Receptors for thymosin fraction V on rat thymic lymphocytes

Summary Binding by rat thymus lymphocytes of thymosin V, labeled with colloidal gold, was studied. Under the experimental conditions employed at least 2.8% cells exhibited thymosin binding sites. Supported by Polish Academy of Sciences. Fellows of Humboldt's Fellowship. The authors thank Dr A.L. Goldstein for the gift of thymosin. Also are grateful to Dr J. Jaroszewski for helpful discussion.     

Evidence for the extranuclear localization of thymosins in thymus.

A new radioimmunoassay has been developed for thymosin beta 4 by generating rabbit polyclonal antibodies against the synthetic N-terminal peptide fragment 1-15 coupled to KLH. The synthetic analogue [Tyr12]-thymosin beta 4 (1-15) was used as tracer. This radioimmunoassay, with a useful range of 10-1000 pmoles, showed cross-reactivity with the second homologous beta-thymosin of man and rat (thymosin beta 10) but not of calf (thymosin beta 9). This radioimmunoassay, together with an improved radioimmunoassay for the N-terminus of parathymosin alpha, was employed for the measurement of the levels of thymosin beta 4 and parathymosin alpha in nuclear and extranuclear extracts of calf thymus. The bulk of these polypeptides was found in the extranuclear material whereas only traces were observed in the nuclear environment, which indicates the extranuclear localisation of alpha- and beta-thymosins.     

Comparative study of the effect of thymosin and supernatant from epithelial thymic cells on antibody production (author's transl)]

A thymic extract (TE) was prepared from supernatant of mice thymic epithelial cultures according to the purification of thymosin. TE and thymosin stimulated, in vitro, the immune response of mouse against deep red blood cells.     

Etude comparative de l'effet de la thymosine et d'un extrait de cultures cellulaires épithéliales thymiques sur la production d'anticorps

Summary A thymic extract (TE) was preparated from supernatant of mice thymic epithelial cultures according to the purification of thymosin. TE and thymosin stimulated, in vitro, the immune response of mouse against sheep red blood cells.

---

---

Les auteurs remercient Mademoiselle Condemine Florence pour son aide technique durant ce travail.     

Evidence for the extranuclear localization of thymosins in thymus

A new radioimmunoassay has been developed for thymosin ₄ by generating rabbit polyclonal antibodies against the synthetic N-terminal peptide fragment 1–15 coupled to KLH. The synthetic analogue [Tyr¹²]-thymosin ₄ (1–15) was used as tracer. This radioimmunoassay, with a useful range of 10–1000 pmoles, showed cross-reactivity with the second homologous -thymosin of man and rat (thymosin ₁₀) but not of calf (thymosin ₉). This radioimmunoassay, together with an improved radioimmunoassay for the N-terminus of parathymosin , was employed for the measurement of the levels of thymosin ₄ and parathymosin in nuclear and extranuclear extracts of calf thymus. The bulk of these polypeptides was found in the extranuclear material whereas only traces were observed in the nuclear environment, which indicates the extranuclear localisation of - and -thymosins.     

Freeze tolerance in the frog,Rana sylvatica

Summary Wood frogs survive extracellular freezing at moderate subzero temperatures (–4°C) for at least 11 days. Freezing survival is aided by the accumulation of high concentrations of glucose as a cryoprotectant in blood and tissues. Glucose production was accompanied by a rapid decline in liver, but not muscle, glycogen levels suggesting that liver is the organ controlling cryoprotectant synthesis.Acknowledgments. This study was supported by grants to L.M.G. from the Kroc Foundation (Santa Ynez, California) and from the National Institute of Dental Research (Grant No. DE-03987). The authors wish to thank K. Yorko, M. Shakin, J. Finan and Mrs N. Manivannan for their technical and secretarial assistance.Acknowledgments. I thank Dr J. Ballantyne, Dr F. Schueler and I. McMurray for help with frog collections and Dr. W. Schmid, Dr J. Bogart and Dr F. Cook for helpful discussions. Supported by an N.S.E.R.C. operating grant and by a grant from the Atkinson Charitable Foundation.     

Evidence tha a ‘critical period’ is involved in early estrogen-induced LH- and FSH-release during the estrous cycle in the rat

Summary LH- and FSH-release, which occurred in the afternoon of diestrus 1 following estradiol benzoate administration in the morning of estrus, was completely prevented by pentobarbital, when injected on diestrus 1 at 13.30 h.This investigation was partially financed by the CNRS (ERA 566).Acknowledgments. We are grateful to Dr S. Plas-Roser for her expert assistance and advice on radioimmunoassays. We are indebted to Mrs Ch. Lazarus for her technical assistance. We wish to express our gratitude to Dr B. Kerdelhue and Dr A. F. Parlow for providing iodinated hormones and reagents for the determination of LH and FSH.     

