Dasymaschalon tibetense (Annonaceae): a new species from China

A new species, Dasymaschalon tibetense, has been described from South Tibet, China. The species is related to D. rostratum, but can be easily distinguished by its rounded apex of fruitlets and its 7.7–9.5 cm long petals.     

A misfolded form of 5S rRNA is complexed with the Ro and La autoantigens.

In both vertebrate and invertebrate cells, the 60-kDa Ro autoantigen is bound to small cytoplasmic RNAs known as Y RNAs. In Xenopus oocytes, the 60-kDa Ro protein is also complexed with a class of 5S rRNA precursors that contain internal mutations. Because these 5S rRNA precursors are processed inefficiently and degraded eventually, the Ro protein may function in a quality control pathway for 5S rRNA biosynthesis. We have investigated the sequence and secondary structure determinants in the mutant 5S rRNAs that confer binding by the 60-kDa Ro protein. The mutant 5S rRNAs fold to form an alternative helix that is required for recognition by the 60-kDa Ro protein. Mutations that disrupt the alternative helix eliminate Ro protein binding, whereas compensatory changes that restore the helix are bound efficiently by the Ro protein. When the structure of the mutant RNA was probed using dimethylsulfate and oligonucleotide-directed RNase H cleavage, the results were consistent with the formation of the alternative structure. The La protein, which is also complexed with the mutant 5S rRNA precursors, protects similar sequences from nuclease digestion as does the 60-kDa Ro protein. Thus, the binding sites for these two proteins are either nearby on the RNA, or the two proteins may be complexed through protein-protein interactions. When the human Ro protein is expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the protein binds wild-type 5S rRNA precursors, suggesting that a population of wild-type precursors also folds into the alternative structure.     

真菌诱导子对悬浮培养西洋参细胞的生理效应

报道了不同真菌诱导子对悬浮培养的西洋参（Ｐａｎａｘｑｕｉｎｑｕｅｆｏｌｉｕｍ）细胞生长、皂甙和多糖合成,以及细胞内和培养液中过氧化物酶活性的生理效应。悬浮培养的西洋参细胞经刺盘孢菌（Ｃｏｌｌｅｔｏｔｒｉｃｈｕｍｎｉｃｏｌｔｉａｎａｅ）丝体诱导子处理后,总皂甙产率可由对照的２９６ｍｇ／Ｌ增加到６７９ｍｇ／Ｌ（约占细胞干重的（１６．３％）,比对照提高约１．３倍,而且总皂甙的８５％排放在培养液中;经黑曲霉（Ａｓｐｅｒｇｉｌｌｕｓｎｉｇｒａｎ）诱导子处理后,细胞多糖含量可达到１１．７９％（细胞干重）,比对照增加１倍多。初步纯化的刺盘孢菌丝体诱导子和尖孢镰刀菌（Ｆｕｓｕｒｉｕｍｏｘｙｓｐｏｒｕｍ）滤液诱导子在诱导处理前期能明显促进西洋参细胞生长,同时细胞内及培养液中过氧化物酶活性显著增加;随时间延长,细胞生长和酶活性逐步受到抑制。     

The design and pharmacology of novel selective muscarinic agonists and antagonists

The muscarinic pharmacology of C1-methyl-substituted chiral compounds related to McN-A-343 and of (R)- and (S)-dimethindene has been studied. Among the McN-A-343 analogues, the (S)-enantiomers were more potent and had higher affinity than the (R)-isomers. The quaternary compound (S)-BN 228 was found to be the most potent M1-selective agonist known today (pEC50: M1/rabbit vas deferens = 7.83; M2/guinea-pig atria = 6.35; M3/guinea-pig ileum = 6.29). In both the atria and ileum the tertiary carbamate, (S)-4-F-MePyMcN, was a competitive antagonist (pA2 value = 7.39 and 6.82, respectively). In contrast, in rabbit vas deferens (S)-4-F-MePyMcN was a potent partial agonist (pEC50 = 7.22; apparent efficacy = 0.83). These results indicate that (S)-4-F-MePyMcN might be a useful tool to study M1 receptor-mediated effects involved in central cholinergic function. (S)-Dimethindene was a potent M2-selective antagonist (pA2 = 7.86/atria; pKi = 7.8/rat heart) with lower affinities for the M1 (pA2 = 6.36/rat duodenum; pKi = 7.1/NB-OK 1 cells), M3 (pA2 = 6.92/guinea-pig ileum; pKi = 6.7/rat pancreas) and M4 receptors (pKi = 7.0/rat striatum). It was more potent (up to 41-fold) than the (R)-isomer. In contrast, the stereoselectivity was inverse at ileal H1 receptors (pA2: (R)-isomer = 9.42; (S)-isomer = 7.48). Thus, (S)-dimethindene could be a valuable agent to test the hypothesis that M2 antagonists show beneficial effects in the treatment of cognitive disorders. It might also become the starting point for the development of diagnostic tools for quantifying M2 receptors in the CNS with PET imaging.     

Bioconversion of Cellulose to Acetate with Pure Cultures of Ruminococcus albus and a Hydrogen-Using Acetogen

Bioconversion of cellulose to acetate was accomplished with cocultures of two organisms. One was the cellulolytic species Ruminococcus albus. It ferments crystalline cellulose (Avicel) to acetate, ethanol, CO(inf2), and H(inf2). The other organism (HA) obtains energy for growth by using H(inf2) to reduce CO(inf2) to acetate. HA is a gram-negative coccobacillus that was isolated from horse feces. Coculture of R. albus with HA in batch or continuous culture alters the fermentation products formed from crystalline cellulose by the ruminococcus via interspecies H(inf2) transfer. The major product of the fermentation by R. albus and HA coculture is acetate. High concentrations of acetate (333 mM) were obtained when batch cocultures grown on 5% cellulose were neutralized with Ca(OH)(inf2). Continuous cocultures grown at retention times of 2 and 3.1 days produced 109 and 102 mM acetate, respectively, when fed 1% cellulose with utilization of 84% of the substrate.     

