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An HTLV-I tax transgenic mouse model develops a syndrome with similarities to type 1 neurofibromatosis (NF-1). To investigate possible associations between this human retrovirus and NF-1, we have analyzed 67 neurofibromas from Japan (where HTLV-I infection is endemic) and compared them with 21 cases from the United States. We were not able to identify virus in tumor tissue in either group. This suggests that HTLV-I infection is not commonly associated with NF-1.

We induced sesame callus from segmens of seedlings. The growth rate was greatly influenced by the incubation temperature. Sesame callus grew most rapidly at 35C, with the shortest doubling time of 1.1 days(u max= 0.63). The sesame cell extracts showed antioxidative activity.

We have been searching for inhibitors for Epstein-Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) activation in plants and callus cells. We have induced callus cell lines from various plants and found that triterpenes contained in Sesamum indicum L. callus cells showed anti-tumor promoter activity. In this paper we describe isolation, characterization and anti-tumor promoter activity of triterpens in S. indicum L. callus.For the induction of the callus, we used segments of the seedling of S. indicum L. 1). The callus cells were cultured in modified Murige-Skoog1)2) liquid medium at 35C with aeration. The cells (23.3kg-Fresh Weight) were extrad with EtOH-H2O (4 :1) (721x3) and the extct was dried in vacuo. The dried exact was applied on an Ambite XAD-2 (Organo) column (160 x 1300 mm) and successively eluted with H2O, McOH-H2O (1:4), McOH-H2O (2:3), McOH-H2O (3:2) McOH-H2O(4:1), MMeOH and acene. The MeOH fraion was then fractionated on a silica gel (Merck) column, eluted with CHCl3, ) and McOH. The fraction eluted with McOH-CHCl3 (7.5:92.5) was applied to a column chromatography on