The effect of Escherichia coli endotoxin on luteal function in Holstein heifers

This study was undertaken to elucidate the possible role of endotcxin in mediating premature luteolysis in the well- documented phenomenon of short estrous cycles in postpartum dairy cows. Four groups of Holstein heifers (n = 4 to 6 each) received either intrauterine infusion of sterile culture medium (Group I); intrauterine infusion of Escherichia coli (E. coli ) endotoxin (5 mug/kg) in sterile culture medium (Group II); intrauterine administration of 10 ml of a 24-h culture of a strain of E. coli isolated from the uterus of a cow with metritis (approximately 10(9) colony forming units/ml; Group III); or intravenous administration of E. coli endotoxin (5 mug/kg; Group IV) on Day 7-9 of the estrous cycle. Blood samples were collected every 48 h during the pretreatment estrous cycle and up to the administration of the experimental treatment, thereafter 4-h samples were collected for 5 d. Sample collection was then performed every 48 h for the remainder of the treatment cycle and the post treatment cycle. Serum concentrations of progesterone and plasma concentrations of 15-keto-13, 14-dihydroprostaglandin F(2alpha) (PGFM) were determined by radionmmunoassay. Intrauterine infusion of endotoxin had no effect on the cycle length or on hormone concentrations, while infusion of viable E. coli organisms tended to shorten the estrous cycle. Intravenous administration of endotoxin produced a sharp increase in both progesterone and PGFM concentrations, followed by a transient decrease in progesterone concentrations. Cycle length remained unchanged. It was concluded that the intact endometrium prevents the uptake of endotoxin although pathogenic E. coli organisms may disrupt the endometrial integrity sufficiently to shorten the estrous cycle by premature luteolysis. It is postulated that intravenous administration of endotoxin influences luteal function by the activation of the arachidonic acid cascade, by a direct effect on the corpus luteum, or via other mediators.     

Denitrification and oxygen respiration in biofilms studied with a microsensor for nitrous oxide and oxygen

Depth distributions of O₂ respiration and denitrification activity were studied in 1- to 2-mm thick biofilms from nutrient-rich Danish streams. Acetylene was added to block the reduction of N₂O, and micro-profiles of O₂ and N₂O in the biofilm were measured simultaneously with a polarographic microsensor. The specific activities of the two respiratory processes were calculated from the microprofiles using a one-dimensional diffusion-reaction model. Denitrification only occurred in layers where O₂ was absent or present at low concentrations (of a fewM). Introduction of O₂ into deeper layers inhibited denitrification, but the process started immediately after anoxic conditions were reestablished. Denitrification activity was present at greater depth in the biofilm when the NO₃ ^– concentration in the overlying water was elevated, and the deepest occurrence of denitrification was apparently determined by the depth penetration of NO₃ ^–. The denitrification rate within each specific layer was not affected by an increase in NO₃ ^– concentration, and the half-saturation concentration (K_m) for NO₃ ^– therefore considered to be low (<25M). Addition of 0.2% yeast extract stimulated denitrification only in the uppermost 0.2 mm of the denitrification zone indicating a very efficient utilization of the dissolved organic matter within the upper layers of the biofilm.     

The transport of class I major histocompatibility complex antigens is determined by sequences in the α1 and α2 protein domains

The transport of human-mouse hybrid class I histocompatibility antigens has been studied in a mutant human cell line, 174 × CEM.T2 (T2). T2, a somatic cell hybrid of human B- and T-lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-LCL and T-LCL, respectively), synthesizes HLA-A2 and HLA-B5 glycoproteins, but expresses only low levels of A2 and undetectable levels of B5 at the cell surface. We have previously shown that the products of human class I genes introduced into T2 by transfection behave like the endogenous HLA-B5 glycoproteins, while the products of mouse class I alleles similarly introduced are transported normally to the cell surface. We have now determined that the surface expression of class I glycoproteins in T2 depends on the origin of the ₁ and ₂ domains. Human (HLA-B7) and mouse (H-2D ^p ) hybrid class I genes, encoding the leader, ₁, and ₂ sequences of one species fused to the ₃, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic domains of the other, were transfected into T2. Normal surface expression of the hybrid class I molecule was observed in T2 only when the leader, ₁, and ₂-encoding exons were derived from the mouse gene. The reciprocal construct, encoding human leader, ₁, and ₂ domains fused to the mouse ₃, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic regions, resulted in biosynthesis of a hybrid glycoprotein which was not transported to the cell surface. The products of both constructs were expressed normally in control cells. The effects of glycosylation on class I antigen transport were also studied using mutant class I constructs with altered glycosylation sites. Two mutant B7 genes encoding either an extra glycosylation site at position 176 or no glycosylation sites were transfected into T2. These mutant products were expressed at the cell surface in control cells, but were synthesized and not surface-expressed in T2. These data demonstrate that the HLA/H-2 transport dichotomy in T2 is a function of the origin of the ₁ and/or ₂ domains of the class I glycoprotein, and is not a reflection of glycosylation differences between the human and mouse molecules. Offprint requests to: P. Cresswell.     

