Multiple genes coding for precursors of rhodotorucine A, a farnesyl peptide mating pheromone of the basidiomycetous yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides.

Haploid cells of mating type A of the basidiomycetous yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides secrete a mating pheromone, rhodotorucine A, which is an undecapeptide containing S-farnesyl cysteine at its carboxy terminus. To analyze the processing and secretion pathway of rhodotorucine A, we isolated both genomic and complementary DNAs encoding the peptide moiety. We identified three distinct genes, RHA1, RHA2, and RHA3, encoding four, five, and three copies of the pheromone peptide, respectively.

[Effects of indomethacin and prostaglandin E2 administered intrarectally on colon carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane (AOM) in rats].

AOM was administered subcutaneously once a week for 11 consecutive weeks to the rat. On the 15th and 30th week after starting of AOM injection, PGE2 content of the colonic mucosa, tumor and blood of portal vein and NK activity of the spleen and mesenteric lymph node (MLN) were evaluated. On the 15th week, a significant high value of the PGE2 content of colonic mucosa was shown when compared with that of the AOM non-administered group (control group).

[Hyperkinetic mutism within the scope of consciousness disorder in a case of systemic lupus erythematosus].

A thirty-year-old housewife, who had been diagnosed as SLE, had been hyperkinetic and mute for 13 months after reiteration of manic-depressive episodes. In this condition she walked around without aim, ate and drank only with nursing help, and could not understand the circumstances around her; she was incontinent of urine and feces. Serological examination did not show any abnormal results during psychic exacerbation.

Clinical efficacy of carbamazepine in affective, schizoaffective, and schizophrenic disorders.

The therapeutic effects of carbamazepine (CBZ) were evaluated in 103 patients with affective disorders, 54 with schizophrenic disorders, and 26 with schizoaffective disorders by a multi-institutional open study. The rate of marked and moderate improvement was 72.8% in affective disorders, 54.

Repeated naloxone administration in schizophrenia: a phase II World Health Organization Study.

In the context of a previous WHO collaborative study, six research centers reported that naloxone (0.3 mg/kg) produced significant improvement in symptomatology in neuroleptic-treated patients. In the current Phase II WHO study, repeated (4 days) naloxone (0.

Epinephrine stimulates inositol phospholipid metabolism by activating alpha-2 adrenergic receptors in human platelets.

The metabolism of inositol phospholipids in response to epinephrine was investigated in intact human platelets. In platelets prelabelled with [3H]-myo-inositol in Ca2+-free HEPES buffer containing 10 mM LiCl, epinephrine caused an accumulation of inositol-1-phosphate in a concentration-dependent manner. The EC50 value for epinephrine was 5 microM.

Nucleotide sequences of Saccharomycopsis fibuligera genes for extracellular beta-glucosidases as expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We isolated two genes for extracellular beta-glucosidase, BGL1 and BGL2, from the genomic library of the yeast Saccharomycopsis fibuligera. Gene products (BGLI and BGLII) were purified from the culture fluids of Saccharomyces cerevisiae transformed with BGL1 and BGL2, respectively. Molecular weights of BGLI and BGLII were estimated to be 220,000 and 200,000 by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate.

Disturbances of voluntary control of saccadic eye movements in schizophrenic patients.

To study whether or not schizophrenic patients have disturbances in voluntary control of saccades, we examined visually elicited saccade and antisaccade tasks in 10 normal control subjects and 12 schizophrenic patients. The latencies of saccades in the schizophrenic patients were not significantly different from those of normal controls. However, 6 of the 12 schizophrenics showed significant abnormalities in the antisaccade task; 6 made more errors and 3 of them showed longer latencies than normal controls.

[Inhibition of pulmonary metastases in mice by beta-cyclodextrin-benzaldehyde].

The effect of beta-cyclodextrin-benzaldehyde (CDBA) on the pulmonary metastasis in C3H/He mice was examined. When mice were treated daily with CDBA, 3 weeks later the number of lung nodules developed after i.v.

Binding and cytotoxic effects of Clostridium botulinum type A, C1 and E toxins in primary neuron cultures from foetal mouse brains.

