Ectothiorhodospira vacuolata sp. nov., a new phototrophic bacterium from soda lakes

A new phototrophic bacterium was isolated from Jordanian and Kenyan alkaline salt lakes. Cells are rod shaped, 1.5 m wide and 2–4 m long, and motile by polar flagella. They divide by binary fission, and possess photosynthetic membranes as lamellar stacks similar to those in the other species of the genus Ectothiorhodospira and the brown colored Rhodospirillum species. The presence of bacteriochlorophyll a and carotenoids of the normal spirilloxanthin series is indicated by the absorption spectra of living cells. Under certain growth conditions the cells form gas vacuoles, may become immotile and float to the top of the culture medium. Sulfide and thiosulfate are used as photosynthetic electron donors. During the oxidation of sulfide to sulfate, elemental sulfur is formed, which is accumulated outside the cells. The organisms are strictly anaerobic, do not require vitamins, are moderately halophilic and need alkaline pH-values for growth. The new species Ectothiorhodospira vacuolata is proposed.     

The relationship between the nuage and the chromatoid body during spermatogenesis in the Rat

Summary Cytoplasmic structures ultrastructurally similar to the nuage are present in the cytoplasm of all spermatogenic cells in adult rats. The nuage is a discrete organelle which should not be confused with the chromatoid body. In step 7–8 spermatids transient contact is established between the nuage and the chromatoid body. This indicates a very specific recognition of the nuage by the chromatoid body. It is suggested that the nuage and the chromatoid body are separate cell organelles the functions of which are somehow related to each other.     

Physicochemical properties of salt-soluble,unsheared chromatin

The mass per unit length of and the corresponding DNA packing ratio of about 14 for the chromatin soluble at moderate ionic strengths has been determined by light scattering. With the increase in ionic strength and corresponding release of histone H1 the DNA packing ratio has been found to decrease down to 4.4. The data obtained are consistent with the idea suggested previously that the salt-soluble chromatin is organized in double nucleosome chains arranged side-by-side and stabilized by H1. With salt-induced H1 release the double chain dissociates and the nucleosomal DNA partially unravels.     

Sulfate assimilation in Rhodopseudomonas globiformis

Rhodopseudomonas globiformis is able to grow on sulfate as sole source of sulfur, but only at concentrations below 1 mM. Good growth was observed with thiosulfate, cysteine or methionine as sulfur sources. Tetrathionate supported slow growth. Sulfide and sulfite were growth inhibitory. Growth inhibition by higher sulfate concentrations was overcome by the addition of O-acetylserine, which is known as derepressor of sulfate-assimilating enzymes, and by reduced glutathione. All enzymes of the sulfate assimilation pathway. ATP-sulfurylase, adenylylphosphate-sulfotransferase, thiosulfonate reductase and O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase are present in R. globiformis. Sulfate was taken up by the cells and the sulfur incorporated into the amino acids cysteine, methionine and homocysteine. It is concluded, that the failure of R. globiformis to grow on higher concentrations of sulfate is caused by disregulation of the sulfate assimilation pathway. Some preliminary evidence for this view is given in comparing the activities of some of the involved enzymes after growth on different sulfur sources and by examining the effect of O-acetylserine on these activities.Abbreviations DTE dl-dithioerythritol - APS adenosine 5-phosphosulfate, adenylyl sulfate - PAPS 3-phosphoadenosine 5-phosphosulfate, 3-phosphoadenylylsulfate     

Visna Virus Meningoencephalomyelitis in Goats

A progressive paresis was encountered in herds of Swedish goats. The symptoms developed during a period of weeks or months, and were initially often seen as a weakness of the hind limbs before the animals became paralytic. The development and the histopathological lesions of the disease in the GNS and the lungs were similar to those of visna in sheep. In vitro grown choroid plexus cells, prepared from affected goats, showed foci of polykaryocytes. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of particles morphologically similar to those of sheep visna virus (SVV). Goats experimentally infected with the goat visna virus (GVV) developed GNS lesions similar to those of visna in sheep and became seropositive to SVV. The results of complement fixation tests, carried out on sera from 11 goat herds, showed a coincidence between seropositiveness and the occurrence of disease in one and the same herd. Using the ELISA method, an average of 80 % of the goats in 5 herds were found to be seropositive to GVV.     

Interference of Mycotoxins with Prenatal Development of the Mouse

The prenatal effects of mycotoxins were investigated in GBA mice given by stomach tube a single dose of either aflatoxin B1 (4 mg/kg), ochratoxin A (8 mg/kg) or zearalenone (20 mg/kg) on pregnancy day 8 or 9. Aflatoxin caused foetal anomalies (exencephaly, open eyes, and protrusion of intestines) after exposure on gestation day 8 but not on day 9. The effects (increased prenatal mortality, reduced foetal growth, and a wide variety of malformations) caused by ochratoxin were much more severe and occurred after treatment on either of the 2 days of gestation. Among the spectrum of malformations, predominantly involving the craniofacial complex and the axial skeleton, the most striking was the total aplasia/dysplasia of the upper facial structures. These defects were always accompanied by exencephaly and anophthalmia. Zearalenone caused no effects. It is concluded that of the 3 mycotoxins screened with the technique used, ochratoxin is the most potent teratogen in mice.     

Studies on immobilized α-glucosidase from brewers yeastSaccharomyces carlsbergensis

Summary -Glucosidase isolated from brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces carlsbergensis) was immobilized using hydroxymethacrylate activated by cyanogen bromide as a carrier. Up to a hundred-fold increase in the stability of the enzyme was observed after immobilization. The yield in activity (bound/applied) was up to 30%. Before developing the process of enzymatic cleavage of maltose further we evaluated the kinetic properties of the enzyme catalyst, as we had observed earlier that the soluble enzyme is strongly inhibited by the product glucose. This is even more pronounced with the immobilized -glucosidase leading in this case to a linear relation between initial rate and substrate concentration, so K_M (approx.) values can no longer be defined due to the dominating influence of the product inhibition.     

Influence of manganese on enzyme synthesis and citric acid accumulation inAspergillus niger

Summary A comparison of citric acid fermentations in manganese-deficient and manganese-containing media showed that manganese strongly influences idiophase metabolism. In the presence of manganese, cell growth increases, sugar consumption is diminished and acidogenesis decreases drastically. An investigation of the key enzymes of glycolysis, the pentosephosphate pathway, TCA-cycle, nitrogen metabolism, and gluconeogenesis indicated that manganese deficiency was accompanied by a repression of anabolic and TCA-cycle-enzymes with the exception of citrate synthase. The activity of this enzyme and the enzymes of glycolysis paralleled the sugar consumption rate. In the presence of manganese, no repression of enzyme synthesis was observed. Activities of 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase and isocitrate lyase could not be detected in either case. The results support the hypothesis that manganese deficiency mainly affects the operation of biosynthetic reactions inAspergillus niger, thus leading to an overflow of citric acid as an end product of glycolysis.