Chemical modification of cytosine residues of U6 snRNA with hydrogen sulfide (nucleosides and nucleotides. Part 49 [1]).

Sulfhydrolysis of cytosine residues to 4-thiouracil residues in mouse U6 snRNA was carried out to examine the secondary structure of U6 snRNA. The cytosine residues at positions 6, 42 and 68 were modified significantly, and at positions 11, 19 (or/and 25), 61 and 66 in moderate extent. Based on the result, the plausible secondary structure of U6 snRNA is discussed.     

Formation of Recombinants Between Nontransmissible Drug-Resistance Determinants and Transfer Factors

Noninfectious drug-resistance determinants acquired conjugal transmissibility by the formation of recombinants with transfer factors, suggesting the origin of R factors.     

Fixative-Stain Sequences for Selective Demonstration of Juxtaglomerular Cells

The effects of 31 fixatives, containing alcohol, acids, formalin and metallic salts, and representing many of the standard fixatives, were observed for selectivity and intensity of staining of juxtaglomerular granules in mouse kidney. Four staining methods: 1:400,000 aqueous methyl violet 2B; Bowie's ethyl violet-Biebrich scarlet; 1:200,000 aldehyde fuchsin; and periodic acid-Schiff were used. Fixatives containing HgCl₂, trichloroacetic acid or formalin were found to be the most satisfactory for subsequent staining of the granules.     

Spatial patterns of gene expression in Brassica napus seedlings: identification of a cortex-specific gene and localization of mRNAs encoding isocitrate lyase and a polypeptide homologous to proteinases.

We investigated the spatial expression of three genes that are expressed during seed germination and postgerminative development in Brassica napus L. using in situ hybridization procedures. Two of the mRNAs encode isocitrate lyase and a predicted polypeptide that is homologous to cysteine proteinases. We reported previously that the mRNAs are prevalent primarily in cotyledons of seedlings and accumulate with similar kinetics during postgerminative growth. Here, we show that the two mRNAs are detected in several seedling tissues, but they display different distribution patterns in both cotyledons and root-shoot axes. The third mRNA is abundant in seedling axes and accumulates specifically in the ground meristem and mature cortex of hypocotyls and roots. Distribution of the mRNA in root meristems suggests that the gene product participates in an early event in cortical cell differentiation. Our results provide insight into the physiological processes that characterize seedlings.     

recA基因通过同源重组途径参与由整合质粒发动的大肠杆菌染色体复制

我们在前文中报道由整合的F'质粒所发动的大肠杆菌染色体的复制依赖于recA基因。本文报道有关recA、recB、recC以及lexA等在染色体复制中的作用,实验结果说明,recA基因通过同源重组途径而不是通过SOS途径参与复制,而且recA基因和Chi热点无关。实验结果还说明,RecBC酶的依赖于ATP的双链DNA外切核酸酶活性和recA基因的作用无关。     

Heptapeptide toxin production during the batch culture of two Microcystis species (Cyanobacteria)

Changes in the content of cyclic heptapeptide hepatotoxins called microcystins were investigated during batch culture of two Microcystis species using high performance liquid chromatography. After adsorption to ODS-silica gel cartridges and elution with methanol, the toxins were analyzed and quantified by HPLC. 35 μg per 100 mg dry cells of microcystin-RR, 34 μg of -YR and 43 μg of -LR were present at the beginning of the exponential growth phase of M. viridis. Microcystin-RR increased markedly towards the end of the exponential phase with the maximum content of 112 μg per 100 mg cells was measured at the late stage of the exponential phase. A remarkable increase of microcystin-YR from 130 μg per 100 mg cells to 1020 μg was observed during the exponential phase of a highly toxic strain of M. aeruginosa. However no clear differences were found in the pattern of change among the three toxins during the growth course.     

Evidence for involvement of clonal anergy in MHC class I and class II disparate skin allograft tolerance after the termination of intrathymic clonal deletion

Mechanisms of cyclophosphamide (CP)-induced tolerance to class I (D) and class II (IE) alloantigens were studied. Transplantation tolerance across H-2D plus IE Ag-barriers has been achieved when B10.Thy-1.1 (Kb,IAb,IE-,Db; Thy-1.1) mice were primed i.v. with 9 x 10(7) spleen cells plus 3 x 10(7) bone marrow cells from B10.A(5R) mice (5R; kb,IAb,IEb,Dd; Thy-1.2) and treated i.p. with 200 mg/kg of CP 2 days later. The tolerant state in the early and the late stage was confirmed by prolonged acceptance of donor-type skin grafts, and in vitro unresponsiveness to donor Ag. In the tolerant B10.Thy-1.1 mice treated with 5R cells 28 days earlier and followed by CP, intrathymic clonal deletion of V beta 11+ T cells reactive to IE-encoded antigens was observed in association with intrathymic mixed chimerism. 5R skin survived, however, even after the clonal deletion of V beta 11+ T cells terminated by 180 days after tolerance induction. V beta 11+ T cells, which reappeared in the periphery of the recipient B10.Thy-1.1 mice bearing 5R skin at this stage, were not capable of proliferating in response to receptor cross-linking with V beta 11-specific mAb. Furthermore, the CTL activity against class I (Dd) alloantigens of spleen cells from these tolerant mice was restored by the addition of IL-2 to MLC. Thus, our experiments provide direct evidence that tolerance to both class I (Dd) and class II (IEb) alloantigens by clonal allergy occurs during the termination of intrathymic clonal deletion. These results clearly show practical hierarchy of the mechanisms of transplantation tolerance.     

Generation of neutralization-resistant HIV-1 in vitro due to amino acid interchanges of third hypervariable env region.

Antigenic mutants of HIV-1 were isolated from three plaque-cloned viruses by the resistance of the virus to neutralizing mAb 0.5 beta against V3 domain of viral gp120, when the viruses were passaged in the presence of the antibody. However, when chronically infected MOLT-4 cells were treated with 0.5 beta mAb, recovered viruses from the 0.5 beta-treated cells showed no antigenic changes. The extent of genomic variation among antigenically distinct isolates was examined by nucleotide sequencing, which revealed a few base substitutions in 0.5 beta-binding site of all mutants isolated. The predicted amino acid replacements within 0.5 beta reacting epitope (V3 domain) causing the altered antigenicity were also identified for each of three isolates. Particularly, in one of the mutants, the most conserved Gly-Pro-Gly-Arg region located at the center of the V3 domain was changed to Gly-Gln-Gly-Arg. The radioimmunoprecipitation and synthetic peptide analyses revealed that this Pro320----Gln substitution reduced the binding affinity with 0.5 beta, although other mutations observed in the other mutants did not affect the binding affinity in radioimmunoprecipitation. We also observed that nucleic acid substitutions in the V3 domain occurred frequently in the absence of 0.5 beta mAb during our in vitro acute infection system using MT-4 cells.