Effect of microenvironment on functional activity of murine B-lymphocytes

In contrast to B-splenocytes, murine peritoneal B-cells do not produce or secrete immunoglobulins (Ig). Twenty-four hours after intraperitoneal transfer of splenocytes containing Ig-forming cells (IFC), IFC content in the peritoneal cavity of recipient mice decreases dramatically. This decrease does not depend on the migration of transferred IFC to the spleen (homing); splenectomy has no effect on this process. In order to check whether the lack of IFC in the peritoneal cavity is due to inhibition of synthesis or secretion of Ig, peritoneal cells (contained 4360 IFC/10⁶ cells) of CBA mice were intraperitoneally transferred to CBA/N mice after a 4-day preincubation in vitro. On the next day, ～30% of in vitro transferred IFC were detected in the peritoneal cavity of recipient mice, but on day 4 the IFC content in peritoneum returned to the background level. Repeated in vitro incubation of peritoneal cells of recipient mice restored the IFC number in cultured cells. It means that peritoneal microenvironment inhibits functional activity of murine B-lymphocytes.     

The role of oxygen in the regulation of the metabolism of aerotolerant spirochetes,a major component of <Emphasis Type="Italic">“Thiodendron”</Emphasis> bacterial sulfur mats

Two spirochete strains isolated earlier from Thiodendron bacterial sulfur mats grew better under microaerobic (0.3–0.5 mg O₂/l) than under anaerobic conditions. The microaerobic growth of these strains was accompanied by a twofold increase in the cell yield and the efficiency of glucose utilization, despite the fact that an additional amount of ATP (and, hence, glucose) was spent in this case for the synthesis of exopolysaccharides. Glucose metabolism under microaerobic conditions gave rise to more oxidized products (acetate and carbon dioxide) than under anaerobic conditions (formate, ethanol, pyruvate, and hydrogen). The paper considers two putative mechanisms implemented by aerotolerant spirochetes: adaptive (the use of a more efficient pathway of glucose catabolism) and protective (an enhanced synthesis of exopolysaccharides and the reduction of hydrogen peroxide by the reduced sulfur compounds thiosulfate and sulfide, yielding elemental sulfur). The formation of Thiodendron bacterial sulfur mats in saltwater environments is also discussed.Translated from Mikrobiologiya, Vol. 73, No. 6, 2004, pp. 725–733.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Dubinina, Grabovich, Chernyshova.     

Characterization of Vibrio cholerae eltor in the city of Kazan in 2001

Information on V. cholerae eltor isolated in the focus of cholera in Kazan in 2001 at different periods of the outbreak is presented. The identity of strains isolated from patients, vibriocarriers and environmental objects, including their antibioticograms (sensitivity to cyprofloxacin and resistance to trimethoprim--sulfamethoxazole, streptomycin, furazolidone and nalidixic acid, which may be regarded as markers), is shown. Variable tandem repetitions in the DNA of 30 isolates strains of different origin have been determined. The results of this determination make it possible to classify all these strains as one genotype, which confirms the suggestion on the circulation of one subclone of the infective agent of cholera in the focus. As revealed in this investigation, the isolated strains are labile with respect to diagnostic phage eltor, while ctx+ strains are resistant to phage eltor ctx+.     

Acute lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus reduce sympathetic activation and thermogenic changes induced by PGE1

The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of an intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of prostaglandin E1 (PGE₁) on the sympathetic activation and the thermogenic changes in rats with acute lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). Four groups of six Sprague-Dawley male rats were anesthetized with ethyl-urethane. The firing rate of the sympathetic nerves innervating the interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) and the colonic and IBAT temperatures were monitored both before and after one of the following treatments: 1) VMH lesion plus icv injection of PGE₁ (500 ng); 2) VMH lesion plus icv injection of saline; 3) sham lesion plus icv injection of PGE₁; and 4) sham lesion plus icv injection of saline. PGE₁ induced an increase in the firing rate of IBAT nerves and the colonic and IBAT temperatures. These effects were reduced by VMH lesion. The findings indicate that acute lesions of the VMH reduce the effects of PGE₁ and seem to suggest a possible role played by the VMH in the control of the sympathetic activation and the thermogenic changes during PGE₁ hyperthermia.     

Frequency of chromosome aberrations induced by mutagens of various functions in cells of the first division at various times of fixation

The dynamics of chromosome aberrations in human lymphocyte culture cells of the 1-st division after exposure in the G0 phase for 1h to functionally different alkylating mutagens - ethyleneimine derivatives (bifunctional phosphamide, threefunctional thiophosphamide, tetrafunctional dipine and pentafunctional photrin) was analysed. The frequency of chromosome aberrations was constant after exposure to "dicentric" mutagens (dipine, photrin) at all times of fixation, while under the action of "monocentric" mutagens (phosphamide, thiophosphamide) this declined significantly with increasing the duration of cultivation. The portion of aberrations of the chromatid remains unaltered in time, in case of both "dicentric" and "monocentric" mutagens, reaching 75% for "monocentric" and 50% for "dicentric" of the total number of chromosome aberrations.     

