New contribution to the study of chromosomes of the European Cryptocephalinae (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae)

Summary The chromosomes of three species ofPachybrachis and nine ofCryptocephalus chrysomelids were analyzed. The male meiotic bivalent formula ofP. azureus Suffr.,P. catalonicus Burl. andP. petitpierrei Daccordi is 7^II+Xy_r.Cryptocephalus sexmaculatus Ol. andC. vittula Suffr. have 13^II+Xy_p,C. bipunctatus L. 14^II+Xy_r,C. ochroleucus Steph. andC. ocellatus Drap. 14^II+Xy_p,C. crassus 01. 15^II+Xy_r,C. sulphureus 01. 15^II+Xy_p, the same number as inC. fulvus Goeze with 2n=32 chromosomes, whileC. primarius Har. has 19^II+Xy_p. The modal chromosome number inCryptocephalus is 2n=30 (about 60% of spp.), and most species are characterized their small chromosomes. The low variation found in the karyotypes of Cryptocephalinae along with their possible interrelationships with allied chrysomelid subfamilies are also discussed.     

Zur Biosynthese der C9–10-Einheit der Indolalkaloide

Summary After administration of various C₂-compounds as well as leucine-2-¹⁴C toCatharanthus roseus shoots and glycine-2-¹⁴C toStrychnos nux vomica plants no specific incorporation into the non-tryptophan C_9–10 moiety of indole alkaloids was observed. The results indicate that glycine-2-¹⁴C is transformed into serine and is incorporated via tryptophan into strychnine.     

Isomériecis-trans des ménaquinones et oxydations phosphorylantes dans les extraits deMycobacterium phlei

Summary Incubation ofM. phlei washed cells with [¹⁴C³H₃]-l-methionine led to [2-¹⁴C³H₃] dihydromena-quinone-9 with an isotope ratio identical to that of methionine. Chromatography of the doubly labelled quinone indicated, despite a pronounced isotope effect, that bothcis andtrans isomers had the same isotope ratio. This result eliminates any possibility of hydrogen exchange in the 2-methyl group of menaquinones during oxydative phosphorylation, even in thecis isomer. Furthermore, it is confirmed that this compound is certainly formed from natural or synthetic menaquinones during isolation or incubation periods by the effect of daylight irradiation.     

Drosophila melanogaster does not dealkylate [14C]sitosterol

Summary Drosophila melanogaster was unable to dealkylate and convert [¹⁴C]sitosterol to cholesterol and no evidence was found for conversion of [¹⁴C]desmosterol to cholesterol. Therefore,D. melanogaster is incapable of dealkylating and converting C₂₈ and C₂₉ phytosterols to cholesterol.The authors thank O. J. Duncan III, and H. S. Symonds for technical assistance. Mention of a company name or proprietary product does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.     

Unit dimensions and space group of Tl2Cl3

Zusammenfassung Die Struktur von Tl₂Cl₃ gehört wahrscheinlich der Raumgruppe D _3d ² an. Die hexagonale Zelle hat die Dimensionena=14·3 k X,c=25·1 k X und enthält 32 Einheiten Tl₂Cl₃.     

Demethylation in vivo of natulan,a tumour-inhibiting methylhydrazine derivative

Zusammenfassung Die intraperitoneale Verabreichung von 1-¹⁴CH₃-Natulan bei der Maus und der Ratte hat eine Ausscheidung von¹⁴CO₂ in der Atemluft zur Folge. Die Demethylierungsrate in vivo beträgt bei der Maus 3,1, bei der Ratte 1,7µM/h/100 g Körpergewicht. Sie wird bei der Ratte durch Behandlung mit Phenobarbital mehr als verdoppelt. Über das Substrat der N-Demethylierung lässt sich keine sichere Aussage machen.     

Comparison of circulating lipoprotein lipase activity in Zuckerfa/fa andFa/-rats

Summary Lipoprotein lipase activity was determined in Zucker rats by assaying VLDL radioactivity. Animals were i.v. injected with³H₂-oleic acid and¹⁴C-glycerol with or without Triton WR 1339. This enzymatic activity was higher infa/fa rats than in non-obeseFa/-rats.     

Oxidation ofβ-hydroxybutyrate infused into the cortical subarachnoid space

Résumé LeOHB, la concentration du¹⁴CO₂ ainsi que l'activité specifique du¹⁴CO₂ ont été determinées dans l'artère fémorale, le sinus sagittal supérieur et le liquid subarachnoïdal cortical. L'infusion duOHB enregistré a amené la présence de¹⁴CO₂ dans le liquide subarachnoïdal cortical. Les résultats indiquent que leOHB du liquide cérébro spinal peut être oxydé par les tissus à proximité de l'espace subarachnoïdal cortical.     

