Effects of essential divalent metals on carcinogenicity and metabolism of nickel and cadmium

Interactions between the physiologically essential metals calcium, magnesium, and zinc and the carcinogenic metals nickel and cadmium were investigated to help elucidate the mechanisms of action of the carcinogenic metals. Bioassay studies revealed several significant findings, including: (1) the ability of magnesium and calcium to inhibit nickel-induced elevation of pulmonary adenoma incidence in strain A mice; (2) the ability of magnesium, but not of calcium, to prevent cadmium-induced subcutaneous sarcoma formation; and (3) the ability of magnesium, but not of calcium, to inhibit nickel-induced muscle tumor formation. Biochemical studies indicated a direct relationship between the antitumorigenic potential of magnesium and the capacity of this metal to: (1) inhibit nickel and cadmium uptake by the target tissues in vivo; (2) inhibit nickel-induced disturbances in DNA synthesis in vivo; (3) inhibit nuclear and cytosolic uptake of nickel by the target tissue cells in vivo; and (4) inhibit nickel and cadmium binding to DNA in vitro. Calcium, which in most cases did not prevent carcinogenesis, had no consistent influence on the uptake of carcinogenic metals or their biochemical effects in the target tissues. Magnesium and zinc, but not calcium, were also found to attenuate the acute toxic effects of nickel, indicating a possible correlation between prevention of acute effects and reduction in tumorigenicity. Zinc, which antagonizes cadmium tumorigenicity in the rat testis, was found to reduce markedly cadmium uptake into isolated testicular interstitial cells. Also, zinc was found to inhibit strongly cadmium binding to DNA in vitro.     

Effects of carbohydrate on the internal oxygen concentration, oxygen uptake, and nitrogenase activity in detached pea nodules

The interaction between carbon substrates and O₂ and their effects on nitrogenase activity (C₂H₂) were examined in detached nodules of pea (Pisum sativum L. cv “Sparkle”). The internal O₂ concentration was estimated from the fractional oxygenation of leghemoglobin measured by reflectance spectroscopy. Lowering the endogenous carbohydrate content of nodules by excising the shoots 16 hours before nodule harvest or by incubating detached nodules at 100 kPa O₂ for 2 hours resulted in a 2- to 10-fold increase in internal O₂, and a decline in nitrogenase activity. Conversely, when detached nodules were supplied with 100 millimolar succinate, the internal O₂ was lowered. Nitrogenase activity was stimulated by succinate but only at high external O₂. Oxygen uptake increased linearly with external O₂ but was affected only slightly by the carbon treatments. The apparent diffusion resistance in the nodule cortex was similar in all of the treatments. Carbon substrates can thus affect nitrogenase activity indirectly by affecting the O₂ concentration within detached nodules.     

Hybridization of DNA from methanogenic bacteria with nitrogenase structural genes (nifHDK)

Summary Using the Southern hybridization technique, homologies were examined between restricted DNA of four methanogenic bacteria (Methanobacterium ivanovi, Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, Methanococcus voltae, Methanosarcina barkeri) and the nif (nitrogen fixation) genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Anabaena strain 7120. With K. pneumoniae probes, no hybridization was observed with nifA, nifNE, and nifJ but positive results were obtained with the nifHDK genes coding for nitrogenase. Homology was detected, in the four strains, with K. pneumoniae and Anabaena nifH probes. In M. voltae and M. ivanovi, the homology found with nifH was estimated to be about 70% and a weaker hybridization was observed also with nifD and nifK. In M. voltae, the sequence homologous to nifH was found on a 3.0 kbp HindIII fragment and sequences homologous to nifD and nifK on a 3.8 kbp HindIII fragment. The 3.0 kbp fragment was cloned and the region homologous to nifH was localized more precisely. When this fragment was used as a probe against other DNAs, it behaved as a K. pneumoniae and Anabaena nifH probe. The results suggest that the structural genes for nitrogenase may be present in archaebacteria and raise interesting questions regarding their evolution.     

