High resolution scanning electron micrographic study of dissociated mouse taste cells

New techniques for enzymatic dissociation of mammalian tastecells allowed us to study, for the first time, the morphologyof murine taste receptor cells using high resolution scanningelectron microscopy. Cell shape varied from spindle to bipolarto lamellar, similar to shapes previously described in cellsfrom amphibian taste buds. Cell length varied from 19 to 65µm (39 ± 19 µm), with width averaging 6 ±3.4 µm. A rare picture of the apical microvilli of a tastereceptor cell, and a view of microvilli within a taste pore,suggest that at any given time, five to eight taste cells maybe exposed to the oral cavity. Assuming a cell life-span of10 days, and 50 cells per bud, all of which eventually reachthe taste pore, one can calculate that the average cell is exposedto the oral environment for     

Loci controlling lymphocyte production of interferon γ after alloantigen stimulation in vitro and their co-localization with genes controlling lymphocyte infiltration of tumors and tumor susceptibility

Low infiltration of lymphocytes into cancers is associated with poor prognosis, but the reasons why some patients exhibit a low and others a high infiltration of tumors are unknown. Previously we mapped four loci (Lynf1–Lynf4) controlling lymphocyte infiltration of mouse lung tumors. These loci do not encode any of the molecules that are involved in traffic of lymphocytes. Here we report a genetic relationship between these loci and the control of production of IFNγ in allogeneic mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC). We found that IFNγ production by lymphocytes of O20/A mice is lower than by lymphocytes of OcB-9/Dem mice (both H2 ^pz ) stimulated in MLC by irradiated splenocytes of C57BL/10SnPh (H2 ^b ) or BALB/cHeA (H2 ^d ) mice, or by ConA. IFNγ production in MLCs of individual (O20 × OcB-9)F₂ mice stimulated by irradiated C57BL/10 splenocytes and genotyped for microsatellite markers revealed four IFNγ-controlling loci (Cypr4-Cypr7), each of which is closely linked with one of the four Lynf loci and with a cluster of susceptibility genes for different tumors. This suggests that inherited differences in certain lymphocyte responses may modify their propensity to infiltrate tumors and their capacity to affect tumor growth.     

Effect of acute altitude hypoxia on fatty acid proportion in the plasma of rats of different ages

Using gas chromatography, the authors studied the development of the proportion of 25 saturated and non-saturated fatty acids in the plasma of Wistar rats of their own breed aged 5, 10, 14 and 25 days and adult (both sexes), and in three age groups (5 and 14 day and adult) they determined the effect of acute altitude hypoxia. Fatty acids were determined as methylesters (FAME) (Base 1978), using the method already described by Smídová et al. (1984a), in mixed blood plasma obtained from decapitated control and experimental animals. Altitude hypoxia, which corresponded to 9 000 m, lasted 20 min. The temperature was kept stable at 25 degrees C. Marked changes occurred during ontogenesis in the proportion of total fatty acids (TFA) in the plasma; the proportion of sigma non-saturated FA fell significantly during maturation, chiefly in favour of monoene FA, with a resultant significant drop in their reciprocal index (sigma saturated/sigma monoene). The proportion of all saturated FA amounted in 5-day-old rats to 54% of the total quantity, but in adult rats to only 40%. Acute hypoxia had a demonstrable effect in all three age categories. In 5-day-old rats it led to significant changes in 7 FA and in adult rats in 10. In both 5-day-old and adult animals it produced an increase in the arachidonic acid level. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings on the effect of the same hypoxia on FA proportion in various parts of the CNS of rats of different ages.     

A simple integrative electrophysiological model of bursting GnRH neurons

In this paper a modular model of the GnRH neuron is presented. For the aim of simplicity, the currents corresponding to fast time scales and action potential generation are described by an impulsive system, while the slower currents and calcium dynamics are described by usual ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The model is able to reproduce the depolarizing afterpotentials, afterhyperpolarization, periodic bursting behavior and the corresponding calcium transients observed in the case of GnRH neurons.     

Cytologischer Nachweis von postreduktion bei einer phanerogame

Ohne ZusammenfassungMit 1 Textabbildung (3 Einzelbildern).