Phosphatidyl glycerolphosphate serves as glycerolphosphate donor in polymer synthesis

Phosphatidyl glycerolphosphate was found to serve as the glycerolphosphate donor for polymer synthesis. When CDP-diglyceride and radiolabeled glycerolphosphate were incubated with the membrane enzyme prepared from Streptococcus sanguis, active syntheses of radiolabeled lipids and polymers were observed. The synthesis of polymer was not inhibited by low concentration of unlabeled phosphatidylglycerol. When [3H, 32P]glycerolphosphate was used, the polymer synthesized contained both 3H and 32P. The lipids formed were characterized as phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidyl glycerolphosphate. The polymers formed from the latter were characterized as lipoteichoic acid like compounds by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.     

Degradation of Dehydrodivanillin by Anaerobic Bacteria from Cow Rumen Fluid

Dehydrodivanillin (DDV; 0.15 g/liter) was biodegradable at 37°C under strictly anaerobic conditions by microflora from cow rumen fluid to the extent of 25% within 2 days in a yeast extract medium. The anaerobes were acclimated on DDV for 2 weeks, leading to DDV-degrading microflora with rates of degradation eight times higher than those initially. Dehydrodivanillic acid and vanillic acid were detected in an ethylacetate extract of a DDV-enriched culture broth by thin-layer, gas, and high-performance liquid chromatographies and by mass spectrometry.     

Chemical transformation of eremofortin C into PR toxin.

The natural products of both eremofortin C (EC) and PR toxin are secondary metabolites of Penicillium roqueforti. Because the chemical structures of EC and PR toxin are closely related to each other and differ only by a hydroxyl functional group in EC and an aldehyde functional group in PR toxin at the C-12 position, the chemical transformation of EC into PR toxin was investigated. Oxidation with a chromic anhydride-pyridine complex was found to be the most satisfactory method.     

Cytochrome P-450-catalyzed stereoselective epoxidation at the K region of benz[a]anthracene and benzo[a]pyrene

The enantiomers of K-region benz[a]anthracene (BA) 5,6-epoxide and benzo[a]pyrene (BP) 4,5-epoxide were resolved by chiral stationary-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (CSP-HPLC). The K-region epoxides formed in the metabolism of BA by liver microsomes from untreated (control), phenobarbital (PB)-treated, and 3-methylcholanthrene (MC)-treated male Sprague-Dawley rats were determined by CSP-HPLC to have a 5R,6S/5S,6R enantiomer ratio of 25:75, 21:79, and 4:96, respectively. The K-region 4,5-epoxide formed in the metabolism of BP by the same rat liver microsomal preparations contained a 4R,5S/4S,5R enantiomer ratio of 48:52 (control), 40:60 (PB), and 5:95 (MC), respectively. The results indicate that various cytochrome P-450 isozymes of rat liver exhibit different stereoselective properties in catalyzing the epoxidation reactions at the K region of BA and of BP.     

Polypeptide fragments of the third component of complement in urine of hereditary nephritis patients

Pro-HNP, a urine protein isolated from hereditary nephritis patients, is derived from C3 and resembles the C3c domain. It contains disulfide-linked polypeptides of beta 75, alpha 40, and alpha 28. Plasmin degraded pro-HNP in vitro to HNP, which was also isolated from the urine of patients and which contained disulfide-linked polypeptides of beta 60, alpha 38, and alpha 26, and noncovalently bound polypeptide of beta 17. Amino terminal sequence analyses and amino acid compositions of the seven polypeptides isolated from pro-HNP and HNP show that beta 75 degrades to beta 60 and beta 17 (beta 17 locates at the amino end of beta 75), alpha 40 degrades to alpha 38 (both locate at the carboxyl end of the alpha-chain of C3), and alpha 28 degrades to alpha 26 (both are from the amino end of the alpha'-chain of C3b). These results confirm the enzymatic specificity of plasmin on pro-HNP. In HNP, the half-cystine contents of beta 60, alpha 38, alpha 26, and beta 17 were approximately 3, 12, 3, and 4, respectively. Partial reduction readily released alpha 40 from pro-HNP and alpha 38 from HNP. There were about five intra-chain disulfide bonds in alpha 40 or alpha 38; stepwise reduction of these intra-polypeptide bonds apparently accounted for multiple conformations of alpha 40 or alpha 38.     

