Identification, genetic analysis and characterization of a sugar-non-specific nuclease from the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120

A nuclease that could be recovered from the supernatant of cultures, as well as from cell-free extracts, of the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 was identified as a 29 kDa polypeptide by its ability to degrade DNA after electrophoresis in DNA-containing SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Some clones of a gene library of strain PCC 7120 established in Escherichia coli were found to produce the 29 kDa nuclease. The nucA gene encoding this nuclease was subcloned and sequenced. The deduced polypeptide, NucA, had a molecular weight of 29,650, presented a presumptive signal peptide in its N-terminal region and showed homology to the products of the nuc gene from Serratia marcescens and the NUC1 gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The NucA protein from Anabaena itself, or from the cloned nucA gene expressed in E. coli, catalysed the degradation of both RNA and DNA, had the potential to act as an endonuclease, and functioned best in the presence of Mn2+ or Mg2+. An Anabaena nucA insertional mutant was generated which failed to produce the 29 kDa nuclease.     

gltF, a member of the gltBDF operon of Escherichia coli, is involved in nitrogen-regulated gene expression

We report here the construction and analysis of insertional mutations in each of the three genes of the gltBDF operon and the nucleotide sequence of the region downstream from gltD. Two open reading frames were identified, the first of which corresponds to gltF. The gltB and gltD genes code for the large and small subunits, respectively, of the enzyme glutamate synthase (GOGAT). gltF codes for a protein, with a molecular mass of 26,350 Da, which is required for Ntr induction. Histidase synthesis was determined as a measure of Ntr function. First, insertions in gltB, gltD or gltF all prevent Ntr induction. Second, complementation analysis indicates that high-level expression of both the gltD and gltF genes is required for the induction of the Ntr enzymes under nitrogen-limiting conditions, indicating that the phenotype of the gltB insertion probably results from polarity on gltD and gltF. Third, glutamate-dependent repression of the glt operon appears to be mediated by the product of the gltF gene. Thus, the gltBDF operon of Escherichia coli is involved in induction of the so-called Ntr enzymes in response to nitrogen deprivation, as well as in glutamate biosynthesis.     

Changes in soil microflora associated with control of Sclerotium Rolfsii by Furfuraldehyde

The efficacy of 2‐furfuraldehyde for control of Sclerotium rolfsii was studied in laboratory and greenhouse experiments. Mycelial growth of the fungus was reduced proportionally with concentrations of 0.1–0.5 ml furfuraldehyde l^‐1 agar medium, and viability of sclerotia diminished on exposure to 2‐furfuraldehyde vapours. Detectable populations of bacteria and fungi, including Trichoderma spp., were reduced significantly (9=0.05) when furfuraldehyde was added to the agar used for soil dilution plates of untreated soil. Repeated treatments of natural soil with the fumigant significantly increased populations of Trichoderma spp. and bacteria, but diminished numbers of actinomycetes. Increasing dosages applied to soil artificially infested with S. rolfsii caused a reduction of disease on lentil, Lens culinaris. Results indicate that the compound, when applied to field soil, changes the composition of soil microflora and has potential for integrated control of S. rolfsii.     

A Comparison of the Efficacy of Nuclear Polyhedrosis and Granulosis Viruses in Spray and Bait Formulations for the Control of Agrotis segetum (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Maize

Agrotis segetum nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AsNPV) and granulosis virus (AsGV), propagated in laboratory cultures of A. segetum in England and A. ipsilon in Spain, respectively, were applied to plots of maize plants at the one‐ to four‐leaf stage of growth. Plots were arranged in a 6 x 6 Latin square design and infested with second‐instar A. segetum larvae (the common cutworm). Each virus was applied in separate treatments by two application methods; as an aqueous spray containing 0.1% Agral as a wetting agent, and as a bran bait. The NPV was applied at a rate of 4 X 10¹² polyhedra/ha, and the GV at 4 X 10¹³ granules/ha. Soil and plants were sampled for larvae on three occasions following virus treatment: 24 h, 4 days and 11 days. The larvae were reared on diet in the laboratory, until death or pupation, to examine the rate and level of viral infection. Infection data showed 87.5% and 91% NPV infection and 12.5% and 55% GV infection in spray and bait treatments, respectively, in larvae sampled 24 h after treatment. In larvae sampled 4 days after treatment, the results were 78% and 100% NPV infection, and 13% and 6% GV infection. A total of only six larvae were retrieved on day 11. In both treatments larvae infected with AsNPV died significantly more rapidly and at an earlier instar than those infected with AsGV, indicating that AsNPV appears to have better potential as a control agent for A. segetum.     

Glomerular lesions in Aleutian disease of mink (Mustela vison): a morphological and differential morphometrical study.

