Thymus stimulation and cancer prophylaxis byViscum proteins

Zusammenfassung Die cancerostatischen Viscum-Proteine induzieren im Tierversuch mit geringsten Dosen eine Proliferation des Thymus und verhindern prophylaktisch das Angehen von Tumoren. Höhere Dosen zerstören dagegen den Immunapparat durch Überbeanspruchung und die Tumorhemmung bleibt aus.

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We are indebted to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for financial support (M. St.) and for granting a Forschungsfreijahr (F. V.).     

Methylation of canine cardiac myosin in culture

Summary N, N, N, trimethyllysine and an unidentified methylated amino acid which co-electrophoresed and cochromatographed with the hydrolysis product of S-adenosyl-L-methionine, occur in fetal canine cardiac myosin and are isotopically labeled in vitro with S-adenosyl-L-(methyl³H) methionine between the 10th and the 12th day of culture.     

On partial and differential bleaching experiments with the visual pigments in a fresh water euryhaline teleost (Etroplus suratensis)

Summary Visual pigment was extracted from a fresh water toleost,Etroplus suratensis and the optical density measured over a range of 300–650 nm. The absorption spectrum indicates the _max at 550 nm and a small hump at 530 nm. Through partial bleaching at 630 nm, it was confirmed that the fish possesses a mixture of 2 visual pigments: the one with the _max at 550 nm predominating over the other.     

Metabolism in Porifera. IX. Studies on the biological conversion of cholesterol into 19-nor-cholestanol by the spongeAxinella polypoides

Summary The conversion of cholesterol into 19-nor-5-cholestan-3-ol by the spongeAxinella polypoides involves a partial loss (40%) of the 3-hydrogen atom; moreover administration to the sponge of [4-¹⁴C]cholesterol tritiated at C-4 and C-7 showed that the 4- and 7-hydrogen atoms are retained in this conversion. A competitive uptake experiment, [4-¹⁴C]cholesterol vs. [7-³H₂]5-cholestanol, showed that the sponge utilized exclusively cholesterol for the production of 19-nor-5-cholestan-3-ol.Part of this work has been presented at the Nato Conference on Marine Natural Products (Jersey, Great Britain, October, 1976).-This contribution is part of the Programma finalizzato Oceanografia e Fondi marini-sottoprogetto Risorse biologiche C.N.R. Italy.     

Changes in mouse liver superoxide dismutase activity and lipid peroxidation during embryonic and postpartum development

Summary In inbred mice possessing high and low tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, it was observed that the difference in the SOD activities of the liver homogenates during development attains the maximum characteristic of the strain by about the 150th day. Subsequently, the SOD activity change displays a tendency in contrast with the age and the basic state. In the course of the development, a difference was also observed between the 2 mouse strains in the lipid peroxidation variation.Part XVIII of the series Properties of enzymes.     

The participation of kinins in the pathogenesis of early disturbances in the skin capillary permeability in localβ-ray irradiation

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Magnug reflexex of the chest musculature in man

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The effect of chloramphenicol analogs on protein biosynthesis in a cell-freeEscherichia coli B system

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Laboratory of Biological Investigations.

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Laboratory for Chemistry of Antibiotics.     

Isoforms of baker's yeast transketolase

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Some functional characteristics of the electroreceptors (the ampullae of lorenzini) of elasmobranchs

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Synthesis and pharmacological properties of [1-N4-dimethyl-asparagine]-angiotensin II

Summary [1-N⁴-Dimethyl-asparagine]-angiotensin II was synthesized by Merrifield's solid-phase procedure. The analogue gave rat blood pressure about 70% relative potency to Hypertensin (Ciba). Rabbit aorta strips gave intrinsic activity _E=1, a PD₂ of 6.92±0.09 and an affinity relative to [Asn¹]-angiotensin II of 6.5%.The editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed in the authors' brief reports. — Les auteurs sont seuls responsables des opinions exprimées dans ces brèves communications. — Für die Kurzmitteilungen ist ausschliesslich der Autor verantwortlich. — Per le brevi comunicazioni è responsabile solo l'autore. — . — Solo los autores son responsables de las opiniones expresadas en estas comunicationes breves.Acknowledgment. The authors wish to express their appreciation to Dr Emanuel Escher, School of Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Sherbrooke, Quebec, for his help in providing the biological data and critical comments.     

