Luffolide,a novel anti-inflammatory terpene from the spongeLuffariella sp.

Summary Luffolide (4) is a minor metabolite of the spongeLuffariella sp. from Palau. The structure of luffolide was determined by single crystal X-ray analysis. Luffolide is relatively unstable and undergoes a complex cyclization reaction to give the hexacyclic products5 and6. Luffolide (4) has some of the anti-inflammatory properties of manoalide (1): this may help to define the chemical reaction between manoalide (1) and phospholipase A₂.All crystallographic calculations were done on a PRIME 9950 computer operated by the Cornell Chemistry Computing Facility. Principal programs employed were: FOBS, a data reduction program by G.D. Van Duyne, Cornell University, 1987; MULTAN 80, and RANTAN 80, systems of computer programs for the automatic solution of crystal structures from X-ray diffraction data (locally modified to perform all Fourier calculations including Patterson syntheses) written by P. Main, S. E. Hull, L. Lessinger, G. Germain, J. P. Declercq and M. M. Woolfson, University of York, England, 1980 BDLS, an, anisotropic block diagonal least squares refinement written by K. Hirotsu, E. Arnold, and G. D. Van Duyne, Cornell University, 1987; PLUTO 78, a locally modified crystallographic illustration program by W. D. S. Motherwell, Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre, 1978; and BOND, a program to calculate molecular parameters and prepare tables written by K. Hirotsu and G. Van Duyne, Cornell University, 1985.Acknowledgment. We thank the Government of the Republic of Palau for a scientific research permit. We thank Dr Klaus Rützler, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. for identifying the sponge and Mary Kay Harper for performing additional bioassays. This research was supported by grants from the Sea Grant College Programs of California [Projects R/MP-30 to DJF) and R/MP-31 (to RSJ)] and New York (to JC) and the National Institutes of Health (CA 24487 to JC).     

Characterization of DNAs fromCoprinus lagopus andMucor azygospora

Resumé Les rapports G+C des ADN deCoprinus lagopus etMucor azygospora ont été étudiés. Le profil de fusion indique que l'ADN duC. lagopus est composé de deux fractions, une principale (90%) de rapport G+C 52 moles pourcent, une mineure (10%) de G+C 32 moles pourcent. Par contre l'ADN deM. azygospora contient une fraction unique de G+C 38 moles pourcent. L'étude de la cinétique de réassociation DNA:DNA montre que la dimension génomique («genome size») deC. lagopus est de 2×10¹² et qu'il y a moin de 10% de DNA à séquences répétées de nucléotides.

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This research was supported in part by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Contract No. AT (40-1) 4182 and the Research Corporation, New York, to S.K.D. We are grateful to ProfessorG. Turian, University of Geneva, for making possibleM. Ojha's participation in this research.     

Morphine tolerance in a human neuroblastoma line: Changes in choline acetylase and cholinesterase activities

Zusammenfassung Nachweis der Entstehung einer Morphin-Toleranz und-Dependenz sowie von Veränderungen (Steigerung der Cholinesterase, Verminderung der Cholin-o-Acetyltransferase) von Enzymaktivitäten nach länger dauernden Morphingaben bei Neuroblastom-Kulturen.

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Acknowledgements. This work was supported by grant No. U-2270 from the Health Research Council of the City of New York, a Lucy G. Moses Fellowship and an Irma T. Hirschl Career Scientist Award (to G.M.)     

Extensive endoplasmic reticulum: a distinguishing feature of auxin-producing plant cells

Résumé Le cytoplasme des cellules végétales capables de synthétiser l'auxine est caractérisé par l'abondance du réticulum endoplasmique. Les cellules dont la croissance est stimulée par de hautes concentrations de cette hormone contiennent beaucoup moins de réticulum endoplasmique. D'où l'hypothèse que le lieu de synthèse de l'auxine (dans les cellules capables de cette synthèse) est peut-être le réticulum endoplasmique.

