The 40,000-dalton glycoprotein and 2000-dalton peptide inducing selective Ca2+-transport through bilayer lipid membranes were isolated from beef heart homogenate and mitochondria. Micromolar concentrations of these substances were found to increase the conductivity of membranes by 3–4 orders. Transmembrane Ca2+ gradient induces an electric potential difference whose magnitude is close to the theoretical for ideal Ca2+ selectivity. The inhibitor of mitochondrial Ca2+ transport, ruthenium red, abolishes both the glycoprotein-and peptide-induced Ca2+ transport in bilayer lipid membranes. Thiol groups essential for Ca2+ transport activity were revealed in the glycoprotein and peptide. Addition of these substances to rat liver mitochondria induces Ca2+-dependent inhibition of the state 3 respiration that can be released by uncouplers (oligomycin-like effect). 相似文献
The role of impairment of general oxidative and energy metabolism in pathogenesis of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and their correction by (1-adrenoblocker alfuzosin was studied. One group of patients (N = 126) was examined by standard methods for determination of the severity of LUTS by IPSS and mean effective volume of urinary bladder (MEVUB). In the second group (N = 29) in addition to functional examinations, metabolic indicators in blood were measured: antioxidant activity (AOA) and succinate dehydrogenase activity (SDA). Severity of LUTS depends greatly on the MEVUB. It was the first to show a practically complete correlation between LUTS, AOA and SDA. Severity of LUTS exactly correlates with indicators of oxidative and energy metabolism. In patients with more heavy LUTS, lowest AOA and SDA values were found. In the course of effective treatment, both phenomena developed an improvement of clinical symptoms and a rise of biochemical parameters. Close correlation between functional and metabolic phenomena is evidence of an essential role of metabolic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of LUTS with BPH. This opens perspectives to use antioxidants and energy metabolism activators for correction of UB dysfunction in patients with BPH. 相似文献
Mesocoelium lanfrediaesp. nov. (Digenea: Mesocoeliidae) inhabits the small intestine of Rhinella marina (Amphibia: Bufonidae) and is described here, with illustrations provided by light, scanning electron microscopy and molecular approachs. M. lanfrediae sp. nov. presents the typical characteristics of the genus, but is morphometrically and morphologically different from the species described previously. The main diagnostic characteristics of M. lanfrediae sp. nov. are (i) seven pairs of regularly-distributed spherical papillae on the oral sucker, (ii) ventral sucker outlined by four pairs of papillae distributed in a uniform pattern and interspersed with numerous spines, which are larger at the posterior margin and (iii) small, rounded tegumentary papillae around the opening of the oral sucker, which are morphologically different from those of the oral sucker itself, some of which are randomly disposed in the ventrolateral tegumentary region of the anterior third of the body. Addionally, based on SSU rDNA, a phylogenetic analysis including Brachycoeliidae and Mesocoeliidae taxa available on GenBank established the close relationship between M. lanfrediae sp. nov. and Mesocoelium sp. 相似文献
We studied the levels of extracellular nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of blood serum and DNA damage in leukocytes of healthy donors of different sex and age groups. The baseline levels of DNA damage in leukocytes and serum DNA levels were shown to vary greatly among different donors. The baseline level of DNA damage in leukocytes was not associated with the presence of chronic deceases or an occupational health risk for elderly donors. It was found that extracellular DNA concentrations were generally higher in men than in women. There is a tendency towards an increase in the relative mitochondrial DNA copy number determined by ΔCt in women but not in men: the relative mtDNA copy number in elderly individuals varies significantly in both sexes, possibly due to age-related physiological changes. It is necessary to consider the gender and age of patients when using an indicator such as the level of extracellular DNA of blood serum for diagnosis and monitoring.
