Role of uronic acids present in phytopathogenic fungi as inducers of polygalacturonases during autolysis

The presence of uronic acids in the culture fluid and mycelium of the fungi: Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, Drechslera halodes, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium oxysporum, Monilinia fructigena, Mucor mucedo, Rhizopus stolonifer and Trichoderma hamatum was detected and quantified. In these fungi the concentration of uronic acids increased during the growth phase and the maximal concentrations were found at the end of the growth phase or onset of autolysis both in the mycelium as well as in the culture fluid. The uronic acids were metabolized during the first days of autolysis decreasing to constant levels until the end of the autolytic period studied.The variations in the activity of polygalacturonase and polymethylgalacturonase present in the culture fluid were determined at the onset and during autolysis in these fungi. These enzymic activities were found in the culture fluid of these fungi, with exception of M. rouxii, and they showed an increasing activity in the first days of autolysis and later a slight increase or decrease was observed. The presence of uronic acids in these phytopathogenic or saprophytic fungi and the low levels detected during autolysis could be related to the induction of pectic enzymes and the pathogenicity of these fungi.     

Changes in ascorbic acid content and ascorbate peroxidase activity during the development of Acetabularia mediterranea

We cloned ras-related sequences from goldfish genomic libraries constructed as recombinants using the lambda phage. Restriction enzyme mapping of the clones obtained revealed three kinds of ras-related sequences among approximately 350,000 genomic clones. One of these clones was partially sequenced. Comparison with the nucleotide sequences of mammalian ras genes showed that the determined sequences covered the predicted amino acid coding regions and parts of the intervening regions. The predicted amino acid sequences of the cloned ras-related goldfish gene suggested that the coding region is localized separately in DNA, and that its exon-intron boundaries are exactly the same as those of corresponding mammalian genes. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the goldfish ras-related gene may have extensive homologies to mammalian p 21 protein. Among the three mammalian ras proteins, the predicted amino acid sequence of the sequenced ras-related goldfish clone is most closely homologous (96%) to the Kirsten ras protein. Differences in the predicted amino acid sequence were greatest in the sequence predicted from the fourth exon; fewer differences were found in the sequence from the third exon, and only slight or no differences were found in the sequence predicted for the first and second exons. The 12th and 61st amino acids from the N-terminal of the protein, which are thought to be critical positions for GTP binding and catalysis, are both conserved in the goldfish protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A comparative study of salivary secretion by parotid and mandibular glands of anaesthetized Capra hircus: effect of pilocarpine

A study was made of basal secretion and the effect of the infusion of pilocarpine on the flow and composition of saliva in the parotid and mandibular glands of the anaesthetized lactating goat. In the parotid gland there was a basal flow (1.6 +/- 0.29 microliter/min) which was not present in the mandibular gland. There is a statistically significant dose-effect relationship between pilocarpine and salivary flow in both glands. Salival composition and its variation with respect to the flow of saliva did not conform to either of the two glands to an exclusive monogastric or ruminant model.     

Selection of Wine Yeasts for Growth and Fermentation in the Presence of Ethanol and Sucrose

To optimize the conversion of carbohydrates to ethanol, strains of several Saccharomyces species were examined for the ability to grow and ferment in a range of sucrose and ethanol concentrations. A total of 632 wine yeasts, most of them isolated from wineries in Andalusia and Extremadura, southwestern Spain, were subjected to screening and selection. Growth and fermentative capacity in different ethanol and sucrose concentrations varied from one strain to another. There was no correlation between growth and fermentative capacity. The best 35 strains grew in 15% ethanol and fermented in 18% ethanol. Ethanol accumulated, although at a reduced rate, after the cells stopped growing. Most yeast strains were highly fermentative in 50% sucrose. Some of them effectively utilized the carbohydrates of the culture, yielding final ethanol concentrations of > 14%. Of the 35 selected strains, 16 were promising for genetic analysis and breeding because of their capacity to sporulate. These strains were homothallic, and their spores were viable. The meiotic products analyzed so far were also homothallic.     

