Production of Glucose Isomerase by Streptomyces flavogriseus

A microorganism that produces glucose isomerase was isolated from soil and identified as a strain of Streptomyces flavogriseus. The organism produced a large quantity of glucose isomerase when grown on straw hemicellulose, xylan, xylose, and H₂SO₄ hydrolysate of ryegrass straw. The organism produced glucose isomerase both intra- and extra-cellularly. The highest level of intracellular glucose isomerase (3.5 U/ml) was obtained in about 36 h by a culture grown on straw hemicellulose; the extracellular enzyme (1.5 U/ml) appeared in cultures grown for about 72 h. About equal levels of enzyme were produced in cultures grown on straw hemicellulose, xylan, xylose, and H₂SO₄ hydrolysate of straw, but production of the enzyme was drastically reduced when the organism was grown on other carbon sources. As a nitrogen source, corn steep liquor produced the best results. Soy flour extract, yeast extract, and various peptones also were adequate substrates for glucose isomerase production. Addition of Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, or Fe²⁺ to the growth medium significantly enhanced enzyme production. The organism, however, did not require Co²⁺, which is commonly required by microorganisms used in the production of glucose isomerase.     

Some cellular immune reactions in infants. MIF,E-rosette formation and changes in nucleolar morphology

The cellular immune response (MIF, E-rosette formation and changes in nucleolar morphology of lymphocytes) was followed as related to age and antigenic stimulation. MIF in healthy infants increased from the 2nd to the 12th week of life as compared with the first week, probably due to BCG vaccination. The total and active E-rosette formation did not change during the whole period of investigation. Ring-shaped nucleoli increased gradually from the second week of life. Active nucleoli increased up to the 4th week,i.e. after BCG vaccination and then slowly decreased. Micronucleoli being high in the first week, decreased during 24 weeks of life. After artificial colonization of the intestine the production of MIF was slightly lower in colonized infants than in controls from the 2nd to the 12th week. The other parameters followed were not influenced by colonization.     

Stress distribution on the cusps of a polyurethane trileaflet heart valve prosthesis in the closed position.

In this paper, a finite element analysis of the stress distribution on the cusps of a polyurethane trileaflet heart valve prosthesis in the closed position is presented. The geometry of the valve was modified from a relationship proposed by Ghista and Reul (J. Biomechanics 10, 313-324, 1977). The effects of variations in stent height, leaflet thickness and coaptation area on the stress distribution were also analyzed. Analyses were performed with both rigid and flexible stents for the trileaflet valve in order to delineate the effect of stent flexibility on the leaflet stress distribution. The results showed that regions of stress concentration were present near the commissural attachment similar to those predicted with the bioprostheses. The stresses on the leaflets were reduced by increasing the stent height with both rigid and flexible stents. Selectively increasing the leaflet thickness near the commissures and also increasing the coaptation area did not prove to reduce the leaflet stresses when the stent flexibility was taken into account. The possible effect of high stresses on the structural integrity of polyurethane leaflets and its relationship with calcification is yet to be investigated.     

Crystal structure of cholestanyl caprylate and binary phase behavior with cholesteryl caprylate

The crystal structure of cholestanyl n-octanoate (caprylate) (C35H62O2) is monoclinic with space group A2 and cell dimensions a = 10.103(7), b = 7.646(7), c = 87.63(7) A, beta = 90.51(6) degrees; Z = 8 [two molecules (A, B) in asymmetric unit], V = 6769 A3, Dc = 1.010 g cm-3. Integrated X-ray intensities for 3798 reflections with I greater than 2 sigma (I) were measured with a rotating anode diffractometer at room temperature. The structure was determined using direct methods. Block diagonal least squares refinement gave R = 0.111. Molecules A and B have almost fully extended conformations, but differ significantly in the rotation about the ester bond and in the C17 chains. The molecular packing in the crystal structure of cholestanyl caprylate consists of stacked bilayers each having d002 = 43.8 A in thickness and within each bilayer, cholestanols pack with cholestanols and caprylate chains pack with caprylate chains. The crystal structure is very similar to that of cholesteryl myristate but is quite different from that of cholesteryl caprylate. The phase equilibria of the cholestanyl caprylate/cholesteryl caprylate binary system have been shown to involve limited mutual solubility of the two components and to have a eutectic point at 73% cholestanyl caprylate. The cholesteric mesophase is monotropic at all compositions except for a narrow range near the eutectic point where it is enantiotropic.     

pH-sensitive liposomes containing polymerized phosphatidylethanolamine and fatty acid.

