Solution structure of monomeric and trimeric photosystem I of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermosynechococcus elongatus</Emphasis> investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering

The structure of monomeric and trimeric photosystem I (PS I) of Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP1 (T. elongatus) was investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The scattering data reveal that the protein–detergent complexes possess radii of gyration of 58 and 78 Å in the cases of monomeric and trimeric PS I, respectively. The results also show that the samples are monodisperse, virtually free of aggregation, and contain empty detergent micelles. The shape of the protein–detergent complexes can be well approximated by elliptical cylinders with a height of 78 Å. Monomeric PS I in buffer solution exhibits minor and major radii of the elliptical cylinder of about 50 and 85 Å, respectively. In the case of trimeric PS I, both radii are equal to about 110 Å. The latter model can be shown to accommodate three elliptical cylinders equal to those describing monomeric PS I. A structure reconstitution also reveals that the protein–detergent complexes are larger than their respective crystal structures. The reconstituted structures are larger by about 20 Å mainly in the region of the hydrophobic surfaces of the monomeric and trimeric PS I complexes. This seeming contradiction can be resolved by the addition of a detergent belt constituted by a monolayer of dodecyl-β-D-maltoside molecules. Assuming a closest possible packing, a number of roughly 1024 and 1472 detergent molecules can be determined for monomeric and trimeric PS I, respectively. Taking the monolayer of detergent molecules into account, the solution structure can be almost perfectly modeled by the crystal structures of monomeric and trimeric PS I.     

A comparison of national approaches to setting ecological status boundaries in phytobenthos assessment for the European Water Framework Directive: results of an intercalibration exercise

The European Union (EU)’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires that all Member States participate in intercalibration exercises in order to ensure that ecological status concepts and assessment levels are consistent across the EU. This paper describes one such exercise, performed by the countries in the Central/Baltic Geographical Intercalibration Group stretching from Ireland in the west to Estonia in the east and from the southern parts of Scandinavia to the northern regions of Spain and Italy (but excluding alpine regions, which were intercalibrated separately). In this exercise, methods used to measure ecological status of rivers using benthic diatoms were compared. Ecological status is estimated as the ratio between the observed value of a biological element and the value expected in the absence of significant human impact. Approaches to defining the ‘reference sites’, from which these ‘expected’ values were derived, varied from country to country. Minimum criteria were established as part of the exercise but there was still considerable variation between national reference values, reflecting typological differences that could not be resolved during the exercise. A simple multimetric index was developed to compare boundary values using two widely used diatom metrics. Boundary values for high/good status and good/moderate status set by each participant were converted to their equivalent values of this intercalibration metric using linear regression. Variation of ±0.05 EQR units around the median value was considered to be acceptable and the exercise provided a means for those Member States who fell significantly above or below this line to review their approaches and, if necessary, adjust their boundaries. Handling editor: J. Padisak     

Phosphorescence quenching microrespirometry of skeletal muscle in situ

We have developed an optical method for the evaluation of the oxygen consumption (Vo(2)) in microscopic volumes of spinotrapezius muscle. Using phosphorescence quenching microscopy (PQM) for the measurement of interstitial Po(2), together with rapid pneumatic compression of the organ, we recorded the oxygen disappearance curve (ODC) in the muscle of the anesthetized rats. A 0.6-mm diameter area in the tissue, preloaded with the phosphorescent oxygen probe, was excited once a second by a 532-nm Q-switched laser with pulse duration of 15 ns. Each of the evoked phosphorescence decays was analyzed to obtain a sequence of Po(2) values that constituted the ODC. Following flow arrest and tissue compression, the interstitial Po(2) decreased rapidly and the initial slope of the ODC was used to calculate the Vo(2). Special analysis of instrumental factors affecting the ODC was performed, and the resulting model was used for evaluation of Vo(2). The calculation was based on the observation of only a small amount of residual blood in the tissue after compression. The contribution of oxygen photoconsumption by PQM and oxygen inflow from external sources was evaluated in specially designed tests. The average oxygen consumption of the rat spinotrapezius muscle was Vo(2) = 123.4 ± 13.4 (SE) nl O(2)/cm(3) · s (N = 38, within 6 muscles) at a baseline interstitial Po(2) of 50.8 ± 2.9 mmHg. This technique has opened the opportunity for monitoring respiration rates in microscopic volumes of functioning skeletal muscle.     

