Relationship of formate to growth and methanogenesis by Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus

Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus is a methanogenic archaebacterium that can use either H2 or formate as its source of electrons for reduction of CO2 to methane. Growth and suspended-whole-cell experiments show that H2 plus CO2 methanogenesis was constitutive, while formate methanogenesis required adaptation time; selenium was necessary for formate utilization. Cells grown on formate had 20 to 100 times higher methanogenesis rates on formate than cells grown on H2-CO2 and transferred into formate medium. Enzyme assays with crude extracts and with F420 or methyl viologen as the electron acceptor revealed that hydrogenase was constitutive, while formate dehydrogenase was regulated. Cells grown on formate had 10 to 70 times higher formate dehydrogenase activity than cells grown on H2-CO2 with Se present in the medium; when no Se was added to H2-CO2 cultures, even lower activities were observed. Adaptation to and growth on formate were pH dependent, with an optimal pH for both about one pH unit above that optimal for H2-CO2 (pH 5.8 to 6.5). When cells were grown on H2-CO2 in the presence of formate, formate (greater than or equal to 50 mM) inhibited both growth and methanogenesis at pH 5.8 to 6.2, but not at pH greater than 6.6. Both acetate and propionate produced similar inhibition. Formate inhibition was also observed in Methanospirillum hungatei.     

The PEP4 gene encodes an aspartyl protease implicated in the posttranslational regulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae vacuolar hydrolases.

pep4 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae accumulate inactive precursors of vacuolar hydrolases. The PEP4 gene was isolated from a genomic DNA library by complementation of the pep4-3 mutation. Deletion analysis localized the complementing activity to a 1.5-kilobase pair EcoRI-XhoI restriction enzyme fragment. This fragment was used to identify an 1,800-nucleotide mRNA capable of directing the synthesis of a 44,000-dalton polypeptide. Southern blot analysis of yeast genomic DNA showed that the PEP4 gene is unique; however, several related sequences exist in yeasts. Tetrad analysis and mitotic recombination experiments localized the PEP4 gene proximal to GAL4 on chromosome XVI. Analysis of the DNA sequence indicated that PEP4 encodes a polypeptide with extensive homology to the aspartyl protease family. A comparison of the PEP4 predicted amino acid sequence with the yeast protease A protein sequence revealed that the two genes are, in fact, identical (see also Ammerer et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 6:2490-2499, 1986). Based on our observations, we propose a model whereby inactive precursor molecules produced from the PEP4 gene self-activate within the yeast vacuole and subsequently activate other vacuolar hydrolases.     

Investigation of mercaptans,organic sulfides,and inorganic sulfur compounds as sulfur sources for the growth of methanogenic bacteria

A variety of compounds were investigated for use as sulfur sources for the growth of methanogenic bacteria.Methanococcus (Mc.) deltae, Mc. maripaludis, Methanobacterium (Mb.) speciesGC-2B, GC-3B, andMMY, Methanobrevibacter (Mbr.) ruminantium, andMethanosarcina (Ms.) barkeri strain 227 grew well with sulfide, S^o, thiosulfate, or cysteine as sole sulfur source.Mbr. ruminatium was able to grow on SO ₄ ⁼ or SO ₃ ⁼ , andMs. barkeri strain 227 was able to grow on SO ₃ ⁼ , but not on SO ₄ ⁼ as a sole sulfur source.Mc. jannaschii grew with sulfide, S^o, thiosulfate or SO ₃ ⁼ , but not on cysteine or SO ₄ ⁼ as sole surface source.Mc. thermolithotrophicus, Mc. jannaschii, Mc. deltae, andMb. thermoautotrophicum strains Marburg and H were able to grow with methanethiol, ethanethiol,n-propanethiol,n-butanethiol, methyl sulfide, dimethyl sulfoxide, ethyl sulfide, or CS₂ as a sulfur source, when very low levels (20–30 M) of sulfide were present; no growth occurred on 5–100 M sulfide alone. Methanethiol, ethanethiol, and methyl sulfide-using cultures produced sulfide during growth.     

