Preliminary study of the physical chemistry and catalytic properties of glutathione-S-transferase from human placenta

Glutathione-S-transferase activity has been identified in the cytosol of human placenta. The specific activity measured is about 50% of that found in human liver. While some kinetic data have a close correspondence with those attributed to transferases of other sources, the molecular weight (60.000 daltons) and electric properties of this protein are unusual. The inhibitory effect of several non-substrate compounds suggests that also the placental Glutathione-S-transferase may play some role in detoxication of exogenous substances.     

Evaluation of various hemorheological parameters in nonagenarians: evidence of an increase of fibrinogen

Cardiovascular disease is the most frequent cause of mortality in the elderly. A reduced microvascular blood flow associated with an increase in atherosclerosis might contribute to age related increases in the incidence of ischemic vascular disease. In order to evaluate the effect of age on some haemorheological parameters, blood and plasma viscosity and fibrinogen have been measured in 10 healthy elderly subjects, aged between 88 and 96 years, compared with 15 healthy young subjects (mean age 37 years). Elderly subjects showed a significant increase in plasma fibrinogen (p less than 0.0005) and a trend to an increase in plasma viscosity, whereas no difference was present in blood viscosity. These data confirm that aging is associated with a greater deal of thrombotic risk factors, the most important of which seems to be fibrinogen.     

Patterns of variation in desiccation resistance in a set of recombinant inbred lines in Drosophila melanogaster

Desiccation, resulting from extremely dry environmental conditions, is a serious obstacle to the survival of organisms. Water is vital for the maintenance of intracellular structure and prevents the irreversible formation of aggregates, an occurrence leading to loss of cellular function. To characterize genetic variation in desiccation stress resistance (DSR) in Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, an intercontinental set of recombinant inbred lines (RIL) is used. Flies are exposed to a low humidity environment (<10% relative humidity) at a constant temperature of 25 °C. Desiccation stress resistance is higher in RIL derived from a backcross to the parental stock sensitive to heat stress (from Denmark) than in RIL derived from the reciprocal backcross to the heat‐stress resistant stock (from Australia). Composite interval mapping reveals significant quantitative trail loci (QTL) for DSR in the set of RIL. Both major and minor effects QTL are detected, suggesting a complex genetic architecture. When compared with a previous investigation performed on the same set of RIL, the present study indicates that not all traits of resistance to environmental stressors are affected in the same direction by segregating co‐localized QTL.     

Process‐based functions for seed retention on animals: a test of improved descriptions of dispersal using multiple data sets

Studies of external seed transport on animals usually assume that the probability of detachment is constant, so that seed retention should show a simple exponential relationship with time. This assumption has not been tested explicitly, and may lead to inaccurate representation of long distance seed dispersal by animals. We test the assumption by comparing the fit to empirical data of simple, two‐parameter functions. Fifty‐two data sets were obtained from five published studies, describing seed retention of 32 plant species on sheep, cattle, deer, goats and mice. Model selection suggested a simple exponential function was adequate for data sets in which seed retention was followed for short periods ( <48 h). The data gathered over longer periods (49–219 days) were best described by the power exponential function, a form of the stretched exponential which allows a changing dropping rate. In these cases the power exponential showed that seed dropping rate decreased with time, suggesting that seeds vary in attachment, with some seeds becoming deeply buried or wound up in the animal's coat. Comparison of fitted parameters across all the data sets also confirmed that seeds with adhesive structures have lower dropping rates than those without. We conclude that the seed dropping rate often changes with time during external transport on animals and that the power exponential is an effective function to describe this change. We advise that, to analyse seed dropping rates adequately, retention should be measured over reasonable time periods – until most seeds are dropped – and both the simple and power exponential functions should be fitted to the resulting data. To increase its utility, we provide functions describing the seed dropping rate and the dispersal kernel resulting from the power exponential relationship.     

Interaction between delta and epsilon subunits of F1-ATPase from pig heart mitochondria. Circular dichroism and intrinsic fluorescence of purified and reconstituted delta epsilon complex

A delta epsilon complex has been purified as a molecular entity from pig heart mitochondrial F1-ATPase. This delta epsilon complex has also been reconstituted from purified delta and epsilon subunits. Both isolated and reconstituted delta epsilon complexes have delta 1 epsilon 1 stoichiometry and are indistinguishable by their chromatographic behavior, their circular dichroism spectra (CD spectra), and their intrinsic fluorescence features. The content of secondary structures deduced from CD spectra of the delta epsilon complex appears to be the sum of the respective contributions of purified delta and epsilon subunits. All intrinsic fluorescence studies carried out on isolated epsilon subunit and delta epsilon complex show that the single tryptophan residue located on epsilon is involved in the interaction between delta and epsilon subunits. Results obtained with F1-ATPase are in favor of the same delta epsilon interaction in the entire enzyme.     

