On the fine structure of the cerebral ganglion of Sagitta (Chaetognatha)

Summary In this study the fine structure of the cerebral ganglion of Sagitta setosa (Chaetognatha) is investigated. The ganglion is flat and superficially positioned dorsally, below the basal lamina of the cephalic epidermis. It is surrounded by a specifically differentiated sheath. This sheath is made up of cells, which are interpreted as representing glial cells, and can be divided into an outer and an inner zone. The outer zone is composed of flat sheath cells with pale nuclei and few organelles. The inner zone consists of densely packed, extremely thin lamellar cellular processes. These attenuated lamellae, which still contain cytoplasm, resemble the myelin sheath of vertebrate axons. The intercellular space between the lamellae contains electron-dense material. In the sheath specialized intercellular contacts occur. The inner zone of this sheath extends at definite points into the centre of the ganglion and separates a zone of perikarya from the neuropil, as well as the single perikarya from each other. The perikarya are relatively uniform and do not form a cortex, but are concentrated mainly in lateral parts of the cerebral ganglion. Within the neuropil are axonal endings which have synaptic contacts with several postsynaptic elements. These anatomical findings are discussed with respect to their functional significance.     

Rapid measurement of creatine kinase activity in a coronary care unit using a portable benchtop reflectance photometer.

Rapid measurements of plasma creatine kinase activity using an inexpensive benchtop reflectance photometer (Ames Seralyzer) and disposable reagent strips were evaluated in the laboratory and coronary care unit. The system proved simple to use and capable of yielding rapid (four minutes per analysis), precise (coefficient of variation less than 9%), and accurate results (correlation with routine method 0.995) when used by medical staff. Creatine kinase values were available 6.5-102 hours earlier than routine laboratory data, depending on the time and day of sampling, thereby facilitating appropriate and economic patient management. This instrument might be used to supplement the routine enzyme service for selected admissions, resulting in greatly improved availability of results and hence contributing to the early discharge of patients from intensive care facilities.     

Phytoplankton ecology in an unusually stable environment (Montezuma Well,Arizona, U.S.A.)

Relatively minor annual amplitudes of change in certain major nutrients, and especially pH and water temperature were measured in the spring-fed system of Montezuma Well, Arizona during a four year study. phytoplankton diversity was low but for the most part, composition was spatially and temporally constant; total seasonal phytoplankton density was significantly correlated with regional incident light. Phytoplankton species composition changed briefly during and for a short period following the summer monsoon. Ultraplankton (<5 µm diam.) numerically comprised nearly 80% of the phytoplankton community throughout most of the year. The limited residence time of water in the Well may have provided a competitive advantage for cells with high surface area:volume ratios and correspondingly rapid division rates. Nannochloris bacillaris Naum. and Coccomyxa minor Skuja were perennial dominants. Diatom populations did not increase with annual increases in vernal solar radiation. Low pH, high dissolved CO₂, and limited residence time for metabolic inhibitors are considered to be largely responsible for the reduced blue-green populations in the Well. The only flagellated photosynthetic group present in Montezuma Well was the Cryptophyta. Desmid populations were minimal, even though pH was consistently below circumneutral (6.5) and free CO₂ concentrations high. The role of grazing by an amphipod, Hyalella montezuma, on annual phytoplankton abundance is examined.     

DNA repair, DNA synthesis and cell cycle delay in human lymphoblastoid cells differentially sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of nitrogen mustard

Two cloned human lymphoblastoid cell lines, Raji and TK6, differ in their sensitivity to the cytotoxic effects of nitrogen mustard (HN2). Raji cells exhibit a biphasic response with an initial D value of 0.06 microgram/ml and a final slope of 0.25 microgram/ml. TK6 cells were considerably more sensitive, D0 value 0.02 microgram/ml. Dose-response relationships for delay in cell cycle progression were measured using flow cytometry. Delay in S-phase traverse was concentration-dependent in both cell lines, and at a given concentration was 2-fold greater in TK6 than in Raji. Numbers of crosslinks (determined by alkaline elution) increased linearly with increasing HN2 concentration and were approximately 2-fold higher in TK6 than in Raji. At equal levels of DNA crosslinks, rates of removal were similar in both cell lines. Inhibition of [3H]TdR uptake was concentration-dependent and the extent of inhibition was similar in both cell lines. Recovery from HN2-induced inhibition of cell cycle progression markedly preceded recovery from inhibition of [3H]TdR incorporation suggesting that nucleotide pools are markedly perturbed in HN2-treated cells. The difference in sensitivity of these two cell lines cannot be adequately explained by differences in amounts of initial DNA damage, rates of repair, differential S-phase delay or rate of loss of DNA crosslinks.     

