Comparison of models of insulin release

A model for insulin secretion with a storage and a labile compartment, as well as a provisionary factor, is combined with a signal model in which the signal can be the difference between an excitation and an inhibition, or the difference in concentrations inside and outside some cell components. The model, using a single set of values for the parameters, accounts in a semiquantitative manner for all of the regularly appearing features of the insulin secretion from thein vitro perfused pancreas to a wide range of patterns of glucose and tolbutamide stimulation. Among the features which can be accounted for are: early and late secretion of insulin as a function of glucose in terms of a single parameter; the apparent depletion and recovery during a pulsed pattern of stimulation by tolbutamide; the hypersecretion following a short period of rest during a prolonged stimulation by glucose; the negative spike which occurs when the concentration of glucose, which has been maintained for a period of time, is suddenly reduced to a lower level; and the appropriate responses to slow and fast ramp functions of glucose concentration.     

A method of analysis of the models of neural nets

Taking into account Caianiello's work of 1961 a model of a neuron quite similar to his is proposed and studied. For this model, where a temporal summation and a period of refractoriness are assumed, a mathematical approach and a simulation on computer were realized. Particular types of nets were used, namely: nets with topological structures, and fully random nets. The difference between the two types is that the first type has a two-dimensional square structure and depends on the rules of the formation of connection between the neurons, while the second type is realized by means of the probability distribution function governing the formation of the structure of the net.These types of neural nets are analysed by means of a method which permits to obtain various parameters which characterize their behaviour in time and space in terms of the trajectory of the system. Many experiments are also reported; the statistical analyses, made on them, show the great importance and influence of refractoriness on the behaviour of neural networks.In the last part of the work an interesting case is reported, in which the reaction of the net to a disturbance shows that a kind of adaptation takes place, although the structure of the net stays unchanged.On leave of absence from the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Vilnius, Lithuanian S.S.R.     

Measurement of invertase activity of cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The determination of the invertase activity of intact yeast cells presents a critical point, that is, the blockage of the enzyme action at a given moment. In this paper seven blockage methods were compared: the addition of 0.010 M sodium hydroxide solution, addition of 0.010 M sodium carbonate solution, addition of 0.010 M sodium carbonate solution followed by centrifugation (9750g; 10 min), immersion of the reacting mixture in a boiling water bath, immersion of the mixture in a -15 degrees C bath, filtration through a Millipore membrane, and addition of the first Somogyi's reagent followed by immersion in a boiling water bath. Only the last two methods lead to a rapid and effective blockage of the invertase activity.     

Isolation of domains of the plasma membrane of hepatocytes

Several recent studies have demonstrated the ability of techniques based on immunoadsorption to selectively isolate specialized subregions of membranes, termed domains, which are derived from a larger more complex parent membrane like the plasma membrane. The immunoadsorbent is directed against a specific antigen that resides exclusively or predominantly in the membrane domain to be isolated. Thus, a monospecific antibody to the domain-specific antigen is required. In the present study we developed a method employing a modified immunoblotting strategy which could utilize polyspecific antibodies to isolate membrane vesicles derived from a specific membrane domain of the hepatocyte plasma membrane. We also used specific cell surface labeling of the hepatocyte plasma membrane by lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination at 4 degrees C and preparation of different sized vesicles by sonication to facilitate isolation of the specific domain. For this study, polyspecific antisera were raised in goats against a membrane fraction, denoted N2u, which is enriched in bile canalicular proteins. This antiserum recognizes, among other antigens, a 110,000 Mr polypeptide previously shown to be localized in the bile canaliculus (J. Cook et al. (1983) J. Cell. Biol. 97, 1823-1833). A monospecific antiserum was raised in rabbits against the rat hepatocyte asialoglycoprotein receptor, a sinusoidal domain-specific set of glycoproteins whose major form has a Mr of 43,000. These antisera were each coupled indirectly to different pieces of nitrocellulose by the immunoblotting protocol and were used to isolate membrane vesicles from a crude extract of liver plasma membrane prepared by sonication. The ratio of iodinated asialoglycoprotein receptor to the 110,000 Mr polypeptide in vesicles isolated by the affinity nitrocellulose immunoadsorbent method indicate a 10- to 15-fold enrichment of sinusoidal-derived vesicles relative to bile canalicular-derived membrane vesicles. These results show that the affinity nitrocellulose immunoadsorbent method can be used to isolate domain-specific vesicles. Further, the affinity immunoadsorbent method described here for the isolation of domains of the plasma membrane is an integrative one allowing isolation of vesicles present in relatively small concentration in crude cell extracts and it requires minimal ultracentrifugation time.     

