Carbon content of the neritic scyphomedusa Chrysaora fuscescens

An analysis of the role of scyphomedusae in a planktonic ecosystemrequires that biomass or numerical abundance estimates be convertibleinto standard units for comparison with other components ofthe planktonic community. One species under investigation isthe brown sea nettle, Chrysaora fuscescens, which is very abundantin coastal waters of the west coast of North America (Shenker,1984). For this species, the carbon content of whole immatureanimals and the body components of sexually mature medusae weredetermined. Immature medusae contained a mean carbon content0.202% of the wet weight. The bell, oral arms and gonadal tissueof mature medusae had mean carbon levels 0.156, 0.554 and 0.576%of the wet weight, respectively. When the relative proportionsof these body tissues were calculated, the mean carbon contentof whole mature medusae was determined to be 0.280% of the wetweight.     

Distorted segregation and linkage of alcohol dehydrogenase genes in Camellia japonica L. (Theacease)

Alcohol dehydrogenase isozymes in Camellia japonica are encoded by two genes, Adh-1 and Adh-2. Both loci are expressed in seeds, and their products randomly associate into intragenic and intergenic dimers. Electrophoresis of leaf extracts reveals only the products of Adh-2. Formal genetic analysis indicated that the two Adh loci are tightly linked (combined estimate of r=0.004). Most segregations fit expected Mendelian ratios, but in some families distorted segregation was observed at Adh-1, Adh-2, or both loci. The deficient progeny class varied across families, and in two apparent backcrosses three rather than two phenotypic classes were recovered. The mechanism underlying these distortions is not known, but evidence is presented that suggests that the phenomenon is genic or segmental in nature. Plausible hypotheses include linkage of the Adh structural genes with a gametophytic self-incompatibility locus, translocation heterozygosity involving the segment bearing Adh-1 and Adh-2, or a combination of these two mechanisms.     

Identification of the dye gene product, mutational loss of which alters envelope protein composition and also affects sex factor F expression in Escherichia coli K-12

Summary The product of the dye gene of Escherichia coli, mapping at 99–100 min, is required for expression of the sex factor F, and also appears to be involved in the regulation of envelope proteins. Mutation of dye thus results in loss of expression of the F-factor (Fex^–, i.e. male sterility, and dye sensitivity (Dye^s). We have isolated a plasmid, pRB38, in which a 6 kb SalI fragment carrying the dye ⁺ gene was cloned into the plasmid pACYC184. This 6 kb SalI fragment also carries two nearby markers, chlG, involved in the synthesis of the molybdenum cofactor, and phoM, required for constitutive expression of alkaline phosphatase.Some of the polypeptides synthesised by pRB38 were identified using the maxi-cell procedure. The product of the dye gene was found to be a polypeptide of M_r=29,000. Thus derivatives of pRB38 in which the transposon was inserted into dye, resulting in a Dye^S Fex^– phenotype when these plasmids were in a dye strain, failed to produce this polypeptide and in some cases produced a truncated product. Such insertions also resulted in a Chl^r and Pho^– phenotype when the plasmid was in a (dye-chlG-phoM) phoR strain, although complementation tests suggested that the phoM ⁺ and chlG ⁺ genes were still intact. Insertions of into the promoter distal end of dye did not result in a Dye^S Fex^– phenotype, although a truncated Dye protein was synthesised, and a Chl^r Pho^– phenotype was produced.It has been suggested (Gaffney et al. 1983) that the dye (=sfrA) gene product is necessary for F-factor expression because it is required for translocation of the F-factor TraJ protein to the outer membrane. Our results suggest that the Dye protein is also required for expression of the molybdenum cofactor and of alkaline phosphatase, and could perhaps be involved in the translocation of these proteins to the membrane.     

Yeasts in molecular biology. Spheroplast preparation withCanadida utilis,Schizosaccharomyces pombe andSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Efficient preparation of spheroplasts fromCandida utilis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, andSchizosaccharomyces pombe, using a purified mixture of enzymes fromTrichoderma harzianum, is described. Limitations of other methods, and differences between yeasts are demonstrated.     

