A lectin in the pollen of marihuana,Cannabis sativa L.

Summary A lectin was found in the pollen ofCannabis sativa L. which reacted with papain treated erythrocytes. The lectin has an affinity for glucose containing receptor sites.     

An increase in Sendai virus-induced cell fusion of erythrocytes infected withPlasmodium chabaudi

Summary The extent of cell fusion induced by Sendai virus was examined in erythrocytes infected withPlasmodium chabaudi. An increase in cell fusion of erythrocytes with Ehrlich tumor cells and of erythrocytes with erythrocytes was observed wit the infected erythrocytes. However, agglutination by the virus was not changed between erythrocytes of normal and malarial mice. These results indicate that the increase in cell fusion occurred in the process of membrane fusion, suggesting that some membrane property ofPlasmodium-parasitized erythrocytes is changed in terms of Sendai virus-induced cell fusion.We thank Drs George L. Gerton, T. Matsuyama and M. Niwa for their comments on this work and Mr I. Kimata for preparing photographs.     

Incorporation of14C-thymidine by cultures of erythrocytes from rheumatoid arthritis patients and normal subjects,suggesting the presence of an L-form

Summary Cultures of washed erythrocytes from rheumatoid arthritis patients and normal subjects were found to incorporate¹⁴C-thymidine,suggesting the presence of an L-form. The extent of the incorporation by erythrocytes from rheumatoid patients was more variable than that by erythrocytes from normal subjects, and correlated negatively with IgG measurements and white cell counts performed on the patients' bloods, although not with the clinical activity of the patients.     

Isolation and characterization of hemagglutinins from the spongeDysidea herbacea

Summary The spongeDysidea herbacea (Keller) was found to possess hemagglutinins. The major component, DHA-I, is a protein with a mol.wt of 26,000, which dissociates into subunits of equal size (14,000). It contains large amounts of glutamic acid and aspartic acid residues, but no half-cystine, methionine or histidine residues. DHA-I reacted with rabbit and human AB0 erythrocytes. D-galactose and lactose were effective inhibitors of DHA-I. The sponge also contained a minor component(s) which reacted preferentially with rabbit erythrocytes but not with human AB0 erythrocytes.Acknowledgment. We thank Dr. M. Yamazaki, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo University, for testing mitogenic activity ofDysidea agglutinins. This study was partly supported by a grant-in-aid for Overseas Scientific Survey from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan.     

Cyclic AMP level in red blood cells ofPlasmodium berghei-infectedMastomys natalensis

Summary The present report describes the changes in cyclic AMP level which occur upon parasitization of red cells byPlasmodium berghei. Parasitized erythrocytes were separated from the non-parasitized population by percoll density-gradient centrifugation. An increase in the cyclic AMP content of both non-parasitized and parasitized erythrocytes of infected animals compared with that of uninfected animals was observed. The patterns of physiological response to isoproterenol in normal, parasitized and non-parasitized erythrocytes were identical.     

Effect of splenectomy on the humoral immune response in the lizard,Scincus scincus

Summary Adult splenectomy in the lizard,Scincus scincus, did not affect humoral immune response to rat erythrocytes until 30 days post-immunization, but severely depressed subsequent antibody production.This work was supported by United States Public Health Research, grant No. 03-015-N.     

Hemagglutination of neuraminidase-treated human erythrocytes byLeishmania enriettii infected guinea-pig sera

Summary Sera from guinea-pigs infected with the protozoan parasiteLeishmania enriettii showed higher hemagglutination (HA) titres for neuraminidase treated human erythrocytes than those of normal guinea-pig sera. This HA activity was associated mostly with the 19S fraction of the immune serum and could be absorbed out with an antigenic fraction of the parasite membrane. Antigenic determinants involved in this HA reaction consisted of, at least, -d-galactosyl or lactosyl residues.     

Hämtologische Untersuchungen am SpitzhörnchenTupaia tana (Raffles 1821) (Tupaiidae,Prosimiae)

Summary The authors give the first results of hematological studies with Tree shrews (Tupaia tana) as compared with human blood, and an European hedgehog as a representative of the orderInsectivora. Counts of erythrocytes, leucocytes (including a differentiation of white cell types), and thrombocytes are dealt with together with an electrophoretic analysis of serum protein fractions.     

The effect of continuously cooling the hypothalamic preoptic area on antibody titre in the rat

Summary Continuous cooling of the hypothalamic preoptic area for 5 days, as well as sublethal infection withSalmonella enteritidis, increased the titre of antibodies against sheep erythrocytes, suggesting that the febrile response stimulates the humoral immune response.We thank Dr W. Mannheim from the Institute of Hygiene for kindly supplying the cultures ofS. enteritidis. This work was supported by the Schwerpunktprogramm Temperaturregulation und-adaptation of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

The generation of toxic activity fromTrypanosoma congolense

Summary Trypanosoma congolense organisms, on incubation at 20°C for 91/2h, were found to generate phospholipaselike activity which was capable of mediating lysis of both nucleated cells and erythrocytes as well as an acute inflammatory response on intradermal inoculation.Acknowledgments. This investigation was supported by the International Development Research Centre.     

Die Hämagglutination des Influenzavirus A2-Hongkong

Summary A₂-Hongkong influenza virus does not agglutinate the erythrocytes of the cow, the calf, the horse, the pony and the spiny mouse at room temperature, while the A₂-Asia influenza virus causes agglutination. At a temperature of 4 °C A₂-Hongkong was able to agglutinate the erythrocytes of all species examined except those of the spiny mouse. Whether the A₂-Hongkong virus does or does not agglutinate the erythrocytes of the chicken, the donkey, the goat, the spiny mouse and the horse at room temperature could depend on the speed of elution.     

