Phosphorylation of AMP by inorganic phosphorylating agents

AMP was phosphorylated by inorganic phosphorylating agents: cyclo-triphosphate and diphosphonate, in aqueous solution (70-80 degrees C, pH 6-12). The molecular structures of phosphorylated products were established by use of phosphorus-31 NMR and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The OH groups on AMP were phosphorylated by both phosphorylating agents to form 2'- or 3'-phosphate but an OH group on dAMP was not phosphorylated. Phosphorylation of OH group proceeds in two steps: formation of hydrogen bond between OH group and phosphorylating agent; subsequent nucleophilic attack of OH group on a phosphorus atom. Phosphate group on AMP was phosphorylated by diphosphonate but not by cyclo-triphosphate. The difference in the reactivities is explained in terms of charge repulsion between AMP and agents.     

A tail length modifier gene discovered in the Japanese wild mice (Mus musculus molossinus)

The presence of the t haplotypes in strains derived from the Japanese wild mice (Mus musculus molossinus) was investigated. Crosses between the T/+ heterozygous short tailed mice and five normal tailed molossinus strains (MOL-ANJ, MOA, MOL-NEM, MOM and Mns) produced no tailless mice, indicating that these strains possess no t haplotype. In contrast, tailless mice were produced by a cross between the T/+ heterozygotes and a MOL-NIS strain. Mating experiments showed that the tailless character was due to an interaction between the T gene and an autosomal recessive gene carried by the MOL-NIS strain that expresses the short tail character under the homozygous condition. We have tentatively named this gene brachyury-interacting tail length modifier (btm). It remains to be investigated whether the btm gene is located in the t complex region or in the other locus.     

Axial Diffusivity of the Corona Radiata at 24 Hours Post-Stroke: A New Biomarker for Motor and Global Outcome

Fractional anisotropy (FA) is an effective marker of motor outcome at the chronic stage of stroke yet proves to be less efficient at early time points. This study aims to determine which diffusion metric in which location is the best marker of long-term stroke outcome after thrombolysis with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at 24 hours post-stroke. Twenty-eight thrombolyzed patients underwent DTI at 24 hours post-stroke onset. Ipsilesional and contralesional FA, mean (MD), axial (AD), and radial (RD) diffusivities values were calculated in different Regions-of-Interest (ROIs): (1) the white matter underlying the precentral gyrus (M1), (2) the corona radiata (CoRad), (3) the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) and (4) the cerebral peduncles (CP). NIHSS scores were acquired at admission, day 1, and day 7; modified Rankin Scores (mRS) at 3 months. Significant decreases were found in FA, MD, and AD of the ipsilesional CoRad and M1. MD and AD were also significantly lower in the PLIC. The ratio of ipsi and contralesional AD of the CoRad (CoRad-rAD) was the strongest diffusion parameter correlated with motor NIHSS scores on day 7 and with the mRS at 3 months. A Receiver-Operator Curve analysis yielded a model for the CoRad-rAD to predict good outcome based on upper limb NIHSS motor scores and mRS with high specificity and sensitivity. FA values were not correlated with clinical outcome. In conclusion, axial diffusivity of the CoRad from clinical DTI at 24 hours post-stroke is the most appropriate diffusion metric for quantifying stroke damage to predict outcome, suggesting the importance of early axonal damage.     

Ring chromosome 15 in a mother and her children

Summary A case of ring chromosome 15 passed on to the index patient's two children is reported, and possible reasons for the infrequent records of inheritance of ring chromosome are suggested.     

Purification of sarcotoxin III, a new antibacterial protein of Sarcophaga peregrina

A glycine-rich antibacterial protein with a molecular mass of 7,000 termed sarcotoxin III, was purified to homogeneity from the hemolymph of third instar larvae of Sarcophaga peregrina. When the hemolymph was fractionated, this protein was recovered in the same fraction as sarcotoxin I, a group of potent antibacterial proteins that have been purified. But, it was clearly different from sarcotoxin I in amino acid composition and molecular mass. Sarcotoxin III was shown to be induced in the hemolymph in response to injury of the larval body wall.     

