Summer dynamics of the deep chlorophyll maximum in Lake Tahoe

Vertical profiles of chlorophyll and phytoplankton biomass weremeasured in Lake Tahoe from July 1976 through April 1977. Adeep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) persisted during summer and earlyautumn (July—October) near 100 m, well below the mixedlayer and at the upper surface of the nitracline. The DCM coincidedwith the phytoplankton biomass maximum as determined from cellcounts. In addition, the composition of the phytoplankton assemblagewas highly differentiated with respect to depth. Cyclotellastelligera was the predominant species in the mixed layer whilethe major species in the DCM layer included C. ocellata andseveral green ultraplanktonic species. In situ cell growth playsa substantial role in maintaining the DCM, but sinking of cellsfrom shallower depths and zooplankton grazing above the DCMmay contribute to the maintenance of the DCM. Calculations supportthe interpretation that the summer DCM persists at the boundarybetween an upper, nutrient-limited phytoplankton assemblageand a deeper, light-limited assemblage.     

The organization of repetitive sequences in the albumin and alpha-fetoprotein gene loci in the rat

Summary The distribution of middle repetitive sequences in the genic and extragenic regions of the rat albumin and -fetoprotein genes was analyzed. Their presence was determined by probing Southern blots of restriction fragments of albumin and -fetoprotein genomic subclones with ³²P-labeled total rat DNA. Repetitive sequences were detected in both genes. They were classified as weak, moderate and intense hybridizing elements according to the intensity of hybridization. Weak repetitive sequences were characterized as dG·dT repeats by using ³²P-labeled poly-(dG·dT)(dC·dA) oligomer probe. They occurred in 5 and 3 extragenic regions of the two genes and in introns 4 and 5 of the albumin gene. The moderate repetitive sequence present in intron 6 of the albumin gene was identified as the rat SINES element, 4D12. The intense repetitive sequence, localized in the 3 non-coding region of the albumin gene, corresponded to the terminal segment of a rat high repeat long interspersed DNA family, L1Rn. 4D12 and L1Rn sequences were also scattered throughout the -fetoprotein locus as moderate and intense repetitive elements, respectively, but their distribution was different from that of the albumin genomic region. These results indicate that repetitive sequences invaded the two loci in a non-conservative manner.     

An improved purification procedure and properties of casein kinase II from brain

A simple and short purification procedure applicable to casein kinase II has been developed, for fully characterizing the enzyme from calf cerebral cortex cytosol. The procedure consists of four chromatographic steps: DEAE-cellulose, phosphocellulose, phosvitin-Sepharose and ATP-agarose which yields 87% pure casein kinase II. The purified enzyme shows three major bands with apparent molecular masses of 42, 38, and 27 kDa by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate and is self-autophosphorylated on its 27 kDa polypeptide. The enzyme shows all the characteristics described for casein kinase II from other sources: it is independent of cyclic nucleotides, calcium/phospholipids, and double-stranded poly(I).poly(C); it can utilize both ATP and GTP as phosphoryl donors and can phosphorylate both casein and phosvitin but not histone. The kinetic studies establish that theK _m for ATP is 12.5 M and 25.1 M when using phosvitin and casein respectively as phosphoryl acceptors. TheK _m for phosvitin is 0.91 mg/ml and for casein 1.43 mg/ml, while theV _max is 315 nmol/min/per mg protein and 479 nmol/min/per mg protein for phosvitin and casein respectively. The activity of the kinase is highly stimulated by KCl or NaCl, and almost completely inhibited by heparin concentrations of 1 g/ml (92%). This inhibition is reduced to only 33% in the presence of optimal KCl concentrations (150 mM). Spermine stimulates enzyme activity, whilst hemin produces a slight inhibition.     

Chromosome-mediated iron uptake system in pathogenic strains of Vibrio anguillarum.

We describe in this work a new iron uptake system encoded by chromosomal genes in pathogenic strains of Vibrio anguillarum. This iron uptake system differs from the plasmid-encoded anguibactin-mediated system present in certain strains of V. anguillarum in several properties. The siderophore anguibactin is not utilized as an external siderophore, and although characteristic outer membrane proteins are synthesized under iron-limiting conditions, these are not related to the plasmid-mediated outer membrane protein OM2 associated with ferric anguibactin transport. Furthermore, the siderophore produced by the plasmidless strains may be functionally related to enterobactin as demonstrated by bioassays with enterobactin-deficient mutants, although its behavior under various chemical treatments suggested major differences from that siderophore. Hybridization experiments suggested that the V. anguillarum chromosome-mediated iron uptake system is unrelated genetically to either the anguibactin or enterobactin-associated iron assimilation systems.     

Functional heterogeneity of GEF-free initiation factor 2 purified from suckling and adult rat brain

The functional behavior of initiation factor 2 was studied in purified preparations from the brains of suckling (4-12-day-old) and adult (60-day-old) rats. Adult eIF2 has lower GDP and GTP affinity than suckling eIF2, even in the presence of a large excess of GTP, whereas suckling eIF2 has a lower capacity to bind GTP. Since these two factors are free of guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), and ribosomal fractions show an age-dependent difference in GEF activity, the observed functional heterogeneity may be due to a different ratio in eIF2 species (eIF2-GDP, eIF2(P)).

Developing brain Protein synthesis Initiation factor 2 Guanine nucleotide exchange factor     

Epitopes recognized by the neutralizing antibodies of an HIV-1-infected individual.

Sera from individuals infected by HIV-1 usually neutralize multiple viral isolates. To determine the extent to which these neutralizing antibodies recognize a principal neutralizing determinant in the V3 region of the envelope protein gp120 (amino acids 308-332), one broadly neutralizing serum was fractionated by affinity chromatography on immobilized peptide columns. Antibodies that neutralize one isolate (HTLV-IIIMN) were substantially but not completely absorbed by the peptide corresponding to a portion of its V3 determinant, whereas the antibodies that neutralize two other isolates (HTLV-IIIB and HTLV-IIIRF) were not absorbed by homologous peptides corresponding to their neutralizing determinants. Neutralizing antibodies also failed to be absorbed by full length envelope protein gp160 and by two other envelope peptides previously reported to be broadly neutralizing epitopes (amino acids 254-274 and 735-752). We conclude that the infected individual had raised a type-restricted neutralizing response targeted at a linear epitope in the V3 region, and that broad neutralization resulted from recognition of epitopes not yet identified.