Packaging of coliphage lambda DNA. I. The role of the cohesive end site and the gene A protein

The cohesive ends of the DNA of bacteriophage λ particles are normally formed by the action of a nuclease on the cohesive end sites (cos) of concatemeric λ DNA (reviewed by Hohn et al., 1977). The nuclease also cuts the cos site of an integrated prophage, and DNA located to the right is preferentially packaged into phage particles. This process occurs with approximately the same efficiency and rate in a single lysogen as in a tandem polylysogen. Thus, the rate of cos cutting does not increase when the number of cos sites per molecule increases, an hypothesis that has been proposed to explain why cohesive ends are not formed in circular monomers of λ DNA. We propose instead that the interaction of Ter with cos is influenced by the configuration of the DNA outside of cos during packaging, and that this configuration is different for circular monomers than for other forms of λ DNA. A model that gives rise to such a difference is described.We also found that missense mutations in the λ A gene changed the efficiency of packaging of phage relative to host DNA. This was not the case for missense mutations in several phage genes required for capsid formation. Thus, the product of gene A plays a role in determining packaging specificity, as expected if it is or is part of the nuclease that cuts λ DNA at cos.     

Changes in amino-terminal sequences of pp60src lead to decreased membrane association and decreased in vivo tumorigenicity

We have suggested previously that the amino-terminal 8 kilodaltons of pp60^src may serve as a structural hydrophobic domain through which pp60^src attaches to plasma membranes. Two isolates of recovered avian sarcoma viruses (rASVs), 1702 and 157, encode pp60^src proteins that have alterations in this amino-terminal region. The rASV 1702 src protein (56 kilodaltons) and the 157 src protein (62.5 kilodaltons) show altered membrane association, and fractionate largely as soluble, cytoplasmic proteins in aqueous buffers, in contrast with the membrane association of more than 80% of the src protein of standard avian sarcoma virus under the identical fractionation procedure. Plasma membranes purified from cells transformed by these rASVs contain less than 10% of the amount of pp60^src found in membranes purified from cells transformed by Rous sarcoma virus or control rASVs. The altered membrane association of these src proteins had little or no effect on the properties of chick embryo fibroblasts transformed in monolayer culture. In contrast, rASV 1702 showed reduced in vivo tumorigenicity compared with Rous sarcoma virus or with other rASVs that encode membrane-associated src proteins. Rous sarcoma virus-induced tumors are malignant, poorly differentiated sarcomas that are lethal to their hosts. rASV 1702 induces a benign, differentiated sarcoma that regresses and is not lethal to its hosts. These data support the role of amino-terminal sequences in the membrane association of pp60^src, and suggest that the amino terminus of pp60^src may have a critical role in the promotion of in vivo tumorigenicity.     

Association of long surface appendages with adherence-related functions of the gram-positive species Actinomyces naeslundii

Electron microscopy of new isolates of gram-positive Actinomyces naeslundii demonstrated long, fragile appendages. Removal of the appendages impaired attachment to epithelial cells and reaggregation, thus implicating them in attachment-related functions.     

Cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase from gherkin tissues

Homogenates from 4-day-old gherkin cotyledons and hypocotyls fractionated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation contain cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase activity, the activity being highest in the endoplasmic reticulum fractions. These fractions also contain very low concentrations of cytochrome P₄₅₀. Hydroxylase activity is dependent on NADPH and on molecular oxygen, is optimal at pH 7.5 and is inhibited by carbon monoxide. The enzyme is very sensitive to inhibition by 2-mercaptoethanol, but it is not inhibited by the product, p-coumaric acid. Further, its responses to various potential inhibitors are fairly typical of mixed function oxidases from other sources.     

Distribution and seasonality ofLegionella pneumophila in colling towers

The numbers of presumptiveLegionella pneumophila cells in waters and sediments of nine different cooling towers located on the same site in the northeastern United States were determined at approximately monthly intervals for 18 months. All systems received makeup water from the same source and received the same chemical treatments. PresumptiveL. pneumophila were found in both water and sediment samples from all systems on all sampling dates. An important result of this study was the finding that tower sediments represent large reservoirs ofL. pneumophila. The only correlation between levels of presumptiveL. pneumophila and any of the physical, chemical, or operating characteristics evaluated was with winter shutdown and drainage followed by a nonoperational period. These systems showed a definite seasonal response with the highest levels of presumptiveL. pneumophila found in the summer and fall. Systems operated year round showed relatively constant numbers ofL. pneumophila in both water and sediments.     

Evidence that Porphyromonas (Bacteroides) gingivalis fimbriae function in adhesion to Actinomyces viscosus.

