range 0.70 to 0.74). From these data, the m.w. was calculated to be 18,000 daltons (range 16,400 to 19,600) with the Svedberg equation. The frictional ratio was calculated to be 1.25.     

R.b.e. and o.e.r. of extended-Bragg-peak helium ions: survival and development of rat embryos.

Rats were exposed under aerobic or hypoxic conditions to 200-1200 rads of 60Co gamma-rays or extended-Bragg-peak helium ions on the eighth day of gestation. Uterine contents were examined on the twentieth day of gestation. At the 50 per cent embryonic survival level, helium ion r.b.e. was 1(.0) (aerobic) and 1(.2) (hypoxic). Maximum attainable gamma-ray and helium-ion o.e.r.s. were 2(.2) and 1(.7) respectively, indicating an oxygen-effect gain (o.e.g.) of 1(.2). At the 10 per cent survival level helium ion r.b.e. was 1(.1) (aerobic) and 1(.4) (hypoxic). Gamma-ray and helium-ion 0.e.r.s. were 2(.0) and 1(.5) respectively, indicating a helium ion o.e.g. of 1(.3). These data demonstrate that the small fraction of high-LET radiation present in this helium ion beam has a neglible effect on the aerobic r.b.e., but lowers the effective o.e.r. of the beam approximately 25 per cent relative to that of gamma-rays. Helium ions were significantly more effective than gamma-rays in killing embryos under hypoxic conditions, in producing congenital abnormalities under aerobic conditions, and in stunting foetal growth under both conditions.     

Mitochondrial GTP-AMP phosphotransferase. 1. Purification and properties.

GTP-AMP phosphotransferase has been purified 116-fold with a yield of 24% from beef heart mitochondria using freeze-thawing, alkali and acid treatment and successive column chromatography on phosphocellulose, Sephadex G-100 and blue-dextran--Sepharose. It has crystallized from poly-(ethylene glycol) and is essential homogeneous by sodium dodecylsulfate electrophoresis and isoelectrofocusing. The specific activity of the crystalline preparation was 290 U/mg. The molecular weight was found to be 26000 and the isoelectric point to be 9.8. Amino acid analysis showed 21 aspartic acid or asparagine, 19 threonine, 12 serine, 26 glutamic acid or glutamine, 15 proline, 16 glycine, 14 alanine, 15 valine, 4 methionine, 12 isoleucine, 28 leucine, 7 tyrosine, 7 phenylalanine, 5 histidine, 14 lysine, 16 arginine, 2 tryptophan, no --SS-- bonds or free --SH. Guanosine(5')pentaphospho(5')adenosine is a very strong inhibitor similar to adenosine(5')pentaphospho(5')adenosine as an inhibitor of cytosolic adenylate kinase.     

RS virus components. I. Isolation and purification.

RS virus was centrifuged in zonal rotor on 55% sucrose cushion. Three layers were collected: light (RS-LL) containing complement-fixing antigen, medium (RS-ML) containing both complement-fixing and virus particle antigens, and heavy (RS-HL) containing antigen associated with the virus particle. RS-LL was chromatographed on Sephadex G-200 column. Two peaks were obtained, containing complement-fixing activity (RS-LL-1 and RS-LL-2). After sonication (20 Hz, 30 min) RS-ML and RS-HL also were chromatographed on Sephadex G-200 column. Two protein peaks were obtained from each layer (RS-ML-1 and RS-ML-2 from medium, and RS-HL-1 and RS-HL-2 from the heavy layer), corresponding to RS virus proteins.     

Bacteriophage SPO1 structure and morphogenesis. II. Head structure and DNA size.

The capsid of bacteriophage SPO1 is icosahedral, and the subunit arrangement on the 87-nm-diameter head suggests the triangulation number T = 16. The major capsid protein (45,700 daltons) is cleaved from a 47,700-dalton precursor. Tubular heads (polyheads) are produced by mutations in genes 5 and 8 and contain cores as well as capped ends. The lattice constant of these structures is 13.4 nm; diameter is 109.5 nm. The size of the double-stranded SPO1 DNA (containing 5' hydroxymethyl uracil in place of thymine) was measured by sedimentation analysis and electron microscopy and has a molecular weight of 86 X 10(6) (about 140 kilobase pairs), which is smaller than several previously reported values.     

