Prediction of the packing arrangement of strands in β-sheets of globular proteins

A method is proposed for predicting the adjacency order in which strands pack in a -sheet in a protein, on the basis of its amino acid sequence alone. The method is based on the construction of a predicted contact map for the protein, in which the probability that various residue pairs are close to each other is computed from statistically determined average distances of residue pairs in globular proteins of known structure. Compact regions, i.e., portions of the sequence with many interresidue contacts, are determined on the map by using an objective search procedure. The proximity of strands in a -sheet is predicted from the density of contacts in compact regions associated with each pair of strands. The most probable -sheet structures are those with the highest density of contacts. The method has been tested by computing the probable strand arrangements in a five-strand -sheet in five proteins or protein domains, containing 62–138 residues. Of the theoretically possible 60 strand arrangements, the method selects two to eight arrangements as most probable; i.e., it leads to a large reduction in the number of possibilities. The native strand arrangement is among those predicted for three of the five proteins. For the other two, it would be included in the prediction by a slight relaxation of the cutoff criteria used to analyze the density of contacts.     

The cytogeographical distribution pattern ofAllium (Alliaceae) in the Greek Peninsula and Islands

Greece is considered as a secondary centre of evolution for the genusAllium since it possesses about 50% of the species known from the whole Flora Europaea area. In the present investigation 44 GreekAllium spp. have been studied and new chromosome counts are reported from 40 populations and 17 species. The distribution of the different cytotypes (x = 7, x = 8, x = 11 and 2n = 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x) in Greece is discussed. From the four phytogeographical subdivisions recognized, South continental Greece shows the greatest species and karyotype diversity. This phenomenon is probably due to the geographical position and to the geological history of this area which has received species and populations from different directions. Subsequently, hybridization apparently has been of evolutionary importance.The genusAllium in Greece I.     

RFLP maps of potato and their alignment with the homoeologous tomato genome

Summary An RFLP linkage map of the potato is presented which comprises 304 loci derived from 230 DNA probes and one morphological marker (tuber skin color). The self-incompatibility locus of potato was mapped to chromosome I, which is homoeologous to tomato chromosome I. By mapping chromosome-specific tomato RFLP markers in potato and, vice versa, potato markers in tomato, the different potato and tomato RFLP maps were aligned to each other and the similarity of the potato and tomato genome was confirmed. The numbers given to the 12 potato chromosomes are now in accordance with the established tomato nomenclature. Comparisons between potato RFLP maps derived from different genetic backgrounds revealed conservation of marker order but differences in chromosome and total map length. In particular, significant reduction of map length was observed in interspecific compared to intraspecific crosses. The distribution of regions with distorted segregation ratios in the genome was analyzed for four potato parents. The most prominent distortion of recombination was found to be caused by the self-incompatibility locus.     

中更新世以来兽类地理分布的变化及其天文气候学的解释

中更新世以来,兽类的地理分布曾发生过重大的变化,如西伯利亚的兽类曾三次大举西迁,入侵西欧.它们分别发生在氧同位素的第16、6、2-4阶段.如果考察过去73万年以来全球所获得的、北半球冬半年平均的太阳辐射量的变化,那么第16、6、2-4阶段乃是太阳辐射量比较低的时期.故中更新世以来兽类地理分布的变化是受气候变迁的制约的.而后者则是受天文因素的自然变化所控制的.     

姐妹染色单体互换在鹌鹑胚胎细胞染色体间及染色体上的分布

SCE在鹌鹑胚胎细胞间的分布为Poisson分布;在染色体间的分布是非随机的,与染色体的相对长度成正相关（P<0.05）,但也不完全按各染色体的相对长度分布。着丝粒区的SCE相对很高,按染色体的相对长度分布。胚胎的不同性别对每个细胞的SCE平均值无显著影响,但对性染色体Z上的SCE是否有影响还不能做出肯定的结论。     

Anatomy,neurophysiology and functional aspects of the nucleus isthmi in salamanders of the family Plethodontidae

