The distribution of polysomes in the cells of the endosperm of very young (48 hours of germination) seedlings of castor bean (Ricinus communis var. Hale) has been examined. Seedlings exposed to 100 micromolar gibberellin A(3) for periods up to 24 hours showed increased numbers of polysomes associated with endomembranes. Cytosol-derived polysomes were generally of a shorter mean length than memb...

The present study was carried out with a view of determining ricin lipolytic activity on neutral lipids in emulsion and in a membrane-like model. Using 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanol tributyrate (BAL-TC(4)) as substrate, the lipolytic activity of ricin was found to be proportional to ricin and substrate concentrations, with an apparent K(m) (K(m,app)) of 2.4 mM, a k(cat) of 200 min(-1) and a specifi...

Plant poisoning is not an uncommon problem in Sri Lanka. A hospital based prospective study showed that Jatropha curcas, Ricinus communis, Dieffenbachia, Adenia palmata, Amanita phalloides and Thevetia peruviana are common poisonous plants implicated in poisoning among children in Sri Lanka. [1]. In the past, deliberate ingestion of yellow oleander seeds (Thevetia peruviana) was a common method...

The intracellular location of several enzymes concerned with phospholipid metabolism was investigated by examining their distribution in organelles separated on sucrose gradients from total homogenates of castor bean (Ricinus communis var. Hale) endosperm. The enzymes phosphatidic acid phosphatase, CDP-diglyceride-inositol transferase, and phosphatidyletha-nolamine-l-serine phosphatidyl transfe...

In the present study ultrastructural localization of binding sites for 5 lectins was studied in rat liver cell surface membrane fractions. For this purpose ferritin-coupled Concanavalin A, wheat germ agglutinin, soybean agglutinin, Ricinus communis agglutinin 120 and Lotus tetragonolobus agglutinin I were used as probes for mannose, N-acetyl glucosamine, N-acetyl galactosamine, galactose and fu...

Phosphatidylserine synthesis by the endoplasmic reticulum fraction isolated from castor bean (Ricinus communis var. Hale) endosperm was assayed by measuring the incorporation of (14)C-l-serine into chloroform-soluble material. Both phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylethanolamine were identified as products. The incorporation required calcium ions and showed an optimum pH of 7.8 in 2 mm CaCl(2)....

The NMR solution structures at different levels of refinement of three different 2 S albumin seed proteins, the recombinant pronapin precursor from Brassica napus, the recombinant RicC3 from Ricinus communis and the methionine-rich protein from sunflower ( Helianthus annuus ), are described. The resulting common structure consists of a bundle of five alpha-helices, folded in a right-handed supe...

Sucrose-gradient purified mitochondria, glyoxysomes, and proplastids from germinating castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) endosperm were examined by electron-spin resonance spectroscopy. A temperature-induced phase change was demonstrated in all of these organelles, their derivative membranes, and in micelles formed from the membrane phospholipids. The apparent transition temperature of the membr...

Of the total protein in the protein bodies of castor bean (Ricinus communis L.), approximately 40% is represented by a group of closely related albumins localized in the matrix of the organelle. This group of albumins has a sedimentation value of 2S and is resolved into several proteins of molecular weight around 12,000 daltons by sodium dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gel electrophoresis. It has a ...

A lectin-histochemical study on microglial development has been performed on the rat central nervous system. Isolectin B4 from the Griffonia simplicifolia (GSA I-B4) and Ricinus communis agglutinin-120 (RCA-1) were used as labelling lectins. Our results demonstrate the existence of microglial elements in the nervous parenchyma at E18, derived from the meningeal connective tissue layer. Later, a...