Glycogen synthase Hymenolepis diminuta. I. Allosteric activation and inhibition.

Glycogen synthase (UDP glucose: glycogen alpha-4-glycosyltransferase, EC2.4.1.11) of the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta exists in 2 forms: 1) the I-form (independent), which has significant activity in the absence of glucose 6-phosphate (G6P); and 2) the phosphorylated D-form (dependent), which has no enzymatic activity unless G6P is present. The activity of the I-form is greatly enhanced by a variety of allosteric effectors which have, as their common feature, 1 or more phosphate groups. These include inorganic phosphate (Pi), several sugar phosphates, some phosphorylated glycolytic intermediates, and nucleoside mono- and triphosphates. Competition studies suggest that while most of the positive effectors act at the same site on the enzyme (the "G6P site"), fructose 1,6-diphosphate (FDP) and 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid (2,3DPG) act at low concentrations to stimulate the enzyme at another locus (the "diphosphate site"), while at high concentrations they competitively inhibit the binding of G6P and of the other activators. The inhibition by high uridine monophosphate (UMP) concentrations is competitive only with the activator uridine triphosphate (UTP), suggesting the existence of a third type of allosteric site (the "uridine nucleotide site"). This third site may be the locus for feedback inhibition by the product uridine diphosphate (UDP), a control mechanism which has been observed to occur in mammalian systems. The allosteric control of the D-form of the enzyme is comparatively simple, apparently involving only one site (the "G6P site") that binds a few effects with greatly reduced affinity. Pi reverses the activation of the D-form by G6P.     

Violence and psychosis. I. Risk of violence among psychotic men.

A survey of the records of 1241 men remanded in prison on criminal charges over four months yielded a high prevalence of psychiatric disorder. Of the total prison intake of 2743 men over the same period, 246 (9.0%) showed major symptoms of psychiatric illness and a further 237 (8.6%) symptoms of withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. Symptoms of neurotic disorders were underrecorded, so in terms of diagnosis 237 men (8.7%) were considered to be psychotic. Of these, 166 (70%) were schizophrenic. The influence of affective psychosis was small. The risk of violence among men with schizophrenia was high. Twenty five (9%) non-fatal personal assaults and 24 (21%) offences of damage to property were committed by men with schizophrenia. The presence of mental illness probably influences the decision to remand in custody for some of these offences, but this is unlikely to explain the substantially higher prevalence of schizophrenia among men convicted of homicide (five (11%) ) and arson (six (30%) ) than would be expected in the general population of Greater London (0.1-0.4%). The prevalence of schizophrenia among men convicted of homicide may even be an underestimate, as may the prevalence of affective psychosis and possibly of other psychiatric abnormalities, given the substantial incidence of concurrent suicide in such men.     

Biosystematic study of hexaploids Elymus tschimganicus and E. glaucissimus. II. Interspecific hybridization and genomic relationship.

To investigate genomic relationships of Elymus tschimganicus (Drobov) Tzvelev (2n = 6x = 42, S1S2Y genomes) and E. glaucissimus (M. Pop.) Tzvelev (2n = 6x = 42, S1S2Y genomes), interspecific hybridizations of the two target species were carried out with 27 other Elymus species containing the SH, SY, SYH, SYP, SYW, and SH1H2 genomes, respectively, collected from different geographic regions. Chromosome pairing behavior was analyzed at metaphase I in 27 hybrids representing 23 hybrid combinations, and overall genomic relationships of the two target species with the other Elymus taxa were estimated. The study concluded that (i) interspecific hybridization was principally easy to perform between the Elymus species, but no general pattern of crossability was obtained, and all hybrids were completely sterile, (ii) the two species have a similar meiotic pattern in their hybrids with the other Elymus species, and (iii) species containing the SY, SYP, and SYH genomes have a generally higher level of genomic homology to the target species than those possessing the SH genomes, and the South American hexaploid with the SH1H2 genomes has the lowest level of genomic homology to the two target taxa.     

Lumi-mestranol and epi-lumi-mestranol.

