INVESTIGATION OF SECONDARY STRUCTURES AND MACROMOLECULAR INTERACTIONS IN BACTERIOPHAGE P22 BY LASER RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY

Laser Raman spectra of the DNA bacteriophage P22 and of its precursor particles and related structures have been obtained using 514.5-nm excitation. The spectra show that P22 DNA exists in the B form both inside of the phage head and after extraction from the phage. The major coat protein (gp5) contains a secondary structure composed of 18% α-helix, 20% β-sheet and 62% irregular conformations. The scaffolding protein (gp8) in the phage prohead is substantially richer than gp5 in α-helical content. Among the amino acid residues which give prominent Raman lines, the spectra show that tryptophans are exposed to solvent and most tyrosines are hydrogen bonded to positive donor groups. The above features of phage DNA and protein structures are nearly invariant to changes in temperature up to 80°C, indicating a remarkable thermal stability of the phage head and its encapsulated DNA.     

The role of RNA and protein synthesis in mediating the action of MSH on mouse melanoma cells.

Exposure of mouse melanoma cells in culture to MSH (melanocyte stimulating hormone) results in a marked increase in tyrosinase (O-diphenyl: O₂ oxidoreductase) activity following a lag period of 6–9 hours. Within 20 minutes after exposure of cells to MSH, the intracellular levels of cyclic AMP rise to levels which are ten times those of controls but fall to concentrations twice control values by 60 minutes. Transient increases in both protein and RNA synthetic rates also occur following MSH administration correlating in time with the dramatic but rapidly decaying increase in cellular cyclic AMP. The increase in tyrosinase activity observed in response to either MSH, dibutyryl cAMP, or theophylline, is completely suppressed by the addition of either cycloheximide (0.28 μg/ml) or actinomycin D (0.05 μg/ml) as is the basal activity of the enzyme. Results from ¹⁴C/³H leucine studies suggest that MSH may cause increased $\text{de}$$\text{novo}$ synthesis of tyrosinase.     

Measurements of glycolytic intermediates during the onset of thermogenesis in the spadix of Arum maculatum

1. This work was done to compare the amounts of glycolytic intermediates in the club of the spadix of Arum maculatum L. at an early stage (α) of development, immediately prior to the increase in glycolysis (pre-thermogenesis), and at the peak of the rapid glycolysis (thermogenesis).2. Glucose 1-phosphate, glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate, 3-phosphoglycerate, 2-phosphoglycerate, phosphoenolpyruvate and pyruvate were measured. The results indicate that at all the above stages of club development the reactions catalysed by phosphoglucomutase, glucosephosphate isomerase, phosphoglycerate mutase and enolase were close to equilibrium, but those catalysed by phosphofructo-kinase and pyruvate kinase were considerably displaced from equilibrium.3. The amounts of the above compounds per club increased 5-fold between α stage and pre-thermogenesis but the relative amounts remained unchanged. When glycolysis increased by more than 50-fold at thermogenesis, the amount of fructose 1,6-diphosphate per club rose, but no changes were detected in the amounts per club of any of the other compounds listed above. These results are discussed in relation to the control of glycolysis.     

A study of prostaglandin F2α as the luteolysin in swine: III effects of estradiol valerate on prostaglandin F, progestins, estrone and estradiol concentrations in the utero-ovarian vein of nonpregnant gilts

