Arousal and fright responses and their habituation in the slippery dick,Halichoeres bivittatus

Summary Behavioral arousal and fright responses ofHalichoeres bivittatus occurred in aquaria to a moving shadow and a tap stimulus. Arousal was characterized by changes in the beat of pectoral fins, dorsal fin erection and eye movements, whereas in fright, adduction of pectoral and dorsal fins and rapid forward movement occurred. Serial stimulus presentation caused the fright response to be replaced by arousal which habituated in that the proportion of behavioral components exhibited decreased during the process.P.R. Laming was in receipt of a Royal Society travel grant for assistance in the expenses of this work, for which he is duly grateful. We are grateful to Nick Zinkowski, Culebra for the loan of minnow traps.     

Excretion of acid hydrolases during molting inPhilosamia ricini

Summary The level of the acid hydrolases -glucuronidase (EC 3.2.3.11), acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) and acid protease (EC 3.4.4) was studied during larval growth and molting inP. ricini. The level of activity of these enzymes remained low during larval growth; however, the level increased sharply at the time of molting and declined sharply thereafter in the newly ecdysed insect. Interestingly, the diminished activity of these enzymes was almost quantitatively recovered in the cast-off cuticle. The excretion of acid hydrolases through the cast-off cuticle has hitherto not been reported in insects during molting.     

Genetic basis of susceptibility for development of neoplasms following treatment with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) or X-rays in the platyfish/swordtail system

Summary Specific genotypes of the xiphophorine fish develop neoplasms following treatment with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea or X-rays. Several of these neoplasms can be related to the presence of specific chromosomes. The implications of these findings are discussed.Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft through Sonderforschungsbereich 103 Zellenergetik und Zelldifferenzierung, Marburg (projects C 9 and C 10), and by Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen. We are indebted to Prof. K. Frese, Veterinär-Pathologisches Institut, Giessen and Dr H. D. Mennel, Pathologisches Institut, Freiburg, for their help in the classification of neoplasms. We furthermore thank K. Klinke for breeding the fish. Dedicated to Prof. C. Kosswig on the occasion of his 75^th birthday.The paper contains parts of the dissertations of S. Abdo, J. Haas and G. Kollinger.supported by the Egypt ministry of education.     

Removal of 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine incorporated in liver DNA of newborn and young adult rats

Summary 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BUdR) removal from liver DNA in newborn and young adult rats has been demonstrated: it forms the basis of a reliable method to measure DNA repair in tissues provided with detectable DNA synthetic activity.This work was supported by a grant from Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, and Donazione Teston, Bologna, Italy.     

Chromosome variations inXenopsylla astia Rothschild, 1911 (Siphonaptera). A preliminary report

Summary 2 populations of rat fleas,Xenopsylla astia, collected from (A) Bombay and (B) Trivandrum, were found to differ in chromosome number as follows; (A) 2n=10 in both sexes; (B) 2n=18 (male) and 20 (female). Preliminary observations have further shown that the 2 populations differ in certain morphological characters and that their reciprocal hybrids are sterile in the male and partially sterile in the female sex.Acknowledgments. We wish to express our deepest gratitude to Dr Robert E. Lewis, Professor of Entomology, Iowa State University, USA, for confirming our identification of the 2 samples of rat fleas. We are indebted to Dr N.R. Prabhoo, Reader in Zoology, University of Kerala, Trivandrum, for his advice and helpful suggestions. We are also indebted to Prof. K.M. Alexander, for encouragement and providing facilities. Financial help of the University Grants Commission, India, to one of us (C.T.) is also gratefully acknowledged.     

An assessment of the effect of hormone and neurotransmitters on adenine and gluanine derivatives simultaneously in rat brain cortical slices

Summary A 2-dimensional thin-layer method has been developed for the separation on cellulose of adenine and guanine derivatives. Using incubated rat cerebral cortex slices it was shown that noradrenaline and acetylcholine stirnulated cAMP and cGMP production respectively but glutamate and -aminobutyric acid stimulated production of both cyclic nucleotides.     

Migration of lymphoid cells to the bone marrow of rat following eradication of cells in DNA synthesis and in mitosis

Summary Eradication of replicating bone marrow cells of rat by means of combined administration of single doses of hydroxyurea and vinblastin is followed within 9–10 h by an inflow of lymphoid cells of extramedullary origin in the range of 13,200,000/femur. The rat bone marrow with a high content of lymphoid cells was previously shown to be concentrated in stem cells. The factor(s) which convey the information of decrease of replicating marrow cells to extramedullary sites is at present unknown.Acknowledgment. This study was supported by a grant from the Chief Scientist Office, Ministry of Health, Israel.Hydroxyurea for this investigation was given as a gift by the Squibb Institute of Medical Research, Princeton, N.J. USA, to which the authors are indebted.