Chain length-dependent association of distamycin-type oligopeptides with A·T and G·C pairs in polydeoxynucleotide duplexes

Different binding affinities of various distamycin analogs including the deformylated derivative with poly(dA-dC)·poly(dG-dT) were investigated using CD measurements. The inhibitory effect of distamycins on the DNAase I cleavage activity of DNA duplexes strongly supports the binding data. The base specificity of the ligand interaction with duplex DNA depends on the chain length of distamycin analogs. Netropsin, distamycin-2 and the deformylated distamycin-3 show no binding to dG·dC containing sequences at moderate ionic strength and are classified as highly dA·dT specific. In contrast distamycin having three, four or five methylpyrrolecarboxamide groups also forms more or less stable complexes with dG·dC-containing duplexes. These ligands possess a lower basepair specificity. The correlation between binding behavior and oligopeptide structure shows that presence of the number of hydrogen acceptor and donor sites determines the basepair and sequence specificity. The additional interaction with dG·dC pairs becomes essential when the number of hydrogen acceptor sites exceeds n = 3.     

The effects of bisulfite on growth and macromolecular synthesis in Escherichia coli

Bisulfite reversibly inhibits the growth of a variety of microorganisms and has been used as a preservative in foods and beverages for that reason. We have now measured macromolecule synthesis in Escherichia coli K12 after bisulfite treatment. RNA synthesis, the synthesis of total protein, and of an inducible enzyme, beta-galactosidase, stopped almost immediately upon addition of 2 mM (or higher concentrations) of bisulfite. These functions resumed after a lag whose duration depended on the concentration of bisulfite added. The synthesis of DNA was slowed upon bisulfite addition, but did not stop entirely. The inhibition of RNA synthesis by bisulfite took place in both stringent and relaxed strains of E. coli and was not relieved upon addition of chloramphenicol. Stringent control was therefore not involved in this effect. No effect on protein synthesis was observed in the cell-free system of E. coli (using poly(U) or MS2 RNA as messenger) at bisulfite concentrations up to 10 mM. Protein synthesis inhibition in vivo was apparently not due to a reaction of bisulfite with a component of this system. In additional experiments, RNA polymerase was not impaired by bisulfite, and the growth inhibition effect was shown to proceed in the presence of inhibitors of free radical chain reactions.     

Activity of organophosphorus insecticides in bacterial tests for mutagenicity and DNA repair--direct alkylation versus metabolic activation and breakdown. II. O,O-dimethyl-O-(1,2-dibromo-2,2-dichloroethyl)-phosphate and two O-ether derivatives of trichlorfon

The following organophosphates were tested for their ability to induce DNA damage in a rec-type repair test with Proteus mirabilis strains PG713 (rec- hcr-) and PG273 (wild-type) and point mutations in the his- strain TA100 of Salmonella typhimurium: O,O-dimethyl-O-(1,2-dibromo-2,2-dichloroethyl)-phosphate (NALED); trichlorfon-O-methyl ether (TCP-O-ME), O,O-dimethyl-(1-methoxy-2,2,2-trichlorethyl)-phosphonate; trichlorfon-O-methyl ether vinyl derivative (TCP-O-MEVD), O,O-dimethyl-(1-methoxy-2,2-dichlorovinyl)-phosphonate. All compounds were negative in the repair test but induced base pair substitutions in S. typhimurium. The mutagenicity of NALED is due to the direct alkylating ability of the parental molecule and to mutagenic metabolites generated by enzymatic splitting of the side chain. Glutathion-dependent enzymes in the S9-mix eliminate the mutagenic activity of NALED completely. Mutation induction by TCP-O-ME and TCP-O-MEVD is predominantly caused by the reactive O-methyl ether configuration of the side chain and is resistant to metabolic inactivation by NADPH- or glutathion-dependent enzymatic pathways in the S9-mix of mice.     

