[Enhancing effect of danggui injection on immunologic function]

Experiments have shown that Danggui injection enhances phagocytic function of macrophage in normal mice, and antagonizes the immunosuppressive activity of macrophage by cytoxan. The injection may increase the function of B cells and the activity of serum lysozyme, thus increasing the function of humoral immunity and nonspecific immunity.

[A study of chronic schizophrenic patients on the attention tests]

Three groups of people--schizophrenic (26 patients), affective disorder (23 patients), and normal (27 persons) were administered two attention tests--Tai Ta Attention Test and Kraepelin Test. The results indicate that the speed and duration of attention of schizophrenic patients are poorer than those of normal persons. And the attention deficit is not much different between the two psychotic group patients. This study finds that the main attention problem of schizophrenic patients is their deficit of duration of attention.

Spectrophotometric determination of tannins in tea and beer samples with iron(III) and 1,10-phenanthroline as reagents

A simple and accurate spectrophotometric method is proposed for the determination of tannins in tea and beer samples based on the reduction of iron(III) to iron(II) by tannins at 80 degrees C for 20 min. The iron(II) was then reacted with 1,10-phenanthroline at pH 4.4 to form a coloured complex. Background correction could be effected by precipitating the tannins in the sample solution twice with gelatin and kaolin. Absorbance measurements were made at 540 nm and the calibration graph was linear from 0 to 5.5 micrograms ml-1 of tannic acid with a slope of 0.213 A p.p.m.-1. The precision for the determination of tannins in a tea sample containing 9.45% of tannins was 1.8%. Most of the ingredients commonly found in tea and beer samples do not interfere with the determination. Several tea and beer samples were analysed for their tannin content using the proposed method.

Immunocytochemical localization of protein kinases and calmodulin in dog thyroid cells

By immunocytochemical methods, the protein effectors of known intracellular signal molecules were demonstrated in the thyroid follicular cell and their localization investigated. Cyclic AMP protein kinase subunit RII was clearly located in the nucleus. Protein kinase subunits RI and C were in the cytosol and on the apical membrane. Cyclic GMP kinase and calmodulin were mostly found in the cytoplasm and at the apical membrane; they were poorly represented in the nucleus. The only membrane underlined by several markers was the apical membrane, i.e. the site of iodination, oxido reduction and H2O2 generation.

Hormonal effects on the immunocytochemical location of 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase in rat tissues

Homogeneous preparations of type I and type II regulatory subunits (RI and RII, respectively) of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAMP kinase) were utilized as antigens to obtain isozyme specific antisera. Injections of pure catalytic subunit (C) from the type I isozyme resulted in antisera that reacted with C subunit obtained from either isozyme type. Cross-reactivity of the antisera raised against isolated subunits of the kinase was assessed by immunodiffusion analysis and by measuring the cAMP binding and phosphotransferase activities of the subunits after immunoprecipitation. These antisera were used to localize subunits of type I and type II cAMP kinases in rat skeletal muscle, liver, and adrenal by using indirect immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase techniques. Specificity of the immunofluorescence was shown by absorption of the antisera with pure homologous antigens. In skeletal muscle, both R and C subunits of the type I and type II cAMP kinases were localized in the area of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and in periodic crossbands. Specific fluorescence for these components was observed in both isotropic and anisotropic band regions of the sarcomere. Densitometric determinations of immunoperoxidase staining revealed a larger amount of RI, RII, and C subunits in the isotropic band than in the anisotropic band regions. In liver, C, RI, and RII subunits were distributed both in cytoplasmic and nuclear areas and along plasma membranes of hepatocytes; however, there were qualitative differences observed among these various subcellular sites. With each antiserum, fluorescence was blocked by prior absorption with homologous antigen. After treatment of rats with glucagon, dramatic changes in the relative distribution patterns of C and RII were noted in the nucleus. In the adrenal gland, RI, RII, and C subunits were localized in both cytoplasmic and nuclear areas, and an apparent redistribution of these subunits occurred after treatment of (dexamethasone-suppressed) rats with ACTH. The application of this immunocytochemical approach provides a tool for examining and monitoring the subcellular distribution of these components of cAMP kinase in biological systems.

Immunocytochemical localization of cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase in endocrine tissues

Antisera have been produced against purified soluble cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) dependent-protein kinase (ATP: protein phosphotransferase EC 2.7.1.37) isolated from bovine lung. No cross-reactivity was observed between the antisera and structurally related components of cAMP-dependent protein kinases (cAMP kinase), as judged by the immunodiffusion and immunoprecipitation techniques. Immunocytochemical specificity was determined by absorption of antisera with pure antigen. The distribution of cGMP kinase has been examined in several rat tissues, using an indirect immunofluorescence technique, and compared with the immunocytochemical distribution of cGMP. In skeletal muscle, cGMP kinase was localized primarily to A bands on the muscle fiber and along the Z line in I band regions. Densitometric determinations of immunoperoxidase staining indicated that absorbance over A band areas was greater than absorbance over the I band regions. In small intestine, cGMP kinase is distributed primarily along the villus brush border membrane. In testis, cGMP kinase is observed in several cell types adjacent to the seminiferous tubular wall, including Sertoli cells and spermatogonia, as well as in association with meiotic chromosomes of pachytene spermatocytes. In the cortex of the adrenal glands from dexamethasone-suppressed rats, chronic ACTH treatment induced an increase in cGMP kinase fluorescence in nuclei. In each of the tissues examined, a striking correlation was observed between the distribution of cGMP kinase and cGMP, supporting the hypothesis that cGMP-mediated actions occur via cGMP kinases.

Localization of calmodulin in rat tissues

The localization of calmodulin, a calcium-dependent modulator of many enzymes, was studied in rat liver, skeletal muscle, and adrenal slices. Calmodulin is found in liver cytoplasm, nucleus, and plasma membrane. Much of the cytoplasmic calmodulin is associated with glycogen particles presumably bound to enzymes involved in glycogen metabolism. Skeletal muscle calmodulin is found on the I-band, also associated with glycogen particles. Intermyofibrillar staining that is not glycogen associated is also observed. Calmodulin is localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus of adrenal cortex cells. Injection of corticotropin leads to a greatly increased localization of calmodulin in nuclei of the adrenal cortex. These observations suggest that one role of calmodulin may be the regulation of hormone effects on nuclear processes.

Actin-containing microprocesses in the fusion of cultured chick myoblasts

Scanning electron microscopic studies of myoblasts from 11- to 13-day-old chick embroyonic breast muscle cultured on collagen-coated glass coverslips showed six stages of development into multinucleated myotubes: (1) growth of flattened, spread-out cells for 20-30 hr following initiation of monolayer cultures; (2) extension of microprocesses (1-150 microM) from cells that have become spindle shaped; (3) contact and adherence of microprocesses from adjacent cells; (4) thickening of fused processes; (5) approximation of the cells; and (6) coalescence of the cells to form a spindle-shaped myotube. When the calcium-ion concentration in the growth medium was lowered--either by increasing the concentration of ethylene-glycol-bis(aminoethyl ether)N,N'-tetraacetate (EGTA)or by decreasing the cconcentration of free calciumion used--the number of microprocesses present on the cells was reduced. Presumably, however, these microprocesses could still fuse together, provided that the calciumion concentration was greater than 160 microM. Indirect immunofluorescence assay with actin-specific antibody indicated that actin is a major component of the myoblasts' microprocesses. Cytochalasin B (5 microgram/ml) caused the microprocesses to retract within 15 min and the myoblasts to round up and detach from the glass substrate. This was presumably caused by the action of the drug on actin filaments.