Three new Ecuadorian species of Axinaea (Melastomataceae)

Three new Ecuadorian species of Axinaea (Melastomataceae) are described: Axinaea flava, A. glauca, and A.lawessonii. All three species are endemic to southern Ecuador. Axinaea flava and A.glauca grow in the transition zone between montane forest and pbramo. They share characters such as shrubby habit, dense to moderate pubescence and coriaceous, rigid, erect leaves, which may be related to their high altitude habitat. Axinaea flava is the only species of the genus with a yellow corolla. Axinaea glauca, a shrub less than 1 m high, is the smallest Axinaea species known. Field observations show that these two species have a restricted habitat and their known populations are small, probably less than 100 individuals. The third species, A.lawessonii, grows in wet montane forests. It can grow as a shrub or a slender tree and its leaves are glabrous and less rigid than those of A.flava and A.glauca, characters which are probably a consequence of the more humid and benign habitat. Axinaea lawessonii is the only species of the genus in which the leaf margins have uncinate teeth. The species is rather frequent in southern Ecuador and has been collected in a dozen localities, most of which are within the Podocarpus National Park.     

Optimized BlaM-transposon shuttle mutagenesis of Helicobacter pylori allows the identification of novel genetic loci involved in bacterial virulence

Helicobacter pylori is an important etiologic agent of gastroduodenal disease in humans. In this report, we describe a general genetic approach for the identification of genes encoding exported proteins in H. pylori. The novel TnMax9 mini-blaM transposon was used for insertion mutagenesis of a H. pylori gene library established in Escherichia coli. A total of 192 E. coli clones expressing active β-lactamase fusion proteins (BlaM⁺) were obtained, indicating that the corresponding target plasmids carry H. pylori genes encoding putative extracytoplasmic proteins. Natural transformation of H. pylori P1 or P12 using the 192 mutant plasmids resulted in 135 distinct H. pylori mutant strains (70%). Screening of the H. pylori collection of mutant strains allowed the identification of mutant strains impaired in motility, in natural transformation competence and in adherence to gastric epithelial cell lines. Motility mutants could be grouped into distinct classes: (i) mutant strains lacking the major flagellin subunit FlaA and intact flagella (class I); (ii) mutant strains with apparently normal flagella, but reduced motility (class II), and (iii) mutant strains with obviously normal flagella, but completely abolished motility (class III). Two independent mutations that exhibited defects in natural competence for genetic transformation mapped to different genetic loci. In addition, two independent mutant strains were isolated by their failure to bind to the human gastric carcinoma cell line Katoill. Both mutant strains carried a transposon in the same gene, 0.8 kb apart, and showed decreased autoagglutination when compared to the wild-type strain.     

Presynaptic Nicotinic Receptors Stimulate Increases in Intraterminal Calcium of Chick Sympathetic Neurons in Culture

Abstract: Stimulation of chick sympathetic neurons in culture by the cholinergic agonists acetylcholine, nicotine, and 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium (all at 10–1,000 µmol/L) induced concentration-dependent increases of free calcium levels measured by fura 2 fluorescence in neuronal processes. The response evoked by acetylcholine had both nicotinic and muscarinic components, whereas that induced by 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium was purely nicotinic. Tetrodotoxin (0.3 µmol/L) blocked completely the increase of intraterminal free calcium level evoked by electrical stimulation. On the other hand, stimulation with 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium still evoked 20–25% of the control response in the presence of tetrodotoxin. The concentration-response relationship of 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium stimulation did not differ in the absence and in the presence of tetrodotoxin. The nicotinic antagonists d -tubocurarine (10 µmol/L) and mecamylamine (10 µmol/L), but not α-bungarotoxin (125 nmol/L), prevented the increase of intraterminal free calcium level evoked by 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium (100 µmol/L) in the presence of tetrodotoxin. These observations indicate the presence of nicotinic receptors on neuronal processes that increase the intraterminal concentration of free calcium and probably modulate transmitter release. Their pharmacological properties are similar to those of nicotinic receptors located on neuronal cell bodies.     

