Inhibition of an early stage of erythropoiesis in cultures of young chick blastodisc cells byRicinus communis agglutinin 120

Summary An early pre-erythroid phase of erythropoiesis in cultures of dispersed cell suspensions prepared from primitive streak and head-fold chick blastodiscs was very sensitive to inhibition byRicinus communis agglutinin 120.This work was supported by grants from the Medical Research Council and National Research Council of Canada. We thank Mrs S. Dorey and N.N. McGrath for technical assistance. S.D.W. is an Associate of the Medical Research Council.     

Common antigenicity between a human thymic epithelial cell product and a thymus-dependent serum factor

Summary Specific immunofluorescence of human thymic epithelial cytoplasm was obtained with antibodies to supernatant of thymic epithelial cultures, and with anti-prealbumin antibodies. These antibodies also reacted with normal serum but not with serum from Di George patients. The data indicates that thymic epithelium and a component of the prealbumin fraction of normal serum share a common antigen believed to be thymic hormone.Acknowledgment. The authors wish to thank Mrs Francine Rivard and Claire Prévost for technical assistance and Dr A.R.C. Dobell for human thymic material. This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Medical Research Council of Canada.     

Selection for resistance toBacillus thuringiensis δ-endotoxin in an insect cell line (Choristoneura fumiferana)

Summary A cell line of the spruce budworm (FPMI-CF1) consists of a mixed population of cells that possess variable sensitivity to -endotoxin from crystals ofBacillus thuringiensis. A cell strain was selected from FPMI-CF1 which was resistant to the entomocidal protein extracted fromB. thuringiensis crystals. The resistant character was unstable, however, and could not be maintained in the absence of toxin during growth.The author wishes to thank S.S. Sohi (Forest Pest Management Institute, Canadian Forestry Service, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada) for theC.fumiferana cell line, and L.I. Davidson (USDA) for his able technical assistance.     

The principal toxin ofDelphinium brownii Rydb., and its mode of action

Summary Examination ofD. brownii, a stock-poison of Western Canada, revealed that the principal toxin was methyllycaconitine: a potent neuromuscular blocking agent which appears to act competitively at nicotinic receptors.We thank the University of Calgary, The National Research Council of Canada, and the Alberta Agriculture Department, for financial assistance.     

Changes in IAA oxidase activity in rooting hypocotyl cuttings ofPhaseolus mungo L.

Summary IAA oxidase activity increased concomitant with root initiation during 16–52 h, in all cultures, thus showing the necessity of an active IAA oxidase for root initiation inPhaseolus mungo hypocotyl cuttings. The increase being very sharp in IAA alone, but less in all other cultures. The role of sucrose in root initiation via IAA oxidase activity has been discussed.The research has been partly financed by a grant from the US Department of Agriculture. One of us (R.N.C.) is thankful to the CSIR, India, for financial assistance.     

Host cell reactivation capacity of different strains ofE. coli B resistant or sensitive to ozone

Summary Host cell reactivation capacity for ozonated or irradiated phage was determined for different strains ofE. coli either more sensitive or resistant to ozone than the wild type strain. The results suggest that theozr gene product could be involved in the same repair pathway for ozone-induced lesions on DNA as thepolA gene. The possible involment of a specific endonuclease for these lesions is also considered.This research was sponsored by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. P.L.H. acknowledges a postgraduate scholarship from the NSERC of Canada.     

Taste responsiveness of the transplanted supernumerary leg in the fleshflySarcophaga bullata

Summary Ectopic legs were produced on the abdomen of the fleshflySarcophaga bullata by transplantation of prothoracic leg imaginal discs. Stimulation of the tarsal chemoreceptors of these ectopic legs with sucrose solution resulted in the extension of the host proboscis indicating the functional connectivity of the sensory axons.Supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.I appreciate the technical assistance of John Geibel, Paul Nitishin and Roger Smith.     

The invasion and growth ofBabesia bovis in tick tissue culture

Summary Erythrocytic forms ofBabesia bovis inoculated into cell cultures of the tickBoophilus microplus invaded the tick cells and showed multiplication for up to 48 h after inoculation.Acknowledgment. We thank Mr. G.B. Mirre and Mrs M. Steinhoffer for able technical assistance during the course of the work. We also thank Dr. H.M.D. Hoyte, Parasitology Department, University of Queensland, for the use of an electron microscope. The work was supported by funds from the Australian Meat Research Committee.     

Preliminary report on toxigenic fungal isolates ofAspergillus niger in market foods and foodstuffs

Summary 14 out of 22 fungal isolates ofA. niger from market foods and foodstuffs were toxigenic to weanling rats. Approximately 2/3 of these cultures were highly toxigenic. Histopathologic changes were observed mostly in kidney with necrosis of the tubular epithelium and to a less extent in liver with centrolobular necorsis of the hepatic cells.Acknowledgment. We wish to thank Miss Wilai Limpasuk for her excellent secretarial assistance.     

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.     

The mating behavior of individuals ofDrosophila pseudoobscura from New Zealand

Summary Recently discovered individuals in New Zealand of the North American speciesDrosophila pseudoobscura were analyzed for any divergence in mating behavior. Cultures collected from five localities in North American were mated with a stock from Rotorua, New Zealand. No significant divergence was obtained in any of the within North Americ, and more importantly, between North American and New Zealand mating experiments. Further analyses also showed no development of sterility between recently caught New Zealand and North American flies. We discuss our results in relation to others of this type.Publication No. 5 from the Evolutionary Genetics Laboratory, University of Auckland.Acknowledgements. We thank the University Grants Committee, grant No. 140Z88, for financial assistance. We thank D.G. Futch., L. Barr, A. Beckenach and H. Spencer for their kind assistance in sending us wild caught cultures.     