Murine monoclonal antibodies to the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) recognize Leu-7-reactive molecules on human mononuclear cells

It is known that the antibody to human myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) reacts with a subset of human mononuclear cells (MNC) mediating a natural killer (NK) activity. The properties of the target molecule of the anti-MAG antibody, however, have not yet been elucidated. Three (GC-J4, MC-P2, and MC-P4) of five murine monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to MAG bound to human MNC. Moreover, MC-P2 and MC-P4 inhibited the binding of 125I-labeled anti-Leu-7 to MNC in a dose-dependent fashion. Conversely, anti-Leu-7 inhibited the binding of MC-P2 and MC-P4 to MNC, but did not inhibit the binding of GC-J4. Therefore, it is possible that MC-P2 and MC-P4 bind directly to or close to the Leu-7 epitope, and that GC-J4 binds to the epitope which is distinct from the Leu-7 epitope. The electrophoretic patterns of immunoprecipitates with GC-J4, MC-P2 and anti-Leu-7 from detergent lysates of surface-labeled human MNC were very similar. The target molecules of anti-Leu-7 and anti-MAG mAb have apparent m.w. of 205, 170, 150, 135, 110, 85, 65, and 55 kDa. All of the molecules precipitated by these mAb are monomeric or noncovalently associated proteins, because the electrophoretic mobilities of the proteins remained unchanged whether the samples were reduced or not. MC-P4 may have a higher affinity for the 65 kDa molecule than the other mAb, and precipitates the 58 kDa molecule as well. Therefore, the fine antigenic specificity of MC-P4 is slightly different from those of anti-Leu-7 or MC-P2. The implication of these results is that mAb, whose specificity is directed to the carbohydrate part of human MAG, reacts with the Leu-7 reactive molecules on human MNC, and that at least two epitopes detected by anti-MAG mAb coexist on the surface molecules with various apparent m.w.     

The 2',3'-dideoxyriboside of 2,6-diaminopurine selectively inhibits human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication in vitro

The 2',3'-dideoxyriboside of 2,6-diaminopurine(ddDAPR) is, like 2',3'-dideoxyadenosine (ddAdo), a potent and selective inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in vitro. The ddDAPR compound inhibits HIV antigen expression and HIV-induced cytopathogenicity in MT4 cells at a 50% effective dose (ED50) of 2.5-3.6 microM, as compared to 3.1-6.4 microM for ddAdo. Both compounds are endowed with a high selectivity index: 112 for ddDAPR and 139 for ddAdo. The 2',3'-unsaturated derivatives of ddDAPR and ddAdo, i.e. ddeDAPR and ddeAdo, are considerably more cytotoxic and less effective against HIV than the parental compounds. Like ddAdo, ddDAPR is only weakly inhibitory to the proliferation and DNA and RNA synthesis of a series of human B-lymphoblast, T-lymphoblast and T-lymphocyte cell lines. In contrast to ddAdo, which is rapidly deaminated by beef intestine adenosine deaminase at an initial velocity (Vi) of 145 mumol/mg protein/min, ddDAPR and ddeDAPR are poor substrates for the enzyme (Vi: 8 and 0.7 mumol/mg protein/min, respectively), which further contributes to the potential of ddDAPR as a chemotherapeutic agent against AIDS.     

Effects of pancreastatin on insulin and pancreatic polypeptide secretion in the dog

Porcine pancreastatin (1.19 nmol) was administered into the peripheral vein (i.v.) or the third cerebral ventricle (i.t.v.) of dogs and its effect on the secretion of insulin and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) studied. Neither means of administration had any effect on basal and glucose-induced insulin or PP secretion. However, i.v. pancreastatin did inhibit the i.v. CCK-8-induced insulin but not PP release. Pancreastatin may thus play a role in the regulation of insulin secretion in the canine pancreas.