Local denaturation in DNA molecules

A two-dimensional anharmonic model, the so-called Toda-Lennard-Jones model, is considered in order to investigate the problems related to the lifetime of the open states precursors to full denaturation, in inhomogeneous ring-shaped DNA molecules. It is found that a transition from double-stranded to single-stranded DNA occurs locally around physiological temperature. Moreover, the presence of inhomogeneities enhances the hydrogen bond breaking.     

冷锻炼和ABA诱导水稻幼苗提高抗冷性期间膜保护系统的变化

冷锻炼和ＡＢＡ处理提高了水稻幼苗叶绿体ＳＯＤ和ＧＲ活性及叶片抗氧化剂ＡｓＡ和ＧＳＨ的含量,降低了膜电解质泄漏,增强了幼苗的抗冷性．等电聚焦电泳分析表明,冷锻炼和ＡＢＡ处理苗叶绿体ＳＯＤ三条同工酶带和ＧＲ１、２、３和６同工酶带都有不同程度的增强．低温胁迫后,处理和未处理首的ＳＯＤ、ＧＲ活性和ＡＳＡ、ＧＳＨ含量均有所下降．但处理苗的水平仍维持在未处理苗之上．亚胺环已酮可抑制因冷锻炼和ＡＢＡ诱导增加的ＳＯＤ和ＧＲ活性,并使叶片电解质泄漏增大．本试验结果表明冷锻炼或ＡＢＡ诱导水稻幼苗抗冷性提高时,对防御活性氧的保护系统有类似的影响。     

Changes in Sympathetic Nerve Terminals in the Heart of Cold-Exposed Rats

Abstract: Changes in sympathetic nerve terminals of the heart after varying periods of exposure of rats to 4°C were investigated. Two indices were used for changes in the number of noradrenaline storage vesicles, i.e., vesicular dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) activity and noradrenaline storage capacity. The latter was obtained after uptake of [³H]noradrenaline; endogenous content, uptake of exogenous noradrenaline, and degree of saturation of the vesicles were calculated using the specific activity of the [³H]noradrenaline. As a measure of tyrosine hydroxylase activity, whole ventricular noradrenaline, dopamine, and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid content were used. After 4 h of cold exposure there was an increase in vesicular endogenous noradrenaline content, uptake, storage capacity, and DBH activity as well as a large increase in whole ventricular dopamine. After 6 h in the cold, vesicular endogenous noradrenaline content, storage capacity, and DBH activity were decreased. The results suggest that during cold exposure there is an initial increase followed by a decrease in the number of functional vesicles in the nerve terminal, which could explain the fluctuations in the rate of noradrenaline release.     

Effect of temperature and photoperiod on the raffinose content of spruce roots

The influence of temperature and photoperiod on raffinose synthesis in spruce roots (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) was investigated under controlled environmental conditions in a phytotron. The raffinose content of the roots increased when the plants were subjected simultaneously to a change from long to short days and from summer-like day and night temperatures to a climate which was more than 10° C colder. Only a very slight raffinose accumulation resulted from a change of day-length or temperature alone, but a subsequent additional change of temperature or daylength, respectively, caused an increase in the raffinose content, yet only to half the amount found when both climate factors changed simultaneously. When the shoot was left under non-inducing conditions, but the root was cooled, the raffinose content increased in the root, but not in the shoot. The root was also capable of inducing raffinose if the shoot was cut off after a few days of cold adaptation of the whole plant. For all climate changes the sucrose content changed much less than the raffinose content. Induction of raffinose was comparable in mycorrhizal and in non-mycorrhizal roots.Abbreviations DW dry weight - LDC long day, cold - LDW long day, warm - SDC short day, cold - SDCLL short day, cold, low light - SDF short day, frost - SDW short day, warm This research was supported by the Bundesamt für Bildung und Wissenschaft and by the Swiss National Science Foundation.     

Changes in leaf ultrastructure and carbohydrates inArabidopsis thaliana L. (Heyn) cv. Columbia during rapid cold acclimation

Summary We studied cell ultrastructure and carbohydrate levels in the leaf tissue ofArabidopsis thaliana L. (Heyn) cv. Columbia during rapid cold acclimation. Freezing tolerance of the leaves from 26 day old plants was determined after 48 h and 10 days at 4°C. Acclimation treatment of 48 h decreased the lethal freezing temperature from –5.7°C to –9.4°C. Freezing tolerance was not altered further by acclimation at 4 °C for 10 days. Ultrastructural changes in the parenchyma cells were evident after 6 to 24 h of cold acclimation. The plasma membrane showed signs of extensive turnover. Evidence of membrane invaginations and sequestering of membrane material was observed. In addition, numerous microvesicles, paramural bodies, and fragments of endoplasmic reticulum were noticed in the vicinity of plasma membrane. Modifications in the structure of cell membranes were evident after 5 days of exposure to low temperature. Small, darkly stained globules were seen on the plasma membrane, tonoplast, chloroplast envelope membrane, mitochondrion outer membrane, dictyosome cisternae membrane, and microvesicle membrane. As far as we are aware, this type of membrane modification has not been described previously in plant cells exposed to low temperature. We propose to call these structures membraglobuli. Acclimation treatment also increased the concentrations of soluble sugars and starch. These observations suggest that cold acclimation inA. thaliana induces changes in both plasma membrane properties and carbohydrate composition.     

Identification of different species ofPenicillium causing deterioration of the Moroccan table grapes during storage

Penicillium glabrum, P. purpurescens, P. decumbens, P. expansum, P. chrysogenum, P. crustosum andP. aurantiogriseum are responsible for some of the alterations noticed on Moroccan table grapes cold stored. Contamination of these table grapes withPenicillium species occurs in the vineyard and inside the cooling station where other fruits which are often fungus-contaminated are also kept. All of thesePenicillium species were able to grow at 0°C apart fromP. glabrum andP. purpurescens. Consequently, refrigeration of grapes during long-term storage is not sufficient in itself in preserving their initial qualities.     

Responses to whole body and finger cooling before and after an Antarctic expedition

Eight subjects, who were indoor workers and not habitually exposed to cold, spent 53 days in Antarctica. They did mainly geological field work often requiring the use of bare hands. The effects of the expedition on responses to a whole body cold exposure test, a finger blood flow test and a cold pressor test were studied. After the expedition, during whole-body cooling the time for the onset of shivering was delayed by 36 min (P<0.001) and forearm and thigh temperatures were 1.5°C higher (P<0.05) at the end of exposure. During local cooling of the finger with 10°C perfusion, finger vascular resistance was 14.9 (SEM 6.6) mmHg · ml^–1 · min · 100 ml (P<0.05) lower and finger temperature 3.9 (SEM 0.8) °C higher (P< 0.01). However, the decrease in rectal temperature during wholebody cooling was unaltered and the response to a cold pressor test was unchanged. The data would indicate that partial acclimatization to cold had been developed. Changes in forearm temperature were correlated with the duration of cold exposure of the hands (P < 0.05) and finger vascular resistance and finger temperature were correlated with responses to cooling before the expedition (P<0.001 and P<0.01, respectively). Because the ambient temperature was not clearly lower in Antarctica in comparison to Finland, the reason for the changes developed seems to be the increased exposure to the outdoor climate in Antarctica.     

Conformation and activity ofPhaseolus coccineus var. rubronanus lectin

The conformation of native and denaturedPhaseolus coccineus var. rubronanus lectin was studied by circular dichroism (CD) and correlated to the hemagglutinating activity. The far-UV CD spectrum at 25°C showed a broad, negative band around 223 nm and a positive one at 196 nm. CD data analysis of the lectin indicated a -sheet-rich protein. At high temperatures, the spectrum was blue-shifted with increasing magnitude; these changes correlated well with the loss of the activity. The conformation of lectin betweenpH 2 and 10 remained essentially unchanged. AtpH 13 the CD spectrum resembled that of unordered form with a negative band near 200 nm and the activity was completely lost. The denatured lectin in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride would be renatured upon diluting the denaturant to 0.75 M; the changes in CD spectrum again correlated well with the loss of the activity. The effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate on the lectin was drastic; it sharply increased thea-helix at the expense of the -sheet and reduced the activity; the changes reached a plateau above 20 mM surfactant.     

Secondary structural changes of large and small fragments of bovine serum albumin in thermal denaturation and in sodium dodecyl sulfate denaturation

The helicities in various fragments of bovine serum albumin (BSA) were examined in the thermal denaturation and in sodium docecyl sulfate (SDS) denaturation. The thermal denaturation was examined in a temperature range between 2 and 65°C. The helicity decreased with a rise of temperature and it recovered to some degree upon cooling temperature. A rather high reversibility was observed in the BSA fragments, which were located in the N-terminal of the parent protein and then contained the first large loop with no disulfide bridge. The high reversibility was available also for the helicity in the first large loop of the fragment, disulfide bridges of which were reduced. The fragments, which were smaller than one domain, became unstable in the SDS denaturation. The helicities of such fragments decreased in lower SDS concentrations compared with those of the intact BSA and the large fragments, which contained one or more domains. A resistance to the SDS denaturation appeared in the helices of every large loop even after the fragmentation. On the other hand, helicities of the fragments decreased to 20–25% upon the reduction of disulfide bridges. However, the helicities of these fragments increased to 35–40% in the SDS denaturation.     

人上皮细胞角蛋白纤维结构转化的分析

用0℃冷冻处理2—3 h,一些PcaSE-1和BEL-7404细胞的角蛋白纤维能部分地转化成凝聚颗粒,但在HeLa 和CNE 细胞中不发生这种角蛋白纤维结构转化。当回复温度到37℃15—30 min 时,PcaSE-1 和BEL-7404细胞的这种结构转化能快速回复。相反,在HeLa 和CNE 细胞有丝分裂时,角蛋白纤维能转化成凝聚颗粒,但PcaSE-1细胞和BEL-7404细胞的角蛋白纤维网始终维持纤维状态,且围绕纺锤体分布。上述结果表明:两类上皮细胞角蛋白纤维结构的转化似由不同因子所引起。我们的结果还指出:(1)单用秋水仙素或用秋水仙素和细胞松弛素D 合并处理PcaSE-1细胞不能引起角蛋白纤维凝聚。但经秋水仙素解聚微管后,会增强细胞对冷处理的凝聚反应。(2)冷处理时角蛋白纤维凝聚的形成与细胞是否具有两套不同的中间纤维无关。(3)予先用TritonX-100抽提细胞,角蛋白纤维在冷冻后不能转化成凝聚颗粒。(4)冷冻处理引起的结构转化可能是某些上皮细胞系的角蛋白纤维的一种特殊性质。