Nuclear genome characterization of the carrageenophyteAgardhiella subulata (Rhodophyta)

DNA reassociation kinetics were used to determine nuclear genome organization and complexity inAgardhiella subulata (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta). Results indicate the presence of three second-order components corresponding to fast (22%), intermediate (68%) and slow (10%) fractions. Thus, the genome consists of 90% repetitive sequences. Microspectrophotoometry with the DNA-localizing fluorochrome DAPI was used to confirm ploidy level differences in the gametophytic and tetrasporophytic phases. Results indicate that meiosis occurs during tetrasporogenesis. Comparison of mean nuclear DNA (I_f) values to chicken erythrocytes (RBC) resulted in an estimate of 0.9 pg/2C genome forAgardhiella. Karyological studies using aceto-orcein revealed a chromosome complement of 2N = 44 in carposporangia and the presence of 22 bivalents during diakinesis of tetraspore mother cells.     

Pollen-specific expression of theArabidopsis thaliana α1-tubulin promoter assayed by β-glucuronidase,chloramphenicol acetyltransferase and diphtheria toxin reporter genespromoter assayed by β-glucuronidase,chloramphenicol acetyltransferase and diphtheria toxin reporter genes

We have characterized the promoter specificity of theArabidopsis thaliana α₁-tubulin (α ₁-tub) gene by studying expression patterns of gene fusions between the 2.2 kbp 5′ upstream region of theα ₁-tub gene and each of three different reporters: chloramphenical acetyltransferase, β-glucuronidase or the diphtheria toxin chain A gene. Analysis of transgenic tobacco andArabidopsis plants carrying the transgene showed that the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase and β-glucuronidase activities were not detected in any vegetative or reproductive organs except mature pollen. Transgenic tobacco plants carrying the diphtheria toxin chain A gene under the control of theα ₁-tub promoter were of normal phenotype but seed fertility was drastically reduced. Furthermore, the transgene could not be transmitted to the next generation through pollen, supporting the observation that theα ₁-tub promoter is active only in pollen. It was observed that the promoter activity was most active in mature pollen and decreased significantly duringin vitro pollen germination, indicating that the promoter is inactive or subdued in germinating pollen. The promoter activity was not affected by various plant growth hormones during pollen maturation.     

The effect of 4-week streptozotocin-induced diabetes on responses to endothelin-1 in rat isolated atria

The effect of endothelin-1 has been examined on isolated spontaneously beating right atria and electrically driven left atria from diabetic rats and age-matched controls. Diabetes was induced by a single i.v. injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg) 4–5 weeks before the experiments. Endothelin-1 (0.01–100 nM) caused concentration-dependent increases in atrial rate and force; the increases were not different between atria from diabetic and control rats. The ability of endothelin-1 to reduce chronotropic and inotropic responses to noradrenaline was also not different between the two groups. Endothelin-1 (10 nM) decreased the chronotropic response to sympathetic nerve stimulation (2 Hz, 10 s) in atria from control rats by 68 ± 5% (n = 8), but this decrease was slightly smaller (45 ± 6%, N = 8) in atria from diabetic rats.

The results provide no evidence to suggest that the diabetic state markedly alters cardiac responses to endothelin-1.     

国产五种菊属植物的核型研究

本文对国产5种菊属植物的核型进行了研究,结果为:D. indicum 2n=2x=18=16m 2st,2n=4x=36=28m 6sm 2st;D. lavandulifolium 2n=2x=18=14m 4sm,2n=4x=36=28m 6sm 2st;D. lavandulifolium var.seticuspe 2n=2x=18=12m 6sm;D. chanetii 2n=4x=36=20m 14sm 2st,2n=6x=54=38m 14sm 2st;D. potentilloides2n=2x=18=14m 2sm 2st;D. vestitum 2n=6x=54=38m 16sm.核型分析的结果表明,本文所研究类群中出现的多倍体多为异源多倍体;根据对核型资料、形态特征及地理分布特点的综合分析,作者认为多倍化是菊属野生种进行的主要途径。     

Cloning and characterization of an extracellular temperature-labile serine protease gene from Aeromonas hydrophila

Aeromonas virulence is thought to depend on multigenic functions. The gene for an extracellular protease from Aeromonas hydrophila SO2/2 was cloned in Escherichia coli C600-1 by using pIJ860, bifunctional plasmid, as a vector. The gene encodes for a temperature-labile serine protease (P2) with a molecular mass of approx. 68 kDa which is highly inhibited by PMSF. The gene was expressed in Streptomyces lividans 1326 by transforming protoplasts with the original clone pPA2. We were also able to transfer and express the prt P2 gene in Pseudomonas putida by mating experiments. The protein P2 was secreted into the periplasms of both P. putida and E. coli C600-1 being identical in properties to one of the proteases secreted into the culture supernatant by A. hydrophila SO2/2.     

