The infectivity of polyhedra of nuclear polyhedrosis virus (N.P.V.) after passage through gut of an insectpredator

Summary Polyhedral inclusion bodies (P.I.B.) of a nuclear polyhedrosis virus ofHeliothis punctigera (Lep.) were found in excreta ofNabis tasmanicus (Het.), a predator ofH. punctigera. An immunofluorescent counting method was used to estimate numbers of P.I.B. Bioassays demonstrated that no loss of infectivity occurred during passage through the gut.Acknowledgment. I am grateful for the comments and criticism offered by Dr D.E. Pinnock, I thank D.J. Cooper for preparation of materials for the immunofluorescent counting method and J. Hardy for supplying me with eggs ofH. punctigera; all of Department of Entomology, Waite Agricultural Research Institute, Glen Osmond, South Australia.     

Autoradiographic studies on RNA synthesis and transport in the Salivary gland ofLygaeus sp. (Hemiptera-Lygaeidae)

Summary Autoradiographic studies using³H-uridine in the salivary gland of adultLygaeus sp. were carried out. The gland cell nuclei, particularly the multiple nucleoli, are the sites of incorporation of the label exhibiting RNA synthesis. The labelled molecules (RNA) are transported to the cell cytoplasm and then into the gland lumen in which no turnover of the radioactivity is observed.I am grateful to my teacher, Prof. P. S. Ramamurty, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, for his constant inspiration. Grateful acknowledgement is made to Prof. J. P. Thapliyal, Dept of Zoology, B. H. U. for encouragement and to Dr Om Prakash, Dept of Biochemistry, B. H. U. for his valuable criticism.     

Alkaloid studies XXVI. The constitution of pyrifolidine

Zusammenfassung Die Struktur desAspidosperma-Alkaloids Pyrifolidin (I) wird durch Protonresonanz und durch Vergleich mit Aspidospermin und Aspidocarpin bewiesen. Dieses Alkaloid ist in seiner absoluten Konfiguration ein Antipode des Aspidospermins.

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Paper XXV,C. Djerassi, A. A. P. G. Archer, T. George, B. Gilbert, J. N. Shoolery, andL. F. Johnson, Exper.16, 532 (1960).

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Acknowledgement. Financial support has been provided by grant H-5048 of the National Heart Institute, National Institutes of Health (U.S. Public Health Service), and by the Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas (Brazil). The postdoctorate research fellowship ofB. Gilbert in Rio de Janeiro was financed from a grant of the Rockefeller Foundation in support of a collaborative research program between Stanford University and the Instituto de Quimica Agricola, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).     

Inhibitor interneurons of horizontal ocular saccades studied in the alert cat with the aid of intra-axonal injections of peroxidase

A simultaneous study of the functional and morphological characteristics of burst inhibitory neurons (B.I.N.) has been performed in the alert cat. For the first time, in the central nervous system of mammal, extra- and intracellular records have been coupled with intra-axonal injection of H.R.P. in the alert animal. The B.I.N. discharge during saccades and the quick phase of vestibular and optokinetic nystagmus oriented toward the ipsilateral side of recording. The frequency of discharges is proportional to the eye angular velocity. The axons end on the abducens motoneuron. Collaterals reach the controlateral prepositus hypoglossi nucleus, medial vestibular nucleus and reticular nuclei.     

Purification of canine myocardial mitochondrial creatine kinase

Summary Mitochondrial creatine kinase, purified for the first time, is a dimeric molecule with a mol.wt of 82,000 and does not hybridize with M or B subunits or react to their specific antiserum. A specific antiserum to the mitochondrial form was developed which does not cross-react with the B or M subunits. Thus, the mitochondrial form is biochemically and immunologically unique.Supported in part by the Special Center of Research in Ischemic Heart Disease (1 P17 HL 17646).I thank Ann Grace for her technical assistance and Ava Ysaguirre for typing the mansucript.     

Establishment of normal diploid and malignant heteroploid cell lines from non-treated and benzo(a)pyrene treated hamster embryo cell cultures

Summary Two normal diploid control cell lines and a heteroploid malignant transformed cell line from B(a) P treated hamster embryo cell cultures were established. The 14-month-old B(a)P transformed cell line grew 8-times faster than the 20-month-old control cell line. The control cell line showed normal diploid chromosome complement in 93% cells and heteroploidy in 7% cells while B(a)P treated line showed 83% heteroploid cells and only 17% diploid cells. This is the first report on the establishment of diploid hamster cell cultures grown for extended period. Acknowledgments. This work was supported by the French Ministry of Quality of Life, by the Institut National de la Santé et Recherche Médicale, by the S.E.I.T.A. and by Contract No. 12-14-7001-297 of the Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Administered by the Athens, Georgia Area, Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, Athens, Georgia 30604, USA. We thank Mr.B. R. Sharma, Mr.E. J. Radin, Dr.R. Hakim and Dr.Ved Brat for their help during this work.     

