Tunicamycin-resistant mutants of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens are deficient in amylase, protease and penicillinase synthesis and have altered sensitivity to antibiotics and autolysis

Mutants of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens resistant to at least 10 micrograms/ml of tunicamycin were isolated and shown to be pleiotropic. The mutants were more resistant to streptomycin, chloramphenicol, kanamycin and neomycin than was the parent strain but less resistant to penicillin G and tetracycline. They were more autolytic, presumably due to an altered cell wall. The mutants produced reduced levels of amylase, penicillinase and both metal and serine protease besides having an enhanced sporulation frequency and being more motile.     

DNA sequence plays a major role in determining nucleosome positions in yeast CUP1 chromatin.

The role of DNA sequence in determining nucleosome positions in vivo was investigated by comparing the positions adopted by nucleosomes reconstituted on a yeast plasmid in vitro using purified core histones with those in native chromatin containing the same DNA, described previously. Nucleosomes were reconstituted on a 2.5 kilobase pair DNA sequence containing the yeast TRP1ARS1 plasmid with CUP1 as an insert (TAC-DNA). Multiple, alternative, overlapping nucleosome positions were mapped on TAC-DNA. For the 58 positioned nucleosomes identified, the relative positioning strengths and the stabilities to salt and temperature were determined. These positions were, with a few exceptions, identical to those observed in native, remodeled TAC chromatin containing an activated CUP1 gene. Only some of these positions are utilized in native, unremodeled chromatin. These observations suggest that DNA sequence is likely to play a very important role in positioning nucleosomes in vivo. We suggest that events occurring in yeast CUP1 chromatin determine which positions are occupied in vivo and when they are occupied.     

Decreased expression of J11d antigen during monocytic differentiation of M1 myeloid leukemic cells.

Four myeloid cell lines (M1, WEHI-3B D+, FDC-P1, and 32D) were screened for the presence of J11d antigen. One of these cell lines, the myeloid leukemia M1, was found to express a high level of J11d antigen on the cell surface. Recombinant mouse leukemic inhibitory factor (rm-LIF), recombinant human LIF (rh-LIF), and steroids (hydrocortisone and dexamethasone) could induce M1 cells to undergo monocytic differentiation. The level of J11d antigen was greatly reduced after treatment of the cells with LIF or steroids. Western blotting revealed that the apparent molecular weight of the J11d antigen on M1 cells was 45-48 kDa. Furthermore, the level of J11d mRNA was also reduced during LIF-induced differentiation of M1 cells.     

The effects of food availability and distance to protective cover on the winter foraging behaviour of tits (Aves: Parus)

To maximize fitness, many animals must trade off their need to forage efficiently against their need to avoid predators. We studied such a trade-off in four species of tits (Paridae) in a forest near Oxford, UK. During winter, tits form flocks which increase feeding efficiency and reduce predation risk. These flocks feed extensively on beech (Fagus sylvatica) seeds, the abundance of which may be critical for winter survival. Because these seeds drop to the ground, where birds are exposed to sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) attack, tits need to trade off their need to find seeds against the proximity to protective cover, provided by dense clusters of hawthorn (Crataegus spp.). The quality of the beech crop differs markedly between trees and years. During a year of abundant beechmast, most tits searched for seeds close to protective cover. This 'safety-first' strategy precluded visits to superabundant food patches if they were too far from protective cover. Among beech trees near to cover, tits tended to prefer those with high seed density. Tits benefited from foraging under trees with high seed density because this correlated significantly with seed mass per square metre and because mean search times decreased with increasing seed density. Finally, we show experimentally that great tits, Parus major, can discriminate between edible (viable) and inedible (empty) seeds.