Aerobacter (Enterobacter) aerogenes wild type and three mutants deficient in the formation of acetoin and 2,3-butanediol were grown in a glucose minimal medium. Culture densities, pH, and diacetyl, acetoin, and 2,3-butanediol levels were recorded. The pH in wild-type cultures dropped from 7.0 to 5.8, remained constant while acetoin and 2,3-butanediol were formed, and increased to pH 6.5 after exhaustion of the carbon source. More 2,3-butanediol than acetoin was formed initially, but after glucose exhaustion reoxidation to acetoin occurred. The three mutants differed from the wild type in yielding acid cultures (pH below 4.5). The wild type and one of the mutants were grown exponentially under aerobic and anaerobic conditions with the pH fixed at 7.0, 5.8, and 5.0, respectively. Growth rates decreased with decreasing pH values. Aerobically, this effect was weak, and the two strains were affected to the same degree. Under anaerobic conditions, the growth rates were markedly inhibited at a low pH, and the mutant was slightly more affected than the wild type. Levels of alcohol dehydrogenase were low under all conditions, indicating that the enzyme plays no role during exponential growth. The levels of diacetyl (acetoin) reductase, lactate dehydrogenase, and phosphotransacetylase were independent of the pH during aerobic growth of the two strains. Under anaerobic conditions, the formation of diacetyl (acetoin) reductase was pH dependent, with much higher levels of the enzyme at pH 5.0 than at pH 7.0. Lactate dehydrogenase and phosphotransacetylase revealed the same pattern of pH-dependent formation in the mutant, but not in the wild type.

Enzymatic activity of submandibular gland (SG) kallikrein released into saliva and blood was studied at rest and after autonomic nerve stimulation. Kallikrein was measured by an immunometric assay that allows measurement of immunoreactive kallikrein in complex with inhibitors as well as simultaneous determination of kallikrein enzymatic activity. Measurements using the chromogenic substrate S2266 gave identical results to the natural substrate kininogen. Endogenous SG kallikrein secretory rate was, at rest, 0.9 +/- 0.1 ng/min. Kallikrein secretion into blood in response to autonomic nerve stimulation paralleled that into saliva, and secretion was greatly enhanced by alpha-adrenergic stimulation. In plasma, kallikrein was bound to several inhibitors that completely or partially blocked the enzyme activity. In arterial and SG venous control plasma, 93 +/- 3 and 72 +/- 10% inhibition of kallikrein enzyme activity was observed, respectively. Sympathetic stimulation after administration of a beta-adrenergic blocker increased kallikrein enzyme activity 62 and 11 times in arterial and SG venous plasma, respectively, with a corresponding 78 +/- 8 and 70 +/- 8% inhibition of kallikrein enzyme activity. A fraction containing kallikrein resembling "free kallikrein" was always present in plasma.

Exocrine and endocrine release of rat submandibular gland kallikrein has been shown to be low after parasympathetic and beta-adrenergic stimulation but greatly increased after alpha-adrenergic stimulation. In the present study, release of glandular kallikrein was investigated under conditions known to give a reflex-induced salivary gland response. Heat stress induced a rich flow of saliva originating in the submandibular glands. Salivary kallikrein secretory rate was higher than after parasympathetic stimulation but lower than after sympathetic stimulation (P less than 0.005). Only heat stress increased circulating glandular kallikrein (12.7 +/- 0.8 ng ml-1 before heat exposure and 53.3 +/- 14.1 ng ml-1 40 min afterwards, P less than 0.005). There were no indications that the endocrine release of kallikrein was due to non-specific leakage. Atropine abolished heat-induced salivation and endocrine kallikrein secretion, possibly through interference with central pathways (P less than 0.05). However, phentolamine did not, which may indicate as an yet unidentified mediator of endogenous kallikrein release. The salivary gland response to acid and ether was comparable to that observed after parasympathetic nerve stimulation and was abolished by atropine (P less than 0.005). Stimuli known to influence other salivary gland ductal cells, such as aggression and starvation followed by drinking, also did not increase the plasma concentration of glandular kallikrein. The fact that various conditions which induce salivation did not increase circulating glandular kallikrein, coupled with the fact that kallikrein concentration was the highest in animals that died from heat stress, may suggest that the increase in circulating glandular kallikrein seen after heat stress may be pathological and could contribute to the development of heat shock.

Carnitine, acetylcarnitine and carnitine acetyltransferase (E.C.2.2.1.7) are present in 6–120 fold higher concentrations in human spermatozoa than in seminal plasma. Carnitine uptake by epididymal tissue in vitro in the rat is most active in the same segments of epididymis where the highest concentrations of carnitine are found in man. Radiolabelled carnitine is not taken up by mature human spermatozoa. Carnitine suppresses oxygen uptake in bovine ejaculated spermatozoa but not in human ejaculated or in rat or bovine epididymal spermatozoa. These findings indicate that the epididymis contributes to the accumulation of carnitine in caput spermatozoa and that carnitine may not be primarily responsible for the quiescent state of the spermatozoa in the cauda epididymis. Extensive changes in carnitine uptake in the epididymis can be encouraged by a hormonal treatment which has no effect on the carnitine uptake by the heart. This raises the possibility of interference with the carnitine balance in the epididymis without effecting the pattern of carnitine uptake in other tissues.

[14C]Glutamine uptake in a crude synaptosomal (P2) fraction, (representing the sum of [14C]glutamine accumulated and [14C]glutamate formed by hydrolysis), is distinct from glutamate uptake. Glutamine uptake is Na+-independent and unaffected by the Na+-K+-ATPase inhibitor ouabain, whereas glutamate uptake is Na+-dependent and inhibited by ouabain. The uptake of both glutamine and glutamate is unaffected by the gamma-glutamyltransferase inhibitor, Acivicin. This indicates that glutamine uptake is not mediated by a carrier, as distinct from that of glutamate, and also not linked to gamma-glutamyl-transferase. Na+ affects the distribution of glutamine-derived glutamate by increasing the synaptosomal content and reducing that of the medium. When glutamate release from synaptosomes preloaded with [14C]glutamate is measured by superfusion technique in order to prevent reuptake, Na+ has been found to inhibit release in a non-depolarizing medium (Ringer buffer with no Ca2+) of the [14C]glutamate as well as of endogenous glutamate. The specific activity of the [14C]glutamine-derived glutamate in the incubation medium is much higher than that in the synaptosomes, indicating that there exists a readily releasable pool of newly formed glutamate in addition to another pool. The latter glutamate pool is partially reduced by Na+.