Serotonergic system of neurons in the CNS of terrestrial snail: morphology, ontogenesis, control of behavior

The morphology of the serotonergic neurons modulating withdrawal behavior in the CNS of terrestrial snail was studied. It was shown that only one Pd4 neuron projects to the pleural and parietal ganglia. Its intracellular stimulation caused the same effects as the stimulation of the whole group of modulatory neurons. In juvenile snails, the number of serotonergic neurons and their relative sizes are smaller than in adult animals, which can be the reason for the observed age-related differences in the withdrawal behavior.     

Characterization of RAP,a quorum sensing activator of Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus are Gram-positive bacteria and cause diverse serious diseases in humans and animals through the production of toxins. The production of toxins is regulated by quorum sensing mechanisms, where proteins such as RNAIII activating protein (RAP) are secreted by the bacteria and induce virulence. Antibodies to RAP have been shown to protect mice from infection, but the molecular structure of RAP was not known and hindered vaccine development. To characterize RAP, recombinant protein was made and tested for its ability to induce genes important for pathogenesis (agr). In addition, monoclonal antibodies were produced to identify its cellular localization. Results shown here indicate that RAP is a 277-aa protein that is an ortholog of the ribosomal protein L2. Like the native molecule, recombinant RAP activates the production of RNAIII (encoded by agr). Using RAP specific monoclonal antibodies we demonstrate that RAP is continuously secreted and while RAP is expressed also in other bacteria (like Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus xylosus and Escherichia coli), it is secreted to the culture medium only by S. aureus. Our results show that the ribosomal protein L2 has an extraribosomal function and that when secreted RAP acts as an autoinducer of virulence to regulate S. aureus pathogenesis.     

Synthesis and secretion of Bacillus intermedius proteinases in the late stages of sporulation

In the late stages of sporulation, cells of Bacillus intermedius 3-19 secreted into the medium two proteinases, glutamyl endopeptidase and subtilisin, whose maximum activities were recorded in the 40th and 44th hours of growth, respectively. By estimating beta-galactosidase activity as a marker of cytoplasmic membrane integrity, it was revealed that the accumulation of these proteinases in the medium was a result of their secretion and not of lysis of the cell envelope. Concentrations of peptone and inorganic phosphate ensuring the maximum production of the enzymes were established. Ammonium ions were shown to inhibit the production of proteinases by the mechanism of repression by nitrogen metabolites.     

Oxidative damage and antioxidant enzyme activities in experimental hypothyroidism

Free radicals are now well known to damage cellular components. To investigate whether age and thyroid level affect peroxidation speed, we examined the levels of malondialdehyde and antioxidant enzyme activities in different age groups of hypothyroid rats. Hypothyroidism was induced in 30- and 60-day-old Wistar Albino rats by the i.p. administration of propylthiouracil (10 mg kg(-1) body weight) for 15 days. While malondialdehyde levels of 30- or 60-day-old hypothyroid rats were increased in liver, they were decreased in the tissues of the heart and thyroid. While glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity levels did not change in heart, brain and liver tissues of 30-day-old rats, they increased in brain and heart tissues of 60-day-old experimental groups, but decreased in the liver. Catalase activities decreased in the liver and heart of rats with hypothyroidism, but increased in erythrocytes. In control groups while malondialdehyde levels increased in brain, heart and thymus with regard to age, they decreased in plasma. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and catalase activities were not affected by age in tissues of the thymus, thyroid and brain, but they were decreased in the heart tissue. The changes in the levels of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities which were determined in different tissues of hypothyroid rats indicate a cause for functional disorder of these tissues. Moreover, there may be changes depending on age at lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activity levels.     

The regulation of Bacillus intermedius glutamyl endopeptidase biosynthesis in the recombinant Bacillus subtilis strain during sporulation

