Genome complexities of the three mRNA species of snowshoe hare bunyavirus and in vitro translation of S mRNA to viral N polypeptide.

The genome complexities of the principal intracellular viral complementary RNA species of the snowshoe hare bunyavirus have been analyzed by duplex analyses involving hybridization of complementary RNA to individual 32P-labeled viral RNA species (large, L; medium, M; and small, S), recovery of nuclease-resistant duplexes, and determination of the oligonucleotide fingerprints of the protected 32P-labeled viral sequences. The result for the M RNA (which codes for the glycoproteins G1 and G2; J. R. Gentsch and D. H. L. Bishop, J. Virol. 30:767-770, 1979) indicates that there is a single polycistronic M mRNA. Similar results were obtained for the L and S RNA species. In vitro translation studies with the S complementary RNA species of snowshoe hare virus as well as melted purified S duplexes substantiate earlier genetic and molecular studies (J. R. Gentsch and D. H. L. Bishop, J. Virol. 28:417-419, 1978; J. Gentsch, D. H. L. Bishop, and J. F. Obijeski, J. Gen. Virol. 34-257-268, 1977), which indicate that S mRNA codes for the virion nucleocapsid protein N.     

Intracytoplasmic membrane synthesis in synchronous cell populations of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides. Fate of "old" and "new" membrane.

A nonspecific density labeling technique has been employed to monitor the synthesis of intracytoplasmic membrane in synchronously dividing populations of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides. The intracytoplasmic membranes of cells synchronized in D2O-based medium were found to undergo discontinuous decreases in specific density during synchronous cell growth following transfer to H2O-based medium. These abrupt decreases in membrane specific density occurred immediately prior to cell division and were not observed with intracytoplasmic membranes prepared from asynchronously dividing cells (see also Kowakowski, H., and Kaplan, S. (1974) J. Bacteriol. 118, 1144-1157). Discontinuous increases in the net accumulation of cellular phospholipid were also observed during the synchronous growth of R. sphaeroides. This is to be contrasted to the continuous insertion of protein and the photopigment components of the photosynthetic apparatus into the intracytoplasmic membrane during the cell division cycle (Fraley, R.T., Lueking, D.R., and Kaplan, S. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 458-464; Wraight, C.A., Lueking, D.R., Fraley, R.T., and Kaplan, S. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 465-471). Further, examination of the protein/phospholipid ratios of purified intracytoplasmic membrane preparations revealed that this ratio undergoes cyclical changes of 35 to 40% during a normal cycle of cell division. In contrast to the results of Ferretti and Gray ((1968) J. Bacteriol, 95, 1400-1406), DNA synthesis was found to occur in a stepwise manner in synchronously dividing cell populations of R. sphaeroides.     

Influence of growth environment on tolerance to UV-B radiation, germination speed, and morphology of Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum conidia

We previously reported wide variability in UV-B tolerance among different Metarhizium anisopliae isolates [Braga, G.U.L., Flint, S.D., Miller, C.D., Anderson, A.J., Roberts, D.W., 2001a. Variability in response to UV-B among species and strains of Metarhizium isolated from sites at latitudes from 61 degrees N to 54 degrees S. J. Invertebr. Pathol. 78, 98-108] as well as wide phenotypic variability in some of these isolates in response to alterations in their growth environments [Rangel, D.E.N., Braga, G.U.L., Flint, S.D., Anderson, A.J., Roberts, D.W., 2004. Variations in UV-B tolerance and germination speed of M. anisopliae conidia produced on artificial and natural substrates. J. Invertebr. Pathol. 87, 77-83]. Studies on other biological systems have demonstrated that strong selective pressure for tolerance to a stress factor may reduce the phenotypic variability of this trait. In the present study, conidia of the isolate most tolerant to radiation and heat, ARSEF 324, presented very little phenotypic variability in UV-B tolerance in response to production on either artificial culture medium or infected insects. The phenotypic plasticities in two other traits (conidial morphology and germination speed), however, were considerably higher.     

Nonrandom F-plasmid replication in Escherichia coli K-12.

