Electrophoretic analysis of endonuclease-generated fragments of k-DNA, of esterase isoenzymes, and of surface proteins as aids for species identification of insect trypanosomatids

In order to verify the applicability of biochemical methods for species identification of Trypanosomatidae, 13 species of monoxenic trypanosomatids plus the heteroxenous Trypanosoma cruzi were comparatively analyzed by three different biochemical methods. Insect trypanosomatids examined were: Crithidia acanthocephali, C. fasciculata (three varieties), C. luciliae luciliae, C. luciliae thermophila, C. deanei, C. oncopelti, Herpetomonas muscarum muscarum, H. megaseliae, H. samuelpessoai, H. mariadeanei, Leptomonas seymouri, L. collosoma, L. samueli, and Blastocrithidia culicis. Also included in the survey were aposymbiotic strains of C. deanei and C. oncopelti. Methods used were: electrophoretic profiling of endonuclease-generated fragments of k-DNA, esterase isoenzymes profiling, and polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of radioiodinated cell surface proteins. Interspecific but not intraspecific differences were detected by all three methods among the 13 monoxenic species examined. Thus, it is concluded that these methods can be successfully used, in addition to classical criteria, for species identification of insect trypanosomatids.     

500-MHz 1H NMR studies of ragweed allergen Ra5

The solution conformation of short ragweed allergen Ra5, a protein of 45 amino acid residues cross-linked with four disulfide bridges, has been investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy at 500 MHz. The aromatic region, which contains resonances from three tyrosines and two tryptophans, has been partially assigned. Two tyrosines titrate with a pK of 10.2; a third tyrosine is buried under the tryptophan resonances, and its pK could not be determined. The two tryptophans reside in different microenvironments; the resonances of one are very similar to those found in random coil structures while the other has dramatically shifted peaks. Nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) difference spectroscopy is used to define two distinct spin-diffusion systems for the aromatic residues and to further identify several methyl-containing amino acids involved in these systems. Assignments in the methyl region are based on selective decoupling, chemical shifts, NOE difference spectra, and 2-D J-resolved and 2-D J-correlated spectroscopy (COSY) methodology. A unique ring-current-shifted methyl doublet in the Ra5 spectrum titrates into the bulk methyl region with a pK of 10.2. Examination of the COSY map suggests that this resonance belongs to either leucine-1 or isoleucine-38. Chemical removal of the N-terminal leucine did not affect the ring-current-shifted methyl. Therefore, this unique resonance has been assigned to the methyl of isoleucine-38.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Estimating Population Size and Density Using Line Transect Sampling

ANDERSON and POSPAHALA (1970) investigated the estimation of wildlife population size using the belt or line transect sampling method and devised a correction for bias, thus leading to a class of estimators with desirable characteristics. This work was given a basic and rigorous mathematica framework by BURNHAM and ANDERSON (1976). In the present article we use this mathematical framework to develop an estimator of population size and density using weighted least squares. The approach is a two-stage Method.     

Isoelectric point determination of human and camel beta-endorphin, alpha-endorphin and enkephalins

The isoelectric point of the camel and the human β-endorphin, of the α-endorphin and the enkephalins were determined by analytical isoelectric focusing on 1 mm thin polyacrylamide gel slab. The difficulty of staining peptides as short as β-endorphin or smaller was overcomed using a modification of Bibring and Baxandall's or Faupel and Von Arx's staining method. The camel β-endorphin gives two bands having isoelectric point of 10.3 and 10.4, the human β-endorphin focus at pH 9.9, while α-endorphin, leu and met-enkephalin at pH 5.9, 5.5 and 5.45 respectively. The staining method described coupled with the isoelectric focusing seems to be fit for discriminating β-endorphin in a crude rat pituitary extract.