EFFECT OF U.V. IRRADIATION ON SUSCEPTIBILITY OF SERUM ALBUMINS TO TRYPSIN

Abstract— Ultraviolet irradiation converts bovine serum albumin (BSA) and rabbit serum albumin (RS A) into forms much more rapidly hydrolysed by trypsin than the original proteins. The radiation energy (at 2537Å) required to be absorbed by each mg of a protein to convert half of it into a form susceptible to trypsin ( E ₅₀%) is about 0.32 J for BSA and 0.62 J for RSA. The average E ₅₀% for inactivation of enzymes and antibodies is 0.7 J so the two processes may depend on similar alterations in irradiated protein molecules. The alteration can be considered as denaturation, with protein molecules becoming at least partially unfolded and making the sites susceptible to the attack by trypsin more easily accessible to the enzyme.     

Stochastic versus chaotic dynamics in a deterministic system

We analyze a dynamical system whose time evolution depends on an externally controlled model parameter. We observe that the introduction of state-dependent perturbations induces a variety of phenomena which can have either a chaotic or stochastic nature. We analyze the sensitivity of the dynamics and the underlying attractors to the strength, frequency, and time correlations of the external perturbations.     

IN ACTIVATION OF A STRAIN OF TOBACCO NECROSIS VIRUS AND OF THE RNA ISOLATED FROM IT, BY ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION OF DIFFERENT WAVE-LENGTHS

Abstract— A train of tobacco necrosis virus (TNV) and infective nucleic acid isolated from it (TNV-RNA) are equally susceptible to inactivation by U.V. radiation at all wave-lengths tested (230-290 m_μ) and can be photoreactivated to the same extent by exposing inoculated host plants to daylight. The shape of the action spectrum for inactivation by U.V. of TNV and of TNV-RNA follows that of the absorption spectrum of TNV-RNA. Thus, unlike the RNA of tobacco mosaic virus, the RNA of TNV behaves in all these respects in the same way irrespective of whether it is inside or outside the virus particle. To inactivate TNV or TNV-RNA to 50 per cent of their original infectivities, each mg of RNA must absorb about 0.27 joules of radiation energy of any wave-length between 230 and 290 mp, which corresponds to a quantum yield of about 0.65 ×10^-3 at 260 mμ.     

Inactivation of a Rhizobium bacteriophage by ultraviolet radiation of different wave-lengths

Abstract— Trypsin inactivated by u.v. radiation, gamma radiation, visible radiation in the presence of sensitizing dyes, and autolysis, was examined by the method of disc electrophoresis. Untreated Worthington twice crystallized salt-free trypsin separated into four bands which moved toward the cathode; the main band, which had the greatest mobility, contained all of the detectable tryptic activity. The next most mobile band has been assumed to be a chymotrypsin contaminant. The other two bands are of unknown nature. A progressive loss of all the bands was observed when the enzyme was inactivated by those procedures which produce a ‘damaged’ class of trypsin molecules, i.e. flavin-sensitized photooxidation, autolysis, and treatment with u.v. and gamma radiation. No loss of the main band was observed during photoinactivation with methylene blue and eosin Y as sensitizers. In this latter case, it is postulated that the trypsin inactivation products must be of such a nature that the net charge and conformation of the protein is not greatly changed, thus permitting all of the protein to remain in the same band during electrophoresis.     

THE INACTIVATION OF RIBONUCLEIC ACID FROM TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUS BY ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION AT DIFFERENT WAVE-LENGTHS

Abstract— Although both thymine and uracil can form similar dimers, exposing RNA of tobacco mosaic virus lo ultraviolet radiation of different wavelengths did not reproduce any of the phenomena that implicate dimerization of thymine residues as a major cause of the inactivation of a bacterial transforming DNA. If uracil residues dimerize at all in the irradiated RNA, such dimerization either does not affect infectivity or is not photoreversible in the same way as dirnerization of thymine residues in DNA. Unlike inactivation of the transforming DNA, inactivation of the virus-RNA seems to be a function of the amount of absorbed radiation energy, irrespective of the wave-length within the range 285 to 230 mμ and irrespective of a change in the wave-length during irradiation.     

INACTIVATION OF A RHIZOBIUM BACTERIO-PHAGE BY ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION OF DIFFERENT WAVE-LENGTHS

Abstract— The action spectrum for inactivation of a Rhizobiurn bacteriophage by U.V. radiation follows the shape of the absorption spectrum of DNA between the wave-lengths of 240 and 290 mμ (where inactivation probably reflects damage to the nucleic acid only), and deviates sharply upwards at wave-lengths shorter than 240 mμ (where inactivation may depend on damage to both the nucleic acid, and protein of the phage). The rate of inactivation follows first order kinetics approximately at all wave-lengths tested. Infectivity of the phage is halved when each mg of the phage nucleic acid has absorbed about 0 08 J of radiation energy at any wave-length between 240 and 290 mμ.
The bacteriopharge can be photoreactivated after inactivation at any wave-length between 230 and 290 mμ, but less so after inactivation at 230 mμ than at any wave-length above 240 mμ. No evidence was found to suggest that dimerization of thymine residues of the phage-DNA plays any part in the mechanism of inactivation of the bacteriophage by U.V. radiation.