Interaction of T-activin with peritoneal macrophages

The action of T-activin on peritoneal macrophages of CBA mice after its introduction into the animals has been studied. In intact mice the phagocytic activity of macrophages and their resistance to the cytopathogenic action of Salmonella typhimurium live cells remains unchanged. The injection of corpuscular pertussis vaccine into mice leads to a decrease in the resistance of macrophages to the action of salmonellae. The simultaneous injection of T-activin into mice in doses of 0.1 and 1.0 microgram per animal abolishes the damaging action of the vaccine. The analysis of the in vitro action of T-activin on macrophages of intact mice revealed that the preliminary incubation of cells with the preparation sharply increases their resistance to the action of salmonellae, while its introduction simultaneously with bacteria or after them rapidly leads to the death of macrophages. The action of T-activin is supposed to be linked with triggering the biosynthetic processes mediating the resistance of macrophages to the cytopathogenic action of salmonellae.     

Comparative study of different variants of Actinomyces roseoflavus producing the polyene antibiotic roseofungin

The respiration chain in the membranes of whole Actinomyces roseoflavus (var. roseofungini) cells from the parent and secondary cultures is sensitive to KCN, non-sensitive to Triton X-100 treatment removing the antibiotic roseofungin from the cells, and has a very high for the bacteria respiration control. When the cells are in contact with atomic tritium at the temperature of liquid nitrogen, roseofungin is tritiated and binds to A. roseoflavus isolated membranes and whole cells, mostly to those of the parent culture as compared to the secondary culture. A fraction of membranes which lost NADH dehydrogenase in the course++ of purification was isolated from the cells disintegrated in the frozen state.     

Immunophenotyping of mitotic cells from long-term cultures of chorionic villi

Chromosomal mosaicism in chorionic villus samples (CVS) may arise from different sources, such as clonal diversity within the chorionic tissue or contamination with maternal cells. To determine the origin of karyotyped cells, we compared the immunocytochemical features of mitotic cells in CVS long-term cultures with histological sections of their tissue of origin, i.e. chorionic villi. Immunolabelling of intermediate filaments specific for epithelial cells (cytokeratin) and mesenchymal cells (vimentin) established that mitoses yielded from CVS long-term cultures indeed stem from independently growing clones derived from both the epithelial and mesenchymal parts of the chorionic villi. Thus, mosaicism in CVS cultures may reflect true genetic heterogeneity within the biopsy. However, epithelial chorionic cells undergo in vitro metaplasia leading to co-expression of cytokeratins and vimentin. Fetal-specific immune markers (-HCG and SP1-glycoprotein) are not reliably expressed in CVS cell culture.     

Contribution of the different planktonic microbial assemblages to ETS activity in the Ligurian frontal area: north-west Mediterranean Sea

Spatial and size distribution of micro-organisms and their ETSactivity has been investigated in Ligurian Sea surface watersalong the Nice-Calvi transect across frontal areas from 18 to37 km offshore (TOMOFRONT 1 and 2 cruises, April 1988 and April-May1989 respectively). Aplastidic and plastidic nanoflagellatesand aplastidic picoflagellates were present in numbers closeto 0.25 x 10⁴ cells ml^–1, whereas plastidic picoflagellatesaccounted for about half this number. Correlations have beenevidenced between plastidic and aplastidic micro-organisms withinthe same size group, suggesting that they belong to a well-definedecosystem. The highest correlation between total ETS activityand abundance of the considered size groups was observed fornanoflagellates (r = 0.94, n = 22, and r = 0.90, n = 22 foraplastidic and plastidic cells respectively). The importanceof the role of nanoflagellates in surface waters, with respectto the overall ETS activity, was supported by results from sizefractionation which assigned to the 3–10 µm sizerange a 73.3% contribution to overall ETS activity. Resultsemphasize analysing global ETS activity of natural samples inorder to derive relationships between the different populationspresent in the sampled water. It is suggested that couplingflow cytometry to the ETS approach should be very helpful inthat respect.     

