Distribution of Alginate Lyase Activity among Strains of Bacillus circulans

Strains from four different DNA relatedness groups of Bacillus circulans showed apparent alginate lyase activity; the activity of three strains examined had mannuronidase specificity. A representative strain of group 4 also produced apparent inducible unsulfated chrondroitin lyase activity.     

Cross-linked collagen surface for cell culture that is stable,uniform, and optically superior to conventional surfaces

Summary A new type of collagen surface for use with cultures of peripheral nervous system cells is described. Collagen is derivatized to plastic culture dishes by a cross-linking reagent, 1-cyclohexyl-3-(2-morpholinoethyl)-carbodiimide-metho-p-toluenesulfonate (carbodiimide), to form a uniform and durable surface for cell attachment and growth that allows dry storage, long-term culture, and improved microscopy. Surfaces of collagen derivatized to plastic were compared to surfaces of adsorbed or ammonia-polymerized collagen in terms of collagen binding and detachment, growth by dorsal root ganglion cells, and electron microscopy appearances. Derivatized collagen surfaces retained more collagen and showed much less evidence of degradation and cellular damage over periods of many weeks than did conventional adsorbed surfaces. Long-term survival of cells on derivatized collagen was far superior to that on the other surfaces, with almost 90% of cultures still viable after 10 wk. Transmission electron microscopy showed an organized layer of single fibrils that supported cell growth well, and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated an increased uniformity of derivatized collagen surfaces compared to ammoniated collagen surfaces. Applications for this improved substrate surface are discussed. This work was supported by the Leopold Schepp Foundation, the Dysautonomia Foundation, National Institutes of Health Grants NS14768 and NS11237, and Institutional Core Grant HD06276.     

Linkage group VI of fish of the genus Xiphophorus (Poeciliidae): Assignment of genes coding for glutamine synthetase,uridine monophosphate kinase,and transferrin

Electrophoretic variation ascribable to three protein-coding loci, coding for glutamine synthetase (GS), uridine monophosphate kinase (UMPK), and transferrin (Tf), was observed in three species of fish of the genus Xiphophorus. Electrophoretic patterns in interspecific F1 hybrid heterozygotes suggested monomeric subunit structures of UMPK and Tf and a multimeric structure of undetermined subunit number of GS. Linkage analyses in backcross hybrids indicated a recombination map of GS-0%-Tf-10.8%-UMPK. This group (designated Xiphophorus linkage group VI) was shown to assort independently from the 14 enzyme loci assigned to linkage groups I-V and from 19 other informative markers within the limits of the data.     

Biotype-specific expression of dsRNA in the sweetpotato whitefly

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of two different biotypes of the sweetpotato whitefly,Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), on the induction of squash silverleaf (SSL), and to determine if double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) occurs in geographically remote populations of the two biotypes. Recently collected B-biotype whiteflies from Florida, Arizona, Mississippi, and Texas (SPW-B) all contained a 7.0 kb dsRNA molecule. Kb dsRNA molecule. Laboratory colonies of A-biotype whiteflies that were originally collected in 1981 from cotton in Arizona and California did not contain the 7.0 Kb dsRNA. When the two biotypes were compared only the SPW-B induced rapid onset, grade 5, SSL. DsRNA similar to that found in adult SPW-B was concentrated in whitefly nymphs, but host plant leaf tissue did not contain any consistent dsRNA molecules. SPW-A only induced low-grade SSL and progeny of SPW-A that were fed on pumpkin plants displaying SSL did not acquire the ability to express dsRNA or induce SSL. Our data suggest that dsRNA is not directly involved in the induction of SSL and that SSL is a host-specific response, to a feeding injury induced by B-biotype whiteflies. The origin and source of the 7.0 Kb dsRNA molecule remains enigmatic but its expression is constant in the whitefly biotype that is responsible for the induction of SSL and several other plant disorders in the U.S.     

Mutations inside but not outside the peptide binding cleft of the H-2 Ld molecule affects CTL recognition and binding of the nucleoprotein peptide from the lymphocytic chroriomeningitis

In order to investigate the role of residues inside and outside the peptide binding cleft of the L² molecule in peptide presentation to cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), we constructed a series of point mutations in the L ^d gene. We determined the effects of the mutations in the L^d molecule on the binding and recognition of an L^d-restricted CTL epitope derived from the nucleoprotein (NP) of the lymphocytic phoriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Each of the mutations within the L^d peptide binding cleft resulted in a complete loss of CTL recognition. Addition of the LCMV NP peptide to cells expressing these mutants did not increase surface L^d expression, suggesting that the mutations altered peptide binding. Mutations involving pockets D and E within the cleft affected LCMV peptide binding and recognition as drastically as those in pocket B, which was predicted to interact with a main anchor residue of the peptide. In striking contrast, the mutations located outside the cleft did not change either recognition or binding. These results demonstrate that the L^d residues in the peptide binding cleft are the main determinants dictating LCMV NP peptide binding, and that the residues in each of the pockets within the cleft play a role in this interaction. Surprisingly, one mutation outside the peptide binding cleft, T92S, abrogated CTL lysis of target cells treated with the LCMV NP peptide, but not virus-infected cells. These data show that this mutation selectively altered the presentation of the LCMV NP peptide introduced to the cell exogenously, but not endogenously. This implies that the pathway by which peptides associate with class I molecules within the cell differs from that of exogenous peptide binding.     

Characterization of a weak allele of the GL1 gene of Arabidopsis thaliana

A genomic clone containing the gl1–2 allele has been isolated and sequenced. The predicted amino acid sequence of the gl1–2 protein is identical to that of the GL1-Col allele up to position 201. At this point in the coding region of gl1–2 there is a deletion relative to the wild-type sequence that results in an in-frame stop codon at position 202. This deletion removes 27 amino acid residues, including a highly negatively charged region, from the predicted gl1–2 polypeptide. The loss of this negatively charged carboxy-terminal region from the gl1–2 product is most likely the cause of the partial loss of gene activity which results in a reduction in leaf trichome initiation.