Both the autonomous and chromosomally integrated F plasmids were found to replicate in a nonrandom fashion after a density transfer from heavy medium ([13C]glucose, 15NH4) to light medium ([12C]glucose, 14NH4). The data are consistent with the hypothesis that both the chromosome and the F plasmid are replicated in a cell cycle-specific manner. Thus, these data support the proposal (J. D. Keasling, B. O. Palsson, and S. Cooper, J. Bacteriol. 173:2673-2680, 1991) that plasmids replicate in a cell cycle-specific manner.     

Isolation of additional polymorphic clones from the cystic fibrosis region, using chromosome jumping from D7S8.

The cystic fibrosis (CF) locus has been located, by both linkage analysis and physical mapping, to a 900-kb region of 7q22-31 flanked by D7S8 (J3.11) and D7S23 (XV-2c). Using a 100-kb general jumping library, we isolated two sequential jump clones, J31 and J29, to one side of the D7S8 region and one jump clone, J32, to the other side of D7S8, so that the total region covered is about 300 kb. Three new RFLPs were detected by J29 and J32. Using PFGE mapping and the three jump clones, we found it possible to orient D7S8 on the chromosome and, by linkage analysis, to further narrow the CF region by 100 kb. The orientation of D7S8 will be useful for directing the isolation of other jump clones toward the CF locus. Though the newly described RFLPs are in considerable linkage disequilibrium with D7S8 polymorphisms, they increase the informativeness of genetic markers in the D7S8 region and should be useful in prenatal diagnosis.     

Growth of a bacterium that apparently uses arsenic instead of phosphorus is a consequence of massive ribosome breakdown

A recent study (Wolfe-Simon, F., Switzer Blum, J., Kulp, T. R., Gordon, G. W., Hoeft, S. E., Pett-Ridge, J., Stolz, J. F., Webb, S. M., Weber, P. K., Davies, P. C., Anbar, A. D., and Oremland, R. S. (2011) Science 332, 1163-1166) described the isolation of a special bacterial strain, GFAJ-1, that could grow in medium containing arsenate, but lacking phosphate, and that supposedly could substitute arsenic for phosphorus in its biological macromolecules. Here, we provide an alternative explanation for these observations and show that they can be reproduced in a laboratory strain of Escherichia coli. We find that arsenate induces massive ribosome degradation, which provides a source of phosphate. A small number of arsenate-tolerant cells arise during the long lag period prior to initiation of growth in +As/-P medium, and it is this population that undergoes the very slow, limited growth observed for both E. coli and GFAJ-1. These results provide a simple explanation for the reported growth of GFAJ-1 in arsenate without invoking replacement of phosphorus by arsenic in biological macromolecules.     

Selective-Differential Medium for Isolation and Differentiation of Pectinatus from Other Brewery Microorganisms

An agar medium, LL-agar (lactate-lead acetate) was designed to selectively differentiate members of the genus Pectinatus (S. Y. Lee, M. S. Mabee, and N. O. Jangaard, Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 28:582-594, 1978; S. Y. Lee, M. S. Mabee, N. O. Jangaard, and E. K. Horiuchi, J. Inst. Brew. 86:28-30, 1980) from other brewery microorganisms. Selectivity was achieved by the use of sodium lactate as the sole source of carbon and phenylethyl alcohol as an inhibitor for aerobic gram-negative bacteria and yeast. Differentiation was established by the introduction of lead acetate into the medium, which reacted with the H₂S liberated by Pectinatus and resulted in a blackening of the Pectinatus colonies while the other brewery organisms, when present, remained white. In combination with the Lee tube (J. E. Ogg, S. Y. Lee, and B. J. Ogg, Can. J. Microbiol. 25:987-990, 1979) and this medium, isolation of Pectinatus organisms from beer samples was accomplished with convenience and simplicity.     

A selective medium for Fusobacterium spp.

