Mutual Affinity Research Articles

Present state of the coacervate-in-coacervate theory; Origin and evolution of cell structure

In agreement with the views of Oparin, Fox, Dose etc., the theory assumes that coacervation of protein-like polyaminoacids began with their accumulation along the coasts of the Archaic water basins. Unlike the above authors, however, the present author views the original coacervates as a suitable "culture medium" from which the first polynucleotides originated and their partial replication started. Their base sequence was not fortuitous, but determined by the proteinoids on the basis of their mutual affinity. The polyfunctional enzymic activity of the proteinoids catalyzed their replication as well as other activities. Around the replicating DNA molecules secondary coacervates (coacervates in coacervates) accumulated which developed gradually to the first prokaryotic cells. Their most probable evolution to the first eukaryotic organisms is discussed on the basis of the modified Studitsky's synbacteriogenesis theory.

Estimation of peptide hormone noncovalent binding site functionality from frequencies of interaction of amino acid side chains in proteins.

A method is described for estimating the amino acid side chain functional groups most likely to occur at a receptor site (or other protein-type binding site) given a particular peptide hormone sequence. The predictions are based on mutual affinities of amino acid side chains, as manifested in the frequencies of side chain contacts occurring in proteins. The relative merits of various measures of these affinities are discussed, and a new set of contact frequency data based on 36 proteins (coordinate data taken from the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank) is presented. Evaluation of predictions was carried out using subunit-subunit interfaces as models for peptide-receptor association; accuracy of guesses was found to be 3-4 times better than random, according to this measure. Computer programs for carrying out all requisite data manipulations are described.

Structures of the benthic species communities and their variations in the eastern Bering Sea.

The recurrent groups were analyzed in order to clarify the mean pattern of the benthic species communities in the eastern Bering Sea druing the summers from 1966 to 1977 excluding 1972 and to elucidate the variations of these communities during the summers from 1966 to 1971 excluding 1969. The mutual affinities between L. aspera, T. chalcogramma, G. macrocephalus and P. quadrituberculatus were great and stable through these summers of five years. These species groups were defined as the core species group of the benthic species communities in the central region of this continental shelf. The structures of these communities are considered to be formed and to change according to the stable and the unstable relations between the species and the core species group.

Quantitation of surface affinities of red blood cells in dextran solutions and plasma

Mutual affinities of red blood cell surfaces in dextran solutions and plasma have been determined experimentally. The approach was to use dual micropipet techniques to manipulate cells and spherical cell "fragments" into position for contact. After contact, the red cells encapsulated the fragments to an extent that depended on the affinity. Surface affinity is defined as the reduction in free energy per unit area of interface that is associated with formation of adhesive contact. The surface affinity was calculated with the use of a minimum free energy analysis and knowledge of the red cell membrane elastic properties. With this approach, surface affinities were measured for normal and neuraminidase-treated red cells in plasma and various solutions of dextran. The data presented are the first direct measurements of the affinity of a biological membrane for another surface in a well-defined system. The peak surface affinities of normal red blood cells were found to be 4.9 x 10(-3) erg/cm2 in D70, 2.2 x 10(-2) erg/cm2 in D-150, and 2.0 x 10(-3) erg/cm2 in plasma. Neuraminidase-treated cells had higher affinities than normal cells: at least 2.8 x 10(-2) erg/cm2 in D70 and 1.8 x 10(-3) erg/cm2 in D28, which does not aggregate normal red cells.

The Leaf Anatomy of Leptospermum Forst. (Myrtaceae)

The leaf anatomy of 40 species of Leptospermum Forst. (Myrtaceae) is described in detail. The genus shows a fairly constant, typically myrtaceous leaf structure with isobilateral mesophyll and the presence of schizogenous oil cavities as constant characters. Variation occurs in stomatal type, sculpturing of the cuticle, persistence of the indumentum, and structure of the oil cavities. Both perigenous and mesoperigenous types of stomatal development have been observed. A number of characters show a considerable variation below the species level. The pattern of anatomical variation does not support Bentham's subdivision of the genus into three sections. Alternative subdivisions cannot be proposed on account of considerable overlap of the character complexes of the individual species. In some cases it is, however, possible to suggest mutual affinity (e. g. between L. laevigatum and L. coriaceum) on the basis of leaf anatomy. A comparison of the available ecological data with anatomical characters supports some of the generalized trends for increased xeromorphy with water availability. On the whole, however, all species of Leptospermum, including the mesic ones, show a rather xeromorphic leaf anatomy.

