Circular forms of Uukuniemi virion RNA: an electron microscopic study.

Because the ribonucleoprotein forms of the segments of the Uukuniemi virus genome have previously been characterized as circular, we examined the isolated RNAs by electron microscopy under conditions of increasing denaturation. After spreading under moderately denaturing conditions (50 or 60% formamide), 50 to 70% of the molecules were circular. Increasing the formamide concentration to 70 and 85% decreased the number of circular forms, and only linear forms were observed after incubation of the RNA at 60 degrees C for 15 min in 99% formamide. When spread from 4 M urea-80% formamide--another condition known to denature RNA--only 5 to 30% circular molecules were observed. Pretreatment of the RNA with 0.5 M glyoxal at 37 degrees C for 15 min prior to spreading from 50% formamide gave less than 5% cirucular forms. Length measurement of the molecules showed that they were not significantly degraded by any of the methods employed. The circular molecules were destroyed by treatment with pancreatic RNase, but were unaffected by DNase or proteinase K treatment. After complete denaturation of the RNA, the circles could be reformed under reannealing conditions. We conclude that the three size classes of RNA that comprise the Uukuniemi virus genome are circular molecules probably maintained in that form by base pairing between inverted complementary sequences at the 3'' and 5'' ends of linear molecules.     

Rubidium—A possible essential trace element

The rubidium content of whole blood was estimated by instrumental neutron activation analysis. In 46 healthy children it amounts to {ie193-1} g/g dry weight. There was no difference between the values found for infants, toddlers, and school children. In 29 dietetically treated patients with phenylketonuria and maple-syrup-urine disease the values were significantly lower than in healthy children. During the first three months of diet therapy the rubidium levels remained in the lower range of the normal values, decreasing to about 60% of the mean of normal values later on. With increasing length of diet therapy these values tended to decrease. It remains questionable whether these decreased levels reflect only an induced biochemical phenomenon without biological importance, or whether they are the first signs of a deficiency syndrome.     

Drug induced changes in cardio-vascular parameters in the Atlantic cod,Gadus morhua

Summary Ventral (VAP) and dorsal (DAP) aortic blood pressure, heart rate (HR) and cardiac output ( ) were recorded simultaneously in unanaesthetized Atlantic cod, and the effects of vasoactive drugs on the cardio-vascular parameters studied. Mean resting values for the parameters were VAP=4,39 kPa, DAP=2,49 kPa, HR=41 beats/min, and = 29,1 ml/min×kg. Adrenaline constricted the systemic vasculature, dilated the branchial vasculature and caused a decrease of HR and due to a cholinergic reflex. After atropine pre-treatment this reflex was abolished, and the effect of adrenaline on blood pressure enhanced. A small decrease in persisted after atropine, presumably reflecting the effect of an increased end-systolic afterload.Phenylephrine produced a weak increase in systemic vascular resistance, while isoprenaline lowered both systemic and branchial vascular resistance. The effect of isoprenaline is probably mediated by beta adrenoceptors in both vascular beds, since propranolol antagonizes the effect.Acetylcholine in low doses produces a drop in without affecting HR, while higher doses also stop the heart. There is no significant change in either branchial and systemic vascular resistance after acetylcholine.Abbreviations VAP mean ventral aortic blood pressure - DAP mean dorsal aortic blood pressure - TBPD trans-branchial blood pressure drop - HR heart rate - SV stroke volume - cardiac output (ventral aortic blood flow) - VR _g branchial vascular resistance - VR _s systemic vascular resistance     

Periodate oxidation and alkaline degradation of heparin-related glycans

Heparin, heparan sulphate, and various derivatives thereof have been oxidised with periodate at pH 3.0 and 4° and at pH 7.0 and 37°. Whereas oxidation under the latter conditions destroys all of the nonsulphated uronic acids, treatment with periodate at low pH and temperature causes selective oxidation of uronic acid residues. The reactivity of uronic acid residues depends on the nature of neighbouring 2-amino-2-deoxyglucose residues. d-Glucuronic acid residues are susceptible to oxidation when flanked by N-acetylated amino sugars, but resistant when adjacent residues are either unsubstituted or N-sulphated. L-Iduronic acid residues in their natural environment (2-deoxy-2-sulphoamino-d-glucose) are resistant to oxidation, whereas removal of N-sulphate groups renders a portion of these residues periodate-sensitive. Oxidised uronic acid residues in heparin-related glycans may be cleaved by alkali, producing a series of oligosaccharide fragments. Thus, periodate oxidation-alkaline elimination provides an additional method for the controlled degradation of heparin.     

