Bemerkungen zur Taxonomie und Nomenklatur vonLotus krylovii Schischk. etSerg. undL. corniculatus L. subsp.frondosus Freyn

Lotus krylovii Schischk. etSerg. undL. corniculatus L. subsp.frondosus Freyn sind zwei unterschiedliche Taxa, gekennzeichnet durch einige morphologische Merkmale.L. krylovii ist am nächsten mitL. tenuis Waldst. etKit. verwandt;L. corniculatus subsp.frondosus gehört in den Umkreis der Unterart vonL. corniculatus L., die im östlichen Teil des Areals der Art verbreitet ist. Nach ihrer Haupt-Verbreitung gehören die beiden Taxa zu den westasiatischen Arten.     

The genusSaccharomyces (Meyen) Reess

The authors submit a taxonomic evaluation of an intermediate group of strains between the speciesSaccharomyces carlsbergensis Hansen andSaccharomyces cerevisiae Hansen. The material consisted of atypical strains of “bottom” brewer’s yeasts and the synonymous strainsSaccharomyces monacensis Hansen andSaccharomyces mandshuricus Saito. It was found that there were two different serological types in the speciesSaccharomyces carlsbergensis, one of which was characterized by the presence of antigen “C” and was typical for this species, while the other possessed antigen “M” and was grouped roundSaccharomyces monacensis. This second serological type merges with a group of strains which gives only one third fermentation of raffinose, so that it is actually an intermediate betweenSaccharomyces cerevisiae Hansen andSaccharomyces carlsbergensis Hansen and indicates the course of progressive development from the former species to the latter. No close similarity was found betweenSaccharomyces mandshuricus Saito and some of the strains of the transitional group or typical representatives of the two main species, and the authors therefore consider that there is some obscurity as to its synonymity withSaccharomyces carlsbergensis.     

Some chromosome numbers of the CzechoslovakLeguminosae

Chromosome numbers of the Czechoslovak species of the genusLotus, from various localities have been determined. The paper includes the speciesLotus uliginosus Schkuhr,L.tenuis Waldst. etKit. andL. borbásii Ujhelyi.     

Temperature dependence of inorganic nitrogen uptake and assimilation in Antarctic sea-ice microalgae

Summary The influence of temperature on NO ₃ ^- and NH ₄ ⁺ uptake, and the activity of the assimilatory enzyme NO ₃ ^- reductase (NR) was compared to inorganic C uptake (photosynthesis) in natural assemblages of Antarctic sea-ice microalgae. NO ₃ ^- and NH ₄ ⁺ uptake reached a maximum between 0.5°–2.0°C and 2.0°–3.0°C, respectively, which was close to that for photosynthesis (2.5°–3.0°C). NR showed a distinctly higher temperature maximum (10.0°–12.0°C) and a lower Q₁₀ value than inorganic N and C transport. Our data imply that, owing to differential temperature characteristics between N transport and N assimilation at in situ temperature (-1.9°C), the incorporation of extracellular NO ₃ ^- into cellular macromolecules, may be limited by transport of NO ₃ ^- into the cell rather than the intracellular reduction of NO ₃ ^- to NH ₄ ⁺ . Despite differences in temperature maxima between N transport and N assimilation, the overall low temperature maxima of inorganic N metabolism characterizes Antarctic sea-ice microalgae as psychrophilic. Our study is the first to examine the temperature dependence of inorganic N uptake and assimilation in sea-ice microbial communities.     

Main Immunogenic Region of Torpedo Electroplax and Human Muscle Acetylcholine Receptor: Localization and Microheterogeneity Revealed by the Use of Synthetic Peptides

Most anti-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies in myasthenia gravis are directed against an immunodominant epitope or epitopes [main immunogenic region (MIR)] on the AChR alpha-subunit. Thirty-two synthetic peptides, corresponding to the complete Torpedo alpha-subunit sequence and to a segment of human muscle alpha-subunit, were used to map the epitopes for 11 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against the Torpedo and/or the human MIR and for a panel of anti-AChR mAbs directed against epitopes on the alpha-subunit other than the MIR. A main constituent loop of the MIR was localized within residues alpha 67-76. Residues 70 and 75, which are different in the Torpedo and human alpha-subunits, seem to be crucial in determining the binding profile for several mAbs whose binding to the peptides correlated very well with their binding pattern to native Torpedo and human AChRs. This strongly supports the identification of the peptide loop alpha 67-76 as the actual location of the MIR on the intact AChR molecule. Residues 75 and 76 were necessary for binding of some mAbs and irrelevant for others, in agreement with earlier suggestions that the MIR comprises overlapping epitopes. Structural predictions for the sequence segment alpha 67-76 indicate that this segment has a relatively high segmental mobility and a very strong turning potential centered around residues 68-71. The most stable structure predicted for this segment, in both the Torpedo and human alpha-subunits, is a hairpin loop, whose apex is a type I beta-turn and whose arms are beta-strands. This loop is highly hydrophilic, and its apex is negatively charged. All these structural properties have been proposed as characteristic of antibody binding sites. We also localized the epitopes for mAbs against non-MIR regions. Among these, the epitope for a monoclonal antibody (mAb 13) that noncompetitively inhibits channel function was localized within residues alpha 331-351.     

Effects of dl-2-Amino-5-Phosphonovalerate on Metabolism of Catecholamines in Synaptosomes from Rat Brain

Incubation of synaptosomes from rat brain with DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (APV) stimulated an increased release of dopamine, and this effect was strictly dependent on the extrasynaptosomal calcium level. APV increased biosynthesis of dopamine from tyrosine by 30%, whereas monoamine oxidase activity was inhibited by 30%. When synaptosomes were incubated with radioactive dopamine, APV caused a large decrease in incorporation of label into 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid but greatly increased incorporation into norepinephrine and its N-methyl derivatives. Quantification of dopamine and its metabolites in synaptosomes, using electrochemical detection, indicated that the presence of APV resulted in changes in the absolute levels of the aforementioned dopamine metabolites similar to the changes in radiolabel incorporation. Omission of Ca2+ from the extrasynaptosomal medium greatly diminished the APV-induced changes in catecholamine metabolism. The metabolic changes appear to largely result from an increased intrasynaptosomal Ca2+ level due to the APV-induced increase in calcium permeability of the plasma membrane.     

Characterization of an in vitro system of human renal papillary collecting duct cells

Summary We have developed an in vitro model of human papillary collecting duct cells isolated from cadaver kidneys using methods similar to those we previously reported for the isolation of human proximal tubule cells. To date we have isolated papillary collecting duct cells from 100 normal human kidneys. Papillae were dissected and digested in Cellgro containing 400 U/ml collagenase. Cells were plated on fibronectin-coated culture flasks at a density of 10⁴ live cells/ml in Cellgro supplemented with insulin and 10% fetal bovine serum. Confluent monolayers, which were able to withstand 600 mOsm for 8 h, were obtained within 10 to 15 d. Cells of primary isolates and first passages exhibited epithelial cell ultrastructure including cell junctions, microvilli, and cilia. A dark-brown reaction product was observed in these cells when stained by the immunoperoxidase method with peroxidase-labeled peanut lectin (Arachis hypogaea), which binds specifically to human distal tubule and collecting duct cells. These cells were negative for Factor-VIII (a marker for endothelial cells) and γ-glutamyltransferase (a marker for proximal tubule cells). High activities of the glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase and arginine vasopressin-stimulated cAMP production in these cells are consistent with a distal nephron origin. The results indicate that human collecting duct cells can be isolated and cultured to provide an in vitro system to probe pathogenetic mechanisms of potential nephrotoxins. Part of this work was presented at a Symposium of the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, April 4–5, 1989, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 21205. This work was supported in part by grants R01-AI24179, PO1-A804393 for the Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and by a grant from the National Kidney Foundation, Baltimore, MD affiliate.     

Alarm reaction in bleak (Alburnus alburnus (L.), Cyprinidae) in response to chemical stimuli from injured conspecifics

The response of bleak (Alburnus alburnus (L.)) to alarm substance (from skin extract of conspecifics) was quantified, using a video camera, in laboratory experiments across two light and one dark periods (18 hrs). In the light alarm substance induced hiding in refuges (vegetation) and formation of aggregations. There was no such reaction during darkness or during a second light period.     

The biology of Butomus umbellatus in shallow waters with fluctuating water level

Butomus umbellatus L. is a plant species typical of littoral communities of river and stream shores. It can form continuous stands in shallow reservoirs with fluctuating water level. Their expansion is promoted by: (a) intensive vegetative reproduction of plants, (b) crowded sprouting from rhizome fragments on emerged pond bottom, (c) shallow water layer in the year following summer drainage. Expansion of B. umbellatus depends on ploidy level: two cytotypes were found in the Czech and Slovak Republics, differing in their reproductive ability. Seed production of triploids is strongly limited (they are self-incompatible within clones), while diploids can be fully fertile. Nevertheless, even in diploids, the efficiency of seed reproduction under natural conditions is low. Triploids spread by intensive vegetative reproduction, which is decisive for clonal growth of populations and their regeneration after scraping of bottom surface. During seasonal development, maximum of aboveground biomass is produced in early summer, while underground biomass increases till autumn. Growth of the plants is limited by cutting before maximum underground biomass is attained, or by duck grazing.