Immunosuppressive and specific antimitotic effects of ovalicin

Zusammenfassung Ovalicin, isoliert aus dem Kulturfiltrat vonPseudeurotium ovalis, hemmt die Bildung von Antikörpern schon nach einmaliger Applikation. Es kommt zur Ausbildung einer partiellen immunologischen Toleranz. Die Abstossungszeit von homologen Hauttransplantaten wird bei Mäusen durch eine einmalige Ovalicinbehandlung signifikant verlängert. Die Substanz hemmt den Anstieg des Milzgewichtes bei Mäusen, die mit Schaferythrozyten immunisiert und/oder mit lebenden Leukämie-L-1210-Zellen geimpft wurden; letzteres gilt auch für den isologen Wirt (L-1210-Zellen in DBA/2-Mäusen). Die Hemmung des Milzgewichtanstieges durch Ovalicin geht parallel mit einer Reduktion des Mitoseindex in der Milz von immunologisch stimulierten Tieren; die Mitosenzahl im Darmepithel wird hingegen nicht beeinflusst.     

Complete cold substitution of noradrenaline-induced thermogenesis in the Djungarian hamster,Phodopus sungorus

Summary The thermogenic response to injections of noradrenaline at thermoneutrality was substituted by thermogenesis at low ambient temperatures. This demonstrates that noradrenaline-induced heat production is equivalent to physiologically induced nonshivering thermogenesis during cold exposure.Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (He 990).     

Effect of immunization of male rabbits against androstenedione

Summary After active immunization of male rabbits against androstenedione and with increasing antibody titre the concentration of androstenedione and testosterone in peripheral blood increased more than 1000-fold resp. 20-fold above values of control animals. On histological examination of the testes a marked Leydig's cell hyperplasia was found, though there was no difference in testis weight.     

Alternative molecular forms of erythrocyte catalase

Zusammenfassung Katalase aus Erythrocyten vom Menschen (und Pferd) lässt sich säulenchromatographisch und elektrophoretisch in drei Fraktionen A, B und C auftrennen, wobei die Fraktionen A und B die Tendenz haben, in die Fraktion C überzugehen. Durch Chromatographie unter Ausschluss von Luftsauerstoff konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Katalase in den Erythrozyten in der Form A vorliegt. Setzt man das Hämolysat dagegen einige Zeit Luftsauerstoff aus, wird die Katalase bei der Chromatographie in Form C eluiert. SH-blockierende Reagentien verhindern die Umwandlung von A in C, während C mit Mercaptoäthanol zu A reduziert werden kann. Es wird angenommen, dass dem Übergang von Fraktion A in B und C eine Bildung von Disulfidbrücken zugrunde liegt und dass es sich bei den beobachteten alternativen Formen möglicherweise um Katalase-Konformere handelt.     

β-Ergokryptine,a new alkaloid of the ergotoxine group

Zusammenfassung Es wird die Isolierung eines neuen Isomeren des Ergokryptins beschrieben, das sich von diesem nur durch den Ersatz des Leucin-Restes durch den Isoleucin-Rest im Peptidteil des Moleküls unterscheidet. Das neue Isomere soll als-Ergokryptin und das früher beschriebene Alkaloid als-Ergokryptin bezeichnet werden. Die beiden Isomeren, ebenso ihre Dihydro-Derivate, unterscheiden sich pharmakologisch nur ganz unwesentlich.

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Mitteilung über Mutterkornalkaloide (65. Mitteilung:H. Ott, A. Hofmann andA. J. Frey, J. Am. chem. Soc.88, 1251 (1966)).     

Mutations of PKD1 in ADPKD2 cysts suggest a pathogenic effect of trans-heterozygous mutations

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is caused by mutations in PKD1 and PKD2. The products of these genes associate to form heteromeric complexes. Several models have been proposed to explain the mechanism of cyst formation. Here we find somatic mutations of PKD2 in 71% of ADPKD2 cysts analysed. Clonal somatic mutations of PKD1 were identified in a subset of cysts that lacked PKD2 mutations.     

