Enterobacteriaceae and Aeromonas hydrophila in Minnesota frogs and tadpoles (Rana pipiens).

In 222 Rana pipiens frogs and 34 tadpoles captured in and near Minnesota, Aeromonas hydrophila and 29 species of Enterobacteriaceae, including yersinia enterocolitica and Salmonella arizonae, were isolated from intestines. The prevalence of members of the family Enterobacteriaceae was lowest in frogs captured in early spring and highest in frogs captured in late summer.     

Production of DON-related trichothecenes byFusarium graminearum Schw from Krasnodarski krai of the USSR

34Fusarium graminearum Schw isolates produced 4-deoxynivalenol to form significant amounts of 4, 7 — dideoxynivalenol and lesser amounts of 4 — deoxynivalenol monoacetates on grain substratesin vitro. This is the first report on the capability a large group of naturally occurring isolates to produce 4,7-dideoxynivalenol. The average levels of 4,7-dideoxynivalenol on rice, corn, barley, and wheat as a substrate were respectively 26.8, 14.0, 12.8, and 10.5% of the level of 4-deoxynivalenol. 4, 7 — dideoxynivalenol was present in all examined naturally contaminated wheat kernel samples at levels of 1.7 to 7.9% of the level of 4-deoxynivalenol. These findings suggest that more attention should be given to the occurrence of 4,7-dideoxynivalenol in cereals.     

Variation in the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS1 and ITS2) among eight taxa of the Mimulus guttatus species complex

The internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1 and ITS2) of the 18S-25S nuclear ribosomal DNA sequence and the intervening 5.8S region were sequenced from three individuals in each of eight taxa of the Mimulus guttatus species complex. Three discrete variants, or "types," of ITS sequences were found, among which 30%-40% of sites differed, compared with 1%-2% within types. Dot plots indicate that these types were not related by conspicuous rearrangements or inversions. More than one ITS type was often found in the same taxon, and two of three ITS types span species boundaries, indicating their presence prior to speciation. These ITS sequences showed essentially no positional homology with the nearest sequenced relative, tomato. In contrast, the 5.8S region was relatively unvaried, with 8 of 162 sites varied in the sample among all eight taxa. The phylogeny inferred by the most common ITS sequence type, rooted by the two other ITS types, agreed with isozymes in showing the distinctness of M. nudatus, M. laciniatus, and M. tilingii from the other five taxa.      

Predictions of protein backbone bond distances and angles from first principles

A procedure is described, based on a spline-function representation of ab initio peptide conformational geometry maps, that allows one to predict backbone bond distances and angles of proteins as functions of the peptide ?(N-C^α)/Ψ(C^α-C′) torsions with an accuracy comparable to that of high-resolution protein crystallography. For example, for the more than 40 residues of crambin, the rms deviation between predicted and crystallographic values of N-C^α-C′ is 1.9° for the 1.5 Å resolution structure and 1.9° for the 0.83 Å resolution structure, compared with angle variations of < 10°. Accurate information on protein backbone geometries is important for establishing dictionaries of flexible geometry functions for use in empirical peptide and protein modeling. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Culture of bovine embryos after invitro exposure to Brucellaabortus

Fifty-four day-6 through day-10 (estrus=day 0) embryos were collected nonsurgically from 13 superovulated, brucellosis-free mixed breed cows. Forty-eight excellent and good zona pellucida-intact (ZP-I), three zona pellucida-defective (ZP-D), and three zona pellucida-free (ZP-F) embryos were incubated in media containing $\text{Brucella}$$\text{abortus}$. Subsequently, embryos were washed ten times in groups of one, two, three, or four. Embryos and serial washes were cultured for $\text{B}$. $\text{abortus}$.Brucellae were not isolated from any ZP-I embryo or from any washing beyond the sixth serial wash. Brucellae were not isolated from the three ZP-F embryos but were detected in the eighth wash for one and in the tenth wash for the others. Brucellae were isolated from one of three ZP-D embryos. Results show that ZP-I embryos can be effectively washed free of $\text{B}$. $\text{abortus}$.     

Prevalence of Yersinia enterocolitica in waters of the lower Chippewa River Basin, Wisconsin.

Water samples collected over a 14-month period from the lower Chippewa River drainage basin in Wisconsin were examined for Yersinia enterocolitica with either MacConkey-Tween 80 agar or Y-M agar (T. N. Saari and G. P. Jansen, Contrib. Microbiol. Immunol. 5:185-196) as the selective medium. A new method of isolation was developed. Of 303 water samples, 8.25% were positive. A seasonal variation was noticed, with winter isolations being most frequent.     

Enterobacteriaceae and Aeromonas hydrophila in Minnesota frogs and tadpoles (Rana pipiens)

In 222 Rana pipiens frogs and 34 tadpoles captured in and near Minnesota, Aeromonas hydrophila and 29 species of Enterobacteriaceae, including yersinia enterocolitica and Salmonella arizonae, were isolated from intestines. The prevalence of members of the family Enterobacteriaceae was lowest in frogs captured in early spring and highest in frogs captured in late summer.     

Targeting of ricin A chain into pea chloroplasts

A chimaeric gene was constructed encoding the pre-sequence of the 33 kDa oxygen-evolving complex protein from wheat (a thylakoid lumen protein) linked to ricin A chain. The fusion protein is efficiently imported by isolated pea chloroplasts and localised partly in the stroma, with the remainder bound to the stromal surface of the thylakoids. The imported protein is fully processed by both the stromal and thylakoidal processing peptidases, indicating that partial or complete translocation across the thylakoid membrane has taken place.     

Two-dimensional NMR and structure determination of salmon calcitonin in methanol

The structure of the 32-residue peptide salmon calcitonin (sCT) in 90% MeOH-10% H2O has been investigated by two-dimensional NMR techniques and molecular modeling. Sequential assignments for nearly all of the 32 spin systems have been obtained, and results indicate that the heptaresidue loop formed by the disulfide bond between Cys-1 and Cys-7 is followed by an alpha-helical segment from Val-8 through Tyr-22. A region of conformational heterogeneity is observed for residues 20-25, resulting from the slow isomerism of the cis and trans forms of Pro-23. The C-terminal segment is found to exist in an extended conformation.