Gamma-ray irradiation as a pretreatment for the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose

Summary The susceptibility of cellulose to enzymatic hydrolysis can be significantly affected through pretreatment by means of gamma-ray radiation. Experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of this radiation on enzymatic hydrolysis and on the two major structural features of cellulose that most influence hydrolysis, namely, specific surface area and crystallinity.D. H. Beardmore is currently with Phillips Petroleum Company, Bartlesville, OK 74004, U.S.A.     

Pituitary corticotropin-inhibiting peptide: Properties and use in study of corticotropin action

The biological properties of the naturally occurring pituitary peptide α_h^7–38-adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) have been investigated. α_h^7–38-ACTH is devoid of steroidogenic activity but inhibits competitively ACTH-induced steroidogenesis in vitro as well as in vivo. The long-term actions of ACTH on normal and tumor adrenal cells in culture are also antagonized by α_h^7–38-ACTH. The apparent K_i for the inhibition of cyclic AMP production by α_h^7–38-ACTH (301 ± 62 nm) was significantly higher than the apparent K_i for the inhibition of corticosterone synthesis (21.6 ± 6.8 nm). Analysis of the inhibition of ACTH-induced steroidogenesis and cyclic AMP production in normal rat adrenocortical cells indicates that two separate receptors may be involved in mediating these responses.     

Immunological and biochemical analysis of a null mutant of α-glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase from Drosophila melanogaster

Summary A Drosophila null mutant(BO-1-4) of -glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase induced by ethylmethane sulfonate(EMS) was analyzed by double immunodiffusion, enzyme immuno-inactivation, immunoelectrophoresis and two-dimensional electrophoresis. Based on all the immunological evidence, this mutant appears to express no protein that can cross-react with the antiserum specific to -glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase. A protein spot corresponding to -glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase was identified on two-dimensional gels of the soluble fly homogenates. The absence of this protein spot on two-dimensional gels of this null mutant further supported the immunological data. The activities of seven other enzymes in the related metabolic pathways were determined for the mutant and the control Drosophila. The null mutant does not show significant alterations in activities of these enzymes. The relationship between the deficiency of this enzyme and the inability for the sustained flight of the null mutant was discussed in terms of cellular metabolic regulations.Abbreviations used -GPD -glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.8) - EMS ethylmethane sulfonate - TEMED N,N,N,N-tetramethylene diamine - pI isolectric point - CRM immunological cross-reacting material     

Transfer of purified herpes virus thymidine kinase gene to cultured mouse cells.

Treatment of Ltk^?, mouse L cells deficient in thymidine kinase (tk), with Bam I restriction endonuclease cleaved DNA from herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) produced tk⁺ clones with a frequency of 10^?6/2 μg of HSV-1 DNA. Untreated cells or cells treated with Eco RI restriction endonuclease fragments produced no tk+ clones under the same conditions. The thymidine kinase activities of four independently derived clones were characterized by biochemical and serological techniques. By these criteria, the tk activities were found to be identical to HSV-1 tk and different from host wildtype tk. The tk⁺ phenotype was stable over several hundred cell generations, although the rate of reversion to the tk^? phenotype, as judged by cloning efficiency in the presence of bromodeoxyuridine, was high (1–5 × 10^?3). HSV-1 DNA Bam restriction fragments were separated by gel electrophoresis, and virtually all activity, as assayed by transfection, was found to reside in a 3.4 kb fragment. Transformation efficiency with the isolated fragment is 20 fold higher per gene equivalent than with the unfractionated total Bam digest. These results prove the usefulness of transfection assays as a means for the bioassay and isolation of restriction fragments carrying specific genetic information. Cells expressing HSV-1 tk may also provide a useful model system for the detailed analysis of eucaryotic and viral gene regulation.     

Biosynthesis of eugenol and cinnamic aldehyde in Cinnamomum zeylanicum

Incorporation of [¹⁴C]-phenylalanine and [¹⁴C]-methionine into cinnamon cuttings suggests that synthesis of eugenol from phenylalanine involves exchange of the terminal carbon in the side chain with that from a donor molecule such as methionine whereas synthesis of cinnamic aldehyde incorporates phenylalanine in toto.     

Specific adhesion of rat hepatocytes to beta-galactosides linked to polyacrylamide gels

Rat hepatocytes, isolated by a collagenase perfusion technique, specifically bind to polyacrylamide gel containing covalently immobilized 6-aminohexyl beta-D-galactopyranosyl groups. Less than 5% of these cells bind to polyacrylamide or to gels with the following covalently linked ligands: 6-aminohexanol, or the 6-aminohexyl D-pyranosides of alpha-mannose, beta-glucose, beta-2-acetamido-2-deoxyglucose, beta-cellobiose, beta-maltose, or beta-melibiose. Cell binding to beta-D-galactoside gels occurs after a lag period at 37 degrees and 65 to 100% (depending on the cell preparation) of the cells adhere. The duration of the lag period is inversely related to the beta-D-galactoside content of the gel but preincubation of the cells at 37 degrees reduces the lag period. Cell-gel binding is a threshold phenomenon. Adhesion of cells to gels does not occur when the glycoside concentration is less than about 900 nmol per cm2 x 0.25 mm thick gel piece. Above this critical concentration, cell-gel binding occurs and becomes maximal when the concentration is increased by only 20%. If these in vitro results apply to cellular interactions in vivo, they suggest that slight changes in the levels of cell surface or extracellular matrix carbohydrates may profoundly influence the behavior of neighboring cells.