Heat stability of the phototransforming activity of Chenopodium chlorophyll protein

The protein moiety of the Chenopodium chlorophyll protein CP668is indispensable in the formation of a water-soluble complexwith chlorophyll and in the photo-oxidation of chlorophyll.The phototransforming activity of CP668 into CP743 was completelypreserved even after drastic heat treatment at 100°C. Theabsorbance ratio of the 743-nm band peak to the 668-nm bandpeak somewhat increased after heat treatment. Initial velocitiesof the increase in the 743-nm band peak and the decrease inthe 668-nm band peak were not appreciably influenced by heattreatment. Viscosity measurement suggested that the heat-treatedCP668 was much smaller in particle size than the untreated one. (Received September 3, 1971; )     

Isolation of n-paraffins and sec-alcohols from Isotachis japonica

Two homologous series of n-paraffins and sec-alcohols from C₂₀ to C₃₄ or C₃₅ were isolated a wax constituents of a liverwort, Isotachis japonica. In both series, odd-members were predominant compared with even-members: the ratio of the total amount of odd- to total amounts of even-members was 3·9 in the n-paraffin homologues, and 16·5 in the sec-alcohol homologues.     

Mathematical analysis of circulatory mixing process

The circulatory mixing process was analyzed as the time course of the dispersion of indicator after its injection into the heart. In simplified models, which had one or two lumped mixing chambers and circulatory pathways connected with them, it was suggested that the extent of dispersion could be evaluated by the variance of indicator distribution in the total circulating blood when the circulation time distributions between the chambers and the concentration curves in the chambers were known. The method of determining the circulation time distributions through the pulmonary, systemic and total circulations was derived and the actual distributions were obtained in dogs by indicator dilution techniques. With the use of these distributions, the time course of the circulatory mixing process was numerically calculated. The results showed that there was considerable difference in velocities of the process between the case of the right heart injection and the left heart injection of the indicator.     

Viral infection of cynomolgus macaque (Macaca irus)

The antiviral antibody against 14 viruses was studied with sera from 178 cynomolgus macaques. The viruses were employed, taking into consideration the probability of natural infection with the viruses in the habitats of the macaques and by contact with humans.Results on influenza and group B arboviruses were significant. 1) No hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody against influenza A2 (Adachi) was found but antibody against influenza B (Setagaya) was found in about 50% of the sera tested every year. 2) The results of the HI test with group B arboviruses indicated that macaques were infected with dengue type 2 and Japanese encephalitis viruses.Macaques also showed a high proportion of sero-positive cases and high antibody titers against herpes simplex, measles, and SV5 viruses.Antibody against at least one of the viruses tested was present in 170 of the 178 sera tested.     

General method for calculating helical parameters of polymer chains from bond lengths,bond angles,and internal-rotation angles

Helical conformations of infinite polymer chains may be described by the helical parameters, d and θ (the translation along the helix axis and the angle of rotation about the axis per repeat unit), _pi (the distance of the ith atom from the axis), d_ij, and d_ij (the translation along the axis and the angle of rotation, respectively, on passing from the ith atom to the jth). A general method has been worked out for calculating all those helical parameters from the bond lengths, bond angles, and internal-rotation angles. The positions of the main chain and side chain atoms with respect to the axis may also be calculated. All the equations are applicable to any helical polymer chain and are readily programmed for electronic computers. A method is also presented for calculating the partial derivatives of helical parameters with respect to molecular parameters.     

Effects of Sperm-Activating Peptide I on Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus Spermatozoa in High Potassium Sea Water

The effects of sperm-activating peptide I (SAP-I: Gly-Phe-Asp-Leu-Asn-Gly-Gly-Gly-Val-Gly) on Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus spermatozoa in high [K⁺] sea water were examined. In high [K⁺] sea water, the respiration rates and motility of H. pulcherrimus spermatozoa were lower than those in normal sea water. SAP-I did not stimulate the lowered respiration rate or motility, although the peptide bound to the spermatozoa as it does in normal sea water. SAP-I elevated the sperm cGMP level in 100 mM K⁺ sea water (from 0.37 to 4.81 pmol/mg wet weight spermatozoa) more than those in normal sea water (from 0.21 to 0.93 pmol/mg wet weight). A phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) and SAP-I synergistically elevated the cGMP level from 0.35 to 33.08 pmol/mg wet weight in 100 mM K⁺ sea water. However, in high [K⁺] sea water, SAP-I did not increase the cAMP level even in the presence of IBMX. SAP-I caused rapid, transient elevation of the intracellular pH and Ca²⁺ concentration of spermatozoa in normal sea water but not in 100mM K⁺ sea water. SAP-I did not decrease the apparent molecular weight of sperm guanylate cyclase from 131,000 to 128,000 in high [K⁺] sea water. These results suggest that the SAP-I-induced elevation of the cGMP level in sea urchin spermatozoa occurs before or independently of membrane hyperpolarization induced by the opening of K⁺ channels.     

Polyoma middle T antigen or v-src desensitizes human epidermal growth factor receptor function and interference by a monensin-resistant mutation in mouse Balb/3T3 cells.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced down-regulation of its receptor is an obligatory pathway for cellular regulation of EGF-specific receptor (EGF-R) in normal and malignant cells. BNER4 cells are mouse Balb/3T3 cells transfected with the human EGF-R complementary DNA (cDNA). Polyoma middle T antigen-transfectants of BNER4, B4/MT-2, B4/MT-13, B4/MT-23, and B4/MT-24, showed diminished down-regulation of cell surface human EGF-R in response to EGF relative to the parental BNER4 cells. Also, the v-src-transfectants B4/SRC-13 and B4/SRC-24 showed much less down-regulation than BNER4 cells, whereas H-ras-transfectants of BNER4, B4/RAS-24 and B4/RAS-25, showed EGF-induced down-regulation of the cell surface EGF-R similar to that of BNER4. EGF induced DNA synthesis more than 20-fold in BNER4, but induced only about a 1.5- to 6-fold increase in the middle T antigen- and v-src-transfectants. EGF-Rs of the middle T antigen-transfectants were metabolically stable in the presence of EGF in comparison with their parental BNER4 cells. EGF-Rs of BNER4 cells degraded with half-lives of about 2 h in the presence of EGF, but those of the middle T antigen transformants were found to be highly stabilized in the presence of EGF. On the other hand, transfection with polyoma middle T antigen (MTAg) cDNA causes malignant transformation of Balb/3T3 cells, but not its monensin (an ionophoric antibiotic)-resistant mutant MO-5 cells, which have no significant EGF binding activity. Transfection of human EGF-R cDNA into MO-5 leads to the expression of high levels of human EGF-R in MNER31. Unlike the polyoma MTAg transfectants of BNER4, EGF-R in polyoma MTAg cDNA-transfectants into MNER31, M31/MT-13 and M31/MT-14, were down-regulated to levels similar to those of their parental MNER31. Exposure to EGF induced a more than 10-fold increase in DNA synthesis of quiescent BNER4, MNER31, M31/MT-13, and M31/MT-14 cells. Polyoma middle T antigen or v-src appears to modulate EGF-induced down-regulation of EGF-R, possibly through interaction of the receptor with the viral oncogenes, and this interaction may be altered in the mutant.