Internal antigen and immune network

The network hypothesis postulates the existence of internal idiotopic structures which mimic nominal antigens. Experimental evidence for idiotope internal antigen is presented and its implication for the Network hypothesis is discussed. The exploitation of the internal idiotope antigens (or preparation of vaccines) is a realistic possibility.     

Chronic administration of dehydroepiandrosterone reduces pancreatic beta-cell hyperplasia and hyperinsulinemia in genetically obese Zucker rats

The Zucker obese (fa/fa) rat is a model of hypertrophic/hyperplastic obesity. These rats develop marked hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and pancreatic beta-cell hyperplasia. In the present study, chronic (22 weeks) administration of the 17-ketosteroid, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), to obese Zucker rats significantly decreased body weight, and retroperitoneal and parametrial fat pad weights. In addition, beta-cell hyperplasia was reduced as well as pancreatic insulin content. DHEA treatment of lean Zucker rats also reduced body weight, fat depot weight, pancreatic islet diameter, and pancreatic insulin content. These data indicate that DHEA treatment appears to inhibit insulin synthesis and beta-cell proliferation. Whether this is due to a direct effect on the pancreas or due to improvement of peripheral insulin sensitivity remains to be elucidated.     

Demographic characteristics of a rural area in Kenya in 1974-80

A longitudinal, epidemiological study was carried out in a rural area of Kenya with a population of about 28,000 between 1974 and 1980. Population registration during this time showed that population growth was very high between 1974 and 1978 (4.4%/year) and much lower in 1979 and 1980 (1.1%). Natural increase was nearly as high as in Kenya as a whole (3.7%) in this period. Fertility was somewhat lower than in all Kenya (the crude birth rate was 46/1000) while mortality was substantially lower (7/1000). These rates are believed to be genuine and not due to under reporting of infant deaths. The most likely reason for these low infant mortality levels is the existence of favorable economic, social and hygienic conditions in the area compared to other parts of Kenya. The adult mortality rates are low too, in particular for the population aged 65 and over. The main reason is the overestimation of ages, in particular of women in the older age brackets, which has led to too large a denominator of the age specific rates in these age groups. Levels of temporary and permanent migration are high and probably characteristic for many parts of Kenya. Of the 19% of the registered population absent when visited by the fieldworkers, there were more males (23%) than females (14%). The % of absenteeism is higher for males between 20-59 years old, and also for females between 15 and 30. About 3% of the population is away for a short time, visiting relatives, attending weddings and funerals or occupied as traders. The large majority of absentees (14%) consists of temporary labor migrants and family members accompanying them. Many are gainfully employed in Nairobi and other towns in Kenya; some are farmers who seasonally move to another farm which they own outside the area. Others are wives and children who temporarily join their husbands, or polygamous men who are temporarily staying with another wife outside the area. All permanent movements to and from the study area, as well as within it, show that on average migration inwards and outwards balanced each other in the 7-year period. The gross migration rate is substantially higher for females than for males. This is due to family related reasons: marriage, divorce, separation. Other categories of migrants are those families who establish a new business or farm elsewhere, teachers and pastors who are transferred, and farm laborers, housemaids and servants. Poor economic conditions of 1979/80, due to a drop in coffee prices and poor harvests of coffee, maize and beans, led to more emigration and less immigration.     

Changes in cell-surface expression of MHC and Thy-1.2 determinants following treatment with lipid modulating agents

Treatment of normal mouse spleen cells with lipid fluidity modulators changes the expression of cell-surface H-2 determinants. BALB/c spleen cells treated for 1 to 2 hr with cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CHS) displayed reduced levels of all tested H-2 determinants (H-2L, H-2K, and H-2D) as evaluated by flow microfluorometry and increased membrane lipid packing density as determined by 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) fluorescence polarization. In contrast, decreasing membrane lipid packing density by phosphatidylcholine treatment decreased DPH fluorescence polarization and increased the expression of MHC determinants. The effects were selective in that expression of Thy-1.2 determinants was decreased by the latter treatment and not increased by CHS. The results are discussed in terms of passive modulation of antigenic expression.     

