The origin of ovarian neuropeptide Y (NPY)-immunoreactive nerve fibres from the inferior mesenteric ganglion in the pig

Summary Applying a double-immunofluorescence technique, the porcine ovary is demonstrated to receive two populations of NPY-immunoreactive nerve fibres originating from the inferior mesenteric ganglion: one with colocalized tyrosine hydroxylase and supplying predominantly the ovarian vasculature, and a second, solely NPY-immunoreactive and almost exclusively associated with growing follicles. A third group of tyrosine hydroxylase-and dopamine--hydroxylase-positive, but NPY-negative nerve fibres is associated with ovarian blood vessels and, to a minor extent, with ovarian follicles. As revealed by retrograde tracing, the vast majority of postganglionic neurons projecting to the ovary is located in a discrete area of the ganglion, suggesting a somatotopic organization of the porcine inferior mesenteric ganglion. Moreover, the finding indicate that three subpopulations of postganglionic sympathetic neurons with different chemical codes supply different target components of the porcine ovary. The physiological relevance of the described neurons in the nervous control of ovarian functions remains to be elucidated.A portion of these results has been presented in abstract form (Majewski et al. 1991)     

Utilization of alpha-ketoglutarate as a precursor for transmitter glutamate in cultured cerebellar granule cells

Alpha-ketoglutarate together with an amino group donor (alanine) was shown to be able to serve as a precursor for the glutamate pool which is released by potassium-induced depolarization (i.e., transmitter glutamate) in cerebellar granule cells. However, these compounds could not be utilized as precursors for intracellular glutamate or for release of transmitter aspartate. The formation of transmitter glutamate was inhibited by the transamination inhibitor aminooxyacetic acid but not by phenylsuccinate, an inhibitor of the dicarboxylate carrier in the mitochondrial membrane. Both of these inhibitors have previously been found to inhibit synthesis of transmitter glutamate from glutamine. The results support the hypothesis that alpha-ketoglutarate and alanine undergo transamination in the cytosol to form pyruvate and glutamate, and that this glutamate pool is available for transmitter release of glutamate but does not constitute the major intracellular pool of glutamate.     

Inhibition of cell proliferation with antibody-targeted liposomes containing methotrexate-γ-dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine

We have prepared liposomes containing methotrexate-γ-dimyristoylphosphatidylethanolamine (MTX-DMPE liposomes), to which protein A was covalently coupled, permitting specific association of these liposomes in vitro with murine cells preincubated with relevant protein A-binding monoclonal antibodies. In the absence of antibody the presence of externally-oriented methotrexate (MTX) in MTX-DMPE liposomes did not result in greater binding to cells than liposomes made without MTX-γ-DMPE. Derivation of methotrexate with phospholipid permits enhanced drug-liposome association. These liposomes are more resistant than conventional liposomes to repeated cycles of freezing and thawing. MTX-DMPE liposomes are comparable to antibody-targeted liposomes made with encapsulated water-soluble methotrexate both with respect to specific binding to target cells and drug effect. The inhibitory effects off MTX-liposomes, as well as free MTX, were reversible by either thiamin pyrophosphate (Tpp) or N⁵-formyltetrahydrofolate (F-THF), while the effects of MTX-DMPE liposomes were reversed only by N⁵-formyltetrahydrofolate. This suggests that the toxicity of non-targeted MTX-liposomes may be due to leakage of the encapsulated MTX. The absence of an effect of thiamin pyrophosphate on non-targeted MTX-DMPE liposomes indicates that they do not enter into the cell via the normal folate transport system.     

Cellular Localization of the Molecular Forms of Acetylcholinesterase in Primary Cultures of Rat Sympathetic Neurons and Analysis of the Secreted Enzyme

The secretion and cellular localization of the molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were studied in primary cultures of rat sympathetic neurons. When cultured under conditions favoring a noradrenergic phenotype, these neurons synthesized and secreted large quantities of the tetrameric G4, and the dodecameric A12 forms, and minor amounts of the G1 and G2 forms. When these neurons adopted the cholinergic phenotype, i.e., in the presence of muscle-conditioned medium, the development of the cellular A12 form was completely inhibited. These neurons secreted only globular, mainly G4, AChE. Both cellular and secreted A12 AChE in adrenergic cultures aggregated at an ionic strength similar to that of the culture medium, raising the hypothesis that this form was associated with a polyanionic component of basal lamina. In noradrenergic neurons, 60-80% of the catalytic sites were exposed at the cell surface. In particular, 80% of G4 form, but only 60% of the A12 form, was external, demonstrating for the A12 form a sizeable intracellular pool. The hydrophobic character of the molecular forms was studied in relation to their cellular localization. As in muscle cells, most of the G4 form was membrane-bound. Whereas 76% of the cell surface A12 form was solubilized in the aqueous phase by high salt concentrations, only 50% of the intracellular A12 form was solubilized under these conditions. The rest of intracellular A12 could be solubilized by detergents and was thus either membrane-bound or entrapped in vesicles originating from, e.g., the Golgi apparatus.     

