Book Reviews

Book Reviewed in this article:
DFG-ökotoxikologie von Pflanzenschutzmitteln-Mitteilungen I, 1994
Bennett, W. F. (ed) .
Arit, K. Enzian, S. and Pallut, B.
Ettl, H., G. Gärtner .
Blume, H.-P., Felix-Henningsen, P., Fischer, W. R., Frede, H.- G., Horn, R., Stahr, K.
Mielke, H.
Goodman, R.N., Novacky, A.J.
Karg, W., Freier, B.
Müller, R. et al .
Landsmann, J., Casper, R.
Shigo, A. L.
P etrini , O. and G. B. O uelletre (eds), Host Wall Alterations by Parasitic Fungi .     

Identification of a chloroplast-encoded 9-kDa polypeptide as a 2[4Fe-4S] protein carrying centers A and B of photosystem I

An improved procedure is reported for large-scale preparation of photosystem I (PS-I) vesicles from thylakoid membranes of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The PS-I vesicles contain polypeptides of molecular masses 82, 18, 16, 14, and 9 kDa in an apparent molar ratio of 4:2:2:1:2. The 18-, 16-, and 9-kDa polypeptides were purified to homogeneity after exposure of the PS-I vesicles to chaotropic agents. The isolated 9-kDa polypeptide binds 65-70% of the zero-valence sulfur of denatured PS-I vesicles, and the remaining 30-35% is bound to P700-chlorophyll a-protein 1. The N-terminal amino acid sequence (29 residues) of the 9-kDa polypeptide was determined. Comparison with the nucleotide sequence of the chloroplast genome of Marchantia polymorpha (Ohyama, K., Fukuzawa, H., Kohchi, T., Shirai, H., Sano, T., Sano, S., Umesono, K., Shiki, Y., Takeuchi, M., Chang, Z., Aota, S.-i., Inokuchi, H., and Ozeki, H. (1986) Nature 322, 572-574) and of Nicotiana tabacum (Shinozaki, K., Ohme, M., Tanaka, M., Wakasugi, T., Hayashida, N., Matsubayashi, T., Zaita, W., Chunwongse, J., Obokata, J., Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, K., Ohto, C., Torazawa, K., Meng, B. Y., Sugita, M., Deno, H., Kamogashira, T., Yamada, K., Kusuda, J., Takaiwa, F., Kato, A., Tohdoh, N., Shimada, H., and Sugiura, M. (1986) EMBO J. 5, 2043-2049) identified the chloroplast gene encoding the 9-kDa polypeptide. We designate this gene psaC. The complete amino acid sequence deduced from the psaC gene identifies the 9-kDa PS-I polypeptide as a 2[4Fe-4S] protein. Since P700-chlorophyll a-protein 1 carries center X, the 9-kDa polypeptide carries centers A and B. A hydropathy plot permits specific identification of the cysteine residues which coordinate centers A and B, respectively. Except for the loss of the N-terminal methionine residue, the primary translation product of the psaC gene is not proteolytically processed. P700-chlorophyll a-protein 1 binds 4 iron atoms and 4 molecules of acid-labile sulfide/molecule of P700. Each of the two apoproteins of P700-chlorophyll a-protein 1 contains the sequence Phe-Pro-Cys-Asp-Gly-Pro-Gly-Arg-Gly-Gly-Thr-Cys (Fish, L. E., Kück, U., and Bogorad, L. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 1413-1421). The stoichiometry of the component polypeptides of PS-I indicates the presence of four copies of this sequence per molecule of P700. Center X may be composed of two [2Fe-2S] centers bound to the 8 cysteine residues contained in these four segments.     