Haemagglutinating activity of modeccin

Summary Modeccin, the toxin ofAdenia digitata, agglutinates erythrocytes from several mammalian species. The haemagglutinating activity is enhanced by neuraminidase and is inhibited by galactose and by galactose-containing sugars.Acknowledgment. This research was supported by grants from the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, and by the Pallotti's legacy for cancer research.     

Methods for determining ploidy in amphibians: Nucleolar number and erythrocyte size

Summary Diploid and triploidXenopus can be easily and reliably distinguished by the size of their erythrocytes. This method has several advantages over other methods, such as counting metaphase chromosomes and counting nucleoli. One problem with the latter method is the reduction in cells with a full complement of nucleoli when regenerating tissue is used.Research supported by NIH grant EY 01662.     

An increase in Sendai virus-induced cell fusion of erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium chabaudi

The extent of cell fusion induced by Sendai virus was examined in erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium chabaudi. An increase in cell fusion of erythrocytes with Ehrlich tumor cells and of erythrocytes with erythrocytes was observed with the infected erythrocytes. However, agglutination by the virus was not changed between erythrocytes of normal and malarial mice. These results indicate that the increase in cell fusion occurred in the process of membrane fusion, suggesting that some membrane property of Plasmodium-parasitized erythrocytes is changed in terms of Sendai virus-induced cell fusion.     

Purification and some properties of hemagglutinin from the Myxomycete,Physarum polycephalum

A new hemagglutinin was isolated from the plasmodium ofPhysarum polycephalum by salting out with ammonium sulphate followed by chromatography on DE-32, DEAE-Toyopearl and hydroxyapatite. This hemagglutinin, named physarumin, was purified 1000-fold over crude extracts. The molecular weight of physarumin was determined to be 22,000 by size exclusion chromatography on Bio-Gel P-60 and 8,700 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Physarumin agglutinated rabbit, guinea pig, horse and human erythrocytes. Physarumin-induced hemagglutination was inhibited by fetuin and ₁ glycoprotein, but not by commercially available mono-and disaccharides. Hemagglutinating activity was blocked by EDTA, and was restored by adding Ca²⁺ but not by Mg²⁺.     

Peripheral erythrocyte levels,hemolysis and three vanadium compounds

Summary Three vanadium compounds of different valence states were administered to adult mice. Two, four, and eight days following treatment of vanadium, cardiac blood was collected. The blood sample was used to ascertain the peripheral erythrocyte count (cell/mm³) and to determine the in vitro hemolytic index of erythrocytes obtained from mice treated in vivo with either the tri-, tetra- or pentavalent vanadium compound. Data indicate that the tetravalent form was the most effective test substance in 1) promoting rupture of isolated erythrocytes compared to red cells retrieved from control mice and 2) depressing the erythrocyte count obtained from heart blood; maximum effects were manifest four days post-treatment. For all treatments there appeared to be a good correlation between the degree of vanadium-induced hemolysis and the peripheral erythrocyte count reduction following exposure to the vanadium.     

DNA-mediated transformation in the platyfish-swordtail melanoma system

A genetic marker, the tumor geneTu, which causes the formation of abnormal melanophores, the T-melanophores, in the skin of Xiphophorine fish has been transferred by donor DNA from aTu genotype to recipient embryos lackingTu. Abnormal melanophores which are identical to the T-melanophores of the donor genotype occurred only in recipients treated withTu-DNA and not in those treated withTu-free control DNA.     

Agglutinins from aquatic insects—tumor cell agglutination activity

Agglutinins were identified in whole body extracts of aquatic insects by means of murine tumor cell agglutination, using sarcoma 180 ascites, Ehrlich, and MM-46 cells. Screening revealed agglutinins in 5 of 10 of the larvae tested, and in 2 of 6 of the water-dwelling adult insects;Gerris paludum insularis andGyrinus japonicus. Only the agglutinin from adultG. paludum also agglutinated human erythrocytes. An ascites tumor was converted into a solid form in vivo after administration ofG. paludum agglutinin. The observation that these aquatic insect agglutinins preferentially agglutinate tumor cells has considerable implications in terms of anti-tumor effects such as inhibition of cell proliferation and metastasis.Deceased.     

In-vitro-Versuche über die Methämoglobinbildung durch Chinonderivate

Summary Heubner states that the oxidation of hæmoglobin to methæmoglobin by quinones should be due to a tension between two oxidation-reduction systems, the quinone-hydroquinone system and the hæmoglobin-methæmoglobin system. The authors tried to prove this statement by using various quinones with different oxidation-reduction potentials. An analysis of the results obtained suggests, however, that the oxidation-reduction potential is not the only factor determining the equilibrium. It seems that some other constitutionally conditioned factors also play an important role in this process.Experiments with non-hæmolyzed erythrocytes show that all quinones tested are able to pass through the cellular membrane of the erythrocytes without undergoing any chemical reaction. Thus, the experiments with hæmolyzed solutions and those with intact erythrocytes gave identical results.     

Amounts of nuclear DNA in anurans of the USSR

Summary The amounts of nuclear DNA in blood erythrocytes of 18 species of Anura from the USSR have been determined to be in the range of 4.0–20.6 pg (10^–12 g). Brown frogs of genusRana have lower mean genome sizes than green frogs. Palaearctic Anura, as a whole, have a greater content of nuclear DNA than the species of the same families from regions further south.