The influence of carotenoids on the conformation of chlorophyll-protein complexes isolated from the cyanobacterium Plectonema boryanum. Absorption and circular dichroism study

Thylakoid membranes of the cyanobacterium Plectonema boryanum solubilized with Triton X-100 can be resolved into three fractions of pigment-protein complexes (Hladík, J. and Sofrová, D. (1981) Photosynthetica 15, 490–503). Fraction I contained relatively the highest amount of carotenoids as well as monomeric forms of chlorophyll a, Fractions II and III contained chlorophyll-protein complexes with a characteristic exciton-split circular dichroism in the red region. It has been shown that fraction III is an oligomeric form of the chlorophyll-protein complex of fraction II. Circular dichroism spectra indicate that, different from fraction II, fraction III contains specifically oriented and space-fixed molecules of carotenoids. Thermal dissociation of fracion III to fraction II is accompanied by disappearance of the positive circular dichroism effect of carotenoids in the 500–550 nm region, thus causing deorganization of the carotenoids, proceeding in parallel to the geometrical rearrangement of chlorophyll molecules. Extraction of the carotenoids of fraction III with heptane is acompanied by dissociation of fraction III. We assume that the observed effects are due to binding of the two pigments to the protein component of the complex and that carotenoids can mediate a part of the interactions which stabilize the structure of pigment-protein complexes. Thus, besides the light-harvesting and protective functions, carotenoids can also play a structural role.     

Action of cholera toxin on dispersed acini from rat pancreas. Post-receptor modulation involving cyclic AMP and calcium

In dispersed acini from rat pancreas, cholera toxin caused a significant increase in cellular cyclic AMP but little or no change in amylase secretion. The presence of a secretagogue that causes mobilization of cellular calcium (e.g., cholecystokinin, carbamylcholine, bombesin or ionophore A23187) caused a substantial increase in the effect of cholera toxin on enzyme secretion. Cholera toxin did not alter calcium transport or the changes in calcium transport caused by other secretagogues, and secretagogues that mobilize cellular calcium did not alter cellular cyclic AMP or the increase in cyclic AMP caused by cholera toxin. These results indicate that in dispersed acini from rat pancreas there is post-receptor modulation of the action of cholera toxin by secretagogues that mobilize cellular calcium and that this modulation is a major determinant of the effect of the toxin on enzyme secretion.     

转化淋巴细胞胰岛素受体酪氨酸蛋白激酶活性及细胞内源性底物的研究

本文对增殖期的淋巴细胞胰岛素依赖性酪氨酸蛋白激酶活性及内源性废物进行了分析研究。在纯化的健康人淋巴细胞中加入适量的植物血凝素(PHA),经过72h培养即成为转化淋巴细胞(增殖期淋巴细胞)。应用~(32)P参入实验,证实转化淋巴细胞胰岛素受体具有胰岛素依赖性的酪氨酸蛋白激酶活性,与未转化的对照组相比其活性增加约9倍。Scatchard分析表明转化后淋巴细胞膜表面胰岛素受体数增加3.5倍。应用抗酪氨酸磷酸酯抗体,对胰岛素作用前后的转化与未转化淋巴细胞内,酪氨酸残基磷酸化的蛋白进行了鉴定,结果表明:除了95kD受体β亚基自身磷酸化外,45kD蛋白质也明显磷酸化,我们命名它为PP45。我们认为PP45可能是淋巴细胞中胰岛素受体酪氨酸蛋白激酶的主要内源性废物,它的磷酸化是胰岛素信息传递过程级联反应的初始步骤。     

ph1b基因在Aegilops有益基因直接遗传转移中利用的可能性

第一次用中国春和中国春ph1b突变体对(中国春phlb突变体×Ae.uariabilis)F_1和(中国春ph1b突变体×Ae.turcomenica)F_1回交获得了成功,并通过连续回交,把Ae.turcomenica的抗白粉基因转移到了普通小麦中。证实了利用ph1b基因从山羊草属的一些种“直接遗传转移”有益基因到普通小麦中的可能性。     

甲肝病毒在人血白细胞中体外连续传代和在分类白细胞中增殖的研究

1985年我们采用间接免疫荧光法(IF法)检测出甲肝患者外周血白细胞中有甲肝抗原(HAAg)存在,继而又将HAAg阳性白细胞直接种入PLC/PRF/5细胞,分离到两株甲肝病毒(HAV)NJ—3株和H—1株。为了弄清白细胞所携带的病毒究竟仅为吸附吞饮,抑或能在其中复制增殖,我们将分离到的HAV用正常人血白细胞进行体外增殖试验,现将结果报告如下。     

Isolation, expression, and mutation of a rabbit skeletal muscle cDNA clone for troponin I. The role of the NH2 terminus of fast skeletal muscle troponin I in its biological activity.

A cDNA for rabbit fast skeletal muscle troponin I (TnI) was isolated and sequenced. The clone contains a coding sequence predicting a 182-amino-acid protein with a molecular mass of 21,162 daltons. The translated sequence is different from that reported by Wilkinson and Grand (Wilkinson, J. M., and Grand, R. J. A. (1978) Nature 271, 31-35) in that Arg-153, Asp-154, and Leu-155 must be inserted into their original sequence. Amino acid sequencing of adult rabbit TnI confirmed this result. In order to investigate the role of the NH2 terminus of TnI in its biological activity, we have expressed a recombinant deletion mutant (TnId57), which lacks residues 1-57, in a bacterial expression system. Both wild type TnI (WTnI) and TnId57 inhibited acto-S1-ATPase activity and this inhibition could be fully reversed by troponin C (TnC) in the presence of Ca2+. Additionally both WTnI and TnId57 bound to an actin affinity column. Thus, both inhibitory actin binding and Ca(2+)-dependent neutralization by TnC were retained in TnId57. TnC affinity chromatography was used to compare the binding of TnI and TnId57 to TnC. Using this method, two types of interaction between TnC and TnI were observed: 1) one which is metal independent (or structural) and 2) one dependent on Ca2+ or Mg2+ binding to the Ca(2+)-Mg2+ sites of TnC. The same experiments with TnId57 demonstrated that the type 1 interaction was weakened, and type 2 binding was lost. This method also revealed an interaction between TnC and TnI which is dependent upon Ca2+ binding to the Ca(2+)-specific sites of TnC and which is retained in TnId57. Taken together, these results suggest that the NH2 terminus of TnI may constitute a Ca(2+)-Mg(2+)-dependent interaction site between TnC and TnI and play, in part, a structural role in maintaining the stability of the troponin complex while the COOH terminus of TnI contains a Ca(2+)-specific site-dependent interaction site for TnC as well as the previously demonstrated Ca(2+)-sensitive inhibitory and actin binding activities.     

Ligation activity of FLP recombinase. The strand ligation activity of a site-specific recombinase using an activated DNA substrate.

The FLP protein of the 2-microns plasmid of yeast belongs to the integrase family of site-specific recombinases whose members form a covalent bond between a conserved tyrosine of the recombinase and the 3'-phosphoryl group at the site of cleavage. We have made an activated DNA substrate and have shown that FLP can promote efficient strand ligation without forming a covalent intermediate with the DNA substrate. The strand ligation activity of FLP is independent of its ability to cleave DNA. Since site-specific recombinases are members of the larger class of topoisomerases, these findings may be generally applicable to other members of this class of enzymes.     

Physiological aspects of l-lysine production: effect of nutritional limitations on a producing strain of Corynebacterium glutamicum

The effect of nutritional limitations, such as phosphorus and carbon, on the production of l-lysine by Corynebacterium glutamicum was studied in continuous culture. We observed that phosphate-limited cultures at low growth rates were favourable to l-lysine production. l-Lysine was produced when a culture at low dilution rate (0.03 h^–1) was established. A dilution rate of about 0.04 h^–1 should be maintained in order to assure good productivity and an l-lysine yield of 0.53 g/g. Under carbon-limiting conditions the maintenance energy and growth yield of 0.03 g/g·g^–1·h^–1 and 0.41 g/g, respectively, have been obtained. Under these limiting conditions the l-lysine production was not favoured even at lower dilution rates.Correspondence to: N. Coello