Maintenance of the diurnal petiolar movement by exogenous indole-3-acetic acid under day-night cycles in Mimosa pudica

Effects of plant hormones on the diurnal movement of the petiole of Mimosa pudica L. were examined under the conditions of day-night cycles. Surgical removal of the leaf at the middle of the petiole led to gradual loss of the movement. Aqueous solutions of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) applied as a pulse each day 10 μl at (10⁻⁶−10⁻⁵ M ) or continuously (10⁻⁸−10⁻⁶ M ) to the cut end of the petiole maintained a diurnal movement that has the same phase of oscillation as that shown in the intact leaf. Pulse treatments given at different times of the day had no effect on the phase of the oscillation. Higher concentrations of the acid gave larger amplitudes. Other hormones such as gibberellic acid, kinetin and [R,S]-abscisic acid or 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid did not show diurnal movement-maintaining activities of IAA. Gibberellic acid disturbed the phase of the diurnal movements and kept the petiole elevated at very high positions. A possible action mechanism of IAA is discussed.     

Biological effects of a relatively low concentration of 1-b-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine in K562 cells: Alterations of the cell cycle,erythroid-differentiation,and apoptosis

Therapeutic strategies for leukemia are directed to induction of differentiation and apoptosis as well as growth inhibition. One of the key antileukemic agents, 1--D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara C), is clinically applied according to these therapeutic aims. However, the molecular effects of 0.1 g/ml of ara C, a concentration that corresponds to the serum level in leukemic patients on a conventional dose of ara C, have not been well disclosed. Here, we addressed these issues using K562 cells which derived from a blastic crisis of chronic myeloid leukemia. DNA synthesis of treated cells was suppressed from 1-6 h. But, it recovered at 12 h and no further inhibition was observed. The number of cells was not decreased but DNA fragmentation was observed at 72 h. The number of erythroid-differentiated cells also increased to 30% at 72 h. Along with treatment, no marked alteration of mRNAs for cell cycle-regulating genes was found and the retinoblastoma gene product remained hyperphosphorylated throughout treatment. The expression of mRNAs for apoptosis-regulating genes also remained unchanged, except for slight down-regulation of Bax. c-myc protein was not found later than 48 h, and Max mRNA was downregulated. c-jun was immediately induced, followed by the fluctuated expression level along with treatment. These findings suggest that the 0.1 g/ml ara C changed the proliferation, differentiation and death of K562 cells in a biphasic manner. In the early phase, DNA synthesis was inhibited without altering the expression of cell cycle regulating-genes. In the latter phase, cell death and erythroid- differentiation occurred in accordance with the down-regulation of c-myc.     

Inhibition of the formation of adventitious roots on cucumber hypocotyls by the fractions and methoxybenzylglutamine from xylem sap of squash root

In studies of the functions of roots in the development of aboveground organs, the butanol fraction of xylem sap collected from squash root was found to have inhibitory activity against the formation of adventitious roots on the hypocotyls of cucumber in a culture of shoot cutting. The inhibitory activity was fractionated with reverse phase column chromatographies, and an inhibitory fraction was recovered with a single peak of absorbance at 280 nm, which contained a novel amino acid,N ⁵-(4-methoxyphenyl) methyl-l-glutamine (methoxybenzylglutamine) as a major component (Inouyeet al. 1998). Chemically synthesized methoxybenzylglutamine (5 mM) inhibited the formation of adventitious roots and also inhibited the growth of first leaf and cotyledons in a culture of shoot cuttings. On the basis of the results obtained, discussed is possible regulation of the developmental events on the aboveground organs by the roots through xylem sap.     

Purification, molecular cloning, and genomic organization of human brain long-chain acyl-CoA hydrolase

