Quantitation and tissue localization of the cellular retinoic acid-binding protein.

The distribution of the cellular retinoic acid-binding protein (CRABP) in some rat tissues has been determined, and the protein has been localized by immunocytochemical techniques in sections from rat testis. In the testis CRABP was found in the seminiferous tubuli with Sertoli cells and the spermatogonia most intensely stained. All other cells of the germinal epithelium appeared largely devoid of CRABP.

Amino acid content in astroglial primary cultures from different brain regions during cultivation.

Free amino acids in astroglial primary cultures obtained from newborn rat cerebral cortex, striatum and hippocampus were analyzed and compared during cultivation. Glutamate and taurine exhibited the highest concentrations. Aspartate and glutamate showed the highest values after 1 and 3 weeks of cultivation with lower values after 2 weeks in culture, while taurine, beta-alanine/hypotaurine and phosphoethanolamine showed the highest value after 2 weeks in culture.

5-Hydroxytryptamine stimulates the formation of inositol phosphate in astrocytes from different regions of the brain.

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) stimulated the turnover of phosphoinositide in primary cultures of astroglia from the cerebral cortex, striatum, hippocampus and brain stem. Ketanserin and ritanserin, selective antagonists for the central 5-HT2 receptor, inhibited the 5-HT-stimulated formation of inositol monophosphate. In contrast, there was no statistically significant accumulation of cyclic AMP after incubation with different concentrations of 5-HT in any of the cultures studied.

Amino acid incorporation during morphine intoxication Electrophoretic separation of extracellular proteins from a brain stem astroglial and neuronal containing co-cultivation system.

Extracellular proteins from brain stem astroglial enriched primary cultures were resolved with gel electrophoresis after labelling the cultures with (3)H/(14)C (experimental/control) valine. A protein fraction with a subunit molecular weight (mol. wt) of approx.

Stimulation of brain-stem protein synthesis by morphine.

Rats were intoxicated with morphine as intraperitoneal (i.p.) single doses, or for 4 days (final dose 130 mg/kg b.

Lipids and fatty acids in membranes from astroglial cells cultured in ethanol-containing media.

A study was undertaken to evaluate the usefulness of a primary brain cell culture for the assessment of general membrane phenomena caused by ethanol. The major aim was to study the inertness versus vulnerability of membrane lipids for 8 days of ethanol exposure. Since brain cells in cultures could be more easily influenced by nutrition than in vivo, effects of varying levels of essential fatty acids in the medium were also studied.

Co-cultivation of astroglial enriched cultures from striatum and neuronal containing cultures from substantia nigra.

A co-cultivation system was developed with neuron-containing (neuron-specific enolase (NSE) positive) primary cultures from the substantia nigra of 15 to 17-day old embryonic rats which were grown 1 mm apart from astroglial-enriched (glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAp) positive) primary cultures from the striatum of neonatal rats. The astroglial cells went through a morphological differentiation with extension of processes after co-cultivation with the immunohistochemically-identified neuronal cells. The astroglial-enriched striatum cultures showed a higher active uptake of 3H-L-glutamate after co-cultivation for one week, compared to control cultures from striatum.

Protein metabolism and electrophoretic profiles in astroglial primary cultures from different regions of newborn rat brain.

Primary astroglial cultures (14 days of age) from cerebral cortex, striatum, and hippocampus of newborn rat brain contained similar amounts of soluble proteins. Uptake and incorporation of [3H]valine into soluble protein measured after 30 and 60 min of incubation, respectively, was on a similar level in the various cultures. [3H]valine labeling of protein bands from the cell soluble fractions and incubation media of hemisphere cultures, and which were separated by isoelectric focusing (IEF) or sodium-dodecyl-sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), indicated that proteins are released to the extracellular medium after being synthesized within cultivated cells.

Co-cultivation of astroglial and neuronal primary cultures from rat brain.

A technique is described for a two-cell co-cultivation system which permits in vitro evaluation of neuron-glia interactions. Primary astroglial enriched cultures from newborn rat cerebral hemispheres, striatum or cerebral cortex, grown for 3 days, were co-cultivated with primary neuron-containing cultures from 15- to 17-day rat embryo cerebral hemispheres, substantia nigra or brainstem, respectively, grown for 10 days on polylysine-coated surfaces. The neuronal cells were identified morphologically and immunohistochemically by antibodies to neuron-specific enolase.

Increased levels of several retinoid binding proteins resulting from retinoic acid-induced differentiation of F9 cells.

The embryonal carcinoma cell line F9 is known to differentiate when exposed to retinoic acid. We have examined the quantities of two intracellular retinoid-binding proteins in undifferentiated and differentiated F9 cells. The existence of a cell surface receptor that recognizes the plasma retinol-binding protein was also explored.

Neurotransmitter uptake in various brain regions of chronically morphinized rats.

Rats were long-term morphine-intoxicated by a fluid-diet model ensuring an equal nutrient intake in morphinized and control rats. Uptake of neurotransmitters and D-ala2-met5-enkephalinamide (Enk) was studied in the particulate fractions (obtained at 10,000 g) from well defined brain regions of long-term intoxicated and morphine withdrawn rats. In control animals the accumulation of [3H]glutamate and [3H]gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) reached the highest tissue/medium (T/M) ratio values, 30-120, in the regions studied while monoamine T/M values were 2-10.

Primary cultures from defined brain areas. III. Effects of seeding time on [3H]L-glutamate transport and glutamine synthetase activity.

