Isolation, partial chemical and biological characterization of thymone B

A new approach to the study of the molecular arrangements of proteins in membranes is described. Irradiation with visible light of native erythrocytes or washed erythrocyte membranes suspended in buffers containing a) riboflavin, fluorescein or fluorescein coupled to dextran and b) ³H-labelled tryptophan resulted in incorporation of radioactivity into the membrane proteins. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of solubilized membranes followed by radioactivity measurements of the separated membrane proteins revealed that in native erythrocytes the protein components known to be located at the exterior cell surface, Band 3 and the major sialoglycoproteins became specifically labelled, whereas in washed lysed cells all of the major membrane proteins were labelled.     

Electrophoretic profiles of cyanobacterial membrane polypeptides showing heme-dependent peroxidase activity

The photosynthetic membranes of Anacystis nidulans R2 were examined electrophoretically following solubilization with lithium dodecyl sulfate. Electrophoresis yielded six prominent chlorophyll-containing bands. In addition, five polypeptides were observed which possessed heme-dependent peroxidase activity, monitored by incubating gels with 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine plus hydrogen peroxide. One such polypeptide, at 105 kdaltons, was removed by repeated washing of the membranes. Four remaining peroxidase-active polypeptides were observed at 7.2, 13.5, 18.5 and 33 kdaltons. Further examination of these four polypeptides yielded the following results. (1) The mobility of the 33 kdalton polypeptide was altered from 29 to 33 kdaltons upon heating (70°C) during membrane solubilization. (2) All four polypeptides showed stable heme-protein associations in the presence of 8 M urea; however, in the presence of urea, alterations in protein mobility were observed for each poly-peptide and only two (at 13.5 and 33 kdaltons) showed peroxidase activity following heating (70°C) during membrane solubilization. (3) The presence of thiols during membrane solubilization at 0°C was required to observe peroxidase activity at 7.2 kdaltons. These results, when compared to known properties of isolated cytochromes, suggest that the four polypeptides characterized here correspond to the subunits of photosynthetic cytochromes. Electrophoretic assessment of maize mutants lacking cytochrome f and b₆ activity supports this suggestion.     

Continuity and Creativity in Iroquois Beadwork

This review essay of Across Borders: Beadwork in Iroquois Life focuses on the display of beadwork as a cultural practice that has evolved significantly throughout its history while remaining central to Iroquois identity. The exhibition draws on historical documentation, objects, and imagery that depict the varied uses of beadwork as ritual objects, sources of income, markers of identity, and as works of art. The content and narrative for the display was developed through a broad collaboration between curators, scholars, artists, and members of two Iroquois communities. The changing and continued importance of beadwork is reflected in the adaptation of materials and styles for different forms of production and use. Across Borders places Iroquois beadwork in a broad context while concentrating on specific forms and meanings that are attached to beadwork, whether created in community gatherings or by individual artists.     

Prehistoric "fish-eaters" along the eastern Arabian coasts: dental variation, morphology, and oral health in the Ra's al-Hamra community (Qurum, sultanate of Oman, 5th-4th millennia BC)

The Ra's al-Hamra prehistoric fishermen lived in isolation on the Qurum rocky promontorium in Oman during the 5th-4th millennia BC. To date, they represent the most ancient and numerous human fossil group excavated from the Arabian peninsula. Like other contemporaneous archaeologically documented small communities along the desert Arabian coasts, they intensively exploited ocean resources and collected molluscs from nearby mangrove swamps. The present study analyzes aspects of dental anthropology (including crown variation, morphology, dental wear, and oral health), in 600 permanent teeth from 49 individuals of both sexes excavated at the Mesolithic RH5-site by the Italian Archaeological Mission in Oman from 1981 to 1985. In association with a general low degree of morphometric variation, the Ra's al-Hamra dental crowns show low sexual dimorphism and are consistently reduced in size. These features are unexpected in a preagricultural population, especially when these data are compared to other eastern African and near Middle Eastern prehistoric populations. These data are discussed within the general context of human dental structural reduction occurring during the post-Pleistocene and are interpreted according to the "increasing population density effect" model. There are other significant differences that characterize the Ra's al-Hamra dentitions with respect to both eastern and western prehistoric human groups. The frequency of numerous nonmetric crown traits supports the hypothesis that a microdifferentiation phenomenon occurred in this marginal area. The preliminary skeletal analysis and the palaeodemographic profile show that the Omani prehistoric fishermen were affected by genetic isolation and inbreeding as well as strong environmental stress. Because of the grit assimilated with dried fish and the high shellfish consumption, dental wear was extreme in all age groups at Ra's al-Hamra and occasionally was responsible for serious hematogenously spread infections. In spite of the great anthropological importance of ancient Arabian populations, very few studies on skeletal and dental samples have been completed. The present paper offers an odontological data set for future comparative research in the area.     

