Physiological evaluation of temperature effect on the growth processes of the mysid, Neomysis intermedia Czerniawsky

Ingestion, respiration, and molting loss rates were measuredover the 3 – 29°C range in Neomysis intermedia. Weightspecific rates of these physiological processes ranged from2 to 140% body C day^–1 for ingestion, from 2 to 15% bodyC day^–1 for respiration, and from 0.1 to 5% body C day^–1for molting loss. All weight-specific rates showed a logarithmicdecrease with a logarithmic increase in body weight, and a logarithmicincrease with a linear increase in temperature below 20 or 25°C.The effect of temperature, however, was different between thephysiological rates, with a large temperature dependency foringestion (Q₁₀ = 2.6 –3.9) and molting loss (Q¹⁰ = 2.9– 3.6) and a moderate temperature dependency for respiration(Q₁₀ = 1.9 – 2.1). Calculated assimilation efficiencychanged with body size, but was constant over the temperaturerange examined. Allocation of assimilated materials varied witha change in temperature, reflecting the different temperaturedependence between physiological processes. It was deduced thatthe strong temperature dependency of the growth rate in N. intermediaobserved in the previous studies resulted from the large temperatureeffect on ingestion and assimilation rates, superimposed bythe different allocation of assimilated materials. ¹Present address: Department of Botany, University of Tokyo,Hongo, Tokyo 113, Japan     

Diffusivity of oxygen into carriers entrapping whole cells

The effective diffusivity of oxygen, D(e), in Ca-alginate and PVA-SbQ gels was measured using a two-chamber vessel with a membrane between the two chambers. The effect of cell density, C(c), on D(e) in Ca-alginate gels was studied. The effective diffusivity of oxygen decreased with increasing cell density, to C(c) = 170 kg dry cells/m(3) gel. The dependency of D(e) on cell density was discussed in terms of a random-pore model. The model correlated well with experimental data, i.e., kD(e)/D(0) = 0.86(1 - 1.47 x 10(-3) C(c))(2). Here, k is the partition coefficient, and D(0) is diffusivity in water.     

Structural characterization of lipid A component of Erwinia carotovora lipopolysaccharide

The chemical structure of the lipid A component of lipopolysaccharide excreted into the liquid medium by the plant pathogenic enterobacterium Erwinia carotovora FERM P-7576 was characterized. It consists of a -1, 6-linked glucosamine disaccharide which carries ester-and amide-bound fatty acids and phosphate similar to the lipid A from other gram-negative bacteria. The lipid A preparation was not uniform in the number and composition of the fatty acids linked to the disaccharide. Four prominent lipids A were involved, they were composed of five to seven residues of fatty acid. Among them the major component was hexa-acyl lipid A, in which the hydroxyl group at position 3 and the amino group of the non-reducing glucosamine unit carry 3-dodecanoyl-oxytetradecanoyl residues. Positions 2 and 3 of the reducing glucosamine unit were substituted by 3-hydroxytetradecanoic acid. In the hepta-acyl lipid A, an additional hexadecanoic acid was linked to the hydroxyl group of the 3-hydroxytetradecanoyl residue at position 2 of the hexa-acyl lipid A. Two penta-acyl lipids A were the homologs of the hexa-acyl lipid A with decreasing acylation. Dodecanoic acid was missing from one, and 3-hydroxytetradecanoic acid from another. 3-Dodecanoyloxytetradecanoyl residue at position 3 differentiates E. carotovora lipid A from that of other gram-negative bacteria.Abbreviations LPS lipopolysaccharide - GlcN glucosamine - KDO 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid - FAB-MS fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry - u atomic mass unit     

Effects of ammonium sulfate on the unfolding and refolding of the variable and constant fragments of an immunoglobulin light chain

The equilibria and kinetics of unfolding and refolding by guanidine hydrochloride of the VL and CL fragments of a type kappa immunoglobulin light chain were studied in the presence of ammonium sulfate using circular dichroism and tryptophyl fluorescence at pH 7.5 and 25 degrees C. The unfolding equilibria of the VL and CL fragments were described in terms of the two-state transition. The midpoints of unfolding in the absence of ammonium sulfate were at 0.9 and 1.2 M guanidine hydrochloride for the CL and VL fragments respectively. The transition curves were shifted to higher concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride by 1.4 and 1.6 M for the CL and VL fragments, respectively, per mole of ammonium sulfate. Unfolding reactions of the VL and CL fragments in 3 M guanidine hydrochloride followed first-order kinetics, and the rate constants for the two proteins were both greatly decreased by the presence of ammonium sulfate. The refolding reaction of the CL fragment in 0.3 M guanidine hydrochloride consisted of two phases, and the rate constants were increased a little by the presence of ammonium sulfate. The refolding reaction of the VL fragment in 0.3 M guanidine hydrochloride followed first-order kinetics, and the rate was not affected by the presence of ammonium sulfate. These results showed that ammonium sulfate stabilizes the CL and VL fragments mainly by decreasing the unfolding rate.     

