Involvement of a midbrain vocal nucleus in the production of both the acoustic and postural components of crowing behavior in Japanese quail

Many bird species produce vocalizations which are accompanied by distinctive postural displays, but the neural mechanisms that allow such integrated production of vocal and postural motor patterns are not understood. In the crowing behavior of Japanese quail, a characteristic vocal pattern is accompanied by and coordinated with a postural display that consists of a sequence of rapid, patterned head movements. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of a midbrain vocal nucleus, the nucleus intercollicularis, in the production of the acoustic and postural components of crowing in quail. Brief electrical stimuli were applied to the nucleus intercollicularis during spontaneously emitted crows in quail with chronically implanted electrodes, to determine if perturbing neural activity in the nucleus intercollicularis resulted in a disruption of ongoing crowing behavior. The most common effect of such stimuli was a concurrent, premature termination of both the acoustic and head movement components of the crow. These results imply that the nucleus intercollicularis plays a role in the production of both the acoustic and postural components of crowing in quail.     

Role of superoxide in radiation-killing of Escherichia coli and in thymine release from thymidine

The role of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals in gamma-radiation-killing of Escherichia coli K12 was studied in aerated suspensions supplemented with formate, phosphate, superoxide dismutase, catalase and saturated with nitrous oxide. Nitrous oxide, which converts e-aq to .OH, caused decreased radiosensitivity. On the other hand, formate, which results in conversion of .OH to .O2-, resulted in an increased radiosensitivity. The results implicated .O2- as a major cause of radiation-mediated cell-killing. The addition of the enzymes, superoxide dismutase or catalase to the E. coli suspensions prior to and during irradiation had no effect on cell survival, indicating that the biologically significant site of generation and action of .O2- is an intracellular one. Further studies were undertaken to examine the role of superoxide in DNA damage. The release of thymine from the DNA base, thymidine was studied as a result of gamma-irradiation and of chemically generated superoxide (using KO2 in dimethyl sulfoxide). Thymine was identified by HPLC and mass spectrometry. C-13 NMR analysis of the reaction mixture of thymidine with KO2 in dimethyl sulfoxide provided evidence for attack of .O2 at the ribosyl Cl' atom.     

Clinical significance of platelet alloantibodies detected in immunofluorescence test (neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia and post-transfusion purpura)

Three cases of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia and one patient with post-transfusion purpura could be diagnosed only by introducing the platelet immunofluorescence test. Thrombocytopenia was caused by anti-PlA1 platelet alloantibodies detected neither in the agglutination nor by the complement fixation test.     

Effects of the thyroid status on the sarcoplasmic reticulum in slow skeletal muscle of the rat

The effects of the thyroid status on the Ca++-transporting capabilities of rat slow skeletal muscle (m.soleus) were studied. The oxalate supported Ca++-uptake activity and Ca++-loading capacity of muscle homogenates from hyperthyroid rats showed an approximate 4.2 and 2.5 fold increase, respectively, as compared to values found in the hypothyroid group. Muscle homogenates of euthyroid rats gave intermediate values. The specific activity of oxalate supported Ca++ uptake, but not the Ca++-loading capacity, of membrane preparations enriched with respect to sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) increased in proportion to the thyroid status. This was paralleled by a 3.5 fold increase in the amount of active Ca++ pumps in the SR preparations in the transition from hypothyroidism to hyperthyroidism as determined by measurement of Ca++-dependent 32P incorporation. These observations are not explained by differences in degree of purification of the examined SR preparations. Protein profiles of the membrane preparations obtained by gel electrophoresis indicated a thyroid-hormone dependent increase in Ca++-pump content relative to other SR proteins. The results suggest that thyroid hormone stimulates the proliferation of the SR and possibly also increases the Ca++-pump density in the SR membrane.     

The effect of temperature on the kinetics of ethanol production by a thermotolerant strain of Kluveromyces marxianus

Summary The batch fermentation kinetics of a novel thermotolerant strain of the yeast Kluveromyces marxianus were evaluated between 30°C and 48°C. The most significant effects of elevated temperature were reductions in overall biomass and ethanol yields. Decreases in the concentration of ethanol attained, and the presence of unutilized substrate suggested increased ethanol inhibition at the higher temperatures studied.     

Internal motional averaging and three-dimensional structure determination by nuclear magnetic resonance.