Enlarged Similarity of Nucleic Acid Sequences

The concept of nucleic acid sequence base alternations is presented.The number of base alterations for the sequences of differentlength is established. The definition of "enlarged similarity"of nucleic acids sequences on the basis of sequence base alterationsis introduced. Mutual information between sequences is usedas a quantitative measure of enlarged similarity for two comparedsequences. The method of mutual information calculation is developedconsidering the correlation of bases in compared sequences.The definitions of correlated similarity and evolution similaritybetween compared sequences are given. Results of the use ofenlarged similarity approach for DNA sequences analysis arediscussed.     

In Situ Fe and S isotope analyses in pyrite from the 3.2 Ga Mendon Formation (Barberton Greenstone Belt,South Africa): Evidence for early microbial iron reduction

On the basis of phylogenetic studies and laboratory cultures, it has been proposed that the ability of microbes to metabolize iron has emerged prior to the Archaea/Bacteria split. However, no unambiguous geochemical data supporting this claim have been put forward in rocks older than 2.7–2.5 giga years (Gyr). In the present work, we report in situ Fe and S isotope composition of pyrite from 3.28‐ to 3.26‐Gyr‐old cherts from the upper Mendon Formation, South Africa. We identified three populations of microscopic pyrites showing a wide range of Fe isotope compositions, which cluster around two δ⁵⁶Fe values of ?1.8‰ and +1‰. These three pyrite groups can also be distinguished based on the pyrite crystallinity and the S isotope mass‐independent signatures. One pyrite group displays poorly crystallized pyrite minerals with positive Δ³³S values > +3‰, while the other groups display more variable and closer to 0‰ Δ³³S values with recrystallized pyrite rims. It is worth to note that all the pyrite groups display positive Δ³³S values in the pyrite core and similar trace element compositions. We therefore suggest that two of the pyrite groups have experienced late fluid circulations that have led to partial recrystallization and dilution of S isotope mass‐independent signature but not modification of the Fe isotope record. Considering the mineralogy and geochemistry of the pyrites and associated organic material, we conclude that this iron isotope systematic derives from microbial respiration of iron oxides during early diagenesis. Our data extend the geological record of dissimilatory iron reduction (DIR) back more than 560 million years (Myr) and confirm that micro‐organisms closely related to the last common ancestor had the ability to reduce Fe(III).     

Reservoirs of Antibiotic Resistance Genes

A potential concern about the use of antibiotics in animal husbundary is that, as antibiotic resistant bacteria move from the farm into the human diet, they may pass antibiotic resistance genes to bacteria that normally reside in a the human intestinal tract and from there to bacteria that cause human disease (reservoir hypothesis). In this article various approaches to evaluating the risk of agricultural use of antibiotics are assessed critically. In addition, the potential benefits of applying new technology and using new insights from the field of microbial ecology are explained.     

Desiccation Tolerance in the Tardigrade Richtersius coronifer Relies on Muscle Mediated Structural Reorganization

Life unfolds within a framework of constraining abiotic factors, yet some organisms are adapted to handle large fluctuations in physical and chemical parameters. Tardigrades are microscopic ecdysozoans well known for their ability to endure hostile conditions, such as complete desiccation – a phenomenon called anhydrobiosis. During dehydration, anhydrobiotic animals undergo a series of anatomical changes. Whether this reorganization is an essential regulated event mediated by active controlled processes, or merely a passive result of the dehydration process, has not been clearly determined. Here, we investigate parameters pivotal to the formation of the so-called "tun", a state that in tardigrades and rotifers marks the entrance into anhydrobiosis. Estimation of body volume in the eutardigrade Richtersius coronifer reveals an 87 % reduction in volume from the hydrated active state to the dehydrated tun state, underlining the structural stress associated with entering anhydrobiosis. Survival experiments with pharmacological inhibitors of mitochondrial energy production and muscle contractions show that i) mitochondrial energy production is a prerequisite for surviving desiccation, ii) uncoupling the mitochondria abolishes tun formation, and iii) inhibiting the musculature impairs the ability to form viable tuns. We moreover provide a comparative analysis of the structural changes involved in tun formation, using a combination of cytochemistry, confocal laser scanning microscopy and 3D reconstructions as well as scanning electron microscopy. Our data reveal that the musculature mediates a structural reorganization vital for anhydrobiotic survival, and furthermore that maintaining structural integrity is essential for resumption of life following rehydration.