Actin participates in the structure of liver intermediate filaments

A dominating protein fraction (p45) having molecular weight of 45000 and pI 5.45 was found in the intermediate filaments pellet obtained from rat liver besides the present cytokeratins. Peptide mapping and radioimmunological assays with antibodies against this protein and muscle actin proved that the p45 protein belongs to the actin group. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that this protein is located on the liver intermediate filaments. By melting of the cytokeratin complexes in urea it was established that p45 protein is complexed with the low molecular weight cytokeratin.     

Selection of HLA compatible donors for patients with HLA antibodies

A strain of 1,507 typised donors enables 15.97 average donors to be selected for a thrombocyte transfusion in one of 75 patients selected at random with HLA antibodies being previously determined (1 to 66 donors per patient). HLA compatible donors were found for 72 patients (97.33 per cent). More than 5 HLA compatible donors could be found for 58 patients. The high number of compatible donors is based on the fact that among 1,507 donors there were 156 HLA homozygotes and 556 donors with 3 HLA-A or B-antigens respectively. Compatibility in the ABO-system was not taken into account.     

PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE MALE ONTOGENETIC PROGRAM IN AQUATIC AND TERRESTRIAL MONOCOTYLEDONS

The male program of ontogeny in flowering plants encompasses the events from meiosis of microsporocytes to fertilization. Three main sequences are discussed; the deposition of cell walls, changes in cytoplasmic organelles, and the program of nuclear divisions leading to the formation of two sperm cells and a vegetative cell in each pollen grain. Variations in these ontogenetic sequences are particularly apparent in the monocotyledons, which exhibit diversity in pollen morphology, wall structure, and mode of pollination. The male program of development has been compared in selected terrestrial monocotyledons belonging to the Liliaceae and Gramineae and aquatic members of the Cymodoceaceae, Najadaceae, and Zannichelliaceae. A total of 26 characters from the male program are discussed and then used to construct a cladogram derived only from developmental data for the five species. The polarity of only a few of the character transformations has been determined directly by observation of developmental sequences; most have been interpreted by outgroup analysis.     

Synthesis of intrathecal interferon in systemic lupus erythematosus with neurological complications.

Intrathecal synthesis of interferon in the absence of viral or bacterial infection was detected during the occurrence of neurological complications in two patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The interferons displayed characteristics similar to those observed in the sera of patients with the disease. No interferon inducing activity was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid or serum of the two patients. These observations support the hypothesis of a localised mechanism of interferon induction in systemic lupus erythematosus which includes the interaction of lymphocytes with damaged tissues.     

Spontaneous Aggregation and Cytotoxicity of the β-Amyloid Aβ1–40: A Kinetic Model

The time dependency of the spontaneous aggregation of the fibrillogenic β-Amyloid peptide, Aβ^1–40, was measured by turbidity, circular dichroism, HPLC, and fluorescence polarization. The results by all methods were comparable and they were most consistent with a kinetic model where the peptide first slowly forms an activated monomeric derivative (AM), which is the only species able to initiate, by tetramerization, the formation of linear aggregates. The anti-Aβ antibody 6E10, raised against residues 1–17, at concentrations of 200–300 nM delayed significantly the aggregation of 50 μM amyloid peptide. The anti–Aβ antibody 4G8, raised against residues 17–24, was much less active in that respect, while the antibody A162, raised against the C-terminal residues 39–43 of the full-length Aβ was totally inactive at those concentrations. Concomitant with the aggregation experiments, we also measured the time dependency of the Aβ^1–40–induced toxicity toward SH-EP1 cells and hippocampal neurons, evaluated by SYTOX Green fluorescence, lactate dehydrogenase release, and activation of caspases. The extent of cell damage measured by all methods reached a maximum at the same time and this maximum coincided with that of the concentration of AM. According to the kinetic scheme, the latter is the only transient peptide species whose concentration passes through a maximum. Thus, it appears that the toxic species of Aβ^1–40 is most likely the same transient activated monomer that is responsible for the nucleation of fibril formation. These conclusions should provide a structural basis for understanding the toxicity of Aβ^1–40 in vitro and possibly in vivo.     

Internal lipid synthesis and vesicle growth as a step toward self-reproduction of the minimal cell

One of the major properties of the semi-synthetic minimal cell, as a model for early living cells, is the ability to self-reproduce itself, and the reproduction of the boundary layer or vesicle compartment is part of this process. A minimal bio-molecular mechanism based on the activity of one single enzyme, the FAS-B (Fatty Acid Synthase) Type I enzyme from Brevibacterium ammoniagenes, is encapsulated in 1-palmitoyl-2oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) liposomes to control lipid synthesis. Consequently molecules of palmitic acid released from the FAS catalysis, within the internal lumen, move toward the membrane compartment and become incorporated into the phospholipid bilayer. As a result the vesicle membranes change in lipid composition and liposome growth can be monitored. Here we report the first experiments showing vesicles growth by catalysis of one enzyme only that produces cell boundary from within. This is the prototype of the simplest autopoietic minimal cell.     

Identifying essential genes in bacterial metabolic networks with machine learning methods

Background  

Identifying essential genes in bacteria supports to identify potential drug targets and an understanding of minimal requirements for a synthetic cell. However, experimentally assaying the essentiality of their coding genes is resource intensive and not feasible for all bacterial organisms, in particular if they are infective.     

Trees on networks: resolving statistical patterns of phylogenetic similarities among interacting proteins

Background  

Phylogenies capture the evolutionary ancestry linking extant species. Correlations and similarities among a set of species are mediated by and need to be understood in terms of the phylogenic tree. In a similar way it has been argued that biological networks also induce correlations among sets of interacting genes or their protein products.     

Enzymatic System of Metabolism and Detoxication of Xenobiotics as a Basis of Metabolic Portraiting during Prognostication of Risk of Pathological Processes

We studied intraspecific features of the main enzymes of metabolism and detoxication of xenobiotics on mice (eight inbred lines) and rats (five lines) for estimation of possible variants of complete or incomplete metabolic equality. Significant genetically determined intraspecific differences for activities of the enzymes of metabolism and detoxication of xenobiotics were described. Generalized criteria for comparison of the metabolic status were proposed on the basis of activities of the main enzymes: cytochrome P-450 (hydroxylation and epoxidation), epoxyhydrolase, glutathione-S-transferase, UDP-glucuronosyl transferase, and sulfotransferase. The proposed criteria for estimation of the metabolic parameters of an individual can serve as a basis of metabolic portraiting.