Evaluation of strains of Geotrichum candidum for lipase production and fatty acid specificity

Summary Three strains of Geotrichum candidum (ATCC 34614, NRRL Y-552 and NRRL Y-553) were examined for lipase production and activity. Variables including medium, pH, temperature, agitation rate and incubation time were examined to define the optimal culture conditions. Growth on oil in complex medium at 30°C, 300 rpm, and pH 7 produced maximal lipase activity. Fatty acid specificity of these strains and of two crude G. candidum enzyme preparations (lipase 26557 RP, Rhône Poulenc and lipase GC-4, Amano) was measured using equimolar mixtures of methyl or butyl esters of palmitic and oleic acids. The lipase from NRRL Y-553 and lipase 26557 RP displayed preferential specificity for hydrolyzing oleic acid esters, while the lipases from ATCC 34614, NRRL Y-552 and lipase GC-4 failed to discriminate between plamitic and oleic acids.     

Albumin — vitamin D-binding protein haplotypes in Asian-Pacific populations

Summary We have determined the various haplotypic combinations between alleles as well as restriction fragment length polymorphisms of two linked genetic markers, albumin and vitamin D-binding protein or group-specific component, in a number of Asian-Pacific populations. Using the partial maximum likelihood method, we constructed a phylogenetic network from the haplotype frequencies to assess relationships among the populations sampled. No systematic linkage disequilibrium was detected between most of the combinations, suggesting a lack of operation of any selection pressure at the two loci. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed the known interrelationships among various populations in the Asian-Pacific region. The Australian aborigines clustered closely with the non-Austronesian-speaking highlanders from Papua New Guinea, as expected. Similarly, the Austronesian-speaking Polynesians, Micronesians, and the Southeast Asians branched off together as a separate group. The position of the Austronesian-speaking Tolais from New Britain with respect to other populations from the Southwest Pacific was anomalous. The Tolais revealed a strong affinity with the Australian aborigines, which is inexplicable. The populations from China formed a tight cluster with other populations from the Asian-Pacific region. Genetic interrelationships of these populations with the white Australians were remote, which is in accordance with the known affinities of various human racial groups.     

Characterization of cardiac innervation in the nudibranch,Archidoris montereyensis

Summary The heart of the nudibranch mollusc Archidoris montereyensis is regulated by a small number of powerful effector neurons located in the right pleural and visceral ganglia. Two identifiable neurons in the pleural ganglion, a heart excitor (pl_HE) and a heart inhibitor (Pl_HI), are especially important regulators of cardiac function in that low levels of spontaneous activity in either cell significantly alters the amplitude and rate of heart contractions. These neurons have extensive dendritic arbors within the right pleural ganglion and branching axonal processes within the visceral ganglion. The visceral ganglion also contains a heart excitor neuron (V_HE) and at least two heart inhibitor neurons (V_HI cells), but their influence on cardiac activity is weaker than that of the pleural ganglion cells. All of these heart effector cells appear to be motor neurons with axons that terminate predominately in the atrio-ventricular valve region of the heart via the pericardial nerve. The simplicity and strength of these neuronal connections to the heart of Archidoris make this a favorable preparation for studies of cardiac regulation.Abbreviations Pl _HE pleural ganglion heart excitor neuron - Pl _HI pleural heart inhibitor neuron - V _HE visceral ganglion heart excitor neuron - V _HI cells, visceral heart inhibitor neurons - V _K visceral kidney excitor neuron - V _G visceral gill excitor neuron     

The abundance of the blue shark,Prionace glauca,in the western English Channel

Synopsis Since 1952, a sport fishery for the blue shark,Prionace glauca, has existed off the south coast of Cornwall in England. Annual catches from this fishery have ranged from < 200 to>6000 sharks. The fishery was based on a previously unexploited stock in the 1950s. The abundance of the species in the English Channel declined in the early 1960s and again in the mid-1970s. The declining abundance was investigated in relation to sea surface temperature (SST), prey abundance, and fishing pressure. Short-term fluctuations in SST were found to be responsible for changes in the distribution of the population, but not for changes in abundance. The abundance of prey species in the Channel was observed to be inversely related to the abundance of blue sharks. The reduced abundance of blue sharks lowered the level of effective predation on the prey populations, allowing their abundance to increase. It was concluded that the nature of the fishing practice off the Cornish coast was responsible for a significant part of the decrease in shark abundance. By killing large numbers of sub-adult females, the reproductive capacity of the population was lowered. Continued fishing pressure prevented the population from recovering; and as of 1987, the abundance of the species in the Channel is still declining. Various conservation measures have been proposed.     

Preparation of affinity-purified,biotinylated tetanus toxin,and characterization and localization of cell surface binding sites on nerve growth factor-treated PC12 cells

