MHC zygosity in the frog,Rana temporaria

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) zygosity of the field-collected frogs, Rana temporaria, was detected by progeny testing. Groups of sibling tadpoles were grafted with intrafamilial tail-tip allografts and the ratio of rapidly rejected allografts to slowly rejected ones was estimated. Twenty-five percent of parental frogs appeared to be MHC homozygotes. Thus, MHC homozygosity in natural frog populations seems to be considerably higher than in wild mouse populations.     

Growth Potential of Halophilic Bacteria Isolated from Solar Salt Environments: Carbon Sources and Salt Requirements

Eighteen strains of extremely halophilic bacteria and three strains of moderately halophilic bacteria were isolated from four different solar salt environments. Growth tests on carbohydrates, low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids, and complex medium demonstrated that the moderate halophiles and strains of the extreme halophiles Haloarcula and Halococcus grew on most of the substrates tested. Among the Halobacterium isolates were several metabolic groups: strains that grew on a broad range of substrates and strains that were essentially confined to either amino acid (peptone) or carbohydrate oxidation. One strain (WS-4) only grew well on pyruvate and acetate. Most strains of extreme halophiles grew by anaerobic fermentation and possibly by nitrate reduction. Tests of growth potential in natural saltern brines demonstrated that none of the halobacteria grew well in brines which harbor the densest populations of these bacteria in solar salterns. All grew best in brines which were unsaturated with NaCl. The high concentrations of Na⁺ and Mg²⁺ found in saltern crystallizer brines limited bacterial growth, but the concentrations of K⁺ found in these brines had little effect. MgSO₄ was relatively more inhibitory to the extreme halophiles than was MgCl₂, but the reverse was true for the moderate halophiles.     

Ultrastructure of dynamic and static skeletofusimotor endings in a cat muscle spindle

Summary Endings of four skeletofusimotor axons in a spindle of the cat tenuissimus muscle were examined in semithin (1-m thick) and ultrathin transverse serial sections. Two (dynamic) axons terminated on the nuclear bag₁ intrafusal muscle fiber and on extrafusal fibers of the dark type. Two (static) axons terminated on the nuclear chain intrafusal fibers and extrafusal fibers of the intermediate type. The degree of indentation of axon terminals into the muscle surface, thickness of the sole plate and extent of folding of subjunctional membranes differed among intrafusal and extrafusal terminations of the same axon. Endings of axons on the bag₁ and chain fibers were also morphologically dissimilar. Motor axons may not determine ending morphology. Rather the form and structure of a bag₁ or chain ending may be determined by the type of intrafusal fiber on which the ending lies and the ending's distance from the primary sensory axon.     

Human C4 polymorphism: Pedigree analysis of qualitative,quantiative, and functional parameters as a basis for phenotype interpretations

Summary Ten families with 82 members were investigated for C4A- and B polymorphism in a blind trial. Phenotyping was done on neuraminidase treated sera by immunofixation and simulataneously by hemolytic overlay electrophoresis. In addition Rg, Ch, BF, C2, HLA-A, B, C, DR, and GLO were determined. After decoding the samples the reliability of blind typing was found to be 84.4% according to segregation patters. Inconsistencies occurred mostly when A 4, A 2, or A 92 were present. The detection of silent A*Q0 and B*Q0 alleles was more critical than that of difficult allotypes. The quantitation of the C4A/B ratio by densitometry of stained gels or by conventional immunochemical measurements of serum C4 level could not substantially improve the identification of A*Q0 or B*Q0. C4 dependent activity in radial diffusion hemolysis showed satisfactory correspondence with the number of expressed C4B alleles. At least three haplotypes with two C4A genes (duplicated A genes) were observed as ascertained from offspring analysis in accordance with the MHC segregation pattern. Individuals with the duplicated C4A gene (C4A*3. A*2. in the absence of any other expressed A allele or together with C4A*92) showed only partial inhibition of Rodgers antisera. Partial inhibition of Chido antisera was seen in individuals with C4B 2 (in the absence of other B allotypes). The findings support the hypothesis of at least two structural C4 loci. The also demonstrate the inconsistency of quantitative data in the recognition of silent alleles.     