J.S. BRAZIER, D.M. CITRON AND E.J.C. GOLDSTEIN, 1991. A new selective medium (JVN) for the isolation of Fusobacterium spp. from clinical material is described. The medium incorporates josamycin, vancomycin and norfloxacin (at 3, 4 and 1 μg/ml, respectively) as the selective agents, plus 5% defibrinated horse blood in Fastidious Anaerobe Agar Base (Lab M). This formula allowed luxuriant growth of all 82 strains (eight recognized species) of fusobacteria tested, while significantly inhibiting 51/51 (100%) strains of facultative anaerobes and 45/51 (88%) strains of other obligate anaerobes. JVN medium allowed the successful isolation of strains of Fusobacterium naviforme, F. nucleatum and F. necrophorum from the gingivae of 9/16 healthy volunteers, and strains of F. varium and F. mortiferum from faecal suspensions seeded with these organisms.     

Enaminones 10. Molecular modeling aspects of the 5-methylcyclohexenone derivatives

This article expands upon our original submission to the Eddington, N. D.; Cox, D. S.; Khurana, M.; Salama, N. N.; Stables, J. P.; Harrison, S. J.; Negussie, A.; Taylor, R. S.; Tran, U. Q.; Moore, J. A.; Barrow, J. C.; Scott, K. R. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2003, 38, 49 on a series of twenty (20) compounds, all 5-methyl-3-[(substituted)-phenylamino]-cyclohex-2-enone derivatives. This article provides the reasons why the compounds are active/inactive. By use of computational methods, the reasons for activity/inactivity are explained.     

Reviews

Advances in Botanical Research . Vol. 14. Ed. by J. A. C allow .
Inorganic Nitrogen Metabolism . Ed. by W. R. U llrich , P. J. A paricio , P. J. S yrett and F. C astillo .
A Centry od Nitrogen Fixation Research . Ed. by F. J. B ergersen and J. R. P ostgate .
Horizons in Lichenology . Ed. by D. H. D alby , D. L. H awksworth and S. L. J ury .
Introduction to Ecological Biochemistry , By J. B. H arborne .
Russell's Soil Conditions and Plant Growth, Ed. by A lan W ild .
Disease and Plant Population Biology . By J. J. B urdon.
Molecular Determinants of Plant Diseases . Ed. by S. N ishimura , C. P. V ance and N. D oke.
British Fungus Flora, Agrics and Boleti 5. Strophariaceae & Coprinaceae P.P.: Hypholoma, Melanotus, Psilocybe, Stropharia, Lacrymaria & Panaeolus, Psilocybe, Stropharia, Lacrymaria & Panaeolus, By R W atling and M. N. G regory .
Mechanisms of Woody Plant Defenses Against Insects . Ed. by W. J. M attson , J. L evieux and C. B ernard -D agan .
Air Pollution and Acid Rain. The Biological Impact . By A. W ellburn .
The Australian Paniceae (Paniceae) . By R. D. W erster .
Kew Index for 1986 . Compiled by R.A. D avies and K.M. L loyd .
Kew Index for 1987 . Compiled by R. A. D avies and K. M. L loyd .
Index Kewensis Supplement XVII . Compiled by J. L. M. P inner , T. A. B ence , R. A. D avies and K. M. L loyd .
Index Kewensis Supplement XVIII . Compiled by J. L. M. P inner , T. A. B ence , R. A. D avies and K. M. L loyd . Edited by R. A. D avies .
The Botany of Mangroves . By P. B. T omlinson .
Floweroing Plants in West Africa . By M argaret S teentoft .
Plants in Danger . By S. D. D avies     

Mapping Protein-Protein Proximity in the Purinosome

The enzymes in the human de novo purine synthesis pathway were found to form a cellular complex, the purinosome, upon culturing cells in purine-depleted medium (An, S., Kumar R., Sheets, E. D., and Benkovic, S. J. (2008) Science 320, 103–106). Purinosome formation and dissociation were found to be modulated by several factors, including the microtubule network and cell signaling involving protein phosphorylation. To determine whether the pathway enzymes are in physical contact, we probed for the protein-protein interactions (PPIs) within the purinosome with a novel application of the Tango PPI reporter system (Barnea, G., Strapps, W., Herrada, G., Berman, Y., Ong, J., Kloss, B., Axel, R., and Lee, K. J. (2008) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 105, 64–69). We found PPIs among all six enzymes within the pathway and evidence for a core involving the first three enzymes. We also captured purinosomes under both purine-rich and purine-depleted conditions. The results provide additional insights into the transient nature and topography of the purinosome.     

