The synthesis of stereoselectively labelled porphobilinogen and its incorporation into protoporphyrin-IX

11-(R)-2H porphobilinogen, stereospecifically labelled with deuterium in the aminomethylene group has been incorporated into protoporphyrin-IX by haemolysates of chicken erythrocytes. High field NMR spectroscopy confirms that the overall biochemical process is stereospecific, deuterium being retained at the alpha-, gamma- and delta-meso positions and lost from the beta-meso position.     

The incorporation of carbon labelled precursors into the nucleic acids of various tissues in the intact rabbit

Résumé Les résultats expérimentaux montrent le degré d'incorporation du formate-¹⁴C, de l'adénine-8-¹⁴C et de la glycine-2-¹⁴C dans l'ADN et dans les ARN nucléaire et cytoplasmique de l'appendice, de la mlle osseuse, de la muqueuse intestinale, du rein, du foie, de la rate et du thymus du lapinin vivo.     

The incorporation of 8-14C-adenine and 8-14C-guanine into PNA ofRhodospirillum rubrum

Zusammenfassung Das molare Verhältnis von Guanin zu Adenin in PNA vonR. rubrum ist 1,23. Ganze Zellen vonR. rubrum verbinden sich mit¹⁴C-Adenin in gleichem Mengenverhältnis zu PNA-Adenin und -Guanin, mit¹⁴C-Guanin aber fast ausschliesslich zu PNA-Guanin.     

The synthesis of cross-linked dextran and its enzymatic hydrolysis

Zusammenfassung Durch Vernetzung von Dextran mit Diepoxid wurden wasserunlösliche Substanzen synthetisiert, welche nach Farbstoffbindung mit Cibacronblau ein besonders geeignetes Substrat für das Enzym Dextranase ergaben.     

The site of synthesis of hemocyanin in the crayfish,Astacus leptodactylus

Summary The in vitro incorporation of³⁵S-methionine into hemocyanin was tested in the crayfish,Astacus leptodactylus. All organs assayed (hemocytes, heart, hypodermis, midgut gland, muscle and stomach) were able to synthesize proteins under our experimental conditions, but only midgut gland (=hepatopancreas) incorporated labeled methionine into a protein which was precipitated by an antibody againstAstacus hemocyanin, and which comigrated with authentic hemocyanin on SDS gels.     

The incorporation of 4-14C-cholesterol into different cholesterol esters of the blood serum in man,guinea-pig,rat and rabbit

Zusammenfassung Die Bildung von Cholesterinester wurde in vitro im Serum verschiedener Species geprüft.     

The effect of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene on the incorporation of thymidine-H3 into deoxyribonucleic acid in normal and regenerating liver

Riassunto L'idrocarburo cancerogeno 7,12-dimetilbenz(a)antracene somministrato con iniezione endoperitoneale inibisce l'incorporazione della timidina nel DNA del fegato normale e del fegato rigenerante di ratto.     

Synthesis of L-[3-2H,18O]glycerol and its incorporation into the 4-methyl-5-hydroxyethyl thiazole moiety of thiamine byEscherichia coli

Summary L-[3-²H,¹⁸O]glycerol was prepared and fed toEscherichia coli in order to determine the origin of the oxygen atom in the biosynthesized thiazole moiety of thiamine. Measurement by GC-MS of the isotope incorporation into the thiazole from this substrate confirmed that the 2 hydrogens and the oxygen on the C-3 carbon of glycerol are incorporated directly into the thiazole.     

The structure and function of Escherichia coli penicillin-binding protein 3

Escherichia coli penicillin-binding protein PBP3 is a key element in cell septation. It is presumed to catalyse a transpeptidation reaction during biosynthesis of the septum peptidoglycan but, in vitro, its enzymatic activity has only been demonstrated with thiolester analogues of the natural peptide substrate. It has no detectable transglycosylase activity with lipid II as substrate. This tripartite protein is constructed of an N-terminal membrane anchor-containing module that is essential for cell septation, a non-penicillin-binding (n-PB) module of unknown function and a C-terminal penicillin-binding (PB) module exhibiting all the characteristic motifs of penicilloyl serine transferases. The n-PB module, which is required for the folding and stability of the PB module, may provide recognition sites for other cell division proteins. Initiation of septum formation is not PBP3-dependent but rests on the appearance of the FtsZ ring, and is thus penicillin-insensitive. The control of PBP3 activity during the cell cycle is briefly discussed.     

The effect of ethanol on the biosynthesis and regulation of opioid peptides

Summary Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are serious health problems. Alcohol is known to influence the activity of a number of biological systems, for example the hormonal and neuronal systems. One of the biological systems whose activity is greatly influenced by alcohol is the endogenous opiate system. Alcohol modifies the function of both opiate receptors and opioid peptides. In fact it has been proposed that many of the effects of ethanol are mediated by its effects on the endogenous opiate system. This review will present results from various laboratories on the effects of acute and chronic ethanol treatments on various species, and on the release, biosynthesis and post-translational processing of the endorphins, enkephalins and dynorphins, the three known families of endogenous opioid peptides. Furthermore, the effect of acute and chronic ethanol consumption on the -endorphin system in man, and the possible implications of the functional activity of the endogenous opiate system for the genetic predisposition to alcoholism will be discussed.     