General relation between variance-time curve and power spectral density for point processes exhibiting 1/f β-fluctuations,with special reference to heart rate variability

Counting statistics in the form of the variance-time curve provides an alternative to spectral analysis for point processes exhibiting 1/f ^β-fluctuations, such as the heart beat. However, this is true only for β<1. Here, the case of general β is considered. To that end, the mathematical relation between the variance-time curve and power spectral density in the presence of 1/f ^β-noise is worked out in detail. A modified version of the variance-time curve is presented, which allows us to deal also with the case β?1. Some applications to the analysis of heart rate variability are given.     

Selective synthesis of depsipeptides by the immobilized multienzyme enniatin synthetase

Summary The multifunctional enzyme enniatin synthetase was immobilized by adsorption to propyl agarose. The immobilized multienzyme retained 45% of the activity of the free enzyme; an operational half-life of about 15 h was estimated. Selective synthesis of several different enniatin homologues was achieved with propyl agarose-bound enniatin synthetase. In addition to enniatin A, B, and C formation, a selective synthesis of non-naturally occurring depsipeptides, containing norvaline, norleucine, or -aminobutyric acid as sole amino acid moieties, was observed.     

Age-dependent content of polymerized lipids in Sphagnum fuscum

The polymerized lipids of Sphagnum fuscum cell wall fragments were found to be composed of long chain hydroxy acids, long chain dicarboxylic acids, fatty alcohols and fatty acids. Their content, on a dry weight basis, was low in the topmost 3 cm of the shoot and increased with shoot age (and depth). A pronounced increase (16-fold) occurred in the contents of hydroxy acids which comprised 76% of the totals at the depth of 40–43 cm. The increase at the depth of 40-43 cm is considered to be at least partly associated with the frequently found destruction of the most suscptible part, the thin-walled stem center. The results suggest that aliphatic lipid polymers are present and acumulated in cell walls resistant to breakdown.     

Ribosomal DNA of the fly Sciara coprophila has a very small and homogeneous repeat unit

Summary In this report we show by hybridization of restriction fragments and by Miller spreads that the unit repeat of the fly Sciara coprophila is only 8.4 kb which is the smallest known for a multicellular eukaryote. The 8.4 kb EcoR1 fragment containing a complete unit of Sciara rDNA was cloned in pBR322, and mapped by the method of Parker (1977) and also by double digestion. The coding regions for 28S, 18S, and 5.8S RNA were localized by the method of Berk and Sharp (1977). From these data we conclude that the nontranscribed spacer, external transcribed spacer, and internal transcribed spacer are all shorter than in other organisms, thereby giving rise to the shorter overall rDNA repeat unit of Sciara.At least 90% of the Sciara rDNA repeats are homogeneous, with a length of 8.4 kb, but a 700 bp ladder of minor bands can also be found in digestions of total genome DNA. This profile of major and minor bands is identical between the X and X chromosomes, as seen by a comparison of several genotypes.There are only 45 rRNA genes per X chromosome of Sciara (Gerbi and Crouse, 1976). These can easily be counted by low magnification Miller speads which show that virtually all gene copies are actively being transcribed in the stage of spermatogenesis examined. This is the first demonstration for any reiterated gene family where all copies are shown to be simultaneously active.Present address same as last author     

Virus-specific T-cell sensitization

Syngeneic, semiallogeneic, or allogeneic spleen lymphocytes were transferred intonu/nu BALB/c mice, which were infected with vaccinia virus. Specific Sensitization of transferred thymus-derived cells was determined in vivo by mean survival time and virus titer in the spleen six days after infection, and in vitro by cell-mediated cytolysis of vaccinia virus-infected syngeneic target cells. Virus-specific Sensitization took place only after transfer of syngeneic or semiallogeneic spleen lymphocytes; allogeneic lymphocytes had no influence on mean survival time or virus titer and showed no virus-specific cytolytic activity in vitro. Infection of mice with vaccinia virus-strain WR, Elstree, DIs, or DIs-infected syngeneic fibroblasts resulted in the generation of virus-specific effector cells, while injection of a high amount of inactivated virus particles caused no Sensitization. These results suggest H-2 homology for production of virus-specific effector cells. Propagation of virus is not necessary, since early surface antigens, combined with syngeneic H-2 antigens, suffice for Sensitization of cytolytic T lymphocytes.Abbreviations used in this paper are as follows CMC cell-mediated cytolysis - CTL cytolytic T lymphocyte - LCM lymphocytic choriomeningitis - MHC major histocompatibility complex - MST mean survival time - T cell thymus-derived cell - TCID₅₀ 50 percent tissue culture infective dose