Intracellular recordings from nonspiking interneurons in a semiintact,tethered walking insect

Nonspiking interneurons were investigated in a tethered, walking insect, Carausius morosus, that was able to freely perform walking movements. Experiments were carried out with animals walking on a lightweight, double-wheel treadmill. Although the animal was opened dorsally, the walking system was left intact. Intracellular recordings were obtained from the dorsal posterior neuropil of the mesothoracic ganglion. Nonspiking inter-neurons, in which modulations of the membrane potential were correlated with the walking rhythm, were described physiologically and stained with Lucifer Yellow. Interneurons are demonstrated in which membrane potential oscillations mirror the leg position or show correlation with the motoneuronal activity of the protractor and retractor coxae muscles during walking. Other interneurons showed distinct hyperpolarizations at certain important trigger points in the step cycle, for example, at the extreme posterior position. Through electrical stimulation of single, nonspiking interneurons during walking, the motoneuronal activity in two antagonistic muscles—protractor and retractor coxae—could be reversed and even the movement of the ipsilateral leg could be influenced. The nonspiking interneurons described appear to be important premotor elements involved in walking. They receive, integrate, and process information from different leg proprioceptors and drive groups of leg motoneurons during walking.     

Postmortem Degradation Alters Fluorographic Labeling Patterns and Affinities of Benzodiazepine Binding Proteins

To investigate the effect of endogenous proteolysis on the molecular weights of the benzodiazepine binding proteins, brains of trout, chicken, and rat were removed immediately after death and stored at room temperature for various periods of time before they were frozen. Photoaffinity labeling of membranes with [3H]flunitrazepam, followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography, revealed proteolytic fragments of 47K in trout, chicken, and rat. The proteolysis set in rapidly after death. Seemingly in parallel with the degradation observed fluorographically, the affinity for [3H]flunitrazepam increased without systematic changes in receptor density. The degradation pattern was not identical to that of the photolabeled trypsinized benzodiazepine binding proteins. The endogenous proteolytic fragments were deglycosylated in two steps. In conclusion, proteolytic effects must be taken into account when interpreting labeling patterns and binding parameters.     

Hemolysis of rabbit erythrocytes in the presence of copper ions

The hemolysis of red blood cells (RBC) induced by Cu(II) is modified by ceruloplasmin (Cp) and albumin. The time course of hemolysis for rabbit RBC by Cu(II) consisted of two parts, an induction period followed by a catastrophic lysis period. The induction period decreased and the lysis rate increased with increasing Cu(II) concentration. Cp or albumin, modified Cu(II) induced hemolysis, by increasing the duration of the induction period and decreasing the overall rate of hemolysis of RBC. The catastrophic lysis period coincided with a sharp increase in the formation of metHb within the cell and in a rapid uptake of Cu(II). The presence of Cp led to an increase in the induction period prior to the rapid increase in metHb formation and in Cu(II) uptake. Porcine Cp was prepared with either two or three nonprosthetic copper binding sites (sites where Cu(II) is easily removed by passing over Chelex-100). Cp with three nonprosthetic binding sites gave more protection than Cp with two. Likewise, albumin can be prepared with three and five nonprosthetic copper binding sites. The albumin with five sites gave more protection than the albumin with three sites.     

Role of trans-activating proteins in the generation of active chromatin at the PHO5 promoter in S. cerevisiae.

Induction of the PHO5 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by phosphate starvation was previously shown to be accompanied by the removal of four positioned nucleosomes from the promoter. We have now investigated the role of two trans-activating proteins, encoded by PHO2 and PHO4, which bind to the PHO5 promoter. Both proteins are absolutely required for the chromatin transition to occur as shown by analysis of null mutants of the two genes. Transformation of these mutant strains with plasmids containing the respective genes restores the wild type chromatin response. Increasing the gene dosage of PHO2 and of PHO4 makes it possible to differentiate functionally between the two proteins. From over-expressing PHO4 in a wild type and also in a pho2 null mutant strain and complementary experiments with PHO2, it is concluded that the PHO4 protein is the primary trigger for the chromatin transition, consistent with one of its two binding sites being located between positioned nucleosomes in repressed chromatin and thereby accessible. PHO2, the binding site of which is located within a nucleosome under conditions of PHO5 repression, contributes to the chromatin transition either by destabilizing histone-DNA interactions or by under-going interactions with PHO4.     

