PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Hofer

Publications and source records attributed to M Hofer.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Changes in hemopoiesis of dying and surviving mice after fractionated irradiation and repeated bone marrow transplantation.

Mice received doses of 3 Gy of 60Co-gamma rays total body irradiation at four-day intervals up to a total dose of 24 Gy. After each dose per fraction half of the animals were injected with 10(6) bone marrow cells. At four- and nine-day intervals evaluations were made of the blood count, bone marrow and spleen cellularities, and spleen mass. In animals subjected only to irradiation the damage of hemopoietic organs was becoming deeper until the end of observation; the majority of these mice died by nine days after the irradiation with the last dose per fraction (by 37 days of the experiment). The authors consider anemia as the main cause of their death. All of the mice that were given bone marrow injections survived; nine days after the last dose of irradiation the mean cellularities of their bone marrows and spleens were 76.8% and 112.3% of the unirradiated controls respectively. In general, regeneration of erythropoiesis was quite successful, the number of thrombocytes was positively influenced, and the number of leukocytes nearly unchanged in bone marrow recipients when compared with the only irradiated mice. We observed two periods of maximum and one of minimum bone marrow and spleen regeneration, which were not synchronized. These results deny an unrepairable damage to the hemopoietic microenvironment in conditions of our experiment. This paper follows up with our preceding work [10] describing results of an experiment which ended on day 24.

Animals↗

The reaction of lymphatic component of hemopoiesis to fractionated irradiation and repeated bone marrow transplantation.

Mice were repeatedly subjected to individual doses of 60Co-gamma rays at intervals of four days up to total doses of 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 Gy. Under these conditions, signs of partial adaptation of the lymphatic component of hemopoiesis to conditions of repeated irradiations were found in mice which were given transplants of 10(6) nuclear cells of syngenetic bone marrow after each irradiation. Systematic findings of statistically significant differences in the values of the lymphatic hemopoietic component parameters studied between bone marrow recipients and animals subjected only to repeated irradiations were recorded after 24th day of experiment in mice which received total doses of 21 and 24 Gy. A positive influence of repeated transplantations in bone marrow recipients became manifested in these experimental groups already upon withdrawals made on day 4 after the last irradiation. A quite pronounced increase in the values of the bone marrow recipients' lymphatic hemopoietic component studied was then recorded upon withdrawals made on day 9 after the last irradiation.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Molecular cloning and expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

During the development of the vertebrate nervous system, many neurons depend for survival on interactions with their target cells. Specific proteins are thought to be released by the target cells and to play an essential role in these interactions. So far, only one such protein, nerve growth factor, has been fully characterized. This has been possible because of the extraordinarily (and unexplained) large quantities of this protein in some adult tissues that are of no relevance to the developing nervous system. Whereas the dependency of many neurons on their target cells for normal development, and the restricted neuronal specificity of nerve growth factor have long suggested the existence of other such proteins, their low abundance has rendered their characterization difficult. Here we report the full primary structure of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This very rare protein is known to promote the survival of neuronal populations that are all located either in the central nervous system or directly connected with it. The messenger RNA for brain-derived neurotrophic factor was found predominantly in the central nervous system, and the sequence of the protein indicates that it is structurally related to nerve growth factor. These results establish that these two neurotrophic factors are related both functionally and structurally.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Haemopoiesis in murine bone marrow and spleen after fractionated irradiation and repeated bone marrow transplantation. I. Erythropoiesis.

Erythropoiesis was studied in mice repeatedly subjected to individual doses of 3 Gy of 60Co gamma-rays at 4-day intervals up to a total dose of 24 Gy on the basis of total bone marrow and spleen cellularity follow-up and analysis of myelograms and splenograms. Half of the mice received 10(6) nuclear cells of syngeneic bone marrow after each fractional radiation dose. It was mainly the spleen which was involved in the adaptation and regeneration of erythropoiesis, its contribution to total erythropoiesis in bone marrow recipients having been as much as 73.9% (day 20 of experiment, total dose 15 Gy). In mice only irradiated, the number of nuclear cells of erythroid lineage decreased to zero values sooner in the spleen (day 16 of experiment, total dose 12 Gy) when compared to the bone marrow (day 24 of experiment, total dose 18 Gy). Analysis of the results of collections made on day 9 after the last irradiation, however, revealed that the haemopoietic microenvironment of the spleen and haemopoietic cells capable of differentiation in the erythroid direction are so resistant to irradiation in only irradiated mice that erythropoiesis in their spleens exhibits signs of regeneration even after the highest total dose of 24 Gy.

