Attribution des signaux de résonance magnétique nucléaire-13c de disaccharides peracétylés dans la série du D-glucose

Selective, double irradiation allows the assignment of most ¹³C-n.m.r. signals in a series of per-O-acetyl disaccharides composed of two D-glucose residues linked α-(1→3), β-(1→3), α-(1→4), β-(1→4), α-(1→6), β-(1→6), and α,α-(1→1). The main influences that affect the chemical shifts are discussed and the spectra of β-cellobiose octaacetate and β-maltose octaacetate are compared to those of cellulose and amylose triacetate, respectively, to show the possibilities and limitations of a disaccharide model for the interpretation of the ¹³C-spectrum of a polymer.     

Dérivés d'acides 3-(β-d-érythrofuranosyl)-pyrazolecarboxyliques

Treatment of 2,5-anhydro-1-bromo-1-deoxy-2,3-O-isopropylidene-1-p-nitrophenylhydrazono-d-ribose with methyl acetylenecarboxylate gave methyl 3-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-d-erythrofuranosyl)-1-p-nitrophenylpyrazole- (8) and 5-carboxylate (9). Amidification at C-5 of 8 was easier than at C-4 of 9. Similarly, dimethyl 3-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-d-erythrofuranosyl)- 1 - p-nitrophenylpyrazole-4,5-dicarboxylate gave specifically a 5-carbamoyl derivative, the structure of which was established by comparison of the ¹³C-n.m.r.spectrum with those of a series of glycosylpyrazoles. The correlation between the experimental values of the chemical shifts of the carbon atoms of the pyrazole ring and the values calculated by addition of the contributions of the various groups linked to the ring was better (R 0.98) than the correlations obtained by calculation by the CNDO/2 method of the total electron population (R 0.92) or of the π-electron population of each carbon atom (R 0.85).     

Further studies on polyploid amphibians

The manner in which centromere regions of mitotic chromosomes are distributed with respect to the age of their DNA was studied. Cells of the Indian deer, Muntiacus muntjak, were grown in the presence of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) for two generations and stained with the fluorescent dye Hoechst 33258. Chromatids containing granddaughter DNA appear dim when compared with those containing grandparental DNA. The frequencies of the various anaphase patterns of bright and dim centromere regions were binomially distributed, indicating random distribution of chromatids with respect to the age of their DNA templates.     

Sensitivity of yeasts to lithium

A wide range of tolerance to Li⁺ has been found among 12 different yeasts. Concentrations that do not allow long-term growth also arrest growth of an actively growing culture within 2–5 h. At the same concentrations protein and RNA synthesis are inhibited with little or no lag period (<50 min) but respiration is not affected at these concentrations. Lower concentrations that do not inhibit growth, may impair sporulation. For given extracellular conditions, intracellular Li⁺ concentrations are lower in the more tolerant yeast strains.     

Xanthones from Tovomita pyrifolium

The wood of Tovomita pyrifolium (Guttiferae) contains the novel tovopyrifolins A [1,6-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-5-prenyl-6′,6′-dimethylpyrano (2′,3′:3,2)xanthone], B (1,5-dihydroxy-3,4-dimethoxyxanthone) and C (1,3,5-trihydroxy-2-methoxyxanthone) and also the known tovophyllins A and B [structure revised to 1,6-dihydroxy-5-prenyl-6′, 6′-dimethylpyrano(2′,3′:3,2)-6″,6″-dimethylpyrano(2″,3″:7,8)xanthone].     

L'encapsulation hémocytaire expérimentale chez le lépisme Thermobia domestica

The introduction of inert foreign objects into the thorax of the thysanuran Thermobia domestica provoked the formation of a cellular capsule, the development and fine structure of which were examined.Encapsulation at first simply results from the accumulation of blood cells around the implant. It is possible to distinguish 48 hr later four regions in the cellular capsule: (1) An exterior layer including normal haemocytes. (2) An intermediate layer formed by homogeneous intercellular electron-dense material and by stretched haemocytes. These haemocytes have numerous microtubules, without any granular particles, and are linked together by desmosomes. (3) An interior layer of cells in the process of necrosis and rich in lysosomes. (4) A very thin limiting layer tentatively interpreted as melanin.The large number of haemocytes devoid of the specific features of the fibroblasts and the very important reduction of the acellular material without collagen fibrils distinguish clearly the cellular capsules of the Insecta from the granuloma of the Vertebrata and other groups.     

A stochastic model of cell aggregation under planar flow in the dilute regime

Models of the adhesion of a population of cells in a plane flow are developed, considering the dilute regime. Cells considered as rigid punctual entities are virtually injected at regular times within a plane channel limited by two fixed planes. The pressure profile is supposed to be triangular (constant gradient), in accordance with the assumptions of a Poiseuille flow. The cell adherence to the channel wall is governed by the balance of forces, accounting for gravity, non-specific physical interactions, such as electrostatic effects (repulsive) and Van der Waals forces (attractive), specific adhesive forces representing the ligand–receptor interactions, and friction between cells and the fluid in the vicinity of the endothelium wall. The spatial distribution of the adhesion molecules along the wall is supposed to be a random event, accounted for by a stochastic spatial variability of the dipolar moments of those molecules, according to a Gaussian process. Experimental trends reported for the rate of aggregation of L-selectin mediated leukocytes under shear flow are in qualitative accordance with the evolution versus time of adhering cells obtained by the present simulations. The effect of the maximal injection pressure on those kinetics is assessed.