Antitumor effect of RBS (rice bran saccharide) on ENNG-induced carcinogenesis

We examined whether orally administered RBS (rice bran saccharide), prepared from rice bran by hot water extraction, increases immunocompetence, inhibits gastrointestinal carcinogenesis with N-ethyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (ENNG) or shows an antitumor effect. After the administration of RBS, phytohemagglutinin (PHA)- and pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-stimulated blastogenesis of lymphocytes derived from the mesenteric lymph nodes and peripheral blood was enhanced, and the helper/ suppressor T-cell ratio was elevated, and migration activity of peritoneal macrophages was also increased in rats treated continuously with ENNG. ENNG-induced gastrointestinal carcinomas were observed in 43% of those administered RBS (ENNG-RBS) as compared with 88% in the control (ENNG) and 94% in the prednisolone (PRD) group (ENNG-PRD). The 12-month survival rate of rats bearing gastrointestinal cancer was 58% in the ENNG-RBS group as compared with 25% in the ENNG group and 15% in the ENNG-PRD group. RBS prevented the reduction in immunocompetence in the course of carcinogenesis, suppressed carcinogenesis, and prolonged the survival of rats with gastrointestinal cancer. Antitumor activities of RBS are thought to be a kind of host mediated action. The growth inhibition ratio of transplantable ENNG-induced cancer in Wistar rats was 42.1% in the RBS and 51.8% in the 5-FU group. Since little is known about the potent antitumor activity of -glucan, it would be interesting to consider the relationship between the structure and the biological activities of polysaccharides.     

A comparative study on immunosuppressive effects of cyclosporin A and FK 506 on peripheral blood lymphocytes in dogs

Immunosuppressive effects of cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK 506 (FK) on peripheral blood lymphocytes were studied in dogs in respect to mixed lymphocyte reaction, proliferative responses to recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2), phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin-A (Con-A); phenotypes of OKIa1, CD3, CD8 and surface IgM; cytotoxic activity against xenogeneic tumor cells. CsA (2.0 or 5.0 mg/kg, intravenously) or FK (0.16 mg/kg, intramuscularly) was given to mongrel dogs every morning for serial 21 days. The blood concentrations of CsA, measured as trough levels by fluorescence polarization method, ranged from 37 to 350 ng/ml in dogs administered at 2.0 mg/kg and from 170 to 894 ng/ml in dogs administered at 5.0 mg/kg during treatment, respectively. In dogs treated with FK at a dose of 0.16 mg/kg, the drug concentrations in the plasma during treatment ranged from 0.16 to 1.8 ng/ml. Mixed lymphocyte reaction and proliferative responses to rIL-2, PHA and Con-A, which were declined by CsA, were not affected by FK. In contrast, the proportion of OKIa1+ cells was not affected by CsA, whereas FK decreased the proportion of OKIa1+ cells progressively during the course of treatment. Cytotoxic activity was suppressed by both CsA and FK. These results possibly indicate that CsA and FK exert their immunosuppressive effects via different mechanisms.     

Correspondence of Apoproteins of Light-Harvesting Chlorophyll a/b Complexes Associated with Photosystem I to cab Genes: Evidence for a Novel Type IV Apoprotein

