Reassociation of interspersed moderate DNA repeats

Reassociation kinetics of the fragments of DNA consisting of interspersed repetitive and non-repetitive nucleotide sequences is considered in this paper. Based on the model, suggested by Gavrilov and Mazo (Mol. biol., 11, 101 1977), which takes into account the random DNA shearing, both reassociation kinetics of the total DNA in the region corresponding to interspersed repeat reassociation and that of the isolated preparation of interspersed repetitive sequences are calculated. In both cases influence of the repeat length on the reassociation rate is demonstrated. The estimation of the repetition frequency of rare repeats from pigeon genome is specified using calculations performed.     

The value of angiography prior to use of the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap.

In 5 patients studied, preoperative angiography showed the thoracodorsal artery to be patent in two--both of them then had successful transfers of latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps. Obliteration of this artery was apparent in 3 patients, precluding the operation. We suggest that selective preoperative angiography be performed in all patients in whom a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap transfer is being considered, as a patent thoracodorsal artery is essential to the success of this procedure.     

Cell culture studies on neurofibromatosis (von Recklinghausen)

Summary The growth of strains of fibroblasts derived from patients with neurofibromatosis (NF) was compared with that of strains from appropriate controls in culture medium containing 1% or 15% fetal calf serum. The means of the ratios of final to initial cell numbers do not differ significantly between NF strains and control strains. Weakly significant differences are, however, obtained after conversion of the results to mean numbers of cell population doublings, the NF strains showing the higher numbers. The ratios of final to initial amounts of protein also differ significantly under both sets of growth conditions. High growth parameters occur significantly more frequently among our smaple of 11 NF strains than among our sample of 13 control strains. The possibility of the expression of the NF genotype(s) on the level of the cultured fibroblast-like cells and the possible causes of the large ranges of inter-and intra-individual variations of the results are discussed.     

DNA-like duplexes with repetitions. III. Efficient template-guided chemical polymerization of d(TGGCCAAGCTp).

Self-association of a decanucleotide d(TGGCCAAGCTp) in an aqueous solution is shown by UV spectroscopy, CD and sedimentation analysis to yield a pseudopolymeric (concatemeric) duplex having a geometry similar to that of DNA B-type. It is demonstrated that in conditions when the concatemeric duplex is stable a water-soluble carbodiimide induces efficient polymerization of the 3'- or 5'-phosphorylated decanucleotide, and the resulting polymers d(TGGCCAAGCTp)2-10 contain only natural phosphodiester bonds. In conditions optimal for template-guided polymerization of d(TGGCCAAGCTp) the overall yield of 20-100-member polynucleotides exceeds 90%. The obtained polymeric duplexes are cleaved by restriction endonuclease Alu II, Bsu RI, and Hind III to corresponding decamers which were isolated and sequenced.     

Fatty acid composition of membranes of L-forms ofStreptococcus faecalis andProteus mirabilis cultured at different osmolalities

The fatty acid composition of membranes of L-forms ofStreptococcus faecalis andProteus mirabilis cultured at different osmolalities and in different osmotic stabilizers was examined.S. faecalis L-forms cultured with sucrose in the medium showed a decrease in the unsaturated fatty acid C₁₈₁ and an increase in the C₁₈ fatty acid and C₁₉ cyclopropane fatty acid. Fatty acid composition ofS. faecalis L-forms cultured in medium containing 1.8% NaCl was similar to the fatty acid composition of L-forms cultured in brain-heart infusion broth (BHI) without osmotic stabilizer and was between the composition of fatty acids of L-forms in BHI with sucrose and that in BHI without 0.5 M sucrose. InProteus mirabilis L-forms, there were differences between L-forms cultured with and without sucrose, but these differences were not comparable to the changes observed inS. faecalis L-forms.P. mirabilis L-forms cultured with and without NaCl in the medium had similar fatty acid compositions.     

Epidémie de dysentérie bacillaire.

