Structural comparison between oxidized and reduced Escherichia coli thioredoxin. Proton NMR and CD studies

Escherichia coli thioredoxin (Mr 11,700) usually functions as a hydrogen carrier protein that undergoes reversible oxidation/reduction reactions of its active-site disulfide linkage. By use of a number of assigned and identified resonances in one- and two-dimensional 1H NMR spectra, the two forms of the protein have been compared. Only groups that are relatively close to the active-site Cys-32, Cys-35 linkage such as Trp-28, Trp-31, Phe-27, Ala-29, and Val-25 undergo substantial changes in their 1H NMR chemical shift upon reduction. Various residues that are further removed from the active site, like Tyr-49, Tyr-70, His-6, Phe-12, Phe-81, and Phe-102, appear to be little affected (less than 0.02 ppm) by the reduction, suggesting that the rest of the protein structure is not much affected. Thus, the structural changes that occur upon reduction appear to be localized to the disulfide-containing turn and the central strand of the twisted beta-sheet that directly leads to this turn. Notwithstanding the apparent similarity in the secondary and tertiary structures of the oxidized and reduced forms of the protein, the thermal stability of the protein decreases by 10 degrees C upon the reduction of the single disulfide. This was found by both 1H NMR and near- and far-ultraviolet circular dichroism studies. Oxidized thioredoxin was also more resistant to alkaline denaturation. Furthermore, the exchange rate of the relatively stable slow-exchanging backbone amide protons that are part of the core of the twisted five-stranded beta-sheet of thioredoxin increases substantially after reduction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

No corpora sesamoidea laryngis in man and animal]

The fact that the Corpora sesamoidea have never been precisely defined has led to a series of small cartilaginous bodies in the larynx being thus designated, for want of a better solution. Since the corpora sesamoidea have been identified as capsular bodies, however, originating in or in connection with a synovial capsule, there remained only one laryngeal cartilage which appeared to fulfill all the criteria of sesamoid cartilage, namely the papilionaceous cartilage found in all alar species from Monotremata to Carnivora, and which comparative anatomists term proarytaenoid cartilage. If Goeppert's findings are regarded as having an additional functional significance, then it is clear that this cartilage too, like cartilagines interarytaenoidea, postarytaenoidea (dorsoarytaenoidea in the dog?) pararytaenoidea, cunciformis, corniculata, intercorniculata and triticea, is a connecting cartilage.     

Atmung,Zuckerspiegel und Ascorbinsäure-Gehalt von Kartoffelsorten bei verschiedenen Lagertemperaturen

Ohne ZusammenfassungMit 6 Abbildungen     

8,000 years of climate,vegetation, fire and land-use dynamics in the thermo-mediterranean vegetation belt of northern Sardinia (Italy)

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany - Knowledge about the vegetation history of Sardinia, the second largest island of the Mediterranean, is scanty. Here, we present a new sedimentary record...     

Plant diversity does not buffer drought effects on early‐stage litter mass loss rates and microbial properties

Human activities are decreasing biodiversity and changing the climate worldwide. Both global change drivers have been shown to affect ecosystem functioning, but they may also act in concert in a non‐additive way. We studied early‐stage litter mass loss rates and soil microbial properties (basal respiration and microbial biomass) during the summer season in response to plant species richness and summer drought in a large grassland biodiversity experiment, the Jena Experiment, Germany. In line with our expectations, decreasing plant diversity and summer drought decreased litter mass loss rates and soil microbial properties. In contrast to our hypotheses, however, this was only true for mass loss of standard litter (wheat straw) used in all plots, and not for plant community‐specific litter mass loss. We found no interactive effects between global change drivers, that is, drought reduced litter mass loss rates and soil microbial properties irrespective of plant diversity. High mass loss rates of plant community‐specific litter and low responsiveness to drought relative to the standard litter indicate that soil microbial communities were adapted to decomposing community‐specific plant litter material including lower susceptibility to dry conditions during summer months. Moreover, higher microbial enzymatic diversity at high plant diversity may have caused elevated mass loss of standard litter. Our results indicate that plant diversity loss and summer drought independently impede soil processes. However, soil decomposer communities may be highly adapted to decomposing plant community‐specific litter material, even in situations of environmental stress. Results of standard litter mass loss moreover suggest that decomposer communities under diverse plant communities are able to cope with a greater variety of plant inputs possibly making them less responsive to biotic changes.