Immunoactive TSH in the amniotic fluid of the rat

Summary Amniotic fluid was obtained from 19-day-old rat fetuses by aspiration. Pooled samples measured at 4 different dilutions demonstrated parallelism with standard rat TSH. It is concluded that rat amniotic fluid has TSH immunoactivity.This work was supported by Hong Kong University Research Grant No. 335/034/5727.The authors wish to acknowledge with thanks the gift of rat TSH RIA kit from Dr A. F. Parlow and the Rat Pituitary Programme of NIAMDD.     

A rat mutant unable to synthesize vitamin C

Summary A colony of Wistar rats with a hereditary defect in L-ascorbic acid-synthesizing ability was established. This rat, like primates and guinea pigs, lacks L-gulonolactone oxidase (EC 1.1.3.8) which catalyzes the last step of L-ascorbic acid biosynthesis. When L-ascorbic acid was added to their drinking water, the rats grew almost normally and were fertile. These mutant rats should be useful not only for nutritional and parmacological studies on vitamin C but also for genetic studies on the lack of this enzyme.Acknowledgments. We are indebted to K. Katagiri, the previous director of Aburahi Laboratories, for his encouragement during the experiment. We are also grateful to H. Nishimura, Professor Emeritus of Kyoto University, and Y. Hasegawa of our laboratory for their helpful suggestions.     

Determination of polyamine oxidase activities in human tissues

A very simple fluorometric assay for polyamine oxidase (PAO) in tissues, with N1-monoacetylspermine as substrate, is described. The PAO was present in all human organs tested; it was highest in the liver, followed by the testis, kidney, spleen and small intestine.