Summary Tongue-projecting plethodontid salamanders have massive direct ipsilateral retinal afferents to the tectum opticum as well as a large and well developed nucleus isthmi. Retrograde staining revealed two subnuclei: A ventral one projecting to the contralateral tectal hemisphere and a dorsal one projecting back to the ipsilateral side. The isthmic nuclei show a retinotopic organization, which is in register with that of the tectum. Electrophysiological recordings from nucleus-isthmi neurons revealed response properties that are very similar to those found in tectal neurons. Thus, there is no substantial processing of tectal neural activity in the nucleus isthmi. Measurements of peak latencies after electrical and light stimulation suggest the continuous coexistence of 4 representations of the visual field in the tectum mediated by (1) the contralateral and (2) the ipsilateral direct retinal afferents, (3) the uncrossed and (4) the crossed isthmo-tectal projection. (1) and (2) originate at the same moment in the retina and arrive simultaneously in the tectum. It is assumed that in plethodontid salamanders with massive ipsilateral retino-tectal projections depth perception based on disparity cues is achieved by comparison of these images.Representations mediated by (3) and (4) arriving in the tectum at the same time as (1) and (2) originate 10–30 ms earlier in the retina. It is hypothesized that these time differences between (1)/(2) and (3)/(4) are used to calculate three-dimensional trajectories of fast-moving prey objects.Abbreviations EL edge length - FDA fluoresceine dextranamine - RDA tetramethylrhodamine dextranamine - RF receptive field     

多鳞铲颌鱼的生态适应性及地理分布成因的探讨

本文根据对多鳞铲颔鱼的分布、生物学特性及栖居河段的生态环境等所做的调查和研究,探讨了多鳞铲颌鱼的生态适应性及分布成因等问题。做为对北方寒冷气候的适应,多鳞铲颌鱼有蛰伏泉穴越冬的习性,越冬期近6个月;推测多鳞铲颌鱼是由原始鲃类演化来的,形成于更新世早期;现代分布状况可能是受第四纪冰期的影响而造成的。     

Evolutionary Divergence in the Structure of Myelin Basic Protein: Comparison of Chondrichthye Basic Proteins with Those from Higher Vertebrates

Abstract: A basic protein has been purified from the CNS myelin of the gummy shark (Mustelus antarticus). Electroblotting was used to examine the capacity of rabbit antisera raised against this electrophoretically pure protein to recognize myelin basic protein from higher vertebrates. The antisera bound to two shark proteins including the original polypeptide antigen and to chicken, bovine, and human myelin basic proteins. Thus, the shark protein appeared to possess antigenic determinants that have been retained through evolutionary divergence of these proteins. Whereas bovine basic protein caused experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in guinea pigs, animals that received injections of the shark protein showed neither clinical nor histological signs of this disease. However, tests for delayed-type hypersensitivity and for Arthus reaction following injection with the shark protein revealed a T-cell-mediated response to this antigen and substantial cross-reactivity with higher vertebrate basic proteins. Analysis of the amino acid composition of the shark protein, and comparison of its tryptic peptide map with that of the bovine protein, revealed substantial changes in the amino acid sequence. Although the shark protein has some antigenic determinants in common with the proteins from higher vertebrates, it appears that much of the structure differs.     

Evaluation of statistical precision and design of efficient sampling for the population estimation based on frequency of occurrence

The binomial sampling to estimate population density of an organism based simply upon the frequency of its occurrence among sampled quadrats is a labour-saving technique which is potentially useful for small animals like insects and has actually been applied occasionally to studies of their populations. The present study provides a theoretical basis for this convenient technique, which makes it statistically reliable and tolerable for consistent use in intensive as well as preliminary population censuses. Firs, the magnitude of sampling error in relation to sample size is formulated mathematically for the estimate to be obtained by this indirect method of census, using either of the two popular models relating frequency of occurrence (p) to mean density (m), i.e. the negative binomial model, p=1−(1+m/k)^−k, and the empirical model, p=1−exp(−am^b). Then, the equations to calculate sample size and census cost that are necessary to attain a given desired level of precision in the estimation are derived for both models. A notable feature of the relationship of necessary sample size (or census cost) to mean density in the frequency method, in constrast to that in the ordinary census, is that it shows a concave curve which tends to rise sharply not only towards lower but also towards higher levels of density. These theoretical results make it also possible to design sequential estimation procedures based on this convenient census technique, which may enable us with the least necessary cost to get a series of population estimates with the desired precision level. Examples are presented to explain how to apply these programs to acutal censuses in the field.     

中国及其邻近地区兽类分布的趋势

本文应用Terent'ev(1963)始创的方格法对我国及其邻近地区的兽类(除冀手目外)进行了统计,揭示和初步阐述了兽类及其各目中:(一)种的分化中心和密度分布趋势;(二)种的密度分布与纬度及三大自然区主要自然因素的关系。最后,以Schilder(1956)的方法编制了中国与邻近地区兽类区系种的相似性及其数量关系图,提出若干值得进一步探讨的分布现象。