丽江百合鳞茎细胞内贮藏物质的细胞形态学观察

丽江百合(Lilium lijiangenese L.J.Peng,sp nov.)引种栽培三年。鳞茎体积增大,中部鳞片细胞由平均12层增加到21层。细胞体积由平均86.5×79微米增加到97.5×89.7微米。细胞内含有两种贮藏颗粒,一种体积较大,椭圆形,另一种体积略小呈圆球形。较大者含有淀粉物质,较小者含有蛋白质、脂肪、多糖和少量核糖核酸。细胞内平均淀粉粒数由4.2个增加到8个,其体积由29.1×19.5微米增加到46.8×23.4微米。蛋白质颗粒数由平均12个增加到70个,体积稍有减小,由4.68—7.8微米减少到3.9—5.85微米。     

马尾树科及其近缘科花粉形态研究

本文观察了马尾树科(Rhoipteleaceae)、胡桃科(Juglandaceae)以及桦木科(Be-tulaceae)、9属9种植物花粉形态。马尾树科与桦木科桦木属(Betula L.)花粉粒均为扁球形,极面观呈钝三角形,萌发孔类型均为多孔类型,孔之间均有弓形加厚,而且外表面均具细颗粒状雕纹。而胡桃科大多为多边形、散孔类型。根据花粉形态资料,探讨了马尾树科的系统位置。     

新疆绿蟾蜍的染色体组型初步研究

近年来,有关两栖类的染色体组型已有不少报道。无尾两栖类中蜍蟾属(Bufo)的染色体数目分为两类:2n=22和2n=20(Blain,1972)。我们对采自新疆4个地区的绿蟾蜍进行了染色体组型分析,发现其二倍体细胞染色体数均为44,是四倍体。现将我们的初步研究报道如下。     

The effect of berbamine derivatives on activated Ca2+-stimulated Mg2+-dependent ATPase in erythrocyte membranes.

Ca2+-stimulated Mg2+-dependent ATPase (Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase) stimulated by calmodulin, by partial proteolysis or by oleic acid in erythrocyte membranes was inhibited by various derivatives of the naturally occurring alkaloid berbamine. The ability of these derivatives to inhibit trypsin-activated Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase correlated well with their ability to inhibit the calmodulin-stimulated enzyme. Inhibition of the trypsin-activated Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase by O-4-(ethoxybutyl)berbamine (EBB) was competitive with respect to ATP. The Ki for inhibition was about 8 microM. These results suggest that the binding site of EBB on the activated Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase may bear structural similarity to that on calmodulin, and may be closely related to the ATP-binding site on the enzyme.     

Junctions between lens cells in differentiating cultures: structure, formation, intercellular permeability, and junctional protein expression

We previously described cultures of chick embryo lens cells which displayed a marked degree of differentiation. In this report, the junctions found between the lens fiber-like cells in the differentiated "lentoids" are characterized in several ways. Thin-section methods with electron microscopy first demonstrated that numerous, large junctions between lentoid cells accompanied the other differentiated features of these cells. Freeze-fracture techniques, including quantitative analysis, then revealed that (a) junctional particles were loosely arranged as is typical of fiber cells, (b) the population of individual junctional areas in culture was indistinguishable from that found in 10- to 12-day chick embryo lenses, and (c) apparent junction formation occurred during the development of the lens cells, with lacy arrays of particles being associated with fiber-like junctions. In addition, gap junctions with hexagonally packed particles, typical of lens epithelial cells, largely disappeared during the course of differentiation. Injection of tracer dyes into lentoid cells resulted in rapid intercellular movement of dye, consistent with functional cell-to-cell channels connecting lentoid cells. During the development of the lens cells in culture, as junction formation occurred, an increase of approximately eight-fold in MP28 protein was observed within the cells. These combined results indicate that (a) extensive lens fiber junctions and functional cell-to-cell channels are found between differentiated lentoid lentoid cells in vitro, (b) lens fiber junctions appear to form during the course of lens cell differentiation in culture, (c) a significant increase occurs in the putative junctional protein before the cultures are highly developed, (d) the increased levels of MP28 and junction formation may be required for the full expression of the differentiated state in the lens fiber cell, and (e) this culture system should prove to be valuable for additional experiments on lens junctions and for other studies requiring the development of lens fiber cells in vitro.     

