alpha-N-acetyl-beta-endorphin1-26 from the neurointermediary lobe of the rat pituitary: isolation, purification, and characterization by high-performance liquid chromatography

The neurointermediary lobes from 190 rat pituitaries were homogenized in an acidic medium which inhibits peptidase activity and maximizes the solubilization of undamaged peptides. Octadecylsilyl-silica (ODS-silica) was used to extract the supernatant of the tissue homogenate. The ODS-silica eluate, now largely protein and salt free, was subjected to reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) employing 0.1% trifluoroacetic as counter ion. The column eluates were monitored for beta-endorphin immunoreactivity. Five immunoreactive components were observed. The most hydrophobic of these was repurified on the same HPLC column using 0.13% heptafluorobutyric acid as counter ion. Characterization of the purified peptide by gel permeation HPLC, amino acid analysis, and tryptic fragmentation indicated that it corresponded in structure to alpha-N-acetyl-beta-endorphin1-26. Amino acid analysis of the native peptide and its trypsin and carboxypeptidase fragments indicated that an alanyl residue occupies position 26. This finding is in contrast to the sequence predicted for the beta-lipotropin/corticotropin precursor by recombinant DNA techniques which suggests that the 26th residue of the beta-endorphin molecule should be valine.     

High recombination between the breakpoint of a reciprocal translocation in rye (Secale cereale L.) and an interstitially located gene

Summary The recombination fraction between the interstitially located gene an and interchange 303 of rye was found to be 0.244±0.038 in a test cross using the translocation as the male parent. In first metaphase translocation configurations in pollen mother cells of the same plant, the chiasma frequency between an and the translocation breakpoint was found to be significantly more than twice the recombination fraction. Recombination was concluded to be masked by a difference in the alternate frequency between configurations without interstitial chiasmata and configurations with interstitial chiasmata, the effect of the first type being of major importance. Random centromere orientation of translocation multivalents with interstitial chiasmata was concluded to be a realistic assumption. The exceptionally high recombination between an and translocation 303 is discussed. Consideration is also given to the use of interchanges in the establishment of a marker's chromosomal position, and to the use of translocation chromosomes in balanced systems for hybrid breeding purposes.     

Behavior of lactating rats in a dual-chambered maternity cage

Videotape sampling of behavior in a dual-chambered apparatus indicates that the continuous monitoring of the amount of time a mother spends in the cage with its litter can be taken as a valid reflection of maternal behavior. Nursing is the principal behavior of lactating females while in the compartment with their litters; lying still, consummatory behavior, and activity occur with greater frequency in the cage away from the litter. Both the time that mothers spend with their litters and nursing behavior displayed a 24-hr rhythm with crest values occurring during the period of light.     

水稻、小麦、油菜和烟草细胞质雄性不育系统中组分Ⅰ蛋白的比较分析

组分Ⅰ蛋白(RuBP羧化酶/加氧酶)的生物合成系由叶绿体基因和细胞核基因共同控制,所以,被作为研究细胞质遗传的标记。本实验用免疫化学和氨基酸成分分析等方法,对水稻(珍汕97)、小麦(繁7)、油菜(湘矮早)和烟草(G28)的细胞质雄性不育系及其保持系的组分Ⅰ蛋白作了比较,同时对不同作物的组分Ⅰ蛋白也作了免疫鉴定。结果表明,细胞质雄性不育系及其保持系的组分Ⅰ蛋白差异不大,但是,四种不同作物的组分Ⅰ蛋白之间有明显差异。     

小麦再生植株的变异研究 Ⅱ.再生植株当代(R_1代)的细胞学和形态学变异

再生植株具有高频率的染色体异常,其中有20.61％表现为染色体数量变异,最常见的为2n—1类型,其次为2n—2类型,也有2n 1、2n—3个体以及染色体数嵌合株。再生植株减数分裂各期均有染色体异常行为,可以见到的有落后染色体、染色体桥、断片、二分体延迟、微核,还有粗线期十字型配对等结构变异,以及五分体、六分体和畸型四分体等异常现象。微核率随培养时间延长而增加,可用作染色体伤害的一个指标。再生植株R_1代存在着许多形态学变异。性状变异与染色体数目变异没有明显关系。     

Isolation and Biochemical Characterization of a Neural Proteoglycan Expressing the L5 Carbohydrate Epitope

The monoclonal L5 antibody reacts with an N-glycosidically linked carbohydrate structure which is present on the neural cell adhesion molecule L1, neural chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans, and other not yet identified glycosylated proteins. Using this antibody, we isolated and characterized proteoglycans from adult mouse brain and cultured astrocytes biosynthetically labeled with Na2 35SO4 and a 3H-amino acid mixture. Our data suggest that the L5 proteoglycans of both sources are identical in their biochemical properties. The apparent molecular mass of the L5 proteoglycan is approximately 500 kDa. Digestion of the iodinated L5 proteoglycan from mouse brain and of the [35S]methionine-labeled L5 proteoglycan from cultured astrocytes with proteinase-free chondroitinases ABC and AC revealed three major core proteins with apparent molecular masses of approximately 380, 360, and 260 kDa. These represent molecularly distinct protein cores.     

