Effect of transformation ofAzotobacter vinelandii with the low copy number plasmid pRK290

We previously observed that whenAzotobacter vinelandii was transformed by different broad-host-range plasmids, normal cellular functions such as growth and siderophore production are impaired. In the present work, whenA. vinelandii was transformed with the low copy number plasmid pRK290, the extent of this metabolic impairment was lessened, as evidenced by increased siderophore production and moderate levels of growth on medium that lacks added iron. It is concluded that the severity of the plasmid-induced metabolic load reflects the relative level of expression of plasmid-encoded proteins.     

Use of piezoelectric shock waves to effect release of amylase from capsules containing the amylase producing rat pancreatic tumour cell line AR42J

Summary The amylase-producing rat pancreatic tumour cell line AR42J was encapsulated in alginate/poly-L-lysine under conditions where the secreted amylase was retained within the system. On treatment with shock waves from a lithotriptor, the porosity of the capsules was changed and the amylase was released from the system. Conditions of treatment were manipulated in order to maximise release of the amylase without significantly reducing the cell viability.     

Plant regeneration from embryogenic callus initiated from immature inflorescences of several high-tannin sorghums

A procedure was established for the induction of regenerable calli from immature inflorescence segments of high-tannin cultivars of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). Murashige & Skoog's medium with several components altered was utilized for inducing, maintaining, and regenerating the cultures. Embryogenic calli formed at a frequency of 8–70% depending on the genotype. During a ten-month period, 3600 plants were regenerated from eight genotypes tested. Among the developmental stages of immature inflorescence tested (from differentiation of secondary branch primordia to floret formation) no critical differences were found in potential for callusing, embryogenesis or regeneration. Genotypic differences were observed in pigment production, embryogenic callus formation, shoot differentiation, and in maintenance of regeneration capacity.Abbreviations 2,4-D dichlorophenoxyacetic acid This is Journal Paper Number 11972 from the Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station     

Pentose phosphate pathway in rat colonic epithelium

The colonic cells of the large intestine are one of the most proliferative tissues of the animal body. The pentose pathway has an essential role in cell division and growth being the only pathway forming ribose 5-P necessary for all nucleotide and nucleic acid sunthesis. The pentose pathway may also provide reducing potential as NADPH for biosynthesis and C-3- C-8 glycolyl compounds. The maximum catalytic capacities of the reactions of the non-oxidative pentose pathway for the conversion of ribose 5-P to hexose and triose phosphates by the proximal and distal colon under feeding and starvation regimes are among the highest in the animal body. The qualitative presence of the oxidative pentose pathway was assessed by measurement of the C-1/C-6 ratio value of 1.67-1.82. Enzymes of the F-type and L-type pentose pathways are present in colonocytes and their maximum catalytic activities in colonocyte cytosol are reported. The contribution of the F-type pentose cycle to the total glucose metabolism of colonocytes, measured by the specific yield method, is negligibly low (approximately 1.5%). Colonic epithelial cells use glucose at a high rate (7.1 +/- 0.33 mumol min-1g-1 dry wt) and 79% of the glucose is converted to lactate. Arabinose 5-P has an intermediary role in the formation of keto pentose, sedoheptulose and hexose phosphates from ribose 5-P by colonocyte cytosol. The intermediary and reaction products of [1-13C] ribose 5-P dissimilation by colonocytes is investigated by 13C NMR spectroscopy. The 13C positional isotope distributions show labelling of C-1 and C-3 of hexose 6-phosphates consistent with either the theoretical predictions of the F-type pentose pathway or of the activities of exchange reactions catalysed by transketolase and/or transaldolase. Measurements of exchange reactions showed that the C-1/C-3 labelling of these compounds is mostly, if not wholly, attributable to exchange catalysis by these group transferring enzymes. The results suggest that the F-type PC has little role in the glucose metabolism of colonocytes and pentose phosphate formation may thus occur by a contribution (approx 20% of the total glucose metabolism) by the alternate L-type pathway.     

Cardiac responses elicited by peptides administered to canine intrinsic cardiac neurons.

In order to study the effects of peptides on intrinsic cardiac neurons, substance P, bradykinin, oxytocin, calcitonin gene related peptide, atrial natriuretic peptide and vasoactive intestinal peptide were administered into canine atrial or ventricular ganglionated plexi. When substance P was injected into right atrial or cranial medial ventricular ganglionated plexi heart rate, atrial force and ventricular intramyocardial pressures were augmented. No cardiac changes occurred when similar volumes of saline (i.e., peptide vehicle) were injected into these ganglionated plexi. When bradykinin was injected into atrial or ventricular ganglionated plexi heart rate, atrial force and ventricular force were augmented in approximately 50% and depressor responses were elicited in approximately 50% of these animals. When oxytocin was injected into right atrial ventral ganglionated plexi heart rate and atrial forces were reduced in five of ten dogs studied. No cardiac changes occurred when oxytocin was injected into left atrial or ventricular ganglionated plexi. No responses were elicited when calcitonin gene related peptide, atrial natriuretic peptide or vasoactive intestinal peptide was administered into atrial or ventricular ganglionated plexi. Following acute decentralization of the heart, no significant responses were elicited by repeat administrations of substance P, bradykinin or oxytocin, implying that connectivity with central nervous system neurons was necessary for consistent responses to be elicited. It is concluded that substance P, bradykinin and oxytocin can affect neurons on the heart such that cardiodynamics are modified, these different peptides eliciting different cardiac responses.     

