Living with water stress: evolution of osmolyte systems

Selection, mapping, and characterization of osmoregulatory mutants of Escherichia coli blocked in the choline-glycine betaine pathway

Osmotically stressed Escherichia coli cells synthesize the osmoprotectant glycine betaine by oxidation of choline through glycine betaine aldehyde (choline----glycine betaine aldehyde----glycine betaine; B. Landfald and A.R. Strøm, J. Bacteriol. 165:849-855, 1986. Mutants blocked at the level of choline dehydrogenase were isolated by selection of strains which did not grow at elevated osmotic strength in the presence of choline but grew when supplemented with glycine betaine. A gene governing the choline dehydrogenase activity was named betA. Mapping by P1 transduction, F' complementation, and deletion mutagenesis showed the betA gene to be located at 7.5 min in the argF-codAB region of the chromosome. Mutants carrying deletions of this region also lacked glycine betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase activity and high-affinity uptake activity for choline; these deletions did not influence the activities of glycine betaine uptake or low-affinity choline uptake, both of which were osmotically regulated.

Effects of urea, trimethylamine oxide, and osmolality on respiration and citrulline synthesis by isolated hepatic mitochondria from Squalus acanthias

The effects of osmolality and of urea and trimethylamine oxide on citrulline synthesis and respiration by isolated hepatic mitochondria from Squalus acanthias (spiny dogfish) were determined. Optimal rates of citrulline synthesis and of respiration, as well as maximal respiratory control ratios, were obtained when the osmolality was about 300 mOsm when physiological concentrations of urea and trimethylamine oxide were present, analogous to mammalian mitochondria. Urea and trimethylamine oxide do not act as osmolytes and do not significantly affect these rates. When glutamate is not saturating, increasing concentrations of urea over the range of concentrations of physiological significance (e.g. 0.1-0.5 M) significantly inhibit citrulline synthesis, but not respiration. This response to urea concentration may reflect a specific homeostatic mechanism for maintaining physiological concentrations of urea.

Support of respiration and citrulline synthesis by isolated hepatic mitochondria from Squalus acanthias by acyl-CoAs and other nitrogen-donating substrates

The effects of different substrates supporting respiration and glutamine-dependent citrulline synthesis from ornithine, ammonia, and bicarbonate by isolated hepatic mitochondria from Squalus acanthias (spiny dogfish) were determined. Highest rates of respiration were achieved with succinate, palmitoyl-CoA, and beta-hydroxybutyrate as oxidizable substrates. All acyl-CoAs tested (from C-2 to C-22) supported carnitine-dependent respiration at a substantial rate. Short-chain fatty acids did not support respiration. Ammonia required for citrulline synthesis could be formed from glutamate, or from leucine plus alpha-ketoglutarate which gives rise to glutamate by transamination, as the result of glutamate dehydrogenase activity, but the reaction was inhibited by succinate or other oxidizable substrates. Alanine or ornithine could not be substituted for leucine, suggesting that leucine may specifically activate glutamate dehydrogenase. Glutamate required for citrulline synthesis could be formed from alpha-ketoglutarate and ammonia as the result of glutamate dehydrogenase activity if succinate was present. Transamination of alpha-ketoglutarate with ornithine present in the reaction mixtures provided glutamate at a rapid rate whether or not succinate was present. These results are consistent with the view that hepatic dogfish mitochondria efficiently utilize acyl-CoAs derived from triglyceride stores in the liver to support respiration, glutamine-dependent citrulline synthesis from ammonia, and formation of ketone bodies as a major fuel for muscle.

Functional characterization of the uncoupler-insensitive Na+ pump of the halotolerant bacterium, Ba1

Respiration initiates Na+ efflux from Na+-preloaded cells of the halotolerant bacterium, Ba1. This efflux can take place against the concentration and electrochemical gradients. Since it is not inhibited by carbonylcyanide-p-trifluoromethoxyphenyl-hydrazone or N'N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, it seems unlikely that either delta p (electrochemical potential difference of H+ across the membrane) generated by the primary proton pump or ATP play a role in the transduction of the energy supplied by electron transport. The electrogenic extrusion of Na+ causes passive counterflow of protons and/or simultaneous flux of permeant anions. In the absence of permeant anions the charge compensation attained by influx of protons is not complete. The membrane potential which persists in this case is inside negative and insensitive to uncoupler. The influx of protons builds up a delta pH of reversed sign (more acid inside), which is insensitive to uncoupler. The simultaneous efflux of Na+ and permeant anions diminishes the intracellular salt content and, as a corollary, causes volume contraction. Thus, the respiration-linked, uncoupler-insensitive Na+ pump may play a role in the regulation of the intracellular salt content.