Possible mechanisms of implementation of toxic potential of lipopolysaccharides of pathogenic bacteria

The significance of variability of biological properties of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) is discussed in the paper within the pathogenesis of infectious process. On the basis of an analysis of published data and of results of independent research of two microorganisms (Yersinia pestis and Francisella tularensis) a conclusion is made on that a biologically inert LPS form (with a weak cytokine-inducing ability, apirogenicity and non-toxicity etc.) is typical of highly pathogenic bacteria. It is suggested that the above phenomenon is biologically expedient. Presumably, the inert LPS transforms to the active form inside a sensitive host and, according to an infection stage, each of them being functionally significant. It is the inert status of LPS that enables the pathogens, at the initial stages, to surmount freely the humoral and cell barriers of host. As the infection progressively aggravates and the proliferation of bacteria modifies itself due to LPS micro- and macroorganisms, its chemical structure and biopolymer conformation change. Both modification mechanisms enhance the LPS toxic potential. In case of a sensitive host, such variations transform the biologically inert LPS into a toxically active form with its function of endotoxin being realized. There is no LPS modification in a host insensitive to such infection, which entails either recovery or prolonged persistence of the pathogen inside the microorganism.     

Shapes of curves of pH-dependence of reactions

A simple case is considered in which the rate of a two-step reaction depends on pH because the intermediate formed in the first step has to gain (or lose) a proton before it can react in the second step, and in which the rate-determining step therefore changes with pH. The curves of reaction rate against pH are shown to be symmetrical, and the sharpest peak possible has a width at half its height of 1.53pH units, i.e. of 2log(3+2 radical2). Any particular curve for this situation proves to be identical with a curve that could be generated for the pH-dependence of a single-step reaction in which the rate is proportional to the concentration of a particular ionic form of a reactant. Curves for the latter situation, however, can have forms impossible for the former case in which the rate-determining step changes, but only if the protonations that activate and deactivate the reactant are co-operative. The peak can then become even sharper, and its width at half its height can fall to 1.14pH units, i.e. to 2log(2+ radical3).     

蓝尾石龙子精子的超微结构

蓝尾石龙子(Eumeces elegans)附睾以2．5％戊二醛和1％锇酸双重固定,按常规制作超薄切片,用H-600透射电镜研究观察精子的超微结构。精子由头部和尾组成,头部由顶体复合体和核组成,尾由颈段、中段、主段和末段组成。头部的顶体囊前部扁平,分为皮质和髓质,顶体下锥由类结晶状的顶体下物质组成,穿孔器顶端尖,、穿孔器基板塞子状,细胞核延长,核内小管缺,核伸展部前端具一电子透明区,核肩圆,核陷窝锥形。颈段具片层结构,近端中心粒和远端中心粒的长轴呈直角,9束外周致密纤维与远端中心粒相应的9束三联微管相联,向后与轴丝相应的9束双联微管相联,中央纤维与2个中央单微管相联。中段短,含有线状嵴的柱状线粒体,由连续的规则小卵状或小梯形致密体组成线粒体间的环状结构,纤维鞘伸入中段,终环紧贴于细胞膜的内表面。线粒体与环状结构的模式为：rs1／mi1,rs2／mi2,rs3／mi3,rs4／mi4,横切面上每圈线粒体数目为10个。主段前面部分具薄的细胞质颗粒区。纤维3和8至主段前端消失。轴丝复合体呈“9 2”型。蓝尾石龙子精子超微结构与已描述的石龙子科种类比较发现,与蜓蜥群和胎生群的石龙子相似;但没有发现石龙子科精子的独征。     

Structures of two repeats of spectrin suggest models of flexibility.