Anatomical and physiological effects of silver thiosulfate on ethylene-induced abscission inColeus

Petioles of expiants ofColeus blumei Benth. exposed to 20 l/l ethylene abscised within 36 h. Pretreatment of expiants with 4 mM silver thiosulfate (STS) inhibited ethylene-induced abscission. Delaying treatment with STS reduced its effectiveness in retarding ethylene-promoted abscission, suggesting that some events leading to abscission are initiated during the first hours of ethylene treatment. Microscopic study of abscission zones of ethylene-treated expiants showed greatly increased amounts of rough endoplasmic reticulum, disruptions of the plasma membrane, and some cell separation in the region of the middle lamella. Pretreatment with STS prevented ethylene-induced reorganization of the endomembrane system and the subsequent middle lamellar dissolution.     

Isolation,culture, and preliminary characterization of ellipsoids (sheathed capillaries of Schweigger-Seidel) of the pig spleen

Summary Whole isolated ellipsoids (sheathed capillaries of Schweiger-Seidel) of the pig spleen were explanted in Medium 199 containing 20% fetal calf serum or horse serum respectively. Cultures were kept in a gas phase of 5% carbon dioxide in air at 37°C. After about 4 days in culture the outgrowth of two morphologically different cell types was apparent. Small cells of fusiform or stellate morphology disalayed high activity of acid phosphatase. N-acetyl--glucosaminidase and -glucuronidase activity were also detectable. Furthermore these cells were highly reactive for unspecific esterase and -glutamyl transpeptidase activity. Endogenous peroxidase activity was present in the cytoplasm and in the perinuclear space. Stellate cells therefore are thought of as ellipsoid macrophages. Additional observations reported are the expression of Fc-receptors on stellate cells. They triggered the phagocytosis of opsonized test particles. The second cell type showed fibroblastic morphology. The large well spread cells did exhibit low activities of acid phophatase and N-acetyl--glucosaminidase. The other enzyme activities examined were not detectable. The nature of these cells is not well understood at present. Most likely they are constituents of the framework of the ellipsoids. No transitions between stellate cells and fibroblastic cells were found.     

Isoelectric focusing of glutathione S-transferases from rat liver and kidney

The glutathione S-transferases that were purified to homogeneity from liver cytosol have overlapping but distinct substrate specificities and different isoelectric points. This report explores the possibility of using preparative electrofocusing to compare the composition of the transferases in liver and kidney cytosol. Hepatic cytosol from adult male Sprague–Dawley rats was resolved by isoelectric focusing on Sephadex columns into five peaks of transferase activity, each with characteristic substrate specificity. The first four peaks of transferase activity (in order of decreasing basicity) are identified as transferases AA, B, A and C respectively, on the basis of substrate specificity, but the fifth peak (pI6.6) does not correspond to a previously described transferase. Isoelectric focusing of renal cytosol resolves only three major peaks of transferase activity, each with narrow substrate specificity. In the kidney, peak 1 (pI9.0) has most of the activity toward 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, peak 2 (pI8.5) toward p-nitrobenzyl chloride, and peak 3 (pI7.0) toward trans-4-phenylbut-3-en-2-one. Renal transferase peak 1 (pI9.0) appears to correspond to transferase B on the basis of pI, substrate specificity and antigenicity. Kidney transferase peaks 2 (pI8.5) and 3 (pI7.0) do not correspond to previously described glutathione S-transferases, although kidney transferase peak 3 is similar to the transferase peak 5 from focused hepatic cytosol. Transferases A and C were not found in kidney cytosol, and transferase AA was detected in only one out of six replicates. Thus it is important to recognize the contribution of individual transferases to total transferase activity in that each transferase may be regulated independently.