Deoxynivalenol and 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol and Fusarium species in winter triticale

Fusarium species infecting heads of Triticale and mycotoxins presence in infected kernels and chaff were studied during two seasons. The most important species observed on infected heads were in 1986F. avenaceum (39%),F. nivale (21%),F. culmorum (20%),F. graminearum (14%), and others (6%). In 1987 after long and snowy winterF. nivale dominated (64%), followed byF. avenaceum (24%),F. culmorum (6%), andF. graminearum (5%). The mycotoxins deoxynivalenol (DON) and 3-acetyl DON were present in all 11 subsamples of kernels from heads infected byF. culmorum and/orF. Graminearum (1.6–16.4 mg and 0.7–2.4mg/kg, respectively). Chaff from the same subsamples contained 9.9–33.2mg/kg of DON and 5.2–16.0mg/kg of 3-AcDON. Kernels with visibleFusarium-damage contained 2.4–31.2 mg/kg of DON and 1.2–6.0 mg/kg of 3-AcDON. Remaining part of kernels without symptoms of visibleFusarium-damage contained only DON in an amount of 0.9–5.9 mg/kg.     

The effect of prostaglandin F2 alpha and its analogues on progesterone, estradiol and androgen production by the cultured bovine luteal cells

The effect of PGF2 alpha and its analogues on progesterone, estradiol and androgen production in cow corpus luteum in vitro was investigated. The cells derived from cow corpora lutea (CL) and collected in the early and middle luteal phases of the oestrus cycle were cultured as monolayers. The inhibitory effect was not apparent during the first 48 hr of culture, but appeared after this time and persisted through the remainder of the culture period. The direct luteolytic influence of PGF2 alpha was observed in the cultured cells and showed that this compound can act independently of the blood supply.     

Changes of enzyme activity in the rat liver at different age in circadian cycle

Most of the biological processes in the living organisms of both animals and man are known to be of rhythmical nature. Variability of enzymatic activity in circadian cycle depends on many factors among other on age, sexual maturity, diet as well as medication. The results obtained in our studies indicate, that the activity changes of acid phosphatase and ATP-ase Mg++ dependent in the liver of all the examined age groups were of 24 hour circadian rythm. As to the acid phosphatase activity the results of this experiments showed that in circadian cycle in all examined age groups there is only one peak of elevated activity. ATP-ase Mg++ dependent showed two activity peaks appearing at the same hour both in 30 and 60 days old animals. It should be noticed that the activities of ATP-ase Mg++ dependent in 100 day old animals were two times higher than in 30 and 60 days old rats.     

Unusual evolutionary conservation of 5S rRNA pseudogenes inAspergillus nidulans: Similarity of the DNA sequence associated with the pseudogenes with the mouse immunoglobulin switch region

Summary AllAspergillus nidulans 5S rRNA pseudogenes known so far are the result of integration of an approx. 0.2-kbp-long DNA sequence into the 5S rRNA genes. This sequence, called block C, is present in at least five copies in theA. nidulans genome and seems to be associated either with 5S rRNA genes or pseudogenes. In contrast to the 78% sequence conservation of the C-block in pseudogenes, the truncated 5 halves of the pseudogenes are very highly conserved (96.9–100%). We postulate that the 5S rRNA pseudogenes are still a subject of concerted evolution. The C-block sequence shows similarity to the switch region of the mouse heavy chain immunoglobulin gene. A characteristic motif GGGTGAG is repeated several times in both sequences; the sequence conservation is 63%.     

Lipid Saturation Induced Microviscosity Increase Has No Effect on the Reducibility of Flash-Oxidized Cytochrome f in Pea Thylakoids

Homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation was used to modify the level of fatty acid unsaturation of thylakoid membranes in the pea chloroplast. Fluidity alteration has been monitored simultaneously using the spin-label probe, 16-doxyl stearate. Even in the case of 30% hydrogenation, no change in the reduction rate of flash-oxidized cytochrome f was observed, in contrast to the fact that the same decrease in the double-bond content of the thylakoid membrane resulted in a pronounced inhibition in the full-chain electron transport. We conclude that the rate of lateral diffusion of reduced plastoquinone is unaffected by the lowering of the fluidity of the thylakoid lipid matrix.     

Molecular genetic analysis in the diagnosis of lymphoma in fine needle aspiration biopsies. II. Lymphomas versus nonlymphoid malignant tumors

The configurations of immunoglobulin genes and T-cell receptor beta chain genes were analyzed by Southern blotting in DNA derived from nonlymphoid malignant tumors and lymphomas. Gene rearrangements were not detected in any of the 35 cases of nonlymphoid malignant tumors. On the contrary, they were shown in all 14 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, 2 of 3 cases of Hodgkin's disease and 2 cases diagnosed as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy. The differentiation by light microscopy between lymphoma and nonlymphoid malignant tumors was a diagnostic problem in five cases; the molecular genetic analysis of DNA was contributory in all five diagnostically difficult aspirates. By gene rearrangement studies, the diagnosis of lymphoma was confirmed in two cases and nonlymphoid malignant tumors were accurately indicated in aspirates diagnosed finally as rhabdomyosarcoma (one case) and carcinoma (two cases).