Repetitive order and the human walking apparatus: Prussian military science versus the Webers' locomotion research

The addition of 'fire' to the European battle repertoire resulted in the close-order drill for manoeuvres of the line. Begun in late sixteenth-century Netherlands and perfected in eighteenth-century Prussia under Frederick the Great, the drill's precision marching evolved into a military science which conceived what infantry acquired through rigorous training as a lawful 'second nature' of men. In contrast, the liberal Webers' 1836 locomotion research orientation was, as was that of French skirmishing, one of natural self-regulation. Later Prussian military science, restored in Imperial Germany, was merged into locomotion science.     

Studies of a key protein in the mechanism of the excitation-contraction coupling process of frog skeletal muscle,using phenylglyoxal

The excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling process in single twitch fibres from frog toe muscle was inhibited selectively by phenylglyoxal (PGO), a specific guanidyl modifying reagent. A new protein (31.5 kDa), which has PGO-binding ability and seems to play a key role in the E-C coupling process, was solubilized from transverse tubule membrane-junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum complexes (TTM-JSR) of frog skeletal muscles, using¹⁴C-PGO. The monoclonal antibody against this protein applied extracellularly inhibited the E-C coupling process of the single fibres. This protein appears to constitute the very first step of input for E-C coupling. It is considered to behave as an indispensable part of an electrometer to measure membrane potentials. Therefore, the name electrometrin is suggested for the new protein.     

Biology of halophilic bacteria,Part II

Archaebacteria (archaea) are comprised of three groups of prokaryotes: extreme halophiles, methanogens and thermoacidophiles (extreme thermophiles). Their membrane phospholipids and glycolipids are derived entirely from a saturated, isopranoid glycerol diether,sn-2,3-diphytanylglycerol (archaeol) and/or its dimer, dibiphytanyldiglyceroltetraether (caldarchaeol). In extreme halophiles, the major phospholipid is the archaeol analogue of phosphatidylglycerolmethylphosphate (PGP-Me); the glycolipids are sulfated and/or unsulfated glycosyl archaeols with diverse carbohydrate structure characteristic of taxons on the generic level. Biosynthesis of these archaeol-derived polar lipids occurs in a multienzyme, membrane-bound system that is absolutely dependent on high salt concentration (4 M). The highly complex biosynthetic pathways involve intermediates containing glycerol ether-linked C₂₀-isoprenyl groups which are reduced to phytanyl groups to give the final saturated polar lipids. In methanogens, polar lipids are derived both from archaeol and caldarchaeol, and thermoacidophiles contain essentially only caldarchaeol-derived polar lipids. The function of these membrane polar lipids in maintaining the stability, fluidity and ionic properties of the cell membrane of extreme halophiles, as well as the evolutionary implications of the archaeol and caldarchaeol-derived structures will be discussed.     

Cyclophosphamide-impaired regulation of hepatic heme metabolism

Summary Im male rats hepatic cytochromes b₅ and P-450 were reduced at different times after treatment with cyclophosphamide (CP) (200 mg/kg i.p. for 3 days). In contrast, microsomal heme did not change until 48 h after the last dose of CP, leading to accumulation of heme in a non-cytochromal form. Parallel to the above changes the heme metabolism showed derangement: -aminolaevulinate synthase, the rate-limiting enzyme in heme synthesis, was depressed and heme oxygenase, the enzyme which catalyzes the oxidative degradation of heme, was increased.     

Pineal-related changes in cyclic AMP levels of rat medial basal hypothalamus

Summary Pinealectomy (Px) in adult male rats resulted in increased cyclic AMP accumulation by medial basal hypothalamic (MBH) explants 3 and 7 days after surgery. 24 h after superior cervical ganglionectomy (Gx) an augmented MBH cyclic AMP accumulation was observed. The effects of Px and Gx were additive, as revealed in animals subjected to Gx 3 days after Px.This study was supported by grants from the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) (N^o 6638) and from the Fundación Alberto J. Roemmers, Argentina.     

Transplantation of human cortex with Alzheimer's disease into rat occipital cortex; a model for the study of Alzheimer disease

Summary Senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT) is a major problem in the human senescent population. As this pathology cannot be reproduced in animals, research into its development is greatly impeded. The technique of implantation of the nervous tissue has been utilized in order to establish an animal model and to test the possible existence of a transmissible agent. When human temporal cortex with Alzheimer's disease is implanted in the occipital cortex of 7-week-old rats, human cerebral tissue containing abundant tangles induces in the receiver cortex a reactive fibrous gliosis. In the processes of the astrocytes, twisted filaments are evident among bundles of normal filaments. These alterations could be induced by the metabolising of abnormal filament subunits or by some infectious agent introduced by the implant.This study is supported by grant No. 2.4517.82 of Fonds de la Recherche Fondamentale Collective of Belgium.     

Physiological state of submitochondrial particles and their susceptibility to Triton X-100

Summary The solubilizing effect of Triton X-100 on beef heart submitochondrial particles (ETP_H) has been studied under various physiological conditions. Coupled, uncoupled and azide-inhibited ETP_H particles have been studied. Quantitative and qualitative differences are found in the proteins solubilized by the detergent from ETP_H particles under the various conditions tested.Acknowledgments: This work was supported in part by a grant from a Spanish Comisión Asesora para la Investigación Cientifica y Técnica. M.C. Barbero was recipient of a scholarship from the Basque Government.     

Effect of hormones and cyclic AMP on γ-glutamyltranspeptidase activity of rat mammary gland explants

Summary -Glutamyl transpeptidase activity was assayed in midpregnant rat mammary gland explants at 14, 22 and 38 h, in the presence and absence of insulin, prolactin and corticosterone. With these 3 hormones the explants attained the characteristics of a secretory gland after 22 h of tissue culture, at which time the enzyme exhibited its maximal activity. The addition of dibutyryl cyclic AMP in the presence of the 3 hormones produced a significant increase in enzyme activity, which was maximal with a 1 mM concentration of the cyclic nucleotide. A similar effect was observed when theophylline or theophylline plus dibutyryl cyclic AMP were added to the culture medium.This work was supported by grant B1138-8333 from the Departamento de Desarrollo de la Investigación, Universidad de Chile.     

‘Chloride-cell’ — like mitochondria-rich cells of salamander larva gill epithelium

Summary Two types of mitochondria-rich cells (MRC) are described ultrastructurally in the gill epithelium of salamander larva. They resemble MRC found in larval ventral epidermis. Histochemical localization of carbonic anhydrase indicated numerous positive reacting cells, most of them flask-shaped. Morphological and functional similarities to fish chloride cells are discussed.