Complete replication in vitro of tobacco mosaic virus RNA by a template-dependent, membrane-bound RNA polymerase.

A crude membrane-bound RNA polymerase, obtained by differential centrifugation of extracts of tomato leaves infected with tobacco mosaic tobamovirus (tomato strain L) TMV-L), was purified by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Removal of the endogenous RNA template with micrococcal nuclease rendered the polymerase template dependent and template specific. The polymerase was primer independent and able to initiate RNA synthesis on templates containing the 3'-terminal sequences of the TMV-L positive or negative strands. TMV-vulgare RNA was a less efficient template, while RNAs of cucumber mosaic cucumovirus and red clover necrotic mosaic dianthovirus, or 5'-terminal sequences of TMV-L positive or negative strands, did not act as templates for the polymerase. A main product of the reaction with TMV-L genomic RNA as a template, carried out in the presence of [alpha-32P]UTP, was genomic-length single-stranded RNA. This was shown to be the positive strand and uniformly labelled along its length, demonstrating complete replication of TMV-L RNA. Genomic-length double-stranded RNA, labelled in both strands, and small amounts of RNAs corresponding to the single- and double-stranded forms of the coat protein subgenomic mRNA were also formed. Antibodies to N-terminal and C-terminal portions of the 126-kDa protein detected the 126-kDa protein and the 183-kDa readthrough protein in purified RNA polymerase preparations, whereas antibodies to the readthrough portion of the 183-kDa protein detected only the 183-kDa protein. All three antibodies inhibited the template-dependent RNA polymerase, but none of them had any effect on the template-bound enzyme.     

Electrostatic attraction by surface charge does not contribute to the catalytic efficiency of acetylcholinesterase.

Acetylcholinesterases (AChEs) are characterized by a high net negative charge and by an uneven surface charge distribution, giving rise to a negative electrostatic potential extending over most of the molecular surface. To evaluate the contribution of these electrostatic properties to the catalytic efficiency, 20 single- and multiple-site mutants of human AChE were generated by replacing up to seven acidic residues, vicinal to the rim of the active-center gorge (Glu84, Glu285, Glu292, Asp349, Glu358, Glu389 and Asp390), by neutral amino acids. Progressive simulated replacement of these charged residues results in a gradual decrease of the negative electrostatic potential which is essentially eliminated by neutralizing six or seven charges. In marked contrast to the shrinking of the electrostatic potential, the corresponding mutations had no significant effect on the apparent bimolecular rate constants of hydrolysis for charged and non-charged substrates, or on the Ki value for a charged active center inhibitor. Moreover, the kcat values for all 20 mutants are essentially identical to that of the wild type enzyme, and the apparent bimolecular rate constants show a moderate dependence on the ionic strength, which is invariant for all the enzymes examined. These findings suggest that the surface electrostatic properties of AChE do not contribute to the catalytic rate, that this rate is probably not diffusion-controlled and that long-range electrostatic interactions play no role in stabilization of the transition states of the catalytic process.     

Simultaneous Determination of Fluzinamide and three of its active metabolites in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for a new anticonvulsant, fluzinamide, and three of its active metabolites. This method requires only 0.5 ml of plasma, and it involves a single extraction with a mixture of hexane—dichloromethane—butanol (55:40:5). The plasma extract is chromatographed on a 10-μm, C₁₈ reversed-phase column and quantitated by ultraviolet absorbance at 220 nm. The concentration—response curve for all four compounds are linear from 0.05 μg/ml to at least 10 μg/ml. The extraction efficiency of this method is greater than 90%. The accuracy and precision of the method were tested by analyzing spiked unknown samples that had been randomly distributed across the concentration range. The mean concentrations found were within ± 9% of the various amounts added with a standard deviation of ± 3.5%. This method has been successfully applied to the analysis of samples obtained from fluzinamide-dosed dogs, healthy unmedicated volunteers, and patients who were at steady state with phenytoin, carbamazepine, and fluzinamide.     

