Purification of a fibrolast-inhibitory factor from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Y4

Abstract A factor showing inhibitory activity against human gingival fibrolasts was extracted from the cytosol fraction of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Y4. The activity markedly inhibited the proliferation of human gingival fibrolasts, but had no effect on cell viability or gross morphology. No such activity was found in cytosol fractions from either Porphyromonas gingivalis 381 or Escherichia coli HB101. The extract from A. actinomycetemcomitans Y4 was then purified by anion-exchange chromatography, hydroxyapatite chromatography and gel-filtration chromatography to give a single band on SDS-PAGE with an apparent molecular mass of 65 kDa. The purification ratio was 183-fold with a recovery rate of 5% compared with the crude extract (starting material) when the activity was assessed by direct cell counts.     

Density dependent growth of corneal endothelial cells cultured in vitro

Using the cornea of macaque monkey, we demonstrated the relationship between cell density and growth of endothelial cells in vitro. Corneal endothelial cells in a cell sheet grow most actively in regions with cell density of 1000 to 1800 cells/mm2, in explant cultures and cell sheets and in concentrated inocula dissociated cells. Cell morphology was well sustained in these cultures. Cells cultured at a higher cell density retained their potential to proliferate actively, showing clear contrast to cells cultured at a density lower than 200 cells/mm2. When dissociated cells were cultured at a low density and maintained for more than 4 weeks, they gradually lost their growth potential, altered into polymorphonuclear giant cells and eventually dedifferentiated. In addition, cells with no contact with each other did not express growth potential. Density dependent growth was confirmed by measuring the mitotic index against the cell density per square mm from the center to the peripheral regions in cultured explants. It is concluded that the growth pattern of corneal endothelial cells is closely related to cell density, and that growth of these cells might be regulated through intercellular communications.     

Existence of a polar digitalis-like factor in mammalian hypothalamus

We were able to partially purify a polar digitalis-like factor from rat and bovine hypothalami based on the capacity to inhibit [3H]ouabain binding to intact human erythrocytes. This factor was characterized in reference to the digitalis-like factor that we have isolated and reported on. Hypothalamic factor shared digitalis-like activities and physicochemical properties with the one derived from human urine and mammalian plasma. These findings strongly suggest that a polar digitalis-like factor identical to the circulatory factor does exist in mammalian hypothalamus.     

A disease with features of cutis laxa and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

Summary A mother and daughter are described with light and electron microscopic, and biochemical abnormalities of their connective tissue characteristic of both cutis laxa and the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The mother was clinically normal, while her 8-year-old daughter exhibited loose, wrinkled skin and other clinical features of cutis laxa, and also fragility, bruisability and hyper-extensibility of the skin and poor healing of wounds, leaving cigarette paper scars, features characteristic of the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Light and electron microscopic studies of skin biopsy specimens and cultured skin fibroblasts from both individuals revealed reduced and distorted elastic fibres, a finding usually seen in cutis laxa. Electrophoretic studies of collagen excreted from cultured skin fibrobasts revealed in both individuals and alpha 2(I) chain with a molecular size smaller than usual. The father and elder daughter were normal by clinical, light and electron microscopic and electrophoretic studies. It was concluded from these findings that the mother and daughter represented a hitherto undescrbed disease of the connective tissue with dominant inheritance and variable expressivity.     

Two forms of RecA-single-stranded DNA-adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) complexes with different activities for cleavage of phage phi 80 cI repressor

The kinetics of cleavage of the phage phi 80 cI repressor by Escherichia coli RecA protein were studied. The rate of cleavage in the presence of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and either adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATP gamma S), ATP or dATP is very low in the first hour at 37 degrees C and then increases sharply as incubation continues. The initial rate of cleavage of the repressor is greatly increased by incubating the RecA protein with ssDNA prior to addition of ATP gamma S and the repressor. However, when ATP gamma S is present during preincubation of RecA protein with ssDNA, the stimulatory effect of preincubation is greatly reduced. This difference in the effect of preincubation in two different conditions can be explained by formation of RecA-ssDNA-ATP gamma S complexes with different activities for cleavage of the repressor. The active complex is formed by binding of ATP gamma S to a complex of RecA protein and ssDNA. However, when the RecA protein binds to ATP gamma S prior to its binding to ssDNA, the resulting complex has no or only very weak cleavage activity toward the repressor.     

