Disruption of CENP antigen function perturbs dynein anchoring to the mitotic kinetochore

Injection of purified autoantibodies against human centromeric proteins into HeLa cells during interphase disrupts the organization of the kinetochore and interferes with chromosomal movements during the subsequent mitosis even though the chromosomes retain the ability to bind microtubules. We have investigated the hypothesis that this phenotype arises from effects on cytoplasmic dynein, the microtubule motor protein. In previous experiments we found that introduction of anticentromere antibodies into cell nuclei during the G₁- or S-phases causes a prometaphase-like arrest, while injections during G₂-phase cause a metaphase arrest. We show here that, in both cases, the level of detectable cytoplasmic dynein at kinetochores is significantly decreased. In contrast, when injected cells were permitted to enter mitosis in the absence of microtubules (conditions where trilaminar kinetochores could be detected by electron microscopy), the intensity of dynein labeling on the kinetochores was identical to that seen in uninjected control cells exposed to colcemid. Therefore, the loss of dynein label on mitotic kinetochores was correlated both with the injection of anticentromere antibodies and with the presence of intact spindle microtubules. We suggest that the injection of anticentromere antibodies somehow weakens the association of dynein with the kinetochore, so that when microtubules are present, these motor molecules are pulled away from the kinetochores as they generate force. This model offers an explanation for the failure of chromosomes of injected cells to move normally in mitosis even though they have attached microtubules.     

rum1: a CDK inhibitor regulating G1 progression in fission yeast

In all eukaryotes, entry into mitosis from G2 phase is initiated by a complex of the cdc2 kinase and a B-type cyclin. It has now been shown that, in fission yeast, B-type cyclins also activate cdc2 in G1, thus governing cell-cycle commitment, as well as the onset of S phase. In this article, Karim Labib and Sergio Moreno review the evidence that ruml inhibits the kinase activity of cdc2 associated with B-type cyclins and is an important regulator o f G1 progression in fission yeast.     

Changes in the urea concentration during controlled wine aging by two “flor” veil-forming yeasts

Summary Contents of arginine, ornithine, urea and ammonia in wine were monitored during aging process by two flor veil-forming yeast strains. The patterns of yeast growth were different for the two strains studied. Urea excretion and uptake were dependent on yeast strain, so that finished wines showed different concentrations of urea. The effect of limited aeration was also investigated for Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. capensis. The results indicated that aeration promoted yeast growth in veil, thus reducing urea concentration until its exhaustion in wine.     

Recent advances on cyclins, CDKs and CDK inhibitors

In eukaryotes, cell division is controlled by cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Here we summarize a few new developments on the regulation of the cell cycle by CDK-cyclin complexes. We have focused on three aspects in which there has been recent progress: the structural analysis of these complexes, the phenotypes of mice carrying knockouts of CDK inhibitors and the role of proteolysis in the regulation of the cell cycle.     

Protection against acute paraquat toxicity by ambroxol

An expression vector for G-CSF, pASLB3-3, was constructed and introduced into Namalwa KJM-1 cells (Hosoi et al., 1988), and cells resistant to 100 nM of methotrexate (MTX) were obtained. Among them, the highest producer, clone SC57, was selected and the productivity of this clone was further characterized. The maximal production of G-CSF was at the most 1.8 g/ml/day using a 25 cm² tissue culture flask, even though the cell number was above 7×10⁵ cells/ml. The limiting factors at high density were analyzed as the deficiency of nutrients, such as glucose, cysteine and serine, and pH control. The depression of specific G-CSF productivity per cell under the batch culture conditions was overcome by using a perfusion culture system, Biofermenter^TM (Sato, 1983) with modifications of nutrients supplementation by a dialysis membrane and/or dissolved oxygen (DO) supplementation by microsilicone fibers. ITPSGF medium was modified to elevate concentrations of amino acids and glucose by 2.0- and 2.5-times, respectively. Under the control of pH at 7.4 and DO at 3 ppm, the specific G-CSF productivity was not depressed even at high cell density (above 1×10⁷ cells/ml), and the amount of G-CSF reached 41 g/ml. These results indicated the possibility of finding the optimum culture conditions for the production of recombinant proteins by Namalwa KJM-1 cells.Abbreviations ABTS 2,2-Azino-di-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid - BSA Bovine Serum Albumin - BSA-PBS Phosphate-buffered Saline without Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ containing Bovine Serum Albumin - dhfr Dihydrofolate Reductase - DO Dissolved Oxygen - G-CSF Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor - HEPES 4-(2-Hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethansulfonic Acid - IFN Interferon - MTX Methotrexate - PBS(-) Phosphate-buffered saline without Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ - Tween-PBS Phosphate-buffered saline without Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ containing 0.05% of Tween 20     

Influence of clay minerals on sorption of bacteriolytic enzymes

Myxobacteria presumably produce extracellular bacteriolytic enzymes when they are growing in soil. In order to study their ecological significance, adsorption experiments were performed with lytic enzymes produced byMyxococcus virescens in casitone media. Different soils as well as montmorillonite and kaolinite can rapidly adsorb the bacteriolytic but not the proteolytic enzymes. About 1 gm of montmorillonite per liter of cell-free culture solution is enough for the adsorption of 97% of the bacteriolytic enzymes. The adsorption per unit weight is about 100 times greater on montmorillonite than on kaolinite. About 40% of the adsorbed enzymes can be eluted with solutions of high pH or high ionic strength. The only desorbed bacteriolytic enzyme is the alanyl-∈-N-lysine endopeptidase.     

Staining of Some Specific Regions of Human Chromosomes,particularly the Secondary Constriction of No. 9

SEVERAL procedures have been described recently which produce specific patterns of differential staining in human chromosomes^1–9. Techniques which involve DNA denaturation and reannealing reveal deeply stained areas on centromere and secondary constriction regions which have been equated with constitutive heterochromatin⁹.