scholarly journals Hereditary retinal degeneration in Drosophila melanogaster. A mutant defect associated with the phototransduction process.

1977 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
W A Harris ◽  
W S Stark

Two genes in Drosophila, rdgA and rdgB, which when defective cause retinal degeneration, were discovered by Hotta and Benzer (Hotta, Y., and S. Benzer. 1970. Proc. Natl, Acad. Sci. U. S, A. 67:1156-1163). These mutants have photoreceptor cells that are histologically normal upon eclosion but subsequently degenerate. The defects in the rdgA and rdgB mutants were localized by the study of genetic mosaics to the photoreceptor cells. In rdgB mutants retinal degeneration is light induced. It can be prevented by rearing the flies in the dark or by blocking the receptor potential with a no-receptor-potential mutation, norpA. Vitamin A deprivation and genetic elimination of the lysosomal enzyme acid phosphatase alsoprotect the photoreceptors of rdgB flies against light-induced damage. The photopigment kinetics of dark-reared rdgB flies appear normal in vitro by spectrophotometric measurements, and in vivo by measurements of the M potential. In normal Drosophila, a 1-s exposure to intense 470-nm light produces a prolonged depolarizing afterpotential (PDA) which can last for several hours. In dark-reared rdgB mutants the PDA lasts less than 2 min;; it appears to initiate the degeneration process, since the photoreceptors become permanently unresponsive after a single such exposure. Another mutant was isolated which prevents degeneration in rdgB flies but which has a normal receptor potential. This suppressor of degeneration is an allele of norpA. It is proposed that the normal norpA gene codes for a product which, when activated, leads to the receptor potential, and which is inactivated by the product of the normal rdgB gene.

Author(s):  
Beverly E. Maleeff ◽  
Timothy K. Hart ◽  
Stephen J. Wood ◽  
Ronald Wetzel

Alzheimer's disease is characterized post-mortem in part by abnormal extracellular neuritic plaques found in brain tissue. There appears to be a correlation between the severity of Alzheimer's dementia in vivo and the number of plaques found in particular areas of the brain. These plaques are known to be the deposition sites of fibrils of the protein β-amyloid. It is thought that if the assembly of these plaques could be inhibited, the severity of the disease would be decreased. The peptide fragment Aβ, a precursor of the p-amyloid protein, has a 40 amino acid sequence, and has been shown to be toxic to neuronal cells in culture after an aging process of several days. This toxicity corresponds to the kinetics of in vitro amyloid fibril formation. In this study, we report the biochemical and ultrastructural effects of pH and the inhibitory agent hexadecyl-N-methylpiperidinium (HMP) bromide, one of a class of ionic micellar detergents known to be capable of solubilizing hydrophobic peptides, on the in vitro assembly of the peptide fragment Aβ.


1977 ◽  
Vol 16 (04) ◽  
pp. 157-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Schümichen ◽  
B. Mackenbrock ◽  
G. Hoffmann

SummaryThe bone-seeking 99mTc-Sn-pyrophosphate compound (compound A) was diluted both in vitro and in vivo and proved to be unstable both in vitro and in vivo. However, stability was much better in vivo than in vitro and thus the in vitro stability of compound A after dilution in various mediums could be followed up by a consecutive evaluation of the in vivo distribution in the rat. After dilution in neutral normal saline compound A is metastable and after a short half-life it is transformed into the other 99mTc-Sn-pyrophosphate compound A is metastable and after a short half-life in bone but in the kidneys. After dilution in normal saline of low pH and in buffering solutions the stability of compound A is increased. In human plasma compound A is relatively stable but not in plasma water. When compound B is formed in a buffering solution, uptake in the kidneys and excretion in urine is lowered and blood concentration increased.It is assumed that the association of protons to compound A will increase its stability at low concentrations while that to compound B will lead to a strong protein bond in plasma. It is concluded that compound A will not be stable in vivo because of a lack of stability in the extravascular space, and that the protein bond in plasma will be a measure of its in vivo stability.


1981 ◽  
Vol 45 (03) ◽  
pp. 285-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
J P Allain ◽  
A Gaillandre ◽  
D Frommel

SummaryFactor VIII complex and its interaction with antibodies to factor VIII have been studied in 17 non-haemophilic patients with factor VIII inhibitor. Low VIII:C and high VIIIR.Ag levels were found in all patients. VIII:WF levels were 50% of those of VTIIRrAg, possibly related to an increase of poorly aggregated and electrophoretically fast moving VIIIR:Ag oligomers.Antibody function has been characterized by kinetics of VIII :C inactivation, saturability by normal plasma and the slope of the affinity curve. Two major patterns were observed:1) Antibodies from 6 patients behaved similarly to those from haemophiliacs by showing second order inhibition kinetics, easy saturability and steep affinity slope (> 1).2) Antibodies from other patients, usually with lower titres, inactivated VIII :C according to complex order kinetics, were not saturable, and had a less steep affinity slope (< 0.7). In native plasma, or after mixing with factor VIII concentrate, antibodies of the second group did not form immune complexes with the whole factor VIII molecular complex. However, dissociation procedures did release some antibodies from apparently low molecular weight complexes formed in vivo or in vitro. For appropriate management of non-haemophilic patients with factor VIII inhibitor, it is important to determine the functional properties of their antibodies to factor VIII.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 668
Author(s):  
Concetta Altamura ◽  
Maria Raffaella Greco ◽  
Maria Rosaria Carratù ◽  
Rosa Angela Cardone ◽  
Jean-François Desaphy

