Failure of two progesterone antagonists, mifepristone and onapristone, to affect luteal activity in lactating rats

The progesterone antagonists, mifepristone (RU-38,486) and onapristone (ZK-98,299), given as 2 mg daily, did not markedly affect lactation in rats. Both litter growth and time spent by 10-pup litters attached to their mothers were similar in antagonist-treated mothers and in solvent-treated controls. The progesterone antagonists did not affect the steroid content in corpora lutea remaining from the preceding pregnancy. Corpora lutea formed after post-partum ovulation also showed nearly normal function throughout the first 17 days of lactation. It is concluded that progesterone itself plays no role in the initiation or maintenance of luteal function when prolactin secretion is governed through an action independent of the ovaries, as through suckling. Antagonist-treated rats ovulated around Day 13 of lactation despite suckling. This ovulation was not associated with a decrease of progesterone production by the corpora lutea formed after post-partum ovulation. Apparently, elimination of progesterone action may protect corpora lutea from luteolysis. The latter finding indicates a possible role of progesterone in luteolysis and deserves further analysis.     

A comparative study of chromatin from lymphocyte nuclei upon activation of transcription by irradiation from an He-Ne-laser or phytohemagglutinin]

The influence of He-Ne laser radiation (632.8 nm, 56 J/m2, t = 10 s) and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA, 2 micrograms/ml) on chromatin structure in human lymphocytes was studied by electron microscopy using ultrathin cell sections. Morphometric analysis of extranuclear condensed chromatin masses was performed 1 h after the irradiation or after the beginning of PHA treatment. In the irradiated cells the following insignificant changes were revealed: decrease in the relative area of the nucleoplasmic chromatin, increase in the relative area of decondensation zones as well as increase in the number of clumps of nucleoplasmic chromatin and relative length at their boundary with nucleoplasma. The tendency of these morphological changes may be interpreted as functional activation of extranucleolar RNA synthesis in response to irradiation by red laser light. Action of PHA results in significant changes of the surfaces of chromatin clumps, namely increase in relative length of nucleoplasmic chromatin boundary and decrease in relative length of perimembranous chromatin boundary with nucleoplasma as well as some less expressed delamination of the chromatin masses from the nuclear membrane. These essential changes may reflect chromatin activation by proliferative stimulus. Peculiarities of the ultrastructural reorganisation in the condensed chromatin after irradiation and PHA-treatment probably reflect the differences in the processes of gene activation caused by the two agents.     

Expression of sialic acid on the alveolar surface of adult and fetal human lungs

Lung alveoli are coated by a thin layer of extracellular material rich in anionic charges. The nature of this acid layer and its relationship to the phospholipid surfactant are not known. We investigated the possible presence of sialic acid groups by light and electron microscopy in tissues from normal fetal and adult lungs, using neuraminidase treatment followed by staining with the galactose-binding lectin from peanut, labeled with peroxidase. Our results showed that adult lung does not bear peanut lectin-reactive sites but that a very thin and distinct reactive layer becomes evident after neuraminidase treatment, especially on type II pneumocytes. In fetal lung, the entire surface of the developing respiratory tree is outlined by a strongly peanut lectin-reactive layer even if neuraminidase digestion is not performed. We conclude that the acid coat of the alveolar lining is in part composed of sialic acid residues and that sialic acid is added to the fetal lung as the alveoli mature.     

Determinants of growth-promoting activity reside in the A-domain of insulin-like growth factor I

A two-chain, disulfide linked, insulin-like compound embodying the A-domain of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and the B-chain of insulin has been synthesized and characterized with respect to insulin-like biological activity and growth-promoting potency. The compound displays a potency of ca. 41% relative to insulin in assays for insulin-like activity (e.g., lipogenesis) but significantly higher activity than insulin, ca. 730% relative to insulin, in growth factor assays (e.g., thymidine incorporation). The compound is, however, a less potent growth factor than IGF-I itself, ca. 26.5% relative to IGF-I, and is not recognized by IGF carrier proteins. We conclude that structural features contained in the A-domain of IGF-I are primarily responsible for the growth-promoting ability displayed by IGF-I, while features in the B-domain are responsible for recognition by IGF carrier proteins.     

The fate of cells with chromosome aberrations after total-body irradiation and bone marrow transplantation

Cytogenetic studies were done on bone marrow cells and peripheral lymphocytes of four patients (three with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia, one with aplastic anemia) at various intervals up to 861 days after total-body X irradiation (TBI) at doses between 4.5 and 10 Gy (450-1000 rad) followed by syngeneic or allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Whereas no radiation-induced aberrations could be found in the bone marrow, apart from a transient finding in the patient with the lowest radiation dose, aberrant metaphases were seen in the peripheral lymphocytes of three patients in the range from 2.5 to 46% even at 861 days after the exposure. There were no demonstrable aberrations related to TBI in the only patient developing graft-versus-host disease. The dicentric yield as determined in the aberrant metaphases with 46 centromeres ranged between 3.4 +/- 1.3 and 4.9 +/- 0.4. In one patient it was demonstrated by BUdR-labeling that after 10 Gy (1000 rad) TBI the surviving and heavily damaged lymphocytes can go into cell cycle and reach at least the third mitosis. The percentage of aberrant cells diminished by about 25% at each mitotic division.     

Isolation of cDNA for bovine stomach 155 kDa protein exhibiting myosin light chain kinase activity.

Two proteins with myosin light chain kinase activity and electrophoretic molecular weights of 155,000 and 130,000 were each isolated from bovine stomach smooth muscle [Kuwayama, H., Suzuki, M., Koga, R., & Ebashi, S. (1988) J. Biochem. 104, 862-866]. The 155 kDa component showed a much higher superprecipitation-inducing activity than the 130 kDa component, when compared on the basis of equivalent myosin light chain kinase activity. In this study, we isolated a cDNA for the entire coding region of the 155 kDa protein. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed a high degree of similarity to those of chicken and rabbit smooth muscle myosin light chain kinases. Multiple motifs, such as three repeats of an immunoglobulin C2-like domain, a fibronectin type III domain, and unusual 20 repeats of 12 amino acids were detected in the sequence. Part of the amino-terminal sequence was similar to that of the actin- and calmodulin-binding domain of smooth muscle caldesmon. These observations suggest that the 155 kDa protein has additional functions other than its enzymatic activity. Two mRNAs of 6.0 and 2.6 kb in length in the bovine stomach smooth muscle RNAs were hybridized with cDNA probes. The 2.6-kb RNA probably encodes telokin, which is the carboxyl terminus of smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase. mRNAs with identical lengths were also detected in bovine aorta.     

Site-directed mutagenesis in the uracil-repair system. Preparation of mutated forms of human alpha 2 interferon

The mutant forms of human IFN-alpha 2 gene are obtained by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis with the use of uracil-repair system. To intensify the process the procedure of the uracil-containing DNA template preparation is modified. It was determined that when mutagenesis is performed in the uracil-repair system the yield of the process depends on the mutant DNA-strand in vitro synthesis efficiency. It is shown that the stability of the 5'-end primer-template complex and the level of the endogenic primers elongation are the basis factors, that determine induction mutations.