Changes in lung volume and deflation stability in hyaline membrane disease

Total lung capacity (TLC), inspiratory capacity, functional residual capacity, and deflation stability of prematurely delivered Macaca nemestrina primates were measured serially during development of, and recovery from, hyaline membrane disease (HMD) to relate changes in lung volumes to changes in deflation stability. Gestational age-matched primates that did not develop HMD served as controls. TLC, measured by N2 washout, fell at 2-12 h of age (P less than 0.0001) in animals with HMD and remained lower than controls for at least 48 h (P less than 0.005). However, deflation stability, defined as the fraction of TLC remaining upon deflation to 10 cm H2O, improved from 2 to 12 h of age (P less than 0.001). Postmortem studies confirm the measurements of TLC and deflation stability and provide evidence that interstitial thickening and obstruction of air spaces with debris may be partially responsible for the observed changes in TLC in primates that develop HMD. It has been assumed that TLC is reduced in HMD because of atelectasis from elevated alveolar surface tension, but the sequential measurements in these animals suggest that other mechanisms also contribute.     

Studies on optimal conditions for polysaccharide production byPorphyridium cruentum

Summary Exocellular polysaccharide production byPorphyridium cruentum was studied in fed-batch cultures. Growth of the culture was characterized by a brief log phase, followed by a lineartype phase. The duration and the slope of the latter phase are largely dependent on culture conditions. The presence of polysaccharide in the culture medium was observed as soon as the log phase was over but the quantity did not become significant until the end of growth. Polysaccharide production depended on the cell number and the specific productivity. The cell number was affected mainly by the initial nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and the specific productivity by the aeration and agitation systems. Other environmental conditions had no significant effect on polysaccharide production. Under photoperiodic illumination the oscillations in cell volume observed after the log phase may indicate a synchronization of polysaccharide synthesis and/or excretion with the light period and the solubilization with the dark period.

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Estudios sobre las condiciones óptimas de crecimiento para la produccióin de polisaccáridos por Porphyridium cruentum

Resumen La producción de polisaccáridos exocelulares porPorphiridium cruentum se estudió en cultivos fed-batch. El crecimiento del cultivo se caracterizó por una breve fase log seguida por una fase de tipo linear. La duración y la pendiente de esta última fase son en gran parte dependientes de las condiciones de cultivo. La presencia de polisaccáridos se observó tan pronto como se hubo terminado la fase log, sin embargo cantidades significativas de éstos no se obtuvieron hasta el final del crecimiento. La producción de polisaccáridos dependió del número de células y de la producción específica. El número de células se vió afectado principalmente por la concentración inicial de fósforo y de nitrógeno. La productividad específica lo fue por los sistemas de aeración y de agitación. No se observó que otras condiciones del medio tuvieran efecto significativo alguno sobre la producción de polisaccáridos.

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Etudes sur les conditions optimales de croissance pour la production de polysaccharides par Porphyridium cruentum

Résumé La production de polysaccharide parPorphyridium cruentum a été étudiée au cours de cultures fed-batch. La croissance d'une culture est caractérisée par une courte phase log suivie d'une phase de type linéaire. La durée et la pente de cette dernière phase dépendant beaucoup des conditions de culture. La présence de polysaccharide dans le milieu de culture a été observée dès la fin de la phase log mais elle ne devient importante qu'à la fin de la croissance. La production de polysaccharide parait être fonction du nombre de cellules et de la productivité spécifique: le nombre de cellules est essentiellement affecté par les concentrations en nitrates et phosphates du milieu de culture, la productivité spécifique par les systèmes d'aération et d'agitation. Les autres conditions testées n'ont pas eu d'influence significative sur la production de polysaccharide.

     

Microlocating lithium in the mouse embryo by use of a (n, α) nuclear reaction

Summary The quantitative imaging of lithium distribution, in histological sections of 15-days old mouse embryos (whose mother had been submitted to Li-treatment), was performed using⁶Li isotope as tracer,⁶Li(n,)³H nuclear reaction for detection, and dielectric track detectors. Despite the particular difficulties of cryosectioning the embryos without disturbing the lithium distribution, the Li regionalization appeared to be very clear-cut. The ectomesodermic tissues were significantly more loaded with lithium than the endodermic ones. This is probably related to the ectomesodermic tissues being also those most sensitive to the teratogenic effect of lithium. The Li-distribution in the embryo brain was almost homogeneous, instead of being heterogeneous as in adult brain. The mean Li-concentration in the embryo brain was not much below the Li concentration in the grey matter of the mother brain, but it was significantly larger than that in the white matter of the mother brain. Our results are discussed in the context of teratogenic effects observed in situ during mammalian development.     

