Synthesis of phosphorylated 3,4-branched trisaccharides corresponding to LPS inner core structures of Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae

2-(N-Benzyloxycarbonyl)aminoethyl 7-O-acetyl-6-O-allyl-2-O-benzoyl-4-O-benzyl-3-O-chloroacetyl-l-glycero-α-d-manno-heptopyranosyl-(1→3)-[2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzoyl-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)]-6,7-di-O-acetyl-2-O-benzyl-l-glycero-α-d-manno-heptopyranoside, a spacer-equipped protected derivative of the common 3,4-branched diheptoside trisaccharide structure of the lipopolysaccharide core of Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae has been synthesized. The protecting group pattern installed allows regioselective introduction of phosphoethanolamine residues in the 3- and 6-position of the second heptose unit in accordance with native structures. From this intermediate the 3-and 6-monophosphoethanolamine as well as the non-phosphorylated deprotected trisaccharides have been synthesized to be used in evaluation of antibody binding specificity and in investigation of the substrate specificity of glycosyl transferases involved in the biosynthesis of LPS core structures.     

Kinetics and mechanism for platination of thione-containing nucleotides and oligonucleotides: evaluation of the salt dependence

Reactions of cis-[PtCl(NH(3))(CyNH(2))(OH(2))](+) (Cy=cyclohexyl) with thione-containing single-stranded oligonucleotides d(T(8)XT(8)) and d(XT(16)) (X=(s6)I or (s4)U) and the mononucleotides 4-thiouridine ((s4)UMP) and 6-mercaptoinosine ((s6)IMP) have been studied in aqueous solution at pH 4.1. The reaction kinetics was followed using HPLC methodology as a function of ionic strength in the interval 5.0 mM相似文献   

What life cycle graphs can tell about the evolution of life histories

We analyze long-term evolutionary dynamics in a large class of life history models. The model family is characterized by discrete-time population dynamics and a finite number of individual states such that the life cycle can be described in terms of a population projection matrix. We allow an arbitrary number of demographic parameters to be subject to density-dependent population regulation and two or more demographic parameters to be subject to evolutionary change. Our aim is to identify structural features of life cycles and modes of population regulation that correspond to specific evolutionary dynamics. Our derivations are based on a fitness proxy that is an algebraically simple function of loops within the life cycle. This allows us to phrase the results in terms of properties of such loops which are readily interpreted biologically. The following results could be obtained. First, we give sufficient conditions for the existence of optimisation principles in models with an arbitrary number of evolving traits. These models are then classified with respect to their appropriate optimisation principle. Second, under the assumption of just two evolving traits we identify structural features of the life cycle that determine whether equilibria of the monomorphic adaptive dynamics (evolutionarily singular points) correspond to fitness minima or maxima. Third, for one class of frequency-dependent models, where optimisation is not possible, we present sufficient conditions that allow classifying singular points in terms of the curvature of the trade-off curve. Throughout the article we illustrate the utility of our framework with a variety of examples.     

Phospholipid turnover during cell-cycle traverse in synchronous Chinese-hamster ovary cells. Mitogenesis without phosphoinositide breakdown.

The turnover of phospholipids was investigated in quiescent serum-starved Chinese-hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells stimulated to progress through the cell cycle by the addition of dialysed bovine serum. A variety of radiolabelling techniques were employed to study the rapid effects of serum on phospholipids and later events during G1 and S phases of the cell cycle. Pulse-labelling studies using [32P]Pi revealed that there was a stimulation of the synthesis rate of all phospholipids investigated during the initial few hours after serum addition. The greatest stimulation (20-fold) was observed in phosphatidylcholine, and the smallest in the polyphosphoinositides (PPIs). Mock stimulation with serum-free medium caused a similar increase in PPI turnover, but little or no effect on turnover of other phospholipids. This effect could be accounted for by a stimulation of the turnover of cellular ATP pools increasing [32P]ATP specific radioactivity. Late G1 and S phases were associated with a decrease in the rate of synthesis of all phospholipids. Phosphatidic acid was the only phospholipid whose labelling fell below that in mock-stimulated cells during the period of the cell cycle. Stimulation of serum-starved cells that had been prelabelled with myo-[2-3H]inositol caused no change in the amounts of inositol trisphosphate, but both serum-stimulated and mock-stimulated cells exhibited similar small decreases in both inositol bisphosphate and inositol monophosphate, of approx. 30% after 30 s. When cells were serum-stimulated in the presence of 10 mM-Li+, there was no increase in the size of the total inositol phosphate pool. We conclude that mitogenic stimulation and cell-cycle traverse cause profound and complex effects on phospholipid turnover in CHO-K1 cells, but there is no evidence for a role of inositol lipid turnover in the proliferative response to serum in this cell line.     

