Regulation of reduced nitrogen assimilation in Rhodobacter capsulatus E1F1

The phototrophic bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus E1F1 assimilates ammonia and other forms of reduced nitrogen either through the GS/GOGAT pathway or by the concerted action of l-alanine dehydrogenase and aminotransferases. These routes are light-independent and very responsive to the carbon and nitrogen sources used for cell growth. GS was most active in cells grown on nitrate or l-glutamate as nitrogen sources, whereas it was heavily adenylylated and siginificantly repressed by ammonium, glycine, l-alanine, l-aspartate, l-asparagine and l-glutamine, under which conditions specific aminotransferases were induced. GOGAT activity was kept at constitutive levels in cells grown on l-amino acids as nitrogen sources except on l-glutamine where it was significantly induced during the early phase of growth. In vitro, GOGAT activity was strongly inhibited by l-tyrosine and NADPH. In cells using l-asparagine or l-aspartate as nitrogen source, a concerted induction of l-aspartate aminotransferase and l-asparaginase was observed. Enzyme level enhancements in response to nitrogen source variation involved de novo protein synthesis and strongly correlated with the cell growth phase.Abbreviations ADH l-alanine dehydrogenase - AOAT l-alanine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase - Asnase l-asparaginase - GOAT Glycine: oxaloacetate aminotransferase - GOGAT Glutamate synthase - GOT l-aspartate: 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase - GS Glutamine synthetase - HPLC High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography - MOPS 2-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonic acid - MSX l-methionine-d,l-sulfoximine     

Effect of Moniliformis moniliformis density on distribution within the definitive host population (Rattus norvegicus)

The population dynamics of Moniliformis moniliformis was studied in ‘free-ranging’ laboratory rats, Rattus norvegicus, presented with different relative density levels of M. moniliformis in cockroaches, Periplaneta americana. Changes in selected population parameters of the negative binomial distribution were evaluated as indicators of changes in aggregation. A significant increase in the degree of aggregation of parasites occurred as a result of the increase in relative density of infective stages available to the rats. This increase in aggregation was due to the increase in over-dispersion that occurred in female rats only. The degree of aggregation in females was found to be significantly higher than that in males at both treatment levels. The best indicators of the degree of aggregation were found to be the ratio of the variance to the relative density and the ratio of the log-variance to log-relative density. Changes in k were not correlated with changes in over-dispersion or the relative density.     

Presynaptic regulation of dopaminergic transmission in the striatum

1. In vitro studies have indicated that several transmitters present in the striatum can regulate presynaptically the release of dopamine (DA) from nerve terminals of the nigrostriatal DA neurons. 2. The receptors involved in these local regulatory processes are located or not located on DA nerve terminals. 3. Recent in vivo investigations have demonstrated that the corticostriatal glutamatergic neurons facilitate presynaptically the release of DA and have allowed the analysis of the respective roles of presynaptic events and nerve activity in the control of DA transmission.     

Influence of exercise on cardiac and skeletal muscle myofibrillar proteins

The purpose of this study was to examine the Ca²⁺-Mg²⁺ myofibrillar ATPase and protein composition of cardiac and skeletal muscle following strenuous activity to voluntary exhaustion. Sprague-Dawley rats (200 g) were assigned to a control and exercised group, with the run group completing 25 m·min^–1 and 8% grade for 1 hour. Following activity, the myocardial Ca²⁺–Mg²⁺ myofibrillar ATPase activity -pCa relationship had undergone a rightward shift in the curve. Electrophoretic analysis revealed a change in the pattern of cardiac myofibrillar protein bands, particularly in the 38–42 Kdalton region. Enzymatic analysis of myofibrillar proteins from plantaris muscle, revealed no change in Ca²⁺ regulation following exercise. Electronmicrographic and electrophoretic analysis revealed extensively disrupted sarcomeric structure and a change in the ratio of several plantaris myofibrillar proteins. No difference was observed for myosin: Actin: tropomyosin ratios; however a dramatic reduction in 58 and 95 Kdalton proteins were evident. The results indicate that prolonged running is associated with similar responses in cardiac and skeletal muscle myofibrillar protein compositions. The abnormalities in myofibrillar ultrastructure may implicate force transmission failure as a factor in exercised-induced muscle damage and/or fatigue.     

The pattern of organization of intermediate filaments and their asymmetrical association with dense bodies in smooth muscle of an ascidian Halocynthia roretzi

Summary An extensive network of intermediate filaments that interconnected cytoplasmic dense bodies and connected the dense bodies to the cell surface was revealed in double-fixed, tannic acid-stained preparations of ascidian smooth muscle. The filament network ran through spaces in the continuous network of myofibrils, connecting them longitudinally, obliquely and transversely to form an intimately associated, dual network. In their transverse passage, the intermediate filaments ran across myofibrils along I-zones exclusively, interconnecting successive dense bodies.The pattern of attachment of intermediate filaments to dense bodies was predominantly one-sided. The filaments, which themselves were not incorporated into the contractile apparatus, remained folded or unfolded between myofibrils and between sarcomere-like structures in synchrony with the contraction-relaxation cycles.These results suggest that the intermediate filaments mechanically maintain the organization and arrangement of myofibrils via an intimate association with the myofibrils in the regions of the dense bodies, in such a way that the filaments do not impede muscle function.Based on these observations, a new model for the network of intermediate filaments in smooth muscle cells is proposed.     

Electron-microscopic studies on the threshold value of calcium concentration for the release of storage granules and the acceleration of their degradation in the rat parathyroid gland

Summary To determine both a threshold value of calcium concentration (CC) for the release of storage granules and that for the acceleration of degradation of these granules, the rat parathyroid glands were perfused in situ with HEPES-Ringer solutions containing different concentration of Ca²⁺ for 10 min. With perfusates containing 0.83–1.21 mM Ca²⁺ (equivalent to 8–11 mg/dl serum calcium), the number of type-I storage granules (large core) [NSG-I] and that of type-II storage granules (small core) [NSG-II] remained unchanged. With perfusates containing 0.83 mM Ca²⁺ (7.5 mg/dl) or less, however, both NSG-I and NSG-II decreased remarkably and the former was larger than the latter. On the contrary, with perfusates containing 1.27 mM Ca²⁺ (11.5 mg/dl) or more, NSG-II increased and the ratio of NSG-I to NSG-II was changed reversely. We concluded that a thereshold value of CC required for the release of storage granules may be present between 0.88 and 0.83 mM Ca²⁺ (8 and 7.5 mg/dl) and that a threshold value of CC for accelerating the transformation of type-I granules into type-II, the degradation of storage granules, may be situated at about 1.27 mM Ca²⁺ (11.5 mg/dl). Additionally, it was suggested that both prosecretory and storage granules are not only formed at the innermost Golgi cisterna but also at the trans-Golgi network.