Uptake and destruction of 125I-CSF-1 by peritoneal exudate macrophages

The binding and uptake of the colony-stimulating factor CSF-1 by peritoneal exudate macrophages (PEM) from lipopolysaccharide insensitive C3H/HeJ mice was examined at 2 degrees C, and at 37 degrees C. At 2 degrees C, 125I-CSF-1 was bound irreversibly to the cell surface. At 37 degrees C, 90% of the cell surface associated 125I-CSF-1 was rapidly internalized and subsequently degraded and the remaining 10% dissociated as intact 125I-CSF-1. Thus classical equilibrium or steady state methods could not be used to quantitatively analyze ligand-cell interactions at either temperature, and alternative approaches were developed. At 2 degrees C, the equilibrium constant (Kd less than or equal to 10(-13) M) was derived from estimates of the rate constants for the binding (kon congruent to 8 x 10(5) M-1 s-1) and dissociation (koff less than or equal to 2 x 10(-7) s-1) reactions. At 37 degrees C, the processes of dissociation and internalization of bound ligand were kinetically competitive, and the data was formally treated as a system of competing first order reactions, yielding first order rate constants for dissociation, koff = 0.7 min-1 (t1/2 = 10 min) and internalization, kin = 0.07 min-1 (t 1/2 = 1 min). Approximately 15 min after internalization, low-molecular weight 125I-labeled degradation products began to appear in the medium. Release of this degraded 125I-CSF-1 was kinetically first order over three half-lives (Kd = 4.3 x 10(-2) min-1, t1/2 = 16 min). Thus CSF-1 binds to a single class of receptors on PEM, is internalized with a single rate limiting step, and is rapidly destroyed without segregation into more slowly degrading intracellular compartments.     

A laboratory study of the copper and nickel uptake and regulation in a copper-tolerant decapod, Cambarus bartoni (Fabricius) (Decapoda, Crustacea)

Tissue copper concentration in whole Cambarus bartoni, exposed for four weeks to 0.125, 0.25 and 0.5 mg Cu/litre and 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 mg Ni/litre in the laboratory at 18 degrees C, showed a linear relationship with exposure time at 0.25 and 0.5 mg Cu/litre; the regression slope at 0.5 mg Cu/litre (r2 = 0.218; 0.001 less than P less than or equal to 0.05) was approximately two times higher than that at 0.25 mg Cu/litre (r2 = 0.148; 0.025 less than P less than or equal to 0.05). Regression analysis of nickel concentrations in whole crayfish as a function of exposure time showed a third degree polynomial relationship at 0.4 (y = 49.989 + 14.77x - 15.395x2 + 3.194x3) and 0.8 (y = 52.053 + 37.05x - 28.933x2 + 5.133x3) mg Ni/litre, as well as in the control (y = 49.126 + 27.253x - 23.468x2 + 4.168x3) (y = Ni concentration; x = exposure time in weeks), suggesting the occurrence of a Ni flux every 4 weeks.     

肝细胞生长因子对氧糖剥夺/再灌注神经元的保护作用

本文旨在探讨肝细胞生长因子（hepatocyte growth factor,HGF）对神经元氧糖剥夺/再灌注损伤的影响。取原代培养12d的Sprague-Dawley大鼠大脑皮层神经元,无糖、无氧（95%N2＋5%CO2）孵育2h后,换含25mmol/L葡萄糖的培养液、常氧培养0-24h,以MTT比色法检测细胞活力、乳酸脱氢酶（lactate dehydrogenase,LDH）漏出率作为细胞损伤指标,建立体外氧糖剥夺/再灌注损伤细胞模型;用流式细胞仪和Hoechst33258染色分析细胞凋亡率;用RT-PCR和Western blot分别检测大鼠脑皮层神经元HGF受体c-Met mRNA和蛋白的表达。于氧糖剥夺2h/再灌注24h处理前2h,加入不同终浓度（5-120ng/mL）的HGF,观察HGF对皮层神经元的影响。结果显示,c-Met表达于皮层神经元,氧糖剥夺2h/再灌注24h后,c-Met mRNA和蛋白表达均显著上调,神经元细胞活力明显降低,LDH漏出率和细胞凋亡率显著增高。HGF预处理明显促进氧糖剥夺/再灌注损伤神经元的存活,降低LDH漏出率,最大效应剂量为80ng/mL。流式细胞术和Hoechst33258染色结果均显示,HGF（80ng/mL）显著降低氧糖剥夺/再灌注神经元的细胞凋亡率。此外,c-Met抑制剂SU11274（5μmol/L）完全阻断HGF的神经保护作用。结果表明,HGF对皮层神经元氧糖剥夺/再灌注损伤具有直接的保护作用,呈一定的剂量依赖关系,并能有效对抗神经元凋亡。     

NMR spin grouping and correlation exchange analysis. Application to low hydration NaDNA paracrystals.

