Chrysonila sitophila (TFB-27441): A hyperlignolytic strain

Summary C. sitophila strain TFB-27441 showed 2–3 times higher lignolytic activity thanPhanerochaete chrysosporium (BKM-F-1767 strain). Lignin had a marked effect on the ligninase activity indicating that some induction or activation mechanism is involved in lignin degradation byC. sitophila.     

Ca2+/Calmodulin Distinguishes Between Guanyl-5''-yl-Imidodiphosphate-and Opiate-Mediated Inhibition of Rat Striatal Adenylate Cyclase

The inhibition of adenylate cyclase from rat striatal plasma membranes by guanyl-5'-yl-imidodiphosphate [Gpp(NH)p] and morphine was compared to determine whether Gpp(NH)p-mediated inhibition accurately reflected hormone-mediated inhibition in this system. Inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity by Gpp(NH)p and morphine was examined with respect to temperature, divalent cation concentration, and the presence of Ca2+/calmodulin (Ca2+/CaM). Gpp(NH)p-mediated inhibition was dependent on the presence of Ca2+/CaM at 24 degrees C; the inhibition was independent of Ca2+/CaM at 18 degrees C; and inhibition could not be detected in the presence, or absence, of Ca2+/CaM at 30 degrees C. In contrast, naloxone-reversible, morphine-induced inhibition of adenylate cyclase was independent of both temperature and the presence of Ca2+/CaM. Mg2+ dose-response curves also reinforced the differences in the Ca2+/CaM requirement for Gpp(NH)p- and morphine-induced inhibition. Because Gpp(NH)p-mediated inhibition was independent of Ca2+/CaM at low basal activities (i.e., 18 degrees C, or below 1 mM Mg2+) and dependent on the presence of Ca2+/CaM at higher basal activities (24 degrees C, or above 1 mM Mg2+), the inhibitory effects of Gpp(NH)p were examined at 1 mM Mg2+ in the presence of 100 nM forskolin. Under these conditions, both Gpp(NH)p- and morphine-induced inhibition of adenylate cyclase were independent of Ca2+/CaM. The results demonstrate that the requirement for Ca2+/CaM to observe Gpp(NH)p-mediated inhibition depends on the basal activity of adenylate cyclase, whereas hormone-mediated inhibition is Ca2+/CaM independent under all conditions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Dynamics of indole-3-acetic acid and indole-3-ethanol during development and germination of Pinus sylvestris seeds

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and indole-3-ethanol (IEt) were identified in immature seeds of Pinus sylvestris L. by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Indole-3-methanol was tentatively identified using multiple ion monitoring. Anatomical investigations of seeds, as well as measurements of free and alkali-hydrolysable IAA and IEt, were made during seed development and germination. Levels of free IAA and IEt decreased during seed development. In the later stages of seed maturation most IAA and IEt were present in alkali-hydrolysable forms. Bound IAA and bound IEt rapidly decreased during germination, while levels of free IAA and IEt increased dramatically for a short period.     

Siliceous protozoan plates in lake sediments

The silicified plates of certain testate amoebae have the necessary characteristics to be useful paleoindicators. These plates are usually abundant and well preserved in sedimentary deposits, where they can be studied using the same preparation techniques developed for other siliceous microfossils. Individual plates can usually be identified to the generic and, in some cases, to the species level. A preliminary survey of plates recorded in the surficial (top centimetre) sediments of 38 Adirondack Mountain (NY) lakes suggests that these testaceans may reflect catchment features (e.g. bog development) more closely than lakewater characteristics. The siliceous, species-specific scales of heliozoans are also shown to preserve in sedimentary profiles.     

Taste systems of the petrosal ganglion of the rat glossopharyngeal nerve

Single unit recordings were taken from sensory ganglion cellsin the petrosal ganglion (PG) of the glossopharyngeal nerveof the rat. These taste units were examined with respect tospontaneous and evoked discharge patterns and responsivenessto a wide variety of chemical compounds, most of natural occurrence.Spontaneous activity patterns, with few exceptions, tended tobe extremely irregular with both bursting (clusters of 2–3spikes) and grouping (large groups of spikes as in evoked discharges).Most interspike interval histograms of spontaneous activitywere multimodal, similar to rat geniculate ganglion (GG) units.Evoked discharges usually displayed grouping of spikes, andlong latencies of onset and persistence of discharge after rinsewere sometimes seen. Little response was shown to nucleotidesor salts. Units responsive to amino acids tended to show largedischarge to only one or two amino acids; and the most responsiveamino acid usually varied from cell to cell. Units responsiveto alkaloids only responded to a few alkaloids with atropineand quinine being the most stimulatory. Units responsive toacids only discharged to a few of the acids tested and oftenacids of low pH elicited no discharge. Saccharin activated unitsresponsive to both sugar and alkaloids. A few units highly responsiveto both sugar and alkaloids were seen. The units were placedinto four clusters on the basis of chemicals activating themand certain neurophysiological characteristics: PG salt units,PG acid units and, tentatively, amino acid (sugar) units andX (alkaloid and alkaloid plus) units. The PG salt units didnot show the exclusive sensitivity to sodium and lithium compoundsas did the GG salt units. The PG acid units could also be differentiatedfrom the GG acid units. The petrosal amino acid and X units,on the other hand, could not be differentiated from similarunits in the rat GG.     

