Effect of the type of diet on the distribution of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase in rat small intestine

Summary The jejunoileal gradient for the HMG-CoA reductase activity in the microsomal fraction of the epithelial cells of the small intestine of rats given commercial pellets was reserved within a few days after changing the ration to a semipurified diet. The response of the reductase was essentially the same in villus and crypt cells.     

Local aggregation of hormone-receptor complexes is required for activation by epidermal growth factor.

An analogue of epidermal growth factor (EGF) which is virtually devoid of biological activity retains receptor binding activity but cannot form cell surface clusters or patches. Bivalent anti-EGF antibodies restore both bioactivity and patch formation. The sensitivity of fibroblasts to native EGF can also be enhanced greatly by these antibodies, especially in hormone-resistant cell lines.     

Persistence of orientation-selective cells of the primary visual cortex in kittens enucleated unilaterally at birth and reared in darkness]

In kittens dark reared (6 weeks old) orientation selective cells are no longer recorded in the primary visual cortex, while in kittens of same age, enucleated at birth unilaterally and reared in identical conditions, 30% of visual cortical cells are shown to be orientation selective and in addition respond preferentially to horizontal and vertical orientations.     

Unusually strong lipophilicity of ‘fat’ or ‘super’ amino-acids,including a new reference value for glycine

Summary Lipophilic, steric, electronic, and enzyme resistance characteristics of carboranylalanine, adamantylalanine, neopentylglycine and tert-butylglycine are described. The first 2 amino-acids display lipophilicities 2 orders of magnitude higher than tryptophan.This work was supported by research grants to Prof. R. Schwyzer from the Swiss National Science Foundation.     

Fate of DNA-labelled bone-marrow cells from different mouse strains injected into syngeneic irradiated recipients

Zusammenfassung Knochenmarkszellen, durch Injektion von³H-Thymidin in syngenischen Spendern markiert, wurden in bestrahlte Empfänger von AKR-, C57 Bloder BALB/c-Mäuse injiziert, wobei grösste Aktivität in der Milz, dann im Knochenmark und im Thymus gefunden wurde. Aktivitätsverlust war während der 6tägigen Beobachtungsperiode in Milz und Knochenmark am stärksten. Auch die Regeneration und die Veränderungen der spezifischen Aktivität der DNA dieser Organe waren bei C 57 Bl- und BALB/c-Mäusen am ausgeprägtesten. Die markierten Spenderzellen im Thymus scheinen nicht von Zellen zu stammen, die über das Knochenmark dorthin transportiert wurden, sondern wurden unmittelbar vom Thymus aufgenommen.