Effects of ischaemia, blood loss and reperfusion on rat muscle protein synthesis, metabolite concentrations and polyribosome profiles in vivo.

In adult rat gastrocnemius muscles, on reperfusion after 45 min of tourniquet ischaemia, protein synthetic rates were depressed by over half for 1 h compared to normal (12%/day), and were at least one-third below normal for up to 5 h afterwards. Ischaemia caused muscle concentrations of phosphocreatine to be depressed by 70%, and those of lactate to be elevated by 350%; the proportion of ribosomes as polyribosomes was decreased by half. Unlike the rates of protein synthesis, all of these variables returned to normal after 35 min of reperfusion. When 25% of the blood volume was removed (for 10-45 min), there were falls in the rate of gastrocnemius protein synthesis and in phosphocreatine concentration, and an increase in lactate concentration. On blood replacement, protein synthesis and metabolite concentrations returned to normal within 15 min. Polyribosome profiles were unaffected by blood loss or replacement. There were highly significant correlations between the rate of gastrocnemius protein synthesis and both phosphocreatine concentration and 1/(lactate concentration), during blood loss and replacement, i.e. during both the fall and rise in muscle energy status. We conclude that the effects of ischaemia and blood loss on protein synthesis are not equivalent.     

Endocytosis of cationized ferritin by zoospores of the fungusAphanomyces euteiches

Summary Cationized ferritin, a marker for adsorptive endocytosis, was taken up by zoospores of the fungusAphanomyces euteiches. The probe was endocytosed into the numerous, often coated, vesicles surrounding the contractile vacuole. The vacuole itself contained very little ferritin. It is suggested that the contractile vacuole complex is the main area of membrane recycling in the zoospore. After zoospore encystment some of the ferritin was found in multivesicular bodies and the remnants of the contractile vacuole.     

N2 fixation in Thai soybeans: Effect of tillage and inoculation on15N-determined N2 fixation in recommended cultivars and advanced breeding lines

The practice of seeding soybeans following paddy rice in Thailand has encountered difficulties in seedling germination, nodulation and crop establishment. This research project evaluated the choice of a non-fixing control to quantify N₂ fixation by¹⁵N isotope dilution, and the effect of tillage regime, soybean cultivar, strain ofBradyrhizobium japonicum and P fertilization on yield and N₂ fixation after paddy rice in northern and central Thailand.Japanese non-nodulating lines Tol-0 and A62-2 were the most appropriatecontrol plants for¹⁵N isotope dilution for Thai soybeans in these soils which contained indigenous rhizobia. Cereals such as maize, sorghum and barley were also appropriate controls at some sites. The choice of the appropriate non-fixing control plant for the¹⁵N isotope dilution technique remains a dilemma and no alternative exists other than to use several possible controls with each experiment. Acetylene reduction assay (ARA) proved of little value for screening varieties on their N₂ fixing capacity.The recommended Thai soybean cultivars (SJ1, 2, 4, 5) and an advanced line 16–4 differed little in their ability to support N₂ fixation or yield, possibly due to similar breeding ancestry. The ten AVRDC (ASET) lines showed considerable genotypic control in their ability to utilize their three available N sources (soil, fertilizer, atmosphere) and to translate them into yields. None of these lines were consistently superior to Thai cultivars SJ4 or SJ5 although ASET lines 129, 209 and 217 showed considerable promise.Neither recommended Thai or ASET cultivars were affected by tillage regime. Zero tillage resulted in superior N₂ fixation and yield at two sites but conventional tillage was superior at another site. Soybean cultivars grown in Thailand were well adapted to zero tillage. Levels of N₂ fixation were similar to world figures, averaging more than 100 kg N ha^–1 and supplying over 50% of the plant's N yield. However, seed yields seldom exceeded 2 t ha^–1, well below yields for temperately-grown soybeans. It is not clear why Thai soybeans support N₂ fixation, but do not translate this into higher seed yields.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bythotrephes</Emphasis> invasion elevates trophic position of zooplankton and fish: implications for contaminant biomagnification

We estimated the effects of Bythotrephes longimanus invasion on the trophic position (TP) of zooplankton communities and lake herring, Coregonus artedi. Temporal changes in lacustrine zooplankton communities following Bythotrephes invasion were contrasted with non-invaded reference lakes, and along with published information on zooplankton and herring diets, formed the basis of estimated changes in TP. The TP of zooplankton communities and lake herring increased significantly following the invasion of Bythotrephes, whereas TP in reference lakes decreased (zooplankton) or did not change significantly (lake herring) over a similar time frame. Elevated TP following Bythotrephes invasion was most prominent in lakes that also supported the glacial relict, Mysis diluvania, suggesting a possible synergistic interaction between these two species on zooplankton community composition. Our analysis indicated that elevated TPs of zooplankton communities and lake herring are not simply due to the presence of Bythotrephes, but rather reflect changes in the zooplankton community induced by Bythotrephes; namely, a major reduction in the proportion of herbivorous cladoceran biomass and a concomitant increase in the proportion of omnivorous and/or predatory copepod biomass in invaded lakes. We demonstrated that increases in TP of the magnitude reported here can lead to substantial increases in fish contaminant concentrations. In light of these results, we discuss potential mechanisms that may be responsible for the disconnect between empirical and theoretical evidence that mid-trophic level species invasions (e.g., Bythotrephes) elevate contaminant burdens of consumer species, and provide testable hypotheses to evaluate these mechanisms.