Andrey Moskalenko, Olga Toropygina and Nina Kuznetsova Institute of Soil Science and Photosynthesis RAS, Pushchino, 142292, Russia Z. Naturforsch. 51c, 309-318 (1996); received D ecem ber 12, 1995/February 8, 1996 Purple Bacteria, Light-Harvesting Complex, B880, B820, D issociation, Transform ation, C arotenoid A study is reported on the modification of the B880-RC assembly of Chromatium minuti...

In spite of the numerous reports indicating the presence of humoral immunosuppressive factors in cancer patients, only a few of these factors have been biochemically identified. Furthermore, their role as effective immunosuppressors in vivo remains to be established. Our laboratory has attempted to isolate and identify the major immunosuppressive factor in the malignant effusions derived from o...

ZO-1 is a 210-225-kD peripheral membrane protein associated with cytoplasmic surfaces of the zonula occludens or tight junction. A 160-kD polypeptide, designated ZO-2, was found to coimmunoprecipitate with ZO-1 from MDCK cell extracts prepared under conditions which preserve protein associations (Gumbiner, B., T. Lowenkopf, and D. Apatira. 1991. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 88: 3460-3464). We ha...

Crude antigen and semi-purified proteins from scolices of Taenia solium cysticerci were evaluated for the immunodiagnosis of human neurocysticercosis neurocysticercosis. Semi-purified proteins obtained by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel and by electroelution were tested by means of the immunoenzymatic reaction against sera from normal individuals and from patients with neurocysticercosis ...

The random-amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique (5,7) is one of the most useful methods for species identification and studies on the genetic structure of populations of microand macro-parasites. This method generally provides numerous markers that must be cloned and labeled to be used as probes (1,4). These probes can be used to test the specificity and the polymorphism of the RAPD marke...

The bag cells (BC) of Aplysia are a group of peptidergic neurons that respond to brief electrical stimulation by producing a prolonged afterdischarge of synchronous action potentials. We have demonstrated previously that the cyclic nucleotide, cyclic 3’:5’-adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP), plays a role in the genesis of the bag cell afterdischarge and that the microinjection of the catalyti...

S1 nuclease analysis is used to (i) locate the 5′ and 3′ ends of an mRNA transcript on DNA, (ii) map the location of intron-exon junctions in primary mRNA transcripts, (iii) determine the direction of transcription and (iv) quantitate the amount of a specific mRNA extracted from cells. The original procedure described by Berk and Sharp (1) employed labeled, doublestranded (ds) DNA as probes for...

Sir, Resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins has emerged among non-typhoid salmonellae (NTS) worldwide due to acquisition of plasmid-mediated b-lactamases including CMY-2. The isolation frequency of CMY-2-producing NTS in the USA has gradually increased since 1996 reflecting the widespread transmission of CMY-2-positive NTS among food animal reservoirs. The blaCMY-2 gene has been dissemi...

Entactin (nidogen), a 150-kD sulfated glycoprotein, is a major component of basement membranes and forms a highly stable noncovalent complex with laminin. The complete amino acid sequence of mouse entactin has been derived from sequencing of cDNA clones. The 5.9-kb cDNA contains a 3,735-bp open reading frame followed by a 3'-untranslated region of 2.2 kb. The open reading frame encodes a 1,245-...

Both alleles of the insulin gene of a patient with mild diabetes [maturity-onset-diabetes-of-the-young (MODY)-type syndrome] associated with hyperinsulinemia have been cloned, and the sequences have been determined. One allele contained a mutation (single nucleotide transition) in the coding sequence for the B chain at position 24 (TTC -) TCC), resulting in the loss of a restriction enzyme (Mbo...