Biology and life cycle ofAtelocauda koae,an unusual demicyclic rust

Atelocauda koae, a rust of the native HawaiianAcacia koa, is considered as a demicyclic species, having spermogonial, aecial, and telial states, but is unusual in production of aeciospores simultaneously with teliospores rather than consecutively. Host inoculation with spores of each state separately confirmed that the life cycle was perpetuated by the telial state, but the aeciospores, while capable of germination and stomal penetration, did not produce detectable infection. This rust therefore behaves as a microcyclic species, and appears to be in evolutionary transition toward this reduced state. Teliospores produced vestigial, permanently attached basidiosopores which germinated to produce infective hyphae. The hyphae entered the host either through stomata or penetrated the epidermis directly, with the latter method being more common. Unusual nuclear associated with teliospore germination, in which meiosis occurs in more than one diploid nucleus was observed, in confirmation of an earlier study.     

乔治王岛菲尔德斯半岛地衣研究 Ⅰ.松萝属石萝亚属

本文扼要回顾了松萝属石萝亚属(Usnea subgenus Neuropogon)地衣研究简况,根据形态、化学、分布三者综合的现代地衣物种概念,确认南极乔治王岛菲尔德斯半岛只存在两种石萝即南极石萝(Usnea antarctica)和簇花石萝(Usnea aurantiaco-atra)。除形态、化学特征描述外,详述了这两种石萝在菲尔德斯半岛的生境与分布特征。其中,在藓丛生境中的簇花石萝群体性状分化及其与石生群体性状的比较和讨论是文献中尚未见到的,而生长在木板上的南极石萝则属罕见,其平均生长速率估算为每年增长0.4—1.1mm。在化学上,这两种石萝均属于化学型Ⅰ和化学型Ⅲ,而化学型Ⅱ(含有norstictic,salazinic and usnic acids)不存在于该半岛的两种石萝中。     

A vital function for mitochondrial DNA in the petite-negative yeastKluyveromyces lactis

Petite-negative yeasts do not form viable respiratory-deficient mutants on treatment with DNA-targeting drugs that readily eliminate the mitochondial DNA (mtDNA) from petite-positive yeasts. However, in the petite-negative yeastKluyveromyces lactis, specific mutations in the nuclear genesMGI2 andMGI5 encoding theα- andγ-subunits of the mitochondrial F₁-ATPase, allow mtDNA to be lost. In this study we show that wild-typeK. lactis does not survive in the absence of its mitochondrial genome and that the function ofmgi mutations is to suppress lethality caused by loss of mtDNA. Firstly, we find that loss of a multicopy plasmid bearing amgi allele readily occurs from a wild-type strain with functional mtDNA but is not tolerated in the absence of mtDNA. Secondly, we cloned theK. lactis homologue of theSaccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial genome maintenance geneMGM101, and disrupted one of the two copies in a diploid. Following sporulation, we find that segregants containing the disrupted gene form minicolonies containing 6-8000 inviable cells. By contrast, disruption ofMGM101 is not lethal in a haploidmgi strain with a specific mutation in a subunit of the mitochondrial F₁-ATPase. These observations suggest that mtDNA inK. lactis encodes a vital function which may reside in one of the three mitochondrially encoded subunits of F₀.     

A gene encoding a truncated large subunit of Rubisco is transcribed and salt-inducible in rice

Using the rice salt-tolerant mutant 20 as material, a cDNA library was constructed and two salt-inducible clones, SIR5.5 and SIR8.1, were isolated by differential screening. Homology analysis revealed that the two clones together constituted a chimeric rbcL which encoded a truncated large subunit of Rubisco with 337 amino-acids, plus 64 amino-acids of unknown origin. The expressions of both the normal and the chimeric locus appeared to be developmentally regulated and salt-inducible in shoots of the salt-tolerant mutant 20 and its original variety 77–170. In roots, their expressions were salt-inducible in the salt-tolerant mutant 20 whereas no, or only premature, forms were present in the salt-treated original variety 77–170. Higher concentrations of salt reduced the expressions of both normal rbcL and the chimeric locus. ABA showed no effect on their expression.     