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This work was begun at Manhattan College, Bronx, New York, supported by USPHS grant No. CA 06955, the Anna Fuller fund, and the Christine Sonntag Foundation. The work was continued at the Boyce Thompson Institute, Yonkers, New York, and completed at the Wistar Institute with support from USPHS grant No. CA 10815.

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I am grateful to Dr.G. Hagen for theNicotiana tissues, Dr.J. Lippincott for theP. savastanoi cultures and to Mrs.B. di Gregorio andE. Manasse for competent technical assistance.     

Fat metabolism in various forms of experimental obesity. VI. Instantaneous lipogenesis in hypothalamic obese mice

Zusammenfassung Bei Mäusen und Ratten mit hypothalamischer Fettsucht beobachtet man bei Fütterungad libitum vermehrte Fettbildung, die zurückgeht, wenn man die Tiere hungern lässt. Diese Befunde lassen auf einen «regulatorischen» und nicht «metabolischen» Charakter dieser Fettsucht schliessen.

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Supported in part by grants-in-aid from the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolism (Grant No. A49C2R), National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; Sugar Research Foundation, New York City; Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Michigan; and the J. M. Kaplan Fund, Inc., New York.     

Transparency in organisms

Summary The occurrence in animal phyla of species having a relatively transparent body is noted and measurements of the transmittance of medusae made in a spectrophotometer are reported, but the approximate nature of the results obtained with a commercial instrument and the importance of the correct physical design of the measuring apparatus are emphasized. The application to invertebrates of the structural explanation of the predominant transmission of incident light by the vertebrate cornea is discussed and the role of other factors considered. Destructive interference of the scattered rays, sufficient to account for the transparency of the cornea, has been shown not to demand a completely regular arrangement of collagen fibres. The small diameter and regularity of the fibrillar components in the muscles ofSagitta may be adequate to account for their transparency.I am grateful to Dr.D. M. Maurice for the encouragement of this interest, to Dr.E. G. Jordan for electron micrographs ofSagitta and to Mr.G. Ross (Department of Physics, Queen Elizabeth College) for helpful and critical discussion.     

Electrical response of bat retina to spectral stimulation: comparison of four microchiropteran species

Summary Electrical responses of the retinas of 4 species of microchiropteran bats stimulated by spectrally restricted light flashes were found to diverge systematically from the rhodopsin absorption spectrum. The divergence was progressively greater across the 4 species. The results appeared explainable by assuming a second photoreceptor class and photopigment which was present in progressively greater numbers in the retinas ofEptesicus fuscus, Desmodus rotundus, Artibeus jamaicensis andCarollia perspicillata.This work was made possible by equipment provided by grant No. EY 01228 from the U.S.P.H.S., Bob Hope Fight for Sight award No. G 522 and a grant from Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. Portions of this work were presented at the Fifth International Bat Research Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 11, 1978.The authors would like to express appreciation to Drs A.M. Potts, J. B. Longley, R. S. Crockett and T. G. Wheeler for helpful suggestions and to Drs J. H. Richardson, J. G. Cooper, L. Kundrotas, Mr B. Spoonamore and Mr W. Lopez-Forment for facilitating collection and importation of the Mexican bats.     

Atypic chronology of the mitotic cycle of neoplastic mouse mast cells

Zusammenfassung Im mitotischen Zyklus vollständig asynchroner, exponentiell proliferierender neoplastischer Manusmastzellen des Stamms P815Y ist dieG1-Phase vollständig abwesend. DNA-Synthese (S-Phase) beansprucht 84%,G2-Phase 14% und Mitose 4% der vollen Dauer des Zell-Zyklus.

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This investigation was supported by the Office of Naval Research under contract No. Nonr-266(76) and by the Health Research Council of the City of New York under contract No. I-428, and carried out at Columbia University (Department of Biochemistry).

