A Chemical Drying Technique for Plant Materials Applied to the Scanning Electron Microscopy

There are several drying methods for biological materials for the use of scanning electron microscopy. Applying bexamethyl disilazane (HMDS) as a drying treatment is a new method and it's application on drying plant tissue has not been previously reported. The advantage of this method is the treatment only for a few minutes and is also good and stable for very small biological specimens. The method is simple, low cost and time saving and does not need any apparatus. The features of the tissue structure observed are satisfactory.     

Purification to Homogeneity of Biologically Active Human Interleukin 1

Human interleukin 1 (IL-1) produced by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated monocytes was purified to homogeneity with retention of biological activity. IL-1 was measured by its ability to enhance the proliferative response of thymocytes to phytohemagglutinin. The purification procedure included hydrophobic affinity chromatography on phenyl Sepharose, gel filtration through Ultrogel AcA54 and preparative isoelectric focusing. Both charged species of IL-1, pi 5.1 and 6.8 have a molecular weight of 14,500 as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The complete purification resulted in a recovery of approximately 0.01% of IL-1 protein and if protection against losses by denaturation and adsorption in the final purification step was provided by bovine serum albumin, approximately 11% of IL-1 activity can be recovered.     

Biologically Active Natural 2'-Hydroxychalcones

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - The study provides modern data from the literature on the results of research in the field of flavonoids of medicinal plants. Systematization was carried...     

The Problem of the Biologically Active Conformation of Thymopoietin

The biologically active conformation of thymopoietin, based on X-ray data reported for a discontinuous thymopoietin-like motif of G-actin, is proposed.     

The Problem of the Biologically Active Conformation of Thymopoietin

Summary The biologically active conformation of thymopoietin, based on X-ray data reported for a discontinuous thymopoietin-like motif of G-actin, is proposed.     

Endotoxin-free Biologically Active Component of Escherichia coli

The proteinaceous component of gram-negative bacteria, which has been termed “protodyne,” enhances nonspecific host resistance while eliciting a slight pyrogenic response equivalent to 0.2% that of a typical endotoxin. Since this material still contains small amounts of carbohydrate and lipid, it was imperative to establish that its biological activities are not the result of endotoxin contamination. Evidence that the protective activity of protodyne does not result from endotoxin contamination has now been obtained by an evaluation of the Pronase digestion products of this substance. These digestion products were found to be nonpyrogenic and to contain no measurable amount of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate, an essential component of bacterial lipopolysaccharides.     

Cephaloglycin and Its Biologically Active Metabolite Desacetylcephaloglycin

Chromatographic studies and microbiological assays show that, after oral administration, cephaloglycin is partially converted in man to a biologically active metabolite desacetylcephaloglycin. The antibacterial activity of this metabolite compared to that of cephaloglycin is equivalent against gram-positive organisms but is lower against gram-negative bacilli. Successful therapy of urinary tract infections with cephaloglycin must be mainly attributed to the antibacterial activity of this metabolite. At the present time, it is not possible to assess what influence low amounts of unaltered cephaloglycin have on the outcome of therapy.     

The Pediocin AcH Precursor Is Biologically Active

The properties of the pediocin AcH precursor, prepediocin AcH, have been studied to gain insight into how producer cells may protect themselves from the activity of intracellular prebacteriocins. The native 62-amino-acid precursor and the 44-amino-acid mature species were expressed in Escherichia coli host strains that lack the leader peptide processing enzyme, PapD. Both forms inhibited the growth of the test bacterium Listeria innocua Lin11, indicating that the native precursor is biologically active. The two species also were synthesized in the context of maltose-binding protein chimeric proteins to facilitate the measurement of their relative specific activities. The chimeric form of the precursor was ~80% as active as the chimeric mature species. Of relevance to cell protection and pediocin AcH production, it was determined that the precursor is strongly susceptible to inactivation by reducing agents and to degradation by chymotrypsin and endogenous E. coli proteases. Taken together, the results indicate that the activity of prepediocin AcH may have to be controlled prior to secretion to prevent toxicity to the host. Perhaps producer cells avoid membrane damage by maintaining the precursor in a reduced inactive state or by degrading molecules whose secretion is delayed.     

