Periplasmic superoxide dismutases in Aquaspirillum magnetotacticum

Aquaspirillum magnetotacticum MS-1 cells cultured microaerobically (dissolved O₂ tension 1% of saturation), expressed proteins with superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. The majority (roughly 95%) of total cell superoxide dismutase activity was located in the cell periplasm with little or no activity in the cell cytoplasm. Irontype SOD (FeSOD) contributed 88% of the total activity activity detected, although a manganese-type SOD (MnSOD) was present in the periplasm as well. Cells cultured at a higher dissolved O₂ tension (10% of saturation) expressed increased activity of the MnSOD relative to that of the FeSOD.     

Comparison of 60-Hz electric fields and incandescent light as aversive stimuli controlling the behavior of rats

Rats were exposed to two procedures which enabled them to press a lever to turn off a 90 or 100 kV/m 60-Hz electric field or, later in the study, illumination from an incandescent lamp. Under one procedure, a response turned off the stimulus for a fixed duration, after which the stimulus was turned on again. A response during the off-period restarted the fixed duration. None of the rats turned the field off reliably. Next, under an alternative procedure, pressing one lever turned the field off; pressing the other lever turned it back on; responding under those conditions differed little from that seen at 0 kV/m. Under both procedures, when illumination from an incandescent lamp served as the stimulus, each rat did turn the stimulus off, and performances varied with stimulus intensity. The results show that a 100 kV/m 60-Hz electric field is not sufficient to function as an aversive stimulus under two procedures where illumination from a lamp does function as an aversive stimulus.     

Chronic exposure to ELF fields may induce depression

Exposure to extremely-low-frequency (ELF) electric or magnetic fields has been postulated as a potentially contributing factor in depression. Epidemiologic studies have yielded positive correlations between magnetic- and/or electric-field strengths in local environments and the incidence of depression-related suicide. Chronic exposure to ELF electric or magnetic fields can disrupt normal circadian rhythms in rat pineal serotonin-N-acetyltransferase activity as well as in serotonin and melatonin concentrations. Such disruptions in the circadian rhythmicity of pineal melatonin secretion have been associated with certain depressive disorders in human beings. In the rat, ELF fields may interfere with tonic aspects of neuronal input to the pineal gland, giving rise to what may be termed "functional pinealectomy." If long-term exposure to ELF fields causes pineal dysfunction in human beings as it does in the rat, such dysfunction may contribute to the onset of depression or may exacerbate existing depressive disorders.     

Effect of electrical fields and external ionic currents on pollen-tube orientation

Summary Agapanthus umbelatus pollen tubes (PTs) display a number of different growth patterns when germinated in an electric field of 750 mV· mm^–1. When pollen is germinated near the cathode (82.44% of orientation to the cathode side) or near the anode (55.35% of orientation to the anode), growth is oriented parallel to the applied field but when germinated at an intermediate position, there is random growth. An increase and decrease in the orientation rates as well as reversion of the polarized growth were observed when the growth conditions were systematically altered. These findings reflect the influence of different ionic currents present in the germination medium. These ionic currents induce the formation of ionic gradients, which were monitored by ion-HPLC. The individual omission of Ca²⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺ and Cl^– suppresses or alters the oriented growth pattern. The presence of ionic gradients is not by itself suficient to trigger the polarization of tube growth as the presence of an electric field which drives the ionic currents is essential for this to occur.Abbreviations PT Pollen tube - DNS 3,5-dinitro salycilic acid; - TP transient polarization - HPLC high precision liquid chroma tography - DC direct current     

Alkaline phosphatase activities of anAnabaena sp. from deep-water rice

Anabaena sp. grew with mono- and di-ester phosphate compounds as sources of phosphate, indicating the presence of phosphomonoesterase (PMEase) and phosphodiesterase (PDEase) activities. Cell-bound PMEase and PDEase activities were detected during growth in 0.5 and 10 mg PO₄l^–1 only when the cellular phosphate concentration fell to 0.46% of cell protein and the activities increased as cellular phosphate content decreased. The K_m values for these enzymes were 0.3mm forp-nitrophenyl phosphate and 0.2mm for bis-p-nitrophenyl phosphate, respectively. Only PMEase activity was found extracellularly. The pH optima for PMEase and PDEase were 10.2 and 10.4, respectively, and the temperature optima at pH 10.2 were 37°C and 40°C, respectively. Ca²⁺ increased the enzyme activities while Zn²⁺ caused marked inhibition. The inorganic phosphate repressed the cellular PMEase activity after a lag of 4 h.     

Modification of the 1979 "Denver wire code" for different wire or plumbing types.

This article examines "wire configuration coding" as used to estimate relative residential AC magnetic field exposure in epidemiological studies--and the need to alter such coding for time or locations other than those in which the code was developed. Effects of different secondary wire practices are particularly examined.     

Anatomy,neurophysiology and functional aspects of the nucleus isthmi in salamanders of the family Plethodontidae

Summary Tongue-projecting plethodontid salamanders have massive direct ipsilateral retinal afferents to the tectum opticum as well as a large and well developed nucleus isthmi. Retrograde staining revealed two subnuclei: A ventral one projecting to the contralateral tectal hemisphere and a dorsal one projecting back to the ipsilateral side. The isthmic nuclei show a retinotopic organization, which is in register with that of the tectum. Electrophysiological recordings from nucleus-isthmi neurons revealed response properties that are very similar to those found in tectal neurons. Thus, there is no substantial processing of tectal neural activity in the nucleus isthmi. Measurements of peak latencies after electrical and light stimulation suggest the continuous coexistence of 4 representations of the visual field in the tectum mediated by (1) the contralateral and (2) the ipsilateral direct retinal afferents, (3) the uncrossed and (4) the crossed isthmo-tectal projection. (1) and (2) originate at the same moment in the retina and arrive simultaneously in the tectum. It is assumed that in plethodontid salamanders with massive ipsilateral retino-tectal projections depth perception based on disparity cues is achieved by comparison of these images.Representations mediated by (3) and (4) arriving in the tectum at the same time as (1) and (2) originate 10–30 ms earlier in the retina. It is hypothesized that these time differences between (1)/(2) and (3)/(4) are used to calculate three-dimensional trajectories of fast-moving prey objects.Abbreviations EL edge length - FDA fluoresceine dextranamine - RDA tetramethylrhodamine dextranamine - RF receptive field     

60-Hz electric fields: detection by female rats

Female rats were trained to detect a vertical, 60-Hz electric field using the same apparatus and procedure we used previously to study behavioral detection of the field by male rats. Each rat was trained individually to press a lever in the presence of the field and not to press in its absence. Correct detections occasionally produced a food pellet. The probability of detecting the field increased as field strength increased. The threshold of detection--ie, the field strength required for detections at a probability of 0.5 after correction for errors--varied among rats between 3 and 10 kV/m. Behavioral detection by female rats was indistinguishable from that by male rats.     

Optically detected magnetic resonance in lysozyme: evidence for three phosphorescent TRP residues

The Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance spectrum of lysozyme has been shown to consist of a multiplet of narrow components, at -1565 MHz, 1585 MHz, and 1620 MHz. The 1585 MHz component is the strongest feature of the spectrum. This is consistent with earlier reports which apparently resolved only this principal component in lysozyme. The linewidths reported here are the narrowest ever reported for tryptophan in proteins. Using Microwave-Induced Phosphorescence techniques, the dominant 1585 MHz line is seen to be coupled to a "narrow" phosphorescence emission component at about 4134A. This component has a bandwidth of about 25A compared to 42A for the normal O-O band for tryptophan in lysozyme.