Influence of phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol molar ratios in liposomes on cholesterol reactivity with cholesterol:oxygen oxidoreductase]

The reactivity of sonicated phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol liposomes with cholesterol : oxygene oxydoreductase, an enzyme which catalyses the oxidation of the 3 beta hydroxyl group of cholesterol to a ketone group, is compared with that of ternary system phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol-Thesit. Regardless to the phosphatidylcholines nature and the phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol molar ratio (R), the enzymatic oxidation rate of liposomal cholesterol is slower than when the reaction is developed in the present of Thesit, a surfactif agent which destroyes the lamellar particles. This is true whether Thesit is added during preparation of dispersions or during incubation with cholesterol oxydase. The enzymatic oxydation rate of cholesterol of ternary systems phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol-Thesit is independent of the (R) value and the phosphatidylcholine fatty acid unsaturation, whereas that of phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol dispersions depends on these two parameters. The reaction rate increases in the order: dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine to yolk egg phosphatidylcholines, and dioleylphosphatidylcholine. The optimal conditions for cholesterol oxidation were found to be R = 0.5. This result is not affected by the phosphatidylcholines nature. In order to explain these data, various hypotheses are considered. In particular, the weak liposomal cholesterol reactivity with cholesterol oxidase could result from an inhibitory effect on the enzyme-substrate combination due to the polar phosphorylcholine groups.     

Water Balance in Cucumis Plants, Measured by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, I

In this paper we demonstrate the study of plant water balanceby the non-invasive measurement of tissue water content andwater flow using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Sapvelocity and flux were measured independently in the presenceof an excess of stationary tissue water. The instrumentationdescribed allows automated and unattended measurement of flow-and water content-variables in a well-defined region of theplant over periods of several days, with a time resolution betweensuccessive measurements of c. 5 s. Using this apparatus theeffect of changes in light intensity (day/night rhythm) andrelative humidity on stem tissue water content as well as onthe velocity and flux of xylem sap in the stem were investigatedin a cucumber plant. The results are in agreement with predictionsfrom a simple model for plant water balance, which is basedon water potential, flow rate and resistance to flow. As longas only transpiration is varied, flow rate and water content(or potential) are affected in opposite ways as demonstratedin this paper. In contrast, the model predicts that changesin uptake (resulting from changes in, for example, root resistance)will induce changes in water content and flow in the same direction.An experimental verification of this prediction is given ina subsequent paper, where, in addition, the NMR results arecompared to those obtained with a dendrometer. Key words: Water balance model, Cucumis sativus L., flow, water content, NMR, water balance measurement     

Studies on the human chromosome 3 centromere with a newly cloned alphoid DNA probe

Starting from a chromosome-specific DNA library, we have isolated a human chromosome-specific satellite DNA sequence. This sequence of 635 base pairs (bp) consists of 3.7 alpha DNA monomers of 170-171 bp. Under high stringency it hybridizes to the centromere of chromosome 3 in a region composed of 2,750 bp tandem repeats characterized by the regular spacing of Hind III and TaqI restriction enzyme recognition sites. It has diverged and undergone amplification after the human speciation. The amplification allows an easy monitoring of the chromosome 3 centromere by in situ hybridization with a nonradioactive probe.     

TASTE GROUP THRESHOLDS AND SENSORY EVALUATION OF SPANISH WINE VINEGARS

Wine vinegar is a product obtained from wine acidification which contains at least 5% by wt. of acetic acid, in general without any additives or colorings.
Aspects studied in this work include: the determination of the taste group thresholds (geometric mean of the individual best-estimate thresholds "BET") of two different acids (citric and acetic acids) in aqueous solution and spanish vinegars produced from table and sherry wines. The results obtained suggest that wine vinegar can be considered something more than just an acidulant agent.
In order to evaluate differences among wine vinegars, discriminant tests for twenty-five spanish vinegars (sherry, table and flavored vinegars) were applied. Six of the twelve attributes freely chosen by assessors allowed grouping of the spanish wine vinegars according to their sensory aspects.     

