Preoperative diagnosis of bilateral renal oncocytoma by needle aspiration cytology. A case report

The cytohistologic and ultrastructural findings in a case of bilateral renal oncocytoma diagnosed by needle aspiration cytology are presented. This case appears to be the first reported example in which the preoperative needle aspiration cytologic diagnosis of bilateral renal oncocytoma was made due to the presence of characteristic tumor cells that were seen singly or in small clusters with rounded polygonal shapes and abundant eosinophilic granular cytoplasm. The preoperative diagnosis of bilateral oncocytoma permitted a timely decision as to the appropriate management in this case.     

Evidence for autophosphorylation of hyaluronate binding protein and its enhanced phosphorylation in rat histiocytoma.

This report documents for the first time the in vitro autophosphorylation of purified 68 kDa hyaluronate binding protein in presence of [32P] ATP. The rate of phosphorylation is proportional to the concentration of protein and to the time of incubation up to 5 min. By both phosphoamino acid and western blot analysis with antiphosphotyrosine antibodies, we have confirmed that the phosphorylation occurs at tyrosine residues. Immunoprecipitation with anti HA binding protein antibody shows a 5 fold increase in the phosphorylation in macrophage histiocytoma compared to normal macrophage. Supplementing hyaluronate with hyaluronate binding protein in the medium is further shown to enhance total protein phosphorylation in rat histiocytoma.     

Nucleotide sequences of three different isoforms of beta-tubulin cDNA from Chinese hamster ovary cells.

The complete cDNA sequences of two clones encoding beta-tubulin isotypes and the partial sequence of a third isoform from Chinese hamster ovary cells have been determined. The deduced amino acid sequences of the three isoforms show extensive homology to each other as well as with other alpha and beta-tubulin sequences from various species. These results provide evidence for the expression of three different isoforms of beta-tubulin in Chinese hamster ovary cells.     

The HPLC profile of proteins of thermoprotection-acquired wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings

A pre-treatment of 40 °Cprovided thermoprotection to wheat seedlings against 43 °C, which was otherwise a lethal temperature. Due to temperature pretreatment, the rate of protein synthesis at 45 °C increased in both plumules and radicles. The HPLC profile of plumule and radicle proteins of thermoprotection-acquired seedlings was different from the plumules and radicles of non-treated seedlings.     

Glucose oxidase immobilized electrode for potentiometric estimation of glucose

Glucose oxidase has been immobilized onto a thin platinum strip, by co-crosslinking with bovine serum albumin and glutaraldehyde. The retention of redox characteristics of glucose oxidase has been verified by cyclic voltammetry. The activity of the immobilized enzyme reduces to a quarter of its value when the enzyme is in solution but improves when coimmobilized with 1 urea. The potentiometric response builds up and remains stable after 100 s. It is sensitive to the thickness of the immobilizing matrix, pH and temperature. An improvement in the performance of the electrode has been achieved by coimmobilizing 2 urea and metal ions such as Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺. The presence of Cu has been proved to be detrimental. The electrode has been calibrated in the 0.1–5.0 mM glucose concentration range. It gives a stable response for more than 50 independent assays and can be stored for 60 days without significant loss of function.     

Phytohemagglutinin rapidly lyses S49 T-lymphoma cells and the cytotoxicity is not mediated by generation of cAMP or increase in cytosolic calcium

Thymic-like lymphomas are very sensitive to killing by phytohemagglutinin. To investigate the mechanism of cytotoxicity, we studied the effect of PHA on cytosolic calcium [( Ca2+]i) and cAMP in the S49 mouse lymphoma cell line. PHA produced a slow continuing rise in [Ca2+]i. Estimation of cell number by Coulter counting showed that PHA induced rapid lysis of S49 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Nicardipine (10(-5) M) did not prevent PHA induced cell lysis or [Ca2+]i increase. Also ionomycin (10(-7) M) did not induce cell lysis. The data suggest that PHA induced increase in [Ca2+]i is the result rather than the cause of cell lysis. Elevated intracellular cAMP has an antiproliferative effect on S49 cells. PHA had no effect on cAMP levels in S49 cells. Also S49 cyc- clone which is deficient in Gs was susceptible to killing by PHA. These results suggest that the cytotoxic effect of PHA on S49 cells is rapid, but is not mediated by cAMP generation or an increase in [Ca2+]i, and other mechanisms should be investigated.     

Purification and characterization of cytochrome P450 isozymes from beta-naphthoflavone-induced adult hen liver

Cytochromes P450 beta NF-A, beta NF-B, and beta NF-C were purified from beta-naphthoflavone-treated adult hens. Cytochrome P450 beta NF-A, however, appeared at two places in the purification scheme. They were designated as cytochromes P450 beta NF-A1 and beta NF-A2 for property comparison. The cytochromes beta NF-A1 and beta NF-A2 were induced by both phenobarbital and beta-naphthoflavone treatment and were similar to P450 PB-A (previously purified from phenobarbital-induced hen livers) in molecular weights, isoelectric pH, spectral properties, behavior on chromatography columns, catalysis of substrates, immunological cross-reactivity on Ouchterlony plates and by immunoblotting, and NH2-terminal amino acid sequence. However, P450 PB-A differed from beta NF-A1/beta NF-A2 in peptide pattern after partial proteolysis by alpha-chymotrypsin and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, and complete digestion of 125I-labeled cytochromes by trypsin. The cytochrome P450 PB-A also differed from beta NF-A1/beta NF-A2, in that its antibodies cross-reacted with P-450 of normal, PB-, and beta-NF-induced rabbit liver microsomes. The cytochromes beta NF-B and beta NF-C, although immunochemically cross-reactive with each other, were distinct enzymes on the basis of molecular weights, spectral characteristics, isoelectric pH, peptide pattern on partial proteolysis, tryptic peptide pattern, cross-reactivity of their antibodies with other species, and NH2-terminal amino acid sequence. The most notable difference between beta NF-B and beta NF-C was that the anti-beta NF-C IgG completely inhibited O-dealkylation of 7-methoxyresorufin and 7-ethoxyresorufin by beta-NF-induced microsomes. These activities increased 40- to 50-fold in beta-NF-induced microsomes as compared to only 2- to 4-fold in PB-treated hens. The amino-terminal sequences of beta NF-B and beta NF-C were different from those of mammalian and other nonmammalian species.     

Vanillic acid metabolism by selected soft-rot,brown-rot,and white-rot fungi

Metabolism of vanillic acid, a product of lignin degradation, has been studied in selected representatives of soft-rot, brown-rot and white-rot fungi. All of the brown-and white-rot species examined decarboxylated vanillate to methoxyhydroquinone oxidatively. Mycelium extracts of all these fungi, except Pleurotus ostreatus contained high levels of an NAD(P)H-dependent vanillate hydroxylase. P. ostreatus also released ¹⁴CO₂ from ¹⁴COOH-vanillate but by a different mechanism possibly involving phenoloxidases. Most of these fungi also contained a dioxygenase which catalysed the intra-diol cleavage of hydroxyquinol (1,2,4-trihydroxybenzene) to form maleylacetate. No 3-O-demethylase activity was detected, and data indicate that in some of the fungi examined cleavage of the aromatic ring occurs without prior removal of the methoxyl group. None of the soft-rot fungi tested contained vanillate hydroxylase or hydroxyquinol 1,2-dioxygenase, but very low levels of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase were detected in mycelium extracts. Vanillate catabolism among members of this group occurs via a different route which may involve ring demethylation although no 3-O-demethylase activity was detected in this study. The enzyme NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase was demonstrated to exist in all the studied groups of fungi.