A MACROMUTATION IN TRIPSACUM DACTYLOIDES (POACEAE): CONSEQUENCES FOR SEED SIZE,GERMINATION, AND SEEDLING ESTABLISHMENT

A recessive allele of a gene in Tripsacum dactyloides L. (eastern gamagrass) changes staminate florets to pistillate or hermaphrodite, and restores fertility to suppressed florets. There were ten to 25 times more seeds in the mutant pistillate form, and these were 0.32 to 0.59 times smaller than seeds from the normal form. Seeds from pistillate plants had significantly lower germination rates (22% vs. 50%), and seedlings grew 20% slower than those of normal plants in a greenhouse experiment. Pistillate seedling survival rates were lower in both high- (18.8% vs. 62.6%) and low- (52.8% vs. 72.6%) competition environments in a field experiment, and surviving seedlings were smaller. The maternal parent of volunteer seedlings next to a plantation of normal and pistillate plants was determined by dissecting the attached fruitcases of 1,313 seedlings. Pistillate plants in the plantation produced 90% of all seeds falling on the site but only 29% of the volunteer seedlings. The pistillate macromutation is not likely to spread in the wild due to morphological constraints on seed size and packaging.     

Structural studies of the capsular polysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide O-antigen of Aeromonas salmonicida strain 80204-1 produced under in vitro and in vivo growth conditions.

Aeromonas salmonicida is a pathogenic aquatic bacterium and the causal agent of furunculosis in salmon. In the course of this study, it was found that when grown in vitro on tryptic soy agar, A. salmonicida strain 80204-1 produced a capsular polysaccharide with the identical structure to that of the lipopolysaccharide O-chain polysaccharide. A combination of 1D and 2D NMR methods, including a series of 1D analogues of 3D experiments, together with capillary electrophoresis-electrospray MS (CE-ES-MS), compositional and methylation analyses and specific modifications was used to determine the structure of these polysaccharides. Both polymers were shown to be composed of linear trisaccharide repeating units consisting of 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-galacturonic acid (GalNAcA), 3-[(N-acetyl-L-alanyl)amido]-3,6-dideoxy-D-glucose[3-[(N-acetyl-L-alanyl)amido]-3-deoxy-D-quinovose, Qui3NAlaNAc] and 2-acetamido-2,6-dideoxy-D-glucose (2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-quinovose, QuiNAc) and having the following structure: [-->3)-alpha-D-GalpNAcA-(1-->3)-beta-D-QuipNAc-(1-->4)-beta-D-Quip3NAlaNAc-(1-]n, where GalNAcA is partly presented as an amide and AlaNAc represents N-acetyl-L-alanyl group. CE-ES-MS analysis of CPS and O-chain polysaccharide confirmed that 40% of GalNAcA was present in the amide form. Direct CE-ES-MS/MS analysis of in vivo cultured cells confirmed the formation of a novel polysaccharide, a structure also formed in vitro, which was previously undetectable in bacterial cells grown within implants in fish, and in which GalNAcA was fully amidated.     

A New Method for Finding Small Vertebrate Fossils: Ultraviolet Light At Night

Vertebrate fossils from many different formations fluoresce when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. In this paper field observations and controlled experiments in the Chadron Formation (White River Group, late Eocene) of Wyoming are used to assess the utility of searching for fossils at night using ultraviolet light. The results indicate that, especially for very small teeth and egg-shell fragments, searching with ultraviolet light at night can result in significantly more specimens than searching during daylight hours. This method has the potential to increase sample sizes for small vertebrate specimens that are often overlooked when using standard collecting techniques.     

Chromatographic methods for amylases

This review surveys recent developments in chromatographic methods for the separation of amylases from complex extracts, including the separation of isozymes. It contains two tables with the properties and molecular characteristics of α- and β-amylases from different sources as well as an updated review of methods for the determination of amylase activity. The main subject of this review is a detailed evaluation of the application of newly developed chromatographic methods for the purification of amylases.     

