Survival of R+Escherichia coli in sea Water

The survival of Escherichia coli strains in sea water appears not to be affected by the possession of an R(+) factor. Sea water induces no detectable curing of R(+)E. coli.     

Size reduction associated with brachymesophalangia-5: a possible selective advantage

The skin reflectance characteristics of a group of Quechua Indians have been described with an emphasis upon the effects of varying degrees of hybridization, sex and age. This group of Peruvian Indians occupied a reflectance range common to that of all other reported groups of South American Indians. Miscegenation with European Whites had a statistically significant although small influence upon skin color. In general males were consistently darker than females on the three body sites measured. A significant darkening on unexposed body areas occurred in both sexes during early adolescence which may have been caused by the high activity level of the pituitary gland at that stage of the growth cycle.     

Computer-aided Diagnosis: Description of an Adaptable System,and Operational Experience with 2,034 Cases

This paper describes a system of computer-aided diagnosis using an English Electric KDF9 computer linked to a terminal in a busy clinical department. Data from a series of patients were recorded, coded, and entered into the computer, which then performed a Bayesian analysis and displayed diagnostic probabilities in an adaptable format. Experience in this setting suggests that computer diagnosis may be a valuable aid to the clinician.     

Development and application of white-noise modeling techniques for studies of insect visual nervous system

The nonlinear system identification technique through white-noise stimulation is extended to multi-input, -output systems with consideration given to applications in the functional study of the nervous system. The applicability of the method is discussed in general and in particular for the motion detection neuronal system of the fly. Two series of experiments are performed; one with moving striped-pattern stimuli and the other with spot stimuli of fluctuating intensity. In both cases nonlinear dynamic models are derived which describe the system with considerable accuracy over the frequency range of 0.2–50 Hz and a dynamic amplitude range of about 40-1. These models are able to predict accurately all the discrete experiments so far performed on this system for which the models are applicable. The differences in dynamic characteristics between the corresponding system of the Musca and Phoenicia families of flies are minor except for a difference in latencies and if the difference in geometry of their faceted eyes is taken into account. The large field response of the motion detection unit is a linear weighted summation of all the smaller field highly nonlinear subsystems of which the large field is comprised.     

Reconstitution of oxidative phosphorylation and the adenosine triphosphate-dependent transhydrogenase activity by a combination of membrane fractions from uncA? and uncB? mutant strains of Escherichia coli K12

1. Membrane preparations from both uncA(-) and uncB(-) mutant strains of Escherichia coli K12, in which electron transport is uncoupled from phosphorylation, were fractionated by washing with a low-ionic-strength buffer. The fractionation gave a ;5mm-Tris wash' and a ;membrane residue' from each strain. This technique, applied to membranes from normal cells, separates the Mg(2+),Ca(2+)-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase activity from the membrane-bound electron-transport chain and the non-energy-linked transhydrogenase activity. 2. Reconstitution of both oxidative phosphorylation and the ATP-dependent transhydrogenase activity was obtained by a combination of the ;membrane residue' from strain AN249 (uncA(-)) with the ;5mm-Tris wash' from strain AN283 (uncB(-)). 3. Valinomycin plus NH(4) (+) inhibited oxidative phosphorylation both in membranes from a normal strain of E. coli and in the reconstituted membrane system derived from the mutant strains. 4. The electron-transport-dependent transhydrogenase activity was located in the membrane residue and was de-repressed in both the mutant strains. 5. The spatial and functional relationships between the proteins specified by the uncA and uncB genes and the transhydrogenase protein are discussed.     

