Winter flounder antifreeze proteins: a multigene family

The nucleotide sequence of a cDNA clone of winter flounder antifreeze protein was determined by the dideoxynucleotide method. The sequence would predict a protein of 91 amino acids composed of a prepropeptide of 38 amino acids and a mature protein of 53 amino acids, which includes four complete 11-amino acid repeats. This predicted sequence corresponds to an antifreeze protein of intermediate size which is one 11-amino acid repeat longer than the smallest antifreeze proteins found in the serum of winter flounder during the cold season. Southern blot hybridization analysis of winter flounder genomic DNA with radioactive cDNA probes reveals a multigene family of potential antifreeze protein genes. This conclusion is supported by amino acid sequence analysis of several serum antifreeze proteins.

Ultrastructural changes of bone marrow megakaryocytes in several types of injury

Seventy-one dogs were used in this study. Bone marrow tissues were examined by LM and EM and the peripheral blood platelets were counted. On the basis of previous research, megakaryocytophagia in bone marrow was confirmed. It was also proved that neutrophilic granulocytes participate in the autophagocytosis reaction in the body. Megakaryocytophagia plays a major role in the elimination of degenerate megakaryocytes in the marrow. The pathological change in megakaryocytes is considered to be one of the important causes of decrease in number and impairment of function of the platelets in burn, blast injury and burn-blast combined injury.

Synthesis of 3,6-bis(aminoalkoxy)acridines and their effect on the immune System

A series of 3,6-bis(aminoalkoxy)acridines (2) was prepared and shown to have a protective antiviral effect against an interferon-sensitive virus (Columbia SK) and to partially restore an antibody response to a T-cell-dependent antigen in leukemic immunosuppressed mice. The presence of circulating interferon and the stimulation of natural killer cell activity in mice was observed for 21.

Passive smoking and lung cancer

Questions about the smoking habits of parents and spouses were asked in a case-control study involving 1338 lung cancer patients and 1393 comparison subjects in Louisiana, USA. Non-smokers married to heavy smokers had an increased risk of lung cancer, and so did subjects whose mothers smoked. There was no association between lung cancer risk and paternal smoking. The association with maternal smoking was found only in smokers and persisted after controlling for variables indicative of active smoking. It is not clear whether the results reflect a biological effect associated with maternal smoking or the inability to control adequately for confounding factors related to active smoking. This preliminary finding deserves further investigation.

An analysis of the sensitivity of somatic cell hybrids to natural killer cell- and natural cytotoxic cell-mediated lysis

The analysis of the NK and NC sensitivity of somatic cell hybrids formed between parental cell lines that differ in their NK and NC sensitivity has shown the following. 1) The dominant expression of both NK and NC recognition determinants on target cells; 2) the dominant expression of two post-recognitive NC resistance mechanisms, one requiring protein synthesis and one being protein synthesis independent; and 3) the dominant expression of a post-recognitive NK resistance mechanism, which is protein synthesis independent. The post-recognitive protein synthesis-independent NC resistance mechanism confers no NK resistance and the post-recognitive NK resistance mechanism confers no NC resistance. Whether the post-recognitive protein synthesis-dependent NC resistance mechanism confers NK resistance remains open to question. The analysis of the hybrids indicates that transformed cells become sensitive to either NK- or NC-mediated lysis by losing their resistance to the lytic activity of these effector cells, and it appears that differentiation plays a role in determining whether NK or NC resistance will be lost upon transformation. A model is proposed in which the differentiation into a fibroblast associates the loss of NC resistance with transformation, whereas the differentiation into a lymphocyte associates the loss of NK resistance with transformation. Because the loss of NK resistance is not associated with the transformation of fibroblasts, they remain NK resistant, and because the transformation of lymphocytes is not associated with the loss of NC resistance, they remain NC resistant. This provides the basis for the target specificity exhibited by NK and NC effectors.

An analysis of the sensitivity of somatic cell hybrids to natural killer cell- and natural cytotoxic cell-mediated lysis

