Phytochrome Control of Its Own Synthesis in Pisum sativum

An analysis of phytochrome synthesis in Pisum seedlings by measuringthe activity of polysomal polyadenylated RNA (poly-A⁺-RNA) codingfor phytochrome apoprotein showed phytochrome control of itsown synthesis; brief red-light irradiation of pea seedlingsinhibited the activity of the RNA, and the red-light effectwas red/far-red reversible. ⁴ Permanent address: Biology Department, Faculty of Science,University of Tokyo, Hongo, Tokyo 113, Japan. (Received August 13, 1984; Accepted September 17, 1984)     

Isolation and partial characterization of inner and outer membrane fractions of Nitrobacter hamburgensis

Abstract Highly purified preparations of inner, i.e. cytoplasmic and intracytoplasmic, membranes and outer membranes were isolated from Nitrobacter hamburgensis strain X14 by sucrose density-gradient centrifugation of cell-free extracts. The two membrane fractions differed markedly in morphology, density, and protein composition as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The inner membrane fraction was enriched in NADH oxidase and nitrite oxidase activity. It contained four major protein bands of apparent M _rs of 28 000, 32 000, 70 000, and 116000. The outer membrane fraction was characterized by the presence of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate and contained two major proteins of apparent M _rs of 13 000 and 50 000. There was no evidence for differences between cytoplasmic and intracytoplasmic membranes.     

Biologie des Eleonorenfalken(Falco eleonorae): 10. Der Einflu? der Horstlage auf den Bruterfolg

Zusammenfassung Der Bruterfolg des Eleonorenfalken wurde auf einer ägäischen Inselkolonie in Relation zur Horstlage untersucht. Bei Horsten mit Gratlage auf übersichtlichem Gelände war er signifikant höher (1,8 Junge/Horst) als bei den übrigen Horsten mit z. T. schlechtem Geländeüberblick (1,3 Junge/Horst). Da alle Horste gegenüber den NW-Winden geschützt lagen, waren die meisten an südlich ausgerichteten Hängen potentiell der intensiven Sonneneinstrahlung ausgesetzt. In den Horstrevieren von typisch 20 m Durchmesser gab es aber nicht immer vor Sonne geschützte Horsthöhlen, so daß bei Lufttemperaturen von 40 °C und Bodentemperaturen von bis zu 60 °C die Embryonen in den Eiern gefährdet sein können, besonders, wenn sie der direkten Sonneneinstrahlung ausgesetzt sind. Dies tritt z. B. bei einer Störung in der Brutkolonie ein. Der Bruterfolg in den sonnenexponierten Höhlen lag mit 0,8–1,3 Junge/Horst signifikant niedriger als in den sonnengeschützten Höhlen mit durchschnittlich 1,75 Junge/Horst. Neben einer normalen Infertilität von 10 % fielen weitere 8 % aller Eier in der Brutkolonie durch Sonneneinwirkung aus.

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Biology of the Eleonora's Falcon(Falco eleonorae): 10. Breeding success in relation to nest site exposition

Summary Breeding success of the Eleonora's Falcon was studied in an Aegean island colony. In nests near cliff tops with an unobstructed view of the surroundings, a significantly higher breeding success (1.8 pulli/nest) was obtained than in other nests (1.3 pulli/nest). Since all nests were chosen protected from the wind, and as the main wind comes from NW, most nests were situated on southern slopes and are thus potentially exposed to the sun. Within a falcon territory of typically 20 m diameter in size there was not always a lime stone crevice with complete shade for the eggs. At an air temperature of 40 °C and a soil temperature of up to 60 °C, excessive sunning of an unprotected egg can be lethal for the falcon embryo. Breeding success in sun exposed nests was significantly lower (0.8–1.3 pulli/nest) than in sheltered nests (1.75 pulli/nest). In addition to a normal infertility of 10 %, about 8 % of all eggs laid were lost due to sun irradiation.

