Different roles for KinA, KinB, and KinC in the initiation of sporulation in Bacillus subtilis

Activation (phosphorylation) of the transcription factor encoded by spo0A is essential for the initiation of sporulation in Bacillus subtilis. At least three histidine protein kinases are involved in the phosphorylation of Spo0A. Under some growth conditions, KinA was the primary kinase, but under other conditions, KinB had the more critical role. KinC was required for the initial activation of Spo0A, even in the presence of KinA and KinB.

[Endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic sinusitis in children]

Anatomical features show maxillary sinus to be most commonly involved during childhood chronic sinusitis. Fifty-one cases who failed to respond to medications and irrigation were selected to undergo the middle meatal antrostomy under endoscopy. The majority of them had maxillary sinusitis. 10 cases had middle turbinate edema and polyps. 6 had ethmoiditis. After operations, signs of headache eliminated in 20 cases, nasal obstruction in 43 cases and yellowish discharge in 37 cases. The operative results were satisfactory. It is demonstrated that endoscopic sinus surgery is an ideal therapy for the treatment of childhood chronic maxillary sinusitis at present.

Multiple protein kinase activities required for activation of sperm flagellar motility

A specific peptide inhibitor of the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKI-peptide) is a very effective inhibitor of the cAMP-dependent activation of motility of Ciona spermatozoa, when PKI-peptide is present at the beginning of incubation of demembranated spermatozoa with cAMP and ATP. Under conditions where approximately 120 sec is required for full activation of motility, the window of sensitivity to the PKI-peptide lasts for only 25-30 sec. Examination of sperm pellet proteins labeled with 32P ATP during activation reveals a major 25 kDa phosphoprotein and 2 minor phosphoproteins whose phosphorylation is highly sensitive to to inhibition by the PKI-peptide and essentially complete during this early phase. These sperm proteins appear to be immediate substrates for cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and phosphorylation of one or more of these appears to be requires, but not sufficient, for activation of motility. The phosphorylation of other proteins is reduced or eliminated when PKI-peptide is present at the beginning of incubation, but is unaffected by later addition of PKI-peptide. Some of these substrates appear to be likely candidates for axonemal proteins that must be phosphorylated during the later stages of incubation in order to complete the activation process. This selection is based upon a high degree of inhibition by inclusion of PKI-peptide or other inhibitors at the start of the incubation process, on near-completion of their phosphorylation by the end of the 2 min incubation period required for the activation of motility, and evidence that these proteins are phosphorylated during in vivo activation of motility. Although these observations suggest the presence of a second kinase activity that is upregulated by the initial activation of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, assays using exogenous substrates have not yet been able to identify such a kinase activity.

Arachidonic acid stimulates glucose uptake in cerebral cortical astrocytes

Arachidonic acid (AA) has recently been shown to influence various cellular functions in the central nervous system. Here we report that AA increases, in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, 2-deoxy-D-[1-3H]glucose ([3H]2DG) uptake in primary cultures of astrocytes prepared from the cerebral cortex of neonatal mice. This effect is mimicked by an unsaturated fatty acid such as linolenic acid, while palmitic and arachidic acids, two saturated fatty acids, are inactive. Pharmacological agents that increase the endogenous levels of AA by stimulating AA release (melittin) or by inhibiting its reacylation (thimerosal) also promote [3H]2DG uptake by astrocytes. We also report that norepinephrine (NE) stimulates the release of [3H]AA from membrane phospholipids, with an EC50 of 3 microM; this effect is accompanied, with a temporal delay of approximately 4 min, by the stimulation of [3H]2DG uptake, for which the EC50 of NE is 1 microM. Since the cerebral cortex, the brain region from which astrocytes used in this study were prepared, receives a massive noradrenergic innervation, originating from the locus coeruleus, the effects of NE reported here further stress the notion that certain neurotransmitters may play a role in the regulation of energy metabolism in the cerebral cortex and point at astrocytes as the likely targets of such metabolic effects.

Neurotransmitters regulate energy metabolism in astrocytes: implications for the metabolic trafficking between neural cells

In recent years a vast array of experimental evidence has indicated the presence of functional receptors for neurotransmitters on nonneuronal cells, in particular astrocytes. The two neurotransmitters vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and noradrenaline (NA) exert profound, receptor-mediated, metabolic actions on astrocytes. Thus both neurotransmitters stimulate glycogenolysis in primary astrocyte cultures, with EC50s of 3 and 20 nM respectively. Astrocytes display basal glucose utilization rates ranging between 3 and 9 nmol/mg prot/min, a value that is remarkably close to glucose utilization of cerebral cortical grey matter as determined by the 2-deoxyglucose autoradiographic technique. NA markedly enhances glucose uptake and phosphorylation by astrocytes, with an EC50 of 1 microM. The metabolic substrate that is released by astrocytes is predominantly lactate and not glucose. Since lactate can support neuronal activity and synaptic function in vitro, the possibility should be considered that glucose uptake by the brain parenchyma occurs predominantly into astrocytes which subsequently release lactate for the use of neurons.

