Allescheria boydii and Aspergillus fumigatus Skin Test Antigens

May, Lewis K. (Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia), Ralph A. Knight, and H. William Harris. Allescheria boydii and Aspergillus fumigatus skin test antigens. J. Bacteriol. 91:2155-2157. 1966.-Protein and polysaccharide fractions were extracted from culture filtrates of Allescheria boydii and Aspergillus fumigatus by the methods of Seibert and of Heidelberger, and injected intradermally into guinea pigs previously infected with these fungi. The diameter of erythema and induration was determined at 8, 24, and 48 hr. The protein and polysaccharide antigens yielded specific skin reactions in homologously infected guinea pigs. Erythema appeared at 8 hr with both the protein and polysaccharide antigens. At this time, the polysaccharide skin tests showed erythema and a central blanched wheal. A similar wheal was not observed with the protein. The erythema of the polysaccharide reaction began fading at 24 hr, whereas the protein reaction remained unchanged through 48 hr with both antigens. In guinea pigs, the area of erythema was more constant and thus easier to measure than was induration.     

Submerged reefs and terraces on the shelf edge of the Great Barrier Reef,Australia

The morphology and distribution of seabed features on the shelf edge and upper slope adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, has been examined using shallow seismic profiling, side-scan sonar and precision echo sounding data, supplemented by submersible investigations. The data reveal a submerged barrier reef system at different locations between 15° 45 S and 21° 00 S. At two locations, an extensive offshore platform rising above the 50 m isobath and extending for over 20 km parallel to the shelf edge is backed by a relict lagoon at an average depth of 75 m. In addition, outer shelf and upper slope terraces are found at many depths; however, only some occur consistently throughout the region while most others occur only locally. Frequency distributions indicate the greatest occurrence of features at depths of 44–46, 60–66, 72–78, 80–84, 102–106 and 146–148 m. Caution should be exercised when interpreting these features with respect to specific lower sea level stands.     

Carbon metabolism in Bradyrhizobium japonicum bacteroids

Abstract Carbon metabolism in Bradyrhizobium japonicum bacteroids is reviewed. Additionally, the bacteroid tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and its regulation under oxygen-limited conditions is considered, with emphasis on possible sites of TCA cycle rate-limiting reactions. Furthermore, we consider other adaptive pathways that may be employed by these organisms while in symbiosis. These pathways include: (1) a poly-β-hydroxy-butyrate shunt, (2) a malate-aspartate shuttle, (3) an α-ketoglutarate-glutamate shunt, (4) a modified dicarboxylic acid cycle, and (5) fermentation pathways leading to lactate, acetaldehyde and ethanol. The effects of oxygen limitation on host carbon metabolism are also considered briefly.     

Calmodulin regulates fodrin susceptibility to cleavage by calcium-dependent protease I

The intracellular calcium-dependent proteolysis of fodrin has been postulated to be central to the regulation of plasticity of the cortical cytoskeleton of many eukaryotic cells. The close proximity of the sites of calmodulin (CaM) binding and calcium-dependent protease I (CDP-I) cleavage in mammalian alpha-fodrin suggested that their action may be linked. In hypotonic and isotonic buffers, CDP-I proteolysis of the beta subunit of fodrin was absolutely dependent upon the presence of active CaM. The stimulation by CaM was inhibited by CaM antagonists. The rate of CDP-I proteolysis of both subunits was enhanced by CaM, while the rate of fodrin proteolysis with other proteases was not influenced by CaM. The increase in the susceptibility of fodrin to CDP-I proteolysis was half-maximal at 80 nM CaM, and maximal at 200 nM CaM. The unusual and differential susceptibility of alpha- and beta-fodrin to proteolysis by CDP-I in the absence of CaM was exploited to investigate the quaternary structure of fodrin in which only the alpha subunit was cleaved. Cleavage of the alpha subunit alone did not destroy the tetrameric form of the molecule, whereas CDP-I cleavage of both subunits rendered the molecule incapable of reforming tetramers. These results provide structural and functional evidence that CaM and CDP-I act synergistically in the regulated proteolysis of fodrin.     

Neuromuscular development following tetrodotoxin-induced inactivity in mouse embryos

Developmental aspects of the neuromuscular system in mouse embryos chronically paralyzed in utero with tetrodotoxin (TTX) between embryonic days 14 and 18 were studied using biochemical and histological methods. The number of lumbar spinal motoneurons (MNs) was higher in inactive embryos than in controls suggesting a decreased motoneuron cell death. In association with the increase in MN number, choline acetyltransferase activity was significantly increased in both spinal cord and peripheral synaptic sites. Paralyzed muscles exhibited a decreased number of mature myofibers and the nuclei were centrally located. Creatine kinase activity was greatly decreased and total acetylcholine receptor and receptor cluster numbers per myofiber were significantly increased in paralyzed muscles. A similar pattern of changes occurs in the neuromuscular system of the mutant mouse muscular dysgenesis (mdg). However, in contrast to the mdg mutant, tetrodotoxin-treated muscles were similar to controls in their innervation pattern, in the ultrastructural aspects of the excitation–contraction coupling system (i.e., dyads and triads) and in the extent of dihydropyridine binding. Thus, neuromuscular inactivity is not sufficient to impair the pattern of muscle innervation or the appearance of either the triadic junctions or dihydropyridine receptors. These results indicate that alterations of dihydropyridine binding sites and triads in muscular dysgenesis cannot be accounted for by inactivity but rather must reflect a more primary defect involving the structural gene(s) regulating the development of one or more aspects of muscle differentiation.     