Generation of negative air ions (NAI) by pot plants (aloe Aloe arborescens, haworthia Haworthia rasalata, echinopsis Echinopsis tubiflora, mammillaria Mammillaria prolifera, opuntia Opuntia brunnescens, spider plant Chlorophytum comosum, and jade plant Crassula portulacea) was studied when high-voltage pulses were applied to soil. Plants that generated low amounts of NAI (such as jade plant and echinopsis) elevated NAI level 2–3 times over the mean background level. Plants that produced moderate amounts of NAI (haworthia, opuntia, and mammillaria) increased the NAI level hundredfold, whereas highly active plants (aloe and spider plant) increased the NAI level thousand times. Aloe plants can maintain constant NAI concentration in the ambient air (125 ± 15 × 103 ions/cm3) for a long time (7–8 h). Negative air ions were predominantly generated by the leaf tips. The capacity of aloe to produce NAI considerably reduced with plant age and was lost, although reversibly, at temperatures below 8.5°C. The rate of NAI generation considerably depended on weather conditions. It was demonstrated that superoxide anion radical is one of NAI species generated by plants. 相似文献
The arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) was used to measure the level of polymorphism of microsatellite (MCS)-associated repeating sequences of spleen, lung, and brain DNA in the F1 progeny of male BALB/c mice exposed to acute gamma-radiation at doses of 50 cGy and 200 cGy 15 days before mating with unirradiated females. The variability of MCS-associated sequences in the genome of brain and lung cells was higher as compared to the spleen cells of the progeny of unirradiated males. In the progeny of irradiated males, a 20% increase in MCS polymorphism of spleen DNA was found as an increase in the frequency of "non-parent" bands in DNA-fingerprints as against to the progeny of unirradiated males. Significant changes in this parameter were revealed for brain tissue and not for lung tissue only in the progeny of males exposed to 200 cGy. The results suggest a tissue-specific character of transmission of radiation-induced alterations in the genome of germ cells of male parents to the somatic cells of the progeny. 相似文献
MOTIVATION: Gene annotation is the final goal of gene prediction
algorithms. However, these algorithms frequently make mistakes and
therefore the use of gene predictions for sequence annotation is hardly
possible. As a result, biologists are forced to conduct time-consuming gene
identification experiments by designing appropriate PCR primers to test
cDNA libraries or applying RT-PCR, exon trapping/amplification, or other
techniques. This process frequently amounts to 'guessing' PCR primers on
top of unreliable gene predictions and frequently leads to wasting of
experimental efforts. RESULTS: The present paper proposes a simple and
reliable algorithm for experimental gene identification which bypasses the
unreliable gene prediction step. Studies of the performance of the
algorithm on a sample of human genes indicate that an experimental protocol
based on the algorithm's predictions achieves an accurate gene
identification with relatively few PCR primers. Predictions of PCR primers
may be used for exon amplification in preliminary mutation analysis during
an attempt to identify a gene responsible for a disease. We propose a
simple approach to find a short region from a genomic sequence that with
high probability overlaps with some exon of the gene. The algorithm is
enhanced to find one or more segments that are probably contained in the
translated region of the gene and can be used as PCR primers to select
appropriate clones in cDNA libraries by selective amplification. The
algorithm is further extended to locate a set of PCR primers that uniformly
cover all translated regions and can be used for RT-PCR and further
sequencing of (unknown) mRNA.
相似文献
Brain systems communicate by means of neuronal oscillations at multiple temporal and spatial scales. In anesthetized rats, we find that neocortical "slow" oscillation engages neurons in prefrontal, somatosensory, entorhinal, and subicular cortices into synchronous transitions between UP and DOWN states, with a corresponding bimodal distribution of their membrane potential. The membrane potential of hippocampal granule cells and CA3 and CA1 pyramidal cells lacked bimodality, yet it was influenced by the slow oscillation in a region-specific manner. Furthermore, in both anesthetized and naturally sleeping rats, the cortical UP states resulted in increased activity of dentate and most CA1 neurons, as well as the highest probability of ripple events. Yet, the CA3-CA1 network could self-organize into gamma bursts and occasional ripples during the DOWN state. Thus, neo/paleocortical and hippocampal networks periodically reset, self-organize, and temporally coordinate their cell assemblies via the slow oscillation. 相似文献
Rat brain myelin showed substantial activity of 5'-nucleotidase. The specific activity in myelin was enriched two- to threefold over that in rat brain homogenates, and the total activity in myelin accounted for approximately 24% of the activity in the homogenates. The 5'-nucleotidase in the homogenates and in isolated myelin had optimum activity at pH 7.5--9.0, was stimulated by Mg2+ and Mn2+, and was inhibited by Co2+, Zn2+, EDTA, and EGTA. 5'-AMP, 5'-UMP, and 5'-CMP were the preferred substrates, and 5'-GMP was hydrolyzed at approximately one-half the rate of the other mononucleotides. The very low rates of cleavage of beta-glycerophosphate and 2'-AMP ruled out any significant contribution of nonspecific phosphatase to the observed 5'-nucleotidase activity in myelin. The 5'-nucleotidase was inhibited by concanavalin A and was protected by alpha-methyl-D-mannoside against inhibited by that lectin, suggesting that this enzyme in the CNS is a glycoprotein. It is concluded from these data, and from histochemical observations made in other laboratories, that the myelin sheath is one major locus of 5'-nucleotidase in the rat brain. 相似文献