Effect of cyclic adenosine-3′,5′-monophosphate on the simultaneous synthesis of β-galactosidase and tryptophanase inEscherichia coli

When inducing simultaneously beta-galactosidase and tryptophanase in a batch culture either the synthesis of tryptophanase or of both enzymes is decreased due to an insufficient cAMP concentration. The addition of this nucleotide can overcome this decrease. In a continuous culture both enzymes are synthesized at the maximum rate, as the amount of cAMP produced during carbon limitation of growth is probably sufficient for the simultaneous synthesis of both enzymes. In the beta-galactosidase hyperproduction mutant cultivated continuously the level of beta-galactosidase markedly decreases when tryptophanase is simultaneously induced. Also this decrease is caused by cAMP insufficiency and can be overcome by increasing its concentration. cAMP is thus an important regulatory factor of both enzymes and becomes a limiting factor in their simultaneous synthesis; a competition for this regulatory compound apparently occurs and probably also a different mutual affinity of the regulatory complex with the promoter site of the enzyme operons is involved.

The Great Powers Triangle

There are two major triangular relationships in contemporary world politics: Washington-Moscow-Peking, and USA-European Economic Community (EEC)-Japan. The first, the two superpowers and the emerging superpower of China (PRC), is characterized by a lack of mutual trust, ideological affinity, or common interests in global security or economic matters. The USA-EEC-Japan relationship, on the other hand, is based on common trust, common security and economic interests, common ideological factors, and on cultural affinities between the U.S. and the EEC.It is the great powers triangle of Washington- Moscow-Peking that has the greater importance and significance for global peace and for the avoidance of any nuclear war. Its impact is considerable in such parts of the Third Wbrld as the Middle East, East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, and in many other regions.

<i>Hibiscus</i> 属植物に関する研究 (第10報)

Grafting experiments were made with 12 species in Hibiscus (Table 1) to examine the affinity between species and the possibility of using grafting for breeding and cultural practice. The materials included annual and perennial or herbaceous and arboreal species.1. When annual species were grafted on to perennial herbaceous species and an arboreal species (H. mutabilis), all the combinations resulted in good union. In some cases, grafted scions grew better on stocks of different species than on the stock of own species (control). The number of flowers was, however, reduced by inter-specific grafting (Table 2, 6 and 7).2. Mutual graftings between the three herbaceous perennials of North American origin resulted in good flowering and vegetative growth not inferior to those of the control plants. Grafting them on to H. mutabilis stock caused a fairly decrease in the percentage of flowering to control in the second year (Table 3, 6 and 7, Fig. 1).3. The scions of two tropical woody species united well with the stocks of three hardy arboreal species and H. moscheutos (a herbaceous perennial). Their vegetative growth was, however, inhibited and no flowering was observed except in control plants. A dwarf tropical woody species, H. pedunculatus, grew vigorously on any of the stocks, but the flowering of the scions was very poor, especially when grafted on to H. syriacus and H. moscheutos (Table 4, 6 and 7, Fig. 1).4. Relatively good growth but fairly reduced flowering resulted from the mutual graftings between the three hardy arboreal species, H. mutabilis, H. syriacus and H. hamabo. H. mutabilis showed excellent growth and flowering when grafted on to perennial herbaceous species, but other two species on to the same stocks showed an inferior performance especially in their flowering (Table 5, 6 and 7, Fig, 1).5. H. rosa-sinensis a popular tropical shrub, did not grow well and flower on the stocks of any species. Its use as stock also brought the same results for all scions tested (Table 4).6. The results of all graft combinations suggested that the three species, H. coccineus, H. militaris and H. moscheutos, were, as compared with the other species, closely related to each other as shown by their excellent mutual grafting affinity (Table 3).7. As far as the graft union is concerned, all the combinations of the species tested proved to be successful, but none of them was found practically useful for the purpose of promoting scion′s growth and of dwarfing.

