Der Aminosäure-Pool vonNeurospora: Veränderungen unter dem Einfluß exogener Faktoren

Die freien intracellulären proteinogenen Aminosäuren von einemNeurospora crassa-Wildstamm und zweiNeurospora crassa-Mutanten sowie von einer Mutante vonNeurospora sitophila wurden mit Hilfe der Ionenaustauschchromatographie analysiert. Zusammensetzung und Größe des Pools an Aminosäuren und NH ₄ ⁺ sind bei den einzelnen Mutanten unterschiedlich, zeigen aber auch viele Gemeinsamkeiten. Alanin, Glutamat und Arginin finden sich in höchsten Konzentrationen; Tyrosin, Phenylananin und Methionin in den niedrigsten. Die freien Aminosäuren ändern sich in ihren Konzentrationen bei allen Stämmen in Abhängigkeit vom Alter der Kulturen, ihrer Wachstums-und Autolysegeschwindigkeit. Die Menge der freien Aminosäuren ist von der Art der N-Quelle abhängig. N-Mangel führt zur Erniedrigung der Konzentration der freien Aminosäuren.     

Der Bestand vonCalanus finmarchicus in der Irminger See im Juni 1955

Zusammenfassung 1. Von den drei morphologisch unterschiedenen und zuweilen als Arten voneinander getrennten Formen des CopepodenCalanus finmarchicus s. 1. tritthelgolandicus (Claus) nur im Südosten des Untersuchungsgebietes im Nordostatlantischen Wasser auf,glacialis Yashnov ist auf das Ostgrönland-Wasser jenseits der Polarfront beschränkt, kommt aber vereinzelt auch im Tiefenwasser der Irminger See vor, währendfinmarchicus (Gunnerus) s. str. über das ganze Gebiet verbreitet ist und im Irminger-See-Wasser und dem angrenzenden Mischwasser reine Bestände bildet.2. Das Vorkommen intermediärer Formen in den Grenzgebieten sowie die großen, sich teilweise überlagernden Variationsbreiten der Merkmale lassen vermuten, daß die genannten Formen genetisch nicht streng isoliert, sondern als geographische Rassen einer plastischen ArtC. finmarchicus s. l. miteinander verbunden sind.3. Der Bestand derfinmarchicus-Rasse ist in mehrere Populationen aufgeteilt, die sich in ihrer mittleren Körpergröße und dem Entwicklungsgrad unterscheiden. Ihre Verbreitungsareale entsprechen weitgehend der hydrographischen Gliederung der Wasserkörper.4. In den Gebieten diesseits der Polarfront mit großen jahreszeitlichen Schwankungen der Temperatur besteht eine negative Korrelation zwischen der Länge der ausgewachsenen und auch jüngeren Stadien einerseits, und den örtlichen Temperaturverhältnissen andererseits. Derartige Beziehungen fehlen dagegen in den Gebieten jenseits der Polarfront mit kleiner Jahresamplitude der Temperaturschwankungen. Tiere, die durch Verdriftung oder Vermischungsvorgänge unter andere Milieuverhältnisse geraten, behalten ihr ursprüngliches Längenwachstum bei.5. Dieses unterschiedliche Verhalten gegenüber der Temperatur macht es wahrscheinlich, daß beiCalanus finmarchicus das Längenwachstum zu einem sehr frühen Zeitpunkt der Entwicklung im wesentlichen determiniert wird.

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The stock ofCalanus finmarchicus in the Irminger Sea in June 1955

During the cruise of the Fisheries Research vessel Anton Dohrn in the Irminger Sea in June 1955, the morphological and physiological composition of the stock of the copepodCalanus finmarchicus (Gunnerus) sensu lato was studied. The formhelgolandicus is restricted to the Northeast Atlantic water body, the formglacialis to the East Greenland water body, whereasfinmarchicus sensu stricto is distributed throughout the whole area. In regard to the wide variation ranges of the morphological distinctive traits and to the occurrence of intermediate forms in the border districts, the forms, hitherto described as species, are regarded as geographical races. The stock ofC. finmarchicus s. str. is divided into several populations, which differ one from another in their medium size. InC. finmarchicus, the size of adults and earlier stages is negatively related to the temperature; this correlation is lacking in populations which drifted under different temperature conditions. The distribution of the forms and populations correspond to the hydrographical and planktological pattern.

     

Effect of visual deprivation on neurotransmitter receptor development in the rat visual system

The effect of monocular deprivation (covering one eye on the 11th posnatal day) and rearing in darkness (the animals were born, developed, and killed with total exclusion of light) on development of -adrenergic, serotoninergic, muscarinic cholinergic, glutamatergic, and benzodiazepine receptors in primary visual structures (visual cortex, lateral geniculate body, superior colliculus, and retina) was investigated in rats. For quantitative analysis of neurotransmitter receptors, the technique of ligand binding was used. It was shown that monocular deprivation affects the development of -adrenergic, serotoninergic, and glutaminergic receptors mainly in the lateral geniculate body and retina, whereas rearing in darkness affects mainly the development of serotoninergic receptors in the superior colliculus. The development of receptors of the cholinergic neurotransmitter system is disturbed only temporarily by visual deprivation. Changes found in receptor development after visual deprivation indicate altered activity of different neurotransmitter systems in corresponding visual structures.P. Flechsig Brain Research Institute, Leipzig, East Germany. Karl Marx University, Leipzig, East Germany. Translated from Neirofiziologiya, Vol. 16, No. 5, pp. 691–701, September–October, 1984.     

