Effect of different doses of chromium picolinate on protein metabolism in infant rats.

This 12-day study was conducted to evaluate the effects of three different levels of dietary chromium (100, 200, and 500 microg/day) in the form of chromium picolinate (CrPic) on growth and protein use in weaned rats. No significant effect of CrPic on body weight gain, food intake, or food conversion rate was observed. Elevated doses of CrPic seemed to increase muscle mass, either by stimulating protein anabolism by activation of insulin by chromium or by lowering protein degradation. However, these effects had no repercussions on overall growth, suggesting that any anabolic effect of chromium due to the action of insulin was probably marginal.     

Root productivity in a lowland tropical rain forest in Mexico

Fine root productivity was estimated in a lowland tropical rain forest at Los Tuxtlas (SE Mexico) and examined in relation to climatic factors. Two root diameter classes were defined (class I,<1 mm; class II, 1–3 mm). Total root productivity was estimated to 1.95 t ha^–1 year^–1, a value which is lower than those reported from other rain forest sites. Significant differences in root dry weight were found among months and between diameter classes throughout the year. Class I monthly means formed two groups: one corresponding to the months of highest precipitation, and the other to the relatively dry season. Class II monthly means also formed two groups, although these were unrelated to the regional precipitation pattern. A multiplicative regression model of productivity on precipitation was significant for both root classes when rainfall data of the previous month were used, while a linear regression model was significant only for class I roots when temperature data of two months before were used; these results suggest a delay in the effect of climatic conditions on root productivity. While the seasonal pattern of root productivity is clearly related to the annual rainfall distribution, the low total annual productivity may be related to the very high soil fertility at Los Tuxtlas.     

氟烷对慢性缺氧兔心肌β肾上腺素能受体的影响

用放射配基结合法和高效液相色谱电化学法分别测定氟烷对慢性缺氧免心肌β肾上腺素能受体（简称β受体）和血浆儿茶酚胺的影响。结果表明：慢性缺氧后兔心肌β受体密度明显下降,受体亲和力无明显变化,血浆肾上腺素、去甲肾上腺素明显升高。缺氧吸入氟烷后兔心肌β受体密度进一步下降,亲和力增加,血浆肾上腺素、去甲肾上腺素无进一步变化。常氧吸入氟烷后心肌β受体密度无明显变化,亲和力升高,血浆肾上腺素、去甲肾上腺素反而降低。结果提示,氟烷抑制常氧兔交感神经活动而不能抑制缺氧兔交感神经活动,氟烷不改变常氧兔心肌β受体密度,但降低缺氧兔心肌β受体密度。β受体密度降低与缺氧后升高的儿茶酚胺下调β受体数目有关,同时可能与氟烷改变了缺氧心肌细胞膜脂质流动性使受体易向膜内移动有关。     

Ehrlich cell plasma membrane redox system is modulated through signal transduction pathways involvingcGMP and Ca2+ as second messengers

Ehrlich cell plasma membrane ferricyanide reductase activity increased in the presence of mastoparan, a generic activator of G proteins, using either whole cells or isolated plasma membrane fractions. Agents that increase intracellularcAMP also increased the rate of ferricyanide reduction by Ehrlich cells. For the first time, evidence is shown on a modulation of plasma membrane redox system bycGMP. In fact, permeant analogs ofcGMP, dibutyrylcGMP, and 8-bromo-cGMP increased the rate of ferricyanide reduction by the Ehrlich cell plasma membrane redox system. Furthermore, specific inhibition ofcGMP-phosphodiesterases by dipyridamole was also accompanied by an enhancement in the rate of ferricyanide reduction. On the other hand, treatments expected to increase cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ concentrations were accompanied by a remarkable stimulation of the reductase activity. Taking all these data together, it seems that the Ehrlich cell plasma membrane redox system is under a multiple and complex regulation by different signal transduction pathways involving G proteins, cyclic nucleotides, and Ca²⁺ ions.     

Effects of Auxin and Phenobarbital on Morphogenesis and Production of Digitoxin in Digitalis Callus

