The X-ray structure of human serum ceruloplasmin at 3.1 Å: nature of the copper centres

The X-ray structure of human serum ceruloplasmin has been solved at a resolution of 3.1?Å. The structure reveals that the molecule is comprised of six plastocyanin-type domains arranged in a triangular array. There are six copper atoms; three form a trinuclear cluster sited at the interface of domains 1 and 6, and there are three mononuclear sites in domains 2, 4 and 6. Each of the mononuclear coppers is coordinated to a cysteine and two histidine residues, and those in domains 4 and 6 also coordinate to a methionine residue; in domain 2, the methionine is replaced by a leucine residue which may form van der Waals type contacts with the copper. The trinuclear centre and the mononuclear copper in domain 6 form a cluster essentially the same as that found in ascorbate oxidase, strongly suggesting an oxidase role for ceruloplasmin in the plasma.     

Protein phosphatase 2A regulates MPF activity and sister chromatid cohesion in budding yeast

Background Mitosis is regulated by MPF (maturation promoting factor), the active form of Cdc2/28–cyclin B complexes. Increasing levels of cyclin B abundance and the loss of inhibitory phosphates from Cdc2/28 drives cells into mitosis, whereas cyclin B destruction inactivates MPF and drives cells out of mitosis. Cells with defective spindles are arrested in mitosis by the spindle-assembly checkpoint, which prevents the destruction of mitotic cyclins and the inactivation of MPF. We have investigated the relationship between the spindle-assembly checkpoint, cyclin destruction, inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdc2/28, and exit from mitosis.Results The previously characterized budding yeast mad mutants lack the spindle-assembly checkpoint. Spindle depolymerization does not arrest them in mitosis because they cannot stabilize cyclin B. In contrast, a newly isolated mutant in the budding yeast CDC55 gene, which encodes a protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) regulatory subunit, shows a different checkpoint defect. In the presence of a defective spindle, these cells separate their sister chromatids and leave mitosis without inducing cyclin B destruction. Despite the persistence of B-type cyclins, cdc55 mutant cells inactivate MPF. Two experiments show that this inactivation is due to inhibitory phosphorylation on Cdc28: phosphotyrosine accumulates on Cdc28 in cdc55Δ cells whose spindles have been depolymerized, and a cdc28 mutant that lacks inhibitory phosphorylation sites on Cdc28 allows spindle defects to arrest cdc55 mutants in mitosis with active MPF and unseparated sister chromatids.Conclusions We conclude that perturbations of protein phosphatase activity allow MPF to be inactivated by inhibitory phosphorylation instead of by cyclin destruction. Under these conditions, sister chromatid separation appears to be regulated by MPF activity rather than by protein degradation. We discuss the role of PP2A and Cdc28 phosphorylation in cell-cycle control, and the possibility that the novel mitotic exit pathway plays a role in adaptation to prolonged activation of the spindle-assembly checkpoint.     

激光散射浊度法测定剪切诱导血小板聚集

剪切诱导血小板聚集（ＳＩＰＡ）对动脉血栓性疾病的防治有十分重要的意义。利用激光散射浊度法的测量原理,在北京世帝科学仪器公司ＬＧ—Ｂ—１９０红细胞变形／聚集测试仪的基础上,经改进研制成功了测定剪切诱导血小板聚集的实验装置;该装置能方便地控制剪切率与剪切时间,并能连续记录血小板在剪切过程中的聚集情况。是研究ＳＩＰＡ的机理及抗ＳＩＰＡ的机理及抗ＳＩＰＡ药理的有力工具。     

云南几种主要植被类型土壤中木霉的生态分布

调查了云南省４种植被下土壤真菌总数、木霉数量及种类分布特点．森林土壤中木霉相对数量约占土壤真菌总数的３～１５％,并随不同样地、采样季节及土层而异,优势种类因不同林型土壤而异．钩状木霉分布广泛,尤其在热带雨林的土壤生境中占优势．哈茨木霉和黄绿木霉则分别在季风和半湿润常绿阔叶林土壤中出现频率较高．     

植物的水容特征与其耐旱性的关系

在自然风晾条件下,研究了不同植物器官的相对含水量、水势及比水容之间的相互关系。结果表明：植物叶片阻止体内蒸腾失水的能力大小顺序依次为：花生（Arrachishypogaea）＞甘薯（Ipomoeabatatas）＞大豆（Glycinemax）＞玉米（Zeamays）,各植物茎的保水能力相差不大;甘薯的茎、叶在风晾4h后仍未永久凋萎,其他植物的茎、叶在风晾1～3h就出现永久凋萎;花生、甘薯、大豆和玉米叶片风晚3～4h后,其水势的下降幅度分别为：1．00,1．30,1．80和2．70mPa,花生、甘薯、大豆茎的水势下降幅度分别为：1．95,1.40和1．30mPa;植物茎、叶的水势与其相对含水量具有较好的对数关系;植株茎、叶的比水客值范围在0．0258～0．6835mPa-1之间,叶片的比水容大于茎的比水容。因此,植物的水容特征表明不同植物茎、叶的保水、释水能力不同,因而其耐旱、抗旱性不同。玉米和大豆的耐旱性小于花生、甘薯的耐旱性。     

萌发花生种子子叶肽链内切酶的纯化和性质

萌发花生种子子叶的肽链内切酶经硫酸铵沉淀,ＳｅｐｈａｄｅｘＧ－１００凝胶层析,ＤＥＡＥ－纤维素２３阴离子交换层析和ＤＥＡＥ－ＳｅｐｈａｄｅｘＡ５０层析,得到纯化的酶,该酶有两条同工酶,分子量分别为５８和５５ＫＤ,Ｋｍ为９．９μｍｏｌ／Ｌ,是半胱氨型肽链内切酶（ＥＣ３．４．２２）,对未萌发花生种子的贮藏蛋白没有明显降解作用．     

剂量率等因素对聚乙烯辐照交联的影响

本文研究了聚乙烯塑料在＾６０Ｃｏ－γ射线辐照下,剂量率等因素对交联度的影响,实验结果表明：交联度随辐照强度提高而增加,当交联度相同时,不同的材料需不同的辐照剂量,在相同的辐照条件下,当制备样品的方法不同时,交联度也不同。     

慢性心功能不全大鼠心脏和血淋巴细胞β-肾上腺素受体的改变

在主动脉与肾动脉缩窄造成的慢性心功能不全大鼠,血浆儿茶酚胺浓度增高;心脏β-肾上腺素受体(β-AR)数量增加,其中β_1-AR及其mRNA增加,而β_2-AR及其mRNA不变;左心房异丙基肾上腺素(ISO)浓度-收缩效应曲线右移;而心肌ISO浓度-cAMP蓄积曲线无显著改变;血淋巴细胞β-AR数量显著减少.结果提示心功能不全时心脏β_1-AR数量增多,但其介导的正性变力效应反而降低,在cAMP生成以后的信号转导过程或心肌收缩成分功能存在障碍,而血淋巴细胞β-AR的改变与心脏β-AR的功能改变平行.