Primary astroglial-enriched cultures from various brain regions were studied with respect to age at seeding and time in culture and its effect on the [3H]L-glutamate transport capacity and glutamine synthetase (G.S.) activity.

Amino acid and monoamine transport in primary astroglial cultures from defined brain regions.

The uptake of L-[3H]glutamate, L-[3H]aspartate, gamma-[3H]aminobutyric acid (GABA), [3H]dopamine, DL-[3H]norepinephrine and [3H]5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) was studied in astrocytes cultured from the cerebral cortex, striatum and brain stem of newborn rat and grown for 2 weeks in primary cultures. The astrocytes exhibited a high-affinity L-glutamate uptake with Km values ranging from 11 to 110 microM. Vmax values were 4.

Cellular retinoid binding proteins.

The cellular retinol-binding protein (CRBP) and the cellular retinoic acid binding protein (CRABP) have similar physicochemical characteristics. The amino acid sequences of rat CRBP and bovine CRABP have been elucidated and they display 40% sequence identity. Both protein sequences appear to be evolutionarily highly conserved.

Primary cultures from defined brain areas; effects of seeding time on cell growth, astroglial content and protein synthesis.

The influence of seeding time on cell growth, astroglial content and on protein synthesis during cultivation was determined in primary cultures from 3 phylogenetically different brain areas from rat cerebral cortex, striatum and brainstem. Brainstem cultivated from 17-day-old embryos and all the cultures studied from the 3 brain areas of newborn and 7-day-old rat showed a similar increase in total and water-soluble protein during cultivation. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAp, alpha-albumin) levels increased with age in all cultures studied.

Primary cultures from defined brain areas; effects of seeding time on the development of beta-adrenergic- and dopamine-stimulated cAMP-activity during cultivation.

The influence of seeding time on the expression of beta-adrenergic- and dopamine-stimulated cAMP activity was studied in primary astroglial cultures from various brain areas. In all cultures isoproterenol (10(-7)-10(-5) M) caused an increased cAMP accumulation with time in culture. In brainstem cultures from 17-day-old embryos there was a decreased intracellular cAMP accumulation between 3 and 4 weeks.

Transport of monoamine and amino acid neurotransmitters by primary astroglial cultures.

The transport of [3H]L-glutamate, [3H]L-aspartate, [3H] gamma-aminobutyric acid [( 3H]GABA), [3H]dopamine, [3H]norepinephrine and [3H]5-hydroxytryptamine (3H-5-HT) was measured in primary astroglial cultures from newborn rat cerebral hemispheres. There was a high-affinity uptake with a Km of 69.0 microM for L-glutamate, 12.

Early results of the Finnish Multicentre Study of Prostatic Cancer (Finnprostate).

Four hundred and four prostatic cancer patients diagnosed in the years 1979-1982 in nine Finnish hospitals have been followed up for a mean period of three years. The aim of this study is to evaluate the situation of this malignancy in the Finnish male population and to discuss the diagnostic procedures and treatment modalities. In one fifth of the patients the carcinoma was as incidental finding on microscopical examination of tissue removed by transurethral resection or enucleation for presumed benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Amino acid incorporation during morphine intoxication. II: Electrophoretic separation of extracellular proteins from cerebral hemisphere slices and astroglia-enriched primary cultures.

Radioactively labeled proteins were identified in a broad molecular weight range in the incubation medium of rat cerebral hemisphere slice preparations or primary cultures after incubation with radioactive valine. Morphine chloride caused an increase in labeled media proteins with MW approximately 40,000 and 65,000 in both preparations, whereas a fraction with MW, approximately 80,000 decreased in amount. In the culture preparation a MW approximately 15,000 fraction also decreased after morphine treatment.

Amino acid incorporation during morphine intoxication. I: Dose and time effects of morphine on protein synthesis in specific regions of the rat brain and in astroglia-enriched primary cultures.

Uptake and incorporation of 3H-valine into soluble protein were studied in normal and in physically dependent rat brain, or in astroglial primary cultures at various times after the administration of morphine at different doses. There was an increased protein synthesis in striatum and brain stem of previously untreated rats 2-3 hr after low-dose morphine administration (10 mg/kg bw IP). The changes were completely reversed by naloxone (5 mg/kg bw, IP) administered 10 min prior to the morphine.

Toxicological studies on omeprazole.

As part of the safety evaluation of the gastric antisecretory drug, omeprazole, toxicological studies have been performed in several species of animals. The acute toxicity after oral administration to rodents was low. The oral LD50 value was above 4 g/kg.

Characteristics of dopamine and GABA transport in primary cultures of astroglial cells.

Primary astroglial cultures were grown from newborn rat cerebral hemispheres. Cultures, aged 7 and 14 days, were analysed with respect to their capacity to accumulate radioactive GABA and dopamine. Concentrative high-affinity uptake, showing Na+-dependence was observed for GABA where Km and Vmax were not significantly altered with age of the culture.

Cellular composition of primary cultures from cerebral cortex, striatum, hippocampus, brainstem and cerebellum.

Primary cultures from newborn rat cerebral cortex, striatum, hippocampus, brainstem and cerebellum were grown for 14 days. There was a linear relationship between the amount of material seeded and the protein content of the respective culture. The amount of tissue material seeded was selected so that the different cultures reached confluence at 6-7 days and contained similar amounts of protein when 7 and 14 days old.