Helminthosporoside,a host-specific toxin fromHelminthosporium sacchari: A structure revision and a new partial structure

Summary Reevaluation of the previously proposed structure of helminthosporoside, a host-specific toxin fromHelminthosporium sacchari, reveals a sesquiterpenoid bis-digalactoside. The carbohydrate portion of the toxin was characterized by¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, methylation analyses, FD and FAB mass spectroscopy. The ring size and anomeric configuration of the galactose moieties were determined by utilizing a¹³C-NMR structural analysis method. A new partial structure is proposed.Acknowledgment. We extend special thanks to C.E. Costello, Department of Chemistry, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA, for FD mass spectral analyses, and to C.E. Ballou, Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, for FAB mass spectral analyses. We submit sincere appreciation to both V.N. Reihold, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, and P. Albersheim, Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, for methylation analyses. We thank J.S. Frye at the Colorado State University Regional NMR-Center, funded by National Science Foundation grant No. DHE 78-18581, Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Co, for high resolution CMR and NMR, and we are grateful to P.W. Jennings, Department of Chemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Mt, for total carbon analyses. This work was supported in part by a Herman Frasch Foundation grant to G.A. Strobel, by NSF grant PCM-78-22517, and funds from the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. B.P. Mundy acknowledges the partial support of NSF (ISP-801149).     

The presence of free D-serine, D-alanine and D-proline in human plasma.

Twelve neutral free amino acids, i.e. serine, threonine, glutamine, asparagine, alanine, proline, methionine, tyrosine, valine, leucine, isoleucine and phenylalanine, were surveyed for the presence of D-enantiomers in plasma samples from patients with renal diseases and from normal subjects. D-serine, D-alanine and D-proline were found in the patient's plasma. The highest concentrations (D/L ratio) of D-serine, D-alanine and D-proline were 0.2362, 0.2087 and 0.0986, respectively. The sum of the contents of the three D-amino acid was shown to be present in the plasma proteins.     

Interaction of organic dyes with hepatic microsomal drug-metabolizing monoöxygenases in vitro

Summary Organic dyes such as malachite green, methylene blue, fuchsin, safranine T, neutral red, phenazine methosulphate, riboflavin, dichlorophenolindophenol, phenolphthalein, and fluorescein, inhibit hepatic microsomal mixedfunction oxidases and, partly, enhance, partly, inhibit hepatic microsomal NADPH-dependent cytochrome c and neotetrazolium reductases, in contrast to other inhibitors of drug metabolism which do not affect cytochrome c reductase but only interact with cytochrome P-450.Dedicated to Prof. G. Pfleiderer on the occasion of his 60th birthday.Acknowledgment. The author thanks Mrs Fey, Mrs Meier, and Mr Weinrauch, for their skilful technical assistance; he is grateful to Dr A. Sinharay (Hoechst AG) for providing him with anisic ester and methylayapanine.     

Examination of the potential mutagenicity of hair dye constituents using the micronucleus test

Summary 12 compounds which are constitutents of hair dyes or chemically related aromatic amines, aminophenols, their nitroderivatives and aromatic hydroxyderivatives were examined for evidence of mutagenic potential by means of the micronucleus test. None of the compounds tested caused an increase in the incidence of micronucleated erythrocytes after oral dosing.Acknowledgment. These investigations were conducted on behalf and with the assistance of Elida-Gibbs GmbH, Hamburg, Goldwell GmbH, Darmstadt, Thera-Chemie GmbH, Dusseldorf, L'Oreal-Haarkosm, und Parf. GmbH, Karlsruhe, Kadus-Werk K.G., Lenzkirch, Hans Schwarzkopf GmbH, Hamburg, Wella AG, Darmstadt.     

Juvenile hormone: Evidence for a role in the feeding rhythm ofOncopeltus fasciatus (Dallas)

Summary The diurnal feeding rhythm of female milkweed bugs was damped when fed nonhost seeds. Juvenoid treatment partially restored the normal rhythm. Precocene II-treated milkweed seed-fed females fed arrhythmicly during the light phase without reduced total feeding activity. This effect was largely prevented by simultaneous treatment with JH III.I thank Dr Judith H. Willis, Univ. of Illinois, for providing facilities, Meyer Schwartz of ARS, USDA, Beltsville, MD, USA, for providing the precocene II, and Dr W. S. Bowers, formerly of ARS, USDA, Beltsville, MD, for supplying the juvenoid. This work was supported in part by grant AG-00248 from the National Institutes of Health to J. H. Willis.     

Plasma lipid-bound sialic acid alterations in neoplastic diseases

Plasma lipid-bound sialic acid (LSA) was assayed in normal volunteers, patients with non-malignant diseases, and a variety of cancer patients. Mean plasma LSA in 50 normal volunteers, 16 patients with non-malignant diseases, 54 breast cancer, 17 lung cancer, 15 colon cancer, 7 ovarian cancer, 5 prostate cancer, 4 leukemia, 4 gastrointestinal, 3 thyroid cancer, 3 pancreas cancer and 2 adrenal cancer patients were 17.7, 23.2, 58, 85, 56.7, 46.2, 56.7, 53.3, 31.1, 33.2 and 119.5 mg/dl, respectively. None of the normal volunteers had elevated plasma LSA values. Plasma LSA level was not significantly different in male and female volunteers. Two out of 114 different cancer patients had plasma LSA levels within normal range exhibiting 98.2% sensitivity of the assay. Plasma LSA, which is relatively simple to assay, may be used as a tumor marker in wide variety of neoplastic diseases.     

Plasma lipid-bound sialic acid alterations in neoplastic diseases

Summary Plasma lipid-bound sialic acid (LSA) was assayed in normal volunteers, patients with non-malignant diseases, and a variety of cancer patients. Mean plasma LSA in 50 normal volunteers, 16 patients with non-malignant diseases, 54 breast cancer, 17 lung cancer, 15 colon cancer, 7 ovarian cancer, 5 prostate cancer, 4 leukemia, 4 gastrointestinal, 3 thyroid cancer, 3 pancreas cancer and 2 adrenal cancer patients were 17.7, 23.2, 58, 85, 56.7, 46.2, 56.7, 53.3, 31.1, 33.2 and 119.5 mg/dl, respectively. None of the normal volunteers had elevated plasma LSA values. Plasma LSA level was not significantly different in male and female volunteers. Two patients with rheumatic arthritis had LSA values slightly elevated over the mean + 2 SD for the normal volunteers. Two out of 114 different cancer patients had plasma LSA levels within normal range exhibiting 98.2% sensitivity of the assay. Plasma LSA, which is relatively simple to assay, may be used as a tumor marker in wide variety of neoplastic diseases.     

基因工程改造噬菌体应用于细菌感染的研究进展

噬菌体作为细菌病毒,在细菌性感染尤其是多重耐药菌感染的治疗方面具有抗生素无法比拟的优势。目前人工改造噬菌体的理论和技术已趋成熟,研究者通过基因工程技术解决了噬菌体特异性高、半衰期短、释放内毒素等问题,使基因工程改造噬菌体具有了较强的临床应用潜力。本文主要就基因工程改造噬菌体在扩大宿主范围、增强抗生素疗效、延缓免疫清除、避免内毒素释放等方面所具有的优势,及其在剂量确定、细菌耐受、宿主安全性等方面可能会出现的问题进行了阐述。     

The effects of a juvenile hormone analogue on the male reproductive organs of the red cotton bug,Dysdercus cingulatus (Heteroptera)

Summary The maleDysdercus cingulatus F., when treated with the JHa, methyl-3, 7, 11-trimethyl-7, 11-dichloro-2-dodecenoate, showed striking morphological deformities in the gonads, such as formation of additional apical growth on the testes, highly deformed, reduced vasa deferentia and accessory glands.Acknowledgments. We wish to thank Prof. P. Ramchender Rao, Head, Department of Zoology, Osmania University for facilities and encouragement. The financial assistance to P. Judson and B. Julius Divakar by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi is gratefully acknowledged.     

Are Rab proteins the link between Golgi organization and membrane trafficking?