Treatment of lumi-estrone 3-methyl ether (I) with acetylene gave the C-17-epimeric compounds lumi-mestranol (3-methoxy-17 alpha-ethynyl-13 alpha-estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17 beta-ol, III ) and epi-lumi-mestranol (3-methoxy-17 beta-ethynyl-13 alpha-estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17 alpha-ol, IV). The structures of the two isomers were assigned on the basis of their molecular rotations and shift-reagent experiments in the NMR. The irradiation of estrone 3-methyl ether (II) to provide compound I was investigated in two solvent systems. Minor products of these reactions were the seco-steroids VII, VIII and X.     

Enantio- and meso-oligodeoxyribonucleotides.

As sugar-modified oligodeoxyribonucleotides, L-homooligomers (L-dA12 and L-dT12) and a L/D-alternative oligomer ((L-dA-D-dA)6) were synthesized. These oligomers were quite resistant towards phosphodiesterase degradations. L-dA12 formed complexes with poly(dT) and poly(U) at 0 degree C with different stabilities, on the other hand L-dT12 did not show obvious hypochromicities after mixing with complementary natural homopolymers. An alternative sequence, (L-dA-D-dA)6, interacted with both type homopolymers and stabilities of the complexes increased compared to that of L-dA12.     

Physarum tropomyosin-troponin complex. Isolation and properties.

The relaxing protein (TM-TN complex) was isolated from plasmodia of Physarum. SDS-gel electrophoresis revealed that the relaxing protein consists of tropomyosin subunits with a molecular weight of 35,000 troponin subunits with molecular weights of 38,000 (T) and 24,000 (I) and several other components. No component corresponding to muscle troponinC (MW-18,000) was detected in the plasmodium relaxing protein. The relaxing protein combined with muscle F-actin, and inhibited the ATPase [EC 3.6.1.3] activity and superprecipitation of reconstituted muscle actomysin in the absence of Ca2+ ions. The inhibition was reversed by adding 1 muM Ca2+ ions.     

The Isolation and Identification of Morin and Morin-calcium Chelate Compound from Artocapus pithecogallus C.Y. Wu. and Artocapus heterophYllus Lan.

Two crystalline compounds were isolated from the heartwood Artocapus pitheco- gallus C. Y. Wu. and A. heterophyllus Lans. collected at Yunnan. On the basis of spectral analysis (UV, IR, NMR, MS and ¹³C NMR), preparation of derivatives and synthetic, these compounds were identified as morin(2, 4, 5, 7-tetrahydroxyflavonol (I) and morin-calcium chelate compound (H) which the hydrogen of C5-OH of two morin molecules is replaced by a calcium atom, and chelated with C4--C0 of the morin formed a chelate ring, and the calcium ion chelated with another molecular at C4-C0 too, in which the calcium is a constituent of an inner complex anion. Compound (Ⅱ) Ca(C15H9O7)2·5H2O is a new compound which is green yellow crystal, mp. to be greater than 300 C, rose red with Mg-HC1; orange yellow precip- tare with Pb(AC)2; the solid and solution of (Ⅱ) dispaly intense orange yellow fluorescence in ultraviolet, and calcium was detected by its atomic spectrum and treated with 2% ehlorhydric acid gives (Ⅰ). We have prepared morin-calcium chelate compound from morin. The chemical properties and spectroscopic data (UV, IR, NMR) of synthetic and natural products are all the same.     

Gymnosperm systematics and phylogeny: A reply to commentaries by C. B. Beck,C. N. Miller,and G. W. Rothwell

This paper is a reply to commentaries by Beck (1985), Miller (1985), and Rothwell (1985) on the author’s paper on basic features of gymnosperm systematics and phylogeny (Meyen, 1984). The author reasserts that his proposal to recognize three classes of gymnosperms—Ginkgoopsida, Cycadopsida, and Pinopsida—is in better agreement with the currently available paleobotanical data. The affinities of the orders Arberiales, Pentoxylales, gigantopterids, Calamopityales, and Ephedrales with the Ginkgoopsida are but tentative. The most important remaining question?etermining the understanding of relations between Ginkgoopsida and Pinopsida—concerns primary vs. secondary platyspermy in each class, and this question can be answered only by obtaining fuller information on (1) cupular or non-cupular seeds in the oldest Ginkgoopsida, and (2) the vascularization of nucellus in the oldest Pinopsida. Theoretical premises of the author’s taxonomic and phylogenetic decisions are explained.     

