Spermiogenesis in the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri)

In an ultrastructural study on the spermiogenesis of the rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri R.) four spermatogenetic stages were identified. In young round spermatids, the nuclear chromatin was first heterogeneous (euchromatin and heterochromatin). Subsequently, it became more homogeneous and started to condense in the form of coarse granules and fibers and then into fibrils associated in ribbon-like elements which eventually partly fused together. During early spermiogenesis, a juxtanuclear vacuole appeared in the area where the nuclear envelope was specialized due to condensation of material between the two envelopes and a slight accumulation of nuclear material. This area was finally located in the anterior part of spermatids and spermatozoa; it probably plays a role during fertilization. A flagellar rootlet appeared early in spermiogenesis; it may play a role in the attachment of the flagellum to the nucleus since it persisted until the centriolar complex was definitively fixed in the implantation fossa. The flagellum did not display a plasma membrane and was first located in the cytoplasm, but when it was later extruded from the cell, it acquired a membrane. The cytoplasm was rich in ribosomes (free or in small groups) but poor in membranous organelles. The few mitochondria polarized around the centriolar complex were finally organized into an annular mid-piece. The spermatids remained connected by intercellular bridges until the end of spermiogenesis. The complexity of trout spermiogenesis is intermediate between that in poecilids and that in carp and pike, which have very simple spermatozoa. The role of the material from the nucleus and the cytoplasm reaching the Sertoli cell in the control of spermatogenesis has been discussed.     

POLYMORPHISM IN THE DESMID XANTHIDIUM REGULARE AND ITS TAXONOMIC IMPLICATIONS

This paper refers to a case of polymorphism in the desmid genus Xanthidium Ehr. It is based on material from Lake Dais Irmaios, the main body of water in the Zoological and Botanical Garden in Recife, Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil, collected at 4 different times of the year during 1967 and 1968. A detailed examination of almost 1300 specimens showed an enormous variety in form of Xanthidium regulare Nordst., X. fragile Borge, and X. pseudoregulare Borge, thus allowing the authors to draw the following conclusions: (1) the name X. regulare Nordst. should be retained until further and more detailed studies on form variation within the species are available; (2) the names X. regulare Nordst. var. asteptum Nordst. in Borge, X. regulare Nordst. var. sexangulare Grönbl., X. regulare Nordst. var. sexangulare Grönbl. f. robustior Grönbl., X. fragile Borge, X. fragile Borge forma, and X. fragile Borge var. depauperatum Borge should be considered synonymous, all referring to a single variety of X. regulare Nordst., var. asteptum Nordst. in Borge emend. C. Bic. & L. M. Carv.; (3) X. pseudoregulare Borge must be treated as a variety of X. regulare Nordst. and must be called X. regulare Nordst. var. pseudoregulare (Barge) C. Bic. & L. M. Carv. Finally, a key is given to the 3 varieties of X. regulare Nordst. proposed in the present paper.     

Ultrastructure of the peptidergic and monoaminergic neurons in the hypothalamic neurosecretory system of Anuran Batracians

Summary In the toad Bufo arenarum Hensel the following regions of the hypothalamic — neurohypophyseal system were studied under the electronmicroscope: preoptic and paraventricular nuclei, median eminence and infundibular process of the neurohypophysis.Neuronal perikarya of the preoptic nucleus are loaded with typical neurosecretory granules of peptidergic nature having a mean diameter of 1660 Å. While most neurons of the winter toad are in a storage stage a few show signs of a more active synthetic activity. A distinctive feature of preoptic neurons is the presence of large lipid droplets. The paraventricular nucleus contains small neurons containing granulated vesicles with a mean diameter of 800-1000 Å. In the region extending between these two nuclei and the median eminence axons containing either neurosecretory elementary granules or granulated vesicles are observed.The inner zone of the median eminence is occupied by axons of the preoptic neurohypophyseal tract; two types of axons, according to the size and density of the neurosecretory granules, may be recognized. The outer zone of the median eminence contains mainly axons and nerve terminals containing granulated vesicles of probable monoaminergic nature and only a few with granules of peptidergic type.The neurohypophysis contains two kinds of axons: one with more dense granules of 1800 Å and the other with granules of lesser electron density and 2100 Å. At the ending proper small clear vesicles of synaptic type are found.A progressive increase in volume of the peptidergic granules along the axon is demonstrated. This is of the order of 218% from the preoptic perikarya down to the infundibular process. The physiological significance of the two neurosecretory systems — i.e. the monoaminergic and the peptidergic — and the probable nature of the two types of peptidergic axons is discussed.Supported by grants from the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AF-AFOSR 963-67).The authors want to express their gratitude to Mrs. Defilippi-Novoa and Mr. Alberto Sáenz for their skillful assistance.     

