Seasonal pasture myopathy/atypical myopathy in North America associated with ingestion of hypoglycin A within seeds of the box elder tree.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: We hypothesised that seasonal pasture myopathy (SPM), which closely resembles atypical myopathy (AM), was caused by ingestion of a seed-bearing plant abundant in autumn pastures. OBJECTIVES: To identify a common seed-bearing plant among autumn pastures of horses with SPM, and to determine whether the toxic amino acid hypoglycin A was present in the seeds and whether hypoglycin metabolites were present in SPM horse serum or urine. METHODS: Twelve SPM cases, 11 SPM pastures and 23 control farms were visited to identify a plant common to all SPM farms in autumn. A common seed was analysed for amino acid composition (n = 7/7) by GC-MS and its toxic metabolite (n = 4/4) identified in conjugated form in serum [tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)] and urine [gas chromatography (GC) MS]. Serum acylcarnitines and urine organic acid profiles (n = 7) were determined for SPM horses. RESULTS: Seeds from box elder trees (Acer negundo) were present on all SPM and 61% of control pastures. Hypoglycin A, known to cause acquired multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD), was found in box elder seeds. Serum acylcarnitines and urine organic acid profiles in SPM horses were typical for MADD. The hypoglycin A metabolite methylenecyclopropylacetic acid (MCPA), known to be toxic in other species, was found in conjugated form in SPM horse serum and urine. Horses with SPM had longer turn-out, more overgrazed pastures, and less supplemental feeding than control horses. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: For the first time, SPM has been linked to a toxin in seeds abundant on autumn pastures whose identified metabolite, MCPA, is known to cause acquired MADD, the pathological mechanism behind SPM and AM. Further research is required to determine the lethal dose of hypoglycin A in horses, as well as factors that affect annual seed burden and hypoglycin A content in Acer species in North America and Europe.

Generality of vertebrate developmental patterns: evidence for a dermomyotome in fish.

The somitic compartment that gives rise to trunk muscle and dermis in amniotes is an epithelial sheet on the external surface of the somite, and is known as the dermomyotome. However, despite its central role in the development of the trunk and limbs, the evolutionary history of the dermomyotome and its role in nonamniotes is poorly understood. We have tested whether a tissue with the morphological and molecular characteristics of a dermomyotome exists in nonamniotes. We show that representatives of the agnathans and of all major clades of gnathostomes each have a layer of cells on the surface of the somite, external to the embryonic myotome. These external cells do not show any signs of terminal myogenic or dermogenic differentiation. Moreover, in the embryos of bony fishes as diverse as sturgeons (Chondrostei) and zebrafish (Teleostei) this layer of cells expresses the pax3 and pax7 genes that mark myogenic precursors. Some of the pax7-expressing cells also express the differentiation-promoting myogenic regulatory factor Myogenin and appear to enter into the myotome. We therefore suggest that the dermomyotome is an ancient and conserved structure that evolved prior to the last common ancestor of all vertebrates. The identification of a dermomyotome in fish makes it possible to apply the powerful cellular and genetic approaches available in zebrafish to the understanding of this key developmental structure.

The embryo MADS domain factor AGL15 acts postembryonically. Inhibition of perianth senescence and abscission via constitutive expression.

AGL15 (AGAMOUS-like 15), a member of the MADS domain family of regulatory factors, accumulates preferentially throughout the early stages of the plant life cycle. In this study, we investigated the expression pattern and possible roles of postembryonic accumulation of AGL15. Using a combination of reporter genes, RNA gel blot analysis, and immunochemistry, we found that the AGL15 protein accumulates transiently in the shoot apex in young Arabidopsis and Brassica seedlings and that promoter activity is associated with the shoot apex and the base of leaf petioles throughout the vegetative phase. During the reproductive phase, AGL15 accumulates transiently in floral buds. When AGL15 was expressed in Arabidopsis under the control of a strong constitutive promoter, we noted a striking increase in the longevity of the sepals and petals as well as delays in a selected set of age-dependent developmental processes, including the transition to flowering and fruit maturation. Although ethylene has been implicated in many of these same processes, the effects of AGL15 could be clearly distinguished from the effects of the ethylene resistant1-1 mutation, which confers dominant insensitivity to ethylene. By comparing the petal breakstrength (the force needed to remove petals) for flowers of different ages, we determined that ectopic AGL15 had a novel effect: the breakstrength of petals initially declined, as occurs in the wild type, but was then maintained at an intermediate value over a prolonged period. Abscission-associated gene expression and structural changes were also altered in the presence of ectopic AGL15.

Prevention of sodium lauryl sulfate irritant contact dermatitis by Pro-Q aerosol foam skin protectant.