Polyvinyl catheters were placed into the right and left utero-ovarian veins and saphenous vein and artery of three control (C) and four estradiol valerate (EV) treated gilts on Day 9 after onset of estrus. The EV treated gilts received 5mg EV/day on Days 11 through 15 after onset of estrus. On Days 12 through 17 utero-ovarian vein blood samples were collected at 15 min intervals from 0700 to 1000 hr and 1900 to 2200 hr and single samples were taken at 1100 and 2300 hr. Peripheral blood samples (saphenous vein or artery) were taken at 0700, 1100, 1900 and 2300 hr from Day 12 until the control gilts returned to estrus or until Day 25 for EV treated gilts and used to measure plasma steroid hormone concentrations. Utero-ovarian vein prostaglandin F (PGF) concentrations (ng/ml, n=1,177) were measured by RIA. Status (control EV treated gilts) by day interactions were detected (P=.10). Curvilinear day trends were detected for plasma PGF concentrations in control (P<.01) but not EV treated gilts. PGF concentrations ( ) for control and EV treated gilts were 1.20 ± 2.08 and .26 ± .84 ng/ml, respectively. PGF peaks (concentrations greater than + 2 S.D.) occured with greater frequency in control gilts (X² = 4.87; P<.05). The interestrus interval ( ) for control and treated gilts was 19.0 ± .6 and 146.5 ± 74.8 days, respectively. Data indicate that estradiol valerate may exert its luteotrophic effect by preventing PGF release from the uterus.     

Mortality from coronary heart disease and stroke in relation to degree of glycaemia: the Whitehall study.

In the Whitehall study of 18 403 male civil servants aged 40-64 years the 10 year mortality rates from coronary heart disease and stroke showed a non-linear relation to two hour blood glucose values, with a significantly increased risk for glucose intolerant subjects with concentrations above the 95th centile point (5.4-11.0 mmol/l; 96-199 mg/100 ml) and for diabetics (blood glucose greater than or equal to 11.1 mmol/l; greater than or equal to 200 mg/100 ml). Multiple logistic analysis showed that between one half and three quarters of the relative risks for deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke were "unexplained" by between group differences in risk factors such as age, blood pressure, obesity, smoking, cholesterol concentration, and electrocardiographic abnormalities. Within the glucose intolerant and diabetic groups the risk factors most strongly related to subsequent death from coronary heart disease were age and blood pressure, with less consistent relations for smoking, cholesterol concentration, and obesity. This study confirms the importance of hypertension as a cardiovascular risk factor in groups with glucose intolerance and diabetes, and this may have important preventive implications.     

Antenna organization and evidence for the function of a new antenna pigment species in the green photosynthetic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus

Whole cells and isolated chlorosomes (antenna complex) of the green photosynthetic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus have been studied by absorption spectroscopy (77 K and room temperature), fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism, linear dichroism and electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The chlorosome absorption spectrum has maxima at 450 (contributed by carotenoids and bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) a Soret), 742 (BChl c) and 792 nm (BChl a) with intensity ratios of 20:25. The fluorescence emission spectrum has peaks at 748 and 802 nm when excitation is into either the 742 or 450 nm absorption bands, respectively. Whole cells have fluorescence peaks identical to those in chlorosomes with the addition of a major peak observed at 867 nm. The CD spectrum of isolated chlorosomes has an asymmetric-derivative-shaped CD centered at 739 nm suggestive of exciton interaction at least on the level of dimers. Linear dichroism of oriented chlorosomes shows preferential absorption at 742 nm of light polarized parallel to the long axis of the chlorosome. This implies that the transition dipoles are also oriented more or less parallel to the long axis of the chlorosome. Treatment with ferricyanide results in the appearance of a 2.3 G wide ESR spectrum at g 2.002. Whole cells grown under different light conditions exhibit different fluorescence behavior when absorption is normalized at 742 nm. Cells grown under low light conditions have higher fluorescence intensity at 748 nm and lower intensity at 802 nm than cells grown under high light conditions. These results indicate that the BChl c in chlorosomes is highly organized, and transfers energy from BChl c (742 nm) to a connector of baseplate BChl B792 (BChl a) presumably located in the chlorosome baseplate adjacent to the cytoplasmic membrane.     

Herpes simplex virus type 1 entry through a cascade of virus-cell interactions requires different roles of gD and gH in penetration.

We examined the entry process of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) by using infectious virus and previously characterized noninfectious viruses that can bind to cells but cannot penetrate as a result of inactivation of essential viral glycoprotein D (gD) or H (gH). After contact of infectious virus with the cell plasma membrane, discernible changes of the envelope and tegument could be seen by electron microscopy. Noninfectious virions were arrested at distinct steps in interactions with cells. Viruses inactivated by anti-gD neutralizing antibodies attached to cells but were arrested prior to initiation of a visible fusion bridge between the virus and cell. As judged from its increased sensitivity to elution, virus lacking gD was less stably bound to cells than was virus containing gD. Moreover, soluble gD could substantially reduce virus attachment when added to cells prior to or with the addition of virus. Virus inactivated by anti-gH neutralizing antibodies attached and could form a fusion bridge but did not show expansion of the fusion bridge or extensive rearrangement of the envelope and tegument. We propose a model for infectious entry of HSV-1 by a series of interactions between the virion envelope and the cell plasma membrane that trigger virion disassembly, membrane fusion, and capsid penetration. In this entry process, gD mediates a stable attachment that is likely required for penetration, and gH seems to participate in fusion initiation or expansion.     

Measurements of the membrane water permeability (Lp) and its temperature dependence (activation energy) in human fresh and failed-to-fertilize oocytes and mouse oocyte.

The volumetric response of oocytes during rapid alterations of the extracellular osmotic environment were recorded using video microscopy. From these observations, the kinetics of water loss for human and mouse oocytes were determined over the temperature range 37 to 10 degrees C, including 37, 30, 20, and 10 degrees C. The changes in diameter of oocytes were measured over a 5-min period and a computer model was used to derive values for membrane water permeability (Lp) and inactive volume (Vb) and to compare the experimental data to the predicted values. The results for the mouse oocyte Lp were comparable to values determined by other methods. However the human data, for both failed-to-fertilize and fresh oocytes, have a wide range of values with large standard deviations. The Lp values at the various temperatures were used to calculate the Arrhenius activation energy (Ea). An Ea value of 9.48 kcal/mol was found for the fresh mouse oocyte, whereas the activation energy for human oocytes was extremely low, 3.73 kcal/mol for fresh oocytes and 1.93 kcal/mol for failed-to-fertilize oocytes.     

Effect of fluoxetine on serotonin and dopamine concentration in microdialysis fluid from rat striatum.

Fluoxetine injected i.p. into rats at a dose of 10 mg/kg rapidly increased serotonin concentration in microdialysis fluid from the striatum by at least 4-fold, an increase that was maintained throughout the 3 hr observation period. Dopamine concentration in the microdialysis fluid did not change. The concentration of the two dopamine metabolites, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid, was not changed in the microdialysis fluid, whereas the concentration of the serotonin metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, was significantly decreased after fluoxetine injection. The increased extracellular concentration of serotonin no doubt resulted from inhibition of the serotonin uptake carrier by fluoxetine, and the lack of change in dopamine is evidence for the specificity of action of this uptake inhibitor.     

Amplified cellular oncogenes in neoplasms of the human central nervous system.

Significant advances have recently been made in a number of areas concerning central nervous system (CNS) neoplasia. Particularly salient are the following: (1) gene amplification is related to increasing grade of human glioma malignancy and occurs in approximately 40% of the most common and most malignant variety of glioma, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), (2) by far the most commonly amplified gene in glioblastomas is the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene, which is amplified in about one third of GBMs, (3) a small percentage of GBMs amplify N-myc or the novel sequence gli, (4) the EGFR gene is rearranged in at least half of gliomas in which it is amplified, and (5) EGFR gene rearrangement results in external domain deletions that yield truncated EGF receptors. Antibodies specific for the mutant EGF receptor fusion junction have been successfully produced and provide stimulating new potential avenues for tumor imaging and therapy. For pediatric CNS neoplasms, only medulloblastoma has been investigated in adequate numbers; a small percentage exhibit amplification of either the N-myc or c-myc genes.