Short- and Long-Term Alterations of Gene Expression in Limbic Structures by Repeated Electroconvulsive-Induced Seizures

Rats were submitted to a series of 10 daily electroconvulsive shocks (ECS). A first group of animals was killed 1 day after the last seizure and a second group 30 days later. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity was measured using an in vitro assay in the nucleus caudatus, anterior cortex, amygdala, substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, and locus ceruleus. The mRNA corresponding to this enzyme (TH-mRNA) was evaluated using a cDNA probe at the cellular level in the ventral tegmental area, substantia nigra, and locus ceruleus. Met-enkephalin (MET)-immunoreactivity and the mRNA coding for the preproenkephalin (PPE-mRNA) were assayed in striatum and the central nucleus of the amygdala. The day after the last ECS an increase of TH activity was observed in the ventral tegmental area, locus ceruleus, and substantia nigra in parallel with a similar increase in the amygdala and striatum; in the anterior cortex TH activity remained unchanged. TH-mRNA was increased in the locus ceruleus, evidencing the presence in this structure of a genomic activation. The amounts of MET and PPE-mRNA were unaffected in the striatum but increased in the amygdala. Thirty days after the last ECS we observed a decrease of TH activity in the amygdala and of TH-mRNA amount in the ventral tegmental area. In the locus ceruleus TH-mRNA remained higher in treated animals than in controls whereas TH activity returned to control levels. These results demonstrate that a series of ECS induces an initial increase of the activity of mesoamygdaloid catecholaminergic neurons followed by a sustained decrease through alterations of TH gene expression which could mediate the clinical effect of the treatment.     

Comparison of different cationic probes for electron microscopic visualization of bacterial polyanionic capsular material

We have isolated from the ovine rumen eight bacterial strains belonging to the speciesButyrivibrio fibrisolvens. DNA hybridization studies showed that the eight strains could be divided into four homology groups, of which none was closely related to the type strain ATCC 19171. Measurement of cross-hybridization between selected pairs of bacterial strains showed that DNA types which produced low, but significant, cross-hybridization on dot-blots were able to form heteroduplexes with between 8.4% and 32.9% of the efficiency of homoduplex formation. Thermal denaturation of the same heteroduplexes resulted in Tm values 6.4–7.5°C lower than those of the homologous duplexes formed under the same conditions. In some cases, hybridization between strains was below the level of reliable measurement. Similar experiments with ten recently isolated strains ofBacteroides ruminicola sub-sp.brevis revealed a similar degree of genetic divergence between isolates.     

Dissimilar effects of Na+ and K+ on the promotion of glucosyltransferase secretion in Streptococcus salivarius

A defined growth medium (designated AP11), in which the concentrations of Na+ and K+ could be altered independently of one another, was developed for Streptococcus salivarius ATCC 25975. The addition of 100 mM-Na+ to AP11-medium containing 25 mM-K+ initially reduced the rate of expression of extracellular glucosyltransferase (GTFe). However, once S. salivarius had adaptated to grow in the presence of 100 mM-Na+, the rate of GTFe expression was stimulated. In fact once adapted to the presence of Na+ in the environment the same increase in the rate of enzyme expression was observed in all batch cultures irrespective of the K+ concentration (2-50 mM). At 2 mM-K+ there was no change in the level of saturation of the membrane lipids when the Na+ concentration was increased from 0 mM to 100 mM. Na+-stimulation of GTFe expression was confirmed in non-proliferating cell suspensions at different K+ concentrations. In non-proliferating cell suspensions, GTFe expression outlined a rectangular hyperbola with respect to K+ concentration when the K+ concentration was stepped up from 2 mM. The increase in GTFe synthesis and secretion was transient and was similar to that previously reported by us in Na+-rich medium, though it did not reach the same high levels. The reduced transient stimulation of GTFe expression correlated both with an enrichment in the saturated fatty acids of the membrane lipids of S. salivarius, and with the fact that the degree of saturation was only slightly reduced when the K+ concentration was stepped up from 2 mM to 50 mM. Needless to say, the final octadecenoic to octadecanoic (C18:1/C18:0) fatty acid ratio retained its direct correlation with the transient increase in GTFe production following the step up in K+ concentration, giving rise to an apparent biphasic plot when combined with that previously reported.     

Influence of Temperature Stress on in Vitro Fertilization and Heat Shock Protein Synthesis in Maize (Zea mays L.) Reproductive Tissues

This study was conducted to investigate the response of maize (Zea mays) male and female mature reproductive tissues to temperature stress. We have tested the fertilization abilities of the stressed spikelets and pollen using in vitro pollination-fertilization to determine their respective tolerance to stress. The synthesis of heat shock proteins (HSPs) was also analyzed in male and female tissues using electrophoresis of ³⁵S-labeled proteins and fluorography, to establish a relationship between the physiological and molecular responses. Pollen, spikelets, and pollinated spikelets were exposed to selected temperatures (4, 28, 32, 36, or 40°C) and tested using an in vitro fertilization system. The fertilization rate is highly reduced when pollinated spikelets are exposed to temperatures over 36°C. When pollen and spikelets are exposed separately to temperature stress, the female tissues appear resistant to 4 hours of cold stress (4°C) or heat stress (40°C). Under heat shock conditions, the synthesis of a typical set of HSPs is induced in the female tissues. In contrast, the mature pollen is sensitive to heat stress and is responsible for the failure of fertilization at high temperatures. At the molecular level, no heat shock response is detected in the mature pollen.