Volatile components of developing tomato fruit grown under field and greenhouse conditions

Volatile components of field- and glass greenhouse-grown tomatoes(Lycopersicon esculentum MILL., variety, V. R. Moscow) of differentmaturities were studied by gas-liquid and thin-layer chromatography.The following components were separated and identified: isobutylalcohol, isopentyl alcohol, hexyl alcohol, 2-methyl-3-hexanol,isovaleraldehyde, caproaldehyde, benzaldehyde, furfural, isopentylacetate, isopentyl butyrate, isopentyl isovalerate, butyl hexanoate,hexyl hexanoate, methyl salicylate and -pinene. Chromatogramswere consistent for both field- and greenhouse-grown tomatoesat all stages of maturity. Except for isovaleraldehyde and hexylalcohol, the biosynthesis of volatile components increased alongwith the growth of fruit. Isovaleraldehyde and hexyl alcohol,presumed to give the "green leafy" aroma of tomatoes, were foundto be in their highest concentrations at the breaker and thelarge-green stages, respectively. ¹This research was supported by a research grant—UI 00449—fromthe National Center for Urban and Industrial Health, U. S. PublicHealth Service.     

越南荨麻科楼梯草属和赤车属植物新记录

报道了7个楼梯草属和赤车属植物(荨麻科)新纪录,它们分别为锐齿楼梯草(E. cyrtandrifolium),变黄楼梯草(E. xanthophyllum),对叶楼梯草(E. sinense),宽叶楼梯草(E. platyphyllum),托叶楼梯草(E. nasutum),短叶赤车(P. brevifolia)和华南赤车(P. grijsii)。列出了各个物种的标本引证和地理分布情况。     

The apolipoprotein(a) component of lipoprotein(a) mediates binding to laminin: contribution to selective retention of lipoprotein(a) in atherosclerotic lesions

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] entrapment by vascular extracellular matrix may be important in atherogenesis. We sought to determine whether laminin, a major component of the basal membrane, may contribute to Lp(a) retention in the arterial wall. First, immunohistochemistry experiments were performed to examine the relative distribution of Lp(a) and laminin in human carotid artery specimens. There was a high degree of co-localization of Lp(a) and laminin in atherosclerotic specimens, but not in non-atherosclerotic sections. We then studied the binding interaction between Lp(a) and laminin in vitro. ELISA experiments showed that native Lp(a) particles and 17K and 12K recombinant apolipoprotein(a) [r-apo(a)] variants interacted strongly with laminin whereas LDL, apoB-100, and the truncated KIV(6-P), KIV(8-P), and KIV(9-P) r-apo(a) variants did not. Overall, the ELISA data demonstrated that Lp(a) binding to laminin is mediated by apo(a) and a combination of the lysine analogue epsilon-aminocaproic acid and salt effectively decreases apo(a) binding to laminin. Secondary binding analyses with 125I-labeled r-apo(a) revealed equilibrium dissociation constants (K(d)) of 180 and 360 nM for the 17K and 12K variants binding to laminin, respectively. Such similar K(d) values between these two r-apo(a) variants suggest that isoform size does not appear to influence apo(a) binding to laminin. In summary, our data suggest that laminin may bind to apo(a) in the atherosclerotic intima, thus contributing to the selective retention of Lp(a) in this milieu.     

越南铁线莲属一新种

本文描述的产于越南的毛茛科Ranunculaceae铁线莲属Clematis一新种C. hagiangensis N. T. Do是欧亚大陆第一个具单性花的种, 在花构造方面与单性铁线莲组单性铁线莲亚组sect. Aspidanthera Spach subsect. Dioicae (Prantl) W. T. Wang的种类近缘, 但叶均为单叶, 萼片呈卵形或宽卵形而不同。在单性铁线莲亚组的种, 叶通常为复叶, 只在C. dimorphophylla W. T. Wang和C. variifolia W. T. Wang同时为单叶和复叶, 此外萼片呈长圆形、倒披针形或狭卵形。     