Apoproteins of spinach and pea light-harvesting chlorophylla/b complexes associated with photosystem I (LHCI) were identifiedby their chlorophyll fluorescence spectra and protein sequences.Spinach LHCI holocomplex consisted of four apoproteins of 25kDa, 23 kDa, 21 kDa and 20.5 kDa. LHCI subcomplex isolated bysucrose density gradient centrifugation fluoresced at 680 nmwith a shoulder around 700–710 nm at 77 K. It containedthe 23 kDa protein of which the N-terminal sequence correspondedto Type II gene of LHCI. Another LHCI subcomplex isolated bygel electrophoresis emitted at 679 nm and contained the 25 kDaprotein, of which the N-terminus was blocked. Its internal sequenceswere determined after protease treatment and found to be homologousto Type III gene of LHCI. An oligomeric subcomplex of LHCI isolatedby gel electrophoresis emitted at 726 nm and consisted of the21 kDa and 20.5 kDa apoproteins. N-terminal sequence of the20.5 kDa component corresponded to the Type I gene of LHCI.The 21 kDa component did not have any clear homologue, but itsN-terminal sequence was weakly but significantly homologousto all LHC components particularly to Type I LHCI among others.It was, thus, concluded that the 21 kDa protein is the fourthtype of LHCI apoprotein. Similar sequence homology was foundfor pea LHCI apoproteins. (Received September 10, 1990; Accepted November 22, 1990)     

Mechanism for enterohepatic injury caused by circulatory disturbance of hepatic vessels in the rat

We reported previously that a transient occlusion followed by reperfusion of the portal vein and the hepatic artery of the rat significantly decreased the transhepatic transport of a cholephilic compound, and that this decrease was prevented by pretreating animals with poly(styrene co-maleic acid butyl ester)-conjugated superoxide dismutase (SM-SOD). To elucidate the mechanism for oxidative injury of the liver and the site for the generation of superoxide radicals, the effect of a portosystemic bypass on the liver function was examined in the rat whose hepatic vessels were temporarily occluded. A portosystemic bypass inhibited the reperfusion-induced decrease in hepatic transport of bromosulfophthalein as effectively as did SM-SOD. Kinetic analysis using 125I-labeled albumin revealed that the permeability of the small intestine markedly increased after a transient occlusion. The increase in intestinal permeability was also inhibited either by SM-SOD or by the portosystemic bypass. Xanthine oxidase activity in portal plasma markedly increased during occlusion and reperfusion, while it remained within normal ranges in the bypassed group. Thus, superoxide radical, and/or its metabolite(s), might play a critical role in increasing the intestinal permeability and in the pathogenesis of reperfusion-induced liver injury.     

Continuous acetic acid production by the bioreactor system loading a new ceramic carrier for microbial attachment

Summary We have developed a bioreactor system for aerobic fermentation, using a new ceramic carrier APHROCELL which has a suitable shape for liquid and gas passage. In acetic acid fermentation byAcetobacter cells from ethanol, as a typical example of aerobic fermentation, a productivity of 17.25 g/l h was attained at continuous production of 23 g-acetic acid/l; at an acetic acid concentration around 53 g/l, the productivity was 6.4 g/l h. Thus a marketable vinegar can be obtained continuously by this bioreactor system. Because of the simplicity of the APHROCELL reactor, scale up should be relatively easy.     

Endotoxin and cytokines in patients with gastrointestinal tract perforation

Plasma levels of endotoxin and various cytokines were assessed in 70 patients with gastrointestinal tract perforation. Sepsis developed in 29 of them, and eight of these (27.6%) had on admission endotoxin levels higher than 9.8 pg ml(-1). The clinical outcome correlated with the level of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), rather than with the endotoxin level. The high interleukin 6 (IL-6) level was shown in septic patients and no correlation was observed between the IL-6 level and the clinical outcome. Plasma TNFalpha levels tended to change independently from endotoxin levels, suggesting that TNFalpha may have been locally produced in inflammatory lesions.     

Human c-fgr induces a monocyte-specific enzyme in NIH 3T3 cells.

