Inhibition of DNA synthesis in chick embryo retinas, in vitro, by a factor from fetal bovine serum

Fetal bovine serum inhibited deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis in chick embryo retina explants. The inhibitory activity was precipitated from fetal bovine serum by 45% saturated ammonium sulfate and isolated by means of Sephadex G-100 and Bio-Gel P-60 columns as a peak with an apparent molecular weight of 7000 Da. DNA-inhibiting activity was heat- and acid-stable and was destroyed by dithiothreitol and alkaline treatment. The purified factor inhibited similarly both DNA synthesis and thymidine kinase activity; 50% inhibitory effect was found with 160 ng, 17 h after the addition into the incubation medium.

Rapid and simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatography assay of polyamines and monoacetylpolyamines in biological specimens

A rapid, resolutive and reproducible reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed for polyamines and acetylpolyamines by adopting pre-column derivatization with benzoyl chloride. In a single run lasting less than 15 min ten polyamines were separated as well as traces of benzoic acid, methylbenzoate and benzoic anhydride. These contaminants, produced during the derivatization reaction, were almost all eliminated by washing steps envisaged in the same procedure. This simple and sensitive method can be applied to routine determination of polyamines in biological samples. A fine application of this procedure to the determination of endogenous content of p…

A simple HPLC assay for polyamines and their monoacetylderivatives

Polyamines and ripening of photoreceptor outer segments in chicken embryos.

Abstract Polyamines and their related monoacetyl derivatives were studied in rod outer segment (ROS) and cone outer segment (COS) of photoreceptor cells from chick embryo retina during eye development (7th–18th days). Putrescine was found to be necessary, in the second phase of retinogenesis, to sustain both ROS and COS differentiation and, after acetylation, γ-aminobutyric acid synthesis. On the other hand, spermidine and even more spermine intervene in the third phase of development when photoreceptors mature. Moreover, the presence of N1-acetylspermidine already at the 7th day indicates that in the outer segment of photoreceptor cells too, as in the whole retina, putrescine synthesis com…

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography of polyamines and monoacetylpolyamines

A selective procedure for qualitative and quantitative analysis of ten polyamines by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) was developed. Benzoylated polyamines and acetylpolyamines in micellar phase of SDS (10 mM) were separated at 25 degrees C by 20 mM borate buffer pH 8.5, containing 8% ethanol, with an applied voltage of 25 kV (5 microA) and then detected at 198 nm. The experimental factors and operational parameters were optimized by performing analysis at different surfactant concentrations, pH, voltage and temperature with and without ethanol. The repeatibility of migration times and peak heights is a peculiarity of the method here described.

Polyamines and ripening of photoreceptor outer-segment in chicken embryo.

Polyamines and their related monoacetyl derivatives were studied in rod outer segment (ROS) and cone outer segment (COS) of photoreceptor cells from chick embryo retina during eye development (7th-18th days). Putrescine was found to be necessary, in the second phase of retinogenesis, to sustain both ROS and COS differentiation and, after acetylation, gamma-aminobutyric acid synthesis. On the Other hand, spermidine and even more spermine intervene in the third phase of development when photoreceptors mature. Moreover, the presence of Nl-acetylspermidine already at the 7th day indicates that in the outer segment of photoreceptor cells too, as in the whole retina, putrescine synthesis comes ab…

The pattern of polyamine and GABA in chicken embryo retina photoreceptor membranes

Pattern of polyamines and related monoacetyl-derivatives in chick embryo retina during development

Simple high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for polyamines and their monoacetyl derivatives.

A rapid reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method, using pre-column derivatization with benzoyl chloride and ultraviolet detection at 254 nm, was developed for the simultaneous measurement of polyamines and their monoacetyl derivatives. Calibration curves were linear for concentrations from 1.25 to 25 nmol/ml. The method was employed to assay these compounds in chick embryo retina explants using organic solvent extraction and 1,7-diaminoheptane as an internal standard. This simple and sensitive method can be applied to routine determinations of these compounds in various biological samples.

Biochemical Aspects of Chick Embryo Retina Development: The Effects of Glucocorticoids

In chick embryo retina during development, DNA synthesis and the activities of DNA polymerase, thymidine kinase, thymidylate synthetase, and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) declined in parallel from day 7 to 12. The administration in ovo of hydrocortisone reduced significantly, particularly at 8-10 days of incubation, both DNA synthesis and the four enzyme activities tested. The effect was dose dependent, reaching the maximum with 50-100 nmol of hydrocortisone, 8-16 h after treatment. The highest inhibition was found for ODC activity (70%), followed by thymidine kinase activity (62%) and DNA synthesis (45%), whereas activities of DNA polymerase and thymidylate synthetase were reduced only by …

Pattern of polyamines and related monoacetyl derivatives in chick embryo retina during development.

Polyamines and related monoacetyl derivatives were studied in chick embryo retina during development (6th-19th day). Putrescine, which is high in the first phase of retinogenesis, is necessary to sustain both tissue proliferation and via N-acetylputrescine, gamma-aminobutyric acid synthesis. A later increase in spermidine and particularly spermine may play a role in the last phase of development when the retina reaches maturation. The presence of N1-acetylspermidine already at the 8th day indicates that in chick embryo retina, putrescine synthesis can depend on two separate pathways. The first involves ornithine decarboxylase activity; the second, spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase an…