Biosynthesis of a ubiouitin-related peptide in rat brain and in human and mouse pituitary tumors

A biosynthetic labeled peptide structurally related to the thymic peptide ubiquitin was first identified fortuitously in bovine pars intermedia cells in regard to its partial NH₂ terminal amino acid sequence (Met 1, Leu 8, 15 and Lys 6, 11, 27, 29, 33) after a protein segment data bank search. A peptide with the same behavior on carboxymethylcellulose chromatography and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis has been purified after labeling experiments in two areas of rat brain, hypothalamus and striatum, and in a mouse and a human ACTH-secreting pituitary tumors. It represents about 1 to 10% of the total labeled proteins in the various experiments. Its identity with the above mentioned bovine pituitary peptide was confirmed by microsequence analysis with respect to Met 1, Lys 6, 11 in hypothalmus, Met 1 in striatum, and Lys 6, 11, 27, 29, 33 in the two pituitary tumors. The availability of standard purified ubiquitin allowed us to show that labeled and cold peptides have the same electrophoretic mobility and elution volume on Sephadex G-50 chromatography this further confirms their identity. Possible interests of such a biosynthetic characterization of a ubiquitin-related peptide are discussed, particularly in view of the structural relationship of ubiquitin to the non histone component of nuclear protein A-24, and as a test of tissue viability and biosynthetic efficiency in our in vitro biosynthetic systems.     

Boophilus microplus: characterization of larval proteases.

Cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni were treated with undecenyl-pseudothiourea. After centrifugation, they agglutinated into a mass. Resuspended in water, they remained immobilized. When injected sub-cutaneously into mice, they produced bisexual infections. The immobilizing drug effect, together with a reduced worm recovery rate, are time and concentration dependent. The cercariae become avirulent (99.8%) only when the flame cell is affected. Immobilizing and “cercaricidal” effects are not necessarily related properties; the latter can be determined only by in vivo tests of infectivity. No protection against reinfection was noticed in mice injected with immobilized cercariae of reduced virulence. The immobilized cercariae produced infections with a 0.7% worm recovery rate by percutaneous exposure, compared to 2.2% by subcutaneous injection. Normal cercariae produced infections with average recovery rates of 11.1% subcutaneously and 45% percutaneously.     

The occurrence of the second moult of Ascaris lumbricoides and Ascaris suum

Maung M. 1978. The occurrence of the second moult of Ascaris lumbricoides and Ascaris suum. International Journal for Parasitology 8: 371–378. Eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides and A. suum were cultured at 28°C and observed daily. Larvae were released by pressure, by artificial hatching with CO₂, and by natural hatching after infection of laboratory mice. The early stages of development in the egg were observed to comprise two moults, one occurring immediately after the other. Both moults were initiated within the egg, but the time of completion of the second moult varied considerably, and in some instances was not completed until the larvae reached the liver of experimentally infected animals.     

Relationship between acute and chronic exposures in mutagenicity studies in mice

The relationship between acute and chronic exposures in mutagenicity studies on mammals still lacks experimental data that might permit the decision whether or not the long-term exposures are of significance in mutagenicity testing.Fractional application of TEPA, THIOTEPA, EMS cyclophosphamide and sodium arsenite was made in experiments with mice, by using the dominant-lethal test and cytogenetic analysis of bone marrow. In most experiments the repeated application yielded the same or higher genetic injury than the same total dose at a single application. Negative results are discussed in relation to the threshold dose and the different sensitivity of the germ-cell stage.Possible interaction of mutagens was also studied by analyzing the combined effect of a long-term exposure to sodium arsenite, which probably affected the repair mechanism, and of a single dose of TEPA. It is concluded that the present stage of knowledge requires acceptance of the opinion that the genetic risk induced by chronic exposure to a chemical is as serious as that induced by an acute exposure.     

Clastogenic effects of methylnitrosourea and ethylnitrosourea on chromosomes from human fibroblast cell lines.

Human fibroblast cell lines were pulse-treated for 1 h with either methylnitrosourea (MNU) or ethylnitrosourea (ENU) at various time intervals before harvesting for chromosome analysis. Cells treated with 1 X 10(-3) M, 5 X 10(-4) M, and 1 X 10(-4) M final concentrations of MNU and ENU during the G2 or M phases of the cell cycle showed a significant increase in chromatid-type abnormalities over controls. Cells exposed to MNU or ENU 23 h before harvest showed some chromosome-type abnormalities, reflecting probable damage induced during the G1 phase of the cell cycle or derived from chromatid damage induced during the previous cell cycle. The mitotic indices and incidences of abnormalities suggested a dose response effect when cells were treated with the two higher concentrations and the three concentrations, respectively, of MNU or ENU. Chromatid abnormalities were observed in MUN and ENU-treated cells from each of four cell lines. From this investigation, it was concluded that MNU and ENU treatment of human diploid cell lines in vitro induced both chromatid and chromosome aberrations. MNU and ENU, both of which had previously been shown to be mutagenic in experimental animals, are, therefore, also considered to be mutagenic at the chromosome level in human fibroblasts grown and treated in cell culture.     

Absorbance changes due to the charge-accumulating species in System 2 of photosynthesis

Absorbance changes are reported associated with Photosystem II and showing a periodicity of two and four as a function of flash number.

The absorbance changes showing a periodicity of two were found to occur in the presence of artificial electron donors as well and are presumably caused by the secondary electron acceptor R of Photosystem II. The absorbance difference spectra suggest that R is a plastoquinone molecule, which is reduced to its semiquinone anion after an uneven number of flashes. After an even number of flashes, the semiquinone is reoxidized. The absorbance changes showing a periodicity of four are tentatively ascribed to the charge accumulating donor complex of Photosystem II.