Cytobios最新文献

The seeds of Trichosanthes dioica contain a large amount of peptides in the range of 2-8 kD. These peptides can be resolved in a discontinuous sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) system using Tricine as the trailing ion. The seed proteins contain a number of charge species as determined by isoelectric focusing (IEF) in polyacrylamide gels. The peptides were focused in the basic region as determined by two-dimensional electrophoresis involving IEF and SDS-PAGE. The seed peptides have the unique property of being resistant to the action of silver nitrate, a sensitive reagent commonly used to stain proteins. The seed contains haemagglutinating activity which is inhibited by galactose.

The toxic effect of vincristine on the apical cells of the rat caput epididymis was investigated. The drug was administered at 20 and 40 microg/kg body weight daily for 15 days. Light microscopy using semithin sections, and transmission electron microscopy, of the caput epididymis were undertaken. The results revealed that the basal region of the apical cell was in contact with the basement membrane and the luminal end took part in endocytosis. The apical cells reflected a dose-dependent response to vincristine (VCR) treatment. In general the changes included protrusion of the apical ends deep into the lumen, with the nucleus of the cell located in such protruded ends, and an increase in the abundance of lysosomal bodies and multivesicular bodies. These changes reflected the physiological response of the apical cell to VCR treatment rather than toxic manifestations.

The human liver tumour cell line (J5) was selected in order to evaluate whether or not luteolin affected arylamine N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity. Using high performance liquid chromatography, the NAT activity for acetylation of arylamine substrates (2-aminofluorene and p-aminobenzoic acid) was determined. The cytosolic NAT activity in human liver tumour cells was 2.74+/-0.26 and 1.68+/-0.20 nmol/min/mg of protein for 2-aminofluorene and p-aminobenzoic acid, respectively. Luteolin displayed a dose-dependent inhibition to cytosolic NAT activity and intact human liver tumour cells. Time-course experiments showed that NAT activity measured from intact human liver tumour cells was inhibited by luteolin for up to 24 h. Using standard steady-state kinetic analysis, it was shown that luteolin was a possible noncompetitive inhibitor to NAT activity in cytosols. This report is the first to show how luteolin affects NAT activity in human liver tumour cells.

Karyotypic analyses of 366 specimens of the solitary wasp Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) albitarse collected from ten populations in the municipalities of Viçosa and Porto Firme (Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil), revealed the presence of two morphological types of supernumerary (B) chromosomes. C-banding and fluorochrome banding suggest that the B chromosomes of T. albitarse may have originated from heterochromatin breaks within the standard (A) chromosome complement.

The neotropical primate genus Callithrix comprises two groups of species, jacchus and argentata, which inhabit distinct geographical regions and manifest different fur coloration and constitutive heterochromatin (CH) markers in their karyotypes. In this investigation the CH of a representative of the jacchus group, Callithrix geoffroyi, was analysed using fluorochromes and restriction enzymes in situ. To clarify the source of the constitutive heterochromatin of both groups, the data obtained in the jacchus group were compared with those published in the argentata group obtained by the same techniques. The C-bands of C. geoffroyi (four specimens, 2n = 46) were centromeric in all chromosomes, and distally located in pairs 6 and 22. The Alu I, Hae III, Hin fI, Rsa I, Dde I, Mbo I, and Msp I restriction endonucleases and CMA3 and DAPI fluorochromes produced different bands, which allowed the characterization of four distinct types of constitutive heterochromatin in the C. geoffroyi genome. Several of these types of heterochromatin were present in the ancestor of the two groups of species, jacchus and argentata, while others originated after their cladogenesis.

Nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins of human female breast cancer were analysed by one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Oestrogen receptor and progesterone receptor expression was determined by semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. The electropherograms were developed by silver nitrate staining and quantitative analysis was carried out by video densitometer using the software Gel-Pro Analyzer. Nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins of breast carcinomas and normal tissue differed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Nuclear polypeptides of 108, 53 and 48 kD as well as the 36 kD cytoplasmic polypeptide were specific for tumour samples, while the 51 kD nuclear polypeptide was detected only in normal tissue. Quantitative differences in band density were noted in the 32 kD nuclear polypeptide. This polypeptide was expressed in greatest concentration in infiltrating ductal carcinomas which also indicated the greatest oestrogen receptor gene expression. This relationship appeared to be statistically significant (p < 0.005). No correlations were evident between the 32 kD protein expression and the progesterone receptor gene expression in any of the tissue types examined, nor between the 32 kD protein and the patient's age or tumour grade.

The Malpighian tubules of Aedes aegypti showed significant differences in their diameters between male and female larvae, male and female pupae, male larvae and male adults and male pupae and male adults. In every case, female values were greater than in males. Measurements of mean nuclear areas of the principal and stellate cells from Malpighian tubules, taken in males and females during development, showed that this parameter in both types of cell was significantly greater in females than in male larvae, pupae and adult stages. In males, significant differences between developmental stages were observed only in comparison with the nuclear area of larvae and adults in the principal cells, but in females, every comparison between stages showed significant differences except between pupae and adults in stellate cells. The frequency distribution of nuclear area values, in development, for male stellate and principal cells, were mostly concentrated in the first seven classes among the 30 classes considered in every stage, while for females, the frequency dropped drastically in the same classes from larvae to pupae and adults, moving to classes of higher values. Considering the importance of Malpighian tubules in insect physiology, the meaning of the differences detected are discussed on the basis of different metabolic levels, between sexes and developmental stages.

A mycoparasite identified as Thamnocephalis quadrupedata (Mucorales) was observed on cultures of the frog dung fungus, Basidiobolus ranarum. The parasitic fungus, T. quadrupedata possessed infection hyphae with appressoria and penetrating hyphae to attack their host prey and adhere firmly to the surface. The invasion was often by slender infection hyphae or infecting pegs which grew from the appressoria and penetrated the chitin-protein cuticle by both mechanical pressure and exocellular enzymes. The host fungus, B. ranarum, possessing primary conidia, capilliconidia, hyphal bodies, vegetative mycelia and zygospores, were infected by means of direct penetration and intrahyphal growth, resulting in host cell death. T. quadrupedata may also grow as a saprophyte on damp filter paper in a Petri dish, manifesting facultative necrosis.

The effect of lead exposure on intracellular calcium levels, membrane fluidity, lipid peroxidation, acetylcholinesterase and monoamine oxidase activity and its accumulation in different regions of the brain were studied to understand the molecular mechanism of lead induced neurotoxicity. Lead treatment (20 mg/kg lead nitrate, intraperitoneally, once daily for 15 days) resulted in a significant accumulation of lead in all brain regions with the maximum being in the hippocampus. Levels of glutathione, lipid peroxidation, intracellular calcium and membrane fluidity, as well as the activity of the membrane bound enzymes, acetylcholinesterase and monoamine oxidase, increased to a significant level in certain areas of the rat brain. The results suggest that lead exerts neurotoxic effects by altering certain membrane bound enzymes and may cause oxidative stress.

The expression of Bcl-2, P53 proteins and known markers of proliferation, namely proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki67, in 29 patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) was investigated. All leukaemic patients were classified, and immunophenotyped by the two-colour immunofluorescence method with the use of fluorocytometry. B-CLL was heterogeneous in the range of biological parameters of tumour cells. B-CLL patients manifested 34% positive Ki67 and 61% PCNA expression, whereas Bcl-2 and P53 positivity was 81% and 42%, respectively. The level of intracellular expression of Bcl-2 and P53 proteins did not depend on the stage of disease estimated by routine methods. Ki67 and PCNA expression was significantly higher in B-CLL patients with more advanced stages of the disease. A statistically significant correlation was established between their mutual expression.