Energy coupling sites in the electron transport chain of Zymomonas mobilis

Abstract Energy-coupling sites in the electron transport chain of the obligately fermentative aerotolerant bacterium Zymomonas mobilis were examined. The H⁺ /O stoichiometry of the electron transport chain in intact bacteria oxidizing ethanol was close to 3.3. Cytoplasmic membrane vesicles coupled NADH oxidation to ATP synthesis. With ascorbate/phenazine methosulfate they showed oxygen uptake which was sensitive to antimycin A, but no significant ATP synthesis could be detected. Cells with a defective coupling site I, prepared by cultivation on a sulfate-deficient medium, showed a decreased rotenone sensitivity of respiration, and they lacked almost all the respiration-driven proton translocation and ATP synthesis. We conclude that, despite the reported composition of the electron transport chain, only energy coupling site 1 was functional in Z. mobilis .     

Photosynthetic gas exchange and the stable isotope composition of leaf water: comparison of a xylem-tapping mistletoe and its host

Photosynthetic gas exchange and the stable isotopic composition of foliage water were measured for a xylem tapping mistletoe, Phoradendron juniperinum, and its host tree, Juniperus osteosperma, growing in southern Utah. The observed isotopic composition of water extracted from foliage was compared to predictions of the Craig-Gordon model of isotopic enrichment at evaporative sites within leaves. Assimilation rates of juniper were higher and stomatal conductance was lower than the values observed for the mistletoe. This resulted in lower intercellular/ ambient CO₂ values in the juniper tree relative to its mistletoe parasite. For mistletoe, the observed foliage water hydrogen and oxygen isotopic enrichment was less than that predicted by the model. In juniper, foliage water hydrogen isotopic enrichment was also lower than that predicted by the evaporative enrichment model. In contrast, the oxygen isotopic enrichment in juniper foliage water was slightly greater than that predicted for the evaporative sites within leaves. Hydrogen isotopic enrichment in mistletoe foliage shows systematic variation with stem segment, being highest near the tips of the youngest stems and decreasing toward the base of the mistletoe, where isotopic composition is close to that of stem water in the host tree. In a correlated pattern, mid-day stomatal conductance declined abruptly in mistletoe foliage of increasing age.     

Variation of Essential Oil Content and Composition,Phenolics, and Yield Related Traits Using Different Pollination Systems in Populations of Thymus Species

The production of self-pollinated plants could be important for improving medicinal plants secondary metabolites. In this study, 11 Thymus populations from eight species were evaluated to determine the effect of self and open pollination on agro-morphological characteristics, total phenolic content (TPC), essential oil (EO) content, and EO components. Inbreeding led to some positive effects of above mentioned traits in most of the studied populations. Total phenolic content ranged from 7.07 to 52.69 mg tannic acid equivalents (TAE) g⁻¹ dry weight (DW) in open pollinated derived populations, while it varied from 1.2 to 55.03 mg TAE g⁻¹ DW in self-pollinated ones. Under open and self-pollination condition, the highest EO content was obtained in T. trautvetteri (3.37 %) and T. pubescens (1.96 %), respectively. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) identified 42 compounds including thymol, carvacrol, linalool, p-cymene, γ-terpinene, terpinen-4-ol, and α-terpineol as the main compounds. In most cases, selfed plants compared to open pollinated ones, revealed higher thymol content. T. daenensis-1 showed a significant increase in thymol content (from 25.22 % to 74.3 %) due to self-pollination. Moreover, self-pollination led to emergence of some new compounds. Carvacrol methyl ether was the constituents of Thymus EO that are being reported in self-pollinated populations. Finally, inbreeding in Thymus might be suggested as a useful tool to increase genetic homogeneity for the selection of superior plants for improving secondary metabolite.     

DA/DAPI fluorescent bands in the chromosomes of Pan paniscus

The fluorochrome pattern produced by DA/DAPI double staining in Pan paniscus chromosomes is reported. The location of DA/DAPI prominent bands differs from that reported for all other hominoid species. However, the pattern in the pygmy chimpanzee is most similar to that seen in Pan troglodytes. Comparison of the DA/DAPI pattern of the other hominoid species allows the construction of a proposed hominoid ancestral karyotype and a preliminary phylogenetic reconstruction of DA/DAPI bands for the great apes and man.     

Influence of phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol molar ratios in liposomes on cholesterol reactivity with cholesterol:oxygen oxidoreductase]

The reactivity of sonicated phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol liposomes with cholesterol : oxygene oxydoreductase, an enzyme which catalyses the oxidation of the 3 beta hydroxyl group of cholesterol to a ketone group, is compared with that of ternary system phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol-Thesit. Regardless to the phosphatidylcholines nature and the phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol molar ratio (R), the enzymatic oxidation rate of liposomal cholesterol is slower than when the reaction is developed in the present of Thesit, a surfactif agent which destroyes the lamellar particles. This is true whether Thesit is added during preparation of dispersions or during incubation with cholesterol oxydase. The enzymatic oxydation rate of cholesterol of ternary systems phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol-Thesit is independent of the (R) value and the phosphatidylcholine fatty acid unsaturation, whereas that of phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol dispersions depends on these two parameters. The reaction rate increases in the order: dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine to yolk egg phosphatidylcholines, and dioleylphosphatidylcholine. The optimal conditions for cholesterol oxidation were found to be R = 0.5. This result is not affected by the phosphatidylcholines nature. In order to explain these data, various hypotheses are considered. In particular, the weak liposomal cholesterol reactivity with cholesterol oxidase could result from an inhibitory effect on the enzyme-substrate combination due to the polar phosphorylcholine groups.