     

Windrichtung und Vegetationsdeckung am Nest der Silberm?we(Larus argentatus)

Zusammenfassung An 1047 Silbermöwen-Nestern auf den Watteninseln Mellum und Memmert wurden 1979/80 ermittelt (Abb. 1): Grenzrichtungen der Vegetationsstände 1–3 (1: Vegetationsstand größter Winkelgröße) und Nest-Zugänge 1–3, ihre Winkelgrößen und mittleren Richtungen. Mehr als 80% der Nester waren zu 40–90% von Vegetation umstanden (Abb. 2). Die Winkelgröße des Gesamtvegetationsstandes betrug auf Mellum 212°, auf Memmert 205° (Tab. 1). Die Nestzugänge hatten eine geringere Winkelgröße als die Vegetationsstände (Tab. 1, Abb. 3). Die Silbermöwe bevorzugte demnach Nestplätze, die von Vegetation schützend umgeben sind. Der Vegetationsstand 1 befand sich bevorzugt auf der westlichen (= Hauptwindrichtung), der Zugang 1 auf der östlichen Nestseite (Tab. 2, Abb. 4). Die Verteilung der Gesamtvegetation zeigte entsprechende Vorzugsrichtungen (Abb. 6). Im Vergleich zu 1979 war 1980 eine Verlagerung der Vorzugsrichtung des Vegetationsstandes 1 um 50–60° von West nach Nord festzustellen (Tab. 2, Abb. 4). Ein Vergleich der mittleren Windrichtungen beider Jahre zeigte eine gleichsinnige Richtungsänderung (Abb. 5). Auf den zwei untersuchten Probeflächen Mellums ließ sich eine Auswahl des Nestplatzes im Hinblick auf Sichtschutz gegen Nachbarn nicht nachweisen (Tab. 3). Die mögliche Funktion der nestumgebenden Vegetation als Wind- und Wetterschutz wird diskutiert.

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Vegetation surrounding Herring Gulls'(Larus argentatus) nests in relation to wind direction

Summary The following measurements were taken for a total of 1047 Herring Gulls' nests on the North Sea islands Mellum and Memmert (West Germany) in 1979 and 1980 (cf. Fig. 1 for terminology): limiting directions, angular sizes, and mean directions of the surrounding vegetation-stands 1 to 3 (1 = vegetation-stand with largest angular size), and of the entrances 1 to 3. For more than 80% of the nests, 40–90% of the circumference were surrounded by vegetation (Fig. 2). The mean angular size of the total vegetation-stand was 212° on Mellum and 205° on Memmert (Tab. 1). The nest entrances had a smaller angular size than the vegetation-stands (Tab. 1, Fig. 3). This shows the Herring Gull's preference for nest sites protected by surrounding vegetation.Vegetation-stand 1 was preferably orientated towards the west (= main wind direction), nest entrance 1 towards the east (Tab. 2, Fig. 4). The distribution of the total vegetation showed corresponding preferred directions (Fig. 6). A comparison of the years 1979 and 1980 revealed a shift of 50°–60°, from west to north, for the preferred direction of vegetation-stand 1 (Tab. 2, Fig. 4). A similar shift could be found for the mean wind direction (Fig. 5). For the two study plots on Mellum, a nest site selection favouring visual isolation from neighbours' nests could not be demonstrated (Tab. 3). The possible function of nest-surrounding vegetation as a shelter against wind and weather is discussed.

