The expression of the histone H1° gene in the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 is independent of the state of cell proliferation

The H1 histone subtype H1 (0) is a characteristic component of the chromatin of several mammalian tissues. Since H1 (0) is synthesized in nondividing cells upon terminal differentiation, it has been mostly considered either as a prerequisite for or as a consequence of an arrest of DNA replication during the process of differentiation. In several H1 (0)-expressing systems studied until now, inducers of differentiation or inhibitors of DNA synthesis cause an increase of the ratio between H1 (0) and the other H1 proteins. We have studied the steady-state levels of histone H1 (0) mRNA under varied growth conditions in the human hepatoma cell lines HepG2 and Hep3B, and we show in the HepG2 system that H1 (0) is not confined to resting cells, that the H1 (0) gene appears to be expressed throughout the cell cycle and that established inducers of de novo H1 (0) synthesis fail to cause a further increase of the high H1 (0) level. This constitutive expression of H1 (0) appears to reflect the chromatin structure of the liver cells, from which the HepG2 hepatoblastoma cells initially may have evolved. In contrast to the situation in nondividing adult liver cells, the H1 (0) gene is transcribed in HepG2 at a high level, and this expression is compatible with DNA replication.     

Melanisierungsverlauf und Melanisierungshemmung bei der KohlweißlingspuppePieris brassicae L.

Zusammenfassung Die Melanisierung der Kohlweißlingspuppen variiert in Abhängigkeit von den Lichtbedingungen. Die Steuerung arbeitet offensichtlich im Sinne einer abgestuften Hemmung; denn durch eine Ligatur isolierte Körperstücke werden stark melanisiert.Bei den hellen Puppen sind die Melaninflecken nicht blasser als bei den dunklen, sondern kleiner. Demnach besteht ein Gefälle der Hemmbarkeit vom Fleckenrand zum Zentrum. Die Flecken unterscheiden sich auch untereinander in dem Ausmaß der Hemmung.Die Flecken entstehen während der ersten 6 Std nach der Puppenhäutung in einer bestimmten Reihenfolge. Diejenigen, welche als erste und als letzte erscheinen, reagieren am empfindlichsten auf die Hemmung. Auf hellen Tieren sind sie völlig unterdrückt.Eine Klassifizierung des Melanisierungsgrades aufgrund leicht erkennbarer Formunterschiede der abdominalen Mittelflecken läßt sich auch bei operierten Tieren und isolierten Körperstücken anwenden.Die gleiche starke Melanisierung wie durch eine Ligatur wird auch von einer Durchtrennung der Schlundkonnektive hervorgerufen. Etwas schwächer wirkt die Durchtrennung des Bauchmarks hinter dem Unterschlundganglion.Die melanisierungsfördernde Wirkung von Ligatur und Nervendurchschneidung erlischt in einer kritischen Periode, welche 12 Stunden nach dem Spinnen des Gürtelfadens abgeschlossen ist.Es wird angenommen, daß während dieser kritischen Periode ein melanisierungshemmender Faktor von einem thorakalen Zentrum abgegeben wird, welches dazu seinerseits über die Nervenverbindungen vom Gehirn her veranlaßt wird.

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The course of melanization and its inhibition in pupae of the cabbage whitePieris brassicae L.

Summary The melanization of the Cabbage White pupae varies in response to light conditions. As abdomina, which are isolated by a ligature, become strongly melanized, the control evidently works in the way of gradual inhibition.The melanine patches of light pupae are not paler than those of dark pupae, but they are smaller. Apparently there is a gradient of reactivity to inhibition from the margin of the patches towards their center. Different patches are affected by the inhibition to a different extent.The black patches appear during the first 6 hours after pupation, not simultaneously but in a certain sequence. The first and the last patches of this sequence are most reactive to inhibition. On light pupae they may be entirely absent.A classification of pupal melanization is based on differences in the shape of certain patches, which can easily be recognized even on operated pupae and isolated parts of the body.Equally strong melanization as from ligating results from nerve section between brain an suboesophageal ganglion, somewhat weaker melanization results from section between suboesophageal and prothoracic ganglia.The melanizing effects of ligatures and nerve sections decrease during a critical period. They are entirely lost 12 hours after the prepupa has fastened itself to the ground by spinning the girdle-thread.It is suggested that during this critical period a melanization inhibiting factor is secreted by a thoracic center, which itself is under nervous control of the brain.

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Mit Unterstützung der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

Changes of the cytoplasmic ultrastructure during development of sclerotia in Claviceps purpurea (Fr.) Tul.

The development of sclerotia of Claviceps purpurea was investigated by light and electron microscopy. During the first days after infection sterigma and conidiospores are formed. The spores show a moderately developed vacuolar system, they are thick walled and contain about 20% lipid (related to the cell volume) embedded in glycogen. The sterigma are cylindrical unicellular hyphae with electron dense cytoplasm and isolated strongly contrasted lipid droplets. In maturing sclerotia the hyphae become septated with increasingly thick cell walls and a large lipid content. The lipid forms small droplets in young cells, while in the mature sclerotium it occurs in the form of very large drops, occupying the major part of the cell. Simultaneously the composition of the lipid is changed. The mature cells have several nuclei. They are partially connected by osmiophilic substances, forming a network of intercellular spaces.Abbreviations HEPES N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid - DMSO Dimethylsulfoxide     

Testis-Specific Expression of a Novel Human H3 Histone Gene

We have investigated the expression of a recently described, solitary human H3 histone gene. Using RNase protection assays, the corresponding mRNA could only be detected in RNA preparations from human testis, whereas several human cell lines and somatic tissues did not exhibit expression of this gene.In situhybridization of sections from human testis revealed expression to be confined to primary spermatocytes. In addition to H1t, this novel H3 gene, which is located on chromosome 1, is the second tissue-specific human histone gene that has been found to be expressed solely in the testis.     

Will climate change affect ectoparasite species ranges?

Aim  Over the next 100 years, human-driven climate change and resulting changes in species occurrences will have global impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem function, and human health. Here we examine how climate change may affect the occurrences of tick species in Africa and alter the suitability of habitat outside Africa for African ticks.
Location  Africa and the world.
Methods  We predicted continental and global changes in habitat suitability for each of 73 African tick species, using multiple regression models in different climate change scenarios that cover a wide range of uncertainty.
Results  Global habitat suitability improves for nearly all tick species under each of a representative range of eight climate change scenarios. Depending on the scenario, African tick species experience an average increase in global habitat suitability of between 1 million and 9 million square kilometres between 1990 and 2100.
Main conclusions  The potential for successful translocations of ticks and their pathogens from Africa to the rest of the world is likely to increase over the next 100 years. Although the general trend is one of range expansion, there are winners and losers among tick species in each scenario, suggesting that tick community composition will be disrupted substantially by climate change. If this is also typical of other invertebrates, then climate change will disrupt not only the geographic location of communities but also their structure. Changes in tick communities are also likely to influence tick-borne pathogens.     

Neuronal transmission of hippocampal CA1 neurones is modulated by corticotropin-like intermediate lobe peptide [CLIP; ACTH(18–39)]

The study was conducted to test whether CLIP [ACTH(18–39)] influences the neuronal transmission and the induction of longterm potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus. The population spike was recorded in the hippocampal CA1 region of freely moving rats before and after intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of CLIP in comparison to ACTH and saline (controls). After infusion of CLIP, the population spike amplitude (PSA) rose to about 200% of baseline values. After reaching this level, it was impossible to induce a further increase of PSA by tetanization. However, if the stimulus intensity was reduced to a new baseline level, electrically induced LTP could be observed. There were no significant changes after infusion of ACTH. Our results indicate that the ICV administration of CLIP leads to an enhancement of excitability in the hippocampal CA1 region, which might be independent of LTP.     

Impact category ecotoxicity and valuation procedure

Within the methodology of LCA, the impact assessment of the impact category ecotoxicity and the valuation step for all categories still pose methodological challenges. A multi-tier approach is a pragmatic solution for the impact assessment of the impact category ecotoxicity. The screening tier only makes use of information concerning substance specific characteristics in order to derive both an identification of critical substances and a comparison of products. Within the detailed tier, critical substances are analyzed in more detail, but still without site-specific information on concentrations, time or region. Valuation combines scientific results with value judgements. Thus, it is not an objective process which can substitute decision making, but instead serves as a base for the interpretation of results. A pragmatic approach combines the results of the impact assessment with a normalization and weighting of the impact categories. Four approaches for deriving general weighting sets (population surveys, expert surveys using the delphi-technique, sustainable development, distance-to-target) are discussed and the first results obtained are presented.