Salmonella typhimurium proP gene encodes a transport system for the osmoprotectant betaine

Betaine (N,N,N-trimethylglycine) can be accumulated to high intracellular concentrations and serves an important osmoprotective function in enteric bacteria. We found that the proP gene of Salmonella typhimurium, originally identified as encoding a minor transport system for proline (permease PP-II), plays an important role in betaine uptake. Mutations in proP reduced the ability of betaine to serve as an osmoprotectant. Transport of betaine into the cells was also severely impaired in these mutants. The kinetics of uptake via PP-II suggest that betaine, rather than proline, is the important physiological substrate for this transport system. Betaine uptake via PP-II was regulated by osmotic pressure at two different levels: transcription of the proP gene was increased by increasing osmolarity, and, in addition, activity of the transport system itself was dependent upon the osmotic pressure of the medium. The specificity of the transport system was also altered by increasing osmolarity which enhanced the affinity for betaine while reducing that for proline.

Characterization of a gamma-glutamyl kinase from Escherichia coli that confers proline overproduction and osmotic tolerance

Mutation(s) in the proBA operon of Escherichia coli confers proline overproduction and enhanced osmotic tolerance in enteric bacteria (L. N. Csonka, Mol. Gen. Genet. 182:82-86, 1981; M. J. Mahan and L. N. Csonka, J. Bacteriol. 156:1249-1262, 1983). A glutamate-dependent ATPase assay was developed and used to determine proB-encoded gamma-glutamyl kinase activity in the absence of glutamate-gamma-semialdehyde dehydrogenase. This assay indicated that the feedback insensitivity of mutant gamma-glutamyl kinase was independent of glutamate-gamma-semialdehyde dehydrogenase. However, the capacity of glutamate-gamma-semialdehyde dehydrogenase from the osmotolerant mutant to interact with the kinase was altered in thermal stability, suggesting that mutations in both proB and proA may be required for osmotolerance.

Osmoregulation of gene expression in Salmonella typhimurium: proU encodes an osmotically induced betaine transport system

Previous evidence has indicated that a gene, proU, is involved in the response of bacterial cells to growth at high osmolarity. Using Mu-mediated lacZ operon fusions we found that transcription of the proU gene of Salmonella typhimurium is stimulated over 100-fold in response to increases in external osmolarity. Our evidence suggests that changes in turgor pressure are responsible for these alterations in gene expression. Expression of proU is independent of the ompR gene, known to be involved in osmoregulation of porin expression. Thus, there must be at least two distinct mechanisms by which external osmolarity can influence gene expression. We show that there are relatively few genes in the cell which are under such osmotic control. The proU gene is shown to encode a high-affinity transport system (Km = 1.3 microM) for the osmoprotectant betaine, which is accumulated to high concentrations in response to osmotic stress. Even when fully induced, this transport system is only able to function in medium of high osmolarity. Thus, betaine transport is regulated by osmotic pressure at two levels: the induction of expression and by modulation of activity of the transport proteins. We have previously shown that the proP gene encodes a lower-affinity betaine transport system (J. Cairney, I. R. Booth, and C. F. Higgins, J. Bacteriol., 164:1218-1223, 1985). In proP proU strains, no saturable betaine uptake could be detected although there was a low-level nonsaturable component at high substrate concentrations. Thus, S. typhimurium has two genetically distinct pathways for betaine uptake, a constitutive low-affinity system (proP) and an osmotically induced high-affinity system (proU).

