Ecophysiological analysis of woody species in contrasting temperate communities during wet and dry years

This study employed an intensive sampling regime in which leaf gas exchange and tissue-water relations were measured simultaneously on the same leaf at midday on 19 tree species from three distinct forest communities during wet (1990) and dry (1991) growing seasons. The study sites were located on a xeric barrens, a misic valley floor, and a wet-mesic floodplain in central Pennsylvania, United States. The xeric, mesic, and wetmesic sties had drought-related decreases in gravimetric soil moisture of 53, 34 and 27%, respectively. During the wet year, xeric and mesic communities had high seasonal mean photosynthetic rates (A) and stomatal conductance of water vapor (g _wv) and low midday leaf water potential (), whereas the wet-mesic community had low A and g _wv and high midday . The mesic and wet-mesic communities had dry year decreases in predawn , g _wv and A with the greatest drought effect occurring in the mesic community. Regression analysis indicated that species from each site that exhibited high wet-year A and g _wv tended to have low midday . This trend was reversed only in the mesic community in the drought year. Despite differences in midday , all three communities had similar midday leaf turgor pressure (_p) in the wet year attributable to lower osmotic potential at zero turgor ( ⁰ ) with increasing site droughtiness. Lower wet year ⁰ in the xeric community was due to low symplast volume rather than high solute content. Species with the lowest ⁰ in the wet year often did not have the lowest ¹⁰⁰ possibly related to differences in tissue elasticity. Moreover, increased elasticity during drought may have masked osmotic adjustment in ¹⁰⁰ but not in ⁰ , via dilution of solutes at full hydration in some species. Despite the sampling regime used, there were no relationships between gas exchange and osmotic and elastic parameters that were consistently significant among communities or years. This result questions the universal, direct effect of osmotic and elastic adjustments in the maintenance of photosynthesis during drought. By including a large number of species, this study provided new insight to the ecophysiology of contrasting forest communities, and the community-wide impact of drought on contrasting sites.     

The use of 1JCαHα coupling constants as a probe for protein backbone conformation

Summary Simple pseudo-3D modifications to the constant-time HSQC and HCACO experiments are described that allow accurate (±0.5 Hz) measurement of one bond J_CH coupling constants in proteins that are uniformly enriched with ¹³C. An empirical ,-surface is calculated which describes the deviation of ¹J_CH from its random coil value, using 203 ¹J_CH values measured for residues in the proteins calmodulin, staphylococcal nuclease, and basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, for which and are know with good precision from previous X-ray crystallographic studies. Residues in -helical conformation exhibit positive deviations of 4–5 Hz, whereas deviations in -sheet are small and, on average, slightly negative. Data indicate that ¹J_CH depends primarily on , and that ¹J_CH may be useful as a qualitative probe for secondary structure. Comparison of ¹J_CH coupling constants measured in free calmodulin and in its complex with a 26-aminoacid peptide fragment of myosin light-chain kinase confirm that the calmodulin secondary structure is retained upon complexation but that disruption of the middle part of the central helix is even more extensive than in free calmodulin. Supplementary material available from the authors: One table listing 352 ¹J_CH and ¹J-values, together with ,-values for 203 residues of known conformation. Two figures showing (a) a Ramachandran plot of the ,-values of 203 residues used in deriving ¹J(,), and (b) the r.m.s.d. ¹J(,) distribution.     

The mitochondrial membrane potential (deltapsi(m)) in apoptosis; an update

Mitochondrial dysfunction has been shown to participate in the induction of apoptosis and has even been suggested to be central to the apoptotic pathway. Indeed, opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore has been demonstrated to induce depolarization of the transmembrane potential (_m), release of apoptogenic factors and loss of oxidative phosphorylation. In some apoptotic systems, loss of _m may be an early event in the apoptotic process. However, there are emerging data suggesting that, depending on the model of apoptosis, the loss of _m may not be an early requirement for apoptosis, but on the contrary may be a consequence of the apoptotic-signaling pathway. Furthermore, to add to these conflicting data, loss of _m has been demonstrated to not be required for cytochrome c release, whereas release of apoptosis inducing factor AIF is dependent upon disruption of _m early in the apoptotic pathway. Together, the existing literature suggests that depending on the cell system under investigation and the apoptotic stimuli used, dissipation of _m may or may not be an early event in the apoptotic pathway. Discrepancies in this area of apoptosis research may be attributed to the fluorochromes used to detect _m. Differential degrees of sensitivity of these fluorochromes exist, and there are also important factors that contribute to their ability to accurately discriminate changes in _m.     

