Selenium deficiency, the drug metabolising enzymes and mycotoxicoses in sheep

An examination was made of the relationship in Romney sheep between selenium deficiency and (i) the state of the liver drug metabolising enzyme system, (ii) subclinical liver damage, (iii) susceptibility to facial eczema, and (iv) susceptibility to ryegrasss staggers. The microsomal electron transport detoxifying enzymes based on cytochrome P-450 were unaffected by Se deficiency, suggesting that these enzymes are uninduced on ryegrass/clover pastures. Selenium deficiency had no effect on sporidesmin-induced liver damage, which makes it unlikely that peroxidative events countered by Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase (E.C.1.11.10) have a major role in the mechanism of sporidesmin toxicity. Selenium deficiency did appear to suppress the development of photosensitisation. There was no major effect on ryegrass staggers and no deficiency-induced subclinical liver damage.     

Stimulation of the titre of a sheep serum factor that is related to the sheep complement system

Serum from most sheep subjected to a single jugular bleeding, repeated bleeding or an intraperitoneal injection of yeast and repeated bleeding, showed an increase in the titre of a serum component called serum factor. Serum factor reached a peak titre 2 to 5 days after treatment started. For some sheep, the titre was elevated for a 9- to 12-day period whereas for others the titre dropped markedly on day 7 followed by a rise on day 9. Serum factor reacts with sheep erythrocytes sensitised with rabbit antibody (sheep E-rabbit A). Serum factor can be detected on sheep E-rabbit A using guinea-pig antiserum that reacts with sheep complement (C). Serum factor is inactivated by heating at 56 degrees C for 30 minutes, but is only partially inactivated at 50 degrees C for 30 minutes. The reaction of serum factor with sheep E-rabbit A is inhibited by chelators of Ca++ and/or Mg++. Serum factor appears to be related to the sheep C system. Preliminary results suggest it may he a component of the classical pathway of sheep C, possibly the second component, C2.     

Comparison of the effects of salicylic acid and ethephon with virus-induced hypersensitivity and acquired resistance in tobacco

The induction of a hypersensitive reaction in Samsun NN tobacco by tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) at 20°C leads to the development of both localized and systemic acquired resistance, and is associated with the appearance of pathogenesis-related proteins (PR's) and large increases in peroxidase activity and ethylene production. Salicylic acid (SA) induced a similar resistance in treated plant parts and occasionally also in untreated upper leaves of plants of which three lower leaves had been injected. SA also induced the same four PR's, but these were confined to the treated leaves. Thus, the connection between the presence of PR's and the reduction of TMV multiplication and spread may not be direct.In contrast to TMV, SA did not stimulate ethylene production and hardly increased peroxidase activity. Induction of acquired resistance and PR's by SA developed equally well at 20°C and at 32°C. However, pricking leaves with needles moistened with the ethylene-releasing compound ethephon mimicked TMV infection in inducing acquired resistance and PR's in both treated and untreated leaves at 20°C, but not at 32°C. Ethephon increased peroxidase activity at both temperatures, but only at 20°C dit it induce changes in both the anodic and the cathodic isoenzymes that were similar to those induced as a result of TMV infection. SA induced PR's and reduced TMV multiplication in Samsun tobacco, and inhibited virus spread in Samsun NN at 32°C.These observation indicate that neither the induction of PR's, nor the development of acquired resistance is temperature-sensitive. On the other hand, the effects of ethephon are temperature-sensitive in the same way as the hypersensitive response to TMV. It can thus be hypothesized that ethylene, produced naturally during the hypersensitive reaction of tobacco to TMV, leads to the temperature-sensitive synthesis or release of a presumably benzoic acid-type compound that functions as the natural inducer of PR's and acquired resistance. Although vanillic acid has been shown to accumulate in hypersensitively reacting tobacco leaves, it produced none of the effects of SA, and thus cannot be the natural inducer.Samenvatting Inductie van een overgevoeligheidsreactie in Samsun NN-tabak door tabaksmozaïekvirus (TMV) bij 20°C leidt tot de ontwikkeling van een verworven resistentie die zowel lokaal als systemisch werkzaam is, en gaat samen met het verschijnen van pathogenesis-related proteins (PR's) en sterke toename in de activitieit van peroxidase en de produktie van ethyleen. Salicylzuur (SA) induceerde een vergelijkbare resistentie in behandelde plantedelen en af en toe ook in niet behandelde bovenbladeren van planten waarvan drie onderbladeren waren ingespoten. SA induceerde ook dezelfde vier PR's, maar deze waren beperkt tot de behandelde bladeren. Er bestaat dus geen directe samenhang tussen de aanwezigheid van PR's en de remming van de vermeerdering en uitbreiding van TMV in de plant.In tegenstelling tot TMV stimuleerde SA de ethyleenproduktie niet en verhoogde het de peroxidaseactiviteit nauwelijks. Inductie van verworven resistentie en PR's door SA trad even goed op bij 32°C als bij 20°C. Net als infectie met TMV leidde aanprikken van bladeren met naalden die gedoopt waren in een oplossing van ethefon — waaruit in het blad ethyleen vrijkomt — echter tot inductie van verworven resistentie en PR's in zowel behandelde als onbehandelde bladeren bij 20°C, maar niet bij 32°C. Ethefon verhoogde de peroxidaseactiviteit bij beide temperaturen, maar alleen bij 20°C induceerde het veranderingen in zowel de anodische als de kathodische isoënzymen die vergelijkbaar waren met die welke geïnduceerd werden als gevolg van infectie met TMV. SA induceerde PR's en verminderde de vermenigvuldiging van TMV in Samsun tabak, en remde de uitbreiding van het virus in Samsun NN bij 32°C.Deze waarnemingen tonen dat noch de inductie van PR's, noch de ontwikkeling van verworven resistentie een temperatuurgevoelig proces is. Daarentegen zijn de effecten van ethefon op dezelfde wijze temperatuurgevoelig als de overgevoeligheidsreactie op TMV. Men kan daarom veronderstellen dat ethyleen, dat op natuurlijke wijze geproduceerd wordt tijdens de overgevoeligheidsreactie van tabak op TMV, aanleiding geeft tot een temperatuurgevoelig proces, namelijk de synthese of het vrijkomen van een verbinding, vermoedelijk een benzoëzuurderivaat, dat fungeert als de natuurlijke inductor van PR's en verworven resistentie. Hoewel is aangetoond dat vanillinezuur zich ophoopt in overgevoelig reagerende tabaksbladeren, veroorzaakte deze verbinding geen enkel van de effecten van SA. Vanillinezuur kan dus niet de natuurlijke inductor zijn.     

Atom Pair Distribution Functions of Liquid Water at 25{degrees}C from Neutron Diffraction

The structure of liquid water is described by three atom pair distribution functions gOO(r), gOH(r), and gHH(r). These functions have now been derived from neutron diffraction data on four mixtures of light and heavy water. They will provide a crucial and sensitive test for proposed models of liquid water.