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This is a report investigating the methylglyoxal (MG) bypass in animals, by which D-lactate is produced from triosephosphate via MG. Rats were made diabetic using streptozotocin or starved for 72 h. D-Lactate and various metabolites related to it, such as L-lactate, pyruvate, methylglyoxal, glucose, and inorganic phosphate, were measured in the blood plasma, liver, and skeletal muscle of the rats. Diabetic and starved rats had significantly higher levels of D-lactate in plasma, liver, and skeletal muscle compared with the control group. In contrast, pyruvate levels in plasma, liver, and skeletal muscle was markedly lower than normal in diabetic and starved rats. L-Lactate level lowered markedly in plasma, liver, and skeletal muscle of starved rats and elevated in liver of diabetic rats. Differences between plasma L-lactate level for diabetes and control were not significant. MG level was significantly elevated in plasma and depressed in livers and muscles of starved rats as well as livers of diabetic rats. Hepatic glycerol content was markedly increased in those states. Enzyme activities related to D- and L-lactate, such as pyruvate kinase, phosphofructokinase, aldolase, and glyoxalase I, were measured in the livers of these rats. Pyruvate kinase activity decreased in these states, but other enzyme activities showed no significant changes. D-Lactate was much more excreted than L-lactate in the urine of diabetic and fasted rats compared with normal rats.

Various strains immunologically related to Marek's disease virus (MDV) have been subdivided into three serotypes: serotype 1, pathogenic strains of MDV and attenuated or apathogenic variants derived from them; serotype 2, naturally occurring apathogenic strains of MDV; serotype 3, herpesvirus of turkey (HVT). The viral genome structures of these three serotypes were compared by a simple, practical method using total DNA extracted from virus-infected cells instead of viral DNA purified from virions. The restriction endonuclease-cleavage patterns of serotype 2 viral DNA were found to differ from those of either serotype 1 MDV or serotype 3. Under stringent conditions, no significant DNA homology was detected among the three serotype viruses, except in a restricted portion of these viral genomes. Northern blot hybridization experiments suggested that virus-specific polyadenylated RNA of about 2.4 kilobases was transcribed from a restricted portion showing close homology in these viruses. Southern blot hybridization under less stringent conditions revealed that regions with weak homology were distributed over most of the viral genomes of the three serotypes. Two types of virus-specific glycoproteins, gA and gB, were identified in the immunoprecipitates of the culture medium and cell lysates, respectively, of serotype 2-infected cultures with monoclonal antibodies or hyperimmune antisera cross reactive with serotype 1 MDV and serotype 3 HVT, and detected on the surface of serotype 2-infected cells by the membrane immunofluorescence test. These results indicate a close evolutionary relationship among these three viral serotypes.