Spectrin is a vital component of the cytoskeleton, conferring flexibility on cells and providing a scaffold for a variety of proteins. It is composed of tandem, antiparallel coiled-coil repeats. We report four related crystal structures at 1.45 A, 2.0 A, 3.1 A, and 4.0 A resolution of two connected repeats of chicken brain alpha-spectrin. In all of the structures, the linker region between adjacent units is alpha-helical without breaks, kinks, or obvious boundaries. Two features observed in the structures are (1) conformational rearrangement in one repeat, resulting in movement of the position of a loop, and (2) varying degrees of bending at the linker region. These features form the basis of two different models of flexibility: a conformational rearrangement and a bending model. These models provide novel atomic details of spectrin flexibility.     

Effect of colour of drugs: systematic review of perceived effect of drugs and of their effectiveness.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of the colour of a drug''s formulation on its perceived effect and its effectiveness and to examine whether antidepressant drugs available in the Netherlands are different in colour from hypnotic, sedative, and anxiolytic drugs. DESIGN: Systematic review of 12 published studies. Six studies examined the perceived action of different coloured drugs and six the influence of the colour of a drug on its effectiveness. The colours of samples of 49 drugs affecting the central nervous system were assessed using a colour atlas. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Perceived stimulant action versus perceived depressant action of colour of drugs; the trials that assessed the effect of drugs in different colours were done in patients with different diseases and had different outcome measures. RESULTS: The studies on perceived action of coloured drugs showed that red, yellow, and orange are associated with a stimulant effect, while blue and green are related to a tranquillising effect. The trials that assessed the impact of the colour of drugs on their effectiveness showed inconsistent differences between colours. The quality of the methods of these trials was variable. Hypnotic, sedative, and anxiolytic drugs were more likely than antidepressants to be green, blue, or purple. CONCLUSIONS: Colours affect the perceived action of a drug and seem to influence the effectiveness of a drug. Moreover, a relation exists between the colouring of drugs that affect the central nervous system and the indications for which they are used. Research contributing to a better understanding of the effect of the colour of drugs is warranted.     

Behavioural mode of action of deet: inhibition of lactic acid attraction

Using the mosquito Aedes aegypti in a novel olfactometer that measures movement towards and away from a stimulus, we could not confirm that 'deet' is a repellent of mosquitoes. In the absence of a host, deet was an attractant and in the presence of a host, it was an inhibitor of attraction. This inhibition occurred in the gaseous phase and was therefore not the result of the physical properties of deet. We determined that L-lactic acid, a component of human sweat that is an attractant to mosquitoes, is the target of this inhibition, implying that lactic acid may be a bottleneck in the behavioural cascade preceding blood-sucking.     

Effects of the Timing of Flashes of Light during the Course of Cellular Rotation on Phototactic Orientation of Individual Cells of Cryptomonas

The swimming movement of Cryptomonas sp. cells generates a helical path, as a result of rotations with an average period of 500 milliseconds. When a flash of light at 570 nanometers for 20 microseconds was applied unidirectionally at intervals of 500 milliseconds, only a fixed side of each rotating cell was repeatedly exposed to the flashes of light. The relationship between the irradiated side of a cell and the phototactic orientation of the cell, rotating with a period of 475 to 525 milliseconds, was determined by infrared videomicrography. Only when the ventral sides of the cells were exposed to the flashes of light did their courses shift predominantly toward the light source. This result suggests that light is efficiently detected by the ventral side of these organisms.     

Preparation and stereoconfigurations of heterodimers of pyrimidines

Using a novel C-alkylation procedure, four isomers of a heterodimer of a thymine-uracil derivative have been synthesized. With retention of configuration, the stereoconfigurations and the relative rates of alkylation at various sites can be assigned. This knowledge allows the unambiguous identification of the heterodimer isolated from the irradiation of a mixture of thymine and uracil in ice and from the acid hydrolysates of UV-irradiated DNA. By comparing the NMR data gathered from this set of a heterodimer with those sets of uracil and thymine homodimers, the effectiveness and the magnitude of a 1,2-shielding of a neighboring proton by a $\text{cis}$ CH₃-group of a cyclobutyl derivative may be suggested. In addition, taking advantage of the comparatively low solubility of the Ba-salt of this thymine-uracil heterodimer, its purification from an admixture of various photodimers was accomplished in a simple manner.     

