Effect of calcium and temperature on histamine release from pig lung by compound 48/80

Zusammenfassung Es zeigt sich, dass die anaphylaktische Histaminausschüttung Calcium benötigt und bei neidriger Temperatur vollkommen gehemmt wird. Bei Zugabe der Substanz 48/80 erweist sich die dadurch hervorgerufene Histaminausschüttung als dosisabhängig und benötigt kein extrazelluläres Calcium. Die Reaktion wird bei niedriger Temperatur (4°C) nur teilweise gehemmt. Sie kann daher nicht als zweckmässiges Modell für das Studium der anaphylaktischen Histaminausschüttung der Lunge angesehen werden.

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This investigation was supported by United States Public Health Service Grants Nos. OH-00304 and HE-14179.     

Einfluss der Ionenstärke auf das Immunpräzipitationsvermögen von Amphibien-Antikörpern

Summary Precipitating antibodies of amphibia are more dependent on the ionicity of the buffer system than the well known rabbit antibodies.     

Chromatin dynamics during epigenetic reprogramming in the mouse germ line

A unique feature of the germ cell lineage is the generation of totipotency. A critical event in this context is DNA demethylation and the erasure of parental imprints in mouse primordial germ cells (PGCs) on embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5) after they enter into the developing gonads. Little is yet known about the mechanism involved, except that it is apparently an active process. We have examined the associated changes in the chromatin to gain further insights into this reprogramming event. Here we show that the chromatin changes occur in two steps. The first changes in nascent PGCs at E8.5 establish a distinctive chromatin signature that is reminiscent of pluripotency. Next, when PGCs are residing in the gonads, major changes occur in nuclear architecture accompanied by an extensive erasure of several histone modifications and exchange of histone variants. Furthermore, the histone chaperones HIRA and NAP-1 (NAP111), which are implicated in histone exchange, accumulate in PGC nuclei undergoing reprogramming. We therefore suggest that the mechanism of histone replacement is critical for these chromatin rearrangements to occur. The marked chromatin changes are intimately linked with genome-wide DNA demethylation. On the basis of the timing of the observed events, we propose that if DNA demethylation entails a DNA repair-based mechanism, the evident histone replacement would represent a repair-induced response event rather than being a prerequisite.     

Speciation through sensory drive in cichlid fish

Theoretically, divergent selection on sensory systems can cause speciation through sensory drive. However, empirical evidence is rare and incomplete. Here we demonstrate sensory drive speciation within island populations of cichlid fish. We identify the ecological and molecular basis of divergent evolution in the cichlid visual system, demonstrate associated divergence in male colouration and female preferences, and show subsequent differentiation at neutral loci, indicating reproductive isolation. Evidence is replicated in several pairs of sympatric populations and species. Variation in the slope of the environmental gradients explains variation in the progress towards speciation: speciation occurs on all but the steepest gradients. This is the most complete demonstration so far of speciation through sensory drive without geographical isolation. Our results also provide a mechanistic explanation for the collapse of cichlid fish species diversity during the anthropogenic eutrophication of Lake Victoria.     

The effects of non-thermal radio frequency radiation on human lymphocytes in vitro

Zusammenfassung Hypotonische Streuungen, die in radiobestrahlten Kulturen menschlicher Lymphozyten Chromosomenaberrationen erkennen liessen, traten dort siebenmal häufiger auf als in unbestrahlten Kulturen; offenbar das Ergebnis einer wärmefreien Bestrahlung. Trotz des Fehlens bedeutender Unterschiede in der DNA-Synthese, der Zellvergrösserung und im mitotischen Index zwischen bestrahlten und unbestrahlten Kulturen kam es zu Aberrationen.