An outbreak of bacillary dysentery in 1978 affecting 928 persons, most of whom were living in the village of St-Jacques, PQ, is described. An epidemiologic study suggested the water supply as the source of the infection, and it was established that the water carried by the municipal aqueduct was contaminated by feces containing the causal agent, Shigella sonnei. This epidemic, the largest mentioned in he Canadian medical literature, demonstrates how contagious this infection is.     

The usefulness of the analytical electrofocusing in a thin-layer polyacrylamide gel (PAG) in the histochemistry of enzymes cleaving peptide bonds

Summary The usefulness of the analytical electrofocusing in a thin-layer polyacrylamide (PAG) plate is shown on the basis of experiments with 10%–20% homogenates of various rat, rabbit and human organs as well as in lysates of isolated human lymphocytes and leucocytes in 2% Triton X100. 0.1–0.3 l of 12000 g supernatants were applied on LKB Ampholine PAG plates pH range 3.5–9.5 and subjected to electrofocusing. Afterwards portions of PAG plates were processed in optimized histochemical media for the demonstration of enzymes cleaving peptide bonds using various substrates. The same media were used in the histochemical detection of enzymes in sections on slides or semipermeable membranes. Electrofocused zymograms display species and organ differences. Ala-MNA, Leu-MNA and Met-MNA furnish similar zymograms. Bands obtained with Ala-MNA are most intense. Zymograms with Gly-Pro-MNA and Lys-Pro-MNA at pH 7.2 are not entirely identical. The majority of bands is more intense when Gly-Pro-MNA is used as the substrate and is due to the activity of DAP IV. The anodal band(s) focusing around pH 4.9 (rat) or 5.5 (man) is (are) much stronger with Lys-Pro-MNA and DAP II is responsible for it (them). Zymograms with His-Ser-MNA and Lys-Ser-MNA are similar. However, they differ form those revealed with Gly-Pro-MNA and Lys-Pro-MNA. Zymograms of lysates of leucocytes obtained with naphthol AS-D-chloroacetate and Ac-Ala-l-naphthyl ester are not identical showing that more than one enzyme is responsible for the bands. Results obtained with closely related substrates such as Ac-Ala-l-naphthyl ester and Ac-Met-l-naphtyl ester are not identical either. Zymograms of lysates of human lymphocytes revealed with Gly-Pro-MNA at pH 7.2 and Lys-Ala-MNA or Lys-Pro-MNA at pH 5.5 or 5.3 respectively show clearly the presence of DAP IV and DAP II in these cells. The analytical electrofocusing in PAG plates is a very useful tool in the histochemistry (and biochemistry) of enzymes cleaving peptide bonds. It helps very much in the evaluation of the substrate specificity, choosing of the discriminating substrate and enables a quick and reliable testing of the quality of various batches of commercially supplied substrates, diazonium salts and other reagents. The correlation of zymograms with the in situ pattern helps in the elucidation of the origin of individual bands in zymograms and suggests different molecular forms of peptidases in different localizations.     

Vitamin A toxicity and hypercalcaemia in chronic renal failure.

Serum vitamin A concentrations were measured in 38 patients undergoing haemodialysis, 24 of whom were taking multivitamin preparations containing vitamin A. Vitamin A concentrations were significantly higher in patients undergoing haemodialysis than in 28 normal controls (p less than 0.001). Patients taking vitamin A supplements had significantly higher vitamin A concentrations than those not taking them (p less than 0.05), and hypercalcaemic patients had higher concentrations than normocalcaemic patients (p less than 0.005). Withdrawal of vitamin A supplements in seven patients caused significant falls in serum vitamin A concentrations and plasma calcium concentrations (p less than 0.01 at two and three months in both cases) and in plasma alkaline phosphatase concentrations (p less than 0.01 at two months). Vitamin A toxicity can contribute to hypercalcaemia in patients undergoing haemodialysis, probably by an osteolytic effect. Multivitamin preparations containing vitamin A should therefore be prescribed with caution in these patients.