Treatment of cultured human astrocytes and vascular endothelial cells with protein kinase CK2 inhibitors induces early changes in cell shape and cytoskeleton

Ubiquitous protein kinase CK2 is a key regulator of cell migration, proliferation and tumor growth. CK2 is abundant in retinal astrocytes, and its inhibition suppresses retinal neovascularization in a mouse retinopathy model. In human astrocytes, CK2 co-distributes with GFAP-containing intermediate filaments, which implies its association with cytoskeleton. Contrary to astrocytes, CK2 is co-localized in microvascular endothelial cells (HBMVEC) with microtubules and actin stress fibers, but not with vimentin-containing intermediate filaments. Specific CK2 inhibitors (TBB, TBI, TBCA and DMAT) and nine novel CK2 inhibiting compounds (TID43, TID46, Quinolone-7, Quinolone-39, FNH28, FNH62, FNH64, FNH68 and FNH74) were tested at 10-200 μM for their ability to induce morphological alterations in cultured human astrocytes (HAST-40), and HBMVEC (For explanation of the inhibitor names, see "Methods" section). CK2 inhibitors caused dramatic changes in shape of cultured cells with effective inhibitor concentrations between 50 and 100 μM. Attached cells retracted, acquired shortened processes, and eventually rounded up and detached. CK2 inhibitor-induced morphological alterations were completely reversible and were not blocked by caspase inhibition. However, longer treatment or higher inhibitor concentration did cause apoptosis. The speed and potency of the CK2 inhibitors effects on cell shape and adhesion were inversely correlated with serum concentration. Western analyses showed that TBB and TBCA elicited a significant (about twofold) increase in the activation of p38 and ERK1/2 MAP kinases that may be involved in cytoskeleton regulation. This novel early biological cell response to CK2 inhibition may underlie the anti-angiogenic effect of CK2 suppression in the retina.     

Mechanisms of autoinhibition of IRF-7 and a probable model for inactivation of IRF-7 by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus protein ORF45

IRF-7 is the master regulator of type I interferon-dependent immune responses controlling both innate and adaptive immunity. Given the significance of IRF-7 in the induction of immune responses, many viruses have developed strategies to inhibit its activity to evade or antagonize host antiviral responses. We previously demonstrated that ORF45, a KSHV immediate-early protein as well as a tegument protein of virions, interacts with IRF-7 and inhibits virus-mediated type I interferon induction by blocking IRF-7 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation (Zhu, F. X., King, S. M., Smith, E. J., Levy, D. E., and Yuan, Y. (2002) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99, 5573-5578). In this report, we sought to reveal the mechanism underlying the ORF45-mediated inactivation of IRF-7. We found that ORF45 interacts with the inhibitory domain of IRF-7. The most striking feature in the IRF-7 inhibitory domain is two α-helices H3 and H4 that contain many hydrophobic residues and two β-sheets located between the helices that are also very hydrophobic. These hydrophobic subdomains mediate intramolecular interactions that keep the molecule in a closed (inactive) form. Mutagenesis studies confirm the contribution of the hydrophobic helices and sheets to the autoinhibition of IRF-7 in the absence of viral signal. The binding of ORF45 to the critical domain of IRF-7 leads to a hypothesis that ORF45 may maintain the IRF-7 molecule in the closed form and prevent it from being activated in response to viral infection.     