Unique evolution of Bivalvia arginine kinases

The clams Pseudocardium, Solen, Corbicula and Ensis possess a unique form of arginine kinase (AK) with a molecular mass of 80 kDa and an unusual two-domain structure, a result of gene duplication and subsequent fusion. These AKs also lack two functionally important amino acid residues, Asp⁶² and Arg¹⁹³, which are strictly conserved in other 40-kDa AKs and are assumed to be key residues for stabilizing the substrate-bound structure. However, these AKs show higher enzyme activity. The cDNA-derived amino acid sequences of 40-kDa AKs from the blood clam Scapharca broughtonii and the oyster Crassostrea gigas were determined. While Asp⁶² and Arg¹⁹³ are conserved in Scapharca AK, these two key residues are replaced by Asn and Lys, respectively, in Crassostrea AK. The native enzyme from Crassostrea and both of the recombinant enzymes show an enzyme activity similar to that of two-domain clam AKs and at least twofold higher than that of other molluskan AKs. Although the replacement of Asp⁶² or Arg¹⁹³ by Gly in normal AK causes a considerable decrease in V_max (6–15% of wild-type enzyme) and a two- to threefold increase in K_m for arginine, the same replacement in Scapharca AK had no pronounced effect on enzyme activity. Together with the observation that bivalve AKs are phylogenetically distinct from other molluskan AKs, these results suggest that bivalve AKs have undergone a unique molecular evolution; the characteristic stabilizing function of residues 62 and 193 has been lost and, consequently, the enzyme shows higher activity than normal.Received 14 October 2003; accepted 1 November 2003     

Conversion of clionasterol into both fucosterol and isofucosterol by the insectTenebrio molitor

Summary [7,7-³H₂]Clionasterol was synthesized and fed, together with [4-¹⁴C]sitosterol, toTenebrio molitor larvae; fucosterol and isofucosterol, recovered from the sterol fraction were found to be doubly labeled, indicating that clionasterol is converted into both the ethylidenic compounds.     

Influence of 2-methyl-2-(p-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-naphthylphenoxy)propionic acid on the oxidation of cholesterol by rat liver mitochondria

Zusammenfassung Es wird gezeigt, dass bei männlichen Wistar-Ratten im 3-Wochen-Diätexperiment mit Zusatz von 0,3% 2-Methyl-2-(p-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-1-naphthylphenoxy)-Propionsäure (Su-13437) die Oxydation von 26-¹⁴C-Cholesterin zu¹⁴CO₂ durch Lebermitochondrien (bezogen auf mg/N) ähnlich wie bei den Kontrollen war. Bei den Versuchstieren war jedoch bei Abwesenheit von Cytosol im System die Oxydation durch Lebermitochondrien erhöht.

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Acknowledgment. This work was supported, in part, by a grant No. HE-03299 and a Research Career Award No. 4-K6-HE-0734 from the National Heart Institute, N.I.H. We are indebted to Dr. W. I.Taylor, CIBA Pharmaceutical Co., Summit, N.J., for the generous gift of Su-13,437.     

Über die Biosynthese des β-Carotins beiMucor hiemalis. Die Beteiligung der Essigsäure am Aufbau des Carotinmoleküls,untersucht mit Hilfe C14-markierter Essigsäure

Summary It has been demonstrated with labelled acetate, C¹⁴H₃ . COONa, CH₃-C¹⁴OONa), that the methyl groups of acetic acid form the methyl groups of the chain between the two-jonone rings of the-carotene. The carboxylic groups of the acetic acid on the other hand form the neighbouring C-Atoms of the methyl groups.     

Zur Biogenese des Xanthocillins,II1: Die Herkunft des Stickstoffs der Isonitril-Gruppen

Summary The incorporation of tyrosine-2-¹⁴C-¹⁵N into xanthocillin X (I) byPenicillium notatum Westling has been investigated showing that nitrogen of the isocyano groups originates from tyrosine, which is incorporated as C₆-C₂-N-unit.

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1. Mitteilung:H. Achenbach undH. Grisebach, Z. Naturforsch.20b, 137 (1965).     

Autotrophic incorporation of C14O2 inCuscuta australis in relation to its parasitism

Riassunto L'incorporazione della C¹⁴O₂ inC. australis appare chiaramente di tipo fotosintetico in qualunque stadio di vita della pianta (plantula, fusto, infiorescenza). Fusti ed infiorescenze appaiono dotati di un metabolismo più veloce rispetto alle plantule.     