Sulfate inhibition of molybdate assimilation by planktonic algae and bacteria: some implications for the aquatic nitrogen cycle

Molybdenum is required for both dinitrogen fixation and nitrate assimilation. In oxic waters the primary form of molybdenum is the molybdate anion. Using radioactive [⁹⁹Mol Na₂MoO₄, we have shown that the transport of molybdate by a natural assemblage of freshwater phytoplankton is light-dependent and follows typical saturation kinetics. The molybdate anion is strikingly similar to sulfate and we present data to show that sulfate is a competitive inhibitor of molybdate assimilation by planktonic algae and bacteria. The ability of freshwater phytoplankton to transport molybdate is inhibited at sulfate concentrations as low as 5% of those in seawater and at sulfate: molybdate ratios as low as 50 to 100 times lower than those found in seawater, Similarly, the growth of both a freshwater bacterium and a saltwater diatom was inhibited at sulfate: molybdate ratios lower than those in seawater.The ratio of sulfate to molybdate is 10 to 100 times greater in seawater than in fresh water. This unfavorable sulfate: molybdate ratio may make molybdate less biologically available in the sea. The sulfate: molybdate ratio may explain, in part, the low rates of nitrogen fixation in N-limited salt waters.     

Numerical solution of a nonlinear advance-delay-differential equation from nerve conduction theory

A functional differential equation which is nonlinear and involves forward and backward deviating arguments is solved numerically. The equation models conduction in a myelinated nerve axon in which the myelin completely insulates the membrane, so that the potential change jumps from node to node. The equation is of first order with boundary values given at t=±. The problem is approximated via a difference scheme which solves the problem on a finite interval by utilizing an asymptotic representation at the endpoints, cubic interpolation and iterative techniques to approximate the delays, and a continuation method to start the procedure. The procedure is tested on a class of problems which are solvable analytically to access the scheme's accuracy and stability, then applied to the problem that models propagation in a myelinated axon. The solution's dependence on various model parameters of physical interest is studied. This is the first numerical study of myelinated nerve conduction in which the advance and delay terms are treated explicitly.Supported in part by NSF Grant MCS8301724 and by a Biomedical Research Support Grant 2SO7RR0706618 from NIH     

Growth Regulation In Multilayered Cultures of Human Diploid Fibroblasts: the Roles of Contact, Movement and Matrix Production

Abstract. Early subcultures of human embryonic lung fibroblasts are exceptional, as they grow far beyond confluence before growth ceases: the stationary dish may well contain 3-10 monolayer equivalents. Maximal growth rates, however, occur at about one-sixth confluence when doubling times are 15-20 hr; a density at which cell contacts begin to become frequent. the fact that a slowing down of growth is first apparent at such low densities argues against this regulation being due to diffusion effects. Confirmation of the role of short-range or contact interactions in growth regulation comes from an experiment using mixed cultures of fibroblasts: this shows that growth inhibition is not carried by medium-borne influences but depends on short-range (<1 mm) interactions. Evidence that cells can escape the effects of such contact interactions and so divide comes from time-lapse studies of dense cultures: there is a burst of motility soon after a fresh-medium change, which is followed by a burst of mitosis × 20 hr later. A medium change to conditioned medium supplemented with 10% foetal calf serum leads to neither the burst of motility nor the subsequent burst of mitosis, although this medium is better able to support the growth of sparse cells than is fresh medium. Data are also presented to show that the amount of collagen deposited in superconfluent cultures affects their growth: the stimulation of collagen production with ascorbic acid leads to an unexpectedly low stationary cell density and rather less movement in the culture. This result suggests that the collagen stabilizes cell contacts that are responsible for growth inhibition. the question of why these cells grow more slowly as density increases cannot be answered directly by these experiments; nevertheless, the results suggest that cell contact affects the permeability of the cell membrane to medium.