Chromsome aberrations in cattle raised on bracken fern pasture

Summary Thirteen cows maintained on natural bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) were analyzed cytogenetically. The frequency of structural chromosome aberrations detected in peripheral blood cells was significantly higher when compared to that detected in animals raised on pasture containing no bracken fern. We discuss the clastogenic action of fern and its synergistic action with infection by type 2 and 4 papilloma virus in the same animals.Acknowledgments. We are grateful to Dr F. J. Benesi, Dr J. L. Guerra and Dr I. L. Sinhorini for performing some of the clinical and pathological analyses; O. P. Ferraz, L. A. Tadeu Dias, L. F. Feitosa and A. M. N. Paiva for technical assistance; and to Dr N. H. C. Castro and Dr C. de Araujo Peres for critical and statistics review, respectively. Research was supported by CNPq FAPESP and CAPES.     

Localization of bovine pancreatic polypeptide (BPP)-like immunoreactivity in rat pancreatic monolayer culture

Summary Antiserum to bovine pancreatic polypeptide (BPP) has been used for immunofluorescent staining in the light microscope. With this technique it is possible to detect the presence of specific cells in monolayer culture from neonatal rat pancreas which contain BPP or a closely related peptide.This work was supported by a grant (No. 3.553.75) from the Fonds National Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique. We are very grateful to Dr.R. E. Chance, Eli Lilly, for his generous gift of BPP and anti-BPP serum. We are also very obliged to Dr.R. H. Unger for providing glucagon, to Dr.J. Rivier and Dr.R. Guillemin for somatostatin, to Dr.N. Yanaihara for secretin, to Dr.W. Gepts for gastrin and to Dr.A. J. Moody for GLI.     

Antiviral substances in starfish

Zusammenfassung Eine Gruppe von teilweise chemisch charakterisierten Verbindungen, welche die Vermehrung des Influenza-Virus in Huhnembryo-Test verhindern, wurde aus den SeesternenAsterias forbesi, Asterias pectinifera undAcanthaster planci isoliert.

---

---

This research was supported by the N.S.F. Sea-Grant Program. The author thanks Dr.H. W. Younken Jr. and Dr.L. R. Worthen for their encouragement and suggestions throughout this work. Thanks are also due to Dr.Hashimoto, Tokyo University, and Dr.Yasumoto, Tohoku University, for the specimen ofAsterina pectinifera, and Dr.B. M. Branham, University of Hawaii, forAcanthaster planci sample. The antiviral test was carried out by Dr.O. Liu, Northeast Shellfish Sanitation Research Center, D. H. E. W., Narragansett, Rhode Island, to whome the author expresses his sincere gratitude.     

The use of a Quantimet image analysis system to analyse trypsin banding patterns of V79/4 (AH1) Chinese hamster chromosomes

Summary A Quantimet image-analysis system was programmed to identify and print out banding patterns from G-banded chromosome spreads of a clone derived from the established cell line V79/4 (Chinese hamster fibroblasts), designated V79/4(AH1).Acknowledgments. We thank Dr. J.R.K. Savage and Dr J. Thacker, MRC Harwell for their advice, also Dr. P.D. Holt for useful discussions. We also thank D. Coates for his assistance with the Quantimet. This work was partly supported by Euratom grant No. 134-74-1 BIOUK.     

Alopecia in laboratory animals induced by a polyampholyte,polyethylene alanine

Summary Polyethylene alanine, a polyaminoacid, was found to induce a characteristic alopecia when administered topically or systemically to suckling mice, or newborn guinea-pigs or rabbits.Acknowledgments. The authors thank Dr C. Peeters, Dr M.J. Vanstapel and Prof. Dr V. Desmet for the histopathological examination of the skin biopsy specimens, and Dr K. Marien for helpful discussions.     

The effects of brain monoamine depletion on p-chlorophenyl-alanine-induced hypothermia

Summary I.p. administration of p-chlorophenylalanine produced a fall in rectal temperature in rats. The hypothermia was attenuated after pretreatment of the animals with 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine, but was unaffected after pretreatment of the animals with 6-hydroxydopamine.This work was supported by grants from the National Science Council (Republic of China) and J. Aron Charitable Foundation (USA). The authors are grateful to Dr C.Y. Chai, Dr T.H. Yin, Dr H.H. Lu and Mr C.C. Wei for their advice and support.     