Distribution of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Canadian Waters of Northern Lake Superior

Approximately 30 genera comprising 39 macroinvertebrate species have been identified in northern Lake Superior, including Nipigon Bay and Thunder Bay. The dominant taxa were the crustacean Pontoporeia affinis, the insect Chironomus spp., the oligochaete Aeolosoma beddardi and the pelecypod Pisidium spp. Intra-phyletic relationships were fairly common along molluscan taxa, probably resulting from their mutual affinity for warm shallow water conditions, but were negligible among the arthropods and annelids.

金属の溶剤脱脂

This paper deals with the nature of desorption of fatty acid molecules from metal surfaces. In the experiments, the metals such as Cu, Al, and Fe are immersed in a solution of n-hexadecane to which a small percentage of the radiolabeled palmitic acid is added, and then degreased by being immersed in a solution of, for example, petroleum benzine, acetone, trichloroethylene or alkali cleaning liquid. The radioactivity of the palmitic acid remained on the metal surface is measured by using Geiger-Muller counter with varying duration of cleaning. As a result, the desorption curves for various organic solvents under a few cleaning conditions are obtained. These desorption curves can be evaluated by both the velocity constant of desorption and the fraction of finally residual molecules. The results obtained from these experiments are summarized as follows:(1) Perfect degreasing can not be attained by any organic solvents, but the better results are obtained by alkali cleaning or electrolytic polishing.(2) As for a solvent of trichloroethylene, the velocity constant of desorption by ultrasonic cleaning is about thirteen times as higher as that by dipping. However, the fraction of finally residual molecules for the former might not become smaller than that for the latter.(3) As for a solvent of trichloroethylene at an elevated temperature of 55°C, both the velocity constant of desorption and the fraction of finally residual molecules become larger than those at room temperature.(4) The nature of desorption, i. e. the velocity constant of desorption and the fraction of finally residual molecules seem to be related to mutual affinities among the fatty acid, the solvent and the metal.(5) A strong bonding force between a fatty acid and a metal must be due not to physical adsorption, but to chemical adsorption.

Lymphocyte E rosette inhibitory factor: a regulatory serum lipoprotein.

Rosette inhibitory factor, RIF, previously described in serum from patients with hepatitis B virus infection, has been isolated and identified as a minor species of beta-lipoprotein of the low-density (LDL) class. It is unrelated to hepatitis B virus proteins or particles. Although discrete by reference to charge and density (1.050 +/- 0.004 g/cm3), RIF appears to be a complex macromolecular structure containing apolipoproteins A, B, and C. Greater than 400% recovery is achieved upon 300,000-fold purification from RIF+ sera suggesting activation of a precursor form that is not present in normal serum. RIF inhibits E rosette function of T lymphocytes in vitro with a lag period of approximately 4 h and maximal effect at 24 h consistent with a metabolically-induced event. RIF is functionally active at concentrations of 1 X 10(-12) M or greater, rapidly binds to lymphocytes, and has a functionally effective half-life of approximately 1.5 h. Approximately 2,900 receptors for RIF appear to be present per cell and a high mutual affinity is apparent (k approximately to 9 X 10(10) liters/mol). RIF has no detectable effect on mitogen (PHA) responsiveness of lymphocytes, but inhibits the capacity of lymphocytes to respond to histoincompatible cells in vitro at concentrations greater than 10(-8) M. Equivalent RIF- lipoprotein fractions from normal serum are equally inhibitory in the mixed lymphocyte reaction suggesting that this effect is not directly attributable to RIF activity. These data indicate that RIF is a unique and functionally specific species of LDL that represents either an association complex of lipoproteins or a hybrid molecule of unusual composition. The association of this factor with viral-induced hepatocellular injury underscores the need to elucidate its structure and function in greater detail.

