Comparative study of the effect of L-lysine-L-oxidase from Trichoderma harzianum Rifai and Trichoderma viride on nucleic acid synthesis in human tumor cells in vitro

L-lysine-alpha-oxidase, a new fungal enzyme catalyzing oxidative deamination of L-lysine, exerts an inhibitory effect on DNA, RNA and protein synthesis in human cells of carcinoma ovarius (CaOv) in vitro.     

Subcloning of DNA fragments of the simian adenovirus SA7 oncogene in bacteriophage M13

The XmaI/PstI and XmaI DNA fragments of adenovirus SA7 oncogene and the adjacent region (16.7% of the physical map of SA7 left end DNA) were recloned in M13 bacteriophages mp8 and mp9 in order to obtain the singlestranded fragments EIa and EIb from the DNA region of monkey adenovirus SA7 located on the recombinant plasmid pASP carrying the DNA APstI fragment including the adenovirus SA7 oncogene.     

Synthesis and cytotoxic properties of anomeric 5-substituted 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxyuridines]

Glycosylation of trimethylsilyl derivatives of 5-benzyloxymethyl- and 5-hydroxymethyluracil with 3-azido-2,3-dideoxy-5-O-benzoyl-D-ribofuranosyl chloride (prepared from ethyl 3-azido-2,3-dideoxy-5-O-benzoyl-D-ribofuranoside) and subsequent deacylation gave in both cases a mixture of anomeric 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxy-5-benzyloxymethyl-or 5-hydroxymethyluridines. The anomers were separated by preparative TLC and their structures were studied by UV, IR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. It is shown that 1-(3-azido-2,3-dideoxy-alpha-D-ribofuranosyl)-5-benzyloxymethyluracil has cytotoxic activity in vitro: in 10(-5)-10(-4) M concentrations it inhibits the thymidine incorporation into DNA of CaOv cells on 78.6-95.2%.     

ONTOGENETIC NICHE SHIFT IN THE BRACHIOPOD TEREBRATALIA TRANSVERSA: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LOSS OF ROTATION ABILITY AND ALLOMETRIC GROWTH

Abstract: Many articulated brachiopods experience marked life habit variations during ontogeny because they experience their fluid environment at successively higher Reynolds numbers, and they can change the configuration of their inhalant and exhalant flows as body size increases. We show that the extant brachiopod Terebratalia transversa undergoes a substantial ontogenetic change in reorientation governed by rotation around the pedicle. T. transversa′s reorientation angle (maximum ability to rotate on the pedicle) decreases during ontogeny, from 180 degrees in juveniles to 10–20 degrees in individuals exceeding 5 mm, to complete cessation of rotation in individuals larger than 10 mm. Rotation ability is substantially reduced after T. transversa achieves the adult lophophore configuration and preferred orientation with respect to ambient water currents at a length of 2.5–5 mm. We hypothesize that the rotation angle of T. transversa is determined mainly by the position of ventral and dorsal points of attachment of dorsal pedicle muscles relative to the pedicle. T. transversa shows a close correlation between the ontogenetic change in reorientation angle and ontogeny of morphological traits that are related to points of attachment of dorsal pedicle muscles, although other morphological features can also limit rotation in the adult stage. The major morphological change in cardinalia shape and the observed reduction of rotation affect individuals 2.5–10 mm in length. The position of ventral insertions of dorsal pedicle muscles remains constant, but contraction of dorsal pedicle muscles is functionally handicapped because dorsal insertions shift away from the valve midline, rise above the dorsal valve floor, and become limited by a wide cardinal process early in ontogeny (<5 mm). The rate of increase of cardinal process width and of distance between dorsal pedicle muscle scars substantially decreases in the subadult stage (5–10 mm), and most of the cardinalia shell traits grow nearly isometrically in the adult stage (>10 mm). T. transversa attains smaller shell length in crevices than on exposed substrates. The proportion of small‐sized individuals and population density is lower on exposed substrates than in crevices, indicating higher juvenile mortality on substrates prone to grazing and physical disturbance. The loss of reorientation ability can be a consequence of morphological changes that strengthen substrate attachment and maximize protection against biotic or physical disturbance (1) by minimizing torques around the pedicle axis and/or (2) by shifting energy investments into attachment strength at the expense of the cost involved in reorientation.     

Lethal and mutagenic action of N-nitroso-N-methylbiuret on the producers of levorin, amphotericin and mycoheptin]

The lethal and mutagenic effect of N-nitrozo-N-methylbiuret (NMB) on the organisms producing levorin, amphotericin B and mycoheptin was studied. The mutagen effect depended on the dose, culture and physiological state of the spores. NMB had a low mutagenic effect on the levorin-producing organism characterized by high activity and genetic homogenicity with respect to the colony morphology and antibiotic production. As for the organisms producing amphotericin B and mycoheptin characterized by high genetic heterogenicity, significant variation of all the features studied was observed on their exposure to the mutagen. Inspite of diverse reaction of the organisms producing levorin, amphotericin B and mycoheptin to the effect of NMB mutants with increased antibiotic production were obtained from the three cultures. The lethal and mutagenic effect of NMB on the mycoheptin-producing organism depended on the process of the spore DNA replication. The spores during the DNA replication period were least sensitive to the lethal effect of the mutagen and most mutable with the respect to the colony morphology. For selection of highly active and stable strains exposure to NMB of the spores of the mycoheptin-producing organism during replication of DNA proved to be more effective than that of the spores during the lag-phase.     

Antitumor activity of amides of dihydrobetulonic acid in vitro and in vivo

Amides containing homopiperidine and piperazine cycles were synthesized from dihydrobetulonic acid obtained by the oxidation of dihydrobetulin. All substances were shown to have a high antitumor activity (CCID₅₀ = 3.5–36.2 μM) in vitro in lymphoid (CEM-13, U-937) and monocytic (MT-4) human cell lines. Amides containing the methyl- and ethylpiperazine residues do not influence the viability of Lung Lewis Carcinoma cells in culture and do not have a significant effect on its transplants in C57BL/6 mice. However, these amides efficiently inhibit the development of metastases in lungs of these mice. The antimetastatic activity of the studied amides increases with changing the methyl by ethyl aliphatic residue in the piperazine cycle.     

Immunological and phenotypic characterization of cell constituents of breast milk

The morphology and immunological phenotype of plastic-adherent cells from human colostrum were studied in an in vitro short-term culture (6–7 days) using antibodies to CD3, CD31, CD34, CD45, CD68, vimentin, and osteocalcin. In 20% of the analyzed cultural flasks, nearly equal proportion of fibroblast-like cells and rounded cells was observed. In the 80% of the flasks, cells of regular shape were detected with the presence of single fibroblasts. The diameter of flattened cells ranged from 10 to 100 μm. All plastic-adherent cells did not express CD3 and showed weak binding (w) to the antibodies against CD31, CD34, and CD45. At the same time, we identified adherent cells that readily bound the antibodies against CD68, vimentin, and osteocalcin. According to the literature data, the CD68 + CD3^–CD31^wCD34^wCD45^w immunological phenotype of the majority of the adherent cells from the colostrum allows them to be classified as monocytes/macrophages. High expression of stromal antigens—vimentin and osteocalcin—in 40–45% of the adherent cells in the culturing medium lacking any osteogenic supplements (β-glycerophosphate, ascorbic acid, and dexamethason) implies the presence of osteoblasts in the colostrum, which differentiate from mesenchymal stem cells under the action of humoral factors contained in breast milk.