Organization of neurons forming descending corticohypothalamic pathways

Retrograde horseradish peroxidase axonal transport techniques were used for quantifying the spatial organization of cortical neurons constituting descending fiber systems running to hypothalamic structures. This revealed the diversity of corticohypothalamic connections: the prefrontal cortex exerts a more marked effect on the hypothalamus than other cortical regions of the limbic system. Corticohypothalamic cells form neuronal groups at different frontal levels of the prefrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus; shape and orientation of cell groups are determined by the topography of predominant axonal systems travelling to the hypothalamus. Various forms of cell combinations occur within neuronal populations. Neuronal arrays may underlie the organizational principle of direct corticohypothalamic pathways.A. M. Gor'kii Medical Institute, Ministry of Public Health of the Ukrainian SSR, Donetsk. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 435–441, June–July, 1990.     

Potential role of altered calcium conductance at the onset of intensified spinal reflex after severing the sciatic nerve

The action of substances either increasing or inducing penetration of calcium ions through neuronal membranes on monosynaptic reflex discharges in the ventral horns (MR VH) were investigated in white rats between 5 and 7 days after severing the sciatic nerve. Systemically administered imidazole and 4-aminopyridine were used for the former and verapamil for the latter purposes. Effects of denervation and either imidazole or 4-aminopyridine administration were found to be synergistic; these interventions all led to a considerable increase in MR VH. Verapamil, on the other hand, reduced MR VH amplitude and raised the threshold for triggering these on both the operated and contralateral side. It is suggested that the early intensification of MR VH after severing the nerve is partly due to increased voltage-dependent calcium currents resulting from a reduced cyclic adenosine monophosphate level at presynaptic terminals of the reflex arc investigated.Medical Institute, Ministry of Public Health, Dnepropetrovsk. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 22, No. 6, pp. 826–832, November–December, 1990.     

Oncogenic activation of the human trk proto-oncogene by recombination with the ribosomal large subunit protein L7a.

The trk-2h oncogene, isolated from the human breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB 231 by genomic DNA-transfection into NIH3T3 cells, consists of the trk proto-oncogene receptor kinase domain fused to a N-terminal 41 amino acid activating sequence (Kozma, S.C., Redmond, S.M.S., Xiao-Chang, F., Saurer, S.M., Groner, B. and Hynes, N.E. (1988) EMBO J., 7, 147-154). Antibodies raised against a bacterially produced beta gal-trk receptor kinase fusion protein recognized a 44 kd phosphoprotein phosphorylated on serine, threonine and tyrosine in extracts of trk-2h transformed NIH3T3 cells. In vitro, in the presence of Mn2+/gamma ATP, this protein became phosphorylated extensively on tyrosine. Cells transformed by trk-2h did not, however, show an elevation in total phosphotyrosine. We have cloned and sequenced the cDNA encoding the amino terminal activating sequences of trk-2h (Kozma et al., 1988). The encoded protein has a high basic amino acid content and the gene is expressed as an abundant 1.2 kb mRNA in human, rat and mouse cells. Antipeptide antibodies raised against a C-terminal peptide recognized specifically a 30 kd protein on Western blots of human, rat and mouse cell extracts. Immunofluorescence revealed, in addition to granular cytoplasmic fluorescence, intense nucleolar staining. The high basic amino acid content and nucleolar staining prompted us to investigate whether the 30 kd protein could be a ribosomal protein. Western immunoblotting analysis of 2D-electrophoretically resolved ribosomal proteins indicated that the 30 kd protein is the ribosomal large subunit protein L7a.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

黄臀鹎禁食和夜间能量物质消耗的研究

本文报道分布于昆明地区的黄臀鹎Pycnonotus xanthorrhous在禁食和四季夜间能量物质——脂肪、蛋白质和糖的消耗情况。结果表明,在人为禁食条件下黄臀鹎的存活时间仅19小时,死亡时躯脂降低79％,去脂飞翔肌干重降低46％,肝糖降低96％。在夜间黄臀鹎消耗大量的储存脂肪,并以冬季的消耗量最大。肝糖提供的能量极少。在繁殖期和换羽期,储存的飞翔肌蛋白质在夜间大量分解以提供鸟体的需要。     