Pathogenicity of two species of Fusarium on some cultivars of bean in greenhouse

Twenty isolates of Fusarium oxysporum and F. solani were isolated from the infected roots of bean in different farms of east Azarbaijan and Tehran Provinces and their pathogenicity determined. Most isolates of the fungi were identified as F. oxysporun. They caused root rot, yellowing and wilting of bean in the field. In this test, the roots of 6 cultivars of bean seedlings soaked in suspension of the 7 isolates of the fungi (a1, Gogan, a2, Bilverdi, a3, Savojbolagh-Hashtgerd, a4, field of Agr. Coll. a5, Khomein, a6, Ramjin of F. oxysporum and a7 of F. solani of Varamin, Iran) for 5 minute (106 spores/ml.) then transplanted into the sterilized soil in 4 pots (as replication). For control (a8) the roots soaked in distilled water. The results showed that percentage average of necrotic roots and crowns of isolates al, a2, a3, a5, a6, a7 was %20.31 in group a, a4 was %43.52 in group b and a8 was %2.77 in group c after 3 weeks. The isolate a4 (from the field of Agricultural College, Karaj) was more infectious than the other because it caused wilting, yellowing the leaves and decreased the growth very soon, followed by a5 with %25.32 rate was more pathogenic. Bean cultivar Goli-Red was more tolerant with %10.02 than the others of 16.29 (Naz Red) to 25.15 percent of necrotic the roots & stems.     

Equilibrium Distributions of Populations of Biological Species on Networks of Social Sites

ABSTRACT

We investigate the problem of how a population of biological species would distribute over a given network of social sites so that their social contacts through the connected sites can be maximized (or minimized). This problem has applications in modelling the behaviours of social (or solitary) species such as the development of social groups in human society and the spread of solitary animals in distant habitats. We show that this problem can be formulated as an evolutionary game, with the equilibrium state of the game corresponding to a strategy for choosing the residing sites, each with a certain probability, or equivalently, to a distribution of the population on these sites. The game has a symmetric payoff matrix, and can therefore be analyzed via the solution of a corresponding quadratic programme: An equilibrium strategy of the game is a KKT point of the quadratic programme, which may be a local maximizer, local minimizer, or saddle point, but it is evolutionarily stable if and only if it is a strict local maximizer. In general, with a goal to maximize the social contacts, the species tend to spread on network sites where there are dense connections such as a complete subnetwork or in other words, a network clique. We show that at equilibrium, the population may or may not distribute on a network clique, but the stability of the equilibrium state does depend on the structure of the selected subnetwork. In particular, we show that the distribution of the population on a maximal network clique is evolutionarily stable unless the clique is ‘attached’ to another clique of the same or larger size, when the population may be able to switch or expand to the neighbouring clique to increase or at least maintain its total amount of contacts. However, the distribution of the population on a non-clique subnetwork is always evolutionarily unstable or weakly evolutionarily stable at the very best, for the population can always move away from its current distribution without decreasing its total amount of contacts. We conclude that the strategies to spread on maximal network cliques are not only equilibrium strategies but also evolutionarily more stable than those on non-clique subnetworks, thus theoretically reaffirming the evolutionary advantages of joining social cliques in social networks for social species.     

Characterization of the translocon of the outer envelope of chloroplasts

The protein translocon of the outer envelope of chloroplasts (Toc) consists of the core subunits Toc159, Toc75, and Toc34. To investigate the molecular structure, the core complex was purified. This core complex has an apparent molecular mass of approximately 500 kD and a molecular stoichiometry of 1:4:4-5 between Toc159, Toc75, and Toc34. The isolated translocon recognizes both transit sequences and precursor proteins in a GTP-dependent manner, suggesting its functional integrity. The complex is embedded by the lipids phosphatidylcholine and digalactosyldiacylglyceride. Two-dimensional structural analysis by EM revealed roughly circular particles consistent with the formation of a stable core complex. The particles show a diameter of approximately 130 A with a solid ring and a less dense interior structure. A three-dimensional map obtained by random conical tilt reconstruction of electron micrographs suggests that a "finger"-like central region separates four curved translocation channels within one complex.     