The Hofmeister effect and the behaviour of water at interfaces

Starting from known properties of non-specific salt effects on the surface tension at an air-water interface, we propose the first general, detailed qualitative molecular mechanism for the origins of ion-specific (Hofmeister) effects on the surface potential difference at an air-water interface; this mechanism suggests a simple model for the behaviour of water at all interfaces (including water-solute interfaces), regardless of whether the non-aqueous component is neutral or charged, polar or non-polar. Specifically, water near an isolated interface is conceptually divided into three layers, each layer being I water-molecule thick. We propose that the solute determines the behaviour of the adjacent first interfacial water layer (I1); that the bulk solution determines the behaviour of the third interfacial water layer (I3), and that both I1 and I3 compete for hydrogen-bonding interactions with the intervening water layer (I2), which can be thought of as a transition layer. The model requires that a polar kosmotrope (polar water-structure maker) interact with I1 more strongly than would bulk water in its place; that a chaotrope (water-structure breaker) interact with I1 somewhat less strongly than would bulk water in its place; and that a non-polar kosmotrope (non-polar water-structure maker) interact with I1 much less strongly than would bulk water in its place. We introduce two simple new postulates to describe the behaviour of I1 water molecules in aqueous solution. The first, the 'relative competition' postulate, states that an I1 water molecule, in maximizing its free energy (--delta G), will favour those of its highly directional polar (hydrogen-bonding) interactions with its immediate neighbours for which the maximum pairwise enthalpy of interaction (--delta H) is greatest; that is, it will favour the strongest interactions. We describe such behaviour as 'compliant', since an I1 water molecule will continually adjust its position to maximize these strong interactions. Its behaviour towards its remaining immediate neighbours, with whom it interacts relatively weakly (but still favourably), we describe as 'recalcitrant', since it will be unable to adjust its position to maximize simultaneously these interactions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Trimethylamine oxide and the maintenance of volume of dogfish shark rectal gland cells

Determinants of the steady-state vol of the dogfish shark (Squalus acanthias) rectal gland cells were studied. The cellular levels of trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) in fresh tissue and slices incubated aerobically 60 min in standard (TMAO-free) elasmobranch saline were close to those in the plasma (71 +/- 5 mM S.E.M.); therefore, under these conditions, the cell membrane appears to be impermeable to this solute. However, depolarization of the cells in high-K+ media produced a rapid loss of TMAO. Thus, TMAO is a major, effectively impermeant solute in the rectal gland cells. The osmolarity of cell solutes in tissue water (fresh and incubated slices) did not differ significantly from values in the plasma or incubation medium, demonstrating the absence of an osmotic pressure gradient across the cell membrane. An analysis of a simple model of cell solutes under steady-state conditions shows that the presence of an (effectively) impermeant osmolyte decreases the cellular concentration of bulk cations. The analysis is consistent with available observations on the distribution of cell Na+ and K+ in tissues containing high concentrations of (nitrogeneous) osmolytes. One simplifying assumption of the model, i.e., identity (or closeness) of the respective reflection coefficients sigma for Na+ and K+ passage through the cell membranes could not be verified. Compared to available data on the steady-state cellular fluxes of 42K+ in slices of the rectal gland, the uptake of 22Na+ by the tissue was slow (the derived rate constant k' = 0.017 min-1, i.e., about one tenth of that for K+).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Quantitative determination of methylamines using microelectrodes

A new method for measuring methylamino compounds such as choline, trimethylamine, trimethylamine-N-oxide, betaine, L-carnitine, and dimethylamine is described. A glass microelectrode is used to quantify methylamines in concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10.0 mM. Rapid time response and a good sensitivity are maintained by the microelectrode even when measurements are performed in solutions having high ionic strength and low pH. These characteristics make this assay suitable for use with conventional column chromatographic techniques of separation for these methylamines.

Temperature dependence of the rate constants of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase-lambda PR promoter interaction. Assignment of the kinetic steps corresponding to protein conformational change and DNA opening

The kinetics of formation and of dissociation of open complexes (RPo) between Escherichia coli RNA polymerase (R) and the lambda PR promoter (P) have been studied as a function of temperature in the physiological range using the nitrocellulose filter binding assay. The kinetic data provide further evidence for the mechanism R + P in equilibrium I1 in equilibrium I2 in equilibrium RPo, where I1 and I2 are kinetically distinguishable intermediate complexes at this promoter which do not accumulate under the reaction conditions investigated. The overall second-order association rate constant (ka) increases dramatically with increasing temperature, yielding a temperature-dependent activation energy in the range 20 kcal (near 37 degrees C) to 40 kcal (near 13 degrees C) (1 kcal = 4.184 kJ). Both isomerization steps (I1----I2 and I2----RPo) appear to be highly temperature dependent. Except at low temperatures (less than 13 degrees C) the step I1----I2, which we attribute to a conformational change in the polymerase with a large negative delta Cp degrees value, is rate-limiting at the reactant concentrations investigated and hence makes the dominant contribution to the apparent activation energy of the pseudo first-order association reaction. The subsequent step I2----RPo, which we attribute to DNA melting, has a higher activation energy (in excess of 100 kcal) but only becomes rate-limiting at low temperature (less than 13 degrees C). The initial binding step R + P in equilibrium I1 appears to be in equilibrium on the time-scale of the isomerization reactions under all conditions investigated; the equilibrium constant for this step is not a strong function of temperature and is approximately 10(7) M-1 under the standard ionic conditions of the assay (40 mM-Tris . HCl (pH 8.0), 10 mM-MgCl2, 0.12 M-KC1). The activation energy of the dissociation reaction becomes increasingly negative at low temperatures, ranging from approximately -9 kcal near 37 degrees C to -30 kcal near 13 degrees C. Thermodynamic (van't Hoff) enthalpies delta H degrees of open complex formation consequently are large and temperature-dependent, increasing from approximately 29 to 70 kcal as the temperature is reduced from 37 to 13 degrees C. The corresponding delta Cp degrees value is approximately -2.4 kcal/deg. We propose that this large negative delta Cp degrees value arises primarily from the burial of hydrophobic surface in the conformational change (I1 in equilibrium I2) in RNA polymerase in the key second step of the mechanism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Exclusive nuclear location of estrogen receptors in Squalus testis

