Kinetics of the reaction of yolk cell surface in the loach to puncture and mechanic deformation

Circumferential and radial components of the yolk cell surface movements were measured in the loach embryos at the late blastula stage within 40–50 min after puncture or indentation by an obliquely directed glass rod. The yolk cell surface was preliminarily marked by coal particles. It was shown that even closely located regions of the surface differed markedly in the rate and direction of their movements. In the vicinity of puncture, the yolk cell surface at first contracted in both circumferential and radial directions and then widened, but did not reach the initial values. In more remote areas, this surface continued to contract in the circumferential direction, but was extended in the radial direction. The degree of its contraction along different radii was unequal. The reaction to oblique indentation was anisotropic: the closest area of the yolk cell surface, located along the direction of indentation, contracted in both circumferential and radial directions and formed a fold “leaking” onto the rod, while the opposite area contracted in the circumferential direction, but extended in the radial direction. A conclusion was drawn that the yolk cell surface is a multivariant mechanosensitive system. Its active responses to mechanical influences obey the same patterns as multicellular embryonic tissues.     

Involvement of the Lipopolysaccharides of Azospirilla in the Interaction with Wheat Seedling Roots

The present study was undertaken to comparatively investigate the attachment capacities of Azospirillum brasilenseSp245 and its lipopolysaccharide-defective Omegon-Km mutants KM018 and KM252, as well as their activities with respect to the alteration of the morphology of wheat seedling root hairs. The adsorption dynamics of the parent Sp245 and mutant KM252 strains of azospirilla on the seedling roots of the soft spring wheat cv. Saratovskaya 29 were similar; however, the attachment capacity of the mutant KM252 was lower than that of the parent strain throughout the incubation period (15 min to 48 h). The mutation led to a considerable decrease in the hydrophobicity of the Azospirillumcell surface. The lipopolysaccharides extracted from the outer membrane of A. brasilenseSp245 and mutant cells with hot phenol and purified by chromatographic methods were found to induce the deformation of the wheat seedling root hairs, the lipopolysaccharide of the parent strain being the most active in this respect. The role of the carbohydrate moiety of lipopolysaccharides in the interaction of Azospirillumcells with plants is discussed.     

Complementarity of particles and pits in freeze-fractured hepatic and cardiac gap junctions

Summary Particles and pits of freeze-fractured gap junctions are considered as complementary structures despite the frequent observations of more regular and closer spacings of pits, ascribed to plastic deformation of particle arrays. Recently, however, the noncomplementarity of pits and particles in Purkinje fibers has been reported. To ascertain the relationship between both structures, gap junctions from fixed, cryoprotected liver and myocardium were investigated using spacing and density measurements and complementary replicas.In hepatocyte gap junctions, the center-to-center distances (mean±sd) among pits, 9.57±1.49 nm, and particles, 9.70±1.77 nm, are not significantly different. Density determinations yielded a slightly higher value for the pits, (11,510±830)/m², than for the particles, (11,230±950)/m². In the myocardium, the spacing of the regularly arrayed pits, 9.55±1.33 nm barely exceeds the value of 9.44±1.62 nm for the particles, which show some clustering. However, the packing density for the pits, (10,090±740)/m², appears a little higher than that of the particles (9,890±920)/m². As density and spacing measurements provided no decisive answers, the positions of individual pits and particles of complementary junctional faces were recorded on transparent sheets and compared. In this fashion, a one-to-one correspondence between particles and pits could be established, while small discrepancies may be attributed to plastic deformation. Moreover, the collinearity of pits and particles may be suggested by the observation of a platinum grain in the center of many pits.     

用杀虫双大粒剂防治水稻二化螟和三化螟的研究

本文报告一种防治水稻螟虫的杀虫双新剂型和使用效果.含有效成份5%的杀虫双大粒剂,每公斤含2000粒左右,在每亩1—1.25公斤的用量下,药效显著优于六六六、呋喃丹及杀虫脒等残留和高毒性农药.处理一亩田只需数分钟.在七个县和四个农场共266440亩稻田的示范试验中,防治效果达84.5—100%.杀虫双在田水中扩散迅速,24小时内即可扩散分布到全田.持效期较长,可达两周之久.但在蝗虫已蛀入稻茎后施用大粒剂,有效施药期只有3—4天.本文对杀虫双大粒剂的使用技术进行了经济效益、社会效益和生态效益方面的评价.     

Effects of fronto-occipital artificial cranial vault modification on the cranial base and face.