The 31S0-33P0 transition in the aluminum isotope ion 26A1+: a potentially superior passive laser frequency standard and spectrum analyzer

The aluminum 26 isotope ion is proposed here as a possible candidate for a superior atomic clock. For this even isotope, the extraordinarily long lifetime of the 33P0 state offers a potential clock transition (31S0-33P0) linewidth of 300 microHz. The mF = 0 --> 0 transition has only a quadratic Zeeman shift approximately 4 x 10(-18) at 0.1 Gauss magnetic field, compared to approximately 10(-8) for the hydrogen maser. Electronic quadrupole moments vanish for both J and J' states and with them shifts due to electric field gradients. All shifts have been estimated and are orders of magnitude less than for Hg+ and Ba+, which are being studied as atomic clock elements.

VIP receptor subtypes in mouse cerebral cortex: evidence for a differential localization in astrocytes, microvessels and synaptosomal membranes

The binding characteristics of a monoiodinated form of vasoactive intestinal peptide (M-[125I]VIP) to the membranes of astrocytes, intraparenchymal microvessels and synaptosomes were analyzed in mouse cerebral cortex. Binding to astrocytes, studied in primary cultures, indicates the presence of a single class of high affinity binding sites with a Kd of 3.3 nM and a Bmax of 565 fmol/mg protein. The structurally related peptide secretin does not compete for sites labeled by M-[125I]VIP. In cultured astrocytes, VIP has been previously shown to promote glycogenolysis. Secretin, despite its lack of interaction with sites labeled by M-[125I]VIP, stimulates glycogenolysis with an EC50 of 0.5 nM, thus demonstrating the presence in astrocytes of functional secretin receptors independent from those for VIP. Trypsinization of the primary astrocyte cultures followed by replating as secondary cultures, reveals a second class of low affinity binding sites, with a Kd of 41.3 nM and a Bmax of 881 fmol/mg protein. Secretin does not compete for this class of low affinity binding sites either. Binding of M-[125I]VIP to intraparenchymal microvessels reveals the presence of two classes of binding sites with Kd of 1.4 and 30.3 nM, and Bmax of 7.1 and 73.8 pmol/mg protein, respectively. Similar to what is observed in primary or secondary astrocyte cultures, secretin does not interact with these sites. In this cell type VIP stimulates cAMP formation with an EC50 of 18 nM, while secretin is ineffective. Finally, in agreement with previous reports in rat and guinea pig cerebral cortex, two classes of binding sites are observed in synaptosomal membranes: a high affinity class with a Kd of 4.9 nM and a Bmax of 316 fmol/mg protein, and a low affinity class with a Kd of 42.8 nM and a Bmax of 1578 fmol/mg protein. In contrast to what is observed in non-neuronal membranes, in synaptosomal membranes, secretin effectively competes for sites labeled by M-[125I]VIP with an EC50 of approximately 150 nM. These results indicate that secretin may represent a useful tool to discriminate between neuronal and non-neuronal VIP binding sites, since it competes with M-[125I]VIP exclusively for the neuronal class of binding sites.

Pertussis toxin reduces the day-night rhythm of nociception and mu and kappa opioid peptide-mediated antinociception in the snail, Cepaea nemoralis

There is accumulating evidence that pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins are associated with the transduction of opioid-mediated antinociception in mammals. The present study examined the effects of hemocel injections of pertussis toxin (0.10 microgram) on the day-night rhythm of nociception and mu and kappa opioid-mediated antinociception in a mollusc, the land snail, Cepaea nemoralis. Five days after treatment, pertussis toxin significantly reduced the naloxone-sensitive, opioid-mediated nocturnal peak in the day-night rhythm of nociception [as measured by the latency of response to a thermal (40 degrees C) stimulus] in Cepaea, without affecting the daytime response latency. Pertussis toxin also significantly decreased the antinociceptive effects of the mu agonist, DAMGO, and blocked those of the kappa opioid agonist, U-69,593. These results suggest that G protein substrates of pertussis toxin are associated with the transduction of opioid-mediated nociception and antinociception in the snail, Cepaea.

Spatiospectral and picosecond spatiotemporal properties of a broad area operating channeled-substrate-planar laser array

Spatiospectral and spatiotemporal properties of an eight-element channeled-substrate-planar laser array are investigated in both cw and pulsed operating conditions. The closely spaced CSP array with strong optical coupling between array elements is characterized by a broad area laserlike operation determined by its spatial mode spectra. The spatiotemporal evolution of the near and far field exhibits complex dynamic behavior in the picosecond to nanosecond domain. Operating parameters for the laser device have been experimentally determined. These results provide important information for the evaluation of the dynamic behavior of coherent semiconductor laser arrays.

