Behavioral characteristics of old female Japanese monkeys in a free-ranging group

Fourteen female Japanese monkeys of the Arashiyama-B group ranging in age from 11 to 29 years were observed to elucidate the behavioral characteristics of aging monkeys. A positive significant correlation was found between the occurrences of rest and age, and a negative significant correlation between the occurrences of auto-grooming and age. Younger female monkeys tended to be in contact with or in proximity to group members, while older female monkeys tended to spend much more time alone. As for the grooming interactions, younger female monkeys more often groomed others than did older female monkeys. Also, the former engaged in grooming more frequently than in being groomed, while the latter spent more time in being groomed than in grooming. The old female monkeys showed no marked decline in rank, but some of them were surpassed by their adult daughters.     

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe cdc6 gene encodes the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase δ

The cdc6 mutants of Schizosaccharomyces pombe have been classified as being defective in progression through the G2 phase of the cell cycle. We cloned an S. pombe gene that could complement the temperature-sensitive growth of the cdc6-23 mutant. Unexpectedly, the cloned gene was allelic to pol3, which encodes the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase δ. Integration mapping confirmed that cdc6 and pol3 are identical. The cdc6-23 mutant carries one amino acid substitution in the conserved N3 region of Pol3. Received: 17 October 1996 / Accepted: 19 November 1996     

Studies on the Glucanase of Sclerotinia Libertiana

Glucanase-treatment of yeast cells was shown to increase the glucose fermenting activity, and decrease the sucrose and maltose fermenting activity. Also, lipase–and phospholipase–treatment decreased the fermenting activity on these sugars. However, the effects on the disaccharide fermenting activity could be reversed under various growth conditions of the yeast cells.

From these results, structural factors envolved in the transport of fermentable sugars into yeast cells are discussed.     

Physiological evaluation of temperature effect on the growth processes of the mysid, Neomysis intermedia Czerniawsky

Ingestion, respiration, and molting loss rates were measuredover the 3 – 29°C range in Neomysis intermedia. Weightspecific rates of these physiological processes ranged from2 to 140% body C day^–1 for ingestion, from 2 to 15% bodyC day^–1 for respiration, and from 0.1 to 5% body C day^–1for molting loss. All weight-specific rates showed a logarithmicdecrease with a logarithmic increase in body weight, and a logarithmicincrease with a linear increase in temperature below 20 or 25°C.The effect of temperature, however, was different between thephysiological rates, with a large temperature dependency foringestion (Q₁₀ = 2.6 –3.9) and molting loss (Q¹⁰ = 2.9– 3.6) and a moderate temperature dependency for respiration(Q₁₀ = 1.9 – 2.1). Calculated assimilation efficiencychanged with body size, but was constant over the temperaturerange examined. Allocation of assimilated materials varied witha change in temperature, reflecting the different temperaturedependence between physiological processes. It was deduced thatthe strong temperature dependency of the growth rate in N. intermediaobserved in the previous studies resulted from the large temperatureeffect on ingestion and assimilation rates, superimposed bythe different allocation of assimilated materials. ¹Present address: Department of Botany, University of Tokyo,Hongo, Tokyo 113, Japan     

Influence of cadmium on the distribution of the essential trace elements zinc and copper in the liver and kidneys of rats

Cd induced changes of Zn and Cd distribution in the liver and kidneys were studied in relation to Cd metallothionein (MT) synthesis. Wistar male rats were given CdCl₂ by sc injection of .8, 1.5, and 3.0 mg Cd/kg three times a week for three weeks. Cd levels of liver and kidneys increased with the increment of Cd dosage and 80–90% of Cd was found in the cytosol. The MT fractions contained 80–89% cytosolic Cd in the liver and 55–75% Cd in the kidneys. Zn concentrations in the liver increased following Cd administration, But Zn in the kidneys showed only slight increase. There was a distinct decrease of Cu concentration in the liver of the 3.0 mg group. In contrast, Cu concentrations in the kidneys increased about three times in the .8 and 1.5 mg Cd groups, but Cu in the 3.0 mg group showed only 1.5 times increase. The changes of these metal concentrations were observed mainly in the cytosol. Non-MT-Cd in the kidneys was maximum in the 1.5 mg group, but the 3.0 mg group showed significant decrease. In parallel with this decrease of Cd, Cu and Zn in the kidneys showed similar decrease. When the kidneys are injured, Zn and Cu appear to leak from this organ.     

Cd-Binding Complexes from the Root Tissues of Various Higher Plants Cultivated in Cd2+-Containing Medium

Stone parsley, soybean, sunflower, sweet potato, potato, andadlay cultivated in a Cd²⁺-containing medium had Cd-bindingcomplexes with molecular weights of about 4,000 in the roottissues. The complexes were similar to the complex previouslyfound in water hyacinth roots in their absorption and CD spectraand their amino acid compositions. The results indicate thewidespread existence of complexes similar to fission yeast Cd-BPlin roots of various plants. (Received June 30, 1986; Accepted December 18, 1986)     

Complete primary structure of vertebrate smooth muscle myosin heavy chain deduced from its complementary DNA sequence. Implications on topography and function of myosin

The 1979 amino acid sequence of embryonic chicken gizzard smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC) have been determined by cloning and sequencing its cDNA. Genomic Southern analysis and Northern analysis with the cDNA sequence show that gizzard MHC is encoded by a single-copy gene, and this gene is expressed in the gizzard and aorta. The encoded protein has a calculated Mr of 229 X 10(3), and can be divided into a long alpha-helical rod and a globular head. Only 32 to 33% of the amino acid residues in the rod and 48 to 49% in the head are conserved when compared with nematode or vertebrate sarcomeric MHC sequences. However, the seven residue hydrophobic periodicity, together with the 28 and 196 residue repeat of charge distribution previously described in nematode myosin rod, are all present in the gizzard myosin rod. Two of the trypsin-sensitive sites in gizzard light meromyosin have been mapped by partial peptide sequencing to 99 nm and 60 nm from the tip of the myosin tail, where these sites coincide with the two "hinges" for the 6 S/10 S transition. In the head sequence, several polypeptide segments, including the regions around the putative ATP-binding site and the reactive thiol groups, are highly conserved. These areas presumably reflect conserved structural elements important for the function of myosin. A multi-domain folding model of myosin head is proposed on the basis of the conserved sequences, information on the topography of myosin in the literature, and the predicted secondary structures. In this model, Mg2+ ATP is bound to a pocket between two opposing alpha/beta domains, while actin undergoes electrostatic interactions with lysine-rich surface loops on two other domains. The actin-myosin interactions are thought to be modulated through relative movements of the domains induced by the binding of ATP.