The fundamental separation of Golgi function between subcompartments termed cisternae is conserved across all eukaryotes. Likewise, Rab proteins, small GTPases of the Ras superfamily, are putative common coordinators of Golgi organization and protein transport. However, despite sequence conservation, e.g., Rab6 and Ypt6 are conserved proteins between humans and yeast, the fundamental organization of the organelle can vary profoundly. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the Golgi cisternae are physically separated from one another, while in mammalian cells, the cisternae are stacked one upon the other. Moreover, in mammalian cells, many Golgi stacks are typically linked together to generate a ribbon structure. Do evolutionarily conserved Rab proteins regulate secretory membrane trafficking and diverse Golgi organization in a common manner? In mammalian cells, some Golgi-associated Rab proteins function in coordination of protein transport and maintenance of Golgi organization. These include Rab6, Rab33B, Rab1, Rab2, Rab18, and Rab43. In yeast, these include Ypt1, Ypt32, and Ypt6. Here, based on evidence from both yeast and mammalian cells, we speculate on the essential role of Rab proteins in Golgi organization and protein transport.     

Orange II induced cytogenetical changes in albino mice

Summary Daily feeding of the common food color Orange II to mice in doses of up to 3.0 g/kg b.wt for 180 days had deleterious effects on somatic and spermatogonial chromosomes. The chromosomal abnormalities induced were breaks, gaps, constrictions, centric fusion, fragments of unknown origin, translocation, deletion, stickiness, ring chromosomes, pyknosis and other bizarre configurations.Grateful acknowledgment is made to Prof. U.S. Srivastava, Zoology Department for providing necessary laboratory facilities.     

Regulation of grasshopper fecundity,longevity and egg viability by plant growth hormones

Summary Abscisic acid, a plant growth hormone, added in water to the grass diet of a grasshopper, greatly reduces the reproductive rate, as does gibberellin A₃ at doses 10 times greater. Reciprocal seasonal variations in quantities of these hormones could synchronize the growth and reproduction of insects with their host plants in the field.Acknowledgments. I thank Drs J. Pickett, G. Strobel, D. Meyers, I. Mills, L. Jackson and J. Bradbury for helpful consultations; Dr R. Lund and Ms W. Whitmore for statistical analyses, and S. Baril, M. Gaudet, D. Wrobetz, J. Cotter and W. Wallace for technical assistance. This research was supported by the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, Project 420, and is published as Journal Paper No. 865.     

Tissue specific biochemical alterations prior to spinning in the eri-silkworm,Philosamia ricini

Summary Silkgland, fatbody, hemolymph and midgut of eri-silkworm present tissue specific turnover in their biochemical correlates in preparation for spinning of the cocoon which is followed by larval-pupal transformation.Acknowledgment. The authors are thankful to Dr R. N. Singh, Principal, for providing the necessary facilities, to Dr A. B. Das, Zoology Dept. Visvabharti University for valuable suggestions and to Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, India, for financial assistance.     

C-band positive W chromosome in the female Indian frog

Summary In the female Indian frog,Rana tigrina (2n=26; NF=52), the female is heterogametic. The heterochromosomes (ZW) are morphologically indistinguishable, but the W chromosome proves by C-banding analysis to be entierly heterochromatic.Acknowledgment. S.C. is grateful to Prof. G.K. Manna, Zoology Department, Kalyani University, Prof. Archana Sharma, Botany Department, Calcutta University and to Prof. T. Sharma, Zoology Department, Banarus Hindu University for encouragements. He is also thankful to Prof. D.K. Choudhuri, Burdwan University for support.     

Cornea regeneration in the Pacific giant octopus,Octopus dofleini,and the common octopus,O. vulgaris

Summary Cornea regeneration in a Pacific giant octopus,Octopus dofleini, occurred within 10 days after the injury was observed. Surgical removal of the cornea in 2 common octopi,O. vulgaris experimentally duplicated this cornea regeneration within a 10-day period. It is, therefore, concluded that besides sucking discs, arms, and nerve fibres, octopi can also regenerated corneal tissue.The authors would like to thank U. E. Friese, B. Borowski, P. Burn, J.W. Atz, G.J. Nelson, H. Feinberg, P. Fenimore, C. Roper, M. Nixon, M. Segalla, G. Clark, D.O. Calligaro, J.M. Anderson and R.J. Koestler for assistance and advice. Illustrations were drawn by G.D. This work was supported by the New York Aquarium of the New York Zoological Society, while G.D. was at the New York Aquarium.     