Structure of the precursor to an enzyme mediating COOH-terminal amidation in peptide biosynthesis

Many bioactive peptides terminate with an amino acid alpha-amide at their COOH terminus. The enzyme responsible for this essential posttranslational modification is known as peptidyl-glycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase or PAM. We identified cDNAs encoding the enzyme by using antibodies to screen a bovine intermediate pituitary lambda gt11 expression library. Antibodies to a beta-galactosidase/PAM fusion protein removed PAM activity from bovine pituitary homogenates. The 108,207 dalton protein predicted by the complete cDNA is approximately twice the size of purified PAM. An NH2-terminal signal sequence and short propeptide precede the NH2 terminus of purified PAM. The sequences of several PAM cyanogen bromide peptides were localized in the NH2-terminal half of the predicted protein. The cDNA encodes an additional 430 amino acid intragranular domain followed by a putative membrane spanning domain and a hydrophilic cytoplasmic domain. The forms of PAM purified from bovine neurointermediate pituitary may be generated by endoproteolytic cleavage at a subset of the 10 pairs of basic amino acids in the precursor. High levels of PAM mRNA were found in bovine pituitary and cerebral cortex. In corticotropic tumor cells, levels of PAM mRNA and pro-ACTH/endorphin mRNA were regulated in parallel by glucocorticoids and CRF.     

Quantitative assessment of vaginal microflora during use of tampons of various compositions.

Although the effect of vaginal tampons on the microbial flora during menstruation has recently been studied by several investigators, quantitative effects attributable to particular tampon fibers have received less attention. The purposes of the present study were (i) to determine and then to compare the effects of polyacrylate rayon tampons and viscose rayon tampons on the normal vaginal flora, (ii) to compare quantitative bacterial counts obtained from these tampons with those obtained from concomitant vaginal swabs, and (iii) to determine whether either of these tampon types alters the vaginal microflora when compared with the microflora in the same women using all-cotton tampons or external catamenial pads. Tampon and swab samples were obtained at predetermined times from 18 women for an average of seven menstrual cycles. Samples consisting of swabs from women wearing menstrual pads were compared with swab and tampon samples taken at predetermined times during the menstrual cycle from women using cotton, polyacrylate rayon, or viscose rayon tampons. Samples were analyzed for total aerobic, facultative, and anaerobic bacterial counts. Statistical evaluation of the results indicated that, on the whole, total bacterial counts decreased during menstruation and that the numbers of bacteria in tampons tended to be lower than those in swab samples taken at the same time. The tampon type had little effect on the vaginal microflora.     

Seminiferous tubule involution in elderly men

The observation of different types of seminiferous tubules (from tubules with normal spermatogenesis to sclerosed tubules) in aging human testes points to the progressive stages of tubular involution in elderly men. The tubules with hypospermatogonesis (reduced number of elongated spermatids) show numerous morphological anomalies in the germ cells, including multinucleated cells. Abnormal germ cells degenerate, causing Steroli cell vacuolation. These vacuoles correspond to dilations of the extracellular spaces resulting from the premature exfoliation of germ cells. Degenerating cells that are phagocytized by Sertoli cells lead to an accumulation of lipid droplets in the Sertoli cell cytoplasm. The loss of germ cells begins with spermatids, but progressively affects the preceding germ cell types, and tubules with maturation arrested at the level of spermatocytes or spermatogonia are observed. Simultaneously, an enlargement of the tunica propria occurs. This leads to the formation of sclerosed tubules, some of which display a low seminiferous epithelium consisting of a few cells--including lipid-loaded Sertoli cells and both Ap and Ad spermatogonia--and others, showing complete sclerosis, are devoid of seminiferous epithelium. The development of tubular involution is similar to that reported after experimental ischemia, which also seems to cause nonspecific effects on the testis such as multinucleate cells, vacuoles, and increased lipids in Sertoli cells.     

Amino-acid sequence of human alpha 2-antiplasmin

The amino-acid sequence of human alpha 2-antiplasmin was determined by Edman degradation of peptides purified from CNBr, tryptic and chymotryptic digests. Of the total sequence of 452 amino acids of mature alpha 2-antiplasmin, as deduced from the cDNA sequence [Holmes et al. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 1659-1664], 444 residues were identified by amino-acid sequencing. Two differences were found between the peptide and cDNA analyses (Gly instead of Leu at position 10 and Gly instead of Ser at position 369). alpha 2-Antiplasmin contains two disulfide bridges (Cys64-Cys104 and Cys31-Cys113) and four glucosamine-based carbohydrate chains attached to Asn87, Asn256, Asn270 and Asn277. alpha 2-Antiplasmin is homologous with 12 other proteins belonging to the serine protease inhibitor (serpin) superfamily.