Properties of a calcium-dependent apyrase in the saliva of the blood-feeding bug,Rhodnius prolixus

Summary The saliva of the blood-feeding bugRhodnius prolixus contains at least 11 proteins, and has Ca²⁺-dependent apyrase activity. The activity has a broad pH optimum between pH 7 and 9, and is inhibited by Mg²⁺. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration suggest the possibility of at least 2 enzymes responsible for the activity.This work was supported by the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada. We are grateful to D. F. Mettrick for use of equipment, and to R. Hewson for invaluable assistance.     

Enhanced production of aggregation pheromones in four stored-product coleopterans feeding on methoprene-treated oats

Summary Production of aggregation pheromones by maleOryzaephilus surinamensis, O. mercator, Cryptolestes ferrugineus, andTribolium castaneum was enhanced by feeding on methoprene-treated oats, implicating juvenile hormone in control of pheromone production. Methoprene application to control insects in stored food products may cause enhanced pheromone production by these insects, thus drawing additional beetles into the treated product.Acknowledgments. We thank Dr. G. B. Staal of Zoëcon Corp. for a generous gift of methoprene. Particular thanks are due to J. Dodic for technical assistance. Research funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Science Council of British Columbia.     

Inhibition and stimulation by 5-bromodeoxyuridine of erythropoiesis by chick blood island cells

Summary Erythropoiesis in liquid cultures of cell populations resolved from chick blastodiscs at the primitive streak and head-fold stages was totally inhibited by 5–8 g/ml of 5-bromodeoxyuridine. However, concentrations of 0.2 /ml of the nucleoside enhanced the number of erythroid cells formed.This work was supported by grants from the Medical Research Council and National Research Council of Canada. We thank MissesK. Beall andN. N. McGrath for technical assistance. S. D. W. is an Associate of the Medical Research Council.     

The presence of β-phenylethylamine,p-tyramine,m-tyramine and tryptamine in ganglia and foot muscle of the garden snail (Helix aspersa)

Summary The concentrations of -phenylethylamine,p-tyramine,m-tyramine,m-octopamine and tryptamine in the ganglia or foot muscle ofHelix aspersa range from <0.6 to 11 ng/g.p-Octopamine levels are higher in ganglia (327 ng/g) than in foot muscle (4.1 ng/g). Dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine range from 840 to 2710 ng/g while their acid metabolites, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid range from <20 to 130 ng/g.Acknowledgments. We thank Dr A.A. Boulton for helpful discus sion, Dr D.A. Durden for supervising the mass spectrometric analyses, Dr B.A. Davis for the synthesis of the deuterated standards, G.H. Wheatley, E.P. Zarycki and M. Mizuno for expert technical assistance, and Saskatchewan Health and the MRC of Canada for providing financial support.     

Activation of virus production by DMSO in C. albicans experimentally infected with polyoma-DNA

Zusammenfassung Die Infektion von Schimmelpilzen,C. albicans, durch Polyomavirus mit isolierter Polyoma-DNS und die aktivierende Wirkung von DMSO werden beschrieben.

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Supported by a grant of the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

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The assistance of Mr. G.Kolompár and B.Bucz during these assays is gratefully acknowledged.     

The reported occurrence of L-canavanine in soya bean,Glycine max

Summary The reported occurrence of L-canavanine in soya bean,Glycine max could not be verified by enzyme treatment of the extracted non-protein amino acids of the seed.This work was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (BMS-75-19770) and funds from N.I.H. Biomedical Grant 5-SO5-RR07114-08.The author thanks Dr D. B. Egli of the University of Kentucky for soya bean seeds and Karen Hughes for her technical assistance.     

Indefinite in vivo life span of serially isografted mouse mammary gland

Zusammenfassung Durch wiederholte Transplantation liess sich Mammagewebe von Mäusen während einer Zeitspanne am Leben erhalten, welche die Lebensdauer von Mäusen wesentlich übertrifft.

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This work was supported by grants from the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund for Medical Research, the Medical Research Council of Canada, and also partly by the National Cancer Institute of Canada. The author is indebted to Mrs.Sharon Griffin for her technical assistance.     

Effect of heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) produced byEscherichia coli on in vitro cell proliferation

Summary Filtrates fromE. coli H10407 cultures, giving a positive response for heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) in the Y-1 cell test, show an inhibitory activity both on³H-thymidine uptake by Ehrlich ascites cells and on granulocytic-macrophagic precursors (CFU-C) in murine bone marrow.Acknowledgments. We gratefully acknowledge the expert technical assistance of L. Basso and A. Gerosa of Department of Pathology, Hospital of Desio.     

Orotic acid prevents changes in cardiac sarcolemmal glycoproteins and contractility associated with muscular dystrophy in hamsters

Summary Orotic acid included in the diet of cardiomyopathic hamsters during the myolytic phase of the disease (30–60 days of age) prevented the reduction in cardiac sarcolemmal sialic acid, calcium binding, sialyltransferase activity and contractile activity associated with the cardiomyopathy.This work was supported by research grants from the MRC of Canada, the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada and the Nova Scotia Heart Foundation. I thank Dr Peter E. Dresel for his encouragement and Ms Jane Benjamin and Mr Steven Couban for their technical assistance.