Animals↗

Haemopoiesis in murine bone marrow and spleen after fractionated irradiation and repeated bone marrow transplantation. II. Granulopoiesis.

Granulopoiesis was studied in mice repeatedly subjected to individual doses of 3 Gy of 60Co gamma-rays at 4-day intervals up to a total dose of 24 Gy on the basis of total bone marrow cellularity follow-up and analysis of myelograms and splenograms. Half of the mice received 10(6) nuclear cells of syngeneic bone marrow after each fractional radiation dose. After an initial steep decrease, the number of granuloid cells in the spleen increased about 30-fold between days 12 and 16 of the experiment (total dose 9 and 12 Gy, respectively). This increase was temporary and between days 20 and 24 (total dose 15 and 18 Gy, respectively) a steep decrease again occurred. At a low level (below 10% of the control value) remained the granuloid cells in the spleens of bone marrow recipients until the end of the experiment (day 37, total dose 24 Gy). The behaviour of the granuloid compartment of haemopoiesis thus contrasts with findings in the erythroid compartment (see Hofer et al., 1989b) when high numbers of erythroid nuclear cells remained in the spleens of bone marrow recipients until the end of the experiment. On the whole, the influence of repeated bone marrow transplantation on granulopoiesis in the bone marrow and spleen is positive. Of the 22 comparisons made between bone marrow recipients and mice only irradiated, 14 differences are statistically significant, always in favour of bone marrow recipients.

Animals↗

Morphology of interactions of the haematopoietic microenvironment with the haematopoietic cells in erythroid spleen colonies.

The morphology of the interactions of the cells of the haematopoietic microenvironment with haematopoietic cells was studied in exogenous erythroid spleen colonies formed in mice, on the fifth and eighth day after their irradiation with a lethal dose of gamma rays and bone marrow transplantation. The characteristic type of stromal cell interacting with less mature cells of the erythroid series was a dark, branching reticular cell. The typical structural interaction of the reticular cells with erythroblasts was the formation of very long, fine cytoplasmic processes by the reticular cells. The processes were in close contact with the erythroblasts and formed a three-dimensional network stretching long distances from the nucleus of the reticular cells. Other cells of the haematopoietic microenvironment, in contact chiefly with poly- and ortochromic erythroblasts, were macrophages and the two together formed typical erythroblastic islands. In places, the macrophages and erythroblasts formed close, firm contacts by means of their cytoplasmic membranes. These morphological observations support the conception that close functional cooperation exists between the cells of the haematopoietic microenvironment and the haematopoietic cells in differentiation and proliferation processes in the haematopoietic tissue of spleen colonies.

Animals↗

Antibodies against mouse nerve growth factor interfere in vivo with the development of avian sensory and sympathetic neurones.

The monoclonal antibody 27/21 directed against mouse nerve growth factor (NGF) interferes in vivo with the survival of sensory dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurones during the development of the quail embryo: the number of DRG neurones at embryonic day 11 (E11) was reduced by about 30% in embryos treated with the antibody between E3 and E11. Neurone numbers in the nodose ganglion were not affected. The effect of NGF antibodies on sympathetic neurones was assessed by determining the levels of the adrenergic marker enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase. Both total tyrosine hydroxylase activity and protein levels in sympathetic chains were reduced by about 30% in embryos treated with 27/21 antibody but not in embryos treated with a control antibody. The 27/21 antibody cross-reacts with chick NGF-like activity as shown in vitro by the ability of the antibody to partially block the survival activity of chick-embryo-fibroblast-conditioned medium for E9 chick DRG neurones.

Animals↗

A contribution to the study of damage and regeneration of hemopoiesis during fractionated irradiation and repeated bone marrow transplantation.

The experiment was aimed at studying two contradictory actions: damage to hemopoietic organs during application of radiation doses per fraction and regenerative efforts of the organism supported by repeated bone marrow transplantation. The mice received doses of 3 Gy of 60Co-gamma rays total body irradiation at four-day intervals up to a total dose of 18 Gy. After each dose per fraction half of the animals were injected with 10(6) bone marrow cells. At four-day intervals evaluations were made of the blood count, bone marrow and spleen cellularities, and spleen mass. In animals subjected only to irradiation the damage to hemopoietic organs was becoming deeper until the end of observation. In bone marrow recipients the decrease in bone marrow cellularity and the number of leukocytes stopped after day 16, and there was a steep growth of splenic cellularity and mass; the decrease in erythrocyte count stopped on day 20. Obviously a certain recovery of hemopoiesis occurred after the total dose of 12 Gy between days 12 and 16. The lodging of injected hemopoietic stem cells and their proliferation had to be preceded by a regeneration of the hemopoietic microenvironment.