The growth of the recombinant Bacillus subtilis strain AJ73 carrying the Bacillus intermedius 3-19 glutamyl endopeptidase gene on a multicopy plasmid and the effect of some nutrients on the efficiency of extracellular glutamyl endopeptidase production in the stationary growth phase were studied. In this phase, the concentration of glutamyl endopeptidase in the culture liquid peaked at the 48th and 78th h of cultivation and depended on the composition of the cultivation medium. Unlike the synthesis of glutamyl endopeptidase in the trophophase (i.e., during vegetative growth), which was suppressed by glucose, the synthesis of this enzyme during sporulation was resistant to glucose present in the cultivation medium. A multifactorial experimental design allowed optimal proportions between the concentrations of major nutrients (peptone and inorganic phosphate) to be determined. Inorganic phosphate and ammonium ions augmented the production of glutamyl endopeptidase by 30-150%, and complex organic substrates, such as casein and gelatin, enhanced the production of glutamyl endopeptidase by 50-100%. During sporulation, the production of glutamyl endopeptidase was stimulated by some bivalent cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, and Co2+) and inhibited by others (Zn2+, Fe2+, and Cu2+). The inference is drawn that the regulatory mechanisms of glutamyl endopeptidase synthesis during vegetative growth and sporulation are different.     

Immunocytochemical study of the hcs2 gene products distribution in the command neurons of grape snail

In the present study the cellular and subcellular distribution of putative protein products of hcs2 gene in the giant command neurons of parietal ganglia of the terrestrial snail Helix lucorum L. were investigated using light- and electron-microscopic immunocytochemistry. The product of hcs2 gene is a hybrid precursor protein belongs to the EF-hand family of the Ca(2+)-binding proteins, whose processed products are neuropeptides. By use of polyclonal antibodys against a synthetic CNP3, CNP4 and C-terminus peptide immunoreactivity was observed in the cytoplasmic secretory granules. The colloidal gold density in the granules for CNP3-4 neuropeptides was twice one for the Ca(2+)-binding protein. These immunocytochemical results point to a specific connection between putative protein products of hcs2 gene and the cell secretory apparatus, that correspond to our early expressed hypothesis that products of hcs2 gene act as neuromodulators or neurotransmitters.     

Calculation of forces at focal adhesions from elastic substrate data: the effect of localized force and the need for regularization

Forces exerted by stationary cells have been investigated on the level of single focal adhesions by combining elastic substrates, fluorescence labeling of focal adhesions, and the assumption of localized force when solving the inverse problem of linear elasticity theory. Data simulation confirms that the inverse problem is ill-posed in the presence of noise and shows that in general a regularization scheme is needed to arrive at a reliable force estimate. Spatial and force resolution are restricted by the smoothing action of the elastic kernel, depend on the details of the force and displacement patterns, and are estimated by data simulation. Corrections arising from the spatial distribution of force and from finite substrate size are treated in the framework of a force multipolar expansion. Our method is computationally cheap and could be used to study mechanical activity of cells in real time.     

On the mechanism of the amiloride-sodium entry site interaction in anuran skin epithelia

The steady-state transport kinetics of the interaction between external sodium and the diuretic drug, amiloride, was studied in isolated anuran skin epithelia. We also investigated the effect of calcium on the amiloride-induced inhibition of short-circuit current (Isc) in these epithelial preparations. The major conclusions of this study are: (a) amiloride is a noncompetitive inhibitor of Na entry in bullfrog and grassfrog skin, but displays mixed inhibition in R. temporaria and the toad. A hypothesis which states that the interaction sites for amiloride and Na on the putative entry protein are spatially distinct in all of these species is proposed. (b) The stoichiometry of interaction between amiloride and the Na entry mechanism is not necessarily one-to-one. (c) The external Ca requirement for the inhibitory effect of amiloride is not absolute. Amiloride, at all concentrations, is equally effective in inhibiting Isc of bullfrog skin independently from the presence or absence of external Ca.     

Role of the giant cerebral ganglion neuron in control of defensive behavior ofHelix lucorum

Neurons participating in contraction of the ommatophore retractor ofHelix lucorum were studied by morphological and electrophysiological methods. Staining by the cobalt filling method revealed a giant cerebral ganglion neuron which sends a fiber into the motor branch of the ipsilateral optic nerve. Both spontaneous and evoked contraction of the retractor was shown to be preceded by a volley of action potentials in the giant neuron. The high-frequency volley of impulses evoked by intracellular stimulation of this neuron leads to contraction of the ipsilateral ommatophore retractor; the intensity of this contraction depends on the discharge frequency. The composition of the sensory inputs of the neuron is discussed. A conclusion is drawn on the motor function of this cerebral ganglion neuron in the escape reflex ofH. lucorum.Research Institute for Biological Testing of Chemical Compounds, Ministry of the Medical Industry, Staraya Kupavna, Moscow Province. Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 353–358, July–August, 1982.