A method for the incorporation of radioactive isotopes in the sea urchin egg

Riassunto Con la iniezione di 10–20µc di Metionina-S³⁵ nella cavità celomatica di femmine adulte diParacentrotus lividus si ottiene una rapida ed efficiente incorporazione dell'isotopo nelle uova. Si discutono i vantaggi del metodo rispetto a quello attualmente in uso.

---

---

Aided by a Grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, on leave from the Nagoya University, Japan.     

Degeneration of retinal neuroblasts by chinoform-ferric chelate

Summary The possible mechanism of neuropathic effect of chinoform was investigated using cultured retinal neuroblasts from chick embryos. Retinal neuroblasts completely degenerated by chinoform-ferric chelate within a day. This change, however, was not observed with free chinoform or ferric ion.a-Tocopherol had a potent protective effect on the toxicity of the chelate. From these results, it was concluded that the lipid peroxidation due to ferric ion chelated with chinoform incorporated into the membrane of nerve tissues is the most important step in induction of the neuropathy.This work was supported in part by a grant from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan.Correspondence should be addressed to K. Yagi, Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Nagoya, Nagoya 466, Japan.     

The effect of bile salts on thyroxine 5′-monodeiodination in rat liver homogenate

Summary Unconjugated and conjugated bile salts inhibited the conversion of thyroxine to 3,3,5 triiodothyronine in rat liver homogenate.This work was supported in part by a grant from the Imanaga Foundation, Nagoya, Japan.     

Plasma triiodothyronine,thyroxine and thyrotrophin levels in germfree rats

Summary Plasma T₃, T₄ and TSH levels in developing germfree rats were high, low and normal as compared with those in conventional counterparts. The high T₃/T₄ ratio in germfree rat plasma was lowered by cholestyramine feeding.This work was supported in part by a grant from the Imanaga Foundation, Nagoya, Japan.     

Two different hemodynamic patterns underlying hypotension during desynchronized sleep

Riassunto L'ipotensione presente durante il sonno desincronizzato del gatto, con riflessi seno-aortici intatti o aboliti, è dovuta soprattutto a diminuzione delle resistenze periferiche e in ben piccola parte a riduzione della gettata cardiaca. Solo negli episodi di sonno desincronizzato, osservati talora nel gatto con deafferentazione senoaortica, in cui l'ipotensione è cosi profonda da produrre ischemia cerebrale, la gettata cardiaca diminuisce marcatamente e l'indice di resistenza paradossalmente aumenta.

---

---

This research has been sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, through the European Office of Aerospace Research (OAR), United States Air Force, under Grant No. AF EOAR 66-47, and by Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (Gruppo Nazionale di Medicina Sperimentale). Dr.Kumazawa was a visiting investigator from Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan, under a IBRO-Unesco fellowship.     

Antidiuretic activities of substance P and its analogs

Summary Substance P (SP) and analogs, including 5 nucleoside (ARA or HRA)-peptides, were examined for antidiuretic activity in ethanolized rats. The activity was potent in the analogs embodying the C-terminal hexapeptide, weak in the nucleoside-pentapeptide, and negligible in the nucleoside-tetrapeptide. In addition, the activity was increased by acylation of the hexapeptide. The antidiuretic potencies were also compared with the hypotensive potencies.This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan, and by a grant from the Imanaga Foundation, Nagoya, Japan.     

Effect of pulsing electromagnetic fields on DNA synthesis in mammalian cells in culture

Summary DNA synthesis in Chinese hamster V79 cells was significantly enhanced when they were exposed to weak, pulsing electromagnetic fields generated by specific combinations of the pulse width (25s), frequency (10, 100 Hz) and magnetic intensity (2×10^–5 8×10^–5T). Conversely the DNA synthesis of cells in the fields at 4×10^–4 T was repressed to 80% of that in controls not exposed to the fields.This work was supported by Kaken Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan, and in part by a Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan and from the Foundation for Life Science Promotion Tokyo, Japan to I.K.     

