A method to average immunofluorescent histograms

Single parameter gated flow cytometric fluorescent histograms were obtained on normal donor blood mononuclear cells using several commonly available lymphocyte surface markers. A computer method was developed to average single parameter flow cytometric immunofluorescent histograms. The averaged histograms provide a means of pattern recognition for normal lymphocytes and will aid in the clinical evaluation of lymphocytosis. Averaged histograms may also serve as standards for more advanced analysis.     

Effective use of renal cortical slices in transport and metabolic studies

The uptake and metabolism of two water-soluble vitamins were measured in rat renal cortical slices, isolated tubules, and vesicles of the brush-border and basolateral cell membranes to determine (a) whether it is possible to produce slices that have open tubules and, (b) whether slices and tubules metabolize vitamins similarly. Transport of ascorbic acid is sodium-dependent in slices and in brush-border vesicles but is sodium-independent in basolateral vesicles, suggesting that the brush-border membrane of slices is accessible to components of the bathing solution. Nicotinic acid was metabolized similarly (97–98%) in both slices and isolated tubules. Oxygen consumption by slices maintained in a closed chamber was constant as pO₂ decreased from 88% to 58%. Slices are concluded to be a suitable model for transport and metabolic studies providing that care is taken in their preparation and use.     

The relationship between mean channel selection and the calculated coefficient of variation

Calculated coefficients of variation (CV) taken from the quotient of the standard deviation (S.D.) and the mean value of measured distributions are often used as an indicator of system performance in linear flow cytometry (FCM). The ability of the calculated CV to estimate the true CV of the underlying experiment before grouping (channelization) is dependent on the relationship between the width of the data channels and the magnitude of the S.D. of the measured distribution. When the channel width is equal to the S.D. of a distribution, the calculated CV is approximately 20% larger than the true CV of an experiment. By the time the S.D. is only one-half of a channel width, the calculated CV is unreliable. When the distribution S.D. is narrower than a channel's width, small changes in the distribution mean value will cause large variations in the calculated CV. As the true CV decreases, the calculation must be made with higher mean channel values. This dependence of calculated CV accuracy upon the relationship between S.D. and channel width places limitations upon mean channel selection that must be considered when using CV calculations for evaluating system performance, especially when looking for small improvements during optical alignment procedures. When an instrument is assumed to have a constant CV and the data are collected linearly, it is possible to improve the CV estimation accuracy by placing distributions in higher-numbered channels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Experimental dissection of flagellar surface motility in chlamydomonas

Experiments have explored the possible relationships between the flagellar surface motility of chlamydomonas, visualized as translocation of polystyrene beads by paralyzed (pf) mutants (Bloodgood, 1977, J. Cell Biol. 15:983-989), and the capacity of gametic flagella to participate in the mating reaction. While vegetative and gametic flagella bind beads with equal efficiencies and are capable of transporting them along entire flagellar lengths, beads on vegetative flagella are primarily associated with the proximal half of the flagella whereas those of gametic flagella exhibit no such preference. This difference may relate to the "tipping" response of gametes during sexual flagellar agglutination (Goodenough and Jurivich, 1978, J. Cell Biol. 79:680-693). Colchicine, vinblastine, chymotrypsin, cytochalasins B and D, and anti-β-tubulin antiserum are all able to inhibit the binding of beads to the flagellar suface. Trysin digestion and an antiserum directed against whole chlamydomonas flagella have no effect on the ability of flagella to bind beads, but the beads remain immobile. These results suggest that at least two flagellar activities participate in surface motility: (a) bead binding, which may involve a tubulin-like component at the flagellar surface; and (b) bead translocation, which may depend on a second component (e.g. an ATPase) of the flagellar surface. Surface motility is shown to be distinct from gametic adhesiveness per se, but it may participate in concentrating dispersed agglutinins, in driving them toward the flagellar tips, and/or in generating a signal-to-fuse from the flagellar tips to the cell body. Directly supporting these concepts is the observation that bound beads remain immobilized at the flagellar tips during the "tip-locking" stage of pf x pf matings, and the observation that bound ligands such as antibody fail to be tipped by trypsinized flagella.