Isoproterenol fails to produce myocardial necrosis in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Biochemical alterations in the hearts of non-diabetic and 5 weeks of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats following isoproterenol (ISO) administration were compared. Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and myocardial adenosine triphosphate (ATP), creatine phosphate (CP), lactate and glycogen were used as indices of myocardial injury. Hearts from diabetic rats (blood glucose greater than 350 mg/dl), before ISO administration, had normal lactate levels but significantly low high-energy phosphate (HEP) levels and high glycogen levels in comparison to non-diabetic rats. No difference was observed in serum LDH levels between these two groups. ISO administration to non-diabetic rats caused myocardial necrosis as evidenced by a significant depletion of myocardial glycogen and HEPs along with significant myocardial lactate accumulation and an increase in serum LDH. However, the hearts from diabetic rats failed to show any significant HEP depletion, accumulation of lactate and leakage of LDH into serum following ISO-administration, though myocardial glycogen level was significantly lowered. These observations, in conjunction with earlier reports, point to the hypothesis that, in diabetes, there are certain alterations in the sarcolemma which hamper the process by which ISO causes myocardial necrosis.     

Effect of directional selection on spontaneous male recombination in Drosophila ananassae.

Artificial selection was carried out for high and low spontaneous male recombination values in D. ananassae for nine generations by using cu b se marker (second chromosome) and wild stocks which were free from heterozygous chromosome inversions. The mean crossing-over frequency of nine generations was 2.22, 0.70 and 1.20% in high, low and control lines respectively. The values of regression coefficient and realized heritability also indicated that male recombination was affected by selection. However, response to selection was more pronounced in high line as compared to low line. This provides evidence that spontaneous male crossing-over in D. ananassae is under polygenic control.     

Site-specific frameshift mutagenesis by a propanodeoxyguanosine adduct positioned in the (CpG)4 hot-spot of Salmonella typhimurium hisD3052 carried on an M13 vector.

Malondialdehyde induces frameshift mutations in Salmonella typhimurium strain hisD3052. The ability of propanodeoxyguanosine (PdG), a structural analog of the major malondialdehyde-deoxyguanosine adduct, to induce site-specific frameshift mutations was tested in the (CpG)4 hot-spot of hisD3052 carried on an M13 vector (M13MB102). PdG was introduced at position 6248 of duplex M13MB102 by ligation of the oligonucleotide 5'-CGC(PdG)CGGCATG-3' into a heteroduplex containing an 11-nucleotide gap in the (-)-strand between the SphI and BssHII restriction sites and deoxyuridine in place of thymidine in the (+)-strand. Ligation proceeded with 70% efficiency, and closed circular duplex DNA molecules were isolated in 40% yield. The adducted genome was sensitive to cleavage by SphI but resistant to cleavage by BssHII. Transformation of Escherichia coli strain JM105 with adducted M13MB102 led to 25% reduced survival relative to unadducted M13MB102 and produced frameshift mutations in 2.5% of the progeny phage. All of the mutations were deletions, and 70% occurred by deletion of CpG. Unadducted genomes exhibited a 40-fold lower mutation frequency, and all the mutations were single-base deletions at the sites of ligation of the 11-mer. These results illustrate that PdG, a structural analog of the major malondialdehyde-deoxyguanosine adduct, induces frameshift mutations in M13MB102 and that single-stranded nicks are efficient premutagenic lesions in this recombinant bacteriophage.     

Demonstration of Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase in rat liver peroxisomes. Biochemical and immunochemical evidence.

In this study, by using highly purified rat liver peroxisomes, we provide evidence from analytical cell fractionation, Western blot, and immunocytochemical analysis that Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase is present in animal peroxisomes. Treatment with ciprofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator, increased the peroxisomal superoxide dismutase activity by 3-fold with no effect on mitochondrial activity but a marked decrease in cytosolic superoxide dismutase activity, further supporting that besides cytosolic and mitochondrial localization, Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase is present in peroxisomes also. Demonstration of superoxide dismutase in peroxisomes suggests a new role for this organelle in pathophysiological conditions, such as ischemia-reperfusion injury.     

Rhizobium meliloti purine auxotrophs arenod + but defective in nitrogen fixation

Several purine auxotrophs were isolated inRhizobium meliloti and characterized for their nutritional requirements. They were found to produce small, irregular nodules lacking any detectable nitrogenase activity onMedicago sativa. The symbiotic aberration manifests itself only in the late developmental stage, for, (i) these purine auxotrophs infect theMedicago sativa root hairs by forming normal infection threads, and (ii) the mutants are recovered from the root nodules induced by them. External supplementation of the plant growth substrate with purines or their biosynthetic intermediates fails to restore symbiosis. This, and the failure of complementation of these auxotrophs with the known symbiotic genes, demonstrates that these mutants perhaps define a new set of genes influencing the symbiotic process inRhizobium meliloti.     

No character displacement for reproductive isolation between Drosophila bipectinata and Drosophila malerkotliana.

To test whether character displacement for reproductive isolation between Drosophila bipectinata and Drosophila malerkotliana exists, the degree of sexual isolation was measured between their sympatric and allopatric populations. Although the isolation indices vary in different crosses, the average isolation index for sympatric populations is very close to that for allopatric populations. This shows no difference in the degree of sexual isolation between sympatric and allopatric populations of D. bipectinata and D. malerkotliana. Thus there is no evidence for the existence of character displacement for sexual isolation between these two closely related sympatric species.     

Continuous-variable quantification of dermatoglyphic whorl patterns: a statistical study of angular measurements

Core(s) and triradii of dermatoglyphic whorl patterns were joined together to form triangles. Base angles of these triangles were measured (in degrees). The tangent angle at the lower edge of a ridge crossing the core-triradius line was also measured in degrees on each side of the whorl. Significant differences and similarities of these angles were investigated for unrelated Caucasian males and females by the use of Student's t- and Pearson's r-tests. Angular findings were related to the corresponding information provided by ridge counts. Similarities and differences between males and females are described.     

Chemical equilibrium and E value of Zn (ZnE) in inceptisols and entisols of tropical india

Summary The chemical equilibrium and E value for Zn was calculated in 9 soils of Haryana (India) which represented mainly entisol and inceptisols. The rate of isotopic exchange between⁶⁵Zn and native soil Zn was quite rapid and radioactivity reduced to about 0.2 per cent of initial activity after 3 days but total Zn concentration in soil solution did not decrease. In 5 out of 9 soils equilibrium was established in 2 to 3 days. In typic ustochrepts having high clay content (3,4) equilibrium was attained in two days. In typic udipsamments (2), typic camborthids (8) and aquic vertic ustichrepts (9) it took 3 days to set equilibrium. Typic ustochrepts (5) took 5 days for equilibrium whereas typic ustipssaments (6) and typic camborthids of high O.C. did not attain equilibrium even in 7 days. This indicated that the chemistry and availability of Zn in soil would depend on soil types. When Zn_E was estimated by applying activity after equilibrium with carrier Zn and by applying activity with carrier Zn before equilibrium was set, there was no agreement in Zn_E in two methods. Increasing Zn_E with increasing Zn dose was observed by both methods only in alkaline typic ustochrept (4). In some soils higher E values than added amounts were observed, whereas, in soil 8 negative E values were obtained. The E values become erratic and are over estimated where complex reactions take place due to high pH, high O.C. and high complex forming elements.