Relationship between cardiac output and oxygen uptake at the onset of exercise

The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationship between the rapidity of increased gas exchange (i.e. oxygen uptake ) and increased cardiac output ( ) during the transient phase following the onset of exercise. Five healthy male subjects performed multiple rest-exercise or light exercise (25 W)-exercise transitions on an electrically braked ergometer at exercise intensities of 50, 75, or 100 W for 6 min, respectively. Each transition was performed at least eight times for each load in random order. The was obtained by a breath-by-breath method, and was measured by an impedance method during normal breathing, using an ensemble average. On transitions from rest to exercise, rapidly increased during phase I with time constants of 6.8–7.3 s. The also showed a similar rapid increment with time constants of 6.0–6.8 s with an apparent increase in stroke volume (SV). In this phase I, increased to about 29.7%–34.1% of the steady-state value and increased to about 58.3%–87.0%. Thereafter, some 20 s after the onset of exercise a mono-exponential increase to steady-state occurred both in and with time constants of 26.7–32.3 and 23.7–34.4 s, respectively. The insignificant difference between and time constants in phase I and the abrupt increase in both and SV at the onset of exercise from rest provided further evidence for a cardiodynamic contribution to following the onset of exercise from rest.     

Changes in DNA strand breaks in non parenchymal cells following hepatocyte regeneration in CCl4-induced rat liver injury

DNA strand breaks (nicks) in non-parenchymal cells (NPCs) in CCl₄-induced acute or chronic liver injury in rats were detected using an in situ nick translation method; their dynamic changes were analysed in relation to the proliferation pattern of hepatocytes and NPCs, as revealed by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-up-take. In acute injury, hepatocyte proliferation started before centrilobular necrosis had occurred, whereas BrdU-labeled sinusoidal NPCs markedly increased only after centrilobular necrosis was apparent. DNA breakages in NPCs paralleled the proliferation pattern of these cells, suggesting that nicks are physiological, and reflect proliferation and activated gene expression. In chronic injury, liver cirrhosis developed after 9 weeks, but BrdU-labeling of hepatocytes was almost the same level as that in untreated liver. The number of BrdU-labeled NPCs showed only a slight increase, while those with DNA breakages were much more frequent in the cirrhotic stage, suggesting a significant role for NPCs in the fibrotic process. These results indicate that DNA strand breaks in NPCs act as a marker for activation states such as proliferation, differentiation and/or activated gene expression.     

Variations in and Inheritance of NS-Glycoprotein in Self-Incompatible Brassica campestris L.

The stigma of Brassica species contain NS-glycoproteins thatexhibit a high degree of structural homology to the S-glycoproteinsof self-incompatibility. Inheritance of and variations in theNS-glycoprotein were studied with reference to self-incompatibility.The detection of NS-glycoproteins was performed by cross-reactionwith an antiserum raised against a purified NS-glycoprotein.In B. campestris, four isoforms of the NS-glycoprotein weredifferentiated by their pI values, but their molecular weightswere identical to one another. The genes for these isoformsof NS-glycoprotein were controlled by alleles at a single locus,tentatively named the NS allele, which was independent of Salleles at both the protein and the DNA level. Segregation ofF₂ plants with respect to the self-incompatibility behaviorof pollen tubes can be explained by the S allele model, butit appears not to be affected by the NS alleles. NS-glycoproteinswere found in all 21 species of Brassica and its allies examinedto date. The pI values of these glycoproteins varied among differentspecies. In addition to the isoforms of the NS alleles, maturestigmas contained other groups of proteins that reacted weaklywith the antiserum against the NS-glycoprotein. (Received July 30, 1991; Accepted February 21, 1992)     

Qualitative and quantitative difference in mutation induction between carbon- and neon-ion beams in normal human cells.

We investigated the difference in cell-killing effect and mutation induction between carbon- and neon-ion beams in normal human cells. Carbon- and neon-ion beams were accelerated by the Riken Ring Cyclotron (RRC) at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research in Japan. Cell-killing effect was measured as the reproductive cell death using the colony formation assay. Mutation induction at the HPRT locus was detected to measure 6-thioguanine-resistant clones. The mutation spectrum of the deletion pattern of exons of induced mutants was analyzed using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Cell-killing effect was almost the same between carbon- and neon-ion beams with similar linear energy transfer (LET) values, while there observed a large difference in mutation frequency. Furthermore, in the case of neon-ion beams 60% of mutants showed total deletions and 35-40% showed partial deletions, while 95-100% of carbon-ion induced mutants showed total deletions. The results suggest that different ion species may cause qualitative and quantitative difference in mutation induction even if the LET values are similar.     

