Link protein shows species variation in its susceptibility to proteolysis.

Human cartilage link protein exists as three native components, while equine, bovine, and porcine cartilage link protein exist as two and Swarm rat chondrosarcoma link protein exists as only one component. These nonhuman link protein components represent intact protein structures, and there is little evidence for proteolytically modified forms in nonhuman tissues. In human cartilage, the proteolytic production of modified link proteins increases with age, whereas high amounts of such products were not seen in the nonhuman tissues. However, the small amounts of link protein fragments that were observed in the nonhuman cartilages were of a similar size to their human counterparts. On digestion of human proteoglycan aggregate with stromelysin, rapid modification of the link protein components occurred, whereas the aggregates from nonhuman cartilages showed incomplete cleavage of their link protein components. The relative resistance of nonhuman link protein to stromelysin may in part be due to a unique amino acid substitution present near the enzymic cleave site.     

The forms in which certain trace elements are found in skeletal muscle

Summary Most of the manganese, silicon, aluminum, titanium and copper present in skeletal muscle tissue can be found in a nonfilterable form, i.e., bound to high-molecular components incapable of passing through semipermeable membranes. During excitation induced by caffeine, the decrease of the muscle trace element content was chiefly in the portion which formed the ultrafiltrate. During ether anesthesia both the ultrafilterable and nonfilterable forms of the trace elements under study accumulated in muscle tissue.(Presented by Active Member AMN SSSR S. E. Severin) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 57, No. 5, pp. 49–51, May, 1964.     

Evidence for involvement of a tumor suppressor gene on 1p in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) are rare soft-tissue malignancies. The genetic basis of these tumors is still poorly understood. Cytogenetic analyses predominantly revealed complex karyotypes, precluding the identification of recurrent chromosomal changes. We report loss of 1p material in a near-diploid karyotype with few or no additional structural chromosome changes in two sporadic cases of MPNST, indicating an important role of 1p loss in MPNST development. In one of these two tumors, a distal 1p deletion (1p31.2 approximately pter) was detected suggesting involvement of a tumor suppressor gene located within this distal region of 1p. Further evidence for recurrent 1p loss in MPNST was obtained by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization, which showed loss of 1p material in 3 out of 13 tumors. These findings together with data from the literature suggest that loss of a tumor suppressor gene located within distal 1p is implicated in the pathogenesis of MPNST.     

Drift of tetM determinant in urogenital microbiocenosis containing mycoplasmas during treatment with a tetracycline antibiotic

We studied the correlation between genetic transfer of tetM determinant in Tn916 conjugative transposon by urogenital mycoplasmas (Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum) and changes in the bacterial repertoire during treatment with a tetracycline antibiotic. Basic conditions favoring the nonspecific transfer of tetM determinant into mollicute cells are determined and the allele polymorphism of tetM determinant in clinical strains of M. hominis and U. urealyticum is evaluated. The structure of tetM gene in clinical mycoplasma and ureaplasma strains is characterized by a peculiar mosaic pattern and differs from all previously described alleles of this gene. The results suggest that tetracycline resistance in mollicutes is determined by mechanisms alternative to genetic transfer of tetM determinant.     

Basement membrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan is the main proteoglycan synthesized by glomerular epithelial cells in culture.

The production and distribution of basement membrane-type heparan sulfate proteoglycans (BM HSPG) were investigated in a mouse glomerular epithelial cell line. Confluent cell monolayers were radiolabeled with [35S]sulfate or [35S]cysteine. Proteoglycans were isolated from the medium and cell layers by ion exchange chromatography and their nature determined by enzyme digestion (chondroitinase ABC) or degradative treatment (nitrous acid). It was found that more than 80% of the proteoglycans in both the cell layer and medium were heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) based on their susceptibility to nitrous acid degradation. More than half of the HSPG in the cell layer could be precipitated with an antiserum that specifically recognizes BM HSPG; only 10% of those released into the medium were precipitated with this antiserum. When immunoprecipitates of [35S] sulfate-labeled proteoglycans were analyzed by SDS-PAGE, the mature proteoglycans ran as a broad band at the top of the gel. When immunoprecipitates of [35S]cysteine-labeled proteoglycans were similarly analyzed, a 250 kd precursor core protein band was seen in addition to the mature proteoglycan. When BM HSPG were localized by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy (immunoperoxidase), they were found intracellularly in biosynthetic compartments (ER and Golgi cisternae) and extracellularly in deposits of basement membrane-like matrix located beneath and between the cells. These results indicate that l) BM HSPG are the predominant type of proteoglycans made by glomerular epithelial cells in culture; 2) these HSPG are assembled into a loosely organized matrix that is deposited beneath and between the cells; and 3) this cell type produces a higher proportion of BM HSPG than other cultured epithelial cells studied previously.     

Effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents on protein and nucleic acid levels in a focus of aseptic proliferative inflammation

In experiments on albino rats on the model of "cotton wool granuloma" it was found that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents inhibited the growth of the granulation and fibrous tissue that was followed by a normal decrease of contents of protein and RNA but not DNA in it. By their effect on RNA and granuloma weight butadione and mefenamic acid are significantly more active than antipyrine.     

Hepatic NFAT signaling regulates the expression of inflammatory cytokines in cholestasis

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