In vitro release of growth hormone-releasing factor from rat hypothalamus: effect of insulin-like growth factor-1

The release of growth hormone-releasing factor (GHRF) from rat hypothalamus was investigated in vitro. After 60 min preincubation the released GHRF from sliced rat hypothalamic fragments during 60 min incubation was detected by a highly specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay for rat GHRF. The release of GHRF was Ca2+-dependent and enhanced by high concentration of K+. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) significantly decreased GHRF release to 65% and 84% of the control at concentrations of 10(-8) M and 10(-7) M, respectively. These results suggest that this in vitro system is useful for the investigation of the mechanism of GHRF release from the hypothalamus and that IGF-1 is probably involved in the feedback inhibition of growth hormone secretion by attenuating GHRF release from the hypothalamus besides countering the effect of GHRF on the pituitary.     

Transcranial Extracellular Impedance Control (tEIC) Modulates Behavioral Performances

Electric brain stimulations such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) electrophysiologically modulate brain activity and as a result sometimes modulate behavioral performances. These stimulations can be viewed from an engineering standpoint as involving an artificial electric source (DC, noise, or AC) attached to an impedance branch of a distributed parameter circuit. The distributed parameter circuit is an approximation of the brain and includes electric sources (neurons) and impedances (volume conductors). Such a brain model is linear, as is often the case with the electroencephalogram (EEG) forward model. Thus, the above-mentioned current stimulations change the current distribution in the brain depending on the locations of the electric sources in the brain. Now, if the attached artificial electric source were to be replaced with a resistor, or even a negative resistor, the resistor would also change the current distribution in the brain. In light of the superposition theorem, which holds for any linear electric circuit, attaching an electric source is different from attaching a resistor; the resistor affects each active electric source in the brain so as to increase (or decrease in some cases of a negative resistor) the current flowing out from each source. From an electrophysiological standpoint, the attached resistor can only control the extracellular impedance and never causes forced stimulation; we call this technique transcranial extracellular impedance control (tEIC). We conducted a behavioral experiment to evaluate tEIC and found evidence that it had real-time enhancement and depression effects on EEGs and a real-time facilitation effect on reaction times. Thus, tEIC could be another technique to modulate behavioral performance.     

ATP-independent strand transfer protein from murine spermatocytes, spermatids, and spermatozoa

A protein-catalyzing D-loop formation is present in murine spermatocytes, spermatids, and spermatozoa, but is not found in somatic tissue or in premeiotic cells of the germline. Unlike the Escherichia coli RecA protein and the meiotic rec protein (m-rec) previously described, D-loop formation by this protein (referred to as "mAi-rec") does not require ATP. The meiotic profile of mAi-rec activity is only partly similar to that of m-rec. Like m-rec, it rises steeply during early prophase and reaches a peak at pachytene. Unlike m-rec, its activity remains high during the postmeiotic phase of spermatid development and is prominent in immunochemically stained spermatozoa. A polyclonal antibody to E. coli RecA reacts with mAi-rec and inhibits its activity. No such reaction occurs with m-rec protein. The extent of sequence homology between E. coli RecA and murine mAi-rec is highly limited; none of the several monoclonal antibodies tested reacted with mAi-rec.     

Terminal differentiation of human erythroleukemia cell line K562 induced by aphidicolin

To analyze the relationship between differentiation and DNA replication, the effect of aphidicolin, a specific inhibitor for DNA polymerase alpha, was measured with respect to erythroid differentiation and activities of DNA polymerases alpha, beta, and gamma. Five micromolar aphidicolin completely blocked the growth of K562 cells and caused 80% of cells to become hemoglobin positive after 5 days exposure. The cessation of K562 cell growth induced by aphidicolin was irreversible, whereas the inhibition of HeLa cell growth was completely reversible. The enzyme activity of DNA polymerase alpha of K562 cells showed a 50-110% increase with aphidicolin treatment as compared to control K562 cells; activities of DNA polymerases beta and gamma were not affected. These features sharply contrasted with the erythroid induction of the same cells by hemin, where cell growth was not suppressed and DNA polymerase alpha was not increased but rather decreased. The enzyme activity of DNA polymerase alpha remained high even after removal of aphidicolin from the culture medium. These results suggest that treatment with aphidicolin might induce an accumulation of protein factors for replication and/or differentiation, causing rapid cell differentiation of cells without cell division.     