Books

C ollar , N.J. & A ndrew , P. 1988. Birds to Watch: The ICBP Check-list of Threatened Birds.
D allmann , M. 1987. Der Zaunkönig.
F iuczynski , D. 1987. Der Baumfalke. Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei No. 575.
F ry , C.H., K eith , S. & U rban , E.K. 1988. The Birds of Africa, Vol. III.
F urness , R.W. 1987. The Skuas.
H ölzinger , J. 1987. Die Vögel Baden-Württembergs 1 (Parts 1–3).
J ohnson , T.H. 1988. Biodiversity and Conservation in the Caribbean: Profiles of Selected Islands.
K laus , S., A ndreev , A.V., B ergmann , H.-H., M üller , F., P orkert , J. & W iesner , J. 1986. Die Auerhiihner. Die Neue Brehm-Biicherei No. 86.
P yle , P., H owell , S.N.G., Y unick , R.P. & D e S ante , D.F. 1987. Identification Guide to North American Passerines.
S now , D. & B. 1988. Birds and Berries.
SOVON 1987 (eds. J. B ekhuis (et al.). Atlas van de Nederlandse Vogels.
Nederlandse Broedvogels (1979). A long English summary at the end enables readers unfamiliar with Dutch to extract the maximum possible amount of information from this impressive work.
T oivanen , A. & T oivanen , P. (eds) Avian Immunology: Basis and Practice. 2 volumes.     

山西陵川南方红豆杉群落种间联结与生态位特征研究

基于对山西陵川县境内野生南方红豆杉群落的样地调查,采用总体相关性VR检验、Pearson相关系数、Spearman秩相关系数和生态位测度方法,在群落尺度上对南方红豆杉群落的种间联结性和生态位特征进行了研究。结果显示:(1)南方红豆杉(Taxus chinensis(Pilger)Rehd.var.mairei(Lemee et Levl.)Cheng et L.K.Fu)、荆条(Vitex negundo L.var.heterophylla(Franch.)Rehd.)、鹅耳枥(Carpinus turczaninowii Hance)、连翘(Forsythia suspensa(Thunb.)Vahl)和三裂绣线菊(Spiraea trilobata L.)的重要值和生态位宽度较大,为群落中的建群种和优势种;(2)物种间生态位重叠指数总体偏高,种间竞争较强,尤其是南方红豆杉与其他物种之间;(3)群落总体呈显著负联结,大多数种对间呈中性关联(χ23.84,P0.05);(4)群落中物种间的Pearson相关系数、Spearman秩相关系数与生态位重叠指数之间表现为极显著的正相关(P0.01),而生态位宽度与生态位重叠指数之间未表现出线性关系,即物种间的竞争关系随种间关联性的增大而增强,而与生态位宽度没有直接关系。本研究可为保护和利用本区现有野生南方红豆杉资源提供合理的理论支撑。     

Besprechungen

Reviewed in this article:
Annual Review of Phytopathology. Herausgegeben von J. G. H orsfall und K. F. B aker .
Paedi, K. and M. V. Tracey, continued by H. F. L inskens and M. V. T racey .
Paech, K. and M. V. Tracey, continued by H. E. L inskens and M. V. T racey . in cooperation with B. D. S anwal , Modern Methods of Plant Analysis.
Sdimalfufi, K., Pflanzenernahrung und Bodenkunde.
Virus diseases of Apples and Pears. Herausgegeben von A. F. P osnette .     

Buchbesprechungen / Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Sachs, L. , Angewandte Statistik (Anwendung statistischer Methoden).
Progress in Botany (Fortschritt der Botanik). Morphology—Physiology—Genetics—Taxonomy—Geobotany. Herausgeber: K. E sser , K. K ubitzki , M. R unge , E. S chnepf , H. Z iegler .
Cummins, G. B., and Yasuyuki Hiratsuka , Illustrated Genera of Rust Fungi.
Pirson, A., and M. H. Zimmermann (Eds.) , Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology, New Series, Vol 12 D. O. L. L ange , P. S. N obel , C. B. O smond , H. Z ieg - ler (Eds.): Physiological Plant Ecology IV.
Mass, J. L. (ed) , Compendium of Strawberry Diseases.     

Modeling the cellular basis of altered excitation-contraction coupling in heart failure

