Evidence for a single glutamate receptor of the ionotropic kainate/quisqualate type

The kainate (KA) and the quisqualate (QUIS) receptors that activate cation channels in the central nervous system have previously been defined as two of the major glutamate receptor types. In amphibian brain, an exceptionally rich source of these sites, they can be coextracted by octylglucoside and shown to behave as one entity in all analyses made in solution. When partly purified by lectin affinity, ion-exchange chromatography or by sucrose gradient centrifugation, the two activities comigrate in a 1:1 ratio. When the QUIS component is bound to an immobilized specific QUIS agonist, the KA component is extracted in parallel with it. There are equivalent numbers of the QUIS and KA sites and the two sites show a single affinity series for the binding of glutamatergic agonists. We deduce that KA or QUIS select different conformations of a single KA/QUIS receptor binding site, leading thus to the different channel-opening events that have been reported for these two agonists.     

Use of acyclovir in the prevention of herpes infections after allogenic bone marrow grafts

In a double-bind controlled study, oral Acyclovir has been compared to a placebo in a series of 39 consecutive patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. A dose of 200 mg was given every 6 h from day 8 to day 35 after transplantation. Pharmacokinetic studies have shown the good absorption of the drug despite intestinal damage related to chemoradiotherapy or gut graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), there was no sign of toxicity. The protection against herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection was complete in the treated group when compared to the control group even in patients with high anti-HSV antibody titres. The same protection was observed against cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. The incidence of HSV and CMV was the same in both groups after treatment ended. This study confirms the efficacy of Acyclovir against HSV infection and possibly against CMV infection when it is given prophylactically after bone marrow transplantation.     

Statistical evidence for remnants of the primordial code in the acceptor stem of prokaryotic transfer RNA

Summary The specificity of interaction of amino acids with triplets in the acceptor helix stem of tRNA was investigated by means of a statistical analysis of 1400 tRNA sequences. The imprint of a prototypic genetic code at position 3–5 of the acceptor helix was detected, but only for those major amino acids, glycine, alanine, aspartic acid, and valine, that are formed by spark discharges of simple gases in the laboratory. Although remnants of the code at position 3–5 are typical for tRNAs of archaebacteria, eubacteria, and chloroplasts, eukaryotes do not seem to contain this code, and mitochondria take up an intermediary position. A duplication mechanism for the transposition of the original 3–5 code toward its present position in the anticodon stern of tRNA is proposed. From this viewpoint, the mode of evolution of mRNA and functional ribosomes becomes more understandable.Offprint requests to: W. Moller     

Thyroxine,methimazole, and thyroid microsomal autoantibody titres in hypothyroid Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Ten hypothyroid patients with Hashimoto''s thyroiditis were treated with methimazole 30 mg in addition to thyroxine 0.15 mg daily. Another 10 hypothyroid patients with Hashimoto''s thyroiditis were given thyroxine 0.15 mg alone. After 22 weeks of treatment significant decreases in thyroid microsomal autoantibody titres were observed in both groups (p less than 0.01). There was no difference in the mean change in titre between the two groups. When the patients treated with methimazole were subsequently given thyroxine 0.15 mg alone for a further 22 weeks no additional change in titre was observed. The data suggest that thyroxine, by normalising serum thyroid stimulating hormone concentrations, may reduce the autoantigenic properties of the thyrocytes with a subsequent decrease in autoantibody titres.     

Immunohistochemical and electron microscopic identification of serotonin, melatonin and beta-endorphin in the granules of natural killers

The ability of serotonin, melatonin and beta-endorphin synthesis by secreting granules of natural killer cells (NK cells) was established by immunohistochemical method. It was shown that cytotoxic effect of NK cells can be to a certain extent related to the presence of secreting granules. A possible direct contribution of NK cell-synthesized hormones to the natural killer antitumour effect is discussed.     

A rapid method for the purification of supercoiled PM2 DNA by affinity chromatography on H1 histone covalently coupled to agarose.

A simple and rapid method is described for the purification of supercoiled PM2 DNA by affinity chromatography on columns of H1 histone covalently coupled to agarose. The method does not require the use of intercalating agents or ultracentrifugation procedures. Under the conditions most appropriate for purification, elution is carried out in a single step with buffered 0.7 M NaCl after the sample has been loaded onto the column in buffered 0.2 M NaCl. The DNA eluted at the higher salt concentration consists of supercoiled closed circular DNA at greater than 90% purity independently of the ratio of supercoiled to nicked circular DNA in the input mixture.     

Tubulin polymerisation in the presence of GMP-PCP

Microtubules induced by the binding of GTP or of a non-hydrolysable analog of GTP onto the exchangeable site of tubulin appear very similar according to electron microscopy and polymerisation kinetics criteria. However, we show here that the exchangeable sites or “E” sites of the tubulin subunits remain available for nucleotide exchange inside the GMP-PCP-microtubules contrary to the “E” sites inside the GDP-microtubules. Moreover, under specific conditions, GMP-PCP induces the polymerisation of tubulin into a bidimensional, pseudocrystallin structure. Such a “crystallisation” is inhibited by GTP and GDP.     

Packing of ribosomes in crystals from the lizard Lacerta sicula

The packing of ribosomes in the large crystalline sheets found in the lizard Lacerta sicula has been investigated by electron microscopy. The ribosomes in each of the two layers composing a sheet are organised as tetramers on a P4 space group lattice. The two layers face in opposite directions and tend to be related to one another crystallographically, generating a family of P422 crystals of different unit cell dimensions. The projected structure of one layer was determined from negatively stained, isolated sheets by separating the contributions from each layer in Fourier transforms computed from electron micrographs. Comparison of the projection map with other, low resolution, analyses of images of isolated eukaryotic ribosomes indicates that the large subunit- small subunit axis lies approximately parallel to the plane of the sheet.