NdhO,a Subunit of NADPH Dehydrogenase,Destabilizes Medium Size Complex of the Enzyme in Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803

Two mutants that grew faster than the wild-type (WT) strain under high light conditions were isolated from Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 transformed with a transposon-bearing library. Both mutants had a tag in ssl1690 encoding NdhO. Deletion of ndhO increased the activity of NADPH dehydrogenase (NDH-1)-dependent cyclic electron transport around photosystem I (NDH-CET), while overexpression decreased the activity. Although deletion and overexpression of ndhO did not have significant effects on the amount of other subunits such as NdhH, NdhI, NdhK, and NdhM in the cells, the amount of these subunits in the medium size NDH-1 (NDH-1M) complex was higher in the ndhO-deletion mutant and much lower in the overexpression strain than in the WT. NdhO strongly interacts with NdhI and NdhK but not with other subunits. NdhI interacts with NdhK and the interaction was blocked by NdhO. The blocking may destabilize the NDH-1M complex and repress the NDH-CET activity. When cells were transferred from growth light to high light, the amounts of NdhI and NdhK increased without significant change in the amount of NdhO, thus decreasing the relative amount of NdhO. This might have decreased the blocking, thereby stabilizing the NDH-1M complex and increasing the NDH-CET activity under high light conditions.     

Kainic acid on the rostral ventrolateral medulla inhibits phrenic output and CO2 sensitivity

We used the neurotoxin, kainic acid, which is known to stimulate neuronal cell bodies as opposed to axons of passage by binding to specific amino acid receptors to determine whether cells with such receptors have access to the ventrolateral medullary surface and are involved in central ventilatory chemosensitivity. Pledgets with 4.7 mM kainic acid were placed bilaterally on the rostral, intermediate, or caudal ventilatory chemosensitive areas for 1-2 min in chloralose-urethan-anesthetized, paralyzed, vagotomized, glomectomized, and servo-ventilated cats. Application of kainic acid on the caudal or intermediate areas produced no consistent significant effects on eucapnic phrenic output or on the slope or maximum value of the phrenic nerve response to increased end-tidal PCO2. Rostral area kainic acid produced immediate augmentation and then diminution of blood pressure and phrenic output. Apnea developed in six of nine cats by 40 min. In all five cats in which it could be tested, the slope of the CO2 response was clearly decreased. Of [3H]kainic acid applied to the rostral area, 88.4% was shown to be within 2 mm of the ventral surface. Comparison of surface application sites of this and other studies suggests that an area overlapping the border of the original rostral and intermediate areas allows access to neurons involved in the chemoreception process, which may also provide tonic facilitatory input to cardiorespiratory systems.     

锰重组钙调蛋白水质子弛豫速率的研究

钙调蛋白(CaM)是一种多功能调节蛋白,它含有4个Ca~(2+)结合域.晶体研究表明所有Ca~(2+)都与主链氧原子及酸性残基侧链氧原子配位,但Ca~(2+)的配位层中是否有水分子存在尚未确定.木文利用核磁共振技术,以Mn~(2+)为探针,通过测定水质子的核磁弛豫速率T_(1P)_(-1)建立了有关Ca~(2+)配位层中水分子数目的模型,该模型指出Cam中高、低亲和位上Ca~(2+)结合水的能力不同,高亲和位上Ca~(2+)的配位层中没有水分子存在,而低亲和位上Ca~(2+)配位层中含两个水分子.     

NMDA受体在海马CA3区习得性TP保持中的作用

The effect of microinjection of 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV), a selective NMDA receptor antagonist, into the rat hippocampal CA3 area on the synaptic efficacy and related conditioned behavior during the acquisition and consolidation of discrimination learning behavior was examined. The results showed: (1) After population spike (PS) amplitude had just increased to the maximum through training i.e. learning-dependent LTP had just formed, APV 1 microliter (2 mmol/L) was injected into CA3 area, then the rats were trained during the time of efficacy of the drug in every experimental block. The result demonstrated that the PS amplitude could not be maintained at the highest level but decreased to the pre-experiment level after 8 blocks. Correct response percentage of rats could not be consolidated with further training but decreased to less than 10%. (2) After the PS amplitude had kept up at the highest level, APV 1 microliter (2 mmol/L) was injected into CA3 area, then the rats were trained during the time of efficacy of the drug in every experimental block, in which case the PS amplitude also could not be maintained at the highest level but decreased to the pre-experiment level after 14 blocks. Correlatively, when the correct response percentage of rats decreased gradually to less than 10%, the conditioned response of the animals extinguished, but its extinction speed was slower than it was in result (1). These results suggest that the NMDA receptor in CA3 area plays an important role in the maintenance of the learning-dependent long-term potentiation.     

Proteolytic conversion of hepatitis B virus e antigen precursor to end product occurs in a postendoplasmic reticulum compartment.

At least two proteolytic events are involved in the biogenesis of hepatitis B virus e antigen. The first proteolytic event removes the signal peptide and results in the translocation of the precursor protein, P22, into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The second proteolytic event removes the carboxy-terminal arginine-rich sequence of P22 and converts it to the 16-kDa hepatitis B virus e antigen end product. In contrast to the first proteolytic event, the second proteolytic event is suppressed by brefeldin A, a chemical that inhibits the transport of protein from the ER to the Golgi apparatus. In subcellular fractionation experiments, P22 was detected in both the ER and the Golgi fractions, but P16 was detected only in the Golgi fraction. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the conversion of P22 to P16 occurs ina post-ER compartment, mostly likely the Golgi apparatus.     

Treatment of leachate from a solid waste landfill site using a two-stage anaerobic filter

Raw leachate was treated using a two-stage upflow anaerobic filter process. Leachate from a solid waste landfill site, which received both municipal and industrial wastes, contained high organic matter (17-21 g/L COD, 13-14 g/L BOD, and 3.5-4.6 g/L volatile acids), and low metal (Zn and Fe) concentrations. Depending on sampling time, leachate composition and characteristics varied considerably. At an organic loading up to 4 g COD/day(2) media area, the BOD and COD removal percentages were 98 and 91%, respectively. The biofilters were also effective for metal removal. However, the filter effluent contained a high concentration of ammonia. System overloading was characterized by the accumulation of large quantities of volatile acids and by a now ratio of alkalinity/volatile acids, resulting in low COD removal and reduced gas production. Once the first filter was upset, the second stage could only partially respond to the volatile acids accumulated in the effluent of first filter.     

广西德峨苗族、彝族体质调查

对广西隆林县德峨乡男性22至60岁与女性20至60岁的576名苗族人(男395、女181)和178名彝族人(男88、女90)进行了活体观察与测量,计算出各项数据,总结德峨苗族、彝族的体质特征,并与国内一些民族相比较。