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Biomedical subjects

J D Harvey

Publications and source records attributed to J D Harvey.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

AIDS after Montreal.

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Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Electron donor properties of the antitumour drug amsacrine as studied by fluorescence quenching of DNA-bound ethidium.

The effect of the antitumour acridine derivative amsacrine [4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulphon-m-anisidide] on the fluorescence lifetime of DNA-bound ethidium has been investigated using a synchronously pumped cavity dumped dye laser producing picosecond pulses for sample excitation and a time-correlated single photon counting detection system. As the proportion of DNA-bound amsacrine on the synthetic DNA polymer poly[deoxyadenylic-thymidylic acid] is increased, the fluorescence decay curve of ethidium can be accurately resolved into two exponential components. The short lifetime component, whose proportion increases with increasing proportions of DNA-bound amsacrine, has a lifetime of between 3 and 4 ns, significantly longer than that of ethidium in aqueous solution (1.63 ns). The magnitude of the long lifetime component decreases from 25.4 to 14 ns with increasing proportions of bound amsacrine. It is concluded that a new fluorescence state of ethidium (lifetime 3-4 ns) is present, probably resulting from reversible electron transfer between ethidium and amsacrine. The ability of various 9-anilinoacridine derivatives to quench the fluorescence of DNA-bound ethidium appears to be related to the electron donor properties of the substituents on the anilino ring, as well as to experimental antitumour activity. The electron donor properties of DNA-bound amsacrine may therefore be relevant to its antitumour action.

Acridines

Aerobic and anaerobic swimming speeds of spermatozoa investigated by twin beam laser velocimetry.

The motility of bovine and ovine spermatozoa has been studied under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, using a dual beam laser velocimeter. Cells swimming under aerobic conditions were found to be characterized by a translational swimming speed and a rotation rate that were approximately double those of cells swimming in an anaerobic environment. Both types of spermatozoa have been found to exhibit a sudden coordinated transition between fast and slow swimming states when the available oxygen is exhausted. This transition from aerobic to anaerobic swimming states has also been shown to be reversible. Studies of the duration of aerobic motility using the same apparatus have shown that the cells have a constant motile efficiency over the temperature range 32 degrees-42 degrees C.

Aerobiosis

Reovirus RNA transcriptase: evidence for a conformational change during activation of the core particle.

Reovirus cores contain an RNA transcriptase capable of synthesizing messenger RNA. When cores are suspended in 1 X SSC at 37 degrees they are quiescent and synthesize no product, but in the presence of the components of an RNA transcriptase reaction mixture they actively synthesize mRNA. Photochemical crosslinking has been used to investigate the arrangement of RNA and protein in both "quiescent" and "active" cores. Irradiation induces the formation of a noncovalent RNA:protein complex in "quiescent" but not in "active" cores. This difference is attributed to a conformational change in the reovirus core which results from the transition between the "quiescent" and "active" states of the particle.

Enzyme Activation

Generation time statistics of Escherichia coli B measured by synchronous culture techniques.

Synchronous cultures of Escherichia coli B were produced under various environmental conditions. Analysis of the cell number data permitted the characterization of the generation time distribution for these organisms and the estimation of the mother-daughter generation time correlation coefficients. For all growth conditions, the distribution of generation times was found to be symmetrical with a coefficienoefficient was significantly negative at doubling times between 40 and 64 min. However, the results for a culture growing in succinate medium at 37 degrees C, which had a significantly greater generation time, yielded a correlation coefficient close to zero. Within the range of temperatures studied (26 to 37 degrees C), no significant effect on the correlation coefficient was observed.

Bacteriological Techniques

The molecular size and shape of liver glycogen.

The molecular-weight distribution of liver glycogen has been established from the analysis of sedimentation rates of fractions separated on sucrose density gradients and from the direct measurement of the diffusion coefficients of these fractions by laser-intensity-fluctuation spectroscopy. Hydrodynamic studies indicated that all fractions of glycogen of mol.wt.exceeding 25x10(6) had about 1.1 g of water per g of polysaccharide associated with them. The hydration and hydrodynamic behaviour of all fractions of mol.wt. exceeding 25x10(6) was similar, whereas smaller fractions behaved anomalously, indicating a substantially different overall structure.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient

Hydrodynamic properties of 2-mercaptoethanol-modified glycogen.

Treatment of glycogen with 2-mercaptoethanol and iodoacetamide gives rise to a modified glycogen which resembles the original glycogen in its hydrodynamic behaviour but has a pronounced tendency to aggregate. The modified glycogen can be distinguished easily, by its diffusion coefficient, from glycogen degraded by more traditional methods of extraction. The 'fundamental' glycogen particle appears to be composed of two or three glycogen beta-particles linked by a single protein chain.

Animals

Molecular weight of two oncornavirus genomes: derivation from particle molecular weights and RNA content.

Sedimentation analysis and intensity fluctuation spectroscopy have been used in conjunction with the Svedberg equation to determine the particle molecular weights of Rous sarcoma virus (Prague strain) and avian myeloblastosis virus (BAI strain). The molecular weights of these two viruses are (294 +/- 20) x 10(6) and (256 +/- 18) x 10(6), respectively. Values for the molecular weight of the RNA contained in each particle have been calculated as (5.58 +/- 0.5) x 10(6) and (5.88 +/- 0.5) x 10(6). Since the proportion of the viral RNA represented by 4 to 7S low-molecular-weight material is known, the molecular weight of the 60 to 70S genomes may be calculated to lie in the range (3.8 +/- 0.3 to 4.8 +/- 0.4) x 10(6) for both particles. These estimates for the molecular weight of the 60 to 70S genome are much lower than previous estimates and fall within the range of current estimates of the size of a single 35S subunit. The implications of this finding are discussed in terms of current theories for the structure of the genome of RNA tumor viruses.

Avian Leukosis Virus