With the ultimate aim of targeting cancer drugs to malignant tissues, liposomes containing polymeric phosphatidylethanolamine and a fatty acid were prepared. For this purpose diacetylenic phosphatidylethanolamine (DAPE), a phosphatidylethanolamine containing diacetylene, was synthesized. Liposomes containing DAPE, fatty acid, and either phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) or phosphatidylethanolamine-beta-oleoyl-gamma-palmitoyl (POPE) were then prepared. Polymerization of DAPE was effected by UV illumination. The polymeric liposomes so obtained were stable at physiological pH but became leaky below pH 6.5. Of various compositions studied, the greatest pH-sensitivity was found with liposomes composed of 35 mol% DAPE, 35 mol% POPE, and 30 mol% saturated fatty acid. The presence of blood plasma albumin decreased vesicle stability while apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) had the opposite effect and plasma as a whole had a slightly stabilizing effect.     

Centrally acting endogenous hypotensive substances in rats subjected to endotoxic shock.

Cerebroventricular perfusate (CVP) from rats subjected to endotoxic shock was infused into the lateral ventricle of the naive rat. This procedure produced a hypotensive response in the recipient rat which could be reversed by the intravenous injection of the opioid antagonist naltrexone. The degree of endotoxemic hypotension in the donor rat was attenuated by perfusing the cerebroventricular system with mock CSF. The results suggest the existence of endogenous hypotensive substances in rat central nervous system, possibly opioid in nature, which may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of endotoxic shock.     

The solubility of inclusion proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis is dependent upon protoxin composition and is a factor in toxicity to insects.

Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai HD133 is one of several strains particularly effective against Plodia interpunctella selected for resistance to B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD1 (Dipel). B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai HD133 produces inclusions containing three protoxins, CryIA(b), CryIC, and CryID, and the CryIC protoxin has been shown to be active on resistant P. interpunctella as well as on Spodoptera larvae. The CryIA(b) protoxin is very similar to the major one in B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD1, and as expected, this protoxin was inactive on resistant P. interpunctella. A derivative of B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai HD133 which had been cured of a 68-kb plasmid containing the cryIA(b) gene produced inclusions comprising only the CryIC and CryID protoxins. Surprisingly, these inclusions were much less toxic for resistant P. interpunctella and two other Lepidoptera than those produced by the parental strain, whereas the soluble protoxins from these strains were equally effective. In contrast, inclusions from the two strains were about as active as soluble protoxins for Spodoptera frugiperda larvae, so toxicity differences between inclusions may be due to the solubilizing conditions within particular larval guts. Consistent with this hypothesis, it was found that a higher pH was required to solubilize protoxins from inclusions from the plasmid-cured strain than from B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai HD133, a difference which is probably attributable to the absence of the CryIA(b) protoxin in the former. The interactions of structurally related protoxins within an inclusion are probably important for solubility and are thus another factor in the effectiveness of B. thuringiensis isolates for particular insect larvae.     

Complex regulation of tumor necrosis factor mRNA turnover in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages

The turnover of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) mRNA in permanently transfected macrophages of the RAW 264.7 cell line was studied directly (by Northern blot analysis using a probe specific for TNF) and indirectly (through studies of the turnover of various reporter mRNAs, either containing or lacking the TNF 3' untranslated region (UTR)). The TNF mRNA was found to be very unstable in RAW 264.7 cells. Instability appeared to result from two distinguishable nucleolytic processes. The major degradative process involved was not specific for the TNF 3' UTR of reporter mRNAs, and was inhibited by actinomycin D pretreatment. It appeared to be expressed constitutively, in that cell activation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) did not modify message stability. When cells were treated with actinomycin D, a minor nucleolytic activity was 'uncovered'. This minor activity was noted to increase with time following LPS activation. It also exhibited specificity, in that reporter mRNAs bearing the 3' UTR of TNF were more susceptible to degradation in the presence of actinomycin D than were constructs lacking the 3' UTR of TNF. Thus, TNF mRNA turnover appears complex, and depends upon at least two separable degradative pathways. The TNF 3' UTR apparently contributes only modestly to the instability of this mRNA under normal conditions.