Biologically Active Metabolites Produced by the Basidiomycete Quambalaria cyanescens

Four strains of the fungus Quambalaria cyanescens (Basidiomycota: Microstromatales), were used for the determination of secondary metabolites production and their antimicrobial and biological activities. A new naphthoquinone named quambalarine A, (S)-(+)-3-(5-ethyl-tetrahydrofuran-2-yliden)-5,7,8-trihydroxy-2-oxo-1,4-naphthoquinone (1), together with two known naphthoquinones, 3-hexanoyl-2,5,7,8-tetrahydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (named here as quambalarine B, 2) and mompain, 2,5,7,8-tetrahydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (3) were isolated. Their structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction crystallography, NMR and MS spectrometry. Quambalarine A (1) had a broad antifungal and antibacterial activity and is able inhibit growth of human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus and fungi co-occurring with Q. cyanescens in bark beetle galleries including insect pathogenic species Beauveria bassiana. Quambalarine B (2) was active against several fungi and mompain mainly against bacteria. The biological activity against human-derived cell lines was selective towards mitochondria (2 and 3); after long-term incubation with 2, mitochondria were undetectable using a mitochondrial probe. A similar effect on mitochondria was observed also for environmental competitors of Q. cyanescens from the genus Geosmithia.     

Improved Method for the Purification of Biologically Active Transcobalamin II

Transcobalamin II (TC II) was purified about 300, 000-fold from Cohn fraction III using a modification of the procedure described by Allen and Majerus (J. Biol. Chem. 247, 7709–7717 (1972)). The simplified method incorporated isoelectric precipitation of the TC II into the purification scheme which permitted the elimination of two colimn chromatographic steps originally reported by the above worke-s. The final preparation had 26.7 jjg of vitamin B, ～ (B₁₂) bound per mg of protein and an A₂₈₀/A₃₆₁ ratio of 2.05, both of which are in good agreement with the reported values. The purified TC II was biologically active with respect to its ability to facilitate penetration of B₁₂ into lleLa cells in tissue culture.     

Rice Phytochrome Is Biologically Active in Transgenic Tobacco

To investigate the mechanisms of phytochrome action in vivo, we have overexpressed rice phytochrome in transgenic tobacco plants. A full-length rice phytochrome cDNA was fused to the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter and transferred to tobacco. The progeny of some of the transgenic plants contain large amounts of rice phytochrome mRNA in green leaves. Extracts prepared from overexpressing plants contain twofold to fivefold more spectrophotometrically detectable phytochrome than extracts from control plants. Species-specific, anti-phytochrome monoclonal antibodies were used in immunoblots to discriminate between rice and tobacco phytochrome apoproteins in fractions eluted from a DEAE-Sepharose column. Red minus far-red difference spectra of the partially purified rice phytochrome from the transgenic plants indicate that the rice phytochrome assembles with chromophore and is photoreversible. Analysis of the circadian pattern of Cab mRNA levels in transgenic plants versus controls demonstrates that the overproduction of rice phytochrome extends the duration of the free-running rhythm of Cab gene expression. The rice phytochrome is, therefore, biologically active in the transgenic tobacco plant, which establishes a system for in vivo functional analysis of phytochrome.     

Oat Phytochrome Is Biologically Active in Transgenic Tomatoes

To determine the functional homology between phytochromes from evolutionarily divergent species, we used the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter to express a monocot (oat) phytochrome cDNA in a dicot plant (tomato). Immunoblot analysis shows that more than 50% of the transgenic tomato plants synthesize the full-length oat phytochrome polypeptide. Moreover, leaves of light-grown transgenic plants contain appreciably less oat phytochrome than leaves from dark-adapted plants, and etiolated R1 transgenic seedlings have higher levels of spectrally active phytochrome than wild-type tomato seedlings in direct proportion to the level of immunochemically detectable oat polypeptide present. These data suggest that the heterologous oat polypeptide carries a functional chromophore, allowing reversible photoconversion between the two forms of the molecule, and that the far-red absorbing form (Pfr) is recognized and selectively degraded by the Pfr-specific degradative machinery in the dicot cell. The overexpression of oat phytochrome has pleiotropic, phenotypic consequences at all major phases of the life cycle. Adult transgenic tomato plants expressing high levels of the oat protein tend to be dwarfed, with dark green foliage and fruits. R1 transgenic seedlings have short hypocotyls with elevated anthocyanin contents. We conclude that a monocot phytochrome can be synthesized and correctly processed to a biologically active form in a dicot cell, and that the transduction pathway components that interact with the photoreceptor are evolutionarily conserved.     

