Immunocytochemical and ultrastructural characterization of endocrine cells in chicken proventriculus

Summary The endocrine cells of the chicken proventriculus were investigated immunocytochemically, using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique on paraffin and semithin sections for light microscopy, and immunogold staining in osmium-fixed material for electron microscopy. The fixation procedure also allowed a detailed ultrastructural investigation. Twenty-three antisera were tested and 7 immunoreactive cell-types were identified: D-cells containing somatostatin-like peptide; EG-cells immunoreactive to anti-glucagon, anti-GLP1 and antineurotensin; NT-cells labelled only with anti-neurotensin; BN-cells containing bombesin-like material; ENK-cells showing met-enkephalin immunoreactivity; EC-cells reactive to anti-serotonin; and APP-cells positive to anti-avian pancreatic polypeptide. In addition, enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells, were also detected by electron microscopy. The presence of ENK-cells and the ultrastructure of these and NT-cells are described for the first time in chicken proventriculus, and glucagon, GLP1 and neurotensin are shown to be colocalized in the EG-cells.     

Maintenance of aPaecilomyces variotii culture in the frozen and Freeze-dried state and in distilled water

The highest number of viable.elements ofPaecilomyces variotii, forming colonies after a 1-year maintenance, was detected in frozen sample. Decreased viability of the frozen culture and culture maintained in distilled water was usually statistically significant after 1 year and decreased further with increasing age of the culture used for sample preparation. Freeze-drying also significantly decreased the strain viability, depending on culture age. In the freeze-dried culture stored in a refrigerator the relative number of viable elements was substantially higher than after storage at room temperature. After a 3-year storage of freeze-dried P.variotii in a refrigerator 14-44% of culture elements survived, as compared with the number detected immediately after freeze-drying.     

The hair of the common hare (Lepus europaeus Pall.) and of the common vole (Microtus arvalis Pall.) as indicator of the environmental pollution

We made the INAA of hair of the common hare (Lepus europaeus Pall.) and of the common vole (Microtus arvalis Pall.) living in the emission zones. Both the hare and the vole are almost exclusively herbivores; they consume relatively large amounts of contaminated food and mirror reliably the contamination degree of the respective ecosystem. The use of free-living animals for the control of the environmental quality may complete effectively the information obtained by examination of habitants. Though the free-living animals lead a rather different way of existence it has been found that the analyses of their hair correlate very well with the analyses of human hair. It may be expected that the changes of concentrations of heavy metals will manifest themselves earlier in animals than in men, because the animals are strictly tied to the local food sources. The hair samples of hares contained increased concentrations of Sm, La, Au, As, Se, Cr, Sc, Fe, Ce, Th and Co. The hair of voles showed increased concentrations of Sm, La, Zn, As, Se, Cr, Sc, Fe, Sb, Ce, Cs and Co. A conspicuous trend towards the cumulation in hair was observed in the following elements: As, Se, Sc and Fe. The increase of their concentrations in the hair of animals from the emission regions amounted as such as to 10(3)%.     

Arbovirological survey in Silica plateau area, Roznava District, Czechoslovakia

The serosurveys conducted in the Silica plateau area of the Slovak karst region revealed the presence of specific neutralizing antibody against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus in 18% of local inhabitants (33 examined, mostly goats and sheep farmers), 54% of goats (26 examined), 18% of sheep (120 examined) and 13% of cattle (60 examined), against Lipovník (LIP) virus in 30% of inhabitants, 88% of goats, 55% of sheep and 45% of cattle, and against Bhanja (BHA) virus in 27% of inhabitants, 46% of goats, 29% of sheep and 23% of cattle. The results of hemagglutination-inhibition tests with TBE and BHA antigens were analogous. A detailed analysis of these serologic data points to a recent enhancement of the circulation of LIP and BHA viruses and to a very low TBE virus activity in this natural focus of arboviral infections. The immunological surveys of the 32 former "Roznava disease" patients, conducted 25 years after an extensive epidemic of a TBE virus infection that originated in Roznava in 1951, revealed the presence of neutralizing (and also hemagglutination-inhibiting) antibodies against TBE virus in as many as 78% of cases. Antibodies against LIP and BHA viruses were also detectable in the sera of 16% and 9%, respectively, of these individuals. Populations of the ectoparasites examined for the presence of arbovirus comprised 231 Ixodes ricinus, 806 Dermacentor marginatus and 204 Haemaphysalis punctata ticks and 117 specimens of the louse-flies Melophagus ovinus. Two strains of arbivirus that were antigenically related to Lipovník and Tribec viruses belonging to a group of Kemerovo viruses were isolated from male and female I. ricinus ticks collected from cattle.     

Membrane lipid changes in root cells of rape (Brassica napus) as a function of water-deficit stress

Rape seedlings ( Brassica napus L. cv. Brink) were exposed to repeated water-deficit stress. The water-stress program started after 19 days of growth and consisted of three 24 h stress periods interspersed with 24 h rewatering periods. After the third stress period the seedlings were harvested and the membrane lipids of the roots were extracted, isolated and quantified. The stress caused an increased ratio of dry weight roots/shoot. Furthermore, the total amount of acyl lipids as well as phospholipids decreased drastically. However, the relative distribution of individual phospholipids was constant and independent of stress. Free and esterified sterols showed only a small decrease in response to water stress. As a consequence the ratio free sterols/phospholipids increased from 0.07 in the control root cells to 0.15 in the stressed cells. The lipid changes are discussed in relation to membrane activity.     

Solid-state conformation of some basic sequential polypeptides

We have studied the structure of solid films obtained by x-ray diffraction, from several basic polypeptides with a defined sequence. The alterating polypeptides poly(Ala-Lys), poly(Leu-Lys), poly(Val-Lys), and poly(Arg-Leu) all show a cross-β-structure in which layers of hydrophilic side chains alternate with layers containing hydrophobic side chains. The other polypeptides studied are not in the β-conformation and appear to be in the α-helical conformation. The helices obtained from poly(Lys-Ala-Ala) and poly(Lys-Ala-Ala-Lys) appear to be packed in an unusual fashion, which favors interaction between alanine side chains. Such behavior is not found in poly(Lys-Leu-Ala).     

Implementation of periodic acid-thiosemicarbazide-silver proteinate staining for ultrastructural assessment of muscle glycogen utilization during exercise

Summary Distribution of glycogen particles in semithin and ultrathin sections of biopsy samples from human muscles subjected to either short- or long-term running were investigated using PAS and Periodic Acid-ThioSemiCarbazide-Silver Proteinate (PA-TSC-SP) staining methods. Glycogen particles were predominantly found immediately under the sarcolemma or aligned along the myofibrillar Iband. After long-term exhaustive exercise type-1 fibers with a few or no glycogen particles in the core of the fibers were frequently observed. The subsarcolemmal glycogen stores of these depleted type-1 fibers were about three times as large as after exhaustive short-time exercise. Another indication of utilization of subsarcolemmal glycogen stores during anaerobic exercise was that many particles displayed a pale, rudimentary shape. This observation suggests fragmental metabolization of glycogen. Thus, depending on type of exercise and type of fiber differential and sequential glycogen utilization patterns can be observed.     

Protoplast forming ability in the genusBrevibacterium

Formation of protoplasts and their reversion were followed in 7 strains of brevibacteria. The formation of protoplasts and their reversion differed both between various species of brevibacteria and between various mutant strains of the same species.