scholarly journals Blood circulation in the tunicate Corella inflata (Corellidae).

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael W Konrad

Abstract: The ascidian tunicate Corella inflata is relatively transparent compared to other solitary tunicates and the circulatory system can be visualized by injecting high molecular weight fluorescein labeled dextran into the beating heart or the large vessels at the ends of the heart. In addition, after staining with neutral red the movement of blood cells can be followed to further define and characterize the circulatory system. The heart is a gently curved tube with a constriction in the middle and extends across the width of the animal. As in other tunicates, pumping is peristaltic and periodically reverses direction. During the abvisceral directional phase blood leaves the anterior end of the heart in two asymmetric vessels that connect to the two sides of the branchial basket (or pharynx), in contrast to the direct connection between the heart and the endostyle seen in the commonly studied tunicate Ciona intestinalis. In Corella inflata blood then flows in both transverse directions through a complex system of ducts in the branchial basket into large ventral and dorsal vessels and then to the visceral organs in the posterior of the animal. During the advisceral phase blood leaves the posterior end of the heart in vessels that repeatedly bifurcate to fan into the stomach and gonads. Blood speed, determined by following individual cells, is high and pulsatory near the heart, but decreases and becomes more constant in peripheral regions. Estimated blood flow volume during one directional phase is greater than the total volume of the animal. Circulating blood cells are confined to vessels or ducts in the visible parts of the animal and retention of high molecular weight dextran in the vessels is comparable to that seen in vertebrates. These flow patterns are consistent with a closed circulatory network. Additional key words: heart, pharynx, branchial basket, blood circulation, blood velocity

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael W. Konrad

The body of the ascidian tunicateCorella inflatais relatively transparent. Thus, the circulatory system can be visualized by injecting high molecular weight fluorescein labeled dextran into the heart or the large vessels at the ends of the heart without surgery to remove the body wall. In addition, after staining with neutral red, the movement of blood cells can be easily followed to further characterize the circulatory system. The heart is two gently curved concentric tubes extending across the width of the animal. The inner myocardial tube has a partial constriction approximately in the middle. As in other tunicates, the heart is peristaltic and periodically reverses direction. During the branchial phase blood leaves the anterior end of the heart by two asymmetric vessels that connect to the two sides of the branchial basket. Blood then flows in both transverse directions through a complex system of ducts in the basket into large ventral and dorsal vessels which carry blood back to the visceral organs in the posterior of the animal. During the visceral phase blood leaves the posterior end of the heart in two vessels that repeatedly bifurcate and fan into the stomach and gonads. Blood velocity, determined by following individual cells in video frames, is high and pulsatory near the heart. A double peak in velocity at the maximum may be due to the constriction in the middle of the heart tube. Blood velocity progressively decreases with distance from the heart. In peripheral regions with vessels of small diameter blood cells frequently collide with vessel walls and cell motion is erratic. The estimated volume of blood flow during each directional phase is greater than the total volume of the animal. Circulating blood cells are confined to vessels or ducts in the visible parts of the animal and retention of high molecular weight dextran in the vessels is comparable to that seen in vertebrates. These are characteristics of a closed circulatory system.


1993 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akraporn Prakobphol ◽  
Hakon Leffler ◽  
Susan J. Fisher

Because many bacteria interact with the carbohydrate portions of receptor molecules, factors controlling glycosylation probably influence the ability of salivary components to mediate bacterial adherence/clearance. Important sources of diversity in glycosylation are the ABO, secretor, and Lewis genes, which code for glycosyltransferases that add specific sugar sequences to the termini of carbohydrate chains of glycolipids and glycoproteins. We identified, by Western blotting, salivary glycoproteins carrying the ABH and Le a or Leb antigens. Samples of whole, unstimulated saliva were obtained from 19 subjects whose blood group was determined by agglutination of red blood cells with specific antisera. After centrifugation, the samples were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and blotted onto nitrocellulose. Glycoproteins carrying blood group antigens were identified by staining the blot with monoclonal antisera specific for the A, B, H, Lea, or Leb antigens. The most intensely staining component from all the samples migrated at the same position as the high-molecular-weight mucin. Saliva samples from the nonsecretors contained only the Lea antigen. Samples from the secretors contained one or more of the ABH antigens and, variably, the Leb antigen. In all cases, the salivary blood group antigens corresponded to those found on the red blood cells of the same subject. The functional consequences of the expression of blood group antigens on the high-molecular-weight mucin are not known, but their presence could modulate the adherence of certain oral microorganisms that interact preferentially with this molecule.


Author(s):  
Richard B. Vallee

Microtubules are involved in a number of forms of intracellular motility, including mitosis and bidirectional organelle transport. Purified microtubules from brain and other sources contain tubulin and a diversity of microtubule associated proteins (MAPs). Some of the high molecular weight MAPs - MAP 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B - are long, fibrous molecules that serve as structural components of the cytamatrix. Three MAPs have recently been identified that show microtubule activated ATPase activity and produce force in association with microtubules. These proteins - kinesin, cytoplasmic dynein, and dynamin - are referred to as cytoplasmic motors. The latter two will be the subject of this talk.Cytoplasmic dynein was first identified as one of the high molecular weight brain MAPs, MAP 1C. It was determined to be structurally equivalent to ciliary and flagellar dynein, and to produce force toward the minus ends of microtubules, opposite to kinesin.


