Role of turgor pressure in endocytosis in fission yeast

Yeast and other walled cells possess high internal turgor pressure that allows them to grow and survive in the environment. This turgor pressure, however, may oppose the invagination of the plasma membrane needed for endocytosis. Here we study the effects of turgor pressure on endocytosis in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe by time-lapse imaging of individual endocytic sites. Decreasing effective turgor pressure by addition of sorbitol to the media significantly accelerates early steps in the endocytic process before actin assembly and membrane ingression but does not affect the velocity or depth of ingression of the endocytic pit in wild-type cells. Sorbitol also rescues endocytic ingression defects of certain endocytic mutants and of cells treated with a low dose of the actin inhibitor latrunculin A. Endocytosis proceeds after removal of the cell wall, suggesting that the cell wall does not contribute mechanically to this process. These studies suggest that endocytosis is governed by a mechanical balance between local actin-dependent inward forces and opposing forces from high internal turgor pressure on the plasma membrane.     

Potassium currents in the giant axon of the crabCarcinus maenas

Summary Measurements were made of the kinetic and steadystate characteristics of the potassium conductance in the giant axon of the crabCarcinus maenas. These measurements were made in the presence of tetrodotoxin, using the feedback amplifier concept introduced by Dodge and Frankenhaeuser (J. Physiol. (London) 143:76–90). The conductance increase during depolarizing voltage-clamp pulses was analyzed assuming that two separate potassium channels exist in these axons. The first potassium channel exhibited activation and fast inactivation gating which could be fitted using them ³ h, Hodgkin-Huxley formalism. The second potassium channel exhibited the standardn ⁴ Hodgkin-Huxley kinetics. These two postulated channels are blocked by internal application of caesium, tetraethylammonium and sodium ions. External application of 4 amino-pyridine also blocks these channels.     

Species of the genus Thressa Walker, 1860 from China (Diptera, Chloropidae)

A review of the species of the genus Thressa from China is provided. The following four species are described as new to science: Thressa bimaculatasp. n., Thressa daiyunshanasp. n., Thressa foliaceasp. n. and Thressa longimaculatasp. n. One species, Thressa flavior (Duda), is recorded from China for the first time. A key to the species of the Thressa from China is given.     

Serum RBP4 positively correlates with triglyceride level but not with BMI,fat mass and insulin resistance in healthy obese and non-obese individuals

Abstract

Purpose: Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) has recently been identified as an adipokine possibly involved in the development of impaired glucose metabolism. We aimed to test serum RBP4 in healthy non-obese individuals and in patients with well-characterized phenotype: obesity without confounding effects of diabetes, metabolic syndrome or dyslipidaemia. Additionally, we examined whether serum RBP4 is associated with anthropometric parameters, insulin resistance and blood lipid parameters.

Patients and methods: Twenty-eight patients with obesity and no co-morbidities and twenty-five age-matched lean controls were recruited. Anthropometric parameters, body composition, fasting blood lipid profile, RBP4, glucose and insulin were assessed and HOMA-IR was calculated.

Results: Mean concentration of RBP4 did not differ between studied groups (in obese patients was 33.93?±?4.46?µg/ml and 32.53?±?2.53?µg/ml in non-obese controls). RBP4 positively correlated with serum triglycerides in obese and non-obese individuals (r?=?0.74, p?=?0.03 and r?=?0.62, p?=?0.02, respectively) and did not show any significant associations with HOMA-IR, anthropometric and body composition parameters.

Conclusions: Excessive adiposity without co-morbidities is not associated with higher levels of circulating RBP4. Serum RBP4 cannot be considered as a direct predictive marker for impaired glucose metabolism. RBP4 possibly contributes to lipid metabolism.     

Aerobic degradation of a mixture of azo dyes in a packed bed reactor having bacteria-coated laterite pebbles

A microbial consortium capable of aerobic degradation of a mixture of azo dyes consisting of two isolated strains (RRL,TVM) and one known strain of Pseudomonas putida (MTCC 1194) was immobilized on laterite stones. The amount of bacterial biomass attached to the laterite stones was 8.64 g per 100 g of the stone on a dry weight basis. The packed bed reactor was filled with these stones and had a total capacity of 850 mL and a void volume of 210 mL. The feed consisted of an equal mixture of seven azo dyes both in water as well as in a simulated textile effluent, at a pH of 9.0 and a salinity of 900 mg/L. The dye concentrations of influent were 25, 50, and 100 microg/mL.The residence time was varied between 0.78 and 6.23 h. It was found that at the lowest residence time 23.55, 45.73, and 79.95 microg of dye was degraded per hour at an initial dye concentration of 25, 50, and 100 microg, respectively. The pH was reduced from 9.0 to 7.0. Simulated textile effluent containing 50 microg/mL dye was degraded by 61.7%. Analysis of degradation products by TLC and HPLC showed that the dye mixture was degraded to nontoxic smaller molecules. The bacteria-coated pebbles were stable, there was no washout even after 2 months, and the reactor was found to be suitable for the aerobic degradation of azo dyes.     

Electric properties of thylakoid membranes from pea mutants with modified carotenoid and chlorophyll–protein complex composition

Surface electric properties of thylakoid membranes from wild type and two mutant forms, Coeruleovireus 2/16 and Costata 2/133, of pea are investigated by electric light scattering and microelectrophoretic measurements. Characterization of the chlorophyll–protein complexes in thylakoid membranes reveals that the relative ratio of oligomeric (LHC II¹) to monomeric (LHC II³) forms of the light-harvesting Chl a/b complex of Photosystem II is lower (3.34) in 2/133 mutant and higher (6.62) in 2/16 mutant than in wild type (4.57). This is accompanied by elevated amounts and a considerable reduction of all carotenoids in 2/16 and 2/133 mutant, respectively, as compared to the wild type. The concomitant variations of the permanent dipole moment (transversal charge asymmetry), electric polarizability and electrokinetic charge of the thylakoid membranes from both the mutants are discussed in terms of the differences in the supramolecular (oligomeric) organization of the light-harvesting complexes II within the photosynthetic apparatus. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.