A morphological and morphometrical study has been carried out on glomerular lesions in mink with spontaneous Aleutian disease, using the WHO classification for Systemic Lupus Erytematous Nefritis. 154 renal samples from sick animals and 10 samples from uninfected mink were processed by routine histopathological techniques and metacrylate inclusions. The samples were studied quantitatively with an automatic image analyzer. 5 forms of glomerulonephritis (GN) were identified: mesangial glomerulonephritis (n = 13), focal and segmental GN (n = 10), diffuse GN (n = 99), membranous GN (n = 12) and advanced sclerosing GN (n = 10) and were associated with the degree of interstitial plasmocytosis. Glomerule morphometry was shown to be an excellent method for identifying the type of lesion, while it quantified the participation of various glomerular elements in the lesion.     

Gas chromatographic assay for in vitro complementation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutants deficient in nitrate reduction.

An electron capture gas-chromatographic technique was developed to continuously measure nitrate (NO3-) reduction during in vitro complementation tests with extracts from Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutants deficient in both assimilatory and dissimilatory nitrate reduction as a result of a single genetic mutation. The procedure involves coupling nitrate reduction to nitrous oxide (N2O) evolution via a series of reactions specific to the denitrification pathway. The assay was dependent on nitrate concentration, and optimal activity was obtained with a final concentration of 0.2% potassium nitrate. The reduction exhibited a stoichiometry of 2:1 (NO3-/N2O), and succinate was the best electron source for the reaction, followed by glucose, pyruvate, and malate. The technique can also be used for continuously monitoring nitrate reduction. The optimal nitrite concentration in the nitrite reductase assay was 0.025%. The initial complementation studies of mutant extracts demonstrated that at least two genes are shared between the two nitrate reduction pathways in P. aeruginosa.     

Stimulation of intestinal adenylate cyclase by cholera toxin in malnourished rats

The stimulation of intestinal adenylate cyclase by cholera toxin (CT) was studied in normal and malnourished rats 4 to 24 hr after a 30-min incubation of intestinal loops with the toxin. Whereas in control rats the enzyme activity returned to basal levels after 12 hr of incubation, in malnourished rats the activity of the enzyme remained significantly elevated even after 24 hr of the initial incubation. Malnourished animals had a reduced turnover rate of intestinal cells as determined by thymidine kinase activity. The delayed turnover of intoxicated cells may account for continuous activation of mucosal adenylate cyclase and possibly for prolongation of diarrhea in malnutrition.     

Stomatal response to air humidity and its relation to stomatal density in a wide range of warm climate species

The gas exchange of 19 widely different warm climate species was observed at different leaf to air vapour pressure deficits (VPD). In all species stomata tended to close as VPD increased resulting in a decrease in net photosynthesis. The absolute reduction in leaf conductance per unit increase in VPD was greatest in those species which had a large leaf conductance at low VPDs. This would be expected even if stomata of all species were equally sensitive. However the percentage reduction in net photosynthesis (used as a measure of the relative sensitivity of stomata of the different species) was also closely related to the maximal conductance at low VPD. Similarily the relative sensitivity of stomata to changes in VPD was closely related to the weighted stomatal density or crowding index.The hypothesis is presented that stomatal closure at different VPDs is related to peristomatal evaporation coupled with a high resistance between the epidermis and the mesophyll and low resistance between the stomatal apparatus and the epidermal cells. This hypothesis is consistent with the greater relative sensitivity of stomata on leaves with a high crowding index.The results and the hypothesis are discussed in the light of selection, for optimal productivity under differing conditions of relative humidity and soil water availablility, by observation of stomatal density and distribution on the two sides of the leaf.Visiting scientist, plant physiologist and research assitant of the Cassava Program     

Formation of the 3'' end of U1 snRNA is directed by a conserved sequence located downstream of the coding region.

U1 is a small non-polyadenylated nuclear RNA that is transcribed by RNA polymerase II and is known to play a role in mRNA splicing. The mature 3' end of U1 snRNA is formed in at least two steps. The first step generates precursors of U1 RNA with a few extra nucleotides at the 3' end; in the second step, these precursors are shortened to mature U1 RNA. Here, I have determined the sequences required for the first step. Human U1 genes with various deletions and substitutions near the 3' end of the coding region were constructed and introduced into HeLa cells by DNA transfection. The structure of the RNA synthesized during transient expression of the exogenous U1 gene was analyzed by S1 mapping. The results show that a 13 nucleotide sequence located downstream from the U1 coding region and conserved among U1, U2 and U3 genes of different species is the only sequence required to direct the first step in the formation of the 3' end of U1 snRNA.