Migration of leafhoppers (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha) into a new polder

Auchenorrhyncha of a new polder were sampled by different kinds of traps in four stations in new habitats, one station on the salt marsh and one just outside the polder. In the latter stations 20 species of Auchenorrhyncha were caught in numbers that declined during the four year study. The proportion of macropters of the common Streptanus sordidus was highest in the largest catches. In the polder proper 392 specimens of 13 species were caught, all had moved at least 1500 m, but some could be traced to origins at greater distances. The number of immigrants also declined during the study. The distribution of the leafhoppers over the trapping stations suggests that leafhoppers, although sometimes transported over great distances, as a rule quickly fall out once they are airborne. Probably only one species had founded a resident population in the new polder at the end of the study.     

Monoacylcadaverines in the blood of schizophrenic patients

Concentrations of cadaverine, monoacetylcadaverine and monopropionylcadaverine in the blood of schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic subjects were measured. Two groups, one from the U.S.A. the other from Japan, were tested. Monoacetylcadaverine and monopropionylcadaverine were found elevated in the blood of some schizophrenic patients in comparison with those in controls in each group. Their increase could be caused by a reduced monoamine oxidase activity or by an increased acylation in schizophrenic patients.     

Effect of rye embryo ribosome nuclease on double-stranded RNA

In extracts obtained by treating rye embryo ribosomes with 0.5 M NH₄Cl, nuclease activity was noted towards double-stranded RNA from virus of Penicillium chrysogenum and towards synthetic poly (A)-poly (U) and poly (I)-poly (C) complexes.     

Effect of dilution rate on growth characteristics of Candida utilis in multistage culture systems with different interstage mixing

The effect of dilution rate on important process parameters of biomass production in two multistage culture systems with different interstage mixing has been examined. Experiments were performed in a multistage tower fermenter and in a cascade of fermenters. Measurements were made at steady-state of continuous culture under constant and identical values of ethanol concentration of 50 gl^?1 in the feed, temperature, OTR and pH in both culture systems used. The microorganism used was Candida utilis. Ethanol inhibition influenced cell growth rate due to the complete dissimilation of the restricted quantity of acetate to H₂O and CO₂, leading to insufficient energy generation. The value of ethanol concentration at which ethanol started to inhibit cell growth was a combined function of OTR, S_R and D. The presence of the interstage mixing resulted in more efficient ethanol conversion to biomass in the whole range of dilution rates and significantly lowered the risk of washing-out at high values of both S_R and D.     

Abundance of protein-bound sulfhydryl and bisulfide groups at chromosomal nucleolus organizing regions

Silver stainability of the chromosomal nucleolus organizing regions that contain the structural genes for ribosomal RNA can be abolished by proteolytic and oxidative treatments. Histone extraction has no effect. This indicates that reducing groups of non-histone chromosomal proteins are responsible for silver staining. Treatment with fluorescent sulfhydryl and disulfide specific reagents followed by silver staining demonstrates coincidence of silver dots and brightly fluorescent spots at the short arms of human acrocentric chromosomes where ribosomal RNA-genes are located. After treatment with cupric sulfite reagent in the presence of urea fluorescence and silver staining was no longer possible. Silver staining has been reported to be associated with ribosomal RNA-gene activity. Acrocentric chromosomes that are negative in silver staining also lack the brightly fluorescent spots. Therefore, we conclude that an abundance of protein-bound sulfhydryl and disulfide groups occur at nucleolar organizing regions with active genes. Differentially fluorescing spots could not be observed after staining with fluorescamine. So, either the sulfhydryl reagents used in this study are much more sensitive than fluorescamine to study protein distributions in cytological preparations, or our observations point to a local accumulation of some specific protein(s) rich in sulfhydryls. The presence of many sulfhydryl and disulfide groups at the nucleolus organizing regions seems suggestive of a great flexibility of protein(s) by transition of sulfhydryl groups to disulfide bridges and vice versa at these highly active regions of the genome.     

