An integrated view of the chemistry and mineralogy of martian soils

The mineralogical and elemental compositions of the martian soil are indicators of chemical and physical weathering processes. Using data from the Mars Exploration Rovers, we show that bright dust deposits on opposite sides of the planet are part of a global unit and not dominated by the composition of local rocks. Dark soil deposits at both sites have similar basaltic mineralogies, and could reflect either a global component or the general similarity in the compositions of the rocks from which they were derived. Increased levels of bromine are consistent with mobilization of soluble salts by thin films of liquid water, but the presence of olivine in analysed soil samples indicates that the extent of aqueous alteration of soils has been limited. Nickel abundances are enhanced at the immediate surface and indicate that the upper few millimetres of soil could contain up to one per cent meteoritic material.     

The structure of malaria pigment beta-haematin

Despite the worldwide public health impact of malaria, neither the mechanism by which the Plasmodium parasite detoxifies and sequesters haem, nor the action of current antimalarial drugs is well understood. The haem groups released from the digestion of the haemoglobin of infected red blood cells are aggregated into an insoluble material called haemozoin or malaria pigment. Synthetic beta-haematin (FeIII-protoporphyrin-IX)2 is chemically, spectroscopically and crystallographically identical to haemozoin and is believed to consist of strands of FeIII-porphyrin units, linked into a polymer by propionate oxygen-iron bonds. Here we report the crystal structure of beta-haematin determined using simulated annealing techniques to analyse powder diffraction data obtained with synchrotron radiation. The molecules are linked into dimers through reciprocal iron-carboxylate bonds to one of the propionic side chains of each porphyrin, and the dimers form chains linked by hydrogen bonds in the crystal. This result has implications for understanding the action of current antimalarial drugs and possibly for the design of new therapeutic agents.     

Genetisch bedingte Tumoren und der Gehalt an freien Aminosäuren beiNicotiana

Summary The amphidiploid hybrid ofNicotiana glauca ×N. langsdorffi, producing tumors spontaneously, contains essentially more of the following free amino acids than the inital species: cystine, histamine, oxyproline, alanine, kynurenine, tryptophane, and a non-identified ninhydrine positive substance. It is supposed that the abnormally high content of free amino acids is connected with the spontaneous formation of tumors.

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Mit Unterstützung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

A possibility to achieve genetic transformation in the platyfish-swordtail system (Platypoecilus maculatus — Xiphophorus helleri)

Summary In order to determine how informative homologous donor DNA might be made available to propigment cells of the recipientXiphophorus helleri for transformation, labelled heterologous DNA fromE. coli was injected into the neural crest region or the yolk sac of embryos of the recipient. On the basis of the degradation rate of the donor DNA and the incorporation rate of radioactivity into the recipient DNA, it is concluded that injection into the neural crest region may be a suitable method to make available informative homologous donor DNA for transformation.Supported by DFG through SFB No. 103, and by Stiftung Volkswagenwerk.     

Zytologische Untersuchungen an der Reblaus-Blattgalle

Summary Up to 9 types of cell nuclei, distinguished by their size, were found in the tissue of galls, which are produced by the vine louse. The growth of the cell nuclei probably proceeds in a series of prophase-like intermediate stages from one type of nuclei size to the next largest by means of endomitotic or endomitosis-like processes.     

XY females caused by X-irradiation

Zusammenfassung BeiP. maculatus werdenXY-Embryonen durch Röntgenstrahlenbehandlung (1000 bis 2500 R) physiologisch zu normalen Weibchen umdeterminiert.     

Lactate dehydrogenase isozymes in xiphophorin fish melanoma conditioned by the locusSd.

Zusammenfassung Elektrophoretische Untersuchungen an benignen und malignen Rückenflossenmelanomen sowie an normalen Rückenflossen lebendgebärender Zahnkarpfen zeigen, dass in den Geweben in erster Linie die für gut mit Sauerstoff versorgtes Gewebe typische Herz-LDH (B₄-Isoenzym) vorkommt. Die für schlecht mit Sauerstoff versorgtes Gewebe typische Muskel-LDH (A₄-Isoenzym) wird nur in manchen der untersuchten Gewebe gefunden, und ist auch dort nur in sehr geringer Menge vorhanden. Die Melanome scheinen also im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Neoplasmen anderer Systeme aeroben Stoffwechsel durchzuführen.

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Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft through Sonderforschungsbereich 103, Zellenergetik und Zelldifferenzierung (Marburg).

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Richard Merton—Guest Professor through Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

Nucleic acid content of a diploid and of a triploid strain ofDrosophila melanogaster

Zusammenfassung Beim triploidenDrosophila-StammFM4, y ^31d sc ⁸ dm B/y ² sc w ^a ec.=ist der DNS-Anteil an der fettfreien Trockenmasse wesentlich höher als beim diploiden Stamm «Berlin normal ». Der RNS-Anteil an der fettfreien Trockenmasse stimmt in beiden Stämmen überein. Es wird diskutiert, dass die 2 Genome der diploidenDrosophila offensichtlich etwa ebenso aktiv sind wie die 3 Genome der triploiden.Drosophila verfügt also offenbar über einen Regulationsmechanismus, der die RNS-Konzentration trotz unterschiedlichen DNS-Gehalts konstant hält.