Pieces of callus obtained from seedlings of Digitalis purpureawere grown on solid Murashige-Skoog's medium supplemented with1 mg liter^–1 BA and 0.1 mg liter^–1 IAA or NAA, withor without phenobarbital (40 mg liter^–1). The replacementof the natural auxin IAA by the synthetic auxin NAA increasedcallus growth and inhibited organogenesis, whereas the additionof phenobarbital had the opposite effect. Morphometric measurementsrevealed a high ratio of vacuole to cytoplasm (v/v) in calluscells. This ratio was affected by the different treatments inthe same way as the fresh weight. The activity of mitochondrialcytochrome P450scc (the enzyme that provides the precursor,pregnenolone, for the biosynthesis of cardenolide in foxgloveplants) was detected in the relevant fraction of callus grownunder all experimental conditions, and its activity was increasedby the addition of phenobarbital. The different treatments testedincreased the cardenolide content and quantifiable amounts ofdigitoxin were detected in all callus tissues. It is of specialinterest that phenobarbital added to the culture medium increasedthe accumulation of digitoxin. The mechanism affecting the developmentand production of cardenolide in callus tissues of D. purpureaby phenobarbital and the replacement of IAA by NAA is discussed. (Received July 18, 1994; Accepted December 14, 1994)     

喜马拉雅灰包菇──相传是“喜马拉雅雪人”的一种食物

喜马拉雅灰包菇ＳｅｃｏｔｉｕｍｈｉｍａｌａｉｃｕｍＺａｎｇｅｔＤｏｉ,由Ｄｒ．ＴｅｉｚｏＯｇａｗａ采于尼泊尔境内的喜马拉雅山带,据当地居民云：该菌为喜马拉雅雪人的一种食物。所谓雪人可能是高山雪线一带的动物。本文对该菌的分类特征和雪人的有关讨论作了介绍。原模式存日本国立科学博物馆。     

Subnucleolar location of fibrillarin and variation in its levels during the cell cycle and during differentiation of plant cells

The nucleolar protein fibrillarin has been studied in onion cells; it is detected as an Mr 37,000 protein by immunoblotting using a human autoimmune serum. Quantitative immunoelectron microscopy showed that most fibrillarin is localized in the transition zone between the fibrillar center (FC) and the dense fibrillar component (DFC) as well as in the priximal zone of the DFC, where the labeling shows a gradual decrease out-ward until it reaches insignificant levels in the distal zone of the DFC. Thus, fibrillarin is not uniformly distributed throughout the DFC of plant cells. This result supports the hypothesis that the morphologically homogeneous DFC may not be uniform in function; it is also in agreement with the hypothesized vectorial flow of ribosome biogenesis through the same compartments. Data are also presented showing that the amount of fibrillarin increase when nucleolar activity increases in G2, and probably decreases when nucleolar activity decreases during differentiation.     

Glycosylation of Acetylcholinesterase Forms in Microsomal Membranes from Normal and Dystrophic Lama2dy Mouse Muscle

Abstract: The distribution and glycosylation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) forms in vesicles derived from sarcoplasmic reticulum of normal muscle (NMV) were investigated and compared with those from dystrophic muscle vesicles (DMV). AChE activity was similar in NMV and DMV. Most of the AChE in NMV and half in DMV were released with Triton X-100. Asymmetric (A₁₂) and globular hydrophilic and amphiphilic (G^H₄, G^A₄, G^A₂, and G^A₁) AChE species occurred in NMV and DMV, the lighter forms being predominant. The percentage of G^H₄ and G^A₄ decreased in DMV. A fraction of the AChE that could not be extracted with detergent was detached with collagenase. Most of the detergent-released A₁₂ AChE from NMV and nearly half in DMV failed to bind to Ricinus communis agglutinin (RCA-I). Conversely, the collagenase-detached isoforms bound to RCA, revealing that asymmetric AChE associated with internal membranes or basal lamina differed in glycosylation. Moreover, nearly half of G^A₄ AChE in DMV and a few in NMV bound to RCA. Most of the RCA-unreactive G^A₄ forms in NMV come from sarcolemma. The results indicate that dystrophy induces minor changes in the distribution and glycosylation of AChE forms in internal membranes of muscle.     

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of Micrococcus lysodeikticus F1-ATPase. A method to detect conformational flexibility of the molecule

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography of purified ATPase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus (E.C. 3.6.1.3.), a complex oligomeric protein, induces extensive conformational changes in it. In this report, we describe some physicochemical properties of the enzyme forms obtained. They can be summarized as follows. (1) The subunit stoichiometry of the enzyme is altered by the absorption and desorption process since most of the forms obtained are defective in gamma and delta subunits. An important reduction in the molar proportion of alpha subunit is also observed; (2) the fluorescence spectra of the different forms show progressive tyrosine residues which roughly correspond to the extent and strength of the interaction existing before elution of the enzyme; (3) circular dichroism measurements reveal changes of the secondary structure of the F1-ATPase undergoing an increase in alpha-helical content; (4) the ordered, active forms eluted from the hydrophobic chromatography columns are less stable than the native protein, as shown by dialysis experiments. These results while supporting the use of hydrophobic chromatography as a simplified model of membrane-membrane protein interaction, also indicate the need for caution in its application to the purification of complex membrane proteins.