KCN和NaN3预处理对烟草愈伤组织抗氰呼吸的影响

用０．５ ｍ ｍ ｏｌ／Ｌ ＫＣＮ 或０．０１ ｍ ｍ ｏｌ／Ｌ ＮａＮ３ 预处理继代培养２５ ｄ 的“甘肃黄花烟草”（Ｎｉｃｏｔｉａｎａ ｒｕｓｔｉｃａ Ｌ． ｃｖ． Ｇａｎｓｕ ｙｅｌｌｏｗ ｆｌｏｗ ｅｒ）愈伤组织对其呼吸作用有明显的影响。ＫＣＮ 和ＮａＮ３ 预处理１２ ｈ 可分别使愈伤组织的总呼吸速率下降１２％ 和１７％ ,细胞色素途径的实际运行量分别下降２２％ 和２８％ ;抗氰交替途径在最大容量（Ｖａｌｔ）基本不变的情况下,实际运行量（ρ·Ｖａｌｔ）不但未随总呼吸速率和细胞色素途径运行量的下降而降低,反而还略有上升。结果导致细胞色素途径对总呼吸的贡献下降而抗氰交替途径对总呼吸的贡献上升。ＫＣＮ 预处理２４ ｈ,细胞色素途径的实际运行量虽略有回升,但仍低于对照;ＮａＮ３ 预处理２４ ｈ 则使细胞色素途径运行继续下降而交替途径运行持续上升。上述结果表明,在继代培养的烟草愈伤组织中,当细胞色素主路途径被部分抑制后交替途径的电子流量明显加强,从而起着一种补偿作用     

柠檬酸发酵过程的动力学

发酵动力学是微生物培养过程研究中的一个重要部分,它让人们从理论和定量的角度了解和分析微生物的培养过程,是过程设计和控制的基础．柠檬酸发酵过程的动力学．Chemiel^[1]、Kristiansen^〔2〕、Khan^〔3〕、Rohr^〔4〕、Vaija^〔5〕等曾作过研究。本文在考察前人工作的基础上．结合实验研究．进行如下探索。     

Propylene oxide production from propylene by immobilized whole cells of Methylosinus sp. CRL 31 in a gas-solid bioreactor

Summary Methanotrophic bacteria have been shown to oxidize gaseous alkenes to the corresponding epoxides utilizing an NADH₂-dependent methane monooxygenase. A cell paste of methane-grown methylotrophs was coated on porous glass beads. The production of propylene oxide from propylene was performed in a gas-solid bioreactor to ensure continuous production and removal of product epoxide from the microenvironment of the biocatalyst. The amount of propylene oxide produced before cofactor regeneration was between 120–145 moles/20 mg cells in about 10 h depending on the microbial strains used. The conversion rate for propylene was 2.7%. Regeneration of cofactor NADH₂ was performed in the bioreactor with the vapor of a cosubstrate, methanol.     

The consumption and utilization of the spiral blue-green algae Spirulina platensis in artificial diets by the silkworm, Bombyx mori

The consumption and utilization of various concentrations of the spiral blue-green algae, Spirulina platensis (Nordst.) Geitl., by the fourth-instar larvae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori L., was studied by incorporation into an artificial diet. The silkworms ingested more food on the low algal-powder diets, whereas they digested more efficiently on the high algal levels. The larvae fed on diets containing 30–40% algae had the shortest larval duration compared to those on low algal-powder diets. The freeze-dried powder of S. platensis is well utilized by B. mori larvae when added to artificial diets at levels between 15% and 30%, although the high algal content at 40% was slightly better for the efficiency of conversion of ingested diet into body substance (E.C.I.) and the cocoon production. However, analysis of the protein content in feces indicated an excess of the algal powder at 40%. Measurements of data on the food consumption and utilization in this study proposed that this spiral alga is dietetically utilizable as a protein source for rearing the silkworm in smaller quantities than on a soybean meal.

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Resúmé La consommation et l'utilisation de différentes concentrations de Spirulina platensis par les chenilles de 4ème stade de Bombyx mori, ont été étudiées par incorporation dans un aliment artificiel. Les vers à soie ont ingéré plus d'aliment avec les régimes à faible concentration en algue, tandis qu'ils ont digéré plus efficacement les régimes à haute concentration d'algue. Les chenilles alimentées sur des régimes contenant 30 à 40% d'algue ont eu un développement larvaire plus bref que celles alimentées sur des régimes à faible concentration. La poudre congelée et séchée de S. platensis incorporée aux taux de 15 à 30% dans le régime artificiel est bien utilisée par les chenilles de B. mori, quoiqu'une teneur de 40% soit légèrement meilleure pour l'efficacité de conversion de l'aliment en matière vivante (E.C.I.) et la production de cocons. Cependant, l'analyse du contenu protéique dans les excréments révélait un excès de poudre d'algue à 40%. L'analyse des données au cours de cette étude, sur la consommation et l'utilisation des aliments, montre que S. platensis est utilisable diét étiquement en plus petite quantité que la farine de soja comme source de protéines pour l'élevage du ver à soie.