Inhibition of Photosystem II by formate. Possible evidence for a direct role of bicarbonate in photosynthetic oxygen evolution

In broken chloroplasts the presence of 100 mM sodium formate at pH 8.2 will specifically lengthen the Photosystem II relaxation times of the reactions S′₂ → S₃ and S′₃ → S₀. Rates of reactions S′₀ → S₁ and S′₁ → S₂ remain unaffected. Evidence is presented which indicates the discrimination among S-states by formate cannot be attributed to a block imposed on the reducing side of Photosystem II. The results are interpreted in context of the known interaction of formate and CO₂ which is bound to the Photosystem II reaction center complex. It is proposed that those S-state transitions which show extended relaxation times in the presence of formate must result in the momentary release and rebinding of CO₂. Furthermore since formate is acting on the oxygen-evolving side of Photosystem II, it would seem that CO₂ is released in reactions that occur there. A chemical model of oxygen evolution is presented. It is based on the hypothesis that hydrated CO₂ is the immediate source of photosynthetically evolved oxygen and explains why, under certain conditions formate slows only the S-state transitions S′₂ → S₃ and S′₃ → S₀.     

The synthesis and cytotoxic activity of 1,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-2,6-dideoxy-L-arabino- and -L-lyxo-hexopyranose

Methyl 2,6-dideoxy-α-L-arabino-hexopyranoside (6) was prepared from L-rhamnose in five steps. Hydrolysis of6 with 50% aqueous acetic acid gave 2,6-dideoxy-L-arabino-hexopyranose. Treatment of 3,4-di-O-acetyl-L-rhamnal with acetic acid in the presence of acetic anhydride and 2% sulfuric acid afforded 1,2,3-tri-O-acetyl-2,6-dideoxy-L-arabino-hexopyranose in 65% yield. Selective benzoylation and subsequent mesylation of 6 afforded methyl 3-O-benzoyl-2,6-dideoxy-4-O-mesyl-α-L-arabino-hexopyranoside, which was treated with sodium benzoate and sodium azide in hexamethylphosphoric triamide to give the corresponding 3,4-dibenzoyl 9 and 4-azido 11 analogs. Hydrogenation and N-acetylation of 11 afforded the 4-acetamido derivative 12. Deprotection of 9 and 12 gave 2,6-dideoxy-L-lyxo-hexopyranose and 4-acetamido-2,4,6-trideoxy-L-lyxo-hexopyranose, which were characterized as their peracetates. The free and corresponding peracetylated derivatives were assayed for their ability to inhibit the growth of P388 leukemia cells in culture. Although the free sugars did not inhibit the replication of these tumor cells under the conditions employed, their peracetylated derivatives demonstrated significant activity.     

Isolation and partial purification of the major abundant class rat seminal vesicle poly(A+)-messenger RNA

Total poly(A(+))-RNA (poly(A(+))-RNA(tot)) was isolated from rat seminal vesicle and its size distribution determined by 70% formamide 5-25% sucrose density analysis. One major peak was resolved in the 10-13 S region and accounted for approximately 35% of the total poly(A(+))-RNA applied. Preparative 1% SDS, 5-20% linear sucrose density gradients also resolved a single major peak in the 11S region (poly(A(+))(11S). Analysis of poly(A(+))-RNA(tot) and poly(A(+))-RNA(11S) under denaturing conditions on 2% agarose gel electrophoresis demonstrated two major components in both poly(A(+))-RNA populations. Size estimations for these components are 620 and 540 NT respectively. (3)H-cDNA was made to both poly(A(+))-RNA(tot) and poly(A(+))-RNA(11S). Back-hybridization of poly(A(+))-RNA(tot) and poly(A(+))-RNA(11S) to their respective (3)H-cDNA revealed a highly abundant class representing 41% and 85% of the sequences in their respective (3)H-cDNA's. The highly abundant class corresponded to 3-5 sequences present in 30,000-50,000 copies/cell. Invitro translation of poly(A(+))-RNA(11S) resulted in two major polypeptides coded for by the 620 NT long and 540 NT long poly(A(+))-RNA respectively.Images     

Initiation of ovalbumin synthesis in chicken oviduct magnum: Transient labeling of the NH2-terminus by methionine

The incorporation of [³⁵S]methionine into ovalbumin, a protein containing NH₂-terminal N-acetylglycine, has been studied in chicken oviduct magnum cells. The purification of [³⁵S]methionine-labeled ovalbumin from total oviduct proteins was accomplished by dialysis of a crude extract at pH 3.6 followed by chromatography on carboxymethyl cellulose. The radioactive ovalbumin eluted from the column in three peaks (P₀, P₁, and P₂-containing 0, 1, and 2 moles of phosphate, respectively, per mole of ovalbumin). The kinetics of labeling of peaks P₀ and P₁ showed that the ratio of radioactivity in NH₂-terminal methionine to total incorporation was greater at 2 min of labeling than at later times. The transient labeling of the NH₂-terminus of ovalbumin with methionine indicates that methionine is the initiator amino acid for the synthesis of this protein, which in its mature form contains NH₂-terminal N-acetylglycine.     

