Increased sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase activity in transgenic tobacco plants stimulates photosynthesis and growth from an early stage in development

Activity of the Calvin cycle enzyme sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase (SBPase) was increased by overexpression of an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) cDNA in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants. In plants with increased SBPase activity, photosynthetic rates were increased, higher levels of Suc and starch accumulated during the photoperiod, and an increase in leaf area and biomass of up to 30% was also evident. Light saturated photosynthesis increased with increasing SBPase activity and analysis of CO2 response curves revealed that this increase in photosynthesis could be attributed to an increase in ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate regenerative capacity. Seedlings with increased SBPase activity had an increased leaf area at the 4 to 5 leaf stage when compared to wild-type plants, and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging of these young plants revealed a higher photosynthetic capacity at the whole plant level. Measurements of photosynthesis, made under growth conditions integrated over the day, showed that mature plants with increased SBPase activity fixed 6% to 12% more carbon than equivalent wild-type leaves, with the young leaves having the highest rates. In this paper, we have shown that photosynthetic capacity per unit area and plant yield can be increased by overexpressing a single native plant enzyme, SBPase, and that this gives an advantage to the growth of these plants from an early phase of vegetative growth. This work has also shown that it is not necessary to bypass the normal regulatory control of SBPase, exerted by conditions in the stroma, to achieve improvements in carbon fixation.     

Envelope stress responses and Gram-negative bacterial pathogenesis

The sigma(E), Cpx and Bae envelope stress responses of Escherichia coli are involved in the maintenance, adaptation and protection of the bacterial envelope in response to a variety of stressors. Recent studies indicate that the Cpx and sigma(E) stress responses exist in many Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. The envelope is of particular importance to these organisms because most virulence determinants reside in, or must transit through, this cellular compartment. The Cpx system has been implicated in expression of pili, type IV secretion systems and key virulence regulators, while the sigma(E) pathway has been shown to be critical for protection from oxidative stress and intracellular survival. Homologues of the sigma(E)- and Cpx-regulated protease DegP are essential for full virulence in numerous pathogens, and, like sigma(E), DegP appears to confer resistance to oxidative stress and intracellular survival capacity. Some pathogens contain multiple homologues of the Cpx-regulated, disulphide bond catalyst DsbA protein, which has been demonstrated to play roles in the expression of secreted virulence determinants, type III secretion systems and pili. This review highlights recent studies that indicate roles for the sigma(E), Cpx and Bae envelope stress responses in Gram-negative bacterial pathogenesis.     

MCAK associates with the tips of polymerizing microtubules

MCAK is a member of the kinesin-13 family of microtubule (MT)-depolymerizing kinesins. We show that the potent MT depolymerizer MCAK tracks (treadmills) with the tips of polymerizing MTs in living cells. Tip tracking of MCAK is inhibited by phosphorylation and is dependent on the extreme COOH-terminal tail of MCAK. Tip tracking is not essential for MCAK's MT-depolymerizing activity. We propose that tip tracking is a mechanism by which MCAK is preferentially localized to regions of the cell that modulate the plus ends of MTs.     

Genetic bases of estrogen-induced pituitary tumorigenesis: identification of genetic loci determining estrogen-induced pituitary growth in reciprocal crosses between the ACI and Copenhagen rat strains

Estrogens stimulate proliferation and enhance survival of the prolactin (PRL)-producing lactotroph of the anterior pituitary gland and induce development of PRL-producing pituitary tumors in certain inbred rat strains but not others. The goal of this study was to elucidate the genetic bases of estrogen-induced pituitary tumorigenesis in reciprocal intercrosses between the genetically related ACI and Copenhagen (COP) rat strains. Following 12 weeks of treatment with the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES), pituitary mass, an accurate surrogate marker of absolute lactotroph number, was increased 10.6-fold in ACI rats and 4.5-fold in COP rats. Composite interval mapping analyses of the phenotypically defined F(2) progeny from the reciprocal crosses identified six quantitative trait loci (QTL) that determine the pituitary growth response to DES. These loci reside on chromosome 6 [Estrogen-induced pituitary tumor (Ept)1], chromosome 3 (Ept2 and Ept6), chromosome 10 (Ept9), and chromosome 1 (Ept10 and Ept13). Together, these six Ept loci and one additional suggestive locus on chromosome 4 account for an estimated 40% of the phenotypic variance exhibited by the combined F(2) population, while 34% of the phenotypic variance was estimated to result from environmental factors. These data indicate that DES-induced pituitary mass behaves as a quantitative trait and provide information that will facilitate identification of genes that determine the tumorigenic response of the pituitary gland to estrogens.     

