Factors Mediating the Vitamin B12 Requirement of Euglena

SYNOPSIS. Deprived of vitamin B₁₂, Euglena gracilis strain Z ceases to divide which we believe to be a function of the light regime: division inhibition occurs more quickly in continuous light than in alternating (6L : 6D) light and not at all in total darkness. This phenomenon is dependent on the carbon source; cells grown in glutamate-malate medium do not divide regardless of the culture conditions while dl -lactate as carbon source permits growth in darkness in the absence of B₁₂. Conditions which lead to an increased O₂ or decreased CO₂ tension in the medium, such as agitation in darkness or incubation in red or white light, result in inhibition of division. This inhibition can be reversed by re-transferring the cells to still culture in the dark or, in the case of light-induced blockage, by the addition of DCMU.     

Effect of sulfhydryl compounds on ATP-stimulated H+ transport and Cl− uptake in rabbit renal cortical endosomes

Summary The vacuolar H⁺ ATPase is inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), a sulfhydryl compound, suggesting the involvement of a sulfhydryl group in this transport process. We have examined the effects of several sulfhydryl-containing compounds on the vacuolar H⁺ ATPase of rabbit renal cortical endosomes. A number of such compounds were effective inhibitors of endosomal H⁺ transport at 10^–5–10^–6 m, including NEM, mersalyl, aldrithiol, 5,5 dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid),p-chloromercuribenzoic acid (PCMB) andp-chloromercuriphenyl sulfonic acid (PCMBS). NEM, mersalyl, aldrithiol and PCMBS had no effect on pH-gradient dissipation, whereas PCMB decreased the pH gradient faster than control. In the absence of ATP, PCMB (10^–4 m) stimulated endosomal³⁶Cl^– uptake, particularly in the presence of an inside-alkaline pH gradient (pH_in=7.6/pH_out=5.5.). This result was not an effect of PCMB on the Cl^–-conductive pathway. The less permeable PCMBS did not stimulate³⁶Cl^– uptake. The effects of PCMB were concentration dependent and were prevented by dithioerithritol,. ATP-dependent³⁶Cl^– uptake was decreased by addition of PCMB. Finally, PCMB had no effect on⁴⁵Ca²⁺ uptake. These results support the presence of two functionally important sulfhydryl groups in this endosomal preparation. One such group is involved with ATP-driven H⁺ transport and must be located on the cytoplasmic surface of the endosomal membrane. The second sulfhydryl group must reside on the internal surface of the endosomal membrane and relates to a PCMB-activated Cl^–/OH^– exchanger that is functional both in the presence and absence of ATP. This endosomal transporter is similar to the PCMB-activated Cl^–/OH^– exchanger recently described in rabbit renal brush-border membranes.     

Commotio cordis

Sudden arrhythmic death as a result of a blunt chest wall blow has been termed Commotio Cordis (CC). CC is being reported with increasing frequency with more than 180 cases now described in the United States Commotio Cordis Registry. The clinical spectrum is diverse; however young athletes tend to be most at risk, with victims commonly being struck by projectiles regarded as standard implements of the sport. Sudden death is instantaneous and victims are most often found in ventricular fibrillation (VF). Chest blows are not of sufficient magnitude to cause any significant damage to overlying thoracic structures and autopsy is notable for the absence of any structural cardiac injury. Development of an experimental model has allowed for substantial insights into the underlying mechanisms of sudden death. In anesthetized juvenile swine, induction of VF is instantaneous following chest impacts that occur during a vulnerable window before the T wave peak. Other critical variables, including the impact velocity and location, and the hardness of the impact object have also been identified. Rapid left ventricular pressure rise following chest impact likely results in activation of ion channels via mechano-electric coupling. The generation of inward current through mechano-sensitive ion channels results in augmentation of repolarization and non-uniform myocardial activation, and is the cause of premature ventricular depolarizations that are triggers of VF in CC. Currently available chest protectors commonly used in sport are not adequately designed to prevent CC. The development of more effective chest protectors and the widespread availability of automated external defibrillators at youth sporting events could improve the safety of young athletes.     

