Monoacylcadaverines in the blood of schizophrenic patients

Concentrations of cadaverine, monoacetylcadaverine and monopropionylcadaverine in the blood of schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic subjects were measured. Two groups, one from the U.S.A. the other from Japan, were tested. Monoacetylcadaverine and monopropionylcadaverine were found elevated in the blood of some schizophrenic patients in comparison with those in controls in each group. Their increase could be caused by a reduced monoamine oxidase activity or by an increased acylation in schizophrenic patients.     

Habituation in suspension-cultured soybean cells to thiamine and its precursors

When thiamine concentration in subculture medium was rapidlylowered to nil, soybean cells in suspension became necroticand stopped growing entirely. When it was gradually lowered,cell growth was vigorous until the concentration was reducedto 7.8?10^–3 mg/liter. The cells at this level of thiamineceased growing for a time, but prolonged culture in the samemedium resulted in the appearance of fresh white cells whichcould be easily distinguished from the old brown, necrotic cellsin the aggregates. These new cell lines could be subculturedwith further reduction in the thiamine supply, growing as largeraggregates of about 4 mm in diameter. New cell lines were similarly obtained by prolonged culturesin media containing a thiamine precursor; three lines appearedto be habituated to the pyrimidine moiety and one to the thiazolemoiety. The latter cell line could be subcultured without thiamineand its precursors for at least eight passages. These habituatedcells were characterized by the increase of the dry to freshweight ratio and by their growth in large aggregates. ¹Present address: Section of Phytochemical Research, Eisai Co.,Ltd., Kawashima, Gifu 483, Japan. (Received December 15, 1978; )     

Cycloamylose-accelerated cleavage of acylimidazoles

Hydrolyses of N-trans-cinnamoylimidazole (1) and N-acetylimidazole (2) were accelerated by cyclohexaamylose (α-CA) and cycloheptaamylose (β-CA) at 25°C. The cleavage of the amide bond in 1 at pH 9.0 was accelerated by α-CA and β-CA by 28- and 38-fold, respectively, whereas the cleavage of the amide bond in 2 at pH 7.0 was accelerated by α-CA and β-CA by 50- and 28-fold, respectively. The β-CA-accelerated hydrolysis of 1 proceeded via binding, acylation of β-CA, and deacylation of β-CA trans-cinnamate, which is consistent with the pathway used by serine proteases. The deuterium oxide solvent isotope effects for acylation and deacylation steps indicate nucleophilic attack in acylation and general basic attack in deacylation. The present finding of the acceleration by cycloamyloses in the cleavages of amide bonds in 1 and 2 indicates that cycloamyloses are an excellent model for hydrolytic enzymes.     

Radioimmunoassay for β-endorphin: Presence of immunoreactive “big-big” β-endorphin (“big” β-lipotropin) in human and rat pituitaries

A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay for β-endorphin has been developed with an antiserum obtained in a rabbit immunized with β-endorphin contained in crude porcineACTH preparations. The minimal detectable quantity was 5 pg. The antiserum used reacted slightly with ovine β-lipotropin (5.5 %), but showed negligible cross-reactivity with other fragments of β-lipotropin, α-MSH and ACTH. Using this radioimmunoassay we have observed the presence of “big-big” β-endorphin (“big” β-lipotropin) with apparent molecular weights of 37,000 and 31,000 in human and rat pituitaries respectively, in addition to β-lipotropin and β-endorphin, by Sephadex gel-chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Abscisic acid from Pinus densiflora pollen

(+)-Abscisic acid was isolated as the methyl ester from Pinus densiflora pollen and identified spectroscopically.     

Novel p-coumaric acid esters from Pinus densiflora pollen

Solvent-extractable lipids in Pinus densiflora pollen were investigated. The cis- and trans-isomers of 1,16-dioxo-, 1-hydroxy-16-oxo- and 1, 16-dihydroxyhexadecan-7-yl p-coumarates were identified.     

Resolution of anomeric 2-amino-2-deoxy-d-glycofuranosides and -glycopyranosides by cation-exchange chromatography

Methyl 4,6-O-benzylidene-2-deoxy-α-D-ribo-hexopyranoside (1) is converted into methyl 3,4-di-O-benzoyl-6-bromo-2,6-dideoxy-α-D-ribo-hexopyranoside (3) via the 3-O-benzoyl derivative (2) of 1 by subsequent treatment with N-bromosuccinimide. Compound 3 is the key intermediate in high-yielding, preparative syntheses of the title dideoxy sugars, which are constituents of many antibiotics. Dehydrohalogenation of 3 affords the 5,6-unsaturated glycoside 7. which undergoes stereospecific reduction by hydrogen with net inversion at C-5 to give methyl 3,4-di-O-benzoyl-2,6-dideoxy-β-L-lyxo-hexopyranoside (8), whereas reductive dehalogenation of 3 provides the corresponding D-ribo derivative 4. The unprotected glycosides 9 (L-lyxo) and 5 (D-ribo) are readily obtained by catalytic transesterification, and mild, acid hydrolysis gives the crystalline title sugars 10 (L-lyxo) and 6 (D-ribo) in 45 and 57% overall yield from 1 without the necessity of chromatographic purification at any of the steps.     

Synthesis of phospholipids. III. Synthesis of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-rac-glyceryl-3-phosphoryl-3′β-cholesterol and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-rac-glyceryl-3-phosphoryl-20′-(3β-hydroxy norpregn-5-ene)

The chemical synthesis of two new glycerophosphatide analogues containing steroid groups, i.e., 1,2-dipalmitoyl-rac-glyceryl-3-phosphoryl-3′β-cholesterol and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-rac-glyceryl-3-phosphoryl-20′-(3β-hydroxy norpregn-5-ene) is described.     

The role of virulence antigens (VW) in the protection of mice againstYersinia pestis infection

Subcutaneous infection withYersinia enterocolitica harboring plasmid responsible for Ca²⁺ dependence at 37°C induced cell-mediated protective immunity against a lethal challenge withYersinia pestis; the isogenic derivative strain cured from this plasmid subverted the immunity in mice. This is the first identification of the antigen(s) responsible for the induction of cell-mediated protective immunity against the facultatively intracellular bacteria.