Synthesis of a 13C-Labeled Tracer for Stream DOC: Labeling Tulip Poplar Carbon with 13CO2

Ecosystem tracer-level additions would benefit from a stable isotope-labeled source of complex organic molecules. We tested a method to label tree C with ¹³C and create a stable isotope tracer for stream dissolved organic carbon (DOC) using tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) seedlings. In 2000, seedlings were grown with 0.82 moles of ¹³CO₂ to assess the distribution and level of ¹³C enrichment in the tree tissues. In 2001, seedlings were grown with 25 times more ¹³CO₂ to generate tissues with a ¹³C signal strong enough for a ¹³C-DOC stream tracer addition. ¹³C enrichment in the trees varied in each year and by tissue age and type. Tissues formed during labeling (new) were more enriched in ¹³C than tissues established prior to the ¹³CO₂ injection (old). Stems were most enriched in ¹³C in both new and old tissues. A higher percentage of ¹³CO₂ was incorporated into seedlings in 2000 (59% ±1) than 2001 (43% ±0). Percent ¹³C incorporation among tree tissue types paralleled biomass distributions. Although tree C and ¹³C were equally soluble in both years, a greater percentage of tree C went into solution in 2001 (30%) than 2000 (20%). The water-soluble tree C accounted for approximately 12% of the injected ¹³CO₂ and had both humic and polysaccharide components. Results from a whole-stream ¹³C-DOC tracer addition demonstrated that tree C could be sufficiently labeled with ¹³CO₂ to create a stream DOC isotope tracer with some polymeric constituents.     

Concordance of cranial and dental morphological traits and evidence for endogamy in ancient Egypt

A biological affinities study based on frequencies of cranial nonmetric traits in skeletal samples from three cemeteries at predynastic Naqada, Egypt, confirms the results of a recent nonmetric dental morphological analysis. Both cranial and dental traits analyses indicate that the individuals buried in a cemetery characterized archaeologically as high status are significantly different from individuals buried in two other, apparently nonelite cemeteries and that the nonelite samples are not significantly different from each other. A comparison with neighbouring Nile Valley skeletal samples suggests that the high status cemetery represents an endogamous ruling or elite segment of the local population at Naqada, which is more closely related to populations in northern Nubia than to neighbouring populations in southern Egypt. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Coexistence of twitch potentiation and tetanic force decline in rat hindlimb muscle

An experimental protocol designed to assess fatigability in motor units has been applied to two hindlimb muscles of anesthetized adult rats to study the effects of whole-muscle fatigue on the isometric twitch. Both soleus and extensor digitorum longus exhibited a linear relationship between fatigability (i.e., force decline after a 360-s fatigue test) and the magnitude of the twitch force following the fatigue test. Twitch force after the fatigue test was potentiated (i.e., greater than the value before the fatigue test) in many muscles, despite the development of considerable fatigue. This coexistence of fatigue and twitch potentiation was observed in 7% (5/70) of soleus and 48% (31/64) of extensor digitorum longus muscles. The coexistence was exhibited only by the least fatigable muscles of the fast-contracting extensor digitorum longus. The extensor digitorum longus muscles that did not exhibit twitch potentiation probably experienced a higher proportion of muscle-fiber inactivation, such as due to failure of neuromuscular propagation, that was induced by the fatigue regimen.     

Effect of inserted oxysterols on phospholipid packing in normal and sickle red blood cell membranes

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to examine the effect of oxysterol insertion into normal and sickle RBC membranes and the total lipid extracts of the membranes. Examination of the FTIR C-H stretch and fingerprint regions reveal that the insertion of 7 alpha- and 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol has the greatest effect on the fluidity of RBC membranes and lipid extracts. The results confirm the observation that sterol molecules are oriented in the membrane so that the 7 position is located in the phospholipid head group region at the lipid/water interface. The substitution of a keto for a hydroxy group at the number seven position decreases the effect of the sterol on membrane packing.