Distribution of radioactivity after administration of3H-5-hydroxytryptamine by three different routes to the musselMytilus edulis

Summary Intracardiac injection gives proportionately higher and earlier peak concentration in tissues that specifically accumulates it, i.m. injection gives slower but longer lasting accumulations, and topical application to a ganglia essentially localizes the drug in that structure.We wish to thank Drs Hiripi and Nemcsok for the demonstration of the intracardiac technique. We also wish to thank Drs Haley and Ledeen for the use of the scintillation counter.     

Insect hemocytes: Cells adapted to anaerobiosis

Summary Hemocytes from a free-living insect could be grown under strictly anoxic conditions. Their anaerobic metabolism was studied in vitro in such a cellular system.We thank Dr C. Remesy for analysing the volatile fatty acids and Drs P. Dejours and J. Girard for helpful discussions.     

1,1-Dimethyl-5,6-dihydroxyindolinium chloride from a deep water marine sponge,Dercitus sp.

Summary 1,1-Dimethyl-5,6-dihydroxyindolinium chloride (1a)was identified from a deep water sample of the marine sponge,Dercitus sp., and its structure was elucidated by spectral methods.Acknowledgments. This is Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc., SeaPharm Project Contribution No. 612. We thank Drs K. Rinehart, Jr, S. Pomponi and E. Armstrong for sponge collection.     

Increase in in vivo (3H) spiperone binding in the rat hippocampal formation and striatum after repeated treatment with haloperidol

Summary An increase in in vivo (³H) spiperone binding was observed in rat hippocampal formation and striatum after repeated treatment with haloperidol. This suggests that in hippocampus as well as in striatum prolonged blockade of dopaminergic transmission by a neuroleptic agent results in the development of a supersensitivity of the dopamine receptors.Acknowledgments. We wish to thank Mrs J. Krauss for skillful technical assistance, Drs Helmut Bittiger and Rainer Ortmann for helpful discussions.     

Presence of ecdysone and ecdysterone in the tickAmblyomma hebraeum Koch

Summary Ecdysone and ecdysterone, the moulting hormones of insects and crustaceans, are also present in nymphs of the tickAmblyomma hebraeum. They were demonstrated by means of radioimmunoassay and of gas-liquid chromatography combined with mass fragmentography or mass spectrometry of their trimethylsilyl-drivatives.Acknowledgments. We thank Proff. A. Aeschlimann and C. Noirot and Dr J. Delachambre for their help and encouragement. We are grateful to Proff. Maume and Padieu (Département de Biochimie, Université de Dijon) for the use of the LKB 9000 GLC-MS, and to Drs M. L. De Reggi, M. H. Hirn and Prof. M. A. Delaage for the gift of some RIA-antigens and antibodies. We thank Ciba-Geigy Ltd for the supply with ticks. The work was in part supported by grant Nr. 3. 734. 76 of the Swiss National Science Foundation and by a grant of the Emil Barrel Stiftung.     

The formation of disulfide bonds in human protamines during sperm maturation

Summary The disulfide contents of human sperm heads, as measured by reduction to the sulfhydryls and subsequent alkylation with¹⁴C-iodoacetamide, increase about 2-fold during the sperm passage from the caput to caudal epididymides. Majority of the increased disulfides reside in the human protamine fractions.We thank Drs Jisnuson Svasti and Nongnuj Tanphaichitr for their valuable suggestions. This work was supported by the Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, and the Rockefeller Foundation.     

Hydroxylation of menthols and cineoles withm-chloroperbenzoic acid

Summary Reaction of menthols and cineoles withm-chloroperbenzoic acid afforded tertiary, secondary, and primary alcohols, some of which were natural products having potent plant growth regulatory activity or were mammlianm metabolies.We thank Nippon Terpene Co. Ltd for their generous gift of the compounds used in this work and Drs M. Kido and Y. Fukuyama, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, for measurement of high resolution mass spectra. The present work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.     

Direct measurement of the pH in the stomach of the conscious rat,using a special electrode

Summary The construction and use of a specially designed electrode to measure gastric pH in the conscious rat is described. Measurement of gastric hydrogen ion activity with this device is rapid and reproducible in starved rats. A doserelated increase of gastric pH was obtained after s.c. injection of the anticholinergic isopropamide.Acknowledgment. We wish to thank Mr F. Lenaerts and Mr J. Vermeire for careful assistance in these studies.     

Ribosomal bodies specific to both pollen and zygotic embryogenesis inDatura

Summary Induction of pollen embryos in vitro or zygotic embryos in situ is characterized by the formation of RNA-rich cytoplasmic bodies. These are observed in all pollen embryos irrespective of the different pathways of androgenesis followed in vitro.We thank Drs brigitte S. Sangwan-Norreel and A. Kovoor for discussions and Mr J. Schaeffer for technical assistance.     

Hageman factor activation and tight junction disruption in mice challenged with attenuated endotoxin

Summary Endotoxin treated with chromium chloride is less toxic to mice than the parent molecule, but can disrupt intestinal permeability barriers and has an enhanced ability to activate Hageman factor.We wish to thank Drs M.W. Brightman and T.S. Reese from the Department of Neurocytology, National Institutes of Health for the use of their Balzers freeze-fracture instrument.     

