Physiology of spores of mycobacillin producer and non-producer mutants ofBacillus subtilis

Spores of mycobacillin producer and non-producer mutants ofBacillus subtilis of identical genetic background have been studied with reference to germinating capacity, inhibition of germination, heat resistance and ion-exchange properties. The spores are not physiologically equivalent.     

Absorption,Translocation and Adhering Capacities of Mycobacillin and Versicolin in Rice Plant Tissue

Mycobacillin adheres to the surface of seed or seedling but is not absorbed by rice plant tissue, whereas versicolin not only adheres to the surface but is also absorbed and subsequently translocated. The antibiotic re-extracted from the versicolin-treated plant tissue inhibits the growth of Helminthosporium oryzae. Thus mycobacillin is active only topically, while versicolin both topically and systemically.     

An improved method of preparing nuclei for absorption cytophotometry

An improved method of isolating nuclei from tissue for Feulgen-DNA measurements has been developed. The optimal nuclear isolation medium (NIM) was found to be a solution of 2% polyethylene glycol (PEG) and 0.6% NP40 in phosphate-buffered saline. The disaggregation procedure consists of gentle mechanical disruption of the tissues, followed by a 10 min incubation in the NIM at room temperature. The mixture is then syringed four times through a 27-gauge needle, and the nuclei are placed onto slides with a cytocentrifuge. Nuclei prepared in NIM without PEG had obvious DNA leakage and tended to form clumps. Addition of PEG to the NIM led to separation of nuclei without any DNA leakage, thus greatly increasing the accuracy of the DNA cytophotometry results. G0/G1 nuclei at the appropriate ploidy levels were found for non-transformed and transformed tissues prepared with this technique. In addition, S-phase liver nuclei prepared in this manner showed the expected incorporation of (3H) thymidine after a 1/2 hr pulse in vivo.     

Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein/aldosterone synthase mediates angiotensin II-induced cardiac fibrosis and hypertrophy

Molecular Biology Reports - Aldosterone produced in adrenal glands by angiotensin II (Ang II) is known to elicit myocardial fibrosis and hypertrophy. This study was designed to test the hypothesis...