Periostin in the pathogenesis of skin diseases

Skin is an organ that is susceptible to damage by external injury, chronic inflammation, and autoimmunity. Tissue damage causes alterations in both the configuration and type of cells in lesional skin. This phenomenon, called tissue remodeling, is a universal biological response elicited by programmed cell death, inflammation, immune disorders, and tumorigenic, tumor proliferative, and cytoreductive activity. In this process, changes in the components of the extracellular matrix are required to provide an environment that facilitates tissue remodeling. Among these extracellular matrix components, periostin, a glycoprotein that is predominantly secreted from dermal fibroblasts, has attracted attention. Periostin localizes in the papillary dermis of normal skin, and is aberrantly expressed in the dermis of lesional skin in atopic dermatitis, scar, systemic/limited scleroderma, melanoma, cutaneous T cell lymphoma, and skin damage caused by allergic/autoimmune responses. Periostin induces processes that result in the development of dermal fibrosis, and activate or protract the immune response. The aim of this review was to summarize recent knowledge of the role of periostin in the pathogenesis of dermatoses, and to explore whether periostin is a potential therapeutic target for skin diseases.     

Vitamins and other metabolites in various sera commonly used for cell culturing

Many cell culture media use different sera to enhance growth. We assayed vitamins and some related metabolites in different sera and identified the concentration of: thiamin, biotin, folates, riboflavin, pantothenates, nicotinates, vitamins B6, B12, A, E, C, and carotenes and some related metabolites: biopterins, free inositol, free and total choline, total carnitines in chicken, horse, rabbit, goat, pig, calf, newborn calf, fetal calf and human sera. Results indicate that vitamin and metabolite content of different sera vary. Such variations could produce fluctuant effects on cell culturings if the metabolite content of the serum is not documented.     

可再生能源互联网中的微电子技术

可再生能源互联网对电子系统提出了五大要求:高效性、安全性、可靠性、便利性、宽泛性.为了实现上述要求,可再生能源互联网需要多学科、多方面、多层次的创新.微电子技术将会渗透到可再生能源互联网的各个层级,是可再生能源互联网的重要支撑性技术之一.文章重点围绕固态变压器、分布式储能技术、信息采集芯片技术、通信芯片技术四个方面,阐述了可再生能源互联网中的微电子技术所面临的特殊要求、技术挑战及未来可能的发展趋势.     

HBeAg induces the expression of macrophage miR-155 to accelerate liver injury via promoting production of inflammatory cytokines

Activation of Kupffer cells (KCs) induced that inflammatory cytokine production plays a central role in the pathogenesis of HBV infection. The previous studies from our and other laboratory demonstrated miRNAs can regulate TLR-inducing inflammatory responses to macrophage. However, the involvement of miRNAs in HBV-associated antigen-induced macrophage activation is still not thoroughly understood. Here, we evaluated the effects and mechanisms of miR-155 in HBV-associated antigen-induced macrophage activation. First, co-culture assay of HepG2 or HepG2.2.15 cells and RAW264.7 macrophages showed that HepG2.2.15 cells could significantly promote macrophages to produce inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, we, respectively, stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages, mouse primary peritoneal macrophages, or healthy human peripheral blood monocytes with HBV-associated antigens, including HBcAg, HBeAg, and HBsAg, and found that only HBeAg could steadily enhance the production of inflammatory cytokines in these cells. Subsequently, miRNAs sequencing presented the up- or down-regulated expression of multiple miRNAs in HBeAg-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In addition, we verified the expression of miR-155 and its precursors BIC gene with q-PCR in the system of co-culture or HBeAg-stimulated macrophages. Meanwhile, the increased miR-155 expression was positively correlation with serum ALT, AST, and HBeAg levels in AHB patients. Although MAPK, PI3K, and NF-κB signal pathways were all activated during HBeAg treatment, only PI3K and NF-κB pathways were involved in miR-155 expression induced by HBeAg stimulation. Consistently, miR-155 over-expression inhibited production of inflammatory cytokines, which could be reversed by knocking down miR-155. Moreover, we demonstrated that miR-155 regulated HBeAg-induced cytokine production by targeting BCL-6, SHIP-1, and SOCS-1. In conclusion, our data revealed that HBeAg augments the expression of miR-155 in macrophages via PI3K and NF-κB signal pathway and the increased miR-155 promotes HBeAg-induced inflammatory cytokine production by inhibiting the expression of BCL-6, SHIP-1, and SOCS-1.