Effects of meiotic inhibitors and gonadotrophins on porcine oocytes in vitro maturation, fertilization and development.

This study evaluated the effect of three reversible meiotic inhibitors (MINs) and their interaction with gonadotrophins (Gns) on the meiotic maturation and developmental competence of porcine oocytes. In experiment 1, the oocytes were matured for 22 hr in the presence or absence of dbcAMP (1 mM), cycloheximide (7 µM) or cilostamide (20 µM) with or without Gns, and for an additional 22 hr in the absence of MINs and Gns. At 22 hr of maturation, regardless of the presence of Gns, a higher proportion (p < .001) of oocytes cultured in the presence of MINs were effectively arrested at the germinal vesicle stage compared with the oocytes cultured without MINs. At 44 hr of maturation, the proportion of oocytes that reached MII was higher (p < .05) in groups with Gns compared with groups without Gns. In experiment 2, oocytes that were matured as in experiment 1 were inseminated and cultured for 7 days to evaluate fertilization parameters and blastocyst formation. Only oocytes from the dbcAMP + Gns group had higher (p < .05) efficiency of fertilization compared with the other treatment groups. The presence of dbcAMP during maturation also increased (p < .05) blastocyst formation and efficiency of blastocyst formation in both the presence and absence of Gns. These results indicate that the interaction of Gns with the tested MINs improved meiotic progression. In addition, regardless of supplementation with Gns, the presence of dbcAMP during the first maturation period increased and even doubled the capacity of oocytes to develop to the blastocyst stage.

High-frequency conversion to a "fluffy" developmental phenotype in Aspergillus spp. by 5-azacytidine treatment: evidence for involvement of a single nuclear gene.

Transient exposure of mycelia from Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus nidulans to the cytidine analog 5-azacytidine, leading to no more than 0.3 to 0.5% substitution for cytosine by 5-azacytosine in A. nidulans DNA, resulted in the conversion of a high fraction of the cell population (more than 20%) to a mitotically and meiotically stable "fluffy" developmental phenotype. The phenotypic variants are characterized by the developmentally timed production of a profuse fluffy network of undifferentiated aerial hyphae that seem to escape signals governing vegetative growth. Genetic analysis with six different fluffy clones reveals that this trait is not cytoplasmically coded, is recessive in heterozygous diploids but codominant in heterokaryons, and exhibits a 1:1 Mendelian segregation pattern upon sexual sporulation of heterozygous diploids. Complementation and mitotic haploidization studies indicated that all variants are affected in the same gene, which can be tentatively located on chromosome VIII of A. nidulans. Molecular analysis to search for modified bases showed that DNA methylation is negligible in in both A. niger and A. nidulans and that no differences could be detected among DNAs from wild-type cells, fluffy clones, or mycelia exposed to 5-azacytidine. It thus appears that high-frequency conversion of fungal mycelia to a stable, variant developmental phenotype by 5-azacytidine is the result of some kind of target action on a single nuclear gene and that this conversion can occur in organisms virtually devoid of DNA methylation.

[Role of the Helicobacter pylori in the aetiology of acute appendicitis. Preliminary studies]. / Implicación del Helicobacter pylori en la etiopatogenia de la apendicitis aguda. Estudios preliminares.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been found in the upper gastrointestinal tract. It is incriminated as aetiological factor in various pathological conditions. This study was designed to determine whether H. pylori plays a role in the pathogenesis of acute appendicitis. H.pylori was investigated in 40 patients divided in 2 groups. A: patients with abdominal pain and B: patients with acute appendicitis, confirmed by pathology studies. The Ag H.pylori was investigated in the faeces of both groups. In the group B, besides, appendix samples were tested for culture for H. pylori. Confirmation was made by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) analysis. Statistical analysis was made. The positivity for H. pylori infection in the faeces was found in Group A in 15% of the patients and in the group B in 35%. In the group B, besides, the culture of the appendix cecal was positive in 71.4%. Though was observed difference between both groups, this one was not significant. It seems that H. pylori colonizes the appendix in small proportion and is unlikely to be associated in direct correlation with acute appendicitis. However, seropositive patients with acute inflammation are likely to suffer from purulent o gangrenous form.

The plasma membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Isolation and some properties.

