A new method for demonstrating argyrophil cells of the pancreas and intestines

A new method for demonstrating argyrophil cells of the pancreas and intestinal tract using a combined silver and reducing solution in sections of formaldehyde fixed tissue is described. Impregnating sections in a 60 C water bath, the procedure takes about 25 min. A microwave version that takes about 5 min is also given. Results are similar to those obtained with the Grimelius method for argyrophil cells.     

Estimation of the stability of globular proteins

The interpretation of ΔG (the free energy change for the reaction, globular conformation ? randomly coiled conformation, in the absence of denaturant), in terms of the free energies of transfer of various parts of the protein molecule from water to denaturant solution, is unsatisfactory because the latter are assumed to be identical to the transfer-free energies of similar groups attached to smaller model compounds. We have made empirical adjustments to transfer-free energy theory that make possible linear extrapolation of the free energy of denaturation of a protein from transition region to zero denaturant concentration. The modified theory, used to analyze the denaturation of proteins by guanidine hydrochloride and urea, allowed us to calculate reasonable values for Δα, the average change in accessibility to solvent of the component groups of protein.     

Thermodynamic stability of proteins in salt solutions: A comparison of the effectiveness of protein stabilizers

The denaturation of proteins by guanidine hydrochloride was studied in the presence of different concentrations of stabilizing salts, namely potassium phosphate, ammonium sulfate, and potassium acetate. The denaturation transition was followed by observing changes in the peptide circular dichroism atpH 7.0 and 25°C. From these results the free energy of stabilization for the process native denatured was determined. It was found that the stabilizing power of the anions increased in the order acetate < sulfate < phosphate, in agreement with the anionic lyotropic series. Ribonuclease A, which is known to have a site that can bind either a phosphate or a sulfate ion, showed a larger stabilization by these anions than that for lysozyme, pepsinogen, and myoglobin.     

Leaf nutrients in relation to stature and life form in tropical rain forest

Abstract. To document the relationship between a plant's position in the canopy and its leaf nutrient content, leaf nitrogen and phosphorus were determined for 30 species growing in mature evergreen lowland rain forest at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. Species that grow either in the understory, midstory, or the canopy were selected. Species were further separated into three life forms: self-supporting monocots, self-supporting dicots, and climbers. Mass-based nutrient concentrations were expected to decrease with stature, as has been reported in studies of other forests. In fact, mass-based nitrogen and phosphorus did not vary significantly among the three adult-stature classes, although area-based values differed greatly: canopy plants averaged 60 % more nitrogen and 90 % more phosphorus per unit leaf area than understory plants. Differences in leaf characteristics were evident among the three life forms. Most notably, area-based phosphorus and leaf specific mass were lowest in climbers, intermediate in self-supporting dicots, and highest in self-supporting monocots. These results support the characterization of climbers as investing in inexpensive structures, perhaps in order to gain competitive advantage in light capture by allocating resources to maximize elongation rates.     

Justinian II and Carmagnola: a Byzantine rhinoplasty?

The Carmagnola statue, although undoubtedly a Byzantine Emperor, still holds its secret as to who it actually represents, and how his nose got that way. Our tentative conclusions concerning the possibility of Justinian's Indian nasal reconstruction only raise other questions. If Justinian Rhinometos did have a nasal reconstruction, how was the knowledge of the technique transmitted from northern India to the Byzantine Empire by the end of the 7th century? And if Justinian did have his "rhinokopia" surgically corrected, would this represent the first case of nasal reconstruction in the western world, 900 years before the triumphs of Tagliacozzi?     

Phosphorylation-dependent changes in the spatial relationship between Ca-ATPase polypeptide chains in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes.

In order to investigate possible structural changes associated with the coupling mechanisms of the Ca-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes, we have utilized fluorescence resonance energy transfer between spectroscopic probes covalently bound to different domains of the ATPase. Using time-correlated single photon counting, we have directly measured the energy transfer efficiency between 5-[2-[(iodoacetyl)amino]ethyl]aminonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (IAEDANS), that is specifically bound to the B trypic fragment at cysteines 670 and 674 and acceptors covalently bound either near the nucleotide binding site, i.e. fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate at lysine 515, also on the B fragment, or maleimide-directed probes specifically located on the A1, tryptic fragment, i.e. 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene-4'-maleimide (DABmal) or fluorescein-5-maleimide (Fmal), probably at cysteines 344 and 364. All of these donor-acceptor pairs exhibit energy transfer both within and between Ca-ATPase molecules allowing us to investigate spatial relationships between the A1 and B domains and between different ATPase polypeptide chains. Differentiation between the intra- and intermolecular components of energy transfer was accomplished in two ways: 1) by comparing the transfer efficiencies in native membranes before and after detergent solubilization and 2) by reconstituting ATPase chains that have already been labeled with either the donor or acceptor chromophores. Using this approach, we find no significant change in the intramolecular transfer efficiency between any of these donor-acceptor pairs either upon binding of calcium to the high affinity sites or upon stabilization of the phosphoenzyme intermediate, indicating that there are no large structural changes within the B tryptic fragment or, alternatively, between the A1 and B fragments. With respect to intermolecular energy transfer, we observe no effect of calcium binding on the unliganded enzyme with either donor-acceptor pair. However, formation of the phosphoenzyme intermediate results in a measurable increase in the transfer efficiency between IAEDANS and DABmal (or Fmal); this increase is reversible upon phosphoenzyme destabilization by subsequent addition of calcium. There is no corresponding change in the intermolecular component of fluorescence resonance energy transfer between IAEDANS and fluorescein 5-isothiocyanate, indicating that the change in fluorescence resonance energy transfer probably occurs as a result of reorientation of associated ATPase polypeptide chains with respect to one another.