Potential role of muscarinic receptors in schizophrenia

The role of muscarinic receptors in schizophrenia was investigated using the muscarinic agonist PTAC. PTAC was highly selective for muscarinic receptors, was a partial agonist at muscarinic M2/M4 receptors and an antagonist at M1, M3 and M5 receptors. PTAC was highly active in animal models predictive of antipsychotic behavior including inhibition of conditioned avoidance responding in rats and blockade of apomorphine-induced climbing behavior in mice. d-Amphetamine-induced Fos expression in rat nucleus accumbens was inhibited by PTAC, thus directly demonstrating the ability of PTAC to modulate DA activity. In electrophysiological studies in rats, PTAC acutely inhibited the firing of A10 DA cells and after chronic administration decreased the number of spontaneously firing DA cells in the A10 brain area. However, PTAC did not appreciably alter the firing of A9 DA cells. Thus, PTAC appears to have novel antipsychotic-like activity and these data suggest that muscarinic compounds such as PTAC may represent a new class of antipsychotic agents.     

Tissue Fixation for Immunohistochemical Detection of Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen with PC10 Monoclonal Antibody

PC10 is a monoclonal antibody to proliferating cell nuclear antigen, a nuclear protein associated with the cell cycle. We have evaluated the effects of tissue fixation on PC10 immunoreactivity in sections of paraffin embedded rat tissues. Immunoreactivity was well preserved in tissues after fixation with alcohol-based solutions for 3-24 hr. Fewer PC10-positive cells were detectable in samples fixed with formaldehydecontaining solutions compared with samples fixed with alcohol for the same time. Loss of PC10 immunoreactivity in formaldehyde fixed tissues was progressive, and quantifiable as early as after 3 hr fixation. Consequently, alcohol-based fixatives are strongly recommended for any immunocytochemical prospective study using PC10 antibody. In contrast, loss of PC10-immunoreactivity is always predictable, but difficult to quantitate, using formaldehyde fixed specimens. This aspect should be considered when using PC10 antibody in retrospective studies with routinely-processed archival material.     

A novel lepidopteran sex pheromone produced by females of a Lithosiinae species, Lyclene dharma dharma, in the family of Arctiidae

Female moths of Lyclene dharma dharma (Arctiidae, Lithosiinae) produced three pheromone components (I-III), which strongly stimulated male antennae. Using GC-MS analysis and chemical derivatizations, the following structures were estimated: 6-methyl-2-octadecanone (I), 14-methyl-2-octadecanone (II), and 6,14-dimethyl-2-octadecanone (III). While the stereochemistry of the chiral centers could not be determined because it was difficult to collect a sufficient amount of the natural pheromone, the plain structures of I and II were confirmed by synthesis of the racemic mixtures starting from diols. These methyl-branched ketones have not been identified as a natural product, indicating that they constitute a new chemical group of lepidopteran female sex pheromones.     

High affinity binding of [3H] cocaine to rat liver microsomes

[3H]Cocaine bound reversibly, with high affinity (KD 2.3 +/- 1.1 nM) and stereospecificity to rat liver microsomes. Little binding was detected in the lysosomal, mitochondrial and nuclear fractions. The binding kinetics were slow (T1/2 for association, 6 min and for dissociation 17 min), and the kinetically calculated KD was 2 nM. Induction of mixed function oxidases by phenobarbital did not produce significant change in [3H]cocaine binding. On the other hand, chronic administration of cocaine reduced [3H]cocaine binding drastically. Neither treatment affected the affinity of the liver binding protein for cocaine. Microsomes from mouse and human livers had less cocaine-binding protein and lower affinity for cocaine than those from rat liver. Binding of [3H]cocaine to rat liver microsomes was insensitive to monovalent cations and greater than 10 fold less sensitive to biogenic amines than the cocaine receptor in rat striatum. However, the liver protein had higher affinity for cocaine and metabolites except for norcocaine. Amine uptake inhibitors displaced [3H]cocaine binding to liver with a different rank order of potency than their displacement of [3H]cocaine binding to striatum. This high affinity [3H]cocaine binding protein in liver is not likely to be a monooxygenase, but may have a role in cocaine-induced hepatotoxicity.