A role for the hinge/ear domain of the β chains in the incorporation of AP complexes into clathrin-coated pits and coated vesicles

The clathrin-associated adaptor protein (AP) complexes drive the polymerization of clathrin in coated pits to form coated vesicles. It has previously been shown that the carboxyl-terminal hinge/ear domain of the β2 chain contains a binding site for clathrin and that removal of this domain from APs or from isolated β2 chains abrogates their ability to form clathrin coats in vitro. We show here that the hinge/ear domain is necessary for efficient incorporation of AP complexes into coated pits and coated vesicles in cells, a result that is consistent with the view that the β chains indeed provide an important interaction between the AP complexes and clathrin. Received 7 April 1997; received after revision 22 May 1997; accepted 28 May 1997     

In vitro biosynthesis of juvenile hormone III by the corpora allata ofCalliphora vomitoria and its role in ovarian maturation and sexual receptivity

Summary JH III is the only JH detected by GLC-MS in medium from in vitro incubations of corpora allata of adult females ofCalliphora vomitoria. When corpora allata were removed from females at various times during the reproductive cycle and the JH III produced by the glands in vitro measured by a JH III radioimmunoassay, an increase in the level of synthesis was found to occur before previtellogenesis (0–24 h). A second increase appeared at the onset of vitellogenesis (72–83 h) and continued until the end of vitellogenesis (96 h) and the occurrence of chorionation (120 h). Since sexual receptivity develops with vitellogenesis, the significantly higher levels of JH III biosynthesis in vitro at this time supports a possible role for JH in the acquisitive of receptivity.     

The uses and abuses of ‘consensus’ forecasts

Clemen's (1989) review of the forecast-combining literature amply illustrates both the interest in and the importance of this subject. This article stresses the tautological properties of various consensus measures that assure their success relative to most individual forecasts. It confirms the finding of earlier studies that for each specific macroeconomic variable roughly one-third of individual forecasters are more accurate than a consensus. However, each individual does relatively poorly for some variable while the consensus, in contrast, necessarily never fails relative to most individuals. These results, like most previous studies, describe consensus measures that are synthetic constructs derived from a pre-existing set of individual forecasts. Strictly speaking, this contemporaneous consensus is not available to individual forecasters when their forecasts are made. A prior consensus measure, which is in their information sets, was relatively much less accurate than the contemporaneous measure. Nevertheless, a small subset of individual forecasters were generally inferior to the known, prior consensus forecast.     

环境相容性农药发展的必然性和可能途径

农药是农业生产的重要物资,发展环境相容性农药是农药发展的必然趋势,这是环境保护和农业可持续发展以及农药自身发展的要求所决定的。对已经存在的农药品种进行制剂和改进施药器械以及围绕施药器械改进施药技术,使农药减少对环境、对施药者的危害,这是发展环境相容性农药的一条有效和简便的途径。更根本的途径在于作为农药的化合物本身。大力发展生物源农药,直接利用生物材料作为农药以及筛选生物中存在的活性物质作为先导化合物开发新型农药,是目前研究开发环境容性农药的有益途径。另辟蹊径,在研制的思路上创新,在研制方法上采用高新技术,是必须要走的道路。在生物源材料中筛选先导化合物,可采用“由源到果”之路,采用“由果到源”之路则更有效。新药筛选中的生物测定技术,随着农药的角色特征的转变而改变,也随着农药作用靶标的改变而改变。基因组学、生物信息学、组合化学、基因芯片、高通量筛选等现代技术的发展有利于促进新农药的发展。     

The life cycle of neutral lipids: synthesis, storage and degradation

Triacylglycerols (TAGs), steryl esters (SEs) and wax esters (WEs) form the group of neutral lipids. Whereas TAGs are present in all types of cell, the occurrence of SEs in prokaryotes is questionable, and the presence of WEs as storage molecules is restricted to plants and a few bacteria. Here, we summarize recent knowledge on the formation, storage and degradation of TAGs and SEs in various cell types. We describe the biochemical pathways involved in TAG and SE synthesis and discuss the subcellular compartmentation of these processes. Recently, several novel enzymes governing the metabolism of storage lipids have been identified and characterized. Regulatory aspects of neutral lipid storage are just beginning to be understood. Finally, we describe consequences of defects in neutral lipid metabolism. Since severe diseases like atherosclerosis, obesity and type 2 diabetes are caused by lipid accumulation, mechanisms underlying neutral lipid synthesis, depot formation and mobilization are of major interest for curing such diseases that are increasingly associated with modern civilization. Received 18 January 2006; received after revision 7 March 2006; accepted 16 March 2006