On the Significance of Cytokinin Incorporation into RNA

The clarification of the following 2 questions was attempted: (a) are cytokinins precursors in the formation of sRNA, (b) is the observed incorporation of cytokinins into sRNA related to the action of the hormone? Although Escherichia coli contains cytokinins in its sRNA, no cytokinin auxotroph mutants of E. coli could be found and the statistical probability for the existence of such mutants is extremely low. This suggests that cytokinins are not precursors in the synthesis of sRNA. A radioactive cytokinin, 6-benzylamino-9-methyl-purine was synthesized and it was tested whether or not it is incorporated into sRNA of soybean callus tissue. Masking the 9-position of the purine inhibited the incorporation of this cytokinin into RNA while not affecting its biological activity. This is taken as an indication that the observed incorporation of cytokinins such as benzyladenine into sRNA is not related to the action of this hormone.     

The effect of size on the optimal shapes of gliding insects and seeds

Conventional aerodynamic arguments suggest that possession of high aspect ratio wings will always improve the flight performance of glides. Drag and power will be minimized at intermediate flight speeds. It is shown, however, that as the aspect ratio increases, these minimum drag speeds are reduced, and will fall below the stall speed of the glider. This will happen at lower aspect ratios in small gliders, which operate at higher profile drag coefficients. Increasing the aspect ratio further will improve performance less than this analysis suggests.
A detailed analysis is developed to calculate the optimum shape of small gliders. Profile drag increases with aspect ratio, owing to the fall in the Reynolds number, while induced drag falls with increasing aspect ratio. Minimum drag will be encountered and hence the glide angle will be minimized at intermediate values of aspect ratio. Best glide angles are achieved at low speeds (high lift coefficients) and the optimum aspect ratio increases with the mass of the glider.
Small natural gliders possess large, low aspect ratio wings. The aspect ratios are generally somewhat below those which would produce the best glide angle at stall speed, but should give a reasonable performance over a range of speeds.     

Growth-associated modifications of low-molecular-weight thiols and protein sulfhydryls in human bronchial fibroblasts

The thiol redox status of cultured human bronchial fibroblasts has been characterized at various growth conditions using thiol-reactive monobromobimane, with or without the combination of dithiotreitol, a strong reducing agent. This procedure has enabled measurement of the cellular content of reduced glutathione (GSH), total glutathione equivalents, cysteine, total cysteine equivalents, protein sulfhydryls, protein disulfides, and mixed disulfides. Passage of cells with trypsin perturbs the cellular thiol homeostasis and causes a 50% decrease in the GSH content, whereas the total cysteine content is subsequently increased severalfold during cell attachment. During subsequent culture, transient severalfold increased levels of GSH, protein-bound thiols, and protein disulfides are reached, whereas the total cysteine content gradually declines. These changes in the redox balance of both low-molecular-weight thiols and protein-bound thiols correlate with cell proliferation and mostly precede the major growth phase. When the onset of proliferation is inhibited by maintenance of cells in medium containing decreased amounts of serum, the GSH content remains significantly increased. Subsequent stimulation of growth by addition of serum results in decreased GSH levels at the onset of proliferation. In thiol-depleted medium, proliferation is also inhibited, whereas GSH levels are increased to a lesser extent than in complete medium. Exposure to buthionine sulfoximine inhibits growth, prevents GSH synthesis, and results in accumulation of total cysteine, protein-bound cysteine, and protein disulfides. For extracellular cystine, variable rates of cellular uptake correlate with the initial increase in the total cysteine content observed following subculture and with the GSH peak that precedes active proliferation. The results strongly suggest that specific fluctuations in the cellular redox balance of both free low-molecular-weight thiols and protein sulfhydryls are involved in growth regulation of normal human fibroblasts.     

Brain and Plasma Quinolinic Acid in Profound Insulin-Induced Hypoglycemia

Profound insulin-induced hypoglycemia is associated with early-onset neuronal damage that resembles excitotoxic lesions and is attenuated in severity by antagonists of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. Hypoglycemia increases L-tryptophan concentrations in brain and could increase the concentration of the L-tryptophan metabolite quinolinic acid (QUIN), an agonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors and an excitotoxin in brain. Therefore, we investigated the effects of 40 min of profound hypoglycemia (isoelectric EEG) and 1-2 h of normoglycemic recovery on the concentrations of QUIN in brain tissue, brain extracellular fluid, and plasma in male Wistar rats. Plasma QUIN increased 6.5-fold by the time of isoelectricity (2 h after insulin administration). Regional brain QUIN concentrations increased two- to threefold during hypoglycemia and increased a further two- to threefold during recovery. However, no change in extracellular fluid QUIN concentrations in hippocampus occurred during hypoglycemia or recovery as measured using in vivo microdialysis. Therefore, the increases in brain tissue QUIN concentrations may reflect elevations of QUIN in the intracellular space or be secondary to the increases in QUIN in the vascular compartment in brain per se. L-Tryptophan concentrations increased more than twofold during recovery only. Serotonin decreased greater than 50% throughout the brain during hypoglycemia, while 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations increased more than twofold during hypoglycemia and recovery. In striatum, dopamine was decreased 75% during hypoglycemia but returned to control values during recovery, while striatal 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid were increased more than twofold during both hypoglycemia and recovery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)