Protocol-dependence of equivalent circuit parameters of toad urinary bladder

Summary Determinations of current-voltage relationships are widely employed in the characterization of epithelial sodium transport. In order to determine the protocol dependence of transport parameters in the toad urinary bladder, studies were carried out in the presence and absence of amiloride, an inhibitor of active sodium transport. With symmetric positive and negative perturbations of the transepithelial electrical potential difference (0±100 mV) for 30 sec, the amiloride-sensitive current-voltage (i ^a -) relationship was near linear over the range –75+100 mV, indicating constancy of the conductance ^a and the apparent electromotive force E _Na, lumped parameters of the standard electrical equivalent circuit model of the active transport system. With a reverse protocol (±1000 mV) or 15 min perturbations thei ^a - relationships were highly nonlinear. Nonlinearity reflected voltage dependence of parameters: perturbations that increased active transport decreased E _Na and increased ^a, as evaluated from 10 sec perturbations of ; slowing of active transport produced the converse changes. These effects are usefully analyzed in both quasi-steady states and true steady states by means of a detailed equivalent circuit incorporating the significant ionic currents across each plasma membrane. Precise understanding of the significance of ^a and E _Na will require characterization of the partial ionic conductances on perturbation of .     

The carotenoids of Flavobacterium strain R1560

The main carotenoid of Flavobacterium strain R1560 has been identified as (3R,3R)-zeaxanthin. Also present were small amounts of 15-cis-phytoene, phytofluene, -carotene (7,8,7,8-tetrahydro-, -carotene plus 7,8,11,12-tetrahydro-, -carotene), neurosporene, lycopene, -zeacarotene, -carotene, -carotene, -cryptoxanthin, rubixanthin, 3-hydroxy--zeacarotene and several apo-carotenals. Zeaxanthin production was inhibited by nicotine (10 mM), and lycopene and rubixanthin accumulated. The biosynthesis of zeaxanthin is discussed in terms of pathways and also of half-molecule reaction sequences. The presence of zeaxanthin may be a characteristic of a group of Flavobacterium species, and may thus be useful in the taxonomic classification of these organisms.     

An elongated segment of DNA observed between two human α globin genes

Summary Detailed restriction enzyme analysis of the DNA from a Chinese female showed that one of her chromosomes had a >17.5 kb deletion of DNA, including the , 2, and 1 globin genes, which is present in many Southeast Asians with an -thalassemia-1 chromosome. Her normal chromosome had the expected cluster of -like globin genes (5----2-1-3), but the segment of DNA between the two globin genes was elongated by some 0.5–0.7 kb. Analyses of various restriction sites suggested that this normal variant of the human globin gene complex is due to a crossover between a normal chromosome with () and a chromosome with an -thalassemia-2 (–^3.7) and an -21-hybrid gene.     

Ornithine decarboxylase prevents tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced apoptosis by decreasing intracellular reactive oxygen species

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) plays an essential role in various biological functions, including cell proliferation, differentiation and cell death. However, how it prevents the cell apoptotic mechanism is still unclear. Previous studies have demonstrated that decreasing the activity of ODC by difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an irreversible inhibitor of ODC, causes the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell arrest, thus inducing cell death. These findings might indicate how ODC exerts anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic effects. In our study, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-) induced apoptosis in HL-60 and Jurkat T cells. The kinetic studies revealed that the TNF- -induced apoptotic process included intracellular ROS generation (as early as 1 h after treatment), the activation of caspase 8 (3 h), the cleavage of Bid (3 h) and the disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential ( _m) (6 h). Furthermore, ROS scavengers, such as glutathione (GSH) and catalase, maintained _m and prevented apoptosis upon treatment. Putrescine and overexpression of ODC had similar effects as ROS scavengers in decreasing intracellular ROS and preventing the disruption of _m and apoptosis. Inhibition of ODC by DFMO in HL-60 cells only could increase ROS generation, but did not disrupt _m or induce apoptosis. However, DFMO enhanced the accumulation of ROS, disruption of _m and apoptosis when cells were treated with TNF- . ODC overexpression avoided the decline of Bcl-2, prevented cytochrome c release from mitochondria and inhibited the activation of caspase 8, 9 and 3. Overexpression of Bcl-2 maintained _m and prevented apoptosis, but could not reduce ROS until four hours after TNF- treatment. According to these data, we suggest that TNF- induces apoptosis mainly by a ROS-dependent, mitochondria-mediated pathway. Furthermore, ODC prevents TNF- -induced apoptosis by decreasing intracellular ROS to avoid Bcl-2 decline, maintain _m, prevent cytochrome c release and deactivate the caspase cascade pathway.     

