Control of nitrogenase inAzospirillum sp.

Many N₂-fixing organisms can turn off nitrogenase activity in the presence of NH₄ ⁺ and turn it on again when the NH₄ ⁺ is exhausted. One of the most interesting systems for accomplishing this is by covalent modification of one subunit of dinitrogenase reductase by dinitrogenase reductase ADP-ribosyltransferase (DRAT). The system can be reactivated when NH₄ ⁺ is exhausted, by dinitrogenase reductase activating glycohydrolase (DRAG) which removes the inactivating group. It is fascinating that some species of the genusAzospirillum possess the DRAT and DRAG systems (A. lipoferum andA. brasilense), whereasA. amazonense in the same genus lacks DRAT and DRAG.A. amazonense responds to NH₄ ⁺ but does not exhibit modification of dinitrogenase reductase characteristic of the action of DRAT. However, it has been possible to clone DRAT and DRAG and to introduce them intoA. amazonense, whereupon they become functional in this organism. The DRAT and DRAG system does not appear to function inAcetobacter diazotrophicus, an organism isolated from sugar cane, that fixes N₂ at a pH as low as 3.0.A. diazotrophicus does show a rather sluggish response to NH₄ ⁺. A level of about 10 M NH₄ ⁺ is required to switch off the system. The response to NH₄ ⁺ is influenced by the dissolved oxygen concentration (DOC) as has been reported forAzospirillum sp. A DOC in equilibrium with 0.1 to 0.2 kPa O₂ seems optimal for the response inA. diazotrophicus.     

Competitive inhibition of an energy-dependent nickel transport system by divalent cations in Bradyrhizobium japonicum JH.

Both nickel-specific transport and nickel transport by a magnesium transporter have been described previously for a variety of nickel-utilizing bacteria. The derepression of hydrogenase activity in Bradyzhizobium japonicum JH and in a gene-directed mutant of strain JH (in an intracellular Ni metabolism locus), strain JHK7, was inhibited by MgSO4. For both strains, Ni2+ uptake was also markedly inhibited by Mg2+, and the Mg(2+)-mediated inhibition could be overcome by high levels of Ni2+ provided in the assay buffer. The results indicate that both B. japonicum strains transport Ni2+ via a high-affinity magnesium transport system. Dixon plots (1/V versus inhibitor) showed that the divalent cations Co2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+, like Mg2+, were competitive inhibitors of Ni2+ uptake. The KiS for nickel uptake inhibition by Mg2+, Co2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+ were 48, 22, 12, and 8 microM, respectively. Cu2+ strongly inhibited Ni2+ uptake, and molybdate inhibited it slightly. Respiratory inhibitors cyanide and azide, the uncoupler carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, the ATPase inhibitor N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, and ionophores nigericin and valinomycin significantly inhibited short-term (5 min) Ni2+ uptake, showing that Ni2+ uptake in strain JH is energy dependent. Most of these conclusions are quite different from those reported previously for a different B. japonicum strain belonging to a different serogroup.     

过硫酸铵-N,N,N′,N′-四甲基乙二胺体系产生的氧自由基及其清除的研究

应用ESR和自旋捕集相结合的技术直接测定了过硫酸铵—N,N,N′,N′-四甲基乙二胺(AP-TEMED)体系产生的氧自由基,经计算机波谱模拟和计算波谱参数证实该体系产生的氧自由基是O_2~-和·OH。并用维生素C、茶多酚、超氧化物歧化酶等氧自由基清除剂,从聚丙烯酰胺凝胶法、化学发光法和脂质过氧化法不同角度研究了AP-TEMED体系在自由基研究方面的应用意义。     

“缺体回交法”选育普通小麦—山羊草异代换系的研究

利用从兰单体自交分离得到的5个自花结实的4D缺体小麦(映72180、块天选15等)作母本与11个山羊草(Ae.speltoides, Ae.sharonensis等)杂交,再以4D缺体为轮回亲本对杂种进行回交,借助于幼胚培养技术,获得了缺天选15×拟斯卑尔脱山羊草二体异代换系,缺72180×沙融山羊草单体异代换系。代换系生长发育良好,育性基本正常,表明山羊草的4S染色体能够补偿小麦缺失的4D染色体的功能。证明利用“缺体回交法”选育普通小麦—山羊草异代换系是有效的和可行的。     

青甘边区黑河流域森林植被带及其昆虫区系的组成

黑河发源于青海、甘肃交界的祁连山区,是甘肃河西走廊最大的内陆河水系之一,水源丰富,流量稳定,这不仅取决于祁连山区大气降水和冰川融水,更重要的是与上游森林植被密不可分。但是,由于森林害虫猖獗成灾,严重威胁着这一地域森林的生存。近几年我们在森林昆虫普查的基础上,对黑河流域森林昆虫     

Influence of amino acids on nitrogen fixation ability and growth of Azospirillum spp.