A chromosome study ofScarites occidentalis (Coleoptera,Caraboidea)

Summary Scarites occidentalis has 2n=41 (females 2n=42), n=19+X₁X₂Y. This multiple sex-chromosome system and other karyotypic characteristics suggest that this species andS. buparius share a recent common ancestor in which the sex trivalent was probably originated.Thanks are due to Dr N. Virkki for his valuable comments and his help with the English, to Dr Ramos and Dr Aparicio for discussion and advice, to Dr F. Hiraldo and M. Mañez for collecting the specimens. This work has been supported by a postdoctoral fellowship of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas.     

A Laser-Doppler-Velocimeter using an optical fiber and its application to local velocity measurement in the coronary artery

Summary A Laser-Doppler-Velocimeter with an optical fiber has been developed to measure arterial blood velocity accurately in a small sample volume. After fundamental experiments to evaluate the accuracy of the present method, blood flow velocity was measured in canine coronary arteries.Acknowledgment. We thank Dr J. Koyama, Vice President of the Institute of Electronics and Communication Engineering of Japan, for his keen interest and continuous encouragement throughout the work. Thanks are also due to Dr H. Kita for English revision, and Dr K. Mito and Mr O. Hiramatsu for their excellent technical assistance. This investigation was supported by the Grants from the Ministry of Education of Japan (No. 521125 and No. 337049 and No. 587008).     

Pituitary response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone in diabetic male rats

Summary The rise in serum luteinizing hormone concentration after treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone was less in diabetic castrated male rats than control castrates. In intact male rats, gonadotropin-releasing hormone treatment resulted in higher serum luteinizing hormone concentrations in diabetic than in control rats.Acknowledgments. This work was supported in part by a grant from the Medical Research Council of Canada. The authors are grateful to Dr G.D. Niswender, Dr L.E. Reichert, Jr. and the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive Diseases, Rat Pituitary Hormone Program for providing radioimmunoassay materials. The streptozotocin was kindly provided by Dr W.E. Dulin, The Upjohn Company. D.B. Beaton and J. Brunka provided excellent technical assistance.     

The delta sleep inducing peptide (DSIP). Comparative properties of the original and synthetic nonapeptide

Summary Both the original and the synthetic nonapeptide Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu enhance, in recipient rabbits, spindle and delta EEG activity as in orthodox slow wave sleep.Acknowledgment. This work was supported by grants from the Swiss National Foundation for Scientific Research (No. 3.871.72, 3.527.75,3.443.074, 3.780.076), Fonds für Lehre und Forschung der Universität Basel, Merck Sharp and Dohme (USA), Ciba-Stiftung Basel, Hoffmann La Roche Ltd Basel, Sandoz Ltd Basel. We received valuable help from Dr S. Roncari, Dr B. Wilson and Dr C. D. Bennett for chemical research, and from Prof. A. Cerletti, Dr H. J. Tobler and Mr J. J. Regez (Division of Application and Research Development, Sandoz Ltd) for data processing.     

Plasma thyrotrophin concentration in the foetal calf

Résumé On a mesuré le taux de thyrotrophine (TSH), thyroxine et cortisol dans le plasma du foetus du veau pendant les 18 jours précédant la naissance. La diminution du TSH a précédé de 6 jours et s'est poursuivie en même temps que celle du taux de thyroxine.

---

---

We are grateful to the Medical Research Council and the Milk Marketing Board for financial support.

---

The TSH preparation used for iodination in these studies was kindly provided by Dr.J. Pierce, and the antiserum to Pierce bovine TSH was provided by Dr.G. D. Thorburn. Synacthen was kindly provided by Dr.D. M. Burley, CIBA Laboratories, Horsham, Sussex and Efcortelan by Dr.E. S. Snell, Glaxo Laboratories, Middx.     

Distribution ofγ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the ganglia ofAplysia kurodai

Summary The concentration of GABA was determined in each ganglion ofAplysia kurodai by microassay. Highest concentration was observed in buccal ganglia.The authors are indebted to Miss C. Shimada for her skillful assistance and are also grateful to Dr. H. Koike in our institute for his advice to handleAplysia, to Dr. S. Ameniya, Misaki Marine Biology Station, University of Tokyo, for his support to get the animals.     

50 ppm MnBK subclinical neuropathy in rats

Summary 40 rats were subjected daily for 6 months to an atmosphere containing 50 ppm MnBK. 32 of the rats presented with demyelination of the sciatic nerve and 2 of these with axonal hypertrophy.This work was supported in part by General Support Grant RR. 5414.We thank Dr Cedric Raines, Einstein Medical Center, New York, for helpful criticisms and suggestions and Dr Saul Francis for intoxicating the rats.