Assessment of membrane potential changes using the carbocyanine dye,diS-C3-(5): synchronous excitation spectroscopy studies

The fluorescence of the voltage sensitive dye, diS-C₃-(5), has been analyzed by means of synchronous excitation spectroscopy. Using this rather rare fluorescence technique we have been able to distinguish between the slightly shifted spectra of diS-C₃-(5) fluorescence from cells and from the supernatant. It has been found that diS-C₃-(5) fluorescence in the supernatant can be selectively monitored at _exc = 630 nm and _em= 650 nm, while the cell associated fluorescence can be observed at _exc= 690 nm and _em = 710 nm. A modified theory for the diSC₃-(5) fluorescence response to the membrane potential is presented, according to which a linear relationship exists between the logarithmic increment of the dye fluorescence intensity in the supernatant, In I/I°, and the underlying change in the plasma membrane potential, _p=_p-°_p. The theory has been tested on human myeloid leukemia cells (line ML-1) in which membrane potential changes were induced by valinomycin clamping in various K⁺ gradients. It has been demonstrated that the membrane potential change, _p,can be measured on an absolute scale. Offprint requests to: J. Plasek     

Free Ia Eα chain expression in the E α + :E β − : recombinant strain A.TFR5

Molecular and biochemical techniques have been used to explore the reasons behind low E chain expression in the E ⁺ E ^– I-region recombinant strain, A.TFR5. A.TFR5 (A ^f E ^k, ap5), a recombinant between A.CA (A ^f E ^f) and A.TL (A ^k E ^k), carries the E ^k subregion. Previous results have shown that it expresses the E chain, but at reduced levels relative to E ⁺ E ⁺ strains. No E chains were detected, which is consistent with the A.TFR5E gene being derived from the A.CA parent, which carries the null E ^f allele. In this paper, the defect in E-chain expression is explored. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis has localized the recombination event in A.TFR5 approximately 30 kb upstream of E, in the region of the large intervening sequence of E. Northern blot analysis of total RNA from A.TFR5 shows normal amounts of the E message, but no E message. Two-dimensional gel analysis of 15 min pulse-labeled A.TFR5, A.CA, and A.TL E immunoprecipitates shows decreased levels of the intracellular E chain in A.TFR5 relative to A.TL. However, analysis of total cell extracts shows normal levels of this protein. A glycoprotein fraction isolated from total cell extracts of 5 h labeled cells contains normal amounts of intracellular E, but decreased amounts of the mature cell-surface protein. These data suggest that in the absence of E, the E chain (1) takes on an altered conformation that is not as efficiently recognized by alloantibodies, and (2) is found in normal levels as the partially glycosylated intracellular precursor, but is not processed and/or transported efficiently to the cell surface.     

Holling's “hungry mantid” model for the invertebrate functional response considered as a Markov process. Part II: Negligible handling time

In this paper we analyse a stochastic model for invertebrate predation taking account of the predator's satiation. This model approximates Holling's hungry mantid model when handling time is negligible (see Part I). For this model we derive equations from which we can calculate the functional response and the variance of the total catch. Moreover we study a number of approximations which can be used to calculate these quantities in practical cases in a relatively simple manner.List of Notation a rate constant of digestion - b maximum of rate constant of prey encounter in the mantid - c satiation threshold for search - c satiation threshold for pursuit in the mantid - c _i (w^1/2(N- N)ⁱ) - expectation operator - f rate of change of satiation during search - F functional response: mean number of prey eaten per unit of time - g rate constant of prey capture - h probability generating function of N conditional on S = s times p - H probability generating function of N - m_i ¹ - n, N number of prey caught - p probability density of S - p_n simultaneous probability (density) of N and S - q probability of strike success - r dummy variable in generating function - s, S satiation - T _s search time - T _d digestion time - v asymptotic rate of increase of var v - V asymptotic rate of increase of var N - w weight of edible part of prey - W standard Wiener process - x prey density - z (N{S = s}-N)p - rate constant of prey escape time maximum pursuit time - (v{S = + w ^1/2}-v) - present time as a fraction of the time from the start to the end of the experiment - hazard rate of T _s - mean time between (downward) passages of S through c - v w_–1/2(N-) - edible prey biomass density - probability density of , number pi - parameter of Weibull distribution of T _s = (1/2acx(-g(c)))_1/2 - w_–1/2(S -) - satiation in the guzzler approximation: solution to d/dt = f() + g(), (0)=S(0). - biomass functional response: wF - total biomass catch in the guzzler approximation: solution to d/dt = g(), (0) = 0     

