Effect of brain acid extract products in inbred mice on 3H-diazepam reception

The influence of brain acid extract products, isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography on H3-diazepam binding was investigated in synaptosomal membranes of C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. Fractions with stimulatory and inhibitory activity were isolated. Quantitative and qualitative differences in the effects and structure of ACTH-immunoreactive peptide fractions under study were established.     

Comparative 2H- and 31P-NMR study on the properties of palmitoyllysophosphatidylcholine in bilayers with gramicidin, cholesterol and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine

The stoichiometric palmitoyllysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC)/gramicidin (4:1, mol/mol) lamellar complex (Killian, J.A., De Kruijff, B., Van Echteld, C.J.A., Verkleij, A.J., Leunissen-Bijvelt, J. and De Gier, J. (1983) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 728, 141-144) is a useful model system to investigate the various aspects of lipid protein interactions. To study the effect of gramicidin on local order and motion of 1-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (lysoPC) we employed 31P and 2H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) using selectively deuterated lysoPC's and we compared the results to those obtained for lysoPC in bilayers with cholesterol (1:1, mol/mol) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) (1:4, mol/mol). 2H-NMR experiments on acyl chain deuterated lysoPC showed similar quadrupole splittings in the liquid crystalline state for the lysoPC/DPPC and the lysoPC/gramicidin samples. In the lysoPC/cholesterol sample an increase of the quadrupole splitting was found. T1 measurements showed that gramicidin decreases the lysoPC acyl chain motion, especially at the C12 position. In the lysoPC/cholesterol sample an increase of motion was observed as compared to lysoPC in fluid bilayers of DPPC. 31P-NMR and 2-H-NMR measurements of lysoPC, deuterated at the alpha- and beta-position of the choline moiety, indicated an increase in headgroup flexibility in all samples as compared to the parent compound DPPC. In addition, a change in headgroup conformation was observed. The alpha- and beta-segments in all samples exhibited concerted motion. It was found that also in the polar headgroup gramicidin induces a decrease of the rate of motion.     

The Ultrastructure of the Glandular Trichomes of Solanum tuberosum

The potato plant has two types of glandular trichomes whichwere investigated by electron microscopy. One type has a eight celled globular head on a neck cell anda stalk cell Each glandular cell has many rather large vacuoles,a large nucleus, many ribosomes and mitochondria, a few Golgibodies, and darkly coloured, often irregular plastids (chloroplasts).The plastids are mostly located near the axial cell wall borderinga large central intercellular space filled with secretion materialThe plastids are assumed to participate in the formation ofthe secretion material, which reacts positively to esterasetests. The outer wall is covered by a thin cuticle. The other type has a club-shaped multicellular head on a singlestalk cell. The cytoplasmic features in the cells are similarto those of the globular-headed trichome, except that they possesslarge central vacuoles and randomly distributed plastids. Centricendoplasmic reticulum has been observed in young cells. Intercellularspaces develop between the cells and into the outer wall, whichis thus split into two. Whereas the older glandular cells reactpositively to tests for esterase, the secretion material itselfis pectinaceous and reacts negatively. The outer wall is cutinizedand covered by a cuticle. Solanum tuberosum L., potato, glandular trichomes, ultrastructure     

Foraging Efficacy of a Larval Parasitoid in a Cotton Patch: Influence of Chemical Cues and Learning

Plant-herbivore chemical signals and behavioral plasticity may enhance parasitoid host-foraging efficacy in the field; however, no studies have quantified the potential benefits from these factors under field-type conditions. The effect of plant-herbivore signals and learning on the foraging efficacy of Microplitis croceipes was quantified by directly observing and recording total and sequential duration of various foraging behaviors relative to 5 randomly placed herbivore-damaged and host-infested cotton plants and 20 undamaged and non-host-infested plants. Microplitis croceipes spent significantly more time searching (flying and antennation) on host infested versus uninfested plants. Antennation time was significantly and negatively correlated with successive host stings. Contrary to expectations of increased duration, flight time remained constant throughout the foraging bout, which may indicate that there was some learning associated with flight. These results suggest that plant-herbivore chemical signals and learning enhances the foraging efficacy of M. croceipes.     

Protein threading by recursive dynamic programming.

We present the recursive dynamic programming (RDP) method for the threading approach to three-dimensional protein structure prediction. RDP is based on the divide-and-conquer paradigm and maps the protein sequence whose backbone structure is to be found (the protein target) onto the known backbone structure of a model protein (the protein template) in a stepwise fashion, a technique that is similar to computing local alignments but utilising different cost functions. We begin by mapping parts of the target onto the template that show statistically significant similarity with the template sequence. After mapping, the template structure is modified in order to account for the mapped target residues. Then significant similarities between the yet unmapped parts of the target and the modified template are searched, and the resulting segments of the target are mapped onto the template. This recursive process of identifying segments in the target to be mapped onto the template and modifying the template is continued until no significant similarities between the remaining parts of target and template are found. Those parts which are left unmapped by the procedure are interpreted as gaps.The RDP method is robust in the sense that different local alignment methods can be used, several alternatives of mapping parts of the target onto the template can be handled and compared in the process, and the cost functions can be dynamically adapted to biological needs.Our computer experiments show that the RDP procedure is efficient and effective. We can thread a typical protein sequence against a database of 887 template domains in about 12 hours even on a low-cost workstation (SUN Ultra 5). In statistical evaluations on databases of known protein structures, RDP significantly outperforms competing methods. RDP has been especially valuable in providing accurate alignments for modeling active sites of proteins.RDP is part of the ToPLign system (GMD Toolbox for protein alignment) and can be accessed via the WWW independently or in concert with other ToPLign tools at http://cartan.gmd.de/ToPLign.html.