Das pyroelektrische Verhalten und das permanente elektrische Moment von menschlichem und tierischem Sehnengewebe

Zusammenfassung Bei menschlichem und tierischem Sehnengewebe wurde pyroelektrisches Verhalten festgestellt. Pyroelektrisches Verhalten bedeutet, daß eine permanente makroskopische elektrische Polarisation und somit ein permanentes elektrisches Moment in Richtung der pyroelektrischen Achse vorhanden ist.Die pyroelektrische (und daher auch piezoelektrische) Achse verläuft in der Längsrichtung der Sehnenfasern bzw. ihrer Kollagenfibrillen. Sie stimmt überein mit der optischen Faserachse, in deren Verlauf positiv einachsige Doppelbrechung bekannt ist. Sehnen mit leidlicher Parallelausrichtung ihrer Faserbündel zeigen dementsprechend makroskopisch eine pyroelektrische Achse parallel zur physiologischen Sehnenlängsachse. Bei seilartiger Bündelung der Fibrillen oder anderen histologischen Unregelmäßigkeiten im Faserverlauf zeigen sich korrespondierende Unregelmäßigkeiten des pyroelektrischen Achsenverlaufs.In genau korrespondierenden Abschnitten der gleichen Sehne verschiedener Individuen fand sich eine sehr erhebliche biologische Streubreite der pyro- und piezoelektrischen Effekte.In situ hatte das permanente elektrische Moment der untersuchten menschlichen und Rinder-Sehnen, sowie der Schwanzsehnen von Ratten eine festliegende gleichsinnige Vektorrichtung bei allen Individuen. Die Vektorrichtung war bei den untersuchten korrespondierenden Sehnen von Mensch und Rind sowie bei den Rattenschwanz-Sehnen analog.Die Vektorrichtung der permanenten elektrischen Polarisation bei Sehnengewebe, und wahrscheinlich auch bei anderen kollagenhaltigen Strukturen, scheint in Beziehung zur morphogenetischen Entwicklungsrichtung der Tiere zu stehen.

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Summary Tendons are pyroelectric. Pyroelectrical behaviour is identical with a permanent electrical moment in the direction of the pyroelectrical axis. There exists a pyroelectrical (and consequently also piezoelectrical) axis corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the tendon fibres and their collagen fibrils, and also corresponding to their optical axis, in the direction of which a positive birefringence is known.Accordingly in tendons with an approximately parallel alignment of the collagen fibres the pyroelectrical (and piezoelectrical) axis corresponds to the physiological longitudinal tendon axis. In rope-like or any other histological irregular forms of the collagen fibre alignment corresponding irregularities of the electrical axis direction were found.The pyro- and piezoelectric effects show large biological variations in corresponding tendons of different individuals.In situ the permanent electrical moment in the examined tendons of men and ox and of rat-tail respectively is always in the same vector direction in each individual. This vector direction is analogical in all examined corresponding tendons of men, ox, and also in rat-tail. The permanent electrical moment of tendons (as well as of other collagen-containing tissues) seems to correspond to the morphogenetical development axis of animals.The results of this investigation may be understood by the assumption that the rod-like collagen molecule (i.e. tropocollagen) represents an electrical dipole with a permanent electrical moment in the longitudinal direction of the rod.

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Unterstützt durch Sachbeihilfen der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

Genic homozygosity in an ancient reptile (Alligator mississippiensis)

Proteins assayed electrophoretically showed variation at only three of 49 presumed genetic loci in alligators from southwestern Louisiana. Average heterozygosity per individual was 0.021±0.012; proportion of polymorphic loci was 0.06. Data on the history, structure, and ecology of this alligator population are consistent with natural selection as the primary factor accounting for this low genetic variability. However, neither a historic population bottleneck nor some genetic mechanism limiting variability can be dismissed as a possible factor.The study was supported by NSF Grant BMS 73-0125 to H.C.D.     

Effects of growth regulators on light-dependent anthocyanin production in Zea mays seedlings

Rengel, Z. and Kordan, H. A. 1987. Effects of growth regulators on light-dependent anthocyanin production in Zea mays seedlings.
The effects of ethylene, indolyl- and naphthylacetic acids, zeatin, benzyladenine, gib-berellic acid and triiodobenzoic acid on anthocyanin production in seedlings of Zea mays L. cv. Golden Bantam were investigated. Endogenously produced and exogen-ously supplied ethylene, as well as the other growth regulators tested markedly suppressed anthocyanin formation. Except for triiodobenzoic acid, the other growth regulators stimulated ethylene production, the amounts produced in the light being larger than those in the dark. Absorption of ethylene by permanganate as well as inhibition of ethylene production or action by Co²⁺ or Ag⁺ increased anthocyanin formation in maize seedlings above the level found in the control plants. The inhibiting effect of auxins and cytokinins on anthocyanin production was reversed by Co²⁺ or Ag⁺. In contrast, decreased anthocyanin formation caused by gibberellic acid or triiodobenzoic acid seemed unrelated to ethylene and could not be alleviated by Co²⁺ or Ag+.     