The analysis of the NK and NC sensitivity of somatic cell hybrids formed between parental cell lines that differ in their NK and NC sensitivity has shown the following. 1) The dominant expression of both NK and NC recognition determinants on target cells; 2) the dominant expression of two post-recognitive NC resistance mechanisms, one requiring protein synthesis and one being protein synthesis independent; and 3) the dominant expression of a post-recognitive NK resistance mechanism, which is protein synthesis independent. The post-recognitive protein synthesis-independent NC resistance mechanism confers no NK resistance and the post-recognitive NK resistance mechanism confers no NC resistance. Whether the post-recognitive protein synthesis-dependent NC resistance mechanism confers NK resistance remains open to question. The analysis of the hybrids indicates that transformed cells become sensitive to either NK- or NC-mediated lysis by losing their resistance to the lytic activity of these effector cells, and it appears that differentiation plays a role in determining whether NK or NC resistance will be lost upon transformation. A model is proposed in which the differentiation into a fibroblast associates the loss of NC resistance with transformation, whereas the differentiation into a lymphocyte associates the loss of NK resistance with transformation. Because the loss of NK resistance is not associated with the transformation of fibroblasts, they remain NK resistant, and because the transformation of lymphocytes is not associated with the loss of NC resistance, they remain NC resistant. This provides the basis for the target specificity exhibited by NK and NC effectors.

Induction of plasma protein secretion in a newly established human hepatoma cell line

To study the expression and the regulation of hepatocyte markers, we have undertaken to establish human hepatoma cell lines of various phenotypes. We now report the establishment of a new human hepatoma cell line, HA22T/VGH. This cell line has many of the properties of human hepatocellular carcinoma. Only 5 of 15 plasma proteins investigated were detected in the medium of a 10-day-old HA22T/VGH culture. However, when the HA22T/VGH cells and a clonal derivative, C5, were cultured in an aggregated form, all 15 plasma proteins were found in the culture medium. These results indicate that hepatoma cell lines with different phenotypes can be established, and they provide a good experimental framework to investigate differentiation of human hepatocytes.

Tooth Profile Analysis of Circular-Cut, Spiral-Bevel Gears

An analysis of tooth profile changes in the transverse plane of circular-cut, spiral-bevel crown gears is presented. The analysis assumes a straight-line profile in the midtransverse plane. The profile variation along the centerline is determined by using expressions for the variation of the spiral angle along the tooth centerline, together with the profile description at the midtransverse plane. It is shown that the tooth surface is a hyperboloid and that significant variations in the pressure angle are possible.

Synthesis of delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) and its physiological activity

Protected nonapeptide--Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide (DSIP) formula: see text has been synthesized by classical method. The product has been treated with TFA and purified on DEAE-Sephadex-A25 column, pure free nonapeptide obtained and alpha to beta transposition of Asp-residue found to be absent. It has been assayed by electrophoresis at pH 3.8, microcrystallinecellulose TLC and HPLC. The physiological activities of synthetic DSIP are performed on rabbits by using intravenous administration or mesodiencephalic ventricular infusion. Its function of intensifying delta and sigma waves on rabbit's electroencephalogram (EEG) is evident. There is no concomitant increase of delta- and sigma-enhancing effect following mesodiencephalic ventricular infusion of 10 or 20 times higher than 5 microgram/rabbit doses. Results of 6-day consecutive intravenous administration (50 microgram/kg) indicate that there is no obvious sign of adaptation to DSIP. Results suggest that the physiological function of endogenous sleep-inducing peptide is different from that of general sleeping draught.

[Acute preoperative hemodilution in radical hysterectomy for carcinoma of the uterine cervix (author's transl)]

With an attempt to diminish the post-transfusion hepatitis following radical hysterectomy, the study was made on 27 cases of cervical cancer undergone the operation. Fifty cases with blood transfusion immediately prior to the study was taken as control group. Under general anesthesia, 800 ml of venous blood was drawn from the peripheral vein under simultaneous infusion of 1,000 ml of Saviosol to maintain the circulating blood volume. The blood was returned after hemostatizing procedures. Of the study group, the blood loss, operation time, urinary output during the operation, and drainage amount were 960 g, 157 minutes, 350 ml and 160 ml respectively, while those of control group were 930 g, 164 minutes, 150 ml and 280 ml. The circulation status remained within normal limits, no bleeding tendency was appeared. Blood loss of the study group was estimated 960 g, however the actual blood loss calculated was on l6 719 g. There were no particular complication in the study group, while there was 12% of hepatitis among the control group. The advantages were concluded as 1) Patient was under normovolemic state when the operation started. 2) The blood transfused had normal O2 transport and hemostatic capacity. 3) The management of the patient was not so difficult and no special equipment and technique were needed.

