Subcellular Localization of Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme in Rabbit Lung

THE rapidity with which angiotensin I is converted to angiotensin II^1–5 suggests that the subcellular localization of the converting enzyme is important. Bakhle⁶ and Cushman and Cheung⁷ have demonstrated the particulate nature of this enzyme. Subcellular distribution studies and marker enzyme analysis indicate that converting enzyme activity in rabbit lung is most concentrated in the pellet sedimenting at between 1,000 and 25,000g (P₂), subsequently characterized as the light and heavy mitochondrial fraction. To identify this fraction more fully, we have resuspended P₂ and centrifuged it through a discontinuous density gradient, a procedure which separates converting enzyme activity from the mitochondria. Marker enzyme analysis and electron microscopy suggest plasma membrane as the major constituent of that fraction displaying highest specific activity of converting enzyme.     

Differentiation of Reproductive Cells in Volvox carteri*

SYNOPSIS. The life cycle of Volvox carteri was studied in axenic culture using the NB-3 and the NB-7 strains isolated from Nebraska. Vegetative colonies of both strains contain 8–12 asexual reproductive cells (gonidia) which divide to form daughter colonies. During daughter colony formation, the reproductive cells of the daughters are delimited at an early stage of cleavage. Gonidia are delimited at the division from 16 to 32 cells, but eggs and male initial cells are not differentiated until the division of the 32-celled stage. In all instances the reproductive cells are the products of unequal cleavages. Male and female colonies are formed in separate clones. Female colonies contain approximately 20 eggs. Male colonies have approximately 50 male initial cells, each of which forms a sperm bundle containing 64 or 128 sperm. Sperm bundles penetrate female colonies and fertilize the eggs. Zygote formation, zygote germination, and the development of gone colonies is described. Sexual type was inherited in a 1:1 ratio. Male colonies appear spontaneously in the male strain, but female colonies were formed in the female strain only in the presence of a substance produced by colonies from male cultures. This female inducing substance is produced in male cultures primarily, if not exclusively, by male colonies rather than by vegetative colonies. The female inducing substance is heat labile and non-dialyzable. Activity is destroyed by Pronase, but not by trypsin, chymotrypsin or ribonuclease. Gonidia appear to be most susceptible to female induction during the early stages of their expansion prior to cleavage.     

Early Evolution of Immunoglobulin Genes

Considerable progress has been made in the characterizationof immunoglobulin genes from several lower vertebrate taxa.Isolation and identification of immunoglobulin genes in phylogeneticallyprimitive species is based predominantly on heterologous crosshybridization.The unit, clustered organization of heavy chain segmental elementsobserved in the germline of the horned shark (Hinds and Litman,1986) has also been found in another elasmobranch. Studies todetermine whether the clustered organization is universal throughoutthe entire cartilaginous fish assemblage are ongoing. In contrast,the ray-finned (bony)fishes appear to possess a mammalian-typeheavy chain gene organization. Additionally, immunoglobulingenes are being characterized in two relict fish species whoseexact systematic relationships are unknown. Isolation of putativeimmunoglobulin genes from the phylogenetically- ancient hagfishis being attempted using a PCR-based approach. Other ongoingor future research efforts involve characterization of lowervertebrate light chain genes, heavy chain isotype evolution,and the divergence of the immunoglobulins and T-cell antigenreceptors     

On the Politics of Theorizing in a Postmodern Academy

The authors outline a politics of academic theorizing that seeks pluralism and egalitarianism without relativism and nihilism. Their goal is to help transform the academy by knocking down the walls around institutionalized technoscience without dissolving the enterprise of academic theorizing. Postmodernist critiques have blurred the cultural boundaries between technoscience and popular science practices, calling into question the absolute legitimacy of the former. Yet the positive proposals of postmodernism have been less valuable than the critiques. The authors hope to recover some of the imaginative power of postmodernist criticism by formulating a different politics of academic theorizing, built around the language and practice of "partnering." In the process, they hope to build exchange relations between postmodernism and other forms of theorizing, such as feminism.     

Self-fertilization in the white-lipped land snail Triodopsis Albolabris

The breeding system of the polygyrid land snail Triodopsis albolabris was studied in laboratory colonies through the use of allozyme-genetic markers. Isolated virgin individuals self-fertilized only after several months of apparent self-sterility. Isolated pairs appeared to reproduce solely by outcrossing. Overall, the normalized reproductive success of paired individuals was about 86 times greater than that of isolates.
Nine natural populations of this snail were surveyed at eight allozyme loci. All populations were highly polymorphic, and heterozygosity was high and agreed with Hardy-Weinberg expectations. This indicates that selfing is not common in established populations. We conclude that T. albolabris avoid inbreeding by selfing if at all possible. However, if the probability of finding a mate is low (assessed by several months without finding one), lone individuals self-fertilize.     

Component analysis of fire patterns in open eucalypt forest

The understorey vegetation of nine localities with different fire histories from open eucalypt forest near Melbourne, Victoria, was analysed by principal component analysis. Floristically, localities were quite similar; however, structural differences caused mainly by different burning regimes of recent years were more evident. An analysis of presence-absence data displayed a marked discontinuity that was explainable in terms of the timing and intensity of a recent fire. Using unstandardized height data the pattern was related to inter- and intra-locality differences in time since the last fires. An analysis of standardized height data demonstrated a connection between understorey structure and fire frequency. Despite apparent differences in the scatter diagrams obtained a statistical comparison of the analytical results indicated that, in many respects, the ordinations were similar     

Photoperiod and reproduction in captive female Northern fur seals*

The reproductive cycles of captive female Northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) were unaffected over two consecutive years by a photoperiod that differed substantially from that of the natural range. Breeding was observed in July and August, or at the same time as in the wild. Growth was comparable in captive and wild fetuses, indicating a similar timing of delayed implantation of the blastocysts.     

Ultrastructure of the Erythrocytic Stages of Plasmodium malariae1

This report describes the fine structure of the erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium malariae. Erythrocytic parasites from a naturally acquired human infection and an experimentally infected chimpanzee were morphologically indistinguishable and structurally similar to other primate malarias. New findings included observations of highly structured arrays of merozoite surface coat proteins in the cytoplasm of early schizonts and on the surface of budding merozoites and the presence of knobs in the membranes of Maurer's clefts. Morphological evidence is presented suggesting that proteins are transported between the erythrocyte surface and intracellular parasites via two routes: one associated with Maurer's clefts for transport of membrane-associated knob material and a second associated with caveolae in the host cell membrane for the import or export of host- or parasite-derived substances through the erythrocyte cytoplasm.