Hernandulcin in hairy root cultures of Lippia dulcis

The hairy root culture of Lippia dulcis Trev., Verbenaceae, was established by transformation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes A4. The transformed roots grew well in Murashige and Skoog medium containing 2% sucrose. The roots turned light green when they were cultured under 16 h/day light. The green hairy roots produced the sweet sesquiterpene hernandulcin (ca. 0.25 mg/g dry wt) together with 20 other mono- and sesquiterpenes, while no terpenes were detected in the nontransformed root cultures. The growth and hernandulcin production in the hairy root cultures were influenced by the addition of auxins to the medium. The addition of a low concentration of chitosan (0.2 – 10.0 mg / l) enhanced the production of hernandulcin 5-fold.Abbreviations Cht chitosan - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - NAA 1-naphthaleneacetic acid - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - MS Murashige and Skoog(1962)     

Determination of eperisone in human plasma by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry

A gas chromatographic—mass spectrometric method was developed to determine eperisone hydrochloride, 4′-ethyl-2-methyl-3-piperidinopropiophenone hydrochloride, in human plasma over the concentration range 0.2–40 ng/ml. Excellent sensitivity was achieved by selection of a favorable fragment ion, m/z 98, of eperisone and reduction of heat decomposition of eperisone by using a splitless injector and a shortened capillary column. The method described here allows the determination of plasma concentrations as low as 0.2 ng/ml, the concentration attained 6 h after a single oral administration of 50 mg. At eperisone hydrochloride concentrations higher than 0.5 ng/ml, the mean inter-day variation of accuracy of the assay was less than 12%.     

Fitness and its components in Drosophila melanogaster

Fitness and its components in Drosophila melanogaster were estimated under the homozygous condition. All of these parameters, except for egg-to-adult viability and female fecundity, were measured under interspecific competition with D. hydei. The following results were obtained: (1) Significant genetic variation was detected in fitness, productivity, adult viability, total egg-to-adult viability and female fecundity. (2) Significant correlation was obtained between fitness and productivity (rp = 0.792 for phenotypic correlation, rg = 0.945 for genotypic correlation), between fitness and total egg-to-adult viability (rp = 0.355, rg = 0.395), and between fitness and female fecundity (rp = 0.451, rg = 0.511). (3) There was no significant correlation between total egg-to-adult viability and fecundity (rp = -0.046). The biological implications of the interrelationship between fitness and its components are discussed.     

An epidemic of echovirus 18 in 1988 in Japan--high association with clinical manifestation of exanthem. A report of the National Epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Agents in Japan

Laboratory reports of isolation of echovirus serotype 18 (E18) slightly increased in the summer of 1987 followed by a sharp increase with a peak in July, 1988. A total of 1,094 isolations were reported during these two years from 39 laboratories participating in the National Epidemiological Surveillance of Infectious Agents in Japan. When compared with the previous E18 outbreaks, a higher proportion of children at two years of age or under (58.3%) and a much higher incidence of exanthem (46.4%) were remarkable. Meningitis-associated isolations were reported in 30.6%, less than half of the percentage of the previous epidemic.     

Ultrastructure of pinealocytes of the cotton rat,Sigmodon hispidus

Summary Fine structural features of pinealocytes of cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) were examined. Golgi complexes, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and polysomes are usual organelles seen in the perikaryonal cytoplasm of pinealocytes. Many non-granulated vesicles (40 to 80 nm in diameter) and a few granulated vesicles (about 100 nm in diameter) are associated with the Golgi cisternae. Occasionally, the cisternae contain granular materials. The perikaryonal cytoplasm of pinealocytes is characterized by the presence of inclusion bodies. These bodies are usually round in shape, not bounded by a limiting membrane and composed of fine granular or filamentous materials of high electron-opacity, which are similar in appearance to the substance seen in the nucleolonema. Pinealocyte processes, filled with abundant non-granulated vesicles and some granulated vesicles, are mainly found within the parenchyma and occasionally in perivascular spaces.Supported in part by NSF grant no. PCM 77-05734 and NIH grant no. HD-10202 (Morphology Core)     

Kinetic analysis of the acid-alkaline conversion of horseradish peroxidases.

The nature of the acid-alkaline conversion of horseradish peroxidases was studied by measuring four rate constants in reactions, E + H+ (k1) in equilibrium (k2) EH+ and E + H2O (k3) in equilibrium (k4) EH+ + OH-, where EH+ and E denote the acid and alkaline forms of the enzymes. The values of k1, (k2 + k3), and k4 were obtained by measuring the relaxation rates of the acid leads to alkaline and alkaline leads to acid conversions by means of th pH jump method with a stopped-flow apparatus. The value of k3 could also be obtained by measuring the rate of reactions between hydrogen peroxide and peroxidases at alkaline pH. The measurements were conducted with four peroxidases having different pKa values: peroxidase A )pKa = 9.3), peroxidase C (pKa = 11.1), diacetyldeuteroperoxidase A (pKa = 7.7), and diacetyldeuteroperoxidase C (pKa = 9.1). The value of k1 was about 10(10) M-1 s-1 in the reaction of the four enzymes while k4 was quite different between the enzymes. The pKa was determined by k3 and k4 for the natural peroxidases and by k1 and k2 for the diacetyldeuteroperoxidases. The mechanism of the acid-alkaline conversion was discussed in comparison with that of metmyoglobin.     

Plant growth-promoting activities of alkoxycarbonylisoureas in relation to their chemical structures

A number of alkoxycarbonylisourea derivatives were synthesized and their plant growth-promoting activities examined by the rice (Oryza sativa) seedling test. Isourea compounds with an appropriate substituent such as a halogen atom or a methyl, ethyl or methoxy group at the para-position on a benzene ring in 1-alkoxycarbonyl-2-alkyl-3-phenylcarbamoylisoureas promoted the growth of rice seedlings and acted as a highly active gibberellic acid-synergist when used in combination with gibberellic acid. The common structural requirements of isourea derivatives applied well for a growth promoter and a gibberellic acid-synergist.