4,5,6,7-Tetrahydro-7-oxobenzo[b]thien-4-ylurea; Sulbenox,a novel animal growth stimulant

Summary The title compound, a metabolite of 4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thien-4-ylurea, was synthesized and found to be an effective growth promoter in sheep, mice, and rats. In sheep it gave over a 6-week growth period at 15 and 60 ppm in the diet an economically and statistically significant growth response.United States adopted name (USAN).We thank Dr T.J. Bentley, D.J. France, and Dr L.D. Spicer for synthesis and structural elucidation work, Dr M.W. Bullock and G.W. Cox for metabolism studies, Drs J. Harter, D. Ingle, J.M. Pensack and L. Wozniak and their associates for biological data, and Drs D.J. Thoennes and M.L. Thomson for spectral data and interpretations.     

Coelenterate nematocysts bind immunoglobulins

Summary Nematocyst capsules ofActinia equina were shown to bind immunoglobulins. Binding is not affected by EDTA-pretreatment or incubation with N-acetyl-galactosamine and N-acetyl-glucosamine.This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Ste 105/19-21).I wish to thank Drs Ute Groeschel-Stewart, Darmstadt, and Helmut Schuhmacher, Bochum, for helpful discussion.     

Two sulfur-containing ansamycin antibiotics fromStreptomyces albolongus

Summary Two sulfur-containing ansamycin antibiotics were isolated from the culture broth ofStreptomyces albolongus C-46366; the major one was identical with awamycin and the minor one was a new ansamycin antibiotic, ansathiazin. Their structures were elucidated from their reactions and spectroscopic analyses. These antibiotics were active against gram-positive bacteria, acid-fast bacteria and a protozoan.We thank Dr I. Umezawa for his generous gift of awamycin. We are grateful to Drs K. Morita, Y. Nakao, H. Okazaki and H. Ono for their interest throughout this work. Thanks are also due to Messrs Y. Kono, K. Koyama, H. Fujiuchi and Y. Nakano, and Mrs K. Jinno for their skillful technical assistance.     

Effects of prolactin (PRL) on gonadotropin release in mice with congenital PRL deficiency

Summary In prolactin (PRL)-deficient male dwarf mice, treatment with PRL stimulates the release of FSH without affecting plasma LH levels. We now report that this effect of PRL is not mediated by the testes and that PRL does not modify FSH or LH release in female dwarf mice.This work was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development through a grand HD12642 and RIA Core of grant HD10202. We thank NIAMDD and Drs G.D. Niswender and L.E. Reichert, Jr, for reagents used in radioimmunoassays.     

Effect of blood pH on anionic ferritin transport through rat aortic endothelium

Summary Acute lowering of blood pH between 7.4 and 6.9 in rats by ventilation with 10 or 20% CO₂ does not increase the passage of ferritin molecules across the aortic endothelium. These results do not rule out alteration of endothelial permeability to anionic macromolecules in local circulatory disturbances when blood pH drops to levels much lower than 6.9.Supported by The Medical Research Council of Canada grant No. MA-5958.Dr J.R. Fraser was a recipient of a Summer Research Scholarship from McGill University during the completion of this study.The authors thank Colin Bier for the statistical analysis.     

Sensitivity ofBotrytis cinerea Pers. to elemental sulfur in the presence of surfactants

Summary The sensitivity ofBotrytis cinerea Pers. to elemental sulfur is enhanced in surfactant solutions (Triton X-100 or SDS). The role of surfactants in the change of permeability to sulfur is discussed.The authors thank Drs D. Gindrat and R. Peck for critical reading and helpful suggestions.     

Bicuculline and picrotoxin block γ-aminobutryic acid-gated Cl− conductance by different mechanisms

Summary Using isolated, internally perfused bullfrog dorsal root ganglion cells we have studied the dose-response curves for -aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the presence of internally or externally applied GABA antagonists. With external application of antagonists the inhibition of the GABA current by bicuculline was competitive and that by picrotoxin was noncompetitive. Picrotoxin but not bicuculline blocked when internally perfused.To whom reprint requests should be addressed.Acknowledgments. We thank Drs S. Minakami and S. Yasui for helpful discussions and comments.     

Interaction between fluorescent-labeled ACTH1–24 isolated fat cells,and serum albumin

Summary Part or all of the difference in the ability of ACTH_1–24 and a fluorescent-labeled ACTH_1–24 to activate lipolysis in fat cells can be accounted for by label-related binding to albumin present in the assay medium.Acknowledgments. We thank L. Hinman, B. Huber-Preston and C. Schatzmann for technical assistance, Drs P. Schiller and W. Rittel for the ACTH samples, and Dr T. Binkert for helpful discussion. This work was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (grant No. 18016) and by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant No. 3589. 71).     

Protein content of various developmental stages of three strains of the pink bollworm,Pectinophora gossypiella

Summary Comparison of the total body protein of male and female larvae, pupae, and adults of a diapause and 2 nondiapause strains of the pink bollwormPectinophora gossypiella indicated that the protein content of larvae of the diapause strains was significantly higher than of the non-diapause strain.I thank Drs D.R. Nelson and R.A. Bell of the U.S.D.A. Metabolism and Radiation Research Laboratory, Fargo, for facilities and guidance.     

Electron probe x-ray microanalysis and cryoultramicrotomy of unstained myocardial sarcoplasmic reticulum,in situ and fragmented

Summary Myocardial sarcoplasmic reticulum of cats in situ and fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum (FSR) were analysed using X-ray microanalysis, cryoultramicrotomy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. 2 types of FSR vesicles can be distinguished morphologically and by their different elemental composition especially by different Ca loading. The Ca content of the sarcoplasmic reticulum can also be detected in situ.Acknowledgments. We thank Drs A.V. Somlyo and A.P. Somlyo for helpful advice and valuable discussion.This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.