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.

     

Molecular evolution of pteridophytes and their relationship to seed plants: Evidence from complete 18S rRNA gene sequences

Complete 18S ribosomal RNA sequence data from representatives of all extant pteridophyte lineages together with RNA sequences from different seed plants were used to infer a molecular phylogeny of vascular plants that included all major land plant lineages. The molecular data indicate that lycopsids are monophyletic and are the earliest diverging group within the vascular land plants, whereasPsilotum nudum is more closely related to the seed plants than to other pteridophyte lineages. The phylogenetic trees based on maximum likelihood, parsimony and distance analyses show substantial agreement with the evolutionary relationships of land plants as interpreted from the fossil record.     

Adaptor Identity Modulates Adaptation Effects in Familiar Face Identification and Their Neural Correlates

Adaptation-related aftereffects (AEs) show how face perception can be altered by recent perceptual experiences. Along with contrastive behavioural biases, modulations of the early event-related potentials (ERPs) were typically reported on categorical levels. Nevertheless, the role of the adaptor stimulus per se for face identity-specific AEs is not completely understood and was therefore investigated in the present study. Participants were adapted to faces (S1s) varying systematically on a morphing continuum between pairs of famous identities (identities A and B), or to Fourier phase-randomized faces, and had to match the subsequently presented ambiguous faces (S2s; 50/50% identity A/B) to one of the respective original faces. We found that S1s identical with or near to the original identities led to strong contrastive biases with more identity B responses following A adaptation and vice versa. In addition, the closer S1s were to the 50/50% S2 on the morphing continuum, the smaller the magnitude of the AE was. The relation between S1s and AE was, however, not linear. Additionally, stronger AEs were accompanied by faster reaction times. Analyses of the simultaneously recorded ERPs revealed categorical adaptation effects starting at 100 ms post-stimulus onset, that were most pronounced at around 125–240 ms for occipito-temporal sites over both hemispheres. S1-specific amplitude modulations were found at around 300–400 ms. Response-specific analyses of ERPs showed reduced voltages starting at around 125 ms when the S1 biased perception in a contrastive way as compared to when it did not. Our results suggest that face identity AEs do not only depend on physical differences between S1 and S2, but also on perceptual factors, such as the ambiguity of S1. Furthermore, short-term plasticity of face identity processing might work in parallel to object-category processing, and is reflected in the first 400 ms of the ERP.     

Untersuchungen zum cytochemischen Glykogennachweis

Zusammenfassung Es wurden vier Pikrinsäuregemische an elf verschiedenen Objekten auf ihre Eignung als topochemische Glykogenfixierer geprüft. Die Fixationslösungen wurden jeweils bei +20° sowie bei — 7° benutzt. Die Ergebnisse wurden mit den Resultaten der Carnoyfixierung bei — 7° verglichen.Die wäßrigen Lösungen (Bouin, Bouin-Allen) haben sich als unbrauchbar bzw. als stark unterlegen erwiesen. Die alkoholischen Pikrinsäuregemische (Gendre, Rossman) sind im Hinblick auf quantitative Ausbeute und Lokalisationstreue wesentlich bessere Fixierer als das Carnoysche Gemische. Die Glykogenkonservierung wird durch Kaltfixation günstig beeinflußt. An einigen embryonalen Objekten konnte eine voll befriedigende Glykogenerhaltung nicht erzielt werden.

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Summary Four mixtures based on picric acid have been tested against eleven distinct histological objects with respect to their reliability for the topochemical fixation of glycogen. The solutions were used at 20° C and — 7° C respectively. The results were compared with those of Carnoy fixation at — 7° C.The aqueous solutions (Bouin, Bouin-Allen) proved inadequate, or at least inferior. The alcoholic picric acid mixtures (Gendre, Rossman) are essentially better fixatives than Carnoys fluid, with regard to the quantitative results and to the precision of localization. The preservation of glycogen is favourably influenced by cold fixation. In some embryonic objects a fully satisfactory preservation of glycogen could not be obtained by these methods.

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Mit 8 Textabbildungen

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Mit Unterstützung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

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Frau Prof. Dr.Carla Zawisch (Graz) zum 70. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

Simvastatin Efficiently Lowers Small LDL-IgG Immune Complex Levels: A Therapeutic Quality beyond the Lipid-Lowering Effect

