Volume 43 (1997) No. 3
Volume 43 (1997) No. 3
Articles
Assignment of the Cellular Retinol Binding Protein 1 (Rbp1) and Hepatic Lipase (Lipc) Genes to Rat Chromosome 8
M. PRAVENEC*,**, V. KØEN*,**, C. SZPIRER***, J. SZPIRER***..97-99
*Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic.
**Institute of Biology, 1st Medical Faculty, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
***Department of Molecular Biology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rhode-St-Genese, Belgium
Corresponding Author: Michal Pravenec, Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeòská 1083, 142 20 Prague 4, Czech Republic. Tel. (422) 475 2297; Fax (422) 471 9517; e-mail pravenec@biomed.cas.cz.
Abstract.
Differences of Alkaline Phosphatase and Arginase Activities in Human Colorectal Carcinoma Cell Lines
V. SOVOVÁ*, E. ŠLONCOVÁ*, P. FRIÈ**...............101-104
*Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
**Laboratory of Gastroenterology and Department of Medicine, University Clinics, General Faculty Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
Corresponding author: Vlasta Sovová, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo nám. 2, 166 37 Prague 6, Czech Republic. Tel. +420 2 3312 287; Fax +420 2 243 10 955; e-mail sova@img.cas.cz.
Abstract.
The Influence of Serotonin on Follicular Cells FRTL-5 in vitro
S. GABERŠÈEK*, D. ŠTIBLAR-MARTINÈIÈ**, M. KALIŠNIK**......105-108
*Medical Centre Ljubljana, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ljubljana, Slovenia
**Institute of Histology and Embryology, Medical Faculty in Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Corresponding author: Simona Gaberšèek, Medical Centre Ljubljana, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Zaloška 7, 5250 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Tel. +386 61 13 27 272; Fax +386 61 13 27 272.
Abstract.
The Biological Conditions of Assessment of Ethylene Glycol-Induced Inhibition of Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication by Metabolic Cooperation Assay
J. A. VÍTEK............109-114
Research Institute of Child Health, Brno, Czech Republic
Author's address: Jiøí A. Vítek, Research Institute of Child Health, Laboratory of Cell Biology, Èernopolní 9, 662 62 Brno, Czech Republic.
Abstract.
Effects of Recombinant Rat Tumor Necrosis Factor-ð and Interferon-gamma on the Respiratory Burst of Rat Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes in Whole Blood
J. VONDRÁÈEK.................115-121
Department of Comparative Animal Physiology and General Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Author's address: Jan Vondráèek, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic.
Abstract
Uptake of Plasmid RSV DNA by Frog and Mouse Spermatozoa
J. MÁCHA*, D. ŠTURSOVÁ*, M. TAKÁÈ**, V. HABROVÁ*, J. JONÁK...... ....123-127
*Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University
**Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
Corresponding author: Jiøí Jonák, Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo nám. 2, 166 37 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
Abstract
Abstracts
Assignment of the Cellular Retinol Binding Protein 1 (Rbp1) and Hepatic Lipase (Lipc) Genes to Rat Chromosome 8
M. PRAVENEC*,**, V. KØEN*,**, C. SZPIRER***, J. SZPIRER***
Genes for the cellular retinol binding protein 1 (Rbp1) and hepatic lipase (Lipc) were assigned to chromosome 8 of the rat by the PCR analysis of somatic cell hybrids. The current findings extend homologies between rat chromosome 8, mouse chromosome 9, and human chromosomes 3q and 15q.
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Differences of Alkaline Phosphatase and Arginase Activities in Human Colorectal Carcinoma Cell Lines
V. SOVOVÁ*, E. ŠLONCOVÁ*, P. FRIÈ**
Remarkable differences in the levels of alkaline phosphatase and arginase were found in colorectal cell lines tested. In HT-29 cells, which are extremely sensitive to the induction of cell differentiation, very low levels of arginase were detected. On the other hand, high levels of arginase were present in cell lines derived from highly malignant tumours. Both findings support a prognostic significance of arginase activity in colorectal carcinomas.
