Synthesis and properties of sulfated alkyl glycosides

Alkyl glycosides were sulfated with sulfur trioxide-pyridine. Dodecyl - and β- -glucopyranoside gave the corresponding 6-sulfates in 75 and 51% yields, respectively. Separation from polysulfated compounds was carried out by reversed-phase HPLC. Tetradecyl β-maltopyranoside (16) gave a 88:12 mixture of 6′- and 6-sulfates. The sulfated compounds were characterized by ¹H-, ¹³C-, and 2-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. Surfactant and thermotropic liquid-crystalline properties of the sugar derivatives were examined. All of the glycosides show smectic phases (S_A), and the clearing points rise by introduction of sulfate groups. Even glycosides having no unprotected hydroxy groups may show S_A-phases when bearing sulfate groups. The mesomorphic properties cannot be explained by formation of distinct aggregates, but rather must be interpreted by an effective intramolecular contrast.     

Iron(III)hydroxamate transport of Escherichia coli K12: Single amino acid replacements at potential ATP-binding sites inactivate the FhuC protein

Summary The mechanism of iron(III)hydroxamate transport appears to be of the periplasmic binding protein dependent transport (PBT) kind which is energized by ATP hydrolysis. The FhuC protein contains two domains typical of ATP-binding proteins. Lysine in domain I was replaced by glutamine and glutamate, and aspartate in domain II by asparagine and glutamate, resulting in FhuC derivatives which no longer transported ferrichrome and albomycin. FhuC inactivation by the aspartate-glutamate substitution is especially noteworthy since the negative charge thought to be involved in Mg²⁺-ATP binding remains the same and the two amino acid side chains differ in only a CH₂ group. It is concluded that the two domains that represent consensus sequences among all peripheral cytoplasmic membrane proteins of PBT systems are involved in substrate transport.     

Iron(III) hydroxamate transport of Escherichia coli: restoration of iron supply by coexpression of the N- and C-terminal halves of the cytoplasmic membrane protein FhuB cloned on separate plasmids

Summary Transport of iron(III) hydroxamates across the inner membrane into the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli cells is mediated by the FhuC, FhuD and FhuB proteins. We studied the extremely hydrophobic FhuB protein (70 kDa) which is located in the cytoplasmic membrane. The N- and C-terminal halves of the protein [FhuB(N) and FhuB(C)] show homology to each other and to the equivalent polypeptides involved in uptake of ferric dicitrate and of vitamin B₂. Various plasmids carrying only one-half of the fhuB gene were expressed in fhuB ^– mutants. Only combinations of FhuB(N) and FhuB(C) polypeptides restored sensitivity to albomycin and growth on iron hydroxamates as sole iron source; no activity was obtained with either half of FhuB alone. These results indicate that both halves of FhuB are essential for substrate translocation and that they combine to form an active permease when expressed separately. In addition, a FhuB derivative with a large internal duplication of 271 amino acids was found to be partially active in transport, indicating that the extra portion did not perurb proper insertion of the active FhuB segments into the cytoplasmic membrane.     

Phytosoziologie, Ökologie und Systematik bei Flechten

In den letzten Jahren bemühte sich die systematische Forschung verstärkt, die oft sehr schematisch begrenzten Einheiten der Flechten mit modernen Methoden unter Berücksichtigung möglichst vieler Merkmale zu überprüfen und neu zu gliedern, Ökologische Merkmale wurden aber bei der Definition supraspezifischer taxonomischer Einheiten bei Flechten bisher kaum herangezogen. Eine Analyse der revidierten und neu gefaßten Taxa, z. B. innerhalb der Familie Lecideaceae, zeigt aber, daß diese Einheiten oft deutliche Parallelen und Schwerpunkte im ökologischen Bereich besitzen und sich somit ökologische Merkmale als zusätzliches Kriterium bei der Begründung von natürlichen Verwandtschaftsgruppen verwenden lassen. Andererseits kann eine stark abweichende Ökologie als Hinweis auf eine mögliche taxonomische Sonderstellung gelten (Beispiel: Ausgliederung von T. caradocensis als einziger Holzbewohner der Gattung Toninia aus diesem Genus), d. h., möglicherweise künstliche Taxa können für taxonomische Zwecke auf ökologisch und soziologisch auffallende Zäsuren hin untersucht werden. Derartige Querverbindungen zwischen Systematik und Ökologie finden sich besonders auf Gattungsniveau, lassen sich aber öfter auch in Familien hinein verfolgen. Somit können Fragen der Flechtentaxonomie niederer und mittlerer Kategorien durch Einbeziehung ökologischer Kriterien besser behandelt werden, als dies bei nur morphologischtypologischer Arbeitsweise der Fall ist. Um eine ökologische Affinität oder Zäsur zwischen Flechtentaxa aufzuzeigen, ist eine genauere Definition ihrer Ökologie nicht unbedingt notwendig. Eine ökologische Ähnlichkeit kann mit Hilfe pflanzensoziologischer Methoden nachgewiesen werden. Die Fruchtbarkeit der ökologisch-synökologischen Frageweise für die Flechtensystematik und die Bedeutung ökologischer Differenzierungen für die Evolution der Flechten werden diskutiert. Für wertvolle Diskussionen und Anregungen danke ich den Herren Dr. G. Kost (Tübingen), H. Oberhollenzer , Prof. Dr. J. Poelt (Graz), Dr. H. Schmalfuss und Dr. G. von Wahlert (alle Ludwigsburg) ganz herzlich.     

