Sequence of an operon containing a novel δ-endotoxin gene from Bacillus thuringiensis

An insect larval toxin designated CryII is produced by several subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis and differs from the other major delta-endotoxins in these bacteria in its size, toxicity profile and presence as part of an operon with three open reading frames (ORF). Such an operon from a novel B. thuringiensis isolate has been cloned and differs from one previously characterized in the following ways: (a) the size and number of amino acid repeats in one of the ORFs; (b) the smaller size of the CryII protoxin and the presence of a unique 110-kDa CryII-related antigen; and (c) high larvicidal activity for a particular Lepidopteran but low activity for a Dipteran. Various subclones of this operon were introduced into a plasmid-free B. thuringiensis strain and only the cryII gene was found to be necessary for protoxin accumulation.     

Improved maintenance of adult rat hepatocytes in a new serum-free medium in the presence or absence of barbiturates

Summary For serum-free primary culture of adult rat hepatocytes, a synthetic medium DM-160 and rat-tail collagen were selected for the basal medium and for the culture substratum, respectively. Barbiturates, such as phenobarbital and 1-ethyl-5-isobutylbarbiturate, efficiently supported survival of hepatocytes and maintained their morphologic features at lower concentrations under the serum-free conditions than under the serum-supplemented conditions. However, the hepatocyte survival rates under the serum-free conditions were lower than those under the serum-supplemented conditions in the presence or absence of barbiturates. Supplementation of the basal medium with a combination of five groups of factors (5Fs), such as eight amino acids (Ala, Arg, Gly, Ile, Met, Phe, Pro, and Trp), two unsaturated fatty acids (linoleate and oleate), a protease inhibitor (aprotinin), three vitamins (A, C, and E), and five trace elements (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Se), improved the hepatocyte survival under the serum-free conditions in the presence or absence of barbiturates. In other words, the serum could be completely substituted by the 5Fs. Hepatocyte cultures maintained in the 5Fs-suppelemented basal medium showed excellent induction of tyrosine aminotransferase activity in response to dexamethasone in the presence or absence of barbiturates. The efficiency of the 5Fs-supplemented basal medium for maintaining hepatocytes was not inferior to those of other media in common use with hepatocytes, such as Williams' medium E and Waymouth's medium MB-752/1. In conclusion, maintenance of functional hepatocytes in serum-free primary culture could be improved by use of the new medium preparation (the 5Fs-supplemented DM-160) in the presence of barbiturates. This work was supported by a grant no. 61771923 from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.     

崖椒茎的化学成分

从崖椒（Zanthoxglum schinifolutm Sieb.et Zucc.)茎的石油醚、二氯甲烷提取物中分离得到8个化合物。经物理常数测定及光谱（UV,IR,MS,NMR)分析鉴定其为（1）白鲜碱（dictamning),（2）茵芋碱（skimmianine),(3)滨蒿内酯（scoparone),(4)崖椒内酯（schinifolin),(5)莨菪亭（scopoletin),（6）7-羟基-8-甲氧基香豆素（7-hydroxy-8-methoxycoumarin),（7）N-甲基弗林辛（N-methylflindersine),（8）β-谷甾醇（β-sitosterol),其中化合物（5）、（6）和（7）为首次从该植物中分离。     

Aliphatic nitro-compounds in Astragalus canadensis

A reinvestigation of the alphatic nitro-compounds in Astragalus canadensis resulted in the identification of two new esters of glucose with 3-nitropropanoic acid and 5-oxotetrahydrofuran-3-acetic acid, together with six known conjugates of 3-nitropropanoic acid. ¹H and ¹³CNMR data are reported for the new compounds.     

The role of EMF1 in regulating the vegetative and reproductive transition in Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae)

To understand the genetic regulation of vegetative to reproductive transition in higher plants, further characterization of the Arabidopsis mutant embryonic flower1, emf1, was conducted. Using three flowering symptoms, we showed that emf1 mutants could only grow reproductive and not rosette shoots under five different growth conditions. The mutant embryos did not produce the typical tunica–corpus shoot apical structures at the heart-, torpedo-, and mature stages. The divergent shoot apical development during mutant and wild-type embryogenesis indicated that the wild-type EMF1 gene was expressed in early embryogenesis. Mutations in the EMF1 gene affected the embryonic shoot apical development and caused the germinating embryo and regenerating callus to grow inflorescence, instead of rosette, shoots. Our results support the hypothesis that the EMF1 gene regulates the switch between vegetative and reproductive growth in Arabidopsis.     

磷脂模型膜的时间分辨纳秒荧光光谱的研究

叙述了用时间分辨率纳秒荧光技术研究大豆磷脂或合成磷脂模型膜（脂质体）的物理状态变化与荧光寿命以及时间分辨各向异性测量参数变化相关性的实验结果。用荧光探剂ＭＣ５４０标记模型膜的结果表明,荧光寿命（τ）的变化与脂质／探剂比例、磷脂组成、磷脂的极性头部、脂肪酸酰链长度等有关。用ＤＰＨ（１,６－ｄｉｐｈｅｎｙｌ－１,３,５－ｈｅｘａｔｒｉｅｎｅ）标记磷脂模型膜的时间分辨各向异性分析结果表明,序参数（Ｓ）、     

Parasites,predators and other arthropods associated withMusca domestica and other flies breeding in bovine manure

The species of flies breeding in bovine manure, their parasites and predators as well as other associated arthropods in 3 localities in and near Bangalore are recoreded. The flies areMusca domestica L.,Musca pattoni Austen,Stomoxys calcitrans L.,Physiphora aenea F.,Physiphora demandata F.,Sargus metallinus F.,Sepsis thoracica R.-D.,Sepsis nitens Wiedemann,Sphaerocera scabricula Hal, andLeptocera (Coproica) hirtula Rondani. Four species of hymenopterous pupal parasites of these flies have been obtained:Spalangia cameroni Perkins from pupae ofM. domestica, M. pattoni, S. calcitrans, P. aenea andP. demandata; Spalangia endius Walker from pupae ofM. domestica, M. pattoni andS. calcitrans; Spalangia nigroaenea Curtis from pupae ofM. domestica andS. calcitrans; andDirhinus trichiophthalmus Masi from pupae ofSargus metallinus F. Percentage parasitism of fly puparia in field samples was noted. Four species ofHister andAleochara puberula Klug feeding on various immature stages ofM. domestica, 2 species of scarabaeid beetles, 2 species of ants and a pseudoscorpion were also found in the manure. The importance of biotic regulatory factors in the control of flies is discussed.

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Résumé Dans 3 localités de Bangalore ou proches de cette ville, on a inventorié les espèces de mouches vivant dans le fumier de vache, leurs parasites et prédateurs ainsi que d'autres arthropodes associés. Les mouches récoltées sont:Musca domestica L.,Musca pattoni Austen,Stomoxys calcitrans L.,Physiphora aenea F.,Physiphora demandata F.,Sargus metallinus F.,Sepsis thoracica R-D.,Sepsis nitens Wiedemann,Sphaerocera scabricula Hal. etLeptocera (Coproica) hirtula Rondani. Quatre espèces d'hyménoptères parasites des pupes ont été obtenues de ces mouches:Spalangia cameroni Perkins deM. domestica, M. pattoni, S. calcitrans, P. aenea etP. demandata: Spalangia endius Walker deM. domestica, M. pattoni etS. calcitrans, P. aenea etP. demandata; Spalangia endius Walker trans; etDirhinus trichiophthalmus Masi deSargus metallinus F. On a noté le taux de parasitisme des nymphes dans les conditions naturelles. Quatre espèces deHister etAleochara puberula Klug s'attaquant aux divers stades non imaginaux deM. domestica, 2 espèces de scarabeides, 2 espèces de fourmis et un pseudoscorpion ont été également trouvés dans le fumier. L'importance de ces facteurs biotiques dans la régulation des populations de mouches est discutée.

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Paper presented at the seminar on utilization of farm wastes for rural industrial growth, National Dairy Research Institute, Bangalore, 31 st December, 1975.

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This paper is published with the permission of the Director-General, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi     

壳聚糖固定化木瓜蛋白酶的研究

以壳聚糖为载体,成二醛为交联剂将木瓜蛋白酶固定化。5％戊二醛在4-6℃下处理载体5h,加酶液(3.5mg/mL蛋白,pH7.2)固定12h,活力回收达32％,作用于酪蛋白的半衰期为36天,其表观K_m(酪蛋白)值为0.075％(W/V),溶液酶的K_m值为0.086％;最适pH7.0～7.5,溶液酶为7.0～8.5。固定化酶在pH8.5以下,溶液酶在9.0以下活力稳定。固定化酶在45℃以下,溶液酶在75℃以下稳定。用6mol/L脲洗脱固定化酶4次(5.5h)活力仍有54.5％。用固定化酶处理啤酒浊度比对照下降了1.5-3.7倍,蛋白质含量下降了44％,冷藏(4℃)120天无冷混浊现象发生并保持了啤酒原有风味和理化性状。