Actin with tumor-related mutation is antimorphic in Drosophila muscle: two distinct modes of myofibrillar disruption by antimorphic actins

A mutant beta-actin with an amino acid substitution from Gly-245 to Asp has been shown to be related to tumorigenic transformation of a human fibroblast cell line (Leavitt, J. et al. (1987) Mol. Cell. Biol. 7, 2467-2476). To examine the effects of this mutation, we artificially introduced the same amino acid change into the Act88F actin gene of Drosophila melanogaster. The gene (Act88FGD245) was inserted in the Drosophila genome to make transgenic adult flies which synthesize the mutant actin in the indirect flight muscles. The mutant actin was found to be antimorphic with regard to flight and also to cause myofibrillar disruption in transformants even in the presence of two normal alleles. It was initially incorporated into myofibrils and later induced their degeneration from center to periphery. This mode of myofibrillar disruption is distinct from that of previously reported Act88F mutations, where defects are found only in the peripheral region of myofibrils. This indicates that actin functions are altered differently in the two classes of antimorphic mutations.     

Actin gene mutations in Drosophila; heat shock activation in the indirect flight muscles

We have identified four mutations affecting the actin III isoform in the indirect flight muscles (IFM) of Drosophila. One mutation does not produce any protein product, and three direct the synthesis of electrophoretic variants of actin. Complementation tests and recombination mapping indicate that all mutations are alleles of an actin gene at chromosomal band 88F (act88F gene). The effect of these mutations is restricted to the IFM. We conclude that the act88F gene is expressed only in the IFM to encode actin III, which is its major isoform. In two of the actin mutants, heat shock proteins are constitutively expressed in the IFM. Genetic evidence strongly suggest that this anomaly is primarily caused by the mutations in the act88F structural gene.     

Release of oligosaccharides possessing reducing-end N-acetylgalactosamine from mucus glycoprotein in Streptomyces sp. OH-11242 culture medium through action of endo-type glycosidase

A crude enzyme preparation from a culture medium of Streptomyces sp. OH-11242 contained endo-alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase activity. The activity could be induced by the addition of purified porcine gastric mucin to the culture medium. Oligosaccharides corresponding to approximately 2-14 glucose units were detected in the culture medium and also in an incubated reaction mixture of crude enzyme preparation and mucus glycoprotein. The resulting product with N-acetylgalactosamine at the reducing terminal implied the presence of a new type of endo-glycosidase liberating not only Gal beta 1-3GalNAc but also other larger oligosaccharides by hydrolysis of the O-glycosidic linkage between GalNAc and Ser (Thr).     

Antagonistic effect of somatostatin on corticotropin-releasing factor-induced anorexia in the rat

The effect of somatostatin on corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-induced anorexia was examined in rats. Intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of 0.11 nmol and 0.21 nmol ovine CRF significantly suppressed food intake of 24 h-starved rats. Icv administration of 0.31 nmol somatostatin 14 and somatostatin 28 partially reversed suppression of food intake induced by icv injection of 0.21 nmol CRF in 24 h-starved rats. These results suggest that somatostatin may counteract the suppressive effect of CRF on food intake within the central nervous system.     

Enhancement of tumor cell susceptibility to lymphokine-activated killer cells by treatment with the streptococcal preparation OK432

We investigated whether tumor cell lysis by LAK cells was augmented by treatment with OK432in vitro. NK and LAK activity against K562 cells was not enhanced by their treatment with OK432. In contrast, the susceptibility of OK432-treated Daudi and KATO-III cells to lysis by LAK cells was enhanced. Succinate dehydrogenase activity and RNA synthesis were impaired in Daudi and KATO-III cells by treatment with OK432, and moreover the expression of HLA Class I antigen and ₂-microglobulin was inhibited in OK432-treated KATO-III cells. Thus, it is suggested that the enhancement of the susceptibility of OK432-treated tumor cells with regard to succinate dehydrogenase activity, RNA synthesis, and HLA Class I antigen expression.