Monoclonal antibody against platelet thrombospondin decreases erythrocyte aggregation rate.

The effect of thrombospondin, a major glycoprotein in the platelet alpha-granule, on the erythrocyte aggregation rate was investigated. Venous blood was sampled from 8 healthy male volunteers and anticogulated with 1.1 mg/ml EDTA(K2). The erythrocyte aggregation rate of each blood sample was measured with a whole-blood erythrocyte aggregometer before and after incubation with murine monoclonal antibody against human platelet thrombospondin. After 15 min incubation, the erythrocyte aggregation rate exhibited a significant decrease to 0.055 +/- 0.022/s, representing 71.9 +/- 8.7% of the control value (0.075 +/- 0.028/s) (p less than 0.0005). The results obtained suggest that thrombospondin may participate in the control of erythrocyte aggregability in the circulating blood.     

Evidence that glycine and GABA mediate postsynaptic inhibition of bulbar respiratory neurons in the cat.

Experiments were carried out on decerebrate cats to identify transsynaptic mediators of spontaneous postsynaptic inhibition of bulbar inspiratory and postinspiratory neurons. Somatic membrane potentials were recorded through the central micropipette of a coaxial multibarreled electrode. Blockers of type A gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA-A) and glycine receptors were iontophoresed extracellularly from peripheral micropipettes surrounding the central pipette. Effective antagonism was demonstrated by iontophoresis of agonists with antagonists; application of strychnine antagonized the action of glycine but not GABA, and application of bicuculline antagonized the action of GABA but not glycine. In both types of neurons, iontophoresis of either antagonist depolarized the somatic membrane and increased input resistance throughout the respiratory cycle. Bicuculline preferentially depolarized the somatic membrane in both types of neurons during inactive phases. Strychnine increased the firing rate of inspiratory neurons during inspiration despite maintenance of somatic membrane potential at preiontophoresis levels. Tetrodotoxin reduced the effects of iontophoresed bicuculline and strychnine, suggesting that the action of the antagonists required presynaptic axonal conduction. The present results suggest that presynaptic release of both GABA and glycine contributes to tonic postsynaptic inhibition of bulbar respiratory neurons. GABA-A receptors appear to contribute to inhibition during inactive phases in inspiratory and postinspiratory neurons, whereas glycinergic mechanisms appear to contribute to inspiratory inhibition in inspiratory neurons.     

Primary structure of a precursor for the delta-subunit of sweet potato mitochondrial F1-ATPase deduced from full length cDNA.

A cDNA library constructed from poly(A)-rich RNA of the sweet potato tuberous root using a newly developed plasmid vector carrying tac-SP6 promoters was used to identify full length cDNAs for the nuclear-encoded delta-subunit of mitochondrial F1-ATPase by oligonucleotide-hybridization selection. Selected clones contained cDNA insert which carry the entire coding capacity for the pre-delta-subunit, since the RNA transcribed in vitro from SP6 promoter on the vector directed the synthesis of pre-delta-subunit polypeptide in a wheat germ in vitro translation assay. The nucleotide sequence of one of these cDNAs indicates that it can code for the pre-delta-subunit of 244 amino acids of which 199 amino acids encode the mature subunit. The amino acid sequence of the mature delta-subunit shows similarities of about 18-25% amino acid positional identity with the delta-subunits of bacterial F1-ATPases, about 26% with the delta-subunit of chloroplast CF1-ATPase, and about 32-37% with oligomycin sensitivity conferring proteins of animal and fungal mitochondria. The N-terminal presequence of the precursor composed of maximum of 45 amino acids does not show any obvious sequence homology with either the transit peptide of the nuclear-encoded pre-delta-subunit of chloroplast CF1 or the presequence of the nuclear-encoded pre-oligomycin sensitivity conferring proteins. At least two types of the delta-subunit cDNAs with very similar structures were identified from the library, and the presence of multiple copies of the delta-subunit gene in the hexaploid genome of the sweet potato is also suggested by genomic Southern blot hybridization.     

Angiotensin II generation in mesenteric arteries in rats: effects of nephrectomy, deoxycorticosterone and dexamethasone

Angiotensin II (ANG II) generation in the mesenteric arteries was studied in four groups of rats: deoxycorticosterone (DOCA)/salt treated, glucocorticoid treated, nephrectomized and control rats. Basal plasma renin activity (PRA) was undetectable in the nephrectomized group and suppressed in the DOCA/salt treated rats, but was increased in the rats treated with glucocorticoid. The Basal plasma ANG II concentration changed comparably with PRA in all four groups of rats. In the control rats, ANG II was released from the mesenteric arteries at a rate of 43.0 +/- 12.0 pg/h, and it was not decreased by nephrectomy. In DOCA/salt rats and glucocorticoid rats, ANG II release significantly decreased to 12.8 +/- 7.1 and 6.9 +/- 1.5 pg/h, respectively. Captopril treatment significantly reduced ANG II release from the mesenteric arteries in both controls and nephrectomized rats, but did not influence ANG II output in DOCA/salt rats or in glucocorticoid treated rats. In nephrectomized rats, captopril lowered blood pressure in association with a significant reduction in the mesenteric ANG II formation. These results indicate that the renal and vascular renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may be independently regulated, and in nephrectomized animals the vascular RAS contributes in part to the maintenance of blood pressure. The present results also suggest that volume expansion per se and/or pharmacological intervention by DOCA and glucocorticoid could modulate vascular ANG II generation.     