Biotinylated derivatives of tetanus toxin were prepared and isolated by chromatofocusing and ganglioside-affinity chromatography. Biotinylation was monitored by the appearance of a 210,00 dalton complex upon SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of avidin, and by selective binding to an avidin-Sepharose gel. At molar biotin:toxin ratios from 11 to 201 only biotinylated derivatives with low toxicity were obtained; these derivatives, however, retained 60–80% of their specific binding affinity for brain synaptosomes. A biotinylated tetanus toxin derivative purified by ganglioside-affinity chromatography was used to identify and localize tetanus toxin binding sites on PC12 cells. Electron microscopic analysis with streptavidin-gold revealed very low levels of tetanus toxin binding sites on the surface of untreated cells, and the appearance of such binding sites during the second week of nerve growth factor-induced differentiation. Examination of micrographs of the differentiated cells indicated that the tetanus toxin binding sites sites are concentrated on the neurites, with relatively few appearing on the cell bodies. Cognate studies using¹²⁵I-labeled, affinity-purified tetanus toxin revealed an increase in PC12 binding capacity from about 0.07 nmol/mg protein in untreated cells to 0.8 nmoles/mg protein in cells treated for 14 days with nerve growth factor. Cells treated in suspension for 2–3 weeks with nerve growth factor do not express tetanus toxin binding sites; upon plating, these cells required one week for the appearance of binding sites, although neurites grew much more rapidly from these primed cells. The high binding capacity of these tetanus toxin sites, as well as their sensitivity to neuraminidase, is indicative of a polysialoganglioside structure. The advantages of biotinylated tetanus toxin derivatives are discussed and the significance of nerve growth factor-differentiated PC12 cells grown as monolayers as a model for the study of the development, localization, and function of neuraminidase-sensitive tetanus toxin binding sites is presented.Abbreviations PBS phosphate-buffered saline - STS sucrose-Tris-serum solution - NGF nerve growth factor - C collagen - PL polylysine - BBG bovine brain ganglioside mixture - GM₁ gafactosyl-N-acetylgalactosaminyl-[N-acetylneuraminyl]-galactosylglucosyl ceramide - GD_1a [N-acetylneuraminyl]-galactosyl-N-acetylgalactosaminyl-[N-acetylneuraminyl]-galactosylglucosyl ceramide - GT_1a [N-aceylneuraminyl]-galactosyl-N-acetylgalactosaminyl-[N-acetylneuraminyl]-galactosylglucosyl ceramide - GD_1b galactosyl-N-acetylgalactosaminyl-[N-acetylneuraminyl-N-acetylneuraminyl]-galactosylglucosyl ceramide - GT_1b [N-acetylneuraminyl]-galactosyl-N-acetylgalactosaminyl-[N-acetylneuraminyl-N-acetylneuraminyl] galactosylglucosyl ceramide - NANA N-acetylneuraminic acid     

Acetyl-l-carnitine as a precursor of acetylcholine

Synthesis of [³H]acetylcholine from [³H]acetyl-l-carnitine was demonstrated in vitro by coupling the enzyme systems choline acetyltransferase and carnitine acetyltransferase. Likewise, both [³H] and [¹⁴C] labeled acetylcholine were produced when [³H]acetyl-l-carnitine andd-[U-¹⁴C] glucose were incubated with synaptosomal membrane preparations from rat brain. Transfer of the acetyl moiety from acetyl-l-carnitine to acetylcholine was dependent on concentration of acetyl-l-carnitine and required the presence of coenzyme A, which is normally produced as an inhibitory product of choline acetyltransferase. These results provide further evidence for a role of mitochondrial carnitine acetyltransferase in facilitating transfer of acetyl groups across mitochondrial membranes, thus regulating the availability in the cytoplasm of acetyl-CoA, a substrate of choline acetyltransferase. They are also consistent with a possible utility of acetyl-l-carnitine in the treatment of age-related cholinergic deficits.     

Diversity of the mouse T cell receptor Cγ1 gene: structural analysis in C57BL/Ka

We have isolated an unusual T cell receptor chain cDNA clone (7.1) from a library made from RNA derived from adult thymus of C57BL/Ka mice. This cDNA clone corresponds to the appropriately processed C1 constant region exons preceded by 1.5 kb of J-C1 intron. The 7.1 coding region is extremely homologous to the C1 gene of BALB/c mice, differing at the protein level by a single deletion (alanine 139) and a single substitution. This latter change eliminates the sole N-linked sugar attachment site, providing a basis for strain-specific glycosylation patterns. The J-C1 intronic region contains two DNA segments (termed J1 and J2) that are highly reminiscent of joining (J) segments; both have potentially functional recombination and donor splice sequences flanking an open reading frame. Northern analysis suggests that 7.1 may be derived from a large, variable region-containing precursor.     

The major light-harvesting complex of Photosystem II: aspects of its molecular and cell biology

The light-harvesting complex of photosystem II (LHC II) contains one major (LHC IIb) and at least three minor chlorophyll-protein components. The apoproteins of LHC IIb (LHCP) are encoded by nuclear genes and synthesized in the cytoplasm as a higher molecular weight precursor(s) (pLHCP). Several genes coding for pLHCP have been cloned from various higher plant species. The expression of these genes is dependent upon a variety of factors such as light, the developmental stage of the plastids and the plant. After its synthesis in the cytoplasm, pLHCP is imported into plastids, inserted into thylakoids, processed to its mature form, and assembled into LHC IIb. The pathway of assembly of LHC IIb in the thylakoid membranes is currently being investigated in several laboratories. We present a model that gives some details of the steps in the assembly process. Many of the steps involved in the synthesis and assembly are dependent on light and the stage of plastid development.Abbreviations PS Photosystem - LHC II Light-harvesting complex of PS II - LHCP Apoproteins of LHC IIb - pLHCP Precursor of LHCP - PAGE Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis     

Agroinfection and nucleotide sequence of cloned wheat dwarf virus DNA

Cloned DNA of the geminivirus wheat dwarf virus (WDV) was successfully used to infect seedling wheat plants. The clone was derived from circular double-stranded viral DNA isolated from naturally infected tissue. The initiation of infection was mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens using cloned dimeric WDV genomes in a binary Agrobacterium vector. The WDV DNA which comprised the infectious clone was sequenced and is compared with the published sequence of a Swedish isolate of the same virus. The results confirm that the single WDV genome component of 2.75 kb carries all the information necessary for production of viral symptoms, virus particles and viral double- and single-stranded DNA forms.