Electronic structure and molecular design of simplified polyimide systems

The electronic structures of newly designed polyimide systems (ethenetetracarboxylic 1,2:1,2-dianhydride-diaminoethyne (PI-A) and ethenetetracarboxylic 1,1:2,2-dianhydride-diaminoethyne(PI-B)) are studied in detail with respect to their optimized geometries on the basis of the one-dimensional tight-binding self-consistent field crystal-orbital method. The computational results have revealed that PI-B shows intriguing properties such as a very small band gap and a wide bandwidth near the frontier level, compared with PI-A and other polyimides. Since PI-B would be a promising candidate for a new electric conducting material, a reaction diagram for this polymer is also proposed.Also affiliated to Central Research Laboratories, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Moriguchi 570, Japan.     

Bioconversion of organosilicon compounds by horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase: the role of the silicon atom in enzymatic reactions

Summary Bioconversion of three organosilicon compounds of different chain length between the silicon atom and the hydroxyl group (Me₃Si(CH₂)_nOH, n = 1–3) by horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase (HLADH, EC 1.1.1.1.) was studied. Furthermore, the effect of the silicon atom on the HLADH-catalysed reaction was examined in comparison with the corresponding carbon compounds. HLADH could catalyse the dehydrogenation of trimethylsilyeethanol (n = 2) and trimethylsilylpropanol (n = 3). Trimethylsilylethanol was a better substrate than both its carbon analogue, 3,3-dimethylbutanol, and ethanol. The improved activity of HLADH on trimethylsilylethanol could be accounted for by a higher affinity toward HLADH and a lower activation energy of the reaction by HLADH than those of the carbon counterpart. These are derived from physical properties of the silicon atom, that is, the lower electronegativity and the bigger radius than those of the carbon atom. In contrast, HLADH showed no activity on trimethylsilylmethanol (n = 1), whereas it catalysed the dehydrogenation of the carbon analogue, 2,2-dimethylpropanol, fairly well. The reason for the inactivity of HLADH in the case of trimethylsilylmethanol based on the electric effect of the silicon atom is also discussed. Offsprint requests to: A. Tanaka     

The GTPase stimulatory activities of the neurofibromatosis type 1 and the yeast IRA2 proteins are inhibited by arachidonic acid.

Three proteins, GTPase activating protein (GAP), neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) and the yeast inhibitory regulator of the RAS-cAMP pathway (IRA2), have the ability to stimulate the GTPase activity of Ras proteins from higher animals or yeast. Previous studies indicate that certain lipids are able to inhibit this activity associated with the mammalian GAP protein. Inhibition of GAP would be expected to biologically activate Ras protein. In these studies arachidonic acid is shown also to inhibit the activity of the catalytic fragments of the other two proteins, mammalian NF1 and the yeast IRA2 proteins. In addition, phosphatidic acid (containing arachidonic and stearic acid) was inhibitory for the catalytic fragment of NF1 protein, but did not inhibit the catalytic fragments of GAP or IRA2 proteins. These observations emphasize the biochemical similarity of these proteins and provide support for the suggestion that lipids might play an important role in their biological control, and therefore also in the control of Ras activity and cellular proliferation.     

Interstrain differences in red cell enzyme activities in mice and rats.

1. Interstrain differences in red blood cell enzyme activities were studied in mice (BALB/c, C57BL/6, C3H/He, DBA/2 and ddY) and rats (Donryu, F344/N, SD, Wistar and Wistar/ST), and were also compared with hamster, guinea-pig and rabbit. 2. The enzyme activities measured were: glutathione S-transferase (GST), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD), NADPH-diaphorase (ND), hexokinase (Hx), glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). 3. There were marked variations in the activities of some red cell enzymes (e.g. GST, Hx, ND), while others (e.g. G-6-PD, 6-PGD) were much less variable both within different strains and species.     

Interleukin-4 downregulates interleukin-6 production by human alveolar macrophages at protein and mRNA levels.

Effects of interleukin-4 (IL-4) on IL-6 production by human alveolar macrophages (AM) obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage from healthy donors was examined at the protein and gene levels. IL-6 production was quantitated by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and bioassay using the IL-6 dependent murine hybridoma cell line MH60.BSF2. Results showed that when activated with LPS, AM released significantly more biologically active IL-6 than blood monocytes. Human rIL-4 significantly suppressed IL-6 production by AM and monocytes stimulated with LPS. Northern blot analysis revealed that IL-4 reduced the expression of IL-6 mRNA in LPS-stimulated AM and monocytes. The inhibitory effect was most pronounced when IL-4 was added with LPS or within the first 4 hr after LPS to AM or monocytes. The suppressive effect of IL-4 was completely neutralized by pretreatment with anti-IL-4 antibody. IL-4 also showed a suppressive effect on IL-6 production by macrophages generated in vitro by maturation of blood monocytes with granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). These observations suggest that IL-4 may play a critical role in in situ regulation of immune responses through suppression of IL-6 production.     