重金属污染下曼陀罗种群分化的RAPD分析

将不同空间地段上获得的同一种质但污染年代各不相同的4个曼陀罗材料种子易地种植在同一模拟重金属污染生境中,对这4个曼陀罗种群进行RAPD分析,结果表明,在105个检测位点中发现有78个位点呈多态性。在这些多态位点中未发现与重金属抗性有关的特异性多态DNA片段。S hannon-Weiner指数计算结果表明,在短期污染时间内曼陀罗种群遗传多样性水平降低。随着污染时间的推移,曼陀罗种群逐渐在污染迹地上稳定下来,曼陀罗种群遗传多样性水平有所回升和提高,4个曼陀罗种群遗传多样性由高到低排列顺序为L＞CK＞M＞S。遗传多样性指数表明曼陀罗种群间变异程度远小于种群内的遗传变异。4个种群两两间遗传距离较小,遗传距离最大的种群为L和S,最小的为L和CK种群。因此,在重金属胁迫环境选择下,曼陀罗种群发生了一定程度的分化与微进化,轻高水平的遗传多样性可能是植物适应重金属污染胁迫环境的基础。     

Statistical Analysis of Environmental Space-Time Processes edited by N. D. Le and J. V. Zidek

Statistical Analysis of Environmental Space‐Time Processes (N. D. Le and J. V. Zidek) Jon Wakefield Computer‐Intensive Methods of Data Analysis in Biology (D. A. Roff) A. W. Kemp Randomization, Bootstrap, and Monte Carlo Methods in Biology (3rd Edition) (B. F. J. Manly) A. W. Kemp Applied Mixed Models in Medicine, 2nd edition (H. Brown and R. Prescott) Matthew J. Gurka Stochastic Modeling for Systems Biology (D. J. Wilkinson) Olaf Wolkenhauer Knowledge Discovery in Proteomics (I. Jurisica and D. Wigle) Zhen Zhang Computational Genome Analysis: An Introduction (R. C. Deonier, S. Tavaré, and M. S. Waterman) Marc Suling Stochastic Orders (M. Shaked and J. G. Shantikumar) Subhash Kochar Brief Reports by the Editor Measurement Error in Nonlinear Models: A Modern Perspective, 2nd edition (R. J. Carroll, D. Ruppert, L. A. Stefansky, and C. M. Crainiceanu) Basic Statistics and Pharmaceutical Statistical Applications, 2nd edition (J. E. De Muth) A Handbook of Statistical Analyses Using Stata, 4th edition (S. Rabe‐Hesketh and B. S. Everitt) Introduction to Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials, 2nd edition (J. N. S. Matthews) Survival and Event History Analysis (P. K. Andersen and N. Keiding, editors) A Pocket Guide to Epidemiology (D. G. Kleinbaum, K. M. Sullivan, and N. D. Barker)     

