Interspecies comparison of muscle gangliosides by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography.

Skeletal muscle gangliosides prepared from ten species of animals (human, monkey, bovine, hog, dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig, mouse, and chicken) were studied by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. Densitometric quantification of spots on the chromatograms was carried out with an image analysis system equipped with a computer system. In about thirty-five resorcinol-positive spots, sixteen components could be identified by comparison with authentic standards we had previously obtained.

Seeding of gallbladder carcinoma along the tract after percutaneous transhepatic choledochoscopy.

An implant metastasis developed along the tract after percutaneous transhepatic cholecystoscopy 5 months after initial placement of the catheter into the gallbladder. Percutaneous transhepatic cholecystoscopy is conducted by insertion of choledochofiberscope into the gallbladder through the dilated sinus tract established around a catheter inserted into the gallbladder. The catheter had been placed for total of 15 days.

Postnatal development of circadian rhythm in serum cortisol levels in children.

High-pressure liquid chromatography was used to study the development of blood adrenocortical circadian rhythm in a total of 64 children, ranging in age from 1 month to 15 years. Patients with endocrine diseases, congenital anomalies, and diseases of the central nervous system were excluded from this study. Determination of corticosteroid concentration was possible with 20 to 100 microL of serum.

Gangliosides of hog skeletal muscle.

The ganglioside content of hog skeletal muscle was 27 nmol/g wet weight when calculated as lipid-bound sialic acid. The elution profile on DEAE-Sephadex A-25 column chromatography showed that the monosialoganglioside fraction (61% of total lipid-bound sialic acid) contained at least seven major gangliosides and that the disialoganglioside fraction (25%) contained four major ones. These gangliosides were purified by latrobeads column chromatography, and from the results of sugar analysis, specific enzymatic hydrolysis, a permethylation study and CrO3 oxidation, the structures of these gangliosides were determined to be as follows: A, GM3(NeuAc); B, GM3(NeuGc); C, sialosylparagloboside(NeuAc); D sialosylparagloboside (NeuGc); E, GM1(NeuAc); F, GM1(NeuGc); G, sialosyllactosaminylparagloboside(NeuAc) (monosialogangliosides) and H, GD1a(NeuAc, NeuAc); I, GD1a(NeuAc, NeuGc); J, GD1a(NeuGc, NeuGc); K, GD1b(NeuAc, NeuAc) (disialogangliosides), where NeuAc is N-acetylneuraminic acid and NeuGc is N-glycolylneuraminic acid as sialyl groups.

Occurrence of 2-O-acyl galactosyl ceramide in human and bovine brains.

Ester cerebrosides isolated from whale brain were demonstrated to be a mixture of 6-O-acyl, 2-O-acyl, 4-O-acyl, and 3-O-acyl galactosyl ceramides in that order of content (Yasugi, E., et al. (1982) J.

Genetic regulation of GM2 expression in liver of mouse.

GM2 containing NeuGc was found to be a major ganglioside in the liver of most inbred strains of mouse we have examined so far. They were DBA/2, C3H/He, C57BL/6, BALB/c, and CBA mice. However, WHT/Ht mouse does not contain a detectable amount of GM2 (NeuGc) but has GM3 containing NeuGc as the major ganglioside in the liver.

Kinetic study of photochemical and thermal conversion of bilirubin IX alpha and its photoproducts.

A kinetic study of the photochemical and thermal conversion of photoisomers, especialy peaks 0 and 3 [(EE)-bilirubin IX alpha and (EZ)- and (ZE)-bilirubin IX alpha], under anaerobic conditions, was performed by using reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. Peaks 0 and 3 are spontaneously, photochemically and thermally converted. Short-term photoirradiation of bilirubin gives a mixture containing not only the geometric isomers (EE)-, (EZ)- and (ZE)-bilirubin IX alpha, but also peak 2, (EZ)-cyclobilirubin IX alpha.

Hemorheological factors of oxygen transfer in capillary tissue unit.

The supply of oxygen to tissue from capillaries may be influenced by hemorheological factors. A hemorheological model is developed for elucidating which factors play a major role in the oxygen transport to tissue. For a capillary tissue unit, a modified cylindrical model of Krogh is used.