Ca transients measured in failing human ventricular myocytes exhibit reduced amplitude and slowed relaxation [Beuckelmann, D.J., Nabauer, M., Erdmann, E., 1992. Intracellular calcium handling in isolated ventricular myocytes from patients with terminal heart failure. Circulation 85, 1046-1055; Gwathmey, J.K., Copelas, L., MacKinnon, R., Schoen, F.J., Feldman, M.D., Grossman, W., Morgan, J.P., 1987. Abnormal intracellular calcium handling in myocardium from patients with end-stage heart failure. Circ. Res. 61, 70-76; Kaab, S., Nuss, H. B., Chiamvimonvat, N., O'Rourke, B., Pak, P.H., Kass, D.A., Marban, E., Tomaselli, G.F., 1996. Ionic mechanism of action potential prolongation in ventricular myocytes from dogs with pacing-induced heart failure. Circ. Res. 78(2); Li, H.G., Jones, D.L., Yee, R., Klein, G.J., 1992. Electrophysiologic substrate associated with pacing-induced hert failure in dogs: potential value of programmed stimulation in predicting sudden death. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 19(2), 444-449; Vermeulen, J.T., McGuire, M.A., Opthof, T., Colonel, R., Bakker, J.M.T.d., Klopping, C., Janse, M.J., 1994. Triggered activity and automaticity in ventricular trabeculae of failing human and rabbit hearts. Cardiovasc. Res. 28, 1547-1554.] and blunted frequency dependence [Davies, C.H., Davia, K., Bennett, J.G., Pepper, J.R., Poole-Wilson, P.A., Harding, S.E., 1995. Reduced contraction and altered frequency response of isolated ventricular myocytes from patients with heart failure. Circulation, 92, 2540-2549; Hasenfuss, G., Reinecke, H., Studer, R., Meyer, M., Pieske, B., Holtz, J., Holubarsch, C., Posival, H., Just, H., Drexler, H., 1994. Relation between myocardial function and expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase in failing and nonfailing human myocardium. Circ. Res. 75, 434-442; Hasenfuss, G., Reinecke, H., Studer, R., Pieske, B., Meyer, M., Drexler, H., Just, H., 1996. Calcium cycling proteins and force-frequency relationships in heart failure. Basic Res. Cardiol. 91, 17-22; Monte, F.D., O'Gara, P., Poole-Wilson, P.A., Yacoub, M., Harding, S.E., 1995. Cell geometry and contractile abnormalities of myocytes from failing human left ventricle. Cardiovasc. Res. 30, 281-290; Philips, P.J., Gwathmey, J.K., Feldman, M.D., Schoen, F.J., Grossman, W., Morgan, J.P., 1990. Post-extrasystolic potentiation and the force-frequency relationships: differential augmentation of myocardial contractility in working myocardium from patients with end-stage heart failure. J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 22, 99-110; Pieske, B., Hasenfuss, G., Holubarsch, C., Schwinger, R., Bohm, M., Just, H., 1992. Alterations of the force-frequency relationship in the failing human heart depend on the underlying cardiac disease. Basic Res. Cardiol. 87, 213-221.]. Analyses of protein levels in these failing hearts reveal that the SR Ca-ATPase is down-regulated on average by 50% and that the Na/Ca exchanger is up-regulated on average by a factor of two. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that this altered pattern of expression of Ca handling proteins is sufficient to account for changes in excitation-contraction coupling properties measured experimentally at the cellular level. To do this, we present an integrated model of excitation-contraction coupling in the guinea pig ventricular cell. The model is used to determine the effects of SR Ca-ATPase down-regulation and Na/Ca exchanger up-regulation on action potential duration, Ca transient shape and amplitude, and isometric force. Model analyses demonstrate that changes in Ca handling proteins play a direct and critical role in prolongation of action potential duration, and in reduction of contractile force in heart failure.     

The relationship between gastric acid secretion and gastric H+,K+-ATPase activity

