The role of guanyl nucleotide binding proteins in the formation of inositol phosphates in adrenal glomerulosa cells

A non-hydrolysable GTP analogue enhanced the formation of [3H]inositol polyphosphates in permeabilized adrenal glomerulosa cells. Pertussis toxin, which ADP-ribosylated Ni, failed to influence angiotensin-induced formation of 3H-labelled inositol phosphates and the incorporation of [32F]phosphate into phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidic acid. These results show that Ni is present and a G-protein activates phospholipase C also in glomerulosa cells, however, it is not Ni which couples angiotensin receptors to the enzyme.     

Compartmentation of newly synthesized phosphatidylethanolamine in rat brain microsomes

Summary The compartmentation of the phosphatidylethanolamine newly synthesized in brain microsomesin vitro either by base exchange or net synthesis has been studied, using difluorodinitrobenzene as a chemical probe. The experimental results demonstrate that in rat brain microsomes the phosphatidylethanolamine molecules synthesized by base exchange and the bulk membrane lipid belong to different pools. Ca²⁺ bound to microsomes seems to be involved in the maintenance of the compartmentation of phosphatidylethanolamine. In the presence of Ca²⁺ the newly synthesized phosphatidylethanolamine molecules react with difluorodinitrobenzene as though they are organized in clusters. After biosynthesisin vivo orin vitro through the cytidine pathway, the compartmentation of the newly formed phosphatidylethanolamine appears less marked than after the synthesis through base exchange.     

Contribution to the ecology ofMarsilea quadrifolia L.

Data are presented on the aboveground and underground biomass of the speciesMarsilea quadrifolia and on the water regime and soil conditions in a habitat of this species in Central Europe (Czechoslovakia).     

Seasonal changes in the photosynthetic response ofMercurialis perennis plants from different light regime conditions

Curves relating net photosynthetic rate to irradiance [P(I) curve relation] were estimated and analysed inMercurialis perennis L. plants stemming from three forest (spruce, beech and ash) stands with different tree leaf canopy development and different light regime. The saturating irradiance (I_s) reached the highest values in plants of all three stands in spring (spruce forest: 438 W m⁻², beech forest: 440 W m⁻² and ash forest: 367 W m⁻²), it declined sharply in the middle of the growing season (283, 285 and 297 W m^-2, respectively) and this I_s level persisted until autumn. A pronounced dynamics in plants from spruce and beech forests made itself manifest also in the adaptation (I_a) and compensating (I_c) irradiances, respectively. After a sudden decline in summer, values in autumn were close to those of the vernal season. The most pronounced parameter, which optimally expressed the adaptation ofMercurialis perennis to various light conditions, was the photosynthetic efficiency (α) calculated as the slope of the linear part of the curve relating net photosynthetic rate to irradiance. At the time of the highest P_{N sat.} value in course of the growing season (August) (spruce forest: 100, beech forest: 98.7 and ash forest: 85.8 μg CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹), R_D was in its minimum; in autumn P_{N sat.} reached the lowest values which corresponded to the most intensive R_D. It was found thatMercurialis perennis plants stemming from forest stands with different light conditions did not make use equally of the altering light conditions in the course of the growing season. By the underlying analysis of P(I) curves this rhizomatous perennial herb (geophyte) may be characterized as a shade tolerant species.     

Observations of Barophilic Microbial Activity in Samples of Sediment and Intercepted Particulates from the Demerara Abyssal Plain

To better understand the ecological significance of pressure effects on bacteria in the abyssobenthic boundary layer, experimental suspensions of sediments and sinking particulates were prepared from samples collected in boxcore and bottom-moored sediment traps at two stations (depth, 4,470 and 4,850m) in the Demerara abyssal plain off the coast of Brazil. Replicate samples were incubated shipboard at 3°C and at both atmospheric and deep-sea pressures (440 or 480 atm [4.46 × 10⁴ or 4.86 × 10⁴ kPa]) following the addition of [¹⁴C]glutamic acid (<10 μg liter⁻¹) or yeast extract (0.025%) and the antibiotic nalidixic acid (0.002%). In seven of the eight samples supplemented with isotope, a barophilic microbial response was detected, i.e., substrate incorporation and respiration were greater under in situ pressure than at 1 atm (101.3 kPa). In the remaining sample, prepared from a sediment trap warmed to 24°C before recovery, pressure was observed to inhibit substrate utilization. Total bacterial counts by epifluorescence microscopy decreased with depth in each sediment core, as did utilization of glutamic acid. Significant percentages of the total bacterial populations in cold sediment trap samples (but not the prewarmed one or any boxcore sample) were abnormally enlarged and orange fluorescing after incubation with yeast extract and nalidixic acid under deep-sea conditions. Results indicated that in the deep sea, barophilic bacteria play a predominant role in the turnover of naturally low levels of glutamic acid, and the potential for intense microbial activity upon nutrient enrichment is more likely to occur in association with recently settled particulates, especially fecal pellets, than in buried sediments.     

