Membrane proteins and squalene-hydrosqualene profile in methanoarchaeon Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus resistant to N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide

The biochemical basis of a defective bioenergetic system was attempted to be determined in N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD)-resistant mutant of Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus. Components participating in the maintenance of methanoarchaeal membrane structure and function, such as the composition of the mixture of squalene and its hydrosqualene derivatives and also properties of membrane-associated proteins were compared in wild-type and mutant cells. The impairment of the bioenergetic system in DCCD-resistant mutant was detectable in the membrane-protein profile; it was also accompanied by changes in proportions of squalene-hydrosqualenes.     

Formation and temperature stability of G-quadruplex structures studied by electronic and vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy combined with ab initio calculations

Variations in the structure of d(GGGA)(5) oligonucleotide in the presence of Li(+), Na(+), and K(+) ions and its temperature stability were studied using electronic and vibrational circular dichroism, IR absorption, and ab initio calculations with the Becke 3-Lee-Yang-Parr functional at the 6-31G** level. The samples were characterized by nondenaturing gel electrophoresis. Oligonucleotide d(GGGA)(5) in the presence of Li(+) forms a nonplanar single tetramer, with angles of 102 degrees and 171 degrees between neighboring guanine bases. This tetramer changes its geometry at temperatures >50 degrees C, but does not form a quadruplex structure. In the presence of Na(+), the d(GGGA)(5) structure was optimized to almost planar tetramers with an angle of 177 degrees between neighboring guanines. The spectral results suggest that it stacks into a quadruplex helical structure. This quadruplex structure decayed to a single tetramer at temperatures >60 degrees C. The Hartree-Fock energies imply that d(GGGA)(5) prefers to form complexes with Na(+) rather than Li(+). The d(GGGA)(5) structure in the presence of monovalent ions is stabilized against thermal denaturation in the order Li(+) < Na(+) < K(+).     

Magnetic Alignment in Carps: Evidence from the Czech Christmas Fish Market

While magnetoreception in birds has been studied intensively, the literature on magnetoreception in bony fish, and particularly in non-migratory fish, is quite scarce. We examined alignment of common carps (Cyprinus carpio) at traditional Christmas sale in the Czech Republic. The sample comprised measurements of the directional bearings in 14,537 individual fish, distributed among 80 large circular plastic tubs, at 25 localities in the Czech Republic, during 817 sampling sessions, on seven subsequent days in December 2011. We found that carps displayed a statistically highly significant spontaneous preference to align their bodies along the North-South axis. In the absence of any other common orientation cues which could explain this directional preference, we attribute the alignment of the fish to the geomagnetic field lines. It is apparent that the display of magnetic alignment is a simple experimental paradigm of great heuristic potential.     

Orientation ofFucus egg polarity by electric a. c. and d. c. fields

Summary Zygotes of the marine brown alga,Fucus serratus, have been subjected to the different modes of electric fields. 1) The result of a former study with conductive d.c. fields has been confirmed using electrostatic d.c. fields of 0.5 to 4 V/cm: the zygotes develop the cell polarity axis parallel to the imposed field with the rhizoid pole toward the cathode. 2) The frequency response to both, conductive and electrostatic, a.c. fields represents an optimum curve. The response,i.e. rhizoid formation at either or, in rare cases, both cell poles, peaks at square pulse durations,t _E, of 70 to 120 ms. 3) The same frequency response appears if the pulse number is kept constant at 8s^–1 by variation of the interval between the pulses,t _o. Only fort _oo > 200 ms,i.e. a pulse number of 3s^–1 the response declines markedly. The data support our hypothesis that imposed electric fields induce cell polarityvia differential shift of the membrane potential rather than transcellular current flow. Furthermore, the given dose-response curves strikingly resemble those due to the other morphogenetically active signals: percent response consistently approximates the per cent signal intensity gradient which evokes it.     

Cytophotometrische Messungen des Nukleinsäure- und Proteingehaltes von Ganglienzellen der Ratte während der postnatalen Entwicklung und im Alter

Zusammenfassung An den Purkinje-Zellen des Rattenkleinhirns wurden mit quantitativhistochemischen Methoden die Veränderungen des DNS-, des RNS- und des Proteingehaltes vom 10. Lebenstag bis zum Alter von 26 Monaten verfolgt. Zwischen dem 15. und 30. Tag werden die Purkinje-Zellen tetraploid. Deiterssche Zellen bleiben während des ganzen Lebens diploid. In der Phase der Ausdifferenzierung vom 25. bis zum 90. Tag steigt der RNS- und der Eiweißgehalt der Purkinje-Zellen an. Die einmal erreichten Werte bleiben bei einem Teil der Zellen bis ins hohe Alter erhalten. Bei dem Rest der Purkinje-Zellen sinken RNS- und Proteinmenge ab, wahrscheinlich im Zusammenhang mit Degenerationserscheinungen.

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Summary DNA, RNA and protein content of single Purkinje cells in the cerebellum have been measured in rats of different ages (10 days to 26 months) using quantitative histochemical methods. While Deiters' cells remain diploid during the whole life span, Purkinje cells attain a tetraploid level of DNA content between the 15th and 30th day post partum. During the period of differentiation (25–90th day) the RNA and protein content of Purkinje cells increases. These once reached values keep constant during the rest of the life in a certain fraction of cells. In the rest of the Purkinje cells the RNA and protein content decreases, possibly in connection with degenerative processes of the cell.

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Mit Unterstützung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

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Stipendiaten der Alexander v. Humboldt-Stiftung, Physiologisches Institut der Akademie der Wissenschaften Prag, Tschechoslowakei.     

Shoot production fromin vitro cultured flower heads ofAllium porrum L

Shoots have been produced in the explants from flower head receptacles cultured on BDS medium with BAP and/or NAA. The shoots produced could be regenerated to form the whole plants and transplanted into soil. No morphological or cytological variations were observed in mature plants. The histological analysis of adventive bud formation is presented. The importance of this method for clonal propagation ofAllium porrum plants is discussed.