Selection of Ethanol-Tolerant Yeast Hybrids in pH-Regulated Continuous Culture

Hybrids between naturally occurring wine yeast strains and laboratory strains were formed as a method of increasing genetic variability to improve the ethanol tolerance of yeast strains. The hybrids were subjected to competition experiments under continuous culture controlled by pH with increasing ethanol concentrations over a wide range to select the fastest-growing strain at any concentration of ethanol. The continuous culture system was obtained by controlling the dilution rate of a chemostat connected to a pH-meter. The nutrient pump of the chemostat was switched on and off in response to the pH of the culture, which was thereby kept near a critical value (pH_c). Under these conditions, when the medium was supplemented with ethanol, the ethanol concentration of the culture increased with each pulse of dilution. A hybrid strain was selected by this procedure that was more tolerant than any of the highly ethanol-tolerant wine yeast strains at any concentration of ethanol and was able to grow at up to 16% (vol/vol) ethanol. This improvement in ethanol tolerance led to an increase in both the ethanol production rate and the total amount of ethanol produced.     

Enzymatic down regulation with exercise in rat skeletal muscle

Maximal activities of rat skeletal muscle mitochondrial citrate synthase (CS), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), as well as several other mitochondrial enzymes involved in various metabolic functions were significantly suppressed after a single bout of acute or exhaustive treadmill running. This enzymatic "down regulation" was maintained 24 and 48 h post exhaustion, especially in the untrained rats. Neither muscle cytosolic nor hepatic enzymes exhibited down regulation after exercise. Proteolysis was increased with exercise as assessed by the clearance of [3H]leucine previously incorporated into the proteins of the rats. Decreased CS, MDH, and ALT activities correlated with a significant loss of mitochondrial total protein sulfhydryl (r = 0.67, 0.68, 0.59, respectively, P less than 0.001) in untrained rats and both CS and MDH could be partially restored by incubation with dithiothreitol. Endurance-tested untrained and trained rats had significantly higher glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity in both muscle mitochondria and cytosol which correlated significantly with endurance time (r = 0.70 and 0.74, respectively). It is concluded that enzymatic down regulation is not caused by proteolysis alone; i.e., peroxides and oxygen free radicals produced in prolonged exercise may alter the intramitochondrial redox state by oxidizing free thiols that may be required at active sites of these enzymes. Training may enhance the ability of the muscle to resist the toxic oxygen species by increasing GPX activity.     

Serial propagation of mammalian cells on gelatin-coated microcarriers

The ability to serially propagate mammalian cells in microcarrier cultures is essential for large-scale operation. The success of such serial propagation depends on viable dissociation of cells from microcarriers and the normal growth and product formation after subsequent reinoculation. The high pH treatment developed for dissociating cells from DEAE-derivatized microcarriers was not as effective for a number of cell strains cultivated on gelatin-coated microcarriers. By prewashing the cell-laden microcarriers with buffer containing a chelating agent, bovine kidney cells, BK, human embryonic foreskin fibroblasts, FS-4, and continuous human kidney cells, TCL-598 which produces prourokinase, were viably dissociated from commercially available gelatin-coated microcarriers, Cytodex-3. Cells dissociated from microcarriers reattached and grew on micro-carriers subsequent to inoculation into subcultures. However, after subculturing, cells may attach at different rates to newly added beads and to conditioned microcarriers which cells had previously grown. It resulted in an uneven cell distribution on microcarriers and inferior growth kinetics. This effect was more profound for BK and FS-4 cells which are propagated with a low multiplication ratio. Specifically, BK cells attach to conditioned beads at a faster rate than to new beads, while FS-4 cells attach to new beads faster than to conditioned beads. Thus, for these two cell strains, a separator was used to separate the microcarriers from the suspension of dissociated cells before subsequent inoculation. For TCL-598 cells, which are propagated at a high multiplication ratio, this dissociation technique can be applied directly without the separation of dissociated cells and conditioned microcarriers. All the three cell lines tested exhibit normal growth kinetics in serial propagation on microcarriers. Furthermore, the production of prourokinase by TCL598 cells serially propagated on microcarriers was comparable to that inoculated from roller bottles.     

Pigment patterns in mutants affecting the biosynthesis of pteridines and xanthommatin in Drosophila melanogaster

Eye-color mutants of Drosophila melanogaster have been analyzed for their pigment content and related metabolites. Xanthommatin and dihydroxanthommatin (pigments causing brown eye color) were measured after selective extraction in acidified butanol. Pteridines (pigments causing red eye color) were quantitated after separation of 28 spots by thin-layer chromatography, most of which are pteridines and a few of which are fluorescent metabolites from the xanthommatin pathway. Pigment patterns have been studied in 45 loci. The pteridine pathway ramifies into two double branches giving rise to isoxanthopterin, drosopterins, and biopterin as final products. The regulatory relationship among the branches and the metabolic blockage of the mutants are discussed. The Hn locus is proposed to regulate pteridine synthesis in a step between pyruvoyltetrahydropterin and dihydropterin. The results also indicate that the synthesis and accumulation of xanthommatin in the eyes might be related to the synthesis of pteridines.Support for this work was provided to J.F. in part by a grant from the Ministerio de Universidades e Investigación (Spain) and to F.J.S. by a grant from the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Spain).