激光照射胚泡对家兔和小鼠的抗早孕研究

本文在家兔、小鼠上探索了激光的抗旱孕效应,观察到血卟啉衍生物(HPD)和激光的光化效应能使早期胚泡完全坏死和吸收,无流血和晚期流产现象,通过PNQ_3荧光分光光度计测定HPD在胚胎组织中的荧光谱,证实HPD对胚胎组织有亲和力,其对滋养叶细胞比对宫壁组织的亲和力大4倍,借以解释激光光化效应抗早孕的可能机理。     

Effects of phorbol esters on endothelial cell microfilaments: Laser scanning confocal microscopy and quantitative morphometry of dose dependent changes

Phorbol esters are known to alter microfilaments but it is not clear if the changes correspond to modulation of the phosphoinositide turnover/protein kinase C system. The novel technique of laser scanning confocal epifluorescence was used to study fiber orientation in phorbol ester treated cells. We treated endothelial cells with control agents and agents known to stimulate protein kinase C: 4 alpha-phorbol, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), phorbol dibutyrate (PDB), or lipopolysaccharide. After incubation with the test agents, the endothelial cell microfilaments were stained with rhodamine pholloidin and viewed by conventional epifluorescence and by laser scanning confocal epifluorescence microscopy. The images obtained by the confocal microscopy corresponded to a thin optical section through the cells, 300 nm or more in thickness. The microfilaments extended predominantly in the plane of focus. After exposure of the cells to phorbol esters, the stress fibers became more nearly parallel in arrangement or were shortened, but remained in the plane of focus. The modification of microfilaments in response to phorbol esters was quantitated by a single blind analysis. In order to compare the morphological changes with a biochemical action of the phorbol esters, we measured phosphoinositide turnover. The dose-dependence of morphological changes was compared and contrasted to the dose-dependent effect of phorbol esters on bradykinin-stimulated phosphoinositide turnover. PMA had about the same EC50 (1-5 nM) for both biochemical and morphological processes. PDB was less potent in inducing the disruption of microfilament structure than in inhibiting phosphoinositide turnover. Lipopolysaccharide was ineffective in inducing a morphological change under these conditions. A simple activation of protein kinase C is insufficient to explain the dose-dependent effects of phorbol esters. Thus a morphometric analysis can help distinguish the potency of cytoskeleton modulators.     

N-15 in vivo NMR spectroscopic investigation of nitrogen deprived cell suspensions of the green alga Chlorella fusca

The possibility to apply N-15 in vivo NMR spectroscopy to study algal N-metabolism has been investigated. N-15 labelled cells of the green alga Chlorella fusca, subjected to nitrogen starvation and N-14 labelled cells supplied with K¹⁵NO₃ after prolonged nitrogen starvation were monitored by N-15 in vivo NMR spectroscopy at different times after the change in their nitrogen supply. During 20–40 min, necessary for the acquisition of 1 spectrum, the cells were under dark anaerobic conditions, but the relative amounts of the metabolites detected did not change. Signals from 2 acid amides, from the side chain nitrogens of arginine and lysine, from prolin as well as 4 signals from α amino groups of amino acids were detected. Besides two signals not yet reported in the literature were found. They may be due to amino compounds, but not to amino acids. The amount of free amino acids in the cells increases not only upon resupply of nitrogen starved cells with nitrate but also during the first hours after nitrate depletion. The spectra obtained from N-15 labelled autospores show that N-15 in vivo NMR spectroscopy can be applied to the investigation of N metabolism of the cells.     

