MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDES PRODUCED BY A STRAIN OF CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS.

Izumi, Kunihiko (Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan). Mucopolysaccharides produced by a strain of Clostridium perfringens. J. Bacteriol. 83:956-959. 1962.-A new series of mucopolysaccharides was isolated from the culture medium of Clostridium perfringens and partially purified by the use of a column of anion-exchange resin. A large part of the substance was composed of neutral sugars, amino sugars, uronic acids, and oligopeptides, suggesting a structure analogous to that of bacterial cell walls. Acidic amino acids, especially aspartic acid, were the main constituents of the oligopeptides. The substance exhibited high viscosity when dissolved in water. The degree of viscosity in each fraction seemed to depend on the content of amino sugars and the chain length of the oligopeptides.     

Xenobrama microlepis,a new genus and species of bramid fish,from subantarctic waters of the South Pacific

Xenobrama microlepis gen. et sp. nov. is described on the basis of 17 adult and subadult specimens collected by surface gill nets, bottom trawl and midwater trawl from the subantarctic waters of the South Pacific Ocean. This monotypic new genus is distinguished from other bramid genera by the following characters: inner lower edges of mandible touching each other (except near symphysis); gill rakers short, thick, and stout; subpectoral region very narrow; interpelvic space flat and wide; vertebrae 49–51; and scales in longitudinal series more than 83. The new taxon is widely distributed in the high seas of the South Pacific, 38–54°S, 79–176°W, but is rather rare compared toBrama spp. in catches of drift gill nets.     

Gap dynamics in climaxFagus crenata forests

Gap characteristics and gap regeneration were studied in several climaxFagus crenata forests in Japan. 278 gaps were observed. Gaps covered 12% of the total land area of 20.05 ha. Gap density was 13.9 gaps per ha and, mean gap size was 92.0 m². Smaller gaps were much more frequent than larger ones. Gaps larger than 400 m² were rare. Most gaps were created by the death of single trees. Canopy trees died more often standing or with broken trunks than by uprooting, although uprooted trees were relatively abundant in the site with poor soil drainage and in the site on upper slope. Differences of gap regeneration behaviour were recognized among tree species.F. crenata regenerates in gaps from saplings recruited before gap creation and can replace not only its own gaps but also gaps of other species. Most species other thanF. crenata andMagnolia obovata could not regenerate in their own gaps. More successful regeneration ofF. crenata may occur in gaps smaller than 200 m², althought it regenerated in a wide range of gap size. However, increased relative density ofF. crenata in the canopy layer seems to prevent its successful regeneration. Gap regeneration of other species did not clearly depend on a species-specific gap size.     

Cloning of two protease genes fromRhodocyclus gelatinosa APR 3-2 and their expression inEscherichia coli

Two different protease genes were cloned fromRhodocyclus gelatinosa APR 3-2 inEscherichia coli HB 101/ with pBR329 or its derivatives. The recombinant plasmids designated as pRP100 and pRP300 contained 11.2 and 10.6 kb DNA fragments, respectively. The differences of both plasmids in restriction enzyme maps indicate that these plasmids contained different protease genes. DNA fragments coding for protease, 6.4 kb and 4.5 kb from pRP100 and pRP300, were subcloned into pRP329 and designated as pRP101 and pRP301, respectively. The two cloned proteases were excreted in culture medium ofE. coli, and ß-lactamase ofE. coli, which was originally localized in periplasmic space, was also excreted in the medium.     

Carbachol-Induced Cosecretion of Immunoreactive Atrial Natriuretic Peptides with Catecholamines from Cultured Bovine Adrenal Medullary Cells

The distribution and secretion of atrial natriuretic peptides (ANPs) were investigated in bovine adrenal medulla. (1) Cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells (2 x 10(6)/dish) contained 100.4 +/- 6.0 fmol of immunoreactive ANP (IR-ANP) and 207.3 +/- 6.6 nmol of catecholamines as epinephrine plus norepinephrine. (2) Stimulation of nicotinic but not muscarinic acetylcholine receptors caused a cosecretion of IR-ANP and catecholamines corresponding to the ratio of IR-ANP to catecholamines in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells. (3) Carbachol-stimulated secretion of IR-ANP was dependent on the presence of extracellular Ca2+. (4) Chromaffin granules isolated from bovine adrenal medulla contained large amounts of IR-ANP and catecholamines, in the same ratio as did cultured adrenal medullary cells. (5) Reverse-phase HPLC analysis showed that both stored and secreted IR-ANP consisted of two components, which eluted at the position of ANP(99-126) or ANP(1-126). These results indicate that ANPs are stored as ANP(99-126) and ANP(1-126) in chromaffin granules, and are cosecreted in parallel with catecholamines in a Ca2+-dependent manner by the stimulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.     