Cadmium accumulation by a Citrobacter sp

Cadmium accumulation by a Citrobacter sp. growing in the presence of the metal occurred as a sharp peak during the mid-exponential phase of growth, but cultures showed considerable inhibition of growth compared to cadmium-free controls. This problem was overcome by pregrowing the cells in cadmium-free medium and subsequently exposing them to the metal in the resting state, under which conditions higher concentrations of cadmium were tolerated and metal uptake was enhanced. This ability was retained when the cells were immobilized and then challenged with a flow containing Cd2+; 65% of the metal presented was removed from solution. The influence on uptake of the composition of the exposure buffer and of various cell treatments were investigated and the results are discussed with respect to the anticipated speciation of the cadmium presented to the cells and also with respect to the probable mechanism of metal uptake. This is thought to occur through the activity of a cell-bound phosphatase, induced during pre-growth by the provision of glycerol 2-phosphate as sole phosphorus source. Continued enzyme function in resting cells would then precipitate the metal as cell-bound cadmium phosphate.     

Gravity-independent inequality in pulmonary blood flow in humans

Single-photon emission computerized tomography of the lung with 99mTc-labeled human albumin macroaggregates (99mTc-MAA) was used in six healthy subjects to study the three-dimensional distribution of pulmonary blood flow. 99mTc-MAA was injected while the subjects were resting in the supine position and holding their lung volume at normal end expiration. Tomography was performed on each subject from 120 projections of radioactivity in the lungs acquired with a rotating gamma camera. To minimize lung motion artifacts, the subjects were asked to hold their breath at end expiration during the 10-s duration of data acquisition in each projectional angle. Perfusion images of lung slices (11 mm thick) were reconstructed, and the radioactivity within each slice was expressed per unit lung volume of 3.7 X 3.7 X 11 mm. Perfusion images of a midcoronal slice from each subject manifested a concentric pattern of radioactivity that decreased significantly from the center to the periphery, suggesting that blood flow rate per unit lung volume was up to 10 times larger near the central region. This gradient in activity between the center and the periphery of the coronary slices was gravity independent as the subjects were supine. Images of sagittal slices from the middle of the right lung also manifested a similar pattern of concentric gradient in activity, with the vertical distribution (gravity related) almost comparable with the horizontal distribution (gravity independent). These results indicate that pulmonary blood flow in resting supine humans is spatially stratified with a marked central-to-peripheral gradient in all directions. It appears that zone 4 (reduced blood flow) is not a phenomenon limited to the dependent region of the lung as commonly thought but rather is a manifestation of this spatial distribution whereby blood flow is lowest in all peripheral regions of the lung.     

Identification and characterisation of PmaCI an endonuclease of novel specificity from Pseudomonas maltophila.

We report the use of MonoQ FPLC (Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography) for the rapid purification of a novel Type II restriction endonuclease PmaCI, from Pseudomonas maltophila, which recognises the sequence 5'-CAC decreases GTG-3'. The resulting enzyme is free of other nucleases to a level suitable for its characterisation by multiple-substrate digestion and DNA sequencing techniques. This method appears to be widely applicable and we have used it for the isolation of restriction endonucleases of comparable purity from a range of other organisms. Also described is a rapid method for screening a library of small inserted regions in recombinant M13 molecules for the presence and subsequent screening of restriction sites of interest.     

Identification of the glucose transporter in rat skeletal muscle

The glucose transporter in the plasma membrane of rat skeletal muscle has been identified by two approaches. In one, the transporter was detected as the polypeptide that was differentially labeled by photolysis with [³H]cytochalasin B in the presence of l- and d-glucose. [³H]Cytochalasin B is a high-affinity ligand for the transporter that is displaced by d-glucose. In the other, the transporter was detected by means of its reaction with rabbit antibodies against the purified glucose transporter from human erythrocytes. By both procedures, the transporter was found to be a polypeptide with a mobility corresponding to a molecular weight of 45,000–50,000 upon sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Effect of solubilization on adenosine 5'-triphosphate induced calcium release from purified sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium adenosinetriphosphatase

ATP-induced Ca2+ release from the purified sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase has been monitored in several different ATPase environments. Arsenazo III was used as a Ca2+ indicator in stopped-flow experiments and was shown to detect the early burst in Ca2+ transport, slower steady-state transport, and release of Ca2+ from fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum. ATP-induced rapid release of Ca2+ followed by a slower rebinding step could be demonstrated for purified Ca2+-ATPase in leaky vesicles if the reaction was slowed by lowering the pH to 6.1 and by including dimethyl sulfoxide in the reaction medium. At a dodecyl octaoxyethylene glycol monoether (C12E8) to protein weight ratio of 0.2, a detergent concentration too low for solubilization to occur, ATP-induced Ca2+ release occurred more rapidly than for native leaky membranes, whereas the rebinding step was slower. In contrast, no Ca2+ release was observed for any soluble preparation. The kinetics of Ca2+ release was studied under conditions where the ATPase was monomeric or aggregated, and also in the presence of added phospholipid. The ATPase was shown to be monomeric by sedimentation equilibrium measurements in the presence of Ca2+, ADP, and beta, gamma-methylene-ATP at a C12E8 to protein weight ratio of 2.0. It is concluded that solubilization of the Ca2+-ATPase may result in uncoupling of ATP hydrolysis from ATP-induced Ca2+ release.