Effects of proteinase K on the energy transfer between phycobiliproteins in phycobilisomes

Spectral changes in fluorescence of phycobilisomes (PBS) of A. variabilis treated with proteinase K were studied at room and liquid nitrogen temperature. In control PBS, the relative yield of 77 K fluorescence of F686 was very high, and those of F655 and F666 were low. In PBS treated with proteinase K for less than 1 h, F686 decreased, and F655 and F666 increased. In PBS treated with proteinase K for 2 h, F655 was the main peak of fluorescence emission, F686 was the second peak, the fluorescence emission peak of F666 disappeared. In PBS treated with proteinase K for more than 8 h, F655 showed only one fluorescence emission peak.We suggested that phycobiliporteins in the PBS of A. variabilis constitute an energy transfer chain, shown as follows:{fx91-1}The linkages between APC and APC-B, C-PC and APC, and C-PC and APC-B had different sensitivity towards proteinase K.     

Dynorphin-A-(1–13) antagonizes morphine analgesia in the brain and potentiates morphine analgesia in the spinal cord

Intrathecal injection of subanalgesic doses of morphine (7.5 nmol) and dynorphin-A-(1–13) (1.25 nmol) in combination resulted in a marked analgesic effect as assessed by tail flick latency in the rat. The analgesic effect of the composite dynorphin/morphine was dose-dependent in serial dilutions so that a composition of 1/8 of the analgesic dose of dynorphin and 1/3 that of morphine produced an analgesic effect equipotent to full dose of either drug applied separately. The analgesic effect induced by dynorphin/morphine mixture was not accompanied by motor dysfunction and was easily reversed by a small dose (0.5 mg/kg) of naloxone. Contrary to the augmentatory effect of dynorphin on morphine analgesia in the spinal cord, intracerevroventricular (ICV) injection of 20 nmol of dynorphin-A-(1–13) exhibited a marked antagonistic effect on the analgesia produced by morphine (120 nmol, ICV). The theoretical considerations and practical implications of the differential interactions between dynorphin-A-(1–13) and morphine in the brain versus spinal cord are discussed.     

蝮蛇毒抗凝血活酶组份及几种蛇毒粗毒对人红细胞和血小板的作用

蝮蛇毒抗凝血活酶组分及蝗蛇毒、圆斑蝰蛇毒和眼镜蛇毒粗毒,不仅能够水解血浆中的磷脂,而且还能水解完整人红细胞膜和完整人血小板膜上的磷脂。但是五步蛇毒和金环蛇毒粗毒却不能水解完整人血小板膜上的磷脂。 扫描电镜观察表明,由于抗凝血活酶组份和几种蛇毒粗毒的作用,人红细胞和人血小板的形态发生了巨大的变化;人红细胞由正常的双圆盘形变成带刺的小球,人血小板的外形变成蜂窝状。     

Subcellular localization and glycoprotein nature of the invertase from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The subcellular localization of the enzyme invertase in Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells, both repressed and derepressed for synthesis of the enzyme, was studied. Most of the invertase was found to be located outside the plasma membrane and only a small percentage was found to be associated to membranes. A substantial portion of the external enzyme remained firmly bound to cell-wall material.All of the invertase recovered in soluble form from cellular extracts reacted with concanavalin A and with the lectin from Bandeiraea simplicifolia seeds, indicating the presence in the enzyme of a carbohydrate moiety which probably contains terminal mannosyl (or structurally related) and galactosyl residues.The possibility of the presence of two different forms of invertase in S. pombe was considered. An intracellular, soluble form of invertase, devoid of carbohydrate, similar to the small invertase of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was not found in S. pombe. However, the Michaelis constant for sucrose of the enzyme present in repressed cells was smaller than that of the invertase synthesized under derepressing conditions, although this difference could also be the result of a different pattern of glycosylation of the invertase synthesized under different growth conditions.     

小柴胡黄酮的分离及结构鉴定

本文对贵州产小柴胡(B.tenue Buch.-Ham.ex D.Don)黄酮成分进行了研究。从其乙醇浸膏的水溶性物质中分离出四种黄酮醇类成分。根据光谱分析、衍生物制备、酸水解及理化常数测定,分别鉴定为芸香甙(槲皮素-3-芸香糖甙)、水仙甙(异鼠李素-3-芸香糖甙)、山萘酚和槲皮素。此类成分在该种植物中首次分离得到。     

Codon usage in the vertebrate hemoglobins and its implications

A study of codon usage in vertebrate hemoglobins revealed an evolutionary trend toward elevated numbers of CpG codon boundary pairs in mammalian hemoglobin alpha genes. Selection for CpG codon boundaries countering the generally observed CpG suppression is strongly suggested by these data. These observations parallel recently published experimental results that indicate that constitutive expression of the human alpha-globin gene appears to be determined by regulatory information encoded within the structural gene. The possibility is raised that, in the absence of selection, CpG decay can be used to date the evolutionary origin of a mammalian alpha pseudogene from its active alpha gene.      