Generation and amplification of the cytosolic calcium signal during secretory responses to gonadotropin-releasing hormone

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulates characteristic biphasic increases in cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and in luteinizing hormone (LH) release in cultured gonadotrophs, with an early peak followed by a prolonged plateau in both responses. Analysis of [Ca2+]i by dual-wavelength fluorimetric assay and of LH release at 5-sec intervals in perifused pituitary cells revealed increases in both responses within a few seconds of exposure to GnRH. The maximum elevation of [Ca2+]i occurred within 20 sec, and the peak gonadotropin release in 35 sec; the total duration of the spike phase for both [Ca2+]i and LH release was 2.5 min. Under extracellular Ca2(+)-deficient conditions, the GnRH-induced peak in [Ca2+]i was reduced by about 20% and the plateau phase was abolished. Concomitantly, the magnitude of the acute phase of LH release was reduced by 40% and that of the second phase by about 90%. Recovery of the plateau phase of LH release occurred within 25 sec after addition of 1.25 mM Ca2+ to Ca2(+)-deficient medium. In a dose-dependent manner, the non-selective Ca2+ channel blockers Co2+ and Cd2+ reduced the Ca2+ current measured by whole-cell recording in pituitary gonadotrophs and abolished the extracellular Ca2(+)-dependent component of LH release. The selective calcium channel blocker, nifedipine, decreased the magnitude of the Ca2+ current and reduced the plateau phase of LH release by 50%; conversely, the dihydropyridine agonist methyl, 1,4,dihydro-2,6-dimethyl 3-nitro-4-(2-trifluorome) (Bay K 8644) consistently enhanced the amplitudes of both Ca2+ current and GnRH-induced LH release. These data reveal a close temporal correlation between changes in [Ca2+]i and LH release during GnRH action, with Ca2+ mobilization during the spike phase and Ca2+ influx through dihydropyridine-sensitive and insensitive sets of receptor-operated calcium channels during the spike and plateau phases. In addition, analysis of the magnitudes of the [Ca2+]i and LH responses to a wide range of GnRH concentrations in the presence and absence of extracellular Ca2+ is consistent with amplification of the [Ca2+]i signal in agonist-stimulated gonadotrops.     

Urocystis tranzscheliana,a newly recorded smut fungus onPrimula sieboldii from Japan

A smut fungus onPrimula sieboldii was newly found in Japan and identified asUrocystis tranzscheliana by comparative morphology. This species causes systemic infection ofP. sieboldii and produces sori in its ovaries.Contribution No. 121, Laboratories of Plant Pathology and Mycology, Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Tsukuba.     

Natural disturbance and tree species coexistence in an old-growth beech - dwarf bamboo forest,southwestern Japan

Abstract. The structure and composition of a cool-temperate old-growth beech (Fagus crenata) - dwarf bamboo (Sasa spp.) forest, partially affected by landslide disturbance, in the Daisen Forest Reserve of southwestern Japan, were investigated in relation to forest floor and canopy conditions. All stems ≥ 4 cm DBH were mapped on a 4-ha plot and analyses were made of population structure, spatial distribution and spatial association of major tree species. The dominant species, F. crenata, which had the maximum DBH among the species present, had the highest stem density. However, for other species, larger-sized species had lower stem density with few smaller stems or saplings, while smaller-sized species had higher stem density with many smaller stems or saplings. Canopy trees of F. crenata were distributed randomly in the plot, while its stems in the other layers and all other species were distributed patchily. Small patches represent gap-phase regeneration. Larger patches correlate with landslide disturbance, difference in soil age, or the presence/absence of Sasa. Cluster analysis for spatial associations among species and stems in the different layers revealed that the forest community consists of several groups. One main group was formed on sites not covered with Sasa. This group contained a successional subgroup (from Betula grossa to Acer mono and/or F. crenata) initiated by landslide disturbance and a subgroup of tree species that avoid Sasa. Another group was formed on sites with mature soils covered largely with Sasa. This contained associations of canopy trees of F. crenata and smaller-sized tree species such as Acanthopanax sciadophylloides and Acer japonicum. It is found that the community of this old-growth beech forest is largely organized by natural disturbance and heterogeneous conditions of the forest floor (difference in soil age and presence/absence of Sasa). The existence of these different factors and the different responses of species to them largely contribute to the maintenance of tree species diversity in this forest.; Keywords: Cluster analysis; Fagus crenata; Forest dynamics; Gap; Landslide; Spatial pattern.