Covalent structure of three phase-1 flagellar filament proteins of Salmonella

Using recombinant DNA techniques, the covalent structure was determined for three flagellar filament proteins produced by Salmonella serotypes with phase-1 antigens a, c and d. Comparison of the results obtained, together with previous results for antigen i, indicated an overall structure in which conservation of amino acid sequence was absolute at both ends of the molecule and proceeded inwards with progressively greater variation. Very few differences in nucleotide sequence were detected in regions of amino acid conservation, which suggested that these areas of the gene may be involved in regulatory functions.     

Relationship between bacteriophage T4 and T6 DNA topoisomerases. T6 39-protein subunit is equivalent to the combined T4 39- and 60-protein subunits

T6 DNA topoisomerase has been purified from bacteriophage T6 infected Escherichia coli. Unlike the T4 DNA topoisomerase which has three subunits, it consists of two subunits of molecular weights 75,000 and 51,000. They are the products of T6 genes 39 and 52, respectively. The purified T6 enzyme can stimulate in vitro T6 DNA replication. It has an ATP-dependent DNA relaxation activity similar to the T4 enzyme. Either ATP or dATP can be used in both reactions. Using a "Western blotting" and radioimmuno-detection methods, we show that T6 39 subunit contains protein sequences specified by both the T4 39 and 60 genes. The 52-proteins of both phages appear to be identical. The T4 and T6 topoisomerase genes represent a naturally occurring example of gene separation or fusion.     

Allosteric Modulation of Flunitrazepam Binding to Rat Brain Benzodiazepine Receptors by Methyl β-Carboline-3-Carboxylate

The inhibition of flunitrazepam (FNP) binding to rat brain benzodiazepine (BZ) receptors by methyl beta-carboline-3-carboxylate (MCC) was studied. Biphasic dissociation was observed for [3H]FNP and [3H]MCC in cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus, although the dissociation of [3H]MCC was much faster. The dissociation rate of [3H]FNP was increased by MCC in the cerebellum, but was not altered in cerebral cortex or hippocampus. [3H]FNP binding stimulated by gamma-aminobutyric acid was enhanced in the presence of MCC in all three regions examined. These results indicate that MCC exerts these effects by interacting with allosteric sites that are different from the FNP recognition sites on the BZ receptors.     

Subcellular localization and glycoprotein nature of the invertase from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The subcellular localization of the enzyme invertase in Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells, both repressed and derepressed for synthesis of the enzyme, was studied. Most of the invertase was found to be located outside the plasma membrane and only a small percentage was found to be associated to membranes. A substantial portion of the external enzyme remained firmly bound to cell-wall material.All of the invertase recovered in soluble form from cellular extracts reacted with concanavalin A and with the lectin from Bandeiraea simplicifolia seeds, indicating the presence in the enzyme of a carbohydrate moiety which probably contains terminal mannosyl (or structurally related) and galactosyl residues.The possibility of the presence of two different forms of invertase in S. pombe was considered. An intracellular, soluble form of invertase, devoid of carbohydrate, similar to the small invertase of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was not found in S. pombe. However, the Michaelis constant for sucrose of the enzyme present in repressed cells was smaller than that of the invertase synthesized under derepressing conditions, although this difference could also be the result of a different pattern of glycosylation of the invertase synthesized under different growth conditions.     

向日葵未受精胚珠培养时胚状体发生的显微观察

由开花前1—4天的向日葵子房中取出胚珠,在液体培养基上进行漂浮培养,诱导了未受精的卵细胞发育为单倍体的胚状体.亦诱导了珠被绒毡层产生胚状体。对两种胚状体的发生和发育过程及其形态发生特点作了显微观察与描述。