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the deadliest gynecologic cancer, due to late diagnosis, development of platinum resistance, and inadequate alternative therapy. It has been demonstrated that membrane ion channels play important roles in cancer processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, motility, and invasion. Here, we review the contribution of ion channels in the development and progression of OC, evaluating their potential in clinical management. Increased expression of voltage-gated and epithelial sodium channels has been detected in OC cells and tissues and shown to be involved in cancer proliferation and invasion. Potassium and calcium channels have been found to play a critical role in the control of cell cycle and in the resistance to apoptosis, promoting tumor growth and recurrence. Overexpression of chloride and transient receptor potential channels was found both in vitro and in vivo, supporting their contribution to OC. Furthermore, ion channels have been shown to influence the sensitivity of OC cells to neoplastic drugs, suggesting a critical role in chemotherapy resistance. The study of ion channels expression and function in OC can improve our understanding of pathophysiology and pave the way for identifying ion channels as potential targets for tumor diagnosis and treatment.


2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (4) ◽  
pp. H574-H584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Rubinstein ◽  
Valerie M. Lasko ◽  
Sheryl E. Koch ◽  
Vivek P. Singh ◽  
Vinicius Carreira ◽  
...  

Transient receptor potential cation channels have been implicated in the regulation of cardiovascular function, but only recently has our laboratory described the vanilloid-2 subtype (TRPV2) in the cardiomyocyte, though its exact mechanism of action has not yet been established. This study tests the hypothesis that TRPV2 plays an important role in regulating myocyte contractility under physiological conditions. Therefore, we measured cardiac and vascular function in wild-type and TRPV2−/− mice in vitro and in vivo and found that TRPV2 deletion resulted in a decrease in basal systolic and diastolic function without affecting loading conditions or vascular tone. TRPV2 stimulation with probenecid, a relatively selective TRPV2 agonist, caused an increase in both inotropy and lusitropy in wild-type mice that was blunted in TRPV2−/− mice. We examined the mechanism of TRPV2 inotropy/lusitropy in isolated myocytes and found that it modulates Ca2+ transients and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ loading. We show that the activity of this channel is necessary for normal cardiac function and that there is increased contractility in response to agonism of TRPV2 with probenecid.


1992 ◽  
Vol 21 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 213
Author(s):  
H. Berger ◽  
K. Fechner ◽  
N. Heinrich ◽  
D. Lorenz ◽  
E. Albrecht ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

1932 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Wilkes ◽  
Elizabeth T. Palmer

1. The pH-activity relationship of invertase has been studied in vivo and in vitro under identical external environmental conditions. 2. The effect of changing (H+) upon the sucroclastic activity of living cells of S. cerevisiae and of invertase solutions obtained therefrom has been found, within experimental error, to be identical. 3. The region of living yeast cells in which invertase exerts its physiological activity changes its pH freely and to the same extent as that of the suspending medium. It is suggested that this may indicate that this intracellular enzyme may perform its work somewhere in the outer region of the cell. 4. In using live cells containing maltase, no evidence of increased sucroclastic activity around pH 6.9, due to the action of Weidenhagen's α-glucosidase (maltase), was found.


2005 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 1582-1591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna R. Hill ◽  
Marianne E. Brunner ◽  
Deborah C. Schmitz ◽  
Catherine C. Davis ◽  
Janine A. Flood ◽  
...  

Previous in vitro and in vivo animal studies showed that O2and CO2concentrations can affect virulence of pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. The objective of this work was to measure O2and CO2levels in the vaginal environment during tampon wear using newly available sensor technology. Measurements by two vaginal sensors showed a decrease in vaginal O2levels after tampon insertion. These decreases were independent of the type of tampons used and the time of measurement (mid-cycle or during menstruation). These results are not in agreement with a previous study that concluded that oxygenation of the vaginal environment during tampon use occurred via delivery of a bolus of O2during the insertion process. Our measurements of gas levels in menses showed the presence of both O2and CO2in menses. The tampons inserted into the vagina contained O2and CO2levels consistent with atmospheric conditions. Over time during tampon use, levels of O2in the tampon decreased and levels of CO2increased. Tampon absorbent capacity, menses loading, and wear time influenced the kinetics of these changes. Colonization with S. aureus had no effect on the gas profiles during menstruation. Taken collectively, these findings have important implications on the current understanding of gaseous changes in the vaginal environment during menstruation and the potential role(s) they may play in affecting bacterial virulence factor production.


2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-23
Author(s):  
Saima Khan ◽  
Meenu Katoch ◽  
Sharada Mallubhotla ◽  
Suphla Gupta ◽  
Manju Sambyal ◽  
...  

The potential of various culture lines of Atropa acuminata were investigated for resourcing acid phosphatase (ACP) (3.1.3.2). Crude enzyme extract comprised of a mixture of four isoforms, distinguishable by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) with molecular weight ranging from 39 to 215 kDa. In vitro regenerated proliferative shoots, callus and roots showed higher specific activity (2.49, 3.41, 2.91 U/mg protein, respectively) as compared to in vivo grown plants (0.71 U/mg protein). ACP activity in root cultures increased progressively up to 4.6 U/mg during the entire growth period (2 ? 24 weeks), whereas in case of shoot cultures, the specific activity escalated to 2.49 U/mg at 8 weeks, which then declined subsequently (1.95 U/mg). Similarly, callus cultures initially showed a higher phosphohydrolytic activity (3.41 U/mg protein) until 8 weeks by which period, it decreased with the passage of growth period. The present studies reveal an alternate system for resourcing of ACP from Atropa acuminata.Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 26(1): 15-23, 2016 (June)


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