Photoacoustic spectroscopy of Anacystis nidulans. I. Effect of sample thickness on the photoacoustic signal

A photoacoustic spectroscopy study of the cyanobacteria Anacystis nidulans has been undertaken. It is demonstrated, by using a filter deposition technique, that the photoacoustic signal intensity becomes progressively saturated as the thickness of the algal layer is increased. This saturation effect originates mostly from the limited optical penetration of the sample and distorts the photoacoustic spectrum from its true shape. A theoretical model is proposed to explain these results, and practical means to obviate the limitations of this spectroscopic technique are suggested.     

Photoacoustic spectroscopy of Anacystis nidulans. II. Characterization of pigment holochroms and thermal deactivation spectrum

The photoacoustic spectrum of Anacystis nidulans recorded at room temperature is qualitatively similar to low-temperature absorption or fluorescence excitation spectra. The bands of pigment holochroms are well resolved compared to room-temperature absorption spectra. The thermal deactivation spectrum obtained by extrapolating acoustic data for an infinitely thin sample indicates that the photosynthetic efficiency decreases from phycocyanin to chlorophyll a and carotenoids.     

Structural Aspects of Saltatory Particle Movement

A variety of cells possess particles which show movements statistically different from Brownian movements. They are characterized by discontinuous jumps of 2–30 µ at velocities of 0.5–5 µ/sec or more. A detailed analysis of these saltatory, jumplike movements makes it most likely that they are caused by transmission of force to the particles by a fiber system in the cell outside of the particle itself. Work with isolated droplets of cytoplasm from algae demonstrates a set of fibers involved in both cytoplasmic streaming and saltatory motion, suggesting that both phenomena are related to the same force-generating set of fibers. Analysis of a variety of systems in which streaming and/or saltatory movement occurs reveals two types of fiber systems spatially correlated with the movement, microtubules and 50 A microfilaments. The fibers in Nitella (alga) are of the microfilament type. In other systems (melanocyte processes, mitotic apparatus, nerve axons) microtubules occur. A suggestion is made, based on work on cilia, that a microtubule-microfilament complex may be present in those cases in which only microtubules appear to be present, with the microfilament closely associated with or buried in the microtubule wall. If so, then microfilaments, structurally similar to smooth muscle filaments, may be a force-generating element in a very wide variety of saltatory and streaming phenomena.     

Physiological Characteristics of Fe Accumulation in the ;Bronze' Mutant of Pisum sativum L., cv ;Sparkle' E107 (brz brz)

The pea (Pisum sativum L.) mutant, E107 (brz, brz) accumulated extremely high concentrations of Fe in its older leaves when grown in light rooms in either defined nutrient media or potting mix, or outdoors in soil. Leaf symptoms (bronze color and necrosis) were correlated with very high Fe concentrations. When E107 plants were grown in nutrient solutions supplied 10 μm Fe, as the Fe(III)-N,N′-ethylenebis[2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)glycine] chelate, their roots released higher concentrations of Fe(III) reducing substances to the nutrient media than did roots of the normal parent cv, `Sparkle.' Reciprocal grafting experiments demonstrated that the high concentrations of Fe in the shoot was controlled by the genotype of the root. In short-term <sup>59</sup>Fe uptake studies, 15-day-old E107 seedlings exhibited higher rates of Fe absorption than did `Sparkle' seedlings under Fe-adequate growth conditions. Iron deficiency induced accelerated short-term Fe absorption rates in both mutant and normal genotypes. Iron-treated E107 roots also released larger amounts of both protons and Fe(III) reductants into their nutrient media than did iron-treated `Sparkle' roots. Furthermore, the mutant translocated proportionately more Fe to its shoot than did the parent regardless of Fe status.     

Analysis of the role of the COL1 domain and its adjacent cysteine-containing sequence in the chain assembly of type IX collagen

The mechanisms of chain selection and assembly of type IX collagen, a heterotrimer 1(IX)2(IX)3(IX), must differ from that of fibrillar collagens since it lacks the characteristic C-propeptide of these latter molecules. We have tested the hypothesis that the information required for this process is contained within the C-terminal triple helical disulfide-bonded region (LMW). The reassociations of the purified LMW fragments of pepsinized bovine type IX collagen were followed by the formation of disulfide-bonded multimers. Our data demonstrate that only three triple helical assemblies form readily, (1)₃, (2)₃, and 123. The information required for chain selection and assembly is thus, at least in part, contained in the studied fragments. Molecular stoichiometries different from the classical heterotrimer may thus also form under certain conditions.