Artificial reshaping of the cranial vault has been practiced by many human groups and provides a natural experiment in which the relationships of neurocranial, cranial base, and facial growth can be investigated. We test the hypothesis that fronto-occipital artificial reshaping of the neurocranial vault results in specific changes in the cranial base and face. Fronto-occipital reshaping results from the application of pads or a cradle board which constrains cranial vault growth, limiting growth between the frontal and occipital and allowing compensatory growth of the parietals in a mediolateral direction. Two skeletal series including both normal and artificially modified crania are analyzed, a prehistoric Peruvian Ancon sample (47 normal, 64 modified crania) and a Songish Indian sample from British Columbia (6 normal, 4 modified). Three-dimensional coordinates of 53 landmarks were measured with a diagraph and used to form 9 finite elements as a prelude to finite element scaling analysis. Finite element scaling was used to compare average normal and modified crania and the results were evaluated for statistical significance using a bootstrap test. Fronto-occipitally reshaped Ancon crania are significantly different from normal in the vault, cranial base, and face. The vault is compressed along an anterior-superior to posterior-inferior axis and expanded along a mediolateral axis in modified individuals. The cranial base is wider and shallower in the modified crania and the face is foreshortened and wider with the anterior orbital rim moving inferior and posterior towards the cranial base. The Songish crania display a different modification of the vault and face, indicating that important differences may exist in the morphological effects of fronto-occipital reshaping from one group to another.     

Epicuticular wax of Poa ampla leaves

Leaf wax of a glaucous variety of Poa ampla contains hydrocarbons (5%, C₂₃–C₃₅), esters (9%, C₃₆–C₅₆), free acids (3%, C₁₆–C₃₄), free alcohols (6%, mainly C₂₆); hentriacontane-14,16-dione (14%), 5-oxohentriacontane-14,16-dione (1%); hydroxy β-diketones (56%) and unidentified material (6%). The hydroxy β-diketones, which are more abundant in this wax than in others, were shown by ¹³C NMR to consist of 4-hydroxy (15%), 5-hydroxy (70%) and 6-hydroxy (15%) hentriacontane-14,16-diones.     

Artificial cranial deformation and the increased complexity of the lambdoid suture

Studies examining an association between artificial cranial deformation and the presence of wormian bones in the lambdoid suture have been inconclusive. Cranial deformation, however, does not seem to have a direct effect of increasing the sutural complexity of the pars lambdica of the lambdoid suture and also increasing the mean number of lambdoidal wormian bones, given their presence.     

25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels in Turkish geriatric population: A nationwide study

BackgroundAcross the world, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) deficiency is a major health problem associated with many chronic diseases in the geriatric population. Prior to this study, there were no data regarding 25-OHD levels among individuals over the age of 65 in Turkey. The aim of this study was to assess 25-OHD levels and seasonal variations in these values among people over the age of 65 in Turkey.MethodsThis study included vitamin D measurements taken in 2016, 2017, and 2018 from the Turkish population over the age of 65. The age, gender, and seasonal average data of the study population were defined. The study data were obtained from the database of the Ministry of Health, and a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to assess the distribution of the data. Medians and interquartile ranges (IQRs) were calculated for all categories, as the data were nonparametric.ResultsThe number of vitamin D measurements taken from the geriatric individuals included in this study was 305,329 for 2016, 576,452 for 2017, and 752,837 for 2018. The medians and IQRs of the 25-OHD levels in this population were 16 μg/L (IQR 7.45-24.55 μg/L) for 2016, 16.1 μg/L (IQR 7.8-24.4 μg/L) for 2017, and 16.4 μg/L (IQR 8.95-23.85 μg/L) for 2018.ConclusionsWhile the 25-OHD levels of older men tended to increase during the period of seasonal sunlight in Turkey, this variability was observed in elderly women. This suggests that older women tend to live more sedentary lives and have insufficient sun exposure. Overall, the median 25-OHD levels of individuals over the age of 65 tended to decrease each year.     

哺乳动物中Kelch超家族蛋白的结构与功能

在不同生物体,如病毒、植物、真菌和哺乳动物中,几百种含Kelch构象的蛋白质已经被鉴定出来了,但大部分此类蛋白质的功能未知.而在哺乳动物中,已经有接近41种Kelch蛋白被报道.这些蛋白质在体内参与了很多重要的生理过程.根据Kelch蛋白的域结构不同,把这些哺乳动物中的Kelch蛋白分成了三类(BTB/Kelch蛋白,只含有Kelch结构域的蛋白质,及含其他结构域的Kelch蛋白),并把其已知的功能大致划分为5类:介导蛋白质-蛋白质的相互作用、参与蛋白质降解、信号传导、胞外功能及其他等.另外还认为Keap 1的Kelch结构域其晶体结构应该是研究哺乳动物Kelch蛋白的一个很好的参考模型.     

大数据时代杂合酶的设计及其新趋势

酶分子的高效性和稳定性是工业广泛应用的物质基础。利用分子生物学技术可以将不同酶分子通过串联、插入、翻译后融合等方式构建成符合工业需求的杂合酶,但应用中多结构域杂合酶在表达量与酶活等方面仍存在弊端,而基于特定蛋白质结构域的多功能设计成为新趋势。高通量测序技术的发展,使得生物学家正面临着爆炸式增长的大数据集。近年来"蛋白质功能区"概念的提出,拓宽了人们对蛋白质结构与功能组织层次的认知,功能区残基聚簇的协同演化可导致同一家族不同蛋白质功能的差异。基于海量大数据分析可以快速定位特定功能区以及协同进化的关键位点,再利用合成生物学技术就可实现多种功能残基在同一蛋白质中的精准嫁接,完成天然酶分子的再设计。这将是杂合酶技术发展的新阶段,也会成为生物大数据时代下蛋白质设计的新趋势。