Isolation,characterization and application of a species-specific repeated sequence from Haynaldia villosa

A species-specific repeated sequence, pHvNAU62, was cloned from Haynaldia villosa, a wheat relative of great importance. It strongly hybridized to H. villosa, but not to wheat. In situ hybridization localized this sequence to six of seven H. villosa chromosome pairs in telomeric or sub-telomeric regions. Southern hybridization to whea-H. villosa addition lines showed that chromosomes 1V through 6V gave strong signals in ladders while chromosome 7V escaped detection. In addition to H. villosa, several Triticeae species were identified for a high abundance of the pHvNAU62 repeated sequence, among which Thinopyrum bassarabicum and Leymus racemosus produced the strongest signals. Sequence analysis indicated that the cloned fragment was 292 bp long, being AT rich (61%), and showed 67% homology of pSc7235, a rye repeated sequence. Isochizomer analysis suggested that the present repeated sequence was heavily methylated at the cytosine of the CpG dimer in the genome of H. villosa.It was also demonstrated that pHvNAU62 is useful in tagging the introduced 6VS chromosome arm, which confers a resistance gene to wheat powdery mildew, in the segregating generations.     

Ca2+ binding and translocation by the sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase: Functional and structural considerations

Three experimental systems are described including sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles, reconstituted proteoliposomes, and recombinant protein obtained by gene transfer and expression in foreign cells. It is shown that the Ca²⁺ ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) includes an extramembranous globular head which is connected through a stalk to a membrane bound region. Cooperative binding of two calcium ions occurs sequentially, within a channel formed by four clustered helices within the membrane bound region. Destabilization of the helical cluster is produced following enzyme phosphorylation by ATP at the catalytic site in the extramembranous region. The affinity and orientation of the Ca²⁺ binding site are thereby changed, permitting vectorial dissociation of bound Ca²⁺ against a concentration gradient. A long range linkage between phosphorylation and Ca²⁺ binding sites is provided by an intervening peptide segment that retains high homology in cation transport ATPases, and whose function is highly sensitive to mutational perturbations.     

A Protease Inhibitor of the Serpin Family Is a Major Protein in Carp Perimeningeal Fluid: I. Protein Purification and Characterization

Abstract: Two isoforms of a protease inhibitor of the serpin family (p62) have been purified from bighead carp perimeningeal fluid. Both isoforms migrate with an apparent molecular mass of 62 kDa on reducing and nonreducing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Both proteins inhibited the activities of bovine trypsin, bovine chymotrypsin, and porcine pancreatic elastase. They also formed complexes with these proteases that were resistant to sodium dodecyl sulfate treatment. p62 exists in the extracts of all tissues examined, including brain, head kidney, kidney, liver, muscle, ovary, pituitary, and spleen. It is also present in serum, ovarian fluid, and milt as well as perimeningeal fluid. The protease inhibitor is a glycoprotein, and its carbohydrate moiety could be removed by endoglycosidase F. Because p62 resembles mammalian α₁-antitrypsin in many aspects, it is likely a fish equivalent of α₁-antitrypsin.     

Fate of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 provirus in infected cells: a role for vpr.

We investigated the fate of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) viral DNA in infected peripheral blood lymphocytes and immortalized T-cell lines by using a replication-defective HIV-1. We observed that integrated HIV-1 DNA and viral gene expression decrease over time. A frameshift mutation in vpr resulted in maintenance of the HIV-1 provirus and stable persistence of viral expression. Transfection of vpr together with the neomycin resistance gene in the absence of other viral genes decreased the formation of geneticin-resistant colonies, indicating either a cytotoxic or a cytostatic effect upon cells. Therefore, maintenance of HIV-1 infection within an infected proliferating population is due to two competing processes, the rate of viral spread and the degree of cell growth inhibition and/or death induced by Vpr.