The effects of immunomodulatory thymic and splenic peptides and cyclosporin A on antigen-induced arthritis in the rat.

Long-term treatment with natural and synthetic thymic and splenic peptides as well as cyclosporin A inhibited the development of antigen-induced arthritis in rats. This was demonstrated by decreased joint swelling and reduced degree of macroscopically and histologically evaluated severity of synovitis. The drug treatment also decreased serum levels of antibodies against the specific antigen methylated bovine serum albumin (mBSA) and against cartilage proteoglycans and collagens type I and II.

Partial purification and characterization of the mRNA for human thymidine kinase and hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyltransferase.

We used direct microinjection of poly(A)+RNA into individual hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient or thymidine kinase-deficient cells and detected the specific in vivo translation products as an assay for human hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyltransferase or thymidine kinase mRNAs. The incorporation of [3H]hypoxanthine or [3H]thymidine into cells in response to injected mRNA was assayed in situ by autoradiography. Methylmercuric hydroxide/agarose gel analysis showed that human hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyltransferase mRNA contains approximately 1,530 nucleotides, which is twice the number required for its protein coding capacity.

Transfer RNA genes of Drosophila melanogaster.

Three recombinant plasmids containing randomly sheared genomic D. melanogaster tRNAs have been identified and characterized in detail. One of these, the plasmid 14C4, has a D.

The localization of tRNAAsp2 genes from Drosophila melanogaster by "in situ" hybridization.

Transfer RNAAsp2delta was isolated from Drosophila melanogaster by affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose. The tRNA was iodinated "in vitro" with Na [125I] and hybridized "in situ" to salivary gland chromosomes from Drosophila. Subsequent autoradiography allowed the localization of the genes for tRNAAsp2 to the left arm of the second chromosome in the regions 29 D and E.