The possible involvement of cytokinins in the pathogenicity of Helminthosporium maydis

Green islands/infection sites recorded higher cytokinin activity than surrounding tissue as well as non-inoculated tissue. This activity in infected areas increased with time of incubation while in tissue surrounding the green islands and non-inoculated tissue, cytokinin activity decreased with time of incubation. The culture filtrate extracts of H. maydis had cytokinin activity which increased with growth of the fungus. Cytokinin activity of thin-layer Chromatographic fractions from tissue and culture filtrate extracts revealed that a major portion of the activity was confined to Rf zone 0.6 to 0.8 which co-chromatographed with zeatin and zeatin riboside. Presence of zeatin and zeatin riboside in tissue and culture filtrates was confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography. Cytokinin substances, such as zeatin and zeatin riboside, increase at infection sites with growth of the pathogen suggesting they may be involved in the pathogenicity of H. maydis on maize.     

Immunoreactivity to the pancreatic polypeptide family in the nervous system of the adult human blood fluke,Schistosoma mansoni

Summary The presence and distribution of neuropeptides belonging to the pancreatic polypeptide family have been demonstrated by an indirect immunofluorescence technique in the nervous systems of adult male and female Schistosoma mansoni. Seven antisera of differing regional specificity to pancreatic polypeptide (PP), peptide YY (PYY) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) were employed on both whole-mount and cryostat-sectioned material. Positive immunoreactivity (IR) was obtained with all antisera except an N-terminally-directed antiserum to NPY. In the CNS, immunoreactivity was restricted to cell bodies and nerve fibres in the anterior ganglia, central commissure and dorsal and ventral nerve cords of both sexes, whereas, in the PNS, positive-IR was present in the plexuses innervating the subtegumental musculature and the oral and ventral suckers. Intense immunoreactivity was observed in a plexus of nerve fibres and cell bodies in the lining of the gynaecophoric canal and in fine nerve fibres innervating the dorsal tubercles of the male. In contrast, in the female, strong immunoreactivity was evident in nerve plexuses innervating the lining of the ovovitelline duct and in the wall of the ootype, but most notably in a cluster of cells in the region of Mehlis' gland. Results suggest that molecules with C-terminal homology to the PP-family are present in S. mansoni. These peptides would appear to be important regulatory molecules in the parasite's nervous system and may play a role in the control of egg production.     

Cell Biology and Algal Taxonomy and Evolution Absolute Orientations of Basal Bodies in Green Algae Evaluated by Light Microscopy

Using high magnification Nomarski interference microscopy a series of optical sections has been obtained through flagellated cells of several green algae in an attempt to establish the absolute orientation of their basal bodies. Using this technique we have confirmed that in Spermatozopsis similis basal bodies are displaced into the 1/7 o'clock position, whereas in gametes of Enteromorpha linza, and zoospores of Trebouxia erici basal bodies are displaced into the 11/5 o'clock position. In addition we report for the first time that in zoospores of Microthamnion kuetzingianum basal bodies are also displaced into the 11/5 o'clock position. Basal body absolute orientations can thus be determined by light microscopy and do not require serial section electron microscopy. The method should be useful for class-level recognition of unknown green algae at the light microscope level.     

Modelling of formation processes of inclusion complexes of coumarin laser dyes and β-cyclodextrin by the MM2 force field method. I. 7-Amino-4-methylcoumarins

In order to improve the generating and photochemical properties of coumarin laser dyes, the following active media were synthesized: inclusion complexes of -cyclodextrin (-CD) and 7-amino-4-methylcoumarins (COU1, COU102, COU120). Complex formation processes were studied, and the structure of the inclusion complexes was estimated using the method of MM2 molecular mechanics. The data obtained suggest the reasons underlying the complex structure effects on their spectral, luminescent and generating characteristics.     

