Characteristics of the normal gluconeogenesis effect of prostaglandin F2 alpha and in myocardial infarct

The effect of PGF2 alpha on glucose synthesis de novo in a healthy rat organism and those with coronary occlusion-myocardial infarction was studied. There was observed prostaglandin's metabolic action simultaneously at one direction: there was increased the concentration of non-nitric precursors of gluconeogenesis in blood of animals of both groups, final disintegration product of tissue proteins, the gluconeogenic activity of key enzymes and therefore the concentration of newly formed glucose went up as so as glycogen in liver, cardiac and skeletal muscle. Seemingly, PGF2 alpha stimulates the intensity not only of gluco-, but glyconeogenesis having cardioprotective action. At the same time metabolic effect of PGF2 alpha is strongly marked in coronary occlusion rat with myocardial infarction.     

Characteristics of ribosomal RNA synthesis in the blood lymphocytes of chronic lympholeukemia patients

A study was made of the number of silver grains over the nucleoli and of the content of ribosomes in the lymphocyte cytoplasm for six healthy persons and for 20 patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia. Besides ratios of compact, nucleolonemic and ring types of nucleoli were evaluated in addition to counts of the specific radioactivity of mature 28S rRNA in lymphocytes. In the majority of cases examined, cells with 1 or 2 nucleoli of compact and nucleolonemic types were seen dominating. The number of silver grains over the nucleoli in the control healthy persons did not differ from that in patients who did not receive any treatment, which contrasted with high value grain counts in the treated patients. The lymphocyte ribosome contents varied within the normal and decreased values in both the patient groups. The specific radioactivity in 28S rRNA leukemic lymphocytes was significantly lower in groups of patients with low ribosome contents than in those with the normal ones. The data suggest that in the leukemic cells with a high or unaltered activity of ribosome cistrons and low ribosome levels rRNA processing is broken.     

Mapping mutations in influenza A virus resistant to norakin

To elucidate the mode of action of norakin against influenza A virus we sequenced the hemagglutinin gene of 11 norakin-resistant mutants. Resistance was coupled with 1-3 amino acid exchanges. The majority of mutations was localized in the HA2 polypeptide and was mostly associated with changes in charge or polarity of the amino acids. The amino acid substitutions are discussed in the context of the 3D structure of X31 hemagglutinin considered to be representative of the influenza hemagglutinins. Most of the mutations appear to destabilize the pH 7.0 structure by distorting or destroying hydrogen bonds as well as salt-bridges which are responsible for intra- and intersubunit contacts, while others destabilize the location of the fusion peptide, facilitating conformational changes in the presence of the inhibitor.