Dominant factors of rat behavior in response to stimuli in stages

The adequacy of a modified variant of alimentary Y-maze method used by the authors was tested by studying the role of visual stage stimuli in reaction of free choice in rats. It is shown that the role of visual information is insignificant for acquiring the motor habit--finding of the shortest way to food. The dominant factors are: location of the shortest way, changing of which leads to a search behaviour by the method of "trials and errors", as well as ecologically adequate preference of edges to the center of the "distributor" and motor pretuning of the animal. Observed fixation of the choice of longer ways in comparison with the shortest one, and its stability may be explained by insufficient difference in the ways length before the reinforcement for the transformation of the habit of spatial-motor orientation into a visual one.     

Structure of the mts271 gene, coding a new calcium-binding protein

A genomic copy of the mts271 gene which is specifically expressed in metastatic cells has been cloned and characterized. The gene consists of two exons and one intron and has an open-reading frame for the protein of 101 amino acids. The protein contains two helix-loop-helix calcium-binding domains, which is a common feature for the members of the large family of intracellular calcium-binding proteins (Ca B Ps). The primary structures of the mts271 gene products and other Ca B Ps were compared. High level of homology was found for S100 and calcium-binding protein of intestinal epithelium of rats. On the whole, the mts271 protein is a new calcium-binding protein which is specifically expressed in metastatic cells.     

Enhanced transcription of genes of the intracisternal A particles and B2 elements in mouse tumors

A comparison of the expression of two mobile genetic elements A1 and B2 was studied in normal and tumor tissues. The A1 element is a chromosomal homolog of IAP genes, and B2 is a short ubiquitous repetitive sequences of the mouse genome. These sequences were earlier cloned in our laboratory and in this study were used as probes in hybridization experiments with RNA isolated from different mouse tumor and normal tissues. Both elements were efficiently transcribed in tumor cells. The level of expression of A1 sequences in tumors was 100-200 times higher than in normal tissues. The amount of B2 small cytoplasmic RNA significantly varied in different normal tissues. The content of this RNA was much higher in tumors. Closed circular DNA molecules containing IAP sequences were found in Ehrlich carcinoma cells. These DNA molecules are considered as intermediate forms of the mobile elements. The role of these mobile elements in the regulation of RNA expression and tumor progression is discussed.     

Guanine nucleotide-dependent, pertussis toxin-insensitive regulation of phosphoinositide turnover by bradykinin in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells

In this paper we examine the effect of the vasodilator peptide bradykinin on endothelial cell regulation of phosphoinositide (PI) turnover. The data show that the activation of PI turnover by bradykinin in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells is insensitive to pertussis toxin, which ADP ribosylates a membrane protein of mol wt 40,000. However, this effect of bradykinin can be potentiated by guanosine 5'-O-(3-thio)triphosphate (GTP gamma S), an activator of G proteins, and depressed by guanosine 5'-O-(2-thio)diphosphate (GDP beta S), an inhibitor of G proteins. After endothelial cells were preincubated for 1 h with GTP gamma S, there was a three- to fourfold increase in PI turnover. Preincubation of cells with GDP beta S did not affect the basal level of PI turnover, but completely prevented activation of PI turnover by bradykinin. 4 beta-Phorbol-12 beta-myristate-13 alpha-acetate can block the bradykinin-stimulated inositol monophosphate formation in cultured endothelial cells. The effects of bradykinin on PI turnover were blocked by B2 antagonists but not by B1 antagonists. Taken together, these results indicate that in endothelial cells the bradykinin B2 receptor is coupled to phospholipase C via a G protein (or proteins) that is not a substrate for pertussis toxin (neither Gi nor Go).     

