Evolution of a predator-prey Volterra-Lotka ecosystem with saturation effect

This paper has studied the evolution of a predator-prey Volterra-Lotka ecosystem with saturation effect for the general case where both predator and prey evolve. We have interesting results under the evolutional condition, as follows: (1) the predator population and the ratio of predator to prey populations increase; (2) the parameters of the prey drift in the direction of increasing multiplication rate and saturation level, while the parameters of the predator drift in the direction of decreasing death rate.     

Partial purification and properties of a rat brain phospholipase.

At least 90% of a membrane-bound phospholipase D was solubilized by extraction of freeze-dried rat brain with 0.8% Miranol H2M and 0.5% cholate. The bulk of base exchange reaction enzymes remained firmly bound to the particulate fraction under these conditions. The phospholipase D specific activity was enriched 240-fold by a purification protocol employing ammonium sulfate precipitation, and both Sepharose 4B and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The approximate molecular weight of the partially purified enzyme was calculated to be 200,000 based upon the elution profile from Sepharose 4B and Sephadex G-200 columns. The optimum pH was 6.0, and Km values for phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were 0.75 mM and 0.91 mM, respectively. The enzyme activity was not dependent on the presence of divalent cation although Ca2+ and Fe2+ showed stimulatory effects.     

Characterization of translucent segments observed in an smbA mutant of Escherichia coli

Abstract The smbA gene of Escherichia coli is essential for cell proliferation. The smbA2 mutant shows cold-sensitive colony formation at 22°C. A novel morphological phenotype, formation of a translucent segment at midcell or at a cell pole, was observed by phase-contrastt microscopy at a high frequency in the smbA2 mutant cells incubated in L medium lacking NaCl at 22°C, but not observed in L medium containing 1% NaCl or 20% sucrose at the same temperature. No translucent segment was observed in the wild-type cells in any of the media used. Electron microscopic observation revealed that the translucent segments resulted from the enlargement of a periplasmic space by separation of the inner membrane from the peptidoglycan layer and the outer membrane.     

Effect of Osmotic Stress on Turgor Pressure in Mung Bean Root Cells

Turgor pressure in cells of the elongating region of intactmung bean roots was directly measured by using the pressure-probetechnique. After the external osmotic pressure had been increasedfrom 0 MPa to 0.5 MPa, turgor pressure rapidly decreased byabout 0.5 MPa from 0.65 MPa to 0.14 MPa and root elongationstopped. Subsequent turgor regulation was clearly confirmed,which followed the osmotic adjustment to maintain a constantdifference in the osmotic pressure between root-cell sap andthe external medium ( II). It took at least 6 h for turgor pressureto recover to an adjusted constant level of about 0.5 MPa dueto turgor regulation, but rootelongation resumed within onlyan hour after the osmotic treatment. Therefore, the resumptionof root elongation under osmotic stress could not have beendirectly connected with turgor regulation. Furthermore, sincethe amounts of decrease in turgor pressure just after applicationsof various degrees of osmotic stress could be interpreted inrelation to those in II, hydraulic conductivity between theinside and the outside of root cells must be large enough toattain water potential equilibrium rapidly in response to osmoticstress. We conclude that turgor pressure in the cells of theelongating region of mung bean roots is determined mainly by II because of water potential equilibrium. (Received January 27, 1987; Accepted May 21, 1987)     

Studies on detection of Candida antigen in the sera of mice inoculated orally with Candida albicans

Summary The authors succeeded in establishing a murine model of systemic candidiasis being disseminated from the primary gastrointestinal lesions caused by oral inoculation of Candida albicans. Using this model, an attempt was made for detecting the Candida antigen by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using avidin-biotin (AB-ELISA) from the serum of infected mice.Gastrointestinal candidiasis was formed in all of the 20 mice treated with the drugs (antibiotics, antineoplastic agents, hydrocortisone, etc.) and inoculated orally with C. albicans. Fourteen of these mice suffered from submucosal candidiasis, and C. albicans was cultured from the visceral organs in 12 of them. The assay by AB-ELISA was able to detect 1.0 ng/ml Candida mannan in the mouse serum. The Candida antigen was detected in the sera of 11 of the 14 mice with submucosal candidiasis. However, the antigen could not be detected in the sera of the 6 mice with intramucosal candidiasis.The assay by AB-ELISA is more sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of systemic candidiasis than other serological assays.     

Incorporation of fatty acids by Streptococcus mutans

In a series of investigations into the cariogenicity of Streptococcus mutans, we studied the incorporation of exogenous fatty acids with reference to glucosyltransferase secretion and membrane fatty acid changes. When cells were grown with different fatty acids, both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids were readily incorporated into the membrane lipids and were biotransformed and elongated preferentially to the longer 16- and 18-carbon-chain fatty acids. This incorporation and chain-elongation led to significant changes in fatty acids composition. By adding fatty acids to the medium, it was possible to appropriately modify the degree of unsaturation and the relative ratio between specific fatty acids in the membrane lipids of S. mutans.     

Early development of fin-supports ani fin-rays in the milkfishChanos chanos

Development of fin-supports and fin-rays was observed in larval and juvenileChanos chanos, Chondrification of the caudal complex started at 4.70 mm SL. Ossification of the caudal elements started at 7.80 mm SL and was nearly completed at about 30 mm SL. Cartilaginous fusion of caudal elements, which occurs in hypurals of higher teleostean fishes but is not seen in lower teleosts, was observed between the neural arch of the preural centrum 1 and that of the ural centrum 1 via a small cartilage bridging the distal tips of the two arches. Caudal finrays began to develop at 6.60 mm SL, and an adult complement of principal rays was attained at 7.35 mm SL. Dorsal and anal pterygiophore elements were first evident at 6.70 mm and 6.65 mm SL, respectively. All proximal radiais were formed at 8.15 mm SL in both fins. Formation of dorsal and anal fin-rays started simultaneously at 8.60 mm SL, and adult fin-ray complements were attained at 10,00 mm and 10.70 mm SL, respectively. In the pectoral fin, the cleithrum, coraco-scapular cartilage and blade-like cartilage (fin plate) had already been formed at 4.65 mm SL. The mesocoracoid was observed to originate from the coraco-scapular cartilage and become detached from it in the course of ossification. Pectoral fin-ray formation started at 13.80 mm SL and was completed in number of rays at 20.00 mm SL. In the pelvic fin, the basipterygium was first evident at 13.00 mm SL. Pelvic fin-rays appeared at 13.80 mm SL and attained their adult count at 17.15 mm SL.     

Immunological analysis of glycolipids on cell surfaces of cultured human tumor cell lines: expression of lactoneotetraosylceramide on tumor cell surfaces

Glycolipids of human cell lines of colonic adenocarcinoma (Colo 205 and BM 314), gastric tumor (AZ 521 and KATO-III), and lung tumor (A 549) were studied by the immunohistochemical fluorescence technique, flow cytometric analysis and immunostaining on thin layer chromatoplates with antibodies against gangliotriaosylceramide (Gg3Cer), gangliotetraosylceramide (Gg4Cer), fucogangliotetraosylceramide (Fuc-Gg4Cer), blood group B active lipid, globopentaosylceramide (Gb5Cer) and lactoneotetraosylceramide (nLc4Cer). Anti-nLc4Cer antibody was the only antibody which reacted with all the tumor cell lines used. The glycolipid fractions of each cell line separated by Iatrobeads column chromatography were immunostained with the six antibodies mentioned above on thin layer plates. The presence of nLc4Cer was detected in all cell lines. On the other hand, Gg4Cer was detected in gastric tumor cell lines, and Gg3Cer was detected in AZ 521. Based on these results, the tumor cell lines were analyzed by flow cytometry using anti-nLc4Cer antibody. About 70% of total cells in each cell line were separated as nLc4Cer-expressing cells. The present findings, together with the occurrence of nLc4Cer in ascitic fluids of cancer patients (Taki, T., Kojima, S., Seto, H., Yamada, H., & Matsumoto, M. (1984) J. Biochem. 96, 1257-1265), suggest that nLc4Cer may be a tumor-associated lipid.