Ecotoxicological contamination processes: Interaction with vegetation (a review)

Up-to-date crop production concentrates on the maximisation of plant matter production, both by optimum utilization of solar energy by plants and by the application of additional energy. Therefore a natural strategy is being developed aimed at combining the physiological functions of the assimilation organs with their external shaping and strengthening their variety in space and area. As demonstrated by many deposition studies, this effect is contradictory to the factors conditioning the low deposition capacity of plant covers. A high level of particle, gas and solution deposition increases the danger of food chain contamination and has a negative impact on plant production. Data concentrated on transport values of pollutants and their long-term dynamics in stands could be used for the selection of ideal crop types; therefore every effort should be directed towards selection and breeding.     

Stream vegetation in different landscape types

A methodology is proposed for assessing the ecological value of streams in the catchment of the Moravská Dyje River. It is concluded that by using a wide range of parameters that a more objective assessment is achieved than if only one were used. The landscape of the catchment studied contains excessive amounts of nutrients and, in comparison to its natural state, has become too uniform.     

Partial auxin deprivation affects endogenous cytokinins in an auxin-dependent,cytokinin-independent tobacco cell strain

The dynamics of individual endogenous cytokinins within the growth cycle (subculture interval) of an auxin-dependent and cytokinin-independent cell suspension culture ofNicotiana tabacum L. (strain VBI-0) were determined using high performance liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay. In cells grown at an optimum auxin concentration the transient maxima of N⁶-(²-isopentenyl)adenine and N⁶-(²-isopentenyl)-adenosine correlated with the onset of cell division. Cultivation of the cells in a partially auxin-deprived medium resulted in ca. tenfold increase of all endogenous cytokinins. A very distinct maximum of N⁶-(²-sopentenyl) adenine appeared at the beginning of subculture. This indicates that a lack of auxin induced an accumulation of cytokinins predominantly in the form of the free bases, which are physiologically more active than the corresponding ribosides.Abbreviations iP N⁶-(²-isopentenyl)adenine - [9R]iP N⁶-(²-isopentenyl)adenosine - t-Z trans-zeatin - t-[9R]Z trans-zeatin riboside - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - NAA 1-naphthaleneacetic acid - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - f.w. fresh weight - SBI subculture interval - C complete medium - PAD partially auxin-deprived medium - RP-HPLC reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography - RIA radioimmunoassay - PAL L-phenylalanine ammonia lyase     

Ordovician (Dobrotivá Formation) ostracodes and trilobites from Ejpovice (Bohemia) and their relations to faunas of northern and western Europe

For the first time a complete ostracode and trilobite fauna is described from the Dobrovitá Formation (Ordovician) of Perunica. In contrast to the trilobite fauna the ostracode fauna evidences close relations to both Armorica and Baltica. The trilobite fauna comprises 11 species out of 11 genera, the ostracode fauna comprises 15 (5 new) species out of 15 (1 new) genera.     

The effect of virus infection on morphology and protein components of pollen grains

Morphology of pollen grains collected from healthy and virus infected plants ofChenopodium quinoa L.,Chenopodium album L. andNicotiana tabacum L. cv. Samsun was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Pollen grains from tobacco plans infected with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) were smaller, with rounded shape and conspicuous deformation of aperture unlike oval and smooth pollen grains from healthy plants. No morphological alterations were observed inC. quinoa andC. album plants infected with TMV and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of pollen proteins revealed substantial quantitative and qualitative differences in protein components of pollen grains collected from healthy and virus infected plants     

Oxidation and amidation of salicylate by Streptomyces species

Seven streptomycete strains were tested for biotransformation of salicylate. The products were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and three types of conversion were found. Streptomyces cinnamonensis and Streptomyces spectabilis formed gentisate and salicylamide concurrently. Streptomyces rimosus transformed salicylate to salicylamide. Streptomyces lividans, Streptomyces coelicolor, Streptomyces griseus and Streptomyces avermitilis produced only gentisate. Time course studies of salicylate conversion by thin-layer chromatography and high pressure liquid chromatography showed that salicylamide was accumulated in the culture broth, whereas gentisate was further metabolized.Key words: salicylate, gentisate, salicylamide, biotransformation, Streptomyces spp.     