Serum concentrations of bile acid glucuronides in hepatobiliary diseases.

Bile acid glucuronides in the serum in various hepatobiliary diseases (36 cases) were quantitated by mass fragmentography and their clinical significance was discussed. Serum was added to defined amounts of deuterium-labeled bile acids and their glucuronide and sulfate derivatives, and the bile acids were separated into unconjugated, glucuronidated and sulfated groups after enzymatic cleavage of amide bonds. The liberated bile acids were quantitated by mass fragmentography.

Two active forms of valyl-tRNA synthetase from Bacillus subtilis: alteration related to the early stages of sporulation.

Two enzymatically active forms, E-I and E-II, of valyl-tRNA synthetase [EC 6.1.1.

Studies on the biosynthesis of cholestanol in cultured cells.

The presence of cholestanol had never been reported in cultured cells, but in the present study cholestanol was detected both in human and rat skin fibroblasts. The present study has shown that the origin of cholestanol in these fibroblasts was derived from de novo synthesis in the cells rather than from the fetal calf serum used in the growth medium. The activity of 5 alpha-cholestan-3-one reductase which is the enzyme catalyzing the final step in the biosynthesis of cholestanol was measured by mass fragmentography using deuterium labeled 5 alpha-cholestan-3-one as a substrate.

Quantitative determination of bile acid glucuronides in serum by mass fragmentography.

Individual non-glucuronidated . non-sulfated, glucuronidated and sulfated bile acids in serum were determined, i.e.

Occurrence of 2-O-acyl galactosyl ceramide in whale brain.

Four glycolipids (Fr. I, II, III, and IV) were isolated from whale brain and three (Fr. I, II, and III) of them were demonstrated to be galactosyl ceramide combined with fatty acid by ester linkage.

On the minor gangliosides of erythrocyte membranes of Japanese cats.

Seven ganglioside species were isolated and purified from erythrocyte membranes of Japanese cats by DEAE-Sephadex and Iatrobeads column chromatographies. The structures of these gangliosides were determined as Gmi(NeuGc), Gm3(NeuAc), GM3(NeuGc), GD3(NeuGc), GD3(NeuGc comes from NeuAc), GT3(NeuGc), and another GM3 containing a sialic acid of unidentified nature. The occurrence of GT3 suggested the probable presence of a biosynthetic pathway of GM3 leads to GD3 leads to GT3 in erythropoietic cells of Japanese cats.

The occurrence of GM4 and GM2 in erythrocytes from inbred strains of mice.

Glycolipids of erythrocytes from inbred mice, C3H/He and CDF1, were analyzed. Galactosylceramide, glucosylceramide, GM4 and GM2 were separated and their structures were established. Sialic acid of GM4 was exclusively N-acetylneuraminic acid, while GM2 contained only N-glycolylneuraminic acid.

Serum bile acid profiles in cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis.

Non-sulfated bile acid concentrations in sera of 10 cases of cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) were determined by mass fragmentography. Total bile acid (TBA) in serum was 0.492 +/- 0.

Microcirculation of left atrial muscle, cerebral cortex and mesentery of the cat. A comparative analysis.

By means of transillumination (microtransilluminator and light pipe), comparative analyses were carried out on geometry, topography, and morphometry of microcirculation in the cerebral cortex, left atrial muscle, and mesentery of the cat using computer analysis. In addition, specific types of capillary distribution (concurrent, countercurrent, and asymmetric distribution) in these three organs were ascertained from images visualized on films. These parameters were related to their role in tissue oxygen supply.

Propionyl-Coa induced synthesis of even-chain-length fatty acids by fatty acid synthetase from Brevibacterium ammoniagenes.

The product distribution of Brevibacterium ammoniagenes fatty acid synthetase has been investigated using propionyl-CoA instead of acetyl-CoA as the primer. The synthetase produces not only an odd-numbered fatty acid (heptadecanoic acid) but also even-numbered fatty acids (stearic and oleic acids) in the presence of propionyl-CoA. The amounts of heptadecanoic, stearic and oleic acids increased with increasing concentration of propionyl-CoA.