Fluorescence properties of free and protein bound fluorescein dyes. I. Macrospectrofluorometric measurements.

Excitation and emission properties of fluorescein derivatives were studied macrofluorometrically. Measurements were performed with solutions of various concentrations (0.07-100 microgram/ml) of free sodium fluorescein prepared from fluorescein diacetate (FDA), fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and FITC bound to rabbit gamma-globulin. Both excitation and emission spectra as well as fluorescence intensities at constant excitation/emission wavelengths (496/515 nm) were recorded. The findings indicate that (1) FDA gives about twice the fluorescence intensity compared to equal concentrations of FITC. (2) The fluorescence properties of FITC upon excitation with blue light (lambda = 496 nm) are only slightly altered by the conjugation to rabbit gamma-globulin. (3) Considerable quenching due to conjugation could, however, be shown to occur upon UV excitation (lambda = 340 nm). (4) Fluorescence emission excited by visible blue light (496 nm) increases linearly to dye concentration in a range of 0.07-2.5 microgram/ml. Beginning at 5 microgram/ml (10-(5) M/1) all three compounds show a sharp decrease of fluorescence intensity with further increasing concentration. Practical aspects of these data for the immunofluorescence method are discussed.     

Tree-ring and varve scales combined,c. 13500 B.C. to A.D. 1977

Varve chronologies are of several kinds but glacial varves respond to summer temperature and fluvial varves to summer rainfall.Tree-ring chronologies near the timberline respond to summer temperature but European oak chronologies respond to summer rainfall.Certain global features of the weather of the summer season, notably the Biennial Index, are therefore parameters that can be used for cross-dating both varves and tree-rings in different continents.Characteristic curves for different parameters in the Late Glacial (Zones Ia, Ib and II) and in the past thousand years are presented. A moisture curve is given for the North European Plain (200 B.C.–A.D. 1100). A conversion chart for tree-rings and radiocarbon dates is extended back into the Late Glacial on the tentative assumption that the radiocarbon error was about 950 years at the beginning of the Holocene (III/IV), i.e. that 10300 b.p. should be 11250 B.P. or 9300 B.C.Supplementary sources of information useful in obtaining approximate dates include: (a) palaeomagnetism; (b) tephrochronology and X-ray analysis; (c) cycle analysis; (d) climatic peculiarities associated with specific radiocarbon centuries; (e) X-ray analysis of specific varves; and (f) new methods of varve-analysis.The varve-series used for the Late Glacial, if the author's cross-dating between North America and Scandinavia is acceptable, constitute a floating chronology of about 4000 years. Given approximate ¹⁴C dates for any long series of varves or tree-rings in one part of the world, it is now possible to obtain cross-dating with any other long series in another part of the world, and it will be easy to replace the tentative ‘950-year’ error by a precise figure determined from a combined varve and tree-ring scale extending back from the present day to (say) the zero of Sauramo's scale for varves in Finland. In the meantime the ‘950’ is mnemonically convenient, as this would make the year on the B.C. scale one thousand less than the year on the b.p. scale.     

Interactions between arginine-rich histones and deoxyribonucleic acids. I. Thermal denaturation.

Physical properties of histone-DNA complexes very often depend upon the method of complex formation. In an attempt to make the studies of histone-DNA interactions more relevant to biological systems, results from thermal denaturation of native chromatin were used as references for determining how closely a given histone-DNA complex approaches its native state in chromatin. In the case of arginine-rich histones H3 (III or f3) and H4 (IV or f2a1), four methods were used for making complexes with calf thymus DNA: (A) NaCl gradient dialysis with urea; (B) NaCl gradient dialysis without urea; (C) direct mixing in 2.5 x 10(-4) EDTA, pH 8.0; and (D) direct mixing in 0.01 M sodium phosphate, pH 7.0. It was observed that a complex made by direct mixing in phosphate (method D) is closer to the native than is one made by direct mixing in EDTA (method C) than the one made by gradient dialysis with urea (method A) or without urea (method B). Regardless of the method used for complex formation, no substantial differences were observed between complexes with histone H3 dimer with disulfide bond(s) and a reduced H3 without disulfide bond, implying that perhaps a dimer with or without disulfide bond is a natural fundamental subunit in our experimental conditions. When the method of direct mixing in EDTA is used, the melting properties of the complexes vary only slightly with any one of the following H3 histones: from calf thymus, H3 without disulfide bond, H3 dimer, and H3 oligomer with disulfide bonds, also, from duck erythrocyte, H3 monomer and dimer. The complexes formed between DNA and a mixture of H3 and H4 by method D have melting properties similar to those of native chromatin. Since an equimolar mixture of histone H3 and H4 in 0.01 M phosphate, pH 7.0, was shown to form a tetramer (D'Anna, J.A., and Isenberg, I. (1974), Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 61, 343), our results suggest that, a tetramer of H3 and H4, likely to be (H3)2(H4)2, formed from one H3 dimer and one H4 dimer, can bind DNA in a manner similar to that in native chromatin.     

