Two days after a severe haemorrhage plasma calcium concentrations and bone marrow mitotic activity in rats were significantly increased and so remained for a further 5-6 days until the haematocrit had returned to normal. The first 48 h after bleeding were characterized by hypocalcaemia. During this phase two significant peaks in mitotic activity were observed at 4 and 18 h after haemorrhage. The mitotic surge 4 h after bleeding was still present in adrenalectomized and parathyroidectomized animals but in rats which were either hypophysectomized or had congenital diabetes insipidus this mitotic response was absent. Vasopressin was shown to stimulate bone marrow mitotic activity both in vivo and in vitro whereas angiotensin, aldosterone and erythropoietin had no rapid, direct mitogenic action on these cells. This novel hypophysial-bone marrow system suggests that vasopressin may assist in post-haemorrhagic recovery in blood cell numbers in the circulation.

Animals↗

PubMed1976

An extracellular fungal polysaccharide composed of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucuronic acid residues.

The black yeast-like fungus NRRL YB-4163, now tentatively identified as Rhinocladiella elatior Mangenot, has been found to produce an extracellular microbial polysaccharide composed mainly of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucuronic acid residues. Polysaccharide (PS) YB-4163, when isolated in good yield as the neutral potassium salt, dissolves readily in water to produce extremely viscous solutions, which form stable foams and emulsions. By depolymerizing PS YB-4163 with [14C]methanol-HCl, the polysaccharide can be both identified and quantitated radiochemically by determining the individual [14C]methyl glycosides after their separation by paper chromatography. When the methyl glycosides of PS YB-4163 were reduced with NaB3H4, only the methyl glycosides of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-[6-3H]glucose were found. Analysis of the monosaccharide released from carboxyl-reduced PS YB-4163 by acid hydrolysis or methanolysis also showed 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucuronic acid to be the main constituent. Previously, the only polysaccharides known to be composed entirely or hexosaminuronic acid have been cellular products from pathogens. Of these, the antigenic polysaccharide (SPSA) from Staphylococcus aureus is composed entirely of 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucuronic acid, but its amino groups are substituted equally with acetyl and N-acetylalanyl groups. The specific optical rotation of PS YB-4163, [alpha]20D -75 degrees (c 0.5, water), is similar to that of SPSA (-91 degrees), and suggests beta-D-linkages that must be either (1 leads to 3) or (1 leads to 4).

Glucuronates↗

PubMed1973