Multi-scale spatial pattern of recruitment in the barnacles Semibalanus cariosus at fishing ports on the Kameda peninsula, southern Hokkaido, Japan

The potential causes of the variable nature of recruitment of marine organisms can be inferred from the scales over which they vary. Sampling for recruits of Semibalanus cariosus on the intertidal concrete tetrapods at 21 fishing ports along the Kameda Peninsula, southern Hokkaido, Japan, was conducted at the end of the recruitment season in 1994 at three spatial scales: at each fishing port, separated by several km; at two sites at each fishing port, separated by several hundred m; and on three blocks at each site, separated by 1–2 m. At all spatial scales, recruitment intensity was independent of adult densities. Recruitment densities significantly varied within all spatial-scales, however, 85.6% of the total variances was estimated to be due to variation among ports. Such km-scale variation of recruitment intensities coincided with the hydrographic pattern of the direction of coastal current.     

Sulfonamide Resistance Gene in a Transferable R Plasmid of Pasteurella piscicida

The sulfonamide resistance (SA^r) determinant was cloned from a transferable R plasmid of Pasteurella piscicida, pSP9351, and the sequence was determined. The resistance gene (pp-sul) was localized to an approximately 1-kb region that includes the PstI-EcoRI site in the restriction map. An open reading frame coding a sul II-type gene composed of 810 nucleotides was identified. A direct repeat sequence was shown in the 5′ flanking region of pp-sul, and a plasmid recombinational event may have occurred during the construction of pSP9351. In the 3′ flanking region of the gene, a sequence homologous to the 5′ noncoding sequence of the trimethoprim resistance gene, dhfr IX was found.     

Dibromothymoquinone (DBMIB) Replaces the Function of QA at 77 K in the Isolated Photosystem II Reaction Center (D1-D2-Cytochrome b559) Complex: Difference Spectrum of the P680+(DBMIB-) State

Transient absorbance changes of the primary electron donor chlorophylla (P680) and acceptor pheophytin a (H) were measured at 77 Kby nanosecond laser spectroscopy in the D1-D2-cytochrome b₅₅₉photosystem II reaction center complex containing dibromomethylisopropylbenzoquinone (DBMIB). After the laser excitation of the reactioncenter in the presence of DBMIB, only the P680⁺-(DBMIB^-) statewas detected. P680⁺ mainly decayed with a t_1/e of 11 ms. Inthe absence of DBMIB, the excitation produced the P680⁺H^- radicalpair. The radical pair produced the triplet state (P680^T) witha t_1/e of 50 ns, and P680^T then decayed with a t_1/e of 2.1 ms.It was concluded that H_- was oxidized by DBMIB in a time rangefaster than the detecting time resolution (3.5 ns) even at 77K. The rapid oxidation of H^- by DBMIB was also confirmed bythe suppression of delayed fluorescence with a decay t_1/e of50 ns. The P680⁺(DBMIB^-)/P680(DBMIB) difference spectrum exhibiteda Q_y, band with a peak at 682 nm with a shoulder at 673 nm.The spectral shape was almost temperature insensitive between77 and 265 K. The feature of this spectrum in the wavelengthrange between 330 and 720 nm was compared with that of P680_T/P680or H^-/H at 77 K. (Received May 8, 1996; Accepted June 24, 1996)     

Talaromyces lagunensis,a new species from Philippine soil

A new species ofTalaromyces (Ascomycetes; Trichocomaceae) with aPenicillium anamorph,T. lagunensis, is described and illustrated. This fungus is characterized by its extremely restricted growh on Czapek-yeast extract agar, light yellow to light orange ascomata with a telaperidium, catenate, pyriform or ellipsoidal asci, ellipsoidal or subglobose ascospores with a microtuberculate wall, short conidiophores with an irregular, mostly monoverticillate to biverticillate penicillus, and subglobose to ovoid conidia. The holotype was isolated from forest soil in the Philippines.     

Establishment of a human anaplastic thyroid cancer cell line secreting granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in response to cytokines

Summary A human anaplastic thyroid cancer cell line K-119, derived from a 77-yr-old woman who had developed marked neutrophilia and underwent surgery for anaplastic thyroid cancer, has been established. The spindlelike and polygonal cells in shape are stably proliferating since the beginning of its culture 2 yr ago. The cells grow rapidly and the population doubling time is 26 h. The chromosomes show many abnormalities and many marker chromosomes have been observed. Heterotransplantation of the cells into nude mice has resulted in the formation of tumors that are histologically interpreted as anaplastic cancer. The most noteworthy characteristics of the cell line are the many Ki-67-positive cells (86.3%) and that the cell line spontaneously secretes granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and releases increased amounts of G-CSF in response to the stimulation of tumor necrosis factor, interleukin 1α, and interleukin 1β. The conditioned medium obtained from K-119 cells contains an autocrine factor stimulating the proliferation of themselves.     

