Characterization of a Dominant, Constitutive Mutation, PHOO, for the Repressible Acid Phosphatase Synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

An apparent operator-constitutive mutation was discovered in the repressible acid phosphatase system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The site of mutation, designated PHOO, was found to be closely linked to the phoD locus. The mutant allele, PHOO, was semidominant over the wild-type allele and effective for the expression of the phoD gene in cis position. The phoD mutation gave rise to a defective phenotype for the formation of the repressible acid phosphatase. On the other hand, neither the repressible acid phosphatase activity in the cell-free extracts prepared from cells of the temperature-sensitive phoD mutant grown at 25 C, nor that of the revertants from the phoD mutants, could be distinguished from that of the wild-type strain with respect to thermolability and K(m) value for p-nitrophenylphosphate. These results strongly suggest that the phoD gene is not a structural gene, but a regulatory gene exerting positive control for the formation of repressible acid phosphatase. Close similarity between the apparent role of the phoO-PHOD gene cluster and that of the c-GAL4 gene cluster in the galactose system of S. cerevisiae could be inferred.     

Behavioral ecology of Japanese paper wasps,Polistes spp. III. Decision making byP. chinensis antennalis foundresses at the departure from nests

Analysis of the behavior of foundresses of a Japanese paper wasp,Polistes chinensis antennalis Pérez, was made to clarify the patterns of decision making. It was found that: (1) Foundresses postponed the next activity off the nest after being attacked by a foundress from another colony. (2) After a spiral flight, the frequency of subsequent spiral flights and patrol flights around the nest increased. (3) Following successful flesh collection, the frequency of flesh collection increased. (4) Following successful flesh collection, the time spent for a single trip of flesh collection increased. It was concluded thatP. chinensis antennalis foundresses solve their dilemma between the need of nest defence and resource gathering by decision making based on intraspecific attacks and the intake of the most difficult resource to obtain.     

Preparation of multiply deuterium-labeled cortisol.

Cortisol labeled with four deuterium atoms at chemically stable sites ([9,11,12,12-(2)H4]cortisol, cortisol-d4) was prepared by hydrogen-deuterium exchange and reductive deuteration reactions. After protecting the C-17 dihydroxyacetone side chain of cortisone (cortisone-BMD), hydrogen-deuterium exchange was carried out with 6.5% NaOD in MeOD, which was followed by protection of the C-3 carbonyl as the semicarbazone. Subsequent reductive deuteration at C-11 with NaBD4 followed by removal of exchangeable deuterium under the same exchange-reaction conditions in a medium of 6.5% NaOH in MeOH and deprotection afforded the desired cortisol-d4 with high isotopic content (d3, 21.2%; d4, 78.1%; d5, 0.74%). The method was applied to the synthesis of cortisol labeled with nine deuterium atoms [( 1,1,9,11,12,12,19,19,19-(2)H9]cortisol, cortisol-d9) starting from [1,1,19,19,19-(2)H5]cortisone (cortisone-d5).