"Whey" proteins of milk of the red (Macropus rufus) and eastern grey (Macropus giganteus) kangaroo

1. A comparison is made of gel electrophoretic patterns of the "whey" proteins of the milk of red (Macropus rufus) and eastern grey (Macropus giganteus) kangaroos at various stages of lactation. Qualitative and quantitative changes occur with time during the mature phase of lactation of both types. Their onset is related solely to the stage of lactation. "Whey" proteins are isolated and characterised and the nature of protein changes determined for the first time. 2. The anodic electrophoretic pattern is divided into 6 main zones (designated A F in order of decreasing mobility) and 2 cathodic zones (G and H) that are only detected in the milk of M. giganteus. 3. Zones A, B and C are milk specific. Zone B is present throughout lactation in both species and is an alpha-lactalbumin. Zones A and C are present only in late lactation, zone C, usually, but not always, appearing first. Zone A is an alpha-lactalbumin in M. giganteus, but is not an alpha-lactalbumin in M. rufus. Zone C appears to be the same protein in both species and is possibly a beta-lactoglobulin. 4. Zone D is kangaroo serum albumin and zone E is possibly a beta 2-microglobulin. Zone F contains three main iron (III) binding bands whose relative intensity varies with stage of lactation. Their intensity differs from the corresponding blood serum transferrin bands. 5. Zone H of Macropus giganteus is a lysozyme. 6. Lactose is present in the milk, but is not the principal sugar. 7. The significance of the results is discussed.     

La microvascularisation de la muqueuse vaginale et ses variations au cours du cycle ovarien chez la Femme

Résumé A la suite de recherches antérieures intéressant la vascularisation de la trompe utérine et celle de l'ovaire, la présente étude concerne la microvascularisation de la muqueuse vaginale chez la Femme et se fonde sur l'examen de dix vagins humains prélevés chez des sujets en période d'activité génitale, vagins dont le système vasculaire est injecté à l'encre de Chine gélosée.L'étude de l'angioarchitectonie de la muqueuse vaginale en général laisse apparaître un dispositif vasculaire spécifique de cette dernière et représenté au niveau du chorion par des artérioles superficielles qui s'arborisent en de multiples branches se résolvant en un réseau capillaire sous-muqueux; ce dernier est constitué d'une part, d'un dense réseau capillaire à mailles ovalaires ou polygonales, étalé sous la couche basale de l'épithélium malpighien, d'autre part, d'anses capillaires intra-papillaires, sensiblement perpendiculaires à l'épithélium malpighien et se répétant à intervalles réguliers. Ce réseau capillaire est draîné par un plexus veineux étendu que résument de volumineuses veines au calibre irrégulier.Les variations de cette angioarchitectonie au cours des diverses phases du cycle ovarien sont essentiellement marquées au cours de la 2e phase de ce cycle où elles se caractérisent par une augmentation de calibre des artérioles comme des capillaires et surtout par l'accroissement de la hauteur et de la spiralisation des anses capillaires.

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The angioarchitectony of the submucous network of the human vagina and its variations during the ovarian cycle

Summary The microvascularization of the vaginal mucosa has been investigated on 10 human vaginae taken from autopsies of women having been in their sexual active period, the vascular system of the vaginae being injected with solutions of China ink and gelose.The angioarchitectony of the vaginal mucosa shows a specific vascular pattern. The latter is represented at the level of the stroma by superficial arterioles which divide into multiple branches giving rise to the submucous capillary network. This network consists on one hand of a thick capillary plexus with ovale or polygonal stitches, spread under the basal layer of the malpighian epithelium, and on the other hand of intrapapillary capillary creeks arranged in regular intervals and perpendicularly oriented to the malpighian epithelium. This capillary network is drained by a wide spread venous plexus connected with big veins of irregular calibre.The variations of this angioarchitectony are especially pronounced during the second part of the menstrual period, when the calibre of the arterioles as well as that of the capillaries creeks grow in height and become spiralized.