1993 ◽  
Vol 70 (06) ◽  
pp. 0978-0983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edelmiro Regano ◽  
Virtudes Vila ◽  
Justo Aznar ◽  
Victoria Lacueva ◽  
Vicenta Martinez ◽  
...  

SummaryIn 15 patients with acute myocardial infarction who received 1,500,000 U of streptokinase, the gradual appearance of newly synthesized fibrinogen and the fibrinopeptide release during the first 35 h after SK treatment were evaluated. At 5 h the fibrinogen circulating in plasma was observed as the high molecular weight fraction (HMW-Fg). The concentration of HMW-Fg increased continuously, and at 20 h reached values higher than those obtained from normal plasma. HMW-Fg represented about 95% of the total fibrinogen during the first 35 h. The degree of phosphorylation of patient fibrinogen increased from 30% before treatment to 65% during the first 5 h, and then slowly declined to 50% at 35 h.The early rates of fibrinopeptide A (FPA) and phosphorylated fibrinopeptide A (FPAp) release are higher in patient fibrinogen than in isolated normal HMW-Fg and normal fibrinogen after thrombin addition. The early rate of fibrinopeptide B (FPB) release is the same for the three fibrinogen groups. However, the late rate of FPB release is higher in patient fibrinogen than in normal HMW-Fg and normal fibrinogen. Therefore, the newly synthesized fibrinogen clots faster than fibrinogen in the normal steady state.In two of the 15 patients who had occluded coronary arteries after SK treatment the HMW-Fg and FPAp levels increased as compared with the 13 patients who had patent coronary arteries.These results provide some support for the idea that an increased synthesis of fibrinogen in circulation may result in a procoagulant tendency. If this is so, the HMW-Fg and FPAp content may serve as a risk index for thrombosis.


1961 ◽  
Vol 06 (01) ◽  
pp. 015-024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Erik Bergentz ◽  
Oddvar Eiken ◽  
Inga Marie Nilsson

Summary1. Infusions of low molecular weight dextran (Mw = 42 000) to dogs in doses of 1—1.5 g per kg body weight did not produce any significant changes in the coagulation mechanism.2. Infusions of high molecular weight dextran (Mw = 1 000 000) to dogs in doses of 1—1.5 g per kg body weight produced severe defects in the coagulation mechanism, namely prolongation of bleeding time and coagulation time, thrombocytopenia, pathological prothrombin consumption, decrease of fibrinogen, prothrombin and factor VII, factor V and AHG.3. Heparin treatment of the dogs was found to prevent the decrease of fibrinogen, prothrombin and factor VII, and factor V otherwise occurring after injection of high molecular weight dextran. Thrombocytopenia was not prevented.4. In in vitro experiments an interaction between fibrinogen and dextran of high and low molecular weight was found to take place in systems comprising pure fibrinogen. No such interaction occurred in the presence of plasma.5. It is concluded that the coagulation defects induced by infusions of high molecular weight dextran are due to intravascular coagulation.


1982 ◽  
Vol 47 (03) ◽  
pp. 197-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt Huber ◽  
Johannes Kirchheimer ◽  
Bernd R Binder

SummaryUrokinase (UK) could be purified to apparent homogeneity starting from crude urine by sequential adsorption and elution of the enzyme to gelatine-Sepharose and agmatine-Sepharose followed by gel filtration on Sephadex G-150. The purified product exhibited characteristics of the high molecular weight urokinase (HMW-UK) but did contain two distinct entities, one of which exhibited a two chain structure as reported for the HMW-UK while the other one exhibited an apparent single chain structure. The purification described is rapid and simple and results in an enzyme with probably no major alterations. Yields are high enough to obtain purified enzymes for characterization of UK from individual donors.


1984 ◽  
Vol 52 (03) ◽  
pp. 221-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Christe ◽  
P Gattlen ◽  
J Fritschi ◽  
B Lämmle ◽  
W Berger ◽  
...  

SummaryThe contact phase has been studied in diabetics and patients with macroangiopathy. Factor XII and high molecular weight kininogen (HMWK) are normal. C1-inhibitor and also α2-macroglobulin are significantly elevated in diabetics with complications, for α1-macroglobulin especially in patients with nephropathy, 137.5% ± 36.0 (p <0.001). C1-inhibitor is also increased in vasculopathy without diabetes 113.2 ± 22.1 (p <0.01).Prekallikrein (PK) is increased in all patients’ groups (Table 2) as compared to normals. PK is particularly high (134% ± 32) in 5 diabetics without macroangiopathy but with sensomotor neuropathy. This difference is remarkable because of the older age of diabetics and the negative correlation of PK with age in normals.


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