Spatial distribution and species composition of prosthecate bacteria in Lake Baĭkal

From the water column of Lake Baikal, several strains of prosthecate bacteria belonging to the genera Caulobacter and Brevundimonas were isolated. In this article, the methods applied for their isolation and cell number determination are described; the occurrence frequency and spatial distribution of these microorganisms in the lake are demonstrated. Characterization of the species composition of cultivable and uncultivable prosthecate bacteria was carried out using the methods of traditional and molecular microbiology, respectively. A comparative phylogenetic analysis of the DNA sequences of uncultivable bacteria, which showed homology to the members of the alpha subclass of proteobacteria, was carried out. It was demonstrated that the lake water column is inhabited by uncultivable alpha-proteobacteria of uncertain phylogenetic affinity, in addition to representatives of the species Caulobacter vibrioides and C. leidyi, which were detected by traditional microbiological methods.     

New species of myxosporidians (Myxosporea: Cnidosporidia) from the oilfishes (Comephorus spp.) of Baĭkal lake

Two new species of Myxosporidia, Henneguya bayerii sp. n. and Myxobolus korjakovii sp. n. from the kidney of the Comephorus baicalensis (Pallas, 1776) and C. dybowskii Korotneff, 1905 from the Baikal lake are described.     

The new eubacterium Roseomonas baikalica sp. nov. isolated from core samples collected by deep-hole drilling of the bottom of Lake Baĭkal

Microbiological analysis of samples of sedimentary rocks from various eras of the geological history of the Baikal rift has enabled us to isolate a large number of microorganisms that can be classified into new, previously undescribed species. The present work deals with the identification and study of the morphological, biochemical, and physiological properties of one such strain, Che 82, isolated from sample C-29 of 3.4-3.5 Ma-old sedimentary rocks taken at a drilling depth of 146.74 m. As a result of our investigations, strain Che 82 is described as a new bacterial species, Roseomonas baikalica sp. nov., belonging to the genus Roseomonas within the family Methylobacteriaceae, class Alphaproteobacteria.     

Interspecific variability of telomeric DNA length in some Siberian and endemic Baĭkal planarians (Plathelminthes, Tricladida)

The length of the telomeric DNA in nine species of planarians inhabiting Lake Baikal and one Siberian species from Baikal rivers was determined using Southern hybridization. According to preliminary estimations, it varied in the range of 25-30 kb (Rimacephalus arecepta, Rimacephalus pulvinar, Sorocelis hepatizon, Sorocelis nigrofasciata, Protocotylus sp., Baikalobia guttata, Bdellocephala baikalensis, Phagocata sibirica) and 50 kb (Baikaloplana valida, Baikalobia copulatrix). It is the first estimation of the values of telomeric region lengths for Baikal free-living flat worms.     

Is the renin-angiotensin system implicated in the hypertensive effect of a water-soluble tissue extract?

A deproteinized hydrosoluble splenic extract, which produces a hypertensive effect, injected in rats intravenously is described. The pressure action is very similar to the synthetic angiotensin II, and the (Sarcosine1-Isoleucine8)--angiotensin II, a competitive antagonist, produced partial inhibition of both responses. There were no significant differences between control and experimental rats in the plasmatic levels of angiotensin II, aldosterone and ADH. Therefore, the splenic extract does not seem to release these hormones included in the renin-angiotensin pathway. Significant Angiotensin II levels were detected in the splenic material. These results support the view that forty per cent of the pressure action is due to Angiotensin II present in the extract.     

Generation time of pure cultures of heterotrophic microorganisms isolated from Lake Ba?kal]

Generation time was determined in pure cultures of heterotrophic microorganisms in the conditions similar to those of Baikal in June--July of 1972. Generation time was found to be 37+/-7, 16+/-2.5, 16+/-3.2, and 10+/-2.5 hours, respectively, when the cultures had been diluted with Baikal water in the following rations: 1 : 0,1 : 5,1 : 10, and 1 : 20. No differences in the growth rate were found among 11 cultures of heterotrophic microorganisms isolated from Baikal. Conditions limiting the microbial growth improve from the dilution of 1 : 0 to the dilution of 1 : 5. The mean time of generation is 27 hours for June--July. Generation time determined for pure cultures of heterotrophic microorganisms in the conditions similar to natural can be used to calculate production of the bacterial biomass for a definite period of the year.     

