A catalogue of some ecuadorean fermented beverages,with notes on their microflora

Summary A catalogue of indigenous fermented beverages produced by different ethnic groups in Ecuador has been compiled and the microflora of selected examples examined. A diversity of fermentation substrates was encountered depending on the climatic zone. The fermentations are typicallyLactobacillus spp.—yeast fermentations except for one which includes a mould fermentation by a mixed starter ofMoniha sitophila, Rhizopus stolonifer and aFusarium sp. A discussion is made of the role of these beverages in the human ecology of certain regions.

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Resumen Se ha confeccionado un catálogo de bebidas indígenas ecuatorianas producidas por distintos grupos étnicos, examinándose la microflora de algunos ejemplos seleccionados. Las fermentaciones son generalmente del tipoLactobacillus sp.—levaduras, excepto en un caso que incluye una fermentación fúngica iniciada de forma mixta porM. sitophila, R. stolonifer y unFusarium sp. Se discute el papel de estas bebidas en la ecologia humana de ciertas regiones.

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Résumé Un catalogue des boissons fermentées indigènes produites par divers groupes ethniques de l'Equateur a été compilé et les micro-flores des exemples sélectionnés ont été éxaminés. Les substrats de fermentation varient d'une région climatique à l'autre. Les fermentations sont généralement du typeLactobacillus sp — levures, sauf dans un cas qui comporte une fermentation par des moisissures, avec un mélange initial deMoniha sitophila, Rhizopus stolonifer et une espèce deFusarium. Le rôle de ces boissons dans l'écologie humaine de certaines régions est discuté.

     

ΔF508 frequency and associated haplotypes near the cystic fibrosis locus in the Yugoslav population

Summary Chromosomes from 19 unrelated Southern Yugoslav families in which cystic fibrosis (CF) occurs were analysed for the presence of the ΔF508 mutation, using polymerase chain reaction amplification followed by dot blot and polyacrylamide gel analysis. Of the 38 CF chromosomes, 15 (39.5%) carry the ΔF508 deletion. Restriction fragment length polymorphism haplotypes for KM19/PstI, XV2c/TaqI and J3.11/PstI marker loci were determined and are compared for a total of 34 N and 37 CF chromosomes.     

Expression of adenovirus type 2 DNA polymerase in insect cells infected with a recombinant baculovirus.

Sequences encoding adenovirus type 2 DNA polymerase were placed under control of the polyhedrin promoter and inserted into the baculovirus Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus by homologous recombination. Insect cells infected with the recombinant virus produced substantial amounts of the adenovirus type 2 DNA polymerase protein which was functional in both DNA polymerase and replication initiation reactions. Thus, the baculovirus expression system can provide active adenovirus type 2 DNA polymerase that is produced in quantities suitable for biochemical and structural analysis.     

Lowering of the extracellular Na+ concentration enhances high-K+-induced formation of inositol phosphates in the guinea-pig ileum.

1. Formation of inositol phosphates (InsPs) was measured in cross-chopped slices or dispersed cells, isolated by collagenase treatment, of guinea-pig ileum longitudinal smooth muscle pre-labelled with [3H]inositol. 2. Elevation of the extracellular K+ concentration by equimolar replacement of Na+ induced accumulation of InsPs in the dispersed cells and in the tissue slices. These effects were blocked by neither tetrodotoxin (1 microM) nor atropine (10 microM), and were approximately additive with carbachol-induced accumulation. 3. In the tissue slices, the response to K+ was partially inhibited by nifedipine (10 microM) and by CdCl2 (0.3 mM), but the carbachol-induced response was not altered. 4. Accumulation of InsPs induced by KCl-excess solution (high-K+ solution without Na+ replacement) was suppressed strongly by nifedipine and completely by CdCl2. The response to KCl excess was approx. 40% of that to high K+ with Na+ replacement. 5. Low-NaCl solution (replacement of NaCl with equimolar sucrose) also produced InsPs, and this was not blocked by either nifedipine (10 microM) or CdCl2 (0.3 mM). 6. The formation of InsPs by a maximally effective concentration of carbachol (1 mM) in the presence of KCl excess or low NaCl was greater than the additive effect of the two stimuli on their own. Enhancement of the carbachol-induced response by KCl excess disappeared in the presence of CdCl2 (0.3 mM). 7. These data suggest that formation of InsPs induced by high-K+ solution with equimolar replacement of Na+ consists of two components, i.e. high-K+-induced inositol-phospholipid hydrolysis by Ca2+ entry through voltage-sensitive channels, and low-Na+-induced formation of InsPs, insensitive to Ca2+ antagonists, but that both of them do not contribute significantly to the activation of phospholipase C by muscarinic stimuli.     

Site-directed mutagenesis to fine-tune enzyme specificity

We have used a combination of a genetic selection and oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis to introduce a series of amino acid replacements for a single residue into Escherichia coli glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase. The mutant enzymes mischarge supF tRNA(Tyr), with glutamine, to varying degrees depending on the polarity of the side chain introduced but apparently not depending on the size or shape of the side chain. These results indicate that repulsive charge-charge interactions may be important for specific recognition of nucleic acids by proteins and illustrate how a mutant, derived from genetic selection, may be further modified in activity by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis.     

C-banding patterns in the AustralianBulbine (Liliaceae): The annual group,B. semibarbata s. lato

Chromosome C-band patterns have been studied in 34 populations of the Australian annualBulbine group, which comprises 4x (2n = 26, 28), 8x (2n = 52, 54) and 12x (2n = 78) populations. The 2n = 26B. semibarbata populations have a simple, low heterochromatin pattern with very minor polytypic variation. The 2n = 28 populations, corresponding morphologically to a group given separate status asB. alata, are similar in pattern but exhibit pronounced enhancement of telomeric and, more particularly, centromeric dot bands. NOR heterochromatin and satellites are difficult to identify inB. alata but appear to occur in different positions from the 26-chromosome karyotype. Eastern Australian 8 x patterns are consistent with a proposed hybrid ancestry,B. semibarbata ×B. alata. Annual and perennial C-band profiles in the AustralianBulbine are discussed briefly in relation to the additive and transformation models of heterochromatin evolution and to the possible adaptive significance of variation in heterochromatin content.Cytoevolution in the AustralianBulbine 2; for part 1 see Pl. Syst. Evol.157, 201–217.     

Clinical report: Recovery of a degenerating 14-day embryo in the uterine flush of a mare 7 days after ovulation

A 15-mm diameter degenerating embryonic vesicle and a normal, 200-u early blastocyst were recovered in a uterine flush of a mare 7 d after ovulation. From its size, the degenerating vesicle appeared to be 13 to 14 d of age. The mare had been bred during a previous cycle and then treated with prostaglandin 9 days after ovulation. The advanced vesicle that was recovered suggests that a conceptus from the previous cycle continued to grow for about 5 d after prostaglandin administration, and remained in the uterus during estrus, when plasma progesterone concentrations were below 1 ng/ml. From the estimated age of the conceptus, its development stopped at about the time the mare was inseminated. Had this conceptus survived through estrus and insemination, superfetation would have occurred.