Eczematous skin disease is a serious work-related illness. Since 1995, reimbursement by insurance companies for treatment of skin diseases has become the largest cost source in some countries. This study was a randomized controlled trial (N = 20) of the efficacy of Pro-Q, a skin protectant product, in the prevention of contact dermatitis from sodium lauryl sulfate and urushiol, the resinous sap of poison ivy and poison oak. Pro-Q was significantly effective in reducing the irritation from sodium lauryl sulfate but did not prevent the allergic reaction to urushiol.

Intercalation of ethidium and analogues with nucleic acids: a molecular orbital study.

Semiempirical calculations suggest that the intercalation complexes of phenanthridinium cations 1-4 with G-C/C-G and 1 with A-U/U-A are stabilized by frontier orbital interactions between the LUMO of the intercalator and the HOMOs of the adjacent purine bases. The charge on the ring nitrogen of 1-4 appears to be necessary for the orbital interactions, lowering the LUMO, facilitating mixing of this orbital with the HOMOs of the adjacent purine bases to give an extended HOMO stabilizing the complex and resulting in the bathochromic shift in the electron absorption spectrum. Noncationic phenanthridine 5 shows no frontier orbital interactions in the forced intercalation complex with G-C/C-G. The results of the calculations parallel experimental T(m) values.

The TMK1 gene from Arabidopsis codes for a protein with structural and biochemical characteristics of a receptor protein kinase.

Genomic and cDNA clones that code for a protein with structural and biochemical properties similar to the receptor protein kinases from animals were obtained from Arabidopsis. Structural features of the predicted polypeptide include an amino-terminal membrane targeting signal sequence, a region containing blocks of leucine-rich repeat elements, a single putative membrane spanning domain, and a characteristic serine/threonine-specific protein kinase domain. The gene coding for this receptor-like transmembrane kinase was designated TMK1. Portions of the TMK1 gene were expressed in Escherichia coli, and antibodies were raised against the recombinant polypeptides. These antibodies immunodecorated a 120-kD polypeptide present in crude extracts and membrane preparations. The immunodetectable band was present in extracts from leaf, stem, root, and floral tissues. The kinase domain of TMK1 was expressed as a fusion protein in E. coli, and the purified fusion protein was found capable of autophosphorylation on serine and threonine residues. The possible role of the TMK1 gene product in transmembrane signaling is discussed.

Synthesis and quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis of 2-(aryl or heteroaryl)quinolin-4-amines, a new class of anti-HIV-1 agents.

Thirty-eight 2-(aryl or heteroaryl)quinolin-4-amines, N,N-disubstituted, N-monosubstituted, and without a substituent at the amino group have been synthesized with use of novel chemistries developed by us recently. Some of these derivatives show anti-HIV-1 activity at a concentration level of 1 microM and low cell toxicity in vitro. The most active and least toxic compounds are derivatives of 2-(3-pyridyl)quinoline. The results of the quantitative structure-activity relationship analyses, including several classical, linear regression correlations and a Free-Wilson approach of de novo model, provide guidelines for the design of new active compounds of this class.

One-month inhalation toxicity study of tulobuterol hydrochloride in rats and dogs.

Tulobuterol hydrochloride (HCl) has beta 2-adrenergic agonist activity and is under development for use in the treatment of chronic obstructive lung disease. The purpose of this study was to determine the toxicity of inhaled tulobuterol HCl in rats and dogs. Rats were whole-body exposed to aerosol gravimetric concentrations of 0, 0.03, 0.22, or 1.1 mg/liter of tulobuterol HCl, 60 min/day for 28 days. Dogs were exposed (via insufflation) to estimated daily doses of 0, 0.2, 1.0, or 6.0 mg/kg for an equal period. Plasma levels of tulobuterol were determined following exposure on Days 1, 8, and 28 using a high-pressure liquid chromatographic method developed for this study. Results indicated that plasma tulobuterol levels were highly correlated with tulobuterol doses (p less than 0.001 for rats and dogs). No dose-related changes in body weight food consumption, hematological, or serum chemistry parameters were observed in either species. Anterior nasal cavity lesions were observed by light microscopy in rats exposed to 0.22 and 1.1 mg/liter tulobuterol HCl at an incidence of 14 and 93%, respectively. These lesions involved the nasal septum, turbinates, and/or the dorsolateral wall of the nasal cavity and consisted of suppurative rhinitis and necrosis. The corresponding mean plasma tulobuterol levels on Day 28 in mid- and high-dose rats were approximately 1000 and 15,000 ng/ml. Nasal lesions were not observed in rats allowed to recover for 2 weeks. No gross or microscopic lesions were detected in lungs or other tissues of either species.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)