Antitumor agents. 2. Bisguanylhydrazones of anthracene-9,10-dicarboxaldehydes

9,10-Anthracenedicarboxaldehyde bis[(4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)hydrazone] (bisantrene, VI-1) showed anticancer activity in mice vs. both leukemias and solid tumors. Increases in life span vs. the following neoplasms were: P-388 leukemia, 137%; B-16 melanoma, 122%; Lieberman plasma cell tumor, greater than 85%; colon tumor 26, 150%; Ridgway osteogenic sarcoma, 85%. There were significant numbers of long-term survivors. Both DNA and RNA synthesis were strongly inhibited. The drug was resistant to biodegradation and was bound strongly to tissues; in monkeys the half-life for disappearance from serum was 6 days. Related hydrazones were synthesized, and structure-activity relationships are discussed. Two routes to ring-substituted anthracene-9,10-dicarboxaldehyde intermediates were developed.

Synthesis of biologically active interleukin 2 by Xenopus oocytes in response to poly(A)-RNA from a gibbon T-cell line

The poly(A)-containing RNA isolated from a gibbon lymphosarcoma cell line, MLA144, known to release Interleukin 2 (IL2) was microinjected into Xenopus oocytes. The incubation medium from injected oocytes stimulated the DNA synthesis of an IL2-dependent cell culture and also maintained its viability. DNA-stimulating activity appeared in the oocyte incubation medium 6 h after injection and continued to accumulate for at least 96 h. Thymidine incorporation by the IL2-dependent cells is proportional to the concentration of oocyte incubation medium added and the IL2 activity produced by the oocytes is proportional to the amount of poly(A)-RNA injected. Incubation medium of oocytes injected with RNA from another T-cell line, 6G1, which does not produce IL2, did not contain DNA-stimulating activity. The same assay also showed that the IL2 mRNA sedimented at 14-16 S in a nondenaturing sucrose gradient. A series of monoclonal antibodies prepared against human IL2 neutralized the DNA-stimulating activity released by the injected oocytes to the same extent as they neutralized human IL2.

Molecular cloning and characterization of winter flounder antifreeze cDNA

Double-stranded cDNA was synthesized from partially purified winter flounder antifreeze mRNA and inserted into the endonuclease Pst I site of plasmid pBR322 by the poly(dG).poly(dC) homopolymer extension technique. The recombinant plasmids wee used to transform Escherichia coli. Clones containing antifreeze cDNA inserts were identified by the hybridization-selection technique. One of the inserts, 380 nucleotides in length, was digested with endonucleases Sau3AI and HinfI, which cleaved the insert into three fragments. The nucleotide sequences of these fragments were determined. The cDNA contains the entire coding sequence for a possible antifreeze peptide, including the leader sequence. The predicted amino acid sequence is similar to but not identical to one of the known sequences of antifreeze peptide. Within the cDNA are three segments of repeating sequences. The basic repeating sequence of 11 amino acids is maintained in the amino acid sequence coded by the cDNA and in the antifreeze peptide.

synthesis and biological testing of nonionic iodinated x-ray contrast media

A series of nonionic x-ray contrast media containing novel linkages between the triiodobenzene and polyhydroxy moieties have been prepared and screened against established criteria. Of the coupler groups examined (amide including dipeptide, carbamate, ureido, and ester), amide showed the greatest overall utility in terms of safety, solubility, stability, and ease of synthesis. Acute toxicity, solubility and stability data are summarized for each series. In the CNS, certain compounds were well tolerated and some were devoid of any excitatory effects. Intrathecal tissue irritant effects were also unremarkable. Most agents exhibited relatively high osmolalities, raising questions as to the influence of this factor on the safety of myelographic agents. Intravascularly, nonionic media appear also to offer advantages over classical ionic media. However, nonionic media can exert positive inotropic effects and exhibit high viscosity at higher iodine concentrations. Nevertheless, overall results continue to demonstrate the radiographic potential of nonionic contrast media.

Purification and characterization of winter flounder antifreeze peptide messenger ribonucleic acid

The serum of winter flounder contains a group of small antifreeze peptides which lower the freezing point of their body fluids during the winter months. The poly(A)-containing mRNA coding for these peptides has been isolated from livers of the winter specimens. When the isolated antifreeze mRNA was analyzed by a denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, at least two distinct bands approximately 450 nucleotides in length are visible. In a wheat germ cell-free protein synthetic system these mRNAs direct the synthesis of small peptides which can be precipitated by antisera against purified winter flounder antifreeze peptides. Full-length cDNA was synthesized from the isolated antifreeze mRNA by avian myeloblastosis reverse transcriptase. From the RNA excess hybridization kinetic analysis, there are probably three different mRNAs coding for the antifreeze peptides. Using the radioactive cDNA probe, it was estimated that 1% of the total RNA in liver of a January specimen is antifreeze mRNA. RNA from a summar specimen showed no significant hybridization even at high concentrations of RNA. These results indicate that the control of antifreeze peptide biosynthesis relies at least in part on the synthesis or degradation of translatable mRNA.