Anatomical brain asymmetry in monkeys: frontal, temporoparietal, and limbic cortex in Macaca

Measurements evaluating possible cerebral hemispheric asymmetries were taken by hand on frontal, parietal, and temporal cortex on 60 formalin-fixed Macaca mulatta and Macaca fascicularis brain specimens. No statistically significant (P less than 0.05) right/left side differences in the mean length of four sulci in visual-processing areas of the cortex were found. The sulcus adjacent to the region cytoarchitecturally homologous to the motor speech area in the human brain did not show pronounced asymmetry. In both species, however, a small parietal lobe sulcus showed greater development on the left hemisphere than in the right. In measurements made using digital planimetry, right/left side differences in the area of the dorsal cingulate gyrus were not found. Behavioral evidence suggests that monkeys do not exhibit a consistent pattern of cerebral dominance for functions associated with most of these regions of the brain.     

Antagonistic potential of Gliocladium virens and Trichoderma longibrachiatum to phytopathogenic fungi

Three isolates of Gliocladium virens (G1, G2 and G3) and two of Trichoderma longibrachiatum (T1 and T2) were screened against isolates of three soilborne plant pathogens namely Rhizoctonia solani, Sclerotium rolfsii and Pythium aphanidermatum. G. virens exhibited stronger hyperparasitism and wider biological spectrum than T. longibrachiatum. Further, similarities as well as variation was observed in the ability of the various isolates to invade the test pathogens in dual culture. For the hyperparasites, acidic pH range (5.0 to 5.5) favoured both growth and spore germination. The hyperparasites made direct contact with the pathogens followed by varied modes of attack invariably leading to cell disruption. Antagonists, G1 and G3 revealed strong antibiosis while T2 showed moderate effect. All the isolates produced enhanced levels of lytic enzymes adaptively and there were marked differences among them. However, no correlation was observed between these attributes and the hyperparasitic potential of the various isolates in dual culture. The relevance and the role of enzymes and toxic metabolite(s) in the antagonism of G. virens and T. longibrachiatum to these pathogens are discussed.     

电针大鼠的血清中淋巴细胞转化抑制因子的作用机制分析

本室以前的工作表明:电针(2H_z,3V,30min/d)刺激 SD 大鼠双侧足三里-三阴交,5d后,大鼠血清中产生出淋巴细胞转化抑制因子,本工作对此抑制因子的作用机制进行了初步研究,主要结果如下:(1)电针大鼠的血清不仅显著抑制 Con A 刺激的小鼠淋巴结 T 淋巴细胞转化,还可显著抑制 Con A 刺激的小鼠胸腺细胞和脾脏 T 淋巴细胞转化;同时也发现电针大鼠的血清能显著抑制脂多糖(LPS)刺激的小鼠淋巴结 B 淋巴细胞转化。提示此淋巴细胞转化抑制因子对不同淋巴器官及不同类型的淋巴细胞无选择性作用。(2)将电针大鼠的血清同小鼠淋巴结细胞培养1h,电针大鼠的血清就可显著抑制 Con A 刺激的 T 淋巴细胞转化;将小鼠淋巴结细胞同 Con A 预培养30min,电针大鼠的血清的抑制作用便消失,提示电针大鼠血清中淋巴细胞转化抑制因子作用于 Con A 刺激 T 淋巴细胞活化的早期阶段,同时也排除了此抑制因子的细胞毒作用。(3)电针大鼠的血清显著抑制蛋白激酶 C(PKC)激活剂 PMA和 PMA 加 ca~(2+)通道 A23187刺激的小鼠淋巴结细胞转化,提示淋巴细胞转化抑制因子通过抑制 PKC 的活性或抑制 PKC 介导的细胞活化通路,抑制有丝分裂原刺激的淋巴细胞转化。     

急性心肌缺血对血液流变学和心脏收缩功能改变的影响

在麻醉开胸狗观察了急性心肌缺血对血液流变学和心脏收缩功能改变的影响。在阻断狗前降支冠脉1h内,血液流变学各参数发生异常变化,表现为高、低切变率下全血粘度(ηbh、ηb1)、血浆粘度、血细胞压积和纤维蛋白原升高,红细胞电泳时间缩短。同步描记心电、心音和颈动脉搏动图而记录的心脏收缩时间间期,表现为射血前期(PEP)延长、左室射血时间(LVET)缩短和PEP/LVET比值增大。此外,动脉舒张压(DAP)升高,心输出量(CO)减少。上述各参数均与对照值有明显差异,P<0.05。缺血40min时,对ηb1和PEP/LVET或DAP进行相关分析,呈明显正相关,P<0.05;ηb1和CO呈明显负相关,P<0.01。结果提示,心肌缺血后发生的血液流变学异常变化,具有增加射血阻力和减少心输出量的作用。     

Interactive singing of a male Mueller's gibbon with a simulated neighbor

This study provides evidence for interactive singing, or countersinging, in the dawn song of a male Mueller's gibbon. Tape-recorded answering calls from a simulated neighbor were initiated at the subject's baseline rate (every 18 sec), then successively at every 14 sec, 10 sec, 18 sec, 22 sec, and 26 sec. Two types of evidence for interactive singing were considered. First, the subject's initiation rate significantly increased when the initiation rate of the simulated neighbor increased (but did not decrease when the simulated neighbor's rate decreased). Second, the subject's rate of interruption of the simulated neighbor's vocalizations remained at the same low level regardless of the initiation rate of the simulated neighbor; these interruption rates were, in all cases, significantly lower than would have been expected by chance if interactive singing were not occurring. Evolutional value of interactive singing is considered in relation to demonstration of individual fitness and achievement of clear communication between neighboring groups.