The utilization of amino acids for growth and their effects on nitrogen fixation differ greatly among the several strains of each species of Azospirillum spp. that were examined. A. brasiliense grew poorly or not at all on glutamate, aspartate, serine, or histidine as the sole nitrogen and carbon sources. Nitrogen fixation by most A. brasiliense strains was inhibited only slightly even by 10 mM concentrations of these amino acids. In contrast, A. lipoferum and A. amazonense grew very well on glutamate, aspartate, serine, or histidine as the sole nitrogen and carbon sources; nitrogen fixation, which was measured in the presence of malate or sucrose, was severely inhibited by these amino acids. It was concluded that growth on histidine as the sole source of nitrogen, carbon, and energy may be used for the taxonomic characterization of Azospirillum spp. and for the selective isolation of A. lipoferum. The different utilization of various amino acids by Azospirillum spp. may be important for their establishment in the rhizosphere and for their associative nitrogen fixation with plants. The physiological basis for the different utilization of glutamate by Azospirillum spp. was investigated further. A. brasiliense and A. lipoferum exhibited a high affinity for glutamate uptake (Km values for uptake were 8 and 40 microM, respectively); the Vmax was 6 times higher in A. lipoferum than in A. brasiliense. At high substrate concentrations (10 mM), the nonsaturable component of glutamate uptake was most active in A. lipoferum and A. amazonense.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Bradykinin-induced generation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate in fibroblasts and neuroblastoma cells: effect of pertussis toxin, extracellular calcium, and down-regulation of protein kinase C

The net content of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P3] was measured in bradykinin (BK)-stimulated NIH3T3 fibroblasts and neuroblastoma-glioma hybrid cells (NG108-15). BK-mediated production of Ins(1,4,5)P3 was not affected by replacing the medium with Ca2+-free medium, but addition of EGTA (1mM) to Ca2+-free medium markedly prevented production of Ins(1,4,5)P3. Although pertussis toxin (PT) treatment caused ADP-ribosylation in both NIH3T3 cells and NG108-15 cells, the BK-induced Ins(1,4,5)P3 formation was considerably reduced in the former cells but not in the latter cells, suggesting that PT-sensitive and PT-insensitive GTP-binding proteins are involved in phosphoinositide phospholipase C (PI-PLC) activation in fibroblasts and neuroblastoma cells, respectively. In NG108-15 cells down-regulated in protein kinase C (PKC) by long-term exposure to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), BK-stimulated Ins(1,4,5)P3 accumulation was significantly enhanced compared to control cells.     

Hepatocyte-mediated mutagenicity of mononitrobenzo[a]pyrenes in Salmonella typhimurium strains

The mononitro-substituted isomers of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), 1-, 3- and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene (NB[a]P), are environmental pollutants and are metabolized to mutagens in Salmonella by rat-liver homogenate postmitochondrial supernatant (S9) fractions. In this study, activation of these compounds to mutagens was investigated using the hepatocyte-mediated Salmonella mutagenicity assay. Hepatocytes from rats treated with Aroclor 1254 activated both 3-NB[a]P and 1-NB[a]P to mutagens, while 6-NB[a]P was not mutagenic. The positive mutagenicity responses were functions of both the chemical dose and the hepatocyte concentration. By using a nitroreductase-deficient strain (TA98NR) and a transesterificase-deficient strain (TA98/1,8-DNP6), it was verified that the direct-acting mutagenicities of 1- and 3-NB[a]P primarily were due to metabolic processes involving nitroreduction while the S9- and hepatocyte-mediated mutagenicity responses were also dependent on transesterification. When compared with the mutagenic responses produced with S9, the mutations induced by 1- and 3-NB[a]P in the presence of hepatocytes were relatively more dependent upon nitroreductase metabolism and less on transesterification. Thus, intact hepatocytes were capable of activating 1- and 3-NB[a]P to mutagenic metabolites and some of these metabolites appeared to be different from those produced by S9.