Exposure of Leaves of Cucumis sativus L. to Low Temperatures in the Light Causes Uncoupling of Thylakoids II. Non-Destructive Measurements with Intact Leaves

To examine the effects of chilling of leaves of cucumber (Cucumissativus L.) in moderate light on the coupling state of thylakoidsin situ, changes in fluorescence, changes in light scatteringand flash-induced changes in absorbance at 518 nm were examinedin intact leaves. After chilling of leaves at 5?C in the lightfor 5 h, the non-photochemical quenching of fluorescence, ameasure of energisation of thylakoids, was largely suppressed.The treatment also caused a suppression of light-induced changesin the light scattering by leaves, which depends on the formationof a pH gradient across thylakoid membranes. When thylakoidswere prepared by very gentle methods from the leaves chilledin the light, through a step of preparation of intact chloro-plasts,the transport of electrons from H₂O to ferricyanide was uncoupled,being insensitive to an uncoupler, methylamine. These data provide consistent evidence that the thylakoids areuncoupled in situ by the chilling of leaves in the light and,as a consequence of the uncoupling, the energisation of themembranes is suppressed. However, the decay of the flash-inducedchange in absorbance at 518 nm in leaves was not markedly acceleratedby the treatment. The thylakoids isolated from leaves chilledin the light, which were in the uncoupled state, also did notshow a rapid decay, unless an efficient uncoupler such as gramicidinwas added. These results suggest that even a considerable uncouplingof thylakoids, brought about by chilling of leaves in the light,is not sufficient to cause a marked acceleration of the decayof the flash-induced change in absorbance at 518 nm. Therefore,analysis at 518 nm is not always a sensitive method for assessingthe coupling state of thylakoids. (Received July 1, 1991; Accepted October 4, 1991)     

Between folk concepts of illness and psychiatric diagnosis: Kitsune-tsuki (fox possession) in a mountain village of Western Japan

Two cases of kitsune-tsuki (fox possession) in a mountain village are examined from psychiatric and ethnographic viewpoints. Kitsune-tsuki, one of the most familiar expressions of madness in Japan, represents, as an interactive performance, religious and mythopoetic contexts metaphorically in time of crises. The atypical symptoms and the complicated clinical process of these cases reflect a multistratified cultural background and its transformation; communal religion, folk tales, kyôgen play, shared concepts of illness, and the post-war rise of one religious cult. The psychiatric diagnosis, trying to arrive at a single correct understanding, partially translates the entangled indigenous illness. Focusing on these issues; the dichotomy between form and content of mental illness, the atypicality of the symptoms and the restructive process of illness experiences, the author reconsiders the possibility of interpretation, diagnosis and treatment which respect the multiple realities.     

The formation of myeloid bodies in retinular cells of the pupal compound eyes of silkworm moths (Bombyx mori) exposed to a constant bright light

Summary To study the three-dimensional structure of tight junction fibrils, the epithelia of the jejunum and epididymis of adult mice were examined by the freezefracture technique in unfixed and in aldehyde-fixed specimens. The fibrils have a stronger affinity for the protoplasmic (P) face of the lipid bilayer in fixed material, and for the external (E) face in unfixed and rapidly frozen material. Therefore we can observe the fibrils both from the outside and inside of the cell. Fibrils appearing on the P-face are smoothly contoured ridges and rows of hemispherical particles, while those appearing on the E-face are exclusively rows of hemispherical particles. Based on these observations, we wish to propose a new fibril model for the tight junction. There are two distinctive types of junctional elements. One type is composed of a smooth and continuous strand in the external view of the cell, but is studded with hemispherical bulgings in its internal view. This type will be referred to as the continuous type. The other type is bead-like, and will be referred to as the particle type. The relative proportion of these two types of elements appearing within a tight junction network differs among tissues.     

Purification and characterization of membrane-bound alkaline proteases from midgut tissue of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Membrane-bound alkaline proteases from the midgut epithelia of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, were solubilized with 1% Lubrol-WX, at pH 11.2. They were purified by gel filtration on Sepharose 6B and Ultrogel AcA-202 columns and a preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Two proteases, caseinolytic (6B3-Tc) and benzoyl-arginine-p-nitroanilide-lytic (6B3-Tb) were obtained. Both enzymes were homogeneous as judged by polyacrylamide electrophoresis. These enzymes showed high pH optima, 11.2, and pI values, above 11, and were extremely stable over a wide range of pH. The Km values for 6B3-Tb and Tc were 0.476 mM and 2.5 mg/ml respectively. Hammarsten casein and mulberry leaf protein were rapidly hydrolyzed by Tc, whereas the hydrolytic activity of Tb for Azocoll was higher than that of Tc. The protease Tb was strongly inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate, p-chloromercuribenzoate, benzamidine, leupeptin, and soybean trypsin inhibitor; Tc was inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate, tosyl phenylalanine chloromethylketone and chymostatin, but not by tosyl lysine chloromethylketone, p-chloromercuribenzoate, or iodoacetamide. The molecular weights of the proteases were estimated to be 12,800 (Tb) and 13,300 (Tc) by Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration. The amino acid analyses showed that both proteases contain a large number of acidic amino acids but a relatively small number of basic amino acids.