Genetic control of susceptibility of mice to Rous sarcoma virus tumorigenesis

Studies with congenic resistant strains of mice indicate that susceptibility to Rous sarcoma virus tumorigenesis is influenced by a gene or genes associated with the major histocompatibility complex (H-2). These genes manifest dominant relative susceptibility. Preliminary studies indicate that the CBA/J strain harbors a gene or genes for relative susceptibility, which are recessive. These results are compared with other studies onH-2-associated genes affecting murine viral oncogenesis.     

Specific inhibitors of methane oxidation in Methylosinus trichosporium

Methane oxidation by washed cell suspensions of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3B was selectively inhibited by 25 compounds, including metal binding components such as carbon monoxide (85% O₂: 15% CO), KCN (10^-6 M), αα′-dipyridyl (10^-4 M), 8-quinolinol (10^-4 M), thiosemicarbazide (10^-5 M), thiourea (10^-5 M), hydroxylamine (10^-4 M), histidine (10^-2 M), British Anti-Lewisite (5x10^-3 M), and miscellaneous known inhibitors of other oxygenases. A role for copper in the methane oxygenase system was suggested by the pattern of inhibition and relief of inhibition by added metal ions.     

An allied reprogramming,selection, expansion and differentiation platform for creating hiPSC on microcarriers

ObjectivesInduced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated by monolayer cultures is plagued by low efficiencies, high levels of manipulation and operator unpredictability. We have developed a platform, reprogramming, expansion, and differentiation on Microcarriers, to solve these challenges.Materials and MethodsFive sources of human somatic cells were reprogrammed, selected, expanded and differentiated in microcarriers suspension cultures.ResultsImprovement of transduction efficiencies up to 2 times was observed. Accelerated reprogramming in microcarrier cultures was 7 days faster than monolayer, providing between 30 and 50‐fold more clones to choose from fibroblasts, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, T cells and CD34+ stem cells. This was observed to be due to an earlier induction of genes (β‐catenin, E‐cadherin and EpCAM) on day 4 versus monolayer cultures which occurred on days 14 or later. Following that, faster induction and earlier stabilization of pluripotency genes occurred during the maturation phase of reprogramming. Integrated expansion without trypsinization and efficient differentiation, without embryoid bodies formation, to the three germ‐layers, cardiomyocytes and haematopoietic stem cells were further demonstrated.ConclusionsOur method can solve the inherent problems of conventional monolayer cultures. It is highly efficient, cell dissociation free, can be operated with lower labor, and allows testing of differentiation efficiency without trypsinization and generation of embryoid bodies. It is also amenable to automation for processing more samples in a small footprint, alleviating many challenges of manual monolayer selection.

We have developed an allied protocol for reprogramming, selecting, expanding and differentiating human pluripotent stem cells on Microcarriers (designated as RepMC). This method allows faster reprogramming, selecting 30‐50‐fold more candidates for characterization and also allows us to find high quality candidates that differentiate to cardiomyocytes and blood lineages. Mechanistically, this method appears to accelerate the induction, maturation and stabilization phases of reprogramming. Our findings help simplify the process of deriving and expanding iPSCs for therapeutic applications, offering a robust and scalable suspension platform for large‐scale generation of clinical grade iPSCs.     

Iron supplementation promotes in vitro shoot induction and multiplication of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Baptisia australis</Emphasis>

C₄ plants can efficiently accumulate CO₂ in leaves and thus reduce wasteful oxygen fixation by the RuBisCO enzyme. Three C₄ enzymes, namely carbonic anhydrase (CA), phosphoenol pyruvate (PEPC) and pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK), were over expressed in Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica var. Khitish under the control of green tissue specific promoters PD_54o, PEPC and PPDK, respectively. Integration of these genes was confirmed by Southern hybridization. The relative expression of PEPC, CA and PPDK were, respectively, 6.75, 6.57 and 3.6-fold higher in transgenic plants compared to wild type plants (control). Photosynthetic efficiency of the transgenic plants increased significantly along with a 12?% increase in grain yield compared to wild type plants. Compared to control plants, transgenic plants also showed phenotypic changes such as increased leaf blade size, root biomass, and plant height and anatomical changes such as greater leaf vein number, bundle sheath cells, and bulliform cells. Our findings indicate that the combined over expression of these three enzymes is an efficient strategy for incorporating beneficial physiological and anatomical features that will enable subsequent yield enhancement in C₃ rice plants.