Immunocytochemical localization of GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone) systems in the brain of a marine teleost fish,the sole

Summary The GnRH system was studied in the brain of the sole by immunocytochemistry (peroxidase-antiperoxidase method) (PAP) using antibodies to synthetic salmon GnRH (s-GnRH). Two centers containing immunoreactive cell bodies were observed in the forebrain, one located at the junction between the olfactory bulbs and the telencephalon and the other in the preoptic area. Numerous immunoreactive fibers were found, especially in the telencephalon, hypothalamus, pituitary, optic tectum and retina.     

Leu-8/TQ1 is the human equivalent of the Mel-14 lymph node homing receptor

The human pan-leukocyte antigen Leu-8 has attracted wide interest because its presence or absence identifies suppressor-inducer and helper-inducer CD4+ T-lymphocyte subsets respectively. We report here that Leu-8 is the human homologue of the mouse Mel-14 homing receptor, a molecule that promotes the initial adhesion of blood-borne lymphocytes to the specialized post-capillary endothelium of peripheral lymph nodes. We also show that Leu-8 can adopt both conventional and phospholipid anchored forms, a finding that may have relevance in the context of antigen shedding following activation or homing. The assignment of lymphocytes to different functional classes based on lymph node homing potential may represent a more general association between lymphocyte function and tissue distribution.     

Frequency-dependent effect of verapamil on rat soleus muscle

Summary In the presence of verapamil (0.1 mM) rat soleus muscle fibers failed to generate action potentials with overshoots. In fibers with their V_m set to a local level of –90 mV, verapamil produces a gradual reduction in the amplitude of the repetitive action potentials; this effect is more pronounced at high rates of stimulation (100 Hz). Our results suggest a local anesthetic action of this drug that could contribute with its calcium channel blocking effect to the diminished mechanical tension observed in the presence of the drug.Acknowledgments. We thank A. Losavio and M. Stefanolo for technical assistance. This work was supported by grants from CONICET and SUBCYT, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Muscular Dystrophy Association, USA.     

Mitochondrial class II introns encode proteins related to the reverse transcriptases of retroviruses

Organelle introns share several distinctive features that set them apart from their counterparts in nuclear-encoded pre-messenger RNAs (reviewed in ref. 1): their termini do not obey the GU...AG rule; the introns are 'structured' (members of the same family or 'class' can theoretically adopt very similar RNA secondary conformations and several of the postulated pairings have been confirmed by studies of splicing mutants and their revertants (see, for example, ref. 4); many introns from both classes contain long open reading frames. We report here that the proteins potentially encoded by four class II introns are related to several RNA-dependent polymerases of viral and transposable element origins.     

Insulin-like growth factor-II gene expression in Wilms' tumour and embryonic tissues

Wilms' tumour (nephroblastoma) is an embryonal neoplasm occurring in hereditary and spontaneous forms. Both types show rearrangements of the short arm of chromosome 11. The germ line of children with the rare inherited triad of aniridia, genito-urinary abnormality and mental retardation carry a chromosome 11 that has a deletion in its short arm (band 11p13) and these children are at increased risk of developing Wilms' tumour. Neonates with the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, in which there may be duplication of the 11p13-11p15 region, are similarly predisposed. In the spontaneous form of the tumour a deletion of the 11p14 band in tumour cells, but not in normal cells, has been reported, and the development of homozygosity for recessive mutations in the 11p region is implicated in the aetiology of Wilms' tumour. In view of these chromosomal rearrangements and because Wilms' tumour is histologically indistinguishable from the early stages of kidney development, we have now examined the expression of genes localized to 11p in Wilms' tumour and human embryonic tissue. In 12 sporadic tumours examined, the expression of the gene coding for insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II), localized to the 11p15 region, was markedly increased relative to adult tissues, but was comparable to the level of expression in several fetal tissues including kidney, liver, adrenals and striated muscle. This may reflect the stage of tumour differentiation, but could also contribute to the malignant process, as IGF-II is an embryonal mitogen.     

Electrical and band-gap properties of amorphous zinc-indium-tin oxide thin films

Zinc-indium-tin oxide (ZITO) films were grown by pulsed-laser deposition.Three different material compositions were investigated:ZITO-30,ZITO-50 and ZITO-70 in which 30％,50％ and 70％,respectively,of the...