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Herrn Dr. Friedrich Goethe zur Vollendung des 70. Lebensjahres gewidmet     

Kidney grafting between rats which carry recombinant major histocompatibility haplotypes

Kidney transplantation was performed between three congenic rat strains which carried the major histocompatibility haplotypesRT1 ^a ,RT1 ^u orRT1 ^ar1 , the latter being a recombinant betweenRT1 ^a andRT1 ^u . This combination made it possible to test separately the effects of incompatibility for RT1. A-region products (classical transplantation antigens, histocompatibility antigens) and for RT1.B-region products (Ia-antigens, strong mixed lymphocyte stimulating antigens, histocompatibility antigens) as well as RT1.C-region products (lymphocyte differentiation antigens, histocompatibility antigens). It is shown that A plus B plus C, as well as A or B plus C-region incompatibility led to kidney-graft rejection and that matching for either classical transplantation antigens or Ia and strong mixed lymphocyte stimulating antigens had no clear differential prognostic effect on kidney-graft survival.     

Genetic definition of a further gene region and identification of at least three different histocompatibility genes in the rat major histocompatibility system

Two new recombinant haplotypes of the rat major histocompatibility system,RT1, have been detected in [LEW.1A (RT1 ^a ) ×LEW.1W (RT1 ^u )] × LEW 1N(RT1 ⁿ ) segregating hybrids. Recombinantr3 carries theRTL1. A region (determining classical transplantation antigens) and theRT1.B region (determining strong mixed lymphocyte reactivity and genetic control of antipolypeptide immune responsiveness) of the RT1^a parent, bur rejects RT1^a skin grafts. Recombinantr4 carries theA andB regions of the RT1^u parent, but rejects RT1^u skin grafts. The two histocompatibility genes detected are allelic to each other. The relevant locus, designated asH-C, maps to theB-region side of theRT1 system and appears to mark a thirdRT1 gene region,RT1.C. Availability of haplotypes r3 andr4 allowed the definition of a histocompatibility locus in theB region,H-B. The products ofH-C, H-B and of the previously describedH-A gene vary in antigenic strength.     

Radioiodinated antibodies,a tool in studies on the presence and role of inactive enzyme forms: Regulation of chalcone synthase in parsley cell suspension cultures

A new technique, the quantitative determination of total enzyme concentrations by specific immunoprecipitation with purified, radioiodinated antibodies, was used to investigate the presence and possible roles of inactive enzyme in the regulation of chalcone synthase. Dark-grown cell suspension cultures from parsley (Petroselinum hortense) contained neither catalytically active nor detectable amounts of immunoprecipitable chalcone synthase. Irradiation induced large increases and subsequent decreases of both. Significant differences in the peak positions and in the half-lives of active and total chalcone synthase indicated that induced cells contained inactive as well as active enzyme forms. The presence of inactive enzyme could be explained by two different modes of regulation, (i) simultaneous de novo synthesis of active and inactive enzyme (“Simultaneous Model”), or (ii) de novo synthesis of active enzyme only, with sequential steps of inactivation and degradation (“Sequential Model”). Both models were compatible with experimental results, as analyzed mathematically by investigating the relations between curves for rate of enzyme synthesis, enzyme activity, total enzyme, and half-lives of active and total enzyme. However, the “Simultaneous Model” postulated that de novo synthesis of inactive enzyme represented always the vast majority of total enzyme synthesis, while the Sequential Model integrated inactive enzyme with facility in a sequence of irreversible inactivation and degradation of active enzyme. Experiments with repeated induction indicated that cells containing large amounts of inactive enzyme increased enzyme activity by de novo synthesis rather than by activation of preexisting inactive enzyme.     

Altered surface glycoproteins in melanoma cell variants with reduced metastasizing capacity selected for resistance to wheat germ agglutinin

Variants of B 16-F 1 mouse melanoma cells selected for resistance to wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) toxicity $\text{in}\text{vitro}$ were found to have undergone a stable surface change correlated both to lectin resistance and reduced metastasizing potential. The surface alteration, as indicated by the increased electrophoretic mobilities of several lactoperoxidase-iodinated cell surface proteins in SDS-PAGE, was restricted to polypeptides able to interact with WGA. The availability of lectin-resistant melanoma cell variants having altered metastasizing behavior provides a promising approach to studies of the role of specific cell surface components in the metastasizing process.