Preservation of Coombs' serum in liquid nitrogen

Experiments with Coombs-sera as raw and usable sera having different levels of titre were carried out in order to examine their stability in fluid nitrogen. Therewith, significant differences concerning the storing stability did not appear. Generally seen two third of the sera retained their initial titres at the end of one year in store.     

A 15N nuclear magnetic resonance study of the biosynthesis of quinoxaline antibiotics

Uniformly ¹⁵N-labelled triostin A and echinomycin have been prepared by growing the producing organisms on enriched media and their ¹⁵N nuclear magnetic resonance spectra partially assigned by a combination of nuclear Overhauser effect and scalar coupling constant measurements. Selective feeding experiments using unlabelled L-tryptophan-supplemented media have shown that N-1 and N-4 of the quinoxaline rings have their origins in the indole and amino groups of tryptophan, respectively.     

Effects of Suanzaorentang on behavior changes and central monoamines

Previously, it was found that the ancient Chinese remedy of Suanzaorentang could be a promising anxiolytic drug (Chen and Hsieh, 1985a, Chen and Hsieh, 1985b). To understand the mechanism of the action of Suanzaorentang, the effects of Suanzaorentang on behavior changes and central monoamines and their metabolites were studied in rats. It was found that Suanzaorentang significantly (1) prolonged the period from the onset of clonic to tonic convulsions induced by pentylenetetrazol or picrotoxin, (2) prolonged the sleep duration induced by hexobarbital, (3) reduced locomotor activity, (4) enhanced the hypomotility induced by alpha-MT, (5) reduced the locomotor stimulation produced by levodopa plus benserazide, and (6) reduced central HVA, VMA, and 5-HIAA, but had no significant effects on central DA, NA, and 5-HT. These facts implied that Suanzaorentang decreased the turnover rate of central monoamines and central catecholaminergic activity.     

Antioxidant effect of diethyldithiocarbamate on microsomal lipid peroxidation assessed by low-level chemiluminescence and alkane production

Different thiol-containing compounds, such as diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC), glutathione, penicillamine, and dithioerythritol have been chosen to study their effect on ascorbate/Fe-ADP-induced lipid peroxidation, detected by low-level chemiluminescence and alkane production. In the concentration range used, these thiols exerted a temporary protection against lipid peroxidation by lengthening the induction period; after overcoming this induction period, no substantial inhibition of either chemiluminescence or alkane production was observed. DDC was effective in protecting against lipid peroxidation in the nanomolar range, whereas the group of other thiol-containing molecules operated in the millimolar range.     

Peroxidase activity in human red cell: a biological model for excited state molecules generation.

The presence of enzymically generated triplet acetone in red cells and energy transfer to eosin, rose bengal and 9,10-dibromoanthracene-2-sulfonate was indicate by: (1) product distribution; (2) K_ET τ_o, similar to the 2-methylpropanal/peroxidase/O₂ system; (3) correlation between hemolysis, oxygen uptake and photon emission; (4) membrane protection by energy acceptors, and (5) by comparison of the 2-methylpropanal/peroxidase/O₂ system with 2-methylpropanal/red cells/membranes/O₂ and 2-methylpropanal/acid extractable protein from red cells membrane/O₂ systems, which have a high peroxidase activity.This is the first report of a biological system producing a photohemolysis effect in the dark.     

Retinol induces platelet aggregation via activation of phospholipase A2

All-trans-retinol induced aggregation of rabbit platelets, and this effect could be inhibited by a cyclooxygenase inhibitor and a thromboxane A2 (TXA2) receptor antagonist, indicating an essential role for endogenously produced TXA2. We found a two-phase arachidonic acid release in retinol-stimulated platelets. The first phase was induced by the action of retinol alone and not inhibited by TXA2 receptor antagonist. The second phase was induced via synergistic action of retinol and initially generated small amount of TXA2, and was inhibited by the antagonist. Moreover, we discussed that the arachidonic acid release may be mediated by the action of phospholipase A2.     

Statistical evidence for remnants of the primordial code in the acceptor stem of prokaryotic transfer RNA

Summary The specificity of interaction of amino acids with triplets in the acceptor helix stem of tRNA was investigated by means of a statistical analysis of 1400 tRNA sequences. The imprint of a prototypic genetic code at position 3–5 of the acceptor helix was detected, but only for those major amino acids, glycine, alanine, aspartic acid, and valine, that are formed by spark discharges of simple gases in the laboratory. Although remnants of the code at position 3–5 are typical for tRNAs of archaebacteria, eubacteria, and chloroplasts, eukaryotes do not seem to contain this code, and mitochondria take up an intermediary position. A duplication mechanism for the transposition of the original 3–5 code toward its present position in the anticodon stern of tRNA is proposed. From this viewpoint, the mode of evolution of mRNA and functional ribosomes becomes more understandable.Offprint requests to: W. Moller