The effect of temperature on the core structure of endoplasmic reticulum membranes has been visualized directly in cells of the poikilothermic eukaryote Tetrahymena pyriformis by freeze-etch electron microscopy. Moreover, the effect of temperature on the smooth microsomal membrane vesicles isolated from these cells, as well as on the extracted membrane lipids, has been examined by fluorescence probing, electron spin resonance, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and calorimetry. Freeze-etch electron microscopy of T. pyriformis cells, equilibrated at different temperatures between 28 and 5 degrees, reveals the emergence of smooth areas on the fracture faces of endoplasmic reticulum membranes at temperatures below similar to 17 degrees. In this temperature range, we also find discontinuities in the glucose 6-phosphatase activity, in the fluorescence intensity of 8-anilino-1-naphthalensulfonate, in the partition of 4-doxyldecane, and in the separation of the outer hyperfine extrema of 5-doxylstearic acid in the microsomal membranes. These membranes apparently contain at least two lipid environments of different fluidity as indicated by the 12-doxylstearic acid spin-label. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance of the extracted membrane lipids indicates an abrupt change of the fatty acid chain mobilities at temperatures below similar to 17 degrees. This, however, is not due to a true thermal liquid crystalline in equilibrium crystalline phase transition. Calorimetric measurements also support this conclusion. The thermotropic alterations observed within the membranes are interpreted to be due primarily to a clustering of "rigid" liquid crystalline lipid environments which exclude membrane-intercalating proteins.

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Esterase 1 F was isolated from mouse serum and purified by ion-exchange chromatography, isoelectrofocusing, and molecular sieve chromatography. It is considered to be a glycoprotein with an apparent molecular weight of 75000. The equivalent weight (= 77000 x g/mol) was estimated by titration of the catalytic site with diethyl p-nitrophenyl phosphate. The Michaelis constant K , and the catalytic constant k,,, of the enzyme for 4-nitrophenyl hexanoate were determined. Esterase I F is characterized by its ability to split a wide spectrum of substrates and its relatively low turnover rates towards the substrates tested. It belongs to the isozyme system of carboxylesterase (EC 3.1

The role of the tumour-suppressor gene p53 in the tumorigenesis of head and neck cancer has been well established, but the clinical significance of p53 alteration is still unclear. A group of 50 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) were investigated for p53 alterations. DNA was extracted from fresh tumour samples and polymerase chain reaction/single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis was used to detect p53 gene mutations in the region from exon 5 to exon 9. In addition, p53 protein overexpression was assessed by immunohistochemistry using the monoclonal antibody DO-7 on paraffin-embedded tissue sections. p53 gene mutations were found in 45% and p53 protein expression was detected in 61.2% of tumour samples. While p53 protein expression was not correlated with any clinical factors, p53 gene mutations indicated local regional recurrences of HNSCC. The risk of locoregional recurrence was significantly greater in patients with a p53 gene mutation than in patients with the wild-type p53 gene (P = 0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed p53 gene mutation to be an independently predictive factor for the tumour recurrence (P = 0.0064). When we analysed p53 gene mutation in 12 patients with primary and recurrent tumours, we found that 4 patients (33.3%) had a different p53 gene mutation in the recurrent tumour from that in the original primary tumour. The results indicate that p53 gene mutations and not protein overexpression are valuable predictors for tumour recurrences and for differential diagnosis of a second primary HNSCC.