Study of the effect of β-1,3-glucanase fromBasidiomycete QM 806 on yeast extract production

Summary Cell free supernatants, containing -1,3-glucanase fromBasidiomycete QM 806, dramatically augmented the effect of papain on yeast autolysis. This enables the process time to be significantly reduced and/or the yield of extract to be substantially increased.     

The B-chromosome system--a marker of Apodemus peninsulae (Rodentia, Muridae) populations in the Ba?kal region

Karyological studies of 56 Apodemus peninsulae mice from 6 points in the neighbourhood of the Baikal lake revealed both considerable likeness and difference in the variants of the B-chromosomes system of this species. The mice from the regions situated at a distance of 150 kilometers from each other have similar karyotype variants, which allowed to consider these animals as one geographical population. The mice from the south-west, South Pribaikal and south-east regions considerably differ in the variants of the B-chromosomes system and may belong to 3 separate geographical populations.     

Antisense RNA Inhibition of the β Subunit of the Dictyostelium discoideum Mitochondrial Processing Peptidase Induces the Expression of Mitochondrial Proteins

We cloned and characterized a cDNA encoding the Dictyostelium discoideum β subunit of mitochondrial processing peptidase (Ddβ-MPP). Western blot analysis of the mitochondrial subfractions revealed that Ddβ-MPP is located in the mitochondrial matrix and membrane, whereas Ddα-MPP, another subunit of DdMPP, is located only in the matrix. Although expression of Ddβ-MPP mRNA is down-regulated during early development, the level of the Ddβ-MPP protein is constant throughout the Dictyostelium life cycle. In a transformant expressing the antisense RNA of the β-MPP gene, unexpectedly, the β-MPP protein increased about 1.8-fold relative to the wild type, and its mRNA increased 4.5-fold. Expression of other mitochondrial proteins, α-MPP and Cox IV, was also induced. These results suggest that antisense RNA inhibition of the β-MPP gene induces gene expression of mitochondrial proteins, presumably in a retrograde signaling manner. This is the pathway of the transfer of information from the mitochondria to the nucleus.     

Geometrical analysis of protein-DNA interactions on the basis of the Voronoĭ-Delaune tessellation

A new method for the rigorous analysis of DNA-protein contacts has been developed on the basis of Voronoi tessellation. This method permits one to determine close neighbors on the atomic level and compute the area of contact by edges of Voronoi polyhedra. Based on the results of the study of 1109 protein-DNA complexes from PDB, it was demonstrated that about one third of the contacts are the contacts with positively charged Arg and Lys. There is distinct amino acid prevalence for nucleotides: for A - Pro; for T - His; for G - Asp; for C - Trp, Asp, Glu. Therefore, GC pairs prefer to interact with negatively charged residues, and alanine and methionine, whereas AT pairs prefer to interact with histidine and unpolar residues.     

On the mechanism of direct conversion of cellulose to ethanol by Fusarium oxysporum: effect of cellulase and β-glucosidase

Summary The effects of the three main enzymes involved in cellulose saccharification, namely cellobiohydrolase, carboxymethylcellulase and -glucosidase, on the direct conversion of cellulose to ethanol by Fusarium oxysporum F3 were investigated. Ethanol production was not affected when the activity of the former two enzymes was varied within a wide range. By contrast, -glucosidase markedly affected ethanol production showing an optimum level of 0.7–0.8 unit/ml growth medium. A significant decrease of cellulose bioconversion time to ethanol was obtained when -glucosidase activity was adjusted to this optimal level at the beginning of the fermentation process. Offprint requests to: B. J. Macris