Three saponins from Oxytropis species.

Three flavonoids and three saponins have been isolated from Oxytropis species. Their structures were determined as isorhamnetin-3-O-beta-D-glucoside, rhamnetin-3-O-beta-D-galactoside, apigenin, 3-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1----2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1----4)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl]+ ++soyasapogenol B, 3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1----2)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl] azukisapogenol and a new saponin 3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1----2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-25-O-alpha-L- rhamnopyranosyl-(20S,24S)-3 beta,16 beta, 20,24,25-pentahydroxy-9,19-cycloanostane.     

Mutational analysis of slyD, an Escherichia coli gene encoding a protein of the FKBP immunophilin family

slyD encodes a 196 amino acid polypeptide that is a member of the FKBP family of cis–trans peptidyl–prolyl isomerases (PPIases). slyD mutations affect plaque formation by the phage φX174 by blocking the action of the phage lysis protein E. Here we describe the selection of a set of spontaneous slyD mutations conferring resistance to the expression of gene E from a plasmid. These mutations occur disproportionately in residues of SlyD that, based on the structure of the prototype mammalian FKBP12, make ligand contacts with immunosuppressing drug molecules or are conserved in other FKBP proteins. A wide variation in the plating efficiency of φX174 on these E  ^R strains is observed, relative to the parental, indicating that these alleles differ widely in residual SlyD activity. Moreover, it is found that slyD mutations cause significant growth rate defects in Escherichia coli B and C backgrounds. Finally, overexpression of slyD causes filamentation of the host. Thus, among the FKBP genes found in organisms across the evolutionary spectrum, slyD is unique in having three distinct drug-independent phenotypes.     

Ligand binding to cytochrome c peroxidase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The high potential heme site of Pseudomonas cytochrome c peroxidase has His and Met as ligands. On reduction, the Fe-met bond becomes photosensitive. Following photolysis, the bond reforms with a half-time of 35 ps. The low potential heme peroxidatic site of the fully reduced enzyme has been shown to bind to a range of ligands. The compounds with carbon monoxide, methyl, ethyl, n-butyl, and t-butyl isonitriles have been investigated by laser flash photolysis. All are photosensitive and show different degrees of geminate recombination of ligand in the picosecond and nanosecond time ranges. Carbon monoxide shows the least effect. The three straight-chain isonitriles show about 50% geminate recombination with half-times of the order of 10 ns. t-Butyl isonitrile shows more and faster recombination. These results imply considerable freedom of movement within the active site for the smaller ligands.     

Morpho-anatomical and physiological responses to waterlogging stress in different barley (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hordeum vulgare</Emphasis> L.) genotypes

Waterlogging is one of the major stresses limiting crop production worldwide. The understanding of the mechanisms of plant adaptations to waterlogging stress helps improve plant tolerance to stress. In this study, physiological responses and morpho-anatomical adaptations of seven different barley genotypes were investigated under waterlogging stress. The results showed that the waterlogging-tolerant varieties (TX9425, Yerong, TF58) showed less reduction in plant height, SPAD (soil–plant analyses development analyses) value, tillers, shoot and root biomasses than did the waterlogging-sensitive varieties (Franklin, Naso Nijo, TF57). Under waterlogging stress condition, the tolerant genotypes also showed a much larger number of adventitious roots than did the sensitive genotypes. More intercellular spaces and better integrated chloroplast membrane structures were observed in the leaves of the waterlogging-tolerant cultivars, which is likely due to increased ethylene content, decreased ABA content and less accumulation of O₂^.?. The ability to form new adventitious roots and intercellular spaces in shoots can also be used as selection criteria in breeding barley for waterlogging tolerance.     

HDAC1 Regulates the Proliferation of Radial Glial Cells in the Developing Xenopus Tectum

In the developing central nervous system (CNS), progenitor cells differentiate into progeny to form functional neural circuits. Radial glial cells (RGs) are a transient progenitor cell type that is present during neurogenesis. It is thought that a combination of neural trophic factors, neurotransmitters and electrical activity regulates the proliferation and differentiation of RGs. However, it is less clear how epigenetic modulation changes RG proliferation. We sought to explore the effect of histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity on the proliferation of RGs in the visual optic tectum of Xenopus laevis. We found that the number of BrdU-labeled precursor cells along the ventricular layer of the tectum decrease developmentally from stage 46 to stage 49. The co-labeling of BrdU-positive cells with brain lipid-binding protein (BLBP), a radial glia marker, showed that the majority of BrdU-labeled cells along the tectal midline are RGs. BLBP-positive cells are also developmentally decreased with the maturation of the brain. Furthermore, HDAC1 expression is developmentally down-regulated in tectal cells, especially in the ventricular layer of the tectum. Pharmacological blockade of HDACs using Trichostatin A (TSA) or Valproic acid (VPA) decreased the number of BrdU-positive, BLBP-positive and co-labeling cells. Specific knockdown of HDAC1 by a morpholino (HDAC1-MO) decreased the number of BrdU- and BLBP-labeled cells and increased the acetylation level of histone H4 at lysine 12 (H4K12). The visual deprivation-induced increase in BrdU- and BLBP-positive cells was blocked by HDAC1 knockdown at stage 49 tadpoles. These data demonstrate that HDAC1 regulates radial glia cell proliferation in the developing optical tectum of Xenopus laevis.     

Acquisition of an additional internal cleavage site differentially affects the ability of pseudorabies virus to multiply in different host cells.

The translocation of the 325 leftmost bp of the genome of pseudorabies virus (PrV) to the internal junction between the L and S components confers upon the virus a growth advantage relative to wild-type PrV in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) and chickens and a growth disadvantage in rabbit kidney (RK) cells and mice. To clarify the molecular basis for the species-specific growth characteristics of the translocation mutants, we have compared several parameters of the virus growth cycle in CEFs and RK cells infected with wild-type PrV and with translocation mutants. The salient findings are as follows. (i) The synthesis of early-late and late proteins is not as effective in CEFs as it is in RK cells, and these proteins, in particular, the major capsid proteins, accumulate less abundantly in CEFs than in RK cells. (ii) Cleavage of concatemeric DNA to genome-size molecules is also not as effective in CEFs as it is in RK cells. (iii) The internal junction present in translocation mutants is a functional cleavage site. (iv) In RK cells, translocation mutants are hypercleaved and a significant proportion of the total viral DNA is cleaved into subgenomic fragments. (v) In CEFs infected with translocation mutants, subgenomic fragments also accumulate but most of the viral DNA remains in concatemeric form. A model which postulates that the cell-specific growth advantage or disadvantage of the translocation mutants is related to the presence of a second cleavage site within their genomes and is affected by the efficiency of cleavage of concatemeric DNA in particular infected cell types is presented. The significance of these findings as they relate to the evolution of herpesviruses with class 2- and class 3-like genomes is discussed.