An estrogen (E)-binding molecule having both occupied and unoccupied sites is restricted to nuclear subfractions in the testis of the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias). We investigated the hypothesis that a species characterized by high body-fluid osmolarity (1010 mosM) has an estrogen receptor (ER) that binds to chromatin with high affinity and consequently resists redistribution during tissue processing. Although the steroid binding and sedimentation properties of the Squalus nuclear ER conformed to those of classical ER, its elution maximum from DNA-cellulose was unusually high (0.55 M NaCl). A tendency to adhere tightly to cell nuclei was reflected in the high salt concentration (0.43 M KCl) required to extract 50% of the receptors from the nuclear compartment during homogenization and in the stability of the nuclear ER population in the presence of high concentrations of a nonionic solute (urea) or increased buffer volume. Mixing and redistribution experiments showed that nuclear ER could be quantitatively and qualitatively measured in cytosolic extracts, ruling out the possibility that soluble receptors were being masked. Although Squalus oviduct ER was similar to that of testis, ER in the testis and liver of a related elasmobranch (Potamotrygon) that maintains osmotic equilibrium at 300 mosM more closely resembled mammalian ER in its elution maximum from DNA-cellulose (0.22 M NaCl) and cytosolic/nuclear ratios in low-salt buffers. We conclude that Squalus testis has a single ER pool located exclusively in the nuclear compartment. These observations support a revised concept of steroid action and further indicate that the chromatin affinity of the hormone-ER complex is an important factor in determining subfractional distribution during tissue processing.

The stabilization of proteins by osmolytes

The preferential interactions of lysozyme with solvent components and the effects of solvent additives on its stability were examined for several neutral osmolytes: L-proline, L-serine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, sarcosine, taurine, alpha-alanine, beta-alanine, glycine, betaine, and trimethylamine N-oxide. It was shown that all these substances stabilize the protein structure against thermal denaturation and (except for trimethylamine N-oxide for which interaction measurements could not be made) are strongly excluded from the protein domain, rendering unlikely their direct binding to proteins. On the other hand, valine, not known as an osmolyte, had no stabilizing effect, although it induced a large protein-preferential hydration. A possible explanation is given for the use of these substances as osmotic-pressure-regulating agents in organisms living under high osmotic pressure.

Osmoregulation of renal papillary cells

Element concentrations were determined in various extra- and intracellular compartments of the rat renal papilla in antidiuresis and after furosemide-induced diuresis using electron microprobe analysis to elucidate further how the cells adapt osmotically to different osmolalities. In antidiuresis and diuresis the sum of intracellular cations (sodium and potassium), accompanying anions and urea was insufficient in both cases to provide cell osmolalities similar to those in extracellular compartments. This finding provides further evidence that the papillary cells achieve osmoadaptation to widely differing extracellular electrolyte concentrations mainly by varying the cellular concentrations of osmotically-active substances other than urea and electrolytes.

Influence of osmolytes, thin filaments, and solubility state on elasmobranch phosphofructokinase in vitro

Skeletal muscle phosphofructokinase (PFK) purified from the thornback ray is rapidly inactivated by urea concentrations as low as 50 mM at pH values below 7.0. Urea-induced loss of PFK activity is not offset by trimethylamine-N-oxide. Protection against urea-inactivation in vivo, where urea concentration may approach 0.5 M, may be due to two effects. Filamentous (F) actin and muscle thin filaments moderately reduce the urea-induced loss of PFK activity. The binding of PFK to F-actin and to thin filaments is shown by ultracentrifugation experiments. PFK activity in vivo also may be stabilized in this species by the formation of a particulate enzyme form which is totally resistant to inactivation by physiological concentrations of urea.

