Demonstration of 6-phosphogluconolactonase activity in Drosophila melanogaster using a null allele of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase

Using a double mutant strain, Pgdn Zwn, we have developed an assay for 6-phosphogluconolactonase activity and have demonstrated its occurrence in adult Drosophila melanogaster.     

Effect of glucocorticoids on fetoprotein production by an established cell line from Morris hepatoma 8994

Glucocorticoids at concentrations equal to or higher than 10^?7M lead to an increase of alpha-fetoprotein production by an established cell line from Morris hepatoma 8994. These cells also secreted alpha_M-fetoprotein into the culture medium but only after addition of at least 4×10^?7M hydrocortisone or 5×10^?8M dexamethasone. The effects on both fetoproteins were observed in spite of a decrease of cell multiplication and an increase of cell detachment.     

ROLE OF RIBONUCLEASE ACTION IN PHENYLALANINE-INDUCED DISAGGREGATION OF RAT CEREBRAL POLYRIBOSOMES

—l -phenylalanine (1 mg/g body wt) or physiological saline (0.9% NaCl) was given intraperitoneally to infant (7-day old), immature (14-day old), and adult (42-day old) rats. The state of ribosomal aggregation was determined in the cerebral postmitochondrial supernatant and purified polyribosome fractions prepared in the presence of rat liver ribonuclease inhibitor. Polyribosomes isolated from cerebral cortices of infant and immature rats 30 or 60 min after administration of phenylalanine were partially disaggregated, whereas the state of aggregation of polyribosomes from mature cerebrum was unchanged. In contrast, little or no evidence of phenylalanine-induced polyribosome disruption was noted in the postmitochondrial supernatant fractions, from which the cerebral polyribosomes were prepared, in any of the animals. Omission of the ribonuclease inhibitor resulted in polyribosome disaggregation in the postmitochondrial supernatant fractions prepared from saline-treated as well as phenylalanine-treated infant rats, but the disruption was more profound in the latter group. Ribonuclease activities in cerebral postmitochondrial supernatant preparations from infant and immature rats were higher than the corresponding values in preparations from adult animals. In addition, the administration of phenylalanine resulted in increases in ribonuclease activities in cerebral postmitochondrial supernatant preparations from the younger animals, but had no effect on these activities in adult animals. These results suggest that alterations in structure and function of polyribosomes from the infant rat cerebrum following a loading dose of phenylalanine were related to exposure of the polyribosomes during isolation to elevated activities of cerebral ribonucleases resulting from this treatment. This hypothesis was supported by the finding that phenylalanine treatment had no effect on the incorporation in vivo of intracisternally-administered radioactive lysine into total, soluble or ribosomal protein of infant cerebrum. However, when cerebral ribosomal RNA was differentially labelled in phenylalanine-treated and saline-treated infant rats by the intracisternal administration of [³H] or [¹⁴C]uridine, and polyribosome fractions were then prepared from the pooled cerebral cortices of both groups, radioactive ribosomes derived from saline-treated rats were more highly aggregated than those derived from phenylalanine-treated animals. It is concluded that gross alterations in cerebral polyribosome structure and function do not occur in vivo in young rats given a large amount of phenylalanine intraperitoneally. However, this treatment, in addition to increasing ribonuclease activity in cerebral cell-free preparations, also sensitizes cerebral polyribosomes to subsequent breakdown upon exposure to ribonucleases during isolation.     

CACHONINA ILLDEFINA SP. NOV. (DINOPHYCEAE): CHLOROPLAST TUBULES AND DEGENERATION OF THE PYRENOID1

A new species of the dinoflagellate genus Cachonina, C. illdefina sp. nov., was isolated from a red tide off El Capitan State Park, Santa Barbara County, California, in October 1973. The organism is light yellowgreen in color with deeply incised girdle and sulcal grooves. Electron microscopy of the organism, revealed a typical dinokaryotic nucleus. The chloroplasts of the organism are connected, and often contain microtubule-like elements, 25 nm diam. The pyrenoids are characterized as excluding chloroplast thylakoids and ribosomes, although containing an amorphous matrix and numerous tubular invaginations from the cytoplasm. The pyrenoids become detached from the chloroplasts and degenerate into small vesicles. C. illdefina is not bioluminescent.     

