Self-aggression in macaques: Five case studies

Spontaneous self-aggressive behaviors were observed in five adult male rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) housed at a university facility. All were individually caged, were free of intercurrent disease, and were being utilized in ongoing research studies. The self-aggressive behaviors observed included self-biting, self-clasping, self-slapping, self-rubbing and threatening of body parts. In several cases, wounds were inflicted and medical treatment was required due to the severity of the lesions. A review of the animals' clinical histories revealed an increased level of self-aggressive behavior in four of five monkeys during such stressful or stimulating conditions as movement of the animal to a new cage, movement of animals out of the room or escape of other monkeys from their cages. The frequency with which these behaviors occurred was quantitated experimentally. The results revealed an increased level of self-aggressive behavior in two of these animals during the videotaped sessions in response to aggressive contacts with the investigator. In contrast, one monkey exhibited self-aggressive behavior both clinically and experimentally in the absence of environmental stimuli or human contact. Clinical management of self-aggressive monkeys included housing monkeys only with physically smaller primates, decreasing the level of environmental stimuli, and drug therapy. Haloperidol was used with success in one animal that exhibited severe self-aggressive behavior.     

Shuttlebox avoidance in rhesus monkeys: effects on plasma cortisol and beta-endorphin

Groups of monkeys either extensively pretrained to avoid shocks in a shuttlebox or with minimal prior experience were compared for plasma cortisol and beta-endorphin levels immediately following: (1) an exposure to the box with no shock, (2) the box providing repeated inescapable shocks or (3) a re-exposure to the box, again with no shock presentation. Mere exposure to the unfamiliar box elevated plasma cortisol just as much as exposure + shock did when inexperienced monkeys were tested. However, animals with a history of previously successful shock avoidance showed smaller elevations when exposed to the box alone, than they did when inescapable shock was received. Plasma beta-endorphin levels following shuttlebox exposure showed only a sporadic pattern of elevations in either inexperienced or pretrained monkeys. However, levels of beta-endorphin as determined under control conditions in the home cage were lower in pretrained animals, as were plasma levels of cortisol. The results indicate that behavioral factors may effect plasma cortisol and beta-endorphin following both acute and chronic shuttlebox experience.     

Membrane resistance change of the frog taste cells in response to water and Nacl

The electrical properties of the frog taste cells during gustatory stimulations with distilled water and varying concentrations of NaCl were studied with intracellular microelectrodes. Under the Ringer adaptation of the tongue, two types of taste cells were distinguished by the gustatory stimuli. One type, termed NaCl-sensitive (NS) cells, responded to water with hyperpolarizations and responded to concentrated NaCl with depolarizations. In contrast, the other type of cells, termed water-sensitive (WS) cells, responded to water depolarizations and responded to concentrated NaCl with hyperpolarizations. The membrane resistance of both taste cell types increased during the hyperpolarizing receptor potentials and decreased during the depolarizing receptor potentials, Reversal potentials for the depolarizing and hyperpolarizing responses in each cell type were a few millivolts positive above the zero membrane potential. When the tongue was adapted with Na-free Ringer solution for 30 min, the amplitude of the depolarizing responses in the NS cells reduced to 50% of the control value under normal Ringer adaptation. On the basis of the present results, it is concluded (a) that the depolarizing responses of the NS and WS cells under the Ringer adaptation are produced by the permeability increase in some ions, mainly Na+ ions across the taste cell membranes, and (b) that the hyperpolarizing responses of both types of taste cells are produced by a decrease in the cell membrane permeability to some ions, probably Na+ ions, which is slightly enhanced during the Ringer adaptation.     

The interaction of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase with concanavalin A and its use in enzyme purification

Dopamine-β-hydroxylase forms a complex with concanavalin A and can be quantitatively dissociated from the complex with α-methyl-D mannoside. It can thus be separated from other chromaffin vesicle proteins that have no affinity for the lectin. Using this observation it was possible to purify the enzyme by a single passage through a column of concanavalin A-Sepharose. Analysis of the concentrated eluate by disc gel electrophoresis showed that the dopamine-β-hydroxy-last was 93% pure. The binding of this glycoprotein enzyme to concanavalin A indicates that the polysaccharide moiety is highly branched and contains α-D-mannopyranosyl and/or α-D-glucopyranosyl residues as the terminal sugars.     

The presence of antibodies to human dopamine-β-hydroxylase in commercially available antisera

Three criteria have been used to demonstrate the presence of antibodies to human dopamine-β-hydroxylase in commercially available antisera directed against various human serum fractions. These criteria are the inhibition of enzyme activity, complement fixation and binding of ¹²⁵I-labelled dopamine-β-hydroxylase to the immobilized antisera. The level of antibody present in some of these antisera was sufficient to allow their use in the radioimmunoassay of the enzyme. The possibility of other useful antibodies occurring in these and similar antisera is suggested.     