Investigation of Dopamine Content, Synthesis, and Release in the Rabbit Retina In Vitro: I. Effects of Dopamine Precursors, Reserpine, Amphetamine, and l-DOPA Decarboxylase and Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors

The basal catecholamine content of rabbit retina was determined by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (LC-EC) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine (dopamine, DA) found to be the major catecholamine. The immediate DA precursor, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), and the metabolite, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), were also detected at about 2.8% and 17% of DA levels, respectively. When added exogenously, L-tyrosine did not increase the rate of DA synthesis over the basal level. In contrast, exogenous L-DOPA led to a 3.5-fold increase in DA, and to a 20-fold increase in DOPAC content. The monoamine oxidase inhibitors pargyline and (-)-deprenyl differentially affected the degradation of DA, since 100 microM pargyline was apparently more effective than 100 microM (-)-deprenyl. Reserpine and (+/-)-amphetamine each induced a Ca2+-independent decrease of DA stores. The separate actions of reserpine and (+/-)-amphetamine in lowering tissue DA levels were additive, suggesting two separate pools of DA available for release from presynaptic stores. The present study demonstrates that the LC-EC technique may be used to investigate the modulation of the synthesis and release of retinal DA in vitro, without the prior uptake of radiolabelled transmitter.     

An X-autosome fusion chromosome of Caenorhabditis elegans

Summary The translocation mnT12(IV;X) is a fusion of holocentric chromosomes IV and X, the breakpoints occurring near the left end of IV and the right end of X. Animals homozygous for mnT12 are viable and fertile; they contain five pairs of chromosomes rather than the normal set of six pairs. The mnT12 chromosome is larger than all wild-type chromosomes and thus identifies linkage groups IV and X cytologically. Hermaphrodites heterozygous for mnT12 show high frequency meiotic nondisjunction both between mnT12 and the X chromosome, which results in a high incidence of male self progeny (27% compared to the wild-type incidence of 0.2%), and between mnT12 and chromosome IV, which results in a high incidence of self progeny essentially trisomic for chromosome IV (karyotype IV/mnT12/mnT12). The viability of chromosome IV trisomics has been confirmed by constructing animals trisomic for only normal copies of chromosome IV; these animals are morphologically wild type. Meiotic chromosome disjunction in mnT12 homozygotes appears to be normal, although the frequency of recombination between markers that are normally X-linked is significantly reduced. Males of genotype IV/mnT12/0 are fertile. They can be thought of as having a neo-X(mnT12) neo-Y(normal IV) karyotype since it is possible to maintain a male-hermaphrodite stock of C. elegans consisting of such males and hermaphrodites carrying two neo-X chromosomes and no neo-Y; the organism is thus converted from an XO:XX type of sex determination to an XX:XX system.     

Elevation of the heat resistance of Salmonella typhimurium by sublethal heat shock

The survival of Salmonella typhimurium after a standard heat challenge at 55°C for 25 min increased by several orders of magnitude when cells grown at 37°C were pre-incubated at 42°, 45° or 48°C before heating at the higher temperature. Heat resistance increased rapidly after the temperature shift, reaching near maximum levels within 30 min. Elevated heat resistance persisted for at least 10 h. Preincubation of cells at 48°C for 30 min increased their resistance to subsequent heating at 50°, 52°, 55°, 57° or 59°C. Survival curves of resistant cells were curvilinear. Estimated times for a '7D' inactivation increased by 2.6- to 20-fold compared with cells not pre-incubated before heat challenge.     

金丝猴(RHINOPITHECUS)脑的外部形态

本文是对三种金丝猴脑的外部形态的观察结果表明:金丝猴的大脑皮层除存在猴科固有的全部沟裂外,还较其他猴科动物具有更多的副沟。大脑的沟型与疣猴亚科的特征完全吻合,但是很多特点都较叶猴更近似于长臂猿。另外,除了蚓叶和蚓结节较小,四叠体的下丘较猕猴发达以外,金丝猴的小脑和脑干均与猴科的一般特征无明显差异。     

四川成都市郊正常成年男性血清生殖激素水平及其频数分布

本文用放射免疫测定法(RIA),测定了200～290例中国四川成都市郊30～73岁的正常成年男性血清睾酮(T)促黄体激素(LH).卵泡刺激素(FSH)及泌乳激素(PRL)的水平及其分布,进行了不同年龄水平差异显著性的观察,见到睾酮与泌乳激素水平无显著差异,促黄体激素及卵泡刺激素水平,随年龄之增加而升高,差异有显著性,并测得它们在血清中水平的分布:LH、FSH及PRL均为对数正态公布,T既非正态又非对数正态,但其频率分布较对称,接近正态分布。