The mutant c-fgr protein (p58c-fgr/F523) containing Phe-523 instead of Tyr-523 exhibited transforming activity in NIH 3T3 cells like other protein-tyrosine kinases of the src family, but normal p58c-fgr (p58c-fgr/wt) did not. The mutant protein showed tyrosine kinase activity threefold higher than that of the normal protein in vitro. Surprisingly, transfection of the normal c-fgr gene into NIH 3T3 cells resulted in induction of sodium fluoride (NaF)-sensitive alpha-naphthyl butyrate esterase (alpha-NBE), a marker enzyme of cells of monocytic origin, which was not induced in v-src-, v-fgr-, or lyn-transfected NIH 3T3 cells. The NaF-sensitive alpha-NBE induced in c-fgr transfectants was shown by isoelectric focusing to have a pI of 5.2 to 5.4, a range which was the same as those for thioglycolate-induced murine peritoneal macrophages and 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-treated WEHI-3B cells. Immunoblotting studies with antiphosphotyrosine antibodies revealed that 58-, 62-, 75-, 120-, 200-, and 230-kDa proteins were commonly phosphorylated at tyrosine residues in NIH 3T3 cells transfected with normal and mutated c-fgr, while 95-kDa protein was significantly phosphorylated at tyrosine residues in cells transfected with the mutated c-fgr. These findings suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation of specific cellular substrate proteins is important in induction of NaF-sensitive alpha-NBE and cell transformation by p58c-fgr.     

Two monoclonal antibodies against small-cell lung cancer show existence of synergism in binding

Summary Murine IgG1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), ITK-2 and ITK-3, were generated against a small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell line. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a variety of established cell lines as substrates, immunoperoxidase staining of freshly frozen tissue sections, and fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis of peripheral blood leukocytes showed that these mAbs recognize a part of the SCLC-associated cluster 1 antigen. In immunoprecipitation studies, both ITK-2 and ITK-3 bound to a 145-kDa glycoprotein of SCLC cell membrane extracts, as did MOC-1 and NKH-1, which both recognize the cluster 1 antigen. However, because the binding of¹²⁵I-labeled ITK-2 to SCLC cells was not inhibited by MOC-1 or NKH-1, the binding site of ITK-2 on SCLC cells appeared to be different from that of either MOC-1 or NKH-1. Unexpectedly, binding of¹²⁵I-labeled ITK-2 to SCLC cells increased in the presence of ITK-3. This ITK-3-induced increase in ITK-2 binding was due partly to an increase in the number of binding sites for ITK-2 on SCLC cells. Addition of ITK-3 may, therefore, improve the effectiveness of ITK-2-based tumor detection or therapy.     

Monoclonal antibodies that depress a specific subset of multiple components of the glutathione-induced response ofHydra

Summary Reduced glutathione evokes a feeding response, the tentacle-ball formation inHydra japonica. This response consists of at least 5 components (R1–R5). We raised 6 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), each of which depressed a specific subset of these components, and we also examined the immunocytochemical localization of antigens with these mAbs at light microscopic level. The 2 mAbs that depressed R2 and R4 bound to the cnidocils of the desmoneme and the stenotele nematocytes; the 3 mAbs that depressed R5 bound to the apical surface adjacent to the cnidocils of the nematocytes; and the 2 mAbs that depressed R1 and R3 bound to the apical spot structures of unidentified cells in the ectoderm.Together with the specificity of the action of the mAbs on the behavioral response, the correspondence between the effects on the response and the structures visualized with these mAbs suggests that these structures include components of the receptor-effector system relevant to chemoreception.     

Molecular cloning and expression ofThiobacillus ferrooxidans chromosomal ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase genes inEscherichia coli

The genes coding ford-ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase) from an iron-oxidizing bacterium,Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, were cloned into anEscherichia coli plasmid, pUC18. The recombinant plasmid, termed pTR11, contained a 4.0-kb PstI fragment including the entire coding regions for both large and small subunits of RuBPCase.Escherichia coli carrying pTR11 did not show any CO₂-fixing activity. However, a derivative plasmid with an appropriate deletion, which was placed under the control of atac promoter, conferred ribulose bisphosphate-dependent CO₂-fixing activity on the host cell. Analysis of gel-filtration chromatography of the RuBPCase synthesized inE. coli revealed that it had a hexadecameric form like the native enzyme ofT. ferrooxidans.