Isolation from earthworms of a proteinaceous chemoattractant to garter snakes

We have isolated a potent proteinaceous chemoattractant from aqueous washes of earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) for garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) by means of a covalent chromatography. It contained free sulfhydryl groups and showed an apparent mass of 20 kDa. The chemoattractive activity of this protein could be destroyed by heating as well as by proteolysis. Its activity could also be reversibly blocked by mixed disulfide formation with dithiodipyridine, suggesting that the free sulfhydryl(s) was essential for its function as a chemoattractant. This bioactive material had a tendency to form intermolecular crosslinked aggregates during isolation, if reducing agents were not included. Some of the high-molecular-weight aggregates cochromatographed with earthworm cuticle collagen on Ultragel AcA 34 or 44 columns. In contrast to an earlier report by D. M. Kirschenbaum, N. Schulman, and M. Halpern [1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83, 1213-1216) the purified earthworm collagen showed no chemoattractive activity to garter snakes.     

Strategies for farmers and policy makers to control nitro-gen losses whilst maintaining crop production

The nitrogen (N) cycle is essentially 'leaky'. The losses of small amounts of nitrate to waters and of ammonia and nitrous oxide to the atmosphere are a part of the global biogeo-chemical N cycle. However, intensive agricultural production, industry and vehicle use have more than doubled the amount of 'reactive' N in the environment, resulting in eutrophication, ecosystem change and health concerns. Research has identified agricultural practices that cause large losses of N and, in some cases, developed solutions. This paper discusses the problems of maintaining productivity while reducing N losses, compares conventional with low input (integrated) and organic farming systems, and discusses wider options. It also looks at the need to integrate studies on N with other environmental impacts, set in the context of the whole farm system, to provide truly sustainable agricultural systems.     

Patterns and Emerging Trends in Global Ocean Health

International and regional policies aimed at managing ocean ecosystem health need quantitative and comprehensive indices to synthesize information from a variety of sources, consistently measure progress, and communicate with key constituencies and the public. Here we present the second annual global assessment of the Ocean Health Index, reporting current scores and annual changes since 2012, recalculated using updated methods and data based on the best available science, for 221 coastal countries and territories. The Index measures performance of ten societal goals for healthy oceans on a quantitative scale of increasing health from 0 to 100, and combines these scores into a single Index score, for each country and globally. The global Index score improved one point (from 67 to 68), while many country-level Index and goal scores had larger changes. Per-country Index scores ranged from 41–95 and, on average, improved by 0.06 points (range -8 to +12). Globally, average scores increased for individual goals by as much as 6.5 points (coastal economies) and decreased by as much as 1.2 points (natural products). Annual updates of the Index, even when not all input data have been updated, provide valuable information to scientists, policy makers, and resource managers because patterns and trends can emerge from the data that have been updated. Changes of even a few points indicate potential successes (when scores increase) that merit recognition, or concerns (when scores decrease) that may require mitigative action, with changes of more than 10–20 points representing large shifts that deserve greater attention. Goal scores showed remarkably little covariance across regions, indicating low redundancy in the Index, such that each goal delivers information about a different facet of ocean health. Together these scores provide a snapshot of global ocean health and suggest where countries have made progress and where a need for further improvement exists.     

Chronic urticaria.

Urticaria affects 15% to 20% of the population once or more during a lifetime. Chronic urticaria is a frequent recurrent eruption over a period greater than 6 weeks; the cause remains a mystery in more than 75% of cases. Urticaria and angioedema may be produced by immunologic or nonimmunologic means. Urticarial vasculitis, contact urticaria, mastocytosis, physical urticarias, dermatographism, cholinergic urticaria, localized heat urticaria, cold urticaria, aquagenic urticaria, and vibratory angioedema all require specific evaluation and treatment. Chronic idiopathic urticaria is usually controlled by antihistamines; depending on the circadian rhythm of the eruption, sedative or nonsedative antihistamines are prescribed. Some patients will require a combination of H1 and H2 antagonists, or even parenteral corticosteroids.     

Purification and properties of glutamate binding protein from the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli K-12.

Glutamate binding protein released from the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli K-12 by lysozyme-EDTA treatment was purified to homogeneity and its physical and chemical properties were studied. It is a basic protein with a pI of 9.1. Its molecular weight, determined in an analytical ultracentrifuge, and by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 and dodecylsulphate acrylamide is 29 700, 27 800 and 32 000, respectively. The KD value for glutamate was 6.7 - 10- minus 6 M. L-Aspartate, reduced glutathione, G-glutamate-gamma-benzylester and L-glutamate-gamma-ethylester competitively inhibited glutamate binding with K-i; values of 7.8 - 10- minus 5, 1.1 - 10- minus 5, 1.0 - 10- minus 5 and 1.0 - 10- minus 5 M, respectively. Spheroplasts retained 40% of glutamate transport as compared to intact cells. The glutamate binding activity of a glutamate-utilizing strain (CS7), was 1.6 times as high as that of the glutamate non-utilizing parent strain (CS101). Similarly, the glutamate binding activity of a temperature conditional glutamate-utilizing mutant (CS2-TC) was 1.9 times higher when grown at the permissive temperature (42 degrees C) than when grown at the restrictive temperature (30 degrees C).     

Phosphorylation on basic amino acids in myelin basic protein.

Isolated rat brain myelin when incubated with γ³²P labelled ATP yields proteins bearing acid labile, base stable phosphoryl groups. Phosphorylated myelin basic protein can be isolated and degraded with trypsin and pronase to yield principally phosphoarginine and phosphohistidine. Only a very small amount of phosphorerine survives the base treatment used in the isolation procedure.     

Evidence That a Precursor Glycoprotein Is Cleaved to Yield the Major Glycoprotein of Avian Tumor Virus

A glycoprotein designated pr90, which is recognized by anti-gp85 serum, is present in lysates of pulse-labeled transformed cells. Under chase conditions, a reduction in the level of labeled pr90 is observed concomitant with the appearance of labeled, cell-associated viral glycoprotein.