Estrus induction in the goat after pulsatile administration of LHFSHRH

In this experiment we used nine goats to which we administered GnRH in fractioned doses at a pulse like rhythm in order to obtain follicular growth and oestrus. The average length of treatment was 5.5 days; the animals were injected with a daily amount of 0.05 mg of GnRH subdivided in three doses (0.017 mg each). All the 9 experimental goats came into oestrus and became pregnant. The GnRH treatment in fractioned and repeated daily doses proves a valid method to induce follicular growth and ovulation in anoestrus goats.     

The receptor for transferrin on murine myeloma cells: one-step purification based on its physiology, and partial amino acid sequence

The receptor for transferrin is one of the major surface proteins of proliferating lymphocytes and other cells. It binds ferrotransferrin from serum and endocytoses it into an acidic nonlysosomal intracellular compartment where iron is released, but in which apotransferrin remains tightly bound to its receptor. Recycling of the apotransferrin-receptor complex to the cell surface is associated with a return to neutral pH and concomitant loss of affinity of apotransferrin for its receptor. Apotransferrin is then free to leave the cell and initiate a new cycle. We have exploited this cycle in a novel method for the purification of the receptor for transferrin. Murine myeloma cells were lysed in nonionic detergent, and the lysate passed over a column of ferrotransferrin-agarose at pH 7.4. After washing with sodium acetate at pH 5.0, iron was removed with sodium citrate pH 5.0 and desferrioxamine. Upon returning the pH to neutrality, the receptor was eluted and found to be homogeneous by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under both reducing and nonreducing conditions. The degree of purification was estimated to be at least 3,000-fold, and the calculated yield was 10 to 20%. The purified receptor was capable of binding to transferrin. The receptor was digested with trypsin, and the resulting peptides were separated by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography in NH4HCO3. Selected peptides were rechromatographed in 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid, and their amino acid sequences were determined.     

Osteogenesis imperfecta: a heterogeneous morphologic phenotype in cultured dermal fibroblasts

Summary Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a phenotype with clinical and biochemical heterogeneity. We report here that expression of the OI phenotype extends to the level of dermal fibroblast morphology in vitro. Growth characteristics and morphology of control (n=6) and OI cell strains (n=10, representing the four major OI categories, Sillence classification) were compared by measuring the following: (i) days required in culture to reach confluence after plating at uniform density; (ii) cell density at confluence; (iii) width and length of cells (measured on phase contrast micrographs at 300xmagnification). Our results show that: (i) OI fibroblasts take longer (11–27 days, mean 20 days) than control cells (10–19 days, mean 16 days) to reach stationary phase; (ii) all OI phenotypes achieve a lower cell density (0.87x10⁶ cells/P60, range 0.3–1.6x10⁶) at stationary phase relative to control cells (2.2x10⁶ cells/P60, range 1.7–2.6x10⁶; F_4,77=56.1, p<0.01, indicating that OI cells are larger than normal). Cell shape (expressed as the width: length ratio) was also abnormal in OI cells. (F_4,730=37.6, p<0.01), types I and II OI cells have significantly increased ratios (p<0.01) relative to control, type III, and type IV cells. Intra-group phenotypic heterogeneity was also apparent in the OI categories and also within the control population. These findings confirm deviant morphologic phenotypes in OI dermal fibroblasts and further demonstrate interindividual heterogeneity in the expression of genes that determine size and shape of dermal fibroblasts in both OI and normal donors.Publication No. 84013 from the Montreal Children's Hospital Research Institute     

Effect of Cimetidine and other antihistaminics on the elimination of aminopyrine,phenacetin and caffein

Cimetidine is widely prescribed for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease and has recently been shown to inhibit the metabolism of warfarin, antipyrine and diazepam. To further examine this phenomenon we investigated the effect of various doses of cimetidine and other related drugs on ¹⁴C-aminopyrine, ¹⁴C-phenacetin and ¹⁴C-caffeine breath tests. Cimetidine caused a dose-related inhibition of the metabolism of aminopyrine and caffeine but had no effect on the phenacetin breath test. Metiamide, H₁-antihistamines, phenothiazines and local anesthetics also inhibited the aminopyrine breath test. Cyproheptadine had no effect on either phenacetin or caffeine elimination. This study demonstrates a complex drug-drug interaction which may have widespread clinical implications.     

New species of Passiflora subg. Plectostemma and subg. Tacsonia (Passifloraceae)

Five new species of Passiflora subgenera Plectostemma and Tacsonia from Ecuador are described, viz. P. discophora, P. monadelpha, P. subpurpurea, P. hirtiflora and P. sanctaebarbarae . Section Discophora of subg. Plectostemma is proposed.     

Population structure,dispersal and colonization history of the garden bumblebee <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bombus hortorum</Emphasis> in the Western Isles of Scotland

New methods of analysing genetic data provide powerful tools for quantifying dispersal patterns and reconstructing population histories. Here we examine the population structure of the bumblebee Bombus hortorum in a model island system, the Western Isles of Scotland, using microsatellite markers. Following declines in other species, B. hortorum is the only remaining long-tongued bumblebee species found in much of Europe, and thus it is of particular ecological importance. Our data suggest that populations of B. hortorum in western Scotland exist as distinct genetic clusters occupying groups of nearby islands. Population structuring was higher than for other bumblebee species which have previously been studied in this same island group (F_st = 0.16). Populations showed significant isolation by distance. This relationship was greatly improved by using circuit theory to allow dispersal rates to differ over different landscape features; as we would predict, sea appears to provide far higher resistance to dispersal than land. Incorporating bathymetry data improved the fit of the model further; populations separated by shallow seas are more genetically similar than those separated by deeper seas. We argue that this probably reflects events following the last ice age when the islands were first colonized by this bee species (8,500–5,000 ybp), when the sea levels were lower and islands separated by shallow channels would have been joined. In the absence of significant gene flow these genetic clusters appear to have since diverged over the following 5,000 years and arguably may now represent locally adapted races, some occurring on single islands.