Unusual pattern of bacterial ice nucleation gene evolution

Bacterial ice nucleation activity (INA+ phenotype) can be traced to the product of a single gene, ina. A remarkably sparse distribution of this phenotype within three bacterial genera indicates that the ina gene may have followed an unusual evolutionary path. Southern blot analyses, coupled with assays for ice-nucleating ability, revealed that within four bacterial species an ina gene is present in some strains but absent from others. Results of hybridization experiments using DNA fragments that flank the ina gene suggested that the genotypic dimorphism of ina may be anomalous. A phylogenetic analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences from a total of 14 ina+ and ina- bacterial strains indicated that the ina+ bacteria are not monophyletic but instead phylogenetically interspersed among ina- bacteria. The relationships of ina+ bacteria inferred from ina sequence did not coincide with those inferred from the 16S data. These results suggest the possibility of horizontal transfer in the evolution of bacterial ina genes.      

β-Decay and the origin of optical purity

Improving Keszthelyis simple model the evolutionary appearance of concentration difference of enanthiomeric compounds due to their differential decomposition by -rays is investigated taking into account the racemization as well. It is shown that if the difference in the cross sections is very small then the resulting concentration difference will never exceed the statistical fluctuations, while in the case of a sufficiently large difference in the cross sections the concentration difference can overgrow the statistical fluctuations in an evolutionary reasonable period of time. The relative difference of the concentrations, however, will be generally much smaller than that of the cross sections. Therefore some other, amplifying mechanism must be postulated in order to explain the optical purity of living beings.     

Comparison of the metal-ion-promoted dephosphorylation of the 5'-triphosphates of adenosine, inosine, guanosine and cytidine by Mn2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+ in binary and ternary complexes.

The dependence of the rate of dephosphorylation of ATP, ITP, GTP and CTP (= NTP), expressed as first-order rate constants (50 degrees C; I = 0.1 M, NaClO4), on pH (2 to 10), in the absence and presence of Mn2+, Ni2+, and Zn2+, was investigated. The reaction is accelerated by Zn2+ and passes through a pH optimum at about 8 for the system Zn2+-ATP or 9 for Zn2+-ITP and Zn2+-GTP; this is analogous to observations made earlier with the corresponding Cu2+ systems. By computing the pH dependence of the distribution of the several species present in these systems it is shown that the highest rates are observed in the pH regions where the concentration of Zn(ATP)2-, Zn(ITP-H)3-, or Zn(GTP-H)3- dominates. By evaluating the pH dependence evidence is given that the attacking nucleophile is OH- or H2O for Zn (ATP)2- and H2O for Zn (ITP-H)3- or Zn(GTP-H)3-. For all these complexes metal-ion/nucleic-base interactions are known, leading to the formation of macrochelates. These metal-ion/nucleic-base interactions are crucial for the observation of a metal-ion-promoted dephosphorylation; in agreement with this, and the small tendency of the cytosine moiety to coordinate, the CTP systems are rather stable towards dephosphorylation. It should be noted that these experimental results do not necessarily mean that the macrochelates usually described are the reactive complexes, but only that the active complex must be closely related to them (e.g. isomers, etc). Although for the Ni2+ systems with ATP, ITP, and GTP, and for the Mn2+-ATP system a metal-ion/nucleic-base interaction is also known, these systems are not very sensitive to hydrolytic cleavage of the terminal P-O-P bond. The only known significant structural difference between the Ni2+-NTP or the Mn2+-ATP complexes and those of Cu2+ or Zn2+ is that Ni2+ Mn2+ coordinate to all three phsophate groups, whereas Cu2+ and Zn2+ involve only the beta and gamma ones. This structure-reactivity relationship is rationalized by the suggestion that in the active species the metal ion should be coordinated to the alpha,beta-phosphate groups leaving the gamma-group open to nucleophilic attack. Obviously, an initial beta,gamma-coordination is suitable for a shift of the metal ion along the phosphate back-bone into the reactive alpha-beta-position, while for an alpha,beta,gamma-coordination only the less favorable removal of the coordinated gamma-group remains. The metal-ion/nucleic-base interaction is considered as being important for achieving this reactive structure. The connection between trans-phosphorylation in vitro and in vivo is discussed. It is also shown that the formation of mixed-ligand or ternary complexes inhibits the dephosphorylation process. This is on the one hand of interest with regard to the transport of hydrolysis-sensitive phosphates in nature, while on the other it casts doubts on conclusions based on experiments carried out in the presence of buffers, because these contain weak bases and hence potential ligands.     