The H+,K+-ATPase has been postulated to be the enzyme responsible for H+ secretion by the parietal cell. Omeprazole has been shown to be an inhibitor of acid secretion in vivo, but also in in vitro test models for acid secretion, including partly purified H+,K+-ATPase, the inhibitory action of omeprazole has been demonstrated (Wallmark, B., Jaresten, B. M., Larsson, H., Ryberg, B., Br?ndstr?m, A., and Fellenius, E. (1983) Am. J. Physiol. 245, G64-G71). It was thus possible to use this compound to demonstrate a correlation between H+,K+-ATPase activity in rat oxyntic mucosa and in vivo H+ secretion. Two results were found. (a) Increasing oral doses of omeprazole progressively inhibited acid secretion, H+,K+-ATPase activity, and phosphoenzyme formation of a microsomal fraction isolated from the inhibited rat mucosa. Furthermore, a Mg2+-stimulated ATPase activity, associated with the H+,K+-ATPase membrane fraction, was not affected by the omeprazole treatment. (b) Recovery of H+,K+-ATPase activity following complete omeprazole inhibition was correlated with the appearance of acid secretion. The results indicate a strict relationship between the activity of the gastric H+,K+-ATPase in the microsomal fraction and gastric acid secretion.     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed in this article:
COLES, S. An Introduction to Statistical Modeling of Extreme Values.
DOWNES, B. J., BARMUTA, L. A., FAIRWEATHER, P.G., FAITH, D. P., KEOUGH, M. J., LAKE, P. S., MAPSTONE, B. D. and QUINN, G. P. Monitoring Ecological Impacts: Concepts and Practice in Flowing Waters.
BRUNNER, E., DOMHOF, S. and LANGER, F. Nonparametric Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Factorial Experiments.
LANGE, K. Mathematical and Statistical Methods for Genetic Analysis, 3rd edition.
MILLIKEN, G. A. and JOHNSON, D. E. Analysis of Messy Data, Volume III: Analysis of Covariance.
SMITH, P. J. Analysis of Failure and Survival Data.
JONES, P. W. and SMITH, P. Stochastic Processes: An Introduction.
PERCUS, J. K. Mathematics of Genome Analysis.
ROSENBAUM, P. Observational Studies, 2nd edition.
THODE, H. C., Jr. Testing for Normality.
GLAZ, J., NAUS, J. and WALLENSTEIN, S. Scan Statistics.
TOWNEND, J. Practical Statistics for Environmental and Biological Scientists.
REDDY, M. V. Statistics for Mental Health Care Research.     

A conformation-specific interhelical salt bridge in the K+ binding site of gastric H,K-ATPase

Homology modeling of gastric H,K-ATPase based on the E2 model of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (Toyoshima, C., and Nomura, H. (2002) Nature 392, 835-839) revealed the presence of a single high-affinity binding site for K+ and an E2 form-specific salt bridge between Glu820 (M6) and Lys791 (M5). In the E820Q mutant this salt bridge is no longer possible, and the head group of Lys791, together with a water molecule, fills the position of the K+ ion and apparently mimics the K+-filled cation binding pocket. This gives an explanation for the K+-independent ATPase activity and dephosphorylation step of the E820Q mutant (Swarts, H. G. P., Hermsen, H. P. H., Koenderink, J. B., Schuurmans Stekhoven, F. M. A. H., and De Pont, J. J. H. H. M. (1998) EMBO J. 17, 3029-3035) and, indirectly, for its E1 preference. The model is strongly supported by a series of reported mutagenesis studies on charged and polar amino acid residues in the membrane domain. To further test this model, Lys791 was mutated alone and in combination with other crucial residues. In the K791A mutant, the K+ affinity was markedly reduced without altering the E2 preference of the enzyme. The K791A mutation prevented, in contrast to the K791R mutation, the spontaneous dephosphorylation of the E820Q mutant as well as its conformational equilibrium change toward E1. This indicates that the salt bridge is essential for high-affinity K+ binding and the E2 preference of H,K-ATPase. Moreover, its breakage (E820Q) can generate a K+-insensitive activity and an E1 preference. In addition, the study gives a molecular explanation for the electroneutrality of H,K-ATPases.     

Phospholipids chiral at phosphorus. Absolute configuration of chiral thiophospholipids and stereospecificity of phospholipase D

Separate diastereomers of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3- thiophosphoethanolamine ( DPPsE ) were prepared in 97% diastereomeric purity and characterized by 31P, 13C, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The isomers hydrolyzed by phospholipases A2 and C specifically were designated as isomer B (31P NMR delta 59.13 in CDCl3 + Et3N ) and isomer A (59.29 ppm), respectively, analogous to the isomers B and A of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3- thiophosphocholine ( DPPsC ) [ Bruzik , K., Jiang , R.-T., & Tsai, M.-D. (1983) Biochemistry 22, 2478-2486]. Phospholipase D from cabbage was shown to be specific to isomer A of DPPsC in transphosphatidylation . The product DPPsE was shown to be isomer A. The absolute configuration of chiral DPPsE at phosphorus was elucidated by bromine-mediated desulfurization in H2 18O to give chiral 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-[18O]phosphoethanolamine ( [18O]DPPE) followed by 31 P NMR analysis [ Bruzik , K., & Tsai, M.-D. (1984) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 106, 747-754]. The absolute configuration of chiral DPPsC was elucidated by desulfurization in H2 18O mediated by bromine or cyanogen bromide to give chiral 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-[18O]phosphocholine ( [18O]DPPC), which was then converted to [18O]DPPE by phospholipase D with retention of configuration [ Bruzik , K., & Tsai, M.-D. (1984) Biochemistry (preceding paper in this issue)]. The results indicate that isomer A of both DPPsE and DPPsC is SP whereas isomer B is RP.     