G-11 staining in Turner's syndrome with mos 45,X/46,X,r(?)

Mos 45,X/46,X,r(?) in 4 patients with Turner's syndrome and no signs of virilization, and in one pair of monozygotic twins, one of them with clitoral hypertrophy, was studied using combined cytogenetic techniques and specially G-11 staining for the characterization of the X or Y origin of the rings. In all 6 patients the ring was G-11 positive, attesting its Y origin. Both twins were operated and bilateral streak gonads with a bilateral nodule of testicular tissue were found. Similar small rings were also studied in one patient with mos 46,XX/46,X,r(X) and in one nonvirilized Turner's syndrome patient with a larger ring; in these two cases the ring was G-11 negative. It seems that the small rings occasionally found in Turner's syndrome are more frequently from Y origin and therefore prophylactic gonadectomy should be considered.     

Characterization of a Marine Bacterium Associated with Crassostrea virginica (the Eastern Oyster)

A gram-negative bacterium found to be closely associated with oysters has been isolated and characterized. The organism, designated LST, has a generation time of 106 min in Marine broth under optimal growth conditions at 25°C. During the decline phase of growth, it exhibits a morphological transition from a motile rod (ca. 1 μm in length) to an elongated, 3- to 40-μm, nonmotile, tightly coiled helix. LST synthesizes and releases a pigment in the stationary and decline phases of growth. Identified as melanin on the basis of chemical properties and UV absorbance maxima, the pigment comprises polymers of heterogeneous molecular weights, ranging from 12,000 to 120,000. The guanosine-plus-cytosine content of the LST DNA is 46%, and results of phenetic analysis and DNA-DNA hybridization indicate that this bacterium represents a new species. LST adheres to a variety of surfaces, including glass, plastics, and oyster shell, and has been shown to promote the settlement of oyster larvae.     

Effect of endurance training and chronic isoproterenol treatment on skeletal muscle sensitivity to norepinephrine

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of metabolic stresses, such as endurance training and chronic isoproterenol treatment, on skeletal muscle sensitivity to norepinephrine. Using an isolated perfused rat hindlimb preparation, dose-response curves for skeletal muscle oxygen consumption (VO2) and vascular resistance were obtained with control, endurance trained, and isoproterenol treated rats. No significant difference was found between control and experimental groups for non-stimulated VO2. In response to NE infusion, trained rats showed a significantly greater increase in VO2 compared to control rats while the response of the isoproterenol treated rats was of the same magnitude as the one for their respective control rats. At the highest dose of NE infused, the vasopressor response was significantly lower in trained rats compared to control rats. At none of the doses was there a significant difference in the vasopressor response between control and isoproterenol treated rats. These results suggest that repeated exposures to high levels of catecholamines, as produced during endurance training, leads to an increased sensitivity of skeletal muscle to the effect of norepinephrine.     

Sex differences in the response of rats to drugs affecting GABAergic transmission

The administration of diazepam 1.0 mg/kg decreased the level of plasma corticosterone in female but not in male Wistar rats. Picrotoxin, another drug affecting GABAergic transmission, also brought about an increase of plasma corticosterone in both sexes. However, in order to achieve a plasma corticosterone increase of similar magnitude (more than 500%) a threefold higher dose of picrotoxin had to be given to males. When the convulsive properties of picrotoxin were tested, it became evident that the dose of picrotoxin (2.5 mg/kg) which was subconvulsive in male was almost 100% convulsive in female rats. The existing sex differences in the response of rats to drugs affecting GABAergic transmission might have possible implications in the treatment of GABA system dysfunction.