Drimane sesquiterpenoids in MediterraneanDendrodoris nudibranchs: Anatomical distribution and biological role

Summary Two Mediterranean species ofDendrodoris nudibranchs have elaborated a very sophisticated defensive strategy against predators, involving the denovo biosynthesis of a series of drimane sesquiterpenoids, some of which are strongly ichthyodeterrent. Anatomical distribution of the drimane terpenoids in different sections and egg masses of the mollusc is reported, together with further studies aimed at finding out how the animals are protected against the noxious effects of their own allomones.Avila, C., F.P.I.-M.E.C. Spanish Fellowship (University of Barcelona) at the I.C.M.I.B.     

Establishment of normal diploid and malignant heteroploid cell lines from non-treated and benzo(a)pyrene treated hamster embryo cell cultures.

Two normal diploid control cell lines and a heteroploid malignant transformed cell line from B(a)P treated hamster embryo cell cultures were established. The 14-month-old B(a)P transformed cell line grew 8-times faster than the 20-month-old control cell line. The control cell line showed normal diploid chromosome complement in 93% cells and heteroploidy in 7% cells while B(a)P treated line showed 83% heteroploid cells and only 17% diploid cells. This is the first report on the establishment of diploid hamster cell cultures grown for extended period.     

Der Briefwechsel von E. S. von Fedorow und A. Schoenflies, 1889–1908

Ohne Zusammenfassung Vorgelegt von B. L. van der Waerden Herrn Professor I. I. Schafranovsky, Berginstitut Leningrad, in Dankbarkeit gewidmet     

Degradation of the mitochondrial complex I assembly factor TMEM126B under chronic hypoxia

Cell stress such as hypoxia elicits adaptive responses, also on the level of mitochondria, and in part is mediated by the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1α. Adaptation of mitochondria towards acute hypoxic conditions is reasonably well understood, while regulatory mechanisms, especially of respiratory chain assembly factors, under chronic hypoxia remains elusive. One of these assembly factors is transmembrane protein 126B (TMEM126B). This protein is part of the mitochondrial complex I assembly machinery. We identified changes in complex I abundance under chronic hypoxia, in association with impaired substrate-specific mitochondrial respiration. Complexome profiling of isolated mitochondria of the human leukemia monocytic cell line THP-1 revealed HIF-1α-dependent deficits in complex I assembly and mitochondrial complex I assembly complex (MCIA) abundance. Of all mitochondrial MCIA members, we proved a selective HIF-1-dependent decrease of TMEM126B under chronic hypoxia. Mechanistically, HIF-1α induces the E3-ubiquitin ligase F-box/WD repeat-containing protein 1A (β-TrCP1), which in turn facilitates the proteolytic degradation of TMEM126B. Attenuating a functional complex I assembly appears critical for cellular adaptation towards chronic hypoxia and is linked to destruction of the mitochondrial assembly factor TMEM126B.     

Toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis for Simulium larvae, vectors of onchocerciasis]

On field trials in infested streams, the primary powder R 153-78 made of B. thuringiensis var. israelensis with a potency of 3,000 I.T.U. Aedes aegypti/milligramme is very toxic for Blackfly larvae, especially for Simulium damnosum s.l. larvae. The lethal concentration 100, in 24 h. is 0.2 X 10(-6) for a 10 min. treatment. This high toxicity, specific for Diptera larvae such as Mosquitoes and Blackflies, is related to the special characteristic of the bacterial crystal protein which has a clear serological and chemical individuality compared to the crystal proteins of the other B. thuringiensis serotypes essentially pathogenic for Lepidoptera larvae. These preliminary results are very promising and could lead, on further research, to the utilization of B. thuringiensis var. israelensis on large scale for onchoceriasis vector control in Africa.     

3′-O-Methyl-(+)-catechin glucuronide and 3′-O-methyl-(+)-catechin sulphate: new urinary metabolites of (+)-catechin in the rat and the marmoset

Summary The major urinary metabolites of (+)-catechin (cyanidanol-3) in the rat were (+)-catechin glucuronide, 3′-O-methyl-(+)-catechin glucuronide and 3′-O-methyl-(+)-catechin sulphate. The latter conjugate was the major metabolite in marmoset urine. To whom reprint requests should be addressed. Acknowledgment. The authors wish to thank Miss Rosemary Dring and Mr P.B. Wood for skilled technical assistance, Zyma S.A., Nyon, Switzerland, for financial support, and the Medical Research Council for a research studentship (to I.C.S.).     

