Changes in the carbohydrate content during the metamorphosis of different castes of Formica polyctena (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

In males, females, and workers of the red wood ant, F. polyctena, changes in glucose, trehalose and total carbohydrates have been studied histologically, chromatographically and colorimetrically. On the basis of these changes, the metamorphic instars have been divided into eight different stages. Besides the identified sugars an unknown sugar, probably an oligosaccharide, has been demonstrated. The carbohydrate content of the workers is highest. All three castes store polysaccharides preponderantly in the larval stages; these are mobilised after spinning (cocoon formation). In all three castes the curve for trehalose shows two peaks with a minimum during the pupal moult. The trehalose level is significantly higher in the workers than in the sexuals. The glucose level in the sexuals reaches a maximum in the first half of the pupal phase, whereas in workers it falls gradually till the emergence of the adult. No definite correlation could be found between the glucose and trehalose curves. In the workers the increase of the total carbohydrate content after the pupal moult is caused by the increase of polysaccharides.

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Zusammenfassung Bei Männchen, Weibchen und Arbeiterinnen der Roten Waldameise Formica polyctena wurden die Veränderungen im Gehalt an Glukose, Trehalose und Gesamtkohlenhydraten histologisch, chromatographisch und kolorimetrisch ermittelt. Hierzu wurden die Metamorphosestadien in acht verschiedene Entwicklungsstufen eingeteilt. Außer den identifizierten Zuckern wurde ein unbekanntes Oligosaccharid gefunden. Der relative Kohlenhydratgehalt ist bei Arbeiterinnen am höchsten. Alle drei Morphen speichern Polysaccharide vorwiegend in Larvenstadien, die nach dem Einspinnen mobilisiert werden. In allen drei Kasten zeigt die Trehalosekurve zwei Maxima und ein Minimum während der Puppenhäutung. Der Trehalosegehalt ist in Arbeiterinnen deutlich höher als in Geschlechtstieren. Der Glukosegehalt erreicht in Geschlechtstieren ein Maximum in der ersten Hälfte der Puppenphase, während er in Arbeiterinnen bis zur Imaginalhäutung allmählich absinkt. Zwischen dem Verlauf der Glukoseund Trehalosekurve konnte keine nähere Beziehung gefunden werden. Der beobachtete Anstieg der Gesamtkohlenhydrate nach der Puppenhäutung der Arbeiterinnen ist durch eine Erhöhung der Polysaccharide bedingt.

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Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

THE TOCOPHEROL,VITAMIN K,AND RELATED ISOPRENOID QUINONE COMPOSITION OF A UNICELLULAR RED ALGA (PORPHYRIDIUM CRUENTUM)1

The total lipids of axenically cultivated cells of Porphyridium cruentum were extracted with aqueous methanol-chloroform mixture and fractionated into neutral and polar lipids by silicic acid column chromatography. Thin-layer and reversed-phase paper chromatographic analyses of the neutral lipid fractions revealed the occurrence of plastoquinones (PQ) A and C, vitamin K₁ (K), ubiquinone-10 (Q₁₀), α-tocopherol (α-T), and α-tocopherolquinone (α-TQ) in the photoautotrophically cultured alga, and the same quinones but no tocopherol in the alga grown photoheterotrophically on glycerol. The plastoquinone A and vitamin K₁ were isolated, identified, and estimated by spectroscopic methods. The results indicated the following decreasing order of concentrations: autotrophic culture, PQ A > K > Q₁₀ > PQ C, α-TQ, α-T; heterotrophic culture, PQ A > Q₁₀ > K > PQ C, α-TQ. Except for the absence of plastoquinone B, the overall quinonoid composition was in general agreement with those previously reported for multicellular members of Rhodophyta, but the concentration level in total lipid was markedly lower.     

Role of Vegetarianism,Smoking, and Hydroxocobalamin in Optic Neuritis

Only 20 patients with optic neuritis of unknown aetiology could be collected in Bombay over a period of two and a half years. Only six of them were smokers and only three (one a non-smoker) had bilateral centrocaecal scotomata similar to those found in tobacco amblyopia. In 11 untreated patients the serum vitamin B₁₂ and plasma thiocyanate levels were estimated and found to show no significant differences from those in normal control subjects. Treatment with hydroxocobalamin in the majority of cases and with cyanocobalamin, corticotrophin, or prednisolone in the rest showed equally good results; spontaneous improvement was seen in one case.No significant role could be assigned to smoking (cyanide) or to vegetarianism in the production of optic neuritis in these patients; nor was there any evidence of depletion of total (cyanide-extracted) B₁₂ or of an increase in the proportion of non-cyanide-extracted B₁₂ in the serum.     

Hypochlorous acid mobilizes cellular zinc.

Neutrophil oxidants, in particular hypochlorous acid (HOCl), can cause injury to healthy tissues at sites of inflammation. Some of this injury may be caused by oxidant-induced mobilization of metals. We examined the ability of HOCl to mobilize Zn2+ in target tissues. Arterial endothelial cell cultures and heart tissue sections were incubated for 90 s in buffered saline, pH 7.3, containing a suspension of N-(6-methoxy-8-quinolyl)-p-toluenesulfonamide (100 nmol/mL), a Zn(2+)-specific fluorescent chelator, and were subsequently exposed to 200 microM HOCl for 5 min. The cellular fluorescence was analyzed histologically and showed a marked increase in intensity after HOCl treatment, which was indicative of an increase in cellular free Zn2+ concentration. Incubation of HOCl-treated tissues with dithiothreitol, a membrane-permeable metal chelator, caused a sharp decline in cellular fluorescence. This study shows for the first time that HOCl can mobilize cellular Zn2+. In view of the multiple cellular roles played by Zn2+, its mobilization by oxidants at sites of inflammation may contribute to the observed injury. The ability of dithiothreitol to chelate the mobilized Zn2+ suggests that it may be able to reverse Zn(2+)-mediated injury.     

Human leukemic cells : Effect of human growth hormone

Human (pituitary) growth hormone of known primary structure exerts a stimulatory effect(s) on experimentally growing human leukemic lumphoblasts in culture, as reflected by temporary increases in DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis. This observation may provide for development of an in vitro bioassay for human growth hormone.     

Genetic evidence for glucitol-specific enzyme III, an essential phosphocarrier protein of the Salmonella typhimurium glucitol phosphotransferase system.

Positive selection procedures were developed for the isolation of mutants defective in components of the glucitol-specific catabolic enzyme system in Salmonella typhimurium. gutA (enzyme IIgut-negative), gutB (enzyme IIIgut-negative), and gutC (constitutive for the glucitol operon) mutants were isolated and characterized biochemically and genetically. The gene order was shown to be gutCAB.