Requirement for math5 in the development of retinal ganglion cells

math5 is a murine orthologue of atonal, a bHLH proneural gene essential for the formation of photoreceptors and chordotonal organs in Drosophila. The expression of math5 coincides with the onset of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) differentiation. Targeted deletion of math5 blocks the initial differentiation of 80% of RGCs and results in an increase in differentiated amacrine cells. Furthermore, the absence of math5 abolishes the retinal expression of brn-3b and the formation of virtually all brn-3b-expressing RGCs. These results imply that math5 is a proneural gene essential for RGC differentiation and that math5 acts upstream to activate brn-3b-dependent differentiation processes in RGCs.

Mutant presenilin 2 transgenic mice. A large increase in the levels of Abeta 42 is presumably associated with the low density membrane domain that contains decreased levels of glycerophospholipids and sphingomyelin

The N141I mutation in presenilin (PS) 2 is tightly linked with a form of autosomal dominant familial Alzheimer's disease in the Volga German families. We previously reported that mouse brains harboring mutant PS2 contained increased levels of amyloid beta protein (Abeta) 42 in the Tris-saline-soluble fraction (Oyama, F., Sawamura, N., Kobayashi, K., Morishima-Kawashima, M., Kuramochi, T., Ito, M., Tomita, T., Maruyama, K., Saido, T. C., Iwatsubo, T., Capell, A., Walter, J., Grünberg, J., Ueyama, Y., Haass, C. and Ihara, Y. (1998) J. Neurochem. 71, 313-322). Here, using a new extraction protocol, we quantitated the Abeta40 and Abeta42 levels in the Tris-saline-insoluble fraction. The insoluble Abeta levels were found to be higher than the soluble Abeta levels, and the insoluble Abeta42 levels were markedly increased in mutant PS2 transgenic mice. To investigate the origin of the insoluble Abeta42, we prepared the detergent-insoluble, low density membrane fraction. This fraction from two independent lines of mutant PS2 transgenic mice contained remarkably increased levels of Abeta42 and significantly low levels of glycerophospholipids and sphingomyelin. This unexpected finding suggests that a large increase in the levels of Abeta42 in mutant PS2 mice is presumably induced through alterations of the lipid composition in the low density membrane domain in the brain.

Presenilin-mediated modulation of capacitative calcium entry

We studied a novel function of the presenilins (PS1 and PS2) in governing capacitative calcium entry (CCE), a refilling mechanism for depleted intracellular calcium stores. Abrogation of functional PS1, by either knocking out PS1 or expressing inactive PS1, markedly potentiated CCE, suggesting a role for PS1 in the modulation of CCE. In contrast, familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD)-linked mutant PS1 or PS2 significantly attenuated CCE and store depletion-activated currents. While inhibition of CCE selectively increased the amyloidogenic amyloid beta peptide (Abeta42), increased accumulation of the peptide had no effect on CCE. Thus, reduced CCE is most likely an early cellular event leading to increased Abeta42 generation associated with FAD mutant presenilins. Our data indicate that the CCE pathway is a novel therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease.

Synthesis of enantiopure alpha,alpha-disubstituted amino acids from the asymmetric Strecker reaction products of aldehydes

Treatment of the enolates of 4 generated from the asymmetric Strecker reaction products with alkyl halides or aldehydes provided the corresponding functionalized products with high diastereoselectivity. Deprotection of these products afforded the corresponding enantiopure alpha,alpha-dialkyl amino acids.