Reversed-phase liquid chromatographic investigation of UV-absorbing low-molecular-weight compounds in saliva

The reversed-phase mode of high-performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the intra- and inter-individual levels of UV-absorbing low-molecular-weight compounds in saliva. Many of the compounds known to occur in serum were also found in saliva; however, concentrations in saliva are lower. Both the intra- and inter-individual levels of these compounds vary significantly; in most cases, the inter-individual variance is 2–3 times the intra-individual variance.

Caffeine and its metabolites in saliva are also reported. A greater number of metabolites were found in the saliva of habitual coffee drinkers. After caffeine was administered orally, paraxanthine, theobromine, theophylline, 1-methylxanthine, and 1-methyluric acid were found in the saliva of an individual who did not drink coffee regularly. In this subject, the serum half-life for caffeine was 3.49 h and the saliva half-life was 3.27 h. The half-life of caffeine in an habitual coffee drinker who had refrained from caffeine products for four days was 4.39 h.     

Sesquiterpenoids of Riccardia and Pallavicinia species

Riccardia species (Metzgeriales) contain various types of sesquiterpenes. R. jackii produces ent-selinane-, ent-aromadendrane-and ent-bicyclogermacrane-type sesquiterpenes together with (R)-cuparene and α-barbatene. Aneura pinguis (= Riccardia pinguis) is chemically quite different from R. multifida and R. jackii. The former produces a large amount of pinguisone. R. multifida contains 6-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-indole and (+)-β-elemene as the major components. Pallavicinia longispina (Dilaenaceae; Metzgeriales) produces mainly spathulenol. The chiral properties of the sesquiterpenes isolated from R. jackii are quite similar to those of red algae, Laurencia species.     

Bibenzyls from Radula tokiensis and R. Japonica

A new bibenzyl having a dihydrooxepin ring was isolated from the acetone extract of the liverwort Radula tokiensis, together with the previously known 5 bibenzyls and 3 sesquiterpenes, trans-β-farnesene, cuparene and (Jcuparenol. Two known bibenzyls were isolated from R. japonica. The bibenzyl derivatives are significant chemosystematic markers of the Radulaceae.     

Effects of gibberellin and colchicine on microfibril arrangement in epidermal cell walls of Vigna angularis Ohwi et Ohashi epicotyls

Gibberellic-acid (GA₃) treatment of azukibean epicotyls resulted in alterations of the direction of newly deposited microfibrils, on the cell walls. Cells having transverse microfibrils on the inner surface of the wall were observed more frequently in GA₃-treated epicotyls than in untreated or water-treated ones. This effect of GA₃ was negated by simultaneously supplied colchicine. A crossed polylamellate structure was observed in the inner portion of the walls of GA₃-treated cells, but not in the inner portion of the walls of colchicine-treated cells. The wall formed under the influence of colchicine consisted of microfibrils running in the same direction.Abbreviations GA gibberellin - GA₃ gibberellic acid (gibberellin A₃)     

Photoreaction of tyrosin-iodinated bacteriorhodopsin at low temperature

To elucidate the role of tyrosine residues in the shift of max and the light-driven proton pump of bacteriorhodopsin~ the photochemical reaction of tyrosine-iodinated bacteriorhodopsin (tyr-mod-bR) was investigated by low-temperature spectrophotometry. After 4–5 of 11 tyrosine residues of bacteriorhodopsin were iodinated, the meta-intermediate of tyr-mod-bR in 75% glycerol solution became so stable that its decay could be observed even at room temperature and i t was stable in the dark for several hours at –65°C.Four batho-intermediates were formed by irradiation with green light (500 nm) at –170°C. Like native bacteriorhodopsin, these batho-intermediates were photoreversible at –170°C. Four corresponding meta-intermediates were also formed by irradiation at –60°C. Using the difference spectra between meta-intermediates and tyr-mod-bR, the absorption spectra of four kinds of tyr-mod-bRs, batho-intermediates, and meta-intermediates were estimated. Each was at shorter wavelengths than that of its corresponding type in native bacteriorhodopsin. The results indicate that two or more tyrosine residues have some role in determining color in native bacteriorhodopsin.