The effect on kaolin adsorption of serum on the virus neutralization and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays of antibody to bovine herpesvirus 1

Two procedures have been used for measuring antibody titres to bovine herpes virus 1 (BHV1): the serum neutralization (SN) test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). One hundred and thirty-two sera selected for their low SN titres were tested both unadsorbed and after adsorption with kaolin to determine the effect of kaolin on the titres. With ELISA, the titres of unadsorbed and kaolin adsorbed were not significantly different but with the SN test many treated sera, originally with weak positive titres, became negative after kaolin adsorption. Thus, if the ELISA results are specific for BHV1 antibody then the SN test findings suggest that treatment of sera with kaolin, rather than removing a viral inhibitor, removes a substance from the serum which potentiates SN antibody. This in turn indicates that low SN titres (reciprocal of titre less than or equal to 4, for instance) are probably specific for BHV1 SN antibody whether or not they are abolished by kaolin treatment of the serum.     

New embedding medium for sectioning undecalcified bone

Methylmethacrylate (MMA) is the most commonly used embedding medium for sectioning undecalcified bone; however, a number of problems exist with its use in a research laboratory. MMA requires a long infiltration time and temperature control, and it reacts with many polymers. We used Kleer Set resin™ as an alternative embedding medium for sectioning undecalcified bone specimens. Fluorochrome labeled bone specimens were sectioned transversely using a ground section technique and longitudinally on a sledge macrotome. The slides were viewed using both transmitted light and epifluorescence microscopy. High quality sections were obtained using Kleer Set resin™ for both sectioning techniques. We have shown that this new embedding medium is simpler, safer, quicker to use and does not interfere with visualization of fluorochromes.     

Identification of alleles at the gliadin loci Gli-U1 and Gli-Mb1 in Aegilops biuncialis Vis.

The diversity of alleles at the gliadin loci Gli-U1 and Gli-M ^b 1 was studied in the tetraploid species Aegilops biuncialis (UUM^bM^b). The collection of 41 Ae. biuncialis accessions and F₂ seeds obtained from five crosses served as the material used in this study. Gliadins were separated by acid polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. To determine genomic affiliation (U or M^b) of components of Ae. biuncialis gliadin pattern, accessions of Ae. umbellulata and Ae. comosa were analyzed. In Ae. biuncialis accessions, 14 alleles were identified at the locus Gli-U1 and 12 alleles, at the locus Gli-M ^b 1. The results testify to a high degree of allele diversity at major gliadin-coding loci of homeologous group 1 chromosomes of Ae. biuncialis.