Effects of changes in circulating volume and in arterial pressure on plasma renin activity in the intact rat

The effects of changes in arterial pressure and in circulating volume on Plasma Renin Activity (PRA) in the intact rat were compared by two experimental procedures. Gradual volume depletion was induced by intraperitoneal injection of a hyperoncotic polyethyleneglycol solution (PEG) in absence of acute changes in Systolic Arterial Pressure (SAP). SAP was measured in the conscious state by the tail cuff technique. Plasma Protein Concentration (PPC) and Hematocrit (Hct) increases after PEG injection were compared as the index for measuring the Plasma Volume Reduction (PVR). PRA showed a significant (p less than 0.001) linear relationship with PPC, suggesting a direct dependence of renin secretion on volume depletion. Acute changes in the circulating volume were induced by controlled hemorrhages of 5.0, 10.0, 15.0 and 20.0 ml of blood/kg body weight. The increase in PRA showed a significant relationship with the changes in circulating volume, but it did not show any dependence on the changes in Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP). Our results suggest that, in the intact and conscious rat, renin secretion responds to the information from the cardiopulmonary volume receptors rather than to that from the high pressure receptors.     

Inhibiting effect of (sarcosine-1-isoleucine-8)-angiotensin II in anesthesized rats

The peptidic sequence (Sarcosine-1-Isoleucine-8)-Angiotensin II has been demonstrated to be an in vitro specific and competitive antagonist of the Angiotensin II action. The present results show it to be a competitive antagonist also in vivo since pA2 values are similar, always reaches a 100% response on increasing the Angiotensin II dose, and when relating log (DR-1) and log dose of agonist, the slope is very near to one (0.925).     

Induction of the blue form of bacteriohodopsin by low concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate

The effects produced on bacteriorhodopsin by low concentrations of several detergents have been studied by absorption and fourth-derivative spectrophotometry. Sodium dodecyl sulfate induces the appearance of the blue form of bacteriorhodopsin (λ_max = 600 nm) at pH values up to 7.0 in a reversible manner. The apparent pK of the purple-to-blue transition raised with increasing concentration of SDS. Of the other detergents tested, only sodium dodecyl-N-sarcosinate showed a slight red-shift of the absorption band to 580 nm, whereas sodium taurocholate, Triton X-100 and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide did not favour the appearance of the blue form. The effect of SDS was found to be consistent with a localized conformational change that moves away the counter-ion of the protonated Schiff base.     

Cth2 Protein Mediates Early Adaptation of Yeast Cells to Oxidative Stress Conditions

Cth2 is an mRNA-binding protein that participates in remodeling yeast cell metabolism in iron starvation conditions by promoting decay of the targeted molecules, in order to avoid excess iron consumption. This study shows that in the absence of Cth2 immediate upregulation of expression of several of the iron regulon genes (involved in high affinity iron uptake and intracellular iron redistribution) upon oxidative stress by hydroperoxide is more intense than in wild type conditions where Cth2 is present. The oxidative stress provokes a temporary increase in the levels of Cth2 (itself a member of the iron regulon). In such conditions Cth2 molecules accumulate at P bodies-like structures when the constitutive mRNA decay machinery is compromised. In addition, a null Δcth2 mutant shows defects, in comparison to CTH2 wild type cells, in exit from α factor-induced arrest at the G1 stage of the cell cycle when hydroperoxide treatment is applied. The cell cycle defects are rescued in conditions that compromise uptake of external iron into the cytosol. The observations support a role of Cth2 in modulating expression of diverse iron regulon genes, excluding those specifically involved in the reductive branch of the high-affinity transport. This would result in immediate adaptation of the yeast cells to an oxidative stress, by controlling uptake of oxidant-promoting iron cations.     

The growth rate variability ofChlorella vulgaris beijer. Clones grown after mutagen treatment under autotrophic or heterotrophic conditions on the surface of a solid medium

Populations of theChloretta vulgaris Beijeb. strain ?esnokov “V” clones (progenies of single cells) grown up from cells treated by chemical mutagens were cultivated on the surface of solid media. The differentiation of growth types according to their growth rates in the populations originating from the same sample of cells but growing under different conditions was compared. The strain studied exhibited much greater growth rate variability on the complete medium than on the minimal one. Short time changes of light regime during the cultivation for the purpose of inducing reparation processes in the mutagen damaged cells did not manifest themselves significantly in the composition of resulting clonal populations. The possibility of selection of growth types under conditions studied was considered.     

Thermal melting and circular dichroism of DNA complexes with (Lys-Ala-Ala)10 and (Lys-Ala-Ala)n: effect of polypeptide chain length

DNA complexes with polypeptides (Lys-Ala-Ala)₁)] and (Lys-Ala-Ala)₃₄ have been studied using the methods of thermal melting and circular dichroism. Derivative melting curves of (Lys-Ala-Ala)₁₀ DNA differed substantially from those of (Lys-Ala-Ala)₃₄ prepared either by salt gradient dialysis or by direct mixing. Melting curves of the former complex were unimodal or bimodal with T_m increasing continuously withn input lysin-to-DNA phosphate ratio (r); those of the latter complex consisted of three separate transitions with T_m values almost independent of r. Complete reversibility of binding in the (Lys-Ala-Ala)₁₀-DNA system but a slow redistribution of (Lys-Ala-Ala)₃₄ on DNA at low temperature were found in the redistribution experiments Much faster redistribution from denatured to native DNA occurs at the temperature of melting, contributing to the unusual trimodal melting pattern. Circular dichroism curves are very similar for both complexes and indicate little change of DNA conformation upon polypeptide binding.