Culture of Amelanchier x grandiflora in a programmable micropropagation apparatus

A micropropagation system was developed to test concepts for automation and microenvironment alteration. Amelanchier x grandiflora Rehd. Princess Diana (serviceberry) shoot cultures were grown in seven-liter polycarbonate containers. Through computer control, the apparatus intermittently applied culture medium to the plant material according to a selected schedule. Shoot growth in the programmable system was compared with four micropropagation treatments: gelled and liquid medium in baby food jars and gelled and non-cycling liquid medium in a seven-liter vessel. Plants cultured in continuous contact with liquid medium became increasingly vitrified. Significantly greater shoot number, shoot length, shoot weight, and culture weight occurred in the programmable system than in jars with gelled medium. The combination of liquid medium, 7-liter vessel, and intermittent contact with medium caused a significantly higher proliferation rate than any combination of jar/vessel and gelled/liquid medium tested.     

Uncovering principles that control septin-septin interactions

Septins comprise a conserved family of GTPases important in cytokinesis. These proteins polymerize into filaments from rod-shaped heteromeric septin complexes. Septins interact with one another at two interfaces (NC and G) that alternate within the complex. Here, we show that small mutations at the N terminus greatly enhance the formation of SEPT2 homopolymers. Taking advantage of this mutation to examine polymer formation using SEPT2 alone, we show that both NC and G interfaces are required for filament formation. However, co-expression of wild type SEPT2 with SEPT2 containing mutations at either NC or G interfaces revealed that only the NC mutant suppressed filament formation. NC mutants are able to interact with one another at putative G interfaces, whereas G mutants fail to interact at NC interfaces. In addition, all promiscuous septin pairwise interactions occur at the G interface. These findings suggest that G interface interactions must occur before NC interactions during polymer formation.     

An inter-platform repeatability study investigating real-time amplification of plasmid DNA

Background  

The wide variety of real-time amplification platforms currently available has determined that standardisation of DNA measurements is a fundamental aspect involved in the comparability of results.     

(4-Piperidinylphenyl)aminoethyl amides as a novel class of non-covalent cathepsin K inhibitors

A series of (4-piperidinylphenyl)aminoethyl amides based on dipeptide anilines were synthesized and tested against cathepsin K, cathepsin L and cathepsin B. These new non-covalent inhibitors exhibited single-digit nM inhibition of the cysteine proteases. Compounds 3 and 7 demonstrated potency in both mouse and human osteoclast resorption assays.     

The new higher level classification of eukaryotes with emphasis on the taxonomy of protists

This revision of the classification of unicellular eukaryotes updates that of Levine et al. (1980) for the protozoa and expands it to include other protists. Whereas the previous revision was primarily to incorporate the results of ultrastructural studies, this revision incorporates results from both ultrastructural research since 1980 and molecular phylogenetic studies. We propose a scheme that is based on nameless ranked systematics. The vocabulary of the taxonomy is updated, particularly to clarify the naming of groups that have been repositioned. We recognize six clusters of eukaryotes that may represent the basic groupings similar to traditional "kingdoms." The multicellular lineages emerged from within monophyletic protist lineages: animals and fungi from Opisthokonta, plants from Archaeplastida, and brown algae from Stramenopiles.     

Phosphorylation of the septin cdc3 in g1 by the cdc28 kinase is essential for efficient septin ring disassembly

The septins constitute a family of filament-forming proteins ubiquitous in eukaryotic species. We demonstrate here that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae septin, Cdc3, is a substrate of the cell cycle regulatory cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk), Cdc28. Two serines near the C-terminus of Cdc3 are phosphorylated in a Cdc28-dependent manner. Analysis of a mutant allele that cannot be phosphorylated at these sites revealed an effect of Cdc28 phosphorylation of Cdc3 at the time of budding. Immunofluorescence analysis of wild-type and mutant Cdc3 indicated that prevention of phosphorylation at Cdc28-dependent sites impairs the disassembly of the old septin ring, which is inherited at mitosis but which usually disappears immediately prior to assembly of a new ring. Furthermore, immuno-fluorescence analysis of septin ring dynamics in a G1 cyclin (Cln) mutant suggests that G1 cyclin function is required for efficient ring disassembly. Thus, phosphorylation of Cdc3 by the Cdc28 kinase at the end of G1 may facilitate initiation of a new cell cycle by promoting disassembly of the obsolete septin ring from the previous cell cycle.     

Abnormal functional development of sympathetic nerve terminal-smooth muscle complex in neonatal spontaneously hypertensive rats

In neonatal and young adult SH and WK rats, maturation of a functional unit consisting of sympathetic nerve terminals and smooth muscle (levator palpebrae) was assessed $\text{in vivo}$ by measuring the contractile response to tyramine, an agent which releases endogenous norepinephrine from sympathetic nerve terminals. Responses in SH are comparable to WK at 5–6 days postnatally, smaller from the 8th through 19th day and larger in young adults (41–46 days old). Results indicate that functional maturation of the nerve terminal-smooth muscle complex is retarded in SH relative to WK during the 2nd and 3rd postnatal weeks. It is suggested that retardation in the neonatal SH rat is an expression of a genetic defect in the growth of the complex and that the enhanced response in young adult SH is a consequence of the neonatal abnormality.