Cytochemical localization of Na+-K+-ATPase in rat type II pneumocytes

The distribution of sodium-potassium-activated adenosinetriphosphatase (Na+-K+-ATPase) in the alveolar portion of rat lungs was examined by indirect immunofluorescence with the use of a mouse monoclonal anti-rat Na+-K+-ATPase and by ultrastructural cytochemistry using p-nitrophenylphosphate as substrate. The reaction was inhibitable by 10 mM ouabain or by the omission of K+ from the reaction mixture. Cysteine or levamisole was used to inhibit alkaline phosphatase activity. By immunofluorescence, staining was confined to cuboidal cells in alveolar spaces. These were tentatively identified as type II pneumocytes. By ultrastructural cytochemistry reaction product was present on the cytoplasmic side of the basolateral membranes of type II pneumocytes. No reaction product was observed in type I pneumocytes or in endothelium. These results indicate that type II pneumocytes contain more Na+-K+-ATPase, an enzyme important in vectorial electrolyte transport, than type I pneumocytes or endothelial cells. More sensitive methods, however, are required to determine the amounts and distribution of this enzyme in type I pneumocytes and pulmonary vascular endothelial cells.     

Computer simulation of an ideal lateral inhibition function

A model for lateral inhibition is presented in the context of the auditory channel. The mechanical analyzing system of the inner ear cannot alone account for the frequency resolution of hearing. Some additional mechanism, possibly lateral inhibition located in the auditory neural network, is needed to achieve the frequency selectivity observed in electrophysiological and psychoacoustical experiments. In a computer simulation study, the shape of an ideal lateral inhibition function was obtained. Such a function is applicable to all sensory modalities. In hearing, this function permits the sharpest possible frequency resolution as it can completely remove the frequency desharpening effect of the mechanical properties of the basilar membrane. In vision, it can compensate for abberations caused by the imperfections of the optical system of the eye.An expanded version of a paper presented at the XIth Intenational Congress on Acoustics, Paris, 1983     

Rechargeable Dual‐Ion Batteries with Graphite as a Cathode: Key Challenges and Opportunities

Rechargeable graphite dual‐ion batteries (GDIBs) have attracted the attention of electrochemists and material scientists in recent years due to their low cost and high‐performance metrics, such as high power density (≈3–175 kW kg^?1), energy efficiency (≈80–90%), long cycling life, and high energy density (up to 200 Wh kg^?1), suited for grid‐level stationary storage of electricity. The key feature of GDIBs is the exploitation of the reversible oxidation of the graphite network with concomitant and highly efficient intercalation/deintercalation of bulky anionic species between graphene layers. In this review, historical and current research aspects of GDIBs are discussed, along with key challenges in their development and practical deployment. Specific emphasis is given to the operational mechanism of GDIBs and to unbiased and correct reporting of theoretical cell‐level energy densities.     

Growth-induced mass flows in fungal networks

Cord-forming fungi form extensive networks that continuously adapt to maintain an efficient transport system. As osmotically driven water uptake is often distal from the tips, and aqueous fluids are incompressible, we propose that growth induces mass flows across the mycelium, whether or not there are intrahyphal concentration gradients. We imaged the temporal evolution of networks formed by Phanerochaete velutina, and at each stage calculated the unique set of currents that account for the observed changes in cord volume, while minimizing the work required to overcome viscous drag. Predicted speeds were in reasonable agreement with experimental data, and the pressure gradients needed to produce these flows are small. Furthermore, cords that were predicted to carry fast-moving or large currents were significantly more likely to increase in size than cords with slow-moving or small currents. The incompressibility of the fluids within fungi means there is a rapid global response to local fluid movements. Hence velocity of fluid flow is a local signal that conveys quasi-global information about the role of a cord within the mycelium. We suggest that fluid incompressibility and the coupling of growth and mass flow are critical physical features that enable the development of efficient, adaptive biological transport networks.     

Preparation and use of the poly-l-lysine-gold probe: a differential marker of glomerular anionic sites

Summary The conditions required for the production of a polylysine-coated gold (PL-G) complex, which shows optimal sensitivity for the demonstration of tissue anionic sites, expressed under different conditions of pH have been investigated. Problems encountered with this complex have been compared with those found with other methods of conjugation of polylysine to colloidal gold. The performance of a bovine serum albumin (BSA)-stabilized PL-G complex was examined against other PL-G conjugates, including complexes that are commercially available, for the detection of heterogeneous glomerular anionic site populations, expressed at pH 2.5 and pH 7.0.     

Cyclic GMP directly regulates a cation conductance in membranes of bovine rods by a cooperative mechanism

Cyclic GMP causes the release of endogenous Ca2+ from rod outer segments, whose plasma membrane has been made permeable, or from isolated discs. Approximately 11,000 Ca2+ ions are released per disc at saturating concentrations of cyclic GMP. The velocity and the amplitude of the release of Ca2+ are dependent on the concentration of cyclic GMP. The maximal rate of the Ca2+ efflux is approximately 7 X 10(4) Ca2+ ions s-1 rod-1. The Ca2+ release by cyclic GMP is independent of light. The activation of the efflux occurred within a narrow range of the cyclic GMP concentration (30-80 microM) and does not obey a simple Michaelis-Menten scheme. Instead, the kinetic analysis of the Ca2+ efflux suggests that a minimum number of 2 molecules of cyclic GMP activates the ion conductance in a cooperative fashion. The release of Ca2+ by cyclic GMP requires a gradient of Ca2+ ions across the disc membrane. If the endogenous Ca2+ gradient is dissipated by means of the ionophore A23187, the release of Ca2+ by cyclic GMP is abolished. Ca2+ is released by analogues of cyclic GMP which are either modified at the 8-carbon position of the imidazole ring or by the deaza-analogue of cyclic GMP. Congeners of cyclic GMP which are modified at the ribose, phosphodiester, or pyrimidine portion of the molecule are ineffective. The hydrolysis of cyclic GMP by the light-regulated phosphodiesterase of rod outer segments is not a necessary condition for the Ca2+ release because 8-bromo-cyclic GMP, a congener resistant to hydrolysis, is a more powerful activator of the release than cyclic GMP itself. Ca2+ release by cyclic GMP is inhibited by organic and inorganic blockers of Ca2+ channels. The l-stereoisomer of cis-diltiazem blocks the release of Ca2+ at micromolar concentrations, whereas the d-form is much less effective. These results suggest that disc membranes contain a cationic conductance which is permeable to Ca2+ ions and which is regulated through the cooperative binding of at least 2 molecules of cyclic GMP to regulatory sites of the transport protein. By this mechanism, subtle changes in the concentration of cyclic GMP could promote large changes in the flux of Ca2+ ions across the disc membrane.