Antennal sense organs of the cockroach, Leucophaea maderae

Adult and nymphal antennae of the cockroach, Leucophaea maderae, contain nine or more different morphological types of sense organs. There is no outwardly apparent sexual dimorphism in adult antennae. Nymphs are dificient in gross numbers of sensilla. Sense organs are classified morphologically by their similarity to known types of sensila and are assigned functions on this basis and preliminary electrophysiological data: Sensilla chaetica (A), thick-walled mechanoreceptive hairs in groups on the antennal base; S. chaetica (B), thick-walled setae which are tactile and probably chemoreceptive, occurring in the antennal base and flagellum; S. trichodea (A), thin-walled chemoreceptive hairs of the flagellum; S. trichodea (B), minute hairs on the scape and pedicel; S. basiconica, thin-walled chemoreceptive pegs, and S. coeloconica (?pit-pegs”?) of the flagellum; S. campaniformia and scolopidia, mechanoreceptors in the base and flagellum; plus Johnston's organ and/or connective chrodotonal organs in the pedicel. Calculations based on absolute counts of sensilla and their known innervation yield an estimate of about 3.3 × 10⁴ sensilla and 10⁵ cells per antenna.     

Quantitative analysis of the structural events associated with antidiuretic hormone-induced volume reabsorption in the rabbit cortical collecting tubule

Summary We quantitatively examined the influence of antidiuretic hormone (ADH)-dependent volume reabsorption on the morphology of the rabbit cortical collecting tubule. Estimates of cell volume and the geometry of the lateral intercellular spaces were extracted from differential interference contrast images of perfused nephron segments using the morphometric procedures described in the preceding paper (K.L. Kirk, D.R. DiBona and J.A. Schafer,J. Membrane Biol. 79:53–64, 1984). The results indicate that ADH addition in the presence, but not absence, of a lumen-to-bath osmotic gradient (130 to 290 mOsm) stimulated transepithelial volume flow and simultaneously increased the volumes of both the cells (+28%) and the lateral intercellular spaces (+78%). In addition, the formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles could be observed during the latter stages of the swelling response, and vacuole formation continued well after new steadystate values for transepithelial water flow and cell volume had been reached. Two main conclusions can be drawn from these results. First, the cytoplasmic vacuoles comprise a slowly filling compartment that lies in parallel to the transepithelial pathway for ADH-stimulated volume reabsorption. Second, from the magnitude of the cell volume increase, we estimate that the hydraulic conductivities of the opposing cell membranes are nearly equal during maximal ADH stimulation.     

Control of platelet protein kinase C activation by cyclic AMP

Experiments were performed to elucidate the role of adenosine 3': 5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) in the control of platelet protein kinase C (PKC) activation. Platelet aggregation and secretion in response to 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol (OAG) were inhibited by dibutyryl cAMP in a dose-dependent manner. Inhibition of these functional activities paralleled a decrease in the PMA-induced phosphorylation of the Mr 47,000 substrate (p47) of PKC by pre-incubation of platelets with dibutyryl cAMP. These changes were also observed when platelet cAMP was increased by prostacyclin (PGI2), forskolin, or theophylline. The ADP scavenger creatine phosphate/creatine phosphokinase (CP/CPK) and the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin also diminished the aggregation and p47 phosphorylation responses to PMA or OAG. Pre-incubation of platelets with dibutyryl cAMP significantly potentiated the inhibition of aggregation and p47 phosphorylation effected by CP/CPK and indomethacin. These results are consistent with the model that PMA- or OAG-induced activation of platelets is amplified by secreted ADP and that the response to secreted ADP is inhibited by cAMP. Furthermore, the findings that increased intracellular cAMP inhibits PMA- or OAG-induced p47 phosphorylation in excess of that due solely to CP/CPK, and that cAMP significantly potentiates the effects of ADP removal and inhibition of cyclooxygenase in blocking p47 phosphorylation suggest that cAMP also exerts non-ADP-mediated inhibitory effects on PKC in intact platelets.