Effect of immune system imagery on secretory IgA

This study was an investigation of the effects of physiologically-oriented mental imagery on immune functioning. College students with normal medical histories were randomly selected to one of three groups. Subjects in Group 1 participated in short educational training on the production of secretory immunoglobulin A. They were then tested on salivary IgA, skin temperature, and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) before and after listening to a 17-minute tape of imagery instructions with specially composed background entrainment music designed to enhance imagery. Subjects in Group 2 (placebo controls) listened to the same music but received nor formal training on the immune system. Group 3 acted as a control and subjects were tested before and after 17 minutes of no activity. Treatment groups listened to their tapes at home on a bi-daily basis for six weeks All groups were again tested at Weeks 3 and 6. Secretory IgA was analyzed using standard radial immunodiffusion techniques. Repeated measures analyses of variance with planned orthogonal contrasts were used to evaluate the data. Significant overall increases (p<0.05) were found between pre- and posttests for all three trials. Groups 1 and 2 combined (treatment groups) yielded significantly greater increases in sIgA over Group 3 (control) for all three trials. Group 1 (imagery) was significantly higher than Group 2 (music) in antibody production for Trials 2 and 3. Symptomatology, recorded by subjects at Weeks 3 and 6, was significantly lower for three symptoms (rapid heartbeat, breathing difficulty, and jaw clenching), favoring both treatment groups over the control group.     

On the theory of muscle contraction: filament extensibility and the development of isometric force and stiffness.

The newly discovered extensibility of actin and myosin filaments challenges the foundation of the theory of muscle mechanics. We have reformulated A. F. Huxley's sliding filament theory to explicitly take into account filament extensibility. During isometric force development, growing cross-bridge tractions transfer loads locally between filaments, causing them to extend and, therefore, to slide locally relative to one another. Even slight filament extensibility implies that 1) relative displacement between the two must be nonuniform along the region of filament overlap, 2) cross-bridge strain must vary systematically along the overlap region, and importantly, 3) the local shortening velocities, even at constant overall sarcomere length, reduce force below the level that would have developed if the filaments had been inextensible. The analysis shows that an extensible filament system with only two states (attached and detached) displays three important characteristics: 1) muscle stiffness leads force during force development; 2) cross-bridge stiffness is significantly higher than previously assessed by inextensible filament models; and 3) stiffness is prominently dissociated from the number of attached cross-bridges during force development. The analysis also implies that the local behavior of one myosin head must depend on the state of neighboring attachment sites. This coupling occurs exclusively through local sliding velocities, which can be significant, even during isometric force development. The resulting mechanical cooperativity is grounded in fiber mechanics and follows inevitably from filament extensibility.     

The crystal violet nuclei staining technique leads to anomalous results in monitoring mammalian cell cultures

Nuclear counts determined by crystal violet staining from samples of stationary or microcarrier cultures of hybridomas, CHO or Vero cells were consistently and significantly higher than cell concentrations determined by the trypan blue or Coulter counter methods. This difference was attributed to the presence of a significant proportion of binucleated cells, which are assumed to be 35% of the cell population in the stationary phase of Vero cultures. The proportion of such cells during exponential growth was variable. However, continuous sub-culture of these cells induced a degree of synchrony during growth which resulted in a cyclic variation of the difference between the cell and nuclei counting techniques. This data indicates that care should be taken in interpreting cell culture profiles based solely on crystal violet nuclei staining counts.     

Responses to food web manipulation in a shallow waterfowl lake

The effects of fish stock reduction have been studies in 3 Dutch lakes (Lake Zwemlust, Lake Bleiswijkse Zoom and Lake Noorddiep) and 1 Danish lake (Lake Væng) during 4–5 years. A general response id described. The fish stock reduction led in general to a low fish stock, low chlorophyii-a, high transparency and high abunuance of macrophytes. Large Daphnia became abundant, but their density decreased, due to food limitation and predation by fish. The total nitrogen concentration became low due to N-uptake by macrophytes and enhanced denitrification. In Lake Bleiswijkse Zoom the water transparency deteriorated and the clear water state was not stable. The fish stock increased and the production of young fish in summer was high. lear water occurred only in spring. Large daphnids were absent in summer and the macrophytes decreased.In Lake Zwemlust, Lake Væng and Lake Noorddiep the water remained clear during the first five years. In summer of the sixth year (1992) transparency decreased in Lake Zwemlust (with high P-concentration of 1.0 mg P l^-1). Also in Lake Væng (with a low nutrient concentration of 0.15 mg P.^-1) a short term turbid stage (1.5 month) occurred in summer 1992 after a sudden collapse of the macrophytes. Deterioration of the water quality seems to start in summer and seems related to a collapse in macrophytes. At a low planktivorous fishstock (e.g. Lake Væng)thhe duration of the turbid state is shorter. than in presence of a high planktivorous fish biomass (e.g. Lake Zwemlust, and later years of Lake Bleiswijkse Zoom).