Maize Brittle Stalk2-Like3, encoding a COBRA protein,functions in cell wall formation and carbohydrate partitioning

Carbohydrate partitioning from leaves to sink tissues is essential for plant growth and development. The maize (Zea mays) recessive carbohydrate partitioning defective28 (cpd28) and cpd47 mutants exhibit leaf chlorosis and accumulation of starch and soluble sugars. Transport studies with ¹⁴C-sucrose (Suc) found drastically decreased export from mature leaves in cpd28 and cpd47 mutants relative to wild-type siblings. Consistent with decreased Suc export, cpd28 mutants exhibited decreased phloem pressure in mature leaves, and altered phloem cell wall ultrastructure in immature and mature leaves. We identified the causative mutations in the Brittle Stalk2-Like3 (Bk2L3) gene, a member of the COBRA family, which is involved in cell wall development across angiosperms. None of the previously characterized COBRA genes are reported to affect carbohydrate export. Consistent with other characterized COBRA members, the BK2L3 protein localized to the plasma membrane, and the mutants condition a dwarf phenotype in dark-grown shoots and primary roots, as well as the loss of anisotropic cell elongation in the root elongation zone. Likewise, both mutants exhibit a significant cellulose deficiency in mature leaves. Therefore, Bk2L3 functions in tissue growth and cell wall development, and this work elucidates a unique connection between cellulose deposition in the phloem and whole-plant carbohydrate partitioning.

Mutations in Bk2L3 result in dwarfed plants with decreased anisotropic cell growth, cellulose deposition, phloem pressure, sucrose export, and carbohydrate hyperaccumulation in mature maize leaves.     

Protein Kinase C Activation Potentiates the Rapid Secretion of the Amyloid Precursor Protein from Rat Cortical Synaptosomes

Abstract : In this study we have used the presynaptic-rich rat cerebrocortical synaptosomal preparation to investigate the proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (AβPP) by the α-secretase pathway within the βA4 domain to generate a soluble secreted N-terminal fragment (AβPP_s). AβPP was detected in crude cortical synaptosomal membranes, although at a lower density than that observed in whole-tissue homogenates. Protein kinase C (PKC) activation induced a translocation of the conventional PKC isoform β1 and novel PKCε from cytosol to membrane fractions, but there was no alteration in the proportion of AβPP associated with the Tritonsoluble and -insoluble fractions. AβPP_s was constitutively secreted from cortical synaptosomes, with this secretion being enhanced significantly by the direct activation of PKC with phorbol ester. The PKC-induced secretion of AβPP_s was only partially blocked by the PKC inhibitor GF109203X (2.5 μ M ), whereas the phosphorylation of the myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) protein was significantly inhibited by GF109203X. The differential sensitivities of the MARCKS phosphorylation and AβPP_s secretion to GF109203X may imply that different PKC isoforms are involved in these two events in the synaptosomal system. These findings strongly suggest that the α-secretase activity leading to the secretion of AβPP_s can occur at the level of the presynaptic terminal.     

Molecular Cloning,Sequence, and Expression of Mouse Flavin-Containing Monooxygenases 1 and 5 (FMO1 and FMO5)

Full-length cDNA clones encoding FMO1 and FMO5 have been isolated from a library constructed with mRNA from the liver of a female CD-1 mouse. The derived sequence of FMO1 contains 2310 bases: 1596 in the coding region, 301 in the 5′-flanking region, and 413 in the 3′-flanking region. The sequence for FMO5 consists of 3168 bases; 1599 in the coding region, 812 in the 5′-flanking region, and 757 in the 3′-flanking region. The sequence of FMO1 encodes a protein of 532 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 59.9 kDa and shows 83.3% identity to human FMO1 and 83–94% identity to other FMO1 homologs. FMO5 encodes a protein of 533 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 60.0 kDa and 84.1% identity to human FMO5 and 83–84% identity to other FMO5 orthologs. Two GxGxxG putative pyrophosphate binding domains exist beginning at positions 9 and 191 for FMO1, and 10 and 192 for FMO5. Mouse FMO1 and FMO5 were expressed in E. coli and show similar mobility to the native proteins as determined by SDS-PAGE. The expressed FMO1 protein showed activity toward methimazole, and FMO5 was active toward n -octylamine. In addition, FMO1 was shown to metabolize radiolabeled phorate, whereas FMO5 showed no activity toward phorate. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Biochem Toxicol 12: 205–212, 1998