A creature with a hundred waggly tails: intrinsically disordered proteins in the ribosome

Intrinsic disorder (i.e., lack of a unique 3-D structure) is a common phenomenon, and many biologically active proteins are disordered as a whole, or contain long disordered regions. These intrinsically disordered proteins/regions constitute a significant part of all proteomes, and their functional repertoire is complementary to functions of ordered proteins. In fact, intrinsic disorder represents an important driving force for many specific functions. An illustrative example of such disorder-centric functional class is RNA-binding proteins. In this study, we present the results of comprehensive bioinformatics analyses of the abundance and roles of intrinsic disorder in 3,411 ribosomal proteins from 32 species. We show that many ribosomal proteins are intrinsically disordered or hybrid proteins that contain ordered and disordered domains. Predicted globular domains of many ribosomal proteins contain noticeable regions of intrinsic disorder. We also show that disorder in ribosomal proteins has different characteristics compared to other proteins that interact with RNA and DNA including overall abundance, evolutionary conservation, and involvement in protein–protein interactions. Furthermore, intrinsic disorder is not only abundant in the ribosomal proteins, but we demonstrate that it is absolutely necessary for their various functions.     

A contribution to the evaluation of the glucose tolerance test

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine abgeänderte Formel für die Berechnung der Glukose-Clearance nach intravenöser Applikation vorgeschlagen.Das arithmetische Mittel und die Standardabweichung der Clearancewerte bei Gesunden betragen 220,56±54,9 ml/min, das heisst 3,29±0,92 ml/min/kg Körpergewicht.     

A contribution to the problem of the haem-protein linkage in haemoglobin

Résumé L'histidine inhibe la combinaison de l'oxygène avec l'hémoglobine. L'analyse de la courbe, donnant la relation entre lat _u des courbes de dissociation d'oxygène et la concentration de l'histidine, donne pour résultat qu'une molécule de histidine déplace deux molécules d'oxygène. On peut conclure que les hèmes s'attachent à la partie protéinique de l'hémoglobine par un seul groupement d'imidazole.      

A contribution to the temperature sensitivity of Lorenzinian ampullae of Elasmobranchs

Zusammenfassung In einigen isolierten infraorbitalen Lorenzinischen Ampullen von Katzenhaien wurden Rezeptoren gefunden, deren Erregungsmuster bei Temperatursprüngen dem Verhalten von Warmrezeptoren bei Warmblütern entspricht. Bei einer Reihe von Ampullen, die wie Kaltrezeptoren reagierten, wurde nach Kälteoder Wärmesprüngen ein adaptives Verhalten beobachtet, das von der bisher beschriebenen Reaktionsweise der Lorenzinischen Ampullen bei Temperaturänderungen abweicht.     

Physically locating the present: A case of reading physics as a contribution to philosophy

By means of an example, special relativity and presentism, I argue for the importance of reading history of physics as a contribution to philosophy, and for the fruitfulness of this approach to doing integrated history and philosophy of science. Within philosophy of physics, presentism is widely regarded as untenable in the light of special relativity. I argue that reading Newton's Principia as a contribution to philosophy reveals a law-constitutive approach to the unity of what there is, from which an alternative approach to presentism within physics emerges. This view respects the methodological and epistemological commitments of philosophy of physics in “taking special relativity seriously”, but proposes an alternative approach to the status of spacetime (as epistemic) and to the ground of what is real (law-constitution). While this approach to presentism does not preserve all of the contemporary presentist desiderata, it offers the possibility that the spatiotemporal extent of an existing thing is less than its entire history as represented in the block universe. I argue that the approach warrants further philosophical investigation.     

A contribution to the study of lens regeneration capacity in chick embryos

Zusammenfassung Die Linsenregeneration beim Hühnchen tritt nur auf, wenn die Embryonen am 3. oder 4. Bebrütungstage operiert worden sind. Wenn die Operation später stattfindet, tritt keine Regeneration auf.     

A further contribution to the question of cytokinin-like activity of 8-quinolinol sulphate

Zusammenfassung Regenerationsexperimente an Segmenten aus Teilblütenstandsachsen vonBegonia x richmondensis haben eine weitere Bestätigung dafür erbracht, dass 8-Hydroxy-chinolin bzw. 8-Hydroxy-chinolin-sulfat unter sterilen Bedingungen in vitro keine Cytokinin-Wirksamkeit besitzt.     

A tale of three theories: Feyerabend and Popper on progress and the aim of science

In this paper, three theories of progress and the aim of science are discussed: (i) the theory of progress as increasing explanatory power, advocated by Popper in The logic of scientific discovery (1935/1959); (ii) the theory of progress as approximation to the truth, introduced by Popper in Conjectures and refutations (1963); (iii) the theory of progress as a steady increase of competing alternatives, which Feyerabend put forward in the essay “Reply to criticism. Comments on Smart, Sellars and Putnam” (1965) and defended as late as the last edition of Against method (1993). It is argued that, contrary to what Feyerabend scholars have predominantly assumed, Feyerabend's changing attitude towards falsificationism—which he often advocated at the beginning of his career, and vociferously attacked in the 1970s and 1980s—must be explained by taking into account not only Feyerabend's very peculiar view of the aim of science, but also Popper's changing account of progress.     

The contribution of noncatalytic phosphate-binding subsites to the mechanism of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A

The enzymatic catalysis of polymeric substrates such as proteins, polysaccharides or nucleic acids requires precise alignment between the enzyme and the substrate regions flanking the region occupying the active site. In the case of ribonucleases, enzyme-substrate binding may be directed by electrostatic interactions between the phosphate groups of the RNA molecule and basic amino acid residues on the enzyme. Specific interactions between the nitrogenated bases and particular amino acids in the active site or adjacent positions may also take place. The substrate-binding subsites of ribonuclease A have been characterized by structural and kinetic studies. In addition to the active site (p₁ ), the role of other noncatalytic phosphate-binding subsites in the correct alignment of the polymeric substrate has been proposed. p₂ and p₀ have been described as phosphate-binding subsites that bind the phosphate group adjacent to the 3′ side and 5′ side, respectively, of the phosphate in the active site. In both cases, basic amino acids (Lys-7 and Arg-10 in p₂ , and Lys-66 in p₀ ) are involved in binding. However, these binding sites play different roles in the catalytic process of ribonuclease A. The electrostatic interactions in p₂ are important both in catalysis and in the endonuclease activity of the enzyme, whilst the p₀ electrostatic interaction contributes only to binding of the RNA.     

On the contribution of haemolymph to the salivary proteins of the red cotton bug,Dysdercus koenigii F. (Heteroptera,Pyrrhocoridae)

Summary Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of haemolymph and the salivary gland of adult maleDysdercus koenigii has been carried out. The presence of common bands in the electropherograms of the salivary gland and haemolymph shows the possible elaboration of haemolymph protein into the salivary glands as also evidenced by leucomethylene blue incorporation into the salivary gland lobules. The results are discussed in the light of our present state of knowledge.I wish to acknowledge the financial support from the C.S.I.R., New Delhi, India. Grateful acknowledgements are made to Prof. P.S. Ramamurty for encouragements, and to Zoology Department, Banaras Hindu University for the working facilities.