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There were 64 confirmed cases of occupational uroepithelial cancer in Wakayama City, Japan. The annual morbidity per 100,000 exposed persons was 198.3. The latent period ranged from 5 to 45 years, with an average of 21.1 plus or minus 9.8 years (standard deviation). The latent period tended to be shorter as age advanced.

IN the mammalian brain, kynurenine aminotransferase (KAT) is pivotal to the synthesis of kynurenic acid, a preferential antagonist at the strychnine-insensitive NMDA-glycine site. As NMDA receptors are involved in autonomic function, we have examined the immunohistochemical localization of KAT in the medulla and spinal cord of the rat. KAT immunoreactivity (KAT-li) was found throughout these areas, in both glia and neurons. Unlike the mainly astrocytic localization in forebrain structures, KAT-li was predominantly neuronal, notably in areas important for blood pressure and heart rate regulation: ventral medulla, nucleus ambiguus, nucleus of the solitary tract and intramediolateral cell column of the spinal cord. The presence of KAT in these nuclei supports a neuromodulatory role for kynurenic acid in NMDA-mediated autonomic function.

1. Membrane fluidity of erythrocytes and cultured vascular smooth muscle cells was studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR; Okamoto and Aoki strains) by means of an electron spin resonance (e.s.r.) and a spin-label technique. 2. The values of outer hyperfine splitting (2T) and of the order parameter (S) determined from e.s.r. spectra for a fatty acid spin-label agent (5-nitroxy stearate) were significantly higher in erythrocytes of SHR (4 and 10–13 weeks of age) than in those of age-matched Wistar–Kyoto rats (WKY). This finding suggests that the membrane fluidity of erythrocytes might be decreased in SHR. 3. The fluidity of cultured vascular smooth muscle cells obtained from 10-13-week-old SHR was also reduced compared with that from WKY. 4. These results suggest that the decreased membrane fluidity might be a genetically determined abnormality of the cell membranes in SHR.

Kynurenine–glyoxylate aminotransferase, alanine–glyoxylate aminotransferase and serine–pyruvate aminotransferase were co-purified and crystallized as yellow cubes from human liver particulate fraction. The crystalline enzyme was homogeneous by the criteria of electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, gel filtration, sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation and analytical ultracentrifugation. The molecular weight of the enzyme was calculated as approx. 90000, 89000 and 99000 by the use of gel filtration, analytical ultracentrifugation and sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation respectively, with two identical subunits. The enzyme has a s20,w value of 5.23S, an isoelectric point of 8.3 and a pH optimum between 9.0 and 9.5. The enzyme solution showed absorption maxima at 280 and 420nm. The enzyme catalysed transamination between several l-amino acids and pyruvate or glyoxylate. The order of effectiveness of amino acids was alanine>serine>glutamine>glutamate>methionine>kynurenine = phenylalanine = asparagine>valine>histidine>lysine>leucine>isoleucine>arginine>tyrosine = threonine>aspartate, with glyoxylate as amino acceptor. The enzyme was active with glyoxylate, oxaloacetate, hydroxypyruvate, pyruvate, 4-methylthio-2-oxobutyrate and 2-oxobutyrate, but showed little activity with phenylpyruvate, 2-oxoglutarate and 2-oxoadipate, with kynurenine as amino donor. Kynurenine–glyoxylate aminotransferase activity was competitively inhibited by the addition of l-alanine or l-serine. From these results we conclude that kynurenine–glyoxylate aminotransferase, alanine–glyoxylate aminotransferase and serine–pyruvate aminotransferase activities of human liver are catalysed by a single protein. Kinetic parameters for the kynurenine–glyoxylate aminotransferase, alanine–glyoxylate aminotransferase, serine–pyruvate aminotransferase and alanine–hydroxypyruvate aminotransferase reactions of the enzyme are presented.

Kynurenine transaminase activity in rat liver was found in both the mitochondrial and supernatant fractions. The mitochondrial and supernatant fractions contained (a) kynurenine–pyruvate transaminase, which showed a preference for pyruvate as amino acceptor and a pH optimum between 8.0 and 8.5, and (b) kynurenine–α-oxoglutarate transaminase, with a preference for α-oxoglutarate and a pH optimum between 6.0 and 6.5. Possible roles of these enzymes in tryptophan metabolism in the liver are discussed.

The transamination of aromatic l-amino acids (5-hydroxytryptophan, tryptophan, tyrosine, phenylalanine and kynurenine) was shown to be catalysed by enzyme preparations from rat small intestine. On the basis of the partial purification and characterization of these aromatic amino acid transaminases, it is suggested that rat small intestine contains several kinds of aromatic amino acid transaminases.