2,3-Butanediol production by Enterobacter aerogenes: selection of the optimal conditions and application to food industry residues

Optimum values of temperature, pH, and starting substrate concentration are experimentally determined for 2,3-butanediol production by Enterobacter aerogenes through three set of batch fermentations of synthetic glucose solutions. The results of tests carried out at variable temperature show an optimum of 39 °C and are used to estimate, for both fermentation and thermal inactivation, the activation enthalpies (7.19 and 23.6 kJ mol^у) and the related entropies (т.32 and т.27 kJ mol^у K^у). An optimum pH value of 6.0 is evidenced from batch runs at variable pH, whose results are also used to make reasonable hypotheses on the reaction controlling the metabolic pathway which leads to butanediol. The fermentability of different food industry wastes, namely starch hydrolysate, both raw and decoloured molasses, and whey, is finally checked.     

Cadmium causes the oxidative modification of proteins in pea plants

In pea (Pisum sativum L.) leaves from plants grown in the presence of 50 µm CdCl₂ the oxidative production of carbonyl groups in proteins, the rate of protein degradation and the proteolytic activity were investigated. In leaf extracts the content of carbonyl groups measured by derivatization with 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH), was two‐fold higher in plants treated with Cd than in control plants. The identification of oxidized proteins was carried out by sodium dodecyl sulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of proteins derivatized with DNPH and immunochemical detection with an antibody against DNPH. The intensity of the reactive bands was higher in plants exposed to Cd than in controls. By using different antibodies some of the oxidized proteins were identified as Rubisco, glutathione reductase, manganese superoxide dismutase, and catalase. The incubation of leaf crude extracts with increasing H₂O₂ concentrations showed a progressive enhancement in carbonyl content and the pattern of oxidized proteins was similar to that found in Cd‐treated plants. Oxidized proteins were more efficiently degraded, and the proteolytic activity increased 20% due to the metal treatment. In peroxisomes purified from pea leaves a rise in the carbonyl content similar to that obtained in crude extracts from Cd‐treated plants was observed, but the functionality of the peroxisomal membrane was not apparently affected by Cd. Results obtained demonstrate the participation of both oxidative stress, probably mediated by H₂O₂, and proteolytic degradation in the mechanism of Cd toxicity in leaves of pea plants, and they appear to be involved in the Cd‐induced senescence previously reported in these plants.     

Energy-barrier models for membrane transport.

Energy-barrier models are analyzed to find hidden assumptions and establish ranges of validity. The analysis proceeds by comparison with integrated results for model continuum membranes. The main conclusions are that a simple energy-barrier model has a wide range of validity, is remarkably accurate even when its conditions of validity are not strictly met, and is almost always superior to the analogous equations of irreversible thermodynamics. Its major limitations are a possible nonphysical divergence at high electric fields or volume flows caused by breakdown of the transition-state approximation, and the inability to treat multicomponent mixtures except in a pseudobinary (Nernst-Planck) approximation.     

Ion Permeabilities in Mouse Sperm Reveal an External Trigger for SLO3-Dependent Hyperpolarization

Unlike most cells of the body which function in an ionic environment controlled within narrow limits, spermatozoa must function in a less controlled external environment. In order to better understand how sperm control their membrane potential in different ionic conditions, we measured mouse sperm membrane potentials under a variety of conditions and at different external K⁺ concentrations, both before and after capacitation. Experiments were undertaken using both wild-type, and mutant mouse sperm from the knock-out strain of the sperm-specific, pH-sensitive, SLO3 K⁺ channel. Membrane voltage data were fit to the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation. Our study revealed a significant membrane permeability to both K⁺ and Cl⁻ before capacitation, as well as Na⁺. The permeability to both K⁺ and Cl⁻ has the effect of preventing large changes in membrane potential when the extracellular concentration of either ion is changed. Such a mechanism may protect against undesired shifts in membrane potential in changing ionic environments. We found that a significant portion of resting membrane potassium permeability in wild-type sperm was contributed by SLO3 K⁺ channels. We also found that further activation of SLO3 channels was the essential mechanism producing membrane hyperpolarization under two separate conditions, 1) elevation of external pH prior to capacitation and 2) capacitating conditions. Both conditions produced a significant membrane hyperpolarization in wild-type which was absent in SLO3 mutant sperm. Hyperpolarization in both conditions may result from activation of SLO3 channels by raising intracellular pH; however, demonstrating that SLO3-dependent hyperpolarization is achieved by an alkaline environment alone shows that SLO3 channel activation might occur independently of other events associated with capacitation. For example sperm may undergo stages of membrane hyperpolarization when reaching alkaline regions of the female genital tract. Significantly, other events associated with sperm capacitation, occur in SLO3 mutant sperm and thus proceed independently of hyperpolarization.     

Different root strategies of perennial native grasses under two contrasting water availability conditions: implications for their spatial distribution in desert dunes

Plant Ecology - The distribution pattern of perennial native grasses in the dune systems of the Monte desert might be determined by the ability of plant roots to acquire water under drought...