Microcalorimetric measurements of heat production in isolated rat brown adipocytes.

Heat production, oxygen consumption, and lipolysis in isolated interscapular brown adipocytes from the rat were investigated. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, and isoproterenol increased heat production in a concentration-dependent manner, showing, about 6-, 4-, and 5-fold higher effects than controls, respectively. The concentration of isoproterenol for threshold heat production and glycerol release were 10(-10) M and 10(-9) M, respectively. The fact that 10(-9) M isoproterenol increased heat production by about 3-fold while glycerol release had no effect at all indicates that calorimetry is more appropriate for investigation of brown adipocytes. At least the method is more sensitive than that of measuring glycerol release.     

Detection and production condition of acetylxylan esterase from a wood-rotting fungus,Coriolus versicolor

Acetyl esterase production was detected in a wood-rotting fungus,Coriolus versicolor, by the formation of a clear zone on a double layer agar plate containing glucose β-d-pentaacetate. Two polysaccharide acetates, carboxymethyl cellulose acetate and xylan acetate, also served as detectable substrates in place of glucose acetate to form clear zone. In an esterase assay, this fungal esterase showed a higher specificity to acetylxylan than did porcine liver esterase, indicating that it is an acetylxylan esterase.     

A Novel Class of Herbicides (Specific Inhibitors of Imidazoleglycerol Phosphate Dehydratase)

A new mode of herbicidal action was established by finding specific inhibitors of imidazoleglycerol phosphate dehydratase, an enzyme of histidine (His) biosynthesis. Three triazole phosphonates inhibited the reaction of the enzyme with Ki values of 40 [plus or minus] 6.5, 10 [plus or minus] 1.6, and 8.5 [plus or minus] 1.4 nM, respectively, and were highly cytotoxic to cultured plant cells. This effect was completely reversed by the addition of His, proving that the cytotoxicity was primarily caused by the inhibition of His biosynthesis. These inhibitors showed wide-spectrum, postemergent herbicidal activity at application rates ranging from 0.05 to 2 kg/ha.     

Plant regeneration from protoplasts of Gentiana by embedding protoplasts in gellan gum

A protoplast-to-plant system was developed in Gentiana using a gellan gum-embedding culture. Viable protoplasts could be routinely isolated from in vitro-grown plantlets, and they were embedded in 0.2% gellan gum-solidified B5 medium containing 2 mg l^-1 NAA, 0.1 mg l^-1 TDZ, 0.1 M sucrose and 0.4 M mannitol. Weekly addition of fresh liquid medium was essential for preventing cell browning. Colony growth was promoted by lowering mannitol concentration of the culture media after one month, and visible colonies were produced after 2 months of culture. Shoot regeneration from protoplast-derived calluses was stimulated by 1 to 10 mg l^-1 TDZ in combination with 0.1 mg l^-1 NAA. Protoplast-derived plants were recovered following rooting of the shoots in plant growth regulator-free medium and they were successfully transferred to soil.Abbreviations BA benzylaminopurine - FDA fluorescein diacetate - FW fresh weight - MES 2-N-morpholinoethane sulfonic acid - NAA -naphthaleneacetic acid - TDZ N-1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl-N-phenylurea (also called thidiazuron)     

Immunocytochemical localization of thrombomodulin in the aqueous humor passage of the rat eye

 This report describes the distribution and localization of thrombomodulin (TM) in the rat eye by light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry. In addition to the endothelium of the entire vasculature, TM was found on the non-vascular structures lining the cavities of the posterior and anterior chambers and the limbus. TM was localized on the basal, lateral, and apical plasma membranes of the inner and outer ciliary epithelium, and the posterior iris epithelium in which there was no polarized expression of TM. In the anterior chamber, TM was localized on the luminal surface of the corneal endothelium, but was negative on the anterior border layer of the iris, which is composed of a discontinuous layer of fibroblasts and collagen fibers. Thus, TM was present at sites of cell-to-cell contact. TM was also present on the endothelia of the trabecular meshwork and the Schlemm’s canal in the limbus. TM was localized not only on the luminal plasma membrane, but also on the cytoplasmic giant vacuoles in the endothelial cells of the Schlemm’s canal. These findings extend the importance of anticoagulant mechanisms to the systems of secretion, circulation, and drainage of the aqueous humor. Accepted: 18 March 1997     

Circular DNA Plasmid in the Phytopathogenic Fungus Alternaria Alternata: Its Temperature-Dependent Curing and Association with Pathogenicity

We found the presence of plasmid DNA in strain T88-56 of the Japanese pear pathotype of Alternaria alternata, which causes black spot of certain cultivars of Japanese pear by producing host-specific AK-toxin. The plasmid, designated pAAT56, was identified to be an ~5.4-kilobase (kb) circular molecule by electron microscopic observation and restriction endonuclease mapping. Southern blot analysis showed that pAAT56 DNA had no homology with either nuclear or mitochondrial DNA. Cultures of strain T88-56 grown at 26° showed markedly reduced plasmid levels relative to those grown at lower temperatures. The strain was completely cured of pAAT56 during growth at 29°. Temperature-dependent curing of pAAT56 was confirmed by using single-protoplast isolates from mycelia grown at 23°, most of which maintained the plasmid, and from mycelia grown at 29°, most of which had lost the plasmid. Northern blot analysis detected the presence of three RNA species (~1.7, 2.7 and 5.4 kb) transcribed from pAAT56. The biological function of pAAT56 was observed using single-protoplast isolates from mycelia that either contained or had been cured of pAAT56. The plasmid-containing isolates tended to be reduced in AK-toxin production and pathogenicity compared with the plasmid-cured isolates.