Molecular Biology of Osmoregulation

The drought of 1983 resulted in some 10 billion dollars in agricultural losses and has focused attention on the vulnerability of our major crops to this devastating form of environmental stress. This article is concerned with the molecular biology of a new class of genes, called osm (osmotic tolerance) genes, that protect bacteria like Escherichia coli against osmotic stress and may work in a similar manner in plants and animals. Osm genes govern the production of a class of molecules, such as betaine and proline, that protect the cell and its constituents against dehydration. These osmoprotectant molecules have been known for many years to accumulate in plants but have only recently been shown to have potent antistress activity for bacteria.

The anaerobic end-products of helminths

Parasitic helminths belong to 3 separate phyla and there is always the danger of over-generalization. The various routes of anaerobic carbohydrate breakdown in parasitic helminths differ in their efficiencies and in their power output. The choice of end-product represents a compromise between these two conflicting forces. In addition, anaerobic pathways must satisfy the redox requirements of the tissues and provide a source of intermediates for synthetic reactions. Other considerations include the metabolic cost of excretion and the effect of end-products on protein structure and function. The different end-products may fulfil additional functions such as pH control, nitrogenous excretion, osmotic regulation, intracellular signalling and the suppression of host responses. A complicating factor in parasitic helminths is the existence of strains with different biochemical characteristics, including marked variation in end-product formation. The various tissues of the same parasite can also produce different end-products and the pattern of end-product formation is influenced by a variety of extrinsic and intrinsic factors such as age, sex, length of incubation, pO2 and availability of substrates. The catabolic pathways of helminths thus show considerable functional adaptation. There is, as yet, no satisfactory explanation as to why helminths do not make the maximum use of any oxygen available to them; and the contribution of oxidative processes to the overall energy balance of parasites probably varies from species to species. The catabolic pathways of adult helminths are derived from the anaerobic pathways present in their free-living relatives. Two main trends are evident, homolactic fermentation and carbon dioxide fixation, the latter involving a partial reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

TMAO (trimethylamine oxide)-independence of oxygen affinity and its urea and ATP sensitivities in an elasmobranch hemoglobin

Urea and trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), the major osmolytes in the body fluids of marine elasmobranch fishes, are known to exert counteracting effects on the functions of a variety of enzymes and other proteins of vertebrates (cf. Yancey et al., '82). Although urea raises the O2 affinity of the hemoglobin (Hb) of Squalus acanthias and reduces its sensitivity to the major allosteric cofactor, ATP, the oxygenation reactions of the Hb are insensitive to TMAO, reflecting the absence of urea-TMAO counteraction in the absence or in the presence of the phosphate.

Nitrogen-14 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of mammalian tissues

The use of 14N nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to monitor the concentrations of nitrogenous compounds in biological tissues was investigated. 14N-NMR spectra were collected in vivo and in vitro from several tissues of the rat and rabbit. Many nitrogen-containing compounds were detected, including urea, NH+4, trimethylamines, and several amino acids. In general, the compounds detected had approximately tetrahedral symmetry about the 14N nucleus and concentrations in the millimolar range. A problem that may limit the usefulness of 14N-NMR in intact tissue is the rapid exchange of nitrogen compounds in solution with those bound to sites on macromolecules. Such interactions tend to broaden the 14N resonance signal considerably. The binding of urea to intra- and extracellular proteins is presented as a specific example of this phenomenon. A particularly interesting finding was the high concentration (approximately 90 mM) of trimethylamine compounds in the renal inner medulla. We propose that 14N-NMR is a potentially useful technique for noninvasive detection of specific nitrogen-containing compounds in intact biological tissues.

Metabolism of arsenobetaine in mice, rats and rabbits

The distribution, retention and biotransformation of arsenobetaine, the most common organic arsenic compound in fish and crustacea, have been studied in mice, rats and rabbits by use of synthesized 73As-labelled arsenobetaine. Orally administered arsenobetaine was almost completely absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract in mice. The urinary excretion for 3 days following intravenous injection was about 75% of the dose in the rabbits and more than 98% in the mice and rats. The rate of excretion in mice was independent of the dose level in the range 4 to 400 mg As/kg body weight. In both animal species the tissue distribution differed widely from that observed following exposure to inorganic arsenic. The clearance of arsenobetaine from plasma and most tissues was fast (somewhat faster in mice than in rabbits) and seemed to follow first-order kinetics. The clearance from cartilage, testes, epididymis, and in the rabbits also the muscles, was slower and consisted of more than one phase. 73As-arsenobetaine was the only labelled arsenic compound detected in urine and soluble extract of tissues, indicating that no biotransformation occurred.

