Phosphatidylinositol stimulates phosphorylation of protein components I and II in rod outer segments of frog photoreceptors

We studied the effect of phosphoinositides on the phosphorylation of endogenous proteins in the soluble fraction of the frog photoreceptor rod outer segments (ROS). Phosphatidylinositol (PI) stimulated the phosphorylation of two low molecular weight proteins, components I and II (12 and 11 kDa) which are known to be the preferential substrates of the cyclic GMP (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase in the ROS. Polyphosphoinositides (PPI) specifically inhibited the PI-dependent phosphorylation of these two components. On the other hand, PPI stimulated the phosphorylation of 38, 48 and 52 kDa proteins in the absence of PI. These data suggest that PI and PPI may function in the ROS by regulating the phosphorylation of some enzymes or regulator proteins in the transduction mechanism in the ROS.     

Distribution of phospholipid molecular species containing arachidonic acid and cholesterol in V79-UF cells

V79-UF cells were isolated from Chinese hamster V79 cells as a cell line that requires exogenous unsaturated fatty acids for growth. V79-UF cells incorporated arachidonic acid into phospholipids. The molecular species of diacyl phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine containing arachidonic acid comprised 61.4 and 70.5% of the total phospholipid molecular species in total membranes and 58.1 and 64.7% in plasma membrane, respectively. Polyunsaturated molecular species were distributed in a higher amount in the intracellular membranes than in the plasma membrane. No significant difference was seen in the diffusion coefficient between the plasma membranes from cells supplemented with oleic and arachidonic acids in spite of a distinct difference in the degree of unsaturation between the molecular species of these plasma membranes. The amount of cholesterol in the plasma membrane was higher in the cells grown in the presence of arachidonic acid than in those grown in the presence of oleic acid.     

Spacing and kinship in the Formosan squirrel living in different habitats

Summary Spacing and kinship of the Formosan squirrel, Callosciurus erythraeus thaiwanensis, were studied in two different habitats. One, native habitat in the woods of Kenting, southern Formosa, was rich in available food throughout the year and had several species of predators. The other, a site in Kamakura, central Japan where squirrels had been introduced, had relatively scanty food and few potential predators. 1. Home ranges among males and between sexes overlapped extensively in both habitats. 2. Females occupied exclusive home ranges in Kamakura but had small overlapping home ranges in Ken-ting. 3. Most males disappeared from their natal areas at 1 year old in both habitats (86% in Kamakura and 93% in Ken-ting), but less females disappeared (36% in Kamakura and 35% in Ken-ting). 4. In Kamakura, daughters settled adjacent to the mother or inherited the home range of the mother, but never shared the mother's home range. In Ken-ting, 35% of daughters shared the home range with their mothers. 5. Tolerance among female kin in Ken-ting was probably facilitated by the richness of available food throughout the year, and functioned to reduce predation risk via alarm calling and mobbing.     

The structure ofHLA-B35 suggests that it is derived fromHLA-Bw58 by two genetic mechanisms

The primary structure ofHLA-B51 andHLA-Bw52 suggested thatHLA-B51 was derived fromHLA-Bw52 by the combination of a genetic exchange withHLA-B8 and a point mutation. To investigate the evolution of theHLA-B5 cross reactive group, theHLA-B35 gene was cloned and the primary structure was determined.HLA-B35 is identical toHLA-Bw58 except in the α₁ domain. The α₁ domain ofHLA-B35 except Bw4/Bw6-associated amino acids is identical to that ofHLA-B51 ^*, which was suspected to be an intermediate gene betweenHLA-B51 andHLA-Bw52. These data suggest thatHLA-B35 has evolved fromHLA-Bw58 in two steps; an in vivo replacement of the α₁ domain withHLA-B51 and genetic exchange with one of theHLA-Bw6 genes. These three genes andHLA-Bw58 are postulated to share a common ancestor.     

Properties and fluctuations in vivo of rat liver antizyme inhibitor.