Verwertung von Trimethylammoniumverbindungen durch Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

Zusammenfassung Die Verwertung von Carnitin und Carnitinderivaten (O-Acylcarnitine, Carnitincarboxyl-derivate) und strukturverwandten Trimethylammoniumverbindungen (Betaine und Stickstoffbasen) durch Acinetobacter calcoaceticus wurde anhand des Wachstums und des quantitativen Nachweises der Metabolite untersucht. Der Stamm wuchs auf l-Carnitin, l-O-Acylcarnitinen und -Butyrobetain als jeweils einziger C-Quelle. Der Verbrauch dieser Verbindungen und das Wachstum korrelierten mit der Spaltung der C-N-Bindung und mit dem gebildeten Trimethylamin. d-Carnitin wurde metabolisiert, wenn als zusätzliche C-Quelle l-Carnitin im Nährmedium vorhanden war, oder wenn die Bakterien mit l-oder dl-Carnitin vorinkubiert worden waren. Mit d-Carnitin als einziger C-Quelle wuchsen die Bakterien jedoch nicht. Die Bakterien oxidierten Cholin zu Glycinbetain in Gegenwart einer zusätzlichen C-Quelle, Glycinbetain selbst wurde nicht assimiliert. In Hinsicht auf den Abbau quaternärer Stickstoffverbindungen besitzt Acinetobacter calcoaceticus im Vergleich zu anderen Carnitin-verwertenden Bakterienarten einen für ihn charakteristischen Stoffwechselweg.

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Utilization of trimethylammonium-compounds by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus

The utilization of carnitine and carnitine derivatives (O-acylcarnitines, carnitine carboxylderivatives) and structure-related trimethylammonium-compounds (betaines and nitrogen-bases) by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus was studied by means of the control of growth and the quantitative detection of metabolites. The strain grew only on l-carnitine, l-O-acylcarnitines, and -butyrobetaine as the sole carbon sources. The utilization of these compounds and the growth correlated with the cleavage of the C-N bond and thereby with the formation of trimethylamine. d-Carnitine was metabolized, if an additional carbon source, like l-carnitine, was present in the incubation mixture, or if the bacteria were preincubated with l-or dl-carnitine, but no growth was observed on d-carnitine as the sole carbon source. The bacteria oxidized choline to glycinebetaine in the presence of additional carbon sources, glycinebetaine itself was not assimilated. With regard to the catabolism of quaternary nitrogen compounds Acinetobacter calcoaceticus shows a different pathway in comparison with other bacterial species metabolizing carnitine.

     

The effect of pH value and temperature on the stability of L-aminoacidoxidase from the venom of the sand viper]

The stability of highly purified L-amino acid oxidase from the sand viper venom remains practically unaffected by the pH-value at 4degreesC between pH 5 and 8, whereas a sharp activity fall was observed on both sides of this range. At temperatures above 30 degreesC the enzyme is stable only at pH 5.0--5.5. The inactivation pH values above 5.5 follows a first-order rate equation with characteristic changes in the absorption and emission spectra of the enzyme. The stability of the enzyme is dependent on the temperature of storage. At pH 7.5 there is a stability minimum at --10 degrees and -- 30 degreesC. At -- 72 degreesC the enzyme is stable practically for an unlimited period of time; temperatures exceeding 50 degrees C rapidly lead to complete inactivation. Also in the cold, the L-amino acid oxidase is most stable at pH 5.5. There are characteristic changes in absorption and emission spectra in the temperature-stability minimum (--15 degreesC) and at temperatures above 30degreesC. The inactivations follow a first-order rate equation. The cold inactivation is reversible. The stability of the enzyme is diminished by some anions and cations at 37 degreesC. The cold inactivation is promoted by several inorganic anions; organic anions and ammonium sulfate prevent cold inactivation.     

Fascioloides magna (Bassi, 1875) in feral swine from southern Texas.

Between 1971 and 1975, Fascioloides magna was found in 46 of 67 (69%) feral swine (Sus scrofa) in southern Texas. Flukes were recovered from swine in areas where F. magna commonly has been recovered from white-tailed deer and cattle. One to 12 flukes were recovered from each infected animal. Their presence was indicated by black hematin pigment on the liver and various other internal organs. Eggs were not detected in the gallbladder or feces of infected animals although mature flukes and eggs were recovered in the livers suggesting that, like cattle, feral swine can be infected but are aberrant hosts for the parasite and do not disseminate eggs.     

Serum-free cryopreservation of porcine hepatocytes

The use of porcine hepatocytes in xenotransplantation, bioartificial liver support or pharmacological approaches demands serum-free cryopreservation protocols yielding high quality, viable, functional hepatocytes. Here, primary porcine hepatocytes were frozen without serum in liquid nitrogen by the use of a computer-assisted freezing device. After thawing, more than 90% of the initial hepatocytes were lost, in part because of damage to genomic DNA. When cryoprotectants were used, the loss was lowered to 70% of the initial cell number; 90% of the remaining cells excluded trypan blue indicating a high degree of viability. Cells were seeded serum-free onto collagen-coated plastic dishes to determine proliferation and retainment of specific functions representing prominent features of hepatocytes in vivo. Whereas no cells adhered to the substratum effectively in conventional culture medium, the addition of conditioned medium derived from hepatic non-parenchymal cells improved attachment. Cells proliferated, retained hepatocyte-specific functions, such as urea production and cytochrome P450 activity, and expressed liver-specific genes to levels observed in non-cryopreserved hepatocytes. Thus, serum-free cryopreserved primary porcine hepatocytes may serve as a valid source of cells for downstream applications. The cells seem to function adequately when an appropriate environment is chosen for recovery after cryopreservation, an ultimate demand for the clinical application of human hepatocytes.