Endurance training alters alanine and glutamine release from muscle during contractions

The release of alanine and glutamine from perfused muscle of trained and control animals was investigated. Release rates did not differ between trained and control muscle at rest. During contractions in trained muscle, alanine release was higher than at rest, while glutamine release was transiently increased. Phenylalanine release did not differ between trained and control muscle, implying that protein degradation was not increased in trained muscle. The muscle cellular adaptations to training include a selective modification of amino acid output, which could potentially influence gluconeogenic flux and alter muscle ammonia levels during contractions.     

Gut fluorescence in herbivorous copepods: an attempt to justify the method

Recently the gut fluorescence technique has been critisized because of the possible degradation of chlorophyll into nonfluorescent derivatives during passage through copepod guts and changes of the gut passage time with food concentration. Here pigment budgets have been calculated in 6 experiments with Calanus finmarchicus CIV caught 2 km offshore of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (the Barents Sea, Dalnije Zelentsi) in September 1992. Copepods were fed with culture of Platymonas viridis at different concentrations. Gut pigment and ingestion rate increased with food concentration in a similar way. On average between 78% and 89% of ingested chlorophyll was recovered in the guts and faecal pellets. No trend for a greater loss of fluorescence at low food concentration than at high was observed. Pigment content of faecal pellets incubated in filtered seawater decreased by 20–30% in the first 7–12 h and by up to 60% in 48 h. The decline of pigment content was accompanied by a rapid bacterial growth (by a factor of 3 in 48 h). Gut passage time increased with decreasing food concentration (from 40 min at 9 µg pigm l^–1 to 64 min at 0.9 µg pigm l^–1). These results together with some data by other authors suggest that the gut fluorescence method can be used to estimate in situ grazing rate providing gut passage time is measured properly and there are no losses of faecal material. However, careful consideration should be given to the previous feeding history of copepods.     

Oxidation and aromatic ring cleavage of 4-methoxy and 3,4-dimethoxycennamic acid by Lentinus edodes

Several products of metabolism and aromatic ring cleavage of 3-methoxy and 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid from ligninolytic cultures of Lentinus edodes were isolated and identified.     

两种钙藻热解产出的气态和液态烃类

在２００℃至４００℃高温和还原条件下分别对仙掌藻和乳节藻两种钙质藻类进行热模拟降解实验,分离获得气态和液态烃类化合物。随着热解温度升高,两种钙藻产烃气量明显上升,其中甲烷与乙烷气的增加最多,同时两种钙藻产出的乙烷与乙烯比值都有规律地增加,但仙掌藻产烃气量高于乳节藻。这表明钙质藻类可能是天然气的一种重要母质来源。虽然这两种钙藻随温度增加热解产出的可溶有机质及族组分的变化规律不明显,但它们的正烷烃分布特征具有相类似的变化。未经热解时它们都以Ｃ１７为主峰的低碳数正烷烃占优势;当热解温度从２００℃增加到４００℃时,它们都又表现出以Ｃ２５或Ｃ２３为主峰的较高碳数正烷烃占优势的分布特征。这与富含钙藻化石的沉积岩样品中正烷烃的分布特征相一致,说明Ｃ２５或Ｃ２３为主峰的较高碳数正烷烃占优势的分布特征可能是钙藻热解有机质的一种判识标志．     

Ethylbenzene degradation by Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CA-4

Abstract Pseudomonas fluorescens strain CA-4 is a bioreactor isolate capable of ethylbenzene degradation. Transposon mutagenesis and enzyme assays have been performed which allow us to propose the ethylbenzene degradative pathway in operation in this strain. Ethylbenzene is initially converted to 2-phenylethanol. This is degraded to phenylacetaldehyde and then to phenylacetic acid. The major inducer of the pathway is ethylbenzene itself. The pathway is regulated by the presence of non-aromatic carbon sources. Oxidation of ethylbenzene is repressed by glutamate, but not by citrate or glucose. A clone from a chromosomal library has been found to complement a mutant deficient in the ability to convert ethylbenzene to 2-phenylethanol.     

Purification and characterization of a thiol-protease induced during senescence of unpollinated ovaries of Pisum sativum

A senescence-specific protease has been purified from senescent unpollinated ovaries of Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska by acidic extraction. (NH₄)₂SO₄ fractionation, ion exchange chromatography on CM-Sephadex, and affinity chromatography on ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco)-Sepharose. Characterization of the purified protease indicated that it is a thiol-endoprotease (EC 3. 4. 22 class) active over a wide pH range. Purified antibodies against this protease inhibit the degradation of Rubisco in autodigested extracts of senescent ovaries, suggesting that Rubisco might be a substrate for the protease in senescent pea ovaries. The relative levels of the protease were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) along the processes of ovary senescence and gibberellic acid (GA)-induced fruit development, indicating its induction at the beginning of senescence and the suppression of its synthesis by GA treatment.     

