Internode length in Pisum. I. The effect of the Le/le gene difference on endogenous gibberellin-like substances

The allelopathic potential of the dry fruits of Washingtonia filifera (L. Linden) H. Wendl. was investigated. Leachates from fruits inhibited the germination of lettuce, wheat, red cabbage and cucumber seeds. The inhibitory effect was partly neutralized by kinetin (20 mg 1⁻¹) and gibberellic acid (50 mg 1⁻¹). The effect of kinetin was more pronounced at 25°C than at 20°C. Substances inhibiting germination were localized in the pericarp of the fruit and were resistant to high temperature.     

Activated macrophages and antibodies against the plant lectin, GSI-B4, recognize the same tumor-associated structure (TAS)

Activated macrophages that were stabilized with either formalin or glutaraldehyde absorbed two polypeptides (Mr 100,000 and 60,000) from detergent extracts of all of the tumor cell lines tested, but not from detergent extracts of normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes. A major polypeptide (Mr 95,000) was retained from spent culture media of tumor cell lines. Polypeptides with molecular sizes of 100,000 and 60,000 daltons were also adsorbed by activated macrophages from detergent extracts of chicken embryo cell membranes, suggesting an oncofetal nature for these proteins. The 100,000 dalton polypeptide, but not the 60,000 dalton component, was found to be available to lactoperoxidase-catalyzed cell surface iodination. Polypeptides with identical molecular sizes could be adsorbed to immobilized galactopyranoside, indicating that they are vertebrate lectins. Activated macrophages and affinity adsorbents prepared by the covalent coupling of galactopyranoside to agarose also bind the plant lectin isolectin B4 prepared from the seeds of Griffonia simplicifolia. On the basis of these findings, we put forth the hypothesis that macromolecules of the same specificity, that is affinity to galactopyranosyl residues, must show homologies in their binding sites. We have predicted therefore that antisera prepared against this plant lectin should cross-react with galactopyranosyl-binding vertebrate lectins present on the surface of tumor cells. In this communication, we also report the generation of hybridomas that produce antibodies reactive with both the plant and vertebrate lectins. Inhibition experiments that make use of various mono- and disaccharides suggest that the specificities of these antibodies are for determinants intimately associated with the galactosyl binding site on the lectin molecule. Two of the antibodies were found to have moderate selectivity for tumor cells when tested in an immunohistochemical procedure that made use of fresh-frozen or paraffin-embedded sections of human biopsy material. These two antibodies on immunoblots of tumor cell membrane extracts reacted with a polypeptide with an apparent molecular size of 100,000 daltons.     

The stoichiometry of the Ca2+ pump in human erythrocyte vesicles: modulation by Ca2+, Mg2+ and calmodulin

Active Ca2+ uptake and the associated (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase activity were studied under the same conditions in an inside-out vesicle preparation of human red blood cells made essentially by the procedure of Quist and Roufogalis (Journal of Supramolecular Structure 6, 375-381, 1977). Some preparations were treated with 1 mM EDTA at 30 degrees to further deplete them of endogenous levels of calmodulin. As the Ca2+ taken up by the EDTA-treated inside-out vesicles, as well as the non-EDTA treated vesicles, was maintained after addition of 4.1 mM EGTA, the vesicles were shown to be impermeable to the passive leak of Ca2+ over the time course of the experiments. In the absence of added calmodulin, both active Ca2+ uptake and (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase were sensitive to free Ca2+ over a four log unit concentration range (0.7 microM to 300 microM Ca2+) at 6.4 mM MgCl2. Below 24 microM Ca2+ the stoichiometry of calcium transported per phosphate liberated was close to 2:1, both in EDTA and non-EDTA treated vesicles. Above 50 microM Ca2+ the stoichiometry approached 1:1. When MgCl2 was reduced from 6.4 mM to 1.0 mM, the stoichiometry remained close to 2:1 over the whole range of Ca2+ concentrations examined. In contrast to the results at 6.4 mM MgCl2, the Ca2+ pump was maximally activated at about 2 microM free Ca2+ and significantly inhibited above this concentration at 1 mM MgCl2. Calmodulin (0.5-2.0 microgram/ml) had little effect on the stoichiometry in any of the conditions examined. The possible significance of a variable stoichiometry of the Ca2+ pump in the red blood cell is discussed.     

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.     

Relationship between cell density and prolidase activity in human skin fibroblasts: effects of ascorbate and fructose

To evaluate the influence of cell density on the activity of fibroblast prolidase (EC 3.4.13.9), we determined this activity in sparse and dense cultures. We also investigated, the effects of different concentrations of β-d(?) fructose and l(+) ascorbate, which both increased cell density at confluency. For a fructose concentration of 25 mM, we observed that in the absence of glucose, intracellular total proteins increased 1.5-fold and prolidase specific activity, 1.8-fold. For ascorbate, a broad optimum concentration was found (range 0.01 – 0.50 mM). Addition to cultures of 0.1 mM ascorbate increased total proteins 1.4-fold, and doubled prolidase activity. This investigation was prompted by our previous results [J. Metab. Dis. 1983, 6, 27–31], confirmed here, and suggesting that increased prolidase activity at confluency was due to a rise in cell density.     

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.     

Expression of antiviral activity and induction of 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase by conceptus secretory proteins enriched in bovine trophoblast protein-1

Establishment of pregnancy in cattle has been proposed to depend on production of a conceptus protein, bovine trophoblast protein-1 (bTP-1), which has a high degree of sequence homology with bovine interferon-alpha (bIFN-alpha), especially the alpha II subfamily. A preparation of bovine conceptus secretory proteins enriched for bTP-1 has antiviral and physico-chemical properties similar to other bIFN-alpha. Antiviral activity is initially detectable in uterine flushings on Day 14 of pregnancy, when the conceptus measures 4-5 mm in length, and increases as the conceptus elongates through Day 18. Day 17 conceptuses produce more than 10(6) U antiviral activity during 24 h of culture. All IFNs induce the enzyme 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase, which catalyzes production of 2',5'-oligo(A), which in turn is involved in antiviral and growth inhibitory effects of IFNs. This enzyme activity is induced in Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells by the partially purified bTP-1 preparation similarly to IFN-alpha, -beta, and -gamma. Likewise, the partially purified bTP-1 and bIFN-alpha 1 induce 2',5'-oligo(A) synthetase activity in monolayers of endometrial epithelial and stromal cells. Compared to epithelial cells, stromal cells have higher baseline activity of 2'-5'-oligo(A) synthetase activity (p less than 0.01) and show a greater degree of induction in the presence of either the partially purified bTP-1 or bIFN-alpha 1 (p less than 0.01). Also, 2',5'-oligo(A) synthetase of endometrial stromal cells is induced to a greater degree by our enriched bTP-1 preparation than by bIFN-alpha 1 (p less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)