Retinoblastoma,gross internal malformations,and deletion 13q14→q31

Summary A male patient with an interstitial deletion 13q14q31 is described. Our necropsy findings included a left retinoblastoma and several gross internal malformations. In this paper we reaffirm that band 13q14 is involved in cases of retinoblastoma and we propose, after studying accompanying cases of total or partial long arm trisomies 13, that the loss of specific 13q bands, from 13q14 to 13q31 is responsible for the congenital defects we are describing.     

Immunochemistry of membrane F1-Adenosine triphosphatase fromMicrococcus lysodeikticus. Role of the alpha subunit

The membrane-bound ATPase activity from two substrains ofMicrococcus lysodeikticus, designated as A and B, was inhibited by antibodies raised against the two forms of purified F₁-ATPase. Form B of the enzyme, which behaved as a poorer immunogen than form A, also showed less reactivity as an antigen, independent of the physical state of the F₁-ATPase form. Antibodies were raised against the two major subunits ( and ) isolated fromM. lysodeikticus F₁-ATPase form A, which was the most stable form of the enzyme. Anti-(-subunit) serum strongly inhibited the ATPase activity of membrane-bound ATPase but showed little inhibition of the purified, soluble F₁-ATPase. The anti-(-subunit) serum inhibited the soluble F₁-ATPase, but to a lesser extent than the membrane-bound enzyme. In any event, the effect of anti- antibodies on the membrane-bound ATPase was smaller than that of anti- antibodies. It was postulated that the subunit ofM. lysodeikticus F₁-ATPase plays an essential and regulatory role in the expression of the immunochemical properties of the protein.     

Purification and properties of O-acetyl-L-serine sulphydrylase from wheat leaves

O-Acetyl-L-serine sulphydrylase (OASS), the enzyme which produces L-cysteine from O-acetyl-L-serine (OAS) and sulphide, is     

Biochemical analysis of damage induced in yeast by formaldehyde. I. Induction of single-strand breaks in DNA and their repair.

Analysis of sedimentation profiles in alkaline sucrose gradients showed that, through a metabolic process, formaldehyde (FA) produced single-strand breaks in DNA of exponential phase cells of haploid wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The production of this type of lesion was dose-dependent. Strains defective in excision-repair of pyrimidine dimers induced by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation showed a reduced capacity to undergo single-stand breaks after treatment with FA. This indicates that the repair pathways of damage induced by UV and FA share a common step. Post-treatment incubation of wild-type cells in growth medium indicate a lag in cell division during which a slow recovery of DNA with a normal size was observed.     

Protein-lipid interactions and differential scanning calorimetric studies of bacteriorhodopsin reconstituted lipid-water systems

Bacteriorhodopsin has been reconstituted at various molar concentrations into liposomes of dimyristoyl- and also of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. Differential scanning calorimetry indicates that as the protein concentration within the lipid bilayer increases, the cooperativity of the lipid phase transition is reduced, i.e. the transition is broadened, while the midpoint transition temperature remains virtually unchanged. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy of our preparation shows, in agreement with previous data from other laboratories, that extensive protein aggregation occurs when the liposome is cooled below the T_c transition temperature of the lipid. Laser flash photolysis measurements of protein rotation of the bacteriorhodopsin show, especially in the case of protein-rich recombinants, that protein aggregates exist even above T_c. The perturbation caused by the presence of bacteriorhodopsin in the lipid bilayer is similar to that produced by other intrinsic proteins. The difficulty of correlating the observed calorimetric enthalpy data with a simple concept of a ‘boundary lipid layer’ based upon consideration of a single isolated protein is discussed in view of the occurrence of protein aggregates both above and below T_c. It is concluded that the reduction of enthalpy is related to the number of lipids which solvate the protein aggregates within the protein-lipid patches and are thereby removed from the cooperative melting and enthalpy of the remaining regions of pure lipid.     

Dipole moments of random coil polypeptides

The Rotational Isomeric States model is applied to calculate dipole moments of polypeptides of the twenty natural α-amino acids in the random coil state. Dipole moments of each repeat unit (μ_i), are evaluated using a quantum mechanics procedure. Dipole moment ratios ($\text{D}{}_{\mathrm{x}}\text{=}\text{〈μ}{}^2\text{〉}\text{x}\text{μ}{}_{\mathrm{i}}{}^2\text{,}\text{x = number of repeat units}$) of homopolypeptides are calculated and extrapolated to x →?. With a few exceptions, D_? = 0.36 ± 0.1. Ten actual proteins and three enzymes are also studied; their dipole ratios (D_x′ =〈μ〉/x) range from 7.34 to 10.57 in 10^?59 C² m² (6.6–9.5 D²). Diffferences in the values of D_x′ are due mainly to the different contributions, μ_i, of the amino acid residues contained in each polymer, whereas the sequence of amino acids has a very minor effect.     

A limnological reconnaissance of Lake Tebenquiche,Salar de Atacama,Chile

A number of expeditions to the area of Salar de Atacama, Chile, 68° 15'W, 20° 30'S, have involved studies of the biological and chemical features of Lake Tebenquiche, situated in the interior of the salar. Chemically, Tebenquiche is hypersaline, with practically anoxic waters dominated by sodium and chloride ions but with high concentrations of sulphate also. The lake is surrounded and invaded by macrophytes, dominated by Scirpus olmeyi and Juncus, which provide organic material for the formation of bacterial mats. The fauna of limnetic crustaceans is almost exclusively of Artemia salina. The most important genera of bacteria are: Marinomonas, Halobacterium, Acinetobacter and the sulphur reductors Vibrio and Bacillus. The Cyanobacteria are represented exclusively by Oscillatoria.     

Decomposition and nutrient liberation rates of plant material in the Parana medio River (Argentina)

The degradation of plant material was studied in order to obtain degradation coefficients and nutrient release kinetics of the vegetation that will be submerged during the filling of the future Parana Medio man-made lake. A group of 13 plant species representative of the whole vegetation of the area were chosen.The plant samples (submerged at 2.5–4 m in the Setubal lagoon), were periodically analyzed during 97 days. The experimental data were fitted to an exponential decomposition model. The plants were classified according to their velocities of degradation into three groups: fast (K>0.01), mean (0.01>K>0.005) and slow (K<0.005). The curves of release of P, N, Ca, Mg, Na and K in function of time are presented and discussed.     

The influence of ionic composition on the distribution of nematode species in springs of the province of Granada (Spain)

The ionic composition of 38 mineral springs in the province of Granada (Spain), and the distribution of 45 species of nematodes belonging to orders Monhysterida, Araeolaimida, Chromadorida and Enoplida were examined. Water chemistry is used to make two diagrams representing anionic and cationic composition. Diagrams for anionic composition (given the greater variance seen in the springs considered) are used to illustrate the distribution of individual species. The results obtained from species distribution and the correlation between species made it possible to group species which could be associated with springs where each of the anions considered predominated. A greater number of species groups was found to inhabit springs in which chloride concentrations was less than 50% of the total concentration of anions.