Rapid identification of Vibrio anguillarum by Colony hybridization

A 562 base pair fragment of DNA from a serotype A strain of Vibrio anguillarum was cloned into pUC9 and used as a hybridization probe for the rapid identification of Vibrio anguillarum by colony hybridization. The probe was tested on nine different fish pathogens, 15 Vibrio isolates, 2 organisms closely related to Vibrio, and 9 serotypes of V. anguillarum. The probe hybridized only with the DNA of V. anguillarum serotypes A and H. The sequence of the 562 nucleotides have been determined. This probe allows rapid, reliable, and specific detection of V. anguillarum in freshwater ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis.     

Transport of chimeric proteins that contain a carboxy-terminal targeting signal into plant microbodies

Malate synthase is a glyoxysome-specific enzyme. The carboxy-terminal tripeptide of the enzyme is Ser—Arg—Leu (SRL), which is known to function as a peroxisomal targeting signal in mammalian cells. To analyze the function of the carboxy-terminal amino acids of pumpkin malate synthase in plant cells, a chimeric gene was constructed that encoded a fusion protein which consisted of β-glucuronidase and the carboxyl terminus of the enzyme. The fusion protein was expressed and accumulated in transgenic Arabidopsis that had been transformed with the chimeric gene. Immunocytochemical analysis of the transgenic plants revealed that the carboxy-terminal five amino acids of pumpkin malate synthase were sufficient for transport of the fusion protein into glyoxysomes in etiolated cotyledons, into leaf peroxisomes in green cotyledons and in mature leaves, and into unspecialized microbodies in roots, although the fusion protein was no longer transported into microbodies when SRL at the carboxyl terminus was deleted. Transport of proteins into glyoxysomes and leaf peroxisomes was also observed when the carboxy-terminal amino acids of the fusion protein were changed from SRL to SKL, SRM, ARL or PRL. The results suggest that tripeprides with S, A or P at the −3 position, K or R at the −2 position, and L or M at the carboxyl terminal position can function as a targeting signal for three kinds of plant microbody.     

PLD activation in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with PGF2α receptor cDNA

Pertussis toxin-insensitive GTP-binding protein was observed to be involved in prostaglandin F2α(PGF2α)-induced phosphoinositide metabolism in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with PGF2α receptor cDNA (CHO-PGF2α·R cells) (Ito, S. et al. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 200: 756, 1994). In the present study, we investigated PGF2α-induced PLD activation in CHO-PGF2α·R cells. PLD activation was examined by measuring the production of [³H]phosphatidylbutanol ([³H]PBut), a specific product of the PLD-catalyzed transphosphatidylation reaction. PGF2α-induced [³H]PBut formation was concentration-dependent with the maximal level obtained at 1 μM PGF2α. The maximal [³H]PBut formation was observed at 2 min after addition of PGF2α. Depletion of extracellular Ca²⁺ with EGTA suppressed PGF2α-induced PLD activation by 50%. PKC inhibitors Ro31–8425 and calphostin C inhibited PGF2α-induced [³H]PBut formation by 50%. PTK inhibitors genistein and herbimycin A failed to inhibit PGF2α-induced PLD activation. A combination of maximal effective concentrations of PGF2α (1 μM) and PMA (100 nM) enhanced PLD activation in an additive manner. Pretreatment of the cells with PMA for 2 h down-regulated PKCα and decreased PGF2α-induced PLD activation. These results suggest that PLD activation by PGF2α is mediated by both PKC-dependent and -independent pathways and that PKCα is involved in the former pathway.     

Photoactive Photosystem I Particles with a Molar Ratio of Chlorophyll a to P700 of 9

Lyophilized photosystem I particles from spinach were treatedwith diethyl ether that contained various organic solvents withdifferent dielectric constants. More pigments were extractedas the dielectric constant of the solvent added to ether increased.The reaction-center chlorophylldimer, P700, was more resistantto extraction than the rest of the chlorophyll. Particles thatcontained only 6 chlorophylls in addition to P700 and the primaryelectron acceptor (A₀), in a single reaction-center unit, wereprepared by extraction with a mixture of ether and acetaldehyde.A distinct shoulder at 695 nm due to P700 or at 686 nm due toP700⁺ was observed in the absorption spectra of the reducedor oxidized particles, respectively, even at room temperature.No secondary acceptor phylloquinone remained in the particles.Stable charge separation was restored upon the addition of 2-amino-anthraquinone,even though the particles had the lowest molar ratio of chlorophyllto P700 of any reported particles. (Received February 20, 1995; Accepted May 8, 1995)