Ammonium uptake usingUlva (Chlorophyta) in intensive fishpond systems: mass culture and treatment of effluent

A vegetative clone ofUlva lactuca L. was selected for mass culture and nutrient uptake experiments with fish pond wastewater. Growth rates of over 55 g dry wt. d^?1 per 6001(1 m²) tank were obtained. Growth rate was linked to stocking density, tank flushing rates and aeration induced thallus movement. The plants could not survive on the macronutrients provided by a weekly pulse of wastewater. A continuous supply of fish pond wastewater was required to maintain good growth rates. An ‘uncoupling’ of growth rate and thallus nitrogen content was observed. The plants were able to store nitrogen from a pulsed ammonium supply and allot the nitrogen reserves to new tissue growth. Plants with slower growth rates or a continuous supply of ammonium had higher thallus nitrogen content.Ulva efficiently removed up to 85% of the ammonium from fish pond wastewater in darkness or light independently of temperature fluctuations.     

Effects of non-MHC loci on resistance to retrovirus-induced immunodeficiency in mice

Mice of certain strains are highly sensitive to development of a severe immunodeficiency disease following inoculation as adults with LP-BM5 murine leukemia viruses (MuLV) whereas others are extremely resistant. These strain-dependent differences in response to infection have been shown to be genetically determined with resistance to disease being, in general, associated with homozygosity for Fv-1 ⁿand H-2 haplotypes a and d and sensitivity with homozygosity for Fv-1 ^band other H-2 haplotypes including b, s, and q. The Fv-1 ^b, H-2 ^rstrain RIIIS/J (RIIIS) was found to be highly resistant to disease even though B10.RIII(71NS)/J (B10.RIII), also H-2 ^r, was very sensitive, thus excluding a role for H-2 in the resistance of RIIIS. The characteristics of RIIIS resistance were evaluated in studies of infected (B10.RIII×RIIIS) F₁, F₂ and reciprocal backcross mice. Resistance to disease was shown to be semidominant and determined by more than one gene, although a preponderant influence of a single gene was suggested. Studies of segregating populations showed that resistance was not associated with or linked to polymorphisms of the V _\complex or genes in proximity to the Emv-2 locus on chromosome 8. However, there was almost complete concordance between absence of disease in infected mice and inhibition of ecotropic virus spread. These results demonstrate that genes other than Fv-1 or H-2 can profoundly influence the development of retrovirus-induced immunodeficiency and replication of ecotropic viruses.Abbreviations MuLV murine leukemia virus - MCF mink cell focus-inducing MuLV - B6 C57BL/6 - BM5d the defective virus in LP-BM5 MuLV - MAIDS murine acquired immunodeficiency syndrome - RIIIS RIIIS/J - B10.RIII B10.RIII (71NS)/J - MLR mixed lymphocyte reaction - FACS fluorescence activated cell sorter     

The force on a neutral dielectric object of biological interest in crossed time-varying electric and magnetic fields

Externally imposed sinusoidal electric and magnetic fields acting ninety degrees out of phase and perpendicular to each other produce a unidirectional force on an object. The electromagnetic body force arising is found to be proportional to the frequency, to the field strengths, and to the (differential) polarizability of the body acted upon in its medium. The force is found to be small for practically realizable fields, but is different from that of the familiar light pressure. This crossed field force, based as it is upon the frequency-dependent relative effective dielectric constant and loss factor of the body as it moves in the supporting fluid medium, can provice spectra of various dielectric response mechanisms.     

Decay and synthesis of ribosomal proteins during Dictyostelium discoideum development

Summary Ribosome turnover is a prominent process during cell differentiation in Dictyostelium discoideum. At the end of 24 h of development on filters, the cells contain only 30% of the ribosome content of vegetatively growing cells. We determined the relative rates of synthesis and decay of each of the ribosomal proteins during this period. Approximately 80% of the total vegetative cell ribosomal proteins were degraded during the course of fruiting body construction. Ribosomal RNA and protein degradation apparently occurred coordinately during development. Although all ribosomal proteins decayed during development, some were more stable and a few less stable than the average. In addition, all the ribosomal proteins were synthesized during this period. Most ribosomal proteins were synthesized at the same rate as other cellular proteins, although a number were made at lower or higher rates. It was estimated that about 35% of the ribosomes in developed cells represented those, that were made during cell differentiation. Differential decay and/or synthesis of ribosomal proteins could account for the observed difference in protein content of ribosomes from growing amoebae and late development cells and spores.Paper No. 4 in the series, Studies on Ribosomal Proteins in Dictyostelium discoideum. Paper No. 3 is Ramagopal and Ennis (1982)     

Orbitally magnetized organic solids

The preparation is discussed of polymeric organic solids in which large ring-like delocalized electronic orbitals can be made to enclose or trap magnetic flux. The situation is analogous to snapping shut a loop of superconductor while it is in a magnetic field. The operation of the Meissner effect acts to retain the trapped flux and create remant magnetization.     

Topographical distribution of the gonadotrophs,mammotrophs, somatotrophs and thyrotrophs in the pituitary gland of the baboon (Papio cynocephalus)

The identification and regionalization of four pituitary parenchymal cell types, gonadotrophs, mammotrophs, somatotrophs and thyrotrophs, were studied in the baboon (Papio cynocephalus) hypophysis using immunocytochemistry. The gonadotrophs were homogeneously distributed throughout the entire pars distalis. Both mammotrophs and somatotrophs predominate at the superior and inferior poles of the organ. The medial and anteromedial regions are populated by mammotrophs and thyrotrophs, while the lateral and posterior portions of the pars distalis contain large numbers of somatotrophs.