pH track of expanding bacterial populations

A method of pH distribution measurements in agar nutrient media containing expanding bacterial populations is described. It is based on measuring pH microsamples taken at different points of the media. The sample volume was 10 microliters. A pH sensitive field effect transistor was used as a measuring electrode. Acidification was found to occur in glucose media, while alkalization occurred in the media containing peptone.     

Photoinduced transformation of 14-F-bacteriorhodopsin gelatin films based on both wild type and D96N mutant

Spectral and kinetic transformations were studied in gelatin films made with 14-F wild type (WT) bacteriorhodopsin (BR) and 14-F D96N mutant BR. Unlike the recent study of water suspensions of the same pigments, where a red shifted species at 660 nm was shown to form under the light in 14-F WT only, there are no drastic differences in photoinduced behavior between gelatin films based on 14-F WT and 14-F D96N. It is not observed any photoinduced formation of red shifted species at 660 nm for both types of films as it is observed for corresponding pigments in water suspension. The observed results are explained in a terms of relationship between the rates of two photoinduced processes that occur in suspensions and films of corresponding pigments. Kinetic characteristics of the photoinduced processes for the films with chemical additives suggest that there are no advantages in using 14-F D96N films when compared to films based on 14-F WT.     

Induction of unstable mutations in Drosophila melanogaster by the microinjection of oncogenic viruses and their DNA into early embryos

RNA-containing Raus sarcoma virus, recombinant plasmid pBR322 inserted by kDNA RSV (pPrC11) and Sa7 adenovirus DNA were injected into the polar region of Drosophila melanogaster early embryons. The exogenic genetic material injected was shown to induce mutations, many of them unstable. In a number of cases, virus-specific sequences were found in DNA isolated from mutant flies. It is hypothesized that mutations induced by DNA of oncogenic viruses are of the insertion type.     

Formation of demarcation zones when bacterial population waves are drawn together

Many motile bacteria (for instance, Escherichia coli) inoculated at some point in a semisolid nutrient medium can form population waves: bands or rings. The formation of these motile structures is due to chemotaxis. The population waves when they are drawn together can form two types of non-motile structures. Firstly, the population waves can collide. Secondly, in certain conditions, the waves can slow down and stop without coming into contact directly with each other. In this way demarcation zones are formed. The mechanism of the occurrence of the demarcation zones has been unknown. In this paper we show that formation of these zones is due to lack of nutrients (which at the same time act as attractants) within the narrow gap between individual bacterial populations.     

DNA-topoisomerases of animal cells

The properties and functions of the DNA topoisomerases are reviewed on the basis of the literature and the author's own data. The techniques of isolation and characterization of the covalent complexes of the topoisomerases with DNA are described.     

Instability of waves formed by motile bacteria

Abstract Cell-free enzyme preparations of the obligately anaerobic halophilic eubacterium Haloanaerobium praevalens synthesize fatty acids from malonyl-CoA. The reaction is stimulated by NaCl and KCl at a concentration of 1 M, and only slightly inhibited by salt concentrations as high as 3 M. Thus, the fatty acid synthetase of H. praevalens is expected to the fully active at the high intracellular salt concentrations present, and it is the first fatty acid synthetase reported to be active in the presence of high salt concentrations.