Quantitative studies of nucleic acid in the cell by micro-spectrophotometry I. The critique and improvement of the microspectrophotometry

Some critical experiments have been carried out on the microspectrophotometry using the lymphocytes of a mouse, stained with Feulgen reaction, revealing that most reliable value can be attained by illuminating the material with a small spot-light and integrating the area surrounded by the extinction curve drawn by tracing along the diameter of the smeared and fixed cell.</p

Changes of fatty acid metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation of rat liver mitochondria during 3'-Me-DAB feeding

Respiration, activity of oleate oxidation and composition of the total fatty acids of rat liver were investigated in 3'-Me-DAB feeding. 1. Oxidative phosphorylation of rat liver mitochondria decreased temporarily at relatively earlier stages (about 2 to 3 weeks) in 3'-Me-DAB feeding. 2. The activity of oleate oxidation of rat liver mitochondria decreased rapidly to about one third of that in control groups after the start of 3'-Me-DAB feeding. 3. In the composition of the total fatty acids of rat liver, the proportion of oleic acid increased in 3'-Me-DAB groups. 4. Unknown octadecamonoenoic acid was observed in liver mitochondria of rat fed on 3'-Me-DAB. 5. Proportions of oleic and palmitoleic acids in liver tumors and mitochondria of liver tumors induced by 3'-Me-DAB feeding increased remarkably in contrast with decrease in those of palmitic and eicosapolyenoic acids. 6. A possibility was discussed about how higher level of oleate in the liver cells in azo dye feeding may be concerned with the tumor induction.</p

Nucleic acids and protein synthesis in cancer cell mitochondria. I. Nucleic acids in rat hepatoma mitochondria

The contents of nucleic acids in rat liver and hepatoma mitochondria and the physico-chemical properties on DNA's isolated from these mitochondria were comparatively investigated. The results are briefly summarized as follows. 1. The contents of DNA and RNA per mg protein of the hepatoma cell mitochondria were about 10 and 2 to 4 times higher than those of rat liver mitochondria, respectively. 2. The &#955; max. and &#955;min. values of DNA isolated from the hepatoma mitochondria were 257 m&#956; and 231 m&#956;, respectively and those of DNA isolated from the nuclei were 259 m&#956; and 233 m&#956;, respectively, in saline-citrate, pH 7.0. 3. Three fractions of mitochondrial DNA were obtained by the sucrose density gradient and these DNA fractions corresponded, probably, to about 30 S, and 20 S and 14 S DNA's. 4. There was little difference in base compositions between nuclear and mitochondrial DNA's of the hepatoma cells. 5. The degree of hybridization between the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA's of the hepatoma cells was almost the same as that between the nuclear and nuclear DNA's of the hepatoma cells, and somewhat higher than that between the nuclear DNA of rat liver and the nuclear DNA of hepatoma cells. 6. &#34;Highly twisted&#34; circular, &#34;open&#34; circular and linear forms were observed in the DNA preparations of the hepatoma mitochondria. The average values of contour lengths of rat liver and the hepatoma DNA's observed at high frequency were 5.3 &#956; and 4.5 &#956;. 7. A discussion was made on the relation between the genetic informations of mitochondrial DNA and the formation of a mitochondrion in rat liver and the hepatoma cells.</p

Quantitative studies of nucleic acid in the cell by microspectrophotometry III. Nucleic acid contents in the cancer cells

1. The DNA contents in mature lymphocytes of the mouse, rat and man are kept almost constant. 2. The variety in the DNA contents in tumor cells is attributed to the rapid DNA synthesis taking place at the interphase, though the degenerating cells and the cells in abnormal mitosis can not be discarded as the source of the variety in DNA content. 3. The RNA content in AH-130 (ascites hepatoma) is less than that in normal liver cells.</p

Crisis in Japan and the Way Out: A Counterargument to Pessimistic Views

This paper focuses on a review of the present state of, and outlook for the Japanese economy. The paper is composed of three parts. The first describes the interrelation between the crisis-ridden East Asian economies and Japan. I argue that Japan did not cause the Asian currency crisis. The second part describes the current state of the Japanese economy after the bubble burst. I also discuss the medium- and long-term challenges that face the Japanese economy. The third part concentrates on the issue of the "liquidity trap" Japan is experiencing. I argue that the yen's exchange rate is more likely to appreciate than depreciate by pumping liquidity into the economy while interest rates cannot be lowered any further, and therefore a "helicopter money" policy is the only way to induce a positive inflation rate and escape from the liquidity trap.Economic Crisis, Japan, East Asia

Exchange Rate Stabilization and IMF High Interest Rate Policy: A Critical Reconsideration Using a Dynamic Model

This paper examines whether the IMF high interest rate policy was suitable for crisis-ridden East Asian economies. Using an "overshoot" model similar to that of Dornbusch's (1976), it shows that this sort of policy might cause an unnecessary deflationary adjusting process and have no effect on containing the real depreciation of exchange rates in the long run. The study also demonstrates that Thai economic data coincides quite well with the model presented here. Finally, it points out that the high interest policy itself might provoke high risk-premium, the existence of which, in turn, justifies the policy. This means that the policy has a self-fulfilling property. In conclusion, a "one-size-fits-all" adaptation of high interest rate policy in a currency crisis is very dangerous in general, and was inappropriate for East Asia. The desirable policy would have been to let currencies depreciate and keep interest rates stable.Developing countries, Thailand, IMF, Monetary policy, Foreign exchange, Exchange control, East Asia

Determinants of Households' Inflation Expectations

In this paper, we investigate the determinants of households' inflation expectations in Japan and the United States. We estimate a vector autoregression model in which the four endogenous variables are inflation expectations, inflation, the short-term nominal interest rate and the output gap, with energy prices and (fresh) food prices being exogenous. Short-term nonrecursive restrictions are imposed taking account of simultaneous codependence between realized inflation and expected inflation. We find, first, that responding not only to changes in energy prices and food prices but also to monetary policy shocks, inflation expectations adjust more quickly than does realized inflation. This explains why Japanese and US data indicate that inflation expectations lead realized inflation. Second, the effects of changes in energy prices and food prices on inflation and inflation expectations are large in the short run in Japan, while in the United States, they are not only large but also long lasting. Third, shocks to expectations occasionally fluctuate greatly, and can have self-fulfilling effects on realized inflation. The self-fulfilling property is more apparent in the United States than in Japan.expected inflation, structured vector autoregression, monetary policy