acase@tulane.edu

This dissertation provides the first English translation of Gy(PAR-DIFF)inga saga, a 13th century Icelandic rendering of Jewish history from the death of Alexander the Great to the death of Pontius Pilate. Also, this dissertation provides the first extensive display of Gy(PAR-DIFF)inga saga's relation to its sources. The translation is based upon Gu(PAR-DIFF)mundr orlaksson's edition of the work for Samfund det udgivelse af gammelnordisk litteratur, which is the only edition to date. The works whose possible use as sources of Gy(PAR-DIFF)inga saga I have investigated are those suggested by Gu(PAR-DIFF)mundr orlaksson in the Introduction to his edition: I and II Maccabees of the Vulgate, Peter Comestor's Historia Scholastica and the Jewish Antiquities and Jewish War of Flavius Josephus This study confirms the opinion of scholars such as Gustav Storm and Jon Helgason that the principal sources are I and II Maccabees and the Historia Scholastica, Liber I and II Maccabeorum, and In Evangelia. However, a few passages suggest use of information taken directly from the Jewish Antiquities. The investigation revealed no strong evidence that the Jewish War is a source The translation and notes are keyed to Gu(PAR-DIFF)mundr orlaksson's edition / acase@tulane.edu

Mechanisms regulating the growth and pattern formation of the developing limb remain largely unknown. The approach which we have developed is based on using established cell lines as probes to monitor the embryonic environment. The attraction for using cell lines as probe for biological activity is twofold; (1) the tremendous number of murine cell line which have been developed of which very little is known regarding their biological activity during embryogenesis in vivo, (2) the relative ease with which cell line can be genetically manipulated through transfection and/or viral infection. In developing this approach we first developed a reliable means of labeling cells, and second we developed both in vivo and in vitro approaches designed at testing limb cells for their biological activity In our studies we have used 3T3 cells, an embryonic fibroblast cell line, to test for mitogenic and morphogenetic signals regulating limb development. We found that 3T3 cells appear sensitive to mitogenic signals which are being produced by limb cells both in vivo and in vitro. Interestingly, the growth of 3T3 cells directly correlates with the growth of limb cells, and that this correlation is maintained along the proximal-distal axis. 3T3 cells also appear to be responsive to signals which are involved in the recruitment of cells into a variety of limb mesodermal structures (i.e. connective tissues). The results from our studies indicate that continual cell-cell or cell-matrix interactions are occurring throughout limb development, thus limb development cannot be entirely explained by cell autonomy environment. Furthermore, it appears that the signals involved in the growth and morphological regulation of 3T3 cells are locally available, thus arguing against the presence of diffusible signals In this dissertation we have described an approach which utilizes 3T3 cells as probes for biological activity of the embryonic activity. We feel that combining both in vivo and in vitro approaches greatly enhances our chances of isolating developmentally important signals involved in the regulation of growth and patterning during limb development / acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

In the present study acidic glycolipid composition of the human small intestine has been carefully studied. The main monosialosylganglioside found in the small intestine was GM(,3) ganglioside. Other monosialosyl gangliosides isolated were identified as GM(,2), GM(,1) and sialosylneolactotetraosylceramide. Not previously reported in this tissue were the gangliosides GM(,1b), and a non polar derivative of GM(,3) . Two additional gangliosides were detected; however structural analysis was not completed since the amounts isolated were so small Gangliosides from the small intestine were isolated, purified, and examined for their reactivity with cholera toxin. Out of all the gangliosides isolated, only GM(,1) ganglioside had the capacity to fix and precipitate cholera toxin in Ouchterlony double diffusion gels. It was also observed, using the double diffusion gel technique, that phospholipids could inhibit the interaction of GM(,1) ganglioside with cholera toxin. A novel approach, that is the action of specific, selective glycosidases was used to prove that GM(,1) ganglioside isolated from the small intestine interacts with cholera toxin During the course of this study, a highly unusual glycolipid was isolated from the acidic fraction of the lower layer of the Folch partition. This glycolipid, with a TLC mobility similar to GbOse(,3)Cer was detectable with iodine vapor. It stained an atypical brilliant blue color with diphenylamine/aniline (DPA) reagent and was designed as the Blue Lipid. Sulfated galactosyl-ceramide was also isolated from this fraction. However on staining with DPA, a greenish blue color was produced. With anisaldehyde spray, the Blue Lipid stained purplish red in contrast to other glycolipids which were stained green. The Blue Lipid was found to contain a carbohydrate portion on the basis of a positive reaction with orcinol and the phenol-sulfuric acid assay. Hydrolysis with 2N trifluoroacetic acid resulted in the release of two DPA positive bands, one that co-migrated with xylose, and one that migrated more slowly than any sugar standards tested. This apparently new glycolipid was found to be stable in 0.5 N methanolic NaOH at room temperature. However, acid hydrolysis in 0.05 N methanolic HCl at room temperature resulted in its conversion to a faster moving substance. The Blue Lipid was found to be devoid of sialic acid, phosphate, or sphingosine and was different from plasmalogens and seminolipid (1-0-alkyl-2-0-acyl-3-0-(beta)-D-(3'-sulfo)-galactopyranosyl-sn-glycerol). This lipid was also found in monkey small intestine and human liver, but not in dog small intestine or human spleen. A large scale isolation from human liver showed the presence of several related substances, with faster TLC mobilities that stained the same brilliant blue color with DPA. After saponification these lipids were hydrolyzed to the original Blue Lipid, indicating that the liver may contain a new class of glycolipids which has not been previously described / acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu