Uptake of galactose and lactose by Kluyveromyces lactis: biochemical characteristics and attempted genetical analysis

Study of the lactose and galactose transport systems in Kluyveromyces lactis has shown that lactose uptake is by active transport. The transport system is under monogenic control and is inducible. Galactose uptake is also by active transport but the system is controlled by two genes which, in the four strains we studied, are present only in K. lactis CBS 2359. Galactose uptake in the other K. lactis strains is by a simple diffusion process.     

Composition and ultrastructure of elasmobranch granulocytes. I. Dogfishes (Squaliformes)

The blood granulocyte composition of 10 species of dogfish is given, together with ultrastructural observations made on Etmopterus baxteri Leydig organ and blood, and on spleens of Oxynotus bruniensis, Deania calcea, Scymnodon plunketi and blood of Centroscymnus crepidator . Neutrophilic granulocytes, which were common, had spherical granules that developed a dense core, which then lost contents to become lucent. Eosinophilic granulocytes had ovoid or elongated granules with a fibrillar content that became aligned longitudinally, and rarely formed an axial rod. Eosinophils had large spherical granules that were electron-dense but in early stages had a disorganised fibrillar content. These cells correspond to the neutrophils, heterophils and eosinophils, respectively, of other elasmobranchs.
Dogfish granulocytes are compared with those of other elasmobranchs, and their lack of similarity to those of higher vertebrates is noted.     

The effect of substance P on the regional lymph node antibody response to antigenic stimulation in capsaicin-pretreated rats

The undecapeptide substance P (SP) contained in primary afferent nerves is thought to mediate that part of the neurogenic inflammatory response consisting of vasodilation and plasma extravasation. This response is diminished in rats pretreated as neonates with the neurotoxin capsaicin. It is not known whether primary afferent nerves influence cellular responses of the immune response to antigenic stimulation. Using 6- to 12-wk-old Sprague-Dawley rats pretreated as neonates with capsaicin, we examined the regional lymph node response to a s.c. antigenic stimulus of sheep red blood cells. The number of cells secreting antigen-specific antibody in these animals was reduced by more than 80% using direct and indirect plaque assay methods. The reduced antibody response in capsaicin-pretreated animals was reversed by a s.c. infusion of SP given over a 4-hr period at the injection site immediately after antigen stimulation. This response had a threshold at approximately 1.0 X 10(-5) M SP. SP1-7 (1.0 X 10(-5) M) was without effect but an infusion of SP5-11 (1.0 X 10(-5) M) reversed the effects of capsaicin treatment indicating a carboxyl-terminal effect of SP. The results suggest that the reduced response of capsaicin-treated animals to an antigenic stimulus is due to an effect of capsaicin on the SP-containing primary afferent nerves rather than a toxic effect of capsaicin on the immune system.     

Sequence and type-specific immunogenicity of the amino-terminal region of type 1 streptococcal M protein

The NH2-terminal sequence of type 1 M protein was determined by automated Edman degradation of purified polypeptide fragments extracted from whole streptococci by limited digestion with pepsin. Three polypeptide fragments were purified by slab gel electrophoresis on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide followed by electroelution. The purified fragments migrated as 28-, 25-, and 23.5-kDa fragments, respectively. Each of the fragments inhibited opsonization of a diluted antiserum prepared in rabbits by immunization with whole type 1 streptococci. The amino-terminal sequences of the peptide fragments were confirmed by comparison with the primary structure predicted from the nucleotide sequence of the type 1 M protein structural gene. The 28-kDa fragment contained the NH2-terminal asparagine residue of the processed type 1 M protein, whereas the NH2-terminal sequences of the 25- and 23.5-kDa peptides began at residues 27 and 36, respectively. A seven-residue periodicity with respect to polar and nonpolar residues was observed beginning at residue 22 and, therefore, the secondary structural potential of type 1 M protein is similar to that reported for other M proteins. In contrast to the other M proteins, however, identical repeats were rare, the longest sequence identity consisting of a three-amino acid acid sequence Lys-Asp-Leu at positions 30-32 repeated once at positions 65-67. A 23-residue synthetic peptide of the amino-terminus of the type 1 M protein evoked opsonic antibodies against type 1 streptococci. These results indicate that the NH2-terminal region of type 1 M protein retains the secondary structural characteristics of other M serotypes. Moreover, it contains epitopes that evoke protective immune responses. Our studies may have bearing in the development of safe and effective vaccines against group A streptococcal infections.     

Biologic-response-modifier-induced indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activity in human peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures

Degradation of tryptophan to kynurenine, catalyzed by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), has been augmented in human epithelial cell lines treated with human interferon-gamma (HuIFN-gamma). Several human biologic response modifiers, including HuIFN-gamma, HuIFN-beta, HuIFN-alpha, interleukin 2 (HuIL-2), and tumor necrosis factor alpha, have now been assessed for their ability to enhance tryptophan degradation in human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PMC) cultures. PMC were isolated from normal donors, cultivated in RPMI 1640 medium containing [3H]tryptophan, and treated with individual biologic response modifiers. At various intervals, culture supernatants were removed, fractionated by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, and radioactivity in resultant fractions was determined. Significantly increased amounts of tryptophan catabolites were observed after treatment with HuIFN-gamma, HuIFN-beta, HuIFN-alpha, and HuIL-2, but not human tumor necrosis factor alpha. Often, greater than 30% of available tryptophan was degraded by treated PMC cultures. Although antibodies to HuIFN-alpha, HuIFN-beta, and HuIFN-gamma specifically neutralized the induction of IDO activity in PMC by their respective HuIFN, only anti-HuIFN-gamma antibody also neutralized HuIL-2-induced IDO activity. Furthermore, T24 bladder carcinoma cells, in which IDO was induced by HuIFN-gamma but not by the other biologic response modifiers, were induced to degrade tryptophan by supernatants of HuIL-2-stimulated PMC cultures, but not by HuIFN-beta-stimulated PMC culture supernatants. Thus, whereas HuIL-2 indirectly induced IDO in PMC cultures by stimulating production of HuIFN-gamma, all cases of interferons appeared to induce IDO directly in PMC cultures.     