酪氨酸对大鼠离体Leydig细胞睾酮和cAMP生成的影响

本实验采用胶原酶消化,Ficoll 密度梯度离心,制备大鼠睾丸 Leydig 细胞悬浮液进行体外培养(每管内含有10~6 细胞),以研究酪氨酸对 Leydig 细胞睾酮和cAMP 生成的影响。实验结果表明,hCG(100mIU)能明显地促进Leydig 细胞睾酮和 cAMP的生成。睾酮从对照组的3.08±0.58ng(X±SD,下同)增加到41.61±1.52ng,cAMP 含量从19.62±2.56pmol增加到153.24±5.92pmol。若将酪氨酸(60μg)与hCG同时加入到细胞培养液中,则睾酮和cAMP 含量分别下降到 19.22±.0.52ng(P<0.01)和92.63±6.02pmol(P<0.05)。但是,酪氨酸羟化酶抑制剂(α-甲基酪氨酸)对酪氨酸抗hCG致睾酮生成作用无阻断效应,而酪氨酸对外源cAMP(2.5mM)诱导的睾酮生成,则有明显的抑制作用,睾酮含量从27.56±1.53ng降至 19.50±0.47ng(P<0.01)。以上实验结果表明,酪氨酸抗hCG致睾酮生成的作用机理与cAMP有关。     

云南叶螨属一新种(蜱螨目:叶螨科)

在鉴定云南叶螨标本时,发现叶螨属一新种,现记述如下。模式标本保存于上海农学院。本文量度单位均为微米。 食禾叶螨Tetranychus graminivorus新种(图1—14) 雌螨 体长(包括喙)454,宽298。椭圆形。浅黄绿色。须肢端感器圆柱形,长6.8,     

Lipid synthesis in relation to the cell cycle of Bacillus megaterium KM and Escherichia coli

Lipid synthesis during the cell duplication cycle of Bacillus megaterium KM and Escherichia coli was studied by glycerol incorporation both in synchronized cultures and in unsynchronized exponentially growing populations subsequently fractionated according to size (and age). A large transient increase in the rate of incorporation per unit cell mass was observed around the time of cell division, probably reflecting the synthesis of the division septum.     

ELECTRON MICROSCOPY OF MITOSIS IN A RADIOSENSITIVE GIANT AMOEBA

Various aspects of the ultrastructure of the dividing nuclei in the large radiosensitive amoeba Pelomyxa illinoisensis are demonstrated. Evidence of nuclear envelope breakdown is presented, and membrane fragments are traced throughout metaphase to envelope reconstruction in anaphase and telophase. Annuli in the nuclear envelope and its fragments are shown throughout mitosis. During metaphase and anaphase some 15 to 20 mitochondria are aligned at each end of the spindle, and are called polar mitochondria. The radioresistant amoebae Pelomyxa carolinensis and Amoeba proteus do not have polar mitochondria, and Pelomyxa illinoisensis is unique in this regard. The shape of the P. illinoisensis interphase nucleoli differs from that in the two radioresistant species, and certain aspects of nucleolar dissolution in the prophase vary. Helical coils in the interphase nucleoplasm are similar to those in the radioresistant amoebae. A "blister" phase in the flatly shaped telophase nuclei of P. illinoisensis is described which is interpreted to be the result of a rapid nuclear expansion leading to the formation of the normal spherical interphase nuclei.     

中国东北地区常见有瓣蝇类调查初步报告

与人类杂处的蝇类,在我国东北地区的分布情况尚少系统调查。作者于1956年5月、8月曾赴内蒙东北部(伊图里河、图里河),6月、7月赴营口、盘山(田庄台),借这些机会,顺便采集了蝇类标本;同年9月组内同志去绥中也采回部分标本;1957年5月至10月作者又赴吉林、辽宁两省各地进行了蝇类调查。其中有瓣蝇类已经定名的共计5科26属68种,有6种为国内新记录。兹将结果报告如下: