A rapid method for determination of Proteus vulgaris with a piezoelectric quartz crystal sensor coated with a thin liquid film

A rapid method for microorganism detection using a piezoelectric quartz crystal sensor (PQC) coated with a thin liquid culture medium film was developed and applied to detect the cell number of Proteus vulgaris. This method employed the viscosity and density response of PQC and utilized the coagulation of gelatine medium solution in which the microorganisms had grown to determine the microorganism indirectly. Three time points (TT₁, DT, TT₂) were obtained from the coagulation curve and were found to be in good linear relationship with the logarithm of the initial number of P. vulgaris in the range 1·3 × 10²−1·3 × 10⁵ cells/ml. The detection was rapid and accurate because the coagulation of the thin liquid culture medium film was quick and the time points in the response curve were sharp and so were easy to determine accurately. The detection time was less than 4 h and only a micro sample was needed. A 5 h preincubation was needed before detection. Some experimental conditions are discussed in detail.     

油麻藤凝集素的荧光光谱研究

用化学修饰、内源荧光和荧光淬灭等方法研究了油麻藤凝集素（ＭＳＬ）的溶液构象变化和微环境的构象特征。研究发现ＭＳＬ分子中总共有９个色氨酸（Ｔｒｐ）残基,它们的荧光能被丙烯酰胺淬灭,但不易为ＫＩ接近而淬灭,ＭＳＬ经Ｎ－溴代琥珀酰亚胺（ＮＢＳ）修饰后,其内源性荧光发射谱发生相应变化,结果表明ＭＳＬ分子中部分Ｔｒｐ残基埋藏于分子内部,而位于分子表面的Ｔｒｐ残基可能处于分子的疏水袋中。     

水稻巯基蛋白酶抑制剂的分子修饰与其对稻瘟病菌的抑制作用

水稻巯基蛋白酶抑制剂（ＣＰＩ）经用二硫苏糖醇,对氯汞苯甲酸和碘乙酸修饰后,对木瓜蛋白酶的抑制活性并无改变;用Ｎ－乙基顺丁烯二酰亚胺与ＣＰＩ反应,可以测出ＣＰＩ分子内有１９个巯基被修饰,被修饰后,抑制活性仍无改变,表明水稻ＣＰＩ的抑制活性不需要巯基参与;应用Ｎ－溴代丁二酰亚胺与ＣＰＩ反应,可测出ＣＰＩ分子内有２个Ｔｒｐ被修饰,修饰后,抑制活性全部丧失,表明Ｔｒｐ是保持抑制活性所必需的基团。水稻巯基蛋白酶抑制剂和丝氨酸蛋白酶抑制剂对稻瘟病菌丝体的生长均有抑制作用,但后者的抑制作用比前者更强,若将两种抑制剂混合使用,则对稻瘟病菌丝体的抑制作用非常强烈;当抑制剂加入量达７２μｇ时,即可产生明显的抑制作用。     

黄精凝集素Ⅱ分子稳定性与生物学活性研究

黄精凝集素Ⅱ分子稳定性与生物学活性研究鲍锦库,曾仲奎,周红（四川大学生物系,成都,６１００６４）本文在黄精凝集素Ⅱ纯化及性质研究的基础上,应用多种变性条件,研究其分子特性,同时对分子的巯基和色氨酸进行修饰,研究该凝集素分子保持其生物学活性与这些基团的...     

Biosorption of uranium by Myxococcus xanthus

This paper deals with uranium biosorption by Myxococcus xanthus biomass in which dry biomass, accumulating up to 2.4 mM of uranium g⁻¹, is demonstrated to be a more efficient biosorbent than wet biomass. For uranium concentrations of 0.1–0.3 mM, between 95.79% and 95.99% of the uranium was taken up from the solution. Dry biomass biosorption was found to be relatively rapid, reaching equilibrium after 5–10 min. In addition, the pH influenced biosorption, pH 4.5 promoting maximum uptake. It was also established that the biosorbed uranium is located on the cellular wall and within the extracellular mucopolysaccharide of this microorganism. Furthermore, using sodium carbonate as a desorbent agent, 80.82% of the biosorbed uranium could be recovered. The results obtained indicate the possible utilization of M. xanthus biomass to solve some problems of the water contaminated by uranium.     

P-Element Insertion Alleles of Essential Genes on the Third Chromosome of Drosophila Melanogaster: Correlation of Physical and Cytogenetic Maps in Chromosomal Region 86e-87f

We have established a collection of 2460 lethal or semi-lethal mutant lines using a procedure thought to insert single P elements into vital genes on the third chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster. More than 1200 randomly selected lines were examined by in situ hybridization and 90% found to contain single insertions at sites that mark 89% of all lettered subdivisions of the Bridges' map. A set of chromosomal deficiencies that collectively uncover ~25% of the euchromatin of chromosome 3 reveal lethal mutations in 468 lines corresponding to 145 complementation groups. We undertook a detailed analysis of the cytogenetic interval 86E-87F and identified 87 P-element-induced mutations falling into 38 complementation groups, 16 of which correspond to previously known genes. Twenty-one of these 38 complementation groups have at least one allele that has a P-element insertion at a position consistent with the cytogenetics of the locus. We have rescued P elements and flanking chromosomal sequences from the 86E-87F region in 35 lines with either lethal or genetically silent P insertions, and used these as probes to identify cosmids and P1 clones from the Drosophila genome projects. This has tied together the physical and genetic maps and has linked 44 previously identified cosmid contigs into seven ``supercontigs' that span the interval. STS data for sequences flanking one side of the P-element insertions in 49 lines has identified insertions in the αγ element at 87C, two known transposable elements, and the open reading frames of seven putative single copy genes. These correspond to five known genes in this interval, and two genes identified by the homology of their predicted products to known proteins from other organisms.     

Prothrombin cleavage by human vascular smooth muscle cells: A potential alternative pathway to the coagulation cascade

Thrombin is a potent mitogen for human vascular smooth muscle cells (HVSMC) and its enzymatic activity is required for this function. The present study demonstrates that prothrombin is also mitogenic for HVSMC due to the generation of enzymatically active thrombin which occurs upon incubation of prothrombin with the cells. Analysis by SDS-PAGE, immunoblotting, and amino acid sequencing revealed that prothrombin incubated with HVSMC undergoes limited proteolysis. Prethrombin 1 was formed through cleavage at R¹⁵⁵-S¹⁵⁶. Cleavage at R²⁷¹-T²⁷² generated fragment 1.2 and prethrombin 2 whilst cleavage at R²⁸⁴-T²⁸⁵ yielded truncated prothrombin 2 (prethrombin 2′). However, cleavage at R³²⁰-I³²¹ which, during prothrombin activation produces two-chain α-thrombin, was not detectable. Studies on HVSMC-conditioned medium revealed that a similar pattern of prothrombin cleavage occurred by a cell-secreted factor(s). Amidolytic activity analysis indicated that 1–3% catalytically active thrombin-like activity was generated upon incubation of prothrombin with HVSMC-conditioned medium. By treating conditioned medium with various classes of proteinase inhibitors or hirudin, it was determined that prothrombin is cleaved by a cell-derived serine proteinase-like factor(s) at R²⁷¹-S²⁷² and by α-thrombin at R¹⁵⁵-S¹⁵⁶ and R²⁸⁴-T²⁸⁵. Antibodies neutralising the activity of either urokinase, tissue plasminogen activator, or factor Xa failed to alter the prothrombin cleaving activity of conditioned medium. This activity which may catalyse an alternative pathway for the generation of thrombin, was eluted from a gel filtration column as a single peak with apparent molecular mass of 30–40 kDa. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Genetic regulation of gibberellin deactivation in Pisum

The regulation of gibberellin (GA) deactivation was examined using the sin (slender) mutation in the garden pea (Pisum sativum L.). This mutation blocks the deactivation of GA₂₀, the precursor of the bioactive GA₁. Firstly, crosses were made to combine sin with the GA biosynthesis mutations na, lhⁱ and le-3. The combination sin na produced a novel phenotype, with long (‘slender’) basal internodes and extremely short (‘nana’) upper internodes. In contrast, the double mutant sin lhⁱ was phenotypically dwarf. The mutation sin causes an accumulation of GA₂₀ in maturing seeds, and this was unaffected by na, since the na mutation is not expressed in seeds. In contrast, lhⁱ seeds did not accumulate GA₂₀, since lhⁱ imposes an early block on GA biosynthesis. Secondly, the effects of sin on several steps in GA deactivation were investigated. In maturing seeds, the mutation sin blocks two steps in GA₂₀ metabolism, namely, GA₂₀ to GA₂₉, and GA₂₉ to GA₂₉-catabolite. In the vegetative plant, on the other hand, sin blocked the step GA₂₀ to GA₂₉, but not GA₂₉ to GA₂₉-catabolite; the steps GA₂₀ to GA₈₁ and GA₂₀ to GA₁ were also not impaired in this mutant. It is clear that the effects of sin, like those of na, are strongly organ-specific. The presence of separate enzymes for the steps GA₂₀ to GA₂₉ and GA₂₉ to GA₂₉-catabolite was suggested by the observation that GA₈ inhibited the latter step, but not the former, and by the inability of GA₂₀ and GA₂₉ to inhibit each other's metabolism. It is suggested that the Sin gene may be a regulatory gene controlling the expression of two structural genes involved in GA deactivation.     

河南新乡地区儿童头面部测量

本文对河南省新乡地区汉族儿童（４－１３岁）头面部进行了测量,比较和分析了儿童体质发育与年龄增长的关系,据儿童头面部各指数数值大小分型,确定该地区汉族儿童面部的形态为：圆头型、高头型、狭头型、狭面型、狭鼻型。     

Copper distribution in the normal human brain

Copper concentration was determined in samples from 38 areas of 7 normal human brains. The grey matter contained higher concentrations of copper than the white matter. Identical areas of the grey and white matter of the cerebral cortex showed significant differences between individuals. In the caudate nucleus the highest concentrations of copper were found in the tail followed by the body and the head, respectively. A negative linear regression between age and brain copper levels was demonstrated.