Thymidine phosphorylase activity of anucleate minicells of Escherichia coli immobilized in an agarose gel matrix

Escherichia coli whole cells, and minicells were immobilized on columns in an agarose gel matrix and evaluated for their thymidine phosphorylase (TPP) activity. The greatest specific activity of TPP was found with the induced minicells (2.2 moles thymine/min/mg protein) at a column retention time of 11 min.     

The prolonged progestational and anti-estrogenic activity of 6,11beta-dichloro-3beta, 17-dihydroxy-19-nor-4,6-pregnadien-20-one 17-acetate 3beta-benzoate (gr2/2132)

Evidence is presented to show that GR2/2132 is longer-acting than its 3-ketone analogue vhen administered subcutaneously in a modified progestational test in the rabbit and in modified anti-estrogenic tests in rats and mice.     

Accumulation of rare earth elements by siderophore-forming <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arthrobacter luteolus</Emphasis> isolated from rare earth environment of Chavara,India

In this study, Arthrobacter luteolus, isolated from rare earth environment of Chavara (Quilon district, Kerala, India), were found to produce catechol-type siderophores. The bacterial strain accumulated rare earth elements such as samarium and scandium. The siderophores may play a role in the accumulation of rare earth elements. Catecholate siderophore and low-molecular-weight organic acids were found to be present in experiments with Arthrobacter luteolus. The influence of siderophore on the accumulation of rare earth elements by bacteria has been extensively discussed.     

Contrasting spatial patterns of taxonomic and functional richness offer insights into potential loss of ecosystem services

Functional and trophic perspectives on patterns of species occurrences have the potential to offer new and interesting insights into a range of spatially explicit problems in ecology and conservation. We present the function–area relationship (FAR) and explore linkages between functional and taxonomic species richness for South African birds. We first used beak morphology to classify a subset of 151 South African bird species into 18 functional groups and calculated both the species–area relationship and the FAR at quarter-degree resolution for South Africa. The relationship between functional and taxonomic richness by cell was quadratic rather than linear, with considerable scatter around the curve. We next looked at the spatial relationships between taxonomic diversity and response diversity (i.e. diversity within functional groups) using an a priori categorization of nearly all South African birds into nine functional groups. The spatial distribution of response richness also showed considerable variation in relation to taxonomic richness. Our results demonstrate a novel approach to linking taxonomic, functional and trophic patterns in space and suggest a way in which conservation planning, which has traditionally had a taxonomic focus, could formally incorporate a more functional and food-web-based approach.     

Transgenic tobacco plants expressing Tarin 1 inhibit the growth of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and the development of Spodoptera frugiperda

The protein Tarin 1, from Colocasia esculenta, was expressed in Nicotiana tabacum. Bioassays were done on plants expressing Tarin 1 at different levels using Spodoptera frugiperda larvae, various bacteria and fungi and the root‐knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica. It was found that S. frugiperda larvae fed on transformed plants had retarded and lower pupation, lower accumulated biomass and higher mortality rate than larvae fed on control plants. Also, Tarin 1 was found to inhibit the growth in vitro of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. For Meloidogyne javanica, both relative replication and root damage were greater in control plants than in transformed plants, but the results were not statistically significant. This work illustrates the effects of plants expressing Tarin 1, on the growth and development of insects and bacteria, and shows its potential for pest management.