Environmental regulation of gene expression. In vitro translation of winter flounder antifreeze messenger RNA

The serum of winter flounder contains a group of antifreeze peptides which lower the freezing point of their body fluid in the winter. These antifreeze peptides disappear from their serum in the summer when the water temperature rises. Messenger RNA isolated from the liver of flounder collected in January directs the synthesis of predominantly one protein in an in vitro protein synthesis system. This protein can be precipitated by the antiserum made from the purified antifreeze peptides and was identified as the precursor(s) of these peptides. There is a seasonal variation in the concentrations of mRNA coding for the antifreeze peptides in the liver which can be correlated with the appearance and disappearance of these peptides in the serum. However, the changes in the levels of mRNA occur much sooner than the changes in the levels of antifreeze peptides in the serum, suggesting that an additional control mechanism might have taken place at the translational level.

Antitubercular 2,8-bis(alkylaminomethyl)phenazines

The preparation and antitubercular properties of a series of 2,8-bis(alkylaminomethyl)phenazines are described. These compounds all inhibited the growth of Mycobacterium smegmatis ATCC 607 in vitro. 2,8-Bis(dibutylaminomethyl)phenazine (5c) was also active against a lethal Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv infection in mice.

Bisamidines of 2,6-diaminoanthraquinone as antiamebic agents

A series of bisamidines of 2,6-diaminoanthraquinone was synthesized and tested against cecal and hepatic forms of Entamoeba histolytica infections in rats and hamsters, respectively. A number of compounds were found to have good activity against infections in both species.

Structure of a peptide antifreeze and mechanism of adsorption to ice

Sequence studies of an alpha-helical peptide antifreeze isolated from winter flounder have revealed the presence of clusters of polar amino acids separated by long sequences of alanine. Most of the polar residues are threonine and aspartate and are separated by 4.5 A, a repeat distance that also separates the oxygens in the ice lattice along the a-axis of an ice crystal. Such a lattice match suggests that the peptide binds to ice by means of hydrogen binding.

Effects of solid food on blood levels of alcohol in man

Forty-five ml of 95% alcohol, diluted to 150 ml with orange juice, was taken orally by six adult male volunteers under the following conditions: A (fasting), B (following a light breakfast), C (following a heavy breakfast), D (following a steak meal), E (alcohol 1 hr after a heavy breakfast), and F (alcohol 1 hr before a heavy breakfast). Using treatment A as a reference, the average area under the blood alcohol, time curve was reduced by 36, 63, 55, 56, and 18% for treatment B through F, respectively. The reduction in area is attributed to two factors: (a) food reduced the efficiency of absorption of alcohol; and (b) food reduced the rate of absorption of alcohol, which, coupled with the operation of Michaelis-Menten elimination kinetics, contributed to the reduction in area. The latter effect is a result of changes in the ratio: instantaneous rate of metabolism/amount of alcohol in the body, which results in a smaller area when the rate of absorption is slow than when the rate of absorption is rapid. Using treatment A as a reference, the ratio of the average peak alcohol concentrations were: 1.0, 0.72, 0.35, 0.50, 0.49 and 1.11 for treatments A through F, respectively.

Glycoprotein and protein antifreezes in two Alaskan fishes

Two macromolecular freezing point depressants have been isolated from the serums of two species of Alaskan fishes. A common property of the four antifreezes thus far isolated is a high alanine content which suggests that the mechanism of these antifreezes may be related to a repeating tripeptide unit.

Aglomerularism in Antarctic fish

Urine formation in antarctic bony fish does not involve glomerular filtration. Evidence for aglomerularism came from both direct observation of kidney serial sections by light microscopy and the low concentrations of inulin labeled with carbon-14 that were excreted into the urine when this renal clearance tracer was injected into the bloodstream via a cannula implanted in the caudal vein. Aglomerularism most likely prevents urinary loss of glycoproteins with biological antifreeze properties.

Sex similarity in personality correlates of test anxiety

Sex differences in correlation coefficients between the California Psychological Inventory, Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire scales and Alpert-Haber Achievement Anxiety Test scales were evaluated in four samples of Ss in French (54 males and 156 females), mathematics (124 males and 66 females), and two introductory psychology courses (81 males and 146 females in the first sample and 297 males and 349 females in the second sample). The fact that fewer than 7% of differences were significant at the 5% level in 216 pair-wise comparisons and there were significant correlations between correlation matrices seems to indicate the lack of sex differences in personality correlates of test anxiety.