     

Allelopathy as a factor in ecological process

Zusammenfassung Allelopathie (chemische Hemmung) ist ein Faktor bei ökologischen Prozessen wie Konkurrenz, Dominanz, Sukzession, Produktivität.Es ist zu erwarten daß die von Pflanzen ausgeschiedenen Chemikalien sich in der Umgebung der Pflanze ansammeln, bis sie für andere Pflanzen, oder für ihre eigene Entwicklung, eine hemmende Konzentration erreichen. Auch steht es fest, daß manche Pflanzen sich so gegen Tierfraß schützen.Biochemische Produkte kommen weitgehend in biotischen Wechselwirkungen vor und allelopathische Effekte spielen in fast allen natürlichen oder angepflanzten Pflanzengemeinschaften eine Rolle.

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This study has been supported by National Science Foundation, contracts GB-149, GB-4058, and GB-6814, under which this is the tenth publication.     

Immunocytochemical localization of histones H2B, H3 and H4 in pronuclei and four-cell stages of porcine embryos. Preliminary results

In this preliminary work, using pig embryos ultrastructural immunocytochemistry with polyclonal antibodies against purified histones was used to demonstrate both their localization and the time of their appearance in pronuclei, from 15 h after ovulation (pronuclear stage) to 48 h postinsemination (4-cell stage). In pronuclei, the histones H2B, H3, and H4 were located in the heterochromatin as soon as it appeared. Usually, one of the pronuclei seemed to be more heavily labelled. The chromatin facing the zone of pronuclear contact formed a bowl-shaped region in each pronucleus heavily labelled for these histones. The so-called pseudo-nucleoli were present in both pronuclei and contained H2B. In 4-cell stages, the labelling intensities of heterochromatin for H2B, H3 and H4 were equal in all the nuclei. H2B was still evident in the pseudo-nucleoli, but in a lower quantity than before. The condensed chromatin located either under the nuclear envelope or surrounding the pseudo-nucleoli was heavily labelled for H2B, H3 and H4.     

Functional vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) receptors in human neuroblastoma subclones that contain VIP precursor mRNA and release VIP-like substances

Three phenotypically distinct subclones (SH-SY-5Y, SH-EP, SH-IN) of the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH were found to possess vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) precursor mRNA, release immunoreactive VIP, and express high-affinity VIP receptors coupled to adenylate cyclase. The apparent molecular mass for the receptor polypeptide, as determined by covalent cross-linking of 125I-VIP, was 49 kDa. After 2 days in culture, a concentration of immunoreactive VIP equivalent to the binding affinity of VIP to its receptor was found in the medium in two of these clones (SH-IN and SH-EP). Conditioned medium from SH-IN cells competitively displaced 125I-VIP binding and increased cAMP levels in SH-EP cells, indicating that all of the necessary components for a potential autocrine action of VIP exist in SK-N-SH cells. After numerous cell passages, the SH-EP subclone converted to a distinct phenotype in which VIP precursor mRNA and VIP immunoreactivity in the cell and medium were no longer detectable. In correlation, the VIP receptor number increased, and the EC50 for VIP stimulation of cAMP production shifted to a lower concentration. This points to the possibility that the continuous presence of endogenous VIP in earlier passage SH-EP cells causes a modification in VIP receptor number and cell responsiveness to VIP.     

The effect of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation on native and H1-depleted chromatin. A role of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation on core nucleosome structure

The effect of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation on native and H1-depleted chromatin was analyzed by gel electrophoresis, electron microscopy, and velocity sedimentation. In parallel, the interaction of automodified poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase with native and H1-depleted chromatin was analyzed. In H1-depleted chromatin histone H2B becomes the major poly(ADP-ribose) histone acceptor protein, whereas in native chromatin histone H1 was the major histone acceptor. Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of H1-depleted chromatin prevented the recondensation of polynucleosomes reconstituted with exogenous histone H1. This is probably due to the presence of modified poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and hyper(ADP-ribosyl)ated histone H2B. Indeed, about 40% of the modified enzyme remained associated with H1-depleted chromatin, while less than 1% of the modified enzyme was bound to native chromatin. The influence of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation on the chromatin conformation was also studied at the level of nucleosome in using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies specific for individual histones and synthetic peptides of histones. In native chromatin incubated in the presence of Mg2+ there was a drop in the accessibility of histone epitopes to monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies whereas upon poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation their accessibility was found to remain even in the presence of Mg2+. In poly(ADP-ribosyl)ated H1-depleted chromatin an increased accessibility of some histone tails to antibodies was observed.