Use of physiological substrates for zymograms of disaccharidases after separation in immobilized pH gradients

A new technique is described for in situ visualization of the activity of intestinal disaccharidases after isoelectric focusing in immobilized pH gradients using their physiological substrates. The reaction principle is based on the oxidation of D-glucose, liberated by the disaccharidases, into D-gluconolactone and the production of NADH by glucose dehydrogenase. At the sites of enzymatic activity, tetrazolium salts present in the reaction mixture are reduced to relatively water-insoluble formazans by NADH. The rate of formazan production is increased by the presence of phenazine methosulfate. An additional modification of the technique involves the use of polyvinyl alcohol in the substrate solution. Due to the increase in the viscosity of the substrate solution, leakage of the enzyme from the IPG gels is minimized. Incubation times can thus be prolonged without loss of resolution and band-blurring.     

Brutbiologie des Turmfalken (Falco tinnunculus): 16j?hrige Untersuchungen in Westfalen

Zusammenfassung Anhand einer 16jährigen Untersuchung im Raum Ostwestfalen/Bielefeld wird der Bruterfolg des Turmfalken anhand von 439 Gelegen und 2256 Eiern beschrieben. Drei Brutplatztypen können unterschieden werden: A. Baumbruten in Nestern; B₁. Baumbruten in Nistkästen; B₂. Gebäudebruten in Nischen oder Nistkästen. Zwischen Baumbruten (A) und Nistkastenbruten (B_1/2) werden signifikante Unterschiede beschrieben, die für Nistkästen größere Gelege (ca. ein Ei mehr) und größeren Ausfliegeerfolg belegen. Zwischen Nistkästen in Bäumen (B₁) oder an Gebäuden (B₂) konnten keine signifikanten Unterschiede festgestellt werden. Weiterhin werden Lege- und Schlupftermine, Legerhythmus und oologische Daten aus dem Untersuchungsgebiet angegeben.

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Breeding biology of Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) in Eastern Westfalia 1972–1987

Summary The 16 years of study gave 439 clutches with 2,256 eggs. We separated three types of breeding sites: the use of (a) stick nests, mostly built by corvids (cf. Tab., Fig. 3), (b₁) nest boxes attached to trees or telegraph poles (Fig. 2) and (b₂) nest boxes or cavities at or in buildings (Fig. 1). Within these different types of breeding places we found some significant differences. Stick nests had less eggs and though less breeding success, which was possibly caused by predation of corvids, especially magpies. Within the two types of places with nest boxes no significant differences could be established. We concluded, that stick nests were marginal in Kestrels and nest boxes were optimal despite of their placement in trees, at poles or in buildings. Furthermore, the timing of breeding cycle was described (Fig. 4) and laying interval was determind to an average value of approximately two days (Fig. 5). Mean egg size was and average volume 21.2 cm². Two daily controlled clutches lost 15.5% and 16.1% of mass (Fig. 6) pressumably mostly due to water losses.

     

Changes in auditory evoked brain potentials during ultra-low frequency whole-body vibration of man or of his visual surround

Auditory evoked brain potentials (AEP) were recorded from nine healthy male subjects during three types of condition: A - subject and visual field stationary; B - subject vibrated (z-axis, 0.6 Hz, 1.85 ms-2 rms), visual field stationary; C - subject stationary, visual field vibrated (as for B). The visual surround was confined to a checkerboard pattern in front of the subject. Auditory stimuli (1000 Hz, 86 dB, interstimulus interval 7 s) were delivered via headphones to evoke AEP. Vibration-synchronous activity in the EEG was eliminated by a subtraction technique. In comparison with condition A, conditions B and C caused an attenuation of P2 and N1P2 components of AEP together with an increased latency of N1. Effects of conditions B and C did not differ. Direct vestibular stimulation and mechanisms specific for whole-body vibration were rejected as modes of action. The AEP-changes and the subjective evaluation of experimental conditions, arousal and performance, as well as symptoms of kinetosis (motion sickness) suggest a sensory mismatch, leading to a "latent kinetosis" with de-arousal, as the dominating mechanism by which the processing of information was affected. This suggestion was supported by an additional pilot study. Under real working conditions a similar effect can be expected during relative motion between the driver and his visual surround, i.e. even with perfect vibro-isolation of the driver's seat.     

