The use of gold-substituted silver-intensified diaminobenzidine (DAB) and non-intensified DAB for simultaneous electron microscopic immunoperoxidase labeling of tyrosine hydroxylase and glutamic acid decarboxylase immunoreactivity in the rat medial preoptic area

An improved gold-substituted silver intensification procedure for the peroxidase-diaminobenzidine (DAB) reaction product was developed. The method was applied in the rat medial preoptic area to label tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactive profiles. Following the gold toning, the same sections were immunostained for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) immunoreactivity with non-intensified peroxidase-DAB. Single DAB-labeled GAD axons were found in symmetric synaptic connection with unlabeled dendrites as well as with gold-toned immunoperoxidase-containing TH neurons.     

A cooperative taxonomic study of mycobacteria isolated from armadillos infected with Mycobacterium leprae

Seventeen strains of mycobacteria, recovered from six armadillos experimentally infected with Mycobacterium leprae, were examined in ten different laboratories. This collaborative study included use of conventional bacteriological tests, lipid analyses, determination of mycobactins and peptidoglycans, characterization by Py-MS, and immunological, metabolic, pathological and DNA studies. These armadillo-derived mycobacteria (ADM) formed five homogeneous groups (numbered ADM 1 to 5) on the basis of phenetic analyses. However, DNA studies revealed only four homogeneous groups since group ADM 1 and one of the two strains in group ADM 3 showed a high level of DNA relatedness. The phenetic and DNA studies confirmed that the ADM strains differed from all other known mycobacteria. Cultural, biochemical, metabolic and pathogenic properties as well as DNA-DNA hybridizations clearly differentiated these ADM from M. leprae.     

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction study of an endoglucanase from Clostridium thermocellum

Endoglucanase D, a cellulose degradation enzyme from Clostridium thermocellum has been cloned in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. The crystals are trigonal, space group P3(1)12 (or P3(2)12) with a = 57.7 (+/- 0.1) A, c = 192.1 (+/- 0.2) A, and diffract X-rays to a resolution of 2.8 A. They are suitable for a high-resolution X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Crystal structure determination, refinement and the molecular model of the alpha-amylase inhibitor Hoe-467A

The crystal and molecular structure of the alpha-amylase inhibitor Hoe-467A has been determined and refined at high resolution. The polypeptide chain is folded in two triple-stranded sheets, which form a barrel. The topology of folding is as found in the immunoglobulin domains. The amino acid triplet Trp18-Arg19-Tyr20 has an exceptional conformation and position in the molecule and is possibly involved in inhibitory activity.     

Contact areas of the turnip yellow mosaic virus tRNA-like structure interacting with yeast valyl-tRNA synthetase

The tRNA-like structure of turnip yellow mosaic virus is known to be efficiently recognized and aminoacylated by valyl-tRNA synthetase. The present work reports domains in the isolated tRNA-like fragment (159 terminal nucleotides at the 3'-end of the two viral RNAs) in contact with purified yeast valyl-tRNA synthetase. These domains were determined in protection experiments using chemical and enzymatic structural probes. In addition, new data, re-enforcing the validity of the tertiary folding model for the native RNA, are given. In particular, at the level of the amino acid accepting arm it was found that the two phosphate groups flanking the three guanine residues of loop I are inaccessible to ethylnitrosourea. This is in agreement with a higher-order structure of this loop involving "pseudo knotting", as proposed by Rietveld et al. (1982). Valyl-tRNA synthetase efficiently protects the viral RNA against digestion by single-strand-specific S1 nuclease at the level of the anticodon loop. With cobra venom ribonuclease, specific for double-stranded regions of RNA, protection was detected on both sides of the anticodon arm and at the 5'-ends of loop I, a region that is involved in the building up of the acceptor arm. Loop II, which is topologically homologous to the T-loop of canonical tRNA was likewise protected. Weak protection was observed between arms I and II, and at the 3'-side of arm V. This arm, located at the 5'-side of arm IV (homologous to the D-arm of tRNA), does not participate in the pseudo-knotted model of the valine acceptor arm. Ethylnitrosourea was used to determine the phosphates of the tRNA-like structure in close contact with the synthetase. These are grouped in several stretches scattered over the RNA molecule. In agreement with the nuclease digestion results, protected phosphates are located in arms I, II, and III. Additionally, this chemical probe permits detection of other protected phosphates on the 3'-side of arm IV and on both sides of arm V. When displayed in the three-dimensional model of the tRNA-like structure, protected areas are localized on both limbs of the L-shaped RNA. It appears that valyl-tRNA synthetase embraces the entire tRNA-like structure. This is reminiscent of the interaction model of canonical yeast tRNAVal with its cognate synthetase.     

