Immunocytochemistry of brain-reactive monoclonal antibodies in peripheral tissues

Among a total of 135 tissue-reactive monoclonal antibodies previously prepared, 81 were brain-selective and were classified into neuronal and non-neuronal categories. The neuronal antibodies were again subdivided into antineurofibrillar, antiperikaryonal-neurofibrillar, and antisynapse-associated groups. On the basis of morphologic, developmental, biochemical, and pathologic criteria, the antibodies in at least two of these groups were found to detect heterogeneous antigens (called "neurotypes") rather than different antigenic determinants in single antigens. On examining the distribution in peripheral organs of staining patterns of 11 antineuronal brain-reactive antibodies, we now confirm that these antibodies are, indeed, largely brain-specific. In general, non-neuronal elements in liver, lung, heart, thymus, intestine, adrenal, and spleen remained unstained. However, most of the antibodies stained peripheral neural elements. Occasional antibodies did stain selected, non-neuronal structures. Four out of five antineurofibrillar antibodies stained nerve fibers in adrenal medulla, intestine and thymus. All of three antiperikaryonal-neurofibrillar antibodies also stained nerve fibers in the adrenal medulla, but not in other organs. Two out of three antisynapse-associated antibodies stained what appear to be nerve contacts on adrenal medullary cells, but not on any other peripheral cells examined. The non-neuronal peripheral staining patterns were restricted to selective nuclear staining exhibited by two out of five antineurofibrillar antibodies and the staining of macrophage and selected cardiac muscle nuclei by two of three antisynapse-associated antibodies. However, one antineurofibrillar antibody also stained the cytoplasm of selected liver cells. Among non-neuronally reacting antibodies, two antibodies stained nuclei of all cells except neurons in brain as well as peripheral organs. An antibody staining the ciliary epithelium of choroid plexus also stained basal bodies of ciliated bronchial epithelium. The overall data suggest that the specificity of brain-reactive antibodies is high and that their cross-reactivity with epitopes in non-nervous tissue is rare. In these cases, the antibodies seem to provide specific reagents for these additional structures as well as for their specific brain antigens.     

Quantitative DNS-Bestimmungen von Ameisenhirnzellen

Zusammenfassung Gehirnzellen von Myrmica laevinodis-Arbeiterinnen wurden Feulgengefärbt und dabei 1–6 oder 15 Std im Schiffschen Reagens behalten. Die Farbintensität wurde mikrospektrophotometrisch bestimmt. Die Tiere des einen Nestes zeigten ein Extinktionsmaximum nach 1 Std Aufenthalt im Schiffschen Reagens, die eines anderen Nestes nach 5 Std. Die Färbedauer ist also ein weiterer Faktor, der bei quantitativen DNS-Bestimmungen zu berücksichtigen ist.

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Quantitative determination of DNA in feulgen stained brain cells of antsI. The effect of the staining duration on the extinction

Summary Brains of adult Myrmica laevinodis (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) workers were Feulgen stained. They were kept in Schiff's reagens for 1 to 6 hours. In specimens from one nest the colour maximum was reached after 1 hour, in others from a different nest after 5 hours. The colour intensity measured by microspectrophotometry depended on the time the brains stayed in Schiff's reagens. This result means that the time of staying in Schiffs reagens is another factor influencing the amount of measurable DNA.

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Die Untersuchung wurde mit Unterstützung durch den Schweizerischen Nationalfond durchgeführt.

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Die Laborantin Frl. Elisabeth Räber trug mit tatkräftiger, selbständiger Arbeit zum Fortgang der Untersuchung bei. Prof. Dr. F. Ruch stellte uns großzügigerweise sein Mikrospektrophotometer zur Verfügung, wofür ich ihm herzlich danke.     

Die Cytologie der Pädogenese und der Geschlechts-bestimmung einer heterogonen Gallmücke