The isolation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae plasma membrane was carried out after hypotonic lysis of yeast protoplasts treated with concanavalin A by two independent methods: a, at low speed centrifugation and b, at high speed centrifugation in a density gradient. Several techniques (electron microscopic, enzymic, tagging, etc.) were used to ascertain the degree of purification of the plasma membranes obtained. The low speed centrifugation technique as compared with the other method gave a higher yield of plasma membranes with a similar degree of purification. Analysis of the yeast plasma membrane of normally growing cells by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed at least 25 polypeptide bands. Twelve glycoprotein bands were also found, and their apparent molecular weights were determined. Treatment of the protoplasts with cycloheximide resulted in a significant decrease in the carbohydrate and protein content of the plasma membrane. The electrophoretic pattern of the plasma membrane of cycloheximide-treated cells showed a redistribution of the relative amounts of each protein band and a drastic reduction in the number of Schiff-positive bands. The isoelectric point of the most abundant proteins was low (pI 4) or lower than expected from previous data. A large part of the mannosyl transferase activity found in the cell (80%) was associated with the internal membranes, the remaining activity (20%) was located in the plasma membrane preparation. Part of the mannosyl transferase activity of the cells is located at the plasma membrane surface. Invertase (an external mannoprotein) is found in both the plasma and internal membranes, and as the specific activity dropped significantly following cycloheximide treatment of the cells, it is suggested that these membranes systems are the structures for the glycosylation of a precursor invertase and its subsequent release into the periplasmic space. Other transferase found in the plasma membrane preparation transfers glucose residues from UDPglucose to a poly(alpha(1 leads to 4) polymer identified as glycogen.

The mechanism of catabolite inhibition of invertase by glucose in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae -136ts synthesized invertase in media containing maltose and sucrose. In the presence of glucose synthesis of enzyme took place when the sugar concentration was lower than 1%. At higher concentrations enzyme formation was repressed. Analysis of the glucose effect before RNA inhibition showed that the hexose interfered with the transcription of DNA into invertase messenger RNA. Translation of invertase messenger already formed was also inhibited and the kinetics of this effect was similar to that produced by cycloheximide. Invertase activity was independent of glucose suggesting that the hexose produces no catabolite inhibition of invertase activity. Inhibition of invertase translation by glucose turned out to be reversible but the amount of enzyme produced was dependent on duration of treatment. It is suggested that the catabolite repression of invertase synthesis produced by glucose operates at the levels of transcription and translation and produces an increase in the rate of mRNA degradation. The catabolite repression has no effect on secretion and does not interfere with the catalytic activity of invertase.

Regulation of acid phosphatase synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae-136ts (Hutchison, H.T., Hartwell, L.H. and McLaughlin, C.S. (1969) J. Bacteriol. 99, 807--814) derepressed acid phosphatase was almost exclusively located outside the permeability barrier. Only a minor part of the activity was associated with the protoplasts; about half of it (48%) in the soluble fraction, the rest bound to the internal (45%) and plasma (7%) membranes. The activity found in the membranes of derepressed cells decreased by 30--40% after addition of inorganic phosphate or cycloheximide suggesting that this activity is the precursor of the external enzyme. The alkaline phosphatase activity level could not be modified by changes in the concentration of inorganic phosphate. Acid phosphatase was not synthesized if the cells were transferred to a low phosphate medium at the moment of incubation at 37 degrees C or in the presence of cycloheximide at 23 degrees C. The data suggested that enzyme formation is the result of the transcription and translation of a specific gene(s) and not the activation of a proenzyme. Inorganic phosphate did not inhibit the translation of mRNA though it may act at the level of the transcription.

Metabolic relationship between invertase and acid phosphatase isoenzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Repressed cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, subjected to inhibition of both RNA and protein synthesis, showed a pattern of membrane-bound and cytosol acid phosphatase to the external enzyme which seemed to be linked through a precursor-product relationship. Gel exclusion chromatography did not indicate clear differences between the isoenzymes. Moreover, centrifugation experiments in CsCl and precipitation with concanavalin A suggested that there were no acid phosphatase molecules devoid of carbohydrate. Membrane-bound invertase displayed a molecular weight and a carbohydrate to protein ratio smaller than those of the exocellular enzyme. The values of molecular weight and buoyant density of the membrane-bound enzyme were closer to those found for the cytosol invertase. The stability of the level of the soluble invertase detected in the cytoplasm under derepression conditions, or after RNA or protein synthesis inhibition was found to be only apparent and represented the result of an equilibrium between synthesis and degradation.

