Cone-shaped HIV-1 capsids are transported through intact nuclear pores

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Bartter's syndrome associated with indirect hyperbilirubinemia: a possible clinical variety

This report deals with three cases of Bartter's syndrome whose symptomatology was associated with indirect hyperbilirubinemia. The bilirubin disorder was suggestive of Gilbert's syndrome, with no pathological findings being detected as far as the liver function was concerned. Furthermore, the unconjugated fraction of bilirubin increased after fasting. The therapy with indomethacin exerted beneficial effects on both electrolytes and bilirubin disorders, and the patients recovered a good healthy state. These findings suggest the possibility that Bartter's syndrome may coexist in a variety associated with indirect hyperbilirubinemia.     

Pre-eclampsia onset and SPARC: A possible involvement in placenta development

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a multisystem disorder commonly diagnosed in the latter half of pregnancy and it is a leading cause of intrauterine fetal growth retardation (IUGR). The aim of this study was to investigate the localization and the role of SPARC, secreted protein acidic, and rich in cysteine, in PE and PE–IUGR placentas in comparison with normal placentas. SPARC was mainly expressed in the villous and extravillous cytotrophoblastic cells in first trimester, whereas in PE, PE–IUGR and at term placentas, SPARC immunostaining was visible in both cytotrophoblastic cells and syncytiotrophoblast. SPARC expression significantly decreased in normal placenta from first to third trimester and a further significant reduction was demonstrated in PE and PE–IUGR. The latter downregulation of SPARC depends on hypoxic condition as shown by in vitro models. In conclusion, SPARC can play a pivotal role in PE and PE–IUGR onset and it should be considered as a key molecule for future investigations in such pathologies.     

Cell-free labeling in thyroid rough microsomes of lipid-linked and protein-linked oligosaccharides: I. Mannosylated units

In order to evaluate the possibility in a pig thyroid rough microsomal system of a transfer of pre-assembled sugar cores from sugar-lipids to protein, we have examined after incubation with GDP-[¹⁴C]Man the compounds bearing labeled saccharides and have determined some properties of their released saccharide moieties. The [¹⁴C]Man material specifically soluble in CHCl₃/CH₃OH/H₂O, 10 : 10 : 3, behaved on DEAE-cellulose and when treated with hot alkali and alkaline phosphatase as a lipid pyrophosphate (sometimes accompanied by some $\text{dolichol}\text{-P-[}{}^{14}\text{C}\text{]}\text{Man}$). Its saccharide moiety, released by mild acid, exhibited properties (molecular size, sensitivity to α-mannosidase, affinity for concanavalin A and charge modification introduced by a strong reductive alkaline treatment) pointing to a polymannosylated N,N′-diacetylchitobiose containing an average of nine monosaccharide units (from six to twelve). The [¹⁴C]mannosylated glycoproteins have represented all the polymeric label remaining after lipid extraction. From the susceptibility of their pronase glycopeptides to a differential reductive alkaline hydrolysis, it was concluded that their label belonged mainly to N-glycosidically linked units. Released saccharides exhibited the same properties as those from lipids, a result substantiating the possibility raised from previous studies of a transfer of pre-assembled moieties.     

Analyse numérique des 50 espèces classées dans le genre Pichia (Ascomycetes). Seconde application d'une méthode d'analyse factorielle

A second application of factor analysis among the 50 species of genusPichia corroborates the already identified three groups and underlines the non-appartenance of round-sporedPichia species to genusPichia sensu stricto. These results are compared with Campbell's numerical analysis.