Structure and affinities of the petrified plants from the cretaceous of Northern Japan and Saghalien III petrified plants from the upper cretaceous of Saghalien

Five species including two new species,Araucarioxylon kiiense Ogura,Taxodioxylon albertense (Penhal.) Shimakura,Cupressinoxylon cryptomerioides Stopes,Xenoxylon watarianum sp. nov. andCedroxylon shimakurae sp. nov., were described from the Upper Cretaceous (Late Turonian-Santonian) of southern Saghalien. Consecutive number from the previous paper (Nishida and Nishida, 1985). Contributions from the Laboratory of Phylogenetic Botany, Chiba University No. 100. Supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture No. 59540441.     

Localization of alpha 2-adrenergic agonist sensitive area in the hypothalamus for growth hormone release in the rat

To determine the localization of the clonidine sensitive area responsible for GH release, a minute amount of the alpha 2-agonist (67 ng/0.2 microliter) was injected into the hypothalamus and vicinity of adult male conscious rats. The animals were chronically implanted with double metal cannulae fixed on the skull for clonidine microinjection and with silastic tubing into the right atria for collecting blood samples. Ten hr prior to the microinjection, alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (250 mg/kg body weight) was intraperitoneally injected to prevent spontaneous pulsatile GH release. Localization of the microinjection was assessed by histological examination after the experiment. Clonidine microinjection into the amygdala nucleus had no effect on GH release, while the injection into the preoptic and anterior hypothalamic area (PO/AH) significantly stimulated GH release by causing it to begin 30 min earlier. However, the paraventricular nucleus, the dorsomedial nucleus, the lateral hypothalamus and the ventromedial hypothalamus areas did not respond to the injection, although the latter nucleus has been shown to be a specific locus sensitive to electrical stimulation of release. In the area from the posterior hypothalamus to the mammillary body, several injections stimulated GH release (6/15), but the stimulatory effect was statistically insignificant when comparison was made with the mean (+/- SE) for all 15 rats. These findings suggest that the alpha 2-agonist acts on the PO/AH to induce an increase in GH release in alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine-pretreated rats, probably mediating the inhibitory input to somatostatinergic neurons which reside in the periventricular nucleus of the PO/AH area.     

Suppressive effect of elcatonin, an eel calcitonin analogue, on excessive urinary hydroxyproline excretion in polyostotic fibrous dysplasia (McCune-Albright's syndrome)

A 12-year-old Japanese girl with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia and endocrine concomitants, was treated with elcatonin, a synthetic eel calcitonin analogue, 10 MRC unit/twice a week given by intramuscular injection. Significant decreases in 24 hr urinary content of hydroxyproline and other amino acids from bone collagen were observed during the course of treatment over 5 months. This biochemical result suggests that the synthetic eel calcitonin analogue exhibits the therapeutic effect in patients with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia by inhibiting bone resorption.     

Contributions of cytoplasmic free and membrane-bound ribosomes to the synthesis of NADPH-adrenodoxin reductase and adrenodoxin of bovine adrenal cortex mitochondria

Cytoplasmic free and membrane-bound ribosomes were isolated from bovine adrenal cortex, and characterized. Contributions of free and bound ribosomes to the synthesis of NADPH-adrenodoxin reductase (AdR) and adrenodoxin (Ad) were determined by examining the presence of their nascent peptides on isolated ribosomes. Nascent peptides were released from the ribosomes by [3H]puromycin in a high salt buffer in the presence of a detergent, and the nascent peptides of AdR and Ad were separately isolated by immunoprecipitation using antibodies. AdR nascent peptides were associated with free and loosely-bound ribosomes, whereas Ad nascent peptides were associated with free, loosely-bound and tightly-bound ribosomes. Smaller nascent peptides of AdR were carried by free ribosomes, whereas larger nascent peptides were preferentially carried by loosely-bound ribosomes. In the case of Ad, smaller nascent peptides were more abundant in free ribosomes than in bound ribosomes. The nascent peptides of Ad were released from bound ribosomes of rough microsomes to the aqueous milieu by puromycin treatment, suggesting the release of completed Ad peptides into the cytoplasm in cells.     

Serologic dissection of HLA-D specificities by the use of monoclonal antibodies

To study the gene products of the HLA complex, we produced two monoclonal antibodies, termed HU-18 and HU-23. They were active in complement-dependent cytotoxicity and detected B-cell alloantigens encoded by a locus (or loci) linked to HLA. When three types of HLA-DR4 homozygous B-cell lines with different HLA-D specificities were tested for reactivity with HU-18 and HU-23, they displayed distinct reaction patterns depending on the HLA-D specificities they possessed: EBV-Wa (HLA-DYT homozygous), negative for both HU-18 and HU-23; KT2 and KOB (HLA-DKT2 homozygous), positive only for HU-18; and ER (HLA-Dw4 homozygous), positive for both. These differential reaction patterns were further confirmed by testing against a panel of 17 HLA-DR4-positive peripheral blood lymphocytes with known HLA-D specificities. Thus, these monoclonal antibodies allow us to identify HLA-DYT, HLA-DKT2, and HLA-Dw4 solely by serologic methods. This is the first clearcut serologic identification of these three HLA-DR4-associated HLA-D specificities, which have been indistinguishable by conventional serology and identified only by cellular techniques. It is hoped that immunochemical investigations using HU-18 and HU-23 will advance our understanding of the HLA-D region on a molecular level.     

Micelle formation of diacylglycerophosphocholines in organic solvents I. effects of the solvents on krafft points

Krafft points of diacylglycerophosphocholines (PC) were measured in alkanes-cyclohexane solutions by differential scanning calorimetry, and it was found that they were regularly increased following the increase in alkane content in the solutions and the chain length of the alkanes. From these results it was deduced that the mixing of PC with alkanes occurred in the gel state of the PC, but not in micelles at higher temperatures above the Krafft points. where micellar solutions are provided. The penetration of alkanes into gel state PC was found to be dominated by Langmuir type interaction, and the affinity of alkanes increases with increasing in chain lengths. Above the Krafft points, the micelle formation was confirmed by using the fluorescence probe technique.     

Solaniol, a Toxic Metabolite of Fusarium solani

Fusarium solani M-1-1 isolated from moldy bean hulls produces T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, and a new toxic trichothecene, solaniol, in Czapek-Dox-peptone medium.     

The mechanism of the stimulation of LH production by synthetic LH-releasing hormone (LH-RH) in tissue culture

Synthetic LH-RH was found to stimulate production of LH by human female adenohypophysis in monolayer culture. This effect occurs at 0.30 μg/2 ml LH-RH. New messenger-RNA synthesis does not have to occur to stimulate the production of LH by the action of synthetic LH-RH in cultures of under 4 days. In cultures of over 4 days, this synthesis must occur in order for LH to be produced by the action of LH-RH. However, new DNA synthesis does not have to occur to stimulate the production of LH by the action of synthetic LH-RH.