Chromosomal findings on eight species of EuropeanCryptocephalus

Summary Chromosome studies on 8 species of EuropeanCryptocephalus; C. aureolus Suffr.,C. capucinus Suffr.,C. globicollis Suffr.,C. hypochoeridis L.,C. moraei L.,C. rugicollis Ol.,C. sexpustulatus Vill., andC. violaceus Laich. have shown an identical karyotypic formula, 14^II+Xy_r, 2n=30. Most species ofCryptocephalus share 2n=30 chromosomes. The only interspecific differences are in the size of bivalents and in the sex-determining systems. The chromosomal interrelationships ofCryptocephalus with other allied groups are also discussed.     

On the mechanism of inhibition of p27 degradation by 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J 2 in lymphoblasts of Alzheimer’s disease patients

It has been proposed that neuroinflammation, among other factors, may trigger an aberrant neuronal cell cycle re-entry leading to neuronal death. Cell cycle disturbances are also detectable in peripheral cells from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. We previously reported that the anti-inflammatory 15- deoxy-Δ^12,14-prostaglandin J ₂ (15d-PGJ ₂) increased the cellular content of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27, in lymphoblasts from AD patients. This work aimed at elucidating the mechanisms of 15d-PGJ ₂-induced p27 accumulation. Phosphorylation, half-life, and the nucleo-cytoplasmic traffic of p27 protein were altered by 15d-PGJ2 by mechanisms dependent on PI3K/Akt activity. 15d-PGJ ₂ prevents the calmodulin-dependent Akt overactivation in AD lymphoblasts by blocking its binding to the 85-kDa regulatory subunit of PI3K. These effects of 15d-PGJ ₂ were not mimicked by 9,10-dihydro-15-deoxy-Δ^12,14- prostaglandin J ₂, suggesting that 15d-PGJ ₂ acts independently of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ activation and that the α,β-unsaturated carbonyl group in the cyclopentenone ring of 15d-PGJ ₂ is a requisite for the observed effects. Received 14 July 2008; received after revision 2 September 2008; accepted 12 September 2008     

Uptake of metabolic CO2 by the otoliths of the chick embryo

Riassunto Viene condotto uno studio sulla utilizzazione dell' NaHC¹⁴O₃ e C¹⁴H₃C¹⁴OC¹⁴OOH nel processo di calcificazione degli otoliti dell'embrione di pollo. I risultati delle indagini condotte hanno messo in evidenza la prevalente utilizzazione della CO₂ metabolica in tale processo.     

Sopra un caso particolare della superficie F 4 (3) di M. Noether

Summary The Noetherian surfaceF ₄ ⁽³⁾ , which is represented on a plane by a linear ³ system ofC ₉(A ₁ ³ A ₂ ³ A ₃ ³ A ₄ ³ A ₅ ³ A ₆ ³ A ₇ ³ A ₈ ³ A ₉ ² A ₁₀), possesses generally only one linear pencil of elliptic cubics. IfA _i (i=1, 2, , 9) are the basis points of aHalphen pencil ofC ₉,A ₁₀ is infinitely near toA ₉, and in this caseF ₄ ⁽³⁾ is a not trivial example of such a surface with two pencils of elliptic cubics.     

The rate of incorporation of gaseous14CO2 into brain tissue constituents

Zusammenfassung Die¹⁴CO₂-Fixation verschiedener Fraktionen des Rattengehirnes wurde untersucht. Die Ratten wurden 15–120 min in gasförmigem¹⁴CO₂ exponiert und in flüssigem N₂ gefroren. Nach 15, 30, 60 und 120 min waren 9, 17, 21 und 35% vom Gesamt-¹⁴CO₂ in der Gehirnsubstanz organisch gebunden. Der grösste Teil des organischen¹⁴CO₂ fand sich in säurelöslicher Fraktion, während ein kleinerer Teil (etwa 10%) aus der Proteinfraktion isoliert werden konnte.     

Chemical defense in the three European species ofCrematogaster ants

The composition of the Dufour gland of the antC. scutellaris has been reinvestigated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The major components of the gland are (2E,5E,12Z)-4-oxoheneicosa-2,5,12-trien-1-ol acetate (1a) its ¹⁴ and ¹⁶ double bond isomers (1b and1c), and the corresponding (Z,Z)-dienes5a and5b, all containing an acetylated C₂₁ chain. The previously proposed structures1d, 1e, and5c, which are based on an homologous acetylated C₂₃ chain, correspond to minor derivatives present in the gland. Traces of acetylated C₁₉ homologs, tentatively identified as1g-1i, have also been found. The Dufour gland contents of the two other EuropeanCrematogaster species have also been studied.C. auberti is very similar toC. scutellaris in producing mainly1a, 1b and1c, together with the same higher and lower homologs, but it lacks the dienic derivatives5, whereasC. sordidula contains essentially the acetylated C₁₉ compounds1g, 1h, and1i, accompanied by acetylated C₁₇ homologs.