Animals↗

The kinetics of endogenous erythroid haemopoietic spleen colonies in mice between 4 and 10 days after irradiation with doses of 5, 7, or 9 Gy.

The kinetics of post-radiation haemopoietic tissue recovery was studied by evaluating quantitatively the results from histologic studies of the kinetics of endogenous erythroid spleen colony counts in subserial sections of spleens from mice irradiated with 5, 7, or 9 Gy of 60Co gamma-rays at intervals of 4, 6, 8, and 10 days following irradiation. Emphasis was put on individual types of colony-forming cells and on time intervals at which these cells enter into action. Large numbers of rapidly maturing microscopic erythroid colonies appeared between 8 and 10 days after irradiation. From this finding we conclude that in addition to colony-forming cells giving rise to macroscopic colonies, large numbers of already differentiated progenitor cells--the products of the first regeneration wave with a peak approximately 6 days following irradiation--participate in the second wave of regeneration which is typically manifested from day 10 after irradiation.

Animals↗

Suckling in the rat: evidence for patterned behavior during sleep.

Electrophysiological recordings showed that 2-wk-old rats are actually asleep 66% of the time while suckling on the dam. The pups are no more likely to be awake while on the nipple than between nursing bouts. Sucking behavior, recorded electromyographically, occurred during sleep as well as during wakefulness. Pups were found to be asleep just prior to the dam's periodic milk ejections (ME) in 100% of 33 recorded instances and were briefly awakened by the ME, but 60% were asleep again within 30 s. These studies demonstrate the embedding of a vital early behavior pattern in the states of sleep.

Animal Population Groups↗

The role of intraoral and gastrointestinal cues in the control of sucking and milk consumption in rat pups.

Nutritive deprivation, suckling deprivation, gastronintestinal fill, and milk availability contribute to the control of sucking (as measured by jaw-muscle electromyograph) and ingestion of milk (provided via a tongue cannula) in 11-13-day-old rat pups. Depriving pups of the opportunity to suckle reliably increases subsequent sucking and milk intake. Intraoral delivery of milk also increases sucking, regardless of whether or not pups are suckling-deprived. Gastrointestinal preloads have no effect on sucking if pups are not receiving milk, but reliably block the increase in sucking which accompanies milk delivery. Finally, milk delivered to the pup's mouth prior to a suckling opportunity can either enhance or attenuate subsequent sucking depending on whether pups are allowed to consume milk while suckling. In all cases, a particular mode of sucking ("rhythmic" sucking) is most affected by experimental manipulation, and appears to be an important component of the pup's ingestive behavior.

Animals↗

Short- and long-term effects of various milk-delivery contingencies on sucking and nipple attachment in rat pups.

Varied milk delivery contingencies differentially affect sucking in rat pups as measured by jaw-muscle electromyographic activity. In Experiment I we found that 11-13-day-old pups sucked more frequently when receiving tiny intermittent pulses of milk than when receiving no milk, and continued to suck at a high rate for at least 30 min after cessation of milk delivery. In subsequent experiments we found that pups 13-18 days of age engaged in more frequent sucking if receiving milk continuously rather than intermittently, and that this increased rate of sucking persisted for at least 24 hr after cessation of milk delivery. Pups given experience with continuous milk delivery from 14 to 18 days of age also spent significantly more time attached to the nipple at 19 days of age than did pups in control groups. It was concluded that experience with different milk delivery schedules can affect subsequent sucking and nipple attachment behavior.

Animals↗

On the formation of spontaneous deletions: the importance of short sequence homologies in the generation of large deletions.

Using lacl-Z fusion strains of Escherichia coli we have devised systems that detect deletions of varying lengths. We examined deletions 700-1000 base pairs long, and genetically characterized over 250 spontaneous deletions. Of these, we analyzed 24 by direct DNA sequencing and 18 by inspection of restriction fragment patterns. Deletions of this size occur almost exclusively at short repeated sequences in both (recA+ and recA- strain backgrounds, but are detected 25-fold more frequently in a recA+ background. The frequency of deletion formation correlates with the extent of homology between the short repeated sequences, although other factors may be involved. The largest hotspot, which accounts for 60% of the deletions detected, involves the largest homology in the system (14 of 17 base pairs). Altering a single base pair within this homology reduces deletion incidence by an order of magnitude. We discuss possible mechanisms of deletion formation and consider its relationship to the excision of transposable elements.

Base Composition↗