Binding of purified Clostridium botulinum type A, C1 and E toxins to cultured cells was studied by an immunocytochemical method. Type A and C1 toxins bound strongly to neuron cultures prepared from brains of foetal mice, but binding of type E toxin was weak. None of the toxin types bound to the feeder layer, composed of non-neuronal cells.

Nucleotide sequence of the glucoamylase gene GLU1 in the yeast Saccharomycopsis fibuligera.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the glucoamylase gene GLU1 from the yeast Saccharomycopsis fibuligera has been determined. The GLU1 DNA hybridized to a polyadenylated RNA of 2.1 kilobases.

Nucleotide sequence of the alpha-amylase gene (ALP1) in the yeast Saccharomycopsis fibuligera.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the secretable alpha-amylase gene ALP1 from the yeast Saccharomycopsis fibuligera has been determined. The ALP1 DNA hybridized to a polyadenylated RNA of 2.0 kilobases.

Gene fusion is a possible mechanism underlying the evolution of STA1.

DNA from the STA1 (extracellular glucoamylase) gene of Saccharomyces diastaticus was used as a probe to enable the cloning by colony hybridization of three DNA fragments from Saccharomyces cerevisiae; these were designated S1, S2, and SGA (intracellular, sporulation-specific glucoamylase gene). To examine the evolutionary relationship among these sequences at the nucleotide level, we sequenced S2, S1, SGA and compared them with STA1. These data and RNA blot analysis revealed that the following regions of STA1 were highly conserved in S2, S1, and SGA: upstream regulatory sequences responsible for transcription, a signal sequence for protein secretion, a threonine- and serine-rich domain, and a catalytic domain for glucoamylase activity.

Three cases of chronic bromisoval intoxication: clinical symptoms and application of energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) to detect bromine in serum, urine and cerebrospinal fluid.

Bromisoval has been used as a hypnotic for the past several decades, and its abuse was known to cause various neurological as well as psychiatric symptoms. Three patients showed a variety of symptoms which could not be explained neuroanatomically: nystagmus, gait disturbance and hyperreflexia of the limbs in all the cases, dysarthria, double vision, hypotonia, ataxic gait and disturbance of consciousness occasionally and auditory agnosia in one case. For the purpose of determining the diagnosis, an energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) was used to detect bromine.

Complement-induced thrombus formation on the surface of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-grafted polyethylene.

The role of complement activation in thrombogenesis was investigated on the surface of hydrophilic monomer-graft copolymerized polyethylene (PE) tubes. N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP)-grafted tubes activated in an in vitro complement system of canine serum; but no activation occurred in 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)-grafted tubes. The relative patent time for NVP-grafted tubes implanted in canine peripheral veins was shorter than that for HEMA-grafted tubes and adhesion of numerous leucocytes was observed on the luminal surfaces of the NVP-grafted tubes.

The role of aldehyde dehydrogenase isozyme variance in alcohol sensitivity, drinking habits formation and the development of alcoholism in Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.

It is known that aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) responsible for metabolism of acetaldehyde deriving from ethanol has two distinct forms of isozymes: ALDH-I (low Km ALDH) and ALDH-II (high Km ALDH), and that many Orientals lack ALDH-I isozyme genetically. In the present study, the role of ALDH isozyme variance in the alcohol sensitivity, drinking habits formation and the development of alcoholism was investigated in Japan, Taiwan and the Phillipines. Isozyme analysis using isoelectric focusing of hair roots specimens from normal volunteers or schizophrenics revealed that about 42% of Japanese, 35% of Taiwanese and 12% of Phillipines were ALDH-I deficient.

Transcriptional control of the sporulation-specific glucoamylase gene in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, glucoamylase activity appears specifically in sporulating cells heterozygous for the mating-type locus (MAT). We identified a sporulation-specific glucoamylase gene (SGA) and show that expression of SGA is positively regulated by the mating-type genes, both MATa1 and MAT alpha 2. Northern blot analysis revealed that control of SGA is exerted at the level of RNA production.

Control of STA1 gene expression by the mating-type locus in yeasts.

Extracellular production of glucoamylase from the yeast Saccharomyces diastaticus carrying an STA1 gene (a structural gene for the enzyme) is repressed by the mating-type constitution a/alpha. We obtained mutants that were relieved from the mating-type control of the STA1 gene expression. Tetrad analysis showed that the mutation was closely linked to MATa.