Hatchery selection promotes boldness in newly hatched brown trout (Salmo trutta): implications for dominance

By using newly hatched (approximately 2 weeks old) brown trout(Salmo trutta) from six families of wild and six families ofsea-ranched origin (seventh generation), we tested the hypothesesthat (1) the hatchery environment selects for increased boldness,and (2) boldness predicts dominance status. Sea-ranched troutspend their first 2 years in the hatchery before being releasedinto the wild at the onset of seaward migration. Trout werepresented with a novel object (tack) and with food (brine shrimp),and their responses were measured and scored in terms of boldness.Siblings with increasing difference in boldness were then pairedin dyadic contests. Fish of sea-ranged origin were on averagebolder than were fish of wild origin, and bolder individualswere more likely to become dominant regardless of origin. Boldnesswas not related to RNA levels, indicating that bold behaviorwas not a consequence of higher metabolism or growth rate. Neitherwas size a predictor of bold behavior or the outcome of dyadiccontests. These results are consistent with studies on olderlife stages showing increased boldness toward predators in hatchery-selectedfish, which suggests that behavioral consequences of hatcheryselection are manifested very early in life. The concordancebetween boldness and dominance may suggest that these behaviorsare linked in a risk prone-aggressive phenotype, which may bepromoted by hatchery selection. However, we also found significantvariation in behavioral and growth-related traits among families,suggesting that heritable variation has not been exhausted bysea-ranching procedures.     

Isolation of Temperature-Sensitive Membrane Mutants of Escherichia coli K-12

Mutants with impaired biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids or altered metabolism of the phospholipids were isolated at a rather high frequency from a set of temperature-sensitive lysis mutants. It is suggested that preselection for the lysis phenotype makes it possible to isolate several kinds of mutants affected in the integrity of the cytoplasmic membrane.     

In vitro study of the modification by bleomycin of thymidine phosphorylation activity in lectin-stimulated normal human lymphocytes

We have investigated the effect of bleomycin (BLM) on thymidine phosphorylation in lectin-stimulated normal human lymphocytes. BLM reduces thymidine phosphorylation by decreasing the activity of thymidine kinase (TK). Accordingly, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of extracts of cells incubated for 48, 72 and 96 h showed here that this activity dropped 48, 65 and 67% respectively. The electrophoretic profiles of TK activity were similar but different in amplitude. These effects of the BLM were confirmed firstly by direct measurement of TK activity, secondly by amount of 3H-thymidine incorporation in the cultures before cell lysis. Both the measurement of TK activity and 3H-thymidine incorporation were correlated.     

The 'Gut index', a new parameter to measure the gross nutritional state of arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus (L.) and brown trout, Salmo trutta L.

The main energy reserves in brown trout, Salmo trutta and Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus are located in the abdominal cavity and the musculature. The energy content of the rest of the intestines after removal of the gonads, swim bladder, and liver is a good parameter to assess the gross nutritional state of Arctic char and brown trout. This method is laborious, but analysing the dry matter fraction (or the water content) of the same organs instead of their energy content is a practical alternative. The dry matter fraction of these organs expressed as a percentage of its wet weight is here called the 'Gut index'.