Accurate measurements of multiple-bond 13C-1H coupling constants from phase-sensitive 2D INEPT spectra

Measurements of multiple-bond 13C-)H coupling constants are of great interest for the assignment of nonprotonated 13C resonances and the elucidation of molecular conformation in solution. Usually, the heteronuclear multiple-bond coupling constants were measured either by the J(CH) splittings mostly in selective 2D spectra or in 3D spectra, which are time consuming, or by the cross peak intensity analysis in 2D quantitative heteronuclear J correlation spectra (1994, G. Zhu, A. Renwick, and A. Bax, J. Magn. Reson. A 110, 257; 1994, A. Bax, G. W. Vuister, S. Grzesiek, F. Delaglio, A. C. Wang, R. Tschudin, and G. Zhu, Methods Enzymol. 239, 79.), which suffer from the accuracy problem caused by the signal-to-noise ratio and the nonpure absorptive peak patterns. Concerted incrementation of the duration for developing proton antiphase magnetization with respect to carbon-13 and the evolution time for proton chemical shift in different steps in a modified INEPT pulse sequence provides a new method for accurate measurements of heteronuclear multiple-bond coupling constants in a single 2D experiment.

Application of capillary nongel sieving electrophoresis for gene analysis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has proved to be a strong tool for DNA analysis and has found abundant applications in the fields of restriction fragment sizing, mutation screening, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product characterizing and forensic identifying. CE may be the main alternative to slab gel electrophoresis. Capillary nongel electrophoresis is the most favorable mode when aiming for this purpose because of its advantages of long lifetime, easy operation, good reproducibility, and low expense. In this paper, a new kind of sieving matrix, with mannitol as the additive for capillary electrophoresis, as well as related methods and their application for gene analysis were reported. Nine DNA fragments amplified by multiplex PCR from a normal dystrophin gene were well separated by this system. Three different deletions were found in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients. Three to four copies of the sex-determination region of the Y chromosome (SRY) gene, as well as the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene, could be detected in mixed samples. The frequencies of short tandem repeats (STR) in PAH genes was analyzed in 61 normal Chinese individuals and 6 phenylketonuria families. One case of prenatal gene diagnosis was performed. By using this matrix, CE coupled with reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), the analysis of the alternative splicing expression pattern of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene in adult lung tissue was achieved.

[Capillary electrophoresis of polysaccharides and its application]

This paper deals with the progress in capillary electrophoresis of migration, detection and its applications on polysaccharides. The papers of capillary electrophoresis of polysaccharides in the last 20 years are reviewed.

[Research on the protective effect of wine against cardiovascular diseases]

Recent studies reveal that wine is rich in phytoalexin and polyphenolic compounds, which can inhibit atherosclerosis by modulating metabolism of plasma lipid and lipoprotein, preventing platelet from aggregation and relaxing cardiovascular smooth muscle, etc.. A long-term moderately intake of wine can reduce the morbidity and mortality of ischemic heart diseases.

Expression of nm23-H1 gene and Sialyl Lewis X antigen in breast cancer

The nm23 gene has been proposed as a candidate tumor metastasis suppressor in some human cancers. Sialyl Lewis X (sLex) has been demonstrated to play an important role in the adhesion of human cancer cells to human vascular endothelium, inducing metastasis. Little information has been reported about the correlation between the expression of nm23 and sialylated carbohydrate antigens. In the present study, 102 surgically resected primary breast cancer tissues were sectioned and stained with antibody against nm23-H1 and sLex. Of the 102 cases, 39 (38.2%) cases with a reduced expression of nm23-H1 were observed, and the numbers of sLex-positive cases were 61 (59.8%), respectively. The reduced expression of nm23-H1 and the positive expression of sLex were significantly associated with lymph node involvement. Among the 100 patients who underwent curative surgery, the disease-free survival rate was significantly correlated to both the nm23-H1 and sLex expressions. No interrelated expressions were found between nm23-H1 and sLex. In multivariate analysis using Cox regression model, combination assay of nm23-H1 and sLex expression emerged as independent significant prognostic factors. These results suggest that nm23-H 1 gene and sLex may be involved in different steps of the metastatic process in human breast cancer, and immunohistochemical detection of the combination of sLex and nm23-H1 may be a biologic marker of prognostic significance.

[Pharmacognostical study of Chinese drug ningxia beimu]

This paper deals with the macroscopic, microscopic and chemical characteristics of the bulbs of Fritillaria taipaiensis var. ningxiaensis. This crude drug could be distinguished by shape, size, hilum and striations of the sample grains.