Phosphorylation of glycogen synthase I from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Summary Glycogen synthase I from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes was phosphorylated with cAMP dependent protein kinase, synthase kinase or phosvitin kinase prepared from these cells. Limited tryptic hydrolysis released four phosphopeptides (t-A, t-B, t-C, t-D). Subsequent α-chymotryptic hydrolysis of the trypsin resistant core released three phosphopeptides. (c-A, c-B, c-C). The kinetic changes of glycogen synthase were compared with the phosphorylation of the peptides. Equivalent kinetic changes (K_c=0.2–0.3 mM Glc-6-P) were obtained when 1 P_i/subunit was introduced by cAMP dependent protein kinase, 0.5 P_i/subunit by synthase kinase and 0.8 P_i/subunit by both kinases. Initially, cAMP dependent protein kinase phosphorylated peptides c-A and t-C in parallel and somewhat later also t-B, whereas synthase kinase initially phosphorylated only c-A. The ultimate effect of the two kinases on c-A was additive. It was concluded that the initial kinetic changes were dependent on phosphorylation of c-A, which contained two sites, one for each kinase. The same kinetic changes were induced by phosphorylation on each of the sites. In the subsequent phosphorylation the kinases, separately or together, phosphorylated peptide c-C indicating one non-specific phosphorylatable site in this peptide. The cAMP dependent protein kinase alone phosphorylated t-C maximally, whereas both kinases were required for an equal phosphorylation of t-A and t-B. It is suggested that the cAMP dependent protein kinase phosphorylated t-A and t-C, whereas the data did not allow a similar suggestion for t-B. The kinetic changes occurring during the later stages of phosphorylation were an increase in K_c for Glc. 6-P to 4–5 mM at 1.85 P_i/subunit and to 20 mM at 3.3 P_i/subunit, but the changes could not be assigned to phosphorylation of any specific peptide. Phosphorylation of the peptides t-D and c-B were insignificant, but c-B may be phosphorylated under other experimental conditions (25). The phosvitin kinase phosphorylated glycogen synthase extremely slowly to an extent of 0.8 P_i/subunit, mainly in peptide c-C. Glycogen synthase would appear without physiological importance as substrate for this kinase. Phosphorylase kinase from rabbit skeletal muscle incorporated 0.7 P_i/subunit, mainly in peptide c-A causing a decrease in RI to 0.3, which upon further incubation remained constant. The rate of decrease in RI to 0.5 was unaffected by several synthase modifiers, including Glc-6-P, but was inhibited by ADP and P_i. The rate of phosphorylation by cAMP dependent protein kinase and synthase kinase was diversely affected in different buffers, however, without affecting the ultimate phosphorylation pattern.     

Phosphorylation of glycogen synthase in a homogenate of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Summary Glycogen synthase I in a homogenate of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes was phosphorylated under imitated physiological conditions utilizing the endogenous protein kinases. At subsequent steps of phosphorylation the³²P-labelled synthase was purified and characterized. Limited tryptic hydrolysis of the³²P-labelled synthase released four phosphopeptides (t-A, t-B, t-C, t-D) and subsequent chymotrypsinization of the trypsin resistant core released three phosphopeptides (c-A, c-B, c-C). One P_i/subunit was incorporated within 8–10 min and 2.2 P_i/subunit within 60 min increasing the K_c for Gle-6-P to 4–6 mM. The initial phosphorylation up to 0.8 P_i/subunit occurred mainly in peptide c-A and a linear relation between ratio of independence (RI) of glycogen synthase in the interval RI 0.85 to RI 0.05 and phosphorylation of this peptide to 0.5 P_i was observed. Phosphorylation of this peptide is responsible for the decrease in ratio of independence. From experiments with inhibitors and activators, the initial phosphorylation was found predominantly catalysed by the endogenous cAMP independent synthase kinase, however, the endogenous cAMP dependent protein kinase and phosphorylase kinase also phosphorylate endogenous glycogen synthase I to a minor degree. Circumstantial evidence for a Ca-dependent synthase kinase different from phosphorylase kinase is presented. The endogenous Gle-6-P dependent glycogen synthase occurring in a homogenate of leukocytes disrupted in the presence of NaF incorporated 1.07 P_i/subunit and K_c for Glc-6-P was increased from 6–8 mM to 20 mM. From the present and previous experiments [7] a total of 8 major phosphorylatable sites have been defined, one on each of the peptides t-A, t-B, t-C, c-B and c-C and two on peptide c-A, which in addition may contain a third site for phosphorylase kinase. Assuming identical subunits, only 13 out of 32 sites are thus covalently modified at maximum phosphorylation. The operational defined synthase R (K_c for Glc-6-P 0.5 mM) and D (K_c for Glc-6-P 2–8 mM) activities correspond to synthase with about 0.8 P_i and 1.8–2.3 P_i/subunit, respectively.     

A simple mathematical model of the secondary succession of shrubs

A simple simulation model of the secondary shrub succession has been elaborated on the grounds of primary field data from abandoned fields of different ages in the area of Bohemian Karst. The model describes vegetational dynamics using adaptedVolterra-Lotka equations for competing species. Carrying capacities and growth rates are expressed as a function of the depth of the soil.