Buchbesprechungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Buchbesprechungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Bemerkungen zur Entwicklung der Schale des Amsel-Eies

Zusammenfassung Die Schale eines fertigen Amsel-Eies (Nest-Ei) und die eines in Entstehung begriffenen (Uterus-Ei) werden am Querschliff auf Morphologie und Optik untersucht. Die Schale des Uterus-Eies befindet sich noch auf einem Frühstadium: ihre Dicke beträgt nur etwa ein Drittel von der am fertigen Ei; der Eisosphärit (Kalotte) liegt schon vollständig vor, von dem Exosphäriten sind nur die Kegel entwickelt; am Oberrand zeigt sich der Beginn der an Gaseinschlüssen reichen Säulenlage.     

Die organischen Kerne der Mammillen in den Frühstadien der Eischalenbildung bei der Lachmöve

Zusammenfassung Lange in Formol gelegene Stücke von Eischalen der Lachmöve (Larus ridibundus) und zwar früheste Stadien ihrer Entwicklung wurden mit Thionin gefärbt und zu Canadabalsampräparaten verarbeitet. In diesen treten die organischen Kerne metachromatisch tingiert hervor, während die Schalenmembran nur einen schwachen bläulichen Ton darbietet. Die Kerne gehen aus den Sekrettropfen hervor, die als erste bei der Schalenbildung aus den tubulösen Uterusdrüsen auf die Schalenmembran gelangen und zu einem Teil in sie eindringen. In Einklang mit den Befunden an Schliffen entspricht der in der Schalenmembran gelegene Teil eines organischen Kernes örtlich dem Bereich des künftigen Eisosphäriten; die nach außen halbkugelig über die Membran vorragende Hälfte aber gehört in den Bereich des künftigen Primärsphäriten mitsamt den konzentrischen Schichten des anstoßenden Kegels. Die organischen Kerne beschränken als Kalkfänger das Ausfallen des Calcits aus dem schalenliefernden Sekret auf bestimmte Stellen der Schalenmembran und legen damit die Orte für die Entstehung der Schalenbausteine (Calcitsphäriten) fest.     

Pregnant mares' serum gonadotropin source influences fertilization and fresh or thawed embryo development,but the effect is genotype specific

The influence of the source of pregnant mares' serum gonadotropin (PMSG) on the num ber, quality, and in vitro development of mouse embryos before and after freezing was evaluated among three genotypes: N:NIH(S), C57BL/6N, and C3H/HeN-MTV^?. Immature females were given PMSG from one of five commercial sources. Following col lection ( 116 hr later), embryos were evaluated for stage of development, and four-to eight-cell embryos were pooled within genotype and assigned to standardized fresh or freeze-thaw culture trials. Different PMSG sources stimulated the production of different num bers of total embryos (P < 0.05) but not necessarily more embryos suitable for freezing. Differences in embryo production among genotypes indicated that absolute embryo num bers using a single mouse genotype may not accurately reflect the potency of a specific gonadotropin source. The PMSG source also affected the ability of an embryo to survive in culture either immediately after collection or after frozen storage. The effect, however, was genotype specific, with some mouse strains being relatively insensitive to PMSG source, whereas gonadotropin source played a major role in determining in vitro viability in others. Development rates for freshly collected embryos differed, often inconsistently, from those of thawed embryos regardless of the PMSG source used, demonstrating that fresh embryo development cannot be used to estimate expected post-thaw survival. In vitro development of thawed embryos is influenced not only by genotype, but also the source of the gonadotropin used to promote follicular development and oocyte maturation. These findings may explain, in part, the wide variation in embryo viability and culture rates reported among laboratories and intraspecies animal populations.     

Characterization of two soybean repetitive proline-rich proteins and a cognate cDNA from germinated axes

We have resolved and analyzed two proline-rich proteins isolated from the walls of soybean cells in culture. The proteins are similar in amino acid content, containing 20% proline, 20% hydroxyproline, 20% lysine, 16% valine, 10% tyrosine, and 10% glutamate. The proteins undergo a rearrangement or a limited cleavage in dilute NaOH, but are otherwise remarkably stable to a high concentration of alkali. We have cloned and sequenced a cDNA from soybean axes germinated for 31 hours (1A10-2) coding for a protein that closely corresponds in its amino acid content to that of the proline-rich proteins. The cDNA sequence predicts a decameric repeat of Pro-Pro-Val-Tyr-Lys-Pro-Pro-Val-Glu-Lys. Consequently, this class of proteins is referred to as repetitive proline-rich proteins, i.e., RPRP2 and RPRP3. We have also analyzed RNA gel blots with probes that discriminate between the new cDNA clone and a related cDNA previously reported [SbPRP1; Hong, Nagao, and Key (1987). J. Biol. Chem. 262, 8367-8376]. Messenger RNAs from young seedlings and from soybean suspension cultures correspond primarily to the new RPRP clone (1A10-2), whereas the predominant mRNA accumulating later in the roots corresponds to SbPRP1.     

Cerebral O2 metabolism and cerebral blood flow in humans during deep and rapid-eye-movement sleep

It could be expected that the various stages of sleep were reflected in variation of the overall level of cerebral activity and thereby in the magnitude of cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) and cerebral blood flow (CBF). The elusive nature of sleep imposes major methodological restrictions on examination of this question. We have now measured CBF and CMRO2 in young healthy volunteers using the Kety-Schmidt technique with 133Xe as the inert gas. Measurements were performed during wakefulness, deep sleep (stage 3/4), and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep as verified by standard polysomnography. Contrary to the only previous study in humans, which reported an insignificant 3% reduction in CMRO2 during sleep, we found a deep-sleep-associated statistically highly significant 25% decrease in CMRO2, a magnitude of depression according with studies of glucose uptake and reaching levels otherwise associated with light anesthesia. During REM sleep (dream sleep) CMRO2 was practically the same as in the awake state. Changes in CBF paralleled changes in CMRO2 during both deep and REM sleep.