Changes in glycosaminoglycan sulfation and protein kinase C subcellular distribution during differentiation of the human colon tumor cell line Caco-2

Summary During the spontaneous differentiation (day 5 to day 15 of the culture) of Caco-2 cells, the sulfation of cell layer glycosaminoglycans increased, whereas protein kinase C activity was concomitantly redistributed from the membrane to the cytosol. The protein kinase C activators, 4-phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate and 1,2-dioctanoyl-glycerol inhibited glycosaminoglycan sulfation. By contrast, 4-phorbol 12, 13 didecanoate was ineffective.These results suggest that membrane-bound PKC may exert a modulatory effect on glycosaminoglycan sulfation, and this effect is gradually attenuated as Caco-2 cell differentiation progresses.     

Age distribution of circulatingα-interferon

Summary A sensitive radioimmunoassay showed that circulating -interferon in the plasma of healthy individuals was low in children and reached the highest level in the young adult, then declined gradually with age. Circulating -interferon was 0.201±0.059 ng/ml in males (n=19) and 0.184±0.076 ng/ml in females (n=14) at ages 30–39 years old. It was noted that circulating -interferon was maintained up to a certain level even in elderly individuals.     

A new indolic antiauxin, α-(5,7-dichloroindole-3-)isobutyric acid: its chemical synthesis and biological activity

Summary A new potent antiauxin, -(5,7-dichloroindole-3-)isobutyric acid has been synthesized and shown to inhibit auxin-mediated elongation ofAvena coleoptiles and to stimulate root growth of rice seedlings. Its activity is stronger than -(p-chlorophenoxy)isobutyric acid and is comparable to that of 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid, which are typical antiauxins.     

Evolutionary and ecological implications of cardenolide sequestration in the monarch butterfly

Summary Monarch butterflies sequester cardenolides from their larval host plants in the milkweed genusAsclepias for use in defense against predation. Of 108Asclepias species in North America, monarchs are known to feed as larvae on 27. Research on 11 of these has shown that monarchs sequester cardenolides most effectively, to an asymptote of approximately 350 g/0.1 g dry butterfly, from plants with intermediate cardenolide contents rather than from those with very high or very low cardenolide contents. SinceAsclepias host plant species are distributed widely in space and time across the continent, monarchs exploit them by migration between breeding and overwintering areas. After overwintering in central Mexico, spring migrants east of the Rocky Mountains exploit three predominantAsclepias species in the southern USA that have moderately high cardenolide contents. Monarchs sequester cardenolides very effectively from these species. First generation butterflies are thus well protected against predators and continue the migration north. Across the northern USA and southern Canada most summer breeding occurs on a fourthAsclepias species and in autumn most of these monarchs migrate back to Mexican overwintering sites. The ecological implications of this cycle of cardenolide sequestration for the evolution of monarch migration are discussed.     

Chemical ecology of oviposition in phytophagous insects

Summary Selection of a suitable site for oviposition by phytophagous insects is critical for successful development of the offspring. The behavioral events leading to oviposition are mediated to a large extent by chemical cues associated with potential host plants. Orientation and landing are primarily guided by volatile constituents of a plant, whereas assessment of a leaf surface depends on contact stimuli. Chemical mechanisms that ensure adequate spacing of progeny on limited resources include the production of oviposition-deterring pheromones as well as recognition of plant constituents released as a result of previous damage. Perception of chemical cues that affects oviposition involves receptors on antennae, tarsi, mouthparts or the ovipositor. Complex behavior such as tarsal drumming or stem runs may serve to provide increased receptor contact with chemical stimuli. Abiotic and biotic environmental factors often influence the production or release of behavior-modifying chemicals by a plant, and therefore affect oviposition preferences. Plant chemistry may be involved in associative learning, but may also lead to mistakes. Thus a clear correlation between oviposition preference and offspring success does not always exist.     

Failure of opioids to affect excitation and contraction in isolated ventricular heart muscle

Summary The opioid agonists morphine (selective for -receptors) and ethylketocyclazocine (selective for kappa-receptors), at concentrations evoking strong effects in neuronal structures, did not significantly affect the configuration of the intracellularly recorded action potential and the force of contraction in ventricular heart muscle isolated from guinea pigs, rabbits and man. These results suggest that any changes of heart functions in vivo in response to opioid-like drugs are probably not mediated postsynaptically at the myocardial cell membrane but rather presynaptically, influencing the release of noradrenaline and/or acetylcholine from the nerve terminals.     

Evidence for anoxygenic photosynthesis from the distribution of bacteriochlorophylls in the Black Sea

The contribution of anoxygenic photosynthesis to carbon cycling in the Black Sea, the world's largest body of anoxic marine water, has been vigorously investigated and debated for over four decades. Penetration of light into the sulphide-containing deep water may result in a zone of anaerobic primary production by photosynthetic bacteria. We report here the results of analyses of photosynthetic pigments in samples of suspended particulate matter collected from two stations in the western basin of the Black Sea. Our data demonstrate high concentrations of a bacterio-chlorophyll at the chemocline, and thus the potential for anoxygenic photosynthesis as a component of primary production in the carbon cycle of the Black Sea. More than 95% of the pigments in the bacteriochlorophyll-maximum are accounted for by a series of aromatic carotenoids and bacteriochlorophylls-e, including a previously unreported geranyl ester of 4-i-butyl bacteriochlorophyll-e. The distribution of pigments is characteristic of the obligate phototrophs Chlorobium phaeobacteroides and C. phaeovibriodes. Total depth-integrated bacteriochlorophyll at one station exceeded total chlorophyll-a in the overlying oxygenated portion of the euphotic zone. We suggest that anoxygenic photosynthesis is a relatively recent phenomenon in the Black Sea initiated by shallowing of the chemocline over the past decade and development of an anoxic layer devoid of O2 and H2S.     

New window on Proterozoic life

This article briefly discusses the the new fossil assemblage found in the 600-650-million-year-old shales of the Pertatataka formation in central Australia. It includes about two dozen taxa of spinose, process-bearing or otherwise ornamented acritarchs, many of them extremely large relative to comparably ornamented fossils in younger rocks. These acritarchs reveal a glimpse of early evolution and Proterozoic life.     

Comments on “aggregation of equivalence relations” by P. C. Fishburn and A. Rubinstein

The theorem of the paper Aggregation of Equivalence Relations, by Fishburn and Rubinstein, states a result already known. This theorem improves a result from Mirkin (1975) and appears as a corollary occurring in Leclerc (1984).

---

Resume L'unique théorème de l'article Aggregation of Equivalence Relations de Fishburn et Rubinstein est déja connu. Il améliore, en fait, un résultat de Mirkin (1975) et apparait en tant que corollaire dans Leclerc (1984).

     

Clustering the rows and columns of a contingency table

A number of ways of investigating heterogeneity in a two-way contingency table are reviewed. In particular, we consider chi-square decompositions of the Pearson chi-square statistic with respect to the nodes of a hierarchical clustering of the rows and/or the columns of the table. A cut-off point which indicates significant clustering may be defined on the binary trees associated with the respective row and column cluster analyses. This approach provides a simple graphical procedure which is useful in interpreting a significant chi-square statistic of a contingency table.The author gratefully acknowledges the constructive comments of the referees and the editor.