[Microscopic identification of beimu grown in Yunnan province]

This paper deals with the microscopic identification of the bulbs of 5 Fritillaria species from Yunnan Province, namely: F. cirrhosa, F. cirrhosa var. purpurea, F. cirrhosa var. viridiflava, F. delavayi and F. crassicaulis. Based on the shape, size, hilum and striation of the starch grain and the cuticular veins of the upper epidermis cell of the scales, these species could be distinguished obviously.

Lectin-histochemical reactivity of sialic acid in breast cancer and its relationship to prognosis using limulus polyphemus agglutinin

Studies of circulating sialic acid have revealed its relationship with a variety of malignant tumors. It is not vet clear whether sialic acid could be used as a prognostic marker of breast cancer, and few studies have examined sialic acid expression in the cell membrane and cytoplasm of breast cancer cells by means of the lectin-histochemical technique. In the present study, we used biotinylated limulus polyphemus agglutinin (LPA), a special binding lectin of sialic acid, to stain sialic acid in breast cancer cells. Of the 104 cases of breast cancer examined, 59 (56.7%) positive cases were observed. There was a significant correlation between the LPA staining and the clinicopathologic features of all patients, including pathological stage and lymph node metastasis. Among the 100 patients who underwent curative operation, the mean disease-free survival rate of the 45 patients who were LPA-negative was significantly higher than that of the 55 LPA-positive patients (p<0.05). These results suggest that the positive expression of sialic acid in breast cancer could be used as a marker of malignancy potential, as well as a poor survival factor, and the biotinylated LPA assay may provide a convenient and useful method to predict the prognosis of breast cancer.

Effects of stratospheric aerosols and thin cirrus clouds on the atmospheric correction of ocean color imagery: simulations

Using simulations, we determine the influence of stratospheric aerosol and thin cirrus clouds on the performance of the proposed atmospheric correction algorithm for the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data over the oceans. Further, we investigate the possibility of using the radiance exiting the top of the atmosphere in the 1.38-microm water vapor absorption band to remove their effects prior to application of the algorithm. The computations suggest that for moderate optical thicknesses in the stratosphere, i.e., tau(s) < or approximately 0.15, the stratospheric aerosol-cirrus cloud contamination does not seriously degrade the MODIS except for the combination of large (approximately 60 degrees) solar zenith angles and large (approximately 45 degrees) viewing angles, for which multiple-scattering effects can be expected to be particularly severe. The performance of a hierarchy of stratospheric aerosol/cirrus cloud removal procedures for employing the 1.38-microm water vapor absorption band to correct for stratospheric aerosol/cirrus clouds, ranging from simply subtracting the reflectance at 1.38 microm from that in the visible bands, to assuming that their optical properties are known and carrying out multiple-scattering computations of their effect by the use of the 1.38-microm reflectance-derived concentration, are studied for stratospheric aerosol optical thicknesses at 865 nm as large as 0.15 and for cirrus cloud optical thicknesses at 865 nm as large as 1.0. Typically, those procedures requiring the most knowledge concerning the aerosol optical properties (and also the most complex) performed the best; however, for tau(s) < or approximately 0.15, their performance is usually not significantly better than that found by applying the simplest correction procedure. A semiempirical algorithm is presented that permits accurate correction for thin cirrus clouds with tau(s) as large as unity when an accurate estimate of the cirrus cloud scattering phase function is provided, and as large as 0.5 when a coarse approximation to the phase function is used. Given estimates of the stratospheric aerosol optical properties, the implementation of the algorithm by using a set of lookup tables appears to be straightforward.

