Here, we report on the spatial and temporal variation in sulphate-reducing bacterial community structure and activity in three hypersaline coastal pans. Community structure was determined using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Cluster analysis of DGGE patterns indicated that similar microbial populations were generally found in individual pans but varied from one pan to the other...

1. Bovine corneas were incubated in vitro with [U-(14)C]glucose. 2. The glycosaminoglycans of corneal stroma were isolated and fractionated on cetylpyridinium chloride-cellulose columns. The major components were keratan sulphate (71%), chondroitin 4-sulphate (17%) and chondroitin 6-sulphate (4%). 3. The acid-soluble nucleotides and intermediates of glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis of corneal str...

Radioactive sulphate (35S04) is readily taken up and ‘fixed’ by cartilage, from which it can be extracted in chondroitin sulphate (Bostrom & Mansson 1953). In autoradiographs the isotope is found at sites where acid mucopolysaccharides are formed (Curran & Kennedy 1955). Sulphate is incorporated into the muco­ polysaccharide molecule at an early stage in its synthesis (Schiller, Mathews, Cifone...

S U M M A R Y : Desulphowifio desulphuricans (strain El Agheila Z) oxidized malate, fumarate, succinate, lactate and pyruvate quantitatively to acetate in cultures containing excess sulphate. Polysaccharide accumulated in old cultures. Cell suspensions harvested from malate media yielded theoretical amounts of sulphide and CO, from malate, fumarate or succinate + excess sulphate. Succinate was ...

1. The effects of acid mucopolysaccharides and acid mucopolysaccharide-proteins on the size and rate of formation of fibril aggregates from collagen solutions in pH7.6 buffers were studied by turbidimetric and light-scattering methods. 2. Serum albumin, orosomucoid, methylated cellulose, chondroitin sulphate A and chondroitin sulphate C of molecular weight less than 20000, and hyaluronate of mo...

Keratan sulphate and chondroitin sulphate (KS and CS) in the 2-fold helical configurations that are prevalent in solution are of very similar tacticity. The chiral centres, anionic sites and hydrophobic patches are in identical conformations. Only the position of the acetamido group varies from CS to KS, but part of its intramolecular H-bonding potential in CS is retained in KS. The formation o...