Cell wall synthesis regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Effect of RNA and protein inhibition.

In this investigation the regulation of wall formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae ts-136 (Hutchison, H.T., Hartwell, L.H. and McLaughlin, C.S. (1969) J. Bacteriol. 99, 807-814) was analyzed by following the inhibition of RNA and protein synthesis. Lomofungin, thiolutin and 8-hydroxyquinoline at the concentrations needed to inhibit RNA synthesis also produced inhibition of glucan and mannan synthetases. The synthesis of RNA was also blocked in S. cerevisiae ts-136 by incubation at the non-permissive temperature (37 degrees C). Mannan formation decreased steadily but glucan synthesis remained after 4 to 5 h. After a few minutes of blocking protein synthesis with cycloheximide mannan synthesis was also blocked whereas glucan formation was unaffected by the presence of the drug. These results suggest a high degree of stability for glucan synthetases. S. cerevisiae ts-136 after 2 h of incubation at the non-permissive temperature (37 degrees C) showed a preferential formation of wall materials (mannan and glucan) indicating that the RNA messengers which codify wall mannan peptides have a slower decay rate than those of the cytoplasmic proteins. The data presented indicate that the existence of stable glucan synthetases and RNA messengers of the wall mannan peptides of slow decay rate results in the continuous synthesis of glucans and mannoproteins of the yeast wall throughout the cell cycle.

Invertase messenger ribonucleic acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Kinetics of formation and decay.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae -136ts (Hutchison, H.T., Hartwell, L.H. and McLaughlin, C.S. (1969) J. Bacteriol. 99, 807-814) incubated in the presence of maltose at 23 degrees C (permissive temperature) synthesized the RNA messengers which codify derepressed invertase (an external mannoprotein) and induced alpha-glucosidase (a non-glycosylated internal enzyme). The enzymes were not synthesized if the mutant was transferred to the maltose-containing medium at the moment of incubation at 37 degrees C indicating that the cells had no pools of the specific RNA messengers and that transcription of the DNA was a prerequisite to enzyme synthesis. Cycloheximide inhibited syntheses of the enzymes both at 37 and at 23 degrees C suggesting that the enzymic activities were the result of "de novo" synthesis of the proteins and did not result from the activation of proenzymes. In derepressed cells the number of invertase mRNA molecules is probably larger than that actually being translated. The half-life of the derepressed invertase mRNA was calculated from the moment that the molecules of RNA messenger were limiting the enzyme synthesis and a value of 30-35 min was estimated. The value found for the basal (repression independent) invertase mRNA was of 45-50 min. The half-life of alpha-glucosidase mRNA was computed following the mathematical procedure described in the Appendix, and a value of 23 min was obtained. These results are consistent with the existence of relatively long-lived RNA messengers involved in the synthesis of extracellular macromolecules.

Cloning of genes related to exo-beta-glucanase production in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: characterization of an exo-beta-glucanase structural gene.

The EXG1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was cloned and identified by complementation of a mutant strain (exg1-2) with highly reduced extracellular exo-beta-1,3-glucanase (EXG) activity. Two recombinant plasmids containing an overlapping region of 5.2 kb were isolated from a genomic DNA library and characterized by restriction mapping. The coding region was located by subcloning the original DNA inserts in a 2.7-kb HindIII-XhoI fragment. Exg+ strains and Exg- mutants transformed with yeast multicopy plasmids containing this DNA fragment showed an EXG activity 5- to 20-fold higher than for the untransformed Exg+ wild-type (wt) strains. The overproduced EXG had the same enzymic activity on different substrates, and showed the same electrophoretic behaviour on polyacrylamide gels and identical properties upon filtration through Sephacryl S-200 as those of the main EXG from Exg+ wt strains. The EXG1 gene transformed Schizosaccharomyces pombe, yielding extracellular EXG activity which showed cross-reactivity with anti-S. cervisiae EXG antibodies. A fragment including only a part of the EXG1 region was subcloned into the integrating vector YIp5, and the resulting plasmid was used to transform an Exg+ strain. Genetic and Southern analysis of several stable Exg- transformants showed that the fragment integrated by homology with the EXG1 locus. The chromosomal DNA fragment into which the plasmid integrated has a restriction pattern identical to that of the fragment on which we had previously identified the putative EXG1 gene. Only one copy of the EXG1 gene per genome was found in several strains tested by Southern analysis. Furthermore, two additional recombinant plasmids sharing a yeast DNA fragment of about 4.1 kb, which partially complements the exg1-2 mutation but which shows no homology with the 2.7-kb fragment containing the EXG1 gene, were also identified in this study. This 4.1-kb DNA fragment does not appear to contain an extragenic suppressor and could be related in some way to EXG production in S. cerevisiae.