Linkage between energy status of perivascular cells and mineralization of the chick growth cartilage

The objective of this investigation was to investigate the relationship between the energy status of epiphyseal chondrocytes of the chick growth cartilage and the development of mineralization. A microfluorimetric scanning technique was used to measure the reduced pyridine nucleotide content of transverse sections of freeze-trapped cartilage; these measurements were related to tissue structure by scanning electron microscopy. The results of this study show that the energy status of cells in the hypertrophic region of the growth cartilage is more complex than was previously believed. In hypertrophic cartilage, most chondrocytes are in a reduced state. However, in the early hypertrophic region, the vascular channels that penetrate the cartilage from the metaphysis exert a profound local effect on the energy metabolism of perivascular chondrocytes. Thus, around each of the channels, there exists a zone of chondrocytes about 40-60 micron wide which exhibits a low fluorescence yield. The fluorescence level suggests that these perivascular cells have a higher level of oxidative metabolism than hypertrophic chondrocytes that are a distance (greater than 150 micron) from the vascular channels. This finding, in conjunction with our earlier observation that mineralization is first seen in the perivascular region, leads us to the conclusion that mineralization is associated with cellular oxidative activity. We now reject the long-held concept that in cartilage the development of mineralization is entirely due to tissue hypoxia.     

The role of transferrin in natural killer cell and IL-2-induced cytotoxic cell function

The growth factor transferrin (Tf) enhanced natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity. This enhancement was due to direct effects on NK cell function, and Tf treatment of the K562 target cell had no effect on their sensitivity. NK cells were highly enriched in the low-density large granular lymphocyte population (LGL) by Percoll gradient centrifugation. Despite the direct effect of Tf on NK cells, the number of cells expressing receptors for Tf (TfR) in NK-enriched LGL was the same as the NK-cell-depleted high-density small lymphocyte population (SL). All populations, tested without stimulation, had very few TfR+ cells. Interleukin 2 (IL-2) could induce very high NK-like activity in the LGL but not in SL. Similarly, only LGL could be induced by IL-2 to express TfR. In serum-free cultures, only limited NK-like activity could be developed which was greatly enhanced by supplementing with Tf in the cultures. The importance of Tf in NK-like development was confirmed by modulating the expression of TfR in IL-2 containing cultures with mouse monoclonal antibody OKT9 specific for TfR. OKT9 totally abrogated the induction of cytotoxic activity by IL-2 against K562 and NK-resistant target. OKT9 inhibited the induction of cytotoxicity in both lymphocytes containing active NK cells and in those predepleted of active NK cells, indicating that the development of NK-like activity from both precursor populations requires Tf. The inhibition by OKT9 was only during the induction phase. The same antibody had no effect on the cytotoxicity of fresh NK cells or the mature IL-2-induced NK-like cells. Our data therefore do not support the hypothesis of TfR as the NK recognition structure. Instead, these results indicate that Tf is important for the development of NK and NK-like activities.     

Localization and synthesis of an antigenic determinant of herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D that stimulates the production of neutralizing antibody.

An antigenic determinant capable of inducing type-common herpes simplex virus (HSV)-neutralizing antibodies has been located on glycoprotein D (gD) of HSV type 1 (HSV-1). A peptide of 16 amino acids corresponding to residues 8 to 23 of the mature glycoprotein (residues 33 to 48 of the predicted gD-1 sequence) was synthesized. This peptide reacted with an anti-gD monoclonal antibody (group VII) previously shown to neutralize the infectivity of HSV-1 and HSV-2. The peptide was also recognized by polyclonal antibodies prepared against purified gD-1 but was less reactive with anti-gD-2 sera. Sera from animals immunized with the synthetic peptide reacted with native gD and neutralized both HSV-1 and HSV-2.     

A new lace bug species of the genus Sinaldocader (Hemiptera: heteroptera, tingidae) from the turonian of southwestern Kazakhstan

Sinaldocader rasnitsyni sp.nov. (Heteroptera, Tingidae) is described from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) of southwestern Kazakhstan (Kzyl-Dzhar locality).