Indolylalkylamines (5-HT, 5-chlorotryptamine, 5-ethyltryptamine) suppress or block the progesterone-induced oocyte maturation in Bufo viridis and Xenopus laevis and disturb cytoskeletal rearrangements associated with oocytes involved, together with the other transmitter systems, in modulation of progesterone effect.

The intensity of oxygen consumption and the activity of cytochrome oxidase have been studied in the homogenate, mitochondria and nuclei of the limb muscle tissue in axolotls after the suppression of regenerative ability by X-irradiation and its experimental restoration. Under the suppression of regenerative ability, the oxygen consumption was inhibited. The cytochrome oxidase activity in the homogenate and mitochondria decreased and in the nuclei remained at the same level or even increased as compared with the intact limb. Under the restoration of regenerative ability, the intensity of respiration of the homogenate and mitochondria increased and this increase was accompanied by the increase of the cytochrome oxidase activity. The activity of cytochrome oxidase in the nuclei did not change at the stage of blastema and sharply fell at the stage of formed limb.

White and black salamanders 8 to 10 months old were given an x-ray dose of 10,000 r to the extremities, or a whole body dose of 1000 r. Hoth feet were then amputated 17 to l9 days-after the local irradiation. The salamanders were injected once a day for six days with 3 Mg of RNA, 2 mg DNA, 110 mg of liver protein, or 10 mg of acid protein from milk. In the experiments with local irradiation of the extremities the following series of experiments were performed with l0 salamanders per series: controls with simple irradiation and amputation: irradiation, amputation and treatment with RNA; the same treatment with DNA; the same treatment with acid milk protein; the same treatment with liver protein; the same treatment with RNA and liver protein; the same treatment with RNA and acid protein; treatment with RNA, and irradiation and amputution two months later; irradiation, treatment with liver protein, and amputation two months later; and irradiation, treatment with RNA, and amputation two months later. The extremities grew back on the salamanders in 5% of the cases for the controls, in 33% of the cases after treatment with RNA, in 22% of the cases after treatment withmore » acid milk protein and in 12.5% of the cases after treatment with liver protein. On repeating the amputation of the extremity, treatment with RNA was especially effective in bringing about the growth of new limbs (90 to 100% of the cases). Biochemical analysis showed that the content of RNA in the irradiated limb fell from a normal of 400 gamma to l30 gamma per 100 mg of dry material, and the RNA content rises sharply when new limb growth takes place. (TTT)« less