Nerves and muscles regulating feather follicle movements in the chicken

Summary It was found that most feather follicles possess more than a single muscle system but only single nerve endings were observed in a feather follicle. It seems that muscles exist which antagonize each other. Anastomoses of nerves orginating from different sources and flowing of mixed nerves into the feather follicle could explain the antagonistic action of the muscles on the feather follicle.Partially supported by a grant from the Israel Egg and Poultry Board.     

Effects of serotonin and ketanserin on the functional morphology of chick down feather bulbi in vitro.

Chick feather bulbi cultured in vitro showed an increased DNA synthesis and a delayed keratinization after treatment with ketanserin, a serotonin2 antagonist with wound-healing properties. In contrast, serotonin stimulates keratinization of the keratinocytes in the bulbus.     

Effects of serotonin and ketanserin on the functional morphology of chick down feather bulbi in vitro

Summary Chick feather bulbi cultured in vitro showed an increased DNA synthesis and a delayed keratinization after treatment with ketanserin, a serotonin₂ antagonist with wound-healing properties. In contrast, serotonin stimulates keratinization of the keratinocytes in the bulbus.     

In vitro culture of chick down feather bulbi: a tool to obtain proliferating and differentiating keratinocytes in an organotypic structure

Chick down feather bulbi can be cultured in different culture systems. Morphological analysis and 3H-thymidine incorporation measurements prove that the majority of cells are viable epithelial cells.     

In vitro culture of chick down feather bulbi: A tool to obtain proliferating and differentiating keratinocytes in an organotypic structure

Summary Chick down feather bulbi can be cultured in different culture systems. Morphological analysis and³H-thymidine incorporation measurements prove that the majority of cells are viable epithelial cells.     

Physiologische Untersuchungen an der innervierten glatten Muskulatur der Vogelfedern (Mm. pennarum)

Summary The tension development of the smooth feather muscles of the pigeon was measured (a) on the wing in situ (b) on an isolated innervated skin preparation and (c) on an isolated muscle preparation. The contraction produced by nerve stimulation is biphasic. The second phase can be blocked by -receptor blocking agents. The mechanism of the first phase is unknown. The preparation seems very suitable for the investigation of neuromuscular transmission in smooth muscle.     

The effect of scale changes on repetitive patterns: Influence of 6-aminonicotinamide on feather germ number

There are many examples of patterned developing systems which are size invariant: if the total size of the system is reduced, then the pattern responds by changing its scale in such a way that the number of pattern elements remains constant. This phenomenon is one of the bases which underaly the formulation of the concept of positional information, one of the great unifying ideas in developmental biology. However, there are less common examples of patterns which are size dependent. In these, alterations of overall size lead to a reduction in pattern elements. Such size-dependent patterns are therefore of theoretical interest. Here we describe how the number of feather germs along the wing bud of the developing chick embryo responds to shortening of the limb, and consider the implications of these observations.     

Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway in vertebrate epithelial appendage morphogenesis: perspectives in development and evolution

Vertebrate epithelial appendages are elaborate topological transformations of flat epithelia into complex organs that either protrude out of external (integument) and internal (oral cavity, gut) epithelia, or invaginate into the surrounding mesenchyme. Although they have specific structures and diverse functions, most epithelial appendages share similar developmental stages, including induction, morphogenesis, differentiation and cycling. The roles of the SHH pathway are analyzed in exemplary organs including feather, hair, tooth, tongue papilla, lung and foregut. SHH is not essential for induction and differentiation, but is involved heavily in morphogenetic processes including cell proliferation (size regulation), branching morphogenesis, mesenchymal condensation, fate determination (segmentation), polarizing activities and so on. Through differential activation of these processes by SHH in a spatiotemporal-specific fashion, organs of different shape and size are laid down. During evolution, new links of developmental pathways may occur and novel forms of epithelial appendages may emerge, upon which evolutionary selections can act. Sites of major variations have progressed from the body plan to the limb plan to the epithelial appendage plan. With its powerful morphogenetic activities, the SHH pathway would likely continue to play a major role in the evolution of novel epithelial appendages.     

Isoprenaline, modifications of the turnover of ATP in the perfused rat heart]

5 hrs after a single sub-cutaneous injection of the drug in a dose of 5 mg/kg, the ATP concentration was reduced by 15%, the incorporation of 14C adenine was augmented by 20% and the turnover of ATP was accelerated: the reduction of specific radioactivity attained 16%, 75 mn after the period of marquage, instead of 7% in the control hearts. When the drug was added to the perfusion fluid, there was no supplementary reduction of the ATP concentration and the action on the nucleotide turnover only existed if the ATP level was reduced by a pretreatment: the reduction of specific radioactivity then attained 24% after 75 min. of perfusion.     

