Cellulolytic Activity of Clostridium acetobutylicum

Clostridium acetobutylicum NRRL B527 and ATCC 824 exhibited extracellular and cell-bound endoglucanase and cellobiase activities during growth in a chemically defined medium with cellobiose as the sole source of carbohydrate. For both strains, the endoglucanase was found to be mainly extracellular (70 to 90%) during growth in continuous or batch cultures with the pH maintained at 5.2, whereas the cellobiase was mainly cell associated (60 to 90%). During continuous cultivation of strain B527 with cellobiose as the limiting nutrient, maximum production of the endoglucanase and cellobiase occurred at pH values of 5.2 and 4.8, respectively. In the carbon-limited continuous cultures, strain 824 produced similar levels of endoglucanase, cellobiosidase, and cellobiase activities regardless of the carbon source used. However, in ammonium- or phosphate-limited cultures, with an excess of glucose, only 1/10 of the endoglucanase was produced, and neither cellobiosidase nor cellobiase activities were detectable. A crude extracellular enzyme preparation from strain B527 hydrolyzed carboxymethylcellulose and phosphoric acid-swollen cellulose readily and microcrystalline cellulose (A vicel) to a lesser extent. Glucose accounted for more than 90% of the reducing sugar produced by the hydrolysis of acid-swollen cellulose and Avicel. Strain B527 did not grow in medium with acid-swollen cellulose as the sole source of carbohydrate, although it grew readily on the products obtained by hydrolyzing the cellulose in vitro with a preparation of extracellular cellulase derived from the same organism.     

A histological study of the hypophysial-gonadal system during sexual maturation and spawning in the milkfish, Chanos chanos (Forskal)

The pituitary gland of the milkfish, Chanos chanos , was studied at different stages of sexual maturation and spawning. Consecutive median sagittal sections were treated with a range of stains to demonstrate the different cell types and regions. The milkfish pituitary consists of a neural component, the neurohypophysis, and an epithelial component, the adenohypophysis, which in turn consists of three regions: the rostral pars distalis (RPD), proximal pars distalis (PPD), and pars intermedia (PI). However, unlike most teleosts, the pituitary gland of the milkfish is encased in a bony chamber, has dorsal and ventral lobes and extends anteriorly from its point of origin at the base of the brain. PAS (+) basophils are found in all regions of the adenohypophysis, but mostly in the proximal pars distalis. These cells undergo hypertrophy and hyperplasia during sexual maturation, shrinkage and degranulation during spawning.     

Antibodies to the alpha-subunit of insulin receptor from eggs of immunized hens

Simple methods for the generation, purification, and assay of antibodies to the alpha-subunit of insulin receptor from eggs of immunized hens have been described. Chicken antibodies against the alpha-subunit inhibit insulin binding to the receptor and stimulate glucose oxidation as well as autophosphorylation of the beta-subunit. Thus the properties of chicken antibodies are very similar to those of antibodies found in human autoimmune diseases and different from rabbit antibodies obtained against the same antigen.     

Rapid determination of DNA synthesis in adherent cells grown in microtiter plates

A specific, rapid, and economical method for measuring the extent of DNA synthesis in adherent rat hepatoma H4-II-E cells grown in 96-well microtiter plates is described. The adherent cells were pulsed for 1 h with [methyl-3H]thymidine, released from the substratum by trypsinization, and collected on fiberglass filters with a MASH II cell harvester. The amount of radioactivity incorporated was directly proportional to the number of cells per well. Growth curves generated by measuring [methyl-3H]thymidine incorporation and counting the number of cells per well were identical. Experiments with inhibitors of DNA, protein, and RNA synthesis demonstrated that this method selectively measured DNA synthesis. In addition, [3H]thymidine uptake showed excellent correlation with autoradiographic assessment of DNA synthesis. This specific and sensitive method for determining DNA synthesis in microtiter cultures should facilitate studies of effects of various growth-controlling agents on epithelial, fibroblastic, and other cells which grow as adherent cells in culture.     

The complete amino-acid sequence of the proteinase inhibitor B from the root of the arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia L.)

After reduction and alkylation of the disulfide bonds of the proteinase inhibitor B from the root of the arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia L.) followed by CNBr cleavage three peptide fragments with 68, 62 and 11 amino-acid residues could be separated on DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B. The peptides or the inhibitor itself were further specifically cleaved either by trypsin or by the mixture of (CH3)2SO/HCl/HBr at the arginyl- and the tryptophyl-peptide bond, respectively. The complete amino-acid sequences of the peptides were determined by manual solid phase DABITC/PITC double coupling micro-method and the primary structure of the arrowhead inhibitor B consisting of 141 amino-acid residues was then elucidated. Twenty pairs of amino-acid residues are repeated in the molecule of this inhibitor, three of these pairs even occur three times. The possible locations of the reactive sites are discussed. On the basis of sequence comparisons between this inhibitor and all other serine proteinase inhibitors the arrowhead inhibitor may belong to a new family.     

