Plate 457. Mutisia Subspinosa Compositae

Mutisia subspinosa Cav. is described and illustrated and its relationships with other members of Mutisia sect. Guariruma (Cass.) Cabrera discussed. Notes on its cultivation are provided along with a historical insight into the collections of Née, made on the Malaspina expedition.     

Conserving livestock breed biodiversity

Growing awareness of the importance of conserving the biodiversity of livestock breeds is paralleled by genetic advances that will help objective planning of conservation. Inventories of breeds, long advocated, are now being established and concepts originally formulated for the quantification of species diversity are being applied. The breeds thus conserved will provide valuable resources for the future of agriculture, especially in the developing world.     

Rac GTPase interacts with GAPs and target proteins through multiple effector sites.

Rac, a small GTPase in the ras superfamily, regulates at least two biological processes in animal cells: (i) the polymerization of actin and the assembly of integrin complexes to produce lamellipodia and ruffles; and (ii) the activity of an NADPH oxidase in phagocytic cells. NADPH oxidase activation is mediated through a rac effector protein, p67phox, and using chimeras made between rac and the closely related GTPase, rho, we have identified two distinct effector sites in rac, one N-terminal and one C-terminal, both of which are required for activation of p67phox. The same two effector sites are essential for rac-induced actin polymerization in fibroblasts. p65PAK, a ubiquitous serine/threonine kinase, interacts with rac at both the N- and C-terminal effector sites, but the GTPase-activating protein, bcr interacts with rac at a different region. This makes p65PAK, but not bcr, a candidate effector of rac-induced lamellipodium formation.     

Properties of microfiltration membranes: Mechanisms of flux loss in the recovery of an enzyme

The transmission and rate of filtration of the enzyme yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH) has been studied at capillary pore microfiltration membranes. Photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) with nanometer resolution showed that the enzyme existed as discreate molecules only for a narrow range of pH and ionic strength. Under such conditions, the transmission of the enzyme was high. However, the rate of filtration still decreased continuously with time. Analyssis of the time dependence of the rate of filtration indicated that this decrease was due to in-pore enzyme deposition at low concentration ("standard blocking model") and suface depositon at high concentration ("cake filtration model"). Use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) gave unequivocal and quantitative confirmation of these inferences. The work shows the great advantage of using advanced physical characterization techniques, both for the identification of the optimum conditions for filtration (PCS) and for the elucidation of mechanisms giving rise to inefficiencies in the filtration process (AFM). (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Endocrine cells of the human gastrointestinal tract have no proliferative capacity

Summary There is compelling evidence that the epithelial cell lineages of the gastrointestinal tract are derived from a common stem cell precursor, but the details of the subsequent cellular hierarchies remain uncertain. In this context, it is important to know the arrangement of cell proliferation that gives rise to the final cell populations. In rodents, a number of studies have been performed examining the possible proliferative capacity of endocrine cells, but a wide range of technical problems makes interpretation of these data difficult. Continuous labelling studies suggest that there is potential for proliferation in endocrine cells but flash labelling studies have not been conclusive. In man there are no data on this issue. We have taken advantage of the ability to perform double immunostaining for operational markers of proliferation (Ki67 antigen) and endocrine cell phenotype (chromogranin expression). We demonstrate that there are no double-labelled cells in the normal stomach, small intestine or colon of fetal, neonatal or adult humans. Moreover, no double-labelled cells are found in pathological states associated with endocrine cell hyperplasia (gastritis, ulcerative colitis). These data indicate that the normal endocrine cells of the human gut have no proliferative capacity and that, in this cell lineage, population expansion precedes differentiation.     

Preparation and structure of heparin lyase-derived heparan sulfate oligosaccharides

Porcine intestinal mucosal heparan sulfate was exhaustivelydepolymerized on a large scale using beparin lyase II (heparinaseII) or heparin lyase III (heparitinase, EC 4.2.2.8 [EC] ). The oligosaccharidemixtures formed with each enzyme were fractionated by low pressuregel permeation chromatography. Size-uniform mixtures of disaccharides,tetrasaccharides, and hexasaccharides were obtained. Each size-fractionatedmixture was then purified on the basis of charge by repetitivesemipreparative strong-anion-exchange high-performance liquidchromatography. This approach has led to the isolation of 13homogenous oligosaccharides. The purity of each oligosaccharidewas demonstrated by the presence of a single peak on analyticalstrong-anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatographyand reversed polarity capillary electrophoresis. The structuresof these oligosaccharides were established using 500 MHz one-and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Three of the thirteen structures that were solved were novelwhile the remaining 10 have been previously described. All ofthe structures obtained using heparin lyase III contained a     

The rtn gene of Proteus vulgaris is actually from Escherichia coli.

The rtn gene, identified as coming from Proteus vulgaris ATCC 13315, is present in Escherichia coli K-12, and over a 440-bp region of rtn is identical to the published Proteus sequence, with the exception of a single G insertion. It was not possible to verify the presence of rtn in P. vulgaris.     

Resistance and aerobic training in older men: effects on VO2 peak and the capillary supply to skeletal muscle

Hepple, R. T., S. L. M. Mackinnon, J. M. Goodman, S. G. Thomas, and M. J. Plyley. Resistance and aerobic training in oldermen: effects onO_{2 peak} and thecapillary supply to skeletal muscle. J. Appl.Physiol. 82(4): 1305-1310, 1997.Both aerobic training (AT) and resistance training (RT) may increase aerobic power(O_{2 peak}) in theolder population; however, the role of changes in the capillary supplyin this response has not been evaluated. Twenty healthymen (age 65-74 yr) engaged in either 9 wk of lower body RTfollowed by 9 wk of AT on a cycle ergometer (RTAT group) or 18 wk of AT on a cycle ergometer (ATAT group). RT was performedthree times per week and consisted of three sets of four exercises at6-12 repetitions maximum. AT was performed threetimes per week for 30 min at 60-70% heart ratereserve. O_{2 peak} was increasedafter both RT and AT (P < 0.05).Biopsies (vastus lateralis) revealed that the number of capillaries per fiber perimeter length was increased after both AT and RT(P < 0.05), paralleling the changesin O_{2 peak}, whereascapillary density was increased only after AT(P < 0.01). These results, and thefinding of a significant correlation between the change in capillarysupply and O_{2 peak}(r = 0.52), suggest the possibility that similar mechanisms may be involved in the increase ofO_{2 peak} afterhigh-intensity RT and AT in the older population.

     

Structural alterations in synaptosomal membrane-associated proteins and lipids by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in the cat

We have previously reported that ischemia reperfusion injury results from free radical generation following transient global ischemia, and that this radical induced damage is evident in the synaptosomal membrane of the gerbil. [Hall et al, (1995) Neuroscience 64: 81–89] In the present study we have extended these observations to transient focal ischemia in the cat. We prepared synaptosomal membranes from frontal, parietal-temporal, and occipital regions of the cat cerebral cortex with reperfusion times of 1 and 3 hours following 1 hour right middle cerebral artery occlusion. The membranes were selectively labeled with protein and lipid specific paramagnetic spin labels and analyzed using electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometry. There were significant motional changes of both the protein and lipid specific spin labels in the parietal-temporal and occipital regions with 1 hour reperfusion; but, both parameters returned to control values by 3 hours reperfusion. No significant changes were observed in the normally perfused frontal pole at either reperfusion time. These results support the argument that free radicals play a critical role in cell damage at early reperfusion times following ischemia.