The phosphorus/oxygen ratio of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation.

The transport of ATP out of mitochondria and uptake of ADP and Pi into the matrix are coupled to the uptake of one proton (Klingenberg, M., and Rottenberg, H. (1977) Eur. J. Biochem. 73, 125--130). According to the chemiosmotic hypothesis of oxidative phosphorylation this coupling of nucleotide and Pi transport to proton transport implies that the P/O ratio for the synthesis and transport of ATP to the external medium is less than the P/O ratio for the synthesis of ATP inside mitochondria. A survey of previous determinations of the P/O ratio of intact mitochondria showed little convincing evidence in support of the currently accepted values of 3 with NADH-linked substrates and 2 with succinate. We have measured P/O ratios in rat liver mitochondria by the ADP pulse method and by 32 Pi esterification, measuring oxygen uptake with an oxygen electrode, and find values close to 2 with beta-hydroxybutyrate as substrate and 1.3 with succinate as substrate in the presence of rotenone to inhibit NADH oxidation. These values were largely independent of pH, temperature, Mg2+ ion concentration, Pi concentration, ADP pulse size, or amount of mitochondria used. We suggest that these are the true values of the P/O ratio for ATP synthesis and transport by mitochondria, and that previously reported higher values resulted from errors in the determination of oxygen uptake and the use of substrates which lead to ATP synthesis by succinate thiokinase.     

Partial deficiency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase with reduced affinity for PP-ribose-P in four related males with gout

Summary A family is described in which four affected males, spanning two generations, have hyperuricemia and gout accompanied by hematuria but are without severe neurologic involvement. The affected males were found to have markedly reduced levels of erythrocytic hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) activity; these were 5–12% with hypoxanthine and 0.5–3% with guanine as compared to controls. Erythrocytic adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) was approximately three-fold elevated in the affected individuals.The residual HGPRT activity in affected males enabled characterization of some of the properties of this mutation. The apparent Michaelis constants (km) for both hypoxanthine and guanine were essentially unchanged, whereas the km for PP-ribose-P was approximately 10–20-fold elevated for all four affected males. The enzyme was more sensitive to product inhibition by IMP and GMP than controls, and exhibited greater thermal lability at 65°C than found with control lysates.     

Prey-capture techniques and prey preferences of Corythalia canosa and Pystira orbiculata, ant-eating jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae)

Corythalia canosa from Florida is an unusual salticid because it is known to eat ants. This species' specialized behaviour for catching ants is described in detail for the first time and compared to its behaviour for catching other insects. Pystira orbiculata from Queensland is shown to be another ant-eating salticid, although its behaviour for catching ants seems less specialized than that of C. canosa. Three different types of tests of prey preference were carried out. In each type of test C. canosa and P. orbiculata took ants in preference to other insects. Another species of salticid, Trite planiceps from New Zealand, failed to eat ants in these tests, although T. planiceps often attacked then released the ants. Corythalia canosa's and P. orbiculata's preference for ants, and their prey-specific predatory behaviour for catching ants, are shown not to depend on prior experience with ants.     

Identification and characterization of mutations in 'X' region of a hepatitis B virus carrier.

A defective form of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) was identified in an apparently healthy voluntary blood donor, who was positive for the presence of HBV by dot blot hybridization, but did not have any serological markers of HBV infection. Two regions, part of X and part of surface antigen genes, were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, cloned and sequenced by Sanger's dideoxy chain termination method. The base sequence analysis revealed that the HBV mutant belonged to ayw serotype and showed three point mutations, in the form of deletions at nucleotides number 1402, 1438 and 1450. Such mutations in the 'X' region, and their likely presence elsewhere, could explain altered antigenic expression.