Purification and properties of DNA topoisomerase II from Daucus carota cells

Topoisomerase II was partially purified from Daucus carota cellsby a procedure including ammonium sulphate fractionation, ion-exchange,and affinity chromatography steps. The type II enzyme, identifiedfor its ability to unknot knotted P4 DNA and decatenate Trypanosomacruzi kDNA, requires ATP and Mg²⁺ for activity. The unknottingactivity was sensitive to an inhibitor of the mammalian typeII enzyme, the drug VP16 (IC₅₀ 32 mmol m^–3), whereas inhibitorsof DNA gyrase showed a limited effect on activity. The SDS-PAGEanalysis of the dsDNA cellulose fraction revealed the presenceof four polypeptides of apparent molecular masses of 72, 71,34, and 33 kDa among which only a polypeptide of about 70 kDacrossreacted with antibodies against yeast topoisomerase II.Immunoprecipitation experiments with monoclonal antibodies tothe and ß isoforms of the human enzyme confirmedthe recognition of a polypeptide of 70 kDa. The sedimentationcoefficient (S) of the topoisomerase II in the phosphocellulosefraction, calculated by analytical glycerol gradient, was 6.1corresponding to a molecular mass of about 123 kDa. Resultssuggest the presence in carrot of a protein of molecular massof 70 kDa having the typical properties of an eukaryotic topoisomeraseII and carrying epitopes recognized by MoAbs to both human and ß enzymes. The 70 kDa polypeptide might then representthe monomer of a homodimer enzyme of 123 kDa. Key words: Daucus carota, topoisomerase II, immunoprecipitation     

Modulated red blood cell survival by membrane protein clustering

Human and murine blood cells treated with ZnCl₂ and bis(sulfosuccinimidyl)suberate (BS³) (a cross linking agent) undergo band 3 clustering and binding of hemoglobin to red blood cell membrane proteins. These clusters induce autologous IgG binding and complement fixation, thus favouring the phagocytosis of ZnCl₂/BS³ treated cells by macrophages. The extension of red blood cell opsonization can be easily modulated by changing the ZnCl₂ concentration in the 0.1–1.0 mM range thus providing an effective way to affect blood cell recognition by macrophages. In fact, murine erythrocytes treated with increasing ZnCl₂ concentrations have proportionally reduced survivals when reinjected into the animal. Furthermore, the organ sequestration of ZnCl₂/BS³ treated cells strongly resembles the typical distribution of the senescent cells. Since the ZnCl₂/BS³ treatment can also be performed on red blood cells loaded with drugs or other substances, this procedure is an effective drug-targeting system to be used for the delivery of molecules to peritoneal, liver and spleen macrophages.     

Modulation of cisPlatin cytotoxicity by interleukin-1α and resident tumor macrophages

The modulation of cisPlatin cytotoxicity by interleukin-1 (IL-1α) was studied in cultures of SCC-7 tumor cells with and without tumor macrophages to examine potential mechanisms for the synergistic antitumor activity of cisPlatin and IL-1α in SCC-7 solid tumors. Neither IL-1α nor tumor macrophages affected the survival of clonogenic tumor cells and IL-1α had no direct effect on tumor cell growthin vitro. Macrophages had no direct effect on cisPlatin sensitivity (IC₉₀=6.0 μM), but, the addition of IL-1α (500–2000U/ml) to co-cultures of cisPlatin pretreated tumor cells and resident tumor macrophages increased cell killing (IC₉₀=3.1 μM). Similar responses were seen in primary cultures treated with cisPlatin before IL-1α. The modulation of cisPlatin cytotoxicity by IL-1α exhibited a biphasic dose response that paralleled the IL-1α dose dependent release of H₂O₂by resident tumor macrophages. Further, IL-1α modification of cisPlatin cytotoxicity was prompt and inhibited by catalase. CisPlatin and exogenous H₂O₂ (50 μM) produced more than additive SCC-7 clonogenic cell kill and hydroxyl radicals played an important role in the response. Interleukin-1 modulation of cisPlatin cytotoxicity was schedule dependent. IL-1α treatment for 24 hrs, before cisPlatin, produced drug resistance (IC₉₀=11.1 μM). Our study shows that IL-1α can stimulate tumor macrophages to release pro-oxidants that modify cellular chemosensitivity in a schedule and dose dependent fashion. Our findings may also provide a mechanistic explanation for the synergistic antitumor activity of cisPlatin and IL-1αin vivo.