Molecular identification of the ten subunits of cytochrome-c reductase from potato mitochondria

Cytochrome-c reductase (EC 1.10.2.2.) from Solanum tuberosum L. comprises ten subunits with apparent molecular sizes of 55, 53, 51, 35, 33, 25, 14, 12, 11 and 10 kDa on 14% SDS-PAGE. The identity of the subunits was analysed by direct amino-acid sequencing via cyclic Edman degradation. A large-scale purification procedure for the enzyme complex based on affinity chromatography and gelfiltraton is described. All subunits were enzymatically fragmented and the generated peptides were separated by reverse-phase HPLC. Complete or partial sequence determination of 33 peptides comprising a total of nearly 500 amino acids showed, that cytochrome-c reductase from potato contains three respiratory proteins (cytochrome b, cytochrome c ₁ and the Rieske iron-sulfur protein), four small proteins with molecular sizes below 15 kDa (so-called Q-binding, hinge, cytochrome-c ₁-linked and core-linked proteins) and three proteins in the 50-kDa range which show similarity to members of the core/PEP/MPP protein family (core/processing enhancing protein/mitochondrial processing peptidase). In fact these subunits show highest sequence identity either to MPP or PEP, which is in line with earlier findings, that isolated cytochrome-c reductase from potato exhibits processing activity towards mitochondrial precursor proteins.Abbreviations MPP mitochondrial processing peptidase - PEP processing enhancing protein This research was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

Isolation of region-specific probes from pig Chromosome 6 by coincidence cloning

Coincidence cloning is a technique that permits the isolation of sequences common to two independent sources of complex DNA, and this method has been used to isolate a set of probes from a region of porcine Chromosome (Chr) 6 containing the loci for glucosephosphate isomerase (GPI) and the skeletal muscle calcium release channel (CRC). Porcine DNA was specifically PCR-amplified from a pigxhamster hybrid cell line containing the centromere region (p1.2–q1.2) of pig Chr 6 and other pig chromosome fragments by use of a porcine SINE specific primer with an EcoRI site in the 5-end. Flow-sorted Chr 6 preparations were amplified with the same SINE primer, but with a SalI site in the 5-end. The products were digested with EcoRI and SalI respectively, combined, denatured, and reannealed. The heteroduplex molecules, containing both an EcoRI and a SalI cohensive end, were selected by cloning in SalI/EcoRI-digested pUC13. Approximately 40% of the primary clones contained a single SalI/EcoRI-insert, indicating that they are coincidence clones. The average insert size was 1.4 kb. Fluorescence in situ hybridization of a pool of 34 coincidence clones to pig chromosomes showed a preferential labeling of the centromere region and of the q2.5–q2.7 region of pig Chr 6. Nineteen coincidence clones were hybridized to SINE-PCR products from flow-sorted pig Chr 6 and to pigxrodent hybrid cell lines. Eighteen clones gave positive signals correlated with the GPI/CRC content of the source DNAs.     

Intermediate stages in the disassembly of synaptic ribbons in cone photoreceptors of the crucian carp,Carassius carassius

Synaptic ribbons are trilaminated plate-shaped presynaptic densities of certain types of receptor cells and neurons. In cone photoreceptors, these structures dissassemble and reassemble in response to light and to a variety of other stimuli. We used the lithium-ionenhanced disassembly and reassembly of synaptic ribbons to characterize structural intermediates in these cyclic changes. A few minutes after exposure of isolated retinas from the crucian carp (Carassius carassius) to lithium, ribbons fragmented into 50-nm-sized dense globular structures. These small spheres were concentrically surrounded by synaptic vesicles attached to them by stalk-like fine bridging filaments. Disassembly always started at the free cytoplasmic edges of the ribbons and proceeded toward the membrane-associated edges. As the disassembly process never started at the membraneanchored site, synaptic ribbons appeared to be polarized structures with functionally different ends. Spheres were subjected to further depolymerization. They disintegrated into clusters of small granular material and disappeared after ca. 45 min of lithium treatment. Spheres were not observed during the reassembly of synaptic ribbons, indicating that the assembly of synaptic ribbons proceeds via smaller subunits.