Organization of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum bacteriophage psi M1 DNA

Summary M1 is a virulent bacteriophage of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum strain Marburg. Restriction enzyme analysis of the linear, 30.4 kb phage DNA led to a circular map of the 27.1 kb M1 genome. M1 is thus circularly permuted and exhibits terminal redundancy of approximately 3 kb. Packaging of M1 DNA from a concatemeric precursor initiates at the pac site which was identified at coordinate 4.6 kb on the circular genome map. It proceeds clockwise for at least five packaging rounds. Headful packaging was also shown for M2, a phage variant with a 0.7 kb deletion at coordinate 23.25 on the map.     

Soil and xylem water potential and soil water content in contrasting Pinus contorta ecosystems,Southeastern Wyoming,USA

Summary The relationships between volumetric soil water content (), in situ soil water potential (_soil) and predawn xylem pressure potential (_predawn) were quantified in four contrasting lodgepole pine ecosystems in Wyoming, USA. On three of the sites, changes in _soil correlated closely with _predawn, but on a porous soil derived from coarse granitic parent material, _predawn declines occurred much sooner than corresponding declines in _soil, possibly because of local depletion of rhizosphere moisture and low molecular diffusivity of water in that soil. Exptrapolation of laboratory-derived characteristic curves for soil moisture to field conditions yielded different relationships between and _soil than curves derived from in situ measurements, probably because of disruption of soil structure and porosity during sample collection and handling in laboratory studies. Although a close correlation between and _predawn was observed, future efforts at modelling the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum should be directed towards a more detailed understanding of the complex relationships between _soil at varying depths and plant water stress.     

Measurement of 15N-1H coupling constants in uniformly 15N-labeled proteins: Application to the photoactive yellow protein

A modified HNHB experiment is presented that allows thedetermination of J(NH) coupling constants directly from the ratio ofcross-peak to diagonal-peak intensities. The experiment was applied to thephotoactive yellow protein (PYP) and yielded the magnitude of 117³J(NH) coupling constants. In addition, 29³J(NH^(i–1)) coupling constantscould be measured, providing information about the backbone angle .These data, in conjunction with the magnitudes of the³J(H^NH) coupling constantsobtained from the HNHA spectrum, effectively discriminate the twopossibilities for the stereospecific assignment of theH resonances in glycine residues. For all eight glycineresidues in PYP that were not subject to conformational averaging and hadnon-degenerate H resonance frequencies, the J-couplingdata, together with limited NOE data, yielded the stereospecific assignmentof the H resonances for these residues. In addition,reliable and precise , dihedral constraints were also derived forthese residues from the J-coupling data.     

Poly(U)-directed peptide-bond formation from the 2′(3′)-glycyl esters of adenosine derivatives

