In vivo fluorescence excitation and absorption spectra of marine phytoplankton: I. Taxonomic characteristics and responses to photoadaptation

Absorption and fluorescence excitation spectra were measuredfor batch cultures of five species of marine phytoplankton grownunder high and low light. These spectra were examined for propertiescharacteristic of taxonomic position and of photoadaptive response.While regions of absorption and excitation of chlorophyll afluorescence diagnostic of pigment composition were identifiable,photoadaptive response had greater influence on spectral variability.Although reduced growth irradiance caused changes in both theabsorption and fluorescence excitation spectra, the fluorescenceexcitation spectrum appears to be more sensitive to alterationsin the ambient light field for growth than does the absorptionspectrum. For a single species. the fluorescence excitationspectrum for a sample grown at low irradiance showed greaterstructure than that for the sample grown at a high irradiance.Under low light conditions, the excitation of chlorophyll afluorescence by accessory pigments increased relative to theexcitation by chlorophyll a itself The highest fluorescenceyields occur in the blue-green region of the spectrum, correspondingto bands of peak absorption by the accessory pigments. Changesin absorption spectra are less marked, but two features recur.First. in the blue-green region of the spectrum from -500–560nm. absorption is enhanced in the low-light cells relative tothat of the high-light cells. Second, the ratio of absorptionat 435 nm to that at 676 nm was greater for the high-light cells.Correlating changes in pigment concentrations were observed.The influence of photoadaptation on the properties of fluorescenceexcitation spectra is as great or greater than the influenceof pigment complements characteristic of specific algal taxa.     

Differential effects of 1-deoxynojirimycin on the intracellular transport of secretory glycoproteins of human hepatoma cells in culture

To investigate our earlier hypothesis that carbohydrates play a regulatory role in the intracellular transport of secretory glycoproteins, we used 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), and inhibitor of glucosidase I and II of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), to modify the structure of N-linked glycan moieties of secretory glycoproteins of human hepatoma (Hep G2) cells in culture. Using a pulse-chase protocol, we found that treatment of Hep G2 cultures with 1.25 mM DNJ markedly reduced the rate of secretion of ₁-protease inhibitor, ceruloplasmin, and ₂-macroglobulin, but had no effect on the export of fibronectin, -fetoprotein and transferrin, nor on albumin which lacks carbohydrate. For example, 50% of newly synthesized ₁-protease inhibitor, the glycoprotein most dramatically affected, was secreted by 27 min in control cultures versus 110 min in DNJ-treated cultures. Percoll gradient cell fractionation analyses revealed that DNJ inhibited transport of the affected secretory glycoproteins in the RER segment of the ER/Golgi pathway. For example, 50% of newly synthesized ₁-protease inhibitor was lost from the RER fraction by 10 min in untreated cells, but 70 min was required for the transport of a similar amount of protein in DNJ-treated cells. DNJ treatment also inhibited the rate at which the N-linked glycan moieties of the affected glycoproteins became resistant to endo H in the Golgi. Since the glycan moiety of secreted forms of the affected glycoproteins were fully processed to the complex structure, suggesting escape from DNJ inhibition, we concluded that removal of terminal glucose residues from the glycan chain of secretory glycoproteins is required for their transport from the RER to the Golgi. We suggest that the oligosaccharide moieties on ₁-protease inhibitor, ceruloplasmin and ₂-macroglobulin form part of the binding site for a receptor which regulates transport of these glycoproteins.     

Numerical solution of a nonlinear advance-delay-differential equation from nerve conduction theory

A functional differential equation which is nonlinear and involves forward and backward deviating arguments is solved numerically. The equation models conduction in a myelinated nerve axon in which the myelin completely insulates the membrane, so that the potential change jumps from node to node. The equation is of first order with boundary values given at t=±. The problem is approximated via a difference scheme which solves the problem on a finite interval by utilizing an asymptotic representation at the endpoints, cubic interpolation and iterative techniques to approximate the delays, and a continuation method to start the procedure. The procedure is tested on a class of problems which are solvable analytically to access the scheme's accuracy and stability, then applied to the problem that models propagation in a myelinated axon. The solution's dependence on various model parameters of physical interest is studied. This is the first numerical study of myelinated nerve conduction in which the advance and delay terms are treated explicitly.Supported in part by NSF Grant MCS8301724 and by a Biomedical Research Support Grant 2SO7RR0706618 from NIH     

Site-related differences in the localization of the monoclonal antibody OX7 in SL2 and SL1 lymphomas

Summary The uptake of a monoclonal antibody (OX7) by murine lymphomas (SL1, SL2) growing in two sites in the mouse were compared. SL2 tumors grown in the subrenal site showed greater specific antibody uptake than did the same tumor grown in the subcutaneous site. Major differences in membrane bound antibody, in vitro antibody binding patterns, and gamma scintillation camera imaging were also observed between the two sites. These differences may be due to the greater blood flow measured in tumors growing in the subrenal capsule than those growing at the subcutaneous site. The differences observed in antibody uptake of the same tumor growing in two different sites raises questions concerning the choice of animal model systems that can be used to predict clinical utility.     

A test of the hypothesis of pheromone attraction in salmonid migration

Synopsis We tested the hypothesis that anadromous salmonids are guided on their homeward migration by population-specific pheromones. Our findings do not support the hypothesis. Wild migrant Arctic charr,Salvelinus alpinus, from Ikarut River, Labrador were transferred and held in a tributary previously uninhabited by anadromous fish. None of the charr migrating up Ikarut River entered the tributary after fish were transferred. Similarly, migrant charr, which were caught in Ikarut River and released in the tributary below the captive fish, did not remain in the tributary. We re-evaluated the data which have been used to uphold the concept of pheromone attraction in salmonid migration and concluded that support for the hypothesis is unsubstantiated.     

Food habits, energetics, and the reproduction of marsupials

Basal rate of metabolism in marsupials and in eutherian mammals is principally correlated with body mass, food habits and activity. Feeding on fruit, the leaves of woody plants, or invertebrates is associated with low basal rates, especially at large masses, in both groups of mammals. These foods lead to low basal rates because they are seasonally unavailable, are indigestible, or need to be detoxified. The depression in basal rate associated with frugivory and folivory is increased when coupled with sedentary, arboreal habits in both marsupials and eutherians. In contrast, eutherians that feed on vertebrates or herbs generally have high basal rates, while marsupials that eat these foods do not have high basal rates. These foods permit high basal rates, which are exploited by eutherians because high basal rates in these mammals lead to high rates of reproduction. Marsupials have, at best, a limited correlation of reproduction with rate of metabolism, so that feeding on vertebrates or herbs does not lead to high basal rates in these mammals. This difference between marsupials and eutherians in the coupling of reproduction to energetics has at least two ecological consequences. 1) Marsupials generally do not tolerate cold-temperate environments because they do not accelerate growth and development to complete reproduction within a short spring and summer. 2) Marsupials coexist with ecologically similar eutherians as long as marsupials have food habits that are correlated with low rates of metabolism in eutherians (i.e. they feed on fruit, the leaves of woody plants, or invertebrates), but they tend to be displaced by eutherians when marsupials have food habits that are associated with high rates of metabolism in eutherians (i.e. when they feed on vertebrates and, probably, herbs).