Polynucleotides. XL. Synthesis and properties of poly 2''-azido-2''-deoxyadenylic acid.

Poly 2'-azido-2'-deoxyadenylic acid (Poly Az) was synthesized from 2'-azido-2'-deoxyadenosine diphosphate by polynucleotide phosphorylase. Poly (Az) has U.V. absorption properties similar to poly (A) and hypochromicity of 40% at 0.1 M Na+ and neutrality. CD curve also resembled to that of poly (A), but has smaller ellipticity. Titration of poly (Az) with HCl gave a transition at pH 5.5, but exact structure of the acid-form complex was not elucidated. Upon mixing with poly (U), poly (Az) forms a 1:1 and 1:2 complexes having Tm's somewhat higher than that of poly (A)- poly (U) complex in the same condition.     

Bovine liver aspartyl beta-hydroxylase. Purification and characterization.

The alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase, L-asp(L-Asn)-beta-hydroxylase which posttranslationally hydroxylates specific aspartic acid (asparagine) residues within epidermal growth factor-like domains was purified from bovine liver and characterized. A 52-kDa and a 56-kDa species of this enzyme, which accounted for 60 and 30% of the total enzymatic activity, respectively, were purified to apparent homogeneity. Amino-terminal sequence analyses and immunoblots utilizing antisera raised to the intact 52-kDa species as well as to two complementary fragments of this species demonstrated that the 52- and 56-kDa species differ by a 22-amino acid amino-terminal extension. The remaining 10% of the purified enzymatic activity could be accounted for by the presence of immunologically related higher molecular mass forms (56-90 kDa) of L-Asp(L-Asn)-beta-hydroxylase. Strong evidence was obtained from the results of immunoextraction studies that L-Asp(L-Asn)-beta-hydroxylase can be identified with the purified proteins. Kinetic and physical studies suggest that L-Asp(L-Asn)-beta-hydroxylase exists as a monomer with a compact catalytic domain and an extended protease-sensitive amino terminus whose function remains to be determined. Since the purified L-Asp(L-Asn)-beta-hydroxylase hydroxylated both L-Asp- and L-Asn-containing substrates, it is possible that a single enzyme is responsible for the hydroxylation of Asp and Asn residues in vivo.     

Syntrophomonas wolfei subsp. methylbutyratica subsp. nov., and assignment of Syntrophomonas wolfei subsp. saponavida to Syntrophomonas saponavida sp. nov. comb. nov

A spore-forming bacterium strain 4J5(T) was isolated from rice field mud. When co-cultured with Methanobacterium formicicum DSM 1535(T), strain 4J5(T) could syntrophically degrade saturated fatty acids with 4-8 carbon atoms, including 2-methylbutyrate. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene similarity showed that strain 4J5(T) was most closely related to Syntrophomonas wolfei subsp. wolfei DSM 2245(T) (98.9% sequence similarity); however, it differed from the latter in the substrates utilized and its genetic characteristics. Therefore, a new subspecies Syntrophomonas wolfei subsp. methylbutyratica is proposed. The type strain is 4J5(T) (=CGMCC 1.5051(T)=JCM 14075(T)). Furthermore, based on 16S rRNA sequence divergence and substrate utilization, we propose the assignment of Syntrophomonas wolfei subsp. saponavida DSM 4212(T) to Syntrophomonas saponavida sp. nov. comb. nov.