Summary The self-condensation of 2(3)-O-glycyl esters of adenosine, adenosine-5-(O-methylphosphate) and P₁, P₂-diadenosine-5-pyrophosphate in 6.2 mM solutions at pH 8.0 and -5°C in the presence of 12.5 mM poly(U) yields approximately 3 times as much diketopiperazine as reactions without poly(U). As the concentration of 2(3)-O-(glycyl)-P₁, P₂-diadenosine-5-pyrophosphate is decreased from 6.2 mM to 1.5 mM the yield of diketopiperazine in the presence of poly(U) decreases slightly from 6.6% to 5.2%, whereas, in the absence of poly(U) the yield of diketopiperazine decreases substantially from 2.4% to 0.75%. The enhanced yield of diketopiperazine that is attributed to the template action of poly(U) is temperature dependent and is observed only at temperatures below 10°C (5°C to -5°C) for 6.2 mM 2(3)-O-(glycyl)-adenosine-5-(O-methylphosphate) and below 23°C (15°C to -5°C) for 6.2 mM 2(3)-O-(glycyl)-P₁, P₂-diadenosine-5-pyrophosphate. The absence of a template effect at high temperatures is attributed to the melting of the organized helices. The hydrolysis half-lives at pH 8.0 and -5°C of 2(3)-O-(glycyl)-adenosine, 2(3)-O-(glycyl)-adenosine-5-(O-methylphosphate), 2(3)-O-(glycyl)-P₁, P₂-diadenosine-5-pyrophosphate, and 5-O-(glycyl)-adenosine in the presence of poly(U) are substantially larger than their half-lives in the absence of poly(U). The condensation of 2(3)-O-(glycyl)-adenosine yields 5% of 5-O-(glycyl)-adenosine in the presence of poly(U) compared to 0.7% in the absence of poly(U).Abbreviations DKP diketopiperazine - (gly)₂ glycylglycine - (gly)₃ glycylglycylglycine - AppA-gly 2(3)-O-(glycyl)-P₁, P₂-diadenosine-5-pyrophosphate - MepA-gly 2(3)-O-(glycyl)-adenosine-5-(O-methylphosphate) - Ado-2(3)-gly 2(3)-O-(glycyl)-adenosine - Ado-5-gly 5-O-(glycyl)-adenosine - Boc-gly N-tert-butyloxycarbonylglycine - AppA P₁, P₂-diadenosine-5-pyrophosphate - MepA adenosine-5-(O-methylphosphate) - AppA-Boc-gly 2(3)-O-(Boc-glycyl)-P₁, P₂-diadenosine-5-pyrophosphate - Ado-5-Boc-gly 5-O-(Boc-glycyl)-adenosine - Ado-2(3)-Boc-gly 2(3)-O-(Boc-glycyl)-adenosine     

Potential-sensitive response mechanism of diS-C3-(5) in biological membranes

Summary The potential-sensitive response mechanism of 3,3-dipropylthiodicarbocyanine iodide (diS-C₃-(5)) was examined based on our previous model of diS-C₃-(5) interaction with brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) in the absence of a membrane potential. The model contained binding (6 msec), reorientation (30 msec), dimerization (<10 nsec), and translocation (1 sec) reaction steps (Cabrini & Verkman, 1986.J. Membrane Biol. 90:163–175). Transmembrane potentials () were induced in BBMV by K⁺ gradients and valinomycin. Steady-state diS-C₃-(5) fluorescence (excitation 622 nm, emission 670 nm) increased linearly with . The reorientation and translocation reaction steps were resolved by the stopped-flow technique as a biexponential decrease in fluorescence following mixture of diS-C₃-(5) with BBMV at varying . The fractional amplitude of the faster exponential increased from 0.36 to 0.73 with increasing (–17 to 87 mV); the time constant for the faster exponential (30–35 msec) was independent of . There were single exponential kinetics (0.5–1.5 sec) for diS-C₃-(5) fluorescence response to a rapid (<2 msec) change in in the absence of a diS-C₃-(5) concentration gradient. These results, and similar findings in placental brush border vesicles, red cell vesicles, and phosphatidylcholine vesicles, support a translocation mechanism for diS-C₃-(5) response, where induced membrane potentials drive diS-C₃-(5) redistribution between sites at the inner and outer membrane leaflets, with secondary effects on diS-C₃-(5) dimerization and solution/membrane partitioning. Fluorescence lifetime and dynamic depolarization measurements showed no significant change in diS-C₃-(5) rotational characteristics or in the polarity of the diS-C₃-(5) environment with changes in . Based on the experimental results, a mathematical model is developed to explain the quantitative changes in diS-C₃-(5) fluorescence which accompany changes in at arbitrary dye/lipid ratios.     

Analogues of NADP+ as inhibitors and coenzymes for NADP+ malic enzyme from maize leaves