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Recipient of Career Scientist Award of the Health Research Council of the City of New York under Contract No. I-428.     

In vivo inactivation of denervated corpora allata by precocene II in the bug,Oncopeltus fasciatus

Summary Transection of the nervous connections between the brain and the corpus allatum (CA) inOncopeltus fasciatus does not alter the susceptibility of the CA to precocene II in vivo.The authors wish to thank Patricia Ferugia for rearing the insects; Dr D. Soderlund, Department of Entomology, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station for helpful discussions; and Dr A.O. Lea, Department of Entomology, University of Georgia for technical advice. To whom reprint requests should be addressed     

Role of visual and auditory cues in mating behavior of two desert species ofDrosophila

Summary The effects of visual and auditory cues on mating behavior was examined for 2 members of theDrosophila nannoptera species group. Results indicate that visual and auditory signals do not play a significant role in mating success inDrosophila acanthoptera andD. species W.Acknowledgments. This study was supported by a Division of Research Resources-National Institute of Health, Minority Biomedical Support grant (RR 07152-04) awarded to M.C.J. The grant provides a stipend for E.S.G. who is completing requirements for her Master of Science degree in Biology. Send reprint requests to M.C.J.     

Inhibition of oxidizing enzymes by metronidazole

Zusammenfassung Eine unerwartete Möglichkeit, wie Metronidazol zu einer nur scheinbaren Hemmung der Alkoholdehydrogenase führen könnte, wird aufgedeckt.

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This research was supported in part by a grant from Ayerst Laboratories (New York), Scientific Advisory Board of the Licensed Beverage Industries (New York), and the Milheim Foundation for Cancer Research (Denver, Colorado). We thank Dr.T. Robitscher of Ayerst Laboratories and Dr.V. Drill of G. D. Searle & Co. for reagents used, and Dr.Drill for unpublished information from his laboratories.     

Volatile metabolites of aspergilli in relation to spore germination of some keratinophilic fungi

Summary The effect of volatile metabolites produced by 8 Aspergilli (i.e.,Aspergillus candidus, A. chevalieri, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. nidulans, A. niger, A. ochraceous andA. tamarii) on spore germination were tested againstAuxarthron conjugatum, Chrysosporium pannicola, Keratinomyces ajelloi andMicrosporum gypseum. The volatile metabolites inhibited the spore germination of all the test fungi.Acknowledgment. The authors thank Professor G.P. Mishra for the use of the facilities and S.K.D. acknowledges the fellowship award by I.C.M.R. New Delhi.     

Evolutionary implications of ascorbic acid production in the Australian lungfish

Summary It is shown that the Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri) synthesizes ascorbic acid in its kidney, suggesting that ascorbic acid synthesis started before the origin of the tetrapods.Acknowledgments. We would like to thank Dr G.C. Grigg, University of Sydney, Mr R. B. Humphries, Dr P.A. Janssens and Dr C.H. Tyndale-Biscoe, Australian National University, and Dr. M. Griffiths and J.C. MacIlroy C.S.I.R.O., Division of Wildlife Research for supplying the tissue.     

Acoustic differences between populations of western and eastern Bonelli's Warblers (Phylloscopus bonelli,Sylviidae)

Summary Sonographic analyses of songs and calls of Bonelli's Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli) show important structural differences between the geographically isolated western (P.b. bonelli) and eastern (P.b. orientalis) populations. Playback experiments in the field and some morphological differences suggest that these populations may be separating into 2 species.Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (H.-H.B. and J.M.).The authors wish to thank Dr D. Graham for his help in the translation.     

Evidence for a transmissible substance affecting pigment synthesis inPisum

Zusammenfassung Alt-rezessive Erbsenpflanzen zeigen als Keimlinge normale Pigmentbildung, werden aber oberhalb des 5. oder 6. Knotens chlorotisch und sterben vor der Samenreife ab. Aufpfropfen des Wildtyps und Zugabe eines Extraktes regenerieren die Pigmentbildung in der Mutante, was auf die Anwesenheit einer übertragbaren, stark basischen Substanz schliessen lässt.

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Approved by the Director of the New York Strate Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, New York, for publication as Journal paper No 1916.

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The authors gratefully acknowledge the technical assistance of Mrs.Betty Chase, John F. Kenny andThomas G. Copeland.     

Arginine-vasopressin,lysine-vasopressin,and oxytocin,C14-labeled in the glycine residue

Zusammenfassung Die Synthese von Arginin-Vasopressin, Lysin-Vasopressin und Oxytocin, deren Glycinrest eine¹⁴C-Markierung trägt, wird mit Hilfe der Festkörpermethode nachMerrifield beschrieben.

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Supported by National Institutes of Health grants No. AM-13567 and No. AM-10080 and the Atomic Energy Commission.

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Abbreviations follow the rules of the IUPAC-IUB Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature in Biochemistry5, 2485 (1966). All optically-active amino acids are ofl-configuration. The following additional abbreviations were used: N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (OSu), ethanol (EtOH), methanol (MeOH), acetic acid (AcOH),n-butanol (n-BuOH), pyridine (Pyr) and N,N-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCI). Protected peptides and hormones were visualized on thinlayer plates according to the procedure byH. Zahn andE. Rexroth, Z. analyt. Chem.148, 181 (1955). The biological activities of the hormones were measured against the U.S.P. Posterior Pituitary Reference Standard; the four-point design was used for these bioassays and standard errors were calculated according to the method ofC. I. Bliss,The Statistics of Bioassay (Academic Press, New York, N.Y. 1952).

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Acknowledgments. The authors wish to thank Mr.D. Schlesinger for some of the amino acid derivatives used, and MissM. Wahrenburg and Mrs.A. Silverman for bioassays.     

Effect of NPV of the armywormMythimna (Pseudaletia) separata on the silkwormBombyx mori

Summary Nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) material of the armywormMythimna (Pseudaletia) separata was administered in the form of PIBs and free virus rods to the larvae of silkwormBombyx mori. Routes used for administration were topical, intrahaemocoelic and oral. The larvae were treated with following concentrations: 10×10⁵ PIBs/L, 10×10⁶ PIBs/L, 10×10⁷ PIBs/L, 10×10⁸ PIBs/L. In all the 3 experiments, the larvae showed neither any signs and symptoms, nor mortality due to polyhedrosis. Thus it appears that the NPV ofM. (P.) separata is safe for the silkwormB. mori.Acknowledgments. We are grateful to the Karnatak University, Dharwad, for awarding UGC Junior Fellowship to S.G.D. and for financial assistance made available to S.B.M. We thank Professor M. Appaswamy Rao, Department of Zoology, for providing the necessary facilities. Our thanks are also due to Mr B. Chavannawar for supplying mulberry leaves and to the Government Silk Farm, Hindalaga, Belgaum, for providing silkworm eggs.     

Rauwolfia alkaloids,XVI. Deserpidine,a new alkaloid fromRauwolfia canescens

Zusammenfassung AusRauwolfia canescens wurde Deserpidin, C₃₂H₃₈O₈N₂, isoliert und eine Konstitutionsformel für dieses neue Alkaloid vorgeschlagen.

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Communication XV,C. F. Huebner et al., J.A.C.S. (in press).

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From lecture given at Columbia University, New York, January 12th, 1955.     

The antennae and mating behaviour ofDrosophila females

Summary The females ofDrosophila bipectinata andD. malerkotliana are able to discriminate between their own and alien males in the absence of antennae. Thus mate recognition seems to depend on contact chemoreceptors in these 2 species.We are grateful to the Head of the Department of Zoology, B.H.U. for providing the necessary facilities. Thanks are due to the U.G.C., New Delhi, India for awarding a junior research fellowship to O.P.S.