A recombination event that redefines the Huntington disease region

We report both a recombination event that places the Huntington disease gene proximal to the marker D4S98 and an extended linkage-disequilibrium study that uses this marker and confirms the existence of disequilibrium between it and the HD locus. We also report the cloning of other sequences in the region around D4S98, including a new polymorphic marker R10 and conserved sequences that identify a gene in the region of interest.     

A microdeletion of less than 250 kb, including the proximal part of the FMR-1 gene and the fragile-X site, in a male with the clinical phenotype of fragile-X syndrome

A gene designated "FMR-1" has been isolated at the fragile-X locus. One exon of this gene is carried on a 5.1-kb EcoRI fragment that exhibits length variation in fragile-X patients because of amplification of or insertion into a CGG-repeat sequence. This repeat probably represents the fragile site. The EcoRI fragment also includes an HTF island that is hypermethylated in fragile-X patients showing absence of FMR-1 mRNA. In this paper, we present further evidence that the FMR-1 gene is involved in the clinical manifestation of the fragile-X syndrome and also in the expression of the cellular phenotype. A deletion including the HTF island and exons of the FMR-1 gene was detected in a fragile X-negative mentally retarded male who presented the clinical phenotype of the fragile-X syndrome. The deletion involves less than 250 kb of genomic DNA, including DXS548 and at least five exons of the FMR-1 gene. These data support the hypothesis that loss of function of the FMR-1 gene leads to the clinical phenotype of the fragile-X syndrome. In the fragile-X syndrome, there are pathogenetic mechanisms other than amplification of the CGG repeat that do have the same phenotypic consequences.     

Evaluation of two unstructured mathematical models for the penicillin G fedbatch fermentation

The mathematical model for the penicillin G fed-batch fermentation proposed by Heijnen et al. (1979) is compared with the model of Bajpai & Reuß (1980). Although the general structure of these models is similar, the difference in metabolic assumptions and specific growth and production kinetics results in a completely different behaviour towards product optimization. A detailed analysis of both models reveals some physical and biochemical shortcomings. It is shown that it is impossible to make a reliable estimation of the model parameters, only using experimental data of simple constant glucose feed rate fermentations with low initial substrate amount. However, it is demonstrated that some model parameters might be key factors in concluding whether or not altering the substrate feeding strategy has an important influence on the final amount of product.It is illustrated that feeding strategy optimization studies can be a tool in designing experiments for parameter estimation purposes.     

Diversity among Rhizobia Effective with Robinia pseudoacacia L.

The diversity of rhizobia that form symbioses with roots of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), an economically important leguminous tree species, was examined by inoculating seedling root zones with samples of soil collected from the United States, Canada, and China. Bacteria were isolated from nodules, subcultured, and verified to be rhizobia. The 186 isolates varied significantly in their resistance to antibiotics and NaCl, their growth on different carbohydrates, and their effect on the pH of culture media. Most isolates showed intermediate antibiotic resistance, the capacity to use numerous carbohydrates, and a neutral to acid pH response. Isolates had greater similarity within sampling locations than among sampling locations. The isolates were grouped by using numerical taxonomy techniques, and representative strains of 37 groups were selected. The mean generation times of these isolates ranged from 3 to 9 h, and the protein profile of each of the 37 isolates was unique. Nitrogen fixation, total nitrogen accumulation, and plant growth varied significantly among black locust seedlings inoculated with the representative isolates. We conclude that great variation exists among Rhizobium spp. that nodulate black locust, and selection of strains for efficiency of the symbiotic association appears possible.     

Restriction fragment analysis of the secalin loci of rye

Analyses of wheat/rye addition lines by Southern blotting confirmed the presence of sequences related to theSec 1, Sec 2, andSec 3 loci on chromosomes 1R and 2R. Comparison of the 1R and 2R addition lines allowed the identification of -secalin genes atSec 1 andSec 2, respectively, while -secalin and -secalin genes atSec 1 were discriminated by comparative hybridization with three probes: -secalin, total -secalin, and 3 -secalin. The high molecular weight (HMW) secalin genes atSec 3 were identified using a homologous HMW subunit probe from wheat. Gene copy numbers were estimated as about 40–60 for -secalins, 5–10 for -secalins, and 2 for HMW secalins. Comparison of individual plants of cv. Gazelle showed a high degree of polymorphism, particularly for sequences related to -secalins and HMW secalins.