Pre-inoculation of Ri T-DNA-transformed pea roots with Pseudomonas fluorescens inhibits colonization by Pythium ultimum Trow: an ultrastructural and cytochemical study

The influence exerted by Pseudomonas fluorescens, strain 63-28R, in stimulating plant defense reactions was investigated using an in-vitro system in which Ri T-DNA-transformed pea (Pisum sativum L.) roots were subsequently infected with Pythium ultimum. Cytological investigations of samples from P. fluorescens-inoculated roots revealed that the bacteria multiplied abundantly at the root surface and colonized a small number of epidermal and cortical cells. Penetration of the epidermis occurred through the openings made by the disruption of the fibrillar network at the junction of adjacent epidermal cell walls. Direct cell wall penetration was never observed and bacterial ingress into the root tissues proceeded via an intercellular route. Striking differences in the extent of fungal colonization were observed between bacterized and non-bacterized pea roots following inoculation with P. ultimum. In non-bacterized roots, the pathogen multiplied abundantly through most of the tissues while in bacterized roots, pathogen growth was restricted to the epidermis and the outer cortex. At the root surface, the bacteria interacted with the pathogen, in a way similar to that observed in dual culture tests. Most Pythium cells were severely damaged but fungal penetration by the bacteria was never observed. Droplets of the amorphous material formed upon interaction between the bacteria and the host root were frequently found at the fungal cell surface. Incubation of sections with a -1,4-exoglucanase-gold complex revealed that the cell wall of markedly altered Pythium hyphae was structurally preserved. Successful penetration of the root epidermis was achieved by the few hyphae of P. ultimum that could escape the first defensive line in the rhizosphere. Most hyphae of the pathogen that penetrated the epidermis exhibited considerable changes. The unusual occurrence of polymorphic wall appositions along the host epidermal cells was an indication that the host plant was signalled to defend itself through the elaboration of physical barriers.Abbreviations AGL Aplysia gonad lectin - PGPR plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria The authors wish to thank Sylvain Noël for excellent technical assistance. This study was supported by grants from the Fonds Québécois pour la formation de chercheurs et l'Aide à la Recherche (FCAR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Ministère de l'Industrie, du Commerce, de la Science et de la Technologie (SYNERGIE).     

Fate of the anterior neural ridge and the morphogenesis of the xenopus forebrain

The fate of the anterior neural ridge was studied by following the relative movements of simultaneous spot applications of DiI and DiO from stage 15 through stage 45. These dye movements were mapped onto the neuroepithelium of the developing brain whose shape was gleaned from whole-mount in situs to neural cell adhesion molecule and dissections of the developing nervous system. The result is a model of the cell movements that drive the morphogenesis of the forebrain. The midanterior ridge moves inside and drops down along the most anterior wall of the neural tube. It then pushes forward a bit, rotates ventrally during forebrain flexing, and gives rise to the chiasmatic ridge and anterior hypothalamus. The midanterior plate drops, forming the floor of the forebrain ventricle, and, keeping its place behind the ridge, it gives rise to the posterior hypothalamus or infundibulum. The midlateral anterior ridge slides into the lateral anterior wall of the neural tube and stretches laterally into the optic stalk and retina, and then rotates into a ventral position. The lateral anterior ridge converges to the most anterior part of the dorsal midline during neural tube closure, then rotates anteriorly, and gives rise to telencephalic structures. Whole-mount bromodeoxyuridine labeling at these stages showed that cell division is widespread and relatively uniform throughout the brain during the late neurula and early tailbud stages, but that during late tailbud stages cell division becomes restricted to specific proliferative zones. We conclude that the early morphogenesis of the brain is carried out largely by choreographed cell movements and that later morphogenesis depends on spatially restricted patterns of cell division. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Cyclin D1 transgene impedes lymphocyte maturation and collaborates in lymphomagenesis with the myc gene.

Cyclin D1 is the regulatory subunit of certain protein kinases thought to advance the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Deregulated cyclin D1 expression has been implicated in several human neoplasms, most consistently in centrocytic B lymphoma, where the cyclin D1 gene usually has been translocated to an immunoglobulin locus. To determine directly whether constitutive cyclin D1 expression is lymphomagenic, transgenic mice were generated having the cyclin D1 gene linked to an immunoglobulin enhancer. Despite abundant transgene expression, their lymphocytes were normal in cell cycle activity, size and mitogen responsiveness, but young transgenic animals contained fewer mature B- and T-cells. Although spontaneous tumours were infrequent, lymphomagenesis was much more rapid in mice that co-expressed the cyclin D1 transgene and a myc transgene than in mice expressing either transgene alone. Moreover, the spontaneous lymphomas of myc transgenic animals often ectopically expressed the endogenous cyclin D1 gene. These findings indicate that this G1 cyclin can modulate differentiation and collaborate with myc-like genes in oncogenesis.