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.     

Sperm chymotrypsin-like enzymes of different inhibitor-susceptibility as lysins in ascidians

Summary Inhibitory effects of three peptidyl phenylalaninals on fertilization and on chymotrypsin-like enzyme activity of sperm in three species of ascidians were examined. The results suggest that a sperm chymotrypsin-like enzyme is indispensable for the fertilization in each of the ascidians, and that these enzymes have different susceptibilities to inhibitors.12 November 1986Acknowledgments. We are indebted to Dr M. Hoshi of Tokyo Institute of Technology for his helpful discussion. This work was supportd by a Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.     

Ecdysteroids inLimulus larvae

Summary Free ecdysteroids were extracted from intermolt and premolt larvae ofLimulus polyphemus in the first posthatch stage, purified by TLC and HRLC, and assayed by RIA and theLimulus bioassay 20-hydroxyecdysone appears to be a principal ecdysteroid and occurs at least 3 times higher a concentration in premolt vs intermolt animals.Supported by NSF grant GB-40620.Acknowledgments. We are indebted to Prof. G. R. Wyatt for the antibody, Prof. K. Nakanishi for use of his laboratory for HRLC separations, and to Dr David King for the³H-ecdysone and for performing radio-TLC analyses.     

Involvement of a sperm aminopeptidase in fertilization of the sea urchin

Summary Inhibitory efficiencies of bestatin methyl ester and its nine analogs for sea urchin sperm aminopeptidase activity were similar to the efficiency of the same compounds as inhibitors either of sperm respiration or of fertilization. This suggests that a sperm aminopeptidase plays a role in fertilization in the sea urchin, possibly through its involvement in sperm respiration.Acknowledgment. We are grateful to Dr Wataru Tanaka of Nippon kayaku co. for his gifts of bestatin and its analogs. We are also indebted to Mrs Akiko Tsuchida-Watanabe for her technical assitance, and to the staff of Asamushi Marine Biological Station, Tohoku University, where part of this work was carried out. This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.     

Effects of palytoxin on the electrical activity of dog and rabbit heart

Summary Reversible effects of palytoxin, extracted from colonies of the soft coralPalythoa caribaeorum, are described. There is a decrease of both membrane resting potential and overshoot during activity. Rise time of the action potential is prolonged, while repolarization is shortened. The electrical events resemble those seen with metabolic poisons.This work was supported by grant 10897 from the National Heart and Lung Institute, Bethesda, Md., and by grant 3.758. 72 from the Swiss National Science Foundation.I wish to thank Dr W. C. De Mello for hospitality in his department, Dr T. Morales for allowing me to use his equipment, Dr. J. Santos Martínez for providing me with hearts of poisoned and unpoisoned dogs, and Drs E. Toro-Goyco and A. M. Preston of the Department of Biochemistry for letting me have a sample of toxin.     

Localization of vitelline-coat lysin purified from testis of a top shell,Turbo cornutus

Summary The vitelline-coat lysin purified from the testis ofTurbo cornutus was found, by an immunofluorescence technique, to be located in the acrosome of the sperm, which suggested that the lysin reacts with the vitelline-coat in an early phase of fertilization to allow the sperm to penetrate through the coat.We are grateful to Professor M. Akino (Tokyo Metropolitan University) for his helpful advice.     

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.     

Sperm enzyme activity analysis in individual sperm for detection of heritable mutations in mammals

Summary Male mice were injected i.p. with 2.5 mg/kg mitomycin C, 100 mg/kg ethyl nitrosourea or saline and mated with untreated virgin females five weeks later. Sperm from 64 of the F₁ male progeny were analyzed histochemically for acrosin, succinic dehydrogenase and alpha-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity. The frequency of F₁ males with sub-normal sperm enzyme activity was significantly higher among progeny from treated males than in controls. These results show that analysis of sperm enzyme activity in F₁ males is a practical method for detection of transmitted mutations induced in a treated parent.We gratefully acknowledge USPHS, NIEHS grant 1 RO1 ES02607-02 and technical assistance by G. M. Oldford.     

Genetic characterization of the new morphological and UV-sensitive mutants inCoprinus cinereus. I. A UV-sensitive mutationrad1 associated with elevated frequencies of mitotic and meiotic recombination

Summary Studies on the effect of an UV-sensitive mutation,rad1, in meiotic and mitotic recombination inCoprinus indicated that, in homozygous condition,rad1 increased the spontaneous meiotic recombination by 50% and UV-induced mitotic intergenic recombination by about 5-fold. The homozygousrad1 diploid was shwon to be much more sensitive to the recombinogenic effects of polyfunctional than of mono- or non-functional alkylating agents.This research, carried out in partial fulfilment of Ph.D. requirements at the University of London, was supported by a grant from The School of Public Health, University of Tehran, Iran. My thanks are due to Dr J.W. Cowan for his advice and constructive criticism. I am also indebted to Dr A.B. Borkovec of The Institute of Chemosterilants Laboratory, US Ministry of Agriculture for the most generous supply of aziridinyl phosphine compounds.     

A blocked mutant ofClaviceps purpurea accumulating chanoclavine-I-aldehyde

Summary An alkaloid-blocked mutant ofClaviceps purpurea was isolated from a strain which produces ergotoxine alkaloids. The mutant accumulates chanoclavine-I and the corresponding aldehyde. It lacks the ability to form tetracyclic ergolines.Dedicated to Prof. Dr Dr h.c. K. Mothes on the occasion of his eightieth birthday.     