Activation of bovine Factor X by the venom coagulant protein of Vipera russelli: Complex formation of the activation fragments

The interaction of the fragments of Factor X which are formed during the activation of Factor X by the coagulant protein of Russell's viper venom has been examined. Factor X and activated Factor X yielded single protein peaks with identical elution volumes by gel filtration on columns of Sephadex G-75 or BioGel P-100 equilibrated in 0.02 M Tris-HCl, 0.1 M NaCl, pH 7.4, or 8 M urea. However, an activation peptide with a molecular weight of 11 000 could be separated from a higher molecular weight activation fragment by gel filtration on columns of BioGel P-100 equilibrated in 1% sodium dodecylsulfate and 8 M urea. This activation peptide was also observed by gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecylsulfate and urea using highly cross-linked polyacrylamide gels. The molecular weight and composition of the activated Factor X complex, prepared by gel filtration in 8 M urea, were compared to those of Factor X. Molecular weights, determined by equilibrium centrifugation in 6 M guanidine·HCl, are 56 000 and 55 000 for Factor X and the activated Factor X complex, respectively. The amino acid compositions were indistinguishable; slight differences in carbohydrate content were observed. It appears that Factor X undergoes proteolytic cleavage of its heavy subunit during activation by the coagulant protein and a complex of the two activation fragments of Factor X are formed. The binding of these activation fragments in the presence of Tris-HCl, pH 7.4, 8 M urea, or 6 M guanidine·HCl to form an activated Factor X complex suggests the high degree of complementarity and mutual affinity of these polypeptide chains.

The classification of Avonian limestones

In systematised stratigraphical classification 'Avonian' is a term junior to 'Dinantian'; but in present ignorance of the precise correlative equivalents of Dinantian assises and Avonian zones the term is conveniently retained for the Lower Carboniferous rocks, most of them typical 'Carboniferous Limestone', of the British South-Western Province, where there is also ignorance of the precise horizons of the Fammennian-Dinantian junction and the Dinantian-Namurian junction. At the same time, the Avonian assemblage zones have significance only in the carbonate rocks of the northern part of the Province: they are not at all applicable to the Lower Culm of the southern part, and they are applicable only with uncertainty to other Lower Carboniferous provinces in Britain. 'Avonian' is of only temporary and local validity: it is not the name of a standard series. Avonian rocks are mainly shelf limestones of a variety of kinds. They display marked lateral and sequential changes that reflect the influence of many factors, of which contemporary earth-movement, with the consequent migration of facies belts and the occurrence of sharp lithological breaks and nonsequences, was of major importance. The fossiliferous members of the series reflect subtly variant biotopes that throw light on a multiplicity of shelf environments whose characteristics and distribution have strong analogies, in associations of organisms and in community balance, with near-shore shelf sediments of many of the warmer present-day seas; and recurrent inorganic limestones (mainly calcite muds and oolites) demonstrate the general shallowness of the shelf seas over very wide areas. Detailed palaeogeographical reconstruction is possible for many of the rock groups over much of the ground. A sedimentological classification of the rocks is not readily accommodated by a usual system of parameters inherited from the classification of detrital terrigenes. Nearly all the limestones are endogenic, their calcareous constituents almost never the product of hinterland erosion or of prolonged transport even when the 'clasts' in them are abraded fragments. Grain size in such sediments is commonly an accident of origin, not a reliable sign of the restlessness of the environment of deposition: a spirifer shell is much larger than the individual crinoid plates of the bed in which it lies; a stromatolitic algal sheet is the welded product of growing algal nodules, and conversely an algal nodule may show partial disintegration into 'amorphous' algal mud; a coral bush is the containing frame of the shells it houses and of the organic debris caught in its mesh, and at the same time is itself embedded in a bank of the same kinds of shells or in wrappings of the same kinds of debris; drewite mudstone, a faecal pellet, an oolith, reflect related factors in carbonate formation. 'Matrix' also has many ambiguities: it may be an accumulate virtually in situ; it may be detritus transported some distance, or fragmented and redistributed locally; it may be mainly of monogenetic provenance, in its shelly or its algal or its evaporitic constituents, and then be coarse-grained or fine-grained, apparently well-sorted, through immediately environmental 'accident,' or it may be, equally accidentally,' unsorted or ill-sorted in grain size as an 'internal' product of a mixed biotope; may be diagenetic, 'contemporaneous' penecontemporaneous' or 'subsequent.' In a naive petrographical system mechanically applied, classification can result in the imposition of mutually incommensurable incompatible criteria in attempts to distinguish between petrological kinds resistant to the system: rocks similar on the arbitrary criteria for instance of grain size) may have little mutual affinity; rocks very different on the criteria may be closely allied. Principles the classification of limestones, as they are illustrated in the Avonian rocks, need to self-consistent and comprehensive: they cannot be adequately of use in description unless they are also genetic.