The effect of a complex of meditation exercises on the psychophysiological state of young men

Using a simple motor response, a complex sensorimotor response, and a tapping test, the effect of a complex of meditation exercises on the neuromuscular coordination in healthy male students who were preliminarily trained in methods of self-regulation based on meditation techniques was studied. As a result of a 6-min session of self-regulation, a considerable decrease (by 30% or more) in the time of a simple motor response and a complex sensorimotor response (due to a decrease in the latent time at constant motor time) and a simultaneous decrease in the number of errors, as well as a considerable increase in the result of the tapping test, were recorded. A short-term effect expressed in an increase in the rate and accuracy of sensorimotor responses can be a result of a change in the functional state of the nervous system under the impact of transcendental meditation techniques.     

Kinetics of biodegradation of mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The kinetics of biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by a mixed culture were determined in a creosote-contaminated soil and in a pristine soil. A competitive-inhibition model was able to represent the kinetics of degradation of PAHs from the creosote-contaminated soil, from the lag phase through to active degradation, but not data from pristine soil with the same PAHs alone and in mixtures. The presence of phenanthrene introduced a lag phase of 4.5 days in the degradation of fluoranthene and 5 days for chrysene. Rapid degradation of pyrene followed a lag phase of circa 5 days, regardless of the presence of other PAHs. These results show that even when kinetics of PAH degradation by mixed cultures appear to follow competitive-inhibition kinetics, the underlying mechanisms may be more complex.     

Principles of sequence-dependent flexure of DNA

The curvature of a bent rod may be defined in several different, but equivalent ways. The best way of describing the curvature of double-helical DNA is by an angle of turning per base step. Curvature comes mainly from the angle of roll between successive base-pairs, and this is defined as positive when the angle opens up on the minor groove side of the bases. DNA forms a plane curve if the roll angle values along the molecule alternate periodically between positive and negative, with a complete period equal to the helical repeat. It is known from studies of crystallized oligomers that the roll angles for particular dinucleotide steps have preferred values, or lie in preferred ranges of values. Therefore the formation of a plane curve will be easier with some base sequences of DNA than with others. We set up a computer algorithm for determining the ease with which DNA of given sequence will adopt a curved form. The algorithm has two different sets of constants: in model 1 the base step parameters come from an inspection of crystallized oligomers, and in model 2 data from a statistical survey of the incidence of dinucleotide steps in a large number of samples of chicken erythrocyte core DNA is incorporated. Both forms of the algorithm successfully locate the dyad of the nucleosome sequence (modulo 10) in a frog gene, and suggest strongly that sequence-dependent flexural properties of DNA play a part in the recognition of binding sites by nucleosome cores.     

Analysis of the molecular interaction of the farnesyl moiety of transducin through the use of a photoreactive farnesyl analogue

Farnesylation of the gamma-subunit of the retinal G-protein, transducin (Talpha/Tbetagamma), is indispensable for light-initiated signaling in photoreceptor cells. However, the farnesyl-mediated molecular interactions important for signaling are not well understood. To explore this issue, we created a functional Tbetagamma analogue in which the farnesyl group was replaced with a (3-azidophenoxy)geranyl (POG) group, a novel farnesyl analogue with a distal photoreactive azido group. In the presence of lipid membranes and/or Talpha-GDP, UV irradiation of POG-modified Tbetagamma (POG-Tbetagamma) invariably yielded a cross-linked product Tgamma-Tbeta, reflecting a constitutive interaction of the Tgamma C-terminal lipid with Tbeta. In addition to the Tgamma-Tbeta adduct, a Tgamma-Talpha cross-link was detected in the aqueous fraction. Reconstitution of POG-Tbetagamma with Talpha and light-activated rhodopsin (Rh) in photoreceptor membranes resulted in cross-linking of Tgamma with a glycerophospholipid, indicating molecular interaction of the farnesyl group with cellular membranes. The Tgamma-phospholipid cross-link was observed only in the presence of both Talpha-GDP and Rh, and was abolished by the addition of GTPgammaS or by replacing Rh with opsin. These findings suggest a transient farnesyl-membrane interaction occurs only in a signaling state formed in a transducin-Rh ternary complex. On the other hand, UV irradiation of POG-Tbetagamma in a soluble complex with phosducin, a negative regulator of G-protein, yielded a Tgamma-phosducin adduct in addition to the Tgamma-Tbeta cross-link. These results illustrate that, rather than being a static membrane anchor, the farnesyl moiety plays an active role in the dynamics of protein-protein and protein-membrane interactions at defined steps in the signal transduction process.