向日葵离体孤雌生殖的超微结构研究

本文是研究未受精胚珠培养诱导的孤雌生殖过程超微结构变化的首次报道。向日葵(Heliaanthus annuus L.)的卵细胞在离体条件下被激活,发生细胞核移位、极性丧失、细胞器增多并转变成活动状态、液泡化程度增大、合点端形成细胞壁等一系列变化,预示即将启动孤雌生殖。孤雌生殖的原胚具有若干显著特征,如极性颠倒、有自体吞噬活动、壁的自由生长、游离核分裂等。对这些现象作了初步的讨论。     

Cloning and sequencing the genes encoding uptake-hydrogenase subunits of Rhodocyclus gelatinosus

Summary Rhodocyclus gelatinosus grew photosynthetically in the light and consumed H₂ at a rate of about 665 nmol/min per mg protein. The uptake-hydrogenase (H₂ase) was found to be membrane bound and insensitive to inhibition by CO. The structural genes of R. gelatinosus uptake-H₂ase were isolated from a 40 kb cosmid gene library of R. gelatinosus DNA by hybridization with the structural genes of uptake-H₂ase of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Rhodobacter capsulatus. The R. gelatinosus genes were localized on two overlapping DNA restriction fragments subcloned into pUC18. Two open reading frames (ORF1 and ORF2) were observed. ORF1 contained 1080 nucleotides and encoded a 39.4 kDa protein. ORF2 had 1854 nucleotides and encoded a 68.5 kDa protein. Amino acid sequence analysis suggested that ORF1 and ORF2 corresponded to the small (HupS) and large (HupL) subunits, respectively, of R. gelatinosus uptake-H₂ase. ORF1 was approximately 80% homologous with the small, and ORF2 was maximally 68% homologous with the large subunit of typical membrane-bound uptake-H₂ases.     

Apparent phytotoxicity of mononuclear hydroxy-aluminum to four dicotyledonous species

It has long been assumed that Al³⁺ is an important rhizotoxic ion in acid soils around the world, but the toxicity of Al³⁺ relative to mononuclear hydroxy-Al [AlOH²⁺ and Al(OH)⁺₂] has been examined in detail only for an Al-sensitive wheat variety ( Triticum aestivum L. cv. Tyler). That plant appears to be sensitive to Al³⁺ but not to AlOH²⁺ and Al(OH)⁺₂. New experiments, and reanalyses of previously published experiments, provide evidence that dicotyledonous species may be sensitive to mononuclear hydroxy-Al and that Al³⁺ may be nontoxic, or less toxic, to those plants. Despite these consistently measured differences between wheat and the dicotyledons, the determination of relative toxicities (Al³⁺ vs mononuclear hydroxy-Al) may be an intractable problem. Because of hydrolysis equilibria, (AlOH²⁺) and (Al(OH)⁺₂) are equivalent to (Al³⁺)k₁(H⁺)⁻¹ and (l³⁺)k₂(H⁺)⁻², respectively, in which k₁ and k₂ are the first and second hydrolysis constants (braces denote activities). Thus, any expression of root elongation as a function of mononuclear hydroxy-Al can be alternatively expressed as a function of (Al³⁺) and (H⁺). Toxicity attributed to mononuclear hydroxy-Al may actually be Al³⁺ toxicity that increases as pH rises (i.e. Al³⁺ toxicity ameliorated by H⁺).     

Internode length and anatomical changes in Pisum genotypes crys and cryc in response to extended daylength and applied gibberellin A1

Dwarf pea (Pisum sativum L.) plants with genotypes cry^c and cry^s responded differently when an 8 h photoperiod (8 h daylight, 16 h dark) was extended to 24 h (8 h daylight, 16 h incandescent light). Genotype cry^c showed up to a 4-fold increase in internode length, sustained by increases in both cell length (particularly of epidermal cells) and cell number (particularly of cortical cells) while cry^s plants showed up to a 2-fold increase in internode length sustained mostly by an increase in cell number. Under an 8 h (daylight) photoperiod the two genotypes did not differ in their sensitivity to applied gibberellin A₁ (GA₁) and they showed a similar pattern of response. GA₁ significantly increased internode length, cell length and cell number in both genotypes. Incandescent light did not increase the size of the response to GA₁ except for cry^s plants at high dose rates of GA₁ (29–58 nmol). At saturating doses of GA₁ the two genotypes attained a similar peak internode length; incandescent light increased the peak by about 40%. GA₁ increased the rate of leaf appearance by up to 33% while incandescent light reduced the rate by 4–7%. The elongation response of the more mature internodes of cry^c plants to GA₁ or incandescent light was due primarily to an increase in cell length whereas increased cell number made a significant contribution in the case of internodes which were relatively immature at the time the stimulus was applied. The progressive increase in internode length of both genotypes during ontogeny was due primarily to an increase in cell number. In conclusion, alleles cry^c and cry^s (background le La) do not confer a difference in sensitivity to GA₁ and the increase in internode length in response to incandescent light is probably not the result of a real or perceived increase in GA₁ level. Allele cry^s may partially block a phytochrome mediated response to light and the key difference between genotypes cry^s and cry^c may lie in the greater elongation (extensibility?) of cry^c epidermal cells in incandescent light.