Acid hydrolases of the rat uterus in relation to pregnancy, post-partum involution and collagen breakdown

1. The rat uterus contains acid cathepsin, beta-glucuronidase, beta-galactosidase, acid phosphatase and deoxyribonuclease II at concentrations comparable with those found in liver. Two non-hydrolytic uterine enzymes, cytochrome c oxidase and aspartate aminotransferase, display only 2-6% of the activity found in liver. 2. The concentrations of acid cathepsin and beta-glucuronidase are significantly decreased in pregnancy and increase 3-4-fold during post-partum involution. 3. The concentrations of beta-galactosidase and acid phosphatase are not decreased in pregnancy and increase only 2-3-fold during involution. 4. The concentrations of these four acid hydrolases increase linearly during the first 4 days post partum and reach their peak values at the same time that wet weight and collagen content fall to their lowest point. 5. The concentration of deoxyribonuclease is depressed in pregnancy but does not rise above normal in the post-partum period. 6. Only a small proportion of each hydrolytic activity can be isolated in the mitochondrial-lysosomal fraction of sucrose homogenates of the rat uterus. This proportion increases during involution. However, the extensive mitochondrial rupture occurring during homogenization indicates that the technique is probably too harsh to obtain a true measure of the proportion of lysosomes present in the intact tissue. 7. There are no significant changes in either the concentration or subcellular distribution of the five acid hydrolases in the livers of the experimental rats during pregnancy or involution. In each case the largest proportion of the activity is found in the mitochondrial-lysosomal fraction of liver homogenates. 8. The results are interpreted in terms of the lysosomal theory of intracellular digestion.     

Phylogenetic relationships among eutherian orders estimated from inferred sequences of mitochondrial proteins: Instability of a tree based on a single gene

The phylogenetic relationships among Primates (human), Artiodactyla (cow), Cetacea (whale), Carnivora (seal), and Rodentia (mouse and rat) were estimated from the inferred amino acid sequences of the mitochondrial genomes using Marsupialia (opossum), Aves (chicken), and Amphibia (Xenopus) as an outgroup. The overall evidence of the maximum likelihood analysis suggests that Rodentia is an outgroup to the other four eutherian orders and that Cetacea and Artiodactyla form a clade with Carnivora as a sister taxon irrespective of the assumed model for amino acid substitutions. Although there remains an uncertainty concerning the relation among Artiodactyla, Cetacea, and Carnivora, the existence of a clade formed by these three orders and the outgroup status of Rodentia to the other eutherian orders seems to be firmly established. However, analyses of individual genes do not necessarily conform to this conclusion, and some of the genes reject the putatively correct tree with nearly 5% significance. Although this discrepancy can be due to convergent or parallel evolution in the specific genes, it was pointed out that, even without a particular reason, such a discrepancy can occur in 5% of the cases if the branching among the orders in question occurred within a short period. Due to uncertainty about the assumed model underlying the phylogenetic inference, this can occur even more frequently. This demonstrates the importance of analyzing enough sequences to avoid the danger of concluding an erroneous tree.     

Effects of an antisense napin gene on seed storage compounds in transgenic Brassica napus seeds

To manipulate the quantity and quality of storage components in Brassica napus seeds, we have constructed an antisense gene for the storage protein napin. The antisense gene was driven by the 5-flanking region of the B. napus napin gene to express antisense RNA in a seed-specific manner. Seeds of transgenic plants with antisense genes often contained reduced amounts of napin. In some transgenic plants, no accumulation of napin was observed. However, the total protein content of transgenic and wild-type seeds did not differ significantly. Seeds lacking napin accumulated 1.4 to 1.5 times more cruciferin than untransformed seeds, although the oleosin content was not affected. Fatty acid content and composition in the seeds of transgenic plants were also analyzed by gas chromatography. Though the total fatty acid content of the transformants was the same as that of non-transformants, there was a reduction in 18:1 contents and a concomitant increase of 18:2 in seeds with reduced napin levels. This observed change in fatty acid composition was inherited in the next generation.     