Effects of temperature and CO2 enrichment on kinetic properties of phospho-enol-pyruvate carboxylase in two ecotypes of Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv., a C4 weed grass species

Summary Two populations of Echinochloa crus-galli (Québec, Mississippi) were grown at the Duke University Phytotron under 2 thermoperiods (28°/22°C, 21°/15°C day/night) and 2 CO₂ regimes (350 and 675 l l^-1). Thermostability, energy of activation (E _a ),K _m (PEP), K _m (Mg⁺⁺), and specific activity of phospho-enol-pyruvate carboxylase (PEP_c) were analyzed in partially purified enzyme preparations of plants grown for 5 weeks. Thermostability of PEP_c from extracts (in vitro) and leaves (in situ) was significantly higher in Mississippi plants. In vitro denaturation was not appreciably modified by thermal acclimation but CO₂ enrichment elicited higher thermostability of PEP_c. In situ thermostability was significantly higher than that of in vitro assays and was higher in Mississippi plants acclimated at 28°/22°C and in plants of the two ecotypes grown at 675 l l^-1 CO₂. E _a (Q ₁₀ 30°/20°C) for PEP_c was significantly lower in Québec plants as compared to Mississippi and no acclimatory shifts were observed. Significantly higher K _m's (PEP) in 20°C assays were obtained for Mississippi as compared to Québec plants but values were similar at 30°C and 40°C assays. K _m (Mg⁺⁺) decreased at higher assay temperatures and were significantly lower for PEP_c of the Québec ecotype. No significant changes in K _m (Mg⁺⁺) values were associated with modifications in temperature on CO₂ regimes. PEP_c activity measured at 30°C was significantly higher for Québec plants when measured on a leaf fresh weight, leaf area or protein basis but not on a chlorophyll basis. Significantly higher PEP_c activity for both genotypes was observed for plants acclimated at 21°/15°C or grown at 675 l l^-1 CO₂. Net photosynthesis (Ps) and net assimilation rates (NAR) were higher in Québec plants and were enhanced by CO₂ enrichment. NAR was higher in plants acclimated at low temperature, while an opposite trend was observed for Ps. PEP_c activities were always in excess of the amounts required to support observed rates of CO₂ assimilation.     

Kinetics of cell-mediated cytotoxicity: Stochastic and deterministic multistage models

One of the body's major defenses against viral diseases and tumors is the killing of abnormal cells by host defense cells, such as T lymphocytes. The mechanism by which killing is accomplished is unknown. Here we develop both stochastic and deterministic models for the kinetics of killing in aggregates which contain a single lymphocyte and multiple target cells (LT_n conjugates), as might be seen early in an immune response, and in aggregates containing multiple lymphocytes and a single target cell (L_nT conjugates), which is characteristic of the late phase of a successful immune response. Comparing our models with data, we rule out the possibility of certain classes of lytic mechanisms and draw attention to the characteristics of likely mechanisms. Our stochastic model can be viewed as a specialized application of queueing theory to cell biology. For certain choices of arrival-time and service-time distributions, we find an exact correspondence between our stochastic and deterministic models.     

Regeneration of cells from protoplasts ofClostridium acetobutylicum B643

Summary Conditions that allow regeneration of cells fromClostridium acetobutylicum strain B643 protoplasts were studied. Protoplast formation and stabilization in minimal media with 50 mM CaCl₂, 50 mM MgCl₂ and 0.3 M sucrose were crucial to subsequent regeneration on soft yeast extract agar containing 25 mM CaCl₂ and 25 mM MgCl₂. A regeneration frequency of 8–25% was consistently obtained.     

Locus determining the human sperm-specific lactate dehydrogenase,LDHC, is syntenic with LDHC

From the data presented in this report, the human LDHC gene locus is assigned to chromosome 11. Three genes determine lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in man. LDHA and LDHB are expressed in most somatic tissues, while expression of LDHC is confined to the germinal epithelium of the testes. A human LDHC cDNA clone was used as a probe to analyze genomic DNA from rodent/human somatic cell hybrids. The pattern of bands with LDHC hybridization is easily distinguished from the pattern detected by LDHA hybridization, and the LDHC probe is specific for testis mRNA. The structural gene LDHA has been previously assigned to human chromosome 11, while LDHB maps to chromosome 12. Studies of pigeon LDH have shown tight linkage between LDHB and LDHC leading to the expectation that these genes would be syntenic in man. However, the data presented in this paper show conclusively that LDHC is syntenic with LDHA on human chromosome 11. The terminology for LDH genes LDHA, LDHB, and LDHC is equivalent to Ldhl, Ldh2, and Ldh3, respectively.     

Time dependent effect of indomethacin on the stimulation of protein synthesis in isolated rabbit muscle by insulin

Insulin (100 U/ml) stimulated protein synthesis and PGF₂ release in isolated rabbit muscle, but had little effect on the rate of protein degradation. The effect of insulin persisted for at least 5 h after removal of the hormone. Indomethacin, added at the start of the incubation, inhibited the stimulatory effect of insulin on protein synthesis and PGF₂ release, but did not block the binding of iodinated insulin. When added 2 h after insulin, indomethacin did not inhibit the stimulation of protein synthesis but completely inhibited the increase in PGF₂ release. The results suggest that the stimulation of protein synthesis by insulin is mediated by metabolites of membrane phospholipids but that these changes are involved during the phase of response that immediately follows the binding of insulin to its receptor.     

Mobilization of cloned luciferase genes into Vibrio harveyi luminescence mutants

A recombinant plasmid which carried a 5 kb fragment of Vibrio harveyi DNA containing the luxA and luxB genes was mobilized from Escherichia coli into luminescence-deficient mutants of V. harveyi. The cloned genes complemented a temperature sensitive luciferase mutation, but failed to complement lesions in two different aldehyde deficient mutants. Expression of the cloned genes was not subject to autoinduction in either E. coli or in V. harveyi.