Population structure in the American oyster as inferred by nuclear gene genealogies

Multiple haplotypes from each of three nuclear loci were isolated and sequenced from geographic populations of the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica. In tests of alternative phylogeographic hypotheses for this species, nuclear gene genealogies constructed for these haplotypes were compared to one another, to a mitochondrial gene tree, and to patterns of allele frequency variation in nuclear restriction site polymorphisms (RFLPs) and allozymes. Oyster populations from the Atlantic versus the Gulf of Mexico are not reciprocally monophyletic in any of the nuclear gene trees, despite considerable genetic variation and despite large allele frequency differences previously reported in several other genetic assays. If these populations were separated vicariantly in the past, either insufficient time has elapsed for neutral lineage sorting to have achieved monophyly at most nuclear loci, or balancing selection may have inhibited lineage extinction, or secondary gene flow may have moved haplotypes between regions. These and other possibilities are examined in light of available genetic evidence, and it is concluded that no simple explanation can account for the great variety of population genetic patterns across loci displayed by American oysters. Regardless of the source of this heterogeneity, this study provides an empirical demonstration that different sequences of DNA within the same organismal pedigree can have quite different phylogeographic histories.      

植物抗病基因工程进展(续)

植物抗病基因工程进展（续）洪剑明印莉萍邱泽生（首都师范大学生物系北京１０００３７）ＰＲＯＧＲＥＳＳＯＦＧＥＮＥＴＩＣＥＮＧＩＮＥＥＲＩＮＧＦＯＲＰＬＡＮＴＤＩＳＥＡＳＥＲＥＳＩＳＴＡＮＣＥＨＯＮＧＪｉａｎＭｉｎｇＹＩＮＬｉＰｉｎｇＱＩＵＺｅＳｈ...     

Revision of th distribution of chromosome aberrations induced by chemical mutagens using the BUDR label

Cell distribution was analysed with the help of the BrDU label for the number of chromosome aberrations and breaks induced by one-center (thiophosphamide and phosphamide) and two-center (dipine and fotrine) mutagens at the stage G0 in the Ist mitosis of human lymphocytes harvested at different times of culturing (from 56 to 96 h). The comparison was made between the type of aberration distribution in cells and the dependence of their frequency on the harvesting point for various mutagens. Poisson aberration distribution in cells for two-center mutagens was found to correspond to their constant frequency observed at different times of harvesting. On the other hand, for one-center mutagens, a geometrical distribution of chromosome breaks corresponded to an exponential decrease in their frequency in time. It is suggested that two-center chemical mutagens and ionizing radiation cause largely short-live damages which are realized into chromosome aberrations rather quickly (during one cell cycle). One-center mutagens, however, cause such damages that the probability of their transformation into chromosome aberrations is decreasing rather slowly in time, under the exponential law, and their realization into chromosome aberrations can occur in subsequent cell cycle.     

Evolution of arthropod hemocyanins and insect storage proteins (hexamerins)

Crustacean and cheliceratan hemocyanins (oxygen-transport proteins) and insect hexamerins (storage proteins) are homologous gene products, although the latter do not bind oxygen and do not possess the copper- binding histidines present in the hemocyanins. An alignment of 19 amino acid sequences of hemocyanin subunits and insect hexamerins was made, based on the conservation of elements of secondary structure observed in X-ray structures of two hemocyanin subunits. The alignment was analyzed using parsimony and neighbor-joining methods. Results provide strong indications for grouping together the sequences of the 2 crustacean hemocyanin subunits, the 5 cheliceratan hemocyanin subunits, and the 12 insect hexamerins. Within the insect clade, four methionine- rich proteins, four arylphorins, and two juvenile hormone-suppressible proteins from Lepidoptera, as well as two dipteran proteins, form four separate groups. In the absence of an outgroup sequence, it is not possible to present information about the ancestral state from which these proteins are derived. Although this family of proteins clearly consists of homologous gene products, there remain striking differences in gene organization and site of biosynthesis of the proteins within the cell. Because studies on 18S and 12S rRNA sequences indicate a rather close relationship between insects and crustaceans, we propose that hemocyanin is the ancestral arthropod protein and that insect hexamerins lost their copper-binding capability after divergence of the insects from the crustaceans.