Serological Strains of Tobacco Ringspot Virus Transmitted by Xiphinema americanum

Five serological strains of tobacco ringspot virus isolated from naturally infected tobacco in North Carolina, and a strain isolated from watermelon in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas were transmitted from cucumber to cucumber by mass-screened and handpicked Xiphinerna americanum from North Carolina. The Eucharis mottle strain from Peru was not transmitted, indicating that a specific strain-vector relationship may exist between the geographically isolated strains from North and South America.     

Endogenous chicken nerve growth factor from sheath cells is transported in regenerating nerve

We report the presence of endogenous nerve growth factor (NGF) in chicken peripheral nerve. The molecule has been detected with antibodies to mouse salivary gland NGF, using immunohistochemical and immunoelectrophoretic techniques. Previous studies have shown that these antibodies inhibit the survival activity of extracts of chicken peripheral nerve. The NGF accumulated distal, but not proximal, to a ligature placed on a peripheral sympathetic nerve demonstrating that it was retrogradely transported. This transport was detected in intact nerve fibers as well as in nerves from which the peripheral target had been ablated 6 hr or 7 days previously. The results indicate that avian NGF is present in adult chicken peripheral nerves and that this molecule shares antigenic determinants with the mouse molecule. The results further demonstrate that regenerating neurons retrogradely transport NGF supplied by cells within the peripheral nerve (presumably Schwann). The possibility that these cells also provide NGF to intact neurons is discussed.     

Oxidizing intermediates in the reaction of ferrous EDTA with hydrogen peroxide. Reactions with organic molecules and ferrocytochrome c

The reaction between hydrogen peroxide and ferrous EDTA generates an oxidizing intermediate (I1) which is not the hydroxyl radical. It oxidizes ferrocytochrome c and also reacts with hydrogen peroxide (k5 = 3.2 X 10(3) M-1 S-1) to form a second oxidizing transient (I2). I1 is not scavenged by t-butyl alcohol whereas I2 is. I1 is found to be significantly less reactive than the hydroxyl radical toward benzoate ion, t-butyl alcohol, acetate ion, arginine, and serine, but is scavenged by compounds with readily oxidizable functional groups such as ethanol and isopropyl alcohol. This indicates that I1 does not undergo the characteristic reactions of the hydroxyl radical but shows a pattern of reactivity more associated with a metal ion oxidant like a ferryl (FeO2+)-EDTA complex.     

Null and electrophoretic mobility mutants in the structural gene for L-lactate dehydrogenase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A mutant lacking L-lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.2.3) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was isolated by its inability to grow on minimal medium with L-lactate as a carbon source. A simple activity gel assay for visualization of this enzyme and the two D-lactate dehydrogenases in this organism (EC 1.1.2.4 and 1.1.1.28) was developed. This enabled us to screen spontaneous and ethylmethanesulfonate-induced back mutants for electrophoretic mobility. Two mutants with a mobility faster than that of the wild type were isolated, and proved to be allelic to the L-lactate dehydrogenase negative mutant.     

Presence of erythroglycan on human K-562 chronic myelogenous leukemia-derived cells

Total glycopeptides from human K-562 cells, labeled metabolically with [3H]glucosamine or [3H]mannose, were prepared by extracting the cells with organic solvents to remove lipids and by digesting the residue with pronase. 3H-labeled glycopeptides were fractionated on Sephadex G-50 revealing a high molecular weight fraction (Mr = 7,000 to 11,000), comprising approximately 10% of the [3H]glucosamine and 25% of the [3H]mannose label. Digestion of this glycopeptide fraction with endo-beta-galactosidase from Escherichia freundii, specific for a repeating structure of Gal(beta 1 leads to 4)GlcNAc(beta 1 leads to 3), results in the following four products as resolved by Bio-Gel P-2 gel filtration: 1) a disaccharide with the structure beta-2-deoxy-2-acetamidoglucosyl leads to beta-galactose; 2) a trisaccharide with the structure beta-galactosyl leads to beta-2-deoxy-2-acetamidoglucosyl leads to beta-galactose; 3) a tetrasaccharide with the sequence alpha-N-acetylneuraminyl leads to beta-galactosyl leads to beta-2-deoxy-2-acetamidoglucosyl leads to beta-galactose; and 4) a larger, complex fragment which contains mannose and beta-2-deoxy-2-acetamidoglucose and which is probably the protein linkage region. In addition, visualization of radiolabeled glycoproteins by fluorography on polyacrylamide gels revealed a 105,000-dalton "Band 3"-like glycoprotein and other bands that were sensitive to endo-beta-galactosidase. These results indicate that the K-562 cell line bears a glycopeptide, erythroglycan, which has been found on erythrocytes, and that this polymer is expressed mainly in the fetal form as a linear chain.