Prostaglandin oligomeric derivatives inhibit in vitro formation of dehydrated cells from sickle red cells

Two types of oligomeric derivatives of prostaglandin E1 were synthesized, a free-acid type and a lipophilic ester type. Neither compound inhibited sickling of red blood cells from sickle cell anaemia patients. However, both were found to inhibit the in vitro formation of dehydrated, dense cells (DC) caused by repeated cycles of sickling and unsickling of sickle cells. Both inhibited the formation of DC in a dose-related manner, but the ester type compound was more effective than the acid-type compound. Concentrations at which these compounds inhibit the DC formation by 50% were 5.2 microM and 40 microM for ester and free-acid compounds, respectively. A possible inhibition mechanism is discussed.     

Some Problems in the Assay Method of HMG-CoA Reductase Activity in Sweet Potato in the Presence of Other HMG-CoA Utilizing Enzymes

In addition to HMG-CoA reductase, another HMG-CoA utilizing enzyme is present in the Mt fraction of sweet potato root tissue and its activity interferes with the assay to HMG-CoA reductase activity.     

Fractal property of eye movements in schizophrenia

 On the basis of a temporal model of animal behavior we conducted temporal analysis of eye movements in schizophrenic subjects (n=10) and normal controls (n=10). We found a fractal property in schizophrenic subjects, the fixation time of eye movement during reading ambiguous and difficult sentences showing a clear inverse power law distribution. An exponential distribution of a nonfractal nature was found in normal controls. Received: 21 July 1995/Accepted in revised form: 30 April 1996     

Aldosterone biosynthesis and cytochrome P-45011 beta: evidence for two different forms of the enzyme in rats

Whereas cytochrome P-45011 beta has been recently shown to catalyze the two-step conversion of corticosterone to aldosterone in the bovine and porcine adrenal cortex, the identity of the enzyme involved in the two final steps of aldosterone biosynthesis in the rat adrenal cortex is as yet unknown. Mitochondria from capsular adrenals of sodium-deficient, potassium-replete rats converted corticosterone to 18-hydroxycorticosterone and aldosterone at markedly higher rates than mitochondria from capsular adrenals of sodium-replete, potassium-deficient rats. However, the same preparations exhibited no difference in the 11 beta-hydroxylase activity, i.e. the conversion of deoxycorticosterone to corticosterone. Only mitochondria of zona glomerulosa from rats with stimulated aldosterone biosynthesis contained a 49K protein which showed a strong cross-reactivity with a monoclonal antibody raised against purified bovine cytochrome P-45011 beta. By contrast, a crossreactive protein with a molecular weight of 51K was found in mitochondria of zona fasciculata and in mitochondria of zona glomerulosa from rats with a suppressed aldosterone biosynthesis. These findings indicate the existence of two different forms of cytochrome P-45011 beta in the rat adrenal cortex, with only one of them, i.e. the 49K form, being capable of catalyzing the two final steps of aldosterone biosynthesis in situ.     

Identification of flagellar hook and basal body gene products (FlaFV, FlaFVI, FlaFVII and FlaFVIII) in Salmonella typhimurium.

The flagellar genes flaFV, flaFVII, and flaFVIII of Salmonella typhimurium were cloned, and their presence on a given plasmid was verified by complementation of Escherichia coli mutants defective in the homologous genes. The gene products were identified by radiolabeling in a minicell system as being proteins of the following molecular masses: FlaFV, 42 kilodaltons (kDa); FlaFVI, 32 kDa; FlaFVII, 30 kDA; and FlaFVIII, 27 kDa. These data, together with isoelectric focusing data, confirm gene product assignments of flagellar components made indirectly from mutant studies. Flagellar components are transported by either a signal peptide-dependent or a flagellar-specific pathway. Consistent with its location in the outer membrane ring of the basal body, protein FlaFVIII seems to use the signal peptide-dependent pathway, since it was synthesized in a precursor form and processed, presumably by peptide cleavage, to a mature form; the maturation process was inhibited by addition of a proton ionophore. Proteins synthesized in minicells were localized as follows: FlaFVI was localized to the soluble fraction (cytoplasm); pre-FlaFVIII and FlaFVIII were localized to the particulate fraction (membrane or high-molecular-weight aggregate); FlaFV and FlaFVII were localized to both fractions. The significance of these locations in terms of known or suspected roles in the flagellar apparatus is discussed.     

Phosphorylation sites of bovine brain myelin basic protein phosphorylated with Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase from rat brain

The phosphorylation sites of myelin basic protein from bovine brain were determined after phosphorylation with Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. Four phosphorylated peptides were selectively and rapidly separated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Partial sequencing of the phosphorylated peptides by automated Edman degradation revealed that Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase phosphorylated serine-16, serine-70, and threonine-95 specifically, as well as serine-115, which is located on the experimental allergic encephalitogenic determinant of the protein. Of the four amino acid sequences determined, two sequences surrounding phosphorylated amino acids, -Lys-Tyr-Leu-Ala-Ser(P)16-Ala- and -Arg-Phe-Ser(P)115-Trp-Gly-, have both sides of each phosphoserine residue occupied by hydrophobic amino acids, and a basic amino acid, arginine or lysine, is located at the position 2 or 4 residues amino-terminal to the phosphoserine residue. In contrast, the two other sequences surrounding phosphorylated amino acids, -Tyr-Gly-Ser(P)70-Leu-Pro-Glu-Lys- and -Ile-Val-Thr(P)95-Pro-Arg-, have a basic amino acid at the position 2 or 4 residues carboxyl-terminal to the phosphoamino acid residue.