An acyl-CoA hydrolase, referred to as hBACH, was purified from human brain cytosol. The enzyme had a molecular mass of 100 kDa and 43-kDa subunits, and was highly active with long-chain acyl-CoAs, e.g. a maximal velocity of 295 micromol/min/mg and K(m) of 6.4 microM for palmitoyl-CoA. Acyl-CoAs with carbon chain lengths of C(8-18) were also good substrates. In human brain cytosol, 85% of palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase activity was titrated by an anti-BACH antibody, which accounted for over 75% of the enzyme activity found in the brain tissue. The cDNA isolated for hBACH, when expressed in Escherichia coli, directed the expression of palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase activity and a 44-kDa protein immunoreactive to the anti-BACH antibody, which in turn neutralized the hydrolase activity. The hBACH cDNA encoded a 338-amino acid sequence which was 95% identical to that of a rat homolog. The hBACH gene spanned about 130 kb and comprised 9 exons, and was mapped to 1p36.2 on the cytogenetic ideogram. These findings indicate that the long-chain acyl-CoA hydrolase present in the brain is well conserved between man and the rat, suggesting a conserved role for this enzyme in the mammalian brain, and enabling genetic studies on the functional analysis of acyl-CoA hydrolase.     

Ambient oxygen regulates epithelial metabolism and nitric oxide production in the human nose.

The effects of ambient O(2) tension on epithelial metabolism and nitric oxide (NO) production (VNO) in the nasal airway were examined in nine healthy volunteers. Nasal VNO, O(2) consumption (VO(2)), and CO(2) production (VCO(2)) were measured during normoxia followed by gradual hypoxia from 21 to 0% O(2) concentration. Nasal VO(2), VCO(2), and respiratory quotient during normoxia were determined to be 1.19 +/- 0.04 ml/min, 1.60 +/- 0.04 ml/min, and 1.35 +/- 0.04, respectively. Hypoxia exposure to the nasal cavity significantly decreased both VCO(2) and VNO [VCO(2): 1.60 +/- 0.04 to 0.96 +/- 0.03 ml/min (P < 0.01), VNO: 530 +/- 15 to 336 +/- 9 nl/min (P < 0.01)]. VNO was reduced commensurately with gradual decline in O(2) tension, and the apparent K(m) value for O(2) was determined to be 23.0 microM. These results indicate that the nasal epithelial cells exchange O(2) and CO(2) with ambient air in the course of their metabolism and that nasal epithelial cells can synthesize NO by using ambient O(2) as a substrate. We conclude that air-borne O(2) diffuses into the epithelium where it may be utilized for either cell metabolism or NO synthesis.     

A recombinant human interleukin-1β protects adriamycin-induced toxicity

Pretreatment with recombinant human interleukin-1β (IL-1) protected normal BALB/c mice from the lethal effect adriamycin (ADM) of related to dose and frequency of administration. Posttreatment with IL-1 failed to protect. Neutrophil and platelet counts after the administration of ADM (16mg/kg) did not differ between the group with and that without IL-1 pretreatment, whereas lipid peroxide levels in the heart were reduced in the group pretreated with IL-1. It appears that the chemoprotection mechanism of IL-1 lies in the prevention of cardiotoxicity due to ADM-induced free radicals.     

Enhancement effects of BSA and linoleic acid on hybridoma cell growth and antibody production

The effects of linoleic acid and bovine serum albumin on hybridoma cell growth and antibody production were investigated. In dish cultivation, linoleic acid on its own promoted cell growth when used at concentrations below 50 mg L^–1, but strongly inhibited growth at a concentration of 100 mg L^–1 on more. However, linoleic acid bound to bovine serum albumin did not inhibit cell growth, even at a concentration as high as 100 mg L^–1. Also, linoleic acid did not affect the specific antibody production rate, with or without bovine serum albumin. In order to elucidate the enhancement of antibody production by bovine serum albumin, fractions were prepared by ultrafiltration (98% molecular weight cut-offs, 50,000 and 17,000) and the effects of the fractionation on antibody production were studied in batch cultivation. The high-molecular-weight fraction (50,000) promoted antibody production whereas the low-molecular-weight fraction (17,000) inhibited it. In continuous cultivation, the high-molecular-weight fraction was also found to enhance antibody production.     

Profile control of the specific growth rate in fed-batch experiments

Summary The aim of this paper is to apply a computer control scheme to a laboratory scale fermentor so that the specific growth rate in a baker's yeast fed-batch culture, which cannot be measured directly, will follow as accurately as possible the desired profile specified in advance. Using an extended Kalman filter and programmed controller/feedback compensator (PF) system proposed previously, profile control of the specific growth rate () was achieved experimentally in a baker's yeast fed-batch culture. Also, bang-bang type profile control of minimized the proportion of budding cells, which have a strong correlation with the fermentative activity in bread-making.     

