Phylogenetic study of the oxytocin-like immunoreactive system in invertebrates

1. A phylogenetic study of oxytocin (OXT)-like immunoreactive cells was performed by the PAP method in the central nervous system of invertebrates. 2. The immunoreactivity was detected in the nerve cells of Hydra magnipapillata of the Coelenterata; Neanthes japonica and Pheretima communissima of the Annelida; Oncidium verrucosum, Limax marginatus and Meretrix lamarckii of the Mollusca; and Baratha brassica of the Arthropoda. 3. No immunoreactive cells were found in Bipalium sp. of the Platyhelminthes; Pomacea canaliculata, Aplysia kurodai, Bradybaena similaris and Achatina fulica of the Mollusca; and Gnorimosphaeroma rayi, Procambarus clarkii, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, Helice tridens and Gryllus bimaculatus of the Arthropoda; Asterina pectinifera of the Echinodermata; and Halocynthia roretzi of the Protochordata. 4. These results demonstrate that an OXT-immunoreactive substance is widely present not only in vertebrates but also in invertebrates. 5. OXT seems to have been introduced into these invertebrates at an early stage of their phylogenetic history.     

Effects of some protein kinases, cyclic nucleotides and specific inhibitors of phosphorylation on the mitotic cycle of Physarum polycephalum

The true slime mould Physarum polycephalum was treated with various agents by spraying them upon the cell surface 4 hrs before the second synchronous mitosis. The onset of mitosis was considerably approximated after the plasmodium treatment with protein kinases from rat hepatoma or Ph. polycephalum at the late G2 phase. The catalytic and regulatory subunits of cAMP-dependent pig brain protein kinase caused retardation of mitosis, while the holoenzyme, casein kinase and alkaline phosphatase did not affect the timing of mitosis. The cyclic nucleotides and inhibitors of their metabolic enzymes were used to investigate the role of phosphorylation processes in the mitotic cycle.     

An extensive hairy root production precedes shoot regeneration in protoplast-derived calli of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis)

Summary Protoplasts isolated from mesophyll tissues of cauliflower (Brassica oleraceavar. botrytis) were induced to divide in culture, with 2% of them producing calli. Upon transfer to a regeneration medium containing a low auxin/cytokinin balance (0.02mg/l 1-naphthaleneacetic and 2mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine), they displayed an extensive production of hairy roots before the regeneration of shoots. Negative effects of root differentiation on the subsequent caulogenesis by such calli were not observed, since 97% of the calli regenerated hairy roots and 93% gave shoots.Abbreviations NAA 1-naphthaleneacetic acid - BAP 6-benzylaminopurine - 2,4 D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - GA3 gibberellic acid - MES 2-N-morpholinoethane sulfonate     

Production of the medicinal and prophylactic preparation enterobifidin usingBifidobacterium adolescentis MS-42

Production of Enterobifidin includes the stages of preparation of culture media, reparation of lyophilizedBifidobacterium adolescentis MS-42 culture, preparation of starters, cultivation of bacteria in fermenters, biomass conservation, and its biological control. The preparation contains physiologically active bifidobacterium cells with high activities of growth(μ = 0.7 h⁻¹,g = 1.0 h) and acid formation (titratable acidity is ∼120–140°T; acetate concentration, 0.50–0.75%; and lactate concentration, 0.33–0.50%). The antagonistic activity of these bacteria towardsEscherichia coli 08,E. coli 086,E. coli 015,E. coli 0115, andE. coli 0101 amounts to 98.2; toProteus vulgaris 102, to 87.2; andStaphylococcus aureus 209p, to 83.2%. The bifidobacteria (with a titer of ∼10⁹ CFU/ml) remained viable for two to five months.     

CTLA4 Autoimmunity-Associated Genotype Contributes to Severe Pulmonary Tuberculosis in an African Population

The gene of Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte-associated Antigen 4 (CTLA4), a negative regulator of T lymphocytes, contains a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position +6230A->G (ct60A->G), which has been found associated with several autoimmune diseases and appears to reduce T-cell inhibitory activity. In Ghana, West Africa, we compared the frequencies of CTLA4 +6230 A/G and 6 haplotype-tagging SNPs in 2010 smear-positive, HIV-negative patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and 2346 controls matched for age, gender and ethnicity. We found no difference in allele frequencies between cases and controls. However, +6230A and a distinct CTLA4 haplotype and a diplotype comprising the +6230A allele were significantly less frequent among cases with large opacities in chest radiographs compared to those with small ones (P_{corrected [cor]} = 0.002, P_cor = 0.00045, P = 0.0005, respectively). This finding suggests that an increased T-cell activity associated with the CTLA4 +6230G allele contributes to pathology rather than to protection in pulmonary TB.     

The Mechanism of Supercoiled DNA Recognition by Eukaryotic Type I Topoisomerases: II. A Comparison of the Enzyme Interaction with Specific and Nonspecific Oligonucleotides

Data on the interaction of DNA type I topoisomerases from the murine and human placenta cells with specific and nonspecific oligonucleotides of various structures and lengths are summarized. The relative contributions of various contacts between the enzymes and DNA that have previously been detected by X-ray analysis to the total affinity of the topoisomerases for DNA substrates are estimated. Factors that determine the differences in the enzyme interactions with specific and nonspecific single- and double-stranded DNAs are revealed. The results of the X-ray analysis of human DNA topoisomerase I are interpreted taking into account data on the comprehensive thermodynamic and kinetic analysis of the enzyme interaction with the specific and nonspecific DNAs.     

A DNA Damage Checkpoint Pathway Coordinates the Division of Dikaryotic Cells in the Ink Cap Mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea

The fungal fruiting body or mushroom is a multicellular structure essential for sexual reproduction. It is composed of dikaryotic cells that contain one haploid nucleus from each mating partner sharing the same cytoplasm without undergoing nuclear fusion. In the mushroom, the pileus bears the hymenium, a layer of cells that includes the specialized basidia in which nuclear fusion, meiosis, and sporulation occur. Coprinopsis cinerea is a well-known model fungus used to study developmental processes associated with the formation of the fruiting body. Here we describe that knocking down the expression of Atr1 and Chk1, two kinases shown to be involved in the response to DNA damage in a number of eukaryotic organisms, dramatically impairs the ability to develop fruiting bodies in C. cinerea, as well as other developmental decisions such as sclerotia formation. These developmental defects correlated with the impairment in silenced strains to sustain an appropriated dikaryotic cell cycle. Dikaryotic cells in which chk1 or atr1 genes were silenced displayed a higher level of asynchronous mitosis and as a consequence aberrant cells carrying an unbalanced dose of nuclei. Since fruiting body initiation is dependent on the balanced mating-type regulator doses present in the dikaryon, we believe that the observed developmental defects were a consequence of the impaired cell cycle in the dikaryon. Our results suggest a connection between the DNA damage response cascade, cell cycle regulation, and developmental processes in this fungus.