DGGE技术在微生物生态学研究中的应用

简要介绍了DGGE（denaturing gradient gel electrophorests）的基本原理,及其在研究微生物类群多样性,环境中微生物变化的动态监测,微生物新物种的发现,不同DNA提取方法效果的比较和功能基因多样性研究等微生物生态学领域中的应用,并对该技术自身存在的缺陷进行了评价。     

Preparation of Biologically Active Ribosomal Subunits from Fungal Spores

Ribosomal subunits were prepared from fungal spore ribosomes and reassociated to yield biologically active ribosomes.     

Phage Display of a Biologically Active Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin

Activated forms of Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal toxins have consistently been found to form insoluble and inactive precipitates when they are expressed in Escherichia coli. Genetic engineering of these proteins to improve their effectiveness as biological pesticides would be greatly facilitated by the ability to express them in E. coli, since the molecular biology tools available for Bacillus are limited. To this end, we show that activated B. thuringiensis toxin (Cry1Ac) can be expressed in E. coli as a translational fusion with the minor phage coat protein of filamentous phage. Phage particles displaying this fusion protein were viable, infectious, and as lethal as pure toxin on a molar basis when the phage particles were fed to insects susceptible to native Cry1Ac. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis showed the fusion protein to be antigenically equivalent to native toxin, and micropanning with anti-Cry1Ac antibody was positive for the toxin-expressing phage. Phage display of B. thuringiensis toxins has many advantages over previous expression systems for these proteins and should make it possible to construct large libraries of toxin variants for screening or biopanning.     

Action of Haemophilus Endodeoxyribonuclease on Biologically Active Deoxyribonucleic Acid

An enzyme similar to that described by Smith and Wilcox (15) for Haemophilus influenzae which attacks foreign deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) but not its own has been isolated and purified from H. parainfluenzae. The enzyme degrades foreign DNA to limited sizes and can destroy the transforming activity of H. influenzae and Bacillus subtilis DNA. The enzyme can also destroy the biological activity of H. influenzae phage and prophage DNA. On the other hand, the H. influenzae endodeoxyribonuclease can destroy the transforming activity of H. parainfluenzae DNA but not its own DNA. It also attacks B. subtilis DNA and its transforming activity.     

Encapsulation of Biologically Active Proteins in a Multiple Emulsion

To improve the stability of IgY antibody in oral administration, encapsulation of IgY in a W/O/W emulsion was attempted. A stable W/O/W emulsion containing 1% IgY was prepared by using polyglyceryl condensed ricinolate (PGCR) and dextran-casein conjugate as the primary and secondary emulsifier, respectively. However, the activity of IgY antibody was reduced to less than 20% by encapsulation, suggesting that denaturation/inactivation of IgY had occurred at the oil/water interface. Adsorption of IgY to the inner water droplet surface was observed by electron microscopy. Rabbit IgG, α-amylase, and lysozyme also lost their activity after being encapsulated, although the rate of inactivation was lower than that of IgY. Molecular characterization of these proteins suggested that the rate of inactivation after encapsulation is likely to be dependent on the surface hydrophobicity and molecular stability of each protein.     

Arresten在烟草中的表达及其生物学活性分析

采用5'端引入His-tag的引物从携带有Arresten基因的质粒pCA中扩增血管生成抑制因子Arresten编码基因,构建其植物表达载体pCAMBIAarr并通过冻融法转化根癌农杆菌LBA4404,获得携带目的基因的重组农杆菌.采用叶盘法以重组农杆菌转化烟草,在50 μg/mL潮霉素B为选择压力下获得再生烟草植株,经过Southern杂交、RT-PCR和Western blotting检测,获得稳定整合有Arresten编码基因的烟草转基因植株.牛血管内皮细胞BCE增殖抑制实验表明,采用镍离子螯合次氨基三乙酸亲和层析法从转基因烟草叶片中分离纯化的重组Arresten蛋白具有明显的抑制牛血管内皮细胞增殖的生物活性.