Resonance electroconformational coupling: A proposed mechanism for energy and signal transductions by membrane proteins

Recent experiments show that membrane ATPases are capable of absorbing free energy from an applied oscillating electric field and converting it to chemical bond energy of ATP or chemical potential energy of concentration gradients. Presumably these enzymes would also respond to endogenous transmembrane electric fields of similar intensity and waveform. A mechanism is proposed in which energy coupling is achieved via Coulombic interaction of an electric field and the conformational equilibria of an ATPase. Analysis indicates that only an oscillating or fluctuating electric field can be used by an enzyme to drive a chemical reaction away from equilibrium.In vivo, the stationary transmembrane potential of a cell must be modulated to become locally oscillatory if it is to derive energy and signal transduction processes.     

Primary structure of the chromosomal protein HMb from the archaebacteria Methanosarcina barkeri

The amino acid sequence of the protein HMb, a protein of 93 residues (Mr 10757) which represents the major acid-soluble component of the Methanosarcina barkeri nucleoprotein complex, has been established from automated sequence analysis of the protein and from structural data provided by peptides derived from cleavage of the protein at aspartic acid, arginine and methionine residues. The protein HMb is mainly characterized by a high amount of charged residues (15% of acidic residues and 26.8% of basic residues) which are distributed all along the polypeptide chain. The amino acid sequence of the protein HMb is not homologous to any eubacterial, archaebacterial or eukaryotic chromosomal proteins known up to now.     

Serum beta 2 microglobulin in adult myeloid acute leukemias

Serum beta 2 microglobulin levels, measured by radioimmunoassay (Phadebas test), were found increased in acute myeloid leukemias at diagnosis. Serum beta 2 microglobulin levels were significantly higher in patients with monocytic leukemias (13 patients, M4-M5 FAB classification) than in those with other cytological types (18 patients). Beta 2 microglobulin levels at diagnosis were correlated with serum lysozyme levels, but they were not correlated with blood blast counts, serum LDH and ferritin levels. 195 serum beta 2 microglobulin measurements were made serially in 30 patients with acute myeloid leukemias in first remission. Compared to values at diagnosis, beta 2 microglobulin levels in remission were significantly decreased. Out of 30 patients in remission 12 had increased serum beta 2 microglobulin levels (greater than 3 mg/l). Serial measurements were not predictive for relapses.     

The six genes of the Rubisco small subunit multigene family from Mesembryanthemum crystallinum,a facultative CAM plant

The nucleotide sequences of the entire gene family, comprising six genes, that encodes the Rubisco small subunit (rbcS) multigene family in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum (common ice plant), were determined. Five of the genes are arranged in a tandem array spanning 20 kb, while the sixth gene is not closely linked to this array. The mature small subunit coding regions are highly conserved and encode four distinct polypeptides of equal lengths with up to five amino acid differences distinguishing individual genes. The transit peptide coding regions are more divergent in both amino acid sequence and length, encoding five distinct peptide sequences that range from 55 to 61 amino acids in length. Each of the genes has two introns located at conserved sites within the mature peptide-coding regions. The first introns are diverse in sequence and length ranging from 122 by to 1092 bp. Five of the six second introns are highly conserved in sequence and length. Two genes, rbcS-4 and rbcS-5, are identical at the nucleotide level starting from 121 by upstream of the ATG initiation codon to 9 by downstream of the stop codon including the sequences of both introns, indicating recent gene duplication and/or gene conversion. Functionally important regulatory elements identified in rbcS promoters of other species are absent from the upstream regions of all but one of the ice plant rbcS genes. Relative expression levels were determined for the rbcS genes and indicate that they are differentially expressed in leaves.     

Antibiofilm Activity of Invasive Plants against Candida albicans: Focus on Baccharis halimifolia Essential Oil and Its Compounds

The extracts of five invasive plants were investigated for antifungal and antibiofilm activities against Candida albicans, C. glabrata, C. krusei, and C. parapsilosis. The antifungal activity was evaluated using the microdilution assay and the antibiofilm effect by measurement of the metabolic activity. Ethanol and ethanol-water extracts of Reynoutria japonica leaves inhibited 50 % of planktonic cells at 250 μg mL⁻¹ and 15.6 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. Ethanol and ethanol-water extracts of Baccharis halimifolia inhibited >75 % of the mature biofilm of C. albicans at 500 μg mL⁻¹. The essential oil (EO) of B. halimifolia leaves was the most active (50 % inhibition (IC₅₀) at 4 and 74 μg mL⁻¹against the maturation phase and 24 h old-biofilms of C. albicans, respectively). Oxygenated sesquiterpenes were the primary contents in this EO (62.02 %), with β-caryophyllene oxide as the major component (37 %). Aromadendrene oxide-(2), β-caryophyllene oxide, and (±)-β-pinene displayed significant activities against the maturation phase (IC₅₀=9–310 μ mol l⁻¹) and preformed 24 h-biofilm (IC₅₀=38–630 μ mol l⁻¹) of C. albicans with very low cytotoxicity for the first two compounds. C. albicans remained the most susceptible species to this EO and its components. This study highlighted for the first time the antibiofilm potential of B. halimifolia, its EO and some of its components.     