Brain actin-associated protein phosphatase 1 holoenzymes containing spinophilin, neurabin, and selected catalytic subunit isoforms

We previously characterized PP1bp134 and PP1bp175, two neuronal proteins that bind the protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit (PP1). Here we purify from rat brain actin-cytoskeletal extracts PP1(A) holoenzymes selectively enriched in PP1gamma(1) over PP1beta isoforms and also containing PP1bp134 and PP1bp175. PP1bp134 and PP1bp175 were identified as the synapse-localized F-actin-binding proteins spinophilin (Allen, P. B., Ouimet, C. C., and Greengard, P. (1997) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 94, 9956-9561; Satoh, A., Nakanishi, H., Obaishi, H., Wada, M., Takahashi, K., Satoh, K., Hirao, K., Nishioka, H., Hata, Y., Mizoguchi, A., and Takai, Y. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 3470-3475) and neurabin (Nakanishi, H., Obaishi, H., Satoh, A., Wada, M., Mandai, K., Satoh, K., Nishioka, H. , Matsuura, Y., Mizoguchi, A., and Takai, Y. (1997) J. Cell Biol. 139, 951-961), respectively. Recombinant spinophilin and neurabin interacted with endogenous PP1 and also with each other when co-expressed in HEK293 cells. Spinophilin residues 427-470, or homologous neurabin residues 436-479, were sufficient to bind PP1 in gel overlay assays, and selectively bound PP1gamma(1) from a mixture of brain protein phosphatase catalytic subunits; additional N- and C-terminal sequences were required for potent inhibition of PP1. Immunoprecipitation of spinophilin or neurabin from crude brain extracts selectively coprecipitated PP1gamma(1) over PP1beta. Moreover, immunoprecipitation of PP1gamma(1) from brain extracts efficiently coprecipitated spinophilin and neurabin, whereas PP1beta immunoprecipitation did not. Thus, PP1(A) holoenzymes containing spinophilin and/or neurabin target specific neuronal PP1 isoforms, facilitating efficient regulation of synaptic phosphoproteins.     

New contributions to the flora of Myanmar I

In this study, we describe several new taxa belonging to the flora of Myanmar. One new family, Polyosmaceae (Polyosma wallichii Benn.) is recorded. Over ten new genera are recorded for the first time, including Amentotaxus Pilger (Taxaceae), Hydrobryopsis Engler (Podostemaceae), Cyrtosia Blume and Biermannia King & Pantling (Orchidaceae), Eleutharrhena Forman and Haematocarpus Miers (Menispermaceae), Craigia W.W. Smith & W.E. Evans (Malvaceae), Amblyanthopsis Mez (Primulaceae), Huodendron Rehder and Rehderodendron Hu (Styracaceae), Platea Blume (Metteniusaceae), Achyrospermum Blume (Lamiaceae), Christisonia Gardner (Orobanchaceae). In addition, five new species are described and illustrated: Tupistra natmataungensis Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding, Biermannia burmanica Y.H. Tan & Bin Yang, Impatiens megacalyx Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding, Amblyanthopsis burmanica Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding, Platea kachinensis Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding. The distribution, ecology, phenology, and conservation status of these new species are also described.     

Sequence of histone 2B of Drosophila melanogaster.

The complete sequence of histone 2B of Drosophila has been determined by using an improved Beckman sequenator. Comparing these data with those previously published by other investigators on the histone 2B of calf [Iwai, K., Hayashi, H., & Ishikawa, K. (1972) J. Biochem. (Tokyo) 72, 357--367], trout [Koostra, A., & Bailey, G. S. (1978) Biochemistry 17, 2504--2510], and Patella (a limpet) [van Helden, P. D., Strickland, W. N., Brandt, W. F., & von Holt, C. (1979) Eur. J. Biochem. 93, 71--78], it is possible to assess the evolutionary stability of this protein. There is little conservation of sequence in the N-terminal portion of the molecule (residues 1--26 numbering according to calf H2B), while the remainder of the protein, which we designate the C-terminal portion, is highly conserved. In the region of 27--125 residues, there are 9 substitutions in the composite data among the 98 positions, 8 of them conservative. These data indicate that very different selective pressures operate on the two different portions of the H2B molecule, implying the existence of two well-defined regions. Studies on the structure of the nucleosome by others have suggested that the C-terminal portion of H2B is involved in histone-histone interactions while the N-terminal portion is a relatively free "tail" binding to DNA. The sequence data indicate that the function of the C-terminal region of H2B requires considerable sequence specificity while that of the N-terminal region does not.     

