Common site of integration of HTLV in cells of three patients with mature T-cell leukaemia-lymphoma

Human T-cell leukaemia-lymphoma virus (HTLV) was first isolated in the United States from a patient with an aggressive form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and was later found associated with clusters of adult T-cell leukaemia-lymphomas (ATL) in various parts of the world, including Japan and the Caribbean. Leukaemic cells of the HTLV-positive patients seem to be clonal expansions of single infected cells since the provirus(es) are found at the same sites in a given patient. In avian leukosis virus-induced B-cell lymphomas, the provirus very frequently integrates at several discrete sites in a common domain near the cellular gene, c-myc, that it activates and it has been speculated that the same would hold true for other chronic leukaemia viruses. We report here that cultured cells from two US patients with CTCL and fresh leukaemia cells of a Japanese patient with ATL contained an HTLV provirus integrated at the same site. In addition, a cord blood T-lymphocyte cell line established by co-cultivation with one of the two HTLV-positive CTCL cell lines also contained HTLV provirus contiguous with the same flanking cellular sequences. Ten other HTLV-positive cell samples did not show integration of HTLV at this site, suggesting that there is more than one discrete site of HTLV integration in tumour cells.     

Immunochemical detection of arbuscular mycorrhizae

The difficult systematics of the arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) forming-fungi, belonging to the Glomales, can be facilitated with immunochemical methods. Polyclonal antibodies, however, are seldom able to reach below the generic level. Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) have been produced which can differentiate AM fungal spores on the species and strain/isolate level. Together with an improved enrichment procedure for spores and hyphae of AM fungi, isolation and identification of the extraradical structures is possible with these mAb, lowering the risk of unspecific binding. Quantification of the data is discussed as the next step.This paper is dedicated to Prof. Dr. Peter Sitte on the occasion of his 65th birthday.     

Pyruvate kinase activity in brain,liver and brown adipose tissue and the effect of cortisone in suckling rats

Zusammenfassung Die Pyruvatkinaseaktivität wurde im Gehirn und in den Muskeln von Ratten während der Entwicklung bestimmt. Die Aktivität war in Feten höher als in säugenden Jungen und stieg dann wieder an. Kortisonacetat (5 mg · 100 g/Tag, 3 Tage) erhöht die Pyruvatkinaseaktivität am 10. Tag im braunen Fettgewebe und erniedrigt sie in der Leber. Eine hohe Fettdiät, vom 14. Tag an gefüttert, hat denselben Effekt am 30. Tag. Das Muskel- und Gehirnenzym kann man durch hohe Fettdiät oder Kortison nicht verändern.     

Transformation from committed progenitor to leukaemia stem cell initiated by MLL-AF9

Leukaemias and other cancers possess a rare population of cells capable of the limitless self-renewal necessary for cancer initiation and maintenance. Eradication of these cancer stem cells is probably a critical part of any successful anti-cancer therapy, and may explain why conventional cancer therapies are often effective in reducing tumour burden, but are only rarely curative. Given that both normal and cancer stem cells are capable of self-renewal, the extent to which cancer stem cells resemble normal tissue stem cells is a critical issue if targeted therapies are to be developed. However, it remains unclear whether cancer stem cells must be phenotypically similar to normal tissue stem cells or whether they can retain the identity of committed progenitors. Here we show that leukaemia stem cells (LSC) can maintain the global identity of the progenitor from which they arose while activating a limited stem-cell- or self-renewal-associated programme. We isolated LSC from leukaemias initiated in committed granulocyte macrophage progenitors through introduction of the MLL-AF9 fusion protein encoded by the t(9;11)(p22;q23). The LSC were capable of transferring leukaemia to secondary recipient mice when only four cells were transferred, and possessed an immunophenotype and global gene expression profile very similar to that of normal granulocyte macrophage progenitors. However, a subset of genes highly expressed in normal haematopoietic stem cells was re-activated in LSC. LSC can thus be generated from committed progenitors without widespread reprogramming of gene expression, and a leukaemia self-renewal-associated signature is activated in the process. Our findings define progression from normal progenitor to cancer stem cell, and suggest that targeting a self-renewal programme expressed in an abnormal context may be possible.     

Die regionale Verteilung der Katalase-Aktivität im Schwanz von hungernden und gefütterten Xenopuslarven

Summary The regional distribution of catalase activity has been determined in three sections of the tails of fed and starving Xenopulsarvae during a period of 27 days. The method ofFeinstein, using perborate as substrate, was adapted to work on a microscale. Catalase activity was highest in the tip and decreased towards the base of the tail. During the experiment, catalase activity increased markedly in the tips of the tails of the fed larvae, whereas there were only slight changes of activity in the tails of the starving larvae.

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Ausgeführt mit Unterstützung der Eidgenössischen Kommission zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung aus Arbeitsbeschaffungsmitteln des Bundes. Herrn Prof.F. E. Lehmann möchte ich für seine wertvollen Ratschläge und sein reges Interesse an dieser Arbeit herzlich danken. Herrn Dr.R. Weber danke ich für Hilfe bei der Abfassung des Manuskriptes.     

Kinetics and subcellular distribution of S35-taurine uptake in rat cerebral cortex slices

Zusammenfassung Die Kinetik der Aufnahme von S³⁵-Taurin in Rattencortex-Schnittchen wird im Konzentrationsbereich von 9×10^–8 M bis 5×10^–3 M untersucht. Nach Abzug des Transportes durch Diffusion (K _D ×S) findet man einen Mechanismus, der Michaelis-Menten Kinetik folgt (v _sat ), mitK _m =1,73×10^–4 M. Ein solcher Transport liegt nicht im Bereich des spezifischen «uptake» der Neurotransmitter. Auch die sehr niedrige Aufnahme-Rate und die subzelluläre Verteilung nach «uptake» sprechen gegen eine Neurotransmitter-Funktion von Taurin.     

Die Konstitution des Phthalylharnstoffs

Summary On the basis of experimental evidence, it is proved that phthalyl urea has the structure II, and not structure I, proposed byPiutti and generally accepted by other investigators.     

Metal Complexes:Novel Chiral Dopants with High Helical Twisting Power in Liquid Crystals

1 Introduction A particularly efficient and elegant route to chiral mesophases is based on the addition of small amounts of an enantiomerically pure dopant to a nematic phase so that the latter is converted into a cholesteric phase(See Fig.1).Fig.1 A nematic phase is converted into a cholesteric phase Fig.2 Bis-chelated imine-alkoxy-titanium complexes2 ExperimetalBis-chelated imine-alkoxy-titanium complexes like 1 and 2 (Fig.2) have been synthesizedstarting from triphenyl-substituted aminoethanols, T...