Regulation of cellulose synthesis in Acetobacter xylinum by cyclic diguanylic acid

Cellulose is the most abundant renewable carbon resource on earth and is an indispensable raw material for the wood, paper, and textile industries. A model system to study the mechanism of cellulose biogenesis is the bacterium Acetobacter xylinum which produces pure cellulose as an extracellular product. It was from this organism that in vitro preparations which possessed high levels of cellulose synthase activity were first obtained in both membranous and soluble forms. We recently demonstrated that this activity is subject to a complex multi-component regulatory system, in which the synthase is directly affected by an unusual cyclic nucleotide activator enzymatically formed from GTP, and indirectly by a Ca (2+) -sensitive phosphodiesterase which degrades the activator. The cellulose synthase activator (CSA) has now been identified as bis-(3' 5')-cyclic diguanylic acid (5'G3'p5'G3'p) on the basis of mass spectroscopic data, nuclear magnetic resonance analysis and comparison with chemically synthesized material. We also report here on intermediary steps in the synthesis and degradation of this novel circular dinucleotide, which have been integrated into a model for the regulation of cellulose synthesis.     

Fourth World Conference on Women: the Namibian perspective

This consideration of some of the issues raised at the Fourth World Conference on Women (WCW) from a Namibian perspective begins by mentioning the pernicious nature of domestic violence and briefly summarizing some of the main points raised at a 1994 symposium on domestic violence. The discussion continues by noting that Namibia's report for the WCW reaffirms that it is crucial for women to be involved in the decision-making process at all levels. Next, the paper notes that traditional male attributes of strength are losing their importance in a world that values mental alertness, intuition, and traditional female qualities of love and service. This has led to a call for a transformation of society supported by the education of women and their economic empowerment. The essay ends by defining an empowered person as possessing a belief in the ability of human intervention to change the world, a sense of self-worth, a sense of the self as a viable agent of change, and a notion of what constitutes a better life.     

缺氧对脑星状细胞GAPDH和β—Actin基因表达的影响

目的：样本ＲＮＡ加样量的差异是影响Ｎｏｒｔｈｅｒｎ杂交ＲＮＡ分析和反转录ＰＣＲ（ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ）半定量分析的重要因素。因５－磷酸甘油醛脱氢酶（ＧＡＰＤＨ）和β肌动蛋白（β－ａｃｔｉｎ）ｍＲＮＡ水平一般相对恒定,常用于基因表达研究时样本加样量的校正。但有报道表明某些因素对ＧＡＰＤＨ和β－ａｃｔｉｎ的ｍＲＮＡ水平有一定影响。脑星状细胞（ＡＣ）是近年来神经科学的研究热点之一,有关其基因的研究得到广泛的重视     

A massive phytoplankton bloom induced by an ecosystem-scale iron fertilization experiment in the equatorial Pacific Ocean

The seeding of an expanse of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean with low concentrations of dissolved iron triggered a massive phytoplankton bloom which consumed large quantities of carbon dioxide and nitrate that these microscopic plants cannot fully utilize under natural conditions. These and other observations provide unequivocal support for the hypothesis that phytoplankton growth in this oceanic region is limited by iron bioavailability.