Existence of a Common Glycoprotein Homologous to S-Glycoproteins in Two Self-incompatible Homozygotes of Brassica campestris

S-Glycoproteins (S-locus-specific glycoproteins) in Brassicaspecies are present only in stigmas and thought to play an importantrole in self-incompatibility system. The stigma extract containsalso several other glycoproteins reacting with the antiserumto S-glycoproteins, among which some glycoproteins from S₈S₈-and S₉S₉-homozygotes have the same pI value. Both of the glycoproteinswhich were tentatively termed NS₈- and NS₈S₉-glycoproteins,respectively, were isolated and analyzed. Those were revealedto be identical. Its amino acid sequence was homologous withthe S-glycoproteins in Brassica species. The NS-glycoproteinswere expressed at the same time and only in stigma as S-glycoproteins. (Received July 19, 1988; Accepted September 7, 1988)     

Alpha-interferon treatment for adult T cell leukemia: low levels of circulating alpha-interferon and it's clinical effectiveness

We describe a patient with adult T cell Leukemia to whom alpha-interferon therapy was highly effective. Although a combination chemotherapy (ACVP) first introduced was effective in reducing total leukocyte counts, the percentage of leukemic cells relative to total leukocyte counts was decreased first after the institution of alpha-interferon therapy. The patient is now under complete remission for four years. It was noted in this patient that circulating alpha-interferon, measured by a sensitive radioimmunoassay, was consistently low as compared with the value found in the age-, sex-matched healthy control (p less than 0.001). Since adult T cell leukemia is pathogenetically related to the retrovirus infection, low levels of circulating alpha-interferon of the patient may be important from both pathogenetic and therapeutic standpoints. Alpha-interferon therapy may be an useful additive for the chemotherapy of adult T cell leukemia.     

Performance of hydrophobic chromatography in purification of alpha-amylase

Hydrophobic ligands were introduced onto agarose beads, and the adsorption capacity of the beads was measured. The adsorption capacity increased with increase in the carbon number of the ligand, ionic strength of the buffer solution, and temperature. Crude alpha-amylase was purified with these hydrophobic adsorbents and the breakthrough and elution curves were estimated based on the mass transfer theory. Under strongly hydrophobic conditions, impurities contained in crude feeds and the lack of uniformity of packing caused by aggregation of beads affected adsorption and elution behaviors.     

A single amino acid substitution within the mature sequence of ornithine aminotransferase obstructs mitochondrial entry of the precursor.

We describe here evidence of congenital enzyme mistargeting induced not by abnormalities in the signal sequence. We examined the molecular mechanism of hereditary ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) deficiency causing gyrate atrophy of the choroid and retina (GACR). Nucleotide sequencing of OAT cDNA generated from a GACR patient's mRNA revealed a single base change from C to G at position 268, resulting in an amino acid substitution of neutral Gln(CAA) with negatively charged Glu(GAA) at position 90 (Q90E). Immunohistochemical and transient expression analyses suggested expression of a defective labile OAT in the patient's tissues. However, high-level expression and immunocytochemical analyses elucidated that Q90E OAT (the patient's OAT) was localized within the limits of cytoplasmic free ribosomes in precursor form without any mitochondrial entry, indicating that the patient's precursor OAT was synthesized and rapidly degraded because of accumulation in the cytosol. It is interesting that, although the mutation site (Q90E) in this GACR patient's OAT was within the coding sequence of the mature protein, the precursor exhibited loss of mitochondrial targeting function. These findings suggest that not only the signal sequence but a critical part of the mature sequence plays an essential role in mitochondrial entry of the OAT precursor protein.     

Linear and circular dichroism of membranes from Rhodopseudomonas capsulata

Absorption, linear dichroism and circular dichroism spectra of Rhodopseudomonas capsulata (wild-type-St. Louis strain, mutant Y5 and mutant Ala⁺) are particularly sensitive to the nature of the light-harvesting bacteriochlorophyll-carotenoid-protein complexes. Evidence for exciton-type interactions is seen near 855 nm in the membranes from the wild-type and from mutant Y5, as well as in an isolated B-800 + 850 light-harvesting complex from mutant Y5. The strong circular dichroism that reflects these interactions is attenuated more than 10-fold in membranes from the Ala⁺ mutant, which lacks both B-800 + 850 and colored carotenoids and contains only the B-875 light-harvesting complex. These results lead to the conclusion that these two light-harvesting complexes have significantly different chromophore arrangements or local environments.     

Performance of fluidized-bed reactors utilizing magnetic fields

The performance of fluidized-bed reactors utilizing a magnetic field was determined by the use of magnetite-containing beads of immobilized unease. The reactors showed similar or higher conversions in comparison with fixed-bed reactors, although some aggregation of the beads in the magnetic field was observed. No effusion of the beads occurred up to a flow rate of 24 cm/min.     

Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the abundance of foliar-feeding insects and their natural enemy

We investigated the effects of symbiotic association between a plant and an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) on the abundance of aboveground foliar-feeding insects that differed in feeding mode and their predator. We examined effects on insect abundance as the result of AMF-related changes in the quality and quantity of plants in the field. The numbers of three insects with different foliar-feeding mode (phloem feeder, chewer, and cell-content feeder) and their generalist predator Orius sauteri Poppius on soybean Glycine max (L.) Merrill with and without the AMF Gigaspora margarita Becker & Hall were compared over time. Symbiotic association between the AMF and the soybean increased shoot biomass, the concentration of phosphorus in the soybean, and the abundance of the phloem feeder Aulacorthum solani Kaltenbach, but did not affect the abundance of generalist chewers. In addition, the effects of the symbiotic association on the abundance of cell-content feeding Thrips spp. and the generalist predator O. sauteri differed between sample dates. These results indicated that the effects of the symbiotic association on the number of foliar-feeding insects depended on feeding mode and the number of predators.     

The clinicopathological significance of angiogenesis in hindgut neuroendocrine tumors obtained via an endoscopic procedure

Background

As the World Health Organization grading system for gastroenteropancreatic-neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) may not always correlate with tumor progression, it is imperative that other independent predictors of tumor progression be established. To identify such predictors, we conducted a retrospective histopathological study of hindgut NETs, obtained from endoscopic procedures, and used statistical analyses to evaluate predictive factors.

Methods

We first obtained clinicopathological data of cases of hindgut NETs. Tissue sections from tumor samples were prepared and subjected to pathological examination. In particular, we calculated the microvessel density (MVD) and lymphatic microvessel density (LMVD) values, and performed appropriate statistical analyses.

Results

A total of 42 cases of hindgut NETs were selected for the study, 41 from the rectum and 1 from the sigmoid colon. Based on the Ki-67 labeling index, 34 cases were classified as NET G1 tumors and 8 as NET G2 tumors. MVD values ranged from 1.4/mm² to 73.9/mm² and LMVD values from 0/mm² to 22.9/mm². MVD and LMVD were identified as risk factors for venous and lymphatic invasion of hindgut NETs. Moreover, MVD positively correlated with the maximum diameter of the tumor.

Conclusions

Tumor progression of NETs may cause angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, via an unknown mechanism, as well as lymphovascular invasion. Angiogenesis likely plays an important role in occurrence and progression in the initial phase of hindgut NETs.

     

Bed rest attenuates sympathetic and pressor responses to isometric exercise in antigravity leg muscles in humans

Although spaceflight and bed rest are known to cause muscular atrophy in the antigravity muscles of the legs, the changes in sympathetic and cardiovascular responses to exercises using the atrophied muscles remain unknown. We hypothesized that bed rest would augment sympathetic responses to isometric exercise using antigravity leg muscles in humans. Ten healthy male volunteers were subjected to 14-day 6 degrees head-down bed rest. Before and after bed rest, they performed isometric exercises using leg (plantar flexion) and forearm (handgrip) muscles, followed by 2-min postexercise muscle ischemia (PEMI) that continues to stimulate the muscle metaboreflex. These exercises were sustained to fatigue. We measured muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in the contralateral resting leg by microneurography. In both pre- and post-bed-rest exercise tests, exercise intensities were set at 30 and 70% of the maximum voluntary force measured before bed rest. Bed rest attenuated the increase in MSNA in response to fatiguing plantar flexion by approximately 70% at both exercise intensities (both P < 0.05 vs. before bed rest) and reduced the maximal voluntary force of plantar flexion by 15%. In contrast, bed rest did not alter the increase in MSNA response to fatiguing handgrip and had no effects on the maximal voluntary force of handgrip. Although PEMI sustained MSNA activation before bed rest in all trials, bed rest entirely eliminated the PEMI-induced increase in MSNA in leg exercises but partially attenuated it in forearm exercises. These results do not support our hypothesis but indicate that bed rest causes a reduction in isometric exercise-induced sympathetic activation in (probably atrophied) antigravity leg muscles.