A signal sequence is not sufficient to lead beta-galactosidase out of the cytoplasm

Escherichia coli strains have been constructed in which lacZ, the gene for the cytoplasmic enzyme beta-galactosidase, is fused to lamB, the gene for an outer membrane protein. One such strain produces a beta-galactosidase which remains cytoplasmic even though it possesses the complete signal sequence of the lamB protein precursor at the amino-terminal end.     

Sequence of simian immunodeficiency virus and its relationship to the human immunodeficiency viruses

The characterization of HIV-1 (HTLV-III/LAV), the human retrovirus associated with AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) has led to the identification of a group of related human and simian retroviruses which also infect CD4-bearing T lymphocytes. Simian T-lymphotropic virus type III (simian immodeficiency virus) from macaques (STLV-IIIMAC) induces symptoms similar to those of AIDS in infected macaques, but isolates from African green monkeys (STLV-IIIAGM) and mangabeys (STLV-IIMM) appear to be non-pathogenic in these animals. A human virus immunologically related to STLV-IIIAGM (HTLV-IV), reported to have been isolated from healthy humans, has been shown to be almost identical to STLV-IIIAGM, which has called into question the independent origin of these viruses. Here we report the complete DNA sequence of STLV-IIIAGM and analyse its relationship with the genomes of the HTLV-IIIB strain of HIV-1, HIV-2ROD (previously called LAV-2) and several ungulate lentiretroviruses. STLV-IIIAGM and HIV-2 are closely related, and more distantly related to HIV-1.     

'Z-RNA'--a left-handed RNA double helix

In contrast to double-stranded DNA, there has so far been little evidence that double-stranded RNA can undergo major conformational transitions. We have investigated the conformation in different conditions of the double-stranded RNA molecule poly(G-C).poly(G-C), by NMR, circular dichroism and absorbance spectroscopy. We report here evidence obtained by these different spectroscopic techniques that poly(G-C).poly(G-C) undergoes a transition from the A-form to a left-handed Z-form in conditions of high ionic strength and at temperatures above 35 degrees C. This conformational transition may be of relevance to the biological situations in which double-stranded RNA occurs, such as in ribosomes and in some viruses.     

矿井通风网路网孔选择程序的扩展

本文在用计算机解算矿井通风网路时,扩展了传统方法——“最小生成树”理论中自划网孔时所没有顾及的方面,重新编制了网孔选择程序,从而增大了计算机解算通风网路的能力。用传统方法所编制的程序有一个重要的特点,即在网路中固定风量分支数(NBFIXQ)与扇风机分支数(NBFAN)之和必须限制在小于或等于所需的独立网孔数(NM),即NBFIXQ+NBFAN≤NM。本文针对矿山生产中可能遇到的几种不能满足上述限制条件的通风网路使用了分支修改的方法并重新编制网孔选择程序。在圈划网孔时,将过多的扇风机分支转化为普通分支,这样在每个网孔中仍然只包含一个固定风量分支或一个扇风机分支。而在网路迭代计算开始之前,将这些修改的分支再恢复成扇风机分支,从而不影响网路迭代计算。考虑节省机时,在程序中首先顺序识别网路各节点相关联的分支类别,然后比较扇风机分支数与固定风量分支数之和与独立网孔数,发现有过多的扇风机分支时,即对各扇风机分支进行阻力比较,将阻力最小的扇风机分支修改为普通分支,使网孔选择得以继续进行。对于不易明显识别的情况,安排在对网路最小生成树检查过程中确定。用这种方法编制的程序使原来的限制条件NBFAN+NBFIXQ≤NM变为NBFIXQ≤NM,因而使计算机自动选择网孔的范围大大扩展。由于修改的扇风机分支是阻力小的分支,故仍然保持最佳收敛性。新编程序已在金属矿山通风网路分析中使用,效果良好。文中也列举了改进程序的框图和应用实例。     

Magnetic enhancement of superconductivity from electron spin domains

Since the discovery of superconductivity, there has been a drive to understand the mechanisms by which it occurs. The BCS (Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer) model successfully treats the electrons in conventional superconductors as pairs coupled by phonons (vibrational modes of oscillation) moving through the material, but there is as yet no accepted model for high-transition-temperature, organic or 'heavy fermion' superconductivity. Experiments that reveal unusual properties of those superconductors could therefore point the way to a deeper understanding of the underlying physics. In particular, the response of a material to a magnetic field can be revealing, because this usually reduces or quenches superconductivity. Here we report measurements of the heat capacity and magnetization that show that, for particular orientations of an external magnetic field, superconductivity in the heavy-fermion material CeCoIn(5) is enhanced through the magnetic moments (spins) of individual electrons. This enhancement occurs by fundamentally altering how the superconducting state forms, resulting in regions of superconductivity alternating with walls of spin-polarized unpaired electrons; this configuration lowers the free energy and allows superconductivity to remain stable. The large magnetic susceptibility of this material leads to an unusually strong coupling of the field to the electron spins, which dominates over the coupling to the electron orbits.