Books

Books reviewed in this article:
B aker . K. 1993. Identification Guide to European Non-passerines.
B arnard . C., G ilbert , F. & M c G regor
B askett , T.S., S ayre . M.W., T omlinson , R.E. & M irarchi .
B ezzel . E. 1993. Kompendium der Vögel Mitteleuropas.
B right , M. 1993. The Private Life of Birds.
C ook , M. 1992. The Birds of Moray and Nairn.
D avison . G.W.H. 1992. Birds of Mount Kinabalu. Borneo.
E rritzoe . J. 1993. The Buds of CITES and How to Identify Them.
F arner , D.S., K ing , J.R. & P arkes , K.C.
G ibbons , D.W., R eid , J.B. & C hapman . R.A. (eds). 1993. The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland.
H illman , J.C.
H uxley . E.
J ackson . C.E. 1993. Great Bird Paintings of the World.
J ohnsgard . P.A. 1993. Cormorants, Darters and Pelicans of the World.
M adge . S. & B urn , H. 1994. Crows and Jays. A Guide to the Crows, Jays and Magpies of the World.
N icolai . B. (ed.).
P ower , D.M. (ed.).
P riklonskiy . S.G. (ed.).
R alph . R. 1993. William MacGillivray.
R obinson , D. & C hapman , A.
S harp . P.J. 1993. Avian Endocrinology.
S mith , K.W., D fe , C.W., F earnside . J.D., F letcher , E.W. & S mith , R.N.
S olomon . D. & W illiams , J.
S ørensen , S., B loch . D. & L angvad . S.
Z immerman , J.L.     

Genetic and physiologic analysis of a formyl-tetrahydrofolate synthetase mutant of Streptococcus mutans.

Previously we reported that transposon Tn917 mutagenesis of Streptococcus mutans JH1005 yielded an isolate detective in its normal ability to produce a mutacin (P. J. Crowley, J. D. Hillman, and A. S. Bleiweis, abstr. D55, p. 258 in Abstracts of the 95th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology 1995, 1995). In this report we describe the recovery of the mutated gene by shotgun cloning. Sequence analysis of insert DNA adjacent to Tn917 revealed homology to the gene encoding formyl-tetrahydrofolate synthetase (Fhs) from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic sources. In many bacteria, Fhs catalyzes the formation of 10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate, which is used directly in purine biosynthesis and formylation of Met-tRNA and indirectly in the biosynthesis of methionine, serine, glycine, and thymine. Analysis of the fhs mutant grown anaerobically in a minimal medium demonstrated that the mutant had an absolute dependency only for adenine, although addition of methionine was necessary for normal growth. Coincidently it was discovered that the mutant was sensitive to acidic pH; it grew more slowly than the parent strain on complex medium at pH 5. Complementation of the mutant with an integration vector harboring a copy of fhs restored its ability to grow in minimal medium and at acidic pH as well as to produce mutacin. This represents the first characterization of Fhs in Streptococcus.     

REVIEWS

Plasticity in Plants. Edited by D. H. J ennings and A. J. T rewavas .
Chemistry of Plant Protection, Volume 1. Sterol Biosynthesis Inhibitors and Anti-Feeding Compounds. Edited by G. H aug and H. H offmann .
Proceedings of a Workshop on Biology and Control of Orobanche. Edited by S. J. T er B org .
Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry, Vol. 1, Trees I. Edited by Y. P. S. B ajaj
Handbook of Phycological Methods, Volume 4. Ecological Field Methods; Macroalgae. Edited by M. S. L ittler and D. S. L ittler
Nitrogen Fixation with Non-Legumes. No. 21 in a series Developments in Plant and Soil Science. Edited by F. A. S kinner and P. V omala .
English Names of Wild Flowers. By J. G. D ony , S. L. J ury and F. H. P erring .     

The osmotic integrity of the yeast cell requires a functional PKC1 gene product.

Seven temperature-sensitive cell lysis (cly) mutant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were isolated which lyse at the restrictive temperature on hypotonic but not on osmotically supported medium. The seven mutants fell into four complementation groups, CLY12 to CLY15. The wild-type CLY15 gene was isolated by complementation of the cly15 temperature-sensitive growth defect. Sequence analysis revealed that the complementing DNA fragment encoded a partial PKC1 gene, which has previously been isolated as an S. cerevisiae homolog of mammalian protein kinase C genes (D. E. Levin, F. O. Fields, R. Kunisawa, J. M. Bishop, and J. Thorner, Cell 62:213-224, 1990). Subsequent genetic analysis showed that CLY15 and PKC1 represent identical loci in the yeast genome. A truncated PKC1 gene encoding only the predicted catalytic domain of Pkc1p was able to complement pkc1 mutant strains. Similar to what has been reported recently (D. E. Levin and E. Bartlett-Heubusch, J. Cell Biol. 116:1221-1229, 1992), we observed that cells deleted for the PKC1 gene are viable when grown on osmotically stabilized medium but are osmotically fragile and lyse rapidly after a shift to hypotonic medium. As shown by light and electron microscopic examinations, the delta pkc1 strain exhibits many cells with a strongly elongated bud or chains of incompletely budded cells when grown on solid medium.     

