On the Robustness of the Geometrical Model for Cell Wall Deposition

All plant cells are provided with the necessary rigidity to withstand the turgor by an exterior cell wall. This wall is composed of long crystalline cellulose microfibrils embedded in a matrix of other polysaccharides. The cellulose microfibrils are deposited by mobile membrane bound protein complexes in remarkably ordered lamellar textures. The mechanism by which these ordered textures arise, however, is still under debate. The geometrical model for cell wall deposition proposed by Emons and Mulder (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 95, 7215–7219, 1998) provides a detailed approach to the case of cell wall deposition in non-growing cells, where there is no evidence for the direct influence of other cellular components such as microtubules. The model successfully reproduces even the so-called helicoidal wall; the most intricate texture observed. However, a number of simplifying assumptions were made in the original calculations. The present work addresses the issue of the robustness of the model to relaxation of these assumptions, by considering whether the helicoidal solutions survive when three aspects of the model are varied. These are: (i) the shape of the insertion domain, (ii) the distribution of lifetimes of individual CSCs, and (iii) fluctuations and overcrowding. Although details of the solutions do change, we find that in all cases the overall character of the helicoidal solutions is preserved.     

Über die Bedeutung des Kupfers für das Wachstum von Mikroorganismen und über eine mikrobiologische Methode zur Bestimmung des pflanzenverfügbaren Bodenkupfers

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Morphine and Enkephalins Potently Inhibit [3H]Noradrenaline Release from Rat Brain Cortex Synaptosomes: Further Evidence for a Presynaptic Localization of μ-Opioid Receptors

Synaptosomes prepared from rat cerebral cortex and labeled with [3H]noradrenaline (NA) were superfused with calcium-free Krebs-Ringer-bicarbonate medium and exposed to 10 mM K+ plus 0.1 mM Ca2+ so that [3H]NA release was induced. 6,7-Dihydroxy-N,N-dimethyl-2-aminotetralin (TL-99) strongly inhibited synaptosomal K+-induced [3H]NA release (EC50 = 5-10 nM) by activating alpha 2-adrenoceptors. Release was also inhibited (maximally by 40-50%) by morphine (EC50 = 5-10 nM), [Leu5]enkephalin (EC50 = approximately 300 nM), [D-Ala2,D-Leu5]enkephalin (DADLE), and Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-(NMe)Phe-Gly-ol (DAGO) (EC50 values = approximately 30 nM). In contrast to the mu-selective opioid receptor agonists morphine and DAGO, the highly delta-selective agonist [D-Pen2,D-Pen5]enkephalin (1 microM) did not affect [3H]-NA release. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of DADLE, an agonist with affinity for both delta- and mu-opioid receptors, was antagonized by low concentrations of naloxone. The findings strongly support the view that, like alpha 2-adrenoceptors, mu-opioid receptors mediating inhibition of NA release in the rat cerebral cortex are localized on noradrenergic nerve terminals.     

Interaction of rat glutathione S-transferases 7-7 and 8-8 with gamma-glutamyl- or glycyl-modified glutathione analogues.

Analogues of GSH in which either the gamma-glutamyl or the glycyl moiety is modified were synthesized and tested as both substrates for and inhibitors of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) 7-7 and 8-8. Acceptor substrates for GST 7-7 were 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and ethacrynic acid (ETA) and for GST 8-8 CDNB, ETA and 4-hydroxynon-trans-2-enal (HNE). The relative ability of each combination of enzyme and GSH analogue to catalyse the conjugation of all acceptor substrates was similar with the exception of the combination of GST 7-7 and gamma-L-Glu-L-Cys-L-Asp, which used CDNB but not ETA as acceptor substrate. In general, GST 7-7 was better than GST 8-8 in utilizing these analogues as substrates, and glycyl analogues were better than gamma-glutamyl analogues as both substrates and inhibitors. These results are compared with those obtained earlier with GSH analogues and GST isoenzymes 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4 [Adang, Brussee, Meyer, Coles, Ketterer, van der Gen & Mulder (1988) Biochem. J. 255, 721-724] and the implications with respect to the nature of their active sites are discussed.     

Prolonged blood pressure reduction by orally active renin inhibitor RO 42-5892 in essential hypertension.

OBJECTIVE--To investigate the effects of a novel specific renin inhibitor, RO 42-5892, with high affinity for human renin (Ki = 0.5 x 10(-9) mol/l), on plasma renin activity and angiotensin II concentration and on 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure in essential hypertension. DESIGN--Exploratory study in which active treatment was preceded by placebo. SETTING--Inpatient unit of teaching hospital. PATIENTS--Nine men with uncomplicated essential hypertension who had a normal sodium intake. INTERVENTIONS--Two single intravenous doses of RO 42-5892 (100 and 1,000 micrograms/kg in 10 minutes) given to six patients and one single oral dose (600 mg) given to the three others as well as to three of the patients who also received the two intravenous doses. RESULTS--With both intravenous and oral doses renin activity fell in 10 minutes to undetectably low values, while angiotensin II concentration fell overall by 80-90% with intravenous dosing and by 30-40% after the oral dose. Angiotensin II concentration was back to baseline four hours after the low and six hours after the high intravenous dose and remained low for at least eight hours after the oral dose. Blood pressure fell rapidly both after low and high intravenous doses and after the oral dose and remained low for hours. With the high intravenous dose the daytime (0900-2230), night time (2300-0600), and next morning (0630-0830) systolic blood pressures were significantly (p less than 0.05) lowered by 12.5 (95% confidence interval 5.6 to 19.7), 12.2 (5.4 to 19.3), and 10.7 (3.2 to 18.5) mm Hg respectively, and daytime diastolic pressure was lowered by 9.3 (2.2 to 16.8) mmHg. With the oral dose daytime, night time, and next morning systolic blood pressures were lowered by 10.3 (5.5 to 15.4), 10.5 (4.2 to 17.2), and 9.7 (4.0 to 15.6) mm Hg, and daytime and night time diastolic pressures were lowered by 5.8 (0.9 to 11.0) and 6.0 (0.3-12) mm Hg respectively. CONCLUSIONS--The effect of the inhibitor on blood pressure was maintained over a longer period than its effect on angiotensin II. RO 42-5892 is orally active and has a prolonged antihypertensive effect in patients who did not have sodium depletion. This prolonged effect seems to be independent, at least in part, of the suppression of circulating angiotensin II.