Carotenoids of Thiorhodaceae

Summary The isolation, morphology and growth chracteristics of pure cultures of a Thiothece, Lamprocystis and Thiodictyon strain are described.Their carotenoid composition is reported. The Thiothece strain produced in addition to okenone (1), several related ketocarotenoids, among which a demethylated okenone (6) was identified by a small scale total synthesis. Thiodictyon and Lamprocystis produced carotenoids of the rhodopinal (previously warmingone) series, the latter organism contained as major carotenoids a lycopenol (4), not previously found in Nature, and a cross-conjugated lycopenal (2), previously called anhydro-warmingone.Part 7. Acta chem. scand. 21, 2185 (1967).     

Spontane Mutationen bei Essigsäurebakterien

Zusammenfassung Mit einer modifizierten Penicillintechnik konnten aus Acetobacter-Populationen, die von einem prototrophen Klon stammten, spontane auxotrophe Mutanten isoliert werden. Bei sechs von acht untersuchten Stämmen wurden auxotrophe Mutanten gefunden. Die Häufigkeit dieser Mutanten betrug 10^-6.Die Auxotrophie, welche je nach Stamm auf Äthanol- oder Glucose-Medium auftrat, äußerte sich als Bedarf für Hefeextrakt. Hefeextrakt konnte durch Alanin, Prolin oder Glutaminsäure nicht ersetzt werden. Die Mutation von prototroph auf Äthanol-Medium zu auxotroph auf Äthanol-Medium hatte keine Änderung der spezifischen Aktivitäten der Schlüsselenzyme des Glyoxylsäurecyclus zur Folge.Es wurden auch spontane Mutanten gefunden, welche die partikelgebundene Äthanoldehydrogenase verloren hatten und dadurch unfähig waren, Äthanol zu oxydieren oder als C-Quelle zu verwerten.Bei den spontanen, auf Äthanol-Medium auxotrophen Mutanten handelt es sich um Mutationen von einer Art des Frateurschen Systems in eine andere. Mutanten, welche die partikelgebundene Äthanoldehydrogenase verloren haben, gehören definitionsgemäß nicht mehr in die Gattung Acetobacter. Die Bedeutung solcher interspezifischer und intergenerischer Mutationen für die Arteinteilung innerhalb der Essigsäurebakterien wird diskutiert.

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Spontaneous mutations in acetic acid bacteria

Summary 8 prototrophic Acetobacter-strains were examined for spontaneous auxotrophic mutants. Using a modification of the Penicillin technique, there were detected auxotrophic mutants in 6 strains. The mutant frequency was 10^-6.Auxotrophy manifested itself as a requirement for yeast extract. Alanine, proline and glutamic acid could not replace yeastextract. In addition to the auxotrophic mutants there were found spontaneous mutants, which had lost the particulate ethanol-dehydrogenase and therefore had become unable to oxidise ethanol.The mutation from prototrophic on minerals-ethanol medium to auxotropic on minerals-ethanol medium represents a mutation from one species of Frateur's system into an other species. Mutants which have lost the particulate ethanol-dehydrogenase belong no more to the genus Acetobacter. The importance of such interspecific and intergeneric mutations for the taxonomy of acetic acid bacteria is discussed.

     

Principles and applications of luminescence spectrometry coupled to liquid chromatographic techniques

An overview is presented of the physicochemical basis of luminescence, and its application to the detection of chemicals (drugs, biomedically important compounds, environmentally active substances) in liquid chromatographic systems.     

Photoadaptation in marine Arctic diatoms

Summary Photoadaptation in some marine Arctic diatoms has been studied. Thalassiosira antarctica, Nitzschia delicatissima and Chaetoceros furcellatus were grown at-0.5°C and various irradiances and continuous light. Growth and cellular chlorophyll were followed during transitional phase after the algae had been transferred from one irradiance to another. Adaptation time for cellular chlorophyll was linearly related to the gradient in irradiance, and adaptation to transfer from high to low light was faster than from low to high light. Adaptation time was found to be species dependent, and Arctic diatoms growing at low temperature seemed to adapt as fast as temperate species.Contribution No. 243 from Trondhjem Biological Station     

Plasminogen activator inhibitor (type-1) in rat adrenal medulla

Summary Plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) was identified in extracts of rat adrenal medulla, and its immunohistochemical localization was studied together with that of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA). By staining of adjacent sections and by doublestaining of the same section we demonstrate that the same cells of the adrenal medulla contain both PAI-1 and t-PA immunoreactivity in the cytoplasm. In addition a few ganglion cells of the adrenal medulla were found to contain PAI-1 but not t-PA. Neither of the components were found in the adrenal cortex. Analysis of extracts from isolated adrenal medulla using reverse zymography showed the presence of a plasminogen activator inhibitor with M _r46000. The inhibitory activity disappeared when the extract was passed through a column with sepharose-coupled anti-PAI-1 IgG, while the run-through from a similar column coupled with preimmune IgG still contained the inhibitor. The present findings suggest that PAI-1 could play a role in the regulation of t-PA activity in the rat adrenal gland medullary cells.     

Rabbit distal colon epithelium: III. Ca2+-activated K+ channels in basolateral plasma membrane vesicles of surface and crypt cells

Summary In the mammalian distal colon, the surface epithelium is responsible for electrolyte absorption, while the crypts are the site of secretion. This study examines the properties of electrical potential-driven⁸⁶Rb⁺ fluxes through K⁺ channels in basolateral membrane vesicles of surface and crypt cells of the rabbit distal colon epithelium. We show that Ba²⁺-sensitive, Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels are present in both surface and crypt cell derived vesicles with half-maximal activation at 5×10^–7 m free Ca²⁺. This suggests an important role of cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ in the regulation of the bidirectional ion fluxes in the colon epithelium.The properties of K⁺ channels in the surface cell membrane fraction differ from those of the channels in the crypt cell derived membranes. The peptide toxin apamin inhibits Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels exclusively in surface cell vesicles, while charybdotoxin inhibits predominantely in the crypt cell membrane fraction. Titrations with H⁺ and tetraethylammonium show that both high-and low-sensitive⁸⁶Rb⁺ flux components are present in surface cell vesicles, while the high-sensitive component is absent in the crypt cell membrane fraction. The Ba²⁺-sensitive, Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels can be solubilized in CHAPS and reconstituted into phospholipid vesicles. This is an essential step for further characterization of channel properties and for identification of the channel proteins in purification procedures.