Effect of dietary alpha-linolenate/linoleate balance on lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor production in mouse macrophages

We examined the effect of dietary alpha-linolenate (18:3n-3)/linoleate (18:2n-6) balance on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production in mouse macrophages. Resident and casein-induced peritoneal macrophages from mice fed a high alpha-linolenate diet produced a higher amount of TNF than in the high linoleate diet group. However, TNF production was not affected by the dietary alpha-linolenate/linoleate balance when thioglycollate- and complete Freund's adjuvant-induced macrophages were stimulated with LPS. Serum TNF levels of mice intraperitoneally injected with LPS was also higher in the high alpha-linolenate group than in the high linoleate group. These diets affected the n-3/n-6 ratios of 20 and 22 carbon highly unsaturated fatty acids in macrophage lipids. Thus, the dietary enrichment with alpha-linolenate was found to enhance TNF production of macrophages isolated under limited conditions.     

Immunological detection of the dystrophin molecule with antibody directed against the synthetic peptide.

We synthesized a peptide designated R8 (amino acid residues 1157-1201) based on the primary structure presumed from the nucleotide sequence of the cDNA clone from the gene for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Antibody to the synthetic R8 generated by immunization of rabbits was tested on human and mouse skeletal muscle by Western blotting analysis. The antibody reacted with a component of the 400K dystrophin of normal human and mouse skeletal muscles, but not with components of the muscles of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients and mdx mice. Thus we established that this peptide sequence is in fact missing in the protein product 'dystrophin' encoded by the DMD gene. The antibody may prove useful for the diagnosis of the Duchenne types of muscular dystrophy.     

Preparation of peptide mixture with high Fischer ratio from protein hydrolysate by adsorption on activated carbon.

A peptide mixture with a high Fischer ratio (a molar ratio of Val + Leu + Ile to Phe + Tyr) was prepared by the adsorptive separation of a casein hydrolysate by activated carbon. The effects of the pH and ethanol content of the hydrolysate on the Fischer ratio and on the yield of the resulting peptide mixture were examined. A peptide mixture with the Fischer ratio of 31.6 was obtained at pH 2.5 without the addition of ethanol. The Fischer ratio was close to the ratio of the infusion solution of free amino acids that is now used for patients with liver diseases.     

X-ray structure of Glu 53 human lysozyme.

The three-dimensional structure of a modified human lysozyme (HL), Glu 53 HL, in which Asp 53 was replaced by Glu, has been determined at 1.77 A resolution by X-ray analysis. The backbone structure of Glu 53 HL is essentially the same as the structure of wild-type HL. The root mean square difference for the superposition of equivalent C alpha atoms is 0.141 A. Except for the Glu 53 residue, the structure of the active site region is largely conserved between Glu 53 HL and wild-type HL. However, the hydrogen bond network differs because of the small shift or rotation of side chain groups. The carboxyl group of Glu 53 points to the carboxyl group of Glu 35 with a distance of 4.7 A between the nearest carboxyl oxygen atoms. A water molecule links these carboxyl groups by a hydrogen bond bridge. The active site structure explains well the fact that the binding ability for substrates does not significantly differ between Glu 53 HL and wild-type HL. On the other hand, the positional and orientational change of the carboxyl group of the residue 53 caused by the mutation is considered to be responsible for the low catalytic activity (ca. 1%) of Glu 53 HL. The requirement of precise positioning for the carboxyl group suggests the possibility that the Glu 53 residue contributes more than a simple electrostatic stabilization of the intermediate in the catalysis reaction.     

Two monoclonal antibodies against small-cell lung cancer show existence of synergism in binding

Summary Murine IgG1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), ITK-2 and ITK-3, were generated against a small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell line. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a variety of established cell lines as substrates, immunoperoxidase staining of freshly frozen tissue sections, and fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis of peripheral blood leukocytes showed that these mAbs recognize a part of the SCLC-associated cluster 1 antigen. In immunoprecipitation studies, both ITK-2 and ITK-3 bound to a 145-kDa glycoprotein of SCLC cell membrane extracts, as did MOC-1 and NKH-1, which both recognize the cluster 1 antigen. However, because the binding of¹²⁵I-labeled ITK-2 to SCLC cells was not inhibited by MOC-1 or NKH-1, the binding site of ITK-2 on SCLC cells appeared to be different from that of either MOC-1 or NKH-1. Unexpectedly, binding of¹²⁵I-labeled ITK-2 to SCLC cells increased in the presence of ITK-3. This ITK-3-induced increase in ITK-2 binding was due partly to an increase in the number of binding sites for ITK-2 on SCLC cells. Addition of ITK-3 may, therefore, improve the effectiveness of ITK-2-based tumor detection or therapy.     

A nonisotopic method for determination of the in vivo activities of tyrosine hydroxylase in the rat adrenal gland

A rapid and reliable method for determination of in vivo activities of tyrosine hydroxylase in the rat adrenal gland is presented. This method involves determining the rate of accumulation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa) in the adrenal gland after decarboxylase inhibition by NSD 1015, using HPLC with electrochemical detection after purification of the acid-deproteinized tissue extract with Bio-Rex 70 columns followed by alumina batch method. Purification of the sample with alumina adsorption alone, a method usually used for purification of catecholamines and Dopa, was ineffective: epinephrine and norepinephrine, which are present in high concentrations, interfered with an accurate determination of Dopa, and dopamine, which is retained strongly on the reverse-phase column, interfered with a rapid analysis. Purification with Sephadex G-10 columns followed by alumina adsorption was also ineffective. After purification with columns of weak cation-exchange resins such as Bio-Rex 70 or Amberlite CG-50 followed by alumina adsorption, most of the epinephrine and norepinephrine was removed and dopamine was eliminated. Thus a rapid and accurate determination of Dopa could be made. Of the two cation exchangers, Bio-Rex 70 was more effective. Accumulation of Dopa in the adrenal gland was linear up to 30 min after administration of NSD 1015 and a plateau was reached with doses over 10 mg/kg. Using this method, we investigated the effects of immobilization stress, reserpine, and hypoxia on in vivo activities of tyrosine hydroxylase in the adrenal gland.     

Biochemical evidence for the local synthesis and retention of fibronectin in the tissue of human placenta

1. Human chorionic tissues were incubated with [14C]leucine and/or [3H]glucosamine, and fibronectin synthesis was examined. 2. Radio-labeled fibronectin was detected in the tissue fraction of the incubation mixture, but not in the medium fraction, indicating that fibronectin is synthesized and retained in the tissue. 3. The glycopeptides derived from 3H-labeled fibronectin showed the lectin-binding characteristics similar to those from unlabeled placenta fibronectin, but different from those of plasma fibronectin.