Quantitative gap junction alterations in mammalian heart cells quickly frozen or chemically fixed after electrical uncoupling

Summary The gap junction morphology was quantified in freeze-fracture replicas prepared from rat auricles that had been either quickly frozen at 6 K or chemically fixed by glutaraldehyde, in a state of normal cell-to-cell conduction or in a state of electrical uncoupling. The general appearance of the gap junctions was similar after both preparative procedures. A quantitative analysis of three gap junctional dimensions provided the following measurements in the quickly frozen conducting auricles (mean±sd): (a) P-face particles' diameter 8.27±0.74 nm (n =5709), (b) P-face particles' center-to-center distance 10.78±2.12 nm (n=4800), and (c) E-face pits' distance 9.99±2.19 nm (n=1600). Corresponding values obtained from chemically fixed tissues were decreased by about 3% for the particle's diameter and about 5% for the particles' and pits' distances. Electrical uncoupling by the action of either 1 mM 2–4-dinitrophenol (DNP), or 3.5 mMn-Heptan-1-ol (heptanol), induced a decrease of the particle's diameter, which amounted to –0.69±0.01 nm (mean ±se) in the quickly frozen preparations and –0.71±0.01 nm in the chemically fixed ones. The particles' distance was decreased by –0.96±0.04 nm in the quickly frozen samples and by –0.90 ±0.03 nm in the chemically fixed ones and the E-face pits' distance was similarly reduced. All differences were statistically significant (P<0.001 for all dimensions). Electrical recoupling after the heptanol effect promoted a return of these gap junctional dimensions towards normal values, which was about 50% complete within 20 min. It is concluded that very similar morphological alterations of the gap junctional structure are induced in the mammalian heart by different treatments promoting electrical uncoupling and that these conformational changes appear independently of the preparative procedure. The suggestion that the observed decrease of the particles' diameter is genuinely related to the closing mechanism of the unit cell-to-cell channel set in thei centers is thus confirmed.     

Mini-F E protein: the carboxy-terminal end is essential for E gene repression and mini-F copy number control

Mini-F is a segment of the conjugative plasmid F consisting of two origins of replication flanked by regulatory regions, which ensure a normal control of replication and partitioning. Adjacent to the ori-2 origin is a complex coding region that consists of the E gene overlapped by three open reading frames with the coding potential for 9000 Mr polypeptides here designated 9 kd-1, 9 kd-2 and 9 kd-3. In this paper, we show that open reading frame 9 kd-3 is preceded by active promoter and Shine-Dalgarno sequences. The E coding region specifies: an initiator of replication, which acts at the ori-2 site; a function that negatively regulates the expression of the E gene; and a function involved in mini-F copy number control. To assign one of these functions to one of the overlapping coding sequence, we have isolated, characterized and sequenced mutations mapping in the E coding region. In this paper, we analyse two mutations (cop5 and pla25) that abolish the repression of the E gene. As these mutations affect the primary structure of protein E itself but not the 9 kd polypeptides, we conclude that protein E takes part in the negative regulation of its own synthesis. In addition, the localization of the cop5 and pla25 mutations indicates that the carboxy-terminal end of the E protein is involved in the autorepression function. The cop5 mutation causes an eightfold increase of the mini-F copy number. The pla25 mutation leads to the inability of the derived mini-F plasmid to give rise to plasmid-harbouring bacteria. The ways in which the cop5 and pla25 mutations may lead to such phenotypes are discussed in relation to the different functions mapping in the E coding sequence.     

