Effects of glycerol on microtubule polymerization kinetics

Steady state and kinetic studies of polymerization of purified microtubule protein show little effect of glycerol on the steady state level of polymerization, as demonstrated by measurements of critical concentration. The rates of polymerization and depolymerization are slowed in the presence of glycerol. This data indicates that the stabilization of microtubules by high glycerol is largely a kinetic effect rather than a shift in equilibrium. However, the apparent critical concentration for microtubule polymerization from crude brain homogenate is substantially higher in the absence of glycerol, and glycerol appears to protect microtubule polymerization against the action of endogenous inhibitors.     

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ cycle of a rat insulinoma cell line

Regulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ cycling by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) was studied in saponin-permeabilized RINm5F insulinoma cells. Cells were incubated with mitochondrial inhibitors, and medium Ca2+ concentration established by nonmitochondrial pool(s) (presumably the ER) was monitored with a Ca2+ electrode. IP3 degradation accounted for the transience of the Ca2+ response induced by pulse additions of the molecule. To compensate for degradation, IP3 was infused into the medium. This resulted in elevation of [Ca2+] from about 0.2 microM to a new steady state between 0.3 and 1.0 microM, depending on both the rate of IP3 infusion and the ER Ca2+ content. The elevated steady state represented a bidirectional buffering of [Ca2+] by the ER, as slight displacements in [Ca2+], by small aliquots of Ca2+ or the Ca2+ chelator quin 2, resulted in net uptake or efflux of Ca2+ to restore the previous steady state. When IP3 infusion was stopped, [Ca2+] returned to its original low level. Ninety per cent of the Ca2+ accumulated by the ER was released by IP3 when the total Ca2+ content did not exceed 15 nmol/mg of cell protein. Above this high Ca2+ content, Ca2+ was accumulated in an IP3-insensitive, A23187-releasable pool. The maximal amount of Ca2+ that could be released from the ER by IP3 was 13 nmol/mg of cell protein. The data support the concept that in the physiological range of Ca2+ contents, almost all the ER is an IP3-sensitive Ca2+ store that is capable of finely regulating [Ca2+] through independent influx (Ca2+-ATPase) and efflux (IP3-modulated component) pathways of Ca2+ transport. IP3 may continuously modulate Ca2+ cycling across the ER and play an important role in determining the ER Ca2+ content and in regulating cytosolic Ca2+ under both stimulated and possibly basal conditions.     

The factors limiting growth and survival of brown trout, Salmo trutta m.fario L. introduced to different types of streams

Fingerlings of brown trout ( Salmo trulta m. fario L.) were introduced to sections of different types of streams situated in natural catchments and those modified by Man's activity. At stations where environmental conditions were modified by such forms of impact as pollution, flow variability and impoundment, trout did not survive 5 months. In the natural river sections mortality rates increased downstream along the river continuum and were associated with increased predation. Growth rates in the upper reaches were primarily restricted by abiotic factors—temperature and trophic status: however, they were to a large extent modified by density-dependent regulation and intraspecific competition. The influence of the abiotic/biotic regulatory process, expressed as fish metabolic performance, is discussed as a framework for the determination of the carrying capacity of the riverine ecosystem.     

Toe pad morphology and mechanisms of sticking in frogs

Sticking ability in frogs was measured on a series of different substrates. Analysis of performance suggests that frogs use two sticking mechanisms: interlocking on rough surfaces and capillarity on smooth surfaces. There is a correlation between morphological specializations of the toe pad and sticking ability, but these morphological features are not unique to arboreal species. Terrestrial species that use leaves as resting sites during times of inactivity have many of the same morphological specializations and stick as well as the strictly arboreal species.