Improved maintenance of adult rat hepatocytes in a new serum-free medium in the presence or absence of barbiturates

Summary For serum-free primary culture of adult rat hepatocytes, a synthetic medium DM-160 and rat-tail collagen were selected for the basal medium and for the culture substratum, respectively. Barbiturates, such as phenobarbital and 1-ethyl-5-isobutylbarbiturate, efficiently supported survival of hepatocytes and maintained their morphologic features at lower concentrations under the serum-free conditions than under the serum-supplemented conditions. However, the hepatocyte survival rates under the serum-free conditions were lower than those under the serum-supplemented conditions in the presence or absence of barbiturates. Supplementation of the basal medium with a combination of five groups of factors (5Fs), such as eight amino acids (Ala, Arg, Gly, Ile, Met, Phe, Pro, and Trp), two unsaturated fatty acids (linoleate and oleate), a protease inhibitor (aprotinin), three vitamins (A, C, and E), and five trace elements (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Se), improved the hepatocyte survival under the serum-free conditions in the presence or absence of barbiturates. In other words, the serum could be completely substituted by the 5Fs. Hepatocyte cultures maintained in the 5Fs-suppelemented basal medium showed excellent induction of tyrosine aminotransferase activity in response to dexamethasone in the presence or absence of barbiturates. The efficiency of the 5Fs-supplemented basal medium for maintaining hepatocytes was not inferior to those of other media in common use with hepatocytes, such as Williams' medium E and Waymouth's medium MB-752/1. In conclusion, maintenance of functional hepatocytes in serum-free primary culture could be improved by use of the new medium preparation (the 5Fs-supplemented DM-160) in the presence of barbiturates. This work was supported by a grant no. 61771923 from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.     

中国拟盘多毛孢属真菌的七个新组合

作者按照Steyaert(1949)和Sutton(1980)的分类观点,对1987—1988年从我国广西、江西、浙江等地采集的Pestalotiopsis属真菌进行了研究,确认了拟盘多毛孢属真菌的7个新组合种,即Pestalotiopsis carveri(Guba)comb nov.,Pestalotiopsis elasticae(Koord.)comb.nov.,Pestalotiopsis langloisii(Guba)comb.nov.,Pestalotiopsis oleandri(Guba)comb.nov.,Pestalotiopsis sinensis(shen)comb.nov.,Pestalotiopsis sydowiana(Bres.)comb.nov.和Pestalotiopsis zahlbruckneriana(Bres.)comb.nov.     

中国盲蝽科两新种六新纪录(半翅目:盲蝽科)

本文共记述盲蝽科叶盲蝽亚科(Phylinae)新种两个,计为:宽束盲蝽 Pilophorus latus sp.nov.和黄平盲蝽 Zanchius vitellinus sp.nov.。两新种的模式产地均为云南。并记录了6个中国新纪录种,计为:棕二带束盲蝽 Pilophorus alstoni Schuh、长黑束盲蝽 Pilophorus dailahn Schuh、细毛束盲蝽 Pilophorus setulosus Horvath、朝束盲蝽 Pilophorus koreanus Josifov、褐束盲蝽 Pilophorusgallicus Remane、亮束盲椿 Pilophorus lucidus Linnavuori。     

安徽省达氏属一新种记述：吸虫纲：棘口科

本文记述了寄生于淡水鱼类的棘口科吸虫的一个新种——淮河达氏吸虫Ditetziella huaiheeniss sp.nov.模式标本采自安徽省淮河的女山湖地区黄颡鱼的肠道。     

中国复套蛞蝓科一新种：肺螺亚纲：鞋形目

现已知我国复套蛞蝓科,复套蛞蝓属共计6种,主要分布于我国台湾、广东、海南、浙江、广西、上海、安徽、四川等省市以及香港、澳门等地区。作者在云南省玉溪地区峨山彝族自治县采得复套蛞蝓科一新种:玉溪复套蛞蝓Vaginulus yuxiensis。本文对该新种的外部形态和内部构造,尤其对生殖系统和齿舌的形态结构作了较详细的描述,其齿式为:(3:1:3)/152。并且作者与其近似种中国复套蛞蝓 Vaginulus chinensis Moellendorrf,1881;和佛尔复套蛞蝓 Vaginulus fargcsianus Heude,1885进行了比较。     

叶刺瘿螨亚科一新属三新种：真螨目：瘿螨科

新属为新诺尔瘿螨属Neoknorella Kuang et Feng,gen.nov.三新种是竹新诺尔瘿螨Neoknorella bambusae sp.nov.,竹裂柄瘿螨 Dichopelmus bambusae sp.nov.和樟无伪足瘿Anothopoda cinnamomi sp.nov.,它们均营自由生活。