Distribution of Leu 7 (HNK-1) antigen in human digestive organs: an immunohistochemical study with monoclonal antibody

Summary Leu 7 immunoreactivity was demonstrated with the indirect peroxidase-labelled antibody method on frozen and paraffin-embedded tissue sections of human digestive organs. Anti-Leu 7 monoclonal antibody, which allegedly detects mononuclear cells with natural killer or killer activity, recognized lymphoid cells among intestinal epithelial cells and in the germinal centres of solitary lymphoid follicles of small and large intestine, and a few in gallbladder, liver and the lamina propria of the intestine. In addition, peripheral nerve fibres, endocrine cells in the gut and pancreas and carcinoid and islet cell tumours were also positively stained. At the ultrastructural level, Leu 7 antigen was localized on the plasma membrane of granulated lymphoid cells in the gut mucosa and on the secretory granules of intestinal endocrine cells. In normal pancreas, Leu 7 immunoreactivity was demonstrated in most cells containing pancreatic polypeptide and in many cells containing somatostatin or glicentin. Insulin-containing cells, however, lacked Leu 7 immunoreactant. These findings were obtained in both frozen sections and paraffin-embedded sections. The possible cross-reactivities of monoclonal antibodies are discussed as they raise an important caveat in immunohistochemical studies using these antibodies.     

Correlations in one-dimensional fully developed chaos

Correlations in the baker map and the tent map as examples of one-dimensional, fully developed chaos are considered. It is shown, utilizing symbolic dynamical systems derived from these maps, that the vanishing second-order correlation function is not sufficient to guarantee uncorrelatedness. Importance of the higher-order, especially third-order, correlation functions is emphasized for chaotic systems. In search of the quantities that grasp correlational behaviors as a whole in chaotic systems, it is proposed to use the fixed-separation correlation integral, which is a modified quantity of the usual correlation integral devised to calculate the fractal dimension of strange attractors, for these maps. It is shown that the new quantity contains all the even-number orders of autocorrelation function that are commonly considered.     

Involvement of colchicine-sensitive cytoplasmic element in premitotic nuclear positioning ofAdiantum protonemata

Summary When the red-light grown protonema ofAdiantum capillus-veneris was transferred to the dark, the nucleus ceased its migration ca. 5 hours before cell plate formation (Mineyuki andFuruya 1980). To see whether the nucleus was held by some cytoplasmic structure during nuclear positioning, protonemata were treated with various centrifugal forces at different stages of the cell cycle. Nuclei of G₁ phase were easily displaced by centrifugation at 360×g for 15 minutes, but those of G₂ or M phase were not displaced by it, suggesting that the nuclei were held by some cytoplasmic elements in G₂ or M phase. This nuclear anchoring was not detectable in protonemata that were treated with 5mM colchicine. With this treatment, the nucleus did not stop its migration at late G₂ and moved even in prophase. And the retardation of organelle movement which was observed in cytoplasm on the lateral side of the nucleus after the cessation of premitotic nuclear migration (Mineyuki andFuruya 1984) was not observed in the presence of colchicine. Thus the nuclei appear to be held by colchicine-sensitive structure in cytoplasm between the lateral surface of the nucleus and cell wall during the premitotic nuclear positioning. Electron micrographs showing cytoplasmic microtubules were consistent with the idea.Abbreviations PPN Premitotic positioning of the nucleus - L region Cytoplasm between the lateral surface of the nucleus and cell wall (seeMineyuki et al. 1984)     

A Na pump inhibitor from bovine posterior pituitary: purification, structure determination and its cardiovascular effect in rat.

We examined the hypothesis that hypothalamo-hypophysial tissue contains an endogenous Na pump inhibitor. From bovine posterior pituitary, we purified a substance which inhibits Rb uptake by human erythrocytes. This inhibitory activity was found in the eluate of 10% acetonitrile from a C18 flash column and purified by subsequent three steps of reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Sequence analysis revealed that this substance was identical to joining peptide, one of the major products of proopiomelanocortin (POMC). This peptide had hypertensive and tachycardiac effects in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) after central administration, with weak Na,K-ATPase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.5 mM).