No abstract

A correlation of the levels of epidermal protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes, steady state levels of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) mRNA, and ODC antizyme with the induction of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity by a second repeat 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) treatment to mouse skin was determined. A single application of TPA to female CD-1 mouse skin leads to a dramatic induction of ODC activity (approximately 3 nmol CO2/60 min/mg protein) which peaks at about 5 h after treatment. However, a superinduction of ODC activity (approximately 13 CO2/60 min/mg protein) is observed upon the second TPA application at 48 or 72 h after the first TPA treatment. Prior application of a tumor initiating dose of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracine to mouse skin did not influence the degree of induction of ODC by a repeat TPA treatment. Western Blot analyses using antibodies specific to PKC alpha, beta, gamma, delta and epsilon indicate detectable levels of PKC alpha, beta, delta and epsilon in mouse epidermal extracts. A time course of the effects of a single topical application of 20 nmol of TPA to the mouse skin indicate that none of PKC isozymes (alpha, beta, gamma, delta and epsilon) were completely downregulated at times (72 h) when ODC was overinduced by TPA. TPA-induced steady state levels of ODC mRNA did not correlate with the degree of superinduction of ODC activity by TPA. The second TPA treatment, 72 h after the first TPA treatment, which leads to superinduction of ODC activity did not decrease the levels of the ODC-antizyme. The results indicate that superinduction of mouse epidermal ODC activity is regulated in part post-transcriptionally and may not be the result of either a loss of PKC isoform(s) or a decrease in the levels of ODC antizyme.

Major species of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) were tested for their ability to induce platelet aggregation in rabbit platelet-rich plasma (PRP) .Among 11 species of CNS tested, a majority of the strains of 10 species of CNS (S. epidermidis, S. simulans, S. capitis, S. hyicus, S. sciuri, S. cohnii, S. xylosus, S. hominis, S. haemolyticus, S. warneri) caused induction of the platelet aggregation and serotonin release, while S. saprophyticus did not show such activity. The addition of aspirin (10 mM) or quinacrine (1 mM) to PRP resulted in no remarkable effect on the platelet aggregation induced by these strains and it was shown that the platelet aggregation did not require arachidonate pathways. Complement system components were shown to be one of the plasma factors required for platelet aggregation by ten strains of each species of CNS. The bacterial substance participating in the platelet aggregation by ten species of CNS tested was indicated to be heat-stable and trypsinresistant, while the activity of a strain of S . epidermidis was susceptible to trypsin.

SUMMARY:Measles virus was found to grow in L cells, without producing cytopathic effects. The growth curve experiments revealed two phases of infection, viz., the early logarithmic multiplication and the later persistent state of infection.Studies on viral penetration and uncoating (or disintegration) demonstrated the relatively low efficiencies in both reactions.Release of the progeny viruses was also suppressed.They were found mostly in the extreme neighborhood of the cell membrane.Most of the cells at the later phase of infection were susceptible to measles virus, when tested after cell-cloning.They were carrying no virus or virusrelated antigens (as tested by subculture with mixed Vero cells, or by fluorescent antibody staining and hemadsorption).These findings, altogether, indicate a suppression in spreading of the viruses in the culture.When the cultures of the later phase of infection were treated with PH 3.0 for 5 minutes, the total cell-associated infectivity dropped drastically. But subsequently, without a lag, a prompt recovery of infectivity was observed.

The platelet aggregation capability of whole cells of Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium and E. avium was tested. The optimum ratios of bacteria to platelets in E. faecali s (strain SMU-37), E. faecium (strain SMU-138) and E. avium (strain SMU-197) were 1.0, 1.2 and 2.0, respectively. During the platelet aggregation induced by the three strains of enterococci, 65-69% of total serotonin was released. The aggregation was totally inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetate (10 mM) and apyrase (1 mg/ml), while no effect was shown by aspirin (10 mM), indomethacin (10 mM) and quinacrine (1 mM). By pretreatment of platelet-poor plasma with heat (56 C, 30 min) or zymosan, the reactivities with platelets of each strain of species were markedly diminished. These results suggest that enterococci-induced platelet aggregation was an ion-dependent, cyclooxygenase-insensitive event, and plasma component(s) was (were) required for the reaction.