Prevalence of Localized Rearrangements Vs. Transpositions among Events Induced by Drosophila P Element Transposase on a P Transgene

We have studied P transposase-induced events on a P[w] transgene, P[w(d1)], harboring the whole white gene with a 3.44-kb direct duplication of its 5' regulatory sequences (containing the ZESTE-binding region, ZBR). We have recovered mutations leading to an increase or a decrease of zeste(1) repression, generally as the consequence of modifications of the number of ZBR in close physical proximity and/or jumps to other sites. We describe mutants displaying deletions of the original duplicated sequence or increases in the number of repeats from two to three or four. Internal deletions are more frequent than amplifications. Both require the integrity of P-element ends. We have also observed a high frequency of double P elements localized at the original P[w(d1)] insertion site. These double P elements are arranged in nonrandom configurations. We discuss the frequencies and the possible mechanisms leading to the various types of derivatives, in light of the current models for P excision and transposition. We propose that the P transposase induces mainly localized events. Some of these could result from frequent changes of template during gap-repair DNA synthesis, and/or from abortive transposition.     

Arginine deprivation in KB cells: I. Effect on cell cycle progress

When exponentially growing KB cells were deprived of arginine, cell multiplication ceased after 12 h but viability was maintained throughout the experimental period (42-48 h). Although tritiated thymidine ([(3)H]TdR) incorporation into acid-insoluble material declined to 5 percent of the initial rate, the fraction of cells engaged in DNA synthesis, determined by autoradiography, remained constant throughout the starvation period and approximately equal to the synthesizing fraction in exponentially growing controls (40 percent). Continous [(3)H]TdR-labeling indicated that 80 percent of the arginine-starved cells incorporated (3)H at some time during a 48-h deprivation period. Thus, some cells ceased DNA synthesis, whereas some initially nonsynthesizing cells initiated DNA synthesis during starvation. Flow microfluorometric profiles of distribution of cellular DNA contents at the end of the starvation period indicated that essentially no cells had a 4c or G2 complement. If arginine was restored after 30 h of starvation, cultures resumed active, largely asynchronous division after a 16-h lag. Autoradiographs of metaphase figures from cultures continuously labeled with [(3)H]TdR after restoration indicated that all cells in the culture underwent DNA synthesis before dividing. It was concluded that the majority of cells in arginine-starved cultures are arrested in neither a normal G1 nor G2. It is proposed that for an exponential culture, i.e. from most positions in the cell cycle, inhibition of cell growth after arginine with withdrawal centers on the ability of cells to complete replication of their DNA.     

Activation of lignin and manganese peroxidase excretion in Phanerochaete chrysosporium by fungal extracts

Summary Lignin (LiP) and manganese peroxidase (MnP) excretion by Phanerochaete chrysosporium INA-12 was significantly increased in response to fungal extract supplementation. LiP and MnP production was increased 1.7- and 1.8-fold, respectively, with fungal extracts from agitated pellet cultures of strain INA-12, namely fungal extracts P₆ and P₄. In cultures supplemented with a fungal extract harvested from static cultures of strain INA-12 (fungal extract S₄), LiP and MnP production was increased 1.8- and 1.6-fold, respectively. Succinate dehydrogenase activity, a mitochondrial marker, was significantly enhanced (2.7-fold) in cultures with the addition of fungal extracts. Correspondence to: M. Asther     

Does the presence of grassy strips and landscape grain affect the spatial distribution of aphids and their carabid predators?

• 1 We investigated, over the course of 2 years, the spatial distribution and abundance of two species of aphid, Metopolophium dirhodum and Sitobion avenae, and predatory species of carabid. This was undertaken in 24 wheat fields in ‘coarse‐grain’ and ‘fine‐grain’ landscapes in western France. A greater percentage of the latter landscape was covered by hedgerows and grassland and the total area covered by fields and the average size of the fields were smaller.
• 2 The effects on aphid abundance of the distance from field margins, the presence of grassy strips and carabid abundance were determined in both landscapes.
• 3 Both aphid species were more abundant in the ‘fine‐grain’ landscape, which may have been a result of the higher density of semi‐natural elements. In both types of landscape, the total numbers of aphids were negatively correlated with the distance from the field margin. This may have been because aphids were dispersing from overwintering sites in field margins. The abundance of M. dirhodum was strongly negatively correlated with the presence of grassy strips in the ‘coarse‐grain’ landscape, although there were no such significant correlations for either of the aphid species in the ‘fine‐grain’ landscape.
• 4 Aphid and carabid abundances were negatively correlated in the ‘fine‐grain’ and positively in ‘coarse‐grain’ landscape.
• 5 The results obtained in the present study emphasize the importance of semi‐natural areas in agricultural landscapes in shaping the spatial distribution of aphids and carabid beetles, their natural enemies, at different spatial scales.