The influence of alkyl pyridinium sponge toxins on membrane properties, cytotoxicity, transfection and protein expression in mammalian cells

The ability of two alkyl pyridinium sponge toxin preparations (poly-APS and halitoxin) to form transient pores/lesions in cell membranes and allow transfection of plasmid cDNA have been investigated using HEK 293 cells. Poly-APS and halitoxin preparations caused a collapse in membrane potential, reductions in input resistance and increased Ca²⁺ permeability. At least partial recovery was observed after poly-APS application but recovery was more rarely seen with halitoxin. The transfection with plasmid cDNAs for an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and human tumour necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) was assessed for both toxin preparations and compared with lipofectamine. Stable transfection was achieved with poly-APS although it was less efficient than lipofectamine. These results show that viable cells transfected with alien cDNA can be obtained using novel transient pore-forming alkyl pyridinium sponge toxins and a simple pre-incubation protocol. This provides the first proof of principle that pore-forming alkyl pyridinium compounds can be used to deliver cDNA to the intracellular environment without permanently compromising the plasma membrane.     

SOME REMARKS ON CHENJIAWO FAUNA──On the First Appearance of Peking Man Fauna

I.CORRELATIONBETWEENL0ESSSECTI0NAND0XYGENIS0TOPESTAGESIntheYuanloessarea,manyscientiststhinkthatthesedimentsarecontinuousandtheclimaticrecordsareperfect.Thisdoesnotappeartobeaccurate.Sedimentationwasdiscontinuousinmanysections.Forexample,manyscientistsarguethatS2corresp0ndstooxygenisot0peStage7(Liu,l985,KuklaandAn,l989;Dingetal.,l990).lnfact,S2includesthreelayersfS2SSl,S2LLlandS2SS2.Dingetal.(l990)reportedthatthereisathickunitofloessbetweenS2SSlandS2SS2intheBaicao…     

Palaeocommunity Dynamics and Behavioral Analysis of Conichnus: Bhuj Formation (Lower Cretaceous),Kachchh-India

A palaeocommunity of large Conichnus conicus, a conical, cone-in-cone shaped burrow, created by sea anemones, occurs in medium-grained, crossbedded, well-sorted sandstone in the middle part of the Cretaceous Guneri Member of the Bhuj Formation in India. The trace fossil Conichnus is considered to be a common element of the Skolithos ichnofacies and is interpreted to reflect equilibrium movement in response to substrate aggradation. In the present study, three different varieties of Conichnus conicus are distinguished based on morphology and internal fabric. Community dynamics and burrowing behavior are revealed by inter-burrow relationships, burrow initiation levels and sedimentology. Three types of behavior are envisaged: retrusive equilibrium, protrusive equilibrium response, and escape behavior. Palaeocommunity dynamics show that the tracemakers consisted of only adult organisms that initiated burrows during neap tides and are adapted to feed effectively during weak flow conditions. The occurrence of Conichnus palaeocommunity in the Guneri Member indicates the tidal conditions in a fully marine setting. Results presented herein may aid in the understanding of palaeocommunity dynamics in other shallow marine sequences.     

haemolysin of Escherichia coli: Comparison of pore-forming properties between chromosome and plasmid-encoded haemolysins

Abstract Lipid bilayer experiments were performed with chromosome-encoded haemolysin of Escherichia coli . The addition of the toxin to the aqueous phase bathing lipid bilayer membranes of asolectin resulted in the formation of transient ion-permeable channels with two states at small transmembrane voltages. One is prestate (single-channel conductance 40 pS in 0.15 M KCl) of the open state, which had a single-channel conductance of 420 pS in 0.15 M KCl and a mean lifetime of 30 s. Membranes formed of pure lipids were rather inactive targets for this haemolysin. Experiments with different salts suggested that the haemolysin channel was highly cation-selective at neutral pH. The mobility sequence of the cations in the channel was similar if not identical to their mobility sequence in the aqueous phase. The single-channel data were consistent with a wide, water-filled channel with an estimated minimal diameter of about 1 nm. The pore-forming properties of chromosome-encoded haemolysin were compared with those of plasmid-encoded haemolysin. Both toxins share common features, oligomerize probably to form pores in lipid bilayer membranes. Both types of haemolysin channels have similar properties but different lifetimes.     

