Differential effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone on central dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) has been shown to be a central mediator for most, if not all, stress-induced responses. Since stressful stimuli may decrease hypothalamic tuberoinfundibular and tuberohypophysial dopaminergic neuronal activities, we aimed to determine whether CRH is involved. Using central administration of various doses of ovine CRH (oCRH; 1, 3 and 10 µg/rat) into the lateral cerebroventricle of either male or female rats, the neurochemical changes in various parts of the central nervous system, including the hypothalamus, were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography at various times after the injection (30, 60, 120 and 240 min). The concentrations of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylethyleneglycol (MHPG), two major metabolites of dopamine and norepinephrine, respectively, in discrete brain regions were used as indices for catecholaminergic neuron activity. Plasma corticosterone levels increased significantly after all doses of oCRH and at all time points studied. oCRH also exerted significant stimulatory effects on noradrenergic neuron terminals in the frontal cortex, and on dopaminergic neuron terminals in the nucleus accumbens, hypothalamic paraventricular and periventricular nuclei, and intermediate pituitary lobe. Dopaminergic neuron terminals in the median eminence and the neural lobe of the pituitary, however, were not affected. There was no major difference in the responses between male and female rats. We conclude that CRH has a differential effect on central catecholaminergic neurons.     

Trace elements in hair of blackfoot disease

Blackfoot disease is a peripheral vascular disease resulting in gangrene of the lower extremities. Though extensive epidemiological study has implicated that high arsenic content in artesian well water of the endemic area, bears some important connection with the disease, the etiology of the disease is still unknown. In this study, attention is paid to multielement determination in order to find out whether the trace elements in hair of Blackfoot disease patients are different from those of the controls. Experimental results indicate that the concentrations of As and Se in hair of patients are significantly higher than those of the controls, but Ca and Zn are significantly lower than those of the controls. The possible connection of these elements with the etiology of the disease is discussed.     

Genetics of sex determination in flowering plants

Most flowering plant species are hermaphroditic, but a small number of species in most plant families are unisexual (i.e., an individ-ual will produce only male or female gametes). Because species with unisexual flowers have evolved repeatedly from hermaphroditic progenitors, the mechanisms controlling sex determination in flowering plants are extremely diverse. Sex is most strongly determined by genotype in all species but the mechanisms range from a single controlling locus to sex chromosomes bearing several linked locirequired for sex determination. Plant hormones also influence sex expression with variable effects from species to species. Here, we review the genetic control of sex determination from a number of plant species to illustrate the variety of extant mechanisms. We emphasize species that are now used as models to investigate the molecular biology of sex determination. We also present our own investigations of the structure of plant sex chromosomes of white campion (Silene latifolia - Melan-drium album). The cytogenetic basis of sex determination in white campion is similar to mammals in that it has a male-specific Y-chromosome that carries dominant male determining genes. If one copy of this chromosome is in the genome, the plant is male. Otherwise it is female. Like mammalian Y-chromosomes, the white campion Y-chromosome is rich in repetitive DNA. We isolated repetitive sequences from microdissected Y-chromosomes of white campion to study the distribution of homologous repeated sequences on the Y-chromosome and the other chromosomes. We found the Y to be especially rich in repetitive sequences that were generally dispersed over all the white campion chromosomes. Despite its repetitive character, the Y-chromosome is mainly euchromatic. This may be due to the relatively recent evolution of the white campion sex chromosomes compared to the sex chromosomes of animals. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

尼群地平对实验性糖尿病大鼠心肌收缩性的影响

腹腔注射链脲佐霉素（６５ｍｇ／ｋｇ）诱发Ｗｉｓｔａｒ大鼠糖尿病。糖尿病发病４周后,向饲料中加尼群地平（３０ｍｇ·ｋｇ－１·ｄ－１）。结果表明,糖尿病４周时大鼠心室舒张功能首先受损,８周后心室舒张和收缩功能均明显受累。尼群地平处理对糖尿病大鼠的心肌收缩性有一定的改善作用。提示尼群地平对大鼠糖尿病性心肌病有一定有益作用。     

缢蛏碱性磷酸酶胍溶液中分子折叠与活力变化研究

报道了缢蛏碱性磷酸酶（简称ＡＬＰ）经不同浓度盐酸胍处理时酶的分子构象所发生的变化以及酶变化和失活的动力学过程。在胍中酶荧光发射峰强度下降,紫外差光谱在２４６ｎｍ和２８５ｎｍ处出现２个负峰,ＣＤ谱中酶的α螺旋度下降,且随浓度增大,变化程度也加大。动力学研究表明,酶在０．５ｍｏｌ／Ｌ、１．０ｍｏｌ／Ｌ、２．０ｍｏｌ／Ｌ３．０ｍｏｌ／Ｌ、４．０ｍｏｌ／Ｌ盐酸胍中的变性速度常数分别为３．２１×１０~（－４）ｓ~（－１）、６．３８×１０~（－４）ｓ~（－１）、２．１７×１０~（－３）ｓ~（－１）、２．３３×１０~（－３）ｓ~９－１）、５．１７×１０~（－３）ｓ~（－１）;而酶在相应盐酸胍中的失活速度常数分别为２．３３×１０~（－４）ｓ~（－１）、３．５７×１０~（－４）ｓ~（－１）、５．８６×１０~（－４）ｓ~（－１）、１．１４×１０~（－３）ｓ~（－１）、３．４５×１０~（－３）ｓ~（－１）;表现为失活与构象伸展变化基本平行。     

三种蚜虫对植物挥发性次生物质触角电位反应的比较研究(英语)

用触角电位法研究了大豆蚜、棉蚜和桃蚜对39种挥发性次生化合物的反应,结果如下:1)绿叶气味化合物及其异构体的去极化电压远强于萜烯类;具有6个碳原子的醇类和醛类是最有活性的化合物.2)大豆蚜和棉蚜对醛类和脂类的反应要比对相应的醇类强,这与桃蚜的实验结果刚好相反.3)蚜虫嗅觉系统所显示的活性与刺激化合物的结构有关,醇类和醛类刺激所引起的EAG饱和的要比不饱和的强.4)大豆春迁蚜对萜烯衍生物(醇、醛、脂)的触角电位反应高于棉蚜,而对萜烃化合物的反应刚好相反.5)各种化合物引起的EAG峰形不同;牛儿醇、癸醇和香茅醇刺激所引起的波形回复最慢,而在直链饱和醇中随着碳原子数的增加而回复速度减慢.     

Localization of juvenile, but not late-infantile, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis on chromosome 16.

The neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCL) are a group of progressive neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the deposition of autofluorescent proteinaceous fingerprint or curvilinear bodies. We have found that CLN3, the gene underlying the juvenile form of NCL, is very tightly linked to the dinucleotide repeat marker D16S285 on chromosome 16. Integration of D16S285 into the genetic map of chromosome 16 by using the Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain panel of reference pedigrees yielded a favored marker order in the CLN3 region of qtel-D16S150-.08-D16S285-.04-D16S148-.02-D16S 67-ptel. The most likely location of the disease gene, near D16S285 in the D16S150-D16S148 interval, was favored by odds of greater than 10(4):1 over the adjacent D16S148-D16S67 interval, which was recently reported as the minimum candidate region. Analysis of D16S285 in pedigrees with late-infantile NCL virtually excluded the CLN3 region, suggesting that these two forms of NCL are genetically distinct.