Proteinase inhibitor-inducing activity of the prohormone prosystemin resides exclusively in the C-terminal systemin domain

Prosystemin is the 200-amino acid precursor of the 18-amino acid polypeptide defense hormone, systemin. Herein, we report that prosystemin was found to be as biologically active as systemin when assayed for proteinase inhibitor induction in young tomato plants and nearly as active in the alkalinization response in Lycopersicon esculentum suspension-cultured cells. Similar to many animal prohormones that harbor multiple signals, the systemin precursor contains five imperfect repetitive domains N-terminal to a single systemin domain. Whether the five repetitive domains contain defense signals has not been established. N-terminal deletions of prosystemin had little effect on its activity in tomato plants or suspension-cultured cells. Deletion of the C-terminal region of prosystemin containing the 18-amino acid systemin domain completely abolished its proteinase inhibitor induction and alkalinization activities. The apoplastic fluid from tomato leaves and the medium of cultured cells were analyzed for proteolytic activity that could process prosystemin to systemin. These experiments showed that proteolytic enzymes present in the apoplasm and medium could cleave prosystemin into large fragments, but the enzymes did not produce detectable levels of systemin. Additionally, inhibitors of these proteolytic enzymes did not affect the biological activity of prosystemin. The cumulative data indicated that prosystemin and/or large fragments of prosystemin can be active inducers of defense responses in both tomato leaves and suspension-cultured cells and that the only region of prosystemin that is responsible for activating the defense response resides in the systemin domain.     

STUDIES ON THE TREATMENT OF HUMAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS WITH TRYPARSAMIDE (THE SODIUM SALT OF N-PHENYLGLYCINEAMIDE-p-ARSONIC ACID)

On page 1, Supplement No. 1, lines 1 and 2, for November 1, 1921, Vol. xxxiv, No. 5, read December 1, 1921, Vol. xxxiv, No. 6.     

The differing tempo of growth in bone size, mass, and density in girls is region-specific

The differing tempo and direction of growth of the periosteal and endocortical surfaces, and the differing tempo of growth of the axial and appendicular skeleton, may predispose to regional deficits in bone size, bone mineral content (BMC), and volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD). These traits were measured during 2 years by dual x-ray absorptiometry in 109 girls. By 7 years of age, bone size was approximately 80% of its maturational peak, and BMC was approximately 40% of its peak. Before puberty, the legs grew more rapidly than the trunk. During puberty, the growth spurt was truncal. Between 7 and 17 years, femoral and lumbar spine BMC increased by 50-150% because bone size increased. vBMD increased by 10-30%. Thus, growth builds a bigger, but only moderately denser, skeleton. Regions growing rapidly, or distant from their peak, may be more severely affected by illness than those growing slowly or nearer completion of growth. Depending on the age of exposure to disease, deficits may occur in limb dimensions (prepuberty), spine dimensions (early puberty), or vBMD by interference with mineral accrual (late puberty). As vBMD is independent of age before puberty, the position of an individual's vBMD in the population distribution is established early in life. Bone fragility in old age may have its foundations in growth.     

The relative incidence of rheumatic valve disease in New York and Costa Rica and its bearing on the rheumatic origin of calcareous aortic stenosis

The incidence of rheumatic endocarditis of the mitral valve alone, and of the mitral and aortic valves together, in three independent series of autopsies is compared. Differences in the total incidence of valvular lesions were noted in each of the three series. These differences cannot be attributed to racial or geographical factors alone, since two of the series represent cases from essentially the same types of population in the New York area. However, the relative incidence of each type of valve lesion is constant in the three series. Mitral stenosis is more common in women than in men in each series. The incidence of calcareous deforming lesions, limited to the aortic valve, is also determined in the three autopsy series and is found to vary constantly with the incidence of rheumatic lesions in each of the three series. In males, lesions of the mitral valve alone, together with lesions of both mitral and aortic valves, are about two and one-half to three times as common in each series as are calcareous deforming lesions limited to the aortic valve. Lesions of the aortic valve only are more common in males and involve an older age group than do the other types of rheumatic lesions. The incidence of lesions of the aortic valve only, in the groups surviving longer than 50 years in each series, is relatively the same as for the entire age group in each series, however.     

ORGAN WEIGHTS OF NORMAL RABBITS

In November, 1921, a systematic study of normal rabbits was undertaken as a part of a more general investigation dealing with the subject of the animal organism in relation to disease. The present paper on organ weights is based on results obtained from a study of 350 male rabbits killed and examined between January 1, 1922, and July 1, 1924. Methods of conducting the experiments are described and the results are summarized in the form of a table and a series of text-figures. The organs studied were the heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, thymus, testicles, brain, thyroid, parathyroids, suprarenals, hypophysis, pineal gland, and representative groups of lymph nodes. The results recorded include maximum, minimum, and average weights, the median, the mode, the standard deviation, the probable error, the coefficient of variation, and the percentage distribution of organs of different weights. No final conclusions are drawn but it is pointed out that the results obtained are comparable to those that have been reported from similar studies of organ weight in man. Attention is also directed to the tendency to the occurrence of wide variations in the weights of nearly all organs, and to an apparent difference in the degree of correlation that exists between organ weight and body weight in the case of certain organs. In this connection it is pointed out that within certain limits the weight of the brain, in particular, and of other organs to a lesser degree appears to be independent of body weight. The results recorded in this paper are regarded as representing approximate values which are affected by numerous conditions for which correction should be made. These conditions will be considered in subsequent papers.     

Incidence and survival of childhood bone cancer in northern England and the West Midlands, 1981�C2002

There is a paucity of population-based studies examining incidence and survival trends in childhood bone tumours. We used high quality data from four population-based registries in England. Incidence patterns and trends were described using Poisson regression. Survival trends were analysed using Cox regression. There were 374 cases of childhood (ages 0–14 years) bone tumours (206 osteosarcomas, 144 Ewing sarcomas, 16 chondrosarcomas, 8 other bone tumours) registered in the period 1981–2002. Overall incidence (per million person years) rates were 2.63 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.27–2.99) for osteosarcoma, 1.90 (1.58–2.21) for Ewing sarcoma and 0.21 (0.11–0.31) for chondrosarcoma. Incidence of Ewing sarcoma declined at an average rate of 3.1% (95% CI 0.6–5.6) per annum (P=0.04), which may be due to tumour reclassification, but there was no change in osteosarcoma incidence. Survival showed marked improvement over the 20 years (1981–2000) for Ewing sarcoma (hazard ratio (HR) per annum=0.95 95% CI 0.91–0.99; P=0.02). However, no improvement was seen for osteosarcoma patients (HR per annum=1.02 95% CI 0.98–1.05; P=0.35) over this time period. Reasons for failure to improve survival including potential delays in diagnosis, accrual to trials, adherence to therapy and lack of improvement in treatment strategies all need to be considered.     

Effect of genistein on agonist-induced airway smooth muscle contraction

Inflammation Research - .