Promoter regions of cysteine endopeptidase genes from legumes confer germination-specific expression in transgenic tobacco seeds

Cysteine endopeptidases, SH-EP from Vigna mungo and EP-C1 from Phaseolus vulgaris, act to degrade seed storage protein during seed germination. Using transgenic tobacco plants, expression of SH-EP and promoter activity of the EP-C1 gene were analyzed in transgenic tobacco plants. The promoters of the two genes in tobacco seeds showed germination-specific activation, although post-translational processing of SH-EP and regulatory regions of promoter of the gene for EP-C1 were found to differ between leguminous seeds and transgenic tobacco seeds.     

Seasonality and vertical structure of light-attracted insect communities in a dipterocarp forest in Sarawak

Nocturnal flying insects were collected monthly for 13 months using ultra violet light-traps set at various vertical levels in a weakly-seasonal, tropical lowland dipterocarp forest in Sarawak, Malaysia. Abundance, faunal composition, size distribution and guild structure of these samples were analyzed with respect to temperal and vertical distributions. The nocturnal flying insect community in the canopy level was highly dominated by fig wasps (84%) in individual number, and by scarabaeid beetles (28%) in weight. A principal component analysis on monthly catches detected non-random, seasonal trends of insect abundance. The first two principal trends were an alternation of wetter (September to January) and less wet seasons (February to August) and an alternation between the least wet (January to March) and the other seasons. Many insect groups were less abundant in the least wet season than the other seasons, whilst inverse patterns were found in Scarabaeidae and Tenebrionidae. Significantly positive and negative correlations between monthly catch and rainfall were detected only in ovule-feeders and in phloem-feeders, respectively. Delayed, significant negative correlations between monthly catch and 1–3 month preceding rainfall were more frequently detected in phytophages, phloem-feeders, seed-feeders, wood-borers and scavengers. The peak in abundance along vertical levels were found at the canopy level (35 m) for phloem-, ovule-, seed-, root-, fungal-feeders and nectar collectors, at an upper subcanopy level (25 m) for scavengers and aquatic predators, and at a middle subcanopy level (17 m) for ants. Catches at the emergent level (45 m) did not exceed those at the canopy level.     

Comparative biochemical studies of carotenoids in sea urchins—III. Relationship between developmental mode and carotenoids in the Australian echinoids Heliocidaris erythrogramma and H. tuberculata and a comparison with Japanese species

The sea urchin Heliocidaris tuberculata is typical of most echinoids in having a small egg and a feeding larva, while H. erythrogramma has a large egg and modified development through a non-feeding larvae. The carotenoids in the gonads of these two species were investigated from the comparative biochemical points of view. The carotenoid content of the buoyant eggs of H. erythrogramma was approximately 60 times that of the negatively-buoyant eggs of H. tuberculata. With respect to cytoplasmic volume, however, the carotenoid concentration in the eggs of H. tuberculata was approximately twice that in the eggs of H. erythrogramma. In both species β-echinenone was the principal carotenoid found and their carotenoid patterns were similar. It is very interesting from a functional point of view that carotenoid levels per cytoplasmic volume are conserved across most of the species we have examined irrespective of phylogeny and egg size. In light of this result we suggest that carotenoids may play an important role in developing stage in all echinoids including indirect and direct developers.     

Fungal succession in the early decomposition process of pine cones on the floor ofPinus densiflora forests

The fungal succession on pine cones on the floor ofPinus densiflora forest was investigated in the early decomposition process (within ca. 30% decrease in dry weight). The fungal flora was examined by both washing and surface-sterilization methods on artificially placed cones and naturally fallen cones. The decomposition rates of artificially placed cones were 0.081–0.082 yr^–1. On withered cones still attached to the tree,Pestalotiopsis spp. were dominant. These fungi also occurred with higher frequencies after cones had lain on the floor and on cones in the L and FH horizons.Xylaria sp. andPhomopsis sp., which seem to colonize the interior of the tissue, occurred with higher frequencies on the cones on the tree, but their occurrence frequencies decreased after cones had lain on the forest floor. Conversely,Mortierella spp. andTrichoderma spp. newly occurred or their occurrence frequencies increased on lying cones. Of these,Trichoderma koningii increased rapidly and showed high occurrence frequencies.Thysanophora penicillioides, which prefers coniferous substrates, showed higher occurrence frequencies in the early stages of lying on the forest floor. On cones lying on the floor, the fungal flora did not significantly change during the investigation period.     

Physiological role of the chaA gene in sodium and calcium circulations at a high pH in Escherichia coli.

Ohyama et al. previously isolated Escherichia coli mutant RS1, which had a negligible activity for sodium ion extrusion at alkaline pH (T. Ohyama, R. Imaizumi, K. Igarashi, and H. Kobayashi, J. Bacteriol. 174:7743-7749, 1992). Our present study showed that the mutation of RS1 was compensated for by a cloned chaA gene. It has been proposed that sodium ion extrusion by ChaA is prevented under physiological conditions (D. M. Ivey, A. A. Guffanti, J. Zemsky, E. Pinner, R. Karpel, E. Padan, S. Schuldiner, and T. A. Krulwich, J. Biol. Chem. 268:11296-11303, 1993). In order to clarify the physiological role of chaA in sodium ion circulation at alkaline pH, we constructed a delta chaA mutant. The resultant mutant, TO112, deficient in both nhaA and chaA, was unable to grow at pH 8.5 in medium containing 0.1 M sodium chloride and had negligible sodium ion extrusion activity. However, TO112 grew at pH 7.0 in medium containing 0.4 M sodium chloride. Sodium ions were extruded from TO112 cells at neutral pH. The extrusion activity at pH 7.5 was greatly reduced by the deletion of nhaB. These data demonstrate that the activity of nhaB is low at high pH and that ChaA extrudes sodium ions at alkaline pH. The uptake of calcium ions by everted membrane vesicles prepared from the delta chaA mutant TO110 was 60% of the activity observed in the vesicles of the wild-type strain at pH 8.5, but the activity at neutral pH was not reduced by the deletion of chaA. Therefore, it was also suggested that ChaA plays a role in calcium ion circulation at alkaline pH.     

Escherichia coli Heat-Labile Enterotoxin Binds to Glycosylated Proteins with Lactose by Amino Carbonyl Reaction

The binding of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) type I to glycosylated proteins with lactose (Galβ1-4Glc) by amino carbonyl reaction was studied by the Western blot assay and by the microtiter well binding assay. LT bound to a lactose-α-lactalbumin amino carbonyl product (Lac-LA), whereas cholera toxin did not. The binding ability of Lac-LA was abolished by β-galactosidase treatment, indicating that the terminal galactose is essential for the binding of LT. The binding of LT to Lac-LA was inhibited by galactose and lactose, and most effectively inhibited by lactulose (Galβ1-4Fru), which is a structural analog of the Amadori rearrangement product of the amino carbonyl reaction between lactose and an ε-amino group of a lysine residue (lactuloselysine). The results suggest that LT recognizes the portion of lactuloselysine in Lac-LA. LT also bound to a melibiose (Galα1-6Glc)-α-lactalbumin amino carbonyl product (Mel-LA), but the binding ability of Mel-LA was weaker than that of Lac-LA, suggesting that the β1-4 linked terminal galactose is dispensable but preferable for the binding. Furthermore, LT bound to the amino carbonyl products of lactose with β-lactoglobulin, caseins, bovine serum albumin, and ovalbumin. These results indicate that LT binds to the amino carbonyl products between proteins and sugars containing the terminal galactose, such as lactose.     

Novel DNA polymorphism in the mouse tumor necrosis factor receptors type 1 and type 2

The introduction of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) provides an entirely new means of analyzing DNA polymorphism and makes practical the analysis of length variation in simple-sequence tandem repeats of dinucleotides. In the process of cloning and sequencing the mouse genomic DNA for tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors type 1 and type 2, we identified two simple dinucleotide repeats within the noncoding regions of TNF receptor type 1 and three such sequences within TNF receptor type 2. PCR analysis of these sequences, using genomic DNA from 21 different inbred and wild mouse strains, as demonstrated by running the amplified products on sequencing gels, showed that the repeats are highly polymorphic. We identified seven alleles of TNF receptor type 2 and five alleles of TNF receptor type 1. Using these polymorphic markers in two sets of recombinant inbred strains of mice, the chromosomal localization of Tnfr-1 was mapped to mouse chromosome 6 and Tnfr-2 was located to the distal portion of mouse chromosome 4.     

Characteristics of the energy-transducing NADH-quinone oxidoreductase ofParacoccus denitrificans as revealed by biochemical,biophysical, and molecular biological approaches

A comparison of the mitochondrial NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase and the energy-transducing NADH-quinone oxidoreductase (NDH-1) ofParacoccus denitrificans revealed that both systems have similar electron-transfer and energy-transduction pathways. In addition, both complexes are sensitive to the same inhibitors and contain similar electron carriers, suggesting that theParacoccus NDH-1 may serve as a useful model system for the study of the human enzyme complex. The gene cluster encoding theParacoccus NDH-1 has been cloned and sequenced. It is composed of 18,106 base pairs and contains 14 structural genes and six unidentified reading frames (URFs). The structural genes, URFs, and their polypeptides have been characterized. We also discuss nucleotide sequences which are believed to play a role in the regulation of the NDH-1 gene cluster andParacoccus NDH-1 subunits which may contain the binding sites of substrates and/or electron carriers.     

Determination of non-protein-bound iron in human synovial fluid by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Non-protein-bound iron in human synovial fluid was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The procedure was based on the separation of the iron—diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DPTA) complex formed directly on a chromatographic column containing an anion-exchange resin followed by electrochemical detection. The method enabled more than 0.1 μM Fe(III) to be determined with an injection volume of 10 μl. A mixture of synovial fluid, 20 μM DTPA and acetate buffer was incubated in the presence and absence of superoxide (O⁻₂) generated by a xanthine—xanthine oxidase system and was ultrafiltered through a 30 000 molecular mass cut-off filter. No iron was detected in the ultrafiltrate at physiological pH. However, the presence of iron was observed in the ultrafiltrate at low pH, and O⁻₂ and decreased pH, iron may be released into the synovial fluid.