Reduced chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity observed with vectors containing an upstream SphI recognition sequence

Chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) is the most commonly used reporter gene for studying the regulation of mammalian gene transcription. Some of the currently available CAT vectors contain the recognition sequence for the restriction endonuclease SphI within the multiple cloning site. This sequence introduces an ATG triplet that is out of frame with the initiation codon of the CAT gene. Transient expression of CAT fusion genes, constructed using three different cellular promoters, demonstrates that the presence of the upstream AUG triplet in the CAT transcript reduces CAT activity, presumably by interfering with the translation of the coding sequence. Deletion of the SphI site from each of the plasmids increased CAT activity between 4-fold and 5-fold. From these results, we conclude that upstream, out-of-frame ATG triplets must be avoided in order to achieve maximum expression of the reporter gene.

[A processing study of herba Cistanches]

The synthetic rate of DNA in the liver and spleen and metallic microelements have been determined for the different preparations of Herba Cistanches. The results show that the salted Herba Cistanches in steamed from affects the synthetic rate of DNA in "Yang-Deficiency" animal models, with trace elements Zn, Mn, Cu, and Fe higher in content than other traditional preparations.

Reduction of vinblastine neurotoxicity in mice utilizing a collagen matrix carrier

Vinblastine sulfate (VLB) suspended within a collagen matrix (CM) as a diffusion limiting drug delivery vehicle was examined in vitro, as well as in mouse subcutaneous and brain tumor models. Against RIF-1 and KHT subcutaneous tumors, there was enhancement of antitumor activity with intratumoral (i.t.) delivery of VLB when it was combined with CM and/or epinephrine (epi) provided as a vasoactive agent to limit diffusion of VLB away from the injection site. Furthermore, in pharmacokinetic studies an 3-fold enhancement of tumor exposure to drug (AUC) with the CM-formulation was observed relative to the administration of free VLB i.t. Craniotactic injection of VLB into mouse brain in doses from 0.2 to 2 mg/kg revealed that the CM association markedly reduced the acute toxicity of VLB in normal mouse brain. Furthermore, mice with stereotactically implanted KHT brain tumors treated with 0.2 mg/kg VLB in CM had less tumor present in the brain histologically compared to the free VLB and untreated control groups.

Trapped individual ion at absolute zero temperature

Laser cooling and ion trapping have progressed to such an extent that one can now speak of realizing a confined atom at absolute zero temperature. In this short publication, we analyze an experiment toward such realization using a single Ba(+) ion in a miniature rf trap. The Ba(+) ion is first laser-cooled to the limit where the ion spends most of its time in the zero-point energy state. Then a test sequence allows one to verify whether or not the ion is actually in its zero-point state. The test sequence may also serve as a device for state selection of an atom at absolute zero temperature.

The 6S(0)-6P(0) transition in thallium isotope ion Tl: A superior atomic clock

Experimental and theoretical studies of the forbidden J = 0 --> J' = 0 optical transition 6(1)S(0)-6(3)P(0) in the odd Hg isotopes are in the literature. From this work natural width and quadratic Zeeman effect have been estimated for the same line in the isoelectronic, even thallium ion (204)Tl(+), which has a very small nuclear magnetic moment. For the m(F) = 0 --> 0 component a linewidth of <0.01 Hz and a quadratic Zeeman shift <10(-18) at 0.1 Gauss are found, compared to 1 Hz and approximately 10(-8) for the hydrogen maser. Electronic quadrupole moments vanish for both J and J' states and with them shifts due to electric field gradients. All shifts are orders of magnitude smaller than for Hg(+) and Ba(+), which have been studied as atomic clock elements.

The microbial production of amylase inhibitor and its application. I. Isolation and cultivation of Streptomyces nigrifaciens NTU-3314

In the course of screening amylase inhibitor producing, microorganisms, a strain identified as Streptomyces nigrifaciens NTU-3314 was found to have the highest inhibitor-producing ability among the other isolated strains. This strain was aerobically cultured at 30 degrees C in a 5l jar fermentor with a working volume of 2l. The optimum cultural medium consisted of defatted soybean flake 3.0%, potato starch 4.0%, casein 0.6%, sucrose 0.6%, serine 0.02% and NaCl 0.8% (pH 7.0). With an aeration rate of 1.5 vvm, an agitation speed of 300 rpm and an inoculum of 15% seed (previously grown in seed medium 3), the highest amount of inhibitor was obtained after 24 hours of cultivation. The amylase inhibitor produced had inhibitory effects on both alpha-amylase and glucoamylase, but not on beta-amylase, alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase or dextranase. It was quite stable in 0.1M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) and nearly 100% of its activity was retained even after boiling at 100 degrees C for 20 min.