Binding of bacterial lipopolysaccharide to histocompatibility-2-complex proteins of mouse lymphocytes.

The membrane binding sites for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were isolated by affinity chromatography of the solubilized membranes prepared from 125I-labeled mouse B-cells and T-cells on an affinity adsorbent prepared by coupling Salmonella minnesota R595 LPS to activated Sepharose 4B. The membrane proteins bound to the affinity adsorbent and eluted with 1.0% Triton X-100 were analyzed according to their mobility on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecylsulphate. These membrane proteins were further identified by immunoprecipitation with specific antisera. Immunoglobulins, possibly immunoglobulins M and D, were identified in the eluate from the B-cell membranes. The histocompatibility-2-complex proteins (H-2D, H-2K and Ia antigens) were also found to be binding sites for LPS on both B-cells and T-cells.     

Identification of Ly 5 on the surface of ‘natural killer’ cells in normal and athymic inbred mouse strains

This report that (1) cells mediating NK activity in different inbred mouse strains selectively express one of two allelic products specified by theLy-5 locus (or a locus tightly linked to it) and (2) this surface structure may directly contribute to NK-mediated cytolysis, since Ly 5 antiserum specifically inhibits NK activity in vitro in the absence of complement.     

Diurnal change of tartrate dissimilation during the ripening of grapes

l(+)-tartrate-[U-¹⁴C] or sucrose-[U-¹⁴C] was fed into grape berries and ¹⁴CO₂ evolution was determined. ¹⁴CO₂ evolution front l(+)-tartrate-[U-¹⁴C] was slightly higher in mature than immature berries, and that from sucrose-[U-¹⁴C] was higher in immature than mature ones. ¹⁴CO₂ evolution from l(+)-tartrate-[U-¹⁴C] was irregular throughout the day until 2 or 3 weeks after flowering. This stage shifted to regular ¹⁴CO₂ evolution until 6 or 7 weeks after flowering, and the mode of ¹⁴CO₂ evolution showed diurnal variation; higher in the day than at night. Then the stage without variation of ¹⁴CO₂ evolution followed 10 weeks after flowering. These observations indicate that tartrate is not biochemically inert in grape berries, while the amount of ¹⁴CO₂ evolution from sucrose-[U-¹⁴C] was higher at night than in the day through the whole ripening process, except in the early stage.     

Confirmation of the human thymidine kinase locus, 17q21 → 17qter,by means of a man-mouse somatic cell hybrid,D98/AH-2 X LMTK−Cl-1D

Summary A large metacentric marker chromosome, m20, in a line of human D98/AH-2 cells was identified by Q bands as being a translocation (1;17)(p36;q21). This was confirmed by means of somatic cell hybridization between D98/AH-2 and thymidine kinase (TK) deficient mouse cells. The hybrid clones by HAT selective system retained m20, indicating the presence of TK locus on this chromosome. The results also provide evidence that TK gene is located on the distal region of the breakpoint in 17q21 but not on 17q21 17pter.     

Studies on the substrate specificity of Taka-amylase A. XII. Investigation of the active site of Taka-amylase A by examining the properties of p-phenylazobenzoyl Taka-amylase A.

1. When p-phenylazobenzoyl Taka-amylase A (PhAB-TAA) was incubated at pH 6.5 with hydroxylamine for 3 hr at 20degrees, some of the p-phenylazobenzoyl residues that had been introduced into Taka-amylase A (TAA) [1, 4-alpha-D-glucan glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.1, Aspergillus oryzae] were liberated as a hydroxamic acid, and the activity pattern of PhAB-TAA changed to that of intact TAA. This result suggested that the p-phenylazobenzoyl residues liberated had been bound to the tyrosyl residue located near the active site in the enzyme. 2. The transferase action of TAA or PhAB-TAA was studied using phenyl alpha-maltoside as a substrate and maltotritol as an acceptor. Unlike intact TAA, PhAB-TAA was not able to transfer the maltose residue to maltotritol, and this suggested that the p-phenylazobenzoyl residue was located near one of the aglycone-binding subsites, causing steric hindrance.     

Clinical study on early changes in thyroid function of hyperthyroidism treated with propylthiouracil and a relatively small dose of iodide.

In order to compare the acute effects of three kinds of antithyroid agents of iodide (I-), propylthiouracil (PTU) and PTU combined with iodide (PTU+I-) on thyroid function in hyperthyroid patients with diffuse goiter, serum concentrations of thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), T3-resin sponge uptake (T3-RU) and free thyroxine index (FT4I) were employed as thyroid function parameters. In the group given iodine (1 mg/day) as iodinated-lecithine, the initial values of T4, T3, T3-RU and FT4I were 20.9 +/- 1.6 microng/100 ml (T4), greater than 740 ng/100 ml (T3), 49.5 +/- 2.3% (T3-RU) and 14.7 +/- 1.8 (FT4I). At the end of one week of therapy, they decreased clearly to 15.6 +/- 2.2 microng/100 ml, 457 +/- 87 ng/100 ml, 42.2 +/- 4.0% and 9.7 +/- 2.4. The so-called "escape phenomenon" from iodide inhibition was observed in serum T4, T3-RU and FT4I values at the end of two weeks of iodide therapy, while serum T3 continued to decrease but the value of T3 was far outside of the normal range. In the PTU group (300 mg/day), thyroid function parameters were 22.5 +/- 0.8 microng/100 ml (T4), greater than 592 ng/100 ml (T3), 54.9 +/- 1.0% (T3-RU) and 18.7 +/- 1.0 (FT4I) before treatment. They decreased continually week by week. At the end of four-week treatment with PTU, the value of each thyroid function parameter was 11.1 +/- 1.9 microng/100 ml, 229 +/- 56 ng/100 ml, 36.6 +/- 4.4% and 5.7 +/- 1.7. In the group of hyperthyroidism simultaneously given both PTU and iodide (300 mg/PTU and 1 mg/iodine), these thyroid function parameters decreased as well as in the group treated with PTU alone for more than two weeks. More rapid or significant decrease of T4, T3, T3-RU and ft4i in PTU+I- group than in PTU group was observed in the present study. These results suggested strongly that iodide alone was not an adequate therapy for hyperthyroidism as well known and they were also compatible with the idea that the concomitant administration of PTU and iodide was more effective in the early phase of therapy of hyperthyroidism than PTU alone.     

Single transient K channels in mammalian sensory neurons.

A single-channel recording of the transient outward current (A-current) was obtained from dorsal root ganglion cells in culture using patch-clamp techniques. Depolarization of the membrane patch elicited pulse like current of a uniform amplitude in an outward direction, of which the unitary conductance was 20 pS. Alteration of extracellular ionic compositions indicated that the charge carriers were K ions. A systematic study was made on the voltage-dependence of the ensemble average current; (a) the activation started at a potential around -60 mV; (b) the time course of the activation was relatively rapid; (c) the channel was completely inactivated at a potential positive to -40 mV. Two time constants (tau f = 100 ms and tau s = 4,000 ms) were detected in the decay of the current indicating that the channels had two different states of inactivation. A convulsant, 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), acted on the channel only from the intracellular side of the membrane. 4-AP (5 mM) reduced not only mean open time (by 50%) but also the single-channel conductance (by 20%). The properties of the channel were independent of Ca ions in the intracellular space.