Exogenous Melatonin Protects Canola Plants from Toxicity of Excessive Copper

Physiological mechanisms of canola (Brassica napus L., cv. Westar) plant protection afforded by melatonin (at 0.1–100 μM) from copper salts (at 10–100 μM) were studied. Plants were cultivated on Hoagland–Snyder medium. At the age of 5 weeks, they were subjected to melatonin, copper sulfate, or their combination for 7 days. It was found that excessive copper in a nutrient medium inhibited the dry biomass accumulation against the control by 25–85%. Copper sulfate diminished the content of chlorophylls and carotenoids and functional activity of the thylakoid membranes in the chloroplasts. It increased 2.0–2.5 times the lipid peroxidation (LPO) intensity and the proline level up to 20 times. Melatonin reduced the changes caused by copper, and the degree of the protection depended on melatonin and CuSO₄ concentrations. It was found that melatonin decreased the oxidative stress and proline accumulation, both induced by CuSO₄. At first, we established the positive correlation (with the coefficient 0.8240) between the level of oxidative stress and proline content in the presence of CuSO₄. Possible mechanisms of protection by melatonin and its biological role under conditions of technogenic stress are discussed.     

Growth and wax ester production of an <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acinetobacter baylyi</Emphasis> ADP1 mutant deficient in exopolysaccharide capsule synthesis

Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 naturally produces wax esters that could be used as a raw material in industrial applications. We attempted to improve wax ester yield of A. baylyi ADP1 by removing rmlA, a gene involved in exopolysaccharide production. Growth rate, biomass formation and wax ester yield on 4-hydroxybenzoate were not affected, but the rmlA ^? strain grew slower on acetate, while reaching similar biomass and wax ester yield. The rmlA ^? cells had malformed shape and large size and grew poorly on glucose without expression of the gene for pyruvate kinase (pykF) from Escherichia coli. The pykF-expressing rmlA ^? strain had similar growth rate, lowered biomass formation and improved wax ester production on glucose as compared to the wild-type strain expressing pykF. Cultivation of the pykF-expressing rmlA ^? strain on an elevated glucose concentration in a medium supplemented with amino acids resulted in doubled molar wax ester yield and acetate production.     

Formation of specific T3-RNA-polymerase complexes with oligoribonucleotides and inhibition of DNA-dependent RNA synthesis

It was shown previously that E. coli RNA polymerase and T7 RNA polymerase being incubated with oligonucleotides of different length derived from RNA endonuclease hydrolysate bind selectively to certain oligonucleotides with the length larger than or equal to 5. The data presented demonstrate that T3 RNA polymerase also binds selectively from the isoplith mixtures certain oligonucleotides starting from pentanucleotides. Adding of excess of T3 RNA polymerase it was possible to exhaustively extract the recognizable oligonucleotides from the isoplith mixture. However, the exhausted by T3 RNA polymerase mixture of pentanucleotides still contained those which are bound selectively by T7 and E. coli RNA polymerases. The data suggest that various RNA-polymerases recognize different oligoribonucleotides. It was shown that T3 DNA inhibits the selective binding of penta-or heptaribonucleotides to T3 RNA polymerase competing obviously for the enzyme. The T3 RNA polymerase bound penta- or heptanucleotides inhibit DNA-dependent RNA synthesis carried out by the enzyme; the isoplith mixtures which do not contain T3 RNA polymerase bound oligonucleotides are deprived of the inhibitory properties. Only those isoplith mixtures contain T3 RNA polymerase bound oligonucleotides which were derived from symmetrically transcribed RNA which have obviously promoter simulating sequences. The data provide evidence that T2 RNA polymerase binds selectively the oligonucleotides mimicking the promotor recognition sites.     

Superoxide dismutase activity and methemoglobin content of human and animal erythrocytes

In healthy newborn babies, superoxide dismutase activity and MetHb content of the erythrocytes are higher than those in adult subjects. It was also demonstrated that low activity of superoxide dismutase in guinea pigs, albino mice and teleost fish Coregonus autumnalis (in autumn period) is paralleled by a higher level of MetHb. On the contrary, high enzymic activity in albino rats and C. autumnalis (spring period) accounts of a lower level of MetHb. Seasonal changes in the activity of superoxide dismutase were found in guinea pigs and fish.     

Age peculiarities of actin polymerization in calves]

Studies have been made on the developmental changes in the polymerization degree of unfractionated actin extracts from skeletal muscles of 3-8-month calf embryos and adult cattle. It was shown that during the development, the polymerization capacity of actin increases, the increase being accompanied by a significant rise in the molecular weight of the protein. The pattern of age changes in the degree of polymerization of actin is similar to that in the molecular weight of actomyosin. Differences in fractional composition of actin extracts from skeletal muscles at various stages of embryonic development were observed. These differences may be responsible for age peculiarities of actin polymerization and may be associated with the formation of contractile activity in ontogenesis.     

Importance of immunoelectrophoresis in agar and disc electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel for characterizing different strains of Bordetella pertussis

The antigenic composition of typical and atypical B. pertussis strains obtained in the foci of pertussis infection, as well as experimentally obtained antibiotic-resistant B. pertussis strains, has been studied by the methods of immunoelectrophoresis in agar and electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel (PAAG). Immunoelectrophoresis in agar has been found capable of differentiating B. pertussis culture from a group of unidentified morphologically similar Gram-negative bacilli by their antigenic composition and thus suitable for use as an additional criterion in the identification of atypical B. pertussis strains. PAAG electrophoresis has permitted finding differences in the set of protein antigens in the control strain and in its clones obtained by multiple subculturing in media with antibiotics added.     

Immunodetection of RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase from Turnip Yellow Luteovirus Using Monoclonal Antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from turnip yellow luteovirus (TYV) were prepared using a recombinant protein as immunogen and were shown to be directed to C-terminal part of the viral replicase. These MAbs were found to interact with a 70-kDa protein found in extracts from TYV-infected plants. Our result is the first successful attempt at detecting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of a luteovirus in infected plant extracts. We also found that the protein is not processed further and its accumulation and content in the infected plant obey a definite dynamics during the infection.