The NMR spin-grouping technique is applied to low hydration oriented fibers of NaDNA to study the role of exchange in determining the apparent (observed) spin relaxation of the system. The analysis proceeds in three steps: first, the apparent proton relaxation is measured at high fields, with both selective and nonselective inversion pulse sequences, and in the rotating frame. The spin-grouping technique is used in all spin-lattice relaxation measurements to provide the optimum apparent relaxation characterization of the sample. Next, all apparent results are analyzed for exchange. In this analysis the results from the high field and rotating frame experiments (which probe the exchange at two different time scales) are correlated to determine the inherent (or true) spin relaxation parameters of each of the proton groups in the system. The results of selective inversion T1 measurements are also incorporated into the exchange analysis. Finally, the dynamics of each spin group are inferred from the inherent relaxation characterization. The low hydration NaDNA structure is such that the exchange between the protons on the water and those on the NaDNA is limited, a priori, to dipolar mixing. The results of the exchange analysis indicate that the dipolar mixing between water and NaDNA protons is faster than the spin diffusion within the NaDNA proton group itself. The spin-diffusion on the macromolecule is the bottleneck for the exchange between the water protons and the NaDNA protons. The water protons serve as the relaxation sink both at high fields and in the rotating frame for the total NaDNA-water spin bath. The inherent relaxation of the water is characteristic of water undergoing anisotropic motion with a fast reorientational correlation time about one axis (5 X 10(-10) less than or equal to tau r less than or equal to 8 X 10(-9)S) which is about three orders of magnitude slower than that of water in the bulk; and a slow tumbling correlation time for this axis (1.5 x 10(-7) less than or equal to tau t less than or equal to 8 x 10(-7)S) which is two orders of magnitude slower yet.     

Two-dimensional short-term model of oxygen uptake kinetics

An empirical case is presented for a two-dimensional O2 uptake (VO2) response surface, taking into account both short-term time dependence and the effect of power output. The surface is of the form VO2 = Re + aWt + bW(1-e-kt) where Re is the resting level, 0 less than W less than 2,100 kpm and 0 less than t less than 480 s are the power and time variables, respectively, k is the rate constant for the transient phase of uptake, and a and b are parameters. As a more general test of this expression, VO2 data on six middle-distance runners exercising for 8 min on a cycle ergometer at 1,200, 1,600, 1,850, and 2,100 kpm/min were collected in a respiratory laboratory. Fits of the surface gave coefficients of determination (R2) averaging 0.947, although for one subject a much lower value of 0.807 was obtained. The final fitted equation for the whole group was VO2 = 0.403 + 0.0012Wt + 1.821W(1-e-0.031t) with R2 = 0.857. (VO2 was measured in liters per minute, W in thousands of kilopond-meters per minute and t in seconds). A surface fit to a multirun experiment permits a more comprehensive examination of residuals. In this instance for one subject, such an examination suggests the possibility of a damped cyclic response-control mechanism. Residual variation, however, appears large enough to obscure any possible cycle in the remaining subjects.     

Analytic procedures for large dimention nonlinear biochemical oscillators.

An analytic method is presented which can be used to determine if the following system of nonlinear differential equations has periodic solutions x1 = h(xn)-b1x1 xj = gj-1xj-1-bjxj j = 2, ... n A systematic dual input describing function procedure is given for constructing a function of the reaction constants R, where if R greater than 1 a periodic solution exists and if R smaller than 1 there is no periodic solution. The form of R constructed generalizes immediately to an arbitrarily large dimension. The method generalizes to cover systems displaying hysteresis kinetics, systems subject to chemical noise, and systems containing delay components. The method has been applied to a well known biochemical problem where h(xn)-k/(1 + alphaxnrho). For rho = 1, for all n, there are no stable limit cycles such that xj(t) greater than O, t larger than or equal to O. For rho = 2,n larger than or equal to 8 it is possible to construct a parameter set such that stable oscillations appear.     

Molecular aggregation characterized by high order autocorrelation in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.

The use of high order autocorrelation in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy for investigating aggregation in a sample that contains fluorescent molecules is described. Theoretical expressions for the fluorescence fluctuation autocorrelation functions defined by gm,n(tau) = [(delta fm(t + tau)delta fm(t] - (delta Fm(t] (delta Fn(t]]/(F)m+n, where delta F(t) is the fluorescence fluctuation at time t, (F) is the average fluorescence, and m and n are integers less than or equal to 3, are derived. Methods for determining the number densities and relative fluorescence yields of aggregates of different sizes from a series of Gm,n(0) values are outlined. The method is applied to 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate suspended in solutions of water and ethyl alcohol. The technique presented may prove useful in detecting and characterizing aggregates of fluorescent-labeled biological molecules such as cell surface receptors.     

Binding and internalization of VIP in rat intestinal epithelial cells.

We have prepared villous cells from the jejunum of the rat small intestine and studied the effects of divalent cations and bacitracin on the binding and internalization of VIP. Villous epithelial cells (4 x 10(6) cells/ml) were suspended in a Hepes-NaCl buffer with 1.0% BSA, (pH 7.4) and the cells were incubated for varying periods of time with 125I-VIP at 24 degrees C. Specific binding of radiolabeled VIP was maximal within 10 min (10%) and slowly declined to 9.0 percent after 30 min. In the presence of 1.0 mg/ml bacitracin, however, maximal specific binding of VIP was only 2.7 percent (P less than or equal to 0.001). The addition of CA2+ or Mg2+ to the buffer significantly decreased binding of VIP in a concentration dependent manner. At 8.0, 4.0, 2.0 and 1.0 mM Ca2+, binding of 125I-VIP decreased by 70, 60, 40 and 25 percent, whereas in the presence of the same concentrations of Mg2+ binding was decreased to 50, 38, 25 and 10 percent (P less than or equal to 0.01). To determine if epithelial cells internalize VIP, we bound 125I-VIP to villous cells and then differentiated surface-bound and internalized radioactivity by treating with trypsin (150 micrograms/ml). Surface bound radioligand was the same at both 24 and 4 degrees C (5.3%), while internalized 125I-VIP was 4.0% at 24 degrees C compared to only 1.0% at 4 degrees C (P less than or equal to 0.001). At 24 and 4 degrees C, both Ca2+ (4.0 mM) and Mg2+ (8.0 mM) decreased surface bound radioligand by 60 percent (P less than or equal to 0.01) and lowered internalized radioactivity. These data demonstrate that (1) bacitracin decreases the binding of VIP to small intestinal epithelial cells, (2) both Ca2+ and Mg2+ affect the binding of VIP to its surface receptor and (3) VIP is internalized into epithelial cells.     

Relationship between the proliferation waves of the hepatocytes after hepatectomy and the waves of diurnal rhythm of mitotic activity. 1. Dependence of the form of the mitotic wave and the time of attaining its maximal degree on the time of operation]

The diurnal rhythm of mitotic activity (MA) of intact animal hepatocytes and the proliferative wave of hepatocytes after partial hepatactomy at time t0 are thought to appear as a result of formation of an initial proliferative wave, Pk-wave, within the G0-phase at constant moments of the day--time tk+1=tk+TMA(TMA=24hrs/K, k=1, or 2, . . ., or K) under the influence of the regulating system of the organism. Cells of the Pk-wave pass during a short time deltat (deltat less than TMA) from the G0-phase into the transformation phase, and then into the G1-phase. The 1st stimulated proliferative wave is formed at time tk, if tk--TMA less than t0 less than or equal to tk; its intensity depends most likely on the intensity of the corresponding Pk-wave of the intact liver. It was noted that time t0 of partial hepatectomy was necessary to coordinate with tk, but not with the time of the maximal mitotic activity, and that it was necessary to hepatectomize all animals within the interval from time tk--TMA to time tk. The model was shown to compare well with data by Post et al. (1963), Barbason (1970), and Van Cantfort and Barbason (1972) for hepatocytes of Wistar rats with TMA=8hrs, and tk (k=1,2,3) within intervals (2 a.m.; 4 a.m), (10 p.m.; noon), and (6 p.m. 8 p.m.). The maximal rate of liver generation was observed for all the hepactomized animals with the time of operation being between 8 p. m. and 2 a.m.     

