The effect of cardiac glycoside storage on growth rate and adult size in the butterflyDanaus chrysippus (L.)

Summary Danaus chrysippus grows faster and attains significantly greater size when fed as a larva on several species of Asclepiadaceae (milkweeds) containing cardiac glycosides than on one which does not.Acknowledgment. I thank Professor D. Schneider and Dr M. Boppré for sending me a sample of butterflies of Kenya stock reared in the Federal Republic of Germany.     

Evidence that superoxide radicals are involved in the hemolytic mechanism of phenylhydrazine

Summary Phenylhydrazine produces in the red blood cell the same effect as the enzymic system xanthine oxidase-xanthine, a superoxide radical generator system. Both effects are inhibited by the enzyme superoxide dismutase.This work was supported in part by grants Nos. 1045 and 3243 of Oficina Técnica de Desarrollo Científico y Creación Artística de la Universidad de Chile.     

Influence of vitamin A deficiency on thyroxinemia in the rat]

During the 9 post-weaning weeks there is not in the vitamin A-deficient Rats the regular decrease of the thyroxinemia which occurs in the control Rats. So the vitamin A-deficient Rats studied in plateau of weight have a total thyroxinemia greater than that of control Rats (+71%). It is possible to speculate that numerous symptoms of the deficiency are the result of this hyperthyroxinemia.     

Organotin complexes of pyridine-2-carbothioamide

Summary Complexes of pyridine-2-carbothioamide with diethyltin dichloride, dibenzyltin dichloride and phenyltin trichloride are described. In each case, the chelating agent is bound to the tin(IV) atom by the pyridine nitrogen and the carbothioamide sulphur, giving support to proposals that certain organotin compounds cause enzyme deactivation via the formation of tin-sulphur bonds.Acknowledgment. We thank the Tin Industry (Research and Development) Board, Kuala Lumpur, for financial support.     

Freezing induced change in ligand orientation in oxycobalt-myoglobin

Single crystals of oxycobalt-myoglobin were examined by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy at ambient and cryogenic temperatures. The principal values and eigenvectors of the g-tensor and the hyperfine coupling tensor were determined. The Co--O--O bond angle was estimated to be 125 degrees at ambient temperature. The single crystal EPR dats of oxycobalt myoglobin at 77K showed two sets of the principal values for g and hyperfine coupling tensors and eigenvectors, indication that the bound oxygen molecule takes two distinct orientations. The result has demonstrated for the first time that the well defined change in the molecular orientation is induced upon freezing the biological macromolecule.     

The influence of 6-OHDA on hypothermia produced by intrahypothalamically-injected carbachol in the pigeon

Summary The involvement of the noradrenergic system in hypothermia induced by intrahypothalamically-injected carbachol (CCh) was studied by depleting hypothalamic noradrenaline (NA) with the catecholamine neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and repeating the CCh injections after 6-OHDA treatment. The results suggest that noradrenergic neurons may be involved in hypothermia produced by CCh in the pigeon.