We investigated a polyethylene glycol non-precipitable low-density lipoprotein (LDL) subfraction targeted by IgG and the influence of statin therapy on plasma levels of these small LDL-IgG-immune complexes (LDL-IgG-IC). LDL-subfractions were isolated from 6 atherosclerotic subjects and 3 healthy individuals utilizing iodixanol density gradient ultracentrifugation. Cholesterol, apoB and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined in each fraction by enzymatic testing, dissociation-enhanced lanthanide fluorescence immunoassay and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. The levels of LDL-IgG-IC were quantified densitometrically following lipid electrophoresis, particle size distribution was assessed with dynamic light scattering and size exclusion chromatography. The influence of simvastatin (40 mg/day for three months) on small LDL-IgG-IC levels and their distribution among LDL-subfractions (salt gradient separation) were investigated in 11 patients with confirmed coronary artery disease (CAD). We demonstrate that the investigated LDL-IgG-IC are small particles present in atherosclerotic patients and healthy subjects. In vitro assembly of LDL-IgG-IC resulted in particle density shifts indicating a composition of one single molecule of IgG per LDL particle. Normalization on cholesterol levels revealed MDA values twice as high for LDL-subfractions rich in small LDL-IgG-IC if compared to dominant LDL-subfractions. Reactivity of affinity purified small LDL-IgG-IC to monoclonal antibody OB/04 indicates a high degree of modified apoB and oxidative modification. Simvastatin therapy studied in the CAD patients significantly lowered LDL levels and to an even higher extent, small LDL-IgG-IC levels without affecting their distribution. In conclusion simvastatin lowers levels of small LDL-IgG-IC more effectively than LDL-cholesterol and LDL-apoB levels in atherosclerotic patients. This antiatherogenic effect may additionally contribute to the known beneficial effects of this drug in the treatment of atherosclerosis.     

Leibniz'sche Gedanken in der Uexküll'schen Umweltlehre

Summary Giving the foundation of his doctrine of the Umwelten v.Uexküll considersKants idealism as the best starting point. The present essay, to the contrary, tries to demonstrate, that the peculiarity of his problems rather corresponds to the logical and metaphysical position ofLeibniz's monadology and so shares its philosophical profundity as well as its ontological difficulties. Cardinal points of this correspondence are the following: 1) There is a plurality of subjective worlds=Umwelten=monads. 2) They are completely isolated one from another. 3) The subject bilds up its reality quite autonomically according to an ideal and specific law=plan=conception. 4) The individual vital laws harmonize according to an optimal general plan. 5) The objective space is denied and regarded as the formalized system of living subjective centres=points of view. 6) Therefrom results the difficulty of explaining a causality of inconscious nature, which is independent from the subject. 7) From this follows the necessity of speculatively amplifying the conception of subject or monad as well as finally displacing the problem of reality into the metaphysical-religious sphere of a supreme (divine) monad or subject.

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Résumé En donnant les raisonnements de sa doctrine des Umwelten, M. v.Uexküll considère l'idéalisme deKant comme le meilleur point de départ. Par contre le présent essai cherche à démontrer que la disposition du problème effectivement en question le met plutÔt en parallèle, du point de vue du criticisme et de la métaphysique, avec la monadologie deLeibniz, à l'ampleur philosophique de laquelle elle participe aussi bien qu'à ses difficultés ontologiques. Les points cardinaux de cette concordance sont les suivants: 1) la pluralité des mondes subjectifs=Umwelten =monades; 2) leur intégral isolement réciproque; 3) l'autonomie du sujet quant à la construction de sa réalité, suivant une loi (=plan=conception) idéelle et spécifique; 4) l'harmonie de toutes les lois vitales et individuelles suivant un plan d'ensemble tendant à un optimum; s) le reniement de la réalité absolue de l'espace objectif et son interprétation comme système formalisé de centres subjectifs vivants (= points de vues); 6) la difficulté qui en résulte pour l'admissibilité d'une causalité de la nature inconsciente, indépendante du sujet; 7) la nécessité, en découlant, d'une amplification spéculative de l'idée du sujet ou de la monade, ainsi que, finalement, le renvoi du problème de la réalité dans la sphère métaphysico-religieuse d'une monade suprÊme (divine) ou d'un suprÊme sujet.

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Für die französische und englische Ausarbeitung der Zusammenfassungen bin ich Herrn DrAlbrecht und Frl. TrudeWeltzien in Hamburg zu aufrichtigem Dank verpflichtet.

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Habilitationsreferat vor der Philosophischen FakultÄt der Hansischen UniversitÄt am 14. Januar 1939.     

Neither an enhancement of autolytic wall degradation nor an inhibition of the incorporation of cell wall material are pre-requisites for penicillin-induced bacteriolysis in staphylococci

In contrast to what has been postulated, penicillin G at its optimal lytic concentration of 0.1 g per ml did not lead to a detectable activation of autolytic wall processes in staphylococci in terms of the release of uniformly labelled wall fragments from cells pretreated with the drug for 1 h. Rather a considerable inhibition of this release was observed. A similarly profound inhibition of the release of peptidoglycan fragments occurred when staphylococci pretreated for 1 h with 0.1 g penicillin per ml acted as a source of crude autolysins on peptidoglycan isolated from labelled normal cells of the same strain. This clearly demonstrated that the overall inhibition of autolytic wall processes caused by penicillin was mainly due to a decreased total autolysin action rather than to an altered wall structure. Furthermore, no substantial penicillin-induced inhibition of the incorporation of ¹⁴C-N-acetylglucosamine into the staphylococcal wall could be observed before bacteriolysis started, i. e., approximately during the first 80 min of penicillin action. These results are not consistent with any of the models hitherto proposed for the action of penicillin.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Gerhart Drews on the occasion of his 60th birthday