Effects of Ca2+ and Mg2+ on motility of sea urchin spermatozoa

Summary Swimming speed of sea urchin spermatozoa, measured by a light scattering technique, did not change with 0-20 mM Ca²⁺ in the medium. The speed was maximum at the normal concentration of Mg²⁺ (49 mM) in sea water.Supported by grants-in-aid from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan, and a grant from the Ford Foundation.     

2/8 translocation in a Japanese Burkitt's lymphoma

Summary A new translocation between chromsomes 2 and 8 t(2p^–; 8q⁺), was found in fresh lymphoma cells from a Japanese patient with Epstein-Barr virus-carrying Burkitt's lymphoma, and in a lymphoma cell line derived from this patient. There was no 14q⁺ translocation, as has been previously described in African and North American Burkitt's lymphomas.Supported by a grant-in-aid for Cancer Research (52-11) from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan.     

Quercetin interacts with calmodulin,a calcium regulatory protein

Summary Quercetin was found to interact with the Ca²⁺-calmodulin complex, suggesting that it may act as a calmodulin antagonist in vivo to inhibit calmodulin-dependent phenomena caused by biologically active agents, including tumor promoters.This work was supported in part by grants-in-aid for scientific research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan.     

Insulin-like effect of dichloroacetic acid on hexose transport in Swiss 3T3 cells

Summary Hexose transport in Swiss 3T3 cells was increased by treatment with dichloroacetic acid as well as by treatment with insulin. Neither extra-nor intracellular Ca²⁺ was found to be involved in their stimulatory action. On the other hand, the removal of intracellular Mg²⁺ resulted in a loss of the stimulation. These results suggest that dichloroacetic acid stimulates the hexose transport in Mg²⁺-dependent manner, similar to that of insulin.This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan.     

Occurrence of tetrodotoxin in the starfishAstropecten latespinosus

Summary A toxin causing paralysis was detected in the starfishAstropecten latespinosus. The toxin was purified by a method consisting of charcoal treatment and chromatography on CM-Sephadex C-25 and Bio-Rex 70. The toxin was identified as tetrodotoxin by its behavior in thin-layer chromatography and electrophoresis and its¹H-NMR spectrum.Acknowledgment. This work was in part supported by a research fund from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan.     

Effects of barium on separately recorded fast and slow PIII responses in bullfrog retina

Summary Investigation of Ba²⁺ effects on fast and slow PIII responses in isolated bullfrog retina revealed that Ba²⁺ suppressed slow PIII completely with little effect on fast PIII. A light-induced [K⁺]₀ decrease in the photoreceptor layer was observed in spite of Ba²⁺ perfusion, indicating the suppressive action of Ba²⁺ on the K⁺ conductance of the Müller cell membrane.Acknowledgment. This work was supported by research grant from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan and Kinki University research grant 55–103. The author wishes to thank Prof. I. Hanawa at Kobe University for his valuable discussions.     

Autoradiographic study of cartilage differentiation in organ culture

Zusammenfassung Aufnahme und Verhalten von³⁵-S-Sulfat wurde in einer Organkultur sich differenzierender Somiten von Hühner-und Mäuse-Embryonen untersucht. Die Vorknorpelzellen zeigten den grössten Isotopeneinbau im Vergleich zu andern mesodermalen Zellen. Nach Vollendung der Knorpeldifferenzierung fand sich das von den Vorknorpelzellen aufgenommene Isotop in der interzellulären Matrix.

---

---

On leave of absence from the Zoological Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Kyoto (Japan).     

Ocular involvement in hamsters transplanted with a human leukemic T-cell line

Summary A leukemic T-cell line (TALL-1) was serially transplanted for 5 passages into newborn hamsters treated with antilymphocyte serum. This cell line was derived from a leukemic patient with clinical evidence of ocular involvement. I.p. implantation of 1–3×10⁷ cells resulted in disseminated growth of tumors in all 15 recipients after 23–41 days and 8 of them showed leukemic infiltration of the uveal tract of one or both eyes.Supported by a Cancer Research Grant from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan.     

