Pollination systems of trees in Kakachi, a mid-elevation wet evergreen forest in Western Ghats, India

A long-term survey (1990-2000) of pollination modes of 86 tree species was carried out at Kakachi, a mid-elevation wet forest site in southern Western Ghats, India. Observations were made on 86 tree species. This comprises 80% of the total arborescent species present in the site. Approximately 75% of these species were specialized to a single pollinator group such as bee, beetle, or moth. Pollinators from diverse groups pollinate the remaining 25% of the tree species. Global comparison with other wet forest sites showed that diversity and specialized pollination modes observed in Kakachi bore closer resemblance to other lowland than montane forest sites described so far. However, the number of pollinators involved in pollination was comparable with montane sites. We examine the consequences that might have led to selection of the observed pollination modes in Kakachi. We discuss the conservation implications of these results.     

Fibronectin enhances viability and alters cytoskeletal functions (with effects on the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway) in small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a rapidly progressive disease with ultimate poor outcome. SCLC has been shown to interact closely with the stromal and extracellular matrix (ECM) components of the diseased host. ECM consists of type I/IV collagen, laminin, vitronectin, and fibronectin (FN) among others. Herein, we investigated the behavior of a SCLC cell line (NCI-H446) on FN-coated surface. Over a course of 72 h, FN (10 micro g/ml) caused both increased survival and proliferation of NCI-H446 cells. Survival under serum-starved conditions increased 1.44-fold and proliferation in the presence of fetal calf serum increased by 1.30-fold. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) inhibitor LY294002 reduced both survival and proliferation of NCI-H446 cells (0.48- and 0.27-fold, respectively), even on FN-coated surface. We next determined the effects of FN on cytoskeletal function such as cell motility/morphology and adhesion. Over a course of 24 h, FN reduced aggregation of NCI-H446 cells and induced flattened cellular morphology with neurite-like projections after 1 h, however, in the presence of LY294002, the cells rounded up. Adhesion of NCI-H446 cells also increased with FN (4.47-fold) which was abrogated with LY294002 treatment. This correlated with phosphorylation of the cytoskeletal protein p125FAK, on Tyr397, Tyr861 and Ser843 residues with FN. Even in the presence of LY294002, these serine/tyrosine residues were still phosphorylated on FN-coated surface. In contrast, the focal adhesion protein paxillin was not phosphorylated at Tyr31 with FN. In summary, FN stimulation of SCLC cells leads to enhancement of viability and changes in cytoskeletal function that are partially mediated through the PI3-K pathway.     

S-phase arrest by reactive nitrogen species is bypassed by okadaic acid, an inhibitor of protein phosphatases PP1/PP2A

In mammalian cells DNA damage activates a checkpoint that halts progression through S phase. To determine the ability of nitrating agents to induce S-phase arrest, mouse C10 cells synchronized in S phase were treated with nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) or SIN-1, a generator of reactive nitrogen species (RNS). SIN-1 or NO(2) induced S-phase arrest in a dose- and time-dependent manner. As for the positive controls adozelesin and cisplatin, arrest was accompanied by phosphorylation of ATM kinase; dephosphorylation of pRB; decreases in RF-C, cyclin D1, Cdc25A, and Cdc6; and increases in p21. Comet assays indicated that RNS induce minimal DNA damage. Moreover, in a cell-free replication system, nuclei from cells treated with RNS were able to support control levels of DNA synthesis when incubated in cytosolic extracts from untreated cells, whereas nuclei from cells treated with cisplatin were not. Induction of phosphatase activity may represent one mechanism of RNS-induced arrest, for the PP1/PP2A phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid inhibited dephosphorylation of pRB; prevented decreases in the levels of RF-C, cyclin D1, Cdc6, and Cdc25A; and bypassed arrest by SIN-1 or NO(2), but not cisplatin or adozelesin. Our studies suggest that RNS may induce S-phase arrest through mechanisms that differ from those elicited by classical DNA-damaging agents.     

Effects of mutations at tyrosine 66 and asparagine 123 in the active site pocket of Escherichia coli uracil DNA glycosylase on uracil excision from synthetic DNA oligomers: evidence for the occurrence of long-range interactions between the enzyme and substrate

Uracil DNA glycosylase (UDG), a highly conserved DNA repair enzyme, excises uracil from DNA. Crystal structures of several UDGs have identified residues important for their exquisite specificity in detection and removal of uracil. Of these, Y66 and N123 in Escherichia coli UDG have been proposed to restrict the entry of non-uracil residues into the active site pocket. In this study, we show that the uracil excision activity of the Y66F mutant was similar to that of the wild-type protein, whereas the activities of the other mutants (Y66C, Y66S, N123D, N123E and N123Q) were compromised approximately 1000-fold. The latter class of mutants showed an increased dependence on the substrate chain length and suggested the existence of long-range interactions of the substrate with UDG. Investigation of the phosphate interactions by the ethylation interference assay reaffirmed the key importance of the -1, +1 and +2 phosphates (with respect to the scissile uracil) to the enzyme activity. Interestingly, this assay also revealed an additional interference at the -5 position phosphate, whose presence in the substrate had a positive effect on substrate utilisation by the mutants that do not possess a full complement of interactions in the active site pocket. Such long-range interactions may be crucial even for the wild-type enzyme under in vivo conditions. Further, our results suggest that the role of Y66 and N123 in UDG is not restricted merely to preventing the entry of non-uracil residues. We discuss their additional roles in conferring stability to the transition state enzyme-substrate complex and/or enhancing the leaving group quality of the uracilate anion during catalysis.     

In Silico Analysis of Prion Protein Mutants: A Comparative Study by Molecular Dynamics Approach

Polymorphisms in the human prion proteins lead to amino acid substitutions by the conversion of PrPC to PrPSc and amyloid formation, resulting in prion diseases such as familial Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, Gerstmann–Straussler–Scheinker disease and fatal familial insomnia. Cation–π interaction is a non-covalent binding force that plays a significant role in protein stability. Here, we employ a novel approach by combining various in silico tools along with molecular dynamics simulation to provide structural and functional insight into the effect of mutation on the stability and activity of mutant prion proteins. We have investigated impressions of prevalent mutations including 1E1S, 1E1P, 1E1U, 1E1P, 1FKC and 2K1D on the human prion proteins and compared them with wild type. Structural analyses of the models were performed with the aid of molecular dynamics simulation methods. According to our results, frequently occurred mutations were observed in conserved sequences of human prion proteins and the most fluctuation values appear in the 2K1D mutant model at around helix 4 with residues ranging from 190 to 194. Our observations in this study could help to further understand the structural stability of prion proteins.     

Continuous biosorption of cadmium by Moringa olefera in a packed column

The biosorption of Cd(II) by Moringa oleifera using a batch system and a continuous up flow mode in a fixed bed column was studied. Batch adsorption experiments were performed as a function of pH, biosorbent dose, contact time, volume of the solution, and initial metal concentration. The adsorption isotherms obtained fitted well into the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. The dynamic removal of cadmium by powdered seed of the Moringa oleifera was studied in a packed column. The effect of bed height (4 and 8 cm) and flow rate (2 and 5mL/min) on biosorption process was investigated and the experimental breakthrough curves were obtained. Results showed that by increasing the bed height and decreasing the flow rate, the breakthrough and exhaustion times increased. The break-through time was considered as a measure of the column performance. The maximum break-through time of 320 min was achieved at the operating condition of 2 mL/min influent flow rate and bed height of 8 cm.