Perpendicular switching of a single ferromagnetic layer induced by in-plane current injection

Modern computing technology is based on writing, storing and retrieving information encoded as magnetic bits. Although the giant magnetoresistance effect has improved the electrical read out of memory elements, magnetic writing remains the object of major research efforts. Despite several reports of methods to reverse the polarity of nanosized magnets by means of local electric fields and currents, the simple reversal of a high-coercivity, single-layer ferromagnet remains a challenge. Materials with large coercivity and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy represent the mainstay of data storage media, owing to their ability to retain a stable magnetization state over long periods of time and their amenability to miniaturization. However, the same anisotropy properties that make a material attractive for storage also make it hard to write to. Here we demonstrate switching of a perpendicularly magnetized cobalt dot driven by in-plane current injection at room temperature. Our device is composed of a thin cobalt layer with strong perpendicular anisotropy and Rashba interaction induced by asymmetric platinum and AlOx interface layers. The effective switching field is orthogonal to the direction of the magnetization and to the Rashba field. The symmetry of the switching field is consistent with the spin accumulation induced by the Rashba interaction and the spin-dependent mobility observed in non-magnetic semiconductors, as well as with the torque induced by the spin Hall effect in the platinum layer. Our measurements indicate that the switching efficiency increases with the magnetic anisotropy of the cobalt layer and the oxidation of the aluminium layer, which is uppermost, suggesting that the Rashba interaction has a key role in the reversal mechanism. To prove the potential of in-plane current switching for spintronic applications, we construct a reprogrammable magnetic switch that can be integrated into non-volatile memory and logic architectures. This device is simple, scalable and compatible with present-day magnetic recording technology.     

SAMHD1 is the dendritic- and myeloid-cell-specific HIV-1 restriction factor counteracted by Vpx

The primate lentivirus auxiliary protein Vpx counteracts an unknown restriction factor that renders human dendritic and myeloid cells largely refractory to HIV-1 infection. Here we identify SAMHD1 as this restriction factor. SAMHD1 is a protein involved in Aicardi-Goutières syndrome, a genetic encephalopathy with symptoms mimicking congenital viral infection, that has been proposed to act as a negative regulator of the interferon response. We show that Vpx induces proteasomal degradation of SAMHD1. Silencing of SAMHD1 in non-permissive cell lines alleviates HIV-1 restriction and is associated with a significant accumulation of viral DNA in infected cells. Concurrently, overexpression of SAMHD1 in sensitive cells inhibits HIV-1 infection. The putative phosphohydrolase activity of SAMHD1 is probably required for HIV-1 restriction. Vpx-mediated relief of restriction is abolished in SAMHD1-negative cells. Finally, silencing of SAMHD1 markedly increases the susceptibility of monocytic-derived dendritic cells to infection. Our results demonstrate that SAMHD1 is an antiretroviral protein expressed in cells of the myeloid lineage that inhibits an early step of the viral life cycle.     

The Medicago genome provides insight into the evolution of rhizobial symbioses

Legumes (Fabaceae or Leguminosae) are unique among cultivated plants for their ability to carry out endosymbiotic nitrogen fixation with rhizobial bacteria, a process that takes place in a specialized structure known as the nodule. Legumes belong to one of the two main groups of eurosids, the Fabidae, which includes most species capable of endosymbiotic nitrogen fixation. Legumes comprise several evolutionary lineages derived from a common ancestor 60 million years ago (Myr ago). Papilionoids are the largest clade, dating nearly to the origin of legumes and containing most cultivated species. Medicago truncatula is a long-established model for the study of legume biology. Here we describe the draft sequence of the M. truncatula euchromatin based on a recently completed BAC assembly supplemented with Illumina shotgun sequence, together capturing ～94% of all M. truncatula genes. A whole-genome duplication (WGD) approximately 58 Myr ago had a major role in shaping the M. truncatula genome and thereby contributed to the evolution of endosymbiotic nitrogen fixation. Subsequent to the WGD, the M. truncatula genome experienced higher levels of rearrangement than two other sequenced legumes, Glycine max and Lotus japonicus. M. truncatula is a close relative of alfalfa (Medicago sativa), a widely cultivated crop with limited genomics tools and complex autotetraploid genetics. As such, the M. truncatula genome sequence provides significant opportunities to expand alfalfa's genomic toolbox.