The ciliated, mucus-secreting urn cell complex (UCC) is found swimming in the coelomic cavity of the marine invertebrate Sipunculus nudus. This cell complex, which can be maintained in suspension cultures, responds to various stimuli by hypersecreting mucus in the form of a cohesive mucus "tail." This tail can be measured and expressed as a multiple of "urn cell diameters." Using this bioassay, heated sera from 35 patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), 29 patients who were obligate heterozygotes for the CF gene, and 42 controls with a variety of diseases were tested. Control sera yielded a mean (+/- S.D.) mucus tail length of 2.5 (+/-2.3); CF sera yielded a mean mucus tail length of 7.5 (+/- 2.9), (P < 0.0005), and obligate heterozygote sera yielded a mucus tail length of 6.2 (+/- 2.1), (P < 0.0005). These responses were reproducible with different UCC suspensions from the same Sipunculus, as well as from different Sipunculi. In addition, sera from 3 CF patients and 3 controls were chromatographed on protein A-Sepharose. The bound IgG fraction was then washed with 8 M urea and subsequently eluted with 1 M acetic acid. Pooled dialyzed, lyophilized fractions were assayed as coded samples in the UCC assay. Mucus-stimulating activity as measured by mucus tail length per mg protein was greatest in the fractions eluted with 8 M urea. The 8 M urea fractions from 3 CF sera were 2.8 to 5.5 times as active as fractions from 3 control sera. The UCC assay can quantitatively measure mucus-stimulating activity in CF serum. This activity appears to be associated with a serum fraction which can be dissociated from IgG.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198011000-00022 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Hybrid motility mechanism of sperm at viscoelastic fluid-solid interface.
Sci Rep
September 2024
Department of Physics, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, USA.
Article Synopsis
- Sperm must navigate through complex channels in the female reproductive tract to fertilize eggs, and their movement has mainly been attributed to swimming in fluids.
- Recent research shows that sperm can also gain thrust from direct interactions between their flagellum and solid surfaces, which helps them move more effectively.
- This discovery reveals a hybrid motility mechanism where both flagellum-surface interactions and fluid dynamics play significant roles in sperm movement, highlighting an evolutionary advantage for sperm as they travel through challenging environments.
Sperm hyperactivation in the uterus and oviduct: a double-edged sword for sperm and maternal innate immunity toward fertility.
Anim Reprod
August 2024
Global Agromedicine Research Center (GAMRC), Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan.
In cattle, artificial insemination (AI) is a technique that allows breeding by depositing frozen-thawed and extended semen into the female reproductive tract. The semen contains sperm with various motility patterns including dead, progressive and hyperactivated. Sperm hyperactivation is high amplitude, asymmetrical beating of sperm tail which usually occurs in the oviduct as part of the capacitation process, but it can also be induced by cryopreservation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReassessment of EUS features in preoperative diagnosis of pancreatic serous cystic neoplasm: Lessons to avoid misdiagnosis.
J Dig Dis
July 2024
Department of Endoscopy, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
Article Synopsis
- Pancreatic serous cystic neoplasms (SCN) are generally benign but often misdiagnosed before surgery, leading to a need for better identification techniques using endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS).
- A study reviewed EUS findings in 294 patients with confirmed SCNs, highlighting a low preoperative diagnostic rate of 36.3%, with common misdiagnoses linked to intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN).
- Key factors affecting misdiagnosis included the morphological patterns of the cysts, presence of mucin, and pancreatic duct communication, with microcystic patterns emerging as a reliable diagnostic indicator, achieving an overall accuracy of 82.3% in the study
Early prediction of oestrus for herd fertility management in cattle and buffaloes - a review.
Reprod Domest Anim
May 2024
APR Division, ICAR-CIRG, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Oestrus is defined as a period when a female animal exhibits characteristic sexual behaviour in the presence of a mature male. Oestrous manifestation in dairy animals is due to the oestrogen (E) effect on the central nervous system (CNS). It is a critical issue to be considered on a priority basis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRanula is a benign cystic lesion caused by the escape and collection of salivary mucus. Classically, it is divided into simple ranulas, a cystic mass in the floor of the mouth, and diving/plunging/cervical ranulas, a submandibular mass without apparent intraoral involvement. Although plunging ranula is a well-documented cause of neck swelling, its association with the presence of ectopic sublingual glands is extremely rare, with less than five cases reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!