Sucrose dilution of glycerol from mouse embryos frozen rapidly in liquid nitrogen vapour

The toxic effects of sucrose and the conditions of in-straw glycerol removal after freezing and thawing were studied using Day-3 mouse embryos. At 20 degrees C, exposure to less than or equal to 1.0 M-sucrose for periods up to 30 min had no adverse effects on freshly collected embryos. At 25 and 36 degrees C, however, greater than or equal to 1.0 M-sucrose significantly reduced the developmental potential (P less than 0.001). In the freezing experiments the embryos were placed in 0.5 ml straws containing 40 microliters freezing medium separated by an air bubble from 440 microliters sucrose solution. The straws were frozen rapidly in the vapour about 1 cm above the surface of liquid nitrogen. The post-thaw viability was substantially better after sucrose dilution at 20 degrees C than at 36 degrees C. Mixing the freezing medium with the sucrose diluent immediately after thawing further improved the rate of survival relative to mixing just before freezing (P less than 0.001). The best survival was obtained when the freezing medium contained 3.0 M-glycerol + 0.25 M-sucrose; it was mixed with the diluent after thawing and the glycerol was removed at 20 degrees C. Under such conditions the sucrose concentration in the diluent had no significant effect on the rate of development (0.5 M, 69%; 1.0 M, 73%; 1.5 M, 64%). The results show that during sucrose dilution the temperature should be strictly controlled and suggest that intracellular and extracellular concentrations of glycerol are important in the cryoprotection of embryos.     

Role of equilibration before rapid freezing of mouse embryos

The time requirements for permeation by glycerol and dehydration by sucrose before rapid freezing of Day-3 mouse embryos by direct transfer to -180 degrees C were studied. When the embryos were equilibrated in 2.0, 3.0, or 4.0 M-glycerol + 0.25 M-sucrose for 2.5 to 40 min, the post-thaw viability increased (P less than 0.001) with the length of equilibration period at 4 degrees C. At 20 degrees C the volume of embryos increased with the duration of equilibration up to 20 min (P less than 0.001), but the post-thaw viability was not affected. The effect of equilibration in glycerol-sucrose was determined at 20 degrees C for embryos which were previously permeated by glycerol, dehydrated by sucrose or left in PBS + 5% FCS. The survival of previously permeated embryos was not affected by equilibration for 1-16 min in glycerol-sucrose. The maximum survival rate was attained after shorter equilibration in glycerol-sucrose for embryos without pretreatment (4 min) than for those previously dehydrated (8 min). It is concluded that increases in the intracellular glycerol level are beneficial for the viability of rapidly frozen mouse embryos and previous or concomitant exposure to sucrose unfavourably affects glycerol permeation.     

A tetrapeptide isolated from hamster embryo with central opiate properties on gastrointestinal motility but not on pain perception

The effects of centrally administered kentsin (H-Thr-Pro-Arg-Lys-OH) on intestinal motility and on pain perception were investigated in rats chronically equipped with lateral ventricle catheters. Intestinal motility was recorded electromyographically from electrodes placed on the duodeno-jejunum; analgesia was evaluated by the hot-plate and tail-flick tests. Kentsin (4.0 ug/kg), injected intracerebroventricularly (ICV) 2 hours after the beginning of a meal, restores the "fasted" i.e. the migrating myoelectric complex of intestinal motility, while a 5 times higher dose administered subcutaneously was inactive. The ICV effect of kentsin was blocked by previous ICV administration of naloxone (400 ug/kg). In contrast, kentsin administered ICV (40 ug/kg) or SC (200 ug/kg) did not affect significantly (P greater than 0.05) the time latency in the two analgesic tests during 90 minutes after its administration and did not significantly modify the analgesic effects of (D5-Ala2, Met5) enkephalinamide. We conclude that kentsin when centrally administered acts on opiate receptors to alter gastrointestinal motility but without effects on pain perception.