Identification of a GH110 subfamily of alpha 1,3-galactosidases: novel enzymes for removal of the alpha 3Gal xenotransplantation antigen

In search of alpha-galactosidases with improved kinetic properties for removal of the immunodominant alpha1,3-linked galactose residues of blood group B antigens, we recently identified a novel prokaryotic family of alpha-galactosidases (CAZy GH110) with highly restricted substrate specificity and neutral pH optimum (Liu, Q. P., Sulzenbacher, G., Yuan, H., Bennett, E. P., Pietz, G., Saunders, K., Spence, J., Nudelman, E., Levery, S. B., White, T., Neveu, J. M., Lane, W. S., Bourne, Y., Olsson, M. L., Henrissat, B., and Clausen, H. (2007) Nat. Biotechnol. 25, 454-464). One member of this family from Bacteroides fragilis had exquisite substrate specificity for the branched blood group B structure Galalpha1-3(Fucalpha1-2)Gal, whereas linear oligosaccharides terminated by alpha1,3-linked galactose such as the immunodominant xenotransplantation epitope Galalpha1-3Galbeta1-4GlcNAc did not serve as substrates. Here we demonstrate the existence of two distinct subfamilies of GH110 in B. fragilis and thetaiotaomicron strains. Members of one subfamily have exclusive specificity for the branched blood group B structures, whereas members of a newly identified subfamily represent linkage specific alpha1,3-galactosidases that act equally well on both branched blood group B and linear alpha1,3Gal structures. We determined by one-dimensional (1)H NMR spectroscopy that GH110 enzymes function with an inverting mechanism, which is in striking contrast to all other known alpha-galactosidases that use a retaining mechanism. The novel GH110 subfamily offers enzymes with highly improved performance in enzymatic removal of the immunodominant alpha3Gal xenotransplantation epitope.     

Book Reviews

McCONWAY, K. J., JONES, M. C., and TAYLOR, P. C. Statistical Modelling using Genstat. SCHINAZI, R. B. Classical and Spatial Point Processes. PERRY, J. E., SMITH, R. H., WOIWOD, I. P., and MORSE, D. R. (editors). Chaos in Real Data: The Analysis of Non‐linear Dynamics from Short Ecological Time Series. BURTON, R. F. Physiology by Numbers, 2nd edition. BERLINER, L. M., NYCHKA, D., and HOAR, T. (editors). Studies in the Atmospheric Sciences. PRAKASA RAO, B. L. S. Statistical Inference for Diffusion Type Processes. DONNER, A. and KLAR, N. Design and Analysis of Cluster Randomization Trials in Health Research. MATIS, J. H. and KIFFE, T. R. Stochastic Population Models: A Compartmental Perspective. LINDSEY, J. K. Models for Repeated Measurements, 2nd edition. FORD, E. D. Scientific Method for Ecological Research. BURNHAM, K. P. and ANDERSON, D. R. Model Selection and Inference: A Practical Information‐Theoretic Approach. COX, D. R. and REID, N. The Theory of the Design of Experiments. PINHEIRO, J. C. and BATES, D. M. Mixed‐effects models in S and S‐PLUS. VENABLES, W. N. and RIPLEY, B. D. S Programming. KRAUSE, A. and OLSON, M. The Basics of S and S‐PLUS. CHEN, M.‐H., SHAO, Q.‐M., and IBRAHIM, J. G. Monte Carlo Methods in Bayesian Computation. SAHAI, H. and AGEEL, M. L. The Analysis of Variance: Fixed, Random, and Mixed Models. EVERITT, B. S. and DUNN, G. Statistical Analysis of Medical Data: New Developments. MUKHOPADHYAY, N. Probability and Statistical Inference. KNIGHT, K. Mathematical Statistics. Brief reports by the editor MILLER, R. E. Optimization: Foundations and Applications. BLAND, M. An Introduction to Medical Statistics, 3rd edition. RABE‐HESKETH, S. and EVERITT, B. A Handbook of Statistical Analyses using Stata, 2nd edition. KOO, J. O. (editor). American Series in Mathematical and Management Sciences Volume 42. Modern Mathematical, Management, and Statistical Sciences, The Index to the 20th Century, Prologue to the 21st Century. MISHRA, S. N. and SHARMA, B. D. (editors). American Series in Mathematical and Management Sciences Volume 43. FIM‐I, Forum for Interdisciplinary Mathematics Proceedings on Statistical Inference, Combinatorics and Related Areas, Volume I of Proceedings of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Conference (Varanasi, India, December 1997). VENABLES, W. N. and RIPLEY, B. D. Modern Applied Statistics with S‐PLUS, 3rd edition.     

