Mammalian nerve

Slow component a (SCa) comprises largely the cyto-skeletal proteins that form NFs and MTs. Rates of transport for SCa proteins in mammalian nerve range from 0.2-0.5 mm/day in optic axons tol mm/day in motor neurons of the sciatic nerve, and can be even slower in poikilotherms such as goldfish. Although the polypeptide composition of SCa is relatively simple, the relative contribution of SCa to slow transport varies considerably. For large axons (e.g. alpha motor neurons in the sciatic nerve), SCa is a large fraction of the total protein in slow transport, while the amount of material in SCa is relatively reduced for smaller axons (i.e. optic axons) [32]. The amount and phosphorylation state of SCa protein in axons is the major determinant of axonal diameter. 

Certain synthetic heptitols that could not be separated by paper chromatography or by electrophoresis have been separated as their O-trimethylsilyl derivatives.404 The procedure of reductive, alkaline hydrolysis, much used in glycopeptide research, yields alditols that have been estimated as their trimethylsilyl ethers,59,405 and D-glucitol in mammalian nerve has similarly been determined.406... 

Strichartz GR, Zimmerman M 1983 Selective conduction blockade among different fiber types in mammalian nerves by lidocaine combined with low temperature. Soc Neuroscience 13 Annual Meeting Abstracts p 675... 

C6. Carpenter, F. G., Alteration in mammalian nerve metabolism by soluble and gaseous anesthetics. Am. J. Physiol. 187, 573-578 (1956). 

Acta 43, 566 (1960). Identification Erspamer, Nature 169, 375 (1952). Found In the salivary glands of Octopus vulgaris. O. macropus. and of Eledone moschata idem, Arzneimiliel-Forsch. 2, 253 (1952) in mammalian nerves Molinoff,... 

Conversely, a-conotoxin 1ml (GlyCysCysSerAspProArgCysAlaTryArg-CysNH2 [134]) from the cone snaU Conus imperials preferentially inhibits the homomeric ay- and Og-receptors, but not, like a-bungarotoxin, receptor combinations composed of aj-subunits. Selectivities across species have been documented as well Whereas the poison from the many-banded krait acts primarily on mammalian nerve cells, a-conotoxin Iml blocks for example also the nicotinic a7-receptors of locusts (Locusta migratoria). 

A cell membrane is illustrated in Fig. 6.1. It is built from a bilayer of lipids, usually phospholipids, associated with which are membrane proteins and polysaccharides. The antiparallel orientation of lipid layers in the bilayer is maintained due to the extremely slow flip-flop rate, i.e. the rate of diffusion transverse to the bilayer. The lipid bilayer is the structural foundation and the proteins and polysaccharides provide chemical functionality. The protein to lipid ratio shows a large variation depending on the cell, but proteins make up at least half of most cell membranes. A prominent exception is mammalian nerve cells which contain only 18 % protein (here also the lipids are sphingomyelins rather than phospholipids). Here, the primary requirement is that the cell membrane should be effective as an electrical... 

When the four sldechaln methyl groups of phytanic or dlhydrophytanlc acid are Incorporated Into lipid bllayer structures their stability Is greatly reduced. The myelin Is broken and no longer an effective insulator for the neuroelectrical activity of mammalian nerves. For this reason we have active alpha oxidase in our brain which we should use to express our appreciation to Paul Stumpf and his avocados and peanuts. 

The influence of REE on aspects of metabolism has resulted in much work being carried out on their effects on mammalian nerve, heart and muscle tissues (for reviews see Maier-Maercker 1980, Weiss 1974 and also Hatae 1982, Neldhuis 1982, Takata et al. 1966, Trosper and Philipson 1983, Wolniak et al. 1980). 

Ochs, S., and R. Worth Batrachotoxin block of fast axoplasmic transport in mammalian nerve fibers. Science 187, 1087—1089 (1975). 

---