Polyribosome patterns in EMC-virus infected Krebs-2 cells and cell extracts

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Correlation between 3′,5′, c-AMP levels and thyrotropin in separated rat pituitary thyrotropic cells

Summary The correlation between 3,5, c-AMP levels, TSH content and secretion of separated thyrotropic cells was studied. Incubation of the separated cells with 1, 10 and 100 ng of TRH does not change the 3,5, c-AMP levels, despite the significant rises of the TSH level. Dibutyryl c-AMP causes rise in TSH content, with no indication of its secretion. PGE₂ 10^–5 increased 3, 5, c-AMP levels with no change in the content or secretion of TSH in separated thyrotropic cells.     

Investigation of the effects of copper ions on protein aggregation using a model system

Protein aggregation is a notable feature of various human disorders, including Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease and many others systemic amyloidoses. An increasing number of observations in vitro suggest that transition metals are able to accelerate the aggregation process of several proteins found in pathological deposits, e.g. -synuclein, amyloid (A) peptide, ₂-microglobulin and fragments of the prion protein. Here we report the effects of metal ions on the aggregation rate of human muscle acylphosphatase, a suitable model system for aggregation studies in vitro. Among the different species tested, Cu²⁺ produced the most remarkable acceleration of aggregation, the rate of the process being 2.5-fold higher in the presence of 0.1 mM metal concentration. Data reported in the literature suggest the possible role played by histidine residues or negatively charged clusters present in the amino acid sequence in Cu²⁺-mediated aggregation of pathological proteins. Acylphosphatase does not contain histidine residues and is a basic protein. A number of histidine-containing mutational variants of acylphosphatase were produced to evaluate the importance of histidine in the aggregation process. The Cu²⁺-induced acceleration of aggregation was not significantly altered in the protein variants. The different aggregation rates shown by each variant were entirely explained by the changes of hydrophobicity or propensity to form a structure introduced by the point mutation. The effect of Cu²⁺ on acylphosphatase aggregation cannot therefore be attributed to the specific factors usually invoked in the aggregation of pathological proteins. The effect, rather, seems to be a general related to the chemistry of the polypeptide backbone and could represent an additional deleterious factor resulting from the alteration of the homeostasis of metal ions in cells.Received 4 December 2003; received after revision 7 January 2004; accepted 3 February 2004     

X-ray research for polycrystals. The formation geometry of instrumental width of the diffractional line at the investigation of the polycrystals in the translucent X-rays

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Potential juvenile hormone analogues containing piperidine ring: Synthesis and biological assay on insects

Summary Some compounds containing piperidine rings have been synthesized, and submitted to biological tests on insects for their hormonal activity on pupae ofTenebrio molitor L. andBombyx mori L. Some of them display a hormoneanalogue or toxic activity.The editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed in the authors' brief reports. — Les auteurs sont seuls responsables des opinions exprimées dans ces brèves communications. — Für die Kurzmitteilungen ist ausschliesslich der Autor verantwortlich. — Per le brevi comunicazioni è responsabile solo l'autore. — . — Solo los autores son responsables de las opiniones expresadas en estas comunicationes breves.This research has been supported by the Italian National Research Council (CNR) special ad hoc program Fitofarmaci e Fitoregolatori, Subproject. 7.Acknowledgments. We thank Prof. G. Jommi for helpful discussions related to this and previous articles on the same subject.     

Do the respiratory muscles and lung receptors influence the respiratory sensitivity to CO2?

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Zur Umsetzung von 3α-Hydroxy-5β-Steroiden mit Blei(IV)-acetat

Summary On treatment of 3-hydroxy-5-steroids with lead tetra-acetate formation of 3, 9-oxides is observed. The yields of this ring closure reaction decrease significantly in the order 11-keto, ^{9, 11}-ene and ring-C saturated compounds.     

Accumulation of ribonucleoprotein structures in chronically virus-infected cells

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Female canaries display to songs of early isolated males

We tested the sexual responsiveness of female canaries,Serinus canaria, to two sets of different types of male conspecific songs. In each set, three of the male songs had been recorded in a young bird which was isolated at an early age from conspecifics. Each bird was recorded during three stages of the song ontogeny (early plastic songs, late plastic songs and crystallized songs). We used copulation solicitation displays (CSD) as an index of female sexual response. Playbacks were performed during a period of natural sexual responsiveness of the females to song. We demonstrated that, in both experiments, very weak sexual displays of female canaries were recorded to the two stages of isolate plastic songs. Each of the two different types of isolate crystallized songs elicited high levels of CSD. These levels are not significantly different from the adult domesticated control song. Taken together, these results suggest that even isolate songs may convey sexual information. We discuss prominent acoustic features that must be present to ensure female sexual responses.