The angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril in acute ischemic renal failure in rats

The influence of the renin-angiotensin system on renal hemodynamics, tubular pressure and tubulo-glomerular feedback was investigated with the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor MK 421 (enalapril), in uninephrectomized rats with and without ischemia-induced acute renal failure. In animals with normal renal function proximal tubular pressure and tubulo-glomerular feedback response were lowered by enalapril long-term treatment, whereas glomerular filtration rate and renal blood flow were not influenced by the drug. After 45 and 70 minutes ischemia there was no difference between treated and untreated animals in the severely impaired glomerular filtration rate. Renal blood flow remained unaffected by the treatment. The histological damage due to ischemia (tubular casts, tubular necrosis and medullary capillary congestion) was not influenced by enalapril. As tubulo-glomerular feedback had been significantly inhibited during renin-angiotensin inhibition, its importance in mediating acute renal failure remains doubtful; other factors such as tubular obstruction and medullary congestion may be crucial.     

Uncoupling of the recombination and topoisomerase activities of the gamma delta resolvase by a mutation at the crossover point

In several well-characterized site-specific recombination systems it has been shown that, for efficient recombination, the two recombining sites must have identical DNA sequences across the region between the staggered points of exchange. The precise DNA sequence of this overlap region, however, appears to be of little importance (with the exception of one position in the loxP site of bacteriophage P1 (ref. 6]. In this report we characterize a mutant recombination site for the site-specific recombination enzyme gamma delta resolvase (encoded by the gamma delta transposon), in which the dinucleotide at the crossover point is changed from AT to CT. Our results indicate that identity of the two overlap regions is not sufficient for recombination. Although resolvase binds normally to the mutant site and induces the structural deformation characteristic of the wild-type recombination site, catalysis at the crossover point (cutting and rejoining of DNA strands) is effectively limited to just one of the two strands, allowing resolvase to act as a topoisomerase but not as a recombinational enzyme.     

A simple routine-method to preserve and determine blood serotonin

Résumé Une nouvelle méthode de routine pour le dosage par spectrophotofluorométrie de la sérotonine dans 1 ml de sang est décrite. Grâce à l'emploi d'un antioxydant et à une congélation immédiate, le taux de sérotonine reste constant pendant au moins une semaine.     

Widespread occurrence of inhibitors of melanoma tyrosinase in plant and mammalian tissues

Résumé Les inhibiteurs de tyrosinase ont été trouvés dans des extraits de foie, de rein, de rate et de cerveau de rats et de souris, ainsi que dans des tumeurs amélanotiques S91, des sérums humains, des extraits de foie, de rein, de rate, de sein, et de peau humaine. Il y a au moins deux inhibiteurs: le premier, stable à la chaleur et dialysable, tandis que le second est labile à la chaleur et non-dialysable.

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This investigation was supported by the Medical Research Council of Canada, and the Ontario Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation. One of us (H.F.H.) is a Fellow of the Ontario Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation. The authors thank Mrs.H. Li and MissE. Santos for their skilful technical assistance.     

The effects of heat on the interactions between leucyl-tRNA synthetases and tRNA's

Résumé La chaleur affecte considérablement l'activité acceptrice d'acide aminé des tRNA à des températures auxquelles leur structure spatiale est très peu modifiée. L'utilisation d'un enzyme thermostable permet de suggérer que la perte d'activité biologique des tRNA est liée à de minimes modifications de leur structure spatiale.

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The author was aspirant of the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique.