Transformation of Hematite into Magnetite During Dissimilatory Iron Reduction—Conditions and Mechanisms

Magnetite formation during the reduction of nanoparticulate hematite by Shewanella putrefaciens 200R is investigated in media of variable composition, at circumneutral pH and with lactate as electron donor. The relative rates of production of dissolved Fe(II) and Fe(III), aqueous speciation, plus chemical gradients control whether or not magnetite forms in the experiments. High bicarbonate concentrations result in the precipitation of magnetite, presumably by enhancing the non-reductive dissolution of hematite, hence causing the simultaneous production of soluble Fe(III) and Fe(II) in the incubations. Magnetite formation is inhibited when hematite dissolution is slowed down by adsorption of oxyanions (phosphate and sulfate) at the mineral surface, when the reduction of soluble Fe(III) is enhanced by increasing the cell density or adding an electron shuttle (AQS), or when aqueous Fe(II) is complexed by ferrozine. In experiments where hematite suspensions with and without bacteria are separated by a dialysis membrane, magnetite formation occurs mainly in the cell-free portion of the reaction system. Most likely, precipitation of magnetite is favored in the cell-free suspension because of a higher soluble Fe(III) to Fe(II) ratio. The formation of magnetite in the absence of cells further implies that its nucleation is not catalyzed by the bacterial surfaces.     

Transformation of maltose into prebiotic isomaltooligosaccharides by a novel α-glucosidase from Xantophyllomyces dendrorhous

The transglycosylation activity of a novel α-glucosidase from the basidiomycetous yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous (formerly Phaffia rhodozyma) was studied using maltose as glucosyl donor. The enzyme synthesized oligosaccharides with α-(1 → 2), α-(1 → 4) and α-(1 → 6) bonds. Using 200 g/l maltose, the yield of oligosaccharides was 53.8 g/l, with prebiotic oligosaccharides containing at least one α-(1 → 6) linkage (panose, 6-O-α-glucosyl-maltotriose and 6-O-α-isomaltosyl-maltose) being the major products (47.1 g/l). The transglycosylatying yield was 3.6 times higher than the observed with the α-glucosidase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (53.8 vs. 14.7 g/l). Moreover, when increasing the maltose concentration up to 525 g/l, the maximum production of tri- and tetrasaccharides reached 167.1 g/l, without altering the percentage of oligosaccharides in the mixture. Compared with other microbial α-glucosidases in which the main transglycosylation product is a disaccharide, the enzyme from X. dendrorhous yields a final product enriched in trisaccharides and tetrasaccharides.     

Transformation of Pea Lectin Gene and Parasponia Haemoglobin Gene into Rice and Their Expressions

Lectin and leghemoglobin in legumes play the important roles, respectively, in recognition of host plants to their rhizobial bacteria, and lowering the oxygen partial pressure around bacteroids and protecting nitrogenase from oxygen in symbiotic nitrogen-fixing nodules. In order to extend the host range of the rhizobial bacteria and to make them fix nitrogen in non-legumes, pea lectin gene ( pl ) and Parasponia hemoglobin gene ( phb ) have been constructed into a plant expression vector (pCBHUL) and the vector pCBHUL was introduced into rice calli from immature young embryos by particle bombardment. After the calli were regenerated into plantlets on the resistant-selecting media containing hygromycin, they were identified by PCR and Southern blot hybridization. It was indicated that the pl and phb genes were integrated into nucleic genome of the transformed rice plants. GUS activity and the product of the pl gene were determined by GUS staining, Western blot and in situ hybridization at translational level. Eighteen out of 40 plants resistant to hygromycin were positively identified by PCR analysis with the rate of 45%. The pl gene was expressed in 3 out of 18 plants with 17% and 7.5%in 40 plants. The results may provide a clue for exploring whether Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae could extend its host range and make the transgenic rice plants have the possibility of being symbiotic, or associative to nitrogen fixation.     