The composition of animal cells: solutes contributing to osmotic pressure and charge balance

The cytoplasmic solutes of vertebrates and invertebrates, other than Na, K and Cl, are surveyed in relation to their influence on ionic regulation through osmolality and charge balance. The most abundant include MgATP, phosphagens, amino acids, various other nitrogen and phosphorus compounds and sometimes anaerobic end products and antifreeze agents. Differences in muscle osmolality, e.g. between marine and non-marine animals, affect mainly nitrogenous solutes of no net charge, such as certain amino acids, taurine, betaine, trimethylamine oxide and urea. The high osmolality of axoplasm in marine invertebrates is due more to anions such as aspartate, glutamate and isethionate.

Environmental adaptation of proteins: strategies for the conservation of critical functional and structural traits

Comparative studies of lactate dehydrogenases (LDHs) and skeletal muscle actins from vertebrates adapted to widely different temperatures and hydrostatic pressures reveal major conservative trends in protein evolution and adaptation. For enzymes, ligand binding, as estimated by apparent Michaelis constant (Km) values, is strongly conserved at physiological temperatures, pressures, intracellular pH values and osmotic compositions of different organisms. The catalytic rate constants (kcat values) of enzyme homologues are highest for enzymes of low-body-temperature organisms, a trend that can be interpreted in terms of temperature compensation of metabolism. For skeletal muscle actins, the enthalpy and entropy changes accompanying the assembly of filamentous (F) actin from globular (G) actin are highest in high-body-temperature species and especially low in polar and deep-sea fishes. The thermal stability of G-actin is positively correlated with adaptation temperature, except in the case of actins of deep-sea fishes, which are also highly heat stable. Hydrophobic interactions between actin subunits may be of reduced importance in low-body-temperature animals and, especially, in deep-sea fishes. The differences in enthalpy and entropy changes during the G-to-F transformation favor a close conservation of the equilibrium constant for actin assembly under physiological conditions of temperature and pressure for different species. These adaptive patterns in enzymes and actin are likely to reflect changes in protein primary structure. The appropriate values for protein traits such as ligand binding abilities and catalytic rates are also shown to be established by the composition of the low molecular weight constituents of the cytosol. For example, the use of a combination of urea and methylamine solutes for osmoregulation by marine elasmobranchs is shown to be a mechanism which permits the conservation of key protein traits at high osmolarities. The methylamine solutes such as trimethylamine-N-oxide have effects on proteins opposite to those of urea, and at the approximately 2:1 concentration ratio of urea to methylamines, these counteracting effects are virtually complete. Regulation of hydrogen ion activity (pH) also is shown to play a major role in the conservation of critical protein traits. The importance of temperature-dependent pH in ectotherms is discussed in terms of stabilizing binding abilities and maintaining correct regulatory and structural sensitivities of proteins. The buffering capacity of tissues reflects the potential of the tissue for generating acidic end-products during anaerobic metabolism. Skeletal muscle, especially white locomotory muscle of fishes, is highly buffered relative to red locomotory muscle and heart muscle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Developmental biochemistry of cottonseed embryogenesis and germination: changing messenger ribonucleic acid populations as shown by in vitro and in vivo protein synthesis

Changes in messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) populations during embryogenesis of cottonseed have been followed by cataloging (a) extant proteins, (b) proteins synthesized in vivo, and (c) proteins synthesized in vitro from extracted RNA, all at specific stages of embryogenesis. Evidence is presented for the existence of five mRNA subsets, all apparently under different regulatory regimes, that produce the abundant proteins of embryogenesis. One of these functions principally during the cell division phase of embryogenesis and encodes among its products the seed storage proteins whose mRNA is superabundant during this period. This subset has disappeared from the abundant group by the mature seed stage. Two other subsets appear in late embryogenesis, one of which may result from the removal of the embryo from the maternal environment, since it is inducible by excision of the young embryo from the seed. The other appears to be induced by the plant growth regulator abscisic acid, whose endogenous concentration increases at this stage. It can be induced by incubating excised young embryos in abscisic acid. The last two subsets exist throughout embryogenesis, but only one of them appears to function in germination.