Physical properties of microbial suspensions

Physical properties of suspensions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida utilis and Escherichia coli (density, viscosity and surface tension) were measured in synthetic suspensions formed of centrifuged biomass and supernatants from various stages of batch cultivation in the range from 0 to 10% w/v for yeasts and from 0 to 0.25% w/v for bacteria. Surface tension was also measured in native suspensions in the range of 0 less than or equal to Cm less than or equal to 2.0% w/v. All single cell suspensions were found to be Newtonian in behaviour. Densities strictly obey the mixing law, viscosities of Saccharomyces cerevisiae suspensions were correlated by an empirical relation in dependence of Cm and t, surface tensions were correlated graphically for suspensions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli, since experiments with both microorganisms have shown that the previously published approximate correlation can safely be used.     

Structure of the mitochondrial creatine kinase octamer: high-resolution shadowing and image averaging of single molecules and formation of linear filaments under specific staining conditions.

The combination of high-resolution tantalum/tungsten (Ta/W) shadowing at very low specimen temperature (-250 degrees C) under ultrahigh vacuum (less than 2 x 10(-9) mbar) with circular harmonic image averaging revealed details on the surface structure of mitochondrial creatine kinase (Mi-CK) molecules with a resolution less than 2.5 nm. Mi-CK octamers exhibit a cross-like surface depression dividing the square shaped projection of 10 x 10 nm into four equally sized subdomains, which correspond to the four dimers forming the octameric Mi-CK molecule. By a combination of positive staining (with uranyl acetate) and heavy metal shadowing, internal structures as well as the surface relief of Mi-CK were visualized at the same time at high resolution. Computational image analysis revealed only a single projection class of molecules, but the ability of Mi-CK to form linear filaments, as well as geometrical considerations concerning the formation of octamers by four equal, asymmetric dimers, suggest the existence of at least two distinct faces on the molecule. By image processing of Mi-CK filaments a side view of the octamer differing from the top-bottom projections of single molecules became evident showing a funnel-like access each form the top and bottom of the octamer connected by a central channel. The general structure of the Mi-CK octamer described here is relevant to the localization of the molecule at the inner-outer mitochondrial contact sites and to the function of Mi-CK as an "energy channeling" molecule.     

Persistence of Clostridium botulinum type C toxin in blow fly (Calliphoridae) larvae as a possible cause of avian botulism in spring

Diverse samples were examined at a site of water-bird mortality, caused by Clostridium botulinum type C toxin in southern Moravia (Czechoslovakia). The toxin was detected in high concentrations in mute swan (Cygnus olor) carcasses (less than or equal to 1 x 10(6) LD50/g) as well as in necrophagous larvae and pupae of the blow flies Lucilia sericata and Calliphora vomitoria (less than or equal to 1 x 10(5) LD50/g) collected from them. It was detected in lower concentrations (less than or equal to 1 x 10(3) LD50/g) in other invertebrates (ptychopterid fly larvae, leeches, sow-bugs) associated with these carcasses, and occasionally in water samples (8 LD50/ml) close to the carrion. The toxin was not detected in the samples of water, mud or invertebrates collected at a distance greater than or equal to 5 m from the carcasses. The toxin-bearing larvae of L. sericata and C. vomitoria, containing 80,000 LD50/g of type C toxin, were exposed in the mud at the study site for 131 days from November to March. Although the toxin activity decreased 25-fold and 40-fold in the two samples of maggots exposed during this period, it remained very high (less than or equal to 3,200 LD50/g). Birds ingesting a relatively low number of these toxic larvae (or pupae) in the spring could receive a lethal dose of the toxin.     

On algorithms of evaluation of Fung's relaxation function parameters

The mathematical aspects of the problem of the interpretation of the experimental data on the viscoelastic behaviour of materials by making use of the linear and quasi-linear relaxation model proposed by Fung, are considered. Three idealized cases of the growth of the strain from the zero value of its value a = const., that it will keep at t greater than or equal to tO, are analysed: Case 1--a jump at t = t0, Case 2--a linear law of growth in the interval 0 less than or equal to t less than or equal to t0, Case 3--a parabolic law of growth in the same interval. The exact formulae for calculation of the stress are presented. From them the simple 'small time' and 'great time' asymptotic expressions are derived. These expressions are used for comparison of the Cases 1, 2, 3. An algorithm is suggested for the iterative numerical evaluation of the parameters of the linear model on the basis of the experimental data, corresponding to Case 1, 2 or 3.     

Dynamic light scattering investigations of human erythrocyte spectrin.