Preservation ofBordetella pertussis

Summary Bordetella pertussis has been shown to remain viable for a period of 13 years on freeze-drying. The revived cultures had unaltered antigenic composition and biological activity.Thanks are due to Dr M. Balasubrahmanyan for his guidance and Dr M.S. Zakharova, Gamaleya Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Moscow, USSR for supplyingB. pertussis factor sera. We thank Mr Ram Jas for his technical assistance.     

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.

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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.     

C-banding pattern on the chromosomes of the Japanese house shrew,Suncus murinus riukiuanus,and its implication

Summary The C-band on the chromosomes of the Japanese house shrew,Suncus murinus riukiuanus (Insectivora), was studied. Various types of C-banding pattern were found in the genome of this subspecies. Such banding patterns could be useful for an understanding of autosome and sex-chromosome polymorphisms withinS. murinus.Acknowledgment. The authors are very grateful to Prof. T. Wasano of Fukuoka University for his encouragement, Dr K. Ogawa of Fukuoka University, the Nohara family for help in collecting specimens, and Prof. E.W. Jameson, Jr, University of California, Dr J.W. Bickham and his students of Texas A & M University for comments.     

Anti-endotoxin (anti-lipid-A) antibodies

Summary Anti-lipid-A, anti-endotoxin, antibodies have been measured by a passive haemolysis test using antigen from anE. coli Re mutant. Titres in the normal population are low but do rise in situations in which there has been gram-negative sepsis. Absence of raised titres in other situations has profound implications.We are most grateful to Dr Günter Schmidt of Freiburg for his gift of Lipid-A antigen. We also thank Dr L. Monnens of Nijmegen and Dr T.M. Barratt of London for their sera.     

Volatile constituents of the scent gland reservoir ofAspavia acuminata

Summary Volatile components of the scent gland complex of the adult bug ofAspavia acuminata, an agricultural pest from Nigeria, have been identified by the technique of combined gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry. Of specific interest is the presence in the gland reservoir of hex-2-enal, 4-oxo-hex-2-enal and 4-oxo-oct-2-enal.The author is grateful to the Bayero University Research and Higher Degrees Committee for financial support, Dr B. W. Staddon for his valuable assistance, Dr D. E. Games for arranging mass spectral facilities.     

Effect of a sesquiterpene fromAristolochia indica Linn. on fertility in female mice

Summary A sesquiterpene isolated from the roots ofAristolochia indica (Linn.) was found to exert 100% interceptive activity and 91.7% anti-implantation activity in mice at a single oral dose of 100mg/kg b. wt. No toxic effect was found at the dose levels used.The authors wish to thank Dr S. C. Pakrashi and his associate Mr P. P. Ghosh Dastidar of Medicinal Chemistry Department for isolating the compound for this study. Thanks are also due to Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research for granting a Junior Research Fellowship to C.S.     

Isolation of isoflavonoid phytoalexins from seeds ofPhaseolus vulgaris L.

Summary Bean seeds challenged withRhizoctonia solani or exposed to natural microflora yielded the isoflavonoid phytoalexins: phaseollin, phaseollidin, phaseollinisoflavan, coumestrol and kievitone. The data suggest that seeds may have the major host-defence factors of a plant.The author thanks Dr Suresh S. Patil of University of Hawaii for his guidance and provision of laboratory facilities. Gift of phytoalexin samples by Dr S. Pueppke and Dr N.T. Keen is gratefully acknowledged. East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, is thanked for the financial assistance.     

Sex-peptides: seminal peptides of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis> male

Mating affects the reproductive behaviour of insect females: the egg-laying rate increases and courting males are rejected. These post-mating responses are induced mainly by seminal fluid. In Drosophila melanogaster, males transfer two peptides (sex-peptides, = Sps) that reduce receptivity and elicit increased egg laying in their mating partners. Similarities in the open reading frames of the genes suggest that they have arisen by gene duplication. In females, Sps bind to specific sites in the central and peripheral nervous system, and to the genital tract. The binding proteins of the nervous system and genital tract are membrane proteins, but they differ molecularly. The former protein is proposed to be a receptor located at the top of a signalling cascade leading to the two post-mating responses, whereas the latter is a carrier protein moving Sps from the genital tract into the haemolymph. Sps bind to sperm. Together with sperm they are responsible for the persistence of the two post-mating responses. But Sps are the molecular basis of the sperm effect; sperm is merely the carrier.Received 10 February 2003; received after revision 25 April 2003; accepted 1 May 2003This article is dedicated to the 85th birthday of the discover of the sex-peptide, Prof. Dr. Pei Shen Chen, Zoological Institute, University of Zürich, Switzerland. P. S. Chen has served on the Editorial Board of Experientia (now CMLS) from 1974 to 1988.     

Aminotransferase study ofNeurospora crassa ser-3 versus wild type ST4A

Summary TheNeurospora crassa serine auxotrophser-3 and the wild type ST4A were compared with respect to their phosphoserine and serine aminotransferase activities. The results obtained indicate no deficiency of either of these enzymes in the mutant strain.This work was supported in part by a grant to D.G. from the California Foundation for Biochemical Research. The authors also wish to thank Dr Robert G. Wolcott, formerly of the Department of Chemistry, California State University, Northridge, for his valuable advice and for the use of his department's liquid scintillation counting system. We acknowledge with appreciation the skilled technical assistance of Mr Tom Harper.     

Giemsa centromere staining ofHumulus lupulus L. Metaphase chromosomes

Summary Giemsa staining of hop (Humulus lupulus L.) chromosomes at metaphase revealed kinetochore-like structures in the centromeric region.The authors are grateful to Dr C. K. Atal, for his keen interest and constant encouragement in the present study.