AUTOMATED MECHANICAL STIMULATION AND MEASUREMENT OF BIOLUMINESCENCE IN MARINE DINOFLAGELLATES

A new integrated system for reproducible, automated mechanical stimulation and measurement of bioluminescence (BL) in multiple samples of marine dinoflagellate cell suspensions is described. The system was designed to allow the application of standardized experimental routines to parallel test vials for the purpose of toxicity testing. A sample tray delivered test vials to the position of mechanical stimulation and BL measurement. Mechanical stimulation of BL was applied as sharp rotation-onset of the test vial about its vertical axis. Thus, any direct chemical or physical perturbation of the cell suspension was avoided. A silicon photovoltaic cell measured the emitted light. Stimulation, measurement and recording of BL were integrated and controlled by specially developed software, which runs on a personal computer in the graphic environment of MS-Windows. Precise scheduling, flexible programming and identical repetition of experimental routines are possible in practice. For Gonyaulax polyedra, details of BL, as stimulated and measured with the new system, are presented and discussed. We conclude that the system exhibits specific features that offer wide potential of application in several fields of research on dinoflagellate BL, particularly for toxicity testing.     

Automorphisms on a Lie group contracting modulo a compact subgroup and applications to semistable convolution semigroups

Let ( _t ) _t0 be a -semistable convolution semigroup of probability measures on a Lie groupG whose idempotent ₀ is the Haar measure on some compact subgroupK. Then all the measures ₁ are supported by theK-contraction groupC _K() of the topological automorphism ofG. We prove here the structure theoremC _K()=C()K, whereC() is the contraction group of . Then it turns out that it is sufficient to study semistable convolution semigroups on simply connected nilpotent Lie groups that have Lie algebras with a positive graduation.     

Chemistry of Succinylsuccinic Acid Derivatives. Part II. The crystal and molecular structure of diethyl succinylsuccinate

X-ray structure analysis of the title compound (I) is reported. The results are interpreted to predict formation of anti-tricyclo[4.4.0^1,6.0^7,12]-1,4,7,10-tetraethoxycarbonyl-3,6,9,12-tetrahydroxy-dodeca-3,9-diene on UV.-irradiation of solid (I).     

Ξ Resonances in Ξ− Be interactions II. Properties of Ξ(1820) and Ξ(1960) in the\Lambda \bar K^0 and\Sigma ^0 \bar K^0 channels

In an experiment at the CERN-SPS charged hyperon beam, we have investigated the inclusive \(\Lambda \bar K^0 \) and \(\Sigma ^0 \bar K^0 \) final states formed in Ξ^? Be interactions. In the \(\Lambda \bar K^0 \) channel, we observe a signal at 1826 MeV/c² which can be identified with the known Ξ(1820) resonance. We determine its mass and width to be:M=1826±4 MeV/c², Г=12±14 MeV/c². A moment analysis is consistent with a spin of 3/2 and indicates a negative parity for this spin assignment. Also in the \(\Lambda \bar K^0 \) channel, we observe a 3.6σ signal with the following parameters:M=1963±5 MeV/c², Г=25±15 MeV/c². This state, which we call Ξ(1960), is not observed in the \(\Sigma ^0 \bar K^0 \) channel, leading to an upper limit on the ratio of partial widths \(\Sigma \bar K/\Lambda \bar K\) of 2.3 (90% confidence level). A moment analysis of the \(\Lambda \bar K^0 \) final state indicates a spin of 5/2 or greater in the natural spin-parity series 5/2⁺, 7/2^?, etc.     

The photoreactions of recombinant phytochrome from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis: a low-temperature UV-Vis and FT-IR spectroscopic study

The interconvertible photoreactions of recombinant phytochrome from Synechocystis reconstituted with phycocyanobilin were investigated by light-induced optical and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) difference spectroscopy at low temperatures for the first time. The photochemistry was found to be deferred below -100 degrees C for the transformation of red-absorbing form of phytochrome (Pr)-->far-red-absorbing form of phytochrome (Pfr), and no formation of an intermediate similar to the photoproduct of phytochrome A obtained at -140 degrees C (lumi-R) was observed. Two intermediates could be stabilized below -40 degrees C and between -40 and -20 degrees C, and were denoted as meta-Ra and meta-Rc, respectively. Above -20 degrees C Pfr was obtained. In the reverse reaction two intermediates could be stabilized below -60 degrees C (lumi-F) and between -60 and -40 degrees C (meta-F). The FT-IR difference spectra of the late Pr-->Pfr photoreaction show great similarities to the spectra obtained from oat phytochrome A suggesting similar conformation of the chromophore and interactions with its protein environment, whereas deviations in the spectra of meta-Ra were observed. A large band around 1700 cm-1 in the difference spectra between the intermediates and Pr which is tentatively assigned to the C19=O group of the prosthetic group indicates the Z,E isomerization around the C15=C16-methine bridge of the chromophore during the formation of meta-Ra. In the difference spectra of the parent states only small differences are observed in this region suggesting that the frequency of the carbonyl group is similar in Pr and Pfr. Since the FT-IR difference spectra between lumi-F and Pfr show great similarities to the spectra of the parent states, it is assumed that during the formation of lumi-F the chromophore largely returns into the primary Pr conformation. The FT-IR spectra recorded in a medium of 2H2O generally show a downshift of the significant bands due to the isotope effect. The appearance of a characteristic band around 935 cm-1 in all 2H2O spectra suggests an assignment to an N-2H bending vibration of the chromophore.     

Carbohydrate chain of ganglioside GM1 as a ligand: identification of the binding strategies of three 15 mer peptides and their divergence from the binding modes of growth-regulatory galectin-1 and cholera toxin

The branched pentasaccharide chain of ganglioside GM1 is a prominent cell surface ligand, for example, for cholera toxin or tumor growth-regulatory homodimeric galectins. This activity profile via protein recognition prompted us to examine the binding properties of peptides with this specificity. Our study provides insights into the mechanism of molecular interaction of this thus far unexplored size limit of the protein part. We used three pentadecapeptides in a combined approach of mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy and molecular modelling to analyze the ligand binding in solution. Availability of charged and hydrophobic functionalities affected the intramolecular flexibility of the peptides differently. Backfolding led to restrictions in two cases; the flexibility was not reduced significantly by association of the ligand in its energetically privileged conformations. Major contributions to the interaction energy arise from the sialic acid moiety contacting Arg/Lys residues and the N-terminal charge. Considerable involvement of stacking between the monovalent ligand and aromatic rings could not be detected. This carbohydrate binding strategy is similar to how an adenoviral fiber knob targets sialylated glycans. Rational manipulation for an affinity enhancement can now be directed to reduce the flexibility, exploit the potential for stacking and acquire the cross-linking capacity of the natural lectins by peptide attachment to a suitable scaffold.     

Fibre cycles of holomorphic maps

This and the second part of the paper are to a great extent parts of my thesis [Si] which also appeared as preprint Mathematica Gottingensis 5/92. This work was partly supported by the S7B170 Geometrie und Analysis in Göttingen