Structural complexity of defective-interfering RNAs of Semliki Forest virus as revealed by analysis of complementary DNA.

The 18S defective interfering RNA of Semliki Forest virus has been reverse transcribed to cDNA, which was shown to be heterogeneous by restriction enzyme analysis. After transformation to E.coli, using pBR322 as a vector, two clones, pKTH301 and pKTH309 with inserts of 1.7 kb and 2 kb, were characterized, respectively. The restriction maps of the two clones were different but suggested that both contained repeating units. At the 3' terminus, pKTH301 had preserved 106 nucleotides and pKTH309 102 nucleotides from the 3' end of the viral 42S genome. The conserved 3' terminal sequence was joined to a different sequence in the two clones, and these sequences were not derived from the region coding for the viral structural proteins. The DI RNAs represented by the two clones are generated from the viral 42S RNA by several noncontinuous internal deletions, since the largest colinear regions with 42S RNA are 320 nucleotides in pKTH301, and 430 and 340 nucleotides in pKTH309. All these fragments had unique RNase T1 oligonucleotide fingerprints, suggesting that they were derived from different regions of 42S RNA.     

Sympathetic nervous control of blood flow in the gills of the Atlantic cod,Gadus morhua

Summary The effects of sympathetic nerve stimulation, adrenaline and isoprenaline on the inflow pressure and efferent arterial and venous flow rates were studied in a cod gill preparation perfused at constant flow rate.The dominant effect of adrenaline was a reduced inflow pressure, accompanied by an increase in arterial flow and a decrease in venous flow. Isoprenaline also decreased the inflow pressure, but the changes in both outflow rates were small or absent.Sympathetic nerve stimulation gave arterial and venous flow changes comparable to the adrenaline effects, but the inflow pressure increased during nerve stimulation. Propranolol has little effect on the nerve responses, but phentolamine abolished or reversed the increase in inflow pressure, and also decreased or abolished the changes in outflow rates.The possible sites of action of the sympathetic fibres, and the distribution of adrenoceptors in the effector tissue is discussed. It is concluded that the main effect of sympathetic nerve stimulation is -adrenoceptor mediated, involving constriction of the arterio-venous pathway. The-adrenoceptor mediated control of total branchial vascular resistance may largely depend on circulating catecholamines.     

An ultrastructural and autoradiographic study of the immune response in Hyalophora cecropia pupae

Summary Membrane-bounded spherical vesicles found in rat Sertoli cells have been examined quantitatively during the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium. Most of the vesicles were localized to the basal and columnar portions of the Sertoli cell cytoplasm. The thin lateral projections of the Sertoli cells contained very few vesicles. Morphometric analysis of the basal portion of the Sertoli cell cytoplasm revealed that the volume density (V _v ) of the vesicles changed markedly during the cycle. The V _v was at its minimum (0.036) at stage VII and maximum (0.117) at stages XI-I. The vesicles were also smaller at stage VII compared to the vesicles at stages IX-V. The stage-dependent difference in the size of the vesicles was found both in the basal and the columnar portions of the Sertoli cells. At stage VII some of the vesicles appeared to be elongated much like the tubular elements of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) from which they are probably derived. The stage-dependent differences in volume density and size of the Sertoli cell vesicles may be related to cyclic biochemical variations in the Sertoli cells, and are further indications of a variation in Sertoli cell function during the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium. Whether or not this is due to an internal cycle of the Sertoli cell or to influences from adjacent germ cells remains to be determined.