Carotenoids in photosynthesis: Protection of D1 degradation in the light

Photosynthesis has been determined with mutants of Anacystis which form different amounts of carotenoids. With these cultures a highly significant correlation between photosynthetic oxygen evolution and the amounts of synthesized carotenoids was observed. In addition, the influence of carotenoids on light-dependent degradation of thylakoid proteins was investigated with Scenedesmus cultures grown in darkness in the presence of norflurazon, an inhibitor of carotenoid biosynthesis. Pre-illumination of cells resulted in decrease of photosynthetic activity accompanied by loss of the D1 protein. This effect is dependent on the length of illumination, and the light intensity, and increased when carotenoid content was lowered during previous growth of the norflurazon-treated cultures.Abbreviations BSA bovine serum albumin - D1 32 kDa Q_B-binding protein - EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - LHCII light-harvesting complex II - PMSF phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride - PS photosystem - tricine N-[tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl] glycine     

Generation of hydrogen peroxide,superoxide anion and the hydroxyl free radical from polyphenols and active benzene metabolites: Their possible role in mutagenesis

Benzene is strongly suspected of being an animal and human carcinogen, but the mechanisms by which it induces tumors of lymphoid and hematopoietic organs are unknown. Production of active oxygen species from benzene metabolites [hydroquinone (HQ), catechol and 1,2,4-benzenetriol (1,2,4-BT) and related polyphenols (resorcinol, pyrogallol and phloroglucinol) are investigated. Pyrogallol and 1,2,4-BT can produce H₂O₂, O ₂ ^– and^·OH simultaneously, and have powerful mutagenic potential. Resorcinol and phloroglucinol cannot produce all of the active oxygen species, and show no mutagenic effects. Catechol can produce H₂O₂, but cannot produce O ₂ ^– and^·OH, and has no mutagenic activity. These data strongly support the hypothesis that benzene metabolites can cause mutagenicity via the generation of oxygen radicals. Although HQ produces H₂O₂ only, and less than produced by pyrogallol and 1,2,4-BT, the mutagenicity of HQ is higher. The results indicate that HQ may act via another mechanism to cause mutagenicity. In the presence of trace metal ions, the reactivity of polyphenols is increased. The biological significance of these phenomena are investigated and discussed.     

Saponin-like substances inhibit α-galactosidase production in the endosperm of fenugreek seeds

When fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) endosperms plus testa (endosperms), which had been isolated from 5-h-imbibed seeds, were incubated for at least 2 h under germination conditions, they leaked substances which, like exogenous abscisic acid (ABA), inhibited the production of fenugreek endosperm -galactosidase. However, unlike ABA, 8 h treatment with these inhibitors had no effect on fenugreek endosperms which had been isolated from 15-h-imbibed seeds and leached for 2 h. This indicated that either their inhibitory action was on processes which were related to the production of -galactosidase and had been completed by this time, or that there might be factors present which inactivate these inhibitors. It was also concluded that the action of the endosperm leachate could not be attributed to the presence of ABA. The activity of the leachate decreased when it originated from endosperms imbibed for periods longer than 25 h and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) of extracts from these endosperms showed decreased contents of the leachable inhibitors as imbibition proceeded. From the seed leachate, which had a TLC pattern and inhibitory action similar to that of the endosperm, were isolated three substances which, when applied to endosperms, inhibited the production of -galactosidase activity. According to their chromatographic behaviour and their reaction with specific reagents, there are strong indications that these substances are saponins. These diffusible saponin-like substances were located in both endosperm and perisperm and their physiological role is discussed.Abbreviations ABA abscisic acid - PEG polyethylenglycol - TLC thin-layer chromatography We wish to thank the Alexander S. Onasis Public Benefit Foundation for a grant to K.Z. and Dr. J.S.G. Reid (University of Stirling, Scotland) for a kind gift of fenugreek seeds.     

Anaerobic degradation of dimethylsulfoniopropionate to 3-S-methylmercaptopropionate by a marine Desulfobacterium strain

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate, an osmolyte of marine algae, is thought to be the major precursor of dimethyl sulfide, which plays a dominant role in biogenic sulfur emission. The marine sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfobacterium strain PM4 was found to degrade dimethylsulfoniopropionate to 3-S-methylmercaptopropionate. The oxidation of one of the methyl groups of dimethylsulfoniopropionate was coupled to the reduction of sulfate; this process is similar to the degradation betaine to dimethylglycine which was described earlier for the same strain. Desulfobacterium PM4 is the first example of an anaerobic marine bacterium that is able to demethylate dimethylsulfoniopropionate.Abbreviations DMSP dimethylsulfoniopropionate - DMS dimethyl sulfide - MMPA 3-S-methylmercaptopropionate