The amino acid sequences of two alpha chains of hemoglobins from Komodo dragon Varanus komodoensis and phylogenetic relationships of amniotes

To elucidate phylogenetic relationships among amniotes and the evolution of alpha globins, hemoglobins were analyzed from the Komodo dragon (Komodo monitor lizard) Varanus komodoensis, the world's largest extant lizard, inhabiting Komodo Islands, Indonesia. Four unique globin chains (alpha A, alpha D, beta B, and beta C) were isolated in an equal molar ratio by high performance liquid chromatography from the hemolysate. The amino acid sequences of two alpha chains were determined. The alpha D chain has a glutamine at E7 as does an alpha chain of a snake, Liophis miliaris, but the alpha A chain has a histidine at E7 like the majority of hemoglobins. Phylogenetic analyses of 19 globins including two alpha chains of Komodo dragon and ones from representative amniotes showed the following results: (1) The a chains of squamates (snakes and lizards), which have a glutamine at E7, are clustered with the embryonic alpha globin family, which typically includes the alpha D chain from birds; (2) birds form a sister group with other reptiles but not with mammals; (3) the genes for embryonic and adult types of alpha globins were possibly produced by duplication of the ancestral alpha gene before ancestral amniotes diverged, indicating that each of the present amniotes might carry descendants of the two types of alpha globin genes; (4) squamates first split off from the ancestor of other reptiles and birds.      

Regulatory proteins of vertebrate eye tissues

In our work the new proteins likely belonged to the microenvironment of pigmented epithelium cells and retinal neurons in mammalian eye were studied. We attempted to understand the role of these proteins in the maintenance of normal morphological and functional state of these eye tissues. Earlier for the first time we identified the adhesion molecules with physico-chemical and biological properties much different from other known cell adhesion molecules of bovine eye. Probably, they represent one family of low molecular weigh, highly glicosylated proteins, that express biological activity in extremely low doses--10(-10) mg/ml. The homogeneity of studying proteins is confirmed by HPLC and SDS-electrophoresis in PAAG. It is shown also that these proteins are N-glycosylated, because they contain mannose and N-acetilglucosamine residues. They demonstrate as well a high calcium-binding activity, with Kd corresponded to 10(-4)-10(-6) mg/ml. For a study of the biological effect of these glycoproteins in extremely low doses, a new experimental model was proposed and developed. It was the cultivation in vitro of the posterior part of the eye obtained from the newt Pleurodeles waltl. In short-time culture system it was demonstrated that the studied glycoproteins could stabilize pigment epithelium cell differentiation and cellular interactions in the neural retina in vitro. In addition, glycoproteins, obtained from the pigmented epithelium of bovine eye could decrease the rate of bipolar cell apoptosis in the neural retina. Therefore, the novel adhesion glycoproteins, expressing their biological activity in extremely low doses, pretend to be the regulatory molecules with vivid gomeostatic effects necessary for the delicate adjustment of cell behavior action and function in sensory tissues.     

Escherichia coli cells with increased levels of DnaA and deficient in recombinational repair have decreased viability

The dnaA operon of Escherichia coli contains the genes dnaA, dnaN, and recF encoding DnaA, beta clamp of DNA polymerase III holoenzyme, and RecF. When the DnaA concentration is raised, an increase in the number of DNA replication initiation events but a reduction in replication fork velocity occurs. Because DnaA is autoregulated, these results might be due to the inhibition of dnaN and recF expression. To test this, we examined the effects of increasing the intracellular concentrations of DnaA, beta clamp, and RecF, together and separately, on initiation, the rate of fork movement, and cell viability. The increased expression of one or more of the dnaA operon proteins had detrimental effects on the cell, except in the case of RecF expression. A shorter C period was not observed with increased expression of the beta clamp; in fact, many chromosomes did not complete replication in runout experiments. Increased expression of DnaA alone resulted in stalled replication forks, filamentation, and a decrease in viability. When the three proteins of the dnaA operon were simultaneously overexpressed, highly filamentous cells were observed (>50 micro m) with extremely low viability and, in runout experiments, most chromosomes had not completed replication. The possibility that recombinational repair was responsible for the survival of cells overexpressing DnaA was tested by using mutants in different recombinational repair pathways. The absence of RecA, RecB, RecC, or the proteins in the RuvABC complex caused an additional approximately 100-fold drop in viability in cells with increased levels of DnaA, indicating a requirement for recombinational repair in these cells.