Dynamic light scattering measurements were performed on spectrin from human erythrocytes in 25 mM Tris buffer at pH 7.6 with 100 mM NaCl and 5 mM EDTA. Measurements were made on spectrin solutions prepared as dimers and tetramers over the temperature range from 23 to 41 degrees C, as a function of the square of the scattering vector (K2) over the range of 0.7 x 10(10) cm-2 less than or equal to K1 less than or equal to 20 x 10(10) cm-2. Analysis of the autocorrelation functions collected for these solutions revealed the presence of two predominant motional components over the entire range of K2. Plots of the diffusion coefficients (D20) of these components, with viscosity and temperature corrected to water at 20 degrees C, as a function of K2 indicated three rather distinct regions, flat regions at low and high K2 joined by a sloping intermediate region. At small K2 (less than or equal to 4 x 10(10) cm-2) the D20 values were (7.3 +/- 2.0) x 10(-8) cm2/s for the slow component and (20.3 +/- 2.0) x 10(-8) cm2/s for the fast component. At large K2 (greater than or equal to 10 x 10(10) cm-2) the values increased to (13.0 +/- 2.0) x 10(-8) cm2/s for the slow component and (39.4 +/- 2.0) x 10(-8) cm2/s for the fast component. In the intermediate K2 region, D20 is a linear function of K2 and appears as a transition between the low and high K2 regions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Reproduction numbers and thresholds in stochastic epidemic models. I. Homogeneous populations.

We compare threshold results for the deterministic and stochastic versions of the homogeneous SI model with recruitment, death due to the disease, a background death rate, and transmission rate beta cXY/N. If an infective is introduced into a population of susceptibles, the basic reproduction number, R0, plays a fundamental role for both, though the threshold results differ somewhat. For the deterministic model, no epidemic can occur if R0 less than or equal to 1 and an epidemic occurs if R0 greater than 1. For the stochastic model we find that on average, no epidemic will occur if R0 less than or equal to 1. If R0 greater than 1, there is a finite probability, but less than 1, that an epidemic will develop and eventuate in an endemic quasi-equilibrium. However, there is also a finite probability of extinction of the infection, and the probability of extinction decreases as R0 increases above 1.     

Cortical bone tissue resists fatigue fracture by deceleration and arrest of microcrack growth

Knowledge of kinetics of fatigue crack growth of microcracks is important so as to understand the dynamics of bone adaptation, remodeling, and the etiology of fatigue-based failures of cortical bone tissue. In this respect, theoretical models (Taylor, J. Biomech., 31 (1998) 587-592; Taylor and Prendergast, Proc. Instn. Mech. Engrs. Part H 211 (1997) 369-375) of microcrack growth in cortical bone have predicted a decreasing microcrack growth rate with increasing microcrack length. However, these predictions have not been observed directly. This study investigated microcrack growth and arrest through observations of surface microcracks during cyclic loading (R=0.1, 50-80MPa) of human femoral cortical bone (male, n=4, age range: 37-40yr) utilizing a video microscopy system. The change in crack length and orientation of eight surface microcracks were measured with the number of fatigue cycles from four specimens. At the applied cyclic stresses, the microcracks propagated and arrested in generally less than 10,000 cycles. The fatigue crack growth rate of all microcracks decreased with increasing crack length following initial identification, consistent with theoretical predictions. The growth rate of the microcracks was observed to be in the range of 5x10(-5) to 5x10(-7)mmcycle(-1). In addition, many of the microcracks were observed not to grow beyond 150 microm and a cyclic stress intensity factor of 0.5MNm(-3/2). The results of this study suggest that cortical bone tissue may resist fracture at the microscale by deceleration of fatigue crack growth and arrest of microcracks.     

Study of molecular dynamics of bovine carbonic anhydrase B by 13C-NMR in two strongly polarizing magnetic fields. I. Intramolecular mobility of polypeptide chains of the native enzyme

The study of the dynamics of enzyme segmental movement is of considerable importance in the understanding of the physics of the catalytic function of these macromolecules, which cannot be adequately described without introduction of intramolecular mobility of their polypeptide chains. At present high resolution [13C]NMR is mostly used as an effective and selective method for the observation of spectral and relaxation parameters that are sensitive to structure, conformation and local motion. The molecular dynamics of bovine carbonic anhydrase B (carbonate hydrolase EC. 4.2.1.1) in the native form was studied. Measurements of the relaxation parameters (T1, T2 and NOE) of the alpha-carbons of the polypeptide chain in two high magnetic fields (4.7 and 11.7 T) were carried out. The model-free approach of Lipari and Szabo to the interpretation of these experimental data show a satisfactory agreement between theory and experiment for these carbon nuclei if an internal degree of motion such as libration or restricted diffusion in a cone with angular amplitude in the 10 degrees less than theta less than or equal to 20 degrees range and an effective correlation time tau e approximately equal to 6 to 7 x 10(-11) S in addition to the tau R = 3 x 10(-8) S reorientation correlation time of the whole molecular is introduced.     