Excretion of a protease by Serratia marcescens

Excretion of an extracellular protease of Serratia marcescens ATCC 25419 occurred during logarithmic growth and was highest (per cell) when cultures reached the stationary growth phase. Production of the extracellular protease was induced by leucine or casein in minimal medium or by growth in tryptone-yeast medium. In the late stationary phase an intracellular protease activity accumulated which was also observed in mutants with very low extracellular protease activity. The excreted protease was the dominant protein in the growth medium. The protease was purified to homogeneity by column chromatography on Bio-Gel P-100 and on DEAE-cellulose. Quantitative amino acid analysis revealed the absence of sulfurcontaining amino acids. The enzyme consists of one polypeptide chain. A molecular weight of 51,000 and 55,000 was estimated using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and chromatography on Bio-Gel P-100 respectively. The enzyme cleaved only N--benzoyl-DL-lysine-and-arginine-nitroanilides but not the corresponding leucine or tyrosine derivatives nor a set of diand tripeptides.Abbreviation SDS sodium dodecylsulfate     

Response of different decomposer communities to the manipulation of moisture availability: potential effects of changing precipitation patterns

The potential impacts of changes in precipitation patterns associated with global climate change on the relationship between soil community diversity and litter decomposition were investigated. For a period of ca. 5 months, two decomposer communities in litterbags (1000 and 45 μm mesh size) containing spruce litter were subjected to two irrigation treatments: constant and fluctuating (drying/rewetting) moisture conditions. The latter were expected to induce moisture stress on the decomposer communities. The two mesh sizes were used to exclude different faunal components from the decomposer communities. The 1000 μm mesh excluded only the macrofauna, whereas the 45 μm mesh excluded both the macro- and mesofauna. In the short-term perspective of the present study, mesofauna abundance showed no response to imposed fluctuating moisture conditions. Irrespective of the presence of mesofauna, mass loss, microbial biomass and the control mechanisms, regulating carbon mineralization appeared unaffected by fluctuating moisture conditions. The reduction in the functional/structural diversity of the decomposer communities in the 45 μm litterbags resulted in strongly increased Nematoda abundance but it did not alter the response of Nematoda to fluctuating moisture conditions. Processes in the nitrogen (N)-cycle and mass loss were sensitive indicators of changes in the structural and functional complexity of decomposer communities. However, a negative effect of fluctuating moisture conditions on extractable N was coupled to the presence of mesofauna. Extremes in rainfall patterns, generated by climate change, may have a negative impact on the availability of nutrients, particularly N, for plants. This effect could be amplified by an additional impoverishment in the structural and functional complexity of the respective decomposer communities.     

Proteomic analysis of the photosystem I light-harvesting antenna in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum)

Until now, more genes of the light-harvesting antenna of higher-plant photosystem I (PSI) than proteins have been described. To improve our understanding of the composition of light-harvesting complex I (LHCI) of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), we combined one- and two-dimensional (1-D and 2-D, respectively) gel electrophoresis with immunoblotting and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Separation of PSI with high-resolution 1-D gels allowed separation of five bands attributed to proteins of LHCI. Immunoblotting with monospecific antibodies and MS/MS analysis enabled the correct assignment of the four prominent bands to light-harvesting proteins Lhca1-4. The fifth band was recognized by only the Lhca1 antibody. Immunodetection as well as mass spectrometric analysis revealed that these protein bands contain not only the eponymous protein but also other Lhca proteins, indicating a heterogeneous protein composition of Lhca bands. Additionally, highly sensitive MS/MS allowed detection of a second Lhca4 isoform and of Lhca5. These proteins had not been described before on the protein level in higher plants. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed an even more diverse composition of individual Lhca proteins than was apparent from 1-D gels. For each of the four prominent Lhca proteins, four to five isoforms with different isoelectric points could be identified. In the case of Lhca1, Lhca4, and Lhca3, additional isoforms with slightly differing molecular masses were identified. Thus, we were able to detect four to ten isoforms of each individual Lhca protein in PSI. Reasons for the origin of Lhca heterogeneity are discussed. The observed variety of Lhca proteins and their isoforms is of particular interest in the context of the recently published crystal structure of photosystem I from pea, which showed the presence of only four Lhca proteins per photosystem I. These findings indicate that several populations of photosystem I that differ in their Lhca composition may exist.     

On Animal Abundance Estimation Based on Pitfall Traps

This paper gives a simple proof of an equation for the mean number of animals from a very large population which are trapped in a pitfall trap. This equation can be applied to estimate the abundance of epigeic animals walking on the ground such as some insects or spiders. For the estimation, knowledge on the locomotion behaviour of the animals is necessary. As an alternative, an approach is discussed that is based on the two‐dimensional Brownian motion.