Zusammenfassung Die weiblichen Larven der heterogonen Gallmücke Heteropeza pygmaea (Syn.: Oligarces paradoxus) können milieuabhängig viviparpädogenetisch sowohl weibliche als auch männliche Nachkommen erzeugen.Das Divergieren der pädogenetischen Entwicklung von Weibchen und Männchen ist spätestens im Laufe der ersten Reifeteilung sichtbar: Bei Weibchen läuft nur eine, und zwar eine äquationelle Reifeteilung ab. Der nicht reduzierte Eikern enthält ungefähr 77 Chromosomen. Der einzige Richtungskern degeneriert in der Regel. Aus Eiern, in denen beide Reifeteilungen durchgeführt werden und der Chromosomensatz des Eikerns auf 38 oder 39 Chromosomen reduziert wird, entwickeln sich Männchen. Die drei Richtungskerne degenerieren nicht, sondern beteiligen sich an der Furchung.Die Männcheneier sind in der Regel schon vor der Metaphase der ersten Reifeteilung daran zu erkennen, daß sie größer sind als Weibcheneier gleichen Kernteilungsstadiums und außerdem eine im Verhältnis zur Nährkammer sehr viel größere Eikammer haben.Zwischen Meiose und erster Furchungsteilung der Männchen wird die Chromosomenzahl des reduzierten Eikerns aufreguliert, indem zwei oder mehrere somatische Kerne der Mutter mit dem Eikern verschmelzen. Diese somatischen Kerne wurden schon während der Meiose in der Eikammer beobachtet.In der zweiten bis vierten Furchungsteilung werden in Weibchen und Männchen Chromosomen aus den zukünftigen somatischen Kernen eliminiert (1. El.). Jeweils ein Kern jedes Embryos, der spätere Keimbahnkern, wird von dieser Elimination ausgenommen. Im Männchen ist dies stets ein Abkömmling des auf regulierten Kerns. Aus den anderen Abkömmlingen des aufregulierten Kerns werden die zur Aufregulation verwendeten Chromosomen der mütterlichen Somakerne eliminiert.In der sechsten bis achten Furchungsteilung wird in beiden Geschlechtern aus den künftigen somatischen Kernen ein einzelnes Chromosom eliminiert (2. El.). Danach enthalten die Somakerne die endgültigen Chromosomenzahlen: im Weibchen 10, im Männchen 5. Die Chromosomenzahl der Spermatocyten II beträgt 7.Meinem verehrten Lehrer, Prof. Dr. H. Ulrich, danke ich für die Anregung zu dieser Arbeit und den stets fördernden Einfluß, den er auf den Fortgang der Untersuchungen ausübte. Ich danke Herrn F. Würgler und Herrn Dr. W. Sautee für ihre Hilfe bei der Auswertung und meiner Mutter für ihre Unterstützung beim Verfassen des Manuskripts. Prof. J. Seiler und Prof. H. Bauer danke ich für ihre wertvollen Ratschläge.     

A NOTE ON THE SOURCE AND IDENTIFICATION OF THE STRAINS OF HETEROFERMENTATIVE LACTOBACILLI SUBMITTED TO CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS

SUMMARY: The examination of 91 strains of heterofermentative lactobacilli and the subdivision of the groups by the chromatographic patterns is described. The overall assessment of differences suggests that division is arbitrary; however, selection of certain characters has produced a division which is in agreement with the previous biochemical grouping.     

The Influence of water salinity on the free amino acid concentration in muscle and hepatopancreas of adult shrimps, Penaeus japonicus

Variations of the total free amino acid (FAA) pool and the content of specific amino acids have been measured in the muscle and hepatopancreas of adult shrimps, Penaeus japonicus, acclimatized at five water salinities: 38, 32, 26, 20 and 14%‰ The FAA content is always higher in muscle than in hepatopancreas at all tested salinites. On the other hand, the hepatopancreas exhibits the highest concentrations of essential amino acids. Two steps in the evolution of FAA content can be observed, the first one regarding decrease in salinity from 38 to 20%‰ and the second one, when salinity goes below 20%_°. The first step can be characterized by a 16% decrease of total FAA content in the muscle and a 36% increase in the hepatopancreas. In muscle, the variations are mainly due to changes in non-essential FAA content, whereas in the hepatopancreas, they are linked to variations in essential FAA content. The other step is characterized by a drastic increase in moisture and decrease in FAA content in both studied organs when water salinity is 14%‰ The total FAA content is about 40% lower in shrimps at 14%_° compared to 38%‰ seawater salinity. During adaptation, the FAA pool (mainly NEFAAs) of muscle seems to be directly related to osmoregulation, whereas in the hepatopancreas, its evolution seems to be linked with energy expenditure and protein synthesis. The results are evaluated in order to elucidate the role of FAA in intracellular osmoregulation and in relation to animal ecology.     

