Extraordinary levels of cadmium and zinc in a marine sponge,Tedania charcoti Topsent: inorganic chemical defense agents

The Antarctic marine spongeTedania charcoti has been shown to contain extraordinarily high natural concentrations of cadmium and zinc, which have in turn been correlated to the ability of the crude ethanol extract to modulate protein phosphorylation in chicken forebrain and to inhibit the growth of several test bacteria.     

A testis-specific lactate dehydrogenase in the pipid frog,Hymenochirus boettgeri

Summary Lactate dehydrogenase zymograms of mature testes ofHymenochirus boettgeri show in addition to the five isozymes composed of LDH-A and LDH-B subunits, a second 5-band system which is due to isozymes formed between LDH-A and a third subunit, LDH-C. These testis-specific LDH-C isozymes appear around 6 months after metamorphosis indicating that their expression is correlated with sexual maturity as is generally the case in mammals. This is the first report of a testis-specific LDH isozyme in a lower tetrapod; such isozymes have hitherto only been reported in mammals and in the pigeon.This study was supported by a grant from the Fond National Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique to H.R.K. We thank M. Sateur and F. Bourquin for their technical help.     

Chromosomal localization of the locus PGM (phosphoglucomutase) inDrosophila buzzatii

Summary The locus PGM ofD. buzzatii is localized in the linkage group of chromosome 4, outside the region blocked by the inversion 4s and with a recombination percentage of about 16% from the inversion breakpoint.     

A non-peroxide norsesterterpene from a marine spongeHyrtios erecta

Summary A new norsesterterpene, hyrtial4, and known sesterterpenes,1–3, have been isolated from an anti-inflammatory active crude extract of the spongeHyrtios erecta.This sponge,Hyrtios (Heteronema) erecta Keller 1889, collected in 1980/81, from Tonga was extremely abundant in the Vava'u Is. Group.We thank Prof. R. Jacobs and his research group at UCSB for this data.     

Malarial parasites complete sporogony in axenic mosquitoes

Summary To obtain sporogonic stages of malaria free from microbial contaminants for in vitro studies,Anopheles stephensi were reared under sterile conditions using a mosquito cell line as larval food. The adult females, kept in sterile humidified containers and allowed to engorge on parasitemic hamsters, supported the sporogonic development of the rodent malarial parasitePlasmodium berghei. In 10 experiments, the proportion of infected mosquitoes varied from 0 to 92%, and the geometric mean number of oocysts per female mosquito from 2.5 to 58,6, with a range of 1 to 548. The average number of salivary gland sporozoites per infected mosquito was determined by direct sporozoite counts in the pooled homogenate of the thoraces of all female mosquitoes. In five experiments, it varied from 2.7×10³ to 9.0×10³. The sterile sporozoites, harvested on day 19 or 20 after the infective blood meal, were as infective for rodents as nonsterile ones.Supported in part by Public Health Service research grant AI 18345 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, by a grant from the Agency of International Development DSPE-5542-G-SS-3042-00, and by a Charles and Johanna Busch award.     

Stimulatory effect of methyl jasmonate on the ethylene production in tomato fruits

Summary Methyl jasmonate at a concentration of 0.5% in lanolin paste was applied to detached mature green and red ripe tomatoes cv. Tempo. One to 10 days after treatment, slices were cut at a depth of about 2 mm for ethylene determination. It was found that methyl jasmonate strongly stimulated ethylene production both in green and red fruits, production was about 1.6 to 7.9 times higher than in control tissue.Acknowledgments. We wish to thank Dr E. Demole, Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland, for the gift of authentic (±)-methyl jasmonate and Mrs H. Sas for her excellent technical assistance.     

In vitro mutagenicity testing of a potent,new, benzoyl urea insect growth regulator

Summary Bacterial mutagenicity assay to detect potential chronic toxicity of a potent, new, benzoyl urea insect growth regulator (CGA-112913 or IKI-7899, formerly UC-62644) was conducted using 5 histidine auxotrophs ofSalmonella typhimurium. Tests within the concentration range of 0.9–500 g (saturating)/plate of the compound with and without the 5–9 mammalian metabolic activation system showed no mutagenic effects clearing the way for long-term chronic toxicology studies.The authors thank Professor Bruce N. Ames for supplying the tester strains together with all the relevant information for conducting the bioassays and Ms. Norma Charlebois for her meticulous technical assistance.     

Hepatic acid hydrolases of albino rats,Mastomys natalensis and albino mice duringPlasmodium berghei infection

Summary Changes in liver acid hydrolase activities during the infection of albino rats,Mastomys or mice withPlasmodium berghei are described. B-Glucosidase, B-galactosidase and N-acetyl-B-D-glucosaminidase exhibited widely different responses with acid phosphatase and cathepsin-B the least responsive and are likely to be causally related to immunity of animals.     

Role of the δ 8 double bond of agroclavine in lysergic acid amide biosynthesis byClaviceps purpurea

Summary Agroclavine, given to actively-growing sclerotial tissue of a strain ofClaviceps purpurea which can not normally elaborate ergot alkaloids, was transformed by this tissue into lysergic acid amide with overall efficiency of approximataly 40%. By contrast, festuclavine (8, 9-dihydro-agroclavine) was not transformed, indicating specificity in the mechanism of lysergyl biosynthesis.     

Growth inhibitory,insecticidal and antifeedant effects of some antileukemic and cytotoxic quassinoids on two species of agricultural pests

Summary Several quassinoids, obtained by isolation and derivatization fromSimaba multiflora andSoulamea soulameoides, were evaluated for growth inhibitory and insecticidal effects against the tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens) and for antifeedant effects againstH. virescens and the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). The relative activity of the quassinoids as insect growth inhibitors generally paralleled their known relative potency as antileukemic and cytotoxic agents.Phytochemical aspects of this work were supported by Contract CM-97295 with the Division of Cancer Treatment, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. Insects were kindly supplied by the agency of the United States Department of Agriculture at Brownsville, TX.