Activation of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C of rat neutrophils by the chemotactic aldehydes 4-hydroxy-2,3-trans-nonenal and 4-hydroxy-2,3-trans-octenal

A comparison has been made between the effects of 4-hydroxy-2,3-trans-nonenal (HNE) and 4-hydroxy-2,3-trans-octenal (HOE), two lipid peroxidation products, on the basal and GTPgammaS-stimulated activities of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PL-C) of rat polymorphonuclear leukocytes. PL-C activity was determined in vitro by measuring the hydrolysis of [³H] phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bis-phosphate (PtdIns-P₂) added as exogenous substrate to neutrophil plasma membranes. PL-C was activated by concentrations of HNE ranging from 10^?8 to 10^?6 M both in the presence and in the absence of 2 × 10^?5 M GTPgammaS; HOE stimulated the enzymatic activity between 10^?11 and 10^?8 M ; maximal stimulation was given by 10^?11 M HOE plus GTPgammaS. The aldehyde concentrations able to accelerate PtdIns-P₂ breakdown displayed a good correspondence with those which have been reported to stimulate the oriented migration of rat neutrophils. Pretreatment of neutrophils with pertussis toxin prevented the stimulation of PL-C by 10^?11 M HOE and by HOE plus GTPgammaS. Our results suggest that the chemotactic action of HNE and HOE might depend on the activation of PL-C; furthermore a regulatory G protein appears to be involved in the acceleration of PtdIns-P₂ turnover by HOE.     

Comparative growth of the thermal alga Cyanidium caldarium on nitrate and ammonia at different temperatures

Summary The growth of Cyanidium caldarium on nitrate and ammonia as nitrogen sources was studied at different temperatures from 21 to 54°C.Algal growth occurred at temperatures of 24° C or above when ammonia was the nitrogen source, whereas with nitrate, growth occurred at 30° C or above. The optimum and the maximum growth temperatures were 45 and 54° C respectively on both substrates.Arrhenius plots show that the logarithm of the growth rate is not linear with the reciprocal of absolute temperature, but exhibit sharply defined breaks at 30° C on ammonia and at 40° C on nitrate.It is assumed that below 40° C, when Cyanidium grows on nitrate, the utilization of this substrate represents the master reaction which controls the growth rate of the alga.     

Genetics of a low-density lipoprotein allotype in a cattle.

The paper describes a cattle serum antigen (LdlA1) located on a low-density lipoprotein and detected by single radial diffusion. The specificity is inherited in a simple Mendelian manner and the gene controlling its synthesis is inherited independently from the one controlling the synthesis of the alpha 2 macroglobulin McA1 antigen.