Autoradiographic analysis of FSH binding during follicular atresia

Binding of FSH to ovarian cells was studied in PMSG primed immature Swiss mice, 48 h after PMSG treatment, FSH-binding was higher in the periphery than in the cumulus cells of the antral follicles. Binding of FSH to granulosa cells of normal follicles was observed to be specific, 48 h after PMSG injection. No localization in the atretic follicles could be seen by autoradiography 72 h after priming.     

The adenohypophysial hormone content of the rat pars tuberalis

Summary The pars tuberalis of the hypophysis was shown to contain LH, which increases after castration, TSH and a very low amount of PRL. FSH was found after castration.This investigation was supported by the Fundación Instituto de Neurobiología and CONICET. The authors want to thank Dr A.F. Parlow for supplying the NIAMDD radioimmunoassay kits.     

Chemical protection of mouse spermatocytes against gamma-rays with 2-mercaptopropionylglycine

The radiosensitivity of primary spermatocytes in pachytene stage was estimated by counting the number of spermatids in the testes of control and MPG-treated mouse after exposure to 500, 1000 and 1500 R of Co60 gamma-rays. For this purpose, control and MPG-treated mice were killed 5 days after irradiation and countings of spermatids was made in stages I and II of the tubules. It has been observed that, although there was a death of primary spermatocytes in irradiated MPG-protected groups, quantitatively significant protection was afforded by this drug at all the 3 dose-levels studied.     

Significance and molecular targets of protein kinase A during cAMP-mediated protection of cold stored liver grafts

The use of marginal donor livers is followed by a higher frequency of primary dys- or nonfunction after transplantation. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that stimulation of the cAMP second-messenger signal pathway might protect the liver from ischemic injury, laying emphasis on the role of protein kinase A-mediated signal transduction.?Rat livers were harvested after 45 min of cardiac arrest and preserved in HTK solution for 24 h. Hepatic integrity was assessed thereafter using a blood-free reperfusion model.?Supplementation of the preservation solution with dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP) promoted phosphorylation of BAD at Ser 112 and concomitantly mitigated mitochondrial release of cytochrome c into the cytosol. Apoptotic cell transformation was evident in reperfused livers by positive TUNEL-staining of sinusoidal lining cells and the detection of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in tissue homogenates by western analysis. Treatment with db-cAMP was effective in minimizing both TUNEL staining and PARP cleavage and significantly reduced postischemic enzyme leakage of alanine aminotransferase to one half, while hepatic bile production was enhanced by approximately 60% when compared to untreated livers. This functional improvement was accompanied by a net amelioration of portal vascular conductivity. Inhibition of A kinase-anchoring protein with HT31 completely reversed any of the observed effects obtained by db-cAMP.?We conclude that enhancement of cellular cAMP signal maintains hepatic integrity during and after ischemic preservation which may be attributed to protein kinase A dependent phosphorylation of BAD in line with subsequent inhibition of mitochondria-initiated apoptosis of sinusoidal lining cells. Received 12 July 2001; received after revision 14 August 2001; accepted 14 August 2001     

Chemical protection of mouse spermatocytes against gamma-rays with 2-mercaptopropionylglycine

Summary The radiosensitivity of primary spermatocytes in pachytene stage was estimated by counting the number of spermatids in the testes of control and MPG-treated mouse after exposure to 500, 1000 and 1500 R of Co⁶⁰ gammarays. For this purpose, control and MPG-treated mice were killed 5 days after irradiation and countings of spermatids was made in stages I and II of the tubules. It has been observed that, although there was a death of primary spermatocytes in irradiated MPG-protected groups, quantitatively significant protection was afforded by this drug at all the 3 dose-levels studied.     

Effect of lesions of the locus coeruleus complex on the circadian rhythm of plasma corticosterone in the mouse

Summary An apparently transient elevation of basal morning (08.00 h) plasma corticosterone levels in male mice was found 48 h after bilateral electrolytic lesions of the brainstem locus coeruleus complex but was not observed 6 weeks after lesioning.Supported by Alfred P. Sloan Foundation research fellowships awarded to W.G. Luttge and S.F. Zornetzer.     

