The measurement of intracellular sodium activities in the bullfrog by means of double-barreled sodium liquid ion-exchanger microelectrodes.

A double-barreled Na+-selective microelectrode was constructed with monensin as a liquid ion exchanger. The HCl-treated monensin was dissolved in a solvent (Corning 477317) at 10% (weight/weight). Internal reference solution of its ionic barrel was mixture of 0.49 M NaCl and 0.01 M KCl, the pH being adjusted to 3 with 0.1 M citrate-HCl buffer, whereas that of the PD barrel was 0.5 M KCl. Average slope and selectivity ratio (Na+/K+) tested on 10 different microelectrodes were -57.5 +/- 1.87 mV/P(Na) (SEM) and 6.7 +/- 0.44, respectively. The electrical resistance was an order of 10(10) ohm and the response time was less than 10 sec. Using this microelectrode, a free flow micropuncture experiment was carried out in the bullfrog kidney and the intracellular Na+ activity as well as the membrane PD was determined on the proximal tubular cell. Average value (+/- SEM, n = 15) for the intracellular Na+ and K+ was 20.7 +/- 1.56 mEq/L and 61.2 +/- 1.16 mEq/L, respectively, and -68.7 +/- 0.88 mV for the peritubular membrane PD. There was a significant negative correlation between Na+ and K+ activities within the cell, i.e., the lower the ionic activity of cellular Na+ was, the higher the cellular K+, and vice versa, the sum of these two being kept nearly constant. The above finding may be somehow related to the isosmosis in the reabsorptive process across the proximal tubular epithelium.     

The structure of pyridinoline,a collagen crosslink

Pyridinoline is an amino acid isolated from collagen and probably serves as a crosslink in collagen fiber. This compound was isolated on a large scale from bovine bone and investigated by ¹H-nmr and ¹³C-nmr spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy and chemical degradation. The structure is proposed on the basis of these data.     

Accumulation and turnover of the classical Folch-Lees proteolipid proteins in developing and adult rat brain.

The turnover of classical Folch-Lees proteolipid proteins was studied after administration of [2,3-3H]tryptophan to both developing and adult rat brain. The animals were killed from 2h to 250 days after subcutaneous injections of [3H]tryptophan. The measured specific radioactivity in developing brain attained maximum value 24h after the administration of label, whereas the total radioactivity per brain reached a maximum 21 days after injection. The half-life of proteolipid protein from the measured specific radioactivity was 7-20 days, depending on the time-points used for the calculation, whereas calculation from total radioactivity between 28-77 and 91-257 days gave half-lives of 35-40 and 188 days respectively. In contrast, in animals injected at 40 days of age, the half-life from the whole-brain-radioactivity data was 188 days. The problem of the recycling of radioactivity for the synthesis of myelin proteins from either a general or a discrete amino acid pool is discussed.     

Inhibitory effects of steroidal allenes on growth,development, and steroid metabolism of the silkworm,Bombyx mori

Steroidal allenes, stigmasta-5,24(28),28-trien-3β-ol (allene-I) and cholesta-5,23,24-trien-3β-ol (allene-II), were tested for their inhibitory effects on growth, development, and steroid metabolism in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The allenic analogue (I) of stigmasta-5,24(28)-dien-3β-ol (2) was found to be a specific inhibitor for the conversion of stigmast-5-en-3β-ol (1) to stigmasta-5, 24(28)-dien-3β-ol (2) and/or stigmasta-5,24(28)-dien-3β-ol (2) to 24,28-epoxy-stigmast-5-en-3β-ol (3) This inhibitor held the larvae in the second instar for more than 20 days without developing to the third instar, when administered alone or with the dietary sterols of stigmast-5-en-3β-ol (1) or stigmasta-5,24(28)-dien-3β-ol (2). The second allene (II) with a similar structure to cholesta-5,24-dien-3β-ol (4) was also found to be an inhibitor for insect growth and development, but it appeared not to be acting via inhibition of sterol dealkylation.     

Regulation of the immune response to tumor antigens. II. The nature of immunosuppressor cells in tumor-bearing hosts.

Immunosuppressor (IS) cells were found to be generated in tumor-bearing animals (TBA) within 24 hr after inoculation of tumor cells of the methylcholanthrene-induced Sarcoma 1509a and appeared to persist in the hosts as long as the tumor was progressing. However, IS cells disappeared with 5 days after extirpation of the tumor. Increasing doses of thymus cells of TBA increased the degree of suppression of tumor rejection in immune syngeneic animals. Ten million thymus cells of TBA were capable of suppressing significantly the tumor rejection. The IS cells were detected in the thymus, spleens, and draining lymph nodes, as well as in bone marrow of TBA, but could not be detected in the peripheral circulating blood. Since immunosuppressive activity of bone marrow cells from TBA was entirely abolished by the in vitro treatment of the cells with anti-theta serum and complement, the observed immunosuppression appears to be mediated by the T cell population.     

Narcotic antagonist activity of several metabolites of naloxone and naltrexone tested in morphine dependent mice (38558).

A rabbit liver enzyme system was used to produce the 6beta-OH reduced metabolites of naloxone and naltrexone. GC analysis indicated the presence of some 6alpha-OH metabolite in these samples. The narcotic antagonist activity of these 6beta-OH metabolite samples were compared to naloxone, naltrexone and standard 6alpha-OH naltrexone (EN-2260A) using the jumping response of morphine pellet implanted mice. For the naloxone series, the potencies were: Naloxone greater than EN 2265A greater than 6 beta-OH maloxone. For the naltrexone series: Naltrexone greater than EN 2260A greater than beta-OH naltrexone. The low potency of the reduced metabolites the rapid onset of action of the parent compounds militate against the formation of these metabolites contributing substantially to the overall narcotic antagonist action of the parent compounds.     

Use of phosph-cellulose paper disks for the assay of histone acetyltransferase.

A modified method for the assay of histone acetyltransferase is presented. Previously reported methods depended upon the determination of the incorporation of radioactivity from [¹⁴C]acetyl coenzyme A into trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-precipitable material. However, as shown in this paper, [¹⁴C]acetylated histone cannot be precipitated quantitatively by TCA. In the method described in this paper, phospho-cellulose (P-cellulose) paper disks are used as an adsorbent for [¹⁴C]acetylated histone and 0.05 m carbonate buffer, pH 9.2, is used as a washing medium. This P-cellulose disk method allows more quantitative determination of [¹⁴C]acetylated histone than the TCA-precipitation methods.     

Histidinoalanine in human urine

Histidinoalanine, a cross-linking component of connective tissue proteins, was detected in the acid hydrolysate of human urine. The concentrations in urines from newborn babies, children, and adults were 1.33 +/- 0.27, 0.77 +/- 0.23, and 0.89 +/- 0.33 nmol/mg creatinine, respectively. Possible origins of urinary histidinoalanine are discussed.