Irradiation as an Alternative to Mastectomy for Early Breast Cancer—An Important Consideration Because of Changes in Laws

Between May 1973 and December 1980 there were 76 patients (78 breasts) with clinical stage I or II breast carcinoma treated by biopsy and definitive radiotherapy at Stanford University Medical Center. Local-regional control has been achieved thus far in 76 of 78 cases (97 percent) with a median follow-up time of 26 months. Transient lymphedema of the breast, arm edema and breast fibrosis were the most commonly noted complications. The cosmetic result was analyzed and scored as excellent in 78 percent, satisfactory in 18 percent and unsatisfactory in 4 percent. The three unsatisfactory results occurred in patients in whom severe fibrosis developed as a result of suboptimal radiation techniques. Interdisciplinary cooperation among surgical, medical and radiation oncologists is important. The 97 percent local-regional control and the 96 percent excellent-to-satisfactory results support the use of primary radiotherapy in early stage breast carcinoma.     

The role of the Asp-32 residue of cholecystokinin in gastric acid secretion and gastrin receptor recognition

The aspartic acid residue at the penultimate position is known to be essential for the hormonal activity of CCK and gastrin on gastric acid secretion. This residue was successively replaced by beta-aspartic acid, beta-alanine, and glutamic acid in the C-terminal heptapeptide of CCK 27-33. The analogues obtained were tested on rat gastric acid secretion and for recognition by gastrin receptors. The replacement by beta-aspartic or beta-alanine decreased gastric secretion and gastrin receptor recognition. In contrast, replacement by glutamic acid affected these two parameters less. The nature of the N-blocking group (Boc or Z) also influenced these activities, Boc derivatives being more potent than Z derivatives. The results were compared to those previously obtained on pancreatic secretion and on stimulation of gall bladder contraction where the modifications were found capable of differentiating between cholecystokinin, pancreozymin and gastrin activities.     

Tyrosine phosphorylation of specific proteins after mitogen stimulation of chicken embryo fibroblasts.

We found that stimulation of density-inhibited chicken embryo fibroblasts with serum, epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet-derived growth factor, (PDGF), or multiplication-stimulating activity (MSA) leads to an increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins in the region of Mr 40,000 (40K) to 42K. The increase in tyrosine phosphorylation after serum or EGF stimulation was transient, reaching a maximum at about 5 min and then declining. By fine-resolution analysis of proteins separated on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, we found that after EGF stimulation, the major increase in phosphotyrosine content was in a 42K Mr protein, with a smaller increase in a 40K Mr protein. The increased phosphorylation in the 40K to 42K Mr region accounted for almost all of the increase in phosphotyrosine observed in these cells. These phosphotyrosine-containing proteins were different from the major phosphotyrosine-containing protein of Rous sarcoma virus-transformed chicken embryo fibroblasts, which migrates at an approximate Mr of 36K. Increased tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins of similar Mr was found in 3T3 cells treated with EGF, but not in NR-6 cells, which lack detectable EGF receptors. It is possible that the 40K to 42K Mr phosphotyrosine-containing proteins are involved in the integration of the biological response to a number of different growth factors.     

Transport properties of rigid, symmetrical oligomeric structures composed of prolate, ellipsoidal subunits

We have calculated translational and rotational diffusion coefficients and intrinsic viscosities of oligomeric structures composed of n identical subunits having a prolate ellipsoidal shape with axial ratio p. Results are presented for p = 1-6 for a variety of structures with n = 1-6. We compare our results with those obtained by a different modeling procedure, proposed by other workers, in which the monomeric subunit is represented as a string of touching, colinear spheres. If n and an estimate of p are known, the structure of the oligomer can be. in most cases, unambiguously determined by comparison of the experimental oligomer-to-monomer ratios of a given property with the numerical results of this work. As examples of the applicability of our results, we examine the relationship between structure and properties for neurophysin. bovine serum albumin, hemoglobin and phycocyanin.     

An efficient method for finding repeats in molecular sequences.

The problem of finding repeats in molecular sequences is approached as a sorting problem. It leads to a method which is linear in space complexity and NlogN in expected time complexity. The implementation is straightforward and can therefore be used to handle large sequences with relative ease. Of particular interest is that several sequences can be treated as a single sequence. This leads to an efficient method for finding dyads and for finding common features of many sequences, such as favorable alignments.     

Ultrastructural Studies on Caenorhabditis briggsae

A study of the fine structure of Caenorhabditis briggsae revealed several features not previously described in free-living nematodes. These were: chambered walls of the stoma, zonula adherens in the esophagus, daedaloid folds in the inner surface of the uterus and openings in the terminal web of the intestinal epithelium. Other structures observed in these studies were similar to those described from other free-living nematodes.