The inheritance of seed peroxidases of wheat and rye: further data

Summary Further data on the inheritance of seed peroxidases of hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and rye (Secale cereale L.) have been obtained from the genetic analysis of several progenies of both species. Additional data on the inheritance and the chromosomal location and linkage have been obtained for peroxidases of wheat embryo and rye endosperm. The general presence of null alleles in peroxidase loci has been confirmed in both species. In addition to simple monogenic inheritance, epistatic segregations have been observed in both species. These epistatic segregations again suggest the presence of regulatory genes controlling the expression of individual peroxidases in both species and also the existence of several duplicate homoeologous genes in wheat. Known linkage relationships have been confirmed and new ones are indicated. Loci for embryo wheat peroxidases seem to be in chromosomes of the homoeology group 3. The rye endosperm ones should be in chromosome 7R, although it is hypothesized that a duplication of gene EPer1 is located in chromosomes 4R and 7R.     

Isolation of an amylose-free starch mutant of the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Summary An amylose-free potato mutant was isolated after screening 12,000 minitubers. These minitubers had been induced on stem segments of adventitious shoots, which had been regenerated on leaf explants of a monoploid potato clone after Röntgen-irradiation. The mutant character is also expressed in subterranean tubers and in microspores. Starch granules from the mutant showed a strongly reduced activity of the granule bound starch synthase and loss of the major 60 kd protein from the starch granules.     

Singlet oxygen-induced mutations in M13 lacZ phage DNA

The mutagenic consequences of damages to M13 mp19 RF DNA produced by singlet oxygen have been determined in a forward mutational system capable of detecting all classes of mutagenic events. When the damaged M13 mp19 RF DNA is used to transfect competent E. coli JM105 cells, a 16.6-fold increase in mutation frequency is observed at 5% survivors when measured as a loss of alpha-complementation. The enhanced mutagenicity is largely due to single-nucleotide substitutions, frameshift events and double-mutations. The single-nucleotide substitutions occur in the regulatory and in the structural part of the lacZ gene under the predominant form of a G:C to T:A transversion. The spectrum of mutations detected among the M13 lacZ phages surviving the singlet oxygen treatment is totally different from those appearing spontaneously. SOS induction mediated through u.v.-irradiation of bacteria leads to an increase of the mutation frequency in the M13 surviving to the singlet oxygen treatment. The mutation spectrum in this case is a mixture between those observed with the spontaneous mutants and the mutants induced by singlet oxygen. Lesions introduced in the M13 mp19 RF DNA can be partly repaired by the enzymatic machinery of the bacteria. It turns out that excision-repair and SOS repair are probably involved in the removal of these lesions by singlet oxygen.     

Effect of tubulozole, a new synthetic microtubule inhibitor, on the induction of casein gene expression by prolactin

Colchicine and related drugs are known to inhibit milk secretion. They are also able to prevent stimulation of casein and DNA synthesis by prolactin in the mammary gland. The present report reports data obtained with tubulozole, a new antimitotic drug. Tubulozole C added to culture medium of isolated rabbit epithelial mammary cells strongly inhibited their multiplication. Simultaneously, at a concentration of 1 microM, it prevented almost completely the induction of beta-casein mRNA. Induced cells were rapidly deinduced by addition of the drug to the medium. A similar inhibition was observed when the induction was obtained with prolactin alone or with its two stimulators insulin and glucocorticoids. Tubulozole T, an isomer of tubulozole C which is known to be ineffective in disrupting microtubules, did not alter prolactin actions. These data and those obtained with other tubulin-binding drugs strongly suggest that the integrity of microtubules is required for prolactin to deliver its message to the mammary cell.     

c-myc gene expression and interleukin-2 receptor levels in cloned human CD2+,CD3+ and CD2+,CD3- lymphocytes

The levels of c-myc mRNA and interleukin-2 receptors (IL-2 Rec) were studied in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL); mature CD2+,CD3+ T cell clones and CD2+,CD3- natural killer (NK) cell clones, and CD2+,CD3+ and CD2-,CD3- T lymphoma cell lines. A transient induction of the expression of c-myc and IL-2 Rec was observed in PBL after activation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Expression of c-myc and IL-2 Rec was also found in the CD2+,CD3+ and CD2+,CD3- clones. The CD2+,CD3+ showed higher levels of c-myc mRNA and IL-2 Rec than the CD2+,CD3- clones. In three T lymphoma cell lines constitutively high levels of c-myc mRNA but no IL-2 Rec were found. Only in JURKAT (CD2+,CD3+), c-myc mRNA levels could be further enhanced by PHA. These results suggest that in the presence of PHA, expression of c-myc and IL-2 Rec is induced via the CD3 receptor, and in the absence of PHA and/or the CD3 receptor alternative routes of induction are involved.     

Biogenesis of the glycosome in Trypanosoma brucei: the synthesis, translocation and turnover of glycosomal polypeptides.

Glycosomes, the microbodies of Trypanosoma brucei, contain a number of enzymes involved in glucose and glycerol metabolism. The biogenesis of three of these enzymes has been studied. Aldolase, D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and NAD-linked glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase are all synthesized in the cytosol on free rather than on membrane-bound polysomes. In vitro, as well as in vivo, these polypeptides are synthesized at their mature size, and no evidence was found for any processing upon entry into the glycosomes. Continuous and pulse-chase labelling experiments with procyclic trypomastigotes revealed that the enzymes have a half-life in the cytosol of approximately 3 min or less, and then turn over rapidly in the glycosomes, with half-lives as short as 30 min.     

Cellular free cholesterol in Hep G2 cells is only partially available for down-regulation of low-density-lipoprotein receptor activity.

We have previously shown that in Hep G2 cells and human hepatocytes, as compared with fibroblasts, the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor activity is only weakly down-regulated after incubation of the cells with LDL, whereas incubation with high-density lipoproteins (HDL) of density 1.16-1.20 g/ml (heavy HDL) strongly increased the LDL-receptor activity. To elucidate this difference between hepatocytes and fibroblasts, we studied the cellular cholesterol homoeostasis in relation to the LDL-receptor activity in Hep G2 cells. (1) Interrupting the cholesteryl ester cycle by inhibiting acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) activity with compound 58-035 (Sandoz) resulted in an enhanced LDL-mediated down-regulation of the receptor activity. (2) The stimulation of the receptor activity by incubation of the cells with cholesterol acceptors such as heavy HDL was not affected by ACAT inhibition. (3) Incubation of the Hep G2 cells with LDL, heavy HDL or a combination of both grossly affected LDL-receptor activity, but did not significantly change the intracellular content of free cholesterol, suggesting that in Hep G2 cells the regulatory free cholesterol pool is small as compared with the total free cholesterol mass. (4) We used changes in ACAT activity as a sensitive (indirect) measure for changes in the regulatory free cholesterol pool. (5) Incubation of the cells with compactin (2 microM) without lipoproteins resulted in a 4-fold decrease in ACAT activity, indicating that endogenously synthesized cholesterol is directed to the ACAT-substrate pool. (6) Incubation of the cells with LDL or a combination of LDL and heavy HDL stimulated ACAT activity 3-5 fold, whereas incubation with heavy HDL alone decreased ACAT activity more than 20-fold. Our results suggest that in Hep G2 cells exogenously delivered (LDL)-cholesterol and endogenously synthesized cholesterol are primarily directed to the cholesteryl ester (ACAT-substrate) pool or, if present, to extracellular cholesterol acceptors (heavy HDL) rather than to the free cholesterol pool involved in LDL-receptor regulation.