Iodohexestrols. II. Characterization of the binding and estrogenic activity of iodinated hexestrol derivatives, in vitro and in vivo.

The affinity of ortho-iodinated hexestrols for the estrogen binding protein from rat uterus, determined by competitive binding assay, decreases with progressive iodine substitution; 3-iodohexestrol (I-Hex) has a binding affinity 42% that of estradiol. Analysis of [3-H]-I-Hex binding in rat uterine cytosol by sucrose density gradient centrifugation shows both an estrogen-specific binding component (8 S) and a more abundant component (4 S) that is not estrogen specific. Scatchard analysis indicates that this latter binding is of high affinity (Kd equals to 3.7-8.3 times 10- minus-9 M) but is not uterine specific. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis shows that most of the [3-H]-I-Hex binding activity in serum and uterine cytosol is distinct from and anodic to the principal protein component (albumin), and that is comigrates with [14-C]thyroxine binding activity. In in vitro incubation of rat uteri, I-Hex can block the specific uptake of [3-H]estradiol into the nuclear fraction; it itself causes a translocation of estrogen-specific binding capacity (as measured by exchange) from cytoplasm to nuclei, and can induce the synthesis of an estrogen-specific uterine protein, all under conditions where it is not metabolically deiodinated to hexestrol. The uterotrophic activities of the iodohexestrols are in most cases comparable to that expected on the basis of their competitive binding affinities. However, selective, estrogen-specific uptake of [3-H]-I-Hex into rat uterus, either in vitro or in vivo, cannot be demonstrated.     

Perspectives on retroviruses and the etiologic agent of AIDS

In 1911, the first retrovirus was described: the Rous sarcoma virus, an avian retrovirus. Forty years later the murine leukemic virus, a mouse retrovirus, was reported. Although many other retroviruses from non-primate species were identified during the 1960s, the first primate retrovirus was not recognized until it was isolated from a monkey tumor in 1970. The search for human retroviruses in human leukemic cells remained unsuccessful at that time. Facilitated by the discovery of T-cell growth factor, a substance used for the propagation of human leukocytes in cultures, the first human retrovirus was discovered in 1980. Soon thereafter, in 1983, another human retrovirus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), was reported and implicated as the etiologic agent of AIDS. The isolation and identification of HIV has stimulated much interest in the study of human retroviruses and the control of this new viral disease.     

Identification of the major TG4 cross‐linking sites in the androgen‐dependent SVS I exclusively expressed in mouse seminal vesicle

SVS I was exclusively expressed in seminal vesicle in which the protein was immunolocalized primarily to the luminal epithelium of mucosal folds. The developmental profile of its mRNA expression was shown to be androgen‐dependent, manifesting a positive correlation with the animal's maturation. There are 43 glutamine and 43 lysine residues in one molecule of SVS I, which is one of the seven major monomer proteins tentatively assigned on reducing SDS–PAGE during the resolution of mouse seminal vesicle secretion. Based on the fact that SVS I‐deduced protein sequence consists of 796 amino acid residues, we produced 7 recombinant polypeptide fragments including residues 1–78/F1, residues 79–259/F2, residues 260–405/F3, residues 406–500/F4, residues 501–650/F5, residues 651–715/F6, and residues 716–796/F7, and measured the covalent incorporation of 5‐(biotinamido)pentylamine (BPNH₂) or biotin‐TVQQEL (A25 peptide) to each of F1‐to‐F7 by type 4 transglutaminase (TG₄) from the coagulating gland secretion. F2 was active to a greater extent than the other fragments during the BPNH₂‐glutamine incorporation, and a relatively low extent of A25‐lysine cross link was observed with all of the seven fragments. The MS analysis of BPNH₂‐F2 conjugate identified Q²³² and Q²⁵⁴ as the two major TG₄ cross‐linking sites. This was substantiated by the result that much less BPNH₂ was cross‐linked to any one of the three F2 mutants, including Q232G and Q254G obtained from single‐site mutation, and Q232G/Q254G from double‐site mutation. J. Cell. Biochem. 107: 899–907, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Chemopreventive potential of cyclic diarylheptanoids

Eleven cyclic diarylheptanoids and seven related compounds were screened as potential antitumor promoters by using the in vitro short-term 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced Epstein-Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) activation assay. In addition, the cyclic diarylheptanoid myricanone (2) was examined for antitumor initiating activity in a two-stage carcinogenesis assay of mouse skin tumors induced by peroxynitrite as an initiator and TPA as a promoter. Myricanone (2) exhibited significant antitumor-initiating effect on mouse skin. These data suggest that cyclic, as well as linear, diarylheptanoids might be valuable chemopreventors.     

荒漠昆虫天花吉丁虫的呼吸及体内水分损失特征

为研究荒漠地区昆虫的呼吸及水分损失特征,以专性寄生在荒漠植物梭梭上的天花吉丁虫Julodis variolaris Pallas为对象,采用LI-6400光合分析仪测定在20℃下天花吉丁虫的呼吸量,并采用重量法测定了不同温度下其水分散失率。结果表明:天花吉丁虫呼吸为典型的不连续气体交换循环（discontinuous gas exchange cycle, DGC）的模式,DGC平均周期约需12.96 min,爆发间期历时平均约占整个DGC历时的80%,CO₂平均释放率为23.45 μL/min。在25℃、30℃、35℃和40℃恒温条件下,单位时间内水分散失随温度升高而增加,10 h内25℃和30℃之间的水分损失率无显著差异,但25℃和30℃与35℃、40℃之间的水分损失率具有显著性差异;10～24 h内25℃、30℃、35℃之间的水分损失率具有显著性差异。荒漠昆虫天花吉丁虫在高温下的高脱水率和高死亡率说明,其在没有水分来源的情况下很难存活,而不连续呼吸模式是其适应高温干旱环境的对策之一。