The development of the epidemic process and the formation of humoral immunity to the hepatitis A virus in adolescent collectives

Additional observation on the formation of humoral immunity to hepatitis A virus has been carried out in 2,375 adolescents aged 15-17 years and belonging to 12 groups at 3 areas of the USSR. This observation has shown that in the presence of a high level of the immune stratum the spread of infection occurs, as a rule, outside the group under observation. Besides, as revealed in this study, the risk of seroconversion and the loss of specific antibodies are, respectively, directly and inversely related to the level of the immune stratum in the group. The level of the immune stratum in a given age group supposedly reflects the intensity of the development of the epidemic process at a definite area.     

Diazepam metabolism by multiple forms of cytochrome P-450 in rat liver microsomes

The synthesis of pharmacologically active diazepam metabolites (oxazepam, 4-hydroxydiazepam, N-demethyldiazepam) in liver microsomes of intact and phenobarbital-, 3-methylcholanthrene- and dexamethasone-induced male and female Wistar rats as well as in a reconstituted system with isolated forms of cytochrome P-450 (P-450a, P-450b, P-450c, P-450d and P-450k according to the Ryan nomenclature) was studied. Marked sex-dependent differences in the rates of diazepam metabolism in liver microsomes of intact and induced animals were revealed. The changes in the spectrum of diazepam metabolites in liver microsomes of induced rats (as compared to control animals) were revealed. In a reconstituted system only phenobarbital-induced cytochromes P-450b and P-450k were found to be active participants of diazepam N-demethylation; none of the isoenzymes tested were shown to be involved in diazepam hydroxylation.     

Immunochemical properties of the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase II]

Immunochemical analysis of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase regulatory subunit type II was performed with the use of two rabbit antisera elicited to a free R-subunit from pig brain and to a RcAMP complex. Quantitative precipitation of the homogeneous antigen revealed six determinants on the R-molecule. Of these at least one is localized in the R-fragment (37 kD), the others--in the N-terminal part of the R-molecule. The antigenic determinants seem to be remoted from the cAMP-binding centers, since the attachment of the affinity purified antibody Fab-fragments to the R-subunit did not influence the cAMP-binding activity of the latter. The antibodies to RcAMP caused dissociation of the holoenzyme. The antibody Fab-fragment binding to the R-subunit prevented its association with the catalytic subunit. The results of immunochemical analysis suggest that the R-subunit adopts different conformations when bound to cAMP or to the catalytic subunit.     

Development of the visual system of anchovy larvae,Engraulis anchoita: A microanatomical description

During the early ontogeny of fish larvae, the accurate development of the visual system plays a key role, because it is involved in locating food, orientation, selection of favorable habitat, and evasion of predators. The structure of the eye of the fish is typical of vertebrates, with some modifications related to the aquatic environment. In the present work, we describe the development of the larval eye of Engraulis anchoita for the first time. Larvae were collected at the Permanent Station of Environmental Studies (EPEA) in coastal waters of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean during research cruises in 2015 and 2016. We describe the histology of the retina layers, determine the beginning of the functionality of the eye, and discuss a possible synchronization with the development of the digestive tract. This study provides information about the biology of E. anchoita, the most abundant fish species in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Also, recent studies have shown responses of the retina and other tissues to the increase in environmental acidity. Therefore, results of this study are also discussed with respect to the possible effect of acidification on the larvae of this species. The continuity of the time series developed at the EPEA will allow monitoring the effect of long-term environmental and biological variables on the early ontogeny of anchovy in the context of climate change. The high commercial fishing potential of E. anchoita due to its high abundance, as well as its essential role in the trophic web of other commercially valuable fishing resources of Argentina, reinforce the need to continue deepening knowledge about this species. Research highlights:

• Eyes of Engraulis anchoita larvae are functional from early larval stages.
• At hatching, the retina is formed by only few layers from which the other layers differentiates during ontogeny.
• Focal distance increases with larval growth.

     

Isolation and sequence of a tropomyosin-binding fragment of turkey gizzard calponin

Limited chymotryptic cleavage of turkey gizzard calponin yields a 13 kDa fragment which could be purified by its ability to bind to Sepharose-immobilized tropomyosin. This 13 kD polypeptide is shown to be derived from a 22 kDa fragment. Complete amino acid sequence analysis of the 13 kD and 22 kD fragments reveals high homology with the formerly characterized smooth muscle-specific protein SM22 alpha (Pearlstone, J.R., Weber, M., Lees-Miller, J.P., Carpenter, M.R. and Smillie L.B., 1987, J. Biol. Chem. 262, 5985-5991) and the product of gene mp20 of Drosophila (Ayme-Southqate, A., Lasko, P., French, C, and Pardue, M.L. [(1989) J. Cell Biol. 108, 521-531]. Futhermore we recognize sequence elements of a putative actin-binding domain of alpha-actinin, the calpactin I or p 36 sequence, and a consensus motif present in the repeats of the gene product of the candidate unc-87 gene of C. elegans (S.D. Goetinck and R.H. Waterston, personal communication).     

Organization of reflex sympathetic influence on rate and force of cardiac contraction]

In acute experiments on 21 cats it was proved that the change of afferent impulse on vagus nerves by means of either freeze-block or electrostimulation of their central ends results in differential reflex influences on rhythm and force of the cardiac contractions caused by sympathetic nervous system. The cut of the lower cardiac nerves may cause 'break-up' of the observed reflex, removing or inverting its ino- or chronotropy component. The given phenomenon was revealed in the experiments with high arterial pressure and with absence of tonic chronotropy influences of the left lower cardiac nerve.     

The Ser-Arg-Tyr-Asp region of the major surface glycoprotein of Leishmania mimics the Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser cell attachment region of fibronectin.

The major surface glycoprotein of Leishmania, gp63, a fibronectin-like molecule, plays a key role in parasite-macrophage interaction. Binding of gp63 to macrophage receptors is inhibited by Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS)-containing synthetic peptides of fibronectin and by antibodies to these peptides. However, gp63 lacks an RGDS tetrapeptide. We sought to identify the region of gp63 that antigenically and functionally mimics the RGDS-containing region of fibronectin. We thus synthesized on polyethylene rods overlapping tetracosapeptides covering the whole sequence of Leishmania major gp63. gp63 affinity-purified antibodies raised against fibronectin and against the RGDS-containing fibronectin decapeptide RGDSPASSKP bound specifically to gp63 residues 241-264. Subsequently, by the use of smaller peptides, the gp63 tetrapeptide 252-255 (SRYD) was identified as the minimum antibody binding segment. Single residue substitution peptide analogues showed that indeed Tyr and Gly can be alternatively substituted in the SRYD- and RGDS-containing peptides of gp63 and fibronectin, respectively, without major effects on their antibody binding capacity. Subsequently, we investigated the effect of an SRYD peptide on promastigote-macrophage interaction in vitro; treatment of macrophages with an SRYD-containing gp63 octapeptide efficiently inhibited parasite attachment to macrophage receptors. Thus, the conserved among species sequence SRYD of gp63, with significant hydrophilicity, flexibility, and beta-turn propensity features, mimics antigenically and functionally the RGDS sequence of fibronectin. We suggest that this segment constitutes the putative gp63 adhesion site.