Organization of telomeric and subtelomeric chromatin in the higher plant Nicotiana tabacum

We have examined the structure and chromatin organization of telomeres in Nicotiana tabacum. In tobacco the blocks of simple telomeric repeats (TTTAGGG)_n are many times larger than in other plants, e.g., Arabidopsis thatiana or tomato. They are resolved as multiple fragments 60–160 kb in size (in most cases 90–130 kb) on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of restriction endonuclease-digested DNA. The major subtelomeric repeat of the HRS60 family forms large homogeneous blocks of a basic 180 by motif having comparable lengths. Micrococcal nuclease (MNase) cleaves tobacco telomeric chromatin into subunits with a short repeat length of 157±5 bp; the subtelomeric heterochromatin characterized by tandemly repeated sequences of the HRS60 family is cut by MNase with a 180 by periodicity. The monomeric and dimeric particles of telomeric and subtelomeric chromatin differ in sensitivity to MNase treatment: the telomeric particles are readily digested, producing ladders with a periodicity of 7 bp, while the subtelomeric particles appear to be rather resistant to intranucleosomal cleavage. The results presented show apparent similarities in the organization of telomeric chromatin in higher plants and mammals.     

Transfer of the broad-host-range IncQ plasmid RSF1010 and other plasmid vectors to the Gram-positive methylotroph Brevibacterium methylicum by electrotransformation

Gram-positive facultative methylotrophic coryneform bacterium Brevibacterium methylicum was efficiently transformed with various plasmids using electroporation of intact cells. In addition to the plasmid vectors pEC71 and pZ6-1 constructed on the basis of cryptic plasmids from coryneform bacteria, broad-host-range plasmids pLS5 (derivative of plasmid pMV158 from Streptococcus agalactiae) and RSF1010 belonging to the incompatibility group IncQ from Gram-negative bacteria were found to be present as autonomous structurally unchanged DNA molecules in B. methylicum transformants. With the exception of pZ6-1, all these plasmids were stably maintained in B. methylicum cells grown under non-selective conditions. When plasmid DNAs isolated from B. methylicum were used, the highest efficiency of transformation (10⁵ transformants/g DNA) was achieved. Correspondence to: J. Nevera     

2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid modification of the carboxyl-terminal region (C-domain) of calreticulin

The role of the primary amino groups of lysine sidechains in Ca²⁺ binding to calreticulin was evaluated by chemical modification of the amino group with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS). TNBS binding to calreticulin could be described by two steps: (i) a fast reaction, with low affinity, and (ii) a slow reaction with a relatively high affinity. Inclusion of Ca²⁺ and/or Mg²⁺ decreased both the amount of TNBS bound to calreticulin and the apparent affinity constant of the slower reaction. In contrast, the properties of the faster reaction for TNBS binding were not sensitive to Ca²⁺ and/or Mg²⁺. Analysis of TNBS binding to the carboxyl-terminal (C-domain) and aminoterminal (N-domain) of calreticulin revealed that theC-domain andN-domain are responsible for the slow and fast component of the TNBS binding, respectively. In keeping with this, in the presence of Ca²⁺, TNBS binding to theC-domain was significantly reduced, whereas modification of theN-domain was unaffected. TNBS modification of calreticulin significantly decreased Ca²⁺ binding to the low affinity/high capacity Ca²⁺ binding site(s) which are localized to theC-domain but had no effect on the high affinity/low capacity Ca²⁺ binding localized to theN-domain.In theC-domain of calreticulin, which contains the low affinity/high capacity Ca²⁺ binding sites, acidic residues are interspersed at regular intervals with one or more positively charged lysine and arginine residues. Our results indicate that the aminogroups of the lysine sidechains in theC-domain of calreticulin have a role in the low affinity/high capacity Ca²⁺ binding that is characteristic of this region of the protein and which is proposed to contribute significantly to the capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ store. (Mol Cell Biochem130: 19–28, 1994)Abbreviations TNBS 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid - GST Glutathione S-Transferase - SDS-PAGE Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis - EDTA Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid - EGTA Ethylene Glycol bis(-aminoethylether)-N,N,N,N-tetraacetic Acid - MOPS 4-Morpholinepropanesulfonic Acid