The effect of prostaglandin F2 alpha and its analogues on progesterone, estradiol and androgen production by the cultured bovine luteal cells

The effect of PGF2 alpha and its analogues on progesterone, estradiol and androgen production in cow corpus luteum in vitro was investigated. The cells derived from cow corpora lutea (CL) and collected in the early and middle luteal phases of the oestrus cycle were cultured as monolayers. The inhibitory effect was not apparent during the first 48 hr of culture, but appeared after this time and persisted through the remainder of the culture period. The direct luteolytic influence of PGF2 alpha was observed in the cultured cells and showed that this compound can act independently of the blood supply.     

Changes of enzyme activity in the rat liver at different age in circadian cycle

Most of the biological processes in the living organisms of both animals and man are known to be of rhythmical nature. Variability of enzymatic activity in circadian cycle depends on many factors among other on age, sexual maturity, diet as well as medication. The results obtained in our studies indicate, that the activity changes of acid phosphatase and ATP-ase Mg++ dependent in the liver of all the examined age groups were of 24 hour circadian rythm. As to the acid phosphatase activity the results of this experiments showed that in circadian cycle in all examined age groups there is only one peak of elevated activity. ATP-ase Mg++ dependent showed two activity peaks appearing at the same hour both in 30 and 60 days old animals. It should be noticed that the activities of ATP-ase Mg++ dependent in 100 day old animals were two times higher than in 30 and 60 days old rats.     

Unusual evolutionary conservation of 5S rRNA pseudogenes inAspergillus nidulans: Similarity of the DNA sequence associated with the pseudogenes with the mouse immunoglobulin switch region

Summary AllAspergillus nidulans 5S rRNA pseudogenes known so far are the result of integration of an approx. 0.2-kbp-long DNA sequence into the 5S rRNA genes. This sequence, called block C, is present in at least five copies in theA. nidulans genome and seems to be associated either with 5S rRNA genes or pseudogenes. In contrast to the 78% sequence conservation of the C-block in pseudogenes, the truncated 5 halves of the pseudogenes are very highly conserved (96.9–100%). We postulate that the 5S rRNA pseudogenes are still a subject of concerted evolution. The C-block sequence shows similarity to the switch region of the mouse heavy chain immunoglobulin gene. A characteristic motif GGGTGAG is repeated several times in both sequences; the sequence conservation is 63%.     

Theoretical estimation of the calcium-binding constants for proteins from the troponin C superfamily based on a secondary structure prediction method. II. Applications

Ca2+-binding properties of the following proteins, classified as members of the troponin C (TNC) superfamily have been discussed: TNCs, calmodulins (CaMs), vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding proteins (CaBPs), myosin light chains (LCs), S-100 chains, parvalbumins (PVs), oncomodulin (OCM), sarcoplasmic calcium binding proteins (SCPs), calcineurin B (CB) and calcium vector protein (CaVP). Assuming the most probable domain pairing, the Ca2+-binding constants of these proteins have been predicted from their sequences using the method presented in the preceding paper. The results are critically compared with the available experimental data. For some proteins (TNCs, CaMs, CaBPs, LCs, CB and CaVP) our predictions are consistent with the experimental results. For the others, substantial discrepancies between the predicted and measured KCa values are observed. They result from some structural peculiarities of those proteins: a unique, three-domain organization in the case of PVs and OCM, unusual sequences of binding loops in the case of S-100 and a lack of a standard helix-loop-helix organization of Ca2+-binding domains in the case of SCPs.     

Molecular genetic analysis in the diagnosis of lymphoma in fine needle aspiration biopsies. II. Lymphomas versus nonlymphoid malignant tumors

The configurations of immunoglobulin genes and T-cell receptor beta chain genes were analyzed by Southern blotting in DNA derived from nonlymphoid malignant tumors and lymphomas. Gene rearrangements were not detected in any of the 35 cases of nonlymphoid malignant tumors. On the contrary, they were shown in all 14 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, 2 of 3 cases of Hodgkin's disease and 2 cases diagnosed as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy. The differentiation by light microscopy between lymphoma and nonlymphoid malignant tumors was a diagnostic problem in five cases; the molecular genetic analysis of DNA was contributory in all five diagnostically difficult aspirates. By gene rearrangement studies, the diagnosis of lymphoma was confirmed in two cases and nonlymphoid malignant tumors were accurately indicated in aspirates diagnosed finally as rhabdomyosarcoma (one case) and carcinoma (two cases).     

Autoradiographic studies on glucose utilization in individual zone of the rat thymus

Summary Wistar rats were injected intraperitoneally with 2-(¹⁴C)deoxyglucose and their thymuses were processed for thaw-mount autoradiography after 5, 10 or 35 min. Highest levels of radioactivity were demonstrated in the thymic medulla (5-fold higher than in the cortex). Scanning of autoradiograms for regional differences in grain densities indicated particularly intense glucose utilization in the cortico-medullary zone. Differences in glucose utilization between individual thymic zones seem to reflect differences in cellular composition, i. e., ratio of stroma cells to thymocytes.Dedicated to Professor Dr. T.H. Schiebler on the occasion of his 65th birthday