Effects of A23187 upon cortical granule exocytosis in eggs of Brachydanio

Summary The effects of the divalent ionophore A23187 upon unfertilized eggs of the freshwater teleost fish, Brachydanio rerio, have been examined by light, scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy. Treatment of eggs with micromolar amounts (1 M, 10 M) of A23187 triggers cortical granule exocytosis and elevation of the chorion. However, the exocytosis of cortical granules in ionophore-activated eggs is explosive and occurs more rapidly than in eggs naturally activated in conditioned tap water. Eggs treated with A23187 in a medium lacking extra-cellular calcium also show cortical granule exocytosis, suggesting strongly that egg activation in Brachydanio results from release of calcium primarily from intracellular stores; however, there is a distinct delay in the onset of cortical granule breakdown. Unfertilized eggs exposed to A23187 for 1–5 min show noticeable disturbances in cell surface topography, including loss of microplicae and the appearance of prominent membrane-limited blebs.To determine if cortical granule exocytosis is self-propagating once initiated, A23187 was applied to a localized portion of the unfertilized egg surface, using either a G-50 sephadex gel bead or a 1 mm glass capillary tube. Eggs placed in continuous contact for 15 min with a bead coated with 10 M A23187 show neither exocytosis of cortical granules nor elevation of the chorion. All eggs exhibit exocytosis when positioned against a glass rod coated with 1 M A23187. The cortical granule breakdown is partial and restricted to less than 50% of the egg surface in most cells. The complete exocytosis of cortical granules in the zebra danio egg appears to require the stimulation and release of calcium from multiple sites over the cortex.     

Tight ATP and ADP binding in the noncatalytic sites of Escherichia coli F1-ATPase is not affected by mutation of bulky residues in the 'glycine-rich loop'

It is shown that ATP dissociates very slowly (koff less than 6.4 x 10(5) s-1, t1/2 greater than 3 h) from the three noncatalytic sites of E. coli F1-ATPase and that ADP dissociates from these three sites in a homogeneous fashion with koff = 1.5 x 10(-4) s-1 (t1/2 = 1.35 h). Mutagenesis of alpha-subunit residues R171 and Q172 in the 'glycine-rich loop' (Homology A) consensus region of the noncatalytic sites was carried out to test the hypothesis that unusually bulky residues at these positions are responsible wholly or partly for the observed tight binding of adenine nucleotides. The mutations alpha Q172G or alpha R171S,Q172G had no effects on ATP or ADP binding to or rates of dissociation from F1 noncatalytic sites. KdATP and KdADP of isolated alpha-subunit were weakened by approximately 1 order of magnitude in both mutants. The results suggest that neither residue alpha R171 nor alpha Q172 interacts directly with bound nucleotide, and show that the presence of bulky residues per se in the glycine-rich loop region of F1-alpha-subunit is not responsible for tight binding in the noncatalytic sites.     

Patterns of mobilization of the Proteus mirabilis chromosome by R plasmids.

R plasmids R40a, Rip69, R447b, R769 belonging to incompatibility groups A-C, M, N, V, respectively, were investigated for chromosomal mobilizing ability in Proteus mirabilis. Plasmids R40a, Rip69 and R447b mediated polarized transfer of markers in a clockwise direction from origins near tyr-1, metF and ser-2, respectively, on the linkage map. The recovery frequency per donor cell of proximal markers approached 1 x 10(-4) for these three plasmids and the efficiency of chromosomal transfer was higher than that of the previously studied plasmid D. The plasmid-guided chromosomal trajectories overlap and it was possible to complement results obtained with plasmid D to assemble a time-of-entry chromosomal map and directly establish the circularity of the linkage group. The map comprises a length of 93 min in terms of transfer time. Plasmid R769 had a different pattern of chromosome transfer. This plasmid produced recombinants for all markers at frequencies of about 4 x 10(-6) per donor. It effected multiple and more or less simultaneous entry of markers and produced recombination over lengths of chromosome rarely corresponding to more than 10 min on the linkage map.