Programming,induction, or prevention of the breakdown of the prothoracic gland in the cockroach, Nauphoeta cinerea

Changes of the prothoracic gland (PGL) diameter and of the corpora allata (CA) volume during the second last and last larval instar, and transplantation experiments as well as juvenile hormone (JH) analogue applications, demonstrate that only an activated PGL seems to be competent to degenerate and that the breakdown of the activated PGL is programmed by the absence of JH for a few days. Then, some days later, at the time of apolysis induction which occurs 7 to 6 days before an ecdysis the breakdown of a programmed PGL is induced by factors present in the haemolymph and it is suggested that β-ecdysone in apolysis-inducing amounts could be responsible for the induction of degeneration. However, PGL-protecting factors released probably from the corpora cardiaca (CC) are capable of partially preventing the breakdown of PGLs that have already been induced to degenerate, and it seems that the actual degeneration process is initiated by the absence of PGL-protecting factors only.     

EFFECTS OF LOW NITROGEN LEVELS AND VARIOUS NITROGEN SOURCES ON GROWTH AND WHORL DEVELOPMENT IN ACETABULARIA (CHLOROPHYTA)1

Nitrate, ammonia, urea, and glycine were compared as nitrogen sources for Acetabularia mediterranea. Cells grew normally in media containing nitrate or urea, while cells did not grow at all when the same amount of N was supplied as ammonium ion. The utilization of glycine remains questionable. Cells in medium without added N (NDM) increased in length and some formed reproductive caps. The whorls of vegetative cells showed considerable hypertrophy in NDM and in glycine. This hypertrophy was due to the elongation of only the first-(a₁) and second- (a₂) order articles. When cut, the basal portion of cells without added N regenerated new apices with whorls. The development of these whorls was inversely proportional to the NO₂ concentration. Analyses showed that the intracellular nitrogen pool in young cells and regenerating bases was very small, about 1/10 of that of fully grown cells. Therefore we suggest that trace amounts of N contaminants in the medium supported growth and development, the uptake of which was facilitated by the hypertrophied whorls, under N-limited conditions.     

Biospeckle‐characterization of hairy root cultures using laser speckle photometry

Monitoring is indispensable for the optimization and simulation of biotechnological processes. Hairy roots (hr, plant tissue cultures) are producers of valuable relevant secondary metabolites. The genetically stable cultures are characterized by a rapid filamentous growth, making monitoring difficult with standard methods. This article focuses on the application of laser speckle photometry (LSP) as an innovative, non‐invasive method to characterize Beta vulgaris (hr). LSP is based on the analysis of time‐resolved interference patterns. Speckle interference patterns of a biological object, known as biospeckles, are characterized by a dynamic behavior that is induced by physical and biological phenomena related to the object. Speckle contrast, a means of measuring the dynamic behavior of biospeckles, was used to assess the biospeckle activity. The biospeckle activity corresponds to processes modifying the object and correlates with the biomass growth. Furthermore, the stage of the cultures’ physiological development was assessed by speckle contrast due to the differentiation between active and low active behavior. This method is a new means of monitoring and evaluating the biomass growth of filamentous cultures in real time. As a potential tool to characterize hairy roots, LSP is non‐invasive, time‐saving, can be used online and stands out for its simple, low‐cost setup.     

Inhibition of bromodomain and extra‐terminal proteins increases sensitivity to venetoclax in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

The development of drugs able to target BTK, PI3k‐delta and BCL2 has dramatically improved chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) therapies. However, drug resistance to these therapies has already been reported due to non‐recurrent changes in oncogenic pathways and genes expression signatures. In this study, we investigated the cooperative role of the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax and the BRD4 inhibitor JQ1. In particular, we found that JQ1 shows additional activity with venetoclax, in CLL cell lines and in ex vivo isolated primary CD19⁺ lymphocytes, arguing in favour of combination strategies. Lastly, JQ1 is also effective in venetoclax‐resistant CLL cell lines. Together, our findings indicated that the BET inhibitor JQ1 could be a promising therapy in CLL, both as first‐line therapy in combination with venetoclax and as second‐line therapy, after the emergence of venetoclax‐resistant clones.