Purification and properties of sucrose synthase from maize kernels

Sucrose synthase was purified from 22-day-old maize (Zea mays L.) kernels to homogeneity by the successive steps of ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration through a Sephadex G-200 column, and affinity chromatography on a UDP-hexanol-amino-agarose column. The degree of purification is 42-fold and the yield is over 80%. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic techniques, sedimentation velocity, and gel filtration studies revealed that the enzyme has identical subunits and could assume tetrameric, octameric, and other higher aggregated forms which are dependent on the ionic species and ionic strength of the solution. All of the enzyme forms exhibit catalytic activity but show differences in their specific activities. In most cases, the tetramer is the predominant form and has the highest specific activity. It is thus concluded that the tetramer could be the native form of the enzyme. The subunit protein has a molecular weight of 88,000 and a blocked NH₂ terminus which is not available to Edman degradation. Some general properties and the amino acid composition of the enzyme are also reported.     

Long-Term Responses to Loss of Renal Mass: Tubular Changes: A Micropuncture Study of HCO3 Reabsorption by the Hypertrophied Proximal Tubule

In rats with renal failure produced by excision of one kidney and infarction of large portions of the other kidney, given a low calcium, high phosphorus diet for 2-3 weeks, GFR was reduced by 80 percent, the fractional excretion of sodium increased from 7 to 23 percent, that of bicarbonate from 16 to 23 percent and that of water from 4 to 13 percent. Single nephron GFR in the remaining nephrons was nearly doubled and end-proximal TF/P_In was depressed from 2.3 to 1.8, and proximal TF/P_HCO3 from 0.52 to 0.35, the latter figure corresponding to an increase of absolute proximal HCO₃ reabsorption from 1.7 to 3.5 nEq/min or from 2.8 to 3.2 Eq/L of single nephron glomerular filtrate. Acute parathyroidectomy had no influence on the fall of GFR or the rise of SNGFR in the remaining nephrons and failed to cause any significant changes in proximal tubular bicarbonate reabsorption. Parathyroidectomy, on the other hand, practically prevented the rise of the fractional excretion of sodium and of water and inverted the rise of the fractional excretion of bicarbonate to a fall. The data are interpreted to indicate that secondary hyperparathyroidism in renal failure impairs distal nephron bicarbonate and sodium reabsorption and, thus, contributes to the maintenance of sodium balance, but could possibly aggravate acidosis.     

土牛膝碱（abidenine）的分离及结构测定

从土牛膝(Achyraanthes bidentata Bl.)的根中分离到一种新的生物碱——土牛膝碱(ubidenine),通过波谱方法测定出土牛膝碱的化学结构为5,6—二氢化—2,3,10,11—四甲氧基—二苯并[a,g]—喹嗪盐(1)。     

Induction of hepatic mitochondrial glycerophosphate dehydrogenase in rats by dehydroepiandrosterone.

Feeding the thermogenic steroid, 5-androsten-3 beta-ol-17-one (dehydroepiandrosterone, DHEA) in the diet of rats induced the synthesis of liver mitochondrial sn-glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase to levels three to five times that of control rats within 7 days. The previously reported enhancement of liver cytosolic malic enzyme was confirmed. The induction of both enzymes was detectable at 0.01% DHEA in the diet, reached plateau stimulation at 0.1 to 0.2%, and was completely blocked by simultaneous treatment with actinomycin D. Feeding DHEA caused smaller, but statistically significant increases of liver cytosolic lactate, sn-glycerol 3-phosphate, and isocitrate (NADP(+)-linked) dehydrogenases but not of malate or glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenases. The capability of DHEA to enhance mitochondrial glycerophosphate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme was influenced by the thyroid status of the rats; was smallest in thyroidectomized rats and highest in rats treated with triiodothyronine. 5-Androsten-3 beta,17 beta-diol and 5-androsten-3 beta-ol-7,17-dione were as effective as DHEA in enhancing the liver mitochondrial glycerophosphate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme. Administering compounds that induce the formation of cytochrome P450 enzymes enhanced liver malic enzyme activity but not that of mitochondrial glycerophosphate dehydrogenase. Arochlor 1254 and 3-methylcholanthrene also increased the response of malic enzyme to DHEA feeding.     

