Intermediate sucrose octa-acetate sensitivity suggests a third allele at mouse bitter taste locus Soa and Soa-Rua identity

Mice have been characterized as either tasters or non-tastersof the bitter compound sucrose octa-acetate(SOA). However, 11of 17 supposedly non-taster inbred strains were found to avoid1 mM SOA. All 17 strains were indifferent to 0.1 mM SOA. Tasterstrains avoided both concentrations. The intermediate phenotypewas dubbed demitaster. A consistent phenotypic dominance orderwas found in crosses among both inbred and outbred strains (taster> non-taster > demitaster). Demitasters were found (withtasters) in an outbred strain showing monogenic segregationfor SOA avoidance. This, plus monogenic segregation in a back-crossof taster to demitaster inbred strains, suggested a third alleleat the Soa locus (Soa^c). Demitaster allelism was supported bythe strong associations found in 15 strains between the threeSOA phenotypes and HindIII restriction fragment patterns forthe closely linked Prp (proline rich protein) loci. SOA demitasterstrains were also intermediate in raffinose undeca-acetate (RUA)avoidance. Furthermore, B6.SW-Soa² congenic mice avoided notonly SOA, but RUA and eight other acetylated sugars. A previouslyproposed separate RUA-sensitivity gene (Rua) thus appeared tobe redundant.     

Ligand-induced association of rat lymphocyte membrane proteins with the detergent-insoluble lymphocyte cytoskeletal matrix

There are two classes of membrane protein capping on the basis of ligand requirements. Surface immunoglobulin (Slg), the prototype of the first class, requires a single ligand for cap induction. RT1 (rat histocompatibility proteins) requires two antibodies for cap induction. The lateral mobility of Slg is relatively restricted compared with RT1. These differences may be due to differential interaction with the cytoskeleton. After ligand binding 71% of Slg becomes detergent insoluble and is associated with the lymphocyte cytoskeletal matrix. The insolubilization occurs at 4 degrees C and is not inhibited by sodium azide or cytoskeleton-active drugs. The insolubilized ligand-receptor complex can be solubilized by a cytoskeleton destabilizing buffer. In contrast, only 20% of RT1 becomes associated with the lymphocytic cytoskeleton after ligand binding. The ligand-induced receptor-cytoskeleton interaction influences capping behavior and may play a role in cell activation.     

The effectiveness of constructed wetland for treatment of woodwaste leachate

Percolation of rainfall through woodwaste piles leaches natural chemicals from the wood residuals that can have adverse impacts on the environment. A study was conducted on a woodwaste storage site, adjacent to the Lower Fraser River, near Mission, BC, Canada. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of constructed wetland for treatment of this woodwaste leachate. The leachate was characterized by high oxygen demand, tannin and lignin, and volatile fatty acids (VFAs), but low pH and nutrients. Diluted leachate passed through six pilot-scale wetland cells, four planted with cattail (Typha latifolia) and two unplanted controls, with a hydraulic retention time of 7 days and an average depth of 40 cm. Nutrient addition and pH adjustments were made to improve contaminant removal. Reductions in contaminants were consistently achieved, with average removals for BOD, COD, VFAs and tannin and lignin of 60, 50, 69 and 42%, respectively. Climatic conditions had an impact on the performance of the constructed wetland. Further operation of the system will help to elucidate the seasonal fluctuations. Aging of the constructed wetland system increased the treatment performance.     

Measurement of cerebral blood flow by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography in children presenting with autistic behavior. Preliminary results

Transcranial Doppler ultrasonographic recordings of the middle cerebral arteries were performed on eight children with autistic behavior compared to eight controls. Blood flow measurements were assessed at rest and during auditory and visual stimulations. The main result was obtained during the auditory stimulations and concerned the left artery blood flow which is lower in autistics than in controls in these conditions (p less than .02). This result confirms the possibility of a left hemisphere dysfunctioning in autistics and may be related to clinical features as language disabilities and paradoxical reactivity to auditory stimuli.     

Pathway of acetate assimilation in autotrophic and heterotrophic methanococci.

The autotroph Methanococcus maripaludis contained high levels of acetate-coenzyme A ligase, pyruvate synthase, pyruvate, water dikinase, pyruvate carboxylase, and the enzymes of the incomplete reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, citrate synthase, and isocitrate dehydrogenase were not detected. In contrast, the heterotroph Methanococcus sp. strain A3 contained acetate kinase, and acetate coenzyme A ligase was virtually absent.     

Cytochrome c peroxidase compound I: formation of covalent protein crosslinks during the endogenous reduction of the active site

Cytochrome c peroxidase (ferrocytochrome-c:hydrogen-peroxide oxidoreductase, EC 1.11.1.5) was oxidized by hydrogen peroxide in the absence of exogenous electron donor. Higher molecular weight species were observed in the decay products at pH 4.5. Monomer and dimer were separated by gel filtration and purified by anion-exchange chromatography. Peptide mapping of tryptic digests of the dimer indicated a tyrosine crosslink localized between residues 32 and 48 of the native enzyme.     

Characterization of the specific binding of rat apolipoprotein E-deficient HDL to rat hepatic plasma membranes

We have used a preparation of rat liver plasma membranes to study the binding of rat apolipoprotein E-deficient HDL to rat liver. The membranes were found to bind HDL by a saturable process that was competed for by excess unlabeled HDL. The binding was temperature-dependent and was 85% receptor-mediated when incubated at 4, 22 and 37 degrees C. The affinity of the binding site for the HDL was consistent at all temperatures, while the maximum binding capacity increased at higher temperatures. The specific binding of HDL to the membranes did not require calcium and was independent of the concentration of NaCl in the media. The effect of varying the pH of the media on HDL binding was small, being 30% higher at pH 6.5 than at pH 9.0. Both rat HDL and human HDL3 were found to compete for the binding of rat HDL to the membranes, whereas rat VLDL remnants and human LDL did not compete. At 4 degrees C, complexes of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and apolipoproteins A-I, A-IV and the C apolipoproteins, but not apolipoprotein E, competed for HDL binding to the membranes. At 22 and 37 degrees C, all DMPC-apolipoprotein complexes competed to a similar extent, DMPC vesicles that contained no protein did not compete for the binding of HDL. These results suggest that the rat liver possesses a specific receptor for apolipoprotein E-deficient HDL that recognizes apolipoproteins A-I, A-IV and the C apolipoproteins as ligands.     

Theoretical and experimental studies of the radiative properties of matter at high energy densities and their application to the problems of inertial confinement fusion

The paper presents the results of theoretical and experimental studies of the radiative properties of plasmas produced by heating and compression of various materials to high energy densities. The specific features of the theoretical plasma model known as the ion model, which is used to calculate the radiative characteristics of plasmas of complex chemical composition, are discussed. The theoretical approach based on this model is applied to the plasma produced during the explosion of the X-pinch wires. The theoretical estimate of the radiation efficiency is compared with the experimental data on the total energy yield from an X-pinch made of two different wires (NiCr and Alloy 188). The radiative characteristics of (C12 H16 O8) and (C8 H12 O6) plasmas are calculated for the temperature diagnostics of plasmas produced from porous targets employed in inertial confinement fusion experiments with the use of laser radiation and heavy-ion beams.