Xanthumin and 8-epi-xanthatin as insect development inhibitors fromXanthium canadense Mill.

Summary Two insect development inhibitors againstDrosophila melanogaster have been isolated from the leaves ofX. canadense and identified as xanthumin and 8-epi-xanthatin.Search for Insect Development Inhibitors in Plants, IV. Part III, Heterocycles10, 117 (1978).This investigation was supported in part by grants (No. 056141 and No. 376065) from the Ministry of Education of Japan. The authors express their sincere thanks to Prof. Junkichi Iwasa of this department for his encouragement and to Dr Kenji Uneyama, Department of Industrial Chemistry of this University, for¹³C-NMR measurements.     

Occurrence of Hyp3-bradykinin in methanol extracts of the skin of the South African leptodactylid frogHeleophryne purcelli

Summary Methanol extracts of the skin of the South African amphibians belonging to the genusHeleophryne (H. purcelli purcelli, H. purcelli depressa, H. purcelli orientalis, H. natalensis) contain large amounts (20–500 g/g fresh tissue) of Hyp³-bradykinin.Supported by grants from the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy, and from the Ministry of Education, Japan.     

Effects of Avermectin Bla on the motility of various parasitic helminths

Summary Using an isotonic transducer recently devised in Japan, it was observed that Avermectin Bla, a new anthelmintic, caused paralyzing effects onAngiostrongylus cantonensis andMetastrongylus elongatus at concentrations of more than 3.6×10^–18 M.     

Migration of “storage PNA” from cotyledon into growing organs of bean seed embryo

Zusammenfassung Die in den Kotyledonen der LeguminoseVigna sesquipedalis als «Reserve-PNA» reichlich gespeicherte Pentosenukleinsäure (PNA) nimmt rasch ab, sobald der Same zu keimen beginnt. In den frühen Stadien der Keimung ist die Abnahme des «Reserve -PNA» scheinbar aufgehoben durch die Zunahme des PNA in den wachsenden Geweben des Keimlings, während später, wenn das Alter der Gewebe sich erhöht, die Gesamtzunahme an PNA in den wachsenden Geweben allmählich die PNA-Abnahme in den Reserveorganen überwiegt. Kotyledonen, die von den Keimlingen abgetrennt und auf feuchtem Filtrierpapier geeignet warm gehalten wurden, zeigen praktisch keine Abnahme im Gehalt an «Reserve-PNA».Wenn Samen zuerst mit einer Phosphatlösung behandelt werden, die P³² enthält und dann zum Keimen gebracht werden, so findet man die Radioaktivität nicht nur im akkumulierten PNA der wachsenden Gewebe, sondern auch in dem im Abbau begriffenen PNA der Kotyledonen. Auf diesen Tatsachen fussend, wird die Möglichkeit einer makromolekularen Wanderung des «Reserve-PNA» von den Kotyledonen in den Keimling kurz diskutiert.

---

---

We are indebted to Dr.Ch. Koyama, Chemical Institute of Nagoya University, for the use of a Lauritsen apparatus, and also to Dr.A. Sibatani, Laboratory of Cytochemistry, Yamaguti Medical School, for his valuable suggestions during this work. P³² used in this experiment was provided by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A.     

The growth responses of hamster chondrocytes,dermal fibroblasts and embryo cells to whole blood serum and plasma-derived serum

Summary Autoradiographic studies with³H-thymidine demonstrated that the growth responses of hamster chondrocytes, dermal fibroblasts and embryo cells, respectively, differed in media containing whole blood serum (WBS) and plasmaderived serum (PDS). Dermal fibroblasts seemed to require a growth factor from platelets for growth, but chondrocytes did not. Embryo cells showed an intermediate pattern of growth response to this factor.This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan.We thank Miss M. Tanaka and Miss K. Kawana for technical assistance.