Prederivatization and high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of alkaloids of bulbs of Fritillaria

A method of prederivatization and HPLC with UV detection was developed for the simultaneous analysis of five major steroidal alkaloids of the Fritillaria species: verticine, verticinone, isoverticine, ebeiedine, and ebeiedinone. Derivatization was carried out by esterification of the hydroxyl-containing Fritillaria alkaloids to the corresponding naphthoates with 1-naphthoyl chloride. Reaction conditions were optimized and the yields of the derivatization were between 94 and 100% for all test alkaloids. Derivatized alkaloids were characterized by mass spectrometry and HPLC-MS. The validated HPLC-UV method demonstrated linear UV response at the sampling ranges used, and a test limit of 1 microgram/mL was determined for all analytes. This analytical method is simple, convenient, and readily reproducible. The developed method was applied to the analysis of the major pharmacologically active alkaloids in three medicinally used Fritillaria species: F. cirrhosa, F. thunbergii, and F. hupehensis. Five major Fritillaria alkaloids were simultaneously analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively from crude extracts of each of these herbs.

Direct pH Measurement of NaCl-Bearing Fluid with an in Situ Sensor at 400&deg;C and 40 Megapascals

The pH of concentrated NaCl-HCl fluids (0.57 mole of NaCl per kilogram of water) has been measured at supercritical conditions of water with a yttria-stabilized zirconia sensor in a titanium flow reactor. At 400&deg;C and 40 megapascals, the in situ pH of the fluids, ranging from 3.3 to 6.2, differs greatly from its original value of 1.9 to 7.6 at ambient conditions. The measurements agree well with theoretical predictions, showing strong associations of HCl&deg; and NaOH&deg; complexes in high-temperature fluids. The pH sensor provides a powerful tool to investigate unambiguously the distribution of species in aqueous fluids at elevated temperatures and pressures.

Analysis of the influence of O(2) A-band absorption on atmospheric correction of ocean-color imagery

Two satellite-borne ocean-color sensors scheduled for launch in the mid 1990's each have a spectral band (nominally 745-785 nm) that completely encompasses the O(2) A band at 762 nm. These spectral bands are to be used in atmospheric correction of the color imagery by assessment of the aerosol contribution to the total radiance at the sensor. The effect of the O(2) band on the radiance measured at the satellite is studied with a line-by-line backward Monte Carlo radiative transfer code. As expected, if the O(2) absorption is ignored, unacceptably large errors in the atmospheric correction result. The effects of the absorption depend on the vertical profile of the aerosol. By assuming an aerosol profile-the base profile-we show that it is possible to remove most of the O(2)-absorption effects from atmospheric correction in a simple manner. We also investigate the sensitivity of the results to the details of the assumed base profile and find that, with the exception of situations in which there are significant quantities of aerosol in the stratosphere, e.g., following volcanic eruptions or in the presence of thin cirrus clouds, the quality of the atmospheric correction depends only weakly on the base profile. Situations with high concentrations of stratospheric aerosol require additional information regarding vertical structure for this spectral band to be used in atmospheric correction; however, it should be possible to infer the presence of such aerosol by a failure of the atmospheric correction to produce acceptable water-leaving radiance in the red. An important feature of our method for removal of the O(2)-absorption effects is that it permits the use of lookup tables that can be prepared in the absence of O(2) absorption by the use of more efficient radiative transfer codes.

Atmospheric correction of ocean-color sensors: effects of the Earth's curvature

We investigate the influence of the curvature of the Earth on a proposed atmospheric-correction scheme for the Sea-Viewing Wide-Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) by simulating the radiance exiting the top of a spherical-shell atmosphere and inserting the result into the proposed correction algorithm. The error in the derived water-leaving reflectance suggests that the effects of the curvature are negligible for solar zenith angles (θ(0)) ≤ 70°. Furthermore, for θ(0) > 70° the error in atmospheric correction can usually be reduced if the molecular-scattering component of the top of the atmosphere reflectance (ρ(r)) is computed with a spherical-shell atmosphere radiative transfer code. Also, for θ(0) > 70° the error in atmospheric correction in a spherical-shell atmosphere, when ρ(r) is computed with a spherical-shell model, can be predicted reasonably well from computations made with plane-parallel atmosphere radiative transfer codes. This implies that studies aimed at improving atmospheric correction can be made assuming plane-parallel geometry and that the investigator can be confident when θ(0)> 70° that any improvements will still be valid for a spherical-shell atmosphere as long as ρ(r) is computed in spherical-shell geometry. Finally, a scheme for computing ρ(r) in a spherical-shell atmosphere in a relatively simple manner is developed.