Porphyromonas (Bacteroides) gingivalis adheres to gram-positive bacteria, such as Actinomyces viscosus, when colonizing the tooth surface. However, little is known of the adhesins responsible for this interaction. A series of experiments were performed to determine whether P. gingivalis fimbriae function in its coadhesion with A. viscosus. Fimbriae typical of P. gingivalis were isolated from strain 2561 (ATCC 33277) by the method of Yoshimura et al. (F. Yoshimura, K. Takahashi, Y. Nodasaka, and T. Suzuki, J. Bacteriol. 160:949-957, 1984) in fractions enriched with a 40-kDa subunit, the fimbrillin monomer, P. gingivalis-A. viscosus coaggregation was inhibited by purified rabbit antifimbrial immunoglobulin G (IgG) at dilutions eightfold higher than those of preimmune IgG, providing indirect evidence implicating P. gingivalis fimbriae in coadhesion. Three types of direct binding assays further supported this observation. (i) Mixtures of isolated P. gingivalis fimbriae and A. viscosus WVU627 cells were incubated for 1 h, washed vigorously with phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.2), and subjected to electrophoresis. Transblots onto nitrocellulose were probed with antifimbrial antiserum. Fimbrillin labeled positively on these blots. No reaction occurred with the control protein, porcine serum albumin, when blots were exposed to anti-porcine serum albumin, (ii) A. viscosus cells incubated with P. gingivalis fimbriae were agglutinated only after the addition of antifimbrial antibodies. (iii) Binding curves generated from an enzyme immunoassay demonstrated concentration-dependent binding of P. gingivalis fimbriae to A. viscosus cells. From these lines of evidence, P. gingivalis fimbriae appear to be capable of binding to A. viscosus and mediating the coadhesion of these species.     

Biological Control of Damping-Off of Alfalfa Seedlings with Bacillus cereus UW85

We explored the potential of biological control of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) seedling damping-off caused by Phytophthora megasperma f. sp. medicaginis by screening root-associated bacteria for disease suppression activity in a laboratory bioassay. A total of 700 bacterial strains were isolated from the roots of field-grown alfalfa plants by using Trypticase soy agar. A simple, rapid assay was developed to screen the bacteria for the ability to reduce the mortality of Iroquois alfalfa seedlings that were inoculated with P. megasperma f. sp. medicaginis zoospores. Two-day-old seedlings were planted in culture tubes containing moist vermiculite, and each tube was inoculated with a different bacterial culture. Sufficient P. megasperma f. sp. medicaginis zoospores were added to each tube to result in 100% mortality of control seedlings. Of the 700 bacterial isolates tested, only 1, which was identified as Bacillus cereus and designated UW85, reduced seedling mortality to 0% in the initial screen and in two secondary screens. Both fully sporulated cultures containing predominantly released spores and sterile filtrates of these cultures of UW85 were effective in protecting seedlings from damping-off; filtrates of cultures containing predominantly vegetative cells or endospores inside the parent cell had low biocontrol activity. Cultures grown in two semidefined media had significantly greater biocontrol activities than cultures grown in the complex tryptic soy medium. In a small-scale trial in a field infested with P. megasperma f. sp. medicaginis, coating seeds with UW85 significantly increased the emergence of alfalfa. The results suggest that UW85 may have potential as a biocontrol agent for alfalfa damping-off, thus providing an alternative to current disease control strategies.     

Histology and histochemistry of the testis and ovary of the platyfish,Xiphophorus maculatus,from birth to sexual maturity

Summary The gonads of 3-day- to 7-month-old male and female platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus) were examined for the presence of 5-3-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3-HSD) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) by histochemical means. In 3-day-old males a positive response for both enzymes is localized in the Leydig cells. With subsequent testicular development, these cells increase in number and display greater activity at the periphery of the testis and around the efferent ducts. In 3-day-old females 3-HSD and G6PD are localized in the stromal cells of the ovary. These cells increase in number and activity as the animals become sexually mature. Sertoli cells, efferent duct epithelium, and ovarian granulosa cells are negative at all stages of development examined. Our findings suggest that the gonads of neonatal fish possess the potential for steroidogenesis. The role played by sexsteroid hormones in the maturation of the brain-pituitary-gonad axis is discussed.     

Thermal acclimation and hardening in tadpoles of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana

1. 1.|Critical thermal maxima (CTMax) and minima (CTMin) were measured to evalute thermal hardening in Rana catesbeiana.

2. 2.|Tadpoles show heat hardening and CTMax acclimation, and both responses are influenced by developmental stage.

3. 3.|The first evidence of cold hardening in vertebrates is reported here.

4. 4.|Heat hardening significantly reduces cold tolerance, but there is otherwise no evidence of a cross-hardening effect.