LysogenicKlebsiella pneumoniae strains of capsular serotype 2(B)

Résumé L'auteur décrit quatre souches deKlebsiella pneumoniae du type capsulaire B lysogènes pour les bactériophages actifs pour une autre souche du même type.

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I am grateful to ProfessorsD. G. Catcheside andJ. P. Duguid, Drs.B. H. Park, I. Ørskov, J. Papavassiliou andY. Hamon for encouragement, information and bacterial strains. This work was begun at the Microbiology Department, University of Birmingham, while the author held an award from the Agricultural Research Council.     

Karyotypic variation in Chilean lizards of the genusLiolaemus (Iguanidae)

Summary Most of 12 taxa karyotypes retain 6 pairs of metacentric macrochromosomes (primitive), but show reduced numbers of microchromosomes (2n=34, 32 and 30). Others whow increased diploid numbers due to macrochromosomal fissions (up to 4 fissions, 2n=40). One shows a fission polymorphism.We thank Dr. W.P. Hall for his many suggestions and comments; and L. Alvarez, E. Barrientos, I. Campos, M. Fernandez and F.N. Manzur for generous assistance. This study was aided by the Project del Servicio de Desarrollo Científico de la Universidad de Chile, No. B259-783.     

The number of parallel fibre-Purkinje dendrite synapses. A morphometric evaluation

Summary Quantitative parameters concerning synapses were studied in the cerebellar molecular layer of 4 cats using ultrastructural morphometric methods. The number of parallel fibre-Purkinje dendrite synapses was estimated to be about 200,000.This study was granted by I.N.I.C. (Centro de Morfologia Experimental—MbP₁ e Centro de Anatomia Patológica e Oncologia-MbP₃).The authors thank Mrs M.L. Brito, Mrs M.A. Nascimento, Mrs M.G. Rodrigues and Mr L.B. Nunes for their technical assistance.     

Evolutionary implications of ascorbic acid production in the Australian lungfish

Summary It is shown that the Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri) synthesizes ascorbic acid in its kidney, suggesting that ascorbic acid synthesis started before the origin of the tetrapods.Acknowledgments. We would like to thank Dr G.C. Grigg, University of Sydney, Mr R. B. Humphries, Dr P.A. Janssens and Dr C.H. Tyndale-Biscoe, Australian National University, and Dr. M. Griffiths and J.C. MacIlroy C.S.I.R.O., Division of Wildlife Research for supplying the tissue.     

Semisynthesis and biological properties of the [B24-leucine]-, [B25-leucine]- and [B24-leucine,B25-leucine]-analogues of human insulin

Summary Trypsin-catalyzed coupling of porcine desoctapeptide-insulin with synthetic octapeptides produced the [Leu^B24]-(I), [Leu^B25]- (II) and [Leu^B24, Leu^B25]- (III)analogues of human insulin. I, II and III displayed respectively 20–30%, 1–2% and 0.5% of the receptor binding activity of the normal hormone. Biological activities of these analogues seemed to be proportional to their binding potencies when assayed in vitro, while in an in vivo assay analogue I was fully active and II exhibited 10–20% of normal activity. III was less active than II in all assays tested.     

The structure of amoorastatone and the cytotoxic limonoid 12-hydroxyamoorastatin.

2 new limonoid-type terpenes have been isolated from an aqueous extract of seeds produced by the Eastern Himalayan (India) plant Aphanamixis grandifolia B1. By interpreting principally mass spectral and nuclear magnetic resonance data, the structures of 12-hydroxyamoorastatin (2b) and amoorastatone (3) were elucidated. Unequivocal evidence for the 12-hydroxyamoorastatin structural assignment was obtained by chemical conversion to sendanin (4). Amoorastatin derivative 2b was found to significantly inhibit growth of the murine P388 lymphocytic leukemia cell lines but amoorastatone in the same system was inactive. In a comparative biological study, sendanin (4) and anthothecol (7) were also found significantly to inhibit growth of the P388 cell line, while rohitukin (8) and limonin (9) were found to be inactive.     

Sperm activation inBalanus balanoides (Crustacea: Cirripedia)

Summary Ammonium ions alone will activate both vesicula and inseminated spermatozoa ofBalanus balanoides. Maximum activity, however, occurs when inseminated spermatozoa are treated with the blood and oviducal gland fluid ofB. balanoides.Acknowledgments. I should like to thank Mr K. White for the ammonia determinations and Prof. D. J. Crisp and Dr P. A. Gabbott for useful discussions.