Adhesion of suspension particles on the wall surface of the container

The mechanism of the adhesion of the suspension particles on the wall surface of the glass container is discussed. Two types of mechanism are found; 1) simple adhesion where no mutual affinity or interaction exists between the particle and the wall, 2) adhesion with affinity.

Synthetic Orcein as a Stain for Chick Embryo Cartilage Matrix

Chick embryo tissues fixed in Bouin's fluid, in 10% formol saline or in 10% formol saline with subsequent mordanting in saturated picric acid containing 3% HgCl2, were examined as 5 μ paraffin sections after staining with 1% synthetic orcein in 80% ethanol containing 1% HCl (conc.). Orcein defined the young elastic fibres formed in the truncus arteriosus, aorta and other large arteries after the 5th day of embryonic development but also reacted with the matrix of cartilage in all parts of the skeleton from the 3rd day onward. It is thought that a glycoprotein or proteoglycan shared by these two tissues could account for their mutual affinity for orcein.

Isolation of planarian neoblasts and their behavior in vitro with some aspects of the mechanism of the formation of regeneration blastema.

AbstractA method of isolating neoblasts from Dugesia dorotocephala and the process of their aggregation in vitro are described. Morphology and behavior of gastrodermal cells and fixed parenchyma cells in vitro are also reported. Basically the neoblast is an oval cell with a large primary process and a finer secondary process at the opposite pole. Neoblasts have strong mutual affinity and very little affinity with other types of cells. The only observed method of locomotion of neoblasts in vitro was the contraction of the firmly attached primary processes between two or more neoblasts, which ends in their aggregation. Gastrodermal cells and fixed parenchyma cells are the most active migratory cells in vitro. With the observation of the cell movement both in vitro and in the fragments of the body, it was concluded that the primary accumulation of neoblasts at the open wound is not due to the active migration of neoblasts from the intact region as surmised by some other authors but due to the aggregation of local neoblasts. The migration of gastrodermal cells from the wound area causes the condensation of the parenchyma at the wound; the cytolyses of cells other than neoblasts in the parenchyma under a hypotonic condition evoke the aggregation of neoblasts. Active mitosis increases the number of neoblasts in the regeneration blastema. The “Parenchymal movement” or the mobility of the fixed parenchyma cells which must be responsible for the cellular transportation in the parenchyma was discussed.

Inactivation of purified Escherichia coli RNA polymerase by transfer RNA

The inhibition by transfer RNA of the in vitro activity of purified RNA polymerase isolated from Escherichia coli has been investigated. Reaction of polymerase with tRNA§ before the addition of DNA to the reaction mixture inhibits the synthetic activity of the polymerase to an extent which depends upon the relative concentrations of tRNA and polymerase. Prior reaction of the polymerase with DNA protects it against subsequent inactivation by tRNA. Thus reaction of the polymerase with either nucleic acid appears to be practically irreversible. The inhibitory effect of tRNA on a polymerase molecule is all-or-none, since partial inhibition of RNA synthesis by tRNA reduces only the number of growing RNA chains, but not their rate of growth. The nature of the dependence of relative inhibition on tRNA concentration suggests that the populations of polymerase and tRNA molecules are heterogeneous with respect to their mutual affinities. This possibility is supported by the finding that in a mixture of polymerase and tRNA at concentrations such that half of the polymerase activity is inhibited, there still exists tRNA capable of inhibiting freshly added polymerase. It was found that aminoacyl-tRNA is a somewhat less effective inhibitor than amino acid-free tRNA, although this difference does not appear to be great enough to account for the postulated in vivo regulation of RNA synthesis by tRNA.