Monoclonal antibody against a lactose epitope of glycosphingolipids binds to melanoma tumour cells

Mice were immunized with a neoglycoprotein consisting of a chemically modified carbohydrate moiety (reductively aminated 3'-sialyllactose) linked to human serum albumin. By this procedure an antibody response to the normally non-immunogenic carbohydrate structure was obtained. Hybridomas were established, and monoclonal antibodies were selected in ELISA based on their binding to the saccharide hapten, or to a lactosylceramide-mimicking neoglycolipid, lactose-bis-sulfone. One of the selected antibodies, 2H4, was of particular interest, since it also bound to glycolipids present on melanoma cells. FACS analysis of a panel of 14 melanoma cell lines showed that the 2H4 antibody bound to the majority of these. In frozen, non-fixed sections or paraffin sections of biopsies the monoclonal antibody 2H4 stained melanoma cells, but not tumour infiltrating lymphocytes or normal skin. Detailed immunochemical analysis of 2H4, using thin layer chromatography revealed that it recognized an internal lactose epitope in several glycosphingolipids.

Radiative transfer in the ocean: computations relating to the asymptotic and near-asymptotic daylight field

The asymptotic daylight field in a homogeneous ocean is, like the absorption (a), scattering (b), and attenuation (c) coefficients and the volume scattering function (VSF), an inherent optical property (IOP) of the medium. A simple relationship in the spirit of the van de Hulst similarity relationships is developed from which the diffuse attenuation coefficient K(infinity) of the asymptotic light field can be obtained from a, b, and the VSF with an error of < 2%. In this relationship, the shape of the VSF is characterized by its asymmetry parameter g, whereas omega(0) = b/c characterizes the other IOP's. The relationship applies approximately to other quantities as well, particularly tau(x), which is the optical depth at which the downwelling irradiance attenuation coefficient K(d) can be replaced by K(infinity) with an error no greater than x%. Computations of tau(5) and tau(10) are presented as a function of g, omega(0) and the incident light field, and it is shown that for overcast conditions K(d) can be within 5% of K(infinity) at depths at which the downwelling irradiance is greater than 50% of its value at the surface. Simulations of radiative transfer in verticall inhomogeneous waters reveal that for sufficiently large depth (z), the value of K(infinity)(z) determined from the asymptotic theory that uses the values of the IOP's at z is a good approximation to K(d)(z). Thus our results suggest that in addition to being a pedagogically interesting concept, the asymptotic theory may actually be useful in ocean optics research. The influence of inelastic processes (fluorescence and Raman scattering) on K(infinity) are briefly examined, and it is shown that for an ocean of pure sea water, i.e., no particles or fluorescent compounds, K(infinity)(lambda) approximately 0.02 m(-1) for lambda >/= 430 nm with little spectral variation.

Anti-GM3-lactam monoclonal antibodies of the IgG type recognize natural GM3-ganglioside lactone but not GM3-ganglioside

Immunization of mice with a synthetic GM3-lactam-BSA (bovine serum albumin) conjugate (designed to emulate the corresponding natural GM3-lactone conjugate), followed by fusion of splenocytes with myeloma cells, gave rise to more than 300 monoclonal hybridomas producing antibodies to GM3-lactam-BSA, which did not react with Glc-BSA and BSA. Eight antibody clones were randomly chosen from the positive 300 hybridomas. The eight clones, all belonging to the IgG class, were unreactive against GM3-ganglioside, whereas two antibodies (P5-1 and P5-3, both IgG1, kappa) reacted with GM3-ganglioside lactone. Binding of these two antibodies to the GM3-lactam-BSA conjugate was inhibited by soluble glycosides of GM2-, GM3-, and GM4-lactam and by GM3- and GM4-lactam, respectively, but not by Gb3 or asialo-GM1 and GM2-saccharides. A third antibody (P3; IgG2b, kappa) was inhibited by GM2-, GM3-, and GM4-lactam, but did not recognize GM3-ganglioside lactone.