一种目视激光显微镜

本文介绍一种目视激光显微镜。该装置采用白炽灯和激光做光源。通过调压器衬底亮度可以调整到零。由于激光的高亮度和强相干性,与普通显微镜相比,该显微镜具有景深长,分辨率高,层次丰富的特点。使用该显微镜时能实现镜象的假色彩编码,且镜象具有立体感。文中报导了该显微镜的原理和使用效果。     

Structure and expression of the Chlorobium vibrioforme hemA gene

The green sulfur bacterium, Chlorobium vibrioforme, synthesizes the tetrapyrrole precursor, -aminolevulinic acid (ALA), from glutamate via the RNA-dependent five-carbon pathway. A 1.9-kb clone of genomic DNA from C. vibrioforme that is capable of transforming a glutamyl-tRNA reductase-deficient, ALA-dependent, hemA mutant of Escherichia coli to prototrophy was sequenced. The transforming C. vibrioforme DNA has significant sequence similarity to the E. coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Bacillus subtilis hemA genes and contains a 1245 base open reading frame that encodes a 415 amino acid polypeptide with a calculated molecular weight of 46174. This polypeptide has over 28% amino acid identity with the polypeptides deduced from the nucleic acid sequences of the E. coli, S. typhimurium, and B. subtilis hemA genes. No sequence similarity was detected, at either the nucleic acid or the peptide level, with the Rhodobacter capsulatus or Bradyrhizobium japonicum hemA genes, which encode ALA synthase, or with the S. typhimurium hemL gene, which encodes glutamate-1-semialdehyde aminotransferase. These results establish that hemA encodes glutamyl-tRNA reductase in species that use the five-carbon ALA biosynthetic pathway. A second region of the cloned DNA, located downstream from the hemA gene, has significant sequence similarity to the E. coli and B. subtilis hemC genes. This region contains a potential open reading frame that encodes a polypeptide that has high sequence identity to the deduced E. coli and B. subtilis HemC peptides. hemC encodes the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic enzyme, porphobilinogen deaminase, in these species. Preliminary evidence was obtained for the existence of a 3.0-kb polycistronic meassge that includes the hemA sequence, in exponentially growing C. vibrioforme cells. Results of condon usage analysis for the C. vibrioforme hemA gene indicate that green sulfur bacteria are more closely related to purple nonsulfur bacteria than to enteric bacteria. Sequences corresponding to a polyadenylation signal and a poly(A) attachment site were found immediately downstream from the 3 end of the hemA open reading frame.     

Kinetic parameters of nitrogen mineralization rates of leguminous crops incorporated into soil

Summary Fresh leguminous plant residues were incorporated into soil columns and incubated at 23°C for up to 20 weeks. The N released from specific fractions (foliage, stems, and roots) of each residue were monitored at specific time intervals. Relationships between organic carbon, total nitrogen, CN ratio, lipids, and lignin content of the plant materials and the cumulative amount of N mineralized in soil were investigated. Statistical analyses indicated that the rates of N mineralized were not significantly correlated with the organic C nor lipid content of the residues. However, the cumulative amount of N released was significantly correlated with the total N content of the plant material (r=0.93^***). The percentage of organic N of the legumes mineralized in soil ranged from 15.9 to 76.0%. The relationship between the percentage of N released and the CN ratio of the plant material showed an inverse cuvilinear response (r= 0.88^***). It was also evident that the composition of lignin in the residue influenced N mine-ralization rates of the leguminous organs incorporated into soil.There was a curvilinear relationship between the cumulative amount of N released from the residues and time of incubation. Nitrogen mineralization rates were described by first-order kinetics to estimate the N mineralization potential (N₀), mineralization rate constant (k), and the time of incubation required to mineralize one-half of N₀ (t_1/2). The kinetic parameters were calculated by both the linear least squares (LLS) and nonlinear least squares (NLLS) transformations. The N₀ values among the crop residues varied from –35 to 510 g Ng^–1 soil. Statistical analyses revealed that the N₀ values obtained by both LLS and NLLS methods were significantly correlated (r=0.93^***). The mineralization rate constants (k) of the residues ranged from 0.045 to 0.325 week^–1. The time of incubation required to mineralize one-half the nitrogen mineralization potential (t_1/2) of the legumes incorporated into soil ranged from 2.1 to 15.4 weeks.