山西永济白草坪组具刺疑源类的发现及其地质意义

该文着重报道了山西永济白草坪组(一般认为系中元古界上部相当于蓟县系的层位),以具刺疑源类为主的微化石群,计有4类6属15种,其中包括1新属,4新种,1新组合,1亲近种,2未定种,新属是具细网状纹饰的复杂具刺疑源类Shuiyousphaeridium Yan gen.nov.,4新种是Shuiyousphaeridium membraniferum Yan sp.nov.,Dictyosphaera incrassate Yan sp.nov.,Foliomorpha stipuliferaYan sp.nov.,Manicosiphoninema shuiyouense Yan sp.nov.。本微化石群以球形疑源类为主体,以具刺疑源类的大量发育为特征,并伴生有推测是绿藻和褐藻的化石,其组合面貌与蓟县上前寒武系各组皆有明显区别,具有更高的进化程度,从生物地层标志推测白草坪组所在的汝阳群应归入震旦系。白草坪组具刺疑源类可能是横裂甲藻的原始分子,它在地层对比和藻类进化方面皆具有重要意义。     

尼泊尔克里雅(Churia)群之比奈科拉(Binai Khola)组下段轮藻化石的发现及其意义

该文研究的轮藻化石采自尼泊尔中西部阿龙科拉地区的比奈科拉组下段。轮藻化石有Nitellopsis (Tectochara)globula(Madler)Grambast et Soulie-Marsche,Chara molassica Straub,C.gigantofusiformis(Yang),Rantzieniella binaiensis sp.nov.,Gyrogona arungensis sp.nov.和Lychnotharnnuspseudoodea(Berger)Soulie-Marsche等,此轮藻化石植物群属新第三纪,可能为中新世晚期。克里雅群轮藻的研究将增添南亚新第三纪地质生态研究的内容。     

Révision d'?Orthis? berthoisiRouault, 1849Orthida (Brachiopoda) de l'Ordovicien du Massif Armoricain

Since it is impossible to state about any genericassignment for Orthis berthoisiRouault, 1849the species name is herein restricted to original specimens figured by the author. The study of the Brachiopods from the St-Germain-sur-Ille Formation allows to confirm the first determination by De Tromelin &Lebesconte (1875)and to establish their conspecificity with Orthis berthoisi var. erratica described in 1869 by Davidson from the Budleigh-Salterton pebbles. The successive assignment of the species erratica to the genus Svobodaina(Cocks, 1978) then to Corineorthis(Cocks & Lockley, 1981) is discussed. The attribution to the genus DrabovinellaHavlicek, 1951appears most likely.     

Vegetation succession on the dunes near Oostvoorne,The Netherlands,since 1934, interpreted from air photographs and vegetation maps

The vegetation succession on the dunes near Oostvoorne, The Netherlands has been followed by means of a novel combination of repeated large-scale vegetation mapping and air photograph interpretation. Vegetation units have been discerned on the formation level because these could be distinguished fairly easily on the photographs and because the rates of change are appropriate to the time interval chosen. Nineteen formations were distinguished. Five 1:6250 maps were constructed, reflecting the formation pattern in 1934, 1943, 1959, 1972 and 1980. An overlay with 2736 grid points at 25 m field distance was used to quantify changes in the formation pattern.The results suggest a pronounced multiple pathway succession with nevertheless three principal trajectories of succession from pioneer to woodland vegetation. The outer dunes, which have originated since 1910, are distinct in successional characteristics from the inner dunes, which already existed but were released from heavy grazing pressure in 1910. The rate of change in the outer dunes was high in the beginning and is slowly decreasing eversince. In the inner dunes it went the other way around. Through visual extrapolation the likely formation patterns in 1910 and in 2000 were estimated.Transition frequencies proved highly variable for most formations. Moreover, strong spatial dependence was found. Limitations in the use of Markov models in cases of long-term succession in heterogeneous environments are discussed.Nomenclature follows the same sources as in van der Maarel et al. (1984).Field work carried out 1980–1981 when the authors were at the Division of Geobotany, University of Nijmegen. We thank Jos Rijntjes, Nijmegen, for his cooperation in the field. Vegetation maps were prepared and calculations performed at Uppsala. We thank the Foundation Het Zuid-Hollands Landschap, Rotterdam, for providing facilities and a grant for fieldwork as well as additional means to reproduce the vegetation maps. Two reviewers gave useful comments.     

Effects of terbium on the hemocyanin pore formation rate in phosphatidylcholine planar bilayers

Megathura crenulata hemocyanin forms ionic channels in planar lipid bilayer membranes. It was found that hemocyanin is more potent as a channel former if TbCl₃ is added to the bathing solution. Furthermore membranes separating symmetrical TbCl₃ solutions show a pore formation rate which depends exponentially on the applied voltage, positive potentials favouring the insertion of new channels. The slope of this voltage dependence, which gives a measure of the effective charge displaced during the incorporation of one channel, increases and saturates with TbCl₃ concentration. The dose response curve indicates that binding of Tb³⁺ to the phosphatidylcholine bilayer is involved in creating the effective charge.