Preparation of bovine blood coagulation factors X1 and X2

A method is described for the preparation of both Factor X1 and Factor X2 from citrated bovine blood. The proteins from the plasma were first adsorbed on barium citrate by adding barium chloride solution. The precipitate formed was stirred with citrate/NaOH pH 6.9 buffer; barium and other clotting factors were removed by adding ammonium sulphate (up to 30% saturation) to the suspension. The Factor X was then precipitated by 65% ammonium sulphate, after resolution in citrate buffer chromatographed on DEAE-Sephadex and purified by rechromatography on DEAE-Sephadex and DEAE-Sepharose, respectively. This yielded Factor X1 and Factor X2 with respective purifications of about 16 000 and 24 000-fold that of the plasma. The apparent molecular mass of both Factor X1 and Factor X2 was 55 kDa as estimated by the sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Factor X2 had a higher specific biological activity of about 340 000 units/mg compared to that of Factor X1 of about 230 000 units/mg.     

Epitope-relatedness and phenotyping of hepatic cytochromes P-450 with monoclonal antibodies.

The epitope-specific cytochrome P-450 content of animal livers was analysed by radioimmunoassay using a panel of seven monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) made to a 3-methylcholanthrene-induced rat liver cytochrome P-450. Competitive radioimmunoassays utilizing a reference radiolabelled MAb and a series of unlabelled MAbs indicated that there are at least three distinct classes of MAbs to different epitopes on cytochrome P-450. In addition, a direct radioimmunoassay employing a radiolabelled second antibody detected MAb-specific cytochromes P-450 in livers from different animals. This radioimmunoassay detected large elevations in the levels of these cytochromes P-450 in the livers of 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats and C57BL/6 mice compared with untreated rats, 3-methylcholanthrene-treated DBA/2 mice or guinea pigs. The two complementary radioimmunoassay methods are sensitive, efficient, and easily applicable for screening large number of tissue samples for MAb-defined cytochrome P-450 phenotype.     

Effects of exercise on insulin binding and glucose metabolism in muscle

To elucidate the mechanism of enhanced insulin sensitivity by muscle after exercise, we studied insulin binding, 2-deoxy-D-[1-14C]glucose (2-DOG) uptake and [5-3H]glucose utilization in glycolysis and glycogenesis in soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of mice after 60 min of treadmill exercise. In the soleus, glycogenesis was increased after exercise (P less than 0.05) and remained sensitive to the action of insulin. Postexercise insulin-stimulated glycolysis was also increased in the soleus (P less than 0.05). In the EDL, glycogenesis was increased after exercise (P less than 0.05). However, this was already maximal in the absence of insulin and was not further stimulated by insulin (0.1-4 nM). The disposal of glucose occurred primarily via the glycolytic pathway (greater than 60%) in the soleus and EDL at rest and after exercise. The uptake of 2-DOG uptake was not altered in the soleus after exercise (4 h incubation at 18 degrees C). However, with 1-h incubations at 37 degrees C, a marked increase in 2-DOG uptake after exercise was observed in the soleus (P less than 0.05) in the absence (0 nM) and presence of insulin (0.2-4 nM) (P less than 0.05). A similar postexercise increase in 2-DOG uptake occurred in EDL. Despite the marked increase in glucose uptake and metabolism, no changes in insulin binding were apparent in either EDL or soleus at 37 degrees C or 18 degrees C. This study shows that the postexercise increase of glucose disposal does not appear to be directly attributable to increments in insulin binding to slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscles.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Bovine serum albumin: characterization of a fatty acid binding site on the N-terminal peptic fragment using a new spin-label

A new spin-label, 4-(L-glutamo)-4'-[(1-oxy-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-3L-pyrrolidinyl )amino]-3, 3'-dinitrodiphenyl sulfone, is shown to bind to one high-affinity binding site on bovine serum albumin (K = 5 X 10(4) M-1, n = 1). Analysis of the binding of the spin-label to the amino-terminal half (peptic fragment PB) and the carboxy-terminal half (peptic fragment PA) of BSA, and their complex (PA-PB), indicates that the spin-label binds to a long-chain fatty acid binding site located on PB. The usefulness of the novel specificity of the spin-label in characterizing this binding site is discussed.     

新城疫病毒单克隆抗体的特性及应用

建立了8个分泌抗新城疫病毒(NDV)特异性单克隆抗体(McAb)的杂交瘤细胞株,根据它们的免疫生物学特性可以分为三种类型:(1)具有FA和ELISA特性(FN1、FN4、FN29、FN30、FN35、FNl22);(2)具有FA、ELISA和HI特性(FN7);(3)具有ELISA、HI特性和中和能力(FN106),根据FN30和FN106的ELISA试验,可将11个NDV毒株分为二种不同的抗原群,应用FN4-FITC,FN7-FITC和FN29-HRP试剂,对人工感染NDV和野外送检病例检测结果表明,单抗试剂的DFA阳性率(92.3％)高于病毒分离阳性率(87.2％),两种方法的符合率89.7％,这些单抗试剂用于临床诊断敏感性和特异性高,且方法快速、简便。