Refined crystal structures of "aged" and "non-aged" organophosphoryl conjugates of gamma-chymotrypsin

"Aged" organophosphoryl conjugates of serine hydrolases differ from the corresponding "non-aged" conjugates in their striking resistance to nucleophilic reactivation. The refined X-ray structures of "aged" and "non-aged" organophosphoryl conjugates of gamma-chymotrypsin were compared in order to understand the molecular basis for this resistance of "aged" conjugates. "Aged" and "non-aged" crystalline organophosphoryl-gamma-chymotrypsin conjugates were obtained by prolonged soaking of native gamma-chymotrypsin crystals with appropriate organophosphates. Thus, a representative "non-aged" conjugate, diethylphosphoryl-gamma-chymotrypsin, was obtained by soaking native crystals with paraoxon (diethyl-p-nitrophenyl phosphate), and a closely related "aged" conjugate, monoisopropyl-gamma-chymotrypsin, was obtained by soaking with diisopropylphosphorofluoridate. In both crystalline conjugates, the refined structures clearly reveal a high occupancy of the active site by the appropriate organophosphoryl moiety within covalent bonding distance of Ser195 O gamma. Whereas in the "non-aged" conjugate both ethyl groups can be visualized clearly, in the putative "aged" conjugate, as expected, only one isopropyl group is present. There is virtually no difference between the "aged" and "non-aged" conjugates either with respect to the conformation of the polypeptide backbone as a whole or with respect to the positioning of the side-chains within the active site. In the "aged" conjugate, however, close proximity (2.6 A) of the negatively charged phosphate oxygen atom of the dealkylated organophosphoryl group to His57 N epsilon 2 indicates the presence of a salt bridge between these two moieties. In contrast, in the "non-aged" conjugate the DEP moiety retains its two alkyl groups; thus, lacking a negative oxygen atom, it does not enter into such a charge-charge interaction and its nearest oxygen atom is 3.6 A away from His57 N epsilon 2. It is suggested that steric constraints imposed by the salt bridge in the "aged" conjugate lie at the basis of its resistance to reactivation.     

FGR对水涨龙眼座果及枝梢生长的效应

1990～1991年的研究结果表明,FGR 1000～3000ppm 4月中旬处理水涨龙眼,对提高果实座果数有明显效果,两年呈一致结果。高浓度(3000ppm)处理,1990年及1991年的座果数比对照分别增加1.38倍和1.07倍(P≤0.05),具有显著的保果效应。FGR各处理对龙眼果实品质及结果期间的夏延秋梢生长发育两年均未见不良影响。     

Group sequential distribution-free methods for the analysis of multivariate observations.

Many studies involve the collection of multivariate observations, such as repeated measures, on two groups of subjects who are recruited over time, i.e., with staggered entry of subjects. Various marginal distribution-free multivariate methods have been proposed for the analyses of such multivariate observations where some measures may be missing at random. Using the multivariate U statistic of Wei and Johnson (1985, Biometrika 72, 359-364), we describe the group sequential analysis of such a study where the multivariate observations are observed sequentially--both within and among subjects. We describe a multivariate generalization of the Hodges and Lehmann (1963, Annals of Mathematical Statistics 34, 598-611) estimator of a location shift that can be obtained via the multivariate U statistic with the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon kernel. We then describe large-sample group sequential interval estimators and tests based on an aggregate estimate of the location shift combined over all of the repeated measures. We also describe how the same steps could be employed to perform a group sequential analysis based on any one of the variety of marginal multivariate methods that have been proposed. These methods are applied to a real-life example.     

A comparison of neural networks and partial least squares for deconvoluting fluorescence spectra

This article compares backpropagation neural networks (BNN) with partial least squares (PLS) techniques in terms of their ability to deconvolute fluorescence spectra. Both actual experimental and simulated spectral data are studied for 2 binary systems. These systems consist of mixtures of tryptophan and tyrosine, and NADH and tryptophan over a total concentration range of 10(-7) to 10(-4) M. It is shown that BNN is superior to PLS for both systems.