Flow cytometric analysis of cell cycle kinetics of anagen scalp hair correlated with plasma androgens in hirsutism

Cell kinetics of anagen scalp hair bulbs obtained from hirsute (n = 13) as well as healthy (n = 10) females were analysed by DNA-flow cytometry. The cell cycle kinetics in hirsutism revealed a significant increase of S-phase cells (10.2%) and a significant decrease of G0/1-phase cells (80.7%) compared with healthy females (S-phase 7.5%, G0/1 phase 86%). Moreover, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels and cell cycle kinetics obtained from the hirsute females yielded a strong correlation between the height of S-phase percentages and DHEA-S values, whereas no correlation could be proved between testosterone levels and DNA-FCM data. Therefore, the weak androgen DHEA-S is assumed to be one hormonal factor influencing the cellular growth kinetics of hair bulbs in androgen-sensitive scalp areas.     

cDNA cloning and sequencing of tarantula hemocyanin subunits

Summary Tarantula heart cDNA libraries were screened with synthetic oligonucleotide probes deduced from the highly conserved amino acid sequences of the two copper-binding sites, copper A and copper B, found in chelicerate hemocyanins. Positive cDNA clones could be obtained and four different cDNA types were characterized.     

Effects of phosphorylation, MgATP, and ionic strength on the rates of papain degradation of heavy and light chains of smooth muscle heavy meromyosin at the S1-S2 junction

The effects of ionic strength, MgATP, and phosphorylation on the degradation rates of heavy meromyosin (HMM) by papain have been compared to their effects on the sedimentation coefficient (s20,w) to determine the relationship of the degradation rate to the equilibrium between the flexed and the extended forms (Suzuki, H., Stafford, W. F., Slayter, H. S., and Seidel, J. C. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 14810-14817). At 0.025 M NaCl, where HMM is predominantly in the flexed form, MgATP, Mg-adenylyl imidodiphosphate or MgADP reduce kH by 80-90%. MgATP exerts its optimal effect at this ionic strength, where at least 70% of HMM is flexed in the presence or absence of MgATP, suggesting that nucleotides reduce kH by decreasing the proteolytic susceptibility of the flexed form. At 0.5 M NaCl, where HMM is in the extended form, MgATP has no effect on kH. At low ionic strengths phosphorylation decreases kH but increases it in the presence of MgATP. Plots of kH against s20,w determined at various ionic strengths are linear, the data for phosphorylated and dephosphorylated HMM falling on the same line. Thus, raising the ionic strength or phosphorylating the 20-kDa light chain appears to alter kH by increasing the fraction of HMM in the extended form. The degradation rate of the 20-kDa light chain (kL) of dephosphorylated HMM responds to changes in ionic strength in essentially the same way as does kH, suggesting that the response of kL to changes in ionic strength can also be attributed to conversion of HMM to the extended form. However, kL for phosphorylated HMM measured in the presence of MgATP exhibits very little dependence on ionic strength.     

Initiation of morphogenic cell-suspension and protoplast cultures of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Cell-suspension cultures were initiated from embryogenic calli of various barley cultivars. Seven fast-growing suspension lines were obtained from four different cultivars (cvs. Dissa, Emir, Golden Promise and Igri). Two of these cell suspensions showed morphogenic capacity. From a cell suspension of cv. Dissa, albino plantlets were regenerated when aggregates were cultured on solid medium. Aggregates of cv. Igri usually stopped differentiation at the globular stage, but occasionally formed scutellum-like structures. Five suspension lines were used for protoplast isolation and culture. Dividing protoplasts were obtained from all lines, but with cv. Igri a few divisions only and no further development were observed. Protoplasts from the various lines differed in the time of first division (2–14 d), division frequency (0.09–70.9%) and efficiency of colony formation (0.09–7.3%). Protoplasts isolated from the morphogenic cell suspension of cv. Dissa developed compact calli which sporadically regenerated albino plantlets.Abbreviations CC, MS, N6, SH, Kao8p culture media; see Material and methods - cv chltivar - dicamba 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - picloram 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid