Comparative proteomic analysis of mushroom cell wall proteins among the different developmental stages of Pleurotus tuber-regium

Cell wall proteins (CWPs) play a vital role in the development of the different morphological stages including mycelium, fruiting body, and sclerotium in mushrooms which are important human food sources. Using fractionation by detergents and reducing agents, mushroom cell wall fractions from the different developmental stages of Pleurotus tuber-regium (PTR) were prepared. Using one-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with LC-MS, there were 103, 91, and 48 noncovalently linked CWPs identified in the cell wall fractions of the PTR mycelium, fruiting body, and sclerotium, respectively. Comparing the CWPs in these cell wall fractions, 19 of them were in common, among which 17 belonged to the functional categories of translation, ribosomal structure, and biogenesis. This is the first study to provide important biochemical insights into the different developmental stages of PTR mediated by CWPs, and the identified CWPs helped to explain the morphological changes of PTR mushrooms during cultivation.     

Calmodulin plays a pivotal role in cellular regulation

The role of calcium ions (Ca2+) in cell function is beginning to be unraveled at the molecular level as a result of recent research on calcium-binding proteins and particularly on calmodulin. These proteins interact reversibly with Ca2+ to form a protein . Ca2+ complex, whose activity is regulated by the cellular flux of Ca2+. Many of the effects of Ca2+ appear to be exerted through calmodulin-regulated enzymes.     

A patch—clamp study of the action of a nitromethylene heterocycle insecticide on cockroach neurones growing in vitro

The mode of action of a nitromethylene heterocycle (NMH) insecticide was studied by patch–clamp techniques using cockroach embryonic cultures as an experimental model. Under whole-cell recordings, this compound elicited inward currents resembling those induced by O-acetylcholine (ACh). The reversal potentials for both ACh and the NMH were similar, suggesting that the inward currents induced by both were carried by the same species of ion. Pharmacological investigations of NMH-induced responses revealed that the insecticidal action of this compound is exerted through agonistic action at the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Single-channel studies were also performed to study the interaction of NMH with the nicotinic-receptor-coupled ion channel.     

Phagocytic and killing capacities of uterine-derived polymorphonuclear leukocytes from mares resistant and susceptible to chronic endometritis

The host defense competence of uterine-derived polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from mares considered resistant (grade I uteri) and susceptible (grade III uteri) to chronic endometritis was evaluated for phagocytic and killing (bactericidal) capacities, using a fluorochrome assay. Peripheral blood PMN from noncategorized mares and from grade I and grade III mares were used as controls. Uterine-derived PMN from mares with grade I uteri were functionally competent for phagocytosis and killing of Candida albicans, whereas uterine-derived PMN from mares with grade III uteri had significantly less phagocytic and killing capacities (P greater than or equal to 0.0001). Results of the present study, together with data obtained from chemotactic responsiveness and deformability assays of a previous study, indicated an overall deficiency in the host defense mechanism of uterine-derived PMN from mares with grade III uteri obtained 12 hours after induced Streptococcus zooepidemicus infection. This deficiency may account for the susceptibility of mares with grade III uteri to chronic endometritis.     

Near extinction of a highly fecund fish: the one that nearly got away

It is widely assumed that commercial fisheries of highly fecund species are particularly resilient to exploitation, and that, should populations become seriously diminished, economic constraints will force fishing to cease before biological extinction can occur. Indeed, among commercially exploited marine fishes there is not one confirmed global extinction. Here we document, using nonconventional means, a story that not only questions such assumptions but that should also alert us to how little we know about significant fisheries in some parts of the world. Our case study is that of the highly threatened Chinese bahaba, Bahaba taipingensis, a member of the Sciaenidae (the drums or croakers), and an example of a fecund and commercially important group of fishes that appears to be especially vulnerable to fishing. We also demonstrate that the careful use of informal, or traditional, information can provide a powerful, sometimes unique, means of identifying and assessing the status and history of species that might be quietly slipping away before we learn anything about them.     

Toxic effect of landfill leachate on microalgae

Leachates from two landfills, namely Junk Bay (JB) and Gin Drinkers' Bay (GDB), were assessed for their acute toxicity using four green algal species, Chlorella pyrenoidosa, C. vulgaris, Scenedesmus sp. and Dunaliella tertiolecta. JB leachate was more toxic to the four algal species tested than leachate from GDB landfill. The growth rates of all four species in 50% JB leachate, and two species (C. vulgaris and D. tertiolecta) in 50% GDB leachate were significantly lower (P<0.05) than those in the control (Bristol Medium only). Values of 96h-EC50 of JB leachate for all four species were lower than those of GDB. The high contents of ammoniacal-nitrogen and organic compounds (such as volatile fatty acids) seemed to be the factors governing the toxicity of leachate on algae. There were differential sensitivities to leachate exhibited by the tested algal species. Susceptibility to leachates in terms of cell number were in the ascending order of C. pyrenoidosa, Scenedesmus sp., C. vulgaris and D. tertiolecta.     

Energy gaps in "metallic" single-walled carbon nanotubes

Metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes have been proposed to be good one-dimensional conductors. However, the finite curvature of the graphene sheet that forms the nanotubes and the broken symmetry due to the local environment may modify their electronic properties. We used low-temperature atomically resolved scanning tunneling microscopy to investigate zigzag and armchair nanotubes, both thought to be metallic. "Metallic" zigzag nanotubes were found to have energy gaps with magnitudes that depend inversely on the square of the tube radius, whereas isolated armchair tubes do not have energy gaps. Additionally, armchair nanotubes packed in bundles have pseudogaps, which exhibit an inverse dependence on tube radius. These observed energy gaps suggest that most "metallic" single-walled nanotubes are not true metals, and they have implications for our understanding of the electronic properties and potential applications of carbon nanotubes.