Antizyme inhibitor was highly purified from rat liver by using affinity chromatography. It has some structural resemblance to ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), as judged from Mr, immunoreactivity and reversible binding with antizyme. However, unlike hepatic amounts of ODC and ODC-antizyme complex, that of antizyme inhibitor did not show much fluctuation upon putrescine treatment, whereas it decreased as rapidly as ODC decay in the presence of cycloheximide. These results suggested that antizyme inhibitor is an independent regulatory protein rather than a derivative of ODC. Changes in hepatic amounts of antizyme inhibitor, antizyme and ODC upon feeding suggested that antizyme inhibitor may play a role in ODC regulation by trapping antizyme and thereby suppressing ODC degradation. A monoclonal antibody to rat liver antizyme inhibitor was obtained. This antibody was shown to be utilizable for a simple assay of antizyme-inhibitor activity in tissue extracts.     

Analysis of electrophoretic mobility histograms of mouse splenocytes and thymocytes during tumor growth and after combined chemotherapy and immunotherapy

Changes in electrophoretic mobility histograms of splenocytes and thymocytes were studied in plasmacytoma X5563-bearing mice as an indicator of response to treatment with mitomycin C (MMC) alone or combined with the immunomodulator Krestin (PSK). Tumor growth was inhibited by 80-90% in the MMC-treated and was further inhibited in the MMC and PSK-treated group. Electrophoretic mobility histograms of splenocytes were used to determine the fraction of cells having intermediate mobility between high mobility (T cells) and low mobility (B cells). This fraction of intermediate-mobility cells increased in tumor-bearing mice, but a normal electrophoretic mobility pattern was obtained following successful antitumor treatment. In the electrophoretic mobility histogram of thymocytes, on the other hand, the low-mobility cells (cortical thymocytes) decreased in number during tumor growth and were further reduced in the MMC-treated group. This reduction was less in the MMC and PSK-treated group. These results suggest that combined therapy with MMC and PSK prevents damage of the host defence mechanism and allows more efficient antitumor treatment. Analysis of electrophoretic mobility histograms of splenocytes and thymocytes using a fully automated cell electrophoretic instrument makes possible the rapid evaluation of the immunological effects of drug therapy of tumor-bearing mice.     

Changes in polyamine-oxidizing capacity of peroxisomes under various physiological conditions in rats

Rat liver peroxisomal polyamine oxidase activity was determined under various physiological conditions by using the peroxidase method with phenol and 4-aminoantipyrine. N1-Acetylpolyamines such as N1-acetylspermine and N1-acetylspermidine were better substrates than the free polyamines. The polyamine oxidase activity in rat peroxisomes increased significantly when cell proliferation was high. The activity began to appear in fetal liver at the 16th approximately 18th day of pregnancy and peaked in neonatal liver on the first day (approx. 1.7-times higher than in adult liver). In regenerating rat liver, only polyamine oxidase activity among the peroxisomal enzymes tested was increased considerably 12 h after partial hepatectomy (approx. 2.8-fold over the control liver). Finally, the enzyme activity was significantly increased by administration of clofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator, which also causes hepatomegaly. In all cases, the increase in polyamine oxidase activity was not more than 3-fold. Since the level of polyamine oxidase activity in the normal liver is more than adequate in relation to the level of the substrates, the slight but significant increase under conditions of cell proliferation may have a role in modulating levels of polyamines in the proliferating liver tissue.     

The role of peroxisomal fatty acyl-CoA beta-oxidation in bile acid biosynthesis

The physiological role of the peroxisomal fatty acyl-CoA beta-oxidizing system (FAOS) is not yet established. We speculated that there might be a relationship between peroxisomal degradation of long-chain fatty acids in the liver and the biosynthesis of bile acids. This was investigated using [1-14C]butyric acid and [1-14C]lignoceric acid as substrates of FAOS in mitochondria and peroxisomes, respectively. The incorporation of [14C]lignoceric acid into primary bile acids was approximately four times higher than that of [14C]butyric acid (in terms of C-2 units). The pools of these two fatty acids in the liver were exceedingly small. The incorporations of radioactivity into the primary bile acids were strongly inhibited by administration of aminotriazole, which is a specific inhibitor of peroxisomal FAOS in vivo [F. Hashimoto and H. Hayashi (1987) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 921, 142-150]. Aminotriazole inhibited preferentially the formation of cholate, the major primary bile acid, from both [14C]lignoceric acid and [14C]butyric acid, rather than the formation of chenodeoxycholate. The former inhibition was about 70% and the latter was approximately 40-50%. In view of reports that cholate is biosynthesized from endogenous cholesterol, the above results indicate that peroxisomal FAOS may have an anabolic function, supplying acetyl CoA for bile acid biosynthesis.