Capacity of T4 DNA to serve as template for purified Escherichia coli RNA polymerase

The dependence of in vitro RNA synthesis, catalyzed by purified Escherichia coli RNA polymerase, on the concentration and secondary structure of T4 DNA templates in the reaction mixture has been studied by means of kinetic and sedimentation experiments. The following results were obtained. (1) If the weight ratio of DNA to polymerase in the reaction mixture is low, then the rate of RNA synthesis is proportional to the DNA concentration and nearly independent of the polymerase concentration (saturation of DNA with polymerase). If that ratio is high, then the rate of RNA synthesis is proportional to the polymerase concentration and nearly independent of the DNA concentration (saturation of polymerase with DNA). For intermediate ratios, the ensuing rate of RNA synthesis in the reaction mixture can be increased by addition of either more polymerase or more DNA, suggesting that both polymerase and starting sites for polymerase on the DNA are heterogeneous with respect to their mutual binding affinities. (2) The rate of chain growth of the RNA is independent of the DNA concentration; accordingly, at limiting DNA concentration and fixed polymerase concentration, only the number of polymerase molecules becoming active is increased with increasing DNA concentration. (3) The maximum number of long RNA molecules that can be synthesized simultaneously, and thus the maximum number of polymerase molecules that can be fully active per native T4 DNA unit, is estimated to be 180. (4) On heat-denatured T4 DNA, the maximum number of RNA molecules that can be synthesized per unit weight of DNA is several times higher than on native T4 DNA. To account for these results, a model is proposed which assumes a limited number of specific starting sites for RNA polymerase on the native T4 DNA molecule.

SYSTEMATISCHE ORDNUNG UND FLORISTISCHE ZUSAMMENSETZUNG NIEDERLÄNDISCHER WALD- UND GEBÜSCHGESELLSCHAFTEN

SYSTEMATISCHE ORDNUNG UND FLORISTISCHE ZUSAMMENSETZUNG NIEDERLÄNDISCHER WALD- UND GEBÜSCHGESELLSCHAFTEN

A revision of the ruteline genus Anoplognathus Leach (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

The genus Anoplognathus Leach is restricted to Australia and adjacent islands. Many of its species, commonly known as Christmas beetles, cause severe defoliation of trees, especially eucalypts. Notes on the biology, host preferences, and distribution of the species are given. The key to the species is based on a careful study of their mutual affinities. The grouping that results differs considerably from that adopted by previous workers. The species are redescribed and figured, particular attention being paid to the male genitalia which show marked constancy within species, in contrast to the variation in colour, size, and degree of vestiture of the beetles. The following new species are described: A. narmarus, sp, nov. A. pindarus, sp. nov. A. nebulosus moanus, subsp. nov. Changes of status proposed: A. insularis Ohaus, 1898, to become a subspecies of punctulatus Oll., 1890. A. aurora Arr., 1919, to become a subspecies of macleayi Blackb., 1891. A. acuminatus Ohaus, 1904, to become a subspecies of nebulosus Macl., 1864. New synonymies proposed: A. uiriditarsis Leach, 1815, =reticulatus Boisd., 1835, =viridicollis Macl., 1873. A. montanus Macl., 1873, =odewahni Macl., 1873. A. olivieri (Dalm.), 1817, =duponti Boisd., 1835. A. macleayi Blackb., 1891, =pallidus Arr., 1919. A. rugosus Kirby, 1818, =longipennis Macl., 1873, =dispar Macl., 1873. A. porosus (Dalm.), 1817, =pectoralis Burm., 1844, =luridus Arr., 1901. A. hirsutus Burm., 1844, =explanatus Arr., 1901. A. brunnipennis Gyll., 1817, =flavipennis Boisd., 1835, =quadrimaculatus Ohaus, 1898.