An arachidonoyl (polyenoic)-specific phospholipase A2 activity regulates the synthesis of platelet-activating factor in granulocytic HL-60 cells

Human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) were used as a cell model to determine how arachidonic acid stimulates the synthesis of platelet-activating factor (PAF) synthesized via the remodeling pathway. In these studies HL-60 cells were cultured over 30 passages in fatty acid-free medium to deplete them of arachidonic acid. Even though the phospholipid classes from these cells contained no arachidonate, they could still be differentiated into granulocytes by dimethyl sulfoxide (1.25%). When the differentiated HL-60 cells, depleted of arachidonic acid, were stimulated with calcium ionophore A23187 in the presence of Ca2+ and [3H]acetate, only minimal amounts of [3H]PAF were produced. In contrast, if the differentiated HL-60 cells were supplemented with 10 microM arachidonic acid for 24 h and then stimulated with the ionophore, there was a large amount of [3H]PAF formed. The increase in PAF synthesis depended on the length of time the cells were supplemented with arachidonic acid; only a small increase in PAF synthesis occurred during the early hours of supplementation whereas stimulation of PAF synthesis was maximal (3-5-fold) after a 24-h period of the 20:4 supplementation. Other polyenoic fatty acid supplements (20:5, 22:4, and 22:6 for 24 h) also stimulated PAF production in the ionophore-treated HL-60 cells depleted of 20:4, but the amount of PAF was significantly less than found for the supplements of 20:4 under identical experimental conditions. Also noteworthy is that undifferentiated cells supplemented with 20:4 or their unsupplemented controls could not be stimulated by the calcium ionophore to produce PAF. Addition of indomethacin (cyclooxygenase inhibitor), A63162 (5'-lipoxygenase inhibitor), or eicosatetraynoic acid (cyclooxygenase/lipoxygenase inhibitor) to the incubations caused little change in the production of [3H]PAF in the differentiated cells supplemented with 20:4 for 24 h. On the other hand, the addition of mepacrine, bromophenacyl bromide, or U26384 (phospholipase A2 inhibitors) resulted in very large decreases (80-90% lower than controls) in the amount of [3H]PAF produced under the same conditions. Analysis of the molecular species of [3H]alkylacyl-GroPCho (1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, the precursor of PAF in the remodeling pathway) in 20:4-supplemented cells prelabeled with [3H]alkyl-lyso-GroPCho revealed that only the alkylarachidonoyl-GroPCho species were preferentially decreased after stimulation with the A23187 ionophore.These results demonstrate that arachidonate must be at the sn-2 position of alkylacyl-GroPCho in order for it to serve as a precursor of PAF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Involvement of calmodulin- and protein kinase C-related mechanism in an induction process of peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation-related enzymes by hypolipidemic peroxisome proliferators.

Trifluoperazine, a calmodulin antagonist, suppressed the clofibric acid-evoked induction of the peroxisomal cyanide-insensitive fatty acyl-CoA oxidizing system and carnitine acetyltransferase in rat liver and also in cultured rat hepatocytes. H-7, a potent inhibitor of protein kinase C, also suppressed the induction of these enzymes by clofibric acid, bezafibrate, Wyl4,643 or mono(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate in cultured rat hepatocytes. This suppressive effect was also confirmed by the protein composition of hepatocytes treated with clofibric acid and these antagonists, where the increase in the amount of peroxisomal bifunctional enzyme by peroxisome proliferator was markedly suppressed by above two antagonists. Profile of the time-dependent changes in the activities of the two enzymes after clofibric acid treatment showed that there might be two phases in the induction process. The initial phase (0-3 days after the treatment) showed a relative low inducing rate and subsequent phase (3-5 days after the treatment) showed an abrupt induction. The suppressive effect of the above two antagonists was significant in the later phase. In a time course study of the induction process of peroxisomal catalase, bifunctional enzyme or 69 kDa integral membrane protein using immunochemical detection, the induction of the membrane protein by clofibric acid was delayed compared with that of the bifunctional enzyme, where the induction was inhibited almost completely by nicardipine. These experimental results suggest that calmodulin- and protein kinase C-dependent processes play an important role in the process of marked induction of peroxisomal enzymes and membrane protein by drugs in rat liver.