Evolution of crystallins: expression of lens-specific proteins in the blind mammals mole (Talpa europaea) and mole rat (Spalax ehrenbergi)

The mole (Talpa europaea; Insectivora) and the mole rat (Spalax ehrenbergi; Rodentia) both have degenerated eyes as a convergent adaptation to subterranean life. The rudimentary eye lenses of these blind mammals no longer function in a visual process. The crystallin genes, which display a lens-specific expression pattern, were studied in these blind mammals and in related species with normal eyes by hybridizing their genomic DNAs with probes obtained from cDNA clones for alpha A-, alpha B-, and beta Bp-crystallins from calf and gamma 3- crystallin from the rat. For all crystallin genes examined, the hybridization signals of mole and mole rat genomic DNA were comparable, respectively, with those of shrew and of rat and mouse, normal-vision representatives of the orders Insectivora and Rodentia. The expression of the crystallins at the protein level was tested by using antiserum specific for alpha-crystallin in immunofluorescence reactions on lens sections of mole and mole rat eyes and by using antisera against the beta- and gamma-crystallins on sections of the mole eye. All antisera gave positive fluorescence reactions exclusively with lens tissue of these blind mammals, indicating that the crystallins are still normally expressed despite the fact that these lenses have had no function in a visual process in these mammals for at least many million years. These findings apparently imply that some unknown selective advantage has conserved the crystallin genes and their expression after the loss of normal function of the lenses.      

从广州市散发性脑炎病人血清中查出雪鞋野兔病毒抗体升高

近几年来夏季,在我国南方一些省市发现一些散发性病毒性脑炎病例,主要是儿童。他们的流行性乙型脑炎抗体阴性。病因不明。 为了研究本病的病因,于1983年4月至10月,我们在广州市儿童医院收集了34例散发性脑炎病人的双份血清,15例其它病种(如百日咳、心肌炎、钩端螺旋体脑炎、多发性神经根     

Prepubertal treatment with estrogen or testosterone precipitates the loss of regular estrous cyclicity and normal gonadotropin secretion in adult female rats

To examine the effects of prepubertal steroid environment on subsequent estrous cyclicity and gonadotropin secretion, Silastic implants containing 25, 50 or 100% 17 beta-estradiol (E2;n=34), 50% diethylstilbestrol (DES; n=16) or 50% testosterone (T; n=17) were placed into female rats at 12 days of age and removed on the day of vaginal opening (18-24 days of age). At 80 days of age, the percentages of regularly cycling females in the E2-(three groups combined), DES- and T-implanted groups were 59%, 0% and 59%, respectively. By 110 days of age, the percentages were reduced to 24%, 0% and 0%, and at 140 days of age 6%, 0% and 0%, respectively. Many of these females displayed irregular estrous cycles followed by a persistent estrous (PE) state. By contrast, 89% of the control females (blank implants or no implant) maintained regular cycles up to 140 days of age. At 150 days of age, an i.p. injection of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH; 100 ng/100 g BW) markedly increased serum luteinizing hormone (LH), but not follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), in intact PE females treated prepubertally with E2 implants. After the test with GnRH, PE rats were ovariectomized (OVX). Thirty days after OVX, similar GnRH administration significantly increased serum levels of both LH and FSH, but these responses were significantly (P less than 0.01) reduced when compared with those in OVX controls. Progesterone administration to estradiol benzoate-primed, acutely (3 days) OVX, or long-term (43 days) OVX-PE females did not increase LH or FSH release. These results indicate that exposure to exogenous estrogen or T prior to puberty precipitates the decline in estrous cyclicity associated with the loss of gonadotropin surge response, presumably due to an alteration in hypothalamic GnRH release.     

Escherichia coli gal K和gpt基因注入小鼠受精卵的研究

含有E.coli galK和gpt基因的重组DNA pPB22用显微注射法导入昆明白小鼠受精卵,经发育,最后得到21只成年小鼠。其中1只小鼠的肝脏显示出E.coli gpt酶活性,但未检测出E.coli galK酶活性。印迹分子杂交表明,外源的pPB 22重组DNA已整合到2只小鼠的染色体上,其中包括那只肝脏中显示E.coli gpt酶活性的小鼠。