Differential regulation of collagen types I and III expression in cardiac fibroblasts by AGEs through TRB3/MAPK signaling pathway

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) play an important role in collagen deposition in diabetic cardiomyopathy. TRB3, a mammalian homolog of Drosophila tribbles, functions to increase glucose intolerance and regulates cell proliferation. We demonstrated that AGEs induce collagen type I expression but inhibit collagen type III expression, accompanied by increased TRB3 expression. Furthermore, the collagen type I induced byAGEs was down-regulated after inhibition of ERK and p38-MAPK, the collagen type III reduced by AGEs was up-regulated after inhibition of ERK. The expression of collagen types I and III regulated by AGEs through MAPK was partly reversed after treatment with TRB3 siRNA. It suggests that the TRB3/MAPK signaling pathway participates in the regulation of collagen types I and III by AGEs and may provide new therapeutic strategies for diabetic cardiomyopathy. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Received 08 May 2008; received after revision 25 June 2008; accepted 22 July 2008 M. Tang, M. Zhong: These two authors contributed equally to this work.     

A study of irrigation fluids for neurosurgery on brain primary cell cultures

Summary Primary cell cultures from newborn rat brain hemispheres were exposed to different irrigation fluids used in neurosurgery. The cells died after incubation for 5 min with hydrogen peroxide, and the number of cells was drastically decreased after 10 sec of incubation. They shrank after incubation in Elliott's artificial cerebrospinal fluid for 3 h, but the viability as determined by trypan blue exclusion test was not affected. Physiological sodium chloride, Ringer's solution and the culture medium 199 with Hank's salt had no noticeable effect on the viability or morphology of the cells.Acknowledgments. This study was supported by grants from the Medical Faculty of Göteborg and from Statens Naturvetenskapliga Forskningsråd. We want to thank Dr Åke Sellström and Dr Hans-Arne Hansson for valuable discussions.     

尿毒症患者血清对内皮细胞小凹蛋白-1的影响及意义

目的体外观察尿毒症患者血液透析前后血清和健康人血清对人脐静脉内皮细胞(humanumbilicalveinendothelialcell, HUVECs)小凹蛋白 1(caveolin 1)表达的影响.方法取对数生长的 HUVECs,分为健康组(DMEM+健康人血清,n=8)、透前组(DMEM+尿毒症患者透前血清,n=18)、透后组(DMEM+尿毒症患者透后血清,n=18).采用 MTT法检测细胞活力,免疫组化SABC法和 Westernblot检测各组细胞内 caveolin 1蛋白的分布和含量.结果 MTT法筛选血清最佳干预时间和浓度分别为12小时、10%的血清干预浓度.与健康组比较,透前组细胞内 caveolin 1的蛋白表达水平明显下调(p<0.05),透后组改变不明显(p>0.05);而透后组细胞内 caveolin 1的蛋白表达水平较透前组细胞内 caveolin 1的蛋白表达水平上调(p<0.05).结论血液透析不能降低尿毒症患者动脉粥样硬化的形成的发生率,caveolin 1的变化可能是尿毒症血透患者动脉粥样硬化加速的原因之一     

Serum and liver radioactivity levels in mice after intraperitoneal and subcutaneous injection of [14C]orotic acid

Summary [¹⁴C]Orotic acid was rapidly distributed in blood after, both i.p. and s.c. injection but was not completely absorbed from the peritoneal cavity until 20 min after injection. S.c. injection should be an acceptable alternative to i.p. injection although the incorporation into the liver acid soluble- and RNA-fractions was somewhat delayed after the s.c. injection.This work was supported by grants from the Carl Trygger Foundation and the Foundation of Director Albert Påhlsson.     

急性一氧化碳中毒迟发性脑病大鼠模型的建立

目的探讨建立适合实验研究需要的急性一氧化碳中毒迟发性脑病大鼠模型。方法64只雄性sD大鼠,随机分成空气对照组（AC组）和模型组（CO组）,每纽32只。采用静态吸入式染毒,选取染毒后3、7、14、28d为时相点,应用Morris水迷宫实验检测平均潜伏期等学习记忆能力,Tunel法检测海马回神经元凋亡。结果CO组大鼠较AC组平均潜伏期延长（F=35．93,P〈0．01）,海马回神经元凋亡指数增高（P〈0．01）。结论本实验成功建立了可行性较高的急性一氧化碳中毒迟发性脑病大鼠模型,为进一步研究其发病机制和防治方法提供比较好的基础。