Utilization of ascorbic acid during post-embryonic development of chick skeletal muscle

Summary Ascorbic acid is utilized during the post-embryonic differentiation of skeletal muscle fibres in chick. While the fibres lose their heterogeneity with regard to ascorbic acid, they continue to exhibit differences in their metabolic rates in terms of the succinate dehydrogenase activity throughout life.The investigations were carried out at the Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh. We thank ProfessorG. P. Sharma, Head of the Department, for providing the necessary loboratory facilities.     

Biosynthesis of ascorbic acid in chick embryos

Summary Biosynthesis of ascorbic acid was found in the kidneys (mesonephros and metanephros) of the chick embryo as well as in the yolk sac membrane. The activity of L-gulonolactone oxidase in the yolk sac membrane suggested that it was the major source of ascorbic acid in the chick embryo.I am grateful to Dr R. Jenness (Univ. of Minnesota) for the generous gift of L-gulonolactone and to Dr B. Sanders (Univ. of Texas) for the chick embryo samples     

Biosynthesis of ascorbic acid in chick embryos

Biosynthesis of ascorbic acid was found in the kidneys (mesonephros and metanephros) of the chick embryo as well as in the yolk sac membrane. The activity of L-gulonolactone oxidase in the yolk sac membrane suggested that it was the major source of ascorbic acid in the chick embryo.     

Myosin heavy chains in fast skeletal muscle of chick embryo

Summary The peptide map obtained by electrophoresis after digestion of purified myosin heavy chains from pectoralis muscle of embryonic chicken with theStaphylococcus aureus V8 protease, produces a peptide pattern very similar but not identical to that of adult fast myosin. In fact, some components that are present in a small amount in the map of slow adult myosin are visible in the embryonic pattern.Acknowledgments. I wish to acknowledge the enthusiastic encouragement of Dr Ugo Carraro and the help of Prof. Stefano Schiaffino's group and of Dr Marcello Cantini for embryonic tissue isolation. The skillful technical assistance of Mr Silvio Belluco is also gratefully acknowledged. This work was supported in part by a grant of Muscular Dystrophy Association of America to Prof. Massimiliano Aloisi.     

Lipid and phospholipid content and fatty acid composition of the chick lung during embryonic development.

The evolution of total phospholipid, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine content of chick lung during embryonic development is in good agreement with morphological data. Saturated fatty acids are predominant. A sex-linked difference is observed in the evolution of phosphatidylcholine.     

Changes in ascorbic acid content in denervated frog gastrocnemius muscle

Zusammenfassung Nach Denervierung des Gastrocnemius beim Frosch waren die Konzentrationen der l-Ascorbinsäure, Dehydro-l-Ascorbinsäure (DHA) und Diketoguloniksäure (DKA) im Nieren- und Nebennierengewebe unverändert. DHA und DKA fehlten, während ihre Konzentrationen in der Leber trotz Ascorbinsäurezunahme gleichmässig verteilt waren.     

Lipid and phospholipid content and fatty acid composition of the chick lung during embryonic development

Summary The evolution of total phospholipid, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine content of chick lung during embryonic development is in good agreement with morphological data. Saturated fatty acids are predominant. A sex-linked difference is observed in the evolution of phosphatidylcholine.     

Histotopochemistry of ascorbic acid during the formation of carrageenin granuloma

Zusammenfassung Es wird die Histotopochemie der Askorbinsäure im Laufe der Karagenin-Granulombildung untersucht. Die Askorbinsäure ist an die Fibroblasten, eventuell an die junge Faserstruktur gebunden, die sich in einer unmittelbaren Nähe des Fibroblasten-Cytoplasmas befindet. Es wird angenommen, dass sich die Askorbinsäure an der Hydroxylation von Prolin oder Lysin beteiligt, und dass dieser Prozess am intensivsten in den Fibroblastenzellen vor sich geht.