Dynamic averaging effects from internal motions on interproton distances estimated from nuclear Overhauser effects (NOE) are determined by using a molecular dynamics simulation of lysozyme. Generalized order parameters measuring angular averaging and radial averaging parameters are calculated. The product of these two parameters describes the full averaging effects on cross-relaxation. Analysis of 2778 non-methyl NOE interactions from the protein interior and surface indicates that distances estimated by assuming a rigid molecule have less than 10% error for 89% of the NOE interactions. However, analysis of 1854 methyl interactions found that only 68% of the distances estimated from cross-relaxation rates would have less than 10% error. Qualitative evaluation of distances according to strong, medium and weak NOE intensities, when used to define only the upper bound for interproton separation, would misassign less than 1% of the distance constraints because of motional averaging. Internal motions do not obscure the identification of secondary structure, although some instances of significant averaging effects were found for interactions in alpha-helical regions. Interresidue NOEs for amino acids more than three residues apart in the primary sequence are more extensively averaged than intraresidue or short-range interresidue NOEs. Intraresidue interactions exhibit a greater degree of angular averaging than those involving interresidue proton pairs. An internal motion does not equally affect all NOE interactions for a particular proton. Thus, incorporation of averaging parameters in nuclear magnetic resonance structure determination procedures must be made on a proton-pair-wise basis. On the basis of the motional averaging results, particular fixed-distance proton pairs in proteins are suggested for use as distance references. A small percentage of NOE pairs localized to three regions of the protein exhibit extreme averaging effects from internal motions. The regions and types of motions involved are described.     

Germination,reproduction and interference in the amphicarpic annual Emex spinosa (L.) Campd

Summary A comparison was made of the dimorphic subterranean and aerial achenes of the annual Emex spinosa (L.) Campd. Subterranean achenes were less dormant, had a higher percentage of viability, germinated at a faster rate, were less temperature-dependent in germination and produced larger seedlings than aerial achenes. Subterranean achenes germinated, equally well in light or dark but aerial achenes had a strong light requirement. There was a linear relationship between numbers of weight of aerial achenes and plant size in the field. More resources were allocated to reproduction in plants restricted in size because of environmental conditions. Subterranean achene production was less affected than aerial by density, nitrogen levels, varying field conditions and interference between plants grown, from subterranean and aerial achenes. In mixtures of such plants, those from subterranean achenes had larger leaf area and stems and more aerial achenes. These differences were not apparent in monocultures by the time of harvest. Seed dimorphism is more likely in short-lived fugitive species and the different roles associated with dimorphism (persistence in situ versus dispersal in E. spinosa) are seen as an ecological advantage in such species.     

Familial DiGeorge syndrome and associated partial monosomy of chromosome 22

Summary Partial monosomy of 22q due to an unbalanced 4;22 translocation was seen in a 2-month-old male with Type I truncus arterious, dysmorphic features, and T-cell abnormalities. The family history revealed a previous sib with Type I truncus arteriosus, thymic aplasia, and parathyroid hypoplasia noted on postmortem examination, consistent with DiGeorge syndrome. Evaluation of the asymptomatic mother of these two patients revealed partial T-cell deficiency and the same unbalanced translocation with deletion of proximal 22qll. These findings provide further evidence that some cases of complete or partial DiGeorge syndrome are associated with monosomy of the proximal long arm of chromosome 22, and they may explain many, if not all, familial cases of the syndrome.Supported in part by National Foundation-March of Dimes Grant No. 2-161/C-331. Funds from the Texas Department of Health through PL94-278 National Genetic Diseases Act, from the Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. Center for Human Genetics, and USPHS Grant No. RR-05425.     

Calcium ion stimulated endogenous protein kinase catalyzed phosphorylation of basic proteins in myelin subfractions and myelin-like membrane fraction from rat brain

Polypeptide composition and endogenous phosphorylation were investigated in the subfractions of rat brain myelin isolated by either discontinuous or continuous sucrose density gradient centrifugation of myelin. Similarly, a myelin-like membrane fraction (SN4) was also studied. Observations were made that strongly indicated the presence of a calcium-stimulated protein kinase in a highly purified myelin preparation and which exclusively phosphorylated myelin basic proteins of the membrane preparation. Adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphate (cAMP) stimulated kinase on the other hand was found to be considerably enriched in the myelin-like membrane fraction. Although this latter enzyme is also capable of phosphorylating the basic proteins, its effect was at least 5 times weaker compared to the calcium-stimulated myelin protein kinase. Within the gradient subfractions there appeared a close relation between the amount of basic proteins and their calcium-stimulated phosphorylation; a similar relationship, however, was not obtained in the case of cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of myelin basic proteins. The former (i.e., Ca2+-stimulated phosphorylation) was found to require a protein factor that functionally resembled calmodulin. The results thus raises an interesting possibility of the presence of calmodulin-like proteins and a calcium-stimulated protein kinase in adult myelin membrane from mammalian brain, both of which have been hitherto unrecognized constituents of myelin membranes.