A multigene family for the vasopressin-like hormones? Identification of mesotocin,lysipressin and phenypressin in Australian macropods

Mesotocin ([Ile8]-oxytocin), lysipressin ([ Lys8]-vasopressin) and phenypressin ([Phe8]-vasopressin) have been identified in the western gray kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) as well as four other macropodids. Lysipressin and phenypressin, which differ by the amino acids in positions 2 (Tyr/Phe) and 8 (Lys/Arg) are likely products of two separate vasopressin-like genes. It is assumed that arginine vasopressin found in most mammals is the product of two identical genes which can be revealed in some species by differential mutations as seen usually in marsupials. The duality can also be revealed by differential mutations in another domain of the precursors, such as the neurophysin (MSEL-neurophysin), as observed in the ox.     

Leucostasis, an underestimated cause of death in leukaemia

Massive sludging of leukaemic cells in blood vessels is a frequent and often lethal complication of leukaemia. In a retrospective clinicopathological study on the causes of death in 52 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia and myeloproliferative disease, pulmonary leucostasis was found in 40% of the patients. In many of these patients the vessels of the heart, brain and testes were also involved. In search for signs and symptoms specific for leucostasis, the clinical records of the 21 patients with leucostasis (the study group) were compared to those of 20 patients without leucostasis (the control group). Dysfunction of the organs most affected by leucostasis, namely lungs, heart and brain, was found more often in the study group than in the controls, but the combination of unexplained fever with cardiopulmonary and/or central nervous system failure occurred almost exclusively and in half of the patients with leucostasis. Leucostasis occurs predominantly, but not exclusively, in patients with high leucocyte counts, and especially, but again not exclusively, when the leucocyte counts rise sharply.     

Influence of the composition of the fusion medium on the yield of electrofused yeast hybrids

Abstract Electrofusion between cells of yeast strains with different genetic markers in isotonic sorbitol solutions leads to high yields of hybrids when 0.1 mM Ca²⁺ and 0.5 mM Mg²⁺ salts are aded. On average, 1000–2000 hybrids are obtained when electrofusion is performed (in a helical chamber) compared to a yield of about 40–120 in the absence of these bivalent cations. A further increase in yield can be achieved by the addition of 1 mg/ml albumin, which results in up to 4000 hybrids per experimental run. The entire fusion process leads to very reproducible results in the presence of these substances.     

Escherichia coli RecBC pseudorevertants lacking chi recombinational hotspot activity

Pseudorevertants of an Escherichia coli exonuclease V (RecBC enzyme)-negative mutant have been isolated after ethyl methane sulfonate mutagenesis of a recC73 (presumed missense) mutant. The remedial mutations in each of the four pseudorevertants studied in detail map and complement as recC mutations. By several criteria, such as recombination proficiency, support of phage growth, RecBC nuclease activity, and cell viability, the pseudorevertants appear to have regained partially or completely various aspects of RecBC activity. However, chi recombinational hotspots, which stimulate exclusively the RecBC pathway of recombination, have no detectable activity in lambda vegetative crosses in the pseudorevertants. The properties of these mutants, in which the RecBC pathway of recombination is active yet in which chi is not active, are consistent with the hypothesis that wild-type RecBC enzyme directly interacts with chi sites; alternatively, the mutants may block or bypass the productive interaction of another recombinational enzyme with chi.     

Carbonic anhydrase activity in the blood of adult sheep, fetal sheep and lambs

The activity of carbonic anhydrase (E.C.4.2.1.1) (CA) has been measured in the blood of adult and fetal sheep and lambs. The mean activity in adult sheep was 0.89 enzyme units (EU) per 100 micrograms of Hb. The activity in fetal sheep aged 90 days was just below 20% of this and in fetuses near full term was just under 40% of the mean adult level. The regression line gave an increase of CA activity (per 100 micrograms Hb) of 0.004 EU/day. The appearance of CA in fetal blood normally occurred before any detectable production of adult Hb. One aberrant fetus showed early development of the adult pattern in the red cells, having adult type Hb and adult levels of CA during the period of 116-128 days of fetal age. In the period after birth the CA level in the blood rose rapidly, reaching the adult level 30 days after birth. During this period activity per 100 micrograms HB increased by 0.014 EU/day, significantly faster than during fetal life.     

The effect of sulfated polysaccharides on the free intracellular calcium ion concentration of lymphocytes

Recent studies have demonstrated that murine lymphocytes express specific cell-surface receptors for a range of sulfated polysaccharides. In order to determine whether polysaccharide binding induces transmembrane signaling, the effects of sulfated polysaccharides on the free intracellular calcium ion concentration [( Ca2+]i) of mouse thymocytes and spleen cells were determined. Cells were loaded with Indo-I, a fluorescent indicator of calcium ion concentration. The validity and limitations in the use of this indicator in the determination of [Ca2+]i are documented. Dextran sulfate (Mn = 500,000), iota-carrageenan, lambda-carrageenan and kappa-carrageenan all cause relatively large changes in the [Ca2+]i of thymocytes (change in [Ca2+]i greater than 50 nM). Of these, dextran sulfate (Mn = 500,000) always had the greatest effect on [Ca2+]i. Smaller responses were obtained with heparin and dextran sulfate (Mn = 5000), while no response was obtained with chondroitin 4-sulfate, chondroitin 6-sulfate, pentosan sulfate or fucoidin. This response pattern (with the exception of fucoidin and pentosan sulfate) corresponds with the expression of thymocyte receptors for these polysaccharides. The increase in [Ca2+]i caused by the sulfated polysaccharides requires extracellular Ca2+ ions however, it is unlikely that voltage-dependent ion channels are involved in these responses. In contrast to thymocytes, although spleen cells express receptors for sulfated polysaccharides, they were unresponsive to all of the sulfated polysaccharides tested, suggesting a basic difference between thymocytes and peripheral T and B lymphocytes in their response to the binding of sulfated polysaccharides.     

Developmental Patterns of Catechol-O-Methyltransferase in Genetically Different Rat Strains: Enzymatic and Immunochemical Studies

Abstract: Catechol- O -methyltransferase (COMT) activity in the liver and kidneys of adult Fischer-344 (F-344) rats is only half of that in the same organs of Wistar-Furth (W-F) rats. The trait of low COMT activity in these animals is inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion. A comprehensive study of patterns of change in COMT activity during growth and development was performed to determine whether "temporal gene" effects might play a role in the inherited differences in enzyme activity present in adult animals. The COMT activity expressed per mg protein in liver and kidneys of newborn F-344 rats is only 50–60% of that in the same organs of W-F animals. The liver and the kidneys of newborn rats of both strains have COMT activity an order of magnitude higher than those in brain, heart, or blood. In addition, in both strains there are much larger increases in liver and kidney COMT activities during growth and development (5–10 fold) than in blood, brain, or heart (one- to twofold). Immunotitration with antibodies against rat COMT demonstrates that differences in immunoreactive COMT parallel differences in COMT activity, both between strains and within strains during growth and development. However, when the temporal patterns of change in enzyme activities in the liver and the kidneys of the two strains of rat are compared at multiple times during growth and development, no differences in the patterns are present. These results make it unlikely that temporal gene effects can explain the inherited differences in COMT activity in liver and kidneys of F-344 and W-F rats.     

Cytotoxic and antiprotozoal activity of flavonoids from Lonchocarpus spp.

A number of flavonoids isolated from Lonchocarpus spp. were evaluated for their antiprotozoal and cytotoxic activity. Flavone 6 and chalcone 7 were found to be the most active against Leishmania parasites and against cell cultures of Leukemia P388DI and adenocarcinoma prostate PC-3.