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Acknowledgment: I should like to thank Ing. B.Cmuchalová of the laboratories of Dr. M. Chvapil for supplying the experimental material.     

6-azauridine in brain tissue during chick embryonal development

Résumé 10 mg d'azauridine-6 ont été injectés dans les ufs au 4è et au 8è jour d'incubation. Dans nos précédentes expériences, cette dose a provoqué des malformations dans les embryons du poulet. La concentration de l'azauridine-6 a été déterminée dans le cerveau des embryons et on a trouve qu'elle varie de 0,48–1,16 mg pour 1 g du poids sec du cerveau, du 14è au 20è jour d'incubation.     

Porcine skeletal muscle for physiological studies.

The common digital extensor (lateral head) is one of the few porcine muscles of convenient dimensions for in vitro studies of intact cells. Its removal and use in physiological studies are described.     

Changes in the sialic acid content of chick thymus and bursa of Fabricius during age-involution.

The sialic acid content of both thymus and bursa of Fabricius during their growth and involution phases in chick has been reported in this study. It is observed that the sialic acid concentration is very high in 1-week-old chickens. The concentration subsequently decreases to a significant level and rises again prior to the onset of involution. In the post-involution period, a more or less minimal and constant level is maintained. The role of sialic acid in cellular activities of thymo-bursal system has been discussed.     

Degradation of encephalitogenic protein in aerobic ascorbic acid solutions.

Aerobic ascorbic acid solutions are capable of extensively cleaving the peptide chain of the myelin basic protein. Cleavage occurred most readily with C-terminal to aspartic acid, serine, threonine, glutamic acid and leucine residues.     

Retinoic acid maintains human skeletal muscle progenitor cells in an immature state

Muscle satellite cells are resistant to cytotoxic agents, and they express several genes that confer resistance to stress, thus allowing efficient dystrophic muscle regeneration after transplantation. However, once they are activated, this capacity to resist to aggressive agents is diminished resulting in massive death of transplanted cells. Although cell immaturity represents a survival advantage, the signalling pathways involved in the control of the immature state remain to be explored. Here, we show that incubation of human myoblasts with retinoic acid impairs skeletal muscle differentiation through activation of the retinoic-acid receptor family of nuclear receptor. Conversely, pharmacologic or genetic inactivation of endogenous retinoic-acid receptors improved myoblast differentiation. Retinoic acid inhibits the expression of early and late muscle differentiation markers and enhances the expression of myogenic specification genes, such as PAX7 and PAX3. These results suggest that the retinoic-acid-signalling pathway might maintain myoblasts in an undifferentiated/immature stage. To determine the relevance of these observations, we characterised the retinoic-acid-signalling pathways in freshly isolated satellite cells in mice and in siMYOD immature human myoblasts. Our analysis reveals that the immature state of muscle progenitors is correlated with high expression of several genes of the retinoic-acid-signalling pathway both in mice and in human. Taken together, our data provide evidences for an important role of the retinoic-acid-signalling pathway in the regulation of the immature state of muscle progenitors.     

Relationship between light diffraction intensity and tension development in frog skeletal muscle

Summary Laser diffraction intensity decrease in active muscles precedes tension development at sarcomere lenghts below 2.76 m, but not at greater lenghts. This suggests that the time lag is caused by random sarcomere shortenings inside each myofibril.     

Reactivity of cat skeletal muscle vessels to noradrenaline during induced respiratory alkalosis

Zusammenfassung Die respiratorische Alkalose steigert den Effekt des Noradrenalins auf Skelettmuskelgefässe. Eine durchschnittliche Steigerung des pH von 0.2 Einheiten wird benötigt, um eine merkliche Änderung herbeizuführen. Die vorliegenden Resultate lassen vermuten, dass die Steigerung in erster Linie auf die pH-Veränderung zurückzuführen ist und nicht auf die gleichzeitige Senkung der CO₂-Spannung.