MNNG对细胞DNA合成及其分布的影响

本文用流式细胞光度术(FCM)等方法研究了MNNG,ENNG和DMS对HeLa细胞DNA含量分布的影响。经MNNG(6.8μmol/L)处理后,细胞分裂减少,DNA合成速率下降,S期细胞的比例随处理时间的延长而增加。DMS显示有类似的现象而ENNG的效应则较小。     

长春和北京地区引起婴幼儿肺炎的3型与7型腺病毒的分子流行病学研究

对长春和北京地区连续12年(1976年冬至1988年春)引起小儿肺炎的3、7型腺病毒102株标本,进行了限制性内切酶核酸电泳图谱分析。56株7型腺病毒经BamHⅠ、BclⅠ、BglⅠ、XbaⅠ、SmaⅠ、HindⅢ分析后,表现为两个基因组型——Ad7 b和Ad7 d。46株3型腺病毒被Bg1 Ⅱ、BamHⅠ酶解后,表现为 3个基因组型——Ad 3Ⅰ、Ad 3Ⅱ、Ad 3Ⅲ。各基因组型的分布情况是:56株7型腺病毒中,43株为Ad 7 b(76.8％),流行于1976年冬至1986年春;13株是Ad 7 d(23.2％),出现于1982年,与Ad 7 b共同流行;1986年～1988年分析的5株病毒都是Ad 7d。43株3型腺病毒中,Ad3Ⅰ42株(91.0％),分布于12年中;Ad 3Ⅱ、Ad 3Ⅲ各2株,散在分布。此结果表明,国内这12年中引起小儿肺炎的3型腺病毒至少有3个基因组型,7型腺病毒至少有两个基因组型。Ad3Ⅰ和Ad7 b是流行优势基因组型。但自80年代初开始出现Ad7 d以来,有逐年增多的趋势,最近两年的标本又都是Ad7 d,很可能它将取代Ad7 b而成为流行的优势基因组型.     

Ⅱ型限制性核酸内切酶NcrⅠ的研究

 在肉色诺卡氏菌C-212株Nocardia carnea C-212中筛选到一种Ⅱ型限制性核酸内切酶NcrⅠ,经与BglⅡ的λDNA降解物的酶谱比较,以及酶识别特异性和切割位点的检测,证明了NcrⅠ是已知的限制酶BglⅡ的同切限制酶,而且其切割位点也与BglⅡ相同,其为:     

Environmental and endogenous control of diapause inTrichogramma species

The 1st feature revealed typical for diapause phenomena inTrichogramma species is the interaction of environmental conditions in both parental and filial generations in induction of diapause in the latter. Lowered temperature during larval development is the ultimate factor evoking diapause in pronymphs but the norm of this thermal reaction is not fixed but varies depending on photoperiod and temperature in the previous generation due to maternal influence. Short day and in some cases high temperature in parental generation enhance tendency to diapause in the progeny. Unlike maternal influence the development to filial generation itself is not (or almost is not) governed by its own photoperiodic reaction. The 2nd typical feature revealed is the occurrence of endogenous process running in the sequence of generations and causing changes in the diapause tendency and underlying reaction norms even under constant rearing conditions.      

Relationship between radiation induced adaptive response in human fibroblasts and changes in chromatin conformation

Chromatin conformation changes in the normal human fibroblasts VH-10 were studied by the method of anomalous viscosity time dependence (AVTD). Gamma-irradiation of cells in a dose range of 0.1–3 Gy caused an increase in maximal viscosity of cell lysates. Conversely, irradiation of cells with low doses of 0.5 or 2 cGy resulted in a decrease in the AVTD peaks with a maximum effect approximately 40 min after irradiation. The same exposure conditions were used to study a possible adaptive effect of low doses, measured by changes in cell survival. A primary dose of 2 cGy caused significant modification of cell response to a challenge dose. Approximately 20% protection to challenge doses of 0.5 Gy (p < 0.003), 2 Gy (p < 0.02) and 2.5 Gy (p < 0.002) was observed. However, the direction of this effect (adaptation or synergism) was found to be dependent on a challenge dose. The combined effect of 2 cGy and 1 Gy was significantly synergistic, while no modification was observed for 1.5 Gy and 3 Gy. A partial correlation was found between the AVTD changes and cell survival when the combined effect of a primary dose of 2 cGy and challenge dose was examined. The dose of 2 cGy alone increased survival by 16% (p < 0.0003). These results suggest that the low-dose induced effects on survival may be related to chromatin reorganization.