The effect of monochromatic radiation in the range 350 to 750 nm on the carotenogenesis in Verticillium agaricinum

An action spectrum for carotenogenesis in V. agaricinum has maxima at 395, 433, 660 and 737 nm. In a previous study it had been shown that a light-minus-dark difference spectrum of a crude extract from V. agaricinum had maxima at 390 and 420 nm, and furthermore a red, far-red interaction suggesting phytochrome involvement has been proposed. All these data suggest that there may be at least two photoreceptor systems operating in the photoinduction process here; one for the near-ultraviolet (UV-A)-mediated carotenogenesis, presumably a novel pigment, and the other for the red, far-red region, most likely phytochrome.     

Structural studies of a phosphocholine substituted beta-(1,3);(1,6) macrocyclic glucan from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110.

In our previous in vivo 31P study of intact nitrogen-fixing nodules (Rolin, D.B., Boswell, R.T., Sloger, C., Tu, S.I. and Pfeffer, P.E., 1989 Plant Physiol. 89, 1238-1246), we observed an unknown phosphodiester. The compound was also observed in the spectra of isolated bacteroids as well as extracts of the colonizing Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110. In order to characterize the phosphodiester in the present study, we took advantage of the relatively hydrophobic nature of the material and purified it by elution from a C-18 silica reverse-phase chromatography column followed by final separation on an aminopropyl silica HPLC column. Structural characterization of this compound with a molecular weight of 2271 (FAB mass spectrometry), using 13C-1H and 31P-1H heteronuclear 2D COSY and double quantum 2D phase sensitive homonuclear 1H COSY NMR spectra, demonstrated that the molecule contained beta-(1,3); beta-(1,6); beta-(1,3,6) and beta-linked non-reducing terminal glucose units in the ratio of 5:6:1:1, respectively, as well as one C-6 substituted phosphocholine (PC) moiety associated with one group of (1,3) beta-glucose residues. Carbohydrate degradation analysis indicated that this material was a macrocyclic glucan, (absence of a reducing end group) with two separated units containing three consecutively linked beta-(1,3) glucose residues and 6 beta-(1,6) glucose residues. The sequences of beta-(1,3)-linked glucose units contained a single non-reducing, terminal, unsubstituted glucose linked at the C-6 position and a PC group attached primarily to an unsubstituted C-6 position of a beta-(1,3)-linked glucose.     

Bioenergetic consequences of glucoamylase production in carbon-limited chemostat cultures ofAspergillus niger

Aspergillus niger has been grown in glucose- and maltose-limited continuous cultures to determine the bioenergetic consequences of the production of the extracellular enzyme glucoamylase. Growth yields (g biomass per mol substrate) were high, indicating that growth was very efficient and protein production for biomass was not exceedingly energy consuming. It has been found that the energy costs for the production of this extracellular enzyme is very high. Depending on the efficiency of energy conservation the glucoamylase protein yield on ATP is between 1.3 and 2.6 g protein per mol ATP, which is equal or less than 10% of the theoretical maximum of 25.5. These high energy costs most probably have to be invested in the process of excretion. A comparison between an industrial over-producing strain and the wild typeAspergillus niger showed that this over-producing strain most probably is a regulatory mutant. Two regions of specific growth rates could be determined (one at specific growth rates lower and one at specific growth rates higher than 0.1 h^-1), which are characterized by differences in mycelium morphology and a significant deviation from linearity in the linear equation for substrate utilization. Analysis of the region of specific growth rates higher than 0.1 h^-1 yielded maintenance requirements of virtual zero. It has been concluded that for a good analysis of the growth behaviour of filamentour fungi the linear equation for substrate utilization is not suitable, since it contains no term for the process of differentiation.     

Therapeutic value of indomethacin in threatened abortion

One hundred cases of threatened abortion were randomly allocated to four lines of treatment namely, long acting progesterone, antispasmodic, indomethacin and placebo. The lowest success rate was encountered in the indomethacin treated group; symptoms of intolerance were common and three cases out of sixteen turned into missed abortion. Indomethacin does not offer any advantage over other lines of treatment in threatened abortion.     

Isolubimin: A possible precursor of lubimin in infected potato slices

Potato slices treated with spirovetiva-1(10),11-diene-2-one yield lubimin and rishitin within 24 hr. A vetispirane which has not been detected in fungally infected potatoes was also isolated. This compound, isolubimin, appears to be an intermediate in the conversion of the above spirovetivone to lubimin.