Activation of yeast mannan synthetase by alpha factor pheromone.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae mating pheromone alpha factor induces the activation of yeast mannan synthetase both in vivo and in vitro. In vivo the activating effect of the pheromone on the synthetase is specific for cells of the alpha mating type, while in vitro alpha factor is able to exert its action on the synthetase of either cell type (MAT a, MAT alpha and MAT a/MAT alpha).

Heterogeneous glycosylation of the EXG1 gene product accounts for the two extracellular exo-beta-glucanases of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Two exo-beta-glucanases of glycoprotein nature can be detected in culture supernatants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. These exo-beta-glucanases show different Mr values and kinetic properties, although they are immunologically related. Their carbohydrate content and the electrophoretic mobility of both endoglycosidase H-treated exo-beta-glucanases suggest that they share the same protein fraction. Studies at genetic level relate the production of both extracellular exo-beta-glucanases with the expression of a single-copy gene in S. cerevisiae. Expression of this gene in another yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, demonstrates that it codes for a protein with exo-beta-glucanase activity whose heterogeneous N-glycosylation accounts for both extracellular exo-beta-glucanases of S. cerevisiae.

Isolation of mutants deregulated in phosphate control of candicidin biosynthesis.

Mutants have been isolated in which phosphate does not inhibit the biosynthesis of candicidin. At high phosphate concentrations, candicidin production by phosphate-deregulated mutants is still inhibited, but to a lesser extent than in the wild type. Some of these mutants are higher candicidin producers than the wild type, not only in phosphate-supplemented medium but also in non-supplemented production medium. The high candicidin production by these mutants is due to (1) a high specific rate of candicidin biosynthesis and (2) an extended production phase. None of the phosphate-deregulated mutants in which uptake of [32P]phosphate was measured was a phosphate-permeability mutant.

Lytic action of beta-(1-3)-glucanase on yeast cells.

Candida utilis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. fragilis, Pichia polymorpha, and Hansenula anomala yeast cells, harvested in the early logarithmic phase, were attacked with purified beta(1-3)-glucanase from Micromonospora chalcea, which resulted in the liberation of protoplasts. The treated cells were observed under the electron microscope before the protoplasts were liberated. Differences in the cell walls of the enzyme-treated and untreated cells were observed. The action of the glucanase was also tested against isolated walls of C. utilis. The enzyme attacked the S. cerevisiae cell wall in a uniform manner. The attack on S. fragilis was located in certain zones of the cell wall, where breakage occurred and through which the protoplast emerged. On the other three yeasts, an intermediate attack was observed, not as definitely located as in S. fragilis, yet less uniformly than in S. cerevisiae.

Influence of carbon catabolite repression on the G1 arrest of Saccharomyces cerevisiae MATa cells by alpha factor.

Cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae of the a mating type were arrested at the G1 phase of the cell division cycle after treatment with alpha factor in a culture medium containing a high concentration (2%, w/v, or higher) of a catabolite-repressing sugar. In media containing either a lower concentration of sugar or a non-fermentable carbon source, the extent of G1 arrest induced by the pheromone was reduced or became undetectable. Under catabolite-derepressing conditions alpha factor was inactivated by a cells at a higher rate than that found in repressing media. These results indicate the existence of a close correlation between the action of alpha factor on a cells and conditions of catabolite repression or derepression. A joint mechanism of action of alpha factor and catabolite-repressing carbon sources on a cells is postulated.