A new species of Goniothalamus (Annonaceae) from New Caledonia, representing a significant range extension for the genus

A previously unknown Annonaceae species from the South Pacific island of New Caledonia is described as Goniothalamus dumontetii . This is the first Goniothalamus species reported from the island, and the easternmost record for the genus. It is easily distinguished from its congeners by the shape of the monocarp (flattened elongate with lateral triangular projections), which reflects the shape of the seeds (flattened rhombohedral). The conservation status of the species is evaluated as endangered (EN) using World Conservation Union (IUCN) red list categories, as it is known from only one relatively small population. The interpretation of geological and molecular data suggests that Goniothalamus dispersed to New Caledonia relatively recently, and does not represent a relict of the break-up of Gondwana.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 155 , 497–503.     

一种钒配合物LMC 抑制DNA 拓扑异构酶?的抗肿瘤作用

目的：探讨钒配合物LMc对拓扑异构酶Ⅰ、Ⅱ（Topo-Ⅰ、Topo-Ⅱ）的影响及其抗肿瘤活性。方法：采用DNA松弛实验观察LMC对Topo-Ⅰ、活性的影响并探讨其相关分子作用机制;采用MTT法、流式细胞术在细胞水平观察了IMC的抗肿瘤作用。结果：LMC可明显抑制Topo-Ⅰ活性,对Topo-Ⅱ无明显抑制作用,对多种肿瘤细胞株A549、Hela、BEL-7402具有明显抑制生长的作用,且可将细胞阻断在G2／M期,而对正常细胞株L-02生长无明显影响。结论：钒配合物LMC具有抑制Topo-Ⅰ活性而发挥抗肿瘤的作用。     

Interactions of neural glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans with protein ligands: assessment of selectivity, heterogeneity and the participation of core proteins in binding

The method of affinity coelectrophoresis was used to study the binding of nine representative glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-binding proteins, all thought to play roles in nervous system development, to GAGs and proteoglycans isolated from developing rat brain. Binding to heparin and non-neural heparan and chondroitin sulfates was also measured. All nine proteins-laminin-1, fibronectin, thrombospondin-1, NCAM, L1, protease nexin-1, urokinase plasminogen activator, thrombin, and fibroblast growth factor-2-bound brain heparan sulfate less strongly than heparin, but the degree of difference in affinity varied considerably. Protease nexin-1 bound brain heparan sulfate only 1.8- fold less tightly than heparin (Kdvalues of 35 vs. 20 nM, respectively), whereas NCAM and L1 bound heparin well (Kd approximately 140 nM) but failed to bind detectably to brain heparan sulfate (Kd>3 microM). Four proteins bound brain chondroitin sulfate, with affinities equal to or a few fold stronger than the same proteins displayed toward cartilage chondroitin sulfate. Overall, the highest affinities were observed with intact heparan sulfate proteoglycans: laminin-1's affinities for the proteoglycans cerebroglycan (glypican-2), glypican-1 and syndecan-3 were 300- to 1800-fold stronger than its affinity for brain heparan sulfate. In contrast, the affinities of fibroblast growth factor-2 for cerebroglycan and for brain heparan sulfate were similar. Interestingly, partial proteolysis of cerebroglycan resulted in a >400- fold loss of laminin affinity. These data support the views that (1) GAG-binding proteins can be differentially sensitive to variations in GAG structure, and (2) core proteins can have dramatic, ligand-specific influences on protein-proteoglycan interactions.      

Sulfur Isotope Fractionation and Kinetic Studies of Sulfite Reduction in Growing Cells of Salmonella heidelberg

A pulsed feeding technique was used during studies of sulfite reduction by Salmonella heidelberg in order to realize large percentages of SO₃⁼ conversion while simultaneously maintaining a reasonably stable cell population. As a consequence, much data for conventional kinetic and sulfur isotope fractionation computations were obtained in any one experiment. Under the conditions of supplying 150 μg glucose per ml of medium every 6 hr, anaerobiosis, and varying the SO₃⁼ concentration, the following observations were made: 1. Below 0.01% w/v Na₂SO₃, the reduction strictly followed first order kinetics with respect to SO₃⁼ concentration. At higher concentrations, the rate of SO₃⁼ reduction fell below that predicted by first order kinetics suggesting that a saturation effect was occurring. 2. At lower concentrations, the ratio of the isotopic rate constants k₁/k₂ was 1.02 whereas at higher SO₃⁼ levels, k₁/k₂ values of 1.04 were found. These latter effects are much higher than those obtained in the equivalent chemical reduction. On the basis of these observations, a model is considered which features two isotopically dependent steps and an intermediate reservoir which forms at higher SO₃⁼ concentrations. Results of an experiment under aerobic conditions and an experiment wherein the reduction rate was thermally altered, are also presented.     

A Warrior Celebration: The Photographs of Tom Jones

The photographs of Tom Jones (Ho-Chunk) portray American Indian warriors, but not as the stereotyped lone warrior, separated from family or community. Jones photographs Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) warriors rooted in a place and a specific set of traditions, but still part of the contemporary world. His images from the Ho-Chunk Memorial Day Powwow, held each year in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, celebrate the connections between Ho-Chunk warriors, past and present, and their homes, families and communities.