The molecular basis of the hyaluronic acid-mediated stimulation of granulocyte function

Previous investigations have demonstrated that the function of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) is stimulated by hyaluronic acid (HA). The aim of the present investigation was to study the molecular basis for the effect of HA. HA fragments of m.w. in the range from 792 (tetrasaccharide) to 3,000,000 all stimulated the chemotactic and phagocytic function of PMN. The active concentration ranged from 4 to 64 pmol/liter, irrespective of the molecular size. Further investigations demonstrated that N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (NAGA) was the smallest active fragment of HA. NAGA is one of the components from which HA is built up; the other component glucuronic acid was without effect, and so were the other glycosaminoglycans, N-acetyl-D-mannosamine, N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, and D-glucosamine. Finally, Con A, the glucopyranosyl and glucomannosyl binding lectin, inhibited the stimulatory effect of NAGA. As is the case with HA, fibronectin also acts as a necessary cofactor to NAGA when incubations are made in the absence of whole blood or serum. The present results strongly indicated that the combined action of NAGA and fibronectin worked directly on the PMN by an interaction at the cellular membrane level. We conclude that the stimulatory action of HA on granulocyte functions is mediated through one of its two structural components, i.e., NAGA.     

Influence of neighbouring base sequence on N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis in the lacI gene of Escherichia coli

N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-induced forward mutations within the first 540 base-pairs of the lacI gene of Escherichia coli were cloned and sequenced. In total, 167 MNNG-induced independent mutations were characterized, with G.C to A.T transitions accounting for all but three of the mutations. This mutagenic specificity is consistent with the mispairing predicted by the methylation of the O6 position of guanine. The characterization of such large numbers of mutations permitted an analysis of the influence of local DNA sequence on mutagenesis. This analysis revealed a strong influence by the 5' flanking base. On average, guanine residues preceded (5') by a guanine or an adenine residue were, respectively, nine times and five times more likely to mutate after treatment with MNNG than those preceded by a pyrimidine residue.     

Retrospective evaluation of gynecologic cytodiagnosis. II. Interlaboratory reproducibility as shown in rescreening large consecutive samples of reported cases

Two laboratories exchanged and rescreened a large sample of cases with cervicovaginal smears they had consecutively accessioned to examine the reproducibility of gynecologic cytodiagnosis under optimum conditions. At least a "working agreement" (diagnoses within +/- 1 category on a ten-category scale) was achieved in diagnoses of normal, benign reaction and squamous abnormality (from minimal dysplasia though invasive cancer) in 18,859 cases (96.8%), of endometrial abnormality in 21 cases (42%) and of "unsatisfactory" in 99 cases (20.7%). Larger differences occurred in greater than or equal to 30% of cases except in the categories of "normal" and "benign reaction," reaching a maximum of 82% for moderate dysplasia. Reexamining 382 cases decreased disagreement by category to the 20% to 65% range only in the five categories of dysplasia plus carcinoma in situ. Agreement was not predicated on the presence of endocervical cells or squamous metaplasia; the basis for "unsatisfactory" calls was not uniform. Comparison of the laboratories' diagnoses with referee diagnoses or, on 178 cases, with tissue diagnoses also demonstrated differences in diagnostic criteria.     

Diastereomers of thymidine 3'-O-(methanephosphonothioate): synthesis, absolute configuration and reaction with 3'-methoxyacetylthymidine under conditions of triester approach to oligonucleotide synthesis

Diastereomers of the title compound were obtained and absolute configuration was assigned by means of stereochemical correlation. Their reaction with 3'-O-methoxyacetylthymidine in the presence of triisopropylbenzenesulphonyl (4-nitro) triazole is neither chemo- nor stereo-selective and leads to diastereomeric pairs of dithymidyl (3',5')methanephosphonate and -methanephosphonothioate. Obtained results are discussed in terms of mechanism of activation of phosphodiesters under conditions known as "phosphotriester approach to oligonucleotide synthesis".     

Porotic hyperostosis: new evidence to support the anemia theory

The etiology of skull lesions known as porotic hyperostosis has long been a matter for speculation. The most widely accepted theory at present suggests that an anemia, either acquired or genetic, is responsible for lesion development. However, acceptance of this theory is not universal and the nature of the relationship between orbital and vault lesions remains a controversial issue. This paper provides a much broader field of supportive evidence on which to base the anemia theory. This involves a synthesis of information from the clinical and anthropological literature as well as new data from two skeletal collections: Poundbury Camp, a Romano-British series, and the Hodgson collection, a 19th century East Asian series. A comparison is made between clinical and anthropological data at the macroscopic, microscopic, radiographic, and demographic levels of analysis. This approach reveals the similarities in expression between clinically diagnosed anemias and porotic hyperostosis.