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The Influence of Serotonin on Follicular Cells FRTL-5 in vitro
S. GABERŠÈEK*, D. ŠTIBLAR-MARTINÈIÈ**, M. KALIŠNIK**
Serotonin is an aromatic monoamine found in parafollicular cells of rats, bats and in a human medullary thyroid carcinoma cell line. We have examined the hypothesis that serotonin stimulates follicular cells. The effect of serotonin in presence and absence of thyrotropin was studied on a cell line of rat follicular cells FRTL-5 (Fischer Rat Thyroid cells in Low serum) by measuring [3H]thymidine incorporation into cell DNA (growth assay) and by transmission electron microscopy. The cell line was used to avoid the contamination with serotonin secreted from parafollicular cells. Results show that serotonin at 3 ÞM, 10 ÞM, 30 ÞM, and 100 ÞM concentrations increases [3H]thymidine incorporation into cell DNA. Serotonin at a 1000 ÞM concentration reduces sharply the [3H]thymidine incorporation into cell DNA. All cytoplasmic organelles completely disappear, only a thin fibrous membrane remains. The toxic effect of serotonin is observed in the nuclei, too. As expected, thyrotropin stimulates follicular cells. Serotonin does not have any influence on that stimulative effect of thyrotropin. Rough endoplasmic reticulum consists of round vesicles, several mitochondria are present in the cytoplasm. From the surface few pseudopodia extend into the culture medium.
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The Biological Conditions of Assessment of Ethylene Glycol-Induced Inhibition of Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication by Metabolic Cooperation Assay
J. A. VÍTEK
Ethylene glycol (EG) has been previously shown to inhibit gap junctional intercellular communication. In this paper we examine conditions under which the effect of EG on gap junctional communication is assessed by metabolic cooperation assay. The later, after the start of metabolic cooperation assay, EG was added, the lower its inhibitory effect was. If treatment with EG began 12 h or even later after plating of cells, no significant effect on gap junctional communication was observed. Short EG treatments (2 - 8 h) induced a reversible inhibition of cell-to-cell communication, provided that the cells could communicate freely after the drug was removed. However, if further cell-to-cell communication was excluded, the effect of short exposures was irreversible. Using Scrape loading method we observed that after a 60 min exposure to EG the standard gap junctional intercellular communication was completely restored in a few hours.
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Effects of Recombinant Rat Tumor Necrosis Factor-ð and Interferon-gamma on the Respiratory Burst of Rat Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes in Whole Blood
J. VONDRÁÈEK
Activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) might be an important source of host tissue damage. PMNL may be primed by various inflammatory mediators for an increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The short-term priming effects of two cytokines, interferon-#gamma (IFN-#gamma) and tumor necrosis factor-ð (TNF-ð), on rat PMNL in whole unfractionated blood were investigated in the present study. Incubation of PMNL with cytokine alone did not induce the detectable ROS production without addition of a second stimulus - phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or opsonized zymosan particles (OZP). One-hour incubation with TNF-ð, or the mixture of TNF-ð + IFN-#gamma resulted in a dose-dependent enhancement of ROS production in response to PMA. Moreover, the incubation with both IFN-#gamma and TNF-ð caused a significantly higher increase of ROS production than with TNF-ð alone. However, no priming effects of IFN-#gamma on the PMA-induced ROS production were observed. Finally, none of the cytokines enhanced the total production of ROS upon the stimulation with OZP, although changes in the time course of ROS production were observed. Thus, different signal transduction pathways seem to be involved in PMA- and OZP-induced respiratory burst. Alternatively, partial activation and assembling of NADPH oxidase during cytokine treatment might explain the differences observed between PMA- and OZP-induced ROS production. The results of the present study suggest that IFN-#gamma may enhance the priming effects of TNF-ð. This finding may have implications for understanding the mechanisms by which both cytokines may contribute to PMNL-mediated tissue injury during various clinical conditions, as well as to host defense against invading pathogens.
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Uptake of Plasmid RSV DNA by Frog and Mouse Spermatozoa
J. MÁCHA*, D. ŠTURSOVÁ*, M. TAKÁÈ**, V. HABROVÁ*, J. JONÁK
Xenopus laevis spermatozoa and mouse epididymal spermatozoa were compared in their ability to bind plasmid DNA. Spermatozoa of both species are endowed with a very similar binding capacity for plasmid pAPrC DNA carrying the complete Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) DNA. Our experiments failed to detect any substantial differences between both types of sperm cells in the kinetics of DNA binding, maximum DNA binding capacity, effect of various ions, metabolic inhibitors and substrates on DNA binding, etc. Each X. laevis and mouse sperm cell associates, on an average, with about 50 and 45 molecules, respectively, of the plasmid DNA in a DNase resistant form, if spermatozoa were exposed to the DNA at a concentration of O.5 Þg/5 x 106 sperm cells. The uptake of the DNA by both types of sperm cells is strongly inhibited by heparin. The 37-kDa factor IF-1 shown by Zani et al. (1995) to specifically block DNA binding to mouse sperm cells inhibited the interaction between pAPrC DNA and frog spermatozoa with a similar intensity.
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