甘薯(Ipomoea batatas)叶光合作用“午睡”现象初探

在探讨叶片光合产物水平与光合机构运转关系时,我们曾观测到田间甘薯叶片干重增长速率日变化进程中有明显的中午降低即“午睡”现象(图1)。为了揭示这一现象的形成机理,在人工气候室作了以下一些研究。     

Effect of domestic sewage on sand beach meiofauna at Goa,India

Meiofauna of a sewage-polluted sandy beach, where sand alone constituted > 90%, was surveyed. Nematodes dominated the fauna numerically at all stations, followed by harpacticoid copepods. Most of the animals were confined to the top 5 cm of the sediment. A seasonal pattern was observed in the distribution of the fauna. There were significant spatial and temporal variations in mean meiofauna density, attributed to organic discharge via sewage and prevailing environmental conditions in the study area.     

Agglutinating activity of gliadin-derived peptides from bread wheat: implications for coeliac disease pathogenesis

The PT-digest of bread wheat gliadin was very active in agglutinating undifferentiated human K562(S) cells. This activity was quantitatively, but not qualitatively, similar to that of Con A or WGA. Moreover, Con A-induced cell agglutination was inhibited by mannan and mannose, WGA-induced agglutination by NAG only, and cell agglutination induced by bread wheat gliadin peptides was inhibited by each of these three saccharides. Not only was mannan the most active saccharide in preventing cell agglutination induced by bread wheat gliadin peptides, but it was also able to dissociate agglutinated cells. As compared to the PT- digest of whole bread wheat gliadin, the digest obtained from purified A-gliadin was tenfold more active. The PT-digest of durum wheat gliadin did not show any agglutinating activity.     

True absorption and endogenous fecal excretion of manganese in relation to its dietary supply in growing rats

A conventional balance study with 48 male weanling rats was conducted to determine true absorption and endogenous fecal excretion of manganese (Mn) in relation to dietary Mn supply, following the procedures of a previously adapted isotope dilution technique. After 10 d on a diet with 1.5 ppm Mn, eight animals each were assigned to diets containing 1.5, 4.5, 11.2, 35, 65, or 100 ppm Mn on a dry-matter basis. Three days later, each rat was given an intramuscular⁵⁴Mn injection and kept on treatment for a balance period of 16 d. Apparent Mn absorption assessed for the final 8 d, averaged 8.6 μg/d without significant treatment effects, although Mn intake ranged from 18.6 to 1200 μg/d, in direct relation to dietary Mn concentrations. Mean fecal excretion of endogenous Mn for the six treatments was 0.9, 2.7, 7.4, 11.0, 16.3, and 17.7 μg/d, respectively. These values delineate the rates to which true absorption exceeded apparent rates. True absorption, as percent of Mn intake, averaged 28.7, 15.9, 11.7, 6.1, 3.4, and 2.0, respectively, as compared with mean values of 23.9, 10.9, 6.2, 3.4, 1.2, and 0.5 for percent apparent absorption. It was concluded that both true absorption and endogenous fecal excretion markedly responded to Mn nutrition and that the reduction in the efficiency of true absorption was quantitatively the most significant homeostatic response for maintaining stable Mn concentrations in body tissues.     

Direct evidence for Ca++-induced lateral phase separation in black membranes of lipid mixtures by the analysis of gramicidin A single-channels

Single-channel conductance fluctuations are analysed for gramicidin A incorporated into binary-mixed black lipid membranes of charged phosphatidic acid and neutral lecithin in different molar ratios. At very low Ca⁺⁺ concentrations in the electrolyte (i.e. in the presence of EDTA) homogeneous lipid mixtures are identified through their conductance and life time probability distributions for integral gramicidin pores. As for the pure lipid components, the conductance histograms each show a single maximum with regular width and for all channels a single mean lifetime is found.For Ca⁺⁺-levels (10^-6–10^-5 M) that are close to the critical demixing concentration (10^-4 M) unusually broad conductance distributions and reduced lifetimes are found provided the PC content, x, of the membrane is close to the critical mixture (x _crit0.5). We interpret this as a first example of the coupling of a membrane function (the transport of ions) to a lipid matrix with locally fluctuating composition close to a critical demixing point.For the conductance histogram of gramicidin A in an equimolar mixture of PA and PC shows two well-separated maxima. A correlation analysis between conductance and lifetime of the single pores shows that the two channel populations also differ significantly in their mean channel lifetime, ^*. This finding is interpreted as being direct evidence for Ca⁺⁺-induced lateral phase separation in black lipid membranes, as has been postulated recently.Abbreviations used HEPES N-2-hydroxyethyl-piperazine-N-2-ethane-sulfonic acid - EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid     

Minimum inhibitory concentration of drugs againstMycobacterium leprae as determined by anin vitro assay

