Effect of 1 henobarbital on growth of a metastasising,allogeneic sarcoma in the rat

Résumé Chez des rats traités au phénobarbital (1.5 mg/kg par jour) on a trouvé une faible augmentation du nombre de colonies produites dans les poumons des rujets inoculés, par voie intraveineuse avec les cellules Y-P388 (un sarcome métastasisant, allogénique). Cet effet semble être dû aux propriétés immunosuppressives de la drogue Celles-ci cependant paraissent faibles, puisque le phénobarbital n'a pas stimulé l'accroissement d'une transplantation primaire de Y-P388 dans le muscle ni ses métastases aux nodules lymphoïdes et aux poumons.     

Retinoscopy and chromatic aberration.

The origin of the apparent farsightedness as revealed by retinoscopy in smaller eyes was investigated by using monochromatic retinoscopy on wild rabbits. Our results indicate that a combination of long wavelength light and chromatic aberration of the subject's dioptrics is the major source of this artifact.     

Paleoproteomic study of the Iceman’s brain tissue

The Tyrolean Iceman, a Copper-age ice mummy, is one of the best-studied human individuals. While the genome of the Iceman has largely been decoded, tissue-specific proteomes have not yet been investigated. We studied the proteome of two distinct brain samples using gel-based and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry-based proteomics technologies together with a multiple-databases and -search algorithms-driven data-analysis approach. Thereby, we identified a total of 502 different proteins. Of these, 41 proteins are known to be highly abundant in brain tissue and 9 are even specifically expressed in the brain. Furthermore, we found 10 proteins related to blood and coagulation. An enrichment analysis revealed a significant accumulation of proteins related to stress response and wound healing. Together with atomic force microscope scans, indicating clustered blood cells, our data reopens former discussions about a possible injury of the Iceman’s head near the site where the tissue samples have been extracted.     

Induction of morphological aberrations by enzyme inhibition inDrosophila melanogaster

Zusammenfassung Zusatz zum Futter vonDrosophila melanogaster von 5-Fluoro-2-deoxyuridin oder Aminopterin induziert überzählige Skutellar- und Dorsozentralborsten sowie gekerbte Flügel. Diese Modifikationen wurden als Konsequenz von Enzymhemmung interpretiert.     

A mutation in adenylosuccinate lyase associated with mental retardation and autistic features.

We have examined the molecular basis of three cases of severe mental retardation with autistic features in one family. A point mutation in a purine nucleotide biosynthetic enzyme, adenylosuccinate lyase (ASL), segregates with the disorder. The affected children are homozygous for the point mutation while the parents and all four unaffected children are heterozygous. The point mutation is absent in control subjects. The point mutation results in a Ser413Pro substitution which leads to structural instability of the recombinant mutant enzyme, and this instability lowers ASL levels in lymphocytes. These observations suggest that the instability of ASL underlies the severe developmental disorder in the affected children, and that mutations in the ASL gene may result in other cases of mental retardation and autistic features.     

Aberrant splicing of the CHM gene is a significant cause of choroideremia.

Choroideremia (CHM) is an X-linked progressive degeneration of the choroid and retina. 12% of unrelated male patients carry deletions of the partially cloned CHM gene. In Finland, there are more than 120 living CHM patients belonging to eight apparently unrelated pedigrees. Molecular deletions involving the CHM gene have been detected in three families. We have screened the remaining five families for point mutations. In one large family a single nucleotide (T) insertion into the donor splice site of exon C leads to two aberrantly spliced mRNAs both producing a premature stop codon. The mutation can be assayed easily by amplification and digestion with Msel. Our findings provide additional evidence for the pathogenetic role of CHM mutations and provide a diagnostic tool for one fifth of the world's known CHM patients.     

南苏鲁超高压榴辉岩中罕见的原生高密度盐水溶液包裹体

在南苏鲁超高压变质带发现了原生高密度流体包裹体. 这种包裹体在超高压榴辉岩的石榴石中呈孤立和小群分布, 冷冻法确定包裹体的低共熔温度≤–52℃, 在重复冷冻-升温的特定阶段, 液相包裹体中出现气泡, 测得液-气均一温度≤–12.5℃, 由此得到流体成分属CaCl₂-NaCl-H₂O体系, 流体密度为1.27 g/cm³, 在相当于榴辉岩相峰期温度下的压力约为2.4 GPa, 接近超高压变质条件. 这类包裹体在榴辉岩的折返过程中与寄主矿物发生反应, 形成含水硅酸盐矿物, 并使其密度降低, 转变成气液多相包裹体.     

T-cell engagement of dendritic cells rapidly rearranges MHC class II transport

Assembly of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, which present antigen in the form of short peptides to T lymphocytes, occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum; once assembled, these molecules travel from the endoplasmic reticulum to their final destination. MHC class II molecules follow a route that takes them by means of the endocytic pathway, where they acquire peptide, to the cell surface. The transport of MHC class II molecules in 'professional' antigen-presenting cells (APCs) is subject to tight control and responds to inflammatory stimuli such as lipopolysaccharide. To study class II transport in live APCs, we replaced the mouse MHC class II gene with a version that codes for a class II molecule tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). The resulting mice are immunologically indistinguishable from wild type. In bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells, we observed class II molecules in late endocytic structures with transport patterns similar to those in Langerhans cells observed in situ. We show that tubular endosomes extend intracellularly and polarize towards the interacting T cell, but only when antigen-laden dendritic cells encounter T cells of the appropriate specificity. We propose that such tubulation serves to facilitate the ensuing T-cell response.