Comparison of the main siderophores produced by some species of Streptomyces

The production of siderophores by four Streptomyces strains, S. ambofaciens, S. coelicolor, S. lividans, and S. viridosporus, was studied under iron-limited conditions. S. viridosporus produced two different siderophores: the linear desferrioxamine B and the cyclic desferrioxamine E. The latter was produced by the other strains and was the main siderophore of S. ambofaciens. The linear desferrioxamine G was the major form of S. coelicolor and S. lividans. The uptake rates of ⁵⁵Fe-labeled ferrioxamines by S. lividans and S. viridosporus showed that the G form was incorporated less efficiently than the B and E forms.     

Iron mobilization from ferritin by chelating agents

The release of iron from horse spleen ferritin by the chelating agents desferrioxamine B, rhodotorulic acid, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate, 2,2′-bipyridyl and pyridine-2-aldehyde-2-pyridyl hydrazone (Paphy) has been studied in vitro. Ferritin prepared by classical procedures involving thermal denaturation releases its iron less effectively than ferritin isolated by a modified procedure that avoids this step. Desferrioxamine B and rhodotorulic acid are the most effective in releasing iron from both preparations of ferritin. When FMN is added, iron release by desferrioxamine B, rhodotorulic acid, and 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate was effectively blocked, whereas both bipyridyl and Paphy showed a marked simulation. A substantial increase in iron release was also observed for bipyridyl and Paphy with ascorbate; a less important increase was noted for rhodotorulic acid. EDTA exerted a marked inhibition of iron release from ferritin with rhodotorulic acid, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate, bipyridyl, and Paphy. The effects of citrate and oxalate on iron release by the chelators was small. The effect of the concentration of flavin on iron release from ferritin by bipyridyl and desferrioxamine B have been studied. Desferrioxamine is unable to mobilize FeII from ferritin following reduction by reduced FMN, whereas bipyridyl can rapidly complex the ferrous iron. The results are discussed in the context of our current concepts of storage iron mobilization in the treatment of iron overload.     

Variations in litter size and reproductive effort within and between some populations of Lacerta vivipara

We studied the relationships between litter size, litter weight, newborn weight, relative clutch mass and the female snout-vent length in some Lacerta vivipara populations over a period of three years.
Litter size and litter weight were positively correlated with female snout-vent length in all the populations for all the years, as in most other lizard species. Relative clutch mass generally increased with female size, though correlations appear not to be very tight.
Considering the two best studied populations suggests that montane females invest less in reproduction than lowland ones.
The main reproductive traits of the species appeared highly variable between as well as within the different populations hitherto studied.
We argue that current theory about lizard reproductive strategy requires, first to work out a good estimate of reproductive effort, and second to get more information about the relations between the species and their environmental, biotic and abiotic conditions.     

On the state of carotenoids bound to reaction centers of photosynthetic bacteria: A resonance raman study

The carotenoids bound to reaction centers of wild, Ga and GlC strains of Rhodopseudomonas spheroides, of Rhodospirillum rubrum, strain S1 and of Rhodopseudomonas viridis, yield very similar, but unusual resonance Raman spectra. Through a comparison with resonance Raman spectra of 15,15′-cis-β-carotene, these carotenoids are shown to assume cis conformations, while the corresponding chromatophores contain all-trans forms only. These cis conformations likely are identical for all the carotenoids studied. They remain unaffected by variations of temperature from 20 to 300 K as well as by the redox state of $\text{P-870}$. They are unstable, being rapidly isomerised towards the all-trans forms when extracted from the reaction centers. The possible nature of these conformers is discussed on the basis of their electronic and vibrational spectra.     

Comparitive study of the milk fat globule membrane and the mouse mammary tumour virus prepared from the milk of an infected strain of Swiss albino mice

Milk fat globule membranes and mammary tumour virus particles (d = 1.17 g/cm³) have been obtained from the milk of a Swiss albino mice strain. Comparitive biochemistry shows that these two structures differ significantly in the phospholipid, polypeptide and glycopolypeptide patterns and enzymatic activities. However, the lipid profile and the morphology of both structures suggest a filiation with the plasma membrane. Density fractions obtained from the crude virus preparation have been thoroughly investigated. The results suggest that most of these fractions represent degraded virus and/or atypical virus assembly.