No evidence for ‘skewed’ inactivation of the X-chromosome as cause of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy in female carriers

Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited disorder of the optic nerves. It has been proposed that the specific mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that are associated with LHON require and X-chromosomally encoded permissive factor in order to become expressed. This would explain both the preponderance of male patients and the fact that most carriers of specific mtDNA mutations remain unaffected. Although linkage studies have been negative so far, the existence of such a factor has not been ruled out. We investigated the genealogical data of 24 large LHON pedigrees and concluded that the presumed X-linked factor would be recessively inherited and that at least 57% of the affected females would be heterozygous. Therefore, these females must be the victim of nonrandom X-chromosomal inactivation (skewed lyonization). However, analysis of X-chromosomal methylation patterns in 16 LHON-affected females revealed substantial skewing in only 15%–20% of cases, which is not significantly different from the patterns in 49 controls. Moreover, we found the frequency of LHON in daughters of affected heterozygous females to be twice to three times as high as in daughters of unaffected heterozygous females, which cannot be explained by an X-chromosomally inherited factor. We conclude that the results of our investigations do not support the hypothesis that LHON is a digenic disease with an X-linked factor being the main cause of loss of vision in the presence of relevant mtDNA mutations. Received: 1 June 1995 / Revised: 20 September 1995     

Identification of four novel splice site mutations in the ornithine transcarbamylase gene

Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, the most common inborn error of the urea cycle, shows X-linked inheritance with frequent new mutations. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the individual exons including adjacent intron sequences followed by direct sequencing of the amplimers we identified four new mutations affecting donor splice sites of introns 2, 5, 6, and 8. The mutation at the first position of intron 2 was a G to A exchange associated with acute neonatal hyperammonemia in a male patient at the age of 5 months. A G to C substitution in intron 5 was detected in a boy who developed 2 days after birth hypotonia, and respiratory distress, followed by severe hyperammonemia and terminal coma. The intron 6 mutation, a G to T substitution, was detected in a girl presenting with first episodes of vomiting and agitation at the age of 2 months. The mutation in intron 8, also a G to T transition, caused fatal hyperammonemia and early death at the age of 15 days in a male patient. We present four donor splice site mutations resulting in severe neonatal or very early onset of the disease in three boys and in one female patient. As the GT dinucleotide of the 5 donor splice site is invariant and required for correct splicing the described mutations may lead to improperly spliced mRNAs and aberrant gene products.     

Determination of two sites of automethylation in bovine erythrocyte protein (d -aspartyl/l -isoaspartyl) carboxyl methyltransferase

Protein (d-aspartyl/l-isoaspartyl) carboxyl methyltransferase (PCM, E.C. 2.1.1.77) was previously shown to be enzymatically methyl esterified in an autocatalytic manner at altered aspartyl residues; methyl esters are observed in a subpopulation of the enzyme termed thePCM fraction [Lindquist and McFadden (1994),J. Protein Chem. 13, 23–30]. The altered aspartyl sites serving as methyl acceptors inPCM have now been localized by using proteolytic enzymes and chemical cleavage techniques in combination with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry to identify fragments of the [³H]automethylated enzyme that contain a [³H]methyl ester. Methylation was positively identified at positions Asn₁₈₈ and Asp₂₁₇ in the enzyme sequence, a consequence of the spontaneous alteration of these sites tol-isoaspartyl ord-aspartyl sites and their methylation by active PCM molecules. The identification of more than one site of automethylation shows thatPCM is not a homogeneous population of damaged PCM molecules, but rather a complex population of molecules with a variety of age-altered damage sites.Abbreviations PCM protein (d-aspartyl/l-isoaspartyl) carboxyl methyltransferase - EDTA disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate - PMSF phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride - TEA trifluoroacetic acid - HPLC high-pressure liquid chromatography     

Morphological and ultrastructural features in selected species of Licea (Myxomycetes)

Ultrastructural studies of selected species of Licea were made in order to elucidate relationships among species. Based on structural studies, species may be grouped as representing different stages of morphological complexity. The majority of species possess protoplasmodia and form sporangia. The two plasmodiocarpous species L. retiformis and L. variabilis possess more highly differentiated plasmodia and are an anomaly among Licea species. Processes along the margin of peridial lobes in several species of the genus are probably homologous with the capillitium in Listerella . The latter genus is morphologically and structurally very similar to species of the Licea pusilla group, but its plasmodium is still unknown. The sole species of Listerella agrees with Licea operculata in the structure of spore ornamentation, the processes consisting of densely packed granules of high electron density. This structure is quite different from that of L. pusilla and L. minima , where the processes have an internal structure of alternating layers different in electron transparency. Presence of spore-like bodies, different in size and ornamentation from normal spores, have been demonstrated in the border region between stalk and sporangium in L. operculata . This is a feature previously supposed to be restricted to Arcyria and related genera. Using X-ray analysis, calcium has been found in the peridium of several species of Licea . Since environmental factors may influence the presence or absence of calcium, caution should be taken in interpreting differences taxonomically. The similarity in elemental composition between the spores and sporangial lid in L. operculata is interesting, considering the fact that the sporangial lid of Trichia crateriformb has been demonstrated to be composed of spore-like structures.