Deconvolution of pigment and physiologically related photochemical reflectance index variability at the canopy scale over an entire growing season

The sensitivity of the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) to leaf pigmentation and its impacts on its potential as a proxy for light‐use efficiency (LUE) have recently been shown to be problematic at the leaf scale. Most leaf‐to‐leaf and seasonal variability can be explained by such a confounding effect. This study relies on the analysis of PRI light curves that were generated at the canopy scale under natural conditions to derive a precise deconvolution of pigment‐related and physiologically related variability in the PRI. These sources of variability were explained by measured or estimated physiologically relevant variables, such as soil water content, that can be used as indicators of water availability and canopy chlorophyll content. The PRI mainly reflected the variability in the pigment content of the canopy. However, the corrected PRI, which was obtained by subtracting the pigment‐related seasonal variability from the PRI measurement, was highly correlated with the upscaled LUE measurements. Moreover, the sensitivity of the PRI to the leaf pigment content may mask the PRI versus LUE relationship or result in an artificial relationship that reflects the relationship of chlorophyll versus LUE, depending on the species phenology.     

Influence of chronic respiratory acid-base disorders on acute CO2 titration curve

We have recently shown that background presence of chronic metabolic acid-base disorder markedly alters in vivo acute CO2 titration curve. These studies were carried out to assess the influence of chronic respiratory acid-base disorders on response to acute hypercapnia and to explore whether the chronic level of plasma pH is the factor responsible for alterations in the CO2 titration curve. We compared whole-body responses to acute hypercapnia of dogs with preexisting chronic respiratory alkalosis (n = 8) with that of normal animals (n = 4) and animals with chronic respiratory acidosis (n = 13). Chronic respiratory alkalosis and acidosis, as well as the acute CO2 titrations, were produced in unanesthetized dogs within a large environmental chamber. For comparison with our data on chronic metabolic acidosis and alkalosis, plasma bicarbonate levels, which are secondarily altered in chronic respiratory acid-base disorders, were used as an index of chronic acid-base status of the animals. Results indicate that, as with chronic metabolic acid-base disorders, a larger increment in plasma bicarbonate occurs during acute hypercapnia when steady-state plasma bicarbonate is low (respiratory alkalosis) than when it is high (respiratory acidosis). Yet, in further analogy with the metabolic studies, plasma hydrogen ion concentration is better defended at higher plasma bicarbonate levels in accordance with mathematical relationships defined by the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. Combined results demonstrate that the influence of chronic acid-base status on whole-body response to acute hypercapnia is independent of initial plasma pH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Genetic structure of the endangered perennial plant Eryngium alpinum (Apiaceae) in an alpine valley

We investigated the genetic structure of Eryngium alpinum (Apiaceae) in an Alpine valley where the plant occurs in patches of various sizes. In a conservation perspective, our goal was to determine whether the valley consists of one or several genetic units. Habitat fragmentation and previous observations of restricted pollen/seed dispersal suggested pronounced genetic structure, but gene dispersal often follows a leptokurtic distribution, which may lead to weak genetic structure. We used nine microsatellite loci and two nested sampling designs (50 × 50 m grid throughout the valley and 2 × 2 m grid in two 50 × 10 m quadrats). Within the overall valley, F -statistics and Bayesian approaches indicated high genetic homogeneity. This result might be explained by: (1) underestimation of long-distance pollen/seed dispersal by in situ experiments and (2) too recent fragmentation events to build up genetic structure. Spatial autocorrelation revealed isolation by distance on the overall valley but this pattern was much more pronounced in the 50 × 10 m quadrats sampled with a 2-m mesh. This was probably associated with limited primary seed dispersal, leading to the spatial clustering of half-sibs around maternal plants. We emphasize the interest of nested sampling designs and of combining several statistical tools.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 93 , 667–677.