Insight into the Structure of the “Unstructured” Tau Protein

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Investigation of the “variable spreading” of X inactivation into a translocated autosome

Summary A new case of an unbalanced X/autosome translocation, karyotype 46,X,der(X),t(X;14)(q22;q11), is described. The derivative X chromosome was inactivated and showed various degrees of incomplete spreading of late replication into the translocated autosome. This enabled us to test the hypothesis that the extent of this spreading is primarily determined during X inactivation in the early embryo so that the various DNA replication patterns of the derivative X occur in a clonal fashion. However a dilution plating experiment gave no evidence that such a clonality exists. In the inactivated autosome, late-replicating bands obviously turned to earlier replication during cell aging in vitro. It is suggested that the degree of spreading of X inactivation into an autosome is not primarily induced but results from ineffective maintenance of the inactivation on the autosome, presumably due to an irreversible loss of methyl cytosine.     

Dynamics of penetration of “Rigid” nanostructures of double-stranded DNA complexed with gadolinium into CHO cells

Currently, neutron capture therapy is a promising cancer treatment. This method is based on the reaction of thermal neutron capture by some nonradioactive elements (e.g., Gd¹⁵⁷), which results in the sub-sequent emission of electrons and gamma rays. An effective instrument for delivering gadolinium into tumor tissue are “rigid” nanostructures (NSs) based on double-stranded DNA complexes with gadolinium (NS-Gd). The local concentration of Gd in these nanostructures may reach 40%. To optimize the process of neutron capture therapy, it is very important to investigate possible mechanisms of the penetration of NS-Gd particles into tumor cells. In this work, the dynamics of interaction between NS-Gd and cultivated Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) was studied by confocal and electron microscopy. NS-Gd were shown to be able to enter CHO cells. This process started after about 1 h of incubation. After 6 h, NS-Gd particles were detected in almost all cells. A further increase in the incubation time did not lead to significant changes in cell morphology, although the amount of NS-Gd inside cells continued to increase. The plasma membranes of the cells remained intact. Once entering the cells, NS-Gd particles remained there for a long time. The data show that NS-Gd has relatively low toxicity and suggest that the presence of NS-Gd in tumor cells does not prevent their division. The data are important for improving the efficiency of the method of neutron-capture therapy.     

Transformation of Murine Cells by Two “Slow Viruses,” Visna Virus and Progressive Pneumonia Virus

Visna and progressive pneumonia virus (PPV), two antigenically related, non-oncogenic "slow viruses" which have ribonucleic acid (RNA)-dependent deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase activity, were examined for their ability to transform cells. Murine cells which had been exposed to either visna or PPV developed foci of altered, spindle-shaped cells 3 to 4 weeks after infection. Visna and PPV transformed lines were established from these cultures. There was no evidence that other oncogenic DNA or RNA viruses were involved in the observed transformation. Visna or PPV could be "rescued" from all transformed lines by co-cultivation with normal sheep testis cells. "Rescued" virus was identified as visna or PPV, and they retained the capacity to transform mouse cells. These experiments may have important implications in the understanding of both viral carcinogenesis and "slow" viral infections.     

Erratum: “Transformation of individual contractile responses during tetanus in rat fast and slow skeletal muscles”

On page 54, right column, the final line of the text should read: Supported by the RSF grant no. 15-15-20008.     

The transformation of the synaptonemal complex into the “elimination chromatin” in Bombyx mori oocytes

In Bombyx mori oocytes the synaptonemal complexes are retained in modified form from pachytene to metaphase I. At the end of pachytene the length and width of the lateral components of the complex increase, whereafter the complexes become compacted during later stages of the meiotic prophase. Ultimately, at metaphase I the modified synaptonemal complexes of individual bivalents fuse to form a more or less continuous sheet between the homologous chromosomes. This sheet corresponds to the structure historically known as the elimination chromatin. It is concluded that in the absence of crossing over and chiasma formation in Bombyx mori females the retainment and subsequent modification of the synaptonemal complex has evolved as a substitute mechanism to ensure regular disjunction of the bivalents.