Identification of genes expressed in the shoot apex ofBrassica campestris during floral transition

The vegetative-to-floral transition ofBrassica campestris cv. Osome was induced by vernalization. Poly(A)+RNA was isolated from the transition shoot apex after 6 weeks of vernalization, the floral apex after 12 weeks of vernalization and the expanded leaves just before vernalization, and cDNAs were synthesized. These cDNAs were used for subtraction and differential screening to select cDNA preferentially present in the transition and floral apices. Nucleotide sequences of the resulting 14 cDNA clones were determined, and northern blot analysis was carried out on six cDNAs. Two cDNA clones which did not show significant similarity to known genes were shown to be preferentially expressed in the floral apex.     

Cloning and nucleotide sequence of fosfomycin biosynthetic genes of Streptomyces wedmorensis

The biosynthetic pathway for production of the antibiotic fosfomycin by Streptomyces wedmorensis consists of four steps including the formation of a C-P bond and an epoxide. Fosfomycin production genes were cloned from genomic DNA using S. wedmorensis mutants blocked at different steps of the biosynthetic pathway. Four genes corresponding to each of the biosynthetic steps were found to be clustered in a DNA fragment of about 5 kb. Nucleotide sequencing of a large fragment revealed the presence of ten open reading frames, including the four biosynthetic genes and six genes with unknown functions.     

Artificial seeding of the green seaweed Monostroma for cultivation

In Japan, the green seaweed Monostroma is an important source of humanfood. Monostroma nitidum Wittrock (Japanese name: hitoegusa) is cultivated in brackish waters and estuaries of central to southern Japan. The green seaweed Monostroma grows in the brackish water area in the upper part of the intertidal zone in the warm waters. Artificial seed culture began with the collection of many gametes in April. The resultant zygotes were allowed to adhere to plastic settlement boards (20 cm long and 10 cm wide). The zygoteboards were then cultured in tanks (1 ×2 ×0.5 m) with fertiliser in a controlled growth room (10–87 μmol photon m^-2s^-1). The cultivated zygotes on the board in the indoor tanks gradually increased in size from 10 to 40 μm in diameter during May to early August. Zygote growth became slowed at the end of August. The zygotesmatured in early September, and the plates were transferred into culture tanks in a dark room for dark treatment. Maturation of the zygote was promoted by providing dark conditions for two weeks. The production of a concentrated zoospore solution from the mature blades was achieved by adding fresh water at temperature 2–3 °C above that of the seeding vats. Zoospores were released in large numbers when exposed to strong irradiance of 100 μmol photon m^-2 s^-1 for 30 min. The zygotes produced flat unicellular fronds at the germling stage. The technology of artificial seed culture and zoospore release from the zygotes is based mainly on these experiments. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Immunoblotting of mite aeroallergens collected with an indoor Burkard air sampler

We examined the kinetics of airborne levels of mite allergen particles in a house by combined use of an indoor Burkard air sampler and immunoblotting. Airborne mite allergens collected on the Burkard sampling tape were transferred onto a nitrocellulose membrane, reacted with mouse monoclonal anti-mite allergen (Der pI) antibody, then treated with alkaline phosphatase conjugated anti-mouse IgG. Finally, the blotted allergen on the membrane was reacted with BCIP/NBT phosphatase, and purple spots visible by the naked eye were produced. The shape of the spots was observed under a microscope, and the spot area was measured by an image processor. This technique might be useful for analyzing the behavior of airborne allergen particles in indoor environments.     

Relationship between hormone content and autonomy in various autonomous tobacco cells cultured in suspension

Various autonomous cultured tobacco cells including crown gallwere examined for their contents of growth regulators by meansof Avena curvature test, cell-division induction test, and tobaccopith callus test. The crown gall cells derived from cv. Hicks produced auxin andcytokinin in the high levels of 300–500 µg IAA equivalentsand 40–80 µg kinetin equivalents per kg, respectively.The major auxin was identified as indole-3-acetic acid basedon mass spectrometry and gas chromatography. These cells alsoproduced methyl indole-3-acetate as a minor component. One ofthe cytokinins was identified as ribosyl-trans-zeatin by meansof both gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high performanceliquid chromatography. Auxin and cytokinin activities were not detected in the followingthree suspension cultured tobacco cells: cells requiring neithercytokinin nor auxin derived from the callus of N. tabacum cv.Bright Yellow and cells requiring auxin but not cytokinin derivedfrom the calluses of cv. Bright Yellow and cv. Hicks. Theirauxin and cytokinin contents per kg were less than 1 µgIAA equivalent and less than 0.1 µg kinetin equivalent,respectively. The results obtained in this study indicate that enhanced hormonalcontent is not the only reason for autonomous growth. (Received August 16, 1979; )