Effect of dietary fiber on absorption of B-6 vitamers in a rat jejunal perfusion study

Previous research has indicated that dietary fiber may affect the absorption and utilization of certain nutrients. To determine the effect of certain fiber materials on the absorption of B-6 vitamers, jejunal segments from young male adult rats were perfused in situ with a control solution containing 0.02 mM pyridoxine (PN), 0.02 mM pyridoxal (PL), and 0.02 mM pyridoxamine (PM), followed by a test solution containing the same vitamin B-6 mixture and one of five fiber-rich test materials (cellulose, pectin, lignin, homogenized fresh carrot, or carrot homogenized after 10 min boiling) added at a concentration of 1-3%. The mean absorption rates of PL, PN, and PM from the control solution were, respectively, 3.66 +/- 0.23, 2.06 +/- 0.23, and 1.74 +/- 0.37 nmole/min/20 cm jejunal segment. There were no significant differences between the absorption rates of B-6 vitamers from control and test solutions containing cellulose, pectin, and lignin. The absorption rates of PM and PL were significantly depressed (P less than 0.05 and P less than 0.01, respectively) by the presence of fresh or cooked carrot. The absorption rate of PN in presence of cooked carrot was also decreased relative to the control value but the difference was only marginally significant (P less than 0.10). When the concentration of fresh carrot in the test solution was increased to 10% by weight and the perfusion rate was decreased from 1.91 to 0.49 ml/min in a second perfusion experiment, there was a significant increase in variability and the differences between absorption rates of the B-6 vitamers in control and test solutions were not statistically significant. The limited evidence of adverse effect of carrot on absorption of vitamin B-6 suggested the need for further clarification of the influence of dietary fiber in an unrefined state on the bioavailability of vitamin B-6.     

Effects of Light and Elevated Atmospheric CO(2) on the Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase Activity and Ribulose Bisphosphate Level of Soybean Leaves

Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr. cv Bragg) was grown throughout its life cycle at 330, 450, and 800 microliters CO₂ per liter in outdoor controlled-environment chambers under solar irradiance. Leaf ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase) activities and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) levels were measured at selected times after planting. Growth under the high CO₂ levels reduced the extractable RuBPCase activity by up to 22%, but increased the daytime RuBP levels by up to 20%.

Diurnal measurements of RuBPCase (expressed in micromoles CO₂ per milligram chlorophyll per hour) showed that the enzyme values were low (230) when sampled before sunrise, even when activated in vitro with saturating HCO₃⁻ and Mg²⁺, but increased to 590 during the day as the solar quantum irradiance (photosynthetically active radiation or PAR, in micromoles per square meter per second) rose to 600. The nonactivated RuBPCase values, which averaged 20% lower than the corresponding HCO₃⁻ and Mg²⁺-activated values, increased in a similar manner with increasing solar PAR. The per cent RuBPCase activation (the ratio of nonactivated to maximum-activated values) increased from 40% before dawn to 80% during the day. Leaf RuBP levels (expressed in nanomoles per milligram chlorophyll) were close to zero before sunrise but increased to a maximum of 220 as the solar PAR rose beyond 1200. In a chamber kept dark throughout the morning, leaf RuBPCase activities and RuBP levels remained at the predawn values. Upon removal of the cover at noon, the HCO₃⁻ and Mg²⁺-activated RuBPCase values and the RuBP levels rose to 465 and 122, respectively, after only 5 minutes of leaf exposure to solar PAR at 1500.

These results indicate that, in soybean leaves, light may exert a regulatory effect on extractable RuBPCase in addition to the well-established activation by CO₂ and Mg²⁺.

     

Translation of poly(U) on ribosomes from Streptomyces aureofaciens

Slowly cooled cells of Streptomyces aureofaciens contained mainly tight-couple ribosomes. Maximum rate of polyphenylalanine synthesis on ribosomes of S. aureofaciens was observed at 40°C, while cultures grew optimally at 28°C. Ribosomes of S. aureofaciens differed from those of E. coli in the amount of poly(U) required for maximum synthetic activity. The polyphenylalanine-synthesizing activity of E. coli ribosomes was about 3-times higher than that of S. aureofaciens ribosomes. The addition of protein S1 of E. coli or the homologous protein from S. aureofaciens had no stimulatory effect on the translation of poly(U). In order to localize alteration(s) of S. aureofaciens ribosomes in the elongation step of polypeptide synthesis we developed an in vitro system derived from purified elongation factors and ribosomal subunits. The enzymatic binding of Phe-tRNA to ribosomes of S. aureofaciens was significantly lower than the binding to ribosomes of E. coli. This alteration was mainly connected with the function of S. aureofaciens 50 S subunits. These subunits were not deficient in their ability to associate with 30 S subunits or with protein SL5 which is homologous to L7/L12 of E. coli.     

Comparison of the localization of nucleic acid synthesis during bud formation on leaf fragments and on intact undetached leaves ofBegonia rex Putz.

The budding capacity ofBegonia rex leaf fragments is well known; that of undetached leaves has been shown by us only recently after treating the leaves with 6γγ DMAAP. Benzyladenine is as effective as 6γγ DMAAP in stimulating budding. Lower temperatures (17°, 22–12°, 12°) are also capable of inducing bud formation but only after a small cut has been made in a main vein of the undetached leaf. Root formation can also be provoked on undetached leaves which have a cut in the main leaf vein by higher temperatures (24–22°) or by an IAA treatment. Differences in the first stages of bud formation on leaf fragments and on undetached leaves are observed using histochemical and histoautoradiographic techniques.     

Large-scale mapping and chromosome jumping in the q27 region of the human X chromosome

We have used pulsed field gel electrophoresis for further physical mapping studies in the q27 region of the human X chromosome. We show that the DXS 102 locus and the F9 gene are separated by only 300 kb despite a genetic distance of 1.4 cM; this linkage orients our large-scale map and shows that the mcf.2 transforming sequence is telomeric to F9. A BssHII complete-digest jumping library was used to jump toward the DXS 105 locus; a 130-kb jump was achieved and the corresponding "linking clone" was obtained.     

Pharmacological Characteristics and Distributions of σ and Phencyclidine Receptors in the Animal Kingdom

The phylogenetic distributions ofσ- and phencyclidine receptors in neural tissues of 13 species and the pharmacological characteristics of these receptors in whole sea anemone and neural tissues of the guinea pig, chicken, and frog were studied. Specific binding of [³H]haloperidol and [³H]N-[1-(2-thienyl)cyclohexyl]-3,4-piperidine, ligands that bind with high affinity to σ- and phencyclidine receptors, respectively, was detected in all organisms examined. The order of potencies of various ligands to inhibit 1 nM [³H]haloperidol binding in brains of frogs and guinea pigs or 1 nM [³H]N-[1-(2-thienyl)cyclohexyl]-3,4–piperidine in chicken or guinea pig brain homogenates was very similar. However, the characteristics and stereospecificity of binding of the two radioligands in sea anemone were different than in higher organisms. The results suggest that σ– and phencyclidine binding sites are evolutionarily old, as the characteristics of the two sites are well preserved over a range of vertebrate phyla.     

Human melanoma cells express a novel integrin receptor for laminin

This study sought to determine whether human melanoma cells express integrin-related receptors that mediate their adhesion to laminin. We found that antibodies against the integrin beta 1 chain blocked cell attachment to laminin-coated surfaces. Furthermore, immunofluorescence staining demonstrated beta 1 complexes in vinculin-positive focal adhesion plaques on the basal surface of cells attached to laminin substrates. Chromatography of detergent extracts of 125I-surface-labeled cells on laminin-Sepharose columns recovered two major laminin-binding proteins (100 and 130 kDa, reduced) that bound with high affinity to the columns and were eluted with EDTA. Both proteins were specifically immunoprecipitated from column fractions with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to the integrin beta 1 subunit, indicating that they form a noncovalent heterodimer complex. The alpha-like subunit is composed of a 30-kDa light chain that is joined by a disulfide bond to the 100-kDa heavy chain. This complex was not recovered from columns of fibronectin- or collagen type I- or IV-Sepharose. Laminin-binding by the alpha beta 1 complex was independent of Arg-Gly-Asp or Tyr-Ile-Gly-Ser-Arg-like sequences, but required the presence of divalent cations. The 100-kDa alpha-like subunit was electrophoretically and immunochemically distinct from the other known alpha subunits, alpha 1-alpha 6. The results indicate that human melanoma cells express a novel laminin-specific integrin beta 1 complex which may mediate the cells' interactions with this ligand.     

Thiophosphorylation causes Ca2+-independent norepinephrine secretion from permeabilized PC12 cells

Adenosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (ATP gamma S) was used to examine the role of phosphorylation in the regulation of norepinephrine secretion by digitonin-permeabilized PC12 cells. While most kinases will use ATP gamma S to thiophosphorylate proteins, thiophosphorylated proteins are relatively resistant to dethiophosphorylation by protein phosphatases. Norepinephrine secretion by permeabilized PC12 cells was ATP- and Ca2+-dependent but resistant to calmodulin antagonists. Half-maximum secretion was obtained in 0.75 microM Ca2+. Permeabilized PC12 cells were incubated with ATP gamma S in the absence of Ca2+, the ATP gamma S was removed, and norepinephrine secretion was determined. Preincubation with ATP gamma S increased the amount of norepinephrine secreted in the absence of Ca2+, but it had no effect on the amount released in the presence of Ca2+. After a 15-min preincubation in 1 mM ATP gamma S, there was almost as much secretion in the absence of Ca2+ as in its presence. Inclusion of ATP in the preincubation inhibited the effect of ATP gamma S. Ca2+ stimulated the rate of modification by ATP gamma S as brief preincubations with ATP gamma S in the presence of Ca2+ resulted in higher levels of Ca2+-independent secretion than did preincubations with ATP gamma S in the absence of Ca2+. Similarly, brief preincubations of permeabilized cells with ATP in the presence of Ca2+ resulted in elevated levels of Ca2+-independent secretion. Secretion of norepinephrine from ATP gamma S-treated cells was ATP-dependent. These results suggest that norepinephrine secretion by PC12 cells is regulated by a Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation. Once this phosphorylation has occurred, secretion is still ATP-dependent, but it no longer requires Ca2+.