The observations that liveMycobacterium leprae after entry into cultured peritoneal macrophages from mice, reduced the EA rosetting macrophages, have been exploited to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of diamino diphenyl sulphone and rifampicin. Diamino diphenyl sulphone showed a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.028 μg/ml and rifampicin 0.11μg/ml when given externally. However, there was accumulation of diamino diphenyl sulphone inside the macrophages. At an external concentration of 0.028 μg/ml the concentration inside the macrophage was 0.5μg/ml. The minimum inhibitory concentration for diamino diphenyl sulphone in this assay system is higher by several folds and that for rifampicin is slightly lower, than what is reported earlier with mice foot pad experiments. The minimum inhibitory concentration reported in this assay system is quite close to what is observed forin vitro inhibition ofMycobacterium lufu with both the drugs     

Biochemical and autoradiographic studies of TRH receptors in sections of rabbit spinal cord

Receptors for thyrotropin-releasing hormone (pGlu-His-Pro-NH2, TRH) on thaw-mounted sections of rabbit spinal cord have been identified biochemically and visualized by light microscopic autoradiography. Binding of [3H] [3-Me-His2]TRH to 20 microns sections exhibited high apparent affinity and a pharmacological specificity almost identical to that previously demonstrated for spinal TRH receptors in membranes. In autoradiograms, the highest density of TRH receptors appeared in the substantia gelatinosa of the dorsal gray and around the central canal, with intermediate levels in the ventral gray.     

Studies on the complex formed between glucagon and dicaprylphosphatidylcholine

The interaction between glucagon and dicaprylphosphatidylcholine (DCPC) was studied by fluorescence, circular dichroism and calorimetry, as well as by ¹H- and ³¹P-nuclear magnetic resonance. The water-soluble lipid-protein complex was also characterized by gel filtration and ultracentrifugation. The complex appeared to be monodisperse by sedimentation equilibrium measurements, with a molecular weight of (4.55 ± 0.57)·10⁴. This complex contained approximately 7 molecules of glucagon and 35 molecules of phospholipid. Proton-decoupled ³¹P-NMR spectra of the phospholipid in the lipid-protein complex display narrower resonances than those of sonicated vesicles of DCPC, and ¹H-³¹P coupling could be detected in proton coupled spectra. These NMR results, together with gel-filtration results, suggest that glucagon ‘solubilizes’ phospholipid aggregates, forming a lipid-protein complex which is smaller than sonicated preparations of DCPC. ¹H-NMR resonance of both the methionine methyl group (met-27) and the aromatic envelope of glucagon are broadened by the phospolipid, indicating that the C-terminal region and the aromatic residues are involved in the interaction with the phospholipid. Nuclear magnetic resonance titrations of the imidazole ring C(2) and C(4) protons of the histidine residue of glucagon show that DCPC lowers the pK of the imidazole. The alterations caused by the phospholipid in the far and near ultraviolet CD spectra of glucagon reflect, respectively, the increased helix content of the hormone and the fact that the aromatic residues are located in a more structured environment. The phospholipid also alters the fluorescence properties of glucagon, shifting the fluorescence emission maximum of the hormone to shorter wavelength, and enhancing its relative intensity. This suggests that the fluorophore is experiencing a more hydrophobic environment in the presence of the lipid. Binding of glucagon to the phospholipid was analysed by Scatchard plots of the enhancement of fluorescence caused by the phospholipid and showed that the equilibrium binding constants of glucagon to DCPC are (4.4 ± 0.5)·10⁴M^?1 and (7.5±0.5)·10⁴M^?1, at 15°C and 25°C, respectively. The average number of moles of phospholipid bound per mole of glucagon is 4.4±0.6. The isothermal enthalpy of reaction of glucagon with DCPC is ?20.5 kcal/mol of glucagon at 25°C and ?32.5 kcal/mol of glucagon at 15°C. The observed enthalpies can arise from glucagon-induced cyrstallization of the phospholipid, from the non-covalent interactions between the peptide and lipid as well as from the lipid-induced conformational change in the protein. These results demonstrate that, unlike the complexes formed between glucagon and phospholipids which form more stable bilayers, the complex formed between glucagon and DCPC is stable over a wide range of temperatures, including temperatures well above the phase transition.     

Lack of prominent compensatory polycythemia in traditional native Andeans living at 4,200 meters

Red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin concentration ([Hb]) and hematocrit (Hct) were measured in 303 male Quechua children and adults, aged 6 to 57 years, living a lifestyle as traditional pastoralists and horticulturalists at a mean altitude of 4,200 m in the Southern Peruvian Andes. Values for RBC, [Hb], and Hct increased with age from middle childhood to young adulthood. However, among adults there was no significant association between age and any of these three parameters. Overall, there was approximately a 10-12% increase in the RBC, [Hb], and Hct above sea-level norms for all age groups. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) showed a slight but significant increase with age in children and adolescents, but the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) did not. We conclude that the study of highland Quechua Indians, living a traditional lifestyle as pastoralists and horticulturalists, does not support the long-held belief that altitude hypoxia provokes a dramatic compensatory polycythemia in healthy Andeans.     

A high recovery method for concentrating microgram quantities of protein from large volumes of solution

A method is presented for the recovery of 40-80% of the protein from a 1 microgram/ml solution. The final protein pellet is free of detergent and other ionic compounds and is thus compatible with any denaturing solution. The primary structure of the protein is unaffected by the procedure, making the final pellet an ideal sample for any analytical procedure to determine protein structure.