Glomerular mesangium as an effector locus for the tubuloglomerular feedback system and renal sympathetic innervation

To define the effector loci for the tubuloglomerular feedback system, the determinants of the single-nephron glomerular filtration rate (SNGFR) were assessed in Munich-Wistar rats by direct glomerular puncture during perfusion of Henle's loop with isotonic Ringer's solution at rates of 0 and 40 nl/min. At the higher flow rate, SNGFR averaged only approximately 65% that measured during the lower flow rate. Whereas mean glomerular capillary hydraulic pressure was unaffected, both glomerular plasma flow rate and ultrafiltration coefficient Kf were found to decrease significantly in response to increase in loop perfusion rate, thereby accounting for the measured reduction in SNGFR. These changes were associated with increased afferent (RA) and efferent (RE) arteriolar resistances. Based on the close anatomic contact between mesangial cells and these arterioles, a single effector mechanism channeled through mesangial contractility is suggested to account for the observed reduction in Kf and increase in RA and RE. Mesangial contractility appears to be under sympathetic nerve control. In our recent micropuncture study with Munich-Wistar rats, a marked reduction in SNGFR was observed during high-frequency stimulation (5 Hz) of the renal nerve. This reduction in SNGFR was accompanied by a marked fall in Kf and increase in RA and RE. When kidneys were perfusion-fixed during high-frequency stimulation, a marked reduction in the number of open channels was demonstrated together with marked narrowing of afferent and efferent arterioles. These observations are consistent with the view that sympathetic innervation of mesangium may modulate GFR through its ability to regulate mesangial contractility.     

Physicochemical characterization of large unilamellar phospholipid vesicles prepared by reverse-phase evaporation

Properties of large unilamellar vesicles (LUV), composed of phosphatidylcholine and prepared by reverse-phase evaporation and subsequent extrusion through Unipore polycarbonate membranes, have been investigated and compared with those of small unilamellar vesicles (SUV) and of multilamellar vesicles (MLV). The unilamellar nature of the LUV is shown by 1H-NMR using Pr3+ as a shift reagent. The gel to liquid-crystalline phase transition of LUV composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) monitored by differential scanning calorimetry, fluorescence polarization of diphenylhexatriene and 90 degrees light scattering, occurs at a slight lower temperature (40.8 degrees C) than that of MLV (42 degrees C) and is broadened by about 50%. The phase transition of SUV is shifted to considerably lower temperatures (mid-point, 38 degrees C) and extends over a wide temperature range. In LUV a well-defined pretransition is not observed. The permeability of LUV (DPPC) monitored by leakage of carboxyfluorescein, increases sharply at the phase transition temperature, and the extent of release is greater than that from MLV. Leakage from SUV occurs in a wide temperature range. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy of LUV (DPPC) reveals vesicles of 0.1-0.2 micron diameter with mostly smooth fracture faces. At temperatures below the phase transition, the larger vesicles in the population have angled faces, as do extruded MLV. A banded pattern, seen in MLV at temperatures between the pretransition and the main transition, is not observed in the smaller LUV, although the larger vesicles reveal a dimpled appearance.     

Involvement of histidine and tryptophan residues of glutamine binding protein in the interaction with membrane-bound components of the glutamine transport system of Escherichia coli

We treated the glutamine binding protein with diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) and N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) to modify respectively the sole histidine and tryptophan residues and examined the effect of these modifications on the ability of the binding protein to bind glutamine as well as the ability to restore glutamine transport in membrane vesicles of Escherichia coli. Under the conditions used, both DEPC and NBS markedly inhibited the ability to restore glutamine transport in vesicles without any significant effect on glutamine binding. Moreover, saturating quantities of glutamine had no protective effect on the inactivation of the binding protein by DEPC or NBS. Fluorometric measurement and amino acid analysis indicate that the inactivation of the binding protein in restoring vesicle transport by NBS can be attributed to the oxidation of a single tryptophan residue. Similar analysis and the inability of hydroxylamine to reverse the effect of DEPC indicate that the effects of DEPC can probably be attributed to alterations of the sole histidine and/or one or more lysine residues of the binding protein. We conclude that the glutamine binding protein possesses at least two largely nonoverlapping functional domains, one responsible for glutamine binding and the other for the interaction with the other components of the glutamine transport system.     

Comparison of Rumen Microbial Inhibition Resulting from Various Essential Oils Isolated from Relatively Unpalatable Plant Species

Essential oils were isolated from eight plant species which were relatively unpalatable to sheep and deer. The inhibitory potency of these essential oils upon sheep and deer rumen microorganisms was compared, in terms of total gas and volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, by use of an anaerobic manometric technique. Inhibitory effects of oils from the eight plant species may be placed in four groups: (i) essential oils from vinegar weed (Trichostema lanceoletum) and California bay (Umbellularia californica) inhibited rumen microbial activity most; (ii) lesser inhibition was exhibited by rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and California mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana) oils, followed by (iii) blue-gum eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) and sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) oils; and (iv) oils from Douglas fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii) and Jerusalem oak (chenopodium botrys) resulted in the least inhibition, when 0.3 ml of each oil was used. A highly significant correlation coefficient (r = 0.98(**)) between total gas and VFA production indicated the validity of either method to measure the activity of rumen microorganisms. Our results are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that the selectivity and voluntary consumption of ruminants are related to the characteristic odor and antibacterial action of essential oils isolated from relatively unpalatable plant species.     

Tubular Transport Maxima of PAH and Diodrast Measured Individually in the Aglomerular Kidney of Lophius, and Simultaneously as Competitors Under Conditions of Equimolar Loading

The maximal tubular transfer rates (Tm) of both p-aminohippurate (PAH) and diodrast (3,5-diiodo-4-pyridone-N-acetic acid or iodopyracet) were found to be fixed and reproducible when measured separately in Lophius (goosefish) under standard laboratory conditions. Expressed on a molar basis Tm_PAH was four times Tm_D. However, when these transport competitors were presented simultaneously in equimolar concentrations with the plasma levels of each sufficiently high enough to saturate the carrier system, the relative rates of excretion were reversed with the diodrast transfer rate then four times that of PAH. The combined rate of excretion was far below Tm_PAH alone, and roughly equal to Tm_D. Interaction with a common carrier was indicated by the gradations in degree of inhibition which resulted when plasma concentration ratios of diodrast to PAH were extended from 0.1 to 3.2, and PAH transfer rates expressed as percentage of Tm_PAH were correspondingly depressed from 17 to 1.0 per cent respectively. These observations again point up the inverse relationship between transfer rate and competitive effectiveness which exists for members of a series of substances actively transported by a common mechanism. It appears that carrier affinity and dissociation characteristics may be quite different for various compounds in a series, and also that these parameters may vary significantly from species to species.     

生态系统与耗散结构

1977年,比利时著名科学家伊·普里高津成功地提出耗散结构理论,荣获了诺贝尔奖。普里高津的理论告诉我们:“一个远离平衡态的复杂系统,各元素的作用具有非线性特点,正是这种非线性的相关机制,导致了大量离子的协同动作,突变而产生有序结构。”普里高津的耗散结构理论,研究系统怎样从混沌无序的动态向稳定有序的结构组织演化及其规律,故也称为非平衡系统自组织理论。这一系统理论的奇葩,对于生态系统的深入研究将起到不可估量的作用。同时,这一理论使我们对生态