Variations of susceptibility to alloxan induced diabetes in the rabbit

The variations of susceptibility to alloxan induced Diabetes in a total of seventeen rabbits was described. Our study was designed to explore dosage schedules which might improve rabbit responsiveness to and survival after alloxan treatment. A wide range of response to intravenously administered alloxan was observed. Permanent diabetes (blood glucose 350 mg/dl) was found in three rabbits after a single injection (60 mg/kg in one, 100 mg/kg in two). This effect has persisted for eight months. By contrast, two other rabbits injected with a single dose of alloxan (60 mg/kg) developed only transient hyperglycemia. Similarly, four other rabbits either did not respond or had an incomplete response after receiving a total dose of 120 mg/kg. These data suggest that there is extreme variability in individual rabbits susceptibility to the diabetogenic affects of alloxan.     

Structural analysis of the locus containing the human C-reactive protein gene and its related pseudogene

The gene for human C-reactive protein (CRP) is mapped within a 34-kilobase pair genomic DNA segment identified by chromosome walking through overlapping DNA fragments cloned into a lambda phage library. Within 16 kilobase pairs upstream and downstream of the locus for the authentic CRP gene, only one other sequence homologous to that for CRP could be found. Sequencing analysis indicates this sequence to be a pseudogene with 50-80% region-specific homology. Comparison of the authentic CRP gene cloned from genomic DNA libraries independently prepared from three patients indicates no difference in the 5' and 3' flanking region, promoter region, or coding sequence. Only a polymorphism in the length of the poly(GT) stretch located in the intron is observed. There appears to be only one gene locus and copy per haploid chromosome for the authentic CRP gene and its pseudogene.     

Reactivation of inhibited bone acid phosphatase and its significance in bone histomorphometry

Despite biochemical demonstration of acid phosphatase (AcP) activation or reactivation in bone, few attempts have been made to show similar effects histochemically. Bones from growing rats, when fixed in 4% buffered formaldehyde at room temperature and demineralized in 5% formic acid, exhibited expected inactivation of AcP. The inhibited AcP, however, was reactivated by pre-incubation of sections for 1 hr at 37 degrees C in the following buffers: 0.2 M Tris, 0.2 M glycine, 0.2 M NaHCO3, or 0.1 M borax, as well as in alkaline water, but not in 0.2 M Na2HPO4 (all at pH 9). The reactivation was (a) site-specific (e.g., osteoclasts, osteoblasts, osteocytes, and cement lines), (b) temperature- and pH-dependent, (c) unaffected by OH- or SH--binding agents or by an alkaline phosphatase inhibitor, and (d) inhibited completely by 10 mM Na2HPO4. The reactivation process, much simplified and/or more effective than with the methods previously reported, was observed in all 83 human biopsy bones embedded in methyl methacrylate and in human bones stored in cold buffered formaldehyde for 7 months. This study demonstrates a unique method for reactivating and thus localizing the inhibited AcP in bones, and suggests possible applications in bone histomorphometry.     

Isolation and characterization of human VkIII germ-line genes. Implications for the molecular basis of human VkIII light chain diversity

To understand the relative importance of germ-line genes in the generation of the functional human antibody repertoire, it is first necessary to define the number of variable region genes and to determine their fine structure. We have focused on the human VkIII variable region gene family because of its association with autoantibodies. A human genomic library was screened with a VkIII cDNA probe and subsequently with a VkIII germ-line gene probe. Seven different VkIII clones were isolated and characterized by restriction mapping and sequence analyses. Three clones have identical restriction enzyme sites over a 12-kilobase (kb) region, contain identical sequences over an 895-base pair (bp) region, and thus are likely to be different isolates of the same human VkIII gene. Another two clones have identical restriction enzyme sites over a 5-kb region, are identical over a stretch of 905 bp sequenced, and likely represent independent isolates of another human VkIII gene. The remaining two VkIII clones consist of two additional VkIII genes which are homologous to each other, but are quite different from the first two VkIII genes. Thus, four new human VkIII genes were defined. Together with four other VkIII genes previously isolated by other investigators, a total of eight human VkIII germ-like genes have now been described. A comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences of these genes with the reported amino acid sequences of all human VkIII light chains suggests that at least one additional VkIII gene exists in the germ line. Among the eight identified human germ-line VkIII genes, three are pseudogenes. Of the remaining five potential functional genes, one gene seems to encode a majority of the VkIII light chains which have been sequenced. Possible explanations for this phenomenon are discussed.