Evaluation of intramolecular equilibria in complexes formed between substituted imidazole ligands and nickel (II), copper (II) or zinc (II)

The metal ion-binding properties of imidazole-4-acetate (ImA-), 4(5)-aminoimidazole-5(4)-carboxamide (AImC), 2,2'biimidazole(BiIm) (I. T?r?k et al., J. Inorg. Biochem. 71 (1998) 7-14), and bis (imidazol-2-yl)methane(BiImM) (K. Várnagy et al., J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. (1994) 2939-2945) have been evaluated by using the recently published stability constants and by applying the recently established log K(ML)M versus pK(HL)H straight-line plots (L. E. Kapinos et al., Inorg. Chim. Acta 280 (1998) 50-56) which hold for simple imidazole-type ligands. The indicated analysis regarding the intramolecular equilibrium between a monodentatally imidazole-nitrogen-coordinated (open) species and a chelated isomer provides helpful insights, e.g., the formation degree of chelates is more favored if six-membered rings can be formed, as in the case with M(BiImM)2+ compared to M(BiIm)2+, though in both instances the formation degree of the chelates is large. The formation degree of chelates in the M(ImA)+ complexes increases in the series Zn(ImA)+ (87%)相似文献   

Metal ion-carbonyl oxygen recognition in complexes of acetyl phosphate

Studies on acetyl phosphate (AcP2-), one of the so-called 'energy-rich' mixed-acid anhydrides, are summarized. Based on stability constants determined by potentiometric pH titrations in aqueous solution, it is shown that the M(AcP) complexes of Ca2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ are more stable than is expected from the basicity of the phosphate group of AcP2-. This observed stability increase is attributed to an additional interaction of the already phosphate-coordinated metal ion (M2+) with the carbonyl oxygen of the anhydride unit. These conclusions are corroborated by the properties of the complexes of the hydrolysis-stable acetonylphosphonate (AnP2-). The formation degrees of the various six-membered chelates occurring in the M(AcP) and M(AnP) systems are presented and evidence is given that these chelates persist in mixed ligand complexes and that their formation degree is promoted by a low solvent polarity. The biological relevance of these results regarding carbonyl oxygen-metal ion interactions is briefly indicated.     

Effects of ICI 182780 on estrogen receptor expression,fluid absorption and sperm motility in the epididymis of the bonnet monkey

Background  

The importance of estrogen in regulation of fluid absorption and sperm maturation in the rodent epididymis has been established from studies on estrogen receptor-alpha knockout mice. However, functional studies on the role of estrogen in primate epididymis have been few. The main objective of this study was therefore to extend these observations and systematically analyze the presence and function of estrogen receptors in modulating the function of the primate epididymis, using the bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata) as a model system.     

Influence of the protonation degree on the self-association properties of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP)

The concentration dependence of the chemical shifts for the protons H-2, H-8 and H-1' of ATP has been measured in D2O at 27 degrees C under several degrees of protonation in the pD range from 1.5 to 8.4. The results at pD greater than 4.5 are consistent with the isodesmic model of indefinite noncooperative stacking, while those at pD less than 4.5 indicate a preference for the formation of dimeric stacks. The stacking tendency follows the series, ATP4- (K = 1.3 M-1) less than D(ATP)3- (2.1 M-1) less than 1:1 ratio of D(ATP)3-/D2(ATP)-2- (6.0 M-1) much less than D2(ATP)2- (approximately 200 M-1) much greater than D3(ATP)- (K approximately less than 17 M-1) (for reasons of comparison all constants are expressed in the isodesmic model). These results are compared with previous data for adenosine [Ado (K = 15 M-1) greater than 1:1 ratio of Ado/D(Ado)+ (6.0 M-1) greater than D(Ado)+ (0.9 M-1)] and AMP [AMP2- (K = 2.1 M-1) less than D(AMP)- (3.4 M-1) less than 1:1 ratio of D(AMP)-/D2(AMP) +/- (5.6 M-1) greater than D2(AMP) +/- (approximately equal to 2 M-1) greater than D3(AMP)+ (K less than or equal to 1 M-1)] to facilitate the interpretation of the results for the ATP systems. Stack formation of H2(ATP)2- is clearly favored by additional ionic interactions; this is confirmed by measuring via potentiometric pH titrations the acidity constants of H2(ATP)2- in solutions containing different concentrations of ATP. It is suggested that in the [H2(ATP)]4-(2) dimer intermolecular ion pairs (and hydrogen bonds) are formed between the H+(N-1) site of one H2(ATP)2- and the gamma-P(OH)(O)-2 group of the other; in this way (a) the stack is further stabilized, and (b) the positive charges at the adenine residues are compensated (otherwise repulsion would occur as is evident from the adenosine systems). A detailed structure for the [H2(ATP)4-(2) dimer is proposed and some implications of the described stacking properties of ATP for biological systems are indicated.