REVIEWS

Books reviewed in this article:
Physiology of plants and their cells. By J. A. G ross .
Plant Physiology. By M eiron T homas , S. L. R anson and J. A. R ichardson .
Rate Control of Biological Processes. Symposium No. 27 of the Society for Experimental Biology. Ed. by D. D. D avies
Towards an Understanding of the Mechanism of Heredity. By H. L. K. W hitehouse .
Chromosome Botany and the Origins of Cultivated Plants. By C. D. D arlington .
Handbook of Phycological Methods: Culture Methods and Growth Measurements. By J anet R. S tein (Ed.)
Drawings of British Plants. Part XXXI. Lemnaceae, Alismataceae, Butomaceae, Junca-ginaceae, Scheuchzeriaceae, Potamagetonaceae, Ruppiaceae, Zannichelliaceae, Zosteraceae, Najadaceae, Eriocaulaceae. By S tella R oss -C raig .
Census Catalogue of the Flora of Ireland. By M. J. P. S cannell and D. M. S ynnot .
The Genus Lesquerella (Cruciferae) in North America. By R. C. R ollins and E. A. S haw .
Allgemeine Geobotanik. By H. W alter .
Einführung In Die Botanik. By R. B ornkamm .
Ökologie der Pflanzen. By W. L archer .     

气温突变对高血压大鼠心梗发病及心肌损害的影响

目的:探索气温突变对高血压大鼠心梗发病及心肌损害的影响。方法:给予肾动脉半结扎大鼠一次维生素D370 U/kg体重腹腔注射,22℃环境下饲以高脂饲料。10周后随机分为S、J和D三组,S组予以30分钟内升温至40℃处理,J组予以30分钟内降温至4℃的处理,D组为对照组。结果:S组大鼠急性心梗发病率为59.09%,J组大鼠发病率为26.32%,D组发病率为28.57%,S组大鼠以及J组大鼠血清肌钙蛋白、肌酸激酶、谷草转氨酶、肌酸激酶同工酶、乳酸脱氢酶含量(P<0.05)均明显高于D组大鼠,S组与D组大鼠肌钙蛋白等含量(P>0.1)无显著差异。结论:气温骤升、骤降均能加重造成心肌损害,但夏季气温骤升所造成的急性心梗发病率高于气温的骤降。     

Reviews

Plant Membranes: a Biophysical Approach to Structure, Development and Senescence. By Y. Y. L eshem , with additional contributions by R. L. S hewfelt , C. M. W illmer and O. P antoja .
Methods in Plant Biochemistry (Series Eds. P. M. D ey and J. B. H arborne ); Vol. 7: Terpenoids. Ed. by B. V. C harlwood and D. V. B anthorpe .
CHCD Dictionary of Natural Products on CD-ROM.
Plant Molecular Systematics. By D. J. C rawford .
Physiology – Breeding of Winter Cereals for Stressed Mediterranean Environments. (Physiologie – Sélection des céréales d'hiver en conditions méditerranéennes). Ed. by E. A cevedo , A. P. C onesa , P. M onneveux and J. P. S rivastava .
Plant Genetic Manipulation for Crop Protection. Ed. A. M. R. G atehouse , V. A. H ilder and D. B oulter .
In vitro Culture of Trees. By J. M. B onga and P. von A derkas .
Flechten als Bioindikatoren. Integriertes biologisches Meβsystem der Luftverschmutzung für das Schweizer Mittelland . By R olf H erzig and M artin U rech .
Evolution and Function of Heterostyly. Ed. by S. C. H. B arrett .
Wild Plants of Glasgow. By J. H. D ickson .