Structural analogues of the NADP⁺ were studied as potential coenzymes and inhibitors for NADP⁺ dependent malic enzyme from Zea mays L. leaves. Results showed that 1, N⁶-etheno-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate ( NADP⁺), 3-acetylpyridine-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (APADP⁺), nicotinamide-hypoxanthine dinucleotide phosphate (NHDP⁺) and -nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide 2: 3-cyclic monophosphate (23NADPc⁺) act as alternate coenzymes for the enzyme and that there is little variation in the values of the Michaelis constants and only a threefold variation in V_max for the five nucleotides. On the other hand, thionicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (SNADP⁺), 3-aminopyridine-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (AADP⁺), adenosine 2-monophosphate (2AMP) and adenosine 2: 3-cyclic monophosphate (23AMPc) were competitive inhibitors with respect to NADP⁺, while -nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide 3-phosphate (3NADP⁺), NAD⁺, adenosine 3-monophosphate (3AMP), adenosine 2: 5-cyclic monophosphate (25AMPc), 5AMP, 5ADP, 5ATP and adenosine act as non-competitive inhibitors. These results, together with results of semiempirical self-consistent field-molecular orbitals calculations, suggest that the 2-phosphate group is crucial for the nucleotide binding to the enzyme, whereas the charge density on the C₄ atom of the pyridine ring is the major factor that governs the coenzyme activity.Abbreviations NADP⁺ 1, N⁶-etheno-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate - NHDP⁺ nicotinamide-hypoxanthine dinucleotide phosphate - APADP⁺ 3-acetylpyridine-adenine dinucleotide phosphate - SNADP⁺ thionicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate - AADP⁺ 3-aminopyridine-adenine dinucleotide phosphate - 23NADPc⁺ -nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide 2: 3-cyclic monophosphate - 3NADP⁺ -nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide 3-phosphate - 2AMP adenosine 2-monophosphate - 3AMP adenosine 3-monophosphate - 23AMPc adenosine 2: 3 monophosphate cyclic - A adenosine - RuBP ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate - SCF-MO Self-Consistent Field-Molecular Orbitals (method)     

Silver nitrate and aminoethoxyvinylglycine affect <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium</Emphasis>-mediated apple transformation

In Fuji, the production of ethylene was increased with the addition of AgNO₃ and inhibited with the addition of 10 M aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG). The addition of 80 M AgNO₃ to transformed explants of Fuji cultured on selection medium resulted in increased ethylene production (20 l l^–1) at 3 weeks. Under examining the effect of AgNO₃ in Fuji, the 40 M AgNO₃ showed with higher 33.8% and 6.5% in the efficiency of regeneration and transformation. However, ethylene production in Gala explants treated with 10M AgNO₃ (3 l l^–1) decreased after 2 weeks compared with the control (5 l l^–1). Although the regeneration efficiency of Gala with 10 M AgNO₃ was higher (41.1%) than the control (20.1%), there was no significant difference in the transformation efficiency at the same concentration. Shoot regeneration of Fuji and Gala was completely inhibited with 10 M AVG. These results suggest that the addition of AgNO₃ affects the efficiency of Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer in Fuji.Eun Soo Seong, Ill Min Chung- These two Authors Contributed equally to this work     

Carbon isotope discrimination and foliar nutrient status of Larrea tridentata (creosote bush) in contrasting Mojave Desert soils

We investigated the relationships between foliar stable carbon isotope discrimination (), % foliar N, and predawn water potentials (_pd) and midday stomatal conductance (g _s) of Larrea tridentata across five Mojave Desert soils with different age-specific surface and sub-surface horizon development and soil hydrologies. We wished to elucidate how this long-lived evergreen shrub optimizes leaf-level physiological performance across soils with physicochemical characteristics that affect the distribution of limiting water and nitrogen resources. We found that in young, coarse alluvial soils that permit water infiltration to deeper soil horizons, % foliar N was highest and , g _s and _pd were lowest, while %N was lowest and , g _s and _pd were highest in fine sandy soils; Larrea growing in older soils with well-developed surface and sub-surface horizons exhibited intermediate values for these parameters. showed negative linear relationships with % N (R ²=0.54) and a positive relationship with _pd (R ²=0.14). Multiple regression analyses showed a strong degree of multicolinearity of g _s and with _pd and N, suggesting that soil-mediated distribution of co-limiting water and nitrogen resources was the primary determinant of stomatal behavior, which is the primary limitation to productivity in this shrub. These findings show that subtle changes in the soil medium plays a strong role in the spatial and temporal distribution and utilization of limiting water and nitrogen resources by this long-lived desert evergreen, and that this role can be detected through carbon isotope ratios.     

The relation of proton motive force,adenylate energy charge and phosphorylation potential to the specific growth rate and efficiency of energy transduction inBacillus licheniformis under aerobic growth conditions

The magnitude of the proton motive force (p) and its constituents, the electrical () and chemical potential (-ZpH), were established for chemostat cultures of a protease-producing, relaxed (rel ^–) variant and a not protease-producing, stringent (rel ⁺) variant of an industrial strain ofBacillus licheniformis (respectively referred to as the A- and the B-type). For both types, an inverse relation of p with the specific growth rate was found. The calculated intracellular pH (pH_in) was not constant but inversely related to . This change in pH_in might be related to regulatory functions of metabolism but a regulatory role for pH_in itself could not be envisaged. Measurement of the adenylate energy charge (EC) showed a direct relation with for glucose-limited chemostat cultures; in nitrogen-limited chemostat cultures, the EC showed an approximately constant value at low and an increased value at higher . For both limitations, the ATP/ADP ratio was directly related to .The phosphorylation potential (G'p) was invariant with . From the values for G'p and p, a variable H⁺/ATP-stoichiometry was inferred: H⁺/ATP=1.83+0.52µ, so that at a given H⁺/O-ratio of four (4), the apparent P/O-ratio (inferred from regression analysis) showed a decline of 2.16 to 1.87 for =0 to _max (we discuss how more than half of this decline will be independent of any change in internal cell-volume). We propose that the constancy of G'p and the decrease in the efficiency of energy-conservation (P/O-value) with increasing are a way in which the cells try to cope with an apparent less than perfect coordination between anabolism and catabolism to keep up the highest possible with a minimum loss of growth-efficiency. Protease production in nitrogen-limited cultures as compared to glucose-limited cultures, and the difference between the A- and B-type, could not be explained by a different energy-status of the cells.Abbreviations CCCP carbonylcyanide-p-trichloromethoxyphenylhydrazone - DW dry weight of biomass - F Faraday's constant, 96.6 J/(mV × mol) - Fo chemostat outflow-rate (ml/h) - FCCP carbonylcyanide-p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone - G'p phosphorylation potential, the Gibbs energy change for ATP-synthesis from ADP and P_i - G'⁰p standard Gibbs energy change at specified conditions - H⁺/ATP number of protons translocated through - ATP synthase in synthesis of one ATP - H⁺/O protons translocated during transfer of 2 electrons from substrate to oxygen - specific growth rate (1/h) - _H+ transmembrane electrochemical proton potential, J/mol - M_b molar weight (147.6 g/mol) of bacteria with general cell formula C_6.0H_10.8O_3.0N_1.2 - pH_out,in extracellular, intracellular pH - P_i (intracellular) inorganic phosphate - p proton motive force, mV - pH transmembrane pH-difference - transmembrane electrical potential, mV - P/O number of ADP phosphorylated to ATP upon reduction of one O^2– to H₂O by two electrons transferred through the electron transfer chain - P/O (H⁺/O) × (H⁺/ATP)^–1 - P/O_F, P/O_N P/O with the two electrons donated by resp. (NADH + H⁺) and FADH - q specific rate of consumption or production (mol/g DW × h) - rel ⁺,rel ^– stringent, relaxed genotype - R universal gas constant, 8.36 J/(mol × degree) - T absolute temperature - TPMP⁺ triphenylmethylphosphonium ion - TPP⁺ tetraphenyl phosphonium ion - Y growth yield, g DW/mol - Z conversion constant=61.8 mV for 310 K (37 °C) - ZpH transmembrane proton potential or chemical potential, mV     

Mineral catalysis of the formation of dimers of 5′-AMP in aqueous solution: The possible role of montmorillonite clays in the prebiotic synthesis of RNA

The reaction of the 5-AMP with water soluble carbodiimide (EDAC) in the presence of Na⁺-montmorillonite 22A results in the formation of 2,5-(pA)₂ (18.9%), 3,5-(pA)₂ (11%), and AppA (4.8%). When poly(U) is used in place of the clay the product yields are 2,5-(pA)₂ (15.5%), 3,5-(pA)₂ (3.7%) and AppA (14.9%). The 3,5-cyclic dinucleotide, 3,5-c(pA)₂, is also formed when poly(U) is used. AppA is the principal reaction product when neither clay nor poly(U) is present in the reaction mixture. Products which contain the phophodiester bond are formed at different ionic strengths, pH and temperatures using Na⁺-montmorillonite. Phosphodiester bond formation was not observed when Cu²⁺-montmorillonite was used or when DISN was used in the place of EDAC. The extent catalysis of phophodiester bond formation varied with the particular clay mineral used. Those Na⁺-clays which bind 5-AMP more strongly are better catalysts. Cu²⁺-montmorillonite, which binds 5-AMP strongly, exhibits no catalytic activity.