Structures of photolyzed carboxymyoglobin

The structures of photoactivated carboxymyoglobin (Mb*CO) at temperatures to 10 K have been investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, visible spectroscopy, and near-infrared spectroscopy. Two energy states for *CO are observed by FT-IR, which are altered in frequency by 94% and 88% of the difference from the ground-state heme CO toward free CO gas [Alben, J. O., Beece, D., Bowne, S. F., Doster, W., Eisenstein, L. Frauenfelder, H., Good, D., McDonald, J. D., Marden, M. C., Moh, P. P., Reinisch, L., Reynolds, A. H., Shyamsundar, E., & Yue, K. T. (1982) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 3744-3748]. Ground-state MbCO shows no absorption in the near-infrared from 700 to 1200 nm. Conversely, Mb*CO shows an absorption near 766 nm, similar to that of ferrous myoglobin (deoxy-Mb) at 758 nm. These data are compared with M?ssbauer isomer shifts and quadrupole splitting [Spartalian, K., Lang, G., & Yonetani, T. (1976) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 428, 281-290] and magnetic susceptibility measurements [Roder, H., Berendzen, J., Bowne, S. F., Frauenfelder, H., Sauke, T. B., Shyamsunder, E., & Weissman, M. B. (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 2359-2363], which clearly indicate that the iron in both Mb*CO and deoxy-Mb is in the high-spin Fe(II) state, as does the heme transition in the Soret [Iizuka, T., Yamamoto, H., Kotani, M., & Yonetani, T. (1974) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 371, 126-139]. Thus the electronic structure of iron in Mb*CO is nearly identical with that of deoxy-Mb, and *CO is only slightly perturbed from the free gas.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Single amino acid substitutions in kappa-conotoxin PVIIA disrupt interaction with the shaker K+ channel

kappa-Conotoxin PVIIA (kappa-PVIIA), a 27-amino acid peptide with three disulfide cross-links, isolated from the venom of Conus purpurascens, is the first conopeptide shown to inhibit the Shaker K(+) channel (Terlau, H., Shon, K., Grilley, M., Stocker, M., Stühmer, W., and Olivera, B. M. (1996) Nature 381, 148-151). Recently, two groups independently determined the solution structure for kappa-PVIIA using NMR; although the structures reported were similar, two mutually exclusive models for the interaction of the peptide with the Shaker channel were proposed. We carried out a structure/function analysis of kappa-PVIIA, with alanine substitutions for all amino acids postulated to be key residues by both groups. Our data are consistent with the critical dyad model developed by Ménez and co-workers (Dauplais, M., Lecoq, A., Song, J. , Cotton, J., Jamin, N., Gilquin, B., Roumestand, C., Vita, C., de Medeiros, C., Rowan, E. G., Harvey, A. L., and Ménez, A. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 4802-4809) for polypeptide antagonists of K(+) channels. In the case of kappa-PVIIA, Lys(7) and Phe(9) are essential for activity as predicted by Savarin et al. (Savarin, P., Guenneugues, M., Gilquin, B., Lamthanh, H., Gasparini, S., Zinn-Justin, S., and Ménez, A. (1998) Biochemistry 37, 5407-5416); these workers also correctly predicted an important role for Lys(25). Thus, although kappa-conotoxin PVIIA has no obvious sequence homology to polypeptide toxins from other venomous animals that interact with voltage-gated K(+) channels, there may be convergent functional features in diverse K(+) channel polypeptide antagonists.