Postoperative changes in vaginal smears after vaginal reconstruction with a free skin graft

Surgical vaginal reconstruction was performed by a free skin graft in two patients without a vagina. The postoperative changes in vaginal smears collected from the artificial vaginas were observed for about two years. Marked operation-induced inflammatory changes were observed until the second postoperative month. After the third postoperative month, the background became relatively clear. Cyanophilic and eosinophilic superficial cells, intermediate cells and D?derlein bacilli were observed occasionally in addition to keratotic cells. Six to 12 months after surgery, the vaginal smears showed little abnormality, except for the presence of keratotic cells. The changes in the vaginal smears after the third month show that the artificial vaginal epithelium changed cytologically to an almost normal vaginal mucosa that, although not histologically complete, responded to hormones. The presence of D?derlein bacilli suggests that the regional environment of the artificial vagina was almost the same as that of the normal vagina.     

Comparative anatomical study of arteriographs of the hand of primates. Deep palmar arterial arches and their correlating arteries in cercopithecidae, pongidae and hominidae

A three-dimensional angiographic analysis of the deep palmar arterial arches and their correlating arteries in Cercopithecidae, Pongidae and Hominidae revealed the following features. In Cercopithecidae, 3 deep palmar arches are formed by the perforating branches of the 2nd dorsal metacarpal artery: 2 proximal arches (the catella volaris proximalis and the arcus volaris profundus) and 1 distal arch (the catella volaris distalis). The intermetacarpal arteries arise from the catella volaris proximalis and the palmar metacarpal arteries arise from the arcus volaris profundus. In Pongidae, the arches are formed by the perforating branches of the 1st dorsal metacarpal artery, and they are composed of only the catella volaris proximalis and catella volaris distalis. In Hominidae, the arches are formed by the perforating branches of the 1st dorsal metacarpal artery, and they consist of the arcus volaris profundus and an incomplete catella volaris distalis.     

Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and 3', 5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production in a cultured human adrenocortical carcinoma cell line (SW-13)

Very little has been known of the biochemical function of a human adrenocortical carcinoma cell line, SW-13. In this study, the production of several adrenal steroids and 3', 5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) were investigated in this cell line. The cells were incubated in L-15 medium containing 0.1% bovine serum albumin with several reagents in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 and 95% air for 2 hours at 37 degrees C. Aldosterone (Ald), corticosterone (B), cortisol (F), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and cAMP were simultaneously assayed by specific radioimmunoassays in the medium and cells. Significant increases in cAMP production were observed by cholera toxin (10 ng/ml) and forskolin (10 nM), both direct stimulators of adenylate cyclase, in the cAMP concentration without an increase in the steroids. The DHEA-S concentration in the medium was significantly increased by angiotensin-II (10(-7)M), noradrenalin (3 X 10(-5) M), adrenalin (3 X 10(-5) M) or alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH, 10(-7) M), none of which was associated with cAMP production. Neither adrenocorticotropin (10(-10) M) nor human chorionic gonadotropin (500 mIU/ml) stimulated the release of the steroids or cAMP production. A calcium ionophore, A23187 (10(-7) M), and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (10(-8) M), a direct stimulator of protein kinase C, stimulated the release of DHEA-S, but not those of Ald, B and F. The results suggest that SW-13 retains functioning adenylate cyclase which, however, is not linked with steroidogenesis and that DHEA-S is produced probably by the mechanisms which involve protein kinase C system or calcium ion. This report provides the first demonstration of cAMP and DHEA-S production in SW-13 and suggests that this cell line is potentially useful for investigating the mechanisms of steroidogenesis in the human adrenal cortex.     

Purification and properties of a specific primase-stimulating factor of bovine thymus

The DNA replicase activity of the complex between bovine thymus DNA polymerase alpha and RNA primase was markedly decreased after the purification by ssDNA-cellulose column chromatography. In an attempt to restore the activity by supplementing some fractions eliminated from the purified enzyme, we found that a fraction eluted from the column by increasing salt concentration and 30% ammonium sulfate precipitates of the phosphocellulose-step enzyme possessed a high ability to restore the replicase activity. Thus, the factors were purified to near homogeneity from the two sources and the properties were examined. Both factors were heat-labile and trypsin-sensitive, possessed a native molecular mass of approximately 150-200 kDa as judged by Sephacryl S-200 column chromatography, and were composed of two polypeptides of 146 kDa and 47 kDa on SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, indicating that they were an identical protein. The factor, which did not show any DNA polymerase or primase activities by itself, stimulated approximately 20-fold the replicase activity of purified DNA-polymerase-alpha-primase at a very low concentration (10 ng/50 microliter). The factor did not affect the deoxyribonucleotide polymerizing activity of the enzyme complex at all, but specifically stimulated the primase activity only. Thus, we designated the factor as primase-stimulating factor. Although varying the template concentration did not significantly affect the mode of stimulation, increasing the concentration of substrate for primer synthesis (ATP) markedly decreased the extent of stimulation. Thus, the stimulating factor seems to decrease the substrate concentration required for the primase reaction as well as increasing threefold the maximum activity attained by varying the substrate concentration. So far, no ATPase activity has been detected in the factor.