中国盲走螨属一新种和二新纪录：蜱螨亚纲：植绥螨科

本文记述我国植绥螨科盲走螨属Ｔｙｐｈｌｏｄｒｏｍｕｓ一新种和中国二新纪录：鲁盲走螨Ｔ．ｌｕｅｎｓｉｓ ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．,甲胄盲走螨Ｔ．ｌｏｒｃａｔｕｓ,肥厚盲走螨Ｔ．ｈｉｇｏｅｎｓｉｓ。标本保存于上海复旦大学环境和资源生物系。     

Hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) deficiency: Identification of point mutations in Japanese patients with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome and hereditary gout and their permanent expression in an HPRT-deficient mouse cell line

Two different single nucleotide transitions of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) were identified in a Japanese patient with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (LNS) and a patient with hereditary gout. HPRT enzyme activities in the two patients were severely deficient, but the size and amount of mRNA were normal according to Northern analysis. Entire coding regions of HPRT cDNAs were amplified by PCR and sequenced. A G-to-A substitution at base 208 in exon 3, which predicted glycine 70 to arginine, was detected in the LNS patient (identical mutation with HPRT_Utrecht). A C-to-A substitution at base 73 in exon 2, which predicted proline 25 to threonine, was detected in the gout patient (designated HPRT_Yonago). We transfected normal HPRT cDNA, mutant cDNA with HRPT_Utrecht or mutant cDNA with HPRT_Yonago, respectively, to HPRT-deficient mouse cells and isolated permanent expression cell lines. The HPRT-deficient mouse cells had no detectable HPRT activity and a very low amount of HPRT mRNA. When the HPRT-deficient mouse cells were transfected with normal human cDNA, HPRT enzyme activity increased to 21.8% that of normal mouse cells. The mouse cells transfected with HPRT_Utrecht showed no increase in HPRT activity; however, when the mouse cells were transfected with HPRT_Yonago, the activity increased to 2.4% that of normal activity. The proliferative phenotypes of these cells in HAT medium and in medium containing 6-thioguanine were similar to those of skin fibroblasts from the patients. This series of studies confirmed that each of the two point mutations was responsible for the decreases in HPRT enzyme activity, and the proliferative phenotypes in HAT medium and medium containing 6-thioguanine.     

黑龙江依兰早第三纪植物群的古气候分析

对黑龙江依兰煤矿煤层间的大量植物叶痕化石研究表明：依兰植物群有蕨类植物２ 种,裸子植物１０ 种,被子植物５８ 种,分属３４ 科４６属。植物群可分为两个植物组合：一个是下煤层上顶板的矿页岩层化石的组合,称Ａ 段组合,时代为早始新世。植物种类丰富,含有较多常绿阔叶成分,属北亚热带的常绿阔叶和落叶阔叶、针阔叶混生林。通过植物叶相特征分析,其全缘叶比例为３８％ 。用气候诺模图得出其古气候为年均温１３．２℃,年温差２０℃;另一个植物组合是煤系地层之上,即上煤层顶部的油页岩层中的Ｂ段化石组合,时代为早渐新世。植物以落叶成分为主,属暖温带落叶阔叶林和针阔叶混生林。全缘叶比例为３０％ 。古气候年均温为１１℃,年温差２５℃。表明植物区系组成完全不同,显示出气候随时代发生了演变,而使区系逐渐发展到今日的寒温带气候和植被     

Increased shikonin production by hairy roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon in two phase bubble column reactor

Summary Plant hairy root cultures of Lithospermum erythrorhizon were carried out to produce shikonin derivatives by employing in situ extraction with n-hexadecane in a shake flask and a bubble column bioreactor. Over 95 % shikonin produced was recovered in the n-hexadecane layer. In flask cultures the maximum concentration of shikonin with n-hexadecane extraction was 3 times higher than that obtained without extraction. In the two phase bubble column reactor, 572.6 mg/L of shikonin and 15.6 g/L of dry cell mass were obtained after 54 days. Shikonin was produced at a constant level of 10.6 mg/L day during this period.     

Mechanisms of TonB-catalyzed iron transport through the enteric bacterial cell envelope

The recent solution of enteric bacterial